The Big Fish Took the Bait

As the sun set, Shrek Square.

The empty field was so tense that the air itself seemed frozen.

Zhou Yi stood with her hands behind her back, six perfectly matched soul rings rising and falling around her. Though she had not deliberately released any pressure, the aura of a high-ranking Soul Emperor still made Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong struggle to breathe.

"I'll give you one chance."

Zhou Yi looked coldly at them. "I won't use soul skills, and I'll limit myself to the soul power of a level-twenty Grand Soul Master. If you can last one incense stick's worth of time against me, I'll believe in your so-called extreme-flow tactics. Otherwise, pack your things and get out immediately!"

Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao exchanged a glance.

There was no fear in their eyes. Instead... a strange glint lit up within them.

It was the look of greedily going for another hit, honed last night while facing Anjanath's gaping maw in Monster Hunter.

"Huo Yuhao, ready?" Wang Dong asked quietly, lowering his body into a strange stance.

"Always." Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes as his Spirit Eyes activated instantly.

In his vision, Teacher Zhou Yi, who had once seemed unbeatable, became a humanoid BOSS with an absurdly long health bar and terrifying attack power.

"Begin!" Zhou Yi barked.

Her figure flashed, and she charged at Wang Dong like lightning.

Though she had suppressed her soul power, her combat experience was immense. Her palm shot straight for Wang Dong's shoulder. If she caught him, the fight would end instantly.

"Her right shoulder dropped! It's a right hook!"

Huo Yuhao's urgent voice exploded in Wang Dong's mind.

Just as Zhou Yi's palm was about to brush Wang Dong's clothes.

Wang Dong moved.

Rather than panicking and retreating like an ordinary soul master, he performed an action that left Zhou Yi utterly baffled—

He suddenly rolled forward, his body slipping past Zhou Yi's palm wind by a hair!

Invincibility frames!

It was the hunter's ultimate technique from Monster Hunter, used to dodge dragon roars and tail sweeps—using the instant of invincibility during a roll to forcibly avoid damage!

"What?" Zhou Yi's strike missed, and a flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.

But it was not over.

After rolling to his feet, Wang Dong did not open the distance. Instead, borrowing the momentum of the roll, he launched himself upward, his right leg whipping viciously toward Zhou Yi's back!

"Leaping Strike! Insect Glaive—Descending Slash!" Wang Dong shouted.

Though he had no glaive, he used his own leg as a weapon.

Bang!

Zhou Yi reacted swiftly and blocked with a backhand.

Wang Dong felt as if he had kicked an iron plate, but instead of retreating, he used the rebounding force to change direction again in midair, circling to Zhou Yi's left like an irritating fly.

"What an odd movement technique!" Zhou Yi was startled inwardly.

This was neither the Tang Sect's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track nor any movement technique she knew.

These movements... were filled with savagery, as if they had evolved solely for survival beneath the feet of colossal beasts!

"Huo Yuhao! Call it out!" Wang Dong yelled from the air.

"Got it! The BOSS is turning around, with one second of recovery! The weak point is behind the knee!" Huo Yuhao stood at a distance, golden light blazing from his eyes.

Even without Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's assistance, the dynamic vision he had trained last night remained!

"Hmph, all you can do is dodge?"

Zhou Yi snorted. Her speed suddenly increased. Abandoning any attempt to seize him, she directly swept a kick carrying fierce wind toward Wang Dong in midair.

"Watch out! It's an area-of-effect attack! Low sweep!" Huo Yuhao shouted. "The hitbox is huge! You can't dodge it, only block!"

Wang Dong gritted his teeth and crossed his arms before his chest.

Bang!

Wang Dong was kicked seven or eight meters away, but after landing, he smoothly dropped into a recovery crouch, dispersing most of the impact. He rose without a scratch.

"So this is your tactic?"

Zhou Yi stopped moving. The contempt in her gaze had vanished completely, replaced by deep confusion.

"Predicting my movements, using bizarre rolls to evade damage, even exploiting the recovery after my attacks to counterattack..."

Zhou Yi stared at the panting pair. "You could never learn that kind of combat awareness at the academy. Even inner courtyard disciples, when facing an opponent stronger than themselves, would instinctively open the distance instead of doing what you did... engaging in close combat and still looking for chances to strike back."

This was practically—how desperadoes fought!

"Tell me!" Zhou Yi strode toward them step by step, her tone becoming extremely serious. "Who taught you this life-risking style of fighting?"

Wang Dong glanced at Huo Yuhao. At last, he gritted his teeth and raised his head. "Teacher Zhou, if we tell you, can you promise not to report that place?"

"That depends on whether that place is harmful," Zhou Yi said coldly.

"Absolutely not!" Wang Dong grew anxious. "It can make us stronger! If it weren't for last night's special training, I would already be lying on the ground after that palm strike!"

Zhou Yi fell silent for a moment.

She was a madwoman, Shrek Academy's infamous monster teacher, but what she pursued had never been conformity to convention. It was extreme practical combat ability.

What those two children had just displayed truly amazed her.

"Lead the way!"

Zhou Yi spat out two words.

"Take me to this miraculous special training base you keep talking about."

Half an hour later.

At the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Night had fallen, and beast roars echoed through the forest.

Zhou Yi watched the increasingly desolate surroundings, her brows tightly furrowed. "Are you sure it's here? Go any deeper and we'll reach the mixed zone, where ten-thousand-year soul beasts roam."

"It's right ahead! We're almost there!" Wang Dong pointed forward.

The moment he spoke, that strange neon glow entered their sight.

[Origin Internet Cafe]

Within the pitch-black primeval forest, this technological glass building stood out as glaringly as an alien spacecraft.

"This is..." Zhou Yi's pupils contracted.

She could sense that a law-like power that made her heart palpitate seemed to shroud the building.

"Teacher, this is the place!"

Summoning his courage, Huo Yuhao pushed open the glass door.

"Welcome!"

The wind chime by the entrance rang.

With her nerves taut, Zhou Yi took a step inside.

Yet the scene within instantly petrified the well-traveled Soul Emperor.

The first things she saw were cool air and bright lights.

Behind the counter, Lu Yuan was cracking sunflower seeds while grinning foolishly at the screen.

On the couches in the lounge sat several figures.

"Where's the healer? Where the hell did the healer go? This King is about to die!"

"You charged in too fast. Serves you right."

Zhou Yi's gaze swept over them, and her heart seemed to skip a beat.

As a teacher who had studied martial soul theory for many years, she knew the records of high-level soul beasts inside and out.

"R-Red Demon Mastiff?!"

Even Zhou Yi's voice trembled.

That was a legendary ferocious beast! A supreme overlord of the Star Dou Great Forest!

Why was it here? And... why was it playing with some metal box?!

Hearing someone call his name, Red King impatiently removed his helmet and glanced back.

"Another Shrek person?"

Red King glanced at Zhou Yi's academy uniform and gave a disdainful snort. "What are you staring at, old woman? Never seen a ferocious beast play games? If you want to use the internet, get in line. Don't block This King from pushing towers!"

Zhou Yi wondered if she had fallen under some illusion.

She had been called "old woman" by a ferocious beast and was being criticized for blocking its way?

"Teacher! Don't act rashly!" Huo Yuhao hurriedly grabbed Zhou Yi's sleeve. "Fighting is prohibited here! Besides... Senior Red King is also a customer here!"

"A customer?" Zhou Yi felt that her brain was no longer enough for this.

"Oh? A new customer?"

Lu Yuan brushed the sunflower seed shells from his hands and rose with a smile.

He glanced at Zhou Yi, and a prompt instantly appeared on his system panel.

[Key figure detected: Shrek Academy teacher—Zhou Yi.]

[Mission objective: Get her to purchase a membership card.]

"Teacher, I see darkness on your forehead. Not only do you have a bad temper, but... have you also felt that you've been stuck at the same bottleneck for years, unable to break through to Soul Sage no matter how you cultivate?"

Lu Yuan's voice seemed to carry a strange magic, precisely striking Zhou Yi's sore spot.

Zhou Yi abruptly turned and stared at Lu Yuan. "Who are you? How do you know?"

Lu Yuan did not answer. Instead, he pointed at Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi beside him. The two had arrived shortly before Zhou Yi and had already gotten themselves set up.

"Look at your students."

Zhou Yi followed his gaze.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi wore helmets and were completely absorbed. Faint soul power fluctuations at the edge of a breakthrough even emanated from Bei Bei's body.

"This is Origin Internet Cafe, a place that does not judge talent, only willpower."

Lu Yuan took out a black-and-gold membership card and waved it before Zhou Yi.

"Here, you can challenge ancient dragons, experience cycles of life and death, and even..."

Lu Yuan leaned closer to Zhou Yi and lowered his voice, whispering like a demon. "You can even find... an opportunity to completely evolve your mutated martial soul."

Boom!

It was as though thunder had exploded in Zhou Yi's mind.

Her martial soul was mutated. This was her greatest secret, as well as the root cause of why she had never been able to break through to Soul Sage! Yet this young man had seen through it at a glance?!

"Y-you... are you telling the truth?" Zhou Yi's voice was somewhat dry.

"Whether it's true or not, won't you find out by trying?"

Lu Yuan pointed to the price list. "Two gold soul coins per hour. Teacher, want a round of thrilling Monster Hunter? Red King's team happens to be one short. They need a heavy damage dealer."

The moment Red King heard that a Soul Emperor had arrived, his eyes lit up. Forgetting entirely that he had called her an old woman just moments ago, he enthusiastically waved her over. "Hey! A Soul Emperor-level expert? Quick, quick, quick! Come on, little sister! That Rathalos is way too ridiculous! Can you fly? Log in and carry me already!"

Zhou Yi looked at the ferocious beast beaming at her, then at Lu Yuan's inscrutable expression.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and took out her coin pouch.

"If it isn't as amazing as you say, I'll tear down your shop!"

Lu Yuan accepted the pouch, smiling like a fox that had stolen cream.

"Don't worry. Our after-sales service is first-rate."

"Set this teacher up with a longsword. With that kind of temper, I think Iai Slash suits her perfectly."

Ten minutes later.

"Foresight Slash! I saw through it!"

"Spirit Roundslash! Sharpness up!"

"Red King, you idiot! Stop blocking my way!"

Zhou Yi's signature roar rang through the internet cafe.

Only this time, she was not yelling at students, but at the three-hundred-thousand-year ferocious beast wearing a wronged expression.

Lu Yuan sipped his cola as he watched the scene, nodding in satisfaction.

"Very good. Shrek's demon teacher: conquered."

"Now then, which unlucky bastard should be next?"

His gaze shifted toward the door.

In the night, a gentle and refined figure dressed in white slowly approached.

Yan Shaozhe, dean of Shrek Academy's outer courtyard.

"Looks like... a big fish has arrived."