Dare You Spar With Me!

Hearing Xue Mingqing's incredibly grating words, the corner of Bei Bei's mouth twitched even more violently.

Swatting away the hand Xue Mingqing had rested on his shoulder, Bei Bei's face was full of defiance.

"You—I see you're a one-ring Soul Master too, dare to spar with me?!"

Rubbing the hand Bei Bei had swatted away, Xue Mingqing raised an eyebrow, his face maintaining a gentle smile.

"Me?"

"Yes, that's right, you!"

Pointing at Xue Mingqing, Bei Bei's young face was filled with confidence and surging battle intent!

His martial soul was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, which possessed a trace of the Bright Holy Dragon's bloodline.

Although that holy bloodline had not fully awakened, in terms of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul alone, Bei Bei did not believe he would lose to Xue Mingqing.

In his eyes, with innate full soul power and a first soul ring of six hundred years, he was now at level fourteen; he considered his talent peerless and would never lose to Xue Mingqing!

Even if he really fought Xue Mingqing, the advantage would surely be his.

Watching Bei Bei's face full of mysterious confidence, Xue Mingqing couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

"A spar needs a wager, otherwise, it's hard for me to get interested."

With the Hurricane Sword Art in his grasp and being invincible among his peers, he had no interest in fighting opponents of the same level.

If there was no prize, or some motivation forcing him to win, Xue Mingqing had no desire to fight someone at his own level at all.

It was too boring; what was the point of a fight he was guaranteed to win?

A real man should fight those above his level!

Hearing this, Bei Bei frowned and thought for a moment, then reached into his robes, pulled out a green pill bottle, and shook it in his hand.

"This is a Soul Ascension Pill. Any Soul Master under level 30 who consumes it is guaranteed to rise by one level of soul power. How about it?"

Looking at the pill in Bei Bei's hand, Xue Mingqing pondered. He didn't intend to consume pills.

After all, how could power gained from popping pills compare to the steady, solid progress of his own hard work?

However, even if Xue Mingqing didn't plan to eat it, as a wager, this Soul Ascension Pill was certainly worth it.

Realizing this, a smile curled the corner of Xue Mingqing's mouth. He turned his head silently to look to the side.

Mu En was sitting in his wheelchair, calm and collected, as if the spar between Xue Mingqing and Bei Bei had nothing to do with him.

"Teacher, don't you intend to add a little something to the pot?"

Old man! Cough up the loot!

Lifting his eyes, Mu En gave Xue Mingqing a strange look.

He had seen Xue Mingqing in action, and knowing Bei Bei's strength, he didn't believe for a second that Bei Bei could defeat him.

This brat, he's just looking to squeeze some benefits out of me!

With a helpless smile, Mu En glanced at Xue Mingqing: "You rascal, just start fighting. Whoever wins gets the spoils."

He didn't explicitly say he would give Xue Mingqing a reward; after all, Bei Bei was his own great-grandson.

Even if Bei Bei really couldn't win, he still had to save him some face.

Seeing this, a "plan succeeded" smile appeared on Xue Mingqing's face. He looked at Bei Bei and raised an eyebrow.

"Let's go, let's head out and spar."

Hearing this, Bei Bei frowned: "Wait, what about you? If I lose, I have to give you the Soul Ascension Pill, but what if you lose?"

Xue Mingqing put his hands on his hips, raised an eyebrow, and revealed a playful smirk.

"Heh! If your Grandpa Xue loses, I'll lower my generation by two levels and treat you as an equal. How about that?"

After hearing these incredibly grating words, Bei Bei couldn't help but take a deep breath to calm himself down.

After a few tries, he suppressed the urge to beat Xue Mingqing to death and clenched his fists.

"Let's go!"

The Inner Court Soul Fighting Arena was where Inner Court students usually resolved private disputes.

As for why conflicts could be resolved here—ha, it was because here, when words couldn't make a point clear, you could use your fists to make people understand!

At this moment, under the golden rays of the morning sun, two slender figures stood bathed in the hazy golden veil, each standing on one side of the Soul Fighting Platform in a standoff.

They were Xue Mingqing and Bei Bei, the disciple and the great-grandson of Shrek's current strongest, Mu En, respectively.

The entire Shrek Inner Court was only so big; the fact that they were going to spar the moment they met naturally couldn't be hidden from the eyes and ears of the veteran masters.

Before the battle had even begun, the old men and women in the spectator stands outside the platform were already sitting in their spots, full of spirit.

Beside Mu En, who was sitting calmly with his eyes closed, soaking in the sun, two women and one man were quietly watching the platform.

The four elders sitting below the stage all had faces covered in wrinkles.

Those were the scars left by time upon their faces.

Yet, despite their faces being etched with wrinkles like withered bark, their eyes still shimmered with a brilliance akin to the stars, impossible to ignore.

From left to right sat the Sea God Pavilion Master Mu En, Treasure Pavilion Master Elder Lin, as well as Elder Song and Elder Zhuang.

For the sake of a mere sparring match between two juniors, nearly all of the "Elder"-ranked powerhouses of Shrek had gathered here.

As for why a certain other "Elder"-ranked figure who should have been present was missing—

Well... that was for reasons many of our readers already know; it was nothing more than his appetite for food and drink delaying him from this grand event once again.

Watching the two figures on the platform, Elder Lin spoke with a gentle tone.

"Mu En, you truly have good fortune. You go out to settle a grudge and end up stumbling upon two disciples with such exceptional talent. However, are you sure you can handle teaching them? Do you need this old woman to share the burden?"

Hearing this, Mu En cast a glance at Elder Lin and let out a soft chuckle.

"If you want disciples, go out and find your own. Don't set your sights on this old man's students."

They were old friends who had spent over a century in each other's company, so naturally, there was no need for formalities between them; their interactions were simply direct.

Seeing that Mu En had seen through her little scheme, Elder Lin was not annoyed; she merely looked at Mu En with a beaming smile.

"Then, you intentionally spread the word to us, surely it wasn't just to show off, was it?"

As her voice faded, Elder Zhuang and Elder Song, who had been sitting silently to the side, also turned their curious gazes toward Mu En.

The smile on Mu En's face faded slightly as he looked at Xue Mingqing on the platform, his eyes growing deep.

"This old man's time is running out."

Once these words were spoken, the smiles that had lingered on the faces of the elders gradually vanished.

Mu En paused for a moment before continuing: "His character is the best I have ever seen in my life. He is righteous, strategic, not reckless, and his talent is passable."

"Therefore, before I die, I wish to cultivate this child to the best of my ability. I called you all here to secure a wave of resource investment for my disciple. What do you think?"

After hearing Mu En's thoughts, the three elders fell silent for a moment before nodding.

They all knew Mu En's character well; since Xue Mingqing had earned his approval, his character must surely be beyond reproach.

Since that was the case, what reason did they have to hesitate? They would simply follow Mu En's lead and invest.

Seeing this, the smile returned to Mu En's face, and he chuckled softly.

"Very well, let's focus on watching these two little ones spar."

"If he cannot even defeat Bei Bei, then I suppose the matter of investment can be put on hold."

As he spoke, Mu En picked up his teacup and took a sip of clear tea.

Hearing this, the three elders nodded and fell silent, turning their full attention to the two figures on the Soul Fighting Platform.

However...

Just as they lowered their heads to watch the match, Mu En seemed to sense something. With a gentle smile on his face, he cast his gaze toward the azure sky above.

"So, you have come as well..."