That evening, Chen Xuan returned home to find the dinner table already set with a sumptuous feast. There were six dishes and two soups, featuring an abundance of fish and meat—a truly lavish spread.
"Brother, if you were any later, the food would've gotten cold," Chen Yiyi crossed her arms, clearly a bit annoyed.
Chen Xuan reached out and pinched her now fuller cheeks, smiling as he said, "You seem to be in a good mood. I thought this trip would've left you sulking."
Chen Yiyi slapped away his mischievous hand and puffed up in frustration, "What trip? It was more like a hellish escape! Brother, you don't even know—you almost had to say goodbye to both me and Sister Zhuzhu."
She patted her chest, looking as if she had just narrowly escaped death.
Chen Xuan ruffled her hair and chuckled, "Silly girl, don't talk nonsense. Even if I had to risk my life, I'd still make sure you had a chance to escape."
"It's not that, Brother. You don't know what happened later," Chen Yiyi said, still looking frightened as she clutched her chest. "After we escaped, we didn't get far before this creepy guy with glasses blocked our way. Sister Zhuzhu said she couldn't even beat him! We almost died right there."
"Guy with glasses?" Chen Xuan frowned, then recalled a young man with glasses in his mind. "You're talking about that young man named Gu Jianchao, right?"
Chen Yiyi nodded seriously, confirming it was indeed him. She didn't remember his name but described him as looking rather sleazy.
"It seems likely he knows Zhuqing," Chen Xuan said thoughtfully.
That young man, Gu Jianchao, was a Soul King. He had probably been sent by the bald Soul Saint to chase them down. No wonder he hadn't been in a rush to stop Zhu Zhuqing and Chen Yiyi from escaping.
However, for some unknown reason, Gu Jianchao eventually let Chen Yiyi go. One thing was certain: he knew Zhu Zhuqing.
"Let's not talk about it anymore. The important thing is that you're both safe. Now, let's eat," Chen Xuan forced a smile, trying to keep things light.
But deep inside, he felt far from calm. This experience had been a wake-up call for him. The world of soul masters was far from peaceful. It was filled with blood, tears, and hidden dangers—things a newcomer like him wasn't fully prepared for.
Chen Xuan vowed to learn from this and take better precautions in the future. Next time, they might not be so lucky.
Indeed, living in a peaceful time and suddenly being thrust into a world of combat, with scheming hearts and crafty opponents, he realized he was still too young and hadn't thought things through enough.
The next day.
Recently, Emperor Xue Ye had given all the academies a break, with about a month left before the promotion tournament.
Chen Xuan, now back to a peaceful life, trained with his younger sister. Their house, located in the suburbs, provided a quiet environment with few distractions.
Taking advantage of this time, he worked on developing some practical ninjutsu techniques, such as the Lightning Shield Kirin and the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Besides that, he focused heavily on his reaction time, mental strength, and perception—skills critical for perfecting the Flying Thunder God Technique.
With dozens or even hundreds of markings placed, if his perception and mental strength were lacking, he'd easily get confused and disoriented. Precise spatial movement would be impossible among so many markings.
Time passed quickly, and in a blink, fifteen days had passed, with about half a month left until the tournament began.
During this time, Flender sent word, requesting Chen Xuan to return to the team to train with the Shrek Seven Devils, improve their teamwork, and undergo special training with Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang.
Chen Xuan politely declined, explaining that he had his own training plan and that Grandmaster's methods might not suit him.
However, he didn't completely shut the door on the idea. He agreed to rejoin the team in the latter half of the month to work on their coordination.
In the past fifteen days, Chen Xuan hadn't trained his soul power much. His current level—Rank 47—was enough. Advancing further might raise suspicion, so it was best to keep things as they were for now.
Over this half-month, his Rasenshuriken had taken shape and was almost complete.
During this period, Chen Yiyi's soul power had also improved, advancing from Rank 12 to Rank 13—a relatively quick pace compared to other soul masters at her level.
In the final ten days before the tournament, Chen Xuan left his home and returned to Shrek Academy to participate in team training.
Shrek had been training in a simulated environment at the former Blue Tyrant Academy. This area featured various weather conditions, including extreme cold and heat, providing them with rigorous physical conditioning.
In the simulated environment:
"Little Chen, what level is your soul power now?" Flender asked as he noticed how little he actually knew about this student.
"Still at Rank 41, but I feel close to a breakthrough," Chen Xuan replied, fabricating a harmless lie.
"Good, keep up the hard work," Flender patted him on the shoulder, encouraging him.
They stood in a simulated world of snow and ice. The sky was white, snow was falling heavily, and the cold weather was biting. In the distance, a snow-covered mountain loomed. The Shrek Seven Devils were each carrying large baskets of rocks as they climbed the mountain.
Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong were also nearby, noticing Chen Xuan as he entered the environment.
"Xiaogang, Erlong, I've brought him. From now on, let Chen train with the rest of the little monsters," Flender said, leading Chen Xuan to the two of them.
Having recognized Chen Xuan's potential and the uniqueness of his space-related martial spirit, Flender wanted to cultivate him carefully.
Even though Chen Xuan was older, about the same age as Dai Mubai, it didn't change the fact that he had the qualities of a "monster." Not making him a full team member would be a waste.
"Chen's foundation is solid, and with the right effort, he'll definitely catch up with Tang San and the others," Flender said with confidence.
"Chen Xuan was originally one of my Blue Tyrant Academy students. His talent was always exceptional," Liu Erlong said proudly.
Chen Xuan had been part of her advanced class, which she had personally mentored. Now that one of her students had grown to match Shrek's little monsters, it proved her teaching abilities.
Half a month ago, Flender had discussed with her the idea of including Chen Xuan in the group, believing he had great potential and deserved the same treatment as the other "monsters."
Listening to their conversation, Chen Xuan finally understood. No wonder they'd asked him to return for team training. They'd seen his talent.
Naturally, he wouldn't refuse. This was a chance to stop being a benchwarmer. The more competitions he participated in, the more recognition he'd gain, and with that, more opportunities would come his way.
However, Chen Xuan couldn't help but notice that Yu Xiaogang kept a scowl on his face, barely acknowledging him, as if he didn't want him there at all.
Chen Xuan could guess why. Yu Xiaogang clearly resisted his joining the team, but likely agreed under pressure from Flender and other circumstances.
Chen Xuan knew the kind of man Yu Xiaogang was—the type who had abandoned Bibi Dong only to fall in love with another woman, and that woman happened to be his relative. He wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue.
Everyone knew that the Grandmaster was a prideful, petty man. Anyone who crossed him was in for trouble.
In the past, Chen Xuan would have avoided him. After all, the Grandmaster was known for holding grudges and would likely retaliate subtly.
But now, Chen Xuan's perspective had shifted. If the Grandmaster pushed him too far, he'd deal with it—perhaps outside of Shrek Academy, where he could strike back in secret.
In the end, under Flender's arrangement, Chen Xuan officially joined the Shrek team. Like the others, he trained in the simulated environment and worked on improving their teamwork.
"Chen Xuan, I misunderstood you and Zhuqing. I, Dai Mubai, apologize to you," said Dai Mubai openly, admitting his mistake in front of everyone once Chen Xuan joined the group.
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