Wang Yan was not a petty man. The two meals he had brought were exquisitely prepared top-grade dishes.
Even better than the ones Xu Zihuang had eaten in the cafeteria at noon.
Two dishes, one soup, and a pot of rice. Simple to say, but the ingredients could only be described as treasures.
This meal easily exceeded the value of one hundred fifty gold soul coins—and that was without considering the cooking cost.
The two ate and chatted. Wang Yan was in high spirits, never putting on the airs of a teacher, making the atmosphere unusually relaxed.
For every question Xu Zihuang raised about martial soul cultivation, Wang Yan could provide unique insights.
Back on Moon South Island, although Wang Xiao and Yao Yang were powerful spirit masters, what they gave him were only personal cultivation experiences.
Wang Yan, however, was a theorist, while Wang Xiao and Yao Yang were practitioners. Comparing the two, many of Xu Zihuang's doubts suddenly became clear.
Unknowingly, night had fully fallen.
Wang Yan casually switched on the soul tool lamp on the ceiling of his office, smiling warmly.
"I've taken up enough of your time, Student Yu. Go get some rest. If you ever have any questions about martial soul cultivation, you can always come to my office. My door is always open to you. Oh, and tomorrow, I'll be the teacher for your Class Nine's theory course."
"Then Teacher Wang, I'll take my leave. Thank you for treating me to this meal."
"You brat." Wang Yan laughed, scolding lightly as he watched Xu Zihuang leave. Then he pushed up his golden-rimmed glasses and turned toward the window.
Outside was a lake calm as a mirror, reflecting the silhouettes of trees and flowers under the scattered light of soul lamps.
Mysterious and profound.
"A body martial soul! And very likely an innate second awakening already completed! Yu Tianhuang, you've truly brought the academy a great surprise. No, I must tell Elder Xuan immediately."
Standing in the corridor of the faculty building, Xu Zihuang gazed southwest toward Shrek City's night view. The dazzling lights of this timeless city reflected in his clear, deep violet eyes, like the brilliant stars in the sky.
With the advancement of soul tool technology, soul lamps for daily use had long been common throughout the three nations of the original Douluo Continent.
All of Shrek Academy was bathed in their soft glow.
Before he could leave the faculty building, a voice suddenly echoed across the academy through an amplifying soul tool:
"Fourth-year Beibei challenges fifth-year Xu Sanshi. Their duel will soon be held in the Soul Dueling Arena."
"Fourth-year Beibei challenges fifth-year Xu Sanshi. Their duel will soon be held in the Soul Dueling Arena."
It repeated three times.
Hearing this, Xu Zihuang was stunned.
He knew in the original story Beibei challenged Xu Sanshi to obtain the Profound Water Pill for Huo Yuhao. He hadn't expected it to unfold again here, right on time.
Without Spiritual Detection Sharing, can you still help Beibei win the Profound Water Pill?
With this question in mind, Xu Zihuang quickened his steps toward the Soul Dueling Arena in the northwest of the academy.
The arena wasn't far. After paying a silver soul coin for entry, he arrived at the stands just as the duel between Xu Sanshi and Beibei began.
Already, four to five hundred spectators surrounded the arena—much livelier than the Class Nine combat assessment earlier that day.
In the center, Xu Sanshi and Beibei glared at each other with fierce determination.
The referee stepped into the middle and said sternly, "Fourth-year Beibei challenges fifth-year Xu Sanshi. If Xu Sanshi loses, he must pay an additional ten gold soul coins. You've both agreed to this wager. Are you ready?"
Beibei and Xu Sanshi both nodded.
"Begin!" The referee quickly retreated. At once, both released their martial souls.
The arena, noisy moments before, fell completely silent. All eyes fixed on them. As stars of the outer court, every duel between Beibei and Xu Sanshi was intense and thrilling. Students loved watching them fight—and many secretly placed bets.
Blue lightning flared as Beibei's right arm swelled, releasing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul.
On the other side, Xu Sanshi was no less imposing. His body expanded, his uniform stretched taut, and a massive turtle shell shield appeared in his right hand.
They circled sideways, eyes sharp, spirit power rising—blue on one side, black on the other, dividing the arena.
Watching their dense, refined spirit power, Xu Zihuang's gaze grew solemn.
As twin stars of the outer court and destined Shrek Seven Devils, their foundations were indeed deep.
"Hm?" Suddenly, Xu Zihuang frowned, looking toward the opposite stands.
He sensed a faint spiritual fluctuation—the unique ripple of a spiritual-type soul skill being used.
With his ability to extend his spiritual power outward, he instantly locked onto the source.
The front row, closest to the arena.
"Huo Yuhao," Xu Zihuang murmured.
Indeed, it was Huo Yuhao who had activated it. Tang Ya was beside him.
In the arena, Xu Sanshi, evenly matched with Beibei, suddenly felt his surroundings spin around a central point. His consciousness blurred for an instant.
In that moment of confusion, Beibei's body turned illusory, sliding low across the ground. His dragon claw hooked under Xu Sanshi's shield, sweeping sideways to appear behind him.
Beibei's foot struck Xu Sanshi's leg, and his electrified claw made Xu Sanshi's body tremble violently.
Seeing this, Xu Zihuang shook his head quietly. Beibei, though victorious, did not look pleased—his brows furrowed as he glanced toward Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya.
Huo Yuhao had used his first soul skill, Fear, obtained from the hundred-year Terrorclaw Dragon. It had indeed affected Xu Sanshi, but their cultivation gap was too great, and the backlash was severe.
His face turned deathly pale, blood seeped from his orifices, though he remained conscious.
Tang Ya instinctively shielded him. Many spectators nearby turned their eyes toward Huo Yuhao.
Unlike the auxiliary Spiritual Detection Sharing, offensive spiritual skills carried obvious fluctuations when cast. From afar it might go unnoticed, but at such close range, it was impossible to hide.
As a civilian-born student, Huo Yuhao had no such awareness.
This led to the current situation.
"Teacher, I report Huo Yuhao for cheating! He secretly used a soul skill to interfere in the duel!" shouted a male student in a white freshman uniform.