Shrek Academy in an Uproar

Shrek Academy didn't have many people.

By the time Yuan Yu arrived, it was already dark.

Flender had barely entered the courtyard when he called out.

"Mubai!"

Before long, a blond boy came out.

He was tall, with differently colored eyes and a look both lazy and sharp.

Dai Mubai.

The name sprang to Yuan Yu's mind the moment he saw him.

Dai Mubai glanced at Flender, then at Yuan Yu.

"Dean, who's this?"

Flender's smile was complicated.

"He's new."

Dai Mubai raised an eyebrow.

"He's that young?"

Yuan Yu looked at him.

"You're not that old yourself."

Dai Mubai paused, then laughed.

"Quite a temper."

"Depends who I'm talking to."

Flender hurriedly cut in.

"Yuan Yu. His Martial Soul is the Sun Wheel Blade. He's twelve."

Dai Mubai waited.

"And?"

Flender took a deep breath.

"Level fifty-five Soul King."

The courtyard fell silent.

Two more people poked their heads out of the house.

Oscar came out with a blade of grass in his mouth. When he heard that, it fell straight out.

Ma Hongjun rubbed his eyes and was instantly wide awake.

"What level?"

Flender repeated himself.

"Level fifty-five."

Dai Mubai looked at Yuan Yu.

"Twelve years old?"

Yuan Yu nodded.

"Yeah."

Oscar sucked in a breath.

"Are you here to study or to teach?"

Yuan Yu thought for a moment.

"Either works?"

Ma Hongjun circled him twice.

"No way. A twelve-year-old Soul King?"

Yuan Yu raised a hand.

The Sun Wheel Blade appeared.

Five God-given Spirit Rings rose around him.

Watery blue, red-gold, violet-white, blue-green and gold, and dark gold.

Their five-colored light illuminated the courtyard.

The smile vanished from Dai Mubai's face.

Oscar's mouth hung open, and he couldn't close it for a long while.

Ma Hongjun took half a step back.

"Those Spirit Ring colors aren't right, either."

Yuan Yu put away his blade.

"God-given Spirit Rings."

Oscar muttered, "Am I still asleep?"

Flender said, "You're awake."

"That's even scarier."

Dai Mubai stared at Yuan Yu.

He had spent a long time at Shrek and had seen plenty of geniuses.

But a twelve-year-old at level fifty-five? He had never seen one.

He had never even heard of one.

"Want to spar?"

Dai Mubai spoke up.

Flender immediately looked at him.

"Mubai."

Dai Mubai said, "I know I can't win."

He looked at Yuan Yu.

"But I want to know how far apart we are."

Yuan Yu smiled.

"Sure."

"Just until one of us lands a hit?"

"Of course."

They walked to the center of the courtyard.

Dai Mubai released his Martial Soul.

The White Tiger possessed him.

Soul Power surged outward, and his presence was imposing.

Yuan Yu did not draw his blade.

He simply held the sheathed Sun Wheel Blade in one hand.

Dai Mubai frowned.

"Are you looking down on me?"

"No."

Yuan Yu said, "If I draw it, I might tear down the courtyard wall. The Dean doesn't look like he'd want to pay for that."

Oscar burst out laughing.

Flender's face darkened further.

Dai Mubai laughed too.

"Then watch out."

He stamped his foot. White Tiger power erupted, and he charged straight at Yuan Yu.

Yuan Yu stood where he was.

Only when Dai Mubai reached him did he move.

A ripple flashed.

He shifted half an inch to the side.

His scabbard brushed along Dai Mubai's arm.

The White Tiger's momentum slid away.

Dai Mubai planted his feet and forced himself steady.

A heartbeat later, Yuan Yu's scabbard touched his shoulder.

The tap was light.

But it landed exactly where Dai Mubai needed to exert his strength.

Dai Mubai froze.

The courtyard fell silent again.

Ma Hongjun whispered, "One move?"

Oscar said, "Half a move, technically."

Dai Mubai withdrew his Martial Soul.

He wasn't upset.

Instead, he laughed.

"That really is a big gap."

Yuan Yu lowered his blade.

"You're strong too."

He wasn't just being polite.

Dai Mubai had a strength in him that he had yet to fully unleash.

There was the pride of the White Tiger, and a frustration buried deep beneath it.

Yuan Yu didn't know where that frustration came from.

But he knew Dai Mubai was no ordinary academy student.

Ma Hongjun came closer.

"You use fire too?"

Yuan Yu glanced at him.

"More or less."

"You can tell what kind of fire I have?"

"I can."

Yuan Yu said no more.

Phoenix.

Evil Fire.

The fragments flashed through his mind.

Ma Hongjun probably wouldn't believe him if he brought it up now.

He could deal with it later if the chance arose.

Oscar circled Yuan Yu.

"Brother, where exactly did you come from?"

"Spirit City."

Oscar stopped.

Dai Mubai looked at him too.

Flender adjusted his glasses but didn't interrupt.

Yuan Yu didn't hide it.

"I left Spirit City to gain experience."

"My family knows."

"And someone came with me."

He made himself perfectly clear.

He wouldn't pretend to be weak, an unaffiliated cultivator, or someone without backing.

Oscar swallowed.

"A level fifty-five Soul King from Spirit City came all the way to Shrek to study?"

Yuan Yu smiled.

"Don't you only accept monsters?"

Dai Mubai looked at him for a while, then suddenly grinned.

"We do."

"We absolutely do."

Ma Hongjun leaned over to Oscar and whispered, "Level fifty-five, from Spirit City... Do you think he eats sausages?"

Oscar looked at him.

"Why are you asking?"

"I figure you could get him to draw a crowd when you sell sausages."

Oscar rubbed his chin.

"Good point. Could I double the price of a sausage if a five-ring Soul King has eaten one?"

Yuan Yu looked at them.

"I heard that."

Oscar immediately laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

Yuan Yu thought for a moment.

"If it tastes good, I'll consider it."

Oscar's eyes lit up.

Dai Mubai looked at them and couldn't help shaking his head.

Shrek hadn't even officially opened yet, and things were already getting weird.

Flender, though, was pleased.

Weird was fine.

Shrek didn't accept normal people anyway.

That night, Yuan Yu was given an empty room.

The bed was hard.

The window let in drafts.

The table had a corner missing.

It was nowhere near as good as Spirit City.

Yuan Yu sat on the edge of the bed and looked around. Then he smiled.

Spirit City was nice.

This place wasn't bad either.

At least it was new.

He reached out and tapped the bed frame.

It gave a sharp knock.

If he sat down too hard, it would probably break.

After a moment's thought, Yuan Yu leaned his Sun Wheel Blade against the bed and kept his Soul Power contained.

Shrek's rooms couldn't take much punishment.

Oscar poked his head through the doorway.

"Need anything, buddy?"

Yuan Yu looked at him.

"Got a thicker blanket?"

"Yeah."

"Any fruit wine?"

Oscar fell silent for a moment.

"You've got pretty high standards for this academy."

"I've always had standards for how I live."

Oscar laughed.

"I can get you a blanket, but there's no fruit wine. I do have sausages."

Yuan Yu looked at him.

Oscar hurriedly added something.

"I'll show you tomorrow."

Yuan Yu nodded.

"All right. I'll look forward to it."

Only after Oscar left did Yuan Yu lie down.

The bed was a little hard.

But he slept well enough.

The wind sounded close outside his window.

The walls of the halls in Spirit City had kept it too far away.

This felt nice.

Very nice.

On the roof outside, Ling Yuan stared at the drafty window, her expression dark.

"People are supposed to live in that?"

Azure Luan said, "He seems to be enjoying himself."

Ling Yuan said nothing.

Inside, Yuan Yu placed the Black Jade Gourd beside his pillow.

The Sun Wheel Blade turned into light and shadow, hovering at his side.

The fragments in his mind kept coming.

Tang San.

Xiao Wu.

Tomorrow.