Soul Arena, Encountering Shrek

Bai Yi sent his consciousness into the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm for a look.

Ye Lingling was sitting cross-legged in the center of that small patch of land, the phantom of the Nine Heart Begonia slowly blooming behind her.

Pale pink light spread from its petals, covering the trees, flowers, and grasses that had been transplanted in from outside.

The leaves of those plants visibly became greener, while their branches gently unfurled.

Ye Lingling did it with ease. She only needed to maintain the release of her martial soul; she did not even need to move a finger.

Er Ming squatted atop a rock nearby, its two forepaws resting on its knees as its golden eyes stared unblinkingly at Ye Lingling.

It looked at the vegetation unfurling around Ye Lingling, then lowered its head to look at the dirt it had yet to clean off its paws.

It had moved rocks for three months, dug soil for three months, and planted trees for three months.

Yet this newly arrived girl only had to sit there and release her martial soul, and those plants would grow wildly on their own.

Er Ming felt deeply unbalanced.

It jumped down from the rock, walked to the stream, and plopped down on the ground with its back to Ye Lingling. Its four legs stretched out in front of it, its tail drooping behind it, looking as though it were going on strike.

Bai Yi's voice came from the air. "All right, Er Ming. I'll let you out to get some fresh air first. Later, I'll find you a few punching bags to beat up and vent your frustration on."

Er Ming's upright ears twitched sharply.

It turned around, and light welled up across its wrinkled monkey face. Its golden eyes shone like two little lanterns.

It said in a rough voice, "You said it, my lord. I'm the Titan Giant Ape, king of the forest. If these iron fists of mine don't hit someone soon, they'll rust."

Bai Yi chuckled and waved a hand.

Er Ming transformed into a streak of dark golden light and flew out of the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm, landing on the ground in the courtyard.

Its body had shrunk another size, becoming only as large as an ordinary ape, but its fur still gleamed with a dark golden luster, and its golden pupils held long-missed excitement.

Bai Yi considered it inwardly.

Three months of seclusion had indeed been rather boring. It was the perfect time to head to the Great Soul Arena and find a few unlucky bastards to test his skills on.

He needed to see the difference between a soul spirit and a clone, as well as how Er Ming performed in battle.

But the problem was that he could not reveal his identity.

Bai Yi raised a hand and brushed it across his face, and his features began to twist and change.

His jaw broadened, his cheekbones rose, several deep wrinkles appeared between his brows, his skin became rough and dark, and his black hair turned into short, grizzled stubble.

In the blink of an eye, a burly, rugged-looking middle-aged man stood in the courtyard.

He then turned to Ning Rongrong and lightly curled a finger.

Before Ning Rongrong could react, the clothes on her body turned into a drab, coarse linen dress.

Her hair was gathered into a tight bun, faint nasolabial lines appeared on her face, and her skin became duller and rougher. She changed from an exquisite, pretty young girl into a somewhat sharp-looking middle-aged woman.

Ning Rongrong looked down at herself, then touched her unfamiliar face. She abruptly raised her head, glared at Bai Yi, and said, "Bai Yi! How could you turn me into this? It's so ugly!"

Bai Yi looked her up and down with a smile at the corner of his lips. "What do you mean? Are you looking down on middle-aged women?"

Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth in anger. "That's not what I mean! Couldn't you at least make me prettier? Even making me younger would be fine!"

Bai Yi shrugged indifferently. "If I made you pretty, how would you pretend to be husband and wife with me?"

Ning Rongrong's face instantly turned red again.

She opened her mouth and stammered for a long while before finally squeezing out, "You're awful!"

But she did not argue any further.

Bai Yi glanced again at Er Ming, who was squatting in the corner by the wall, and brushed his finger once more.

Er Ming's body changed as well, shrinking until it was the size of an ordinary large dog, its fur turning a dusty yellow.

At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a common mutt.

Er Ming lowered its head to look at its body, which had shrunk countless times over, then wagged its tail, its expression somewhat complicated.

But when it recalled that Bai Yi had said he would let it beat up some punching bags to vent its frustration, it suppressed that faint discomfort.

Bai Yi left the courtyard with Ning Rongrong and Er Ming, heading all the way toward the Soto Great Soul Arena.

He planned to use a false identity and casually fight a few team battles, treating it as a way to stretch his limbs.

When he reached the registration window of the Great Soul Arena, he casually filled in the name Wang Tiezhu, wrote Titan Giant Ape for his martial soul, and listed his Soul Power Level as Soul Elder.

The staff member inside the window looked up at him, then glanced at the unwilling-looking middle-aged woman behind him and the mutt squatting on the ground with its tongue hanging out. Without saying much, the staff member promptly completed the registration.

Holding the badge, Bai Yi turned and headed into the Soul Arena.

After taking a few steps, his peripheral vision caught the direction of the Great Soul Arena entrance.

A group of people happened to be walking in from outside. At the front was a young man dressed in fitted blue clothes, standing tall, with a gentle yet sharp look on his face.

Tang San.

Behind him followed Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing.

The people from Shrek.

Bai Yi's steps paused for a moment.

He turned to glance at Ning Rongrong, who had also spotted that group.

But her gaze was fixed warily on Xiao Wu alone.

Why was that obnoxious girl here too?

Bai Yi thought back for a moment.

This should have been around the time when Tang God King came to the Great Soul Arena to gain experience in the original story.

What a coincidence.

And an even greater coincidence was that Bai Yi looked at the opponent for his next match—it happened to be the Shrek Team.

Er Ming crouched by Bai Yi's feet, its tail swaying gently.

It had also spotted Xiao Wu among that group and was a little excited.

It's Sister Xiao Wu!

Bai Yi brought his attention back and led Ning Rongrong deeper into the soul arena.

Then he gave Er Ming by his feet a look.

Only then did Er Ming reluctantly withdraw its gaze and follow Bai Yi.

After entering the soul fighting hall, Bai Yi found a seat in a corner. The moment he sat down, he heard several nearby spectators discussing things loudly.

"You have no idea about that Shrek Team. How long have they even been at Soto Great Soul Arena? They've already become the strongest Soul Elder team."

"I heard every match has been a complete stomp. They've never lost once."

"That monster named Tang San uses Blue Silver Grass, yet he can take on three opponents by himself."

Ning Rongrong curled her lips but said nothing.

Another spectator beside them chimed in.

"What's so impressive about that? I remember when the Heaven Dou Royal Team was still around—that was what you called strong. Those were the real stomps."

"Yeah, yeah, I remember now. The Heaven Dou Royal Team's leader was called Bai Yi, I think. Whoever they fought got beaten like a child."

"What a pity. They've disappeared for months now, and nobody knows where they went. If they were still around and fought Shrek Team, that'd be one incredible match."

Bai Yi listened to their discussion.