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"So, this is Shrek Academy? It looks more like a somewhat backward village."
The group from the Tian Dou Royal Academy arrived at the outskirts of Shrek Academy, gazing at the lush green wheat fields nearby and the dirt road leading to the village entrance not far away. Most of them couldn't help but wonder if Qin Ming had been away for so long that he got lost.
However—
"Shrek Academy is in the small village ahead." Qin Ming's affirmation left Huo Wu and the others incredulous.
Is this really the Shrek Academy where such outstanding talents like Teacher Qin Ming are nurtured?
It feels too surreal, doesn't it? Could it be that there are hidden masters in Shrek Academy?
"San Ge, this place can't even compare to the villages near the Holy Spirit Village, can it?" Xiao Wu muttered softly.
"Of course not. Although Soto City is much larger than Nuoding City, its geographical location is not as favorable as that of Nuoding City. It's not located at the border of the two major empires, and there's not much fertile land... However, here in Soto City, people don't rely on farming for a living. It's closer to the Star Dou Great Forest, so Soul Masters are more common." Tang San explained the reasons. "It can be said that the current human civilization is built on the Soul Beast Forest."
In a normal world without magic, towns and villages like Nuoding City and Holy Spirit Village, with large tracts of arable land, are crucial for the development of civilization.
But in this Douluo Continent, with its magical Soul Beasts, the resources are abundant enough to support all the Soul Masters on the continent, as well as the ordinary people who serve them.
At least for the next two or three thousand years, Soul Beast resources won't be depleted, but precautions must be taken for the future.
At this moment, Tang San and the others had already reached the village entrance, where Flender led the Shrek group to greet them.
"Ha ha, Qin Ming, long time no see. You've grown stronger." Zhao Wuji embraced Qin Ming and patted his back, praising, "Already a Soul Emperor, in a few years, you might surpass me, your old teacher."
"It's all thanks to Teacher Zhao's excellent teachings." Qin Ming smiled in response, exchanging greetings with Lu Qibin and Li Yusong.
"Are these the geniuses from the Tian Dou Royal Academy? They all look quite impressive." Li Yusong looked at Tang San and the others, complimenting, "The little monsters from our academy can't compare."
This statement is not unfounded. In the original work, without Tang San bringing back the Immortal Grass, the Shrek team wouldn't have achieved such good results in the Soul Master competition.
"Uncle."
From the moment he saw the people from Shrek, Yu Tianheng had been staring at Yu Xiao Gang, finally calling out.
Although Yu Xiaogang was a joke in the Douluo world, he had treated Yu Tian Heng well when he was young, so Yu Tianheng still respected him as an uncle.
"Uncle?"
Except for Yu Xiaogang, Yu Tian Heng, and Tang San, who knew the situation, everyone else was stunned.
"That shabby-looking guy is actually Yu Tianheng's uncle?" Yu Feng was astonished. "Is he a real uncle? Is he also from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family?"
Dugu Yan also exclaimed, "It's my first time hearing that Tian Heng has such an uncle... Tang San, did you know?"
"Do you think I'm omniscient? I haven't been to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family." Tang San was speechless. He might be a theoretical master, but he wasn't an intelligence master. "But I do know this person; he's also a theoretical master of Martial Souls, and he became famous a dozen years before me."
After Tang San's reminder, Huo Wu and the others suddenly remembered who Yu Tianheng's uncle was, and their eyes couldn't help but look strange.
"If it's really him, then he's indeed Tianheng's uncle."
"The vice-captain doesn't mind?"
"After all, they're family."
"However, the theories of this master don't seem reliable at all, without corresponding evidence."
Huo Wu and the others discussed quietly, while Huo Wu looked at the calm Tang San and asked, "Have you met this Master Yu... before?"
"I have, at the elementary academy. He and the headmaster of the academy I attended were friends..." Tang San briefly described the story between himself and Yu Xiaogang. "How should I put it, there might be some conflicts between us. After all, after my theories were published, he was often brought out for comparison with me, and he must have felt uncomfortable."
Huo Wu didn't mind. She thought Yu Xiaogang deserved it since his theories were all taken out of context and were just empty talk, right?
However, this wasn't the right time to say such things.
After all, Yu Tianheng was present, and Yu Xiaogang himself was a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family and the son of Yu Yuanzhen. There was no need to mock him to his face, which would only show low emotional intelligence and low intelligence. It would only anger Yu Xiaogang and nothing else.
There were no conflicts of interest, no grudges, so there was no need to stir up trouble.
After catching up with Yu Xiaogang and Yu Tianheng, the gaze fell on the other members of the Tian Dou Royal Academy. When he saw Xiao Wu with her braided hair, the memory of the time when he voluntarily took her as a disciple and was rejected surfaced in Yu Xiaogang's mind.
Both Tang San and Xiao Wu had grown up since then, but Xiao Wu's distinctive feature of long braids was too obvious, wasn't it? Anyone would remember.
Therefore, Yu Xiaogang instantly recognized Xiao Wu and Tang San.
However, Yu Xiaogang didn't say hello; instead, he pretended not to recognize them and chatted with Qin Ming.
After all, Tang San and Xiao Wu had once rejected him. Coming up now would only lead to another rejection, which wasn't necessary.
Moreover, in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, Shrek Academy was about to merge with the Tian Dou Royal Academy. By then, wouldn't he, this "master," have to teach the Tian Dou Royal Academy team? Wouldn't Tang San and Xiao Wu, these two geniuses, also have to call him teacher?
Why bother with an unnecessary conflict?
Entering Shrek Academy.
The people from the Tian Dou Royal Academy had truly broadened their horizons.
Just now, some of them thought the village was like a hidden paradise, but now, those who had that idea felt embarrassed.
What kind of academy is this?
Clearly, it's just a village. The only commendable thing might be that it allowed these children from prestigious families to experience "rural life."
Although poor, Flender still spent money to buy some chickens and sheep from the village, letting Shao Xin take charge of cooking to entertain the people from the Tian Dou Royal Academy.
For Huo Wu and the others, a change of taste once in a while isn't bad at all.
But for Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Guang Ling, however, such meals were actually quite good. After all, the food in the cafeteria on the second floor of the Notting Academy might not be as plentiful as here.
So, these three ate the most naturally.
Next were the Blue Silver Grasses.
After dinner.
The old teachers of Shrek and Qin Ming went to have a chat nearby, while the students of Shrek stayed to accompany the students of the Tian Dou Royal Academy.
"Yu Tian Heng, a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, you must be the captain of the Tian Dou Royal Academy's team, right?" Dai Mubai reached out to shake hands with Yu Tianheng. "I'm Dai Mubai."
As a prince of the Star Luo Empire, he might not be as good as Davos, but he was still shrewd. He realized that Shrek Academy might merge with the Tian Dou Royal Academy, and these Tian Dou team members might be their future classmates.
For this reason, he had to make friends.
As a younger brother, he had always felt that he couldn't beat Dai Weisi because he was too young, so he escaped. But he still harbored some hopes for the throne.
If Shrek were to merge with the Tian Dou Royal Academy, then he might be able to rely on the strength of the Tian Dou team to defeat Dai Weisi in the Soul Master competition, or even leave him with injuries that were hard to heal.
Although he was the prince of the Star Luo Empire, it might be a bit unfair to rely on the power of the Tian Dou Empire's royal family, but there was no rule against it.
Moreover, Dai Mubai had also investigated the Tian Dou team. As a team, its members were not all hereditary nobles of the Tian Dou Empire but children of families and sects that supported the Tian Dou Empire. They did not entirely ride on the same boat as the Tian Dou Empire.
"Nice to meet you." Yu Tian Heng clinked glasses with him. "But I'm just the vice-captain. The real captain is him."
Following Yu Tianheng's arm, Dai Mubai saw Tang San sitting cross-legged on a stool, as if meditating and practicing.
The first impression he got from this person was: young.
But being this young and becoming a captain must mean he had remarkable strength.
"Who is this?" Dai Mubai asked.
"Tang San, our new captain. Just like the Blue Silver Grass girl who defeated you in the Soul Duel, he's also from the Blue Silver Grass, but he's an auxiliary Soul Master, though he's also versatile." Tang San's basic situation was introduced by Yu Tianheng as he noticed Dai Mubai's actions, confirming that he wasn't an ordinary civilian Soul Master and showing intention to get closer to them.
"Tang San? The Martial Soul theory master?" Dai Mubai blurted out, then chuckled at himself, "Ha ha, must be a namesake."
Although Shrek also had a Martial Soul Master, as the prince of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Mubai knew that Tang San was the real master. The only real deal that Yu Xiaogang might have is the method to identify all the Soul Beasts discovered on the main roads so far.
"Indeed, you're the captain of the Tian Dou Royal Academy, practicing diligently every second. But you look even younger than him. How old are you? And what level have you reached?" Dai Mubai asked curiously.
For someone who could endure such rigorous training, Dai Mubai couldn't help but feel disdain for those who didn't know how to enjoy themselves. But deep down, he also admired them to some extent. Hence, he wanted to make friends, perhaps to gain their assistance in the future.
"I'm twelve years old," Yu Tianheng replied, feeling that this wasn't much of a secret, especially since they were members of the Tian Dou Royal team, and no one dared to offend the Tian Dou royal family. "But in terms of strength, he has already reached the Soul Ancestor level. The girl with the long braids next to him, she's also meditating, and her age and soul power level are the same as his."
"Oh my goodness, twelve years old and already a Soul Ancestor? They're truly monsters." Ma Hongjun, whose body had already become spherical, exclaimed, his mouth wide open.
"A Soul Ancestor at twelve? Tang San?" Zhu Zhuqing was also astonished, suddenly wondering, "How could a Blue Silver Grass practitioner progress so quickly?"
Yu Tianheng certainly wouldn't reveal that Tang San was the Martial Soul Theory Master, so he simply said, "His Blue Silver Grass mutated, perhaps allowing for faster progress. We're not sure, as they both joined the Tian Dou Royal Academy not long ago, and they're also of common birth."
Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, commoners, twelve years old, Soul Ancestor...
These pieces of information made Zhu Zhuqing believe that the Tang San before her might indeed be the Martial Soul Theory Master.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun and Oscar were more straightforward, not piecing together the information to speculate. They were simply amazed by the incredible talent of the other party.
As Tang San recalled the mockery he received from Mu Tian after being defeated by Tang San, he gritted his teeth. Soul Ancestor... Why did Tang San progress so quickly?
Could it be that he really couldn't catch up?
"Is the Mysterious Heaven Skill really that powerful?" Mu Tian wondered to himself. "But my Martial Soul is clearly the Moonlight, the God Seal Throne's God of Destruction, Austin Griffin. Could it be that this thing is not as good as a blade of grass?"
"Hey, Mu Tian, it's been a few days since we last met, and you don't even greet me when you see me, huh?" Ning Rongrong noticed Mu Tian staring at Tang San the whole time and immediately caught on to his thoughts. "Or is it that you're still holding a grudge against Tang San for defeating you?"
"Rongrong." Mu Tian snapped out of his thoughts and quickly put on a smile. "I was just pondering why Tang San is so formidable. My Martial Soul possesses the fire attribute, which should counteract Blue Silver Grass, but I couldn't burn Tang San's Blue Silver Grass completely."
"You fought against Tang San?" Ma Hongjun was astonished. He hadn't expected Mu Tian to know Ning Rongrong, let alone have fought against Tang San.
"Yeah, my little follower here," Ning Rongrong said without caring about Mu Tian's expression, smiling as she recounted Mu Tian's encounter with Tang San. "While hunting soul beasts in a forest in Barak, he encountered Tang San and Xiao Wu. He taunted Tang San for being a commoner and challenged him, only to have his Martial Soul dispersed by Tang San."
"Wow, that's impressive! Mu Tian, daring to taunt and challenge a Soul Ancestor!" Oscar, the muscular man, gave Mu Tian a thumbs up, though it wasn't clear if it was mockery or praise. Nonetheless, his behavior seemed a bit irritating to Huo Wu and the others.
"At that time, Tang San was just a Spirit Master," Mu Tian's expression soured a bit, feeling that Oscar lacked insight.
At this moment, Tang San opened his eyes and thought to himself, "My soul power has increased by one level, reaching level forty-two. However, after becoming a Soul Ancestor, the amount of soul power required for each level increases. But within two years, I should be able to reach the Soul King level, and Xiao Wu probably can too."
"Hello, I'm Dai Mubai," Dai Mubai introduced himself to Tang San.
"I'm Tang San."
Tang San didn't seem particularly interested in Dai Mubai's goodwill, but he responded nonetheless, albeit with a flat tone.
This made Dai Mubai a bit unhappy, but he didn't explode in anger. After all, he had already assumed that Tang San was a guy focused on training.
Those Soul Masters who were obsessed with training were generally like this.
However, Xiao Wu and Guanling were familiar with Tang San and understood that it was because Tang San didn't like the other party... Though they didn't know the specific reasons, if Tang San didn't like someone, then they didn't like them either.
Just as Dai Mubai was about to say something else, Flender and the others returned. Qin Ming had a smile on his face as he said, "Everyone, I have an announcement to make. From now on, the teachers and students of Shrek will join the Tian Dou Royal Academy."
Immediately, discussions broke out among Yu Feng and others.
"This doesn't seem right, Teacher Qin Ming," Yu Feng had a different opinion, glancing at Dai Mubai. "It's not so easy to join the Tian Dou Royal Academy. Their strength hasn't even been confirmed yet."
"Do you think I'm not capable?" Dai Mubai squinted his eyes. Despite wanting to be on good terms with the members of the Tian Dou team, he was still a prince with his own pride.
"You're not as impressive as the girls in our team," Yu Feng said boldly. Though he felt he wasn't Dai Mubai's match in a direct confrontation, it was a fact that Dai Mubai and Mu Tian lost to Lan Yinzi and Ye Lingling, right?
Moreover, Dai Mubai's Martial Soul was the White Tiger, capable of contending with Yu Tianheng's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Both were close-combat control-type assault systems, so joining the team in the future would mean contending for the position of vice-captain with Yu Tianheng.
He was siding with Yu Tianheng.
Apart from that, Mu Tian was also a troublemaker. He had conflicts with Captain Tang San, and he had been staring at Captain Tang San just now. If he were to join, he wouldn't cooperate.
He was also siding with Tang San.
Mu Tian?
Not familiar.
Moreover, even Ning Rongrong, who was also from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, didn't care much for this guy, indicating that he wasn't easy to get along with.
Their team already had enough members, including substitutes. There was really no need to add more people. Otherwise, their Tian Dou Royal team could be split into two teams directly.
"What did you say?" Dai Mubai sneered, glaring at Yu Feng, his Tiger King's aura making him take a step back.
"What's wrong?" Although they had already reached an agreement with Qin Ming, Shrek was still Flender's pride and joy. If they were to lose it now, it wouldn't sit well with him. "Quiet down, Dai Mubai. They're guests after all!"
"Hmph!" Dai Mubai snorted, but he still glared at Yu Feng, thinking about how to teach this kid a lesson in the future.
"I know everyone is a bit surprised, but Dean Flender has already told me that these students from Shrek are geniuses among commoners, with talents comparable to most of you," Qin Ming said.
"That's right, we're all geniuses, just a bit short on resources," Ma Hongjun said sarcastically. "Senior Qin Ming graduated from our Shrek. To put it bluntly, you call Senior Qin Ming 'teacher,' so should you call us 'senior uncle.'"
Upon hearing this, members of the Tian Dou Royal team were all shocked and angry.
"Hehe!" Huo Wu sneered, staring at Ma Hongjun. "Thinking of being our senior uncle? You're not qualified! Besides..."
Qin Ming was just the leader of the Tian Dou Royal team. Calling him "teacher" was just a form of respect, not actually apprenticing to him.
What was this about being senior uncles?
But Huo Wu didn't say these words in front of Qin Ming. She just said, "Teacher Qin Ming, these people want to join the Tian Dou Royal Academy. Shouldn't their strength be decent? Let me see how capable they really are."
Qin Ming was a little worried. "But..."
"No problem," Yu Xiaogang said. "You're all geniuses, and it's normal to have pride. But I believe that the children from our academy are not inferior."
"But, Huo Wu is a Soul Ancestor," Qin Ming felt that even if they were going to compete, it shouldn't be against a Soul Ancestor.
"It's okay," Yu Xiaogang shook his head and looked at Huo Wu. "But Qin Ming is right. You're a Soul Ancestor, and the strongest in our academy, due to resource issues, is only a Soul Sage. It's not suitable for a one-on-one match..."
"If one-on-one won't work, then let's make it one against five," Huo Wu interrupted Yu Xiaogang. "I'll take on all five of them. If they can defeat me, I'll acknowledge the strength of their entire team."
Yu Xiaogang frowned.
One against five?
This wasn't a joke.
Originally, he just wanted to have a two-on-one match, with Dai Mubai and his disciple Oscar teaming up. With one Soul Master and one Soul Grandmaster, they should be able to match up against a Soul Ancestor, or even exceed them.
And Oscar was a food-type support system, which most people didn't consider to have combat capabilities. He was seen as a burden instead.
Yu Xiaogang wanted him to participate just to maintain the appearance of fairness.
Why did he say "appearance"?
Because after Yu Xiaogang's training, Oscar's combat capabilities were not weak. Moreover, Yu Xiaogang helped him choose his second soul ring, giving him unexpected attack power.
In Yu Xiaogang's opinion, Dai Mubai and Oscar were enough to deal with a Soul Ancestor who had recently reached that level, with a soul power level of less than forty-five.
However, he didn't expect Huo Wu to be so arrogant as to want a one-on-five match.
"Is this unfair to you?" Yu Xiaogang asked.
"In the world, there's no such thing as too much fairness," Huo Wu said as she walked to an open space nearby, addressing Ma Hongjun and the others. "Come on, let me see how well you five can coordinate. If you can't gain my approval, even if you join the Tian Dou Royal Academy with Teacher Qin Ming's help, don't expect to enter our Tian Dou Royal team."
"Little girl, today I'll show you what true strength is," Ma Hongjun's temper wasn't very good, and he couldn't stand Huo Wu's arrogance. He turned to Dai Mubai and said, "Dai Boss, Oscar, Mu Tian, Zhu Qing, let's go."
However, only Dai Mubai and Oscar followed Ma Hongjun, while Mu Tian and Zhu Qing stayed where they were, as if rooted to the spot.
"What's wrong? Do you two have some conflict?" Huo Wu's expression turned mocking. "Just the three of you won't be my match."
"Zhu Qing, now's not the time to be stubborn," Dai Mubai turned around and said to Zhu Qing. "This concerns our future!"
Upon Dai Mubai's reminder, Zhu Qing pursed her lips reluctantly but walked over nonetheless.
After all, Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and the others' gazes were on her.
Finally, Mu Tian also walked over. After all, he was now a member of Shrek as well. If he didn't take sides, he feared he wouldn't leave a good impression on Flender and the others.
"Huo Wu, Martial Soul: Sun Goddess, level forty-three long-range output-type Soul Master, also proficient in close combat control," Huo Wu shouted, pointing her finger and summoning a Sun Goddess with burning golden-red hair, crossed arms, and dressed in a black and gold-patterned battle dress, resembling another Huo Wu.
"What a unique Martial Soul," Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up, feeling that the strength of this Martial Soul could already rival that of the Angel Martial Soul in the Spirit Hall.
"Dai Mubai, Martial Soul: White Tiger, level thirty-nine close combat control-type assault Soul Master, supplemented by long-range output."
"Ma Hongjun, Martial Soul: Evil Fire Phoenix, level twenty-nine long-range output-type assault Soul Master."
"Oscar, Martial Soul: Sausage, level thirty food-type support Soul Master."
"Mu Tian, Martial Soul: Moonlight, level thirty-one strong assault-type Soul Master, capable of both close combat and long-range combat, quite balanced."
"Zhu Qing, Martial Soul: Shadowy Spirit Cat, level thirty assassination-type agile assault Soul Master."
(End of this chapter)