What Kind of Person Was My Mother? (On Shelves))

The next day in class, a very gentle teacher smiled and said to them, "I didn't expect such things to happen right at the start of the term, and I am honored to be your homeroom teacher."

"Hello everyone, my name is Mu Jin. Starting today, I will be teaching you about the application of Martial Souls, as well as combat-related matters. I hope for your active cooperation," Mu Jin said gently.

Mu Jin's gaze swept across the entire class. Finding everyone rather silent, she smiled slightly and said, "I have looked over everyone's strength and determined the position of class monitor. Xu Yanli will serve as the monitor for Class One. Does anyone have any objections?"

"No," the entire class replied in unison, with the exception of Wang Dong, who remained silent.

"If there are no objections, then let us begin the lesson. As you all know, Martial Souls..."

After sitting through the lesson, Xu Yanli felt as if he hadn't heard a thing. It seemed he shouldn't expect to learn anything useful in these first few classes.

As soon as the class ended, Xu Yanli stood up immediately and headed toward the snack street at the school gate.

Watching the bustling scene at the school entrance, Xu Yanli paused for a moment. He suddenly felt as if he had returned to the past, though he knew all too well that this was not his previous life.

Xu Yanli walked slowly through the snack street, occasionally stopping to buy things that caught his eye.

"Delicious grilled fish! Come one, come all, don't miss out!"

Hearing this voice, Xu Yanli paused instantly. He looked at Huo Yuhao, who was selling grilled fish at the stall next to him, with a puzzled expression.

Xu Yanli walked up and tapped on the stall frame, saying, "Why are you here? Did the Xiaoyao Pavilion not give you enough money? That's not right; I remember that's something you get just by joining."

Huo Yuhao hummed, looking a bit embarrassed as he said, "They gave me plenty, but I just wanted to sell grilled fish. Mostly, I'm using the grilling process to train my spiritual power."

Xu Yanli was silent for a moment before smiling and saying, "Fair enough. But don't let your cultivation slide; after all, no matter what you do, you must have enough cultivation to support it."

Looking at the sizzling, oily grilled fish, Xu Yanli smiled and said, "Give me two—no, make it four. How much?"

"16 copper soul coins," Huo Yuhao said with a smile, handing the four fish to Xu Yanli.

Xu Yanli placed two silver soul coins into Huo Yuhao's collection jar.

"Give me one more, keep the change," Xu Yanli said nonchalantly. He packed up the five grilled fish and turned to leave.

Not long after Xu Yanli left, a group of senior students rushed up to buy the grilled fish.

Huo Yuhao looked at the crowd of Shrek Academy seniors who had suddenly swarmed him, confused, and asked, "What is this about?"

"Little kid, do you know him? He's been my idol since yesterday."

"He's not just your idol, he's ours too! Being able to stand up to that old witch in the academy—he's simply the most badass person in the world," someone in the back of the line shouted.

Without even knowing it, Xu Yanli had gained a massive following at Shrek Academy.

It was clear that Shrek Academy had suffered under Zhou Yi for far too long.

Though it was unclear why so many people hated her, it was likely simply because she was insufferable.

Carrying the grilled fish, Xu Yanli prepared to return to the dormitory first, then go find Yan Shaozhe in the afternoon.

As Xu Yanli walked to the dormitory building, he saw Mu En lying in the sun again, rocking in his chair.

After a moment of hesitation, Xu Yanli handed a grilled fish to Mu En.

"Old man, I saw a trace of nostalgia in your eyes when you looked at me last time. Do you know my mother? Or perhaps my other relatives? Could you tell me about them? I'll treat you to this grilled fish," Xu Yanli said with a smile.

Xu Yanli felt a spark of curiosity in his heart; he had always wanted to know what kind of person his mother really was.

Although he had pieced together bits and fragments from what others said, it was never complete. He only knew that his mother possessed an Angel Martial Soul.

Unfortunately, it was said that someone had crippled it.

Mu En withdrew his gaze from the sun, letting it fall slowly onto Xu Yanli beside him, and then took the grilled fish.

"I remember the first time I met your mother, she was only six years old. Your grandfather was so excited when he brought her to me, saying she was a child of extraordinary talent. Unfortunately, your mother didn't join Shrek Academy back then, but instead went to the Star Luo Royal Soul Engineer Academy." After taking a bite of the fish, Mu En's eyes lit up, and he began to recount the past.

"Is my mother's Martial Soul similar to mine?" Xu Yanli asked after a moment of silence. "I haven't really seen her use it; it's almost as if she didn't have one at all."

The latter part was clearly a fabrication; after all, some information needed to be a mix of truth and lies.

"Very similar, yet different. Your mother's Martial Soul seemed to possess the Star Crown ability of the Xu family, but it also underwent a certain mutation. Just like your Martial Soul, it could control the powers of the sun, moon, and stars," Mu En said slowly, like an elder. "I don't know much else, I'm afraid."

"Thank you, old man." Xu Yanli smiled, bowed respectfully, and then walked away.

Xu Yanli rubbed his knuckles and looked at the fish in his hand. It seemed this fish was well worth the price.

At the same time, he had learned a piece of information: his Sun Moon Holy Prayer Angel might be a fusion of his mother's Martial Soul, supplemented by the system's gift.

Xu Yanli didn't dwell on it further and walked slowly into his room. He looked at Tang Ling, who was working hard on his cultivation, and said with a smile, "Want some fish?"

Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, who was still selling fish outside, had run into a major problem.

Xu Sanshi.

Before Xu Yanli had been sitting for long, he received an emergency message from Huo Yuhao—or rather, a distress signal.

This was something he had developed years ago with a group of soul engineers.

Initially, it would have been impossible to gather such a group of geniuses, but once he proposed the concept, it immediately gained the attention of Xu Tianran.

This device could be used on the battlefield and served as an excellent communication tool.

To this end, about three or four Level 9 Soul Engineers, along with Xu Yanli as the theorist, had worked overtime for half a month to complete this small communicator, which could transmit messages across two or three cities without issue.

Xu Yanli had originally wanted to name it the "Big Brother," but unfortunately, Xu Tianran had dismissed the name, calling it a "communicator" and denying him the chance to use that familiar name.

In truth, Xu Tianran hadn't intended to interfere at first, but when Xu Yanli tried to name it, he faced resistance from a bunch of Level 9 Soul Engineers.

With no other choice, Xu Tianran had simply snatched the naming rights away.

Too much. That was just too much.

What was wrong with "Big Brother"?

In the short time it took for Xu Yanli to sit down, a flurry of thoughts raced through his mind.