Easy Victory

"Ahhh!!"

Dai Mubai roared as he charged forward: "White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"

Separated by several meters, Xia Yan surely could not stop him now!

Between his protruding tiger fangs, white energy condensed within his maw once more—fire!

"BOOM!!"

The surging, dense white light collided with the Light Slash, erupting into a blinding glare. The radiance was impossible to block; Dai Mubai's vision was momentarily blinded, and his sensory perception was dulled by the shockwave.

It worked!

As Dai Mubai utilized this brief gap to consider whether to retreat or close the distance, he never expected Xia Yan to possess a long-range attack method as well.

He had already suffered the backlash of his own Soul Skill.

He had to think cautiously; even a single wrong step would mean failure!

Yet, what he completely failed to anticipate was that while he was blinded by the white light, Xia Yan was not.

The moment Dai Mubai's vision recovered, a hand suddenly intruded into his field of view, grabbing his right arm while simultaneously attacking his lower stance.

In an instant, Dai Mubai felt the world spin: "White Tiger... Barrier!"

A layer of white light condensed around his body, boosting his defense, but he was still flung away, crashing onto the grass three meters away with a heavy thud.

Xia Yan did not continue his assault.

The entire arena suddenly fell into silence.

"..."

"Haa..."

Dai Mubai lay on the grass, his body shrouded in a faint white glow, staring at the pale sky with hollow eyes.

He could feel that Xia Yan had held back; had Xia Yan used a slashing strike just now, he would have already fallen.

But, it was precisely this restraint

that made Dai Mubai feel even more humiliated!

I was defeated...

Defeated...

Defeated by an eleven-year-old newcomer in just two moves?!

No...

I cannot be defeated!

I cannot be defeated!

Dai Mubai's pupils flickered; he slammed his fist into the grass, forcing himself to stand up using the momentum of the recoil!

His heterochromatic eyes—one golden, one azure—were bloodshot as he glared fixedly at Xia Yan:

"Again!"

He bellowed, charging toward Xia Yan in a rage, scorching white energy condensing in his mouth once more:

"White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"

Xia Yan's arms likewise gathered the power of light again, unleashing a Light Slash.

Yet, the moment before Xia Yan swung his strike, Dai Mubai suddenly closed his eyes.

As long as he kept them shut, he wouldn't be blinded by the light!

He would not be defeated by the same move twice!

However, before he could even open his eyes, a fist imbued with the power of light struck him squarely in the abdomen!

"Ugh..."

Dai Mubai's eyes snapped open, but he felt the world spin once more; the sky and the grass blurred into a haze.

How is this possible...

He lost all control over his body.

"THUD!"

His half-naked body flew backward, collapsing onto the grass as he vomited uncontrollably.

He even tried to stand up with trembling limbs, but alas, he collapsed back onto the ground.

Xia Yan dispersed the Demon Suppressing Pagoda and his Soul Ring; he hadn't used much strength.

When all is said and done, this was merely a sparring match.

Do not be fooled by the fact that he is currently a three-ringed soul master; even an ordinary four-ringed soul master might not necessarily be able to defeat him.

Oscar stared blankly at Xia Yan, stunned that he had... easily defeated Dai Mubai?!

What formidable power...

His eyes did not blink as they slowly shifted toward Dai Mubai, watching the usually arrogant Dai Mubai now retching in such a wretched state.

His eyes revealed endless envy.

If only... if only I had this kind of strength, how wonderful that would be.

"Hahahaha!!"

Zhao Wuji clapped his hands and walked over, laughing boisterously.

He excitedly patted Xia Yan on the shoulder with a rough palm that was larger than Xia Yan's head.

"Good lad!"

"I am Zhao Wuji, the vice-dean of Shrek Academy. If you ever want to spar in the future, feel free to come find me!"

An eleven-year-old, level 35 Control-system Soul Elder.

He is a peerless genius who could not be found anywhere on the continent, even with a lantern!

"I refuse to accept this... I refuse!"

Dai Mubai's eyes were bloodshot as he stood up shakily, his chest heaving violently.

"Hoo... hoo..."

Acid dripped from the corner of his mouth: "Again!"

"Let's fight again!"

Even if an Assault-system soul master is countered by a Control-system one, it is impossible for him to be defeated so easily when he is only one level weaker!

It was entirely because he had been careless!

Flender walked over with a stern expression: "Mubai, a loss is a loss. Even if I gave you another chance, you would still lose. Xia Yan has already shown mercy..."

"Little Ao, give Mubai a sausage."

Oscar was taken aback:

"Ah...?"

"Oh, oh..."

He immediately pinched his little finger and said in a soft, effeminate voice: "I have a big sausage..."

A short, thick sausage immediately appeared in his hand, its thickness nearly that of three fingers pressed together.

It wafted with the distinct aroma of a sausage.

This was Oscar's first Soul Ring ability, which could create a sausage that restored soul power and healed injuries.

He walked cautiously to Dai Mubai's side and handed it over.

Relying on his superior strength, Dai Mubai was usually arrogant and certainly never polite to Oscar, often even making remarks that sounded like jokes but were actually demeaning.

This made Oscar try to stay as far away from him as possible on ordinary days.

Flender said: "Mubai, only those who can hold their own and let go are truly strong. You have already lost; eat a sausage to recover properly, and do not spar again."

Dai Mubai gritted his teeth.

He snatched the sausage from Oscar and ate it, yet his eyes remained fixed on Xia Yan:

"Fine... welcome to Shrek, new student..."

Just you wait, I will definitely win this back!

"This is your dormitory. What do you think?"

Flender pushed open the door of a wooden cabin, the door panels creaking and groaning.

Xia Yan walked inside.

The room was thirty or forty square meters, containing only a wooden bed and a set of wooden table and chairs; there was nothing else, extremely minimalist.

"It's fine, I'll take this one."

At night, In the dean's office.

Zhao Wuji leaned back in his wooden chair:

"Old Miser, where do you think he came from?"

Zhao Wuji had originally been shocked by Xia Yan's talent, but he had not expected to be shocked once more by his strength immediately afterward.

Level 35 against level 34.

It was as simple as hammering a chick; he had defeated Dai Mubai with total ease throughout the entire process, not even breaking a sweat.

With this level of talent and strength, he could join any faction he pleased. Even if he went to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he could easily become the apprentice of a Soul Douluo, or perhaps even a Titled Douluo.

The resources and connections he could obtain there would far exceed anything Shrek Academy could offer.

Flender stood by the window, gazing at the full moon in the sky: "I'm not sure..."

"However, one thing is certain: he isn't after anything from us. We truly have nothing to give him..."

Four days later, Shrek Academy officially began classes. Since the newly joined Xia Yan possessed strength even greater than the previous top student, Dai Mubai, he naturally did not need to attend the introductory courses.

He went straight into combat training, heading to the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City to fight. Combat is the best teacher, allowing soul masters to learn everything they ought to know.

In the blink of an eye, another year passed.

It was once again the continent's annual graduation season.

Xia Yan had stayed at Shrek Academy for a year. In truth, Shrek Academy was quite relaxed—at least, that was the case for Xia Yan. Flender believed that those who required constant supervision to make progress had no value in being cultivated, so he generally only set tasks and requirements.

Passing depended on the students' own efforts, while the teachers ensured they didn't go astray during their cultivation.

For Ma Hongjun and the others, these requirements were difficult, but for Xia Yan, they were quite simple. Nevertheless, he did not slack off, dedicating all his time to cultivation.

Meanwhile, Tang San had officially graduated from Notting City and was already on his way to Shrek.

This was one of the few times Tang Hao had definitively left Holy Soul Village, making it Xia Yan's only opportunity.

Taking advantage of the break, Xia Yan flew toward Holy Soul Village, located to the west of Shrek. Since he was traveling in the opposite direction of Tang San, he worried about running into him on the road, so he specifically set out toward the northwest first, planning to cover two-thirds of the distance before turning toward Holy Soul Village.