The Blue Tyrant Academy was officially restructured into Shrek Academy, and Flender took the opportunity to form the Shrek Eight Devils Battle Team.
The members of the Eight Devils were:
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, Er Ming, Yu Tianheng, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong.
Additionally, there were three substitutes:
Tyrone (Sub 1), Jiangzhu (Sub 2), and Jingling (Sub 3).
Yu Xiaogang stood before the team, hands behind his back, and announced solemnly:
"Now, I will announce the captain of the Shrek Eight Devils. A captain must have a calm mind to read the battlefield, a flexible brain to devise strategies, and the ability to lead in tough situations. Thus, I declare Tang San as the captain of the Shrek Eight Devils."
He then looked at Tang San with expectation.
Originally, Flender and the others had been torn between choosing Yu Tianheng or Dai Mubai, both powerful fighters. But Yu Xiaogang had argued passionately to secure the position for Tang San.
Shrek Battle Team was now officially formed, and Tang San was his proudest disciple. "Once a teacher, always a father," he thought. If his "son" could lead the team to glorious victories in the tournament, then as his teacher—and adopted father—he'd earn recognition too.
Tang San cast Yu Xiaogang a subtle glance and thought:
"Good job, Gangzi. Not bad. Congratulations on collecting a fragment for ascension to the Divine Realm. Once all 81 fragments are gathered, I'll consider bringing you with me when I become a god."
Initially, Flender and Yu Xiaogang had expected some of the other Shrek members to challenge Tang San's appointment.
But surprisingly, no one objected. Everyone tacitly accepted Tang San as the captain.
Thus, Shrek Academy began its preparations for the Soul Master Tournament set to take place in two years.
As days and tides passed, the time for the tournament drew ever closer.
From inside the Spirit Hall, word spread that the Pope would offer a 100,000-year soul bone as the prize for the tournament champion. This news shocked academies all across the continent.
The allure of a 100,000-year soul bone was immense. And since it came from the Pope herself, no one doubted its authenticity.
Thus, this tournament became the focus of every major academy.
Upon hearing the news, the major academies began pulling out every trick in their arsenals.
It became a true display of "the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their own powers."
On Shrek's side, the Reborn Four also received the news.
"A 100,000-year soul bone? That's different from what happened in our previous life." Ma Hongjun said.
"It doesn't matter," Tang San's eyes gleamed as he said,
"No matter what, our goal is the same—championship. Whatever prize the Spirit Hall offers will be ours."
"Well said, Tang San." Dai Mubai clapped Tang San on the shoulder.
Meanwhile, at Tianshui Academy, Shui Bing'er had just reached level 40.
To obtain a better soul ring for the upcoming tournament, a soul douluo from the Shui family led Shui Bing'er to the Ultimate Ice North to hunt soul beasts.
However, in the frozen wilderness, a sudden blizzard struck.
Shui Bing'er was separated from the family expert.
She woke up in a towering palace of ice, and before her stood a giant emerald green scorpion.
Startled, Shui Bing'er instinctively stumbled back.
"What kind of attitude is that? Am I really that terrifying?" the scorpion said, clearly annoyed.
"Seriously?! You're the legendary Ice Jade Scorpion—how could you not be terrifying?" Shui Bing'er thought fearfully.
But since the creature could speak, there was hope for communication.
Gathering her courage, she asked:
"Respected soul beast, why did you bring me here? If we trespassed into your territory by accident, I sincerely apologize. If that's not enough, then…"
"I haven't even gotten to the point yet, and you're already imagining all sorts of nonsense," the giant scorpion said impatiently, waving her pincers.
Then, in a flash, she transformed into a twin-tailed loli standing right in front of Shui Bing'er. The loli leaned in close, lifted Shui Bing'er's chin with a finger, and said:
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ice Empress—not the Ice Jade Scorpion you're thinking of, but the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion!"
"Hmmph!"
Sensing the fear in Shui Bing'er's eyes, she smirked and said,
"There's no need to be so scared. Bringing you here wasn't for anything bad. I actually want to gift you a great opportunity from the Ultimate Ice North."
"Gift me… an opportunity?" Shui Bing'er repeated, slightly confused.
"Your martial soul is the Ice Phoenix. It's strong, yes—but it's still far from reaching the true Ultimate Ice Ice," Ice Empress said, crossing her arms.
"Ultimate Ice Ice?"
That term clearly didn't exist in Shui Bing'er's current understanding.
"What? Never heard of it?"
Ice Empress spread her hands and unleashed a terrifying cold—
This kind of pure, ultimate chill was something Shui Bing'er had never experienced before. Compared to the Ice Empress's ice, her Phoenix's ice was like a firefly trying to outshine the moon.
The overwhelming chill came quickly, and disappeared just as fast. After withdrawing her power, Ice Empress asked:
"Well? Want to transform your Ice Phoenix martial soul into one of Ultimate Ice?"
"Senior… What should I do?" Shui Bing'er swallowed nervously and asked.
"If you want it, then come with me."
And so, Shui Bing'er vanished into the Extreme North.
Her clan even requested help from other elemental families to search for her, but after an extensive search, she remained missing. In the end, they had no choice but to assume that Shui Bing'er had met with misfortune in the ExtremeNorth.
However—two years later, Shui Bing'er returned.
When she reappeared, she had reached the Soul King level. Her martial soul had undergone a complete transformation, evolving into the Ultimate Ice Phoenix.
Hurricane Cliff
Located within a massive storm system, this was a natural training ground for wind-type soul masters—far superior to any simulation room.
Here, Feng Xiaotian was training his self-created soul skill.
All along the cliffside were deep slash marks left behind by his blade.
And finally—
After successfully executing the Thirty-Six Linked Strikes of the Gale Demon Wolf, Feng Xiaotian laughed in triumph:
"HAHAHA! Thirty-six consecutive slashes—I did it!
Once Xiao Wu hears that I've created my own soul skill, she's definitely going to be impressed! She'll fall in love with me for sure!"
With that hopeful thought, Feng Xiaotian turned to leave and share the good news with Huo Wu—
But suddenly, a voice called out from behind:
"Hey, hey, little guy! Don't go just yet!"
Feng Xiaotian turned around to see a disheveled old man—looking like a beggar—approaching him.
The old man looked him over and exclaimed,
"Whoa! Incredible, absolutely incredible!"
He reached out and patted Feng Xiaotian's head.
"Did you know there's a divine glow shooting out of your skull?!"
Feng Xiaotian's face twitched. He reached up to swat the man's hand away—
Only to find that no matter how much force he used, the hand wouldn't budge.
Realizing this guy wasn't ordinary, Feng Xiaotian quickly stopped underestimating him.
The old man removed his hand, then grabbed Feng Xiaotian's hands, inspecting them, squeezing them like he was testing a fruit at the market.
As he performed these strange actions, he said solemnly:
"To create your own soul skill at such a young age… You're a soul master genius seen once in a hundred years! If you ever achieve enlightenment, you'll soar to the heavens like a dragon!
As they say—
If I don't descend into hell, who will?
The task of punishing evil and upholding peace on the Douluo Continent…
I'll entrust it to you, alright?"
Feng Xiaotian: "…"
This guy is insane.
Then the old man pulled out two technique manuals.
"You've completed the first part of the Gale Demon Wolf's Thirty-Six Linked Strikes. But your skill is still immature—what you've achieved is just the introductory volume.
This one here is called Gale Demon Wolf: Seventy-Two Linked Strikes—the middle volume.
And this second one is Gale Demon Wolf: One Hundred and Eight Linked Strikes—the final volume.
I think we're fated to meet, so I'll sell you each book for just ten gold soul coins."
Feng Xiaotian looked at the two yellowed manuals, speechless.
This was supposed to be a self-created soul skill. He had just finished inventing it!
Where the hell did this old man get a middle and final volume from?
It was ridiculous.
Still, ten gold soul coins wasn't much for Feng Xiaotian.
He pulled out the coins and handed them over, saying:
"Alright, consider this my donation to befriend you, old man."
The old man accepted the coins, handed over the Seventy-Two Linked Strikes, and turned to leave.
Feng Xiaotian looked at the worn technique book and muttered as he watched the old man's back:
"What a weirdo… And he wants me to protect the Douluo Continent? Hah! Let's see what garbage you scammed me out of ten gold coins for."
He flipped it open curiously.
But as he read deeper—Feng Xiaotian's expression began to change.
He immediately ran back to Hurricane Cliff and started practicing the moves detailed in the manual.
He tested, adjusted…
And soon, he found that the middle thirty-six strikes flowed perfectly from his own thirty-six—like they were always part of the same technique.
It felt like the full technique had always existed. He had only discovered the first third on his own.
Feng Xiaotian began to doubt reality.
He slapped his forehead in realization.
"Wait! I only bought the middle volume… There's still another thirty-six techniques in the final volume!"
He took off running to chase after the old man—but the strange man had already disappeared.
Meanwhile—
Spark Academy had officially received a slot in the upcoming Soul Master Tournament.
Shenfeng Academy and Blazing Fire Academy had now merged.
All major forces were sharpening their blades for the grand prize: the hundred-thousand-year soul bone.
And what about our Tang San?
In these two years, his relationship with Xiao Wu had returned to the closeness they shared during their time at Nuoding Academy.
They spent almost all their time together—just the two of them.
Of course, Tang San loved being close to Xiao Wu.
But… it came at a cost.
To take care of her, he'd greatly reduced his own training time.
Whenever Xiao Wu wanted to go shopping, Tang San would ditch his cultivation and accompany her instead.
Fortunately, thanks to their now-legit trade with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, money was no longer an issue.
Tang San could proudly tell Xiao Wu that he could meet all her spending desires.
(He had become a certified ATM machine.)
However, he didn't realize the problem at first.
Not until two years had passed did Tang San finally notice just how far behind he was falling compared to his teammates...
After two years of cultivation, the combat strength rankings of the seven Shrek Monsters are as follows:
Xiao Wu: Level 53 Soul King, Martial Soul: Soft Bone Rabbit
Yu Tianheng: Level 52 Soul King, Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon
Er Ming: Level 51 Soul King, Martial Soul: Titan Giant Ape
Dai Mubai: Level 49 Soul Ancestor, Martial Soul: White Tiger
Ma Hongjun: Level 47 Soul Ancestor, Martial Soul: Evil Fire Phoenix
Oscar: Level 48 Soul Ancestor, Martial Soul: Sausage
Tai Long: Level 43 Soul Ancestor, Martial Soul: Strength Gorilla
Tang San: Level 41 Soul Ancestor, Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass
(Ning Rongrong, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu omitted)
Yes, you're not seeing things. After two years, without the aid of immortal herbs, Tang San has only just barely cultivated to the Soul Ancestor level. But look at his teammates—they've all taken off like rockets, leaving him far behind.
Yu Tianheng surpassed him, but considering he's significantly older, has the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon as his martial soul, and can perform a fusion skill with Xiao Wu… Fine, Tang San let that slide.
Er Ming is a transformed soul beast—the Titan Giant Ape—with a divine beast's bloodline. His rapid progress is understandable. Plus, he also has a fusion skill with Xiao Wu. Again, Tang San tolerated it.
Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun? They act all lazy on the surface but clearly have been secretly working hard behind his back. Tang San admits their talent is decent. Alright, fine… he lets that slide too.
But Tai Long?!
What the hell is going on with Tai Long?!
He's my dog, for heaven's sake. Lost an arm, and his Strength Gorilla martial soul is basically trash. Two years ago, I—Tang San—beat him up and left him hanging like a ragdoll. His soul power was way behind mine.
And now? I've just barely become a Soul Ancestor, and he's two levels above me?!
How?!
WHY?! ANSWER ME!!!
Feeling like he was now the weakest of the team filled Tang San with an unbearable sense of frustration. As time passed, and the gap between him and his teammates widened, Xiao Wu's gaze gradually drifted away from him… and began landing more often on his two love rivals.
How could Tang San endure that?