Su Ling led a class boycott, and Yu Xiaogang left

One remark from Su Ling seemed to have turned the situation around.

A Soul Ancestor had killed a Soul Emperor with one punch. Who on the continent would believe that?

Iron Fist had no choice but to suspect that their employer had concealed something.

After all, the Gold Soul Coins offered for killing a Soul Ancestor had seemed far too easy to earn.

Dai Mubai said, "He really is a Soul Ancestor. I haven't lied to you. If you don't believe me, make him release his Martial Soul and show his Soul Rings."

"Boss, stop wasting words on him. Whatever the case, Sixth is dead, and we have to avenge him. We can deal with this guy afterward."

"You're right, Third. We have to avenge Sixth. Fifth, keep watch over this guy. Everything else can wait until we're done."

"If you haven't lied to us, I won't blame you. But if you really did deceive us, hmph..."

"Everyone, attack together."

Just as they prepared to strike, Su Ling moved too.

He faced four Soul Emperors alone: two at rank sixty-three, one at rank sixty-five, and the strongest, Iron Fist, at rank sixty-eight.

The four surrounded Su Ling. Two were Power Attack System Soul Emperors, with an iron fist and a Bloodfang Boar as their respective Martial Souls.

One was an agility attack Soul Emperor whose Martial Soul was a leopard.

The last Soul Emperor appeared to be a control type, with some kind of aquatic plant Martial Soul. Soul Masters like him were the most troublesome to deal with.

Seeing this, Su Ling drew his Hundred-Forged Steel Sabers.

The next second, vines burst from the ground and surrounded Su Ling from every direction, while the other three rushed toward him through the gaps between the aquatic plants.

They belonged to the same mercenary group, after all, so they certainly had some coordination.

Several vines coiled toward Su Ling, trying to restrain him. Fortunately, he had already drawn his Hundred-Forged Steel Sabers. At a time like this, blades were certainly more useful than fists.

Su Ling swung a steel saber down hard at the aquatic vines, severing an incoming vine in a single stroke. He kept swinging and quickly cut down all the vines attacking him.

But by the time he dealt with the vines, the other three had already closed in.

A huge iron fist hurtled toward Su Ling, while attacks from the other two Soul Emperors beside it were poised to strike.

If Su Ling took this attack head-on, the other two attacks would land on him at the same time.

Instead of meeting them with brute force, Su Ling used his Carefree Journey movement technique to dodge.

Just as he had expected, the other two Soul Skills came crashing down as soon as he evaded the first attack.

Su Ling could only dodge again, all while making sure the remaining Soul Emperor did not restrain him.

"You dared kill a member of our Iron Fist Mercenary Group. Even a Soul Saint would have to die," Iron Fist said coldly.

He was not boasting. The Iron Fist Mercenary Group had once had seven members. One had been killed after angering a Soul Saint, and the remaining six had successfully avenged him through their coordinated efforts.

The four men's relentless attacks kept Su Ling scrambling to evade, leaving him little chance to counterattack.

After all, all four were Soul Emperors, and their coordination had been honed over years.

In a one-on-one fight, Su Ling feared none of them.

But facing all four at once increased the difficulty far beyond that.

"Boss, this kid's movements are too strange. He's dodging all our attacks."

"Fourth, use that move of yours," Iron Fist said.

"Yes, Boss! I was thinking the same thing."

All six Soul Rings on his body lit up, and countless vines began spreading outward with him at their center.

This Soul Skill seemed intended to weave a cage and trap Su Ling inside.

Of course, Su Ling would not sit and wait for death. He seized the opportunity to put away his steel sabers and release his Martial Soul, the Five Elements War Bow.

Then he fired an arrow as fast as he could at the control-type Soul Emperor nearby.

"Not good!"

"Fourth, watch out!"

There was no way the other three could stop Su Ling's arrow in time. Fourth's sixth Soul Skill had one restriction: he could not move.

The moment he moved, his sixth Soul Skill would automatically collapse.

He saw the sharp arrow flying toward him.

"Huh? Boss, this arrow's off target. It won't hi-"

As the words left his mouth, the arrow suddenly curved while passing beside him and pierced straight through his neck.

An arrow that could turn, and it was not even a Soul Skill. When had they ever seen an attack like that?

A Soul Emperor's body was no wall of bronze and iron. An arrow from Su Ling to a vital point was fatal.

Before the others could react, Su Ling swiftly withdrew, breaking out of their encirclement and running toward Suotuo City.

"After him! We have to kill him!" Iron Fist was furious. In that brief span, he had already lost two teammates.

"Fifth, if we're not back within two hours, kill him."

With that, the three chased after Su Ling together.

Su Ling had caught them off guard and killed two of them, one with his fist and the other with an arrow.

They probably had not received much more information from Dai Mubai. Dai Mubai might also have thought six Soul Emperors were more than enough to kill him and had said little else.

Su Ling also understood that after that arrow, his opponents would certainly be wary.

Catching them off guard and killing another would not be so easy now.

So when an opportunity to escape arose, Su Ling ran without hesitation.

Clearly, they had no intention of letting him go and chased him all the way.

As Su Ling ran, he kept firing arrows behind him to slow their pursuit.

Because of the power of his earlier arrow, the men were visibly wary. The two sides remained seventy or eighty meters apart, neither able to do anything to the other.

Half an hour later, the situation still had not changed.

"Boss, this guy's too cunning. He definitely isn't a Soul Ancestor, and he has plenty of tricks. That fellow must have duped us. If we keep chasing, we might be in danger too."

"Keep chasing. I refuse to believe the three of us can't kill that brat. Just be careful."

"Boss, maybe we should stop. Second is right. If we keep going, we might fall into an even bigger trap. I'm starting to suspect someone's targeting us."

"Think about it. A low-difficulty, high-paying job appeared in the middle of the night, and we just happened to accept it. Fourth and Sixth are dead too. There must be something fishy about this job."

"And we've come so far away. Fifth is alone back there. Could he be in danger too?"

"Well..." Iron Fist hesitated.

But just then, Su Ling, whom they were pursuing, suddenly stopped.

A woman had appeared beside him.

"Boss, look! He really does have help."

As it happened, Su Ling had run into Liu Erlong, who had fled Shrek Academy.

The moment they met, Su Ling told her that people were trying to kill him.

At that moment, the heartbroken Liu Erlong turned her grief into slaughter. The killing intent the Horn of Slaughter had buried for so many years erupted in an instant.

"You dared hunt down someone under my protection. You deserve to die." Liu Erlong released her Martial Soul as she spoke, and seven Soul Rings shone especially brightly in the night.

"A... a Soul Saint!"

Iron Fist said, "Your analysis was right. This must be a trap someone laid for us. Fourth might already be..."

"Boss, run!"

"Where do you think you're going? Die, all of you!" Liu Erlong charged straight at them.

Su Ling also held his Five Elements War Bow ready. Escaping would not be so easy.

Liu Erlong unleashed her full strength from the outset. Every move was lethal, without the slightest hesitation or wasted motion.

She immediately used her Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar, transforming into a fire dragon and easily killing all three. Su Ling did not get to fire a single arrow.

Perhaps the slaughter had brought her some pleasure. Liu Erlong, who had been heartbroken moments earlier, now felt much better.

"Su Ling, you secretly went to kill Dai Mubai, didn't you? These people should belong to some mercenary group," Liu Erlong asked.

"Yes, Sister Liu, you're right. I'm still inexperienced, though, and I don't know Suotuo City very well. I failed to find Dai Mubai, and instead he hired people to strike back at me."

Su Ling felt rather ashamed as he said this. He had made things sound too simple in his own mind.

"It's all right. If not for what Yu Xiaogang said, I think you would have killed Dai Mubai on the spot. Sigh... We shouldn't have listened to him. If anyone really comes after you in the future, I'll stand in their way," Liu Erlong said earnestly.

"Then thank you, Sister Liu. One of them is still watching Dai Mubai. I'll go back and kill him now," Su Ling said.

"I'll go with you."

Su Ling set off, and Liu Erlong followed behind him.

Half an hour later!

When Su Ling and Liu Erlong returned to the forest where the battle had taken place, they found three bodies on the ground.

Two were the men Su Ling had killed.

The third was not Dai Mubai, but the Soul Emperor who had stayed behind to guard him.

"Sister Liu, he still managed to escape," Su Ling said regretfully. There was no point pursuing him now.

Liu Erlong said, "Let's go back. We can kill Dai Mubai another time."

With that, the two could only return to Shrek.

"Sister Liu, you seem very unhappy. Is something weighing on your mind?" Su Ling asked.

"No, nothing!" Liu Erlong replied.

"If there is, why not tell me? Sometimes, talking about what makes you unhappy helps a lot. You can give it a try, Sister Liu. I'll wash my ears and listen," Su Ling said.

As he spoke, Su Ling activated his skill, Advice Listening.

The theoretical probability was thirty percent.

Perhaps Liu Erlong herself felt that Su Ling was right. Whatever the reason, Su Ling really did succeed in activating the skill with that thirty-percent chance.

"All right. I'll tell you a story. It began more than twenty years ago."

"That year, I met Flender and Yu Xiaogang in a Soul Beast forest."

As they walked, Liu Erlong told him the story of the three of them.

Without realizing it, Liu Erlong had changed how she referred to Yu Xiaogang, calling him Yu Xiaogang instead of Xiao Gang.

Finally, Liu Erlong also told him what Yu Xiaogang had revealed about his true feelings that evening.

At this point, Liu Erlong stopped. Tears fell unbidden, and she actually leaned against Su Ling's shoulder.

"Sister Liu, let the past stay in the past. At least you've untied the knot that's been in your heart for more than twenty years. Rather than grieving over the past, look toward the future."

"The future?" Liu Erlong hesitated, then continued, "Do I still have a future? I'm already over forty. I'm no longer young."

After saying this, Liu Erlong fell silent.

Su Ling said, "Sister Liu, so what if you're forty? Forty is exactly the age to strive forward. Many Titled Douluos only earn their titles in their sixties or seventies. You still have twenty or thirty years. You're only rank seventy-five, with plenty of room to improve."

"Sister Liu, I have a gift for you. I hope it helps."

With that, Su Ling took out the Thirty-Thousand-Year Fire-Attributed Left Arm Bone.

"Is that... a Soul Bone?"

Liu Erlong naturally knew how rare Soul Bones were. Even the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan possessed only a few. The Soul Bone Su Ling had taken out gave off faint fire-attributed energy.

The fire-attributed energy within this Soul Bone was exceptionally pure. Looking at the bone itself, she could tell it was undoubtedly of superb quality.

"Su Ling, you... you really want to give this to me?" Liu Erlong looked at him in astonishment.

"Yes! This Soul Bone suits you best, Sister Liu, and I can't think of anyone else to give it to." Su Ling nodded.

"But you can absorb this Soul Bone too. Your Five Elements War Bow encompasses all five elements, so you can use the fire attribute as well," Liu Erlong said.

"No, I'd rather give it to you, Sister Liu. I believe I can obtain something better in the future. I just hope you won't turn your nose up at it. Besides, didn't you say you'd protect me? Because of my mistake, we missed the best chance to kill Dai Mubai. With this Soul Bone, you'll be able to protect us better," Su Ling said.

"Su Ling... All right. Since that's how you feel, I'll accept it."

"You're right. The knot in my heart is untied now, and I haven't wronged anyone. I should look toward the future and aim to become a Titled Douluo."

"Su Ling, thank you! From now on, you're my own little brother. If anyone dares hurt you, I'll fight them to the death," Liu Erlong said earnestly.

[Ding... Liu Erlong's affection ×10. Obtained White Chest ×3, Yellow Chest ×3, Purple Chest ×1.]

With that alone, Liu Erlong's affection shot straight past seventy.

A new skill also appeared.

[Ding... Successfully bound goddess Liu Erlong!]

[Bound goddess: Liu Erlong]

[Goddess overall rating: 93]

[Current affection: 74 (somewhat fond)]

[Binding effect: The host gains 20% of the bound goddess's daily cultivation gains. This will not reduce the bound goddess's cultivation speed.]

[Bound skill 1: Advice Listening (can be activated once daily; the bound goddess has a 40% chance of following the host's advice)]

[Bound skill 2: Protection (passive skill; when the host encounters danger, Liu Erlong's combat power increases by 100% if she is nearby)]

The new skill seemed quite good. This was the first skill to appear that acted on a goddess, and Su Ling could not use it directly himself.

A hundred-percent boost to combat power-wasn't that comparable to the support of a Titled Douluo-level Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul?

It could instantly bring the rank-seventy-five Liu Erlong up to the level of a Soul Douluo.

Liu Erlong accepted the Soul Bone, and the way she looked at Su Ling changed. Her gaze was full of fondness.

Who else would give her a Soul Bone?

Something so precious.

Sigh... What a shame I'm so old. Otherwise, I'd really want to make an effort to win him over.

No... At that moment, Liu Erlong seemed to understand what Yu Xiaogang had said.

Starting a new romance really could heal her wounded heart.

Thinking of her age and Su Ling's relationship with Zhu Zhuqing, Liu Erlong felt that there was no possibility for her. She and Su Ling should simply be like sister and brother.

Yes, we must be like sister and brother.

I was overthinking things just now. How could I possibly like a child who isn't even half my age?

On the way back, Liu Erlong kept reminding herself.

Yet as she continually denied her feelings, she was also reinforcing them.

And so, on Su Ling's end, Liu Erlong's affection increased again.

[Ding... Liu Erlong's affection +2. Obtained Yellow Chest ×1, Purple Chest ×1.]

Liu Erlong's change also confirmed his suspicions. Raising the affection of someone who already had a person she loved was difficult, and the deeper that love ran, the harder it became.

Once that relationship fell apart, however, the difficulty plummeted. That was why Liu Erlong's affection had risen so quickly.

Of course, Su Ling still had to bring out the Soul Bone. After all, who wouldn't lose their head over a Soul Bone like that?

By the time the two returned to the academy, only a little over two hours remained until dawn. Liu Erlong informed Flender, then went straight into seclusion for two days to absorb the Soul Bone.

Su Ling returned to his room and began cultivating as well. After receiving the goddesses' accumulated cultivation gains from the past three months, his Soul Power successfully reached rank forty-six at dawn.

After what had happened that night, Su Ling also decided that raising his Soul Power had to come first.

Fighting above his rank was already easy for him, but he still couldn't fight an entire group of higher-ranked opponents. Soul Power was the foundation.

The more goddesses followed him in the future, the greater the danger would become. Strength reigned supreme, and only the strong could protect their women. He and the goddesses ought to help each other rise.

The goddesses made him stronger, and then he would give back to them.

"I can't bind goddesses at random, either. Ideally, they should be able to become gods alongside me. I can't let a tragedy like Bai Chenxiang's play out."

[Ding... Congratulations, host, on unlocking a new system feature: Goddess Unbinding. After unbinding, the goddess's affection will immediately drop below 60.]

"System, I was only thinking about it! You actually have that feature?"

"Big Brother Su, are you up? It's time for class!" While he was thinking, Zhu Zhuqing's voice came from outside the door. She had come to remind him about class.

Su Ling rose and opened the door. "Good morning, Zhu Zhuqing. Who's teaching today?"

"Grandmaster. He's been teaching us for the past few months," Zhu Zhuqing said.

"His class? Is it weighted training this morning?" Su Ling asked.

"Yes, weighted training." Zhu Zhuqing nodded.

"Zhu Zhuqing, I'm not going to his class. You all go ahead."

"Oh, Big Brother Su, you're already a Soul Ancestor, so you really don't need to train the way we do. But if you're not going, neither am I," Zhu Zhuqing said.

"Why aren't you going, Zhu Zhuqing?" Su Ling asked curiously.

"I think you really dislike him, Big Brother Su. Besides, he said before that your talent wasn't good enough, that he should focus on training Tang San and have you support him. I don't agree with that view," Zhu Zhuqing said.

"So if you're not going, Big Brother Su, then neither am I." Zhu Zhuqing smiled.

Zhu Zhuqing now had a new life, free of her old burdens. In front of the person she liked, she acted naturally, without a trace of her usual coldness.

"Zhu Zhuqing, why haven't you left yet?" Ning Rongrong had arrived too.

"Rongrong, Big Brother Su and I have decided not to attend that so-called Grandmaster's class. He has no real ability at all," Zhu Zhuqing said.

"Really? Then I'm not going either!" Ning Rongrong decided on the spot. The Little Demoness was still the same Little Demoness, and all three of them skipped class together.

As a result, only four people assembled for class that morning: Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar.

Yu Xiaogang said little about it and simply taught the four of them.

Flender couldn't stand the sight of Yu Xiaogang now either, so he let Su Ling and the two girls skip class.

Su Ling wasn't slacking off, though. Instead, he cultivated together with Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong. By the next day, Ma Hongjun and Oscar stopped attending too, leaving only Tang San and Xiao Wu.

The embarrassment left Yu Xiaogang unable to save face.

On the training grounds, Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San. "Xiao San, there's no place for me at Shrek anymore. I'm planning to leave and go to another Advanced Soul Master Academy. Would you be willing to come with me?"

"Teacher, I... Are you really leaving?" Tang San asked.

Yu Xiaogang nodded. "What else can I do? If you don't want to come, I won't force you!"

For the past two days, Yu Xiaogang had been consumed by regret. Why had he revealed all his true thoughts that night, right in front of Liu Erlong and Flender?

He was already too ashamed to face those two. On top of that, he could no longer keep a troublemaker like Su Ling in line. There was simply no place for him here.

What could he do besides leave? Stay and suffer humiliation?

Tang San had also thought about many things over the past few days, including the question of developing his Blue Silver Grass along the life-attribute path.

Still, Grandmaster had indeed treated him well and taught him a great deal.

In his view, his Blue Silver Grass wasn't ruined at all. Wasn't poison precisely his specialty? Why should he take the life-attribute path?

"All right, Teacher. Wherever you go, I'll go. I'll come with you," Tang San decided.

"Brother, wherever you go, I'll go too," Xiao Wu said at once.

Although Xiao Wu was somewhat reluctant to leave Shrek, her heart still sided with Tang San.

"Good, very good! You truly are my disciple. Rest assured, I'll devote everything I have to helping you grow." Yu Xiaogang was delighted. Tang San and Xiao Wu had still chosen to follow him.

"Teacher, when are we leaving?" Tang San asked.

"Today. I've already thought of a good place to go. I'll give you two hours to say goodbye to everyone else," Yu Xiaogang said.

"All right!"

An incense stick's worth of time later, at the place where Su Ling was cultivating with Zhu Zhuqing and the others.

"Tang San, Xiao Wu, are you really leaving?" Su Ling asked.

"Yes, Big Brother Su. Thank you for looking after Xiao Wu and me. Teacher is leaving, so we can only leave with him."

"In that case, we respect your choice. It's just that the next time we meet, we might be opponents in the arena," Su Ling said.

"Big Brother Su, I won't hold back," Tang San said.

"Neither will I!" Su Ling replied.

Tang San's departure was no great loss; Xiao Wu's was the real pity. Su Ling was now considering whether to give her the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

Xiao Wu's affection was only at 27, still a long way from 60. After all, Tang San was the only one in her heart right now.

Was he really going to give up on Xiao Wu just like that?

Before long, Su Ling gave himself an answer: absolutely not.

"Xiao Wu, could we talk in private?" Su Ling asked.

"Big Brother Su, is something wrong?" Xiao Wu asked. At the same time, Tang San looked at Su Ling too. What could he possibly have to discuss with Xiao Wu?

Xiao Wu was still rather innocent. "Big Brother Su, sure."

Su Ling took Xiao Wu to a secluded part of the academy.

"Xiao Wu, don't get worked up over what I'm about to say. Keep your emotions under control," Su Ling said.

"Go ahead, Big Brother Su. I can handle anything." Xiao Wu patted her fairly ample chest.

Su Ling took out the Lovesick Heartbreak Red directly. "Xiao Wu, keep this close to your body from now on. With it, even a Titled Douluo won't be able to see your true identity."

Xiao Wu's face instantly went pale. She had clearly been frightened.

"Big Brother Su, you know?"

Su Ling nodded. "I've known for a long time. And you're friends with that Titan Giant Ape, aren't you?"

"Yes!" Xiao Wu nodded, looking embarrassed.

"Big Brother Su, can this really conceal my aura?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

"It definitely can. But you have to promise me not to tell Tang San, and you can't let him see it either. Consider it a loan from me. You must return it to me in the future. Can you do that?" Su Ling said.

"I can!" Xiao Wu said earnestly. Her life was at stake, so she couldn't afford to be careless.

"All right, that's all I wanted to say. Protect yourself from now on," Su Ling said.

"Thank you, Big Brother Su!" Xiao Wu said.

[Ding... Xiao Wu's affection +8. Obtained White Chest ×4, Yellow Chest ×1.]

Xiao Wu had only taken a few steps when she turned back. "Big Brother Su, you're not after me, are you?"

"What would I be after you for? If I wanted your Soul Bone, do you think you'd still be alive? Cultivate diligently from now on and try to enter the Mature Phase as soon as possible," Su Ling said.

"Big Brother Su, aside from Mom and Brother, you treat me better than anyone else in this world. I'll call you Big Brother from now on. Hehe!"

[Ding... Xiao Wu's affection +7. Obtained White Chest ×3, Yellow Chest ×1.]

The Lovesick Heartbreak Red was packed into a pouch Su Ling provided for Xiao Wu to carry on her.

Free of her worries, Xiao Wu looked very happy. Even Tang San rarely saw her this happy.

Watching Xiao Wu return, Tang San wondered what exactly Su Ling had said to her.

Intense curiosity welled up in his heart, but he felt too awkward to ask outright.

He could only bury it in his heart and wait until they left Shrek Academy.

At noon that day, Yu Xiaogang left with Tang San and Xiao Wu.

By then, Liu Erlong had also successfully absorbed the thirty-thousand-year Soul Bone Su Ling had given her.

The Soul Bone's quality was truly exceptional, and Liu Erlong had spent a long time building up her strength at rank seventy-five.

As a result, she also successfully broke through to rank seventy-six.