Zhu Zhuqing's eyes suddenly snapped open. Behind her, the phantom of her Martial soul grew more and more solid, now enveloped in a faint layer of dark light. Her pupils glowed with the same hue.
"Meow!"
"Attack me. Test the extent of your Martial Soul's evolution," Li Chang'an prompted from the side.
"Alright!" Zhu Zhuqing nodded, and in the next instant, her entire figure vanished, leaving behind only a dark afterimage…
'So fast!'
Even with Li Chang'an's current strength, Zhu Zhuqing's speed had reached an incredible level—at least half as fast as when he activated his fourth soul ability!
The next moment, he sensed a sharp claw sweeping toward him. The sheer sharpness far exceeded his expectations. What was even more terrifying was the faint dark light radiating from the claw—pure darkness attribute energy, and it was of the extreme variety.
Li Chang'an didn't dodge or use soul power to defend himself. Not because he couldn't, but because he wanted to test the power of Zhu Zhuqing's evolved Martial Soul with his physical body.
Bang!
He staggered three steps back. His chest was torn open, clothes shredded, leaving several clear claw marks. Although there was no bleeding, dark light lingered over the wounds.
He could clearly feel a kind of ravaging force at work on his flesh. The energy wasn't immense, but it was incredibly persistent. If he didn't actively clear it out, that dark attribute energy might linger for ten days or even longer.
Zhu Zhuqing's figure reappeared, and upon seeing Li Chang'an's state, she couldn't help but frown slightly, her heart aching a little.
She had thought Li Chang'an would dodge or defend himself—but instead, he had taken the attack head-on. Even though she understood he just wanted to assess her power, wasn't this going too far?
"You okay?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, her tone indifferent, but her concern was evident.
"I'm fine. How do you feel?" Li Chang'an replied calmly. A frosty blue light emerged from his wounds, quickly neutralizing the dark attribute energy.
He had used the power of Ultimate Ice. Since both were extreme attributes, and his spirit power was far stronger, suppressing it was no problem.
Seeing how effortlessly he shrugged off her attack, Zhu Zhuqing felt a tinge of frustration—but also a sense of inevitability.
"If I'm not mistaken, my Martial Soul should now be the strongest form in our family's lineage—the Midnight Shadow Cat."
"The Midnight Shadow Cat has only appeared twice in our Zhu family's history. Both times, it solidified our clan's status. Now that I've awakened it, many obstacles should disappear."
Though the Dai family held royal blood in the Star Luo Empire, if the Zhu family produced another Midnight Shadow Cat Spirit Master, they could become the empire's second-most powerful clan—second only to the Dai family.
"Not only that," Li Chang'an added, "though you don't have a third soul ring yet and can't sense your level clearly, I'd estimate you've reached around Level 35. And with your current physique, you could absorb a third soul ring of up to five thousand years without issue."
Li Chang'an was well-versed in absorbing soul rings beyond one's level. Thanks to the dual effects of the Immortal Herb and her Martial Soul evolution, Zhu Zhuqing might not surpass Dai Mubai outright, but she definitely wouldn't fall far behind. If she managed to absorb a solid third ring, the question of who was the top student might need to be reconsidered.
Given Zhu Zhuqing's current speed, even Tang San's Purple Demon Eye might struggle to track her movements—let alone his hidden weapons hitting her.
"Thank you!" Zhu Zhuqing gave Li Chang'an a ninety-degree bow. The two items he had given her tonight had completely changed her destiny. No thanks could truly repay that debt.
"I said I'd help you grow stronger, and I meant it. No need to thank me. This was just a fair exchange. But tonight's events—especially the Martial Soul evolution—keep them to yourself. Just say your Martial Soul evolved on its own."
"Mm. Don't worry. I won't say a word." For some reason, Zhu Zhuqing felt a strange sense of intimacy… as if this was their shared secret.
---
The next morning, everyone gathered early at the gates of Shrek Academy. Zhu Zhuqing immediately brought up her need for a spirit ring.
"You broke through?" Zhao Wuji looked at her, baffled. Just a few days ago, she was only Level 27. He was sure of it…
He wasn't the only one stunned. Dai Mubai and the others were equally shocked. How had she advanced this fast?
"You really broke through?" Dai Mubai asked, eyes narrowed.
Zhu Zhuqing returned his gaze coldly. "Want to spar and find out?"
She had long wanted to beat him up. Before, she lacked the strength. But now? Things were different.
"Don't mess around. Even if you broke through, you're still no match for me…" Dai Mubai said with a smirk. He was already Level 37, a Spirit Elder. Without hidden weapons, even Tang San wasn't his match.
"Cut the crap!" Zhu Zhuqing released her Martial soul and soul rings. Even though it was daytime, and her darkness attribute was subdued, the subtle changes in her Martial Soul didn't escape their notice.
"Your Martial Soul mutated again?" Dai Mubai asked, his expression complicated. He knew a little about the Zhu clan's soul beasts.
"So what if it did?" Zhu Zhuqing wasn't interested in explaining. She vanished into a shadow and lunged at Dai Mubai, her first spirit ring glowing.
"You're serious!?" Dai Mubai quickly retreated. Before he could activate his Martial Soul, Zhu Zhuqing was already in front of him. Her claws forced him back several steps—and unlike Li Chang'an, his injuries were worse. The darkness attribute was invading his body much more violently.
"You're strong, but you're still just a two-ring Spirit Master!" Dai Mubai activated his Martial Soul—White Tiger—and began using its power to fight off the corrosive darkness. But it wasn't very effective. He could only strip it away bit by bit.
Only now did the others realize the significance of what just happened. Even though the White Tiger was one of the most powerful beast-type Martial Souls, Dai Mubai's resistance to Zhu Zhuqing's dark energy wasn't particularly effective.
He could clearly feel that the flow of his soul power was disrupted. Furious, he refused to believe he couldn't suppress her.
His second and third spirit rings lit up:
Second Ability: White Tiger Intense Light Wave
Third Ability: White Tiger Vajra Transformation
Massive white light gathered. With a roar, a beam of light shot from Dai Mubai's mouth. With both abilities stacked, the attack was on par with a Spirit Ancestor's full strike.
But just then, Zhu Zhuqing vanished once more. She easily dodged the ferocious blast, forcing Dai Mubai to hastily activate his first ability—White Tiger Shield Body Barrier!
A sharp tearing sound rang out—Zhu Zhuqing's strike didn't break through, but she instantly retreated after attacking, not pausing for even a second…
"Alright, that's enough. We've got traveling to do. But Dai Mubai, trying to bully the weak like that? You're buying lunch later." Zhao Wuji finally stepped in to mediate.
The duel would have ended in a draw anyway. While Dai Mubai's soul power was stronger, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't break his defenses quickly. But on the flip side, Dai Mubai also couldn't catch her—her speed was already enough to give even Zhao Wuji a headache…
"Yes." Both Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing backed off. He continued to look at her, trying to figure out what had changed.
Zhu Zhuqing just smiled faintly and ignored him. She was confident that after getting her third soul ring, she would surpass Dai Mubai. And today? She already felt immensely satisfied.
---
The team formation was arranged by Li Chang'an, a subtle assertion of his teacher's authority.
"Tang San, Dai Mubai, you two lead the front. Oscar, Ning Rongrong, stay behind them. Fatty and Xiao Wu, take the flanks. Zhu Zhuqing and I will cover the rear. Once we're in the forest, keep this formation and stay alert. Let's move."
No one objected. The strongest guarding the rear, Zhu Zhuqing scouting, three battle-type Spirit Masters on the perimeter, and support in the center—it was a sound strategy.
Zhao Wuji followed behind but didn't join the formation. Since there was no carriage, everyone began running the moment they left the academy.
Not long into the journey, aside from the monster that was Li Chang'an—with his soul core—the others quickly realized the importance of Dean Flender's second lesson from yesterday.
Thanks to that lesson and the lecture, everyone no longer hesitated to accept Oscar's sausages.
Even the strongest students—Dai Mubai and Tang San—were losing stamina. But Oscar's sausages provided incredible energy recovery. To their surprise, the long-distance running barely felt taxing.
By eating one of Oscar's soul-powered sausages every hour, everyone could maintain peak condition. Even Ning Rongrong, with her weakest physical strength, managed to keep up.
Of course, Li Chang'an and Zhao Wuji still looked fresh as ever—neither flushed nor winded.
The Star Dou Great Forest lay southeast of the Balak Kingdom, with a small portion bordering it. Since Suotuo City was also in the southeast, it was less than 500 kilometers away—making it the ideal location for Shrek Academy students to obtain soul rings.
With Oscar's sausages helping along the way, the team covered over 400 kilometers in a single day. As night fell, they were already very close to the forest.
Realizing they wouldn't reach the destination before dark, Zhao Wuji gave the order to rest. They had arrived at a small town, and moving forward from here meant entering wild territory with no guaranteed supplies.
__
T/N:
Hello everyone! My Patreon is just $3 — a perfect opportunity to access 70+ advanced chapters and support the translation.
You'll also get access to firsthand girls' pics as a bonus!
🔗 patreon.com/user?u=79514336
Or simply search Translator-Sama on Patreon