Outside Shrek Village, the dirt road was riddled with potholes, the thatched cottages on either side were dilapidated, and the air carried a faint smell of manure.
Dai Mubai stood at the village entrance, gazing at the crooked wooden sign that read "Shrek Academy." A flicker of nostalgia and excitement passed through his eyes as he murmured, "Finally, I'm here."
Behind him, Pang Tong, dressed in a green robe, frowned with undisguised distaste. He glanced at the rundown "academy," then at Dai Mubai, and asked in confusion, "Young Master, are you really going to study in a place like this? This place... it's probably not even as good as a proper study hall."
"You don't understand." Dai Mubai curled his lips, a strange glimmer flashing in his eyes.
"This place is far from ordinary. Just follow me inside." With that, he headed toward the peeling wooden gate.
"Who goes there?"
They had barely reached the entrance when an elderly man with graying hair and patched cloth clothes stepped out from behind one of the thatched cottages.
He gripped a staff in his hand. One white, one yellow, three purple, and one black Soul Ring rose beneath his feet, six in total. His Soul Power fluctuations were not exceptional, but they carried a fierce, imposing air.
It was Li Yusong, a teacher of Shrek Academy.
Pang Tong moved almost the instant the old man appeared. With a flash, he stepped in front of Dai Mubai, his gaze sharp as he fixed it on Li Yusong. "Young Master, be careful," he said in a low voice.
Though he had not released his martial soul, a faint pressure had already gathered around him. It was the presence forged through years of slaughter.
Dai Mubai poked his head out from behind Pang Tong and