Inner Demon

Feng Tianyu could sense Grey Wolf's condition. He realized that Grey Wolf had returned to his body and was slowly restoring its physical form by drawing on his Soul Power.

But Feng Tianyu wasn't in good shape himself. To perform the Gale Demon Wolf 108-Strike Combo, Grey Wolf had used up nearly all the Soul Power in his body.

Feng Tianyu felt wave after wave of weakness. He had no spare Soul Power to help Grey Wolf restore its physical form.

To summon Grey Wolf again, he would need to meditate for at least one night and wait for his Soul Power to recover.

Feng Tianyu looked at Qian Duoduo.

"Dean Qian, sorry for the trouble, but could you take me back?"

"Oh, right. This Blood Leopard is an 8,000-year-old Soul Beast, nothing like an ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Beast. Its meat must be much more nutritious. Let's take it back and give the Soul Guidance Department an extra meal."

Qian Duoduo gave Feng Tianyu a long look, then agreed to everything he had said.

"No problem. I'll take this Blood Leopard back and have my private nutritionist prepare it. As you suggested, we'll give the Soul Guidance Department an extra meal to celebrate your breakthrough to Soul Elder. All the teachers and students can celebrate together."

"I'll save the most nutritious part, the Tiger Heart, for you. We'll add a host of rare medicinal ingredients and cook it properly. It'll do your body a world of good."

With that, Qian Duoduo put away the Blood Leopard's corpse, then took Feng Tianyu into the air. A pair of folded wings unfurled behind him as they flew back to Shrek Academy.

Two hours later, they returned to Shrek Academy!

By then, the teachers and students of Shrek Academy were immersed in a sea of celebration.

It certainly wasn't because Feng Tianyu had broken through to Soul Elder.

Rather, the main team and the reserve team had returned from the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament with another championship for Shrek Academy.

For ten thousand years, Shrek Academy had always taken first place, and this time was no exception.

That glory drew young Soul Masters from across the continent to Shrek Academy like moths to a flame.

In their eyes, bringing home the championship was only natural. If the Shrek Team ever lost, now that would be something to see.

The sheer torrent of spittle would probably drown the leading teacher and every competitor.

When Qian Duoduo brought Feng Tianyu back, he immediately understood what was going on. Beaming, he said:

"Haha, Tianyu, Shrek Academy has won the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament again!"

"It's a pity you didn't go this time. You could have shared in that glory."

"But that's all right. Rather than sharing someone else's glory, you can wait until the next tournament and win it yourself."

"I believe the next tournament—and even the one after that—will be your stage."

Qian Duoduo was brimming with confidence. After seeing Grey Wolf use a Self-Created Soul Skill in the Star Dou Great Forest that could kill a Soul Saint, he was sure that no young Soul Master could stand against Feng Tianyu.

Feng Tianyu hadn't been completely brainwashed by Shrek's education, and he wasn't all that obsessed with winning championships. But surrounded by everyone at Shrek Academy, he still put on an inspired expression.

"Of course. The next championship, and even the one after that, will belong to Shrek Academy!"

Just then, Ma Xiaotao, a reserve member of the Shrek Team who was surrounded by the crowd, caught sight of Feng Tianyu beyond them.

The usual haughty look was gone from her fair face. She bit her lower lip, her expression stubborn, then rose into the air on her toes, passed through the crowd, and landed a short distance from Feng Tianyu.

"Feng Tianyu, I want to fight you again!"

Ever since losing to Feng Tianyu, he had become Ma Xiaotao's inner demon. Of course, no one at the academy dared tease her about it.

But Ma Xiaotao was too proud to accept that she had lost to a Soul Grandmaster. Once she recovered, she would have challenged Feng Tianyu again right away if not for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.

Feng Tianyu looked at Ma Xiaotao. Perhaps because she had lost to him, the arrogance she once wore was gone.

She lightly bit her lip, her long, narrow eyes fixed on him, her face stubborn and defiant, as if saying, "Fight me again, and I'll beat you this time."

Feng Tianyu's expression remained calm. He had accepted her challenge last time because he wanted to vent the anger pent up inside him.

Now that he had vented it, he couldn't be bothered to get tangled up with Ma Xiaotao again.

It wasn't as if he had to accept just because she challenged him.

Feng Tianyu casually refused.

"You weren't my match half a year ago, and you're even less of one now. I don't want to waste my time."

Ma Xiaotao panicked at his words. If Feng Tianyu refused to fight, how could she wipe away the shame of her defeat? She strode toward him, her still-developing, impressive figure nearly pressing against him.

"No! You have to accept. If you do, I'll agree to any condition!"

"Anything I can do, I, Ma Xiaotao, will never go back on my word!"

"When I came back from the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament, my teacher promised me two Soul Bones. They came from the same Soul Beast, and both are over ten thousand years old. I can put them up as the stakes!"

Ma Xiaotao was speaking without thinking. She had thrown caution to the wind just to fight Feng Tianyu again.

Feng Tianyu deliberately shifted his gaze away. He was seven, while Ma Xiaotao was fifteen. Even with Soul Ring absorption accelerating physical development, Feng Tianyu was still much shorter than her. If he looked straight ahead, her ample chest would nearly fill his vision.

"Those Soul Bones were given to you by your teacher. You should find a chance to absorb them yourself. Have you even considered how your teacher would feel about you using them as stakes?"

"Ma Xiaotao, you should act a little more mature. You're not a child anymore!"

After saying that, Feng Tianyu greeted Qian Duoduo and returned to his dorm to meditate and recover his Soul Power.

Ma Xiaotao stood rooted to the spot, struck dumb by Feng Tianyu's reprimand. What shocked her most was that he hadn't been tempted at all by the two ten-thousand-year Soul Bones.

They were both over ten thousand years old and came from the same Soul Beast. Anyone who absorbed them would receive an enormous boost.

Yet Feng Tianyu hadn't agreed to fight for them. Instead, he had scolded her for failing to respect her teacher's feelings.

Ma Xiaotao felt utterly ashamed. Her cheeks flushed as she wondered if she really was so willful that even a seven-year-old could be more sensible than her.

Because of her outstanding talent and formidable strength, everyone around her had always fawned over and indulged her.

This was the first time anyone had reprimanded her—and it was someone younger than her.

Meanwhile, amid the crowd, stood the Shrek Team.

A proud young woman in golden clothes giggled.

"That junior is so cute! He looks only seven or eight, but he acts like a little adult. He even gave Ma Xiaotao a serious scolding. He must be Feng Tianyu, the genius Soul Engineer who beat her."

"I just don't understand. Can such a low-grade Soul Tool really let a Soul Grandmaster beat a Soul Ancestor? Ma Xiaotao's no weakling, either."

Her name was Wu Ming.

Another woman, dressed in white with a gentle air, smiled.

"Wu Ming, don't underestimate Soul Tools. Those Soul Engineers from Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy do have their strengths. If they hadn't run into our Shrek Team, they might have won the championship!"

Her name was Han Ruoruo.

At last, a woman with straight black hair falling to her waist and a calm, serene expression spoke.

"All right, go call Ma Xiaotao back. The dean will be giving a speech soon, and as his disciple, she can't be absent."

Her name was Zhang Lexuan.