It Feels So Good to Be Home

"Finally... I'm finally home."

He had walked for an entire day and night. Fortunately, before transmigrating, he had been a corporate drone, so things like pulling all-nighters were a piece of cake. And if he really got too sleepy to go on, he could still drink an Iced Americano to perk himself up.

If it had been any real six-year-old child in his place, they might very well have died halfway here.

Bai Ran: Damn it, Di Tian, you nearly got me killed. No, wait—the real culprit should be Xiong Jun. Just you wait. One day, I'm going to empty out all your honey and use it as flavoring for making coffee.

Inside the house.

Ye Tian, in terrible condition, had already returned home.

He had once been so full of spirit, but overnight, he seemed to have aged by more than ten years.

"I was so stupid. Truly..."

Ye Tian reached out and gently stroked the photograph before him.

That child, Bai Ran—he had watched him grow up from a young age. Though they were not father and son by blood, they were closer than blood.

"Your uncle was useless. If only your uncle had been a little stronger, strong enough to..."

If he were a Titled Douluo-level food-type soul master, then even if he could not find his missing nephew, at the very least, he could avenge him.

But as merely a food-type Soul Douluo, he could not even take revenge for his nephew.

After all, in the eyes of Shrek Academy's upper echelon, Ye Tian's value was only equivalent to that of an ordinary rank-95 Transcendent Douluo.

And to kill a ferocious beast several degrees stronger than even Xuan Zi, Shrek would at minimum have to mobilize three or more Transcendent Douluo—including Xuan Zi—and might even need Mu En, an Ultimate Douluo, to personally hold the line.

Unfortunately, the current Ye Tian was not worth that price.

Moreover, killing a ferocious beast of that level was no different from declaring war on the Star Dou Great Forest. Among Shrek's upper ranks, even Xuan Zi, who had caused all this, would not agree to it.

"Click~"

All of Ye Tian's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a key turning in the lock and the door being pushed open.

"Get out! I don't want to see anyone!"

In Ye Tian's view, it had to be those people from Shrek Academy coming to invite him back.

After all, to Shrek's upper echelon, the "dietary supplements" he made counted as an extremely precious cultivation resource.

Other food-type soul masters—even food-type soul masters who had likewise reached the Soul Douluo level—could not produce dietary supplements with even a third of his effectiveness.

"U-Uncle, did someone make you angry?"

Bai Ran, who had just pushed open the door and was about to come in, asked timidly.

From childhood until now, this was the first time he had ever seen his uncle like this.

"Ranran?"

Hearing Bai Ran's voice, Ye Tian instantly sprang up from his chair and looked toward where the voice had come from.

"..."

The two of them sized each other up at the same time.

One had bloodshot eyes, a poor mental state, and white hair growing out.

The other was dressed in rags, his little face darkened, looking as if he had fled from some disaster.

"It feels so good to be home."

A day and night of rushing on the road, combined with the overdrawing of his soul power, made Bai Ran the first to be unable to hold on. He collapsed straight onto the floor.

"Ranran!"

Seeing this, Ye Tian hurried forward and picked him up. He paid no attention to how dirty Bai Ran was and carried him straight off to find a healing-type soul master.

Even if this was a dream, Ye Tian only hoped he could wake up a little later.

Three days later, Ye Tian returned to Shrek.

As for what had happened to Bai Ran, he did not ask. As long as the boy had returned safely, that was enough.

For this, Ye Tian had even specially gone to find Elder Zhuang, the only support-type Titled Douluo in the inner court. After learning from Elder Zhuang that the child had merely overdrawn the soul power in his body a little, and that aside from needing proper rest there were no other problems, he finally felt relieved.

As for the matter of his first soul ring being a ten-thousand-year soul ring?

Everyone had their own opportunities. Since Bai Ran did not say, then as his uncle, he naturally would not ask further.

The academy's upper echelon had also come to inquire.

Bai Ran did not lie. He directly said that he had encountered a soul beast companion, conquered the other party with food, and then the other party had gifted him a ten-thousand-year soul ring as a present.

(Note: Do not try this lightly without a protagonist halo, or it will be very easy to get your account deleted.)

Often, the closer something was to the truth, the more absurd it sounded. The inner court's upper echelon found it very hard to believe, but a six-year-old child simply could not lie in front of a Titled Douluo.

And so, the matter was dropped.

However, that old fellow Xuan Zi still felt guilty about it, so he proposed taking Bai Ran as his disciple to compensate him. In a sense, this would allow him to enter Shrek Academy to study ahead of time.

Regarding this, Bai Ran said: You old bastard, you can't wait for me to die, can you?

Bai Ran refused without the slightest hesitation, and the reason he gave was perfectly reasonable: I'm a food-type soul master, so Elder Xuan's specialty doesn't match mine.

If it had been any other type of soul master, even a support-type soul master, Xuan Zi could still have offered some guidance.

After all, he was still a rank 98 Super Douluo, experienced and knowledgeable.

But when it came to food-type soul masters, who in all of Shrek Academy could possibly be more professional than Ye Tian?

Helpless, Xuan Zi could only drop the matter, though he still took out a few things to compensate the little guy.

Xuan Zi: Wait, you don't even want a soul bone?

Bai Ran: I'm not going out to fight, so what would I need a soul bone for?

Xuan Zi: What about gold soul coins?

Bai Ran: You old man, even you aren't as rich as my uncle.

Xuan Zi: Little guy, then what do you want? (If I don't give him something, it just doesn't sit right with me.)

Bai Ran: If you have time, help me catch a few fruit-type plant soul beasts and bring them back.

Xuan Zi: No problem. Leave it to this old man.

A place like the Star Dou Great Forest was still too dangerous. If he hadn't luckily run into the Three-Eyed Golden Lion this time, and if the other party hadn't been fairly easy to talk to, Bai Ran might have had to teleport to some other alternate world again.

For the time being, Bai Ran probably wouldn't go to the Star Dou Great Forest.

But as everyone knew, coffee was addictive once you drank it, especially for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who had downed more than ten cups of Raw Coconut Latte in one go.

Three-Eyed Golden Lion: Raw Coconut Latte, I want Raw Coconut Latte. If I can't drink Raw Coconut Latte, I feel like there are ants crawling all over me.

[Future wife candidate?

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who never came into contact with Huo Yuhao, instead shared memories with some guy selling Luckin Coffee, and finally turned into a little white-haired beast-eared loli to come repay his kindness?

Suspected to be the dying fantasy of a Luckin Coffee employee who was so overwhelmed with orders they couldn't keep up and then suddenly dropped dead.]