Shrek City's Na'er?

Back at the Sea God Pavilion, Lin Chen couldn't wait to demonstrate his first soul skill. He glanced around, and when his gaze landed on Zhuo Shi, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "Uncle Zhuo, a demonstration requires an opponent, doesn't it? Why don't you help me test its power?"

Zhuo Shi's expression turned complex upon hearing this: "Lin Chen, how about you ask Feng Wuyu instead? He's a blacksmith; his build is much sturdier than mine."

Hearing Zhuo Shi's words, Feng Wuyu's nose practically pointed to the sky: "Useless. Fine, I'll do it." Just as he prepared to step forward, a hand blocked his path.

"Don't get cocky just because I praised you twice. Step aside; I'll be the test subject."

"You!" Feng Wuyu realized he had been played by Zhuo Shi and immediately started a new round of bickering with him.

"Enough, Lin Chen, let's go to the inner court's Battle Platform." A gentle, elegant voice sounded. Seeing the two still arguing, Ya Li simply took Lin Chen's hand and headed off first.

Zhuo Shi and Feng Wuyu exchanged a glance, rolled their eyes at each other, and silently followed.

Lin Chen stood to one side, a hint of mischievous laughter hidden in his celadon-colored eyes. Zhuo Shi stood opposite him, stroking his beard, feeling that Lin Chen was cooking up another bad idea.

Lin Chen tilted his head, his tone laced with a smirk: "Uncle Zhuo, don't use your soul power for defense. Otherwise, this soul skill of mine will feel like a tickle, and I won't be able to test its true power."

Hearing this, Zhuo Shi huffed, his beard bristling: "You brat, you were waiting for me here, weren't you?" Despite his words, he silently deactivated his soul power armor. How could a soul master of only a dozen levels truly hurt him?

Feng Wuyu leaned to the side with his arms crossed, sneering: "Don't let Lin Chen make you lose face."

Lin Chen took a deep breath, his soul power slowly surging. A yellow soul ring rose, carrying a warm, gentle halo. Fine sparks of lightning condensed in his palm.

"Uncle Zhuo, I'm starting!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the moment he raised his hand, his first soul skill, Thunderous Might, was unleashed. A streak of cyan soul power mixed with gold, wrapped in lightning, lunged straight at Zhuo Shi.

Zhuo Shi's pupils constricted. While he talked big, his body tensed instinctively. The moment the lightning struck him, it exploded with a roar. A numbing current surged through his limbs and bones.

Fortunately, there was no real danger, though his two strands of beard were left frizzed and standing on end.

"Not bad power, Lin Chen." Zhuo Shi didn't care about his beard at all; his attention was entirely on Lin Chen's soul skill.

Lin Chen walked over to Ya Li and pointed at Zhuo Shi. She followed his gesture and couldn't help but find it amusing.

"You, you're just relying on the fact that Zhuo Shi spoils you." Ya Li shook her head helplessly, reaching out to brush some non-existent dust off his sleeve.

"I'm going back to the Sea God Pavilion to find your father. You stay and play with these two for a while."

Lin Chen watched Ya Li's figure disappear in the direction of the Sea God Pavilion. Just as he withdrew his gaze, his shoulder was tapped with moderate force.

Feng Wuyu leaned in, eyes narrowed, looking him up and down with a playful tone: "Not bad, little Lin Chen. That Thunderous Might was quite punchy. Anyone with soul power similar to yours wouldn't dare take that hit head-on."

He paused, his gaze sweeping toward Zhuo Shi, who had just realized something was wrong and was smoothing his beard in a mirror, then lowered his voice: "But next time, remember to aim your lightning better. Don't just focus on looking cool; aim for the hair, you know?"

Lin Chen stifled a laugh, signaling to Feng Wuyu that he understood, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Got it, Uncle Feng. I'll be more accurate next time."

Feng Wuyu patted Lin Chen on the head, and the boy turned to walk toward Zhuo Shi, who had just finished grooming his beard.

"Uncle Zhuo, take me to explore Shrek City." Lin Chen blinked his large, celadon-colored eyes.

Zhuo Shi had just put his mirror back into his storage Soul Tool. Hearing this, he turned and looked down at the expectant youth, feeling both helpless and amused: "Shall I send a message and call my disciple to come and accompany you?"

Lin Chen's eyes lit up, and he nodded immediately: "Yes, please!" As he spoke, he reached out quietly. While Zhuo Shi was looking down at his soul communication device, he swiftly swiped a Federation Savings Card from his pocket and tucked it into his own.

Zhuo Shi was about to dial when he caught a glimpse of Lin Chen's small movement out of the corner of his eye, but he only shook his head helplessly: "You, you only know how to raid my little treasury."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a female voice came from not far away: "Teacher!"

Both looked toward the source of the voice and saw a woman dressed in a Shrek teacher's uniform. Her hair was white, but her eyes were a green similar to Lin Chen's. It was Shen Yi.

"You're here. Perfect, take Lin Chen to explore Shrek City." Seeing that Shen Yi had arrived just in time, Zhuo Shi decisively handed Lin Chen over to her.

Shen Yi was about to speak, but she noticed her teacher slipping away as if his feet were greased, leaving only his back as he vanished toward the Sea God Pavilion.

She was stunned, then helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead. She had wanted to ask Zhuo Shi some questions, but she looked down at the youth before her.

Lin Chen looked up, his celadon eyes fixed on her. In the original story, Shen Yi was one of the teachers who sacrificed themselves in the great Shrek explosion. It wasn't until later that they realized only Wu Zhangkong and Long Yeyue had survived.

His head drooped without him realizing it. Shen Yi thought he was sad because his teacher wouldn't accompany him, so she reached out and touched Lin Chen's head.

Her palm carried a faint warmth as she gently rubbed the top of his hair, her voice gentle: "Don't be sad. Teacher has things to do; I'll take you."

Lin Chen's thoughts were pulled back by that warmth. He looked up and met her gentle gaze, the gloom in his heart dissipating for the most part. He smiled at her, waving the card he had swiped from Zhuo Shi.

"Here, Uncle Zhuo is treating us."

Shen Yi helplessly took the savings card he handed over and tapped his nose lightly with her fingertip: "You, you even dare to dig into your teacher's little treasury."

The two set off, and before long, they stepped into the snack street of Shrek City. The aroma of street food wafted over, with the sounds of hawking and the scent of delicacies mingling together.

Soon, they arrived at a stall. After paying, he held several skewers of sizzling beef, eating until his mouth was oily, and mumbled vaguely: "Sister Shen Yi, this is super delicious!"

As he spoke, his footsteps faltered, his gaze landing on the shadows at the corner of the street.

A small, silver-haired figure was squatting alone by the side of the road, her long eyelashes drooping. The surrounding bustle seemed to be separated from her by a barrier.

Lin Chen swallowed the food in his mouth, his pupils dilating in shock: "Na... Na'er? She's supposed to be in Proud Arrival City, how could she... appear in Shrek City?" He walked toward that direction of his own accord.

As he got closer, he saw she was wearing tattered clothes. Na'er sensed someone approaching and looked up at Lin Chen. Her beautiful purple eyes reflected his own.

Her purple eyes were clear yet guarded, like a startled young beast. She shrank her shoulders and subconsciously retreated toward the wall.

"Here. You're hungry, right?" Lin Chen took a skewer of grilled beef and handed it to Na'er. Perhaps she was truly starving, or perhaps she sensed that Lin Chen had no ill intent, she reached out, took it, and began to eat with her head bowed.

The skewer was finished quickly, and she clearly wasn't full. Her purple eyes looked at the remaining skewers in Lin Chen's hand. Lin Chen followed her gaze, looked at what he held, and gave the rest to Na'er.

Shen Yi's footsteps came from behind, laced with a bit of helplessness: "Lin Chen, why are you walking so fast?"

She walked up and realized that in front of Lin Chen was a silver-haired, purple-eyed girl who looked to be about his age.

Na'er finished eating and just stared quietly at Lin Chen. Their gazes reflected one another. What they didn't know was that, in the dark, two threads of fate seemed to have intersected.