Academy Life

When Lin Shuo returned to Shrek Academy, it was the laziest hour of the afternoon sun.

Lin Shuo walked through the city gate alone. The students on guard duty caught sight of him, a flash of surprise and awe crossing their eyes, and they let him pass without a word.

The champion of the freshman assessment, the man who had taken down Xu Sanshi in seconds, the possessor of three ten-thousand-year soul rings—Lin Shuo's face was already known to everyone in the Outer Court.

Lin Shuo crossed Shrek Plaza. The afternoon sun filtered through the branches and leaves of ancient trees, casting mottled light and shadows upon the ground.

As he reached the entrance of the dormitory building, Mu En, lying on his recliner, slowly opened his murky eyes.

The old man's gaze lingered on Lin Shuo for a fleeting moment, a faint glimmer of brilliance flashing within his dim, yellowed pupils. He could sense it—Lin Shuo's aura was deeper and more restrained than before, a change that only occurred after breaking through a bottleneck.

"You've returned?" Mu En spoke, his voice aged and peaceful.

"Yes." Lin Shuo did not stop, merely nodding slightly before walking straight into the dormitory building.

Mu En closed his eyes once more, the corners of his mouth curling into a meaningful arc.

A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor—even in the ten-thousand-year history of Shrek Academy, such a thing was unheard of.

Lin Shuo pushed open the door to Dorm 108. The room was exactly as he had left it. He washed up briefly and changed into clean robes. Estimating that classes were about to end, he stepped out and headed toward the teaching building.

The bell rang just as Lin Shuo reached the entrance of Class One's classroom.

Wang Yan walked out of the classroom and paused upon seeing Lin Shuo at the door, then broke into a gentle smile. "Student Lin Shuo? You're back?"

"Yes." Lin Shuo nodded at Wang Yan.

Wang Yan's gaze swept over Lin Shuo, a hint of astonishment flashing in his eyes. Although he was a teacher specializing in martial soul theory, he possessed the cultivation of a Soul King. Yet, compared to before, Lin Shuo was so deep and restrained that he could no longer discern his cultivation level at all.

Wang Yan did not press him, merely patting Lin Shuo on the shoulder. "It's good to be back. Your two teammates have been talking about you every day, especially Wang Dong'er; she asks every single day if you've returned."

Lin Shuo's lips curled slightly, and just as he was about to speak, a flurry of rapid footsteps echoed from inside the classroom.

"Lin Shuo!"

A powder-blue figure rushed out of the classroom door. Seeing this, Wang Yan took his leave.

Wang Dong'er was wearing her Shrek Academy uniform today, her powder-blue shoulder-length hair fanning out as she ran. She skidded to a halt less than half a step away from Lin Shuo, nearly crashing into his chest, but she managed to steady herself by digging her toes into the ground.

"How could you leave without even saying goodbye? Yu'er and I went to find you the next morning, and we knocked for ages with no answer."

Wang Dong'er pouted, looking somewhat aggrieved, and punched Lin Shuo in the chest—the force was so light it felt like she was acting spoiled. "But, since you came back early," she crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her chin slightly to put on a magnanimous expression, "this young lady has decided not to hold it against you. But! No more of that next time; you must tell us in advance."

Huo Yu'er stood quietly in the classroom.

She did not rush over, nor did she say a word, simply standing by the doorframe with her hands clasped in front of her. Yet, this posture, so quiet it bordered on restraint, stirred Lin Shuo's heart more than any intense reaction could have.

From the moment Lin Shuo appeared, her gaze had not shifted from him by even half an inch. Those deep blue eyes were like a long-parched lake finally receiving rain, churning with joy, relief, attachment, and something else she kept carefully buried in the depths of her gaze—she dared not let it surface, yet could not bear to let it sink away.

"Big Brother Lin." Huo Yu'er finally spoke, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the draft in the corridor.

She took a step forward, then another, her pace quickening until she was almost jogging to reach Lin Shuo. She stopped half a step away from him and looked up.

"Welcome back," Huo Yu'er said.

Wang Dong'er stood to the side, looking from Lin Shuo to Huo Yu'er, then suddenly grabbed Huo Yu'er's arm and pulled her closer.

"Alright, alright, he's back now, you can stare at him as long as you want," Wang Dong'er said, though she herself couldn't bear to look away from Lin Shuo. "But for now, this young lady is hungry, and Yu'er is hungry too. You have to treat us to a meal."

"I just got back," Lin Shuo raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly because you just got back, you have to treat us!" Wang Dong'er declared righteously. "You're a Soul Ancestor now, aren't you?"

Lin Shuo did not deny it, merely reaching out to flick her forehead with a light touch. "Fine, we'll eat. So much chatter."

"Let's go, to the cafeteria." Lin Shuo took the lead.

Wang Dong'er followed, arm-in-arm with Huo Yu'er, her mouth never stopping along the way. She talked about how Dai Huabin had been very well-behaved in class since his recovery, though he always wore a gloomy face whenever he ran into them, and how Ning Tian had come looking for Lin Shuo, and so on.

"Oh, right," Wang Dong'er suddenly lowered her voice, leaning in closer. "An Inner Court senior came looking for you. She had red hair. Since when do you know an Inner Court senior?"

"Red hair?" Lin Shuo's footsteps faltered for a second before returning to normal. "I don't know her."

He said this aloud, but in his mind, he had already identified her. Inner Court, red hair, taking the initiative to find him—there was only one person in all of Shrek Academy who fit that description.

Ma Xiaotao.

A six-ring Soul Emperor with the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul. The Evil Fire Phoenix was a top-tier beast martial soul, but it had a fatal flaw: the evil fire would continue to grow alongside her cultivation.

She had come to find him, most likely because she had heard he possessed the ice attribute and wanted to use it to suppress her evil fire.

"Oh." Seeing Lin Shuo's indifferent reaction, Wang Dong'er didn't press further. She paused, then added, "That senior said if you came back, you should go to the Inner Court to find her."

"I won't go. If she has business, she'll come back," Lin Shuo said flatly, stepping into the cafeteria.

By the time they finished their meal, night had fallen. The three of them left the cafeteria and said their goodbyes at the dormitory entrance. Wang Dong'er waved, saying she'd see them tomorrow, and pulled Huo Yu'er upstairs. Lin Shuo returned to Dorm 108 alone, sat cross-legged, and began his nightly cultivation. Outside the window, the moonlight was like water, spilling silently through the window lattice.

After returning to the academy, Ma Xiaotao never came again.

The lives of the three returned to peace.

Stimulated by Lin Shuo's breakthrough to Soul Ancestor, Wang Dong'er immersed herself in cultivation every day. Her talent was top-tier; it was only her previous playfulness and laziness that had slowed her progress. Now that she was focused, her advancement was naturally rapid.

Huo Yu'er remained the most diligent of them all. She not only needed to cultivate but also had to study soul guidance devices. Although she had already become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department, Fan Yu still taught her everything he knew.

Furthermore, the two of them discovered by chance that their soul power could fuse, allowing them to use soul fusion skills and assist each other in their cultivation.