Lin Shuo returned to Shrek Academy in the laziest hour of the afternoon sun.
He passed through the city gate alone. The students guarding it saw him, surprise and awe flashing in their eyes, but they let him through without asking questions.
Champion of the freshman assessment, the one who had taken down Xu Sanshi in a single move, wielder of three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings—by now, everyone in the outer courtyard knew Lin Shuo's face.
Lin Shuo crossed Shrek Plaza. Afternoon sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of ancient trees, casting mottled shadows across the ground.
When he reached the dormitory building, Mu En slowly opened his cloudy eyes from his reclining chair.
The old man's gaze lingered on Lin Shuo for a moment. A faint glint flashed in his yellowed eyes. He could sense it—Lin Shuo's aura had grown deeper and more restrained than before, the sort of change that came only after breaking through a bottleneck.
"Back?" Mu En asked. His voice was old and even.
"Mm." Lin Shuo didn't break stride. He merely nodded and went straight into the dormitory building.
Mu En closed his eyes again, the corners of his mouth curling into a knowing smile.
A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor was unheard of, even in Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year history.
Lin Shuo pushed open the door to Dormitory 108. The room was exactly as he'd left it. After a quick wash, he changed into clean robes. Guessing that classes would soon be over, he stepped outside and headed toward the teaching building.
When Lin Shuo reached Class One's classroom, the dismissal bell rang.
Wang Yan walked out of the classroom. He saw Lin Shuo at the door and paused in surprise before breaking into a warm smile. "Lin Shuo? You're back?"
"Mm." Lin Shuo nodded to Wang Yan.
Wang Yan looked him over, astonishment flashing in his eyes. Though he was a teacher who studied Martial Soul Theory, he was also a Soul King. Yet Lin Shuo's aura was so much deeper and more restrained than before that Wang Yan could no longer make out his cultivation.
Wang Yan didn't ask any questions. He simply patted Lin Shuo on the shoulder. "Good to have you back. Your two teammates have been talking about you every day. Wang Dong'er especially—she asks every day whether you're coming back."
Lin Shuo's lips curved slightly. He was about to say something when hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from inside the classroom.
"Lin Shuo!"
A pink-and-blue figure rushed out of the classroom. Wang Yan saw her coming and promptly left.
Wang Dong'er was wearing her Shrek Academy uniform. Her pink-and-blue shoulder-length hair fanned out as she ran. She slammed to a halt less than half a step from Lin Shuo, nearly crashing into his arms, but managed to steady herself by touching down on her toes.
"Why didn't you even say goodbye before you left? Yu'er and I went to find you the next morning and knocked on your door forever, but no one answered."
Wang Dong'er pouted in a sulk and lightly punched Lin Shuo in the chest, her touch more like a playful flirtation. "But since you came back early," she added, folding her arms and lifting her chin in a magnanimous pose, "I've decided not to hold it against you. But! Don't do that again. You have to tell us beforehand."
Huo Yu'er stood quietly inside the classroom.
She didn't rush over or say a word. She simply stood beside the classroom doorframe, hands clasped in front of her. Yet that quiet, almost restrained posture stirred Lin Shuo more than any show of emotion could have.
From the moment Lin Shuo appeared, she hadn't taken her eyes off him for even an instant. Her deep blue eyes were like a lake that had lain parched for ages, finally blessed with rain. Joy, relief, and longing swirled within them, along with something she carefully kept buried in their depths. She didn't dare let it rise, yet couldn't bear to let it sink away.
"Brother Lin." Huo Yu'er finally spoke. Her voice was so soft that the draft in the hallway nearly carried it away.
She took one step forward, then another. Her pace quickened until she was almost running as she reached Lin Shuo. She stopped half a step away and looked up at him.
"Welcome back," Huo Yu'er said.
Wang Dong'er looked from Lin Shuo to Huo Yu'er and back again, then suddenly hooked her arm through Huo Yu'er's and tugged her closer.
"All right, all right. He's back now, so you can look at him as long as you want." Even as she spoke, Wang Dong'er couldn't bring herself to look away from Lin Shuo. "But right now, I'm hungry, and Yu'er is hungry too. You're treating us to a meal."
"I just got back." Lin Shuo raised an eyebrow.
"That's exactly why you should treat us!" Wang Dong'er declared. "You're a Soul Ancestor now, aren't you?"
Lin Shuo didn't deny it. He simply flicked her on the forehead, so lightly it barely counted. "If we're eating, then let's eat. Why all the chatter?"
"Come on. Let's go to the cafeteria." Lin Shuo started walking.
Wang Dong'er followed with her arm linked through Huo Yu'er's, chattering all the way. Dai Huabin had behaved himself in class after recovering, though whenever he ran into the two girls, he always wore a gloomy expression. Ning Tian had come looking for Lin Shuo, and so on.
"Oh, right," Wang Dong'er suddenly lowered her voice and leaned closer. "An inner-court senior came to see you. She had red hair. When did you get to know an inner-court senior?"
"Long red hair?" Lin Shuo paused, then resumed walking. "I don't know her."
He said that aloud, but he'd already figured out who it was. An inner-court student with red hair who had gone out of her way to find him—there was only one person at Shrek Academy who fit the bill.
Ma Xiaotao.
A Six-Ring Soul Emperor, with the Evil Fire Phoenix. The Evil Fire Phoenix was a top-tier Beast Martial Soul, but it had one fatal flaw: its Evil Fire kept building as its wielder cultivated.
She had probably heard that he possessed an ice attribute and wanted to use it to suppress her Evil Fire.
"Oh." Seeing how unconcerned Lin Shuo seemed, Wang Dong'er didn't press him. After a moment, she added, "That senior said to go find her in the inner court when you get back."
"I'm not going. If she needs something, she'll come back." Lin Shuo spoke evenly as he walked into the cafeteria.
By the time they finished eating, night had fallen. The three left the cafeteria and said their goodbyes at the dormitory building. Wang Dong'er waved and said she'd see him tomorrow, then went upstairs with her arm linked through Huo Yu'er's. Lin Shuo returned to Dormitory 108 alone, sat cross-legged, and began that night's cultivation. Moonlight poured quietly through the window, clear as water.
After returning to the academy, Ma Xiaotao never came again.
The three of them settled back into a peaceful routine.
After Lin Shuo's breakthrough to Soul Ancestor spurred Wang Dong'er on, she devoted herself to cultivation every day. Her talent had always been exceptional; she'd only advanced slowly because she'd been lazy and playful. Now that she was focused, her progress was astonishingly swift.
Huo Yu'er remained the most diligent cultivator of the three. She not only had to cultivate, but also had to study Soul Tools. Although she had become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department, Fan Yu still taught her everything he knew.
And the two of them accidentally discovered that their Soul Power could merge, allowing them to use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill and assist each other's cultivation.