Are You Ready to Leave Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang?

Several hundred meters away.

Tang Hao stood hidden deep among the dense branches and leaves, his broad black robe draped around him.

From his vantage point above, he watched everything happening beside the stream and heard every word Lin Xuan and Tang San said.

Tang Hao tightened his grip on his wine gourd. A low, cold snort escaped his throat.

"Yu Xiaogang!"

A worthless man stuck at level twenty-nine, and petty to boot.

He had no real knowledge of advanced cultivation. Instead, he constantly held back young people with genuine talent, even leaving Tang Hao's son caught in the middle.

Little San was Tang Hao's son, the future hope of the Clear Sky Sect.

If Yu Xiaogang kept this up, that so-called master-disciple bond would eventually destroy Little San's state of mind.

A chilling killing intent flashed in Tang Hao's eyes.

He needed to find the right opportunity to make that worthless man disappear from Shrek Academy for good.

Over the next few days, Shrek Academy split into two camps that left each other alone.

On the field, Yu Xiaogang put Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar through the same weighted runs and endurance drills day after day. Tang San trained with them, but he spoke noticeably less, spending most of his time completing the drills in silence.

The clearing on Back Hill, meanwhile, became Lin Xuan's group's private training ground.

Every morning, Lin Xuan coached Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing in Soul Power circulation and close-quarters sparring. In the afternoons, he gave them Clear Mind Talismans to aid their meditation.

With the talismans' help, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing meditated several times more efficiently, and the Soul Power within them flowed ever more smoothly.

Ning Rongrong even gave up her spoiled young-lady habit of slacking off. She trained until she was drenched in sweat without ever complaining, then spent the whole day hovering around Lin Xuan, calling him "Brother Lin Xuan" at every turn. Xiao Wu fought her for the spot beside him every day.

Zhu Zhuqing remained quiet, but her manner toward Lin Xuan was remarkably gentle. After every sparring session, she brought him water and a towel.

The obvious difference nearly drove the three men on the field mad with jealousy.

Dai Mubai most of all.

Whenever he passed Back Hill and saw Zhu Zhuqing laughing with Lin Xuan—or even wiping the sweat from his face—Dai Mubai ground his teeth, itching to rush over and fight him.

Ma Hongjun, his bald head gleaming, sounded just as bitter:

"Why does that brat get all three gorgeous girls hanging around him while we four guys eat dust out here every day? I can't take it anymore!"

Oscar sighed. Even the sausage in his hand had lost its appeal.

This went on for an entire week.

At last, Yu Xiaogang could no longer sit still.

One afternoon, Lin Xuan and the three girls had just left the cafeteria when Yu Xiaogang blocked the road with Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar. Tang San followed silently at the rear.

Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back, his face dark.

"Lin Xuan, you've abandoned team training and formed your own clique. Do you really think the academy can't do anything about you?"

Lin Xuan stopped, his expression cool.

"If you have something to say, Grandmaster Yu, say it. There's no need to beat around the bush."

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath and gestured toward the four behind him.

"I know you think highly of yourself. You think my training is beneath you."

"Since you're so confident in your unorthodox methods, let's settle this by Soul Master rules!"

Yu Xiaogang raised his voice, drawing Flender and Zhao Wuji to a halt as they passed.

"One month! In one month, we'll hold a four-on-four team match right here on this field!"

"You, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing on one side."

"Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar on the other."

Yu Xiaogang stared at Lin Xuan, his expression grave.

"If you win, I, Yu Xiaogang, will pack my bags and leave Shrek Academy on the spot. I'll never interfere with any of your training again!"

"But if you lose, the four of you will return to the team and obey every arrangement I make, without question!"

"Lin Xuan, do you dare accept?"

Dai Mubai immediately perked up, cracking his knuckles as he gave Lin Xuan a challenging look.

Ma Hongjun let out a cold chuckle.

Their side had Dai Mubai at level thirty-seven, Tang San as its control core, the Evil Fire Phoenix at full power, and Oscar's endless supplies. How could they lose?

Ning Rongrong was about to step forward and let loose, but Lin Xuan raised a hand to stop her.

Lin Xuan looked past Yu Xiaogang at Tang San, whose expression was conflicted.

Tang San's eyes were full of helplessness and worry.

Lin Xuan turned back to Yu Xiaogang, his voice perfectly calm.

"Given your ability, you don't even qualify to make a wager with me."

"But for Little San's sake, I'll give you this chance."

Lin Xuan took a step forward, his even voice carrying across the open ground.

"See you on the field in a month."

"When the time comes, I hope Grandmaster keeps his word and doesn't cling to his position."

Yu Xiaogang's face turned livid. He gave a heavy snort.

"We'll see!"

He turned with a sweep of his sleeves and strode toward the field with Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar.

Tang San lingered at the rear. After a moment's hesitation, he gave Lin Xuan a deeply conflicted look, then hurried after the others.

Watching them leave, Xiao Wu pulled a face at their backs.

"He always wears that sour look, as if someone owes him tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins."

Ning Rongrong moved up beside Lin Xuan and planted her hands on her hips.

"Lin Xuan, I'll do whatever you say! Tell us how to train, and we'll train that way. In a month, we have to drive that old man out of Shrek in front of the whole school!"

Zhu Zhuqing stood to one side with her arms folded, her voice cool.

"I want to beat Dai Mubai head-on, too."

She wanted Dai Mubai to understand that running away and wasting his days in pleasure would only leave him farther and farther behind.

Lin Xuan looked away and led the three girls toward the shade on Back Hill.

"With four opponents, the situation is clear enough."

As they walked, Lin Xuan calmly assessed the two teams' strengths.

"Oscar is purely support. He has almost no ability to fight head-on, so he isn't much of a concern."

"Ma Hongjun's evil fire is fierce, but my abilities counter him completely. Suppress his flames, and he won't even survive one close-range combination from Xiao Wu."

Ning Rongrong nodded repeatedly.

"Right! Xiao Wu knocked that fatty flat in just a few moves that day!"

Lin Xuan continued.

"The real problems are Dai Mubai's frontal attacks and Little San's Blue Silver Grass controlling the field."

"Dai Mubai has the highest level at thirty-seven, and his Martial Soul is the White Tiger. He's formidable in a head-on clash."

"Little San has sharp battle instincts. When his Blue Silver Grass catches you off guard with Entanglement, it's a pain to deal with. Add his third Soul Skill, Spider Web Restraint, and anyone he traps will be at a disadvantage."

Xiao Wu blinked and tugged at Lin Xuan's sleeve.

"Then how do we fight them? Do we need to watch out for Third Brother's hidden weapons?"

"Hidden weapons are banned both in Great Soul Arena matches and in academy sparring. Little San knows where to draw the line. He won't use those deadly mechanical weapons."

Lin Xuan stopped beside a bluestone and turned to face the three girls.

"My plan is simple."

"I'll take Dai Mubai in a head-on fight."

"Xiao Wu, work with Zhuqing to take care of Little San and Ma Hongjun. Zhuqing, use your speed to circle behind them. Xiao Wu, use Teleportation to attack from the front. Don't give Little San time to take control of the field."

"Rongrong, stay safely at the rear and keep the strength and speed boosts coming."

Ning Rongrong patted her chest, all energy.

"Leave it to me! My Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda may only have two Soul Rings, but you can count on its boosts!"

Zhu Zhuqing answered softly.

"Understood."

With the tactics settled, Xiao Wu came over, curious.

"How are we training this month, then? We're not going to carry rocks and run mindlessly around the village every day like Yu Xiaogang's group, are we?"

Lin Xuan couldn't help laughing.

"Mindless running accomplishes nothing. A Soul Master's core training is Soul Power circulation, coordination with their Martial Soul, and physical combat."

"For conditioning, we can ask Teacher Zhao to help."

"Teacher Zhao?" Ning Rongrong paused.

"Teacher Zhao's third Soul Skill increases gravity, and his fifth is Gravity Compression."

Lin Xuan explained.

"Training to withstand the pressure and move inside his Gravity Field will be ten times more effective than running with a few dozen pounds of iron on our backs."

"As for cultivating Soul Power, we can meditate as usual. With my Clear Mind Talismans helping us, our Soul Power already circulates faster than most people's."

Xiao Wu clapped in approval.

"That's a great idea! Teacher Zhao may look fierce, but he's actually pretty easy to talk to."

They put the plan into action at once.

That afternoon, Lin Xuan brought the three girls to the wooden house in the academy's back courtyard.

Zhao Wuji was sunning himself in a rocking chair in the yard, holding a teapot and humming a tune.

When he saw the four little monsters approaching together, his eyelid twitched. He set down the teapot and sat up.

"You kids. What are you doing here instead of staying on Back Hill?"

Lin Xuan stepped forward and came straight to the point.

Zhao Wuji stared at him. It took him a long moment to grasp what they were asking.

"You want me to keep my gravity Soul Skill active and train with you?"

Zhao Wuji rubbed the short, coarse stubble on his chin, his expression odd.

"Flender already told me about the one-month wager Xiao Gang made with you."

"You little troublemakers actually want to use Old Zhao as your whetstone?"

Ning Rongrong stepped forward with all the bearing of a young heiress. She took a heavy pouch of Gold Soul Coins from her storage bracelet and set it on the stone table beside them.

The dull thud made Zhao Wuji's eyebrows twitch.

"Teacher Zhao, this is for your trouble. Please say yes!"

Zhao Wuji glanced at the pouch, coughed, and pushed it back with righteous indignation.

"Ahem! What kind of man do you take Old Zhao for, little girl? Flender's the miser who goes weak at the sight of money!"

"But..."

Zhao Wuji stood and rolled his thick neck.

"If you've got the nerve to train this way, I can't hold back as vice dean."

"Meet me in the clearing on Back Hill for two hours every afternoon!"

"But Old Zhao will warn you now: my Gravity Field is no fun. Don't start crying and begging me to stop!"

Xiao Wu gave a little snort.

"Don't underestimate us, Teacher Zhao!"

In the days that followed, the clearing on Back Hill became a grueling training ground.

Every morning, Lin Xuan handed out Clear Mind Talismans to Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu. The four sat cross-legged and used their scent and mind-clearing effect to meditate intensely and refine their Soul Power.

Zhao Wuji arrived on time each afternoon.

He released his Vigorous Vajra Bear Martial Soul. Seven Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—rose around him, and a heavy yellow glow covered dozens of meters.

Under two to three times normal gravity, the four pushed through punishing physical drills and footwork practice.

At first, Ning Rongrong could barely lift her feet inside the Gravity Field. Two steps left her gasping.

But with Lin Xuan's Gale Talisman helping her, she gradually adjusted to the weight, and her coordination improved enormously.

Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu kept sparring at close range inside the Gravity Field.

Under the pressure of gravity, Xiao Wu's grappling techniques grew more ruthless and precise. Once Zhu Zhuqing broke free of the field's restraint, the explosive power of her Hell Stab rose another notch.

During breaks, Lin Xuan still quietly drew Talismans.

The number of Great Fireball Talismans and Frost Arrow Talismans in his Storage Ring grew every day.

Meanwhile, training on the other side of the field was just as intense.

Yu Xiaogang had set Dai Mubai and the other three a punishing schedule of weighted drills and team coordination.

Dai Mubai nursed his anger, hammering wooden posts every day. Even when the impacts split the skin on his arms, he refused to ease up.

Ma Hongjun was ordered to give up snacks and his trips into the city. He spent his days on the field practicing flame attacks and Soul Power control.

Tang San remained quiet, but he did not want to lose the match either.

The two sides occupied opposite corners of the shabby village, locked in a silent contest.

Thirty days slipped by in sweat and hard-fought training.

One month later, at dawn.

Flender and Zhao Wuji were already standing on the raised platform in the middle of the field, both looking somewhat solemn.

Yu Xiaogang stood on the east side of the field, his hands clasped behind his back.

Behind him, Dai Mubai, Tang San, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar stood in a line.

Light footsteps sounded from the trees on the west side.

Lin Xuan led the way, dressed in clean fighting clothes, his expression composed.

Xiao Wu walked on his left, Ning Rongrong on his right.

Zhu Zhuqing stood behind the other three.

The four walked to the center of the training ground and stopped ten meters from Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang raised his chin and fixed his gaze on Lin Xuan.

"The month is up."

"Lin Xuan, you still have time to back out."

Lin Xuan gave a cold snort.

"Yu Xiaogang, are you ready to get out of Shrek Academy?"