Yu Xiaogang straightened his tattered robes and drew himself upright. "Lead the way. I'd like to see what you've made of the academy over the years."
Flender secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to lead the way.
The two passed through the dilapidated gates and entered the academy.
Yu Xiaogang surveyed their surroundings as they walked, his brows knitting tighter the more he saw.
Shabby school buildings, a potholed training field...
"Flender, are you sure this is Shrek Academy?"
Yu Xiaogang couldn't help asking, "I remember you saying back then that you wanted to make Shrek the number one academy on the continent."
Flender paused, a flicker of embarrassment crossing his face. "Ahem, ideals are plump, but reality is all skin and bones."
"But don't worry. The facilities might be basic, but every student I recruit is a genius. If they aren't geniuses, I won't take them."
Yu Xiaogang frowned slightly, grumbling inwardly.
What geniuses could a dump like this possibly attract?
Wasn't it more likely that even the trash rejected by proper academies had come here to make up the numbers?
But he said nothing of the sort, merely nodding. "Fine. I'll settle in first and take a look at your students another day."
Hearing this, Flender nodded hastily. "Of course, of course. I'll have someone arrange your lodgings right away."
As he spoke, he beckoned into the distance, and a young disciple hurried over. "Dean, what are your instructions?"
"Go clean out that empty room in the back courtyard for Grandmaster Yu."
The young disciple glanced at Yu Xiaogang's bedraggled appearance and froze for a moment before nodding. "Yes, Dean."
Yu Xiaogang stood where he was, his hands clasped behind his back, his head tilted up at a forty-five-degree angle toward the sky.
Given enough time, he would surely prove himself again at Shrek Academy.
When that time came, Tang Tianlin, Tang San-
They would all have to bow their heads before this Grandmaster!
Five years passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the Clear Sky Sect's Training Ground, two figures, a young man and a young woman, appeared one after the other.
The young man was tall and slender, with delicate features and a steady gaze. His black hair streamed in the wind, and an air of composure accompanied his every movement.
The young woman was tall, with exquisite features and a long scorpion braid hanging down her back. White stockings hugged her long, firm, shapely legs.
They were none other than Tang San and Xiao Wu, five years later.
Over those five years, both had shed their childishness and now looked no different from adults, while their cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Tang San's Soul Power had now reached rank thirty-four, and even the ever-playful Xiao Wu had cultivated to rank thirty-three.
Among their peers, they could already be called geniuses.
"Little San, take this!"
Xiao Wu gave a sharp cry, and her figure abruptly vanished.
The next second, she appeared behind Tang San, raising one leg high before bringing it chopping straight down.
As though sensing her, Tang San instantly activated Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, drifting three feet away like smoke and narrowly avoiding the sneak attack.
"Xiao Wu, you've used that move eight hundred times. Can't you try something new?"
Tang San's tone was calm, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Her strike missed, but Xiao Wu wasn't discouraged. Instead, she turned with a grin. "What do you care how many times I use it?"
As she spoke, she pushed off with her feet, shooting forward like a cannonball, both palms striking straight toward Tang San's chest.
Tang San's gaze sharpened, and a deep yellow soul ring lit up beneath his feet.
"First Soul Skill, Dragon Silver Enhancement!"
Gold-patterned Blue Silver Grass instantly spread from beneath his feet, winding toward Xiao Wu's legs like nimble snakes.
Though Xiao Wu refused to yield an inch verbally, her heart tightened at the sight of those two immensely thick strands of Blue Silver Grass.
Five years later, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was a full measure thicker than before, and its toughness was absurd. She had been caught by it once and had struggled for ages before finally breaking free.
"Hmph! Don't underestimate Sister Xiao Wu!"
Xiao Wu tapped her toes against the ground and leaped into the air, executing a beautiful midair flip.
As she evaded the entangling Blue Silver Grass, she whipped her right foot through the air, sending a fierce gust straight toward Tang San's face.
Tang San leaned back to avoid it, slapped his left hand against the ground, and used the force to flip over and land steadily.
At the same time, a tall figure appeared at the edge of the Training Ground.
It was Tang Tianlin.
Over the past five years, he had grown even taller, reaching a height of 1.95 meters.
His towering frame, handsome features, and melancholy air drove quite a few female disciples wild.
Even an occasional trip outside could earn him dozens of offers from wealthy women to keep him.
But Tang Tianlin's strength had grown even faster than his looks and height.
He possessed the Golden Dragon King Bloodline and the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, along with multiple ultimate attributes. Raising his Soul Power by a single rank was dozens of times harder than it was for others at the same rank.
Fortunately, with the cultivation buff from Child of Nature, together with all manner of heavenly treasures he had consumed, he had managed to force his Soul Power up to rank forty-eight in five years.
As for his combat strength...
Tang Tianlin reckoned he should have no trouble fighting a Soul Emperor in his normal state.
After activating Dragon Transformation and his various enhancements, he estimated he could rival a Soul Douluo.
By then, the spar in the Training Ground was also nearing its end.
The process went roughly like this: Xiao Wu got off to a bad start, Xiao Wu made one blunder after another, Xiao Wu fell into a bitter struggle, and Xiao Wu delivered her victory speech.
Ever since Tang San had confessed his feelings to Xiao Wu last year at Tang Tianlin's instigation, poor Tom San had never beaten her again.
"Are you two Soul Fighting or playing house?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Tang San and Xiao Wu both froze, instinctively turning to look.
"Big Brother."
Tang San hurried over, a measure of warmth in his eyes. "How did you find the time to come over today?"
Tang Tianlin patted his shoulder, swept his gaze over the two of them, and said evenly, "I'm heading out for a while. Do you want to come?"
"Heading out?"
Tang San raised a brow. "Is there some mission?"
His life in the Clear Sky Sect over the years had been quite fulfilling.
Not only were there all kinds of metals for him to forge hidden weapons, but there were also like-minded fellow disciples with whom he could exchange insights on forging.
By now, Tang San truly considered the Clear Sky Sect his home.
"I wouldn't call it a mission."
Tang Tianlin said calmly, "I've just been here too long and want to look around outside. See if there's anything good out there while I'm at it."
His blood energy cultivation had currently hit a minor bottleneck, and he needed to find heavenly treasures that could help his blood energy break through.
Judging by the time, the immortal herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well should be nearly ripe. It was time to harvest them.
The moment Xiao Wu heard they could go out, her eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, yes! I've wanted to go out for ages! Cultivating in the sect every day, I'm practically growing mold!"
Unlike Tang San, she didn't enjoy smithing and went down the mountain to have fun every so often.
By now, she could walk the path down the mountain with her eyes closed.
Three days later, in Sunset Forest.
Tang Tianlin strolled through the woods, the ability of Child of Nature activating with each breath, driving away Soul Beasts while directing the plants to locate the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Six years ago, his Nature Domain could only mobilize plants within a hundred-meter radius.
Six years later, his domain's range had expanded to a thousand meters, making him a walking humanoid radar.
Sure enough, with Tang Tianlin's almost blanket search, he soon discovered an area shrouded in emerald poison miasma at the center of Sunset Forest.
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