The Shrek Seven Monsters' gazes grew sharper, their auras more composed, and their tacit understanding reached new heights.
The preliminaries of the Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament drew ever closer, and the entire academy was shrouded in an atmosphere of tension and excitement.
Liu Erlong rarely involved herself in the specifics of training, but she often went to watch quietly from the edge of the training grounds.
She watched those vibrant young people sweat under Yu Xiaogang's guidance, watched the desire for victory burning in their eyes.
Her gaze would always drift unconsciously toward the meticulous, stern man at the sidelines.
She watched him frown over a team member's mistake, watched a glimmer of light flash through his eyes after a successful tactical coordination, watched him intently record something as the sunlight outlined the resolute lines of his profile.
Whenever that happened, Liu Erlong's heart became exceptionally soft.
This was her Brother Xiaogang.
His Soul Power cultivation might have stagnated, and outsiders might mock him as useless, but here, in this world that belonged to them, he was using his own methods to nurture geniuses who might one day astonish the entire continent.
And all of this was made possible and protected by her.
Liu Erlong lightly brushed a purple flower blooming brilliantly beside her. She had transplanted it from the forest, and it was called a Forget-Me-Not.
A gentle smile touched her lips.
Blue Tyrant Academy? Shrek Academy?
The name was not important.
What mattered was that he was here, along with the future they would share.
That was enough.
Within the Icefire Yin Yang Well, red and blue springwater churned and bubbled, sending up mist that made the valley resemble a fairyland.
Ge Duo reclined sideways in a wicker chair before the Crystal House, her dark