20+ Advance chapters on Patreon
Tang San nodded, then paused as if something clicked. "Oh, right, Teacher, I noticed something strange."
"Go on," Yu Xiaogang replied, his voice steady but intrigued.
"When I use my Blue Silver Grass martial soul, I feel a strong resonance with Dai Mubai."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up instantly. "It's a martial soul fusion technique!"
Tang San blinked in confusion. "Martial soul fusion technique?"
Yu Xiaogang's excitement bubbled over as he launched into his explanation. "Yes, precisely. Based on my research, a martial soul fusion technique merges two or even more martial souls. It's not just one plus one equals two, though; it's far greater than that. It can multiply your combat strength several times, allowing you to fight beyond your rank. What's more, if two people with this ability train together, their cultivation speed gets a boost. I never would've thought Blue Silver Grass could fuse with White Tiger, it's surprising, to say the least. Little San, it seems coming to Shrek Academy was the right move for you."
Tang San offered a faint smile. He agreed, Shrek felt like the perfect choice except the mess in the Star Dou Forest.
..........
At the same time, Zhao Wuji followed Flender back to the dean's office, recounting their Star Dou Forest trip in detail.
"I didn't expect a simple soul hunt to turn into such an ordeal. I was too careless," Flender said, a chill creeping up his spine as he processed their run-in with the Titan Giant Ape. "But what's with Tang San? Why does he always collapse at the critical moment?"
Zhao Wuji shared Flender's frustration with Tang San, though relief at their survival took precedence. Flender continued, "To be safe, next time we go soul hunting, I'll join you. We'll take Li YuSong and Lu QiBin along too. Oh, and what about that ox roar Xiao Wu mentioned?"
Zhao Wuji answered without hesitation. "Ning Tian said it's likely the Sky Azure Bull Python—one of the Star Dou Forest's two emperors, a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, just like the Titan Giant Ape. That said, I was actually more concerned about something else."
Flender frowned. "Concerned about what?"
"Well," Zhao Wuji started, "recently, Mubai's been at odds with Ning Tian over Zhuqing. Now that Mubai's down, and Zhuqing is getting close to that little monster, they probably won't clash anymore. It should keep the team from splitting apart."
Flender rubbed his forehead, a headache brewing. Zhao Wuji might be right—Dai Mubai was finished, and if Zhu Zhuqing stayed with him, it'd only drag her down. Pairing with Ning Tian wasn't a bad outcome.
The priority now was taking Ning Rongrong's freshly delivered letter to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to find Ning Fengzhi. Dai Mubai's condition couldn't wait.
Back at the dorms, Ning Tian returned and pulled out a packet labeled "Silver Na Pipa Little Trumpet" and swallowed it.
[Ding! Detected side effect: 'Silver Na Pipa Little Trumpet' (drains essence, energy, and spirit; prolonged use causes kidney deficiency). Please bind a target to bear the effect.]
'Bind it to Tang Hao,' Ning Tian thought immediately.
[Ding! Target is not within binding range.]
'Looks like Tang Hao's off somewhere—probably brooding over Ah Yin in a cave again. Bind it to Yu Xiaogang instead,' Ning Tian mused with a smirk.
[Binding successful!]
Elsewhere, Yu Xiaogang was inspecting Tang San's new third soul skill. Before he could offer his 'insights,' a sudden wave of heat surged through him. He made up a quick excuse, shooed Tang San out, locked the door, and turned to his own relief.
......…
Zhu Zhuqing knocked on Ning Tian's door before welcoming herself in.
"What did the dean want earlier?"
"Not much," Ning Tian replied casually. "Dai Mubai overindulged and ruined himself. The dean wanted me to see if there's a fix."
He went on to share Dai Mubai's inglorious tale.
Zhu Zhuqing's first reaction was fury—how could Dai Mubai be so reckless? He'd toyed with both their lives. Did he not realize what losing to Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun meant? Then came relief and gratitude. Relief, because she'd chosen Ning Tian, so Dai Mubai's fate was no longer her burden. Gratitude, for Ning Tian stepping into her life like a beacon. Without him, she might've faced death—or at minimum, a stripped soul power and lifelong confinement.
"He deserves it," Zhu Zhuqing said coldly, dismissing Dai Mubai in two words. Then she asked, "Has the dean already left for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?"
"Most likely," Ning Tian said, his brow creasing slightly. "But I noticed something else."
Zhu Zhuqing tilted her head. "Something else?"
Ning Tian's tone turned enigmatic. "I'm not sure if it's true yet, I need to verify it. Anyway, I was planning to take you to Soutuo City. We can find a quiet place to fuse your external soul bone and check this out along the way."
.........
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was very far. Even a Spirit Saint like Flender would need days to travel on foot. But with his Four-Eyed Cat Eagle martial soul, he arrived by midnight.
After presenting his identity and Ning Rongrong's letter, Flender was quickly received. They arranged lodging for him and agreed to head to Shrek Academy the next day to treat Dai Mubai.
In the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's grand hall, Ning Fengzhi sat on an intricately carved sandalwood chair inlaid with warm jade, reading his daughter's letter. The vast, thousand-square-meter hall was empty save for him. Clad in pristine white robes, he looked about forty—ordinary at first glance, but his eyes stayed fixed on the letter, occasionally flickering with interest.
The three-meter-high doors opened, and two elderly men entered side by side. Ning Fengzhi stood. "Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, you're here!"
The white-robed elder on the left spoke first. "Fengzhi, I heard Rongrong sent a letter?"
The gaunt, bony elder on the right chimed in eagerly. "Did she mention me? I knew she wouldn't forget me, if anyone's left out, it's this sword fool. Hand over that letter, let me see!"
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━━
patreon.com/DUKE3500 for advance chapters for all the novels i translate for 2$.