Nether Spirit Cat dark, all poisoned

"Don't follow me."

When Zhu Zhuqing reached the edge of the training field, she suddenly stopped without looking back.

Dai Mubai stopped as well.

His expression darkened. "I just wanted to remind you that the terrain around the back mountain is complicated."

Zhu Zhuqing tightened her grip on her water flask, her tone turning even colder.

"That has nothing to do with you."

Dai Mubai's chest rose and fell. In the end, he forcefully swallowed his words.

"Suit yourself."

Zhu Zhuqing ignored him and headed into the back mountain.

Ning Rongrong stood nearby with her arms crossed and gave a soft laugh.

"Looks like even Young Master Dai has his moments of humiliation."

Dai Mubai glanced at her.

"Is watching a show all the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect taught you?"

Ning Rongrong refused to back down.

"At least they didn't teach me to stop people and make myself a nuisance."

Xiao Wu leaned close to Tang San and whispered, "Why are those two acting so strange?"

Tang San shook his head.

"Mind other people's business less."

Ji Yuan, however, took in every fluctuation of emotion with his senses.

Dai Mubai's White Tiger blood energy churned within him; Zhu Zhuqing's shadow Soul Power moved through the back mountain; Ning Rongrong's auxiliary origin still seeped out slowly; Oscar pushed his sausage cart back toward the cafeteria; and Ma Hongjun's mixed fiery aura flickered in and out near the village entrance.

Shrek Academy's blood bags had finally scattered to their respective positions.

Zhu Zhuqing trained in the back mountain.

She was fast and ruthless, deliberately moving across the narrow footholds on tree trunks. Each time her claw shadows fell, they tore deep marks into the bark.

Only after her clothes had been soaked through with sweat did she stop beside a rock and open her water flask for a drink.

The moment the well water entered her throat, Ji Yuan's dormant spores immediately awakened.

The martial soul origin of the Hell Spirit Cat carried a dark attribute. Its flow was more concealed than that of the others, and it even actively rejected any aura that did not belong to it.

As soon as Zhu Zhuqing finished drinking, her brows furrowed.

She lowered her head and looked at the water flask.

"Today's water..."

Ji Yuan did not continue approaching her heart meridian.

He compressed the spores into a nearly dormant state, guiding them through her blood toward the meridians in her legs, where they clung to the area with the most active shadow Soul Power.

That area was constantly washed by speed-type Soul Power, so any foreign fluctuations could easily be concealed by the lingering heat after training.

Zhu Zhuqing moved her legs and felt her muscles heating up. She assumed she had simply overtrained.

She capped the flask and raised her leg, shooting toward the next tree.

From the shadows, Ji Yuan siphoned away the shadow origin leaking from the Hell Spirit Cat.

After this energy entered the demon vine, Ji Yuan's aura became even more restrained, and the originally dark-red patterns gained an additional concealment effect.

Good stuff.

Her speed and shadow attribute would make the spore network even harder to detect.

When her training in the back mountain ended, Zhu Zhuqing looked at her ankles, a faint doubt stirring in her heart.

Her speed today seemed to be a little smoother than usual.

She did not think much of it, assuming Oscar's sausages had healed the injuries from yesterday.

By evening, the cafeteria was finally full.

Oscar carried over a pot of soup and set it on the table, saying proudly, "I boiled the water myself today, Rongrong. You can drink without worry."

Ning Rongrong raised her eyes.

"I'd be even more reassured if you stayed away from the pot."

Ma Hongjun squeezed in through the doorway, drenched in sweat and carrying a faint fiery aura.

"Is there anything to eat? I'm starving."

Dai Mubai frowned.

"You went to the village again?"

Ma Hongjun's expression turned awkward.

"Boss Dai, don't bring that up in front of the new students."

Xiao Wu was immediately intrigued.

"What happened in the village?"

Tang San tugged at her.

"Xiao Wu."

Ma Hongjun looked at Tang San and grinned.

"You're Tang San, right? I heard you even beat Teacher Zhao's face swollen. Impressive."

Zhao Wuji had just reached the entrance to the dining hall when he heard that, and his face darkened again.

"Ma Hongjun, can't even eating shut your mouth?"

Ma Hongjun hurriedly lowered his head and shoveled food into his mouth.

Oscar snickered beside him, but one glare from Zhao Wuji made him behave as well.

Flender sat down at the head of the table and swept his gaze over everyone.

"Eat well tonight. Formal training begins tomorrow. Whoever falls behind will get extra training."

Holding her bowl, Ning Rongrong frowned. "Shouldn't we at least be told the training content in advance?"

Flender glanced at her.

"The first thing you need to learn is to stop expecting everyone to revolve around you."

Ning Rongrong's expression darkened.

"Dean, I was only asking about the curriculum."

Flender picked up a mouthful of vegetables.

"You'll find out tomorrow."

The food had been made with well water.

So had the soup.

The water-source spores Ji Yuan had planted entered everyone's bodies with every bite of food and every mouthful of soup.

The White Tiger node within Dai Mubai lit up; Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile node lit up; the shadow node in Zhu Zhuqing's legs lit up; the hundred-thousand-year origin node at the back of Xiao Wu's neck lit up; and Oscar's food-type node was quietly reinforced as well.

Tang San went without saying—he had long since become the main root.

Only Ma Hongjun remained.

Ma Hongjun lifted his bowl and gulped down the soup.

The next moment, Ji Yuan's perception was scorched back by a mass of mixed flames.

The fire was impure, filled with impurities and powerful backlash, yet it contained precisely the force plants feared most.

Ji Yuan did not force his way in. He merely left the spores at the outer edges of Ma Hongjun's meridians, wrapping them in water vapor as he waited for the flames to loosen.

After finishing the soup, Ma Hongjun rubbed his stomach.

"This soup's pretty good today. Feels nice going down."

Oscar immediately claimed the credit.

"I boiled the water."

Ma Hongjun nodded.

"Then boil more from now on."

Ning Rongrong said disdainfully, "You two really aren't picky at all."

Ma Hongjun chuckled.

"As long as it fills my stomach, that's enough. Why be so particular?"

Flender glanced at him.

"Fatty, behave yourself lately. The new students have just arrived, so don't cause trouble."

Ma Hongjun lowered his head and muttered, "Got it."

But Dai Mubai heard something off in his tone.

"Are you losing control again?"

The chopsticks in Ma Hongjun's hand paused, and his expression turned somewhat unnatural.

"I'm fine."

Flender put down his bowl.

"What do you mean, fine?"

Ma Hongjun irritably scratched his head.

"I'm just feeling a little hot. It's nothing."

Ji Yuan hid deep within the dark web, observing the flames inside Ma Hongjun's body.

The Evil Fire circled near the water-source spores. Rather than burning them away immediately, it was temporarily suppressed by the moisture.

But once Ma Hongjun lost control of his emotions, that blaze would immediately surge back.

Ji Yuan felt no fear.

Fear was merely a plant's instinct.

Evolution would crush instinct beneath its feet.

By the end of the meal, the Soul Power flow, emotional changes, and martial soul flaws of all seven Shrek Academy students had been gathered into Ji Yuan's web.

Tang San was still discussing Zhao Wuji's defenses with Dai Mubai.

"Teacher Zhao's released Soul Power has gaps, but those gaps are very brief."

Dai Mubai nodded.

"The fact that you could catch one was already ridiculous."

Tang San shook his head.

"I just got lucky."

Ji Yuan coldly tightened the web.

Lucky?

Without the numbing poison, Tang San's hidden weapons would not even have broken Zhao Wuji's skin.

Ning Rongrong, who had been listening nearby, suddenly said, "Tang San, you were clearly the most badly injured yesterday, yet you recovered quite quickly today."

Tang San froze slightly.

Xiao Wu immediately became wary.

"What do you mean?"

Ning Rongrong set down her bowl.

"I just find it strange. Oscar's sausages work well, but your recovery has been too even. Even your depleted Soul Power seems to be slowly replenishing."

Tang San frowned as well.

Ji Yuan did not panic.

He casually drew away the internal energy Tang San had just recovered, causing Tang San's face to turn pale again.

Xiao Wu immediately supported him.

"You call this recovering quickly? Look at him!"

Ning Rongrong was left speechless. She gave a soft snort and said nothing more.

Tang San pressed a hand to his chest and said quietly, "Maybe I still haven't recovered from yesterday's exhaustion."

Dai Mubai said, "Get some rest early. Tomorrow's training won't be easy."

Zhu Zhuqing had already risen and left.

But Ma Hongjun remained seated, sweat beading across his forehead as his breathing grew heavier and heavier.

When Flender saw this, his expression darkened.

"Fatty?"

Ma Hongjun raised his head, dark red flames burning in his eyes.

"Dean, I'm heading out for a while."

With that, he walked outside, his steps far more hurried than usual.

Dai Mubai immediately chased after him.

"Fatty, don't do anything reckless!"

Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance and followed as well.

Ji Yuan's dark web moved with them. The water-source spores inside Ma Hongjun were scorched red-hot by the Evil Fire, yet they did not shatter.

From the direction of the village entrance came a girl's tearful cry.

"Ma Hongjun, let go of me! I can't take it anymore!"

Dark red flames rose at the village entrance, and a wave of heat swept over the muddy road.

The demonic vine's true body beneath the sole of Ji Yuan's shoe contracted, then slowly opened its feeding hole.