Di Tian stood up, his golden eyes filled with an imposing pressure as he stared at the five other beasts.
"Today, you all understand the identity of the Young Master. Next, there's something I need you to do."
"You are to inform your respective clans, and also notify other clans with one-hundred-thousand-year soul beasts."
"Tell them to manage their clans well. If any soul beast over ten thousand years dares to disrespect the Young Master, I will personally skin them."
Di Tian's tone was stern. He was someone who valued hierarchical order greatly.
Now that Su Yu was the Soul Beast Clan's Young Master, Di Tian would not tolerate any Soul Beast over ten thousand years showing him disrespect.
As for soul beasts under ten thousand years, except for those with inherently noble bloodlines, most had relatively low intelligence.
They mostly acted on instinct, possessing some intelligence but not much.
Expecting them to recognize Su Yu was unlikely.
"Understood!" the five rulers nodded, indicating their agreement.
"Especially you, Bear Lord. Your Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears are all brutes. If any of them, in their ignorance, accidentally harms the Young Master, I'll cut off your claws."
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears were incredibly powerful, and their dark gold claws were particularly terrifying in terms of destructive power.
Even a hundred-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear could pose a lethal threat to Su Yu.
Moreover, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears were known for their love of fighting and their lack of brains. If they lost their temper, they might attack.
That's why Di Tian had to give Bear Lord an extra warning.
Being specifically called out, Bear Lord's face turned dark. Damn, why is he always targeting me?
What, just because I once challenged Di Tian and scratched him with my Dark Gold Terrorclaw?
Is he holding a grudge for that?
I got beaten up even worse by Di Tian!
Bear Lord felt bitter but said nothing.
Since getting beaten up by Di Tian, he had become a bit timid.
If Di Tian got angry, one Dragon God Claw strike would be enough to cripple him.
"I understand," Bear Lord grumbled in a low voice.
"Good. Now you can all return. Oh, and be sure to send a batch of heavenly treasures soon. The Young Master will be needing them."
Di Tian waved his hand, dismissing the beasts.
The mighty beasts all gave their farewells to Su Yu before leaving.
"Uncle Tian!"
Su Yu looked at Di Tian.
"Young Master, what can I do for you?"
Di Tian asked respectfully.
"Uncle Tian, just call me Yu'er or Little Yu. You keep calling me Young Master, and it feels too distant."
Su Yu shook his head.
He truly wasn't used to it.
"Proper etiquette must be observed. Your status is different now, and there can be no overstepping," Di Tian refused.
Previously, Su Yu was just Su Yu, but from this moment on, he was the Young Master of the Soul Beast Clan.
He was now Di Tian's little lord, and with Di Tian's nature, there would be no room for any disrespect.
Su Yu felt helpless. Di Tian was stubborn and hard to persuade. After several failed attempts to change his mind, Su Yu could only let it go.
But he sighed inwardly. Now that Di Tian and Bi Ji had started addressing him formally, the only person left who still called him Little Yu was Sister Xuan.
He wondered how Sister Xuan was doing now. If she was being bullied…
At that thought, a glint of coldness flashed in Su Yu's eyes.
Then no one should blame me for tearing down Shrek Academy.
...
The next morning.
Su Yu began his daily training.
As usual, he was carrying a large cauldron while running around the Lake of Life.
With his increased strength, he had switched to a larger model of the cauldron.
The one he was carrying now weighed two thousand pounds.
As he trained by the Lake of Life, every step he took left a deep footprint.
After running ten kilometers with the cauldron, Su Yu was gasping for breath as he set it down, his whole body drenched in sweat.
When unsure how to schedule his training, weighted running was indeed a good option.
However, weighted running had its techniques. Over-exerting oneself could damage the body, causing permanent injuries that would never heal.
Su Yu could train this way because of his unique physique and the heavenly treasures he had consumed.
For ordinary people, it was best to know their limits, especially children in their developmental stages—they shouldn't overdo it.
In the original story, Zhou Yi's approach of making everyone do extremely weighted running without considering their situation or soul master class could easily ruin people.
If Huo Yuhao hadn't been blessed with extraordinary luck and constant opportunities, Zhou Yi, that old witch, would have ruined him long ago.
Her so-called high graduation rate was partly due to arbitrarily expelling students—fewer students meant a smaller base, and of course, the graduation rate would appear higher.
The other reason was that she burned through the students' future potential. They progressed quickly at first, but by the time they reached the Soul King or Soul Emperor level, they would find it nearly impossible to break through further.
Their potential had already been prematurely exhausted.
And yet, such teachers were revered at Shrek Academy as strict but excellent instructors.
Su Yu didn't know what to say about that.
He could only conclude that having a deep background was great.
In this world, having connections is crucial.
Leaning against the large cauldron, gasping for air, Su Yu finally recovered after about fifteen minutes.
He took out a bottle of water, sipping slowly to replenish the fluids his body needed.
After another fifteen minutes, Su Yu had stopped sweating.
Feeling sticky and uncomfortable, Su Yu slowly undressed and jumped into the Lake of Life.
The life-filled waters soaked his body, and Su Yu let out a comfortable moan.
The water of the Lake of Life not only refreshed the mind but also provided great benefits to the body after prolonged soaking.
As Su Yu was enjoying his bath, a strange soul beast slowly approached the Lake of Life.
This soul beast was about three meters long and stood eight feet tall, its body covered in a layer of radiant golden fur.
Its entire body seemed semi-transparent, like crystal, giving it an otherworldly texture.
It resembled a lion in shape, but its four paws were like those of a dragon, each one stepping on a cluster of golden flames.
Its mouth was longer than that of typical lion-like soul beasts, and beneath its fur, there appeared to be fine golden scales.
Aside from its normal pair of eyes, it also had a third eye—a vertical pupil.
The two normal eyes gleamed with golden light, while the third eye emitted a strange red glow, carrying a hint of mystique.
By human standards, this soul beast would be considered extraordinarily beautiful.
Its beauty surpassed even that of the Ice Empress.
Moreover, it moved without making a sound, silently approaching the Lake of Life, and Su Yu hadn't even sensed its presence.
One step at a time, it reached the edge of the lake. Just as it was about to lower its head to drink, its gaze met Su Yu's, who was bathing in the lake.
Suddenly, both of them froze.
The atmosphere became still, and their eyes locked in silence, neither speaking a word.
Su Yu's expression turned slightly awkward. He hadn't expected that, of all times, he would encounter the Three-Eyed Golden Lion while taking a bath.
Yes, Su Yu immediately recognized the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Although he had never seen the Three-Eyed Golden Lion before, its features were too distinct. Three eyes, golden fur, and an appearance that could be called the pinnacle of soul beast beauty—there was no way Su Yu could mistake it.
Speaking of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, its fate was quite tragic. It was one of the characters Su Yu sympathized with the most when reading the story.
As the Emperor Auspicious Beast, it bore the destiny of the Star Dou Forest and possessed the rare Golden Dragon bloodline, making it extremely noble. But it was precisely this nobility that brought it misfortune.
It was because of this that it was targeted by the God King Tang San. Through a series of schemes, it was ultimately sacrificed to Huo Yuhao, and its destiny and bloodline were completely taken away, indirectly benefiting the Tang Clan.
Losing the Auspicious Beast caused the Star Dou Forest to lose its fortune, and the soul beast lineage fell into decline ever since. You could say that the soul beasts of the Douluo Continent were genuinely pitiful and deserving of sympathy.
This was also one of the reasons Su Yu didn't resist much and accepted Di Tian's arrangement to become the soul beasts' Young Master. Possessing the power of the Dragon God was one reason, but another was that the soul beasts had indeed suffered greatly, and Su Yu didn't mind helping them to the extent that he could.
Of course, Di Tian and Bi Ji's influence also played a part.
Su Yu stared at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion stared back at him, its golden eyes filled with human-like confusion.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion spoke, its voice crisp and pleasant, clearly feminine.
She had seen humans before, but why was there a human child in the Lake of Life? Did Uncle Di Tian and the others not notice at all?
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion tilted her head, puzzled.
"And who are you?"
Su Yu asked back deliberately.
"Why are you spying on me while I'm taking a bath?"
Three-Eyed Golden Lion: ?????
"Who's spying on you? Wait, you're bathing here?"
This was the Lake of Life! And this child dared to bathe in it?
"Why shouldn't I bathe here?"
Su Yu crossed his arms, speaking confidently.
"You… this water is for drinking! Get out of there!"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's crisp voice became more forceful.
If this guy bathed here, wouldn't that mean she'd be drinking his bathwater from now on? Anger surged within the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
"You think I'll just get out because you say so? That would be embarrassing for me! I refuse!"
Su Yu raised his head, continuing to tease the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
"You…"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was livid, about to jump into the water and teach Su Yu a lesson.
At that moment, a green light flashed, and Bi Ji appeared.
Seeing the standoff between Su Yu and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, her eye twitched.
How did these two little troublemakers end up together?
She quickly stepped forward.
"No fighting, we're all on the same side."
She was worried the Auspicious Beast might hurt Su Yu.
At his current strength, Su Yu couldn't possibly defeat the Auspicious Beast.
"Aunt Bi Ji," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion complained, "he's bathing in the Lake of Life! I told him to get out, but he won't listen."
The Auspicious Beast was upset and felt wronged. She almost drank bathwater!
Meanwhile, Su Yu wasn't backing down.
"Aunt Bi, I just finished my morning training and wanted to take a bath. Then she came and started spying on me."
"I did not!"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was instantly furious, hearing Su Yu accuse her of spying again.
"Alright, alright," Bi Ji said, trying to mediate.
"Young Master, the Auspicious Beast wasn't spying on you. This is just a misunderstanding."
She turned to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and said, "The Young Master just arrived and isn't familiar with things yet. Be magnanimous and don't hold it against him."
"Young Master?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was startled and confused.
Since when did the soul beasts have a Young Master? And it was this little kid?
While Bi Ji calmed down the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, she turned back to Su Yu and said, "Young Master, hurry up and finish your bath. We're starting your training today."
"Okay, Aunt Bi," Su Yu replied, then fixed his gaze on Bi Ji and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Bi Ji coughed, patted the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's head, and walked away.
Before turning away, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion threw a glance at Su Yu, a hint of defiance in her eyes.
It was clear that Su Yu had now been marked by this Auspicious Beast.
Su Yu didn't mind, grinning before quickly finishing his bath and putting on clean clothes.
Chewing on a fruit, Su Yu shook his slightly damp hair as he walked toward Bi Ji, who wasn't far away.
Bi Ji and the Auspicious Beast were sitting under a tree, and when they saw Su Yu, Bi Ji waved him over.
"Aunt Bi," Su Yu called out as he jogged up.
Seeing that the Auspicious Beast still seemed a little upset, Su Yu chuckled inwardly and pulled out a fruit, offering it to her.
"Want some fruit?"
"Hmph!"
The Auspicious Beast huffed and turned her head away.
"Playing hard to get, huh?"
Su Yu chuckled to himself, putting the fruit back and taking a bite himself. "Fine, more for me."
This little action made the Auspicious Beast tremble with annoyance.
"Alright, Young Master, stop teasing her," Bi Ji said, having figured out that Su Yu was intentionally provoking the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Though the Auspicious Beast was 15,000 years old, she was still as simple-minded as a little girl, without much guile.
Su Yu, though only six years old, was as cunning as a little fox. There was no way the Auspicious Beast could keep up with him.
If this continued, Bi Ji was worried the Auspicious Beast might suffer emotionally.
After all, she had watched both of them grow up, and she couldn't bear seeing either of them upset.
"Fine," Su Yu said, finishing the fruit in a couple of bites, and then putting on an innocent face.
"Aunt Bi, what are we learning today?"
Bi Ji smiled gently and said, "Starting today, we'll focus on both theoretical and practical lessons."
"In the mornings, we'll cover various theories. The theory classes will include the lifespan of different soul beasts, their characteristics, combat methods, and their habits and preferences."
"In the afternoons, we'll focus on practical combat. Unlike soul masters, we don't divide things so strictly, but we have our strengths. When it comes to understanding soul beasts, humans are far behind us."
"As for practical combat, the Star Dou Forest has a wide variety of soul beasts, so you'll experience a much richer and more direct fighting style than what human academies offer."
"In a sense, our practical combat is more authentic. Low-level soul beasts don't know how to hold back like humans do."
Bi Ji spoke meaningfully.
Hearing this, Su Yu nodded in agreement.
The battles between soul beasts were more primal, more brutal, and more real. Humans had reason and knew how to pull their punches. But soul beasts didn't! Their attacks were more ferocious and deadly.
On the flip side, if Su Yu could survive such practical combat, his fighting style would become incredibly sharp, decisive, and direct.