Douluo Continent, Heaven Dou City, Blue Tyrant Academy.
A young man stood before the imposing school gates.
He had sharp brows and bright eyes, a handsome face, and a tall, straight figure like a pine. He was like a drawn sword, radiating a clear, youthful spirit.
The young man raised his head slightly.
His gaze swept over the academy standing in the heart of the city.
The four characters "Blue Tyrant Academy" on the ancient plaque were written in bold, sweeping strokes and gleamed brilliantly.
A look of anticipation instantly rippled through the young man's eyes.
His thin lips parted, and a slightly hoarse voice escaped his throat. "Blue Tyrant Academy, I'm here."
Blue Tyrant Academy only admitted commoner Soul Masters, so he figured he could stay here for a while and get his hands on some cultivation resources.
What's more, with the status of a Blue Tyrant Academy student, it would be easier to get things done in Heaven Dou City.
The young man's name was Xiao Yexuan.
A hint of depth beyond his years lurked in his eyes. As his gaze shifted, he seemed to have everything under his thumb, and to know the workings of the world like the back of his hand.
That's right, he was a transmigrator.
In his previous life, Xiao Yexuan had been obsessed with video games, especially dating sims. In his spare time, he loved watching anime and dramas, and he also enjoyed digging up all sorts of strange resources online.
One day, after staying up all night, he binge-watched the better part of a year's backlog of the Douluo Continent anime in one go.
Then everything went black, and he suddenly died at home.
When he opened his eyes again, he was already in Douluo Continent.
Only two days had passed since that bizarre transmigration.
His new body had completely shed the frailty brought on in his previous life by working overtime and staying up all night watching anime.
He was back in the fit, muscular shape he'd had when he exercised every day at school. Not only was he handsome, but he was also powerfully built, his every movement brimming with youthful vigor.
What delighted him even more was that he had awakened a Martial Soul of his own.
It was a white folding fan painted with an ink-wash landscape. A line of classical poetry was inscribed on its surface, the ink strokes blending together with an elegant, ancient charm.
The fan looked just like an accessory carried by a refined scholar in ancient times.
It also suited the dashing, elegant young heroes in wuxia novels who wielded fans as weapons.
When Xiao Yexuan first transmigrated, he had landed in Sunset Forest, on the outskirts of Heaven Dou City.
By sheer coincidence, he had happened upon two Soul Beasts locked in a fierce battle.
After driving off the intruder, a Green Spirit Bird had been left on the brink of death.
The Green Spirit Bird staggered over and fell beside Xiao Yexuan.
It willingly sacrificed itself, turning into his first Soul Ring and making him a One-Ring Soul Master in a single leap.
On Douluo Continent, the graduation requirement for an ordinary junior Soul Master Academy was simply to possess one Soul Ring.
As for advanced Soul Master Academies, few set the bar for entry as high as Shrek Academy, which required applicants to be Level 20, two-ring Soul Grandmasters.
Most academies for commoners only required applicants to become One-Ring Soul Masters, and Blue Tyrant Academy was one of them.
Still, Xiao Yexuan couldn't help wondering.
Just how far along was the timeline? Had Tang San and the others already arrived in Heaven Dou City?
He was still planning to snatch the Immortal Herbs from Poison Douluo's Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
After all, those Immortal Herbs were the greatest opportunity the Shrek Seven Devils would ever get.
If he could claim the herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, his strength would soar by leaps and bounds.
Even with only one Martial Soul, he'd still be able to rub Tang San into the dirt.
Xiao Yexuan stopped dwelling on it.
He walked over to the registration window beside the school gates and explained to the staff member inside why he had come.
The staff member looked somewhat surprised.
Apparently, they hadn't expected anyone else to come apply today. But the surprise soon gave way to a broad smile, and they led Xiao Yexuan into the academy, muttering that it was unusually lively there today.
As Xiao Yexuan stepped onto the academy's plaza,
he immediately understood why the teacher at the registration desk had been so surprised.
A group had already gathered in the plaza. Counting them, there were exactly seven adults and seven children.
The seven children were practically grown, four boys and three girls.
The boys all looked different: some were burly, some scrawny, some chubby, and some lean.
The girls each had their own charm: some sweet, some aloof, some lively.
Xiao Yexuan's gaze swept over them.
He already knew the answer.
The burly boy with yellow hair, the lecherous man with peach-blossom eyes, the short, chubby lad, and the ordinary-looking black-haired boy with a jeweled belt around his waist.
He could recognize who they were without a moment's thought.
So today was the day Shrek Academy had been kicked out of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and Qin Ming had brought them to Blue Tyrant Academy in search of a place to stay.
Xiao Yexuan sighed inwardly.
He really had arrived at just the right time, running straight into them. Was this a fateful encounter, or had destiny arranged it all along?
Since he had transmigrated at this particular point in time,
perhaps he was meant to stir things up.
After all, today was crucial for Shrek Academy.
They would enter Blue Tyrant Academy and qualify for the Soul Master Tournament, while Tang San would be abducted by Poison Douluo and stumble upon the opportunity at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
But Xiao Yexuan was only a One-Ring Soul Master right now.
Even if he gave it everything he had, what could he really change?
He had no system to rely on, only his knowledge of the story.
Changing the situation today would be as hard as scaling the heavens.
But Xiao Yexuan wasn't in a hurry.
He knew the value of building strength over time. He only needed to take things slowly; reaching the heavens in one step had never been realistic.
The Immortal Herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well were tempting.
But Xiao Yexuan knew that the Immortal Herbs on Douluo Continent weren't limited to that one place. There was, for example, the Speed Clan's treasured Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng.
And there was the Gold of Life in the Lake of Life, as well as Whale Rubber, which was currently treated as nothing more than a man's performance booster.
All of them were rare treasures.
As long as he played it safe and built his strength steadily,
he might well get the chance to claim these treasures in the future.
He had even been planning to sneak into Heaven Dou Imperial Palace and make off with the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
Without the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, what could Tang San use to stand against Spirit Hall?
Without the protection of that divine artifact, Tang San might be taken out by Qian Renxue before he could become the Asura God.
Wait, Xiao Yexuan suddenly reconsidered.
Tang San might die at the hands of his grandfather, Tang Chen, first.
And once Tang San was dead,
wouldn't Douluo Continent be his for the taking?
Xiao Yexuan felt a thrill of delight.
A sly smile curled his lips.
Without Tang San, the greatest villain of all, Douluo Continent would surely head in the best possible direction.
Under Qian Renxue's leadership, Spirit Hall would surely unite the continent and guide it toward unprecedented prosperity!
So when Xiao Yexuan faced the Shrek group,
he showed no emotion and simply nodded in greeting. Yet behind his eyes lurked a hint of calculation that was hard to detect.
This newcomer, who had come to apply for admission, was examining the Shrek group with keen interest.
And the Shrek group was examining him in turn.
Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the other teachers soon looked disdainful.
Xiao Yexuan's Soul Power was barely at the level of a newly advanced One-Ring Soul Master. His already weak aura was so faint as to be hardly worth mentioning.
Judging by his age, he was quite a bit older than the Shrek children.
To be only a One-Ring Soul Master at his age was utterly mediocre. In their eyes, he was no better than a useless nobody.
The Shrek Three Beauties, meanwhile, huddled together with their heads lowered.
They secretly peeked at Xiao Yexuan and whispered among themselves, their voices very low.
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up.
She leaned toward Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing and whispered,
"Quick, look! This young master is so handsome, and he's so refined and polite. I wonder which noble family he comes from?"
"I feel a particularly warm aura from him."
Xiao Wu gazed at Xiao Yexuan, her face filled with confusion. Her delicate, doll-like features were scrunched up in puzzlement.
"Humans have to hunt Soul Beasts to get Soul Rings, but his Soul Power is so pure, as if it's been lovingly protected by his mother's hands."
At her words, Ning Rongrong's eyes flickered.
She looked at Xiao Wu in confusion and asked, "Xiao Wu, what are you talking about?"
Xiao Wu hurriedly waved her hands, a flash of panic crossing her face. She was afraid she had said too much.
"It's nothing. I just feel close to his aura."
As she spoke, her cheeks turned red.
Apparently not wanting to be questioned any further, she turned to Zhu Zhuqing and changed the subject. "Zhuqing, what do you think of him?"
Everyone thought Zhu Zhuqing would be as cold and taciturn as ever.
But who could have guessed that after Xiao Wu asked, Zhu Zhuqing would stare blankly at Xiao Yexuan, a strange glint flashing in her dark eyes? Only after a long moment did she speak.
"He may only be a newly advanced One-Ring Soul Master, and he's a little older."
Zhu Zhuqing's voice was cool, but her words were earnest. "Still, he came to the academy to study and improve himself."
"You can see that he has a determined, positive streak."
"That kind of character is worth learning from. Even if someone is weak, they still have the right to strive for improvement. They should also have the courage to break through their shackles!"
"Huh? Zhuqing, why are you suddenly talking like a scholar today?"
Ning Rongrong teased her mischievously, her eyes gleaming with gossip. "You usually say as little as possible, but today you've suddenly said so much. Don't tell me you're interested in this handsome young man?"
Though the three girls had deliberately lowered their voices,
the people beside them had still caught most of what they said. The breeze crossed the plaza, carrying their hushed conversation to the ears of the Shrek boys.
At their words, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Tang San, and Ma Hongjun
all turned unfriendly looks on Xiao Yexuan. They couldn't see what was so special about this One-Ring Soul Master that the three beauties would talk about him like that.
Dai Mubai in particular
looked so grim that water could have dripped from his face. The veins at his temples even seemed to throb.
Zhu Zhuqing was his fiancée.
All these years, he'd gone to great lengths and still hadn't managed to get her to say more than a few words to him.
Yet now she was praising a stranger.
She had probably said more to him today than she had in the past year.
Dai Mubai felt as if a tall, pointed, bright-green hat were hanging over his head.
He clenched his fists in anger and glared furiously at Xiao Yexuan.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yexuan
saw the girls whispering about him, but he couldn't make out a word they were saying.
He didn't know how to read lips, so all he could do was stare at them in confusion, brows slightly furrowed.
Then he felt Dai Mubai's hostile gaze.
Xiao Yexuan was even more bewildered. He scratched his head, utterly baffled.
He racked his brains,
but couldn't figure out when he'd offended this hulking, musclebound member of Shrek.
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