Do You Want to See the Real Shrek Academy?

"This really was a misunderstanding."

Bei Bei stepped half a pace forward, shielding Tang Ya behind him. His brows furrowed slightly, and his gentle face carried a hint of helplessness.

"Junior, we're all from the same sect. There's no need to start swinging weapons."

The tip of Ye Xinglan's Stargod Sword lowered slightly, but she did not retract its sharp sword intent.

Her cool eyes swept over Bei Bei and Tang Ya, her tone calm.

"Will you fight, or will she?"

Though the two before her were clearly older than she was, there was not the slightest trace of fear in Ye Xinglan's eyes.

There was only absolute confidence.

"I'll go first!"

Tang Ya had endured enough.

She took a step forward, directly moving past Bei Bei.

As the Tang Sect's sect master, if she did nothing after being looked down upon like this, where would the Tang Sect's dignity be?

"Xiao Ya..."

Bei Bei had just raised a hand to stop her, but it was already too late.

Two yellow soul rings rapidly rose beneath Tang Ya's feet.

"Tang Ya, martial soul: Blue Silver Grass, level-thirty Soul Grandmaster!"

As Soul Power poured forth, crystalline blue vines burst from the soil beneath her feet. Every leaf bore distinct veins and radiated the breath of life.

Ye Xinglan looked at the vines, raising her brows slightly as a trace of disappointment flashed through her eyes.

"Blue Silver Grass?"

Seeing the faint disdain in Ye Xinglan's eyes, Tang Ya's pretty face flushed crimson with anger. She abruptly waved both hands and launched the first attack at Ye Xinglan.

"What's wrong with Blue Silver Grass?"

"Ten thousand years ago, our Tang Sect ancestor, Tang San, had Blue Silver Grass as his martial soul!"

"With the Blue Silver Grass martial soul, Ancestor Tang San still founded the Tang Sect and ultimately ascended to the God Realm!"

Ye Xinglan's gaze remained cold.

"Tang San?"

"Never heard of him."

Bei Bei froze.

As a student of Shrek Academy, how could she possibly not have heard of Ancestor Tang San's name?

He was the soul of the Shrek Seven Devils!

Ye Xinglan moved, taking a step forward and simply swinging the Stargod Sword in her hand.

"Buzz—"

A brilliant streak of starlight tore through the air.

Tang Ya had not even had time to control the Blue Silver Grass and activate Entangle when her vision blurred.

Immediately afterward, an irresistible force struck her.

"Bang!"

The Blue Silver Grass vines dancing through the air shattered instantly, turning into specks of blue light that dispersed into the sky.

Tang Ya flew backward like a kite with its string cut.

That sword strike had been too fast.

Tang Ya had not reacted at all.

"Xiao Ya!"

Bei Bei flashed forward and appeared behind Tang Ya in an instant. He wrapped an arm around her waist, neutralizing the force of the impact.

Even so, the two of them still slid several meters backward before stopping.

Tang Ya's face was pale, her chest heaving violently.

She was not injured. Ye Xinglan had withdrawn part of her strength at the last moment.

But such a blow was still extremely difficult for Tang Ya to accept.

"How... how could this be..."

Tang Ya stared wide-eyed at the golden-haired girl standing in the distance with her sword sheathed, disbelief written all over her face.

Her opponent clearly only had two soul rings and was so much younger than her.

But why?

Why could she not even block a single sword strike?

Was she really this weak?

Had the Tang Sect truly declined to the point where it could not even defeat an eleven- or twelve-year-old child?

Tears welled in Tang Ya's eyes.

Bei Bei looked at the devastated Tang Ya in his arms, and his heart felt as though it were being cut by knives.

He was Tang Ya's boyfriend, and he had seen how much effort she had put into reviving the Tang Sect.

Bei Bei gently patted Tang Ya's shoulder and said softly.

"Xiao Ya, are you alright?"

Tang Ya shook her head, biting her lip without saying a word.

Bei Bei took a deep breath, protected Tang Ya behind him, slowly turned around, and faced Ye Xinglan directly.

This time, the smile on his face vanished.

"Are you really determined to fight me?"

Bei Bei's voice was low, carrying a trace of suppressed anger.

"I don't wish to bully the young. I'm a three-ring Soul Elder, and my martial soul is the top-tier beast martial soul, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Are you sure you still want to fight?"

Ye Xinglan looked at Bei Bei and flicked her Stargod Sword in a flourish, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground.

"Of course."

Her answer remained concise, without the slightest hesitation.

"I will never let off anyone using Shrek Academy's name to swindle others."

"Shrek's glory will be protected by me."

Bei Bei frowned.

Looking at the girl before him, who refused to listen to reason, Bei Bei understood that nothing he said would matter now.

Only by defeating her and making her submit could he get her to listen properly and clear up this misunderstanding.

"Fine."

Bei Bei nodded, faint lightning flickering around his body.

"I won't take advantage of you. Restore your Soul Power first."

Though that sword strike had seemed simple, Bei Bei believed it must have consumed a great deal.

Who would have thought that Ye Xinglan would merely glance at him indifferently?

"No need."

"That was merely a casual move. It barely consumed any Soul Power."

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao, who was hiding behind a tree nearby, could not help clicking his tongue.

"This girl... her tongue really is vicious."

She was completely disregarding Tang Ya, and those words had offended Bei Bei as well.

Bei Bei had clearly been angered into laughing by her words.

"Good. Very good!"

"In that case, excuse me!"

"Rumble—"

A thunderclap exploded.

Bei Bei no longer held back, and the Soul Power within him surged wildly.

Two yellow and one purple soul rings pulsed beneath his feet.

His right arm instantly swelled, blue-violet scales layering over it. A ferocious dragon claw replaced his original hand, surrounded by crackling lightning.

Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, possession!

That violent aura instantly swept across the entire riverbank.

Huo Yuhao turned to Xu Lizhi beside him.

The chubby boy still wore a simple, foolish grin. There was even another bun in his hand, and he was eating it with great relish.

"Um... aren't you worried? Brother Bei Bei is a three-ring Soul Elder, and that's the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul. It's very powerful!"

Huo Yuhao swallowed.

Xu Lizhi swallowed his bun in a few bites, clapped his hands, and said with a smile.

"There's absolutely no need to worry. Sister Xinglan is very strong."

"Very strong?"

Huo Yuhao looked at the petite figure in the field.

"But the difference in their levels..."

"Level doesn't represent everything."

Xu Lizhi interrupted Huo Yuhao.

"Just watch with peace of mind and you'll see."

As he spoke, a steaming white bun suddenly appeared in his hand as though by magic, and he handed it to Huo Yuhao.

"Want a bun to calm your nerves?"

"Huh?"

Huo Yuhao froze for a moment and instinctively accepted the bun.

The bun was warm in his hand and gave off an enticing aroma of meat.

As if possessed, he took a bite.

The next second, Huo Yuhao's eyes widened sharply.

As the bun entered his stomach, a warm current instantly spread throughout his body. His physical strength and Soul Power rapidly recovered!

"This..."

Huo Yuhao looked at Xu Lizhi in shock.

"Recovery Meat Bun. I'm a food-type soul master."

Xu Lizhi scratched his head honestly.

"Tastes alright, doesn't it?"

Before Huo Yuhao could answer, the battle in the field had already begun.

"First soul skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"

Bei Bei shouted lowly. His body shot forward like lightning, and he swung his right claw. A massive dragon claw formed entirely from lightning roared forth, charging straight toward Ye Xinglan.

Facing that thunderous strike, Ye Xinglan advanced rather than retreating.

The deep-blue light in her eyes blazed as the Stargod Sword in her hand seemed to come alive.

"First soul skill, Sword God Star!"

The girl softly chanted.

"Clang clang clang clang—"

A series of dense metallic collisions rang out.

Huo Yuhao could not even see their movements clearly. He could only see blue-violet lightning and golden starlight madly intertwining across the field.

Bei Bei grew more alarmed the longer they fought.

His Thunder Dragon Claw was immensely powerful, and every strike carried a numbing effect.

But Ye Xinglan's footwork was exceptionally strong. It resembled Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, yet was far more ingenious! Every time, she evaded his frontal attacks by a hair's breadth, while the sword in her hand always struck toward the weak points in his defenses.

"It's over."

At the instant the two crossed paths, Ye Xinglan's voice suddenly rang beside Bei Bei's ear.

Bei Bei's pupils contracted sharply as he hurriedly tried to defend.

But the Stargod Sword's light suddenly surged.

The starlight filling the sky instantly converged into a single point, striking the joint of Bei Bei's dragon claw on his right arm.

"Bang!"

An incomparably sharp sword aura instantly pierced into his body.

Bei Bei only felt his right arm go numb. His entire arm instantly lost sensation, the Soul Power within him fell into disorder, and he staggered backward several steps.

The victor had been decided.

Ye Xinglan stood with her sword sheathed, her breathing only slightly hurried.

Across from her, Bei Bei clutched his right arm, his expression ugly.

Though he had not suffered serious injuries, in a direct confrontation, he, a three-ring Soul Elder, had actually lost to a two-ring Soul Grandmaster.

And he had lost so thoroughly.

His opponent had not even used her second soul skill!

Although he had not used his either, he had still lost.

Huo Yuhao was stunned.

She had really... won?

That girl, who looked barely older than he was, had actually defeated a three-ring Soul Elder with a top-tier martial soul?

So this was the caliber of Shrek Academy's monsters?

Ye Xinglan looked coldly at Bei Bei.

"Do you still want to fight?"

Bei Bei shook his head bitterly.

The lightning glow around him slowly faded, and his dragon transformation dissipated.

A loss was a loss.

He was inferior in skill; there was no point saying more.

"Stop using Shrek's name to swindle people."

Ye Xinglan turned around, not even interested in sparing them another glance.

Bei Bei opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but in the end, it could only become a long sigh.

He really was from Shrek!

But now, even he was beginning to wonder whether he, one of the "Outer Court Twin Stars," was actually a fraud.

This was far too demoralizing.

Ye Xinglan walked straight toward Xu Lizhi and Huo Yuhao.

She did not even look at Huo Yuhao, merely nodding at Xu Lizhi.

"Let's go."

Xu Lizhi hurriedly stuffed the remaining half of the bun into his mouth, gave a muffled response, then looked at Huo Yuhao, who was still stunned.

"Although those two are frauds, if you really want to become stronger..."

"Do you want to go see the real Shrek Academy?"