After leaving the Star Dou Great Forest, Lu Ren did not hurry on his way. Instead, he found a shaded mountain hollow, confirmed that no one was nearby, and sat down cross-legged.
He took out the Storage Soul Tool he had swiped from Xu Sanshi, probed inside with his consciousness, rummaged around, and retrieved a palm-sized jade bottle.
When he pulled out the stopper, a crisp medicinal fragrance wafted into his face.
"Mystic Water Pill." Lu Ren studied the pills in the bottle and murmured to himself, "I heard this stuff can raise innate Soul Power by one level. I wonder if it'll still work when I already have innate full Soul Power."
He thought it over. He had stolen it anyway, so using it would not hurt. There was no harm in trying.
He immediately tipped his head back and swallowed one.
The moment the pill entered his stomach, a warm current of energy rose from his lower abdomen and swiftly spread through his limbs and bones.
It did not feel like the surging rush of circulating Soul Power. It was more like someone bathing him in warm water.
Warm and cozy, so comfortable it made him want to sleep.
Ten minutes later.
Lu Ren opened his eyes and flexed his fingers.
His Soul Power circulated noticeably faster, and his meridians were a little clearer than before.
With a thought, he circulated his Soul Power through his body.
Had he really gained a level?
He froze for a moment, then immediately brought up the system panel.
[Host: Lu Ren] [Soul Power Level: 43] [Soul Ring Configuration: purple, purple, black, black] [Current Cursed Techniques: Malevolent Shrine, Blood Manipulation...]
"It really went up?"
Lu Ren blinked, a little surprised.
Could innate full Soul Power still be raised further?
This Mystic Water Pill really was something.
He looked at the few pills remaining in the jade bottle, then at the level 43 displayed on the system panel. He could not help the corners of his mouth lifting.
The effect was so good. Unfortunately, he could only take one; taking more would have no effect. In particular, this pill only produced very pronounced effects when used by Soul Masters below level 20.
Still, it made no difference. He could save them to trade for other resources.
Putting away the jade bottle, Lu Ren stood and stretched.
The sky had already darkened, and the sunset's lingering glow painted the horizon orange-red.
He was about to find somewhere to spend the night when his gaze suddenly stopped.
In the distance, several figures were slowly emerging from the Star Dou Great Forest's exit.
Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and a limping Xu Sanshi.
And one other person.
A thin, small-framed boy in worn-out clothes, but with exceptionally bright eyes.
Huo Yuhao.
Lu Ren narrowed his eyes.
It looked like the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had already entered his body.
The original story had officially begun.
The difference was that Electrolux, who should have landed in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, was now with Lu Ren instead.
Lu Ren's gaze swept over the four of them before finally settling on Xu Sanshi.
That fellow limped along at the rear. Although his black school uniform had been beaten into a crumpled mess, it was still recognizable as the standard uniform for upper-year students of the Shrek Outer Court.
Lu Ren looked at that black school uniform, then at his own clothes, and suddenly smiled.
"I've figured out how to slip into Shrek City."
Bei Bei's group walked along the main road. None of them noticed a figure following at an unhurried pace far behind them.
He maintained just the right distance.
Close enough not to lose them, but far enough not to be discovered.
With Lu Ren's current physical abilities, following a few youths whose Soul Power was far below his own could hardly have been easier.
After roughly an hour of walking, the outline of an enormous city gradually grew distinct on the horizon ahead.
Rather than an academy, it was more accurately described as a city.
Towering walls stretched left and right, their ends beyond sight.
Within the walls, buildings stood packed together like the teeth of a comb, lights beginning to twinkle here and there.
Shrek City.
Built on the Lima Plain, it covered an extremely vast area and was an independent city in its own right.
On the Douluo Continent, Shrek City ranked among the greatest metropolises, home to over two million people.
Shrek Academy held sole governing authority over the city and paid taxes to no nation.
In this respect, even the other top academies could not compare.
The academy occupied the eastern part of the city, directly facing the Star Dou Great Forest.
The city's southern, western, and northern gates were open to everyone. Only the eastern gate belonged exclusively to Shrek Academy.
Looking at the imposing gate from afar, Lu Ren could not help clicking his tongue.
Ten thousand years ago, Shrek Academy had been nothing more than a little academy established in a poor backwater. Now it had actually grown into this.
How laughable.
Still, it was normal. Backed by the three great empires and possessing the finest teachers and students on the entire continent, it would have been hard not to grow.
Lu Ren gathered his wandering thoughts and fixed his gaze on the four people ahead again.
They were nearing the eastern gate.
At the gate, a dozen or so young men and women in fitted yellow outfits stood guard, green designs embroidered on their chests.
Those marked second- and third-year students of the Shrek Outer Court.
As Bei Bei's group approached, the students on duty clearly recognized them. They nodded in greeting without stopping them.
Now.
Lu Ren took a deep breath and pushed off the ground.
Like a fleeting afterimage, he instantly crossed dozens of meters and lunged straight at Xu Sanshi at the back of the group.
Xu Sanshi was still walking, cursing under his breath:
"That damned robber. Don't let me run into you again, or I'll..."
Before he could finish, something tightened around the back of his neck.
A large hand clamped directly around his neck. The next second, he was lifted off his feet, wind roaring past his ears as the scenery hurtled backward.
Xu Sanshi only managed a muffled grunt before his vision went dark. He had already been dragged into the roadside bushes in the distance.
Lu Ren moved so fast that the others only felt a gust sweep past behind them.
Bei Bei instinctively looked back, only to find the spot where Xu Sanshi had stood completely empty.
"?"
He rubbed his eyes.
Still empty.
"Huh?" Tang Ya noticed something wrong too. "Where did Xu Sanshi go? Wasn't he right behind us just now?"
Bei Bei frowned and looked at Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao immediately understood. His Spirit Eyes Martial Soul activated at once, his first Soul Ring lighting up-Spiritual Detection.
Invisible spiritual power spread outward, covering a small area around them.
A moment later, Huo Yuhao shook his head.
"Senior Brother, I couldn't find him."
Bei Bei's brow furrowed even more deeply.
When did that guy run off? Where did he go?
But on second thought, they were already at Shrek City. What could happen?
That fellow might have a foul mouth, but he was no child. Surely he could not get lost on his own doorstep.
"He probably ran off somewhere to complain." Bei Bei waved a hand. "Forget him. Let's get your enrollment paperwork done first."
In Bei Bei's understanding, Shrek City was the safest place on the entire continent, so he was not worried about anything happening to Xu Sanshi here.
Huo Yuhao nodded and followed Bei Bei and Tang Ya toward the gate.
Meanwhile.
In a secluded alley several hundred meters from the gate.
Before Xu Sanshi could even process what had happened, he felt the world spin, and then everything went black.
No-to be precise, a fist smashed into his face.
Dazzling black light erupted from the fist. Before Xu Sanshi could even scream, his eyes rolled back and he fainted outright.
Lu Ren withdrew his fist and stared blankly for a moment at Xu Sanshi, who had crumpled to the ground.
"Uh..."
He looked down at his fist, then at the unconscious Xu Sanshi on the ground, his expression somewhat peculiar.
"Oops."
He really had only thrown a casual punch. He had never intended to use his full strength.
But who knew a casual punch would trigger Black Flash?
In the Jujutsu system, Black Flash was the equivalent of a critical hit.
Its principle was to have Cursed Energy perfectly coincide with the impact of a physical attack within 0.000001 seconds, raising the damage to the power of 2.5.
The problem was that its triggering conditions were incredibly elusive.
Even pinnacles of Jujutsu like Satoru Gojo and Sukuna could not guarantee they would land Black Flash every time.
Yet he, Lu Ren, had triggered it with a casual punch.
After all, he had inherited Heavenly Emperor Yuji's abilities. Did they understand the significance of landing Black Flash with every punch?
The left fist dealt high damage, the right fist dealt high damage; Black Flash with every punch turned the mana bar into a health bar, and the health bar into a mana bar...
Lu Ren crouched and checked Xu Sanshi's breathing.
Good. He was still alive.
He looked again at Xu Sanshi's swollen, battered face and could not help muttering:
"Good thing that was just a casual hit. If I'd thrown a serious punch, you'd already be crumbs."
As he spoke, he began stripping Xu Sanshi with some distaste.
The black school uniform was exclusive to sixth-year students of the Shrek Outer Court.
In no time, Lu Ren stripped off his own clothes and changed into the black school uniform.
It fit perfectly. Xu Sanshi's build was about the same as his.
After changing, Lu Ren pulled a random piece of clothing from the Storage Soul Tool and tossed it over Xu Sanshi, barely covering his bare upper body.
"Make do with that. Better than nothing."
With everything done, Lu Ren stood, patted down his clothes, and strode toward the eastern gate.
At the eastern gate, the dozen or so students on duty were still chatting.
"Seems like quite a few new students came to register today?"
"Yeah, the new school year's almost here. People have been arriving one after another these past few days."
As they chatted, they suddenly sensed someone approaching.
Looking up, they saw a boy in a black school uniform walking toward the gate.
The boy had both hands in his pockets and walked at a leisurely pace. His face was expressionless, his gaze indifferent. He did not even look them squarely in the eye.
A black school uniform meant a sixth-year senior from Shrek Academy's Outer Court.
Several of the students on duty immediately straightened, instinctively about to salute.
Yet when the boy reached the gate, his steps did not falter at all. As though they did not exist, he walked straight inside.
"Um... Senior!" one student on duty ventured. "Please show your identification..."
The boy did not even stop walking. He merely spat out a single word coldly:
"Scram."
Just one word.
Yet the student felt as though a basin of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe. He froze where he stood, every word in his throat forced back down.
The boy withdrew his gaze and continued forward. No one dared stop him again.
Only after the black-clad figure disappeared through the gate did the students on duty dare gasp for breath.
"Is... is it really okay to just let him in like that?" a female student asked quietly.
The person beside her rolled his eyes at her. "Are you blind? That was a black school uniform-a sixth-year senior! Would you dare stop him?"
"But he didn't show any identification... Isn't going by his uniform alone a little careless?"
"Then why didn't you stop him just now?"
The female student opened her mouth but could not get a word out.
That look in his eyes, that presence-one glance told them he was absurdly strong.
Who would dare stop him?
Inside the gate.
Lu Ren walked forward with a relaxed expression, his hands clasped behind his head and his eyes narrowed.
Every word of the conversations behind him reached his ears.
Bullying the weak and fearing the strong could be counted as one of Shrek's defining traits.
Still, that was just as well. He had slipped in so easily.
Next...
Lu Ren looked up at the cluster of buildings ahead, a smile touching the corner of his mouth.
Before you continue