Blundering into the Imperial Household

In the faculty housing area of Shrek Academy's outer court, the shadows of parasol trees stretched into dense dark patches beneath the afternoon sun. Cicadas chirped in waves from the treetops, making people unbearably restless.

Fan Yu sat on a paint-chipped wooden chair opposite Zhou Yi, holding a cup of tea that had long gone cold. The rim rested against his knee, yet he had not taken a sip for quite some time.

His gaze rested on Zhou Yi's paper-pale face. Her eyes, usually sharp and cutting, were now as unfocused as two dried-up wells. Her lips kept moving as she repeatedly muttered those few words.

"Blue Silver Grass... Clear Sky Hammer..."

Zhou Yi's voice was extremely low, like a breath squeezed from deep in her throat. Hoarse and broken, every syllable carried the dry roughness left behind after being chewed over countless times.

Her fingers unconsciously clutched at the fabric of her skirt, her knuckles white. Her knees trembled slightly as she curled up in her chair, like a hedgehog stripped of all its spines, reduced to a defenseless lump of soft flesh.

Fan Yu set down his teacup, leaned forward, and raised a hand to press down on the back of her trembling hand. He tried to keep his tone gentle. "Zhou Yi, don't be afraid. Isn't he just someone with connections? No matter how big Shrek Academy is, it still has to follow the rules. I don't believe they'd punish a Soul Emperor-level homeroom teacher and an eighth-rank soul engineer over a single freshman."

He paused, then added, as though encouraging himself, "Besides, you're officially employed, and the Soul Tool Department needs people too. We haven't committed any major offense. Suspension is suspension, but eventually this will pass."

Truthfully, he had no confidence in his own words, but he had to steady her first.

With his hand over hers, Zhou Yi stopped trembling, but her lips continued to move.

Those two words seemed to have been carved into the depths of her consciousness. She could neither spit them out nor swallow them down.

"...Blue Silver Grass... Clear Sky Hammer..."

At last, Fan Yu heard her clearly.

The faintly comforting smile on his face froze, and his entire body stiffened in an instant.

His fingers suddenly tightened around Zhou Yi's wrist, hard enough that even she frowned in pain.

"What did you say?" Fan Yu's voice changed, as if his throat were stuffed with cotton. "Blue Silver Grass and Clear Sky Hammer? That person's martial souls were Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer?"

Pain brought some focus back to Zhou Yi's scattered gaze. Looking at Fan Yu's suddenly changed expression, her lips trembled. She nodded, her voice as light as a falling leaf. "Yes... blue grass, and a black hammer... There were purple patterns on the hammerhead. When he swung it, there was lightning on it..."

Fan Yu released her wrist and slumped back against his chair, his body going limp as if someone had pulled the bones from his spine.

He remained silent for a long while. His fingers repeatedly clenched and loosened over his knees, and a deep sound escaped his throat, as though someone had struck him squarely in the chest.

He suddenly recalled overhearing Xian Lin'er and Yan Shaozhe speaking quietly when he had reported Shrek Academy's soul tool research progress at the Sea God Pavilion last month.

He had not thought much of it at the time, but now every word surged up from the depths of his memory, as clear as marks carved into bone.

"That child entered the Sea God Pavilion at only twelve. Old Mu personally accepted him as a disciple and named him his chosen heir."

"Shaozhe, you'd better be careful. That child carries the aura of the Sea God. The Golden Ancient Tree treats him like family. If he really is that lord's descendant, everyone of our generation will have to worship him."

"A teenage elder with heaven-defying talent. There hasn't been another like him in all of Shrek's history."

Fan Yu's Adam's apple bobbed. He abruptly stood up, paced back and forth twice in the cramped room, then stopped sharply. Looking down at Zhou Yi, who was still slumped in her chair with hollow eyes, he spoke in a voice as dry as sandpaper scraping wood. "You... are you sure you didn't see wrong? The Blue Silver Grass had golden patterns? And the hammerhead—did it have dark purple patterns?"

Zhou Yi's lips moved, but no sound came out. She merely nodded very slightly.

Fan Yu's back struck the wall behind him with a dull thud.

He slowly slid down to the floor, covering his face with both hands. Through the gaps between his fingers came a muffled laugh more unpleasant than crying. "It's over... Zhou Yi, we're really finished this time."

His voice seeped through his fingers, carrying crushed helplessness. "That's Old Mu's last disciple, the youngest elder of the Sea God Pavilion. Even Yan Shaozhe has to be polite when he sees him. Of all the people you could have provoked, you had to provoke him."

Zhou Yi did not respond. Her unfocused eyes remained fixed ahead, while her lips continued to move silently.

If Tang Wulin had been there, he would surely have smiled and sung from the side, "Blundering into the imperial household..."

At the same time, Shrek Academy's outer court martial arena.

This grayish-white circular structure stood on the eastern side of the teaching district. Three tiers of spectator stands encircled a level bluestone arena. Four thick soul power pillars stood at its corners, their surfaces covered in intricate defensive patterns that gleamed darkly beneath the sunlight.

By the time Tang Wulin entered through the arena's side entrance with Gu Yuena, Wang Dong, and Huo Yuhao, several dozen people were already scattered across the stands. A few upperclassmen were warming up at the edge of the arena, while others sat in the front rows, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting idly.

Sunlight streamed through gaps in the open roof, warming the bluestone at the center of the arena. A fine layer of dust floated in the air, drifting slowly through the shafts of light.

Tang Wulin found seats near the middle of the third row. He casually patted the empty seat beside him, signaling for Gu Yuena to sit there.

The little girl sat down beside him, holding her skirt. As she settled in, her silver-white hair lightly brushed his arm, cool and carrying a faint, crisp scent of soapberry.

Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao sat in the row behind them, one on each side. Wang Dong crossed her legs and draped an arm over the back of her chair, sweeping her gaze around the martial arena as she muttered, "What did you bring us here for?"

Tang Wulin turned his head slightly and replied with a smile, "Training is training, but on the Douluo Continent, the early stages really come down to two things: cultivation and competition."

He paused, lifting his gaze toward the arena. "If you don't fight a few people, how will you know whether your training is solid enough? If you just keep cultivating with your head down, you'll turn into a bookworm. You might as well go home and farm. Besides, there are more evil soul masters outside than ever before in history. Improving your combat skills may give you one more chance to survive when you face evil soul masters in the future."

Just as he finished speaking, an uproar suddenly erupted from the arena, and the scattered spectators in the stands all turned toward it.