The Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy Jointly Launch a Class for Geniuses

"Come on, give it a try." After finishing his explanation, Zhuo Shi motioned for Tang Wulin to try it himself.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath and circulated his Bloodline Power according to the formula Zhuo Shi had taught him. He could feel it surging through his body as though it had been set ablaze. Using the first form's method of exerting force, he threw a punch.

Boom!

A crimson fist silhouette blasted forward. Although it was nowhere near as spectacular as Zhuo Shi's, it still smashed a massive rock ahead into pieces.

Zhuo Shi's eyes lit up. "Good! To produce that much power on your first try—you really are cut out for the Red Dragon Nine Forms, kid!"

Tang Wulin was equally thrilled. He could feel how tremendously the Red Dragon Nine Forms amplified his Bloodline Power, as though they had been tailor-made for him.

He had a feeling that if he mastered the Red Dragon Nine Forms and combined them with Teleportation and Berserk, his combat strength would at least double.

For the next half month, Tang Wulin stayed on Sea God Island, devoting himself to practicing the Red Dragon Nine Forms. Zhuo Shi taught diligently, and he learned just as diligently. In only half a month, he had already grasped the essence of the first three forms.

What he had not expected, however, was that Na'er would also come looking for him frequently. Her excuse, naturally, was "sparring." Although Tang Wulin left her battered and bedraggled every time, she never tired of it, coming back to challenge him every few days.

"Again!" Tang Wulin had thrown Na'er to the ground once more, but she stubbornly climbed back up and tightened her grip on the Silver Dragon Spear.

Tang Wulin was somewhat exasperated. "How many times have you lost already? You still won't give up?"

"I don't care!" Na'er glared at him. "One day, I'll beat you!"

With all that back-and-forth, the two quickly grew closer, eventually deciding to become sworn siblings.

"Big brother!" Na'er called out brightly.

Tang Wulin ruffled her hair. "Good girl."

Meanwhile, at Yun Ming and Ya Li's residence.

Yun Ming sat in the courtyard with a cup of tea in his hand, a trace of resentment still lingering on his face. "Sigh, we just gave the Red Dragon Nine Forms to someone from the Spirit Pagoda for nothing. The more I think about it, the more it feels like we lost out."

Sitting beside him, Ya Li smiled faintly at his words. "Lost out on what? I rather like that boy, Tang Wulin."

Yun Ming raised an eyebrow. "You like him?"

"Yes." Ya Li nodded. "His gaze is clear, and he has a good heart. Besides, he's only seven. There's so much room to mold him. You say he belongs to the Spirit Pagoda, but the Spirit Pagoda doesn't belong to Qiangu Dongfeng alone. That girl Leng Yaozhu isn't as wildly ambitious as Qiangu Dongfeng, either."

Yun Ming looked thoughtful. "You mean..."

Ya Li smiled. "I mean, there's no telling who this child will belong to in the future. Rather than getting hung up over a set of Red Dragon Nine Forms, why not think about how to build a good relationship with him?"

Yun Ming pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "You're right. That child really is promising. He's worth investing in."

He set down his teacup, a meaningful smile curling his lips.

The Spirit Pagoda wants a free ride? Who knows who'll end up riding on whose coattails?

Half a month later, in the Vice Pagoda Master's office at Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.

Leng Yaozhu sat behind her desk, holding a file with her brows knitted and a peculiar expression on her face. She read it three times before confirming that she had not misread it.

"Shrek Academy wants to jointly run a special training class for young geniuses with us?"

She raised her head and looked at Tang Wulin, a note of disbelief in her voice. Although Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda maintained peace on the surface, their covert rivalry had never ceased.

The two institutions running a school together? This was unprecedented. In the past, she would never even have dared to imagine it.

Tang Wulin was sitting on the sofa, happily munching on a Red Jade Shrimp. Its entire body was a lustrous red, and it radiated abundant Life Force. Gu Yue had specially given it to him.

He took a bite, filling his mouth with its sweet, fresh flavor, and said indistinctly, "Yes. Teacher Zhuo Shi told me. He said the Sea God Pavilion held a meeting and made the final decision."

Leng Yaozhu set down the file, walked over to the sofa, and sat down. "What exactly are the arrangements?"

Tang Wulin swallowed the shrimp in his mouth and wiped his hands. "It'll last ten years, with Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda training them together. Both sides will provide people and resources. The students will alternate between the two places, switching once a year."

After hearing him out, Leng Yaozhu fell silent for a moment. This plan was certainly bold, perhaps even radical.

If the two powers raised a group of children together, whose would those children be in the future? Where would their sense of belonging lie? What about their loyalty? There were far too many issues involved.

"What do you think?" Leng Yaozhu asked.

Tang Wulin shrugged. "I think it's pretty good. Shrek Academy really does have its own strengths, especially in developing Martial Souls and teaching combat techniques. I gained more in half a month on Sea God Island than I did in half a year at the Spirit Pagoda."

Leng Yaozhu nodded without immediately taking a stance. She could not make this decision alone. She had to discuss it with Qiangu Dongfeng.

She stood up and ruffled Tang Wulin's hair. "Keep eating. I'll go talk to the Pagoda Master."

Tang Wulin nodded and went back to tackling the remaining Red Jade Shrimp. Gu Yue sat beside him, quietly watching him eat, a faint smile on her lips.

The Spirit Pagoda, the Pagoda Master's office.

Qiangu Dongfeng sat behind his broad desk. After hearing Leng Yaozhu's report, a cold smile appeared on his face. "A Youth Genius Class? What is Shrek Academy scheming?"

Leng Yaozhu stood in front of the desk and said calmly, "Yun Ming says he wants to strengthen exchanges between the two sides through joint training. At least, that's what he says on the surface."

"On the surface?" Qiangu Dongfeng scoffed. "Yun Ming never does anything without a purpose. He's trying to poach our people. We send our geniuses over and let Shrek influence them little by little, and ten years later, who knows whether those children will even acknowledge the Spirit Pagoda?"

Leng Yaozhu did not argue. She understood that possibility, too. But she had her own considerations.

"Pagoda Master, Shrek Academy can't match the Spirit Pagoda's financial strength. As for resources, our advantage in Soul Spirits alone is beyond anything they can compete with. If they want to poach our people, we can poach theirs as well. There's no telling who will turn whose geniuses into their own."

Qiangu Dongfeng narrowed his eyes slightly without speaking.

Leng Yaozhu continued, "Besides, this plan isn't a loss for us. Shrek Academy truly has its own strengths in Martial Soul development and combat instruction. Our students can learn a great deal there. Ten years from now, regardless of which side these children ultimately belong to, at least the abilities they've gained will be real."

Qiangu Dongfeng fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Has the roster been finalized?"

"Not yet," Leng Yaozhu said. "Shrek Academy is asking for promising children under nine who still have plenty of room to be molded. We've tentatively selected two candidates on our side: Gu Yue and Tang Wulin."

Qiangu Dongfeng's expression became somewhat complicated. He had met Gu Yue. That little girl's talent was indeed monstrous, and her Martial Soul was so mysterious that even he could not see through it.

Tang Wulin went without saying: Leng Yaozhu's personal disciple, a seven-and-a-half-year-old Soul Elder with three Thousand-Year Soul Rings, who had also taken Zhen Hua and Zhuo Shi as his teachers. His future was boundless.

Both children would be core pillars of the Spirit Pagoda in the future. Truthfully, Qiangu Dongfeng was reluctant to send them to Shrek Academy.

"Let me think about it." Qiangu Dongfeng waved a hand. "You can go back for now."