In a dense forest behind the academy lay an open clearing, where a massive bluestone slab stood.
Su Ge sat cross-legged atop the enormous slab, cultivating.
Several days had already passed since the uproar at Imperial Dou.
This was the Mimicry Environment the academy had specially built for him, practically a miniature Soul Beast forest!
More than a hundred Soul Beasts lived within it, mostly lion- and tiger-type creatures between a hundred and a thousand years old. After being captured by the academy, they had been placed here to breed and thrive.
Aside from capturing the Soul Beasts, the land itself, its daily supervision, and maintenance all required an enormous amount of funding!
And this was merely one of the conditions the academy had agreed to—something Shrek Academy could never have accomplished.
The only academy wealthy and determined enough for such extravagance was Heaven Dou Royal Academy!
As a light breeze swept past, Su Ge opened his eyes and withdrew from cultivation.
His gaze swept over the surrounding woods. Then he slowly rose to his feet and brushed away the faint dust the wind had blown onto him.
"Since you're here, show yourself. I could smell that sweet, fishy stench of yours from far away."
"Dugu Bo."
In an instant, the sound of the wind died away.
Then, at some unknown moment, a figure appeared silently beneath the bluestone slab.
Su Ge fearlessly met his gaze. Those emerald-like eyes and that chilling sensation of being watched by a venomous snake made the newcomer's identity self-evident.
"Kid, are you Su Ge?"
"That's me, but don't call me 'Ge.' I can't take that. It makes me sound old."
Hearing Dugu Bo's words, Su Ge waved dismissively, a trace of disdain on his face, as though he truly feared being called old.
Dugu