In Shrek Academy, Xuanzi was one of the people he disliked the most.
Since it was destined that he and Shrek Academy would never be friends, causing them some trouble wasn't an issue.
Besides, in the original story, Xuanzi was outrageously arrogant when he bullied the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. He even severely injured her with a single palm, almost killing her.
Su Yu was the kind of person who fiercely protected what was his. Even though it hadn't happened yet, the thought of it still made him uncomfortable. He never claimed to be a good person.
He wouldn't even bear to bully the Three-Eyed Golden Lion himself, so how could that old scoundrel Xuanzi dare to?
If Su Yu didn't make him suffer, he wouldn't be living up to his name.
Bear Lord's Sky-Tearing Claw could even injure Di Tian, so how could Xuanzi possibly be a match for Bear Lord? Among all the Rank 98 Super Douluos, Xuanzi was undoubtedly the weakest.
"Uncle Bear Lord, since the Taotie Douluo is from Shrek Academy, you should still be a bit careful. At the very least, don't be too reckless," Su Yu reminded him, genuinely worried.
He was afraid Bear Lord might lose his temper and go storming into Shrek Academy. Shrek Academy still had the half-crippled Mu En and the protection of the Golden Tree. If Bear Lord went in alone, he could easily suffer losses.
"Don't worry, Young Master. I'm not foolish enough to charge into Shrek City. I'll wait for them to come to the Star Dou Forest," Bear Lord said.
"As long as they dare to come... hehehe..."
Bear Lord let out a sinister laugh, his face filled with ruthlessness, his killing intent entirely unconcealed.
Su Yu's expression turned strange. Bear Lord could be led astray with just a few words, yet he also knew how to wait and ambush his enemies. Su Yu didn't know how to evaluate him.
"By the way, Uncle Bear Lord, if you ever encounter people from Shrek Academy, and among them, there's a young female soul master who looks like this, do not harm her. She's very important to me," Su Yu said, pulling out a portrait. It depicted a beautiful girl with long black hair draped over her shoulders, exuding a gentle and graceful aura.
Bear Lord lowered his head, carefully examining the portrait, then patted his chest.
"Rest assured, Young Master, I won't harm her."
This small request from Su Yu was something Bear Lord could certainly remember.
"Then I can rest easy," Su Yu smiled, putting away the portrait. He then said with a grin, "Let's go, Uncle Bear Lord. Let's head to the Lake of Life. I'll treat you to some barbecue."
"Then I won't hold back," Bear Lord's eyes lit up at the mention. Su Yu's cooking skills were famously good, and the aroma of his food was so tempting that Bear Lord simply couldn't resist. He had been fortunate enough to taste it twice, and he still remembered the flavor—it was irresistible for a bear.
"Heh heh, no need to be polite with me," Su Yu chuckled, rubbing the head of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, which instantly turned into a streak of golden light and disappeared.
Bear Lord scratched his head and followed suit.
...
Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy, Xuanzi, who was eating a chicken leg, suddenly sneezed, spraying bits of meat covered in saliva all over the ground. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and mumbled, "Who's thinking about me? Why do I feel a chill down my spine?"
...
This was a palace-like building, with golden glazed tiles gleaming brightly in the sunlight. The palace had a golden roof and red doors, its ancient and grand style evoking a sense of solemnity.
From a distance, the mist surrounding the palace and the vastness of the estate made it seem endless as if it had been carved from a single block.
A towering main gate, standing over five zhang (about 16 meters) tall, bore the words "Duke's Mansion" in bold characters.
This massive estate, covering more than 3,000 acres, was not located in any city but was built independently fifty li (about 25 kilometers) northwest of Star Lou City, the capital of the Star Luo Empire. This alone showed the esteemed status of the owner within the Star Luo Empire.
At midday, the bright sunlight bathed the golden glazed tiles of the Duke's Mansion, casting a dazzling golden hue over the entire estate, making it visible even from the city walls of Star Luo City.
Inside the Duke's Mansion, in a training field, several people were engaged in fierce combat.
At the center of the training field stood a young man, about 1.75 meters tall, with golden hair parted down the middle and draped over his shoulders. His face was cold and handsome, and his deep blue eyes contained a rare condition known as double pupils.
Behind him was the phantom image of a white tiger. His arms were covered in white fur, extending into sharp tiger claws. Beneath him, two yellow soul rings glowed brightly.
"White Tiger Shield Body Barrier!"
With a clear shout, his body suddenly grew an inch taller, his muscles bulging and stretching his clothes, as a protective barrier visibly appeared around him.
With a tiger's roar, he charged towards the three people across from him, his sharp tiger claws striking directly at one of them.
Faced with the young man's attack, the opponents didn't dare be careless. Their soul rings—one white, one yellow—flashed, and their bodies became illusory as they dodged his attack, countering from the side.
At the same time, the other two launched their attacks on the young man. All three of them had two soul rings—one white, one yellow.
Remarkably, all three were at the rank of Great Soul Master.
Facing the combined assault of three Great Soul Masters, the young man's expression grew serious, but there was no fear. Instead, his face became colder.
He dodged one of the attacks and, relying on his strong defense, engaged in close combat.
Each of his moves was powerful and aggressive, embodying the essence of an assault-type battle soul master.
"Go, Huabin!" a girl outside the training field cheered him on.
The girl looked about eleven or twelve years old, with sleek black hair. She was tall, with delicate features. Her eyes had different colors, and though still youthful, her beauty was evident.
What stood out most was that, although she was young, certain parts of her body were surprisingly well-developed. Her mature physique was eye-catching, something most women would struggle to match.
Perhaps encouraged by her cheers, the young man fought with renewed vigor. He managed to fight all three Great Soul Masters simultaneously, forcing them to retreat step by step.
"White Tiger Intense LightWave!"
The young man spat out a beam of white light, knocking one of the soul masters flying. Then, with his sharp tiger claws, he swiftly brought down another Great Soul Master.
The last of the Great Soul Masters, overwhelmed by his relentless assault, could no longer hold out and soon lost.
Having defeated all three Great Soul Masters in quick succession, the young man let out a tiger's roar to vent his battle fervor.
"Huabin!"
Seeing his clean and decisive victory, the black-haired girl clapped excitedly and ran onto the field.
"Second Young Master's strength is growing stronger and stronger. We are in awe."
The three Great Soul Masters slowly stood up, flattering the young man.
Despite their compliments, his face remained cold.
His gaze was cold, with a hint of resentment.
"It's not enough. This is far from enough. It's still not enough for me to defeat that guy."
Dai Huabin's face twisted with anger, his fists clenched so tightly that they cracked, and the veins on his arms bulged.
He had always been proud, but when he was eight years old, he experienced the greatest humiliation of his life.
A white-haired boy pinned him to the ground with just one hand and gave him a brutal beating.
No matter how desperately he released his martial soul or unleashed his power, it was useless.
That person didn't even use his martial soul, yet completely suppressed him.
He was born noble—when had he ever been humiliated like that?
He swore he would have his revenge.
Now, more than two years had passed, and his soul power had already reached the level of a Rank 29 Great Soul Master.
It was only a matter of time before he broke through to Soul Elder.
He swore he would make that guy pay a heavy price.
"Huabin, with your talent, you can defeat him."
"And with me by your side, I'll help you. With our martial soul fusion skill, no matter how strong he is, he will eventually be our defeated foe."
The black-haired girl moved closer, speaking softly to comfort him.
This girl was Dai Huabin's fiancée, from the Zhu family, and her martial soul was the Hell Spirit Cat.
Together with Dai Huabin, they had a martial soul fusion skill: the Hell White Tiger.
Ever since the original Shrek Seven Monsters became gods ten thousand years ago, the Hell White Tiger martial soul fusion skill has become famous.
Because of this, Zhu Lu was very confident.
Seeing Zhu Lu comforting him, Dai Huabin's expression softened slightly, though his eyes remained cold.
If he could, he wouldn't want to rely on external help. But no matter how fast he progressed, he still didn't have absolute confidence he could defeat that person.
The impression left on him back then was too deep. It was becoming his inner demon.
That person wasn't much older than him; he might even be the same age.
If he was progressing, it was likely that person was too.
So, he had to prepare for other contingencies.
As for Zhu Lu, he didn't have any feelings for her.
Their engagement was purely because of the Hell White Tiger's martial soul fusion skill.
The Dai family and Zhu family had been intermarrying for generations, and his engagement to Zhu Lu was tied to family interests.
Although he didn't like it, he couldn't oppose the family—this was reason number one.
As for reason number two, the Hell White Tiger was undeniably a powerful force, especially as they grew stronger. The role of the Hell White Tiger would only become more significant.
This powerful force was something he wasn't willing to give up.
It was also one of the key advantages he would have over his older brother in the future.
Seeing that Dai Huabin's mood had improved, Zhu Lu smiled sweetly. "Huabin, you've been training for so long now. You need to relax a bit."
"Let's go to Star Luo City and walk around. You can't stay so tense all the time."
For the past two years, Dai Huabin had been training relentlessly, as if possessed.
She couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him.
That guy who humiliated him back then—whoever it was—deserved to die.
If she ever found out who it was, she wouldn't let them off easily.
Dai Huabin nodded slightly and didn't refuse. Giving Zhu Lu some attention from time to time was also a way to maintain their relationship.
Receiving his approval, Zhu Lu's face lit up with joy, and she grabbed Dai Huabin's arm, leading him outside.
The servants who attended to Dai Huabin quickly cleared the way.
"The Second Young Master is going out. Make way!"
A group of attendants surrounded Dai Huabin, moving in a grand procession toward the gate.
The servants in the mansion quickly stepped aside, not daring to block the path.
In this mansion, who didn't know about the Second Young Master's temper?
At that moment, a young boy in patched clothes was walking from the other end of the road, carrying a basin of freshly washed clothes.
He happened to cross paths with the attendants clearing the way.
"Kid, get out of the way. Don't block the path."
One of the attendants casually shoved the frail boy, knocking him to the ground. The basin tipped over, and the clothes scattered across the ground.
"What's going on?"
Dai Huabin, noticing the commotion behind him, frowned.
"Second Young Master, it's just a foolish servant from the mansion who doesn't know his place and dared to block your path."
The attendant smiled obsequiously at Dai Huabin.
"Doesn't know the rules? Beat him."
Dai Huabin waved his hand dismissively.
He was already in a bad mood, and now someone had the nerve to get in his way.
"Yes, Second Young Master!"
The attendants grinned maliciously and stepped forward, kicking and punching the frail boy.
The boy curled into a ball, using his hands to cover his vital areas, letting out muffled groans as he was beaten by the group.
"Let's go."
Dai Huabin didn't even glance in that direction, and with his entourage, he walked away arrogantly.
Meanwhile, the attendants continued to beat the boy for several minutes before spitting at him and walking off with a string of curses.
The boy was left lying on the ground, his body occasionally twitching.
It took more than half an hour before the frail boy finally seemed to recover. He struggled to his feet, trembling.
Covered in dirt, his clothes and hair disheveled, with streaks of blood at the corner of his mouth, the boy shakily gathered the now-filthy clothes that had fallen into the mud.
Then, step by step, he dragged his heavy body into a small, shabby woodshed.
The woodshed was secluded and cramped, without even a proper bed or bedding.
No one would expect that such a simple place could exist within the Duke's Mansion.
The boy closed the door, set the wooden basin aside, and sat down on a stone in front of the doorway.
He finally lifted his head, which had been hanging low.
It was a fairly ordinary face, at most somewhat refined, but not handsome.
His face still had a hint of youth, but it was sickly pale, indicating that his body was likely frail.
Especially after the severe beating he had just endured, the boy couldn't stop coughing, the sound of blood being coughed up audible.
The boy's eyes were a deep blue, with a gleam that was uncommon for ordinary people.
His eyes seemed rather special.
The boy's name was Yuhao, and his martial soul was his eyes, known as the Spirit Eyes.
The Spirit Eyes were a body martial soul, with a spiritual attribute.
In theory, possessing a body martial soul should have made the boy a rare genius, but in reality, that wasn't the case.
Yuhao had been born frail, and when his martial soul awakened, his innate soul power was only at Rank 1—a sign of extremely poor talent.
With such limited talent, his cultivation speed was destined to be extremely slow.
Moreover, spiritual-type soul beasts were far rarer than ordinary soul beasts, making it incredibly difficult to find a suitable soul ring.
As a result, Yuhao's Spirit Eyes hadn't attracted much attention.
After all, with these two limitations, it was almost inevitable that Yuhao's future would hold little promise.