Don't Block the Way

Tang San and Meng Yiran's match ended without turning ugly.

Meng Yiran's Serpent Cane was fast, its angles tricky, and her Soul Power was far from weak. She came from the lineage of the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny and had been taught by her elders since childhood. She had far more combat experience than most people her age.

But Tang San was steadier.

He did not rush to overpower her or resort to Hidden Weapons. He used only Blue Silver Grass to dismantle Meng Yiran's attacks, step by step.

Entanglement, pulling, blocking her path.

None of it was flashy, but every move caught Meng Yiran where it hurt most.

At last, Blue Silver Grass wrapped around the Serpent Cane, and Tang San's palm stopped three inches from her shoulder.

The match was decided.

Meng Yiran bit her lip, unwilling to accept the result, but she did not make a scene.

"I lost."

Tang San withdrew his hand, his manners impeccable.

"You fought well."

Chao Tianxiang looked at Tang San with mixed feelings.

The boy was young, yet his composure was nothing like that of his peers. She glanced at Bai Jin, who stood nearby smiling, and grew even warier.

Since when did Shrek Academy have people like these?

Bai Jin raised a hand and waved.

"A bet's a bet. The snake is ours. Any objections, ma'am?"

Chao Tianxiang was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"We lost. I have nothing to say."

Oscar let out a long breath, his eyes lighting up.

This was his third Soul Ring.

Zhao Wuji looked at Bai Jin. "Why did you send Tang San in?"

"Because he was suited to it."

"That's all?"

"It also gave Little Ao a chance to learn that food-type Soul Masters need friends too."

Oscar was touched.

Bai Jin added, "Otherwise, when someone tries to snatch his Soul Beast, all he can do is offer them a sausage and beg for mercy."

Oscar: "..."

He had been touched too soon.

Just as Oscar prepared to absorb the Soul Ring, Bai Jin suddenly looked up.

Tang San frowned almost at the same instant.

A deep tremor came from the depths of the forest.

It was not a roar.

It sounded more like the earth groaning deep in its chest.

Zhao Wuji's expression changed.

"Everyone, pack up! Move!"

He did not explain.

Anything that could make the Immovable Wisdom King's face change in an instant needed no explanation.

Chao Tianxiang sensed something was wrong too and hurried away with Meng Yiran. Before leaving, she glanced back at Bai Jin and found that the smile on the silver-haired young man's face had faded.

Bai Jin had felt this presence before.

Powerful, ancient, savage.

Like a mountain that could move.

The Titan Giant Ape.

That thing shows up in the original story.

Bai Jin knew it would come.

But knowing was one thing. When that presence bore down on them, the forest still felt as though a giant hand had seized it by the throat.

Oscar had already begun absorbing the Soul Ring. He could not simply stop.

Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth. "How much longer?"

Sweat beaded on Oscar's forehead. He could not answer at all.

Tang San immediately stepped in front of Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu's face had gone a little pale.

She gazed into the depths of the forest, her eyes tense and filled with something more complicated, something hard to name.

Bai Jin saw it.

He still said nothing.

Some secrets hurt when exposed too soon.

The pressure of the wind drew closer.

Whole swaths of treetops bent. Birds and beasts fled in panic. Small stones on the ground began to jump.

The next moment, the dark trees were forced apart.

A figure of almost terrifying size appeared before them.

The Titan Giant Ape stood there like a black wall that had walked out of ancient times. Its eyes gleamed in the shadows as its gaze swept across the group, finally settling on Xiao Wu.

Zhao Wuji said under his breath, "We can't run."

Dai Mubai's face went pale, but he still took a step forward.

Zhu Zhuqing moved to the side, her fingers tightening slightly.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had already spread from beneath his feet, shielding Xiao Wu and Oscar.

Ning Rongrong raised the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Her voice trembled a little, but she did not retreat.

"Seven Treasures Have Names..."

"Stop."

Bai Jin spoke suddenly.

Everyone looked at him.

He walked slowly to the front of the group and pushed his blindfold up a little.

His azure eyes lit up among the trees.

In that instant, the Titan Giant Ape looked away from Xiao Wu and fixed its gaze on Bai Jin.

The air seemed to pull taut.

Zhao Wuji lowered his voice. "Bai Jin, don't do anything reckless."

Bai Jin smiled.

"Teacher Zhao, I've always been a steady sort."

Ma Hongjun nearly burst into tears.

That's even scarier than the Titan Giant Ape.

The Titan Giant Ape growled, the sound shaking leaves from the trees.

Bai Jin extended a hand, palm forward.

An invisible distance opened before him.

The Titan Giant Ape took a tentative step.

The ground sank with a thunderous crash.

But its fist stopped three inches from Bai Jin's face.

Limitless.

Tang San's pupils contracted.

He had seen Bai Jin block Soul Masters, Hidden Weapons, and attacks from Evil Soul Masters.

But this was the Titan Giant Ape.

One of the kings of the Soul Beast forest.

Even it had been stopped.

Bai Jin looked up into that enormous eye, his voice calm.

"Don't block the way."

Everyone: "..."

Who was blocking whose way?

The Titan Giant Ape seemed to understand.

Its gaze turned dangerous.

Every muscle in Zhao Wuji's body tensed, ready to fight for his life. Even knowing he could not stop it, he had to try. His students were behind him.

But Bai Jin suddenly looked back.

"Tang San."

"I'm here."

"Remember, you don't have to win every time."

Tang San froze.

"Sometimes, you only have to protect what you can't afford to lose."

As his words faded, the Seventh Soul Ring beneath Bai Jin's feet lit up.

The black Soul Ring was as deep as night.

Martial Soul Avatar.

The world of the Six Eyes unfolded fully in that moment.

The forest, Soul Power, wind, dust—every subtle current became a clear line in his eyes.

Bai Jin raised his hand.

Azure.

An invisible pull erupted beneath the Titan Giant Ape's feet, dragging its movements to a crawl.

The Titan Giant Ape roared and smashed a fist down. He.

Red.

A scarlet repulsive force met it.

Boom!

The two forces collided. A gale swept outward, uprooting dozens of towering trees.

Zhao Wuji shielded the others, his face grim.

This was not a battle they could interfere with.

Xiao Wu watched the Titan Giant Ape, her eyes reddening slightly.

She wanted to call out, but the words would not come.

Because Bai Jin was not trying to kill it.

He could have fought far more viciously, yet he kept his power within a certain limit, as though telling the enormous beast:

I can stop you.

But I don't mean to kill you.

The Titan Giant Ape growled again.

Bai Jin stood in the howling wind, his silver hair whipped into disarray, yet he was still smiling. “Be good.”

"Behave," he said.

"The kids haven't eaten yet."

The Titan Giant Ape: "..."

Everyone: "..."

How could he say something like that at a time like this?

Just then, a cold pulse of Soul Power came from the other side of the forest.

Bai Jin's eyes chilled.

The Ghost Face Society.

They had used the Titan Giant Ape's appearance to approach Tang San from behind.

Bai Jin's figure blurred and vanished in an instant.

"Teacher Zhao, protect them."

Zhao Wuji snapped, "Obviously!"

The next moment, screams rang out among the trees.

Tang San whipped around and saw several black-robed figures tumble out of the shadows. The Ghost Mask emblems on their chests had shattered, as though some force had torn them apart.

Bai Jin appeared behind them, holding an Evil Soul Master by the collar.

"I knew it."

He looked up. For the first time, there was no smile in his Azure-blue eyes.

"So you're the ones really blocking the way."

The Evil Soul Master's face went deathly pale.

Bai Jin dropped him to the ground, his voice soft.

"Tang San."

Tang San looked up.

"Have your Blue Silver Grass ready."

"This time, it isn't training."

Deep in the forest, the Titan Giant Ape watched the scene in silence and did not move again.