Spring passed and winter came, and two years slipped quietly by. The child of old had grown into a spirited young lad.
"Changqing, how's your Soul Skill?"
Xuan Zi jumped down from the tree beside him, a chicken leg in hand and grease all over his mouth, leaning right up to the handsome youth's face to examine him.
"The Soul Skill the Diamond Dragon Elephant gave me is called Golden Soul Power! It turns my Soul Power into liquid and injects it into a teammate's body, increasing their Soul Power reserves by 80%!"
"All Soul Skill cooldowns are halved! After their cooldowns, the Soul Skills' power doubles!"
Mu Changqing braced both hands against the ground, pushed off with his powerful legs, and sprang up.
"That's a pretty good Soul Skill! Your first Soul Skill boosts strength, your second boosts status, and your third boosts Soul Power!"
"From now on, you'll be a perpetual motion machine that can both take hits and dish them out!"
Xuan Zi patted Mu Changqing's shoulder with his rough palm, leaving a large handprint on his clothes. Mu Changqing lowered his head, speechless.
Mu Changqing stood just as tall as Xuan Zi's shoulder. Under the influence of the Golden Dragon King's blood Qi, and with five Golden Dragon King seals already released, Mu Changqing had reached 170 centimeters at just nine years old.
Over these two years, not only had Mu Changqing shot up in height, but his Soul Power had also broken through all the way to rank 30. Besides cultivating, he had spent these two years studying all kinds of theoretical knowledge.
He had finished every course from the first through sixth years of Shrek's outer court. He was more than qualified to teach there.
"Get ready to head back to the academy!"
Xuan Zi stretched and yawned. He was sleepy again and wanted to get back to the academy as soon as possible for a good nap.
"All right!"
Mu Changqing crouched down and stroked the enormous body on the ground. It was a twelve-thousand-year-old Diamond Dragon Elephant.
Its body was over five meters long, its fur as crystal clear as diamonds. Two tusks, each two meters long, thrust toward the heavens, and two pairs of dragon horns grew from its head.
This Diamond Dragon Elephant was a cross between a Diamond Mammoth and a dragon-type Soul Beast, something one could only encounter by chance, not seek out. Its defense and recovery were also among the very best of Soul Beasts.
Mu Changqing pressed hard against the Diamond Dragon Elephant's body, and it vanished on the spot in an instant, entering his storage space.
"Changqing! You're a three-ring Soul Elder now. Run back to Shrek's east gate yourself!"
Xuan Zi had already vanished from where he stood. His voice echoed through the air, but he was already gone without a trace.
Mu Changqing: ...
Mu Changqing summoned his Martial Soul and circulated his Soul Power. He stepped back with his right leg, formed all his Soul Power into a protective shield in front of him, and shot forward like a spring.
Like a Dayun truck, Mu Changqing barreled recklessly from the Star Dou Great Forest's Mixed Zone toward its outer region.
Under the Golden Dragon King's oppressive presence, no Soul Beast foolish enough to cause trouble appeared. If any had, they were probably those few ten-year-old Wind Baboons up ahead.
Sprinting at full speed, Mu Changqing had no idea that any Soul Beasts had come out to cause trouble. The moment the Wind Baboons entered the range of his Soul Power, they turned into blood mist and dispersed into the air.
In less than ten quarter-hours, Mu Changqing had already emerged from the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. He patted his clothes and noticed some red liquid on them.
"Is this blood? I didn't encounter any Soul Beasts on the way!"
Mu Changqing wiped the blood from his clothes, utterly bewildered, and rubbed his head. He stopped worrying about it and headed toward Shrek City's east gate. Someone was still waiting for him.
That morning, Mu Changqing had made an agreement with Ma Xiaotao: once he returned with his third Soul Ring, they would have a spar.
"Big brother, over here!"
Na'er leaned sideways against the wall, rubbing her hands together behind her back. She spotted Mu Changqing in the middle of the crowd at a glance and raised both hands to wave him over.
Mu Changqing saw Na'er waving too and immediately quickened his pace, heading straight toward her.
Over these two years, Na'er had grown from a little girl into a graceful young maiden, her skin as white as a lotus. Smiling, she ran toward Mu Changqing.
"Time to be the third wheel again!"
Squatting off to the side, Bei Bei shook his head helplessly, an innocent look on his face. Bei Bei had also made tremendous progress over these two years; his Soul Power was now rank 28.
Bei Bei and He Caitou had become known as the Soul Tool Department's twin stars. Both were being trained for the Soul Tool Department's Ultimate Soldier program.
As for He Caitou, Teacher Fan Yu had rescued him from a farmer's estate in the Star Dou Empire three years ago. His Martial Souls were a cigar and the sun, and he had innate rank-nine Soul Power.
When Mu Changqing first met He Caitou, it was as though he had seen one of those [Black people] from Blue Star. He was black from head to toe.
Mu Changqing could not help lamenting that such a lovely little girl as Xiao Xiao would end up with that guy He Caitou in the future.
Na'er threw herself into Mu Changqing's arms. After being lovey-dovey for a while, the two walked over to Bei Bei.
"Bei Bei! Stop squatting there. Let's go to the Soul Dueling Arena!"
"You two actually remembered to go to the Soul Dueling Arena? I'm about to be full just from eating dog food."
Bei Bei stood up and teased them.
The three walked side by side toward the Soul Dueling Arena. The snack street, once bustling with people, now had only a handful of vendors left, mainly because Shrek was currently on break.
They passed through Shrek Square. Only the three of them were in the enormous square, and they continued east.
"Brother! If we took Teacher Zhao's golden statue out and sold it, how many gold soul coins do you think we'd get?"
The three arrived at the entrance to the Soul Dueling Arena, where a ten-meter-tall golden statue stood. It depicted Zhao Wuji, whose Martial Soul had been the Mighty Vajra Bear ten thousand years ago.
"If you can buy this statue, I'll acknowledge you as my big brother!"
Mu Changqing spoke with a smile and turned to look at Bei Bei, whose face was filled with greed for money.
"If I sold this thing, wouldn't my great-great-grandfather beat me to death?"
Bei Bei scratched his cheek, looking innocent. Without another word, the three headed straight into the Soul Dueling Arena.
"Finally willing to show up, are you, busy man?"
Ma Xiaotao stood on the dueling platform with her hands on her hips, leaning over to look at the three entering through the doors.
A boy and a girl stood behind Ma Xiaotao. The boy was powerfully built, exuding the imposing presence of a fierce tiger from head to toe, while the cold-looking beauty on the other side stood quietly.
"Changqing, Na'er, Bei Bei, let me introduce the two behind me!"
"This is Dai Yaoheng, and this is Ling Luochen!"
Ma Xiaotao enthusiastically introduced the boy and girl behind her.
"Hello! You must be Junior Mu!"
Dai Yaoheng walked up to Mu Changqing and extended his right hand for a handshake. He had heard of Mu Changqing's formidable reputation in the outer court, but had only heard his name and never met him.
"Senior Dai! Hello!"
Mu Changqing also extended his right hand and clasped Dai Yaoheng's palm. The instant their hands met, an invisible force began contending between their palms.
A dragon and a tiger each revealed their edge, but in the end, the Golden Dragon King utterly defeated the White Tiger.