Re-entering the Library Pavilion

In a modestly decorated office, Yan Shaozhe was hunched over his desk writing. One could hardly tell this was the office of the principal of the continent's premier academy; everything about it exuded simplicity and frugality.

One wall was covered in portraits, reserved only for those principals who had made monumental contributions to the academy during their tenure. The first portrait was, surprisingly, a middle-aged man with the look of a cunning merchant.

Hearing a knock at the door, Yan Shaozhe set down his pen with a weary sigh and tapped the desk.

"Come in." As he looked up, a tall, handsome youth walked in slowly, and a smile instantly bloomed on Yan Shaozhe's face.

"Little Junior Brother, what brings you here?" This was Shrek's greatest treasure—a dual-element Ultimate Martial Soul with limitless potential. He looked at Xiao Yi now as if he were his own son; no, even dearer than his own son.

"Senior Brother Yan, I would like to request access to the third floor of the Library Pavilion, and to participate in the Freshman Grand Competition alone," Xiao Yi said, bowing in salute.

Yan Shaozhe pondered for a moment. In truth, he had wanted to exempt Xiao Yi from the competition entirely, as it was truly unnecessary given his strength. However, Xiao Yi insisted, claiming he wanted a legitimate origin for his status as a Core Disciple, and that openly taking the back door would tarnish the dignity of Shrek.

These words were deeply heart-warming, and Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but sigh that Xiao Yi was a natural-born Shrek man.

In reality, he had other plans. The Freshman Grand Competition was the perfect time to show off and woo girls. Xiao Yi never forgot his original intention and mission; if cultivation wasn't for the sake of showing off and finding a girl, it would be utterly meaningless.

Yan Shaozhe thought it over. His Little Junior Brother's strength meant carrying two dead weights would be no problem, but it wouldn't be fair to the other freshmen.

"How about this: you participate alone, just go through the motions. But remember, don't be too heavy-handed. As for the Library Pavilion, just go directly; the teacher has already given the word, but you must not spread the contents."

Xiao Yi nodded. Of course he wouldn't spread them; this would eventually be his own family property, so what would be the point of leaking it?

Xiao Yi paid a visit to Mu En to seek advice on the cultivation of Dominating the World before heading straight to the Library Pavilion.

On the other side, the moment Tang Wutong entered the classroom, she drew countless gazes. The students' eyes were filled with amazement and longing, though mostly confusion—who was this beauty?

Tang Wutong reverted to her "strangers keep away" state, her face full of arrogance and unapproachability. The state she had shown in front of Xiao Yi was entirely gone; that had been purely because she was being teased.

Huo Yutong and Xiao Xiao's eyes were filled with undisguised awe, even a hint of feeling inferior.

Although all three were beautiful in their own way, the goddess-like aura surrounding Tang Wutong was impossible to mask.

"Wulin, you really changed back into women's clothing?" Xiao Xiao's voice rang out with surprise, her face full of curiosity as she looked at her.

"Xiao Xiao, Yutong, my real name is Tang Wutong. You can just call me Wutong from now on." Xiao Xiao's gaze was very gratifying to her.

"Alright, Sister Wutong. By the way, why didn't Xiao Yi come?"

"Probably went off to find some senior sister again," Tang Wutong snorted, saying it viciously. Although she couldn't quite distinguish if it was possessiveness or love, she knew she couldn't leave Xiao Yi; he had to be hers.

Huo Yutong watched Tang Wutong, whose jealousy was written all over her face, and fell into deep thought. Now that Tang Wutong had returned to women's clothing, was she still living with Brother Xiao Yi?

I want to join too. Does Brother Xiao Yi like them big? Thinking of Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan, neither seemed small.

She glanced at Tang Wutong's proud curves and then at her own small buns, feeling a sense of desolation in her heart.

In a room shrouded in darkness, Dai Huabin was curled up in a corner. His eyes were bloodshot, and the room was in total disarray, with the furniture and decorations scattered all over the floor.

Just yesterday, when he saw Xiao Yi return to the academy unscathed, he felt shock and resentment.

He had long since discovered the abnormalities in his own cultivation, but upon seeing Xiao Yi's four black Soul Rings and that terrifying strength, it had turned into fear.

Dai Huabin had even considered dropping out of Shrek Academy. To him, this place was now a den of tigers and dragons. He had seen Principal Yan Shaozhe's reaction earlier; if Xiao Yi were to do something to him, the academy likely wouldn't even ask, which terrified him to his core.

However, when he went to the other residence of the White Tiger Duke Mansion within Shrek Academy, there was no one there, as if it had been emptied overnight—completely hollow.

He immediately went to find his older brother, Dai Yueheng. This was the first time he had sought out this brother, but when he reached the Inner Court, he was told that Dai Yueheng had left the academy to carry out an Inner Court mission.

He had a vague, ominous premonition. This feeling flooded his brain, making him increasingly uneasy and fearful.

That nightmarish figure was deeply branded in his heart, and whenever the night was deep and quiet, it would entwine around him like a vengeful ghost.

Now, he could only wait for Dai Yueheng to return to the academy. He felt as if an invisible wall was blocking his path, unable to see anything ahead, as if he were being cornered. He even began to regret his past actions.

Stepping into the Library Pavilion, Xiao Yi headed straight for the higher floors. The bottom two floors were materials open to all students, including knowledge on various Soul Beasts and common knowledge; most of the academy's textbooks were compiled from these, and there were many teachers with significant knowledge reserves among them.

After showing his identity token, Xiao Yi began to search for his target.

Xiao Yi had always yearned for alchemy. He had never stopped wanting to understand those pills that possessed powerful effects and could assist in cultivation.

Douluo Continent did not have a traditional lineage of alchemy; those so-called alchemists were quite superficial. However, Xiao Yi was mostly curious about whether the concept of "pill condensation" existed.

The refining of the Mystic Water Pill was purely a brute-force method—mixing various rare medicinal herbs together to create the so-called Mystic Water Pill. In essence, it didn't even count as a proto-pill; it lacked the necessary processes.

But Xiao Yi had seen a Soul Ascension Pill at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion once. That thing was completely different; it had clear Pill Patterns on the surface, clearly refined through some specific method. This had been etched into Xiao Yi's mind.

He rummaged through piles of books—the wealth of knowledge accumulated by the academy over the years, including some self-created Soul Skills and Secret Techniques.

Xiao Yi even found the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer and Heart Separation Control, skills that had left a deep impression on him in his past life, though they were useless to him now.

Soon, Xiao Yi found several volumes with worn covers, their origins unknown.

"Found it." Xiao Yi flipped through the damaged pages, discovering the records regarding the alchemy lineage of Douluo Continent.

As he read, Xiao Yi couldn't help but nod. There were many valuable insights here, especially regarding the combination of medicinal properties. The insights were very precise, and Xiao Yi could even roughly guess the effects of the pills created by these combinations.

Xiao Yi specifically turned to the first page and was shocked. It was actually written by that possessor of the Ultimate Fire from four thousand years ago, who was also the Sea God Pavilion Master at the time. It was said that he led the three original Douluo nations to repel the invasion of the Sun Moon Continent.

Xiao Yi was startled and slowly took out another book to flip through.