"Come here, Hongjun. Let me introduce you. This is your eldest senior brother, Li Ye, your martial uncle's most outstanding disciple. He's been staying at the Great Soul Arena lately and can't bear to leave, so I haven't brought you to meet him until now."
At Flender's words, little Ma Hongjun, who was still just a chubby little boy, immediately ran up to Li Ye and bowed.
"Hello, eldest senior brother. I'm Ma Hongjun. I hope you'll look out for me from now on."
Although he had never met Li Ye, he had often heard Flender talk about him lately, praising how incredibly capable he was.
Although much of it had gone in one ear and out the other, he had firmly remembered that Li Ye was the same age as him, yet his Soul Power had already reached rank 44, and his strength could even rival an ordinary Soul Saint's.
With such a sturdy thigh right in front of him, if he didn't latch on now, what was he waiting for?
Seeing Ma Hongjun's endearingly guileless little face, Li Ye couldn't help reaching out to pinch his chubby cheeks.
"Since you've called me senior brother, you'll be my junior brother just like Xiao San from now on. If you run into trouble, just come to me."
Although having Li Ye pinch his cheeks was a little uncomfortable, Ma Hongjun still smiled and said, "Thank you, senior brother. From now on, I'll run before your saddle and behind your horse, and obey your every command!"
Hearing Ma Hongjun's words, Li Ye couldn't help marveling at how well he read the situation and how sensible he was. He almost felt embarrassed not to give him a gift.
Li Ye did intend to give Ma Hongjun the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, but he still planned to wait a while and find a suitable opportunity.
As for the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma he had prepared for Yu Xiaogang, he could take advantage of their reunion today to give it to him and let him break through rank 30.
After all, if even Tang San could give him something like this, then as Yu Xiaogang's direct disciple, surely he couldn't do worse than Tang San.
People said that the Boundless Flame Domain had Yao Lao, while the Divine Realm would have no Yu Xiaogang, but he insisted on getting Gangzi into the Divine Realm to enjoy his retirement.
The dinner left everyone happy, especially that glutton Ma Hongjun, who practically looked as though he wished he could swallow the table too.
"Teacher, this is for you. It's Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma. It strengthens your foundations, nourishes your vitality, replenishes your energy, and enhances your power. I happened to obtain it while hunting for my fourth Soul Ring. You need to chew and swallow it directly, then use Soul Power to help absorb its medicinal power. That's how you get the best effect. It should help resolve the problem that's troubled you for years and help you break through rank 30."
"Why don't you take something this good yourself? Why give it to me? I've already spent half my life as a rank-29 theoretical Grandmaster. I don't care about any of this. Improving your strength is what matters most." Seeing the purple ganoderma Li Ye offered, Yu Xiaogang was tempted, but he still suppressed that flicker of desire and pushed the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma back toward him.
"Teacher, could you stop being so stubborn? I'm your direct disciple. How could I not know what's on your mind? Just take it. As the saying goes, you must not decline a gift from an elder, nor reject a younger person's token of respect. Even Xiao San understands that."
"Senior brother, did you call me?"
"Get lost!"
"Right away."
Seeing Li Ye's sincerity, Yu Xiaogang knew he had not chosen the wrong disciple. He stopped refusing, accepted the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma, and tucked it inside his clothes.
It was a gift from his own disciple. He couldn't bear to put it in a Soul Tool. Of course he had to keep it against his chest before taking it, to properly feel the warmth from his disciple.
After handing the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma to Yu Xiaogang, Li Ye caught up with Tang San ahead of him, draped an arm around his shoulders, and quietly pulled him aside.
"Xiao San, take a look at this for me. What is it?" As they walked, Li Ye discreetly took out the strange flower he had obtained in Star Dou Forest and showed it to Tang San.
"Hm? This is... this is Starflower Dew! Senior brother, how did you get this?"
Looking at the strange flower Li Ye had produced, Tang San thought for a moment before finally recalling its name.
"Starflower what? Never mind. Just tell me what it does and how to store and take it."
"It's Starflower Dew," Tang San said, looking speechless. "Starflower Dew can't be consumed directly, because its effects don't come from the plant itself, but from a peculiar ability it possesses. It can draw on the power of the stars to condense a special floral dew. This special dew can not only nourish the meridians and beautify the complexion, but also heal injuries. Supposedly, when a red moon appears during a yin year, yin month, yin day, and yin hour, Starflower Dew can also condense a special spiritual liquid. They say it can help women restore their primordial yin and regain an intact virginal body. It's incredibly miraculous. As for storing it, you just need to let it spend some time beneath the stars every so often."
"That sounds pretty ordinary. I thought I could eat it directly and gain a dozen or so ranks of Soul Power."
"Damn, you call that ordinary? Do you know how many girls dream of having this?"
"I'm not a fucking girl. What a joke!"
After slapping Tang San on the back of the head, Li Ye put the Starflower Dew back into the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse and hurried after Flender and the others, who had already gone far ahead.
Tang San rubbed the back of his head with an aggrieved expression, then jogged after them too.
Starflower Dew was of very little use to Li Ye, but he could give the dew he collected to Liu Erlong, Dugu Yan, and Xiao Wu. If he encountered An Dong'er and An Nana again, he could give them some too. After all, girls probably wouldn't refuse something like this.
As for the special spiritual liquid Tang San had mentioned, which could only condense during a yin year, yin month, yin day, and yin hour when a red moon also appeared, Li Ye harbored no fantasies about it. After all, such a day might not come even once in a lifetime, not to mention that he didn't particularly need something like that.
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, Li Ye, Xiao Wu, and Tang San had spent a year at Shrek Academy.
Over that year, Li Ye occasionally went to fight a match at the Soto Great Soul Arena. His winning streak rose from 32 consecutive victories to 130, and his points reached 12,055, taking him straight from golden soul fighting to ruby soul fighting.
The opponents he faced now were all Soul Kings, and he even occasionally encountered a few powerful Soul Emperors.
But even Soul Emperors were no match for Li Ye, to the point that the Soto Great Soul Arena could no longer arrange opponents for him.
Still, ruby soul fighting was enough for Li Ye. Above that was the highest grade, diamond soul fighting, and he didn't particularly need a diamond soul fighting badge. After all, red looked quite nice.
With his Soul Power cultivation at rank 48, Li Ye naturally took charge of recruitment. Leading Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun, he carried the recruitment sign he had made to the entrance of the Spirit Hall Sub-Hall in Suotuo City.
"Come on over! Take a look! Don't pass by and miss out!"
"Shrek Academy's recruitment for this year has officially begun! Our academy has two powerful Soul Saints serving as dean and vice dean, along with one Soul Saint and two Soul Emperors serving as teachers. Our teaching resources are exceptionally abundant!"
"What's more, the academy currently has two senior students, one male and one female, at the Soul Ancestor level! Our main campus is in Heaven Dou City. Students who pass the assessment can enter the main campus and even have a chance to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament!"
"First come, first served! Enroll, and the academy guarantees to help you hunt every Soul Ring you need before graduation, with dedicated teachers to plan things out for you! Every student trained by our Shrek Academy who leaves its gates achieves at least the Soul Emperor level!"
"What are you all staring at? Start shouting with me!"
After calling out at the front for ages, Li Ye looked back, only to find Tang San and the others with their heads tucked in like quails, not making a sound. Their heads were lowered, and he had no idea what they were doing.
Faced with Li Ye's fierce gaze, Tang San and the others had no choice but to raise their heads, throw caution to the wind, and shout loudly without a shred of shame.
Seeing this, Li Ye couldn't help nodding in satisfaction. It seemed he still had quite a bit of authority as the academy's top dog.
None of Spirit Hall's deacons stopped Li Ye and the others.
For one thing, they knew of Shrek Academy and couldn't really afford to provoke Flender and Zhao Wuji. For another, Li Ye's portrait had long since been circulated among the hall masters and deacons of all the Spirit Hall Temples, Main Halls, and Sub-Halls. They all knew Li Ye was someone their Pope had personally designated for protection. How would they dare lay a hand on him?
Before you continue