'The human body is a remarkable thing,' Tang San thought, as he sat in the quiet, meditative stillness of his new room. The morning sun streamed through the window, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air. 'Just a week ago, I could barely walk. Now…'
He closed his eyes, focusing inward. The Mysterious Heaven Skill began to circulate, a warm, potent river of energy flowing through his meridians. He could feel it, a deep, nourishing current that was knitting his weakened tissues back together, replenishing the vitality that had been leeched from him during his week-long coma. The water from the Lake of Life had healed his wounds, but it was this profound internal cultivation method that was truly restoring his foundation.
Grandmaster had estimated it would take him at least two weeks to recover enough for light training. It had taken him six days. The secret power of the Tang Sect was, as always, his greatest advantage.
A week after regaining consciousness, the sluggishness was gone, replaced by a cold, coiled tension. He was ready. The hunger in his body had been sated by days of high-energy food, but the hunger in his soul, the ravenous, burning need for vengeance, was an inferno that grew hotter with every passing hour.
He found his teammates on the training field. Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar were running laps, their faces grim, their movements filled with a new, desperate intensity. He saw the hatred in Dai Mubai's eyes, the frustration in Ma Hongjun's, and he knew they shared his goal.
"I'm recovered," he announced, his voice flat but firm.
Xiao Wu, who had been practicing her Teleportation skill, immediately appeared at his side, her expression a mixture of worry and fierce loyalty. "Third Brother, are you sure? You should rest more!"
"I'm sure," he said, his gaze sweeping over the others. "It's time we tested ourselves. Xiao Wu and I will spar against the three of you. It's time to see how much we've all grown."
The spar that followed was not a friendly match. It was a brutal, cathartic release of pent-up aggression. Tang San moved with a cold, merciless efficiency, his Blue Silver Grass a constant, probing threat, his newly potent poison a debilitating weapon that kept the trio on their back foot. Xiao Wu was a red blur, her attacks a flurry of powerful kicks and teleport-assisted strikes.
They shed the last of their physical sluggishness in the crucible of combat, their movements becoming sharp and honed once more. Witnessing Tang San's display of power, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar felt a renewed sense of purpose. Their desire for revenge against Zhang Tian was a powerful, unifying motivator.
It was into this atmosphere of grim determination that the teachers arrived. Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Zhao Wuji strode onto the field, their expressions serious.
"It seems you have recovered faster than anticipated, Xiao San," Yu Xiaogang noted, a flicker of pride in his cold eyes. "Excellent. This means we can accelerate our plans."
Flender stepped forward, his hawkish gaze sweeping over the five of them. "As we explained before, with the Suotuo City arena destroyed, your graduation requirement must be fulfilled elsewhere. We will be departing for Silves City. It is the capital of the Silves Kingdom, a major city located south of the Sunset Forest. It boasts a Great Spirit Arena that is even larger and more prestigious than Suotuo's."
Yu Xiaogang took over, his voice a flat, strategic monotone. "Your task remains unchanged. You will acquire a Silver Spirit Badge. You will fight as a team in the five-on-five matches, and you will also participate in the one-on-one and two-on-two fights to hone your individual skills. Our goal is to maintain an undefeated streak in the team battles for one full month. This will be your trial by fire."
Tang San and the others readily agreed, their eyes burning with a new, unified purpose. They would not just meet the requirement; they would dominate. They would forge themselves into an unbreakable weapon, and one day, they would return to settle their debt with Zhang Tian.
The month that followed was a blur of travel, combat, and relentless, grinding progress. The Great Spirit Arena of Silves City became their new home, a brutal, unforgiving crucible where they tested their limits day after day.
In the five-on-five team matches, they were an unstoppable force. Under Tang San's brilliant, tactical control, they were a well-oiled machine. Dai Mubai's raw power, now channeled with a cold fury, would smash through enemy lines. Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire provided devastating area-of-effect damage. Oscar's sausages kept them in the fight, and Xiao Wu was the unpredictable assassin who could appear anywhere, at any time, to deliver a decisive blow.
They won every single team match they fought, their reputation as the "Shrek Five Devils" growing with each victory.
The individual matches were a different story. They were a brutal lesson in the vast and varied world of Spirit Masters. Xiao Wu, with her aggressive, close-quarters style, won twenty-four of her twenty-nine matches, her Teleportation skill making her a nightmare for most opponents. Dai Mubai's ferocious power earned him twenty-six victories. Ma Hongjun, whose slower speed was a significant liability in one-on-one combat, managed a respectable eighteen wins.
Tang San, with his versatile control, potent poison, and the deadly surprise of his hidden weapons, proved to be the most successful. He won twenty-seven of his twenty-nine matches, his two losses coming at the hands of highly specialized Spirit Masters with abilities that perfectly countered his own.
'This is good,' Yu Xiaogang thought with a quiet, internal satisfaction as he reviewed the month's results. He stood in the private viewing box overlooking the roaring arena, a silent, calculating god observing his creations. 'Xiao San has the highest win rate. It solidifies his position as the true core of this team. Dai Mubai may be the captain on the field, but it is my disciple who is their spiritual leader. The others know, on a fundamental level, that their success depends on him.'
A smug, self-satisfied smile touched his lips. 'They will see. The world will see. They will say that I, Yu Xiaogang, a man they once called trash, took a boy with a Blue Silver Grass spirit and forged him into a peerless genius. My name will be cleared, my theories vindicated.'
Of course, in his grand, self-aggrandizing narrative, the Grandmaster conveniently chose to ignore several key, inconvenient truths. He ignored the fact that his "trash spirit" disciple possessed Full Innate Spirit Power, a one-in-a-million talent that guaranteed a high starting point. He ignored the existence of the Clear Sky Hammer, the top-tier power-attack spirit lurking in Tang San's other hand, a secret weapon that completely negated the primary weakness of the Blue Silver Grass.
If Yu Xiaogang had truly wanted to prove his theories, to showcase his ability to turn lead into gold, he would have chosen a disciple with a genuine trash spirit, with an Innate Spirit Power of one or two. He would have taken a true commoner and raised them to the heavens. But he had not. He had chosen a dragon disguised as a worm, and now he was preparing to take credit for its inevitable flight.
While his main team was being forged, another, more frustrating problem occupied the minds of the Shrek faculty. "Still no luck, Flender?" Yu Xiaogang asked one evening, his tone clipped.
Flender sighed, rubbing his temples. "None. We've put out feelers in every major city in the kingdom. But finding a free agent with the talent we need… it's impossible. Anyone between the ages of fourteen and seventeen who has already reached the Spirit Elder rank has long since been snatched up by the major academies or the great clans."
"What about older candidates?" Zhao Wuji rumbled. "A Spirit Ancestor in their early twenties would also be a huge boost."
"Even harder to find," Flender lamented. "And those we have found are mercenaries, demanding exorbitant salaries we simply cannot afford. Without two more members, we cannot even register for the Continental Tournament. Our dream of making Shrek famous… it will die before it even begins."
The problem was a frustrating, seemingly insurmountable wall. Their standards were too high for their reputation, and their reputation was too low for their standards.
The month of brutal combat in Silves had changed the Shrek Five. They were harder, colder, more pragmatic. On several occasions, when faced with a particularly troublesome opponent team, Tang San had, with a cold, silent nod of approval from his teacher, given the order. The Godly Zhuge Crossbows would emerge, and the arena floor would be stained with blood while giving the excuse that the opponent was threatening to kill them.
While the Five Devils were bathing in the blood and glory of the arena, a different kind of transformation was taking place in the tranquil, sun-dappled depths of the Sunset Forest.
Twenty days had passed since the trio, accompanied by Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo, had begun their hunt. The first prize had been claimed.
Ning Rongrong sat in a meditative posture, a soft, golden light enveloping her. She had just finished absorbing her third spirit ring, a perfect, deep purple ring from a four-thousand-one-hundred-year-old Three-Eyed Jade Lion. The process had been smooth, her newly tempered body handling the influx of power with ease.
When she opened her eyes, she was different. The last vestiges of girlish cuteness had been completely burned away, replaced by the graceful, elegant bearing of a young woman. She looked to be fourteen to fifteen, her figure having blossomed. Her budding chest had grown fuller, her waist more slender, her hips gently curved.
While she did not possess Zhuqing's overwhelming, voluptuous sensuality, she had her own unique, noble charm, a perfect, harmonious beauty that was breathtaking to behold.
She felt a flicker of satisfaction as she glanced down at her own chest. 'They're bigger now. Not as big as Zhuqing's, but… they're not small anymore!'
"The ability?" Ning Fengzhi asked, his voice filled with a proud father's love.
"Spirit Power Amplification," she announced, her voice a clear, happy melody. A new, third tier of brilliant light had appeared on her shimmering pagoda. "It amplifies the quantity and quality of my allies' spirit power, and also enhances their recovery speed. And Daddy," she added, her eyes sparkling, "with my third ring, my other buffs have all been upgraded. I can now provide a forty percent boost to Strength, Agility, and Spirit Power."
The news was met with delighted smiles.
The hunt for Zhang Tian's spirit beast was their next objective. The Jade Weaver Banyan was a reclusive creature, but the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect's information network was peerless. They found it in a deep, hidden valley, a colossal, ancient tree whose vines, as thick as a man's waist, had woven themselves into a living fortress. It was a magnificent specimen, its age a staggering four thousand nine hundred years.
The battle was brief and decisive. The moment the banyan sensed their approach, it came alive. The ground erupted as dozens of vine-constructs, shaped like ferocious tigers and wolves, charged at them.
Bone Douluo Gu Rong merely snorted. "Petty tricks." He didn't even move from his spot. He simply stomped his foot. His first spirit ring, a brilliant yellow, flared to life. "Bone Prison!"
The ground around the colossal tree erupted. Massive, white bone spikes shot up, weaving together to form a gigantic, inescapable cage that trapped the banyan and its constructs completely. Its movements were sealed.
"It is weakened," Gu Rong rasped. "Young friend Zhang Tian, the final blow is yours."
Zhang Tian nodded. He walked forward, and with a single, devastating blast from his shotgun loaded with a special, explosive round, he shattered the banyan's core. The ancient tree shuddered and died.
The absorption of the deep purple spirit ring was as smooth as silk. His body, tempered by the Whale Gum, welcomed the new power. When he stood up, he too had changed. He now looked to be a handsome young man of nineteen, his features even more refined, his blue eyes holding a depth that seemed to draw one in. A captivating, almost ethereal charm radiated from him, an aura that made the hearts of the two girls flutter uncontrollably.
"My new ability is Vine Constructs," he announced, a satisfied smile on his face. He held up a hand. A stream of crimson grass flowed from his palm, weaving itself with impossible speed and intricacy into a perfect, miniature replica of a roaring tiger. It leaped from his hand, prowled around their feet for a moment, and then dissolved.
"But that's not all," he added, a flicker of surprise in his voice. "Absorbing this Spirit Ring also seems to have granted my Blood Silver Grass a new property. It can now change its physical characteristics. I can make it as soft as silk, or as hard and sharp as a blade of steel."
The new potential was immense, and a thousand new ideas for self-created skills were already blooming in his mind.
The final hunt was the most challenging. The dark-attribute beasts they sought were cunning, elusive creatures. They delved deeper into the forest, their search stretching on for days.
Finally, their persistence paid off. They found it. A magnificent, terrifying creature stalking through the deep shadows of an ancient grove. It was a Midnight Tyrant Lion, a beast of pure, condensed darkness, its fur the color of a starless night, its eyes burning like twin crimson coals. Its age was a staggering five thousand eight hundred years, just shy of Zhuqing's absolute limit.
Bone Douluo acted instantly. Before the powerful beast could even react, he was upon it. His Bone Dragon Martial Spirit was a whirlwind of oppressive power, suppressing the lion, pinning it to the ground.
Zhu Zhuqing moved in, her face a mask of grim determination. With a single, swift, merciful strike of her obsidian claws, she ended its life.
The absorption process was an ordeal. Zhu Zhuqing sat in the center of a pulsing, deep purple spirit ring, her body trembling violently. The sheer, untamed power of the nearly six-thousand-year-old beast was a storm raging within her. Sweat poured down her face, her jaw clenched, but her will was a fortress of unbreakable iron.
After two long, agonizing hours, the storm subsided. She had succeeded.
She stood up, and the change was breathtaking. Her body, already a masterpiece of sensual power, had been sculpted to a new level of perfection. She was taller, her legs longer, her waist even more slender. Her breasts, already magnificently large, were now fuller, heavier, straining against the confines of her tight black leather top, which had ridden up to expose the pale, flawless skin of her flat stomach. She looked to be nineteen, a vision of pure, lethal sexiness that made Zhang Tian's breath catch in his throat.
A calm, satisfied smile graced her lips. "My third spirit ability," she announced, her voice a low, sultry melody, "is called Eclipse Ray Strike. It fires a dense, dark beam of energy that is extremely fast and difficult to dodge. It causes deep, bleeding wounds that continuously drain an opponent's spirit power for eight seconds. And," she added, a new, powerful aura of darkness pulsing around her, "it permanently amplifies all of my darkness-attribute damage by fifty percent."
Zhang Tian beamed, his pride in her evident. "Excellent, Zhuqing. With this, we can now begin to develop your own darkness-type self-created skills. You have a new well of power to draw inspiration from."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, her dark eyes shining with a new, fierce confidence. Their hunt was complete. Their power had taken a quantum leap.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels like "Harem Master: Seduction System" and the "Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist" and I hope you like this story and those stories as well.
Check out more chapters on my P.atreon. The P.atreon will have 20+ Chapters ahead for this story. I hope you like it.
The link of p.atreon is: bit.ly/evildragon