Ye Xinglan, You Don't Want...

When Ye Xinglan heard Yun Ze confirm the terms of the assessment again, she raised a hand, and the Stargod Sword appeared in it out of thin air.

"If that's the case, then I won't hold back. I hope you won't take it personally."

Yun Ze couldn't help laughing. He hefted his spear in one hand, pointed its tip slightly downward at Ye Xinglan, and said,

"Remember this: at Shrek Academy, you must never be arrogant. That goes even more so for the Soul Master World. Otherwise, you could die without even knowing why."

Though Yun Ze had said that her character was none of his concern, he'd still decided to cure her of her bad habit after seeing how arrogant and domineering she'd been when she first arrived.

It wasn't because he wanted to help Tang Wulin. Yun Ze simply couldn't stand that kind of arrogance.

Ever since awakening her Martial Soul, Ye Xinglan had never been looked down on like this. She'd often fought opponents with one more ring than her.

Now that Yun Ze was treating her with such disdain, a spark of anger flared inside her. She bent her knees and charged straight at him.

Gripping his Stargod Sword, Yun Ze fixed his gaze on the sword in her hand.

It was a long sword, bright yellow from hilt to tip. Countless points of starlight seemed to shimmer along its blade, their dazzling gleam striking even in broad daylight.

In a single exchange, Yun Ze used no Soul Skill. Relying only on the strength in his hand, he knocked Ye Xinglan's sword flying, then lightly tapped her left cheek with the butt of his spear.

Yun Ze usually fought with two spears, which meant he could wield in one hand a long spear that most people needed both hands to handle.

His strength was naturally extraordinary. On top of that, he'd spent the last two years training with a spear and sparring every day with Guan Yue.

For the young Ye Xinglan, facing the Yun Ze of today could only end one way: in a crushing defeat.

The Stargod Sword was stuck in the ground, still trembling slightly, a testament to the force in Yun Ze's hand.

Ye Xinglan stared in disbelief at the sword embedded in the ground in the distance. After a long moment, she swallowed and said,

"Again! I'm not convinced!"

Yun Ze smiled, tossed the Heaven-Propping Spear into the air, and caught its shaft between two fingers. Then he calmly said to Ye Xinglan,

"If you're not convinced, pick up your sword and keep going. This time, I'll hold the spear like this."

The old man beside them was about to advise Ye Xinglan not to take Yun Ze head-on. Yun Ze silenced him with a look, then mouthed,

"This is a rare chance to temper her character. For now, I'll only make her suffer a little. If she doesn't change her ways, she'll lose her life someday."

The old man knew Ye Xinglan had a problem with her attitude. But in all these years, the Ye family had rarely had someone born with the Stargod Sword.

The whole family had treated her like a precious treasure, unable to bear hitting or scolding her. That was why they'd considered sending her to Shrek Academy.

Now, after Yun Ze's reminder, the old man agreed with him.

Yun Ze truly did make Ye Xinglan suffer only a little, though he did keep aiming for her face.

By sunset, Ye Xinglan was sprawled on the ground, so exhausted she couldn't move even a finger.

Yun Ze had put away his Martial Soul long ago. In the later rounds, once Ye Xinglan was exhausted, he no longer needed to use its power.

Looking down at Ye Xinglan, Yun Ze raised his head and said to the old man,

"The child has excellent talent, and her instincts in battle are decent too. Even without particularly rigorous, systematic training, she kept trying to find an opening in my defenses."

"On behalf of Shrek Academy, I formally invite her to join the Inner Court as a specially admitted student."

Ye Xinglan looked at Yun Ze, ignoring the burning pain in her face as she forced herself to stand.

"One day, I'll surpass you!"

Yun Ze nodded and said to Ye Xinglan,

"It's good to have ambition. But next time, remember this: until you're strong enough, save your threats for after the other person has left."

As he spoke, Yun Ze simply picked up Ye Xinglan, who was already at the end of her strength.

"Then we'll be going."

Yun Ze said to the old man.

The old man nodded and turned away, pretending not to see what the two were doing. Ye Xinglan was too weak to resist and could only glare furiously at him.

Carrying the exhausted Ye Xinglan out of Ye Family Village, Yun Ze glanced at the girl glaring at him and couldn't help grinning.

"Ye Xinglan, you don't want to fall out of my arms, do you?"

"These steps are steep. It'd really hurt if you fell."

Ye Xinglan bit her lip and said,

"Are you really from Shrek? You're a complete jerk!"

Yun Ze smiled and said,

"Compared to the real jerk Soul Masters out there, I'm nothing. If you ever meet one of those jerks, you'll realize that what I'm doing now is practically saintly."

In the luxurious cabin of Shrek's private train, Ye Xinglan sat in the corner of a seat, still so exhausted that only her eyes could move.

Yun Ze was no longer the bully he'd been during the fight. He held a bowl of porridge and fed her.

At first, Ye Xinglan refused, but when she saw Yun Ze take out his big spear again, she could only give in meekly.

After finishing a bowl of porridge, Ye Xinglan asked curiously,

"Where are we going? This doesn't seem to be the direct route to Shrek."

Yun Ze explained calmly,

"We're picking up another student recommended by their family, someone much like you."

Ye Xinglan hummed in acknowledgment and looked around the cabin.

"Then tonight..."

Yun Ze smiled, took off his outer robe, and—amid Ye Xinglan's horrified expression—draped it over her. He patted her shoulder and said,

"Get a good night's sleep. We fought too hard today, especially you. You put all your strength into every move."

"Your arms and legs are completely worn out. You won't recover unless you get a good night's sleep."

"There's a stone in the pocket that'll nourish your energy and muscles, so don't let the robe fall on the floor. If I find it on the floor in the morning, I'll use my spear to give your bottom a good, hard reward."

After speaking, Yun Ze got up and went to the door of the Soul Guidance Train cabin. He turned off the light for Ye Xinglan, closed the door, and went to the cabin next door.

Yun Ze's words made Ye Xinglan's cheeks flush. When her face was burning red, she felt a warm current spreading over her from the pocket of his robe.

It felt as if she were soaking in a hot spring, and her stiff, unresponsive muscles gradually began to relax.

The sensation proved Yun Ze's words were true. With complicated feelings toward him, Ye Xinglan closed her eyes.

The next morning, Ye Xinglan had regained the ability to move her arms and legs. She carefully folded the robe, placed it on the seat, and looked toward the cabin next door...