Yan Shaozhe's Shock

He knocked on the door three times, gently.

"Enter."

The gentle voice carried a hint of scholarly refinement.

Zhang Lexuan pushed the door open, and Lu Ran, standing to the side, was immediately drawn to the room's furnishings.

It was an office with excellent lighting, spacious and airy; the afternoon sun poured in through a massive floor-to-ceiling window, filling every corner.

The left wall was occupied by bookshelves, arranged neatly from floor to ceiling, with a faint scent of ink lingering in the air.

His gaze swept past the massive floor-to-ceiling window.

Beside an elegant mahogany desk on the right, an old man in simple, elegant white robes held a celadon teacup, gazing at the horizon outside the window, where the rolling, undulating Star Dou Great Forest had stood for millions of years.

The white-robed old man's expression was calm and peaceful, his brows filled with the steady composure that only comes with the passage of time.

The faint fragrance of tea and ink intertwined in the air, diffusing with the afternoon sunlight, making one feel involuntarily at peace, capable of smoothing out any inner restlessness.

Looking at that plain face, it seemed as if no shocking news in the world could ever surprise him.

Seeing the two enter, the old man revealed a gentle smile and set down his teacup, causing faint ripples to stir within it.

"Hello, child. My name is Yan Shaozhe, the Dean of Shrek Academy."

Before the two had even reached the door, Yan Shaozhe had already sensed their presence. He knew Zhang Lexuan was helping a child awaken their Martial Soul, and bringing the person directly to him now could only mean the child possessed extraordinary talent.

He needed to report to him.

"Child, are you willing to join Shrek?"

Lu Ran felt slightly surprised; Yan Shaozhe had asked him to join without asking a single question.

Is he that impatient?

But on second thought, given how easily his situation could be seen through, he figured the Dean had likely already learned everything from other returning students.

There was no need to ask more.

As for whether to join Shrek, Lu Ran had considered it since the moment he transmigrated:

It was common knowledge that the Sun Moon Empire prioritized Soul Tools over Martial Souls, while Shrek prioritized Martial Souls over Soul Tools. It wasn't necessarily about valuing one over the other, but simply that their areas of expertise differed.

However, for someone without backing, the Sun Moon Empire was far more dangerous than Shrek.

The Sun Moon Empire was crawling with Evil Soul Masters, and from top to bottom, it was as riddled with holes as a sieve, having been infiltrated by the Holy Spirit Cult. There was no guarantee that if he arrived, he wouldn't be killed by a passing Evil Soul Master just for stepping with his left foot first.

Stepping with his right foot first wouldn't help either.

And could there really be only one passing Evil Soul Master?

Now that he had Innate Full Soul Power, he would be pampered if he went to the Sun Moon Empire and wouldn't fear Evil Soul Masters, but if his surname wasn't Xu, he would always be an outsider and could never be truly cultivated.

Shrek was different. After all, they prided themselves on being the righteous path; regardless of how abstract their methods might be, they at least cared about their reputation. Joining now meant he would likely be treated as one of their own.

The two sides were as different as heaven and earth.

Lu Ran did not hesitate:

"I am willing."

Yan Shaozhe revealed a satisfied smile, as if everything were within his expectations.

"Good. Can you tell me what your Martial Soul is?"

"My Martial Soul is an expandable space. Each Soul Ring allows me to contract a Soul Beast, and I can manipulate the Soul Beast and utilize its corresponding elemental powers..."

Since he was joining, he had to prove his worth. Otherwise, why would he receive a tilt in resources?

Why would he be valued?

The more Yan Shaozhe listened, the brighter his eyes became. Such a unique Martial Soul was rare on the continent.

"Child, what is your Innate Soul Power level?"

He asked impatiently. Beast Taming Branch Soul Masters were extremely special and could be called all-rounders; their significance to Shrek was extraordinary, far more important than an ordinary genius Soul Master.

"Full level."

"...Hmm?"

Yan Shaozhe looked at Lu Ran's calm face.

He was stunned.

He reached out and pressed his hand on his shoulder, sensing the Soul Power within his body.

"--Hmph!"

A short, sharp sound escaped from Yan Shaozhe's nostrils, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upward.

"Ahem..."

Realizing he had lost his composure, he quickly controlled his expression and coughed twice.

But in his heart, he was already overjoyed:

A six-year-old with Innate Full Soul Power who could manipulate Soul Beasts—these things alone were heaven-defying. And more importantly, Lu Ran had been saved by Zhang Lexuan!

What surprised Yan Shaozhe most was the cleanliness of Lu Ran's background.

As the number one academy on the continent, Shrek Academy had a vast number of students, but those with true talent almost always had complex backgrounds; it was difficult to find a disciple who was both absolutely powerful and neutral, someone they could cultivate with their whole heart.

And now, Lu Ran fit those requirements perfectly, with even higher talent to boot.

He was a guaranteed future member of the Sea God Pavilion, destined to hold up the sky for Shrek!

Thoughts flashed through Yan Shaozhe's mind, as if a brilliant future were unfolding right before his eyes.

He looked at Lu Ran with a smile, his mouth curling upward uncontrollably:

"Ahem, you must be tired. Let the Dean and Sister Lexuan take you to pick a room, host a welcome banquet for you, and let you have a good bath and change into clean clothes. We can discuss everything else later."

Since Lu Ran had joined, he wasn't going anywhere. It was better to build rapport first; everything else could be set aside, as none of it was as important as Lu Ran himself.

"Um..."

Lu Ran hesitated.

"What else do you need? Dean Yan will definitely help you solve it!"

Yan Shaozhe immediately patted his chest in assurance.

Lu Ran waved his hand: "It's not that. I still need a Soul Ring, and I wanted to trouble the Dean to help me find a suitable Soul Beast."

Yan Shaozhe breathed a sigh of relief, having been nearly startled:

"No problem, Dean Yan will definitely find the most suitable one for you."

Lu Ran continued: "As I said earlier, my Martial Soul is special, so for the first Soul Beast, I choose an earth-attribute one. It can generate rock and soil within the Martial Soul, which counts as having a foothold; otherwise, the Soul Beast wouldn't even have a place to stand once it enters."

There were gaps even among commoners. While some commoners might never see a few Soul Beasts in their entire lives, Lu Ran had lived in a small village on the periphery of the Star Dou Great Forest since childhood, making a living by gathering herbs. It was normal for him to have some understanding of Soul Beasts; otherwise, he would have had to pretend to be ignorant and learn from scratch.

And pretending to be ignorant when you actually knew was a form of torture.

Yan Shaozhe knew of Lu Ran's situation and felt no suspicion. After careful consideration, he nodded: "Very well, I will send people to look. However, even if we find one, you won't be able to absorb it in the short term. You need to nourish your body well before you can absorb a high-age Soul Ring."

Ten thousand years later, various research theories were quite profound. It was common knowledge that the age of the Soul Ring a Soul Master could absorb in the early stages was related to their physique; the stronger the body, the higher the age of the Soul Ring they could absorb. Coupled with the discovery of Whale Rubber's effects on enhancing physique and the development of various medicinal pills, the first few Soul Rings of core disciples from major factions had long since exceeded the theories of ten thousand years ago.

As a core disciple of Shrek, Lu Ran naturally could not fall behind; his early Soul Rings had to be close to the limit of what his body could absorb.

"About that..."

Lu Ran waved his hand: "That won't be necessary. The Soul Beasts I contract can continue to cultivate without any restrictions. As long as they have potential, a few hundred years more or less doesn't really matter..."

"?!"

Yan Shaozhe's expression changed drastically. Like Zhang Lexuan, he stared at Lu Ran in astonishment.

"Wha... what?"

Lu Ran repeated himself: "The age of the Soul Beasts I contract can continue to increase without any restrictions, so I only need to look at the potential of the Soul Beast."

"!!"

Yan Shaozhe looked at Lu Ran as if he were a monster, his mouth slightly agape, unable to utter a single word. After a long while, feeling his throat go dry, he slowly looked toward Zhang Lexuan, his eyes wide as if asking:

Why didn't you tell me sooner?

But from Zhang Lexuan's expression, he could tell that she had only just found out as well.

His body vanished in an instant, as if erased from the office without causing a single ripple, yet his voice still echoed:

"I am going to see Elder Mu!"