Six Years Later, Level 39, Bound for Shrek Academy

The more Su Yang thought about it, the more his head hurt. It took him quite a while to pull his thoughts back together.

But after spending so long getting by on Douluo Continent, he had developed some mental resilience. Panicking was useless, and fear was even more useless. He rubbed his face hard and forced himself to break down the situation bit by bit.

First, Tang San's identity as a reincarnator had been confirmed, but he was only seven years old now, and his strength was roughly on the same level as Su Yang's.

Those memories from his time as a God King were more useful for planning ahead and making judgments about the future. In the short term, there was no direct conflict of interest between them. As long as Su Yang did not provoke him, Tang San probably would not come looking for trouble.

Second, it was a race to seize resources. The enemy was in the open while he was in the shadows. This was his only chance. It would come down to who moved faster.

Third, and most importantly, he possessed something Tang San did not.

The Strategy System. It was not a power from this world, nor did it belong to anyone's memories from a past life. It was mysterious, unique, and usable only by him.

He had raised Yu Xiaorou's favorability above sixty and Xiao Wu's to seventy-five. He had even gotten a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

As long as he kept at it, the rewards would only grow greater in the future. Tang San could snatch every opportunity, but he could not take the system away.

Once he thought that through, Su Yang finally felt somewhat reassured. He pushed himself up using the wall, dusted off his backside, and looked up at the sky.

The sun had already begun to sink westward, while laughter and shouts from lower-year students doing extracurricular activities drifted from Nording Academy's rear courtyard.

There was still much to do. He needed to take his relationship with Yu Xiaorou another step forward. The theoretical knowledge and cultivation resources in her hands were more precious to him than anything else.

He also needed to hurry and raise his Soul Power. Level fifteen sounded decent enough, but if he ran into a truly tough opponent, he would have trouble even escaping with that little strength.

Su Yang shook off all his scattered thoughts and headed toward the academy's main courtyard.

As he walked, he muttered under his breath as though speaking to himself, "I need to hurry. This path is far harder to walk than it was in the original story."

Six years were neither particularly long nor particularly short, yet they were enough to turn an ignorant child into a tall, upright youth.

Nording Academy's graduation ceremony was held on a bright, sunny morning. A temporary stage had been erected on the field, and the area below it was packed with people.

The younger children craned their necks and stared curiously at the stage, their whispers blending into a steady hum.

The old principal stood onstage, the wrinkles on his face blooming with smiles. He looked to his left, then to his right. Several times, he opened his mouth as if to say something, only to break into a chuckle first.

Three graduates stood side by side before him.

The youth on the left was tall and slender, with delicate features and a faint smile on his lips. Sunlight fell over him, seeming to coat his entire body in a warm glow that made people instinctively like him. This was Su Yang.

The one in the middle stood straight-backed, his eyes calm and steady. His brows carried a maturity and seasoned composure absent from his peers, like a blade hidden in its sheath. He did not flaunt himself, yet no one dared underestimate him. This was Tang San.

The youth on the right was the largest of the three, his body covered in solid muscle and his skin a healthy wheat color. Standing there, he resembled half an iron tower. His chin was slightly raised, and he grinned broadly, flashing a mouthful of white teeth. He looked every bit like a sturdy young farmhand who had spent plenty of time beneath the sun.

This was Xiao Wu. From behind, anyone would have taken him for a farmer's son.

Twelve years old. All three were around twelve, but Soul Masters naturally developed faster than ordinary people, and they had cultivated diligently over the past few years.

All three had already grown to the size of seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youths, though a trace of childishness still lingered between their brows.

The chatter below the stage grew louder and louder.

"Are they really only twelve? That Xiao Wu looks sturdier than the blacksmith next door to my house..."

"Haven't you heard? All three of them have broken through level thirty! Level thirty! My brother is sixteen this year and he's only level twenty-five!"

"Senior Su Yang and Senior Tang San are both level thirty-nine! Level thirty-nine! One more step and they'll be Soul Ancestors!"

"Hiss... This must be the first time in Nording Academy's history, right?"

Hearing the discussions below, the old principal's smile deepened further.

He cleared his throat and pressed a hand downward, signaling for everyone to quiet down before speaking excitedly.

"Students! Today, Nording Academy has welcomed its proudest day since its founding! The three graduates standing beside me—Su Yang, Tang San, and Xiao Wu—are about to graduate from Nording Academy, and every one of them has already broken through level thirty in Soul Power!"

The crowd below erupted as though a pot had boiled over.

Once the commotion subsided somewhat, the old principal continued.

"Especially students Su Yang and Tang San, whose Soul Power has already reached level thirty-nine! Level thirty-nine! Across all the junior Soul Master Academies in the Heaven Dou Empire, have any of you ever heard of a twelve-year-old at level thirty-nine? They are Nording Academy's pride! They are also role models for every one of you!"

Applause surged like a tide. The smile on Su Yang's face deepened slightly as his calm gaze swept across the small faces below, all looking up at him.

The old principal turned around and looked at Su Yang expectantly.

"Student Su Yang, you are the top student of this class and a legend of our academy these past few years. Come, say a few words to your juniors and share your cultivation experience!"

The children below immediately sat up straighter, their eyes shining as though they were waiting to receive some secret martial arts manual.

Su Yang smiled bashfully, raised a hand to scratch the back of his head, and stepped forward.

He looked at the faces below, all filled with admiration and expectation, then cleared his throat and spoke solemnly.

"Actually, there isn't any special secret. The most important things are hard work and perseverance. Get up to cultivate before dawn every morning, rain or shine."

"At night, after everyone else has gone to sleep, meditate for another two hours. Make sure every circulation of Soul Power is done with utmost care, and practice every Soul Skill over and over until it is perfected. As long as you are willing to shed sweat, time will naturally give you the answer."

A long, unending round of applause broke out below. Several little girls seated in the front row were so excited their faces had turned red as they clapped with all their strength.

The old principal nodded repeatedly at the side, his eyes even growing a little moist.

Su Yang maintained that modest, gentle smile as he stepped back. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Tang San in the distance and saw what seemed to be a meaningful curve at the other's lips. Without changing expression, he withdrew his gaze.

Just then, a translucent system notification suddenly popped into his mind: "Favorability Quick Check: Yu Xiaorou, current favorability 89. Xiao Wu, current favorability 89."

Su Yang lowered his eyes without drawing attention. Six years. He had slowly ground Yu Xiaorou's favorability from the sixties all the way up to eighty-nine, while Xiao Wu's had also reached the threshold of eighty-nine. Those two numbers had consumed nearly half his effort.

Fortunately, hard work paid off. When Xiao Wu's favorability reached eighty, it had triggered a second-stage reward, directly doubling his Soul Power cultivation speed.

It was precisely because of that bonus that he had managed to stay at the same level as that cheat-like reincarnator, despite having far fewer cultivation resources than Tang San.

Su Yang muttered inwardly, What hard work and perseverance? The real reason is grinding favorability. But could I possibly say that? Of course not.

He could hardly tell the entire academy's teachers and students, "Want to become stronger? Go flatter the women around you."