Douluo Continent, Eastsea City.
Jing Shaoyu stood on this long-unseen land, his heart filled with emotion. Calculating the time—half a year for the round trip, several months in the Star Luo Empire, over a year in the Dragon Valley, plus other scattered periods—it added up to roughly two and a half years (?) in total.
After more than two years away, Eastsea City truly hadn't changed at all.
After the cargo ship he was on docked at Tianhai City, Jing Shaoyu didn't head straight back to Shrek Academy. Instead, he chose to return to Eastsea City to visit his foster mother. After all, years had passed since their last meeting, and she must have missed him dearly. Moreover, he wasn't sure whether Jing Ziyuan knew the reason for his prolonged stay in Star Luo. Both emotionally and logically, he ought to return first to reassure her of his safety.
"Mom, Auntie, I'm back!" Shaoyu pushed open the gate to his home and called out loudly.
Today was a rest day, so he wasn't worried about missing Jing Ziyuan and Lin Xin. Sure enough, his shout was met with an immediate response.
"Shaoyu!" Jing Ziyuan stepped out of the house, her face alight with joy, her voice thick with surprise and delight. "Why are you back now? Na'er told me you were in seclusion for training and that it would take a long time. Have you finished your training?"
As she spoke, she reached out and took Shaoyu's hands, looking up at her foster son, who now stood a full head taller than her. Her eyes brimmed with affection, pride, happiness, and countless other emotions.
"Yeah, I came straight back after finishing my seclusion," Shaoyu replied with a cheerful grin, inwardly pleased with Na'er's explanation. It seemed she had grown up—she knew how to share good news and spare them worry.
As he spoke, he also nodded toward Lin Xin, who stood behind Jing Ziyuan.
Lin Xin naturally responded with a warm smile and a sigh. "Shaoyu has really grown up! Time flies so quickly!"
"Mhm!" Jing Ziyuan nodded repeatedly, her expression tender and content, though tinged with a hint of regret. "Shaoyu's seventeenth birthday passed almost half a month ago, didn't it? Ah, what a shame."
"It's alright, there's still the eighteenth birthday," Shaoyu reassured her. "Mom, you don't need to blame yourself."
"Right! The eighteenth birthday—that's an important milestone. We absolutely can't overlook it," Jing Ziyuan immediately agreed. "By the way, Shaoyu, what would you like to eat? Mom will cook for you."
"Anything you make, I'll eat it all," Shaoyu replied with a pure, uncomplicated smile.
"Then sit tight for a bit. Mom will go buy groceries and start cooking right away." Jing Ziyuan was overjoyed. "Xin, come help me."
"No problem."
With that, the two elders ushered Shaoyu inside before heading out the door one after the other.
After dividing tasks with Lin Xin, Jing Ziyuan sprang into action. She first went to the market to buy Shaoyu's favorite ingredients, then hurried home in high spirits. She was genuinely happy and moved as fast as she could to reach her doorstep.
Just as she was about to enter, a sudden dizziness washed over her, followed by a sharp headache. She leaned against the wall, shaking her head slightly, and soon the pain vanished as abruptly as it had come. These fleeting but troublesome headaches were nothing new.
However, Jing Ziyuan didn't pay it any mind, simply attributing it to her excitement and agitation, completely dismissing it from her thoughts. What she didn't know was that during her headache, a flash of green light had briefly flickered in her eyes.
Jing Shaoyu stayed in Donghai City for one night and followed Leng Yaozhu back to Shrek Academy the next morning.
At the main gate of Shrek Academy in Shrek City, Shaoyu stepped out of Leng Yaozhu's car. Before he could even bid her farewell, she stepped on the accelerator and vanished from his sight in a puff of smoke.
He gave a wry smile and turned to enter the academy when suddenly his body stiffened. A gust of wind swept past his eyes, the surroundings blurring into streaks as everything seemed to recede rapidly. A large hand clamped firmly onto his shoulder.
One moment he was at the academy gate, the next he found himself inside the Sea God Pavilion.
"Shaoyu, you're finally back." Before he could react, a fragrant breeze swept by, and he was immediately enveloped in a warm, soft embrace. The same maternal affection and tenderness he felt from Jing Ziyuan's hugs washed over him again.
Instinctively, he let his guard down and relaxed, allowing the owner of this embrace to hold him.
"Ahem! That's enough—any longer and I'll start getting jealous!" After who knows how long, a refined yet slightly displeased voice sounded in Shaoyu's ear. He immediately recognized its owner.
Yun Ming!
No one else would dare kidnap a Shrek Academy student right at the academy's entrance.
If Yun Ming was speaking, then the woman hugging him could only be Ya Li.
"Ah! Brother Ming, why are you so petty? Getting jealous over your own disciple!" Ya Li cooed playfully but did release Shaoyu.
"Teacher, Master!" Shaoyu stepped out of Ya Li's embrace, his vision clearing as he faced the stern Yun Ming and smiling Ya Li. "I'm back."
"Hmm." Yun Ming pretended to remain reserved.
"Welcome back, welcome back!" Ya Li was already reaching out again, joyfully stroking Shaoyu's face.
Yun Ming sighed helplessly, dropping his serious expression. "Not bad—Soul Power level 62. Seems you didn't slack off these past two years."
"Hehe." Shaoyu rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "Of course not."
"Tell us what happened after you entered that small world and why you didn't come out immediately," Yun Ming said. "Your Master was extremely worried when she learned you were trapped inside."
"Master, I'm sorry for making you worry." Shaoyu first apologized to Ya Li before recounting his experiences in the Dragon Valley Small World—though he omitted certain details unsuitable for sharing.
After listening, Yun Ming and Ya Li exchanged glances. Ya Li's eyes sparkled with delight, while Yun Ming's held far more complex emotions. He sighed, "Truly, you are blessed with great fortune. Such an extraordinary encounter is indeed unheard of."
"Exactly!" Ya Li chimed in.
"In that case, your year-long stay in Dragon Valley wasn't wasted. At least you gained a high-quality True Dragon Soul Bone," Yun Ming remarked.
"Hehe, Teacher, actually it's not one piece, but seven!" Jing Shaoyu chuckled with a hint of pride. "Besides myself, I also found suitable Soul Bones for Na'er and the others."
"Hmm, not bad. That's what a captain should do." Yun Ming smiled knowingly. "By the way, since you're back, there's something I need to tell you. The members of this generation's Shrek Seven Monsters have been finalized."
"Oh? Who made the cut?" Jing Shaoyu asked with interest.
"You, Na'er, Xu Xiaoyan, Ye Xinglan, Wu Siduo, Mo Hentian, and a first-year freshman. Gu Yue isn't included." As he spoke, Yun Ming observed Jing Shaoyu's reaction to this news.
"Hmm, unexpected yet reasonable." Jing Shaoyu responded calmly.
Yun Ming looked pleased. "Seems like you and Gu Yue have already discussed this? During your absence, Gu Yue temporarily took over your duties. You should go meet her for the handover. Given your close relationship, there shouldn't be any issues. As for the other six members of the Shrek Seven Monsters, except for the new recruit, you're already familiar with everyone else, so you should be able to take over the team quickly."
"Understood." Jing Shaoyu nodded, then couldn't suppress his curiosity. "Teacher, you mentioned a first-year freshman joining our team. If I recall correctly, this year's first-years are only in their second year of enrollment. What kind of prodigy has earned the academy's special attention?"
"A little girl with an Ultimate Water Martial Soul," Ya Li explained. "She's the same age as Na'er and was already a Soul King when she enrolled."
"What?" Jing Shaoyu was astonished. "Where did such a powerhouse come from?"
"We had the same reaction when we first discovered her," Ya Li chuckled behind her hand. "But your teacher investigated her background—it's clean and normal. Oh, and she's quite pretty too. A'Yu, you'd better not try to flirt with her!"
"..." Jing Shaoyu's mouth twitched. If you'd said that with a more serious expression, it might have been more convincing. Otherwise, it's hard not to suspect you're saying the opposite. "Teacher, Master, I'll go see Gu Yue and Na'er now."
"Wait!" Yun Ming and Ya Li called out simultaneously. Yun Ming gave Ya Li a meaningful look, and she hesitantly stepped forward with nervous hesitation, her eyes filled with sincerity and tenderness. "A'Yu!"
Seeing their unusual behavior, a thought suddenly occurred to Jing Shaoyu. Could it be...
"Ming-ge and I want to adopt you as our son. Would you be willing to recognize us as your godparents?"