A Challenge from Shrek Academy

Just then, Ye Han walked out of the Inner Academy. Seeing Xue Beng in such a state, he froze for a moment.

"Fourth Prince, what happened...?" Ye Han asked.

At the sight of Ye Han, Xue Beng's eyes suddenly lit up, only for him to turn his head away in embarrassment an instant later.

Having someone his own age witness him in such a sorry state was truly humiliating.

Xue Xing, however, thought nothing of it and briefly recounted the whole affair again.

After hearing him out, Ye Han fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Fourth Prince, do you know the name of that outside academy?"

Xue Beng paused, not having expected Ye Han to take an interest in this.

He thought back carefully for a while before answering uncertainly, "I think... it was called Shrek Academy? Yes, Shrek Academy! Even the name sounds like some bush-league academy with no proper pedigree!"

The moment the words "Shrek Academy" left his mouth, Dugu Bo's eyes flashed.

He straightened slightly from where he had been reclining against his chair, a trace of amusement rising in his emerald eyes.

"Shrek Academy..." Dugu Bo repeated the name quietly and turned toward Ye Han. Their eyes met.

Dugu Bo had not originally intended to bully juniors with his superior cultivation, but if it was this bunch, that was another matter entirely.

He remembered perfectly well that Dugu Yan had told him the people she had clashed with on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest were from Shrek Academy.

Now that they had delivered themselves right to his doorstep, he ought to go and meet them.

"Interesting." Dugu Bo rose and brushed off his robes. "Since the Fourth Prince has come in person, I'll accompany you."

Light instantly flared in Xue Beng's eyes.

He had not held out much hope, yet he had actually managed to secure the Poison Douluo's help.

Because of Ye Han, Dugu Bo had been keeping to himself lately and rarely appeared in public.

Ye Han spoke up then as well. "Senior, I'll come along and take a look."

Hearing this, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling hurriedly chimed in, "We want to go too."

Watching the scene before him, Xue Beng was both surprised and delighted.

He was surprised that Ye Han had volunteered to accompany them. This genius now drew attention not only throughout Heaven Dou City, but across the entire continent. Ordinarily, even meeting him was difficult.

He was delighted because, with Ye Han accompanying him and the Poison Douluo backing him up, he would certainly be able to vent his pent-up anger on this trip to Heaven Dou Royal Academy!

"Then... thank you, Senior Poison Douluo, and thank you, Brother Ye Han!" Xue Beng hurriedly cupped his hands, unable to conceal the excitement in his voice.

Dugu Bo waved a hand and turned toward Xue Xing and Xue Beng. "Then let's go."

The group immediately left Dugu Manor and headed toward Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Xue Beng led the way with light steps. Even the bruises on his face seemed to sting less.

When Ye Han and the others arrived at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Education Committee, they happened to witness Tang San's external soul bone revealing itself under the pressure of Soul Douluo Zhi Lin's aura.

The atmosphere in the council hall was tense.

Zhi Lin stood in the center of the hall, eight soul rings slowly revolving beneath his feet. His formidable soul power bore down heavily on Tang San opposite him like a surging tide.

Tang San's face was pale, fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and his body trembled slightly beyond his control.

Just as he was about to buckle, the clothing across his back suddenly ripped apart, and eight vicious spider legs burst from his body. They were purplish-black, their surfaces covered in tiny barbs.

The instant the Eight Spider Lances appeared, the pressure enveloping Tang San abruptly eased, and the fluctuations in his soul power gradually stabilized.

At the sight, Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes slightly. A flicker of killing intent crossed his emerald pupils, only to be swiftly suppressed.

He recognized the strange manifestation on Tang San's back as a soul bone-and an exceedingly rare external soul bone at that.

He knew the value of an external soul bone better than anyone. It was a supreme treasure one could only encounter by chance, never seek out at will, and it could grow and transform alongside its Soul Master, giving it limitless potential.

Dugu Bo secretly made up his mind.

For such a treasure to fall into the hands of a boy only in the thirties was truly a wanton waste of heaven's gifts.

When a suitable opportunity arose, he would secretly abduct Tang San and strip the external soul bone from him.

For now, however, with so many people present, he betrayed nothing unusual and simply stood quietly at the entrance to the hall.

Ye Han stood behind Dugu Bo, his gaze likewise resting on Tang San.

With spiritual power far beyond that of Soul Masters at his level, Ye Han clearly detected the fluctuations of soul power within Tang San.

Level 38.

The result secretly surprised Ye Han.

According to the course of events he remembered, Tang San's soul power should have been Level 33 or 34 at most at this point.

How had he reached Level 38?

Before long, however, Ye Han noticed something else odd about Tang San.

As he extended his perception further, Ye Han's brows drew together slightly.

Everyone else's eyes were fixed on the Eight Spider Lances on Tang San's back. Only he paid greater attention to Tang San's right arm and left leg.

Those two parts of his body were clearly tougher than the rest, and they faintly emanated a trace of an aura Ye Han knew very well.

The aura was extremely faint-so faint that Ye Han would never have detected it if his Body Martial Soul had not been exceptionally sensitive to blood and vitality. Realizing this, he narrowed his eyes.

Soul bones!

And soul bones produced by dragon-type soul beasts, at that.

Judging by their aura alone, these two soul bones were of considerable quality, at least of the ten-thousand-year grade.

Once he understood this, curiosity stirred in Ye Han's heart.

He knew that Tang San had unexpectedly obtained the Eight Spider Lances after killing a Man Faced Demon Spider in the Star Dou Great Forest back then. He had witnessed it himself.

But where had the soul bones in Tang San's right arm and left leg come from?

As he remembered it, the Eight Spider Lances should have been Tang San's only soul bone in his early years. Besides, the Blue Silver Emperor soul bone his mother Ah Yin had left him was a right leg bone, which did not match either of these.

Yet the facts were right before his eyes... Ye Han's gaze lingered on Tang San for a moment before finally shifting away.

It seemed Tang San had now encountered some other opportunity.

Inside the hall, Tang San silently withdrew the Eight Spider Lances from his back.

The purplish-black spider legs slowly retracted into his body. Although the clothing on his back was torn, no obvious wounds remained on his skin.

He took a deep breath and bowed to Zhi Lin. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

Zhi Lin withdrew his soul power, and the eight soul rings beneath his feet dissipated with it.

He looked at Tang San, a trace of approval passing through his eyes. Without saying anything further, he merely nodded lightly.

Meng Shenji and Bai Baoshan naturally recognized the Eight Spider Lances on Tang San's back as a soul bone. They exchanged a glance, shock hidden in both their eyes.

Even at the Soul Douluo level, soul bones remained treasures rarely seen.

But because Dugu Bo had suddenly arrived, neither voiced his amazement. Instead, they turned their attention to the group at the entrance.

"Senior Poison Douluo." Meng Shenji spoke first, cupping his hands toward Dugu Bo. "What brings you to the academy today?" Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin greeted him as well.

Dugu Bo casually waved a hand. "I came along with this lad."

He stepped aside, revealing Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng behind him.

Xue Beng had already tidied his clothing a little, though the bruises on his face remained conspicuous.

The moment he entered, his gaze locked onto Dai Mubai among the Shrek group, his heart filled with rage.

Noticing Xue Beng's stare, Dai Mubai snorted coldly and met it without flinching, his face full of disdain.

When he had struck yesterday, he had not yet known the other party was the Fourth Prince;

even if he had known beforehand, he would still have struck.

He did not take Xue Beng's status as a prince seriously at all.

In terms of birth, he was a prince of the Star Luo Empire, with a status no lower than Xue Beng's.

In terms of strength, he was a Level 37 Soul Elder. Dealing with a Soul Grandmaster only in the twenties was naturally a matter of crushing him outright.

Of course, arrogant though Dai Mubai was, he still did not dare expose his identity publicly here.

As a prince of Star Luo, revealing his origins at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, which belonged to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, would be no different from courting death.

Prince Xue Xing stepped forward and nodded slightly to the Three Education Committee Members before sweeping his gaze over the Shrek group in the hall.

"Committee Member Meng, Committee Member Bai, Committee Member Zhi."

Xue Xing's tone was steady. "Regarding Shrek Academy's incorporation into Heaven Dou Royal Academy, I have a different opinion."

Meng Shenji frowned slightly. "Please explain, Your Highness."

Xue Xing raised a hand to point at Xue Beng behind him. "Yesterday, the Shrek group had only just entered the academy when they attacked and injured Xue Beng. Although the Fourth Prince may lack ability, the blood of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family still flows through his veins. This concerns the imperial family's dignity."

He paused, his tone growing heavier. "As the empire's foremost institution, Heaven Dou Royal Academy is not a shelter for every unruly stray. Not just anyone can enter. This academy has no room for such arrogant, lawless people. As the imperial family's appointed representative at the academy, I have both reason and authority to veto their admission."

Hearing this, all three committee members' expressions darkened.

Bai Baoshan could not help speaking up. "Your Highness, might there be some misunderstanding? The teachers and students of Shrek Academy are all rare talents..."

"Talents?" Xue Xing cut Bai Baoshan off, sweeping his gaze over the Shrek group. "Whether they qualify as talents can only be determined after an assessment."

He turned to Dugu Bo, his manner respectful. "Mr. Dugu, sorry for the trouble, but would you assess these people's strength?"

Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow but did not answer immediately.

Xue Xing continued, "If they can last five minutes against Mr. Dugu, I will say no more. Whether they stay will be entirely up to the Three Education Committee Members. But if they cannot even last five minutes..."

He did not finish, but his meaning could not have been clearer. In that case, these people would have no choice but to leave.

On Shrek's side, Flender's expression changed.

Although he did not recognize Dugu Bo, Prince Xue Xing's respectful manner told him that this green-eyed old man was no ordinary figure.

A Titled Douluo.

The thought flashed through Flender's mind, and his heart instantly tightened.

He drew a deep breath and stepped forward, intending to accept the challenge.

Even a clay figurine had a spark of temper. As Shrek's dean, he could not swallow such humiliation without a word.

But before Flender could speak, Yu Xiaogang sharply stopped him from beside him. "Flender, not another word!"

Yu Xiaogang spoke rapidly, his voice even carrying a hint of a tremor.

He had already recognized Dugu Bo. This man was none other than Heaven Dou's only publicly known Titled Douluo, the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo!

More importantly, however, the revelation of Tang San's external soul bone had set alarm bells ringing in Yu Xiaogang's heart.

Soul bones, especially external soul bones, held an immense allure for every Soul Master.

Even a Titled Douluo could hardly remain unmoved before such a treasure, one that might appear only once in a thousand years.

He trusted the character of the Three Education Committee Members, but he did not trust the Poison Douluo.

This man's reputation in the Soul Master World had never been particularly good.

If Tang San stayed here and stirred malicious intentions in Dugu Bo...