Di Qiuxi, Yu Xiaogang Demonstrates His Superb Pole Vaulting Skill.

Deep within the Star Dou Forest, inside the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's cave.

Di Qiuxi stood at the entrance of the cave, looking down at her hands after taking human form, then at the long golden dress she wore.

Several simple patterns had been embroidered along the hem with golden threads condensed from Soul Power, giving off a faint shimmer beneath the sunlight.

Her reddish-gold eyes complemented her waist-length golden hair.

The vertical eye on her forehead had already vanished, leaving behind only a faint golden mark.

"Finally, I've taken human form." She flexed her fingers, feeling the Soul Power flowing through this human body.

Her bone age was around twelve, her strength close to four rings, and her Martial Soul was the Golden Dragon.

She raised her right hand, and a phantom golden dragon claw flickered across her fingertips before disappearing.

"That bastard Liu Lin... when he comes back, I'll make sure to give him a good beating."

She muttered to herself, but quickly wiped the smile from her face.

After all, she still had to do what Liu Lin had asked of her. If she stayed here much longer, Uncle Scarlet King would catch her.

She then used her spiritual power and a portion of her Soul Power to create a clone and leave it inside the cave.

That way, Di Tian and Scarlet King would not discover her transformation too quickly. Otherwise, she would be in serious trouble.

Only after finishing all this did she step out of the cave and run toward Shrek Academy.

A few days later, outside Shrek City.

Di Qiuxi stood before the city gates, gazing at the towering walls and Shrek Academy within the city. She let out a soft breath.

However, she had no reasonable identity that would allow her to enter Shrek Academy.

Nor did she want to join Shrek Academy, so she could only think of another way.

In the end, she decided to wait outside Shrek Academy first. If she saw Zhang Lexuan come out, she would tell her that Liu Lin was safe.

If she could not wait for her, she would head to Star Luo City to find Xu Jiujiu instead.

But she soon discovered a problem: she had no money.

The herbs she had brought out from the Star Dou Forest then came in handy.

She found a herbal medicine shop and sold a century-old Star Spirit Grass for one hundred Gold Soul Coins.

Then she found a small inn near Shrek Academy and stayed there, sitting at the tea stall across from the academy's main gate every day.

She ordered the cheapest pot of tea, her gaze fixed on the academy gates the entire time.

On the third day.

As usual, Di Qiuxi sat at the tea stall when she suddenly heard a commotion at the academy entrance.

She looked up and saw a boy of six or seven standing before Shrek Academy's main gate, hands on his hips as he shouted aggressively at two students guarding the entrance.

The boy looked unusually old for his age. He wore obviously ill-fitting old clothes, and his messy hair resembled a bird's nest.

Yet his eyes burned with an incomprehensible, fanatical confidence.

"Do you know who I am?!" The boy's voice was shrill and loud enough for everyone at the academy entrance to hear.

"I am the Martial Soul Theory Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang!"

"The teacher of Sea God Tang San, and one of Shrek Academy's founders! Hurry up and let me in!"

The two gatekeeping students exchanged glances.

One of the older ones looked down at the little runt, who was not even as tall as his waist, barely holding back his laughter.

"Kid, you say you're Yu Xiaogang? If Grandmaster Yu were still alive, he'd be at least ten thousand years old."

"At your age, you probably wouldn't even amount to a fraction of his age."

The other student leaned over as well. "Exactly. What's your Martial Soul? Show it to us."

Yu Xiaogang snorted coldly and raised both hands. A jade-green bamboo appeared in his right hand.

The Lone Bamboo Martial Soul.

Meanwhile, a blue-purple glow emerged from his left hand. Within it appeared a completely purple, fat, clumsy pig-shaped Martial Soul.

Blue Silver Luo San Pao.

The two gatekeeping students could not hold it in any longer and burst into helpless laughter.

Lone Bamboo paired with a pig—this Twin Martial Souls combination was simply the most absurd thing they had ever seen in their lives.

Yu Xiaogang grew even angrier at their laughter and immediately released his first soul ring. A yellow century-old soul ring rose beneath his feet.

"Watch closely! This is my first soul skill—Lone Bamboo Pole Vault!"

The jade-green bamboo in his hand abruptly lengthened and struck the ground.

Borrowing the force, he launched himself into the air, tracing a crooked arc through the sky, before crashing onto the academy entrance steps in an exceedingly miserable pose.

He climbed back up and dusted off his butt, utterly unashamed. Instead, he lifted his chin smugly at the two gatekeeping students.

"Using Lone Bamboo's resilience as a foundation, it can launch itself in an instant during battle. Whether for evasion or charging forward, it is nothing short of a divine skill!"

"This is the exquisite soul skill that I, Yu Xiaogang, a master of martial soul theory, personally designed for the Lone Bamboo martial soul!"

"You can laugh now, but when I become a god someday, you'll know what you missed today!"

The two gatekeeping students were laughing so hard that they squatted on the ground, wiping away tears. One of them pounded the ground as he asked the other:

"Where did this clown come from? He calls vaulting with a bamboo pole a divine skill?"

"And what's with his Blue Silver Pig? A Blue Silver Jumping Pig?"

Holding a teacup, Di Qiuxi nearly sprayed out her tea when she saw this scene.

Just then, a figure emerged from within the academy gates.

Zhang Lexuan wore a simple white gown, her black hair tied behind her with a plain hairband. Her expression was cold and detached.

Yet the dark circles beneath her eyes and the gloomy air lingering between her brows made the two gatekeeping students immediately stop laughing. They lowered their heads respectfully. "Senior Sister."

Zhang Lexuan nodded and lifted her foot, preparing to leave Shrek Academy.

She truly could not stay in the academy any longer these past few days. She wanted to take an outside assignment to get some fresh air, while also stopping by Star Luo City to gather news about Liu Lin.

Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up. This woman called Senior Sister had an incredibly powerful presence. At a glance, she was clearly a high-ranking powerhouse within the academy.

He hurried forward and spread his arms, blocking Zhang Lexuan's path.

"Please wait, Senior Sister. I am Yu Xiaogang, a master of martial soul theory."

"I can see that your natural aptitude is extraordinary and your Soul Power is abundant. You must be a core disciple of Shrek Academy."

"I am willing to tailor a martial soul cultivation plan specifically for you."

"Do you know that even Sea God Tang San's martial soul cultivation was built upon the foundations of my theories?"

Zhang Lexuan stopped walking.

The two gatekeeping students both sucked in a breath. The entire academy knew that Senior Sister had been in a terrible mood these past few days. Anyone who provoked her was courting death.

Zhang Lexuan lowered her head and looked at the boy spitting wildly in front of her. The fingers of her right hand twitched slightly.

Then she raised her hand and slapped Yu Xiaogang across the face.

The force was not great, but the strike was as precise as swatting a fly. It sent Yu Xiaogang flying some thirty feet away. He rolled several times across the ground before finally stopping.

"You're very annoying," she said.

After saying that, Zhang Lexuan did not spare Yu Xiaogang another glance and headed out of Shrek City.

Di Qiuxi set down her teacup, rose from the tea stall, and walked toward Zhang Lexuan.

Yu Xiaogang clutched his face as he climbed up from the ground, intending to continue arguing his case.

Di Qiuxi did not even look at him. She walked past him and went straight to Zhang Lexuan.

The two gatekeeping students watched the suddenly appearing blonde girl warily.

But Di Qiuxi merely looked up at Zhang Lexuan and said, "Liu Lin sent me. You should know who I am too."

Zhang Lexuan's footsteps abruptly froze in place, and her bloodshot eyes fixed tightly on Di Qiuxi.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, the future Zhang Lexuan's eyes lit up when she saw Di Qiuxi. She hurriedly spoke to her outer self.

"I know her. Let me talk to her."

"Mm." Zhang Lexuan nodded and handed control of her body over to her future self.

"Liu Lin is fine. He asked me to tell you that, so you don't have to worry about him."

Di Qiuxi lowered her voice. "This isn't a place to talk. Find somewhere secluded, and I'll tell you the details."

Zhang Lexuan took a deep breath. Without hesitation, she nodded and directly led Di Qiuxi toward the academy's side gate.

Di Qiuxi followed her through the side gate and into a quiet grove. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows over the two of them.

She told her everything from beginning to end: how Liu Lin had been hunted by Tang San's remnant soul, how the Angel Holy Sword had saved him, and how he was now receiving Qian Renxue's inheritance.

"He's fine," Di Qiuxi said at last. "I also need to find Xu Jiujiu and tell her this news. Do you want to come with me?"