Conflict Before the Soul Hunt
As the first rays of morning sunlight touched the Shrek Academy playground, a strange fluctuation of Soul Power emanated from the boys' dormitory area.
Flender and Zhao Wuji appeared in the dormitory area almost at the same time, both with excitement shining in their eyes.
"This is... a sign of a breakthrough!" Flender pushed up his glasses, a rare smile of relief appearing on his face. "That Oscar kid is finally catching up."
Inside the dormitory, Oscar sat cross-legged on his bed, surrounded by rings of pink light. His Sausage Martial Soul slowly rotated in front of him, emitting an enticing aroma. The others were awakened by the commotion and gathered outside the dormitory door, waiting quietly.
Oscar's Soul Power is steadily and powerfully breaking through the bottleneck of level 30, with each breakthrough becoming more refined than the last.
"It's done!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed softly.
The pink light surrounding Oscar suddenly contracted, merging entirely into his body. Immediately afterward, a Soul Power aura several times stronger than before spread out, with the fluctuations of a level 30 Soul Power clearly discernible.
Oscar slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing within them. He took a deep breath, stepped out of the dormitory, and flashed his signature smile, "Dean, Teacher Zhao, I've broken through!"
"Good! Good! Good!" Flender exclaimed three times, clearly extremely pleased. "Oscar, a fourteen-year-old Food System Soul Elder, you've set a record!"
Zhao Wuji laughed heartily and said, "Not bad, not bad. This will provide more protection during team Soul Fighting."
According to Shrek's tradition, once students reach a bottleneck in their Soul Power, the academy organizes hunts of Soul Beast to obtain Soul Ring. Oscar's Third Soul Ring was no exception.
"Everyone prepare! We'll depart in half an hour for the Star Dou Great Forest!" Flender waved his hand. "Teacher Zhao will lead the team, with Yan Zu and Dai Mubai assisting. Make sure Oscar obtains a suitable Third Soul Ring!"
Everyone immediately sprang into action, packing their belongings, preparing rations, and checking medicines. When Xiao Wu heard that they were going to the Star Dou Great Forest, a complex look flashed in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it.
Ning Rongrong was genuinely happy for Oscar —she knew better than anyone the value of Food System Soul Elder.
Back at Glazed Tile Residence, Yan Zu packed some necessary medicines and tools into his Storage Soul Tool. His "Vitality Corridor" and "Jade Blessing" would be very useful in the forest, but he also needed to be fully prepared.
"A-Zu, will it be very dangerous to go to the Star Dou Great Forest this time?" Xiao Wu asked with some worry. Although she was the Sister Xiao Wu of Da Ming Er Ming, it was common for human Soul Master to hunt Soul Beast, and she felt conflicted.
Yan Zu noticed her worry and gently patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, we will try our best to choose suitable Soul Beast and will not kill indiscriminately. Besides, with Teacher Zhao here, safety should not be a problem."
This wasn't the first time Yan Zu and Xiao Wu had entered the Star Dou Great Forest. Yan Zu had entered the Star Dou Great Forest before when he obtained his third and Fourth Soul Ring, but Er Ming from the original story didn't appear. Yan Zu guessed that the "Auspicious Beast Same-Heart Talisman" had concealed Xiao Wu's aura, so Er Ming couldn't sense that Xiao Wu had entered the Star Dou Great Forest and therefore didn't appear.
Half an hour later, the eight students and Zhao Wuji gathered at the academy gate. Flender gave a brief explanation, emphasizing the importance of teamwork, and gave Yan Zu a special look. "Yan Zu, you are the team's deputy commander. Assist Teacher Zhao in managing the team well."
"Yes, Dean." Yan Zu nodded in agreement.
The nine set off towards the Star Dou Great Forest. Zhao Wuji led the way, with Yan Zu and Dai Mubai on either side, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, and Ma Hongjun in the middle, and Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing at the rear. This was the marching formation that Yan Zu had devised before the trip, taking into account defense, support, and mobility.
The journey started smoothly. Since none of them were new to this kind of travel, they maintained a steady pace. Zhao Wuji would occasionally stop to explain some precautions for the forest, such as how to identify the tracks of Soul Beast and how to choose a campsite.
Yan Zu listened attentively, occasionally asking questions. Although his Illusion-Breaking Spirit Eyes could detect potential dangers in the forest in advance and played a significant role, what Zhao Wuji said was all based on his experience, which was actually very useful to Yan Zu and the others.
In contrast, Dai Mubai seemed somewhat impatient, feeling that these common-sense facts were too simplistic.
On the evening of the first day, the group arrived at a small town several dozen miles away from the Star Dou Great Forest. The town was small, but because it was the only way to the forest, it was quite lively. There were taverns, general stores, and weapon shops.
"We'll rest here tonight and set off early tomorrow morning. We should be able to reach the outer edge of the forest by noon." Zhao Wuji stopped in front of a hotel that looked fairly clean. "Two people per room, take your pick. Dinner will be downstairs. Behave yourselves and don't cause any trouble."
That's what they said, but Zhao Wuji ordered a large jar of wine first and drank it in big gulps.
When the rooms were assigned, Yan Zu and Xiao Wu shared a room, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing shared a room, Oscar and Ma Hongjun shared a room, and Dai Mubai and Tang San shared a room. After putting down their luggage and washing up, everyone went downstairs for dinner.
The hotel lobby was already quite full of people, most of whom were Soul Master, presumably either heading to or just returning from the Star Dou Great Forest. One table in particular stood out – they were all wearing matching moon-white Soul Master robes, with a unique pattern embroidered on their left shoulder, resembling some kind of bird.
"They're from the Canghui Academy." Dai Mubai glanced at them and said in a low voice, "A second-rate academy, yet they dare to dress so ostentatiously."
Yan Zu frowned slightly. Along the way, Dai Mubai had always treated other Soul Master teams with a condescending disdain, an attitude that made him somewhat uncomfortable. Shrek was indeed Monster Academy, but such arrogance would inevitably cause trouble sooner or later.
The food was served, and everyone began to eat. Oscar, having just broken through to the next level, had a great appetite, and Ma Hongjun wolfed down his food. Zhao Wuji drank while chatting with the hotel owner about the recent situation in the forest.
"Things haven't been peaceful on the outskirts of the forest lately," said the shopkeeper, a seasoned Soul Master in his fifties, though only level twenty-something, but quite knowledgeable. "I heard several thousand-year-old Soul Beast have escaped from the depths and injured quite a few people. If you're going in, be careful."
As they were talking, a man in his forties who looked like a teacher from the Canghui Academy at the table stood up and led the students upstairs. Among them was a female student who was of above-average appearance and had elegant manners.
Ma Hongjun drank a few more glasses, his eyes constantly glancing at the female trainee, muttering, "Tsk tsk, not bad looking..."
Yan Zu glanced at him. "Fatty, drink less. We have a long journey ahead tomorrow."
"What's there to be afraid of? It's just a little bit of wine..." Ma Hongjun said dismissively, taking another big gulp.
However, things always take unexpected turns. After dinner, Yan Zu and Xiao Wu went back to their room to cultivate for a while. Just as they were about to rest, a commotion and a woman's screams suddenly came from downstairs.
The two exchanged a glance and immediately rushed downstairs.
(Thanks to ALing Dream and monthly ticket support with tail number 2407.)