Xuan Zi was starting to question his whole life.
"How did so many Soul Beasts show up while I was gone for just a little while?"
He hovered in midair, gazing down at the Healing Pegasi covering the ground and Chen Doudou, who was wrapped in the gentle glow of a Soul Ring. His eyelids twitched hard twice.
Thankfully, the Soul Beasts didn't seem interested in attacking anyone. Otherwise, he would have had a hard time washing his hands of this.
Xuan Zi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then flashed over and landed quietly to one side.
"Elder Xuan!"
The moment they saw him, everyone hurriedly greeted him with respect.
Xuan Zi gave a slight nod, then pointed at Chen Doudou in puzzlement. "Lexuan, tell me what's going on. Why would this Pegasus offer itself as a sacrifice to that boy?"
"Elder Xuan, it's like this..."
Zhang Lexuan explained everything to him.
After listening, Xuan Zi's expression turned serious. He smacked his lips and marveled, "That boy's luck is incredible. His First Soul Ring is already eight thousand years old."
"Given time, he might truly become the greatest healing Soul Master on the Douluo Continent!"
The greatest healing Soul Master on the Douluo Continent?!
Everyone present was stunned. Deep gasps rose one after another. "Hiss!!!"
Elder Xuan had actually praised him that highly?
This was Elder Xuan, after all!
One of Shrek Academy's veteran guardians, a Level 98 Super Douluo, and a figure at the very peak of the entire Douluo Continent.
Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up. She said eagerly, "Elder Xuan, in that case, we should invite Doudou to join Shrek Academy even more! With Doudou, Shrek's future will only grow brighter!"
This time, even Zhang Lexuan, who had always respected people's personal choices, didn't speak up in objection.
Xuan Zi hesitated.
In his ingrained view, healing Soul Masters were ultimately unlike Battle Soul Masters. Raising one to the level of a Super Douluo could protect Shrek for a hundred years.
But what about a healing Soul Master?
At best, they were useful in low-stakes fights.
In battles between Super Douluos, the tide could turn in an instant. No one could spare the attention to protect a healer.
Besides, their opponents weren't fools. Would they really let your healer stroll around the battlefield, healing your side?
Take the Medicine Saint Douluo of the Star Luo Empire, for example. So what if her martial soul was the Healing Angel and she was hailed as the greatest healing Soul Master on the continent?
Xuan Zi had always believed that she was the greatest healing Soul Master only when people chose to give her that respect. If they didn't, they could send her straight into the ground.
But it had never occurred to him that there might be another possibility: what if the healer wore top-grade Defensive Soul Tools?
"Never mind. Having one is better than having none."
Xuan Zi sighed to himself, speaking as though he were making a tremendous sacrifice. "All right! I'll invite him again later. If he's willing to join Shrek Academy, I can personally grant him special permission to enter the Shrek Inner Court."
"That's wonderful!"
Ma Xiaotao had just broken into a radiant smile.
"What?"
"Straight into the Inner Court?"
Everyone was stunned.
After all, special permission to enter the Shrek Inner Court was an honor reserved for only a tiny handful of super-geniuses.
But then they thought about it: Chen Doudou was a monster whose First Soul Ring was eight thousand years old. Suddenly, it seemed perfectly reasonable.
Someone murmured in amazement:
"Well, would you look at that. Shrek's about to produce another monster."
A short while later.
A short-haired girl cried out, "Look! Chen Doudou's awake!"
As soon as Chen Doudou opened his eyes, he saw a crowd gathered around him, all staring with curiosity and anticipation.
"Why are you all staring at me?"
Everyone smiled without answering, then parted to clear a path.
Xuan Zi stood with his hands behind his back. His deeply wrinkled old face twisted into what he thought was a warm smile, though it was enough to scare a little kid into tears.
"Kid, why don't you join Shrek? I can personally grant you special permission to enter the Inner Court."
"No," Chen Doudou said, rejecting him again without a second thought.
"Kid, do you even understand what Shrek means?"
Xuan Zi assumed he didn't, and was about to launch into a lecture on Shrek's glorious history.
Chen Doudou was sick of hearing it. He rolled his eyes. "Enough. I'll ask you one thing. If Shrek is as great as you say, can it cultivate a god right now?"
Xuan Zi's old face stiffened. He choked on his words for a long while before squeezing out, "No."
"Then can Shrek give me an External Soul Bone?"
"Also no."
"Hmph. You have nothing, yet you still dare call yourselves the greatest academy on the continent?"
Chen Doudou looked scornful, his little mouth rattling on.
At that, Xuan Zi was instantly displeased.
He was a dignified Level 98 Super Douluo, humbling himself to invite a six-year-old, only to get snubbed?
And what kind of questions were those?
Who started by asking whether they could become a god? Did he think becoming a god was that easy?
Could he become a god?
And an External Soul Bone? Did he know how precious those things were?
You could probably count the ones across all the forces on the continent on one hand.
He really had the nerve to ask!
"Fine, fine, you've made me furious."
"Kid, even if you wanted to join Shrek, I wouldn't take you!"
Xuan Zi was so angry that his beard bristled and his eyes bulged.
But for all his anger, he wasn't about to lay a hand on a child. He simply walked off to the side and started gnawing on a chicken leg.
Seeing this, the others felt more than a little helpless. All they could do was regret how things had gone.
Ma Xiaotao had figured it out. Chen Doudou had obviously said all that on purpose; he simply didn't want to join Shrek.
Once she understood, she stopped dwelling on it and asked curiously, "Doudou, what's your First Soul Skill?"
At her question, everyone turned to look.
After all, who wouldn't be curious about the power of an eight-thousand-year First Soul Ring?
Even Xuan Zi, who had been quietly gnawing on his chicken leg, slowed his chewing and stole a glance from the corner of his eye.
Chen Doudou chuckled and looked at the Healing Pegasus standing guard beside him. "Hey, want to try it out?"
He'd taken the other fellow's father's Soul Ring, so naturally, he had to ask.
The Healing Pegasus hadn't expected to be involved too. It immediately lowered its body to show that it was willing.
Chen Doudou gently swung the Rakshasa Holy Scythe.
The First Soul Skill's fancy name: Dance of the Stars of Life!
Its common name: My Passionate Horse!
In an instant, an emerald-green light shot into the sky.
Several illusory Pegasi, formed from pure life energy, appeared out of thin air. With clear, ringing neighs, they galloped toward the Healing Pegasus and everyone present.
"Neigh, neigh!!! (I feel like I'm bursting with strength! Is this the power that comes from my dad sacrificing himself?)"
The Healing Pegasus neighed a few times, then began dashing around as if it had taken stimulants.
Anyone with eyes could tell its speed had increased dramatically.
And the moment those illusory Pegasi surged through everyone's bodies—
Everyone's expression changed.
Ma Xiaotao was so shocked that her mouth fell open. "Doudou's First Soul Ring gives him a group healing Soul Skill!"
What did a group healing Soul Skill mean?
It meant having the power to change the course of an entire battlefield!
The Nine-Heart Begonia was famous throughout the world for its group healing effect and was hailed as the greatest healing-type martial soul under heaven.
Zhang Lexuan's brows drew together slightly. She sensed it more clearly and added, "That's not all... This Soul Skill also boosts every attribute by twenty percent! And this is only his First Soul Skill?"
Everyone felt the surging power within them. Their astonishment deepened into utter shock.
"My heavens, this really is only his First Soul Skill?"
"Eight-thousand-year Soul Rings really are something else!"
"Whoa! I feel terrifyingly strong right now!"
"Agreed. It feels like something's filled my whole body... Ah! That feels so good!"
"Clatter!"
A half-eaten chicken leg fell to the ground.
Xuan Zi stared in stunned disbelief.
No, what was this?
You call this a First Soul Skill?
Group healing was one thing, but it also boosted every attribute by twenty percent?!
He looked at the chicken leg on the ground, then at the students standing there, blissful from the effects of the Soul Skill. His throat bobbed with difficulty, and regret instantly gnawed at his guts.
If he took back what he'd said just now, would it still be in time?
He admitted he might have spoken a little too loudly just now.
Before you continue