"The first semester's final exam you've all been looking forward to is almost here," Shen Yi started. "Five people will be expelled according to the results of the exam. Work hard if you don't want to be one of those five."
The teacher glanced towards Tang Wulin. "Speak."
"Teacher Shen, is there any way to avoid having anyone expelled?"
Shen Yi nodded. "There is. The results of the final exam will be based on how many points you score. If everyone meets the minimum score, then everyone might be able to pass. But then the bar for next semester's exam would be raised by five percent."
Karni was sure Tang Wulin was going to approach him after the exam to speak of their chances. To ask for help. The kid had a kind and earnest heart.
"The only leeway we'll allow is the option to share points with other students. However, let me remind you that these points are the same ones that will determine whether you get into the inner court. Be careful of how many points you give away. They could be the difference between making it into the inner court or not."
Murmurs started all around. Karni noticed Tang Wulin was looking at him and Siduo; mixed emotions on his face. Karni sighed and nodded. He'd give it a thought. He had to be honest. He didn't care as much about the other students in Shrek, but at the end of the day, he was still on the council. It was also why he didn't feel like challenging Wulin for the position of President. Too much to take care of—it was a pain in the ass. Perhaps that was why Tang Wulin had the qualities of a leader—he actually liked to deal with things like that.
Karni had the quality to come up with plans and a mind for tactics and organisation, but he did not have the cunning of a leader, nor did he have the charisma. The fight against Siduo proved that. He might have made the original plans, but Tang Wulin perfected them. Siduo was more close to Tang Wulin in those aspects than he was.
After the murmurs settled, Shen Yi continued. "Now, here are the details of the exam. The exam will span fifteen days. In those fifteen days, you will go to Bright City. You must visit at least ten cities, including Bright City, and in every city you visit, you must defeat a Soul Master at least five Soul Power Ranks above you. You may not receive any help with finding your opponents, defeating them, or travelling to Bright City. All of you will have to figure out how to do this on your own."
"Furthermore, your Soul Storage Devices, Communicators, and any other resources you possess will be confiscated before you head out. That includes money. You will all leave empty-handed. Remember, you will only have fifteen days. As long as you can complete the assigned tasks and return within fifteen days, you'll pass the exam. The number of points you earn will depend on the strength of the opponents you defeat. If you don't manage to accomplish the assigned tasks in those fifteen days, you will unconditionally fail the exam and have half your points deducted. Do not worry about how your points are being counted during the exam. The Academy will be dispatching teachers to shadow all of you."
"But don't expect the teachers to help you under any circumstances. Even if your life is in danger, they will not intervene. So act with caution during the exam. Don't pick a fight with someone you can't handle."
She paused and let the students think about it. Karni furrowed his brows. If that were the case, what made the academy change their mind? He remembered Teacher Wu going along with Wulin's team. He knocked on his head trying to remember.
"You may not form groups," Shen Yi continued. "Everyone must take this exam alone. If any cooperation is discovered, everyone involved will fail."
The actual exam would go differently. He was sure Wulin cooperated with his teammates in the original timeline. What exactly was the incident that caused some of the circumstances to change again?
He played through the events. Wulin would secretly board the train, the he would go to Heaven Dou City… Wait. That train.
"An Evil Soul Master." He whispered to himself, remembering. "En route to Heaven Dou City."
Wu Siduo looked at him. She was the only one who could hear.
He returned the look. "We'll have to figure out a route that doesn't involve Heaven Dou City. If Tang Wulin joins us to plan, we'll have to promise to help, but on our own. We'll be needlessly put to danger."
Wu Siduo raised her eyebrows. "Running from an Evil Soul Master? It doesn't feel right. I think we should help."
Karni shook his head. "No. Wu Zhangkong has to intervene, and the Evil Soul Master won't interact directly. The bastard will escape from Wu Zhangkong. Tell me, Sisi, do you have the confidence to face someone like that?"
Siduo fell silent, but sighed. "No." She might have pride, but she was not stupid. An opponent like that should be avoided at all costs. "But we should convince Tang Wulin to change ways in some way."
Karni shook his head again. "There is not any direct danger to him. He also rescues a bunch of hostages when terrorists take over a train. There are no victims. If we interfere, those people might die. If we join, we might cause a butterfly effect, and in the same way, they'll be sitting ducks if Tang Wulin doesn't go. We have to let him go. The Evil Soul Master in question appears later on and is dealt with by Wu Zhangkong as well. No matter our good intentions, and even if I know we can take the terrorists that will appear, we might do more damage than help."
Siduo fell silent. There was no flaw in Karni's logic. She looked into his eyes… and saw determination. A small smile appeared on her face. He wasn't running away this time. He was actually looking at this from the point of view of saving people.
He smiled back, knowing that she understood him. "There will be incidents later on when we'll have the chance to change things for the better. Tang Wulin has a bad effect on trains. Something always happens during his travels. I know there's one sometime soon during the holidays, I just don't remember if it's the one after this semester or the next one. That time, he cannot save everyone."
"We'll have to keep an eye out then." Siduo whispered, and leaned onto him, as if thanking him.
"Mm." Karni nodded. He really wished that visions could come to him in some way in regards to those events. He might have the chance to save innocent lives.
They were disrupted by Tang Wulin. He didn't seem to hear their previous conversation. "You two, are you up for some joint planning? Not cooperation of course, since it's forbidden, but we should create the most optimal route for ourselves. As the council, we should help all the students pass."
The two shook their heads unanimously. "We're from Star Luo City. Our optimal route will be different from yours. Though we'll try to convince the few that came from there to help us."
Tang Wulin didn't look disappointed. "That actually sounds alright. Who're you planning to pull into this?"
Siduo answered. "Liu Liu and Wen Bao are a pair, and the academy will likely approve of the two of them cooperating since Wen Bao is a Food System. Those two have high potential. They'll likely fast."
Seeing that Siduo fell silent, Karni continued. "Li Tai and Yu Tian on the other hand… I can see Yu Tian sharing his points, but it's unlikely. They have connections in Star Luo City as well and will probably be using those independent of us."
Tang Wulin nodded. "Thank you. Good luck to you two then."
… … …
They were at the entrance, being examined for any illegal tools that they might have brought with them. There were two sections. One for men and one for women. Karni kept close to Tang Wulin's group. He and Siduo never managed to convince Li Tai and Yu Tian for help.
On the other hand, Siduo was close to Liu Liu and Wen Bao, and the two decided to follow their plan. They would follow the same route, but separately. Star Luo City was their first destination. It might be a bit of a roundabout way of going to Radiant City, but it should at most take them an extra day.
It would be worth it if they could ask the contacts there to give them more connections for the cities towards Radiant City. Star Luo City had a lot of Shrek students come back to them to teach for a while. It was in the agreement. Karni, Siduo, Li Tai, Yu Tian and Wen Bao were no exceptions to this, since they were all from Star Luo City Academy. The place should give them the opportunity for travel.
Their second destination was decided as well. Green Tiger Town. The students might not be strong, but the teachers were decent enough. The Headmaster of the academy was familiar with them as well. They'll be able to get two cities down back to back. Then their travelling would begin.
Karni's turn came, he was just after Tang Wulin, who just had his hammers taken away. Karni didn't really understand why. Weren't they part of Tang Wulin's own body? Well, maybe the academy didn't know that? Maybe they just had particular rules. Either way, he didn't want to disturb anything in regards to Tang Wulin, for fear of changing his actions in any way. He'd seen that he can change the outcome of some things, even if small, this was one he did not want to accidentally change for the worse-
As the scanner passed him, Karni saw a flash of gold. Of Wulin and a woman and a man jumping in front of a gun. In front of a bomb. So the gun wouldn't hit it.
Karni had nothing on him. The scanning was done. But the lingering feeling of what he just saw remained. Shit. He jogged up to Wulin real quick. It was too late to change plans at this stage. It would be too risky, they might still accidentally put more lives in danger.
But somehow. Somehow Karni forgot about a person dying. In the books, it would have just been some unimportant side characters that died because someone had to for Wulin to learn a lesson. But this was real life. And Karni would be damned if he didn't at least try.
"Wulin."
"Karni." He greeted back.
"You're on a train. Terrorists are there and they placed bombs. The last guy is holding one of the people dear to you hostage with a gun. Who does he shoot?"
Wulin was confused. "Uuuuuuh."
Karni snapped his fingers. "It's an intense situation Wulin! Who?!"
"Me, cause I'm the one that's actually dangerous."
"No. He shoots the bomb."
Wulin fell silent. "Oh."
"Okay. See you. Good luck on the exam."
With that Wulin was left to his own devices, as was Karni. With a deep breath, Karni decided to proceed with the plan. It was the best he could do here. In fact, even if he knew it before… Karni would have likely chosen something like this, though he'd do it with more subtlety. He watched Wulin go on his merry way, saying goodbye, and suddenly he felt something warm in his nose. He had a random nosebleed.
For some reason, it filled him with hope. Maybe consequences for changing things?
It was out of his hands now. First things first, he needed to get enough money to buy a train ticket. Once he got to Star Luo City, he would get in contact with Tie Tiao and Ma Fai to get some money. The two should be in the advanced academy by now.
He went straight to the train station. This was Shrek City. There should be a ton of people there. He nodded to Siduo once and went away.
… … …
Siduo nodded to Karni. She'd just finished being looked over. Though she did notice Karni talking with Wulin for a bit. So he decided to say something anyway? She shook off the doubt she felt. She would trust Karni.
She headed towards the central marketplace. Her idea was the same as Karni: get somewhere where there's a ton of people.
Once she got there, she activated her Torso Bone and concealed it by activating her First Soul Ring of Hell Tiger. Stripes of light came out, and forms started to show. The light danced in the air.
She combined it with some other abilities of hers as well. A light show came up in the marketplace, and very soon, she gained money for her performance. Her beauty was also of assistance. She put her most elegant face on.
… … …
Wen Bao and Liu Liu were paired up by the teachers. Liu Liu secretly stole a fruit, creating a thin line with her transforming Martial Soul. Her Martial Soul—The Transforming Cube—could choose any shape it wanted, even a thin line.
Once the food was acquired, Wen Bao cooked it and sold it for money. For extra measure, Liu Liu joined in making the cooking seem like a show.
… … …
Karni arrived at the train station. He summoned his Martial Soul, activated his third Soul Ring and did what he knew best: play some music. Though he'd never performed with his Bo Staff before, he knew exactly how to do it. He could change the sound into any instrument he wanted. The easiest one in regards to public opinion was definitely a good old acoustic guitar. Though he did miss playing his little ukulele.
After two hours of playing, he had enough money for a train ticket to Star Luo City. He had to wait ten minutes for the next train to arrive.
While waiting, he spotted Wu Siduo from the corner of his eye. The two nodded to each other, but didn't interact. They did not want to be seen as cooperating by the academy. Farther in, he noticed Wen Bao and Liu Liu as well. Good. Everyone was holding to the planned route, and on schedule. Everyone boarded the train, but everyone also chose different cabins.
… … …
Shishi observed with a small smile on her face. Her Soul Communicator started ringing.
"Yeyue? Everything is going fine."
"That's good. Has your student boarded the same train?"
"Yes." Shishi admitted, though she sounded a tad frustrated. She still felt like she was being tricked.
Elder Long continued. "Just so you know, Val Karni and Wu Siduo have a mark on their back in Star Luo City."
"What? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you wouldn't agree otherwise. Well. Perhaps you would to protect your student."
Shishi was silent for a split second. "Who is targeting them?"
"The Police Chief of Star Luo City Police Department. There have been signs that she might even be colluding with Evil Soul Masters but there hasn't been any proof."
Shishi sighed. "What do you want me to do?"
"Just protect them. Threaten the police chief if you must, but don't deal with her. Unfortunately for us, she is quite a high profile person not just in the city, but the police politics in general. It wouldn't serve our academy well to do things without proof."
"Unless she shows her true colours."
"Of course. But that likely won't happen. She's been hiding her tracks well."
"What really happened?" Shishi wanted to know, deservedly so.
"Four years ago, they killed her son in self defence. He was a corrupt cop. This is how her connection to Evil Soul Masters was found."
Shishi, who now had to be more than just the examiner, sighed. "Fine. I'll keep my brush ready."
… … …
The train ride went without a hitch. Kari made his way towards Star Luo City academy. He came to the front door. He was the first. He was the first for a reason.
"Stop right there." The two student guards ordered him.
Karni sighed. Of course the two wouldn't be someone who'd recognise him. Plan B it was then. He summoned his Martial Soul. The four Rings appeared. That was enough to catch the two guards by surprise. Karni's third Soul Ring activated. Sonic Rhythm.
"Arhm. Hm." Karni cleared his throat, then took a big breath. "TEACHER YE! TIAO! MA FAI! I RETURNED!"
His shout echoed across the whole school. Shook the windows. The two guards had to cover their ears. They almost collapsed.
After about a minute the guards came back to their senses. "What do you think you're doing!"
"Stop that. Let him in." Teacher Ye showed up with a helpless expression.
"Teacher Ye! Long time no see." Karni made a cheeky smile, taking inspiration right from Siduo.
"Karni. What are you doing here? I don't think it's the holiday season yet."
"We're in the middle of an exam. We have to get to Radiant City, but we have to fight 10 Soul Master's who are stronger than us by at least 5 ranks on the way."
"So you came here. Clever. What about Siduo?"
"She'll be arriving after me. Wen Bao as well. We aren't allowed to cooperate with one another. There's a teacher shadowing us."
"Okay. Come on in. I'll ask one of the graduating students who is a Soul King to be your opponent."
"Actually," Karni stopped her. "I was hoping you'd be my opponent. Without using Battle Armour of course."
Teacher Ye turned around, bewildered. "Me? You have to be kiddi-" She stopped herself, seeing Karni's neutral smile. "You're not. You have to win, don't you?"
Karni simply stayed silent. Yes, this would be a difficult fight, but he knew Teacher Ye well. He thought he had a chance against her. He was hard to hit and he was confident that his Spiritual Prowess was above hers.
"Why not?" Another elderly voice came from behind.
Everyone bowed, including Karni. "Headmaster."
"We'll make it an event today. A way to see just how powerful our students that went to Shrek are. You're well known as well, so perhaps it can serve as motivation for students."
Teacher Ye sighed. "Fine. Karni, Tie Tiao and Ma Fai are in the third floor, classroom 2 of the advanced academy. Go say hi while we prepare. It should at most take an hour."
Karni did just so. He hurried to the classroom and knocked. He entered to see confused faces, and two familiar ones.
"Karni! So that was you screaming!" Tie Tiao was the first to stand up.
There was also an unknown teacher inside who looked at Karni suspiciously. "Who are you? Who is your home-room teacher?"
"Ah. I'm sorry for barging in like that. I'm Val Karni. A former student of this academy."
Tie Tiao ignored the seriousness of the teacher and started asking Karni questions. "Karni how is it? How is Shrek? Why are you here?"
Karni smiled at him. "It's great! I'm on the council of my class. Right now we're having an exam, and I have to defeat someone stronger. I'll be fighting Teacher Ye soon."
The class started murmuring amongst each other, while the teacher just looked at Karni with bewilderment and disbelief.
Very soon, another student came running. "News! Next class is cancelled. After everyone finishes with their current one, we are to gather in the central arena!"
"Why is that?" The teacher asked.
"Headmaster told me it's a surprise." The student sighed.
The teacher glanced at Karni, understanding on her own. The boy wasn't lying. Besides, it would've been an absurd lie anyway, it was easier to believe it was true.
… … …
Ma Fai and Tie Tiao were sitting next to Wu Siduo. She arrived about half an hour after Karni. On the other side of the arena were Wen Bao and Liu Liu.
"Do you think he has a chance?" Tie Tiao asked Wu Siduo.
"I'd say it's a fifty fifty. Kiki has a sure-fire win, it's just a question of whether he can connect the hit or not."
"What about you? You're gonna fight Teacher Ye afterwards as well?"
"Mm. I have… Well, it depends on Teacher Ye's tiredness. Karni's skills are for sure to work. Mine… We both have a physical nature to our skills, so they will clash more directly. It will be about who can punch the other better."
"You think you can reach the power of the Soul Emperor?"
"Yes. I have my fusion, as well as another secret boost." She made a mysterious smile, then turned to the arena. The countdown began.
… … …
"5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Begin!" The Headmaster himself did the countdown.
Two Black Soul Rings stood out among the ones summoned. Teacher Ye had a sixth one, Karni had a fourth one.
Two purple rings shone at the same time. One from Teacher Ye, the other from Karni. 5th Soul Ring: Gravity. 2nd Soul Ring: Vision Bestowal.
The Gravity went off, but Teacher Ye immediately lost sight of Karni among the many, many gold Karnis that appeared.
Karni breathed a sigh of relief. His Spiritual Power was stronger than Teacher Ye's. He immediately Shifted above her. The additional Gravity pulled down on him. He started using the Disordered Drumstick Resonance together with it.
He reached Teacher Ye, but her third Soul Ring lit up. A shield, as well as an axe appeared above her head. She predicted his goal. She had rich experience, even though she still wasn't sure from where he was striking her head.
Karni Shifted again. This time next to the legs, but in that same instant, Teacher Ye went in full defence. Her fourth Soul Ring lit up. A sturdy armour of Earth suited her, the most important parts of it shielded by metal.
Karni hit the leg, covered by pure Earth. The sturdy armour softened up, the earthen part of it turning into almost sand, falling down.
Teacher Ye was shocked. Almost half of her bottom armour simply loosened up, the earth gone. The metal piece over her knee fell off, not connected to anything anymore. Only part of the torso of the armour remained.
This kid. He really had gotten stronger. She swung with her axe, while activating her first Soul Ring: Great Strength.
Karni moved smoothly with the Drunken Ghost Dance, getting the chance to Shift again. Now he got a full look at the armour Teacher Ye was wearing. Metal breastplate, shoulder pieces, helmet, kneecaps, and elbows. Well, kneecap. One of them fell off.
"Metal Helmet." Karni smiled. His next target. His Golden Insight worked in full flow, his Purple Demon Eyes enhancing it. The first blows were over. Now the true battle began.
He Shifted next to the axe. Teacher Ye immediately attacked, but was met with a drumstick of Karni's. The two clashed, Karni Shifted again, but Teacher Ye felt vibrations going through the axe. Also. The drumstick stayed? No. It was moving towards her head! Upwards!
Karni was above her and was crashing down. An attack from above and below.
Teacher Ye pointed the Shield up while her second Soul Ring shone. Her mouth attacked down with a crunch, turning into that of a bear's bite, intercepting the drumstick from below. Her very teeth hurt intercepting that. It felt like they were going to fall out due to how much they were being shaken up by Sound!
From above, Karni smoothly went around the shield with the help of CCCD. He was using Shift too much. It used up so much Spiritual Power to lock onto a space and Shift there so fast. As he got to the side, he was at the 18th hit of Disordered Drumstick Resonance. He hit the helmet with it.
A ring, as clear as that of a gong was heard around the whole arena. Teacher Ye fell on all fours, struggling. The sound was everywhere, Karni could only imagine how hard it was inside a metal helmet, where the sound bounced all around. Well, he didn't have to, he could feel it.
She threw off her helmet, her ears bleeding.
At that very moment, Karni came running in. His third Soul Ring shining brightly, strengthening his hold on sound. With the 24th hit of Disordered Drumstick Resonance, he came at her head.
The sixth, Black Soul ring shone. Her fur changed into gold, and Karni… slid off. As if slipping on ice.
An axe came swinging at him from the side. Luckily Karni had a lock on the space. He Shifted last second, just behind her.
She predicted that, sending a shield on that side, but she also looked into his eyes. Karni was hit, but got his second Soul Ring on her almost as a reflex. Sure he could look at other people now to apply this, but this was free real estate. His head was dazed for a second by getting hit, but not enough to stop the ability from functioning.
He was knocked back, but dashed back in using Drunken Ghost Dance, while the axe and shield were wildly swinging around. He slipped past one, but intentionally touched the shield, catching Teacher Ye's attention in the middle of all the golden figures.
Before she saw him though, he Shifted and her vision cleared. He couldn't activate one skill without cancelling another anymore. Too much Spiritual Power used in quick succession.
She turned her head upwards. He wasn't there. That's the spot he had attacked most during this fight. She turned back, seeing a drumstick flying directly towards her head. Her golden fur shimmered for a moment, sliding the stick off of her again, though she did feel a few vibrations enter her head.
Karni Shifted on the other side, connecting with the drumstick that slid past. A ring as loud as when he hit the metal helmet went off. The 27th hit of Disordered Drumstick Resonance. Teacher Ye immediately felt clarity upon hearing it. Perhaps too much clarity. As Karni closed up, she hesitated for just a moment. Karni was… a friend.
At the very last second, she activated her 6th Soul Ring, but Karni hit her directly on the forehead. Including that little bit of hesitation, the 27th hit of Resonance struck true.
She stood there for a split second, before falling sideways. She was unconscious. Her head was in turmoil. The Headmaster came to check on her. He even put in some Soul Power, but she didn't wake up. Karni actually won!
Karni went to Teacher Ye, activating his third Soul Ring and softly tapped it on her head. Her eyes immediately opened. She looked at Karni with disbelief. "You've truly grown." She got up on her own with surprising ease.
She sat down to meditate, and a bit of a frustrated look showed on her face. "I didn't even use up half of my soul power."
Karni really got her in a pickle. Most of her defences were useless due to how slippery he was.
"Well, I used up basically all of my Soul Power." Karni replied. And a small part of his bloodline at the very end.
The battle wasn't actually long, but it was intense. The audience clapped. It was a marvellous battle.
The Headmaster addressed the public. "Today, Teacher Ye didn't lose due to her lack of strength, but due to Karni's use of his abilities."
Teacher Ye nodded. "They are a very strong counter to my physical abilities. Karni's Spiritual Power has also passed my own. Those of you who also have Spiritual Abilities know, you've sometimes managed to get me in a pickle. Karni's use and tricks should serve as the goal you want to achieve." She nodded to Karni. She might've lost, but she still carried the pride of a teacher.
"Give me an hour to rest up. I should be at full power to face Wu Siduo as well." She turned to the Headmaster, who nodded.
Siduo stood up. It would be her turn soon.
… … …
Siduo sat down, exhausted and bloodied; but she was conscious. Teacher Ye was not.
She led her around the nose first, before going full in with her attack, and at the last second, even summoning her pieces of Battle Armour, the ones she used against Tang Wulin.
Siduo's strongest point was explosive power that she could release all at once. Even Tang Wulin couldn't reach such heights at the moment. With this, both her and Karni's battles against Teacher Ye were won. They finally surpassed her, though they truly had to go all out. One had comprehension of his spirituality, the other had one of the best combinations of various powers fused into one attack.
They knew, should they face Teacher Ye again, they would not have as many chances as they did now. Not until they raised their own abilities at least. They also had the privilege of Teacher Ye agreeing to not using her Battle Armour.
It was time for one last battle, though that one wouldn't include Teacher Ye. Wen Bao and Liu Liu would fight in a 2v2.
… … …
A group of students, though they weren't actually together as a group, were at the train station. They all got some money from Tie Tiao and Ma Fai, though independently. Wen Bao actually got it from her former teacher instead.
From afar, a shadow was quietly watching them. The eyes were especially focused on Siduo and Karni.
"Alright. Everyone understand? We strike during the train. One team goes in front of them, the other behi-" The woman was shaken to her core. This pressure. So…. So suffocating.
"Don't move a muscle." The voice, this overwhelming presence. Who was this?
"Police Chief Tan. We need to have a word."
The voice paused as if in thought. "Actually, I'll be the only one talking."
"These kids. Leave them alone. If you don't, you'll have Shrek Academy to deal with."
The Police Chief was silent. Not that she could actually speak. The pressure was too overwhelming. This wasn't just a Titled Douluo she was facing. It was a Hyper Douluo.
"Your son made his own mistake by doing illegal things. Don't blame children for his death. Let this go. Next time you think you might get the chance to do this, you'll be dead."
The pressure vanished, just like that.
"Police Chief. What do we do?"
"Stop. We stop."
They didn't question it. They simply obeyed their chief. This kind of presence was impossible to fight against.
As for Police Chief Tan, her face was twisted into something unnatural. Demonic. "It's about time I message that old Stonefish fuckhead. Next time these kids are in town, I won't let them slip my grasp. You can't stay in Shrek forever."