A'Man Breaks Through, Return to Shrek

The pale cyan halo around Xiao Feng seemed more restrained and solid, clearly indicating that these few days of free hunting and activity had allowed it to begin adapting to and utilizing its newfound power and the "Wind Messenger" talent.

As for A'Man beside it, there were no visible changes.

However, this was only temporary; once A'Man finished absorbing the experience points accumulated within the Prism Ball, becoming a thousand-year soul beast would be a certainty.

At the same time, Xiao Qing wanted to see if A'Man could trigger a bloodline evolution, as he wanted to know if such an evolution was unique to Xiao Feng or if it was possible for every soul beast that broke through the thousand-year threshold.

If it were the former, Xiao Qing would have to find a way to identify the conditions required to trigger the evolution; if it were the latter, Xiao Qing might need to remain in the Sunset Forest to search for materials.

The next day, early morning.

Xiao Qing rose early to release A'Man and Xiao Feng from the Prism Ball. After a full night, A'Man had completely absorbed the experience points gained over the past few days.

The original A'Man, while possessing astonishing defense, had its soul power fluctuations stalled at the seven-hundred-year level; despite its large size, it lacked a certain sense of qualitative, heavy substance.

Now, standing beside Xiao Feng, A'Man gave off an oppressive feeling that was arguably just as formidable.

Its frame seemed to have expanded by another circle, its shoulders and back were broader, its limbs were like stone pillars, and its brownish-yellow fur shimmered with a texture resembling rock.

Most importantly, its soul power fluctuations had broken through that critical bottleneck, reaching the thousand-year level! Through the mental connection of the Prism Ball, Xiao Qing perceived it with precision—one thousand and twenty-four years.

A'Man walked up to Xiao Qing, lowered its massive head, and emitted a low, affectionate rumble in its throat.

Xiao Qing reached out and patted its iron-hard forehead, clearly feeling the power contained beneath that fur, which was far more potent than before.

"Well done."

Xiao Qing transmitted a thought of praise to both Xiao Feng and A'Man simultaneously. Xiao Feng lifted its head proudly, while A'Man rubbed against his hand in satisfaction.

However, while carefully sensing A'Man's state, a realization flashed through Xiao Qing's mind. A'Man had successfully broken through to the thousand-year level, resulting in a qualitative change in soul power, physical reinforcement, and a solidified soul—this was undoubtedly a massive improvement.

Yet, the Prism Ball did not transmit any information regarding A'Man's bloodline evolution as it had when Xiao Feng evolved, nor did it prompt him to collect any special materials.

A'Man remained an Iron Armor Bear, merely a thousand-year Iron Armor Bear; its origin had not touched upon any deeper opportunity for bloodline metamorphosis.

Xiao Qing attempted to deduce the conditions for bloodline evolution in his mind, based on existing information and the knowledge from his past life.

"It seems the bloodline evolution triggered by the Prism Ball has extremely harsh conditions and is not necessarily triggered just because a soul beast's cultivation breaks through the thousand-year mark."

"Xiao Feng's evolution required the Storm Iris, the Wind-Thunder Falcon Egg, and the Fierce Wind Wolf King Essence Blood—three specific materials of high quality and matching attributes—as well as guidance from a formation."

"This is more like a directed, prepared promotion ceremony. A'Man's breakthrough was merely conventional cultivation accumulation and combat stimulation, lacking the corresponding 'key' and 'ritual'."

"Or perhaps, the bloodline potential of the Iron Armor Bear has not yet been stimulated to the threshold required for evolution, or I have yet to discover the correct materials and methods to guide it."

This discovery did not disappoint Xiao Qing; instead, it gave him a more rational understanding of the Prism Ball's mechanics.

Bloodline evolution is an opportunity and a leap, but the conventional, step-by-step improvement of cultivation is the cornerstone of his soul beast companions' growth.

With a thought, he recalled Xiao Feng and A'Man back into the Prism Ball space.

Throughout this entire process, Zhao Wuji had been leaning against a distant rock wall, seemingly observing the sunrise casually, while in reality, he had taken everything in.

He saw A'Man transform from a hundred-year soul beast to a thousand-year soul beast in a single night, and he also witnessed the wordless, tacit understanding between Xiao Qing and his soul beasts.

When Xiao Qing recalled the soul beasts and Oscar was still whispering in amazement at A'Man's breakthrough, Zhao Wuji walked over.

He first said to Oscar, "Kid, your Clear Heart Sausage is indeed quite good. Go back and cultivate diligently, and strive to reach level thirty as soon as possible."

Then, his tone shifted casually. He glanced at Xiao Qing first, then fixed his gaze on Oscar's face, his voice lowering but remaining exceptionally clear:

"What you saw today, especially the progress of Xiao Qing's soul beasts, including your new soul spell, Oscar—once we return to the academy, do not mention it to anyone except the Dean."

"Especially not to other students or outsiders. If they ask, just say that after we obtained the soul rings, we underwent some practical training. Do you understand?"

Oscar was stunned for a moment, but upon seeing the rare seriousness in Zhao Wuji's eyes, he nodded heavily. "I understand, Teacher Zhao! I won't tell anyone!"

Zhao Wuji grunted and looked at Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing looked back calmly and nodded. He understood what Zhao Wuji meant.

His pattern of strength growth was vastly different from that of a conventional soul master. Others looked at soul power levels, but his true combat strength depended largely on the cultivation and number of the soul beasts he had contracted.

If news of Xiao Feng's evolution and A'Man's breakthrough to the thousand-year level were to spread, it would be too eye-catching, potentially inviting unnecessary scrutiny or even malice.

Growing quietly and hiding key information was the wisdom of survival. Zhao Wuji was protecting him and Oscar in his own way, while also safeguarding the potential interests of Shrek Academy.

Xiao Qing's strength was indeed not something that could be reflected simply by his soul power level.

With twenty-three levels of soul power, combined with a thousand-year Storm Wolf King and a thousand-year Iron Armor Bear, his true combat power and tactical versatility were enough to allow Xiao Qing to crush soul masters of the same level or even some Soul Elders.

And this was merely the beginning.

As for what Xiao Qing would grow into in the future, Zhao Wuji could not see clearly with his current understanding. The only thing he could guess was that as long as Xiao Qing did not die, he would absolutely become the strongest Titled Douluo in history, bar none.

"Alright, after a night of rest, I believe you have all recovered. Now, it is time for us to set off and return to Shrek Academy!"

After Xiao Qing and the others finished breakfast, Zhao Wuji prepared to depart from the Sunset Forest. This place was not safe for Soul Grand Masters like Xiao Qing and Oscar, so leaving early was for the best.

The journey back from the Sunset Forest to Shrek Academy was even smoother than the trip there.

Zhao Wuji led Xiao Qing and Oscar out of the forest and boarded the carriage for the return trip, eager to be home.

Inside the carriage, Oscar remained immersed in the excitement of obtaining his second soul ring and repeatedly pondering his new soul skill.

Zhao Wuji sat with his arms crossed, eyes closed to conserve his energy, though the occasional flicker in his eyes betrayed a curiosity and assessment of Xiao Qing that he could not fully conceal.

Xiao Qing sat by the window, his mind constantly reviewing the gains and losses of this forest excursion.

First was Xiao Feng successfully evolving into the Storm Wolf King and gaining the "Wind Messenger" talent; this was the greatest harvest. Next was A'Man breaking through the thousand-year threshold, with combat power steadily increasing.

Then there was his own soul power reaching level twenty-three, and the expansion of his command range due to enhanced mental power, though these were merely minor bonuses that did not significantly boost Xiao Qing's current strength.

Finally, the concept he proposed was proven effective by Oscar, and Oscar would certainly not overlook this direction when choosing future soul rings.

In this way, even if Shrek Academy lacked a simulated cultivation ground, Xiao Qing's cultivation speed would not slow down; with Oscar's assistance, his cultivation might even become faster.

Overall assessment: the gains from this trip far exceeded expectations, and the risks were almost zero.

As for traveling with Zhao Wuji, Xiao Qing relied on intentionally or unintentionally displaying parts of his martial soul's abilities to successfully gain the initial recognition and protective attitude of this influential figure.

Only now could Xiao Qing truly be considered a member of Shrek Academy.