Dismantling the Soul Tool (Part 1)

A year had passed since Dai Mubai joined Shrek.

The blonde hunk had grown very accustomed to life at Shrek, and he had become completely familiar with Le Bai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun.

Over the past year, Dai Mubai felt he had spent the most fulfilling time of his life so far.

Every day, aside from eating, bathing, and necessary rest, the rest was all cultivation, cultivation, and more cultivation... he even replaced sleep with Soul Power cultivation!

At the very beginning, Dai Mubai really felt he wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

But Le Bai seemed to understand him very well; the training he arranged each time was always at a very subtle critical point—it was never impossible to complete, yet never easy, not even by a tiny bit.

After surviving the most grueling first month, Dai Mubai finally had the spare energy to pay attention to his own changes.

To summarize it in two words: truly satisfying!

A mere month of training had made Dai Mubai feel as if he had been reborn.

His Soul Power Level hadn't increased significantly, but his control over his Soul Power and his mastery of Soul Skills in actual combat gave Dai Mubai a feeling of being handy and smooth, like flowing water.

The massive gains made Dai Mubai stop resisting the training Le Bai arranged, and he even hoped Le Bai would arrange more for him!

And then Le Bai actually did just that...

The past is not worth looking back on; in short, Dai Mubai survived the year, his Soul Power progress exceeded his own expectations, and his practical combat ability was about twice what it had been a year ago (PS: this value is based on Dai Mubai's own feeling).

But if one were to ask what Dai Mubai's greatest gain this year was, he wouldn't say it was his gains in cultivation, but rather the fact that he "met and became familiar with Le Bai."

However, just a moment ago, Dai Mubai began to doubt his own perception once again—

"Uh, Le Bai, what did you say? I didn't quite hear you clearly, could you say it again?"

Dai Mubai smiled very stiffly.

"I said, Boss Dai, as proof of our friendship over this past year, could you lend me a few hundred million Gold Soul Coins?"

Le Bai reached out his hand very seriously, asking to borrow money.

"Le Bai, you aren't trying to say that our friendship can be measured in Gold Soul Coins, are you?"

Dai Mubai didn't get angry; he felt it must be that he hadn't fully grasped Le Bai's meaning: "I misunderstood, right?"

"No, I really feel that after this year, our relationship should be worth that much money."

Le Bai cruelly shattered Dai Mubai's illusions: "You are the only one in the Academy who can lend me a large sum of money, Boss Dai. I thought about borrowing from you a year ago, but unfortunately, we had just met and weren't very familiar yet. I figured that after a year, we should be familiar enough to borrow money, and here I am, asking to borrow from you."

Dai Mubai felt he didn't even have the strength to be angry: "Speak, how much do you want? I'll lend it to you."

"You look like you're very reluctant, Boss Dai."

Le Bai suddenly thought of something and clapped his right fist into his left palm: "Ah, I know! You're actually short on money too, aren't you, Boss Dai! Oh my, you should have said so earlier if you didn't have any; it's not like I absolutely have to borrow money."

Le Bai appeared very magnanimous: "Since you don't have any, do you have any Soul Tools that aren't very important? Any type will do."

"No... Le Bai, what is wrong with you today? First you want to borrow money, then you want Soul Tools."

Dai Mubai asked with concern: "Did something happen?"

"Huh?"

Le Bai felt that Dai Mubai had misunderstood something, so he made it clear: "Nothing happened. I just want to dismantle a Soul Tool, but I don't have the money to buy one, so I wanted to borrow money from you. Of course, it would be even better if you had a Soul Tool that I could dismantle without you feeling bad about it."

"So that's it."

Dai Mubai's mood improved slightly: "I thought you felt our relationship was only worth that much money."

"How could that be?!"

Le Bai widened his eyes: "Do you know how much time and energy I spent this year customizing a suitable training plan for you?"

"Le Bai!"

Dai Mubai was very touched...

Le Bai: "At the very least, it's worth a hundred Soul Tools or an equivalent amount of money!"

"..."

"Pfft, hahahaha!"

"You brat, are you playing with me?!"

"Hey, hey, why are you getting so worked up, Boss Dai? I was just joking!"

A round of horseplay ensued.

"Hiss, that hurts, you hit too hard, Boss Dai. If an ordinary Support System Soul Master were hit by you like that, they would definitely be bedridden for a good while!"

Le Bai rubbed a slightly reddened spot on his arm.

"Are you an ordinary Support System Soul Master? And stop lying; do you think I don't know your physical strength? How many times do you think I've sparred with you this year?"

Dai Mubai looked as if he wouldn't be satisfied even if he beat him to death: "But seriously, do you really need a Soul Tool?"

"Really."

Le Bai became serious at once and said earnestly: "And it must be the kind that can be dismantled at will. Even if it's already damaged, it doesn't matter, as long as the Core Array is intact."

"The Core what?"

Dai Mubai raised an eyebrow, looking at Le Bai: "I say, kid, don't tell me you've even studied Soul Tools?"

"Just a little, just a little."

Le Bai spoke the honest truth: "Isn't there a saying that goes—know a little bit about everything, and life becomes more colorful."

"I've never heard that saying."

Dai Mubai stared at Le Bai: "The person who said that is actually you, isn't it."

"That one really isn't."

Le Bai blinked innocently: "It's about time you told me, Boss Dai, do you actually have the kind of Soul Tool I need or not?"

Dai Mubai spread his hands: "I have them at home."

The implication was that he didn't have any on his person outside of his home, nor did he have any at Shrek Academy.

Le Bai held his forehead: "What about money then?"

Dai Mubai didn't speak, simply turning his pockets inside out: there really wasn't a single Gold Soul Coin left.

"And here I was thinking all this time that you were rich, Boss Dai."

Le Bai looked disappointed: "It seems I won't be getting my hands on a Soul Tool in the short term."

"Although I don't have one, and I don't have money, but—"

Dai Mubai deliberately dragged out his voice: "I know who does, and it's the kind that can satisfy your requirements."

"Boss Dai! This is a request for my entire life!"

Le Bai looked at Dai Mubai with sincere eyes: "Please tell me who that person is!"

"Since you've asked me so earnestly."

Dai Mubai stood up and gave a hearty laugh: "Then follow me!"

Five minutes later, Le Bai stood expressionless at the door of the Dean's office, muttering to himself: "Ah~ I should have thought of this. Boss Dai has only been at Shrek for a year, how could he know that many people? And Soul Tools aren't things just anyone can have. Thinking about it this way, isn't the answer obvious?"

"What are you muttering about, Le Bai?"

Dai Mubai opened the door: "Didn't you want a Soul Tool? Hurry up and come in, I'll help you ask the Dean for one."

"Huh?"

Le Bai looked up at Dai Mubai: "You're going to help me ask?"

"Of course."

Dai Mubai felt that Le Bai wasn't looking too bright today, so he whispered in Le Bai's ear: "The Dean isn't the kind of generous person who just gives things away. But my family gives the Dean a sum of money every year as my tuition. So if I ask the Dean for a useless Soul Tool, I don't think he'll refuse."

"That's right!"

Le Bai excitedly hugged Dai Mubai: "Boss Dai, you're truly the best!"

"Whoa! You're so gross! Let go of me, you brat! Let go, quickly..."