In a clearing on the outskirts of the Great Star Dou Forest.
The ground suddenly shook without warning. Cracks split the once-flat earth, spreading wider until it shattered. From within, a purple-eyed youth emerged, his figure revealed amid the dust.
It was Xu Zihuang, who had just succeeded in fusing the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's soul ring.
Drawn by his aura, the drifting dust dispersed, but the instant it touched Xu Zihuang's skin, it was blocked by a thin golden membrane.
This membrane was the million-year molted shell of the Tianmeng Iceworm. Although most of its power had vanished after the loss of its true body, it still retained the effects of concealing aura and warding off dust.
After absorbing his third soul ring, Xu Zihuang had grown taller. A faint glow shimmered on his fair skin, complementing his flawless, refined features—undeniably alluring to any opposite sex.
His deep purple eyes sparkled with energy, replacing their earlier weariness, while all grime on his body had been cleansed by the icy aura left behind by Tianmeng.
Xu Zihuang brushed aside a strand of purple hair blocking his sight and glanced up at the sky.
When he had begun fusing the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's ring, it was afternoon. Now it was dawn. At least a full day had passed.
"Tianmeng Iceworm, how long did I spend fusing the soul ring?"
"About seven hours." Xu Zihuang's initiative in speaking left Tianmeng flattered, and it hurriedly replied.
At Huo Yuhao's pace, he should already have reached the Great Star Dou Forest.
Xu Zihuang pondered briefly, his deep purple eyes turning into dazzling gold as he set off toward the forest's outer edge.
"I wonder if you'll still have the same luck as in the original story."
He intended to remain in the forest for a while longer. After all, there was still an important encounter—Electrolux—that had yet to appear.
Now that he had advanced to Soul Elder, he had greater confidence. With his current strength, even ordinary ten-thousand-year beasts posed little threat. As long as he stayed in the forest's outskirts, safety was manageable.
Besides, it was a good chance to test his three new soul skills against strong beasts.
The morning mist in the forest was cool and refreshing, yet hard to relax in.
Ever since the Great Star Dou Forest had unleashed its beast tide and forced Shrek Academy to compromise, the years of recuperation had allowed its beast population and quality to grow to astounding levels.
This was why soul beasts occasionally roamed even outside the forest.
Weaker beasts, unable to compete for territory or food against stronger ones, had no choice but to migrate outward to survive.
Along the way through the outer forest, Xu Zihuang encountered several beasts, the strongest being an eight-hundred-year Flame Lion King.
Though Flame Lions were powerful fire-attribute beasts, in front of Xu Zihuang they crumbled instantly—not even worth using soul skills against.
Notably, he skinned the Flame Lion King carefully, intending to later have the pelt fashioned into bedding in Shrek City.
He was going to Shrek Academy to study and build connections, not to suffer unnecessarily. There was no need to deprive himself of comfort in daily life.
Meanwhile, though Tianmeng had condensed a form thanks to the life force in Xu Zihuang's sea of spirit, it still needed time to stabilize. After a few words, it fell into slumber.
An hour slipped by quietly.
As he walked, Xu Zihuang suddenly stopped, golden eyes coldly fixed ahead.
The surrounding plants twisted at bizarre angles, everything seeming to spiral toward a center. His mind wavered for a moment.
"A spiritual-type soul skill?"
This strange wave of spiritual power was all too familiar.
Yet in just an instant, he recovered. At the same time, a shrill cry split the air not far away.
A strange soul beast lay weakly on the ground, covered in gray-silver scales, bleeding from its seven orifices, limbs twitching.
Unlike the beasts Xu Zihuang had faced earlier, this one was small—barely a meter and a half long. Yet its head was abnormally large, nearly a third of its body.
Its head was triangular, its eyes enormous, jawbones sharp. Its yellow vertical pupils burned like fire.
But now its aura was feeble, the light in its eyes dim.
"Fear Demon Dragon?" Xu Zihuang examined the beast, recalling its details.
The Fear Demon Dragon was a subspecies of earth dragon. Its combat power was low, but it was a rare spiritual dragon. It possessed a powerful innate skill—Fear—which clouded the enemy's mind and robbed them of the will to fight.
It had just used this skill on Xu Zihuang, but the gap in cultivation and spiritual power was too vast. The backlash had crippled it.
It had practically asked for death.
Xu Zihuang sighed, stepping toward the fallen beast.
Judging by its size, it was about two hundred years old. With its brain heavily damaged, it had little chance of survival.
At that moment, three figures rushed out from another direction, appearing before Xu Zihuang.
The two leading figures were about fifteen. One was a handsome blue-haired boy, who glanced between Xu Zihuang and the crippled dragon thoughtfully. At his side, a lively young girl was unconsciously captivated by Xu Zihuang's ethereal presence.
The blue-haired boy was good-looking, but compared to Xu Zihuang, he was clearly inferior.
"Ahem. Keep staring and your eyes will fall out." The boy nudged the girl's shoulder irritably, his scholarly face darkening with jealousy.
"Beibei, are you jealous?" the girl teased, smiling as she looked openly at Xu Zihuang.
"Always pretending to be so proper—doesn't it tire you?"
It was natural to admire beauty. While it wasn't love at first sight, Xu Zihuang left her with a very good first impression.
"That's called restraint!" Beibei's face blackened as he shifted his gaze back to Xu Zihuang.
But Xu Zihuang's eyes went past them, fixing on the thin black-haired boy behind them.
Because this boy was none other than Huo Yuhao, who had originally come alone to the Great Star Dou Forest.
Xu Zihuang's heart stirred, but he quickly met Beibei's gaze with a warm smile.
The results of his three months of honing on Moon Pivot Island were now on full display. His sunny yet approachable smile radiated like a spring breeze.
No one understood disguise better than him.
"Do you three need something?"
"My name is Tang Ya, and this is Beibei. We're students of Shrek Academy."
Before Beibei could speak, the girl smiled and said, "Did you injure that Fear Demon Dragon? Could you let us have its soul ring? We can compensate you."
She knew her request was abrupt, but something about Xu Zihuang gave her a strong feeling he would agree.
Beibei tugged at Tang Ya, his wary gaze fixed on Xu Zihuang.
It wasn't jealousy—he simply knew that revealing their identities in the forest was foolish.
Under their eyes, Xu Zihuang's smile deepened slightly.
"So it's Senior Sister Tang and Senior Brother Bei. Actually, I'm also a new student at Shrek this year. My name is Yu Tianhuang, from the Heavenly Soul Empire. Since Senior Sister asked, just take it. No need for compensation."
Yu Tianhuang was the alias Xu Zihuang had prepared for entering Shrek Academy.
"You're a new student this year? From the Heavenly Soul Empire?" Tang Ya's bright eyes lit up instantly.
"That's great! Beibei and I are also from the Heavenly Soul Empire—we're compatriots."
"Yuhao, hurry! This Fear Demon Dragon's soul ring will suit you perfectly." With Xu Zihuang's permission, she beckoned to Huo Yuhao.
"Thank you."
Huo Yuhao finally reacted, bowing slightly to Xu Zihuang.
His mother had taught him always to be polite. But standing before the tall, elegant Xu Zihuang, a trace of inferiority rose in his heart.
They were both new Shrek students—yet while he needed his senior brother and teacher's help to obtain a ring, Xu Zihuang could slay strong beasts alone.
"He must have incredible talent," Yuhao thought, before, under Beibei's guidance, driving his White Tiger Dagger into the dragon's eye to end its life.
"Yuhao, now it's up to you to absorb the ring. Stay conscious."
"Thank you, Senior Brother." Yuhao nodded, adjusted his state, and began guiding the soul ring—the first step in his journey as a soul master.
While Yuhao absorbed the ring, Beibei approached Xu Zihuang, his wariness eased, especially after hearing his name.
The surname Yu was rare on the continent.
Xu Zihuang smiled. "Is there something you wish to ask, Senior Brother Bei?"
"Just curious—why did you come to the forest? Are you also here for a soul ring?" Beibei laughed heartily, though his tone betrayed his probing intent. Even Tang Ya noticed.
He wasn't trying to hide it.
Tang Ya planted her hands on her hips, giving Beibei a playful glare.
"He gave us the soul ring freely, and you're still interrogating him? Have some manners!"
"Xiao Ya, you…" Beibei sighed helplessly, opening his mouth but deciding not to press further.
Watching the two, Xu Zihuang almost wanted to say, "Don't blame Brother Bei. It's only natural to be cautious when meeting for the first time."
But realizing how fake it would sound, he swallowed the thought and shifted the topic, chatting idly with them instead.