Yu Daoyun silently lifted his chin, feeling indescribably proud.
During the battle just now, he'd been astonished by the Golden Dragon's power too. So all those meals he'd eaten hadn't gone to waste after all—they'd all been turned into strength.
One punch had blown an Evil Soul Master to smithereens. What terrifying power.
Just then, Zhang Lexuan spoke up. "All right, everyone, search the area and make sure no one got away. We can't let a single Evil Soul Master escape."
At her command, the Supervision Group members began searching for any survivors.
In the woods not far away, Xuan Zi held a chicken leg in one hand and a wine gourd in the other, feeling indescribably pleased.
The mission had been completed perfectly. He could report back to Mu En now.
He had to admit, this little fellow was incredibly strong.
Then Xuan Zi's gaze fell on the Golden Dragon Spear. "Could you let this old man have a feel of that spear?"
He'd seen it clearly during the battle just now. That spear was terrifying.
Yu Daoyun hesitated for a moment. "Elder Xuan, are you sure you want to look at it? It's not that I don't want to show you, but only I can use this spear—or a Soul Master who also possesses the Golden Dragon Martial Soul."
At that, Xuan Zi raised an eyebrow and said coolly, "What? Are you afraid this old man will take your treasure and refuse to return it?"
I'm afraid you'll pick it up and won't be able to let go... Yu Daoyun handed over the Golden Dragon Spear without another word.
As soon as the Dragon Spear entered his hand, Xuan Zi sensed the aura of the Dragon Clan. It was as if boundless power lay within the spear, ready to erupt at any moment.
The next instant, a terrifying suction force burst from the Dragon Spear.
Xuan Zi's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly tried to throw it away, only to find it stuck to his hand. Even his life force was being devoured.
He was genuinely frightened, his body twitching uncontrollably.
My life force—this old man's life force...
Xuan Zi was going frantic inside. All he wanted was to get rid of the thing that was devouring his life force.
But it was no use.
Watching this, Yu Daoyun laughed like a goose and called, "Come back!"
The Golden Dragon Spear instantly flew out of Xuan Zi's hand and returned to its owner, vanishing from sight.
Still shaken, Xuan Zi exclaimed, "What a terrifying weapon! It can actually devour this old man's life force. I nearly had to use a Soul Skill to shake it off."
"Little fellow, what's going on? Explain yourself."
Having touched the Golden Dragon Spear for the first time, Xuan Zi was terribly curious.
He'd never seen a weapon that could devour life force before.
Yu Daoyun explained, "The Golden Dragon Spear was formed from one of the Golden Dragon's ribs. Only Soul Masters with the Golden Dragon Martial Soul can use it. Anyone else who touches it will have their life force devoured."
"It's not that I didn't want to hand it over, Elder Xuan. You insisted on taking it. You can't blame me for that, can you?"
At that, Xuan Zi's mouth twitched violently.
That kid had set him up. He'd lost so much life force—he'd taken a huge loss.
How many chicken legs would he have to eat to make up for it?
Before long, Zhang Lexuan and the others returned.
The mission to eliminate the Evil Soul Masters was complete. Not a single one had survived.
Xuan Zi munched on a chicken leg and chuckled. "You all did a great job completing this mission."
"Elder Xuan, if you scouted ahead for us every time, I think we'd complete every mission perfectly," Han Ruoruo teased with a smile.
The other members of the Supervision Group nodded in agreement.
If Xuan Zi led the way and scouted ahead on every mission, the Inner Court students' casualty rate would drop considerably.
Over time, the Inner Court would grow more and more crowded. It wouldn't be so heavily skewed toward women as it was now.
However, Xuan Zi's expression quietly stiffened.
If he had to scout ahead on every mission from now on, wouldn't they be treating him like a beast of burden? He'd never get to enjoy his wine and meat in peace.
These children really had no consideration for the elderly.
He casually replied, "You want this old man to lead the way for you every day? Not a chance. I have important business to attend to."
The Supervision Group students were left speechless.
Han Ruoruo and Zhang Lexuan sighed as well. They knew there was no way someone like Xuan Zi would agree to take on this kind of task.
Once in a while was fine, but doing it regularly was out of the question.
Hearing Xuan Zi's outrageous excuse, Yu Daoyun's mouth twitched.
What important business? He was just lazy. He wanted to find somewhere to sleep, drink, and eat meat, then wake up and go resign.
Xuan Zi was utterly unreliable.
In the future, Shrek would still need someone like him to straighten out its culture.
With the mission over, the Shrek Supervisory Team packed their equipment and headed back to the academy under Xuan Zi's leadership.
On a cliff not far away, Cai Mei'er kept her eyes on Yu Daoyun.
The mission had gone so smoothly thanks in no small part to that little fellow.
She'd lived for more than half her life, but this was the first time she'd seen Xuan Zi keep his word so well.
And Yu Daoyun's strength was truly terrifying. The power of the Golden Dragon Martial Soul couldn't be compared with that of Soul Masters at the same level.
Yu Daoyun had performed exceptionally well in this battle.
Cai Mei'er murmured, "I have to report to Mu En first."
Two days later.
The Shrek Supervisory Team returned to the academy safely.
They'd done an outstanding job on the mission. Xuan Zi couldn't hide the smile on his face—he was as happy as could be.
The reason was simple: there had been no major casualties, and everyone had returned safely.
Mu En would definitely reward him this time!
Just then, Mu En and several elders emerged from the Sea God Pavilion. They swept their gazes over the team, their faces showing approval.
Yan Shaozhe praised them. "Elder Mu, the mission was completed perfectly. There weren't even any major casualties. That proves Elder Xuan really took the mission seriously."
The elders felt as if they were seeing a different person.
Perhaps Xuan Zi was supposed to be this reliable, instead of losing several students every year.
Xuan Zi took a sip of wine and laughed. "These children were just too outstanding. This old man was only along for the ride."
But when he looked up, he saw that Mu En's expression hadn't changed at all.
Xuan Zi was startled. Could it be that Mu En wasn't satisfied with him?
Mu En merely shook his head slightly, having completely given up on trying to reform Xuan Zi.
Mei'er had returned early and told him everything.
If Yu Daoyun hadn't used his name to pressure Xuan Zi, Xuan Zi would probably have botched the mission again.
After a moment of silence, Mu En asked, "Xuan Zi, how do you think you did on this mission?"
Xuan Zi paused. "Elder Mu, I think I did all right..."
He didn't have much confidence as he said it. After all, he'd originally planned to find somewhere to sleep and wait for the children to finish the mission.
"All right..."
Mu En murmured to himself for a long while. He neither praised nor punished Xuan Zi.
Yan Shaozhe and the others could tell that something was off, so they didn't dare speak.
Elder Mu's reaction had to be related to Cai Mei'er.
Then Mu En turned to the students and said kindly, "Children, you completed this mission exceptionally well. Elder Mu is proud of you. You are all the future of Shrek."
"As your teacher, I'll make sure you receive the rewards I promised."
As he spoke, he opened his hands. Several porcelain bottles and vials of medicinal liquid flew into the hands of the Supervision Group students.
Ma Xiaotao and the others immediately broke into happy smiles.
Yu Daoyun received a fruit whose properties he couldn't identify.
Everyone got something different, but each reward was useful to its recipient.
Though there were no Soul Bones, each reward was worth about as much as an ordinary hundred-year Soul Bone.
The academy was pretty generous.
"Thank you, Elder Mu!"
Zhang Lexuan was the first to express her gratitude.
Then Ma Xiaotao and the other Inner Court students followed their senior sister's example and voiced their thanks.
Elder Mu smiled kindly. "Go and get some rest. Yu Daoyun, stay behind. I have something to tell you."
Before you continue