Wang Tianyu let his gaze move slowly across the Shrek Academy students standing before him. His voice was measured and calm.
"You all heard. Fighting here is strictly forbidden."
"When you enter the Garden of Rest, release your aura fully. Make it as powerful as you possibly can. The stronger your aura, the greater your chance of attracting the attention of the Spirit Beasts. Remember — this place exists for you to show what you're made of, and to reveal your future potential. Understood?"
"Yes!" the Inner and Outer Court students answered in unison.
"Good." Wang Tianyu said nothing more.
The leaders of the other factions were finishing their own instructions. More than a hundred young Spirit Masters had gathered at the forest's edge, ready to enter.
Bi Ji raised her hand. The gesture was soft, but the forest ahead seemed to stir in response.
"This area is the Garden of Rest. A barrier has been set at its boundary. You may explore freely, but be careful — do not cross it. Beyond it is far too dangerous for you. You have one day. If by the end of the day you haven't found a suitable Spirit Beast, return here."
The moment her voice fell, more than a hundred Spirit Masters moved forward at once.
Watching the figures disappear into the trees, Tang Miao narrowed his eyes and turned to Wang Tianyu.
"Wang Tianyu — that child, Yang Hui. Is he connected to Elder Sister in some way? Or is he perhaps her son?"
Wang Tianyu glanced at Yang Hui, waiting for his answer.
"As perceptive as ever. Yes, he is her son… I think we should discuss this somewhere private."
The three men exchanged a look with Bi Ji and Bai Lingshuang, gave brief nods, and vanished in a flash of light.
Fan Yue stepped into the forest and felt the change at once.
The air here was different — denser. Life energy flowed more freely and more richly than anywhere else they had been. This was, after all, where Spirit Beasts lived.
By now, Fan Yue and his companions had entered the Garden of Rest proper. The other groups — including the Shrek Academy Inner Court students — dispersed in different directions almost immediately. Only the first-years stayed together.
The idea to remain as one had been Lan Xuanyu's, and the class trusted him without question.
"Class president — what should we do?" The students gathered in a tight circle around Lan Xuanyu, eyes bright with expectation.
Fan Yue found their behavior quietly amusing.
Xuanyu has become their second mother.
"Hehe… From the outside they really do look like chicks clustering around a hen," Dong Qianqiu murmured.
"It makes sense," Liu Feng added. "He's the one who brought them here."
Lan Xuanyu clapped his hands for attention.
"On your own, it all comes down to luck. But if we move together and release our Battle Souls and bloodline auras at the same time, our combined presence will be far stronger and richer. The Spirit Beasts will feel it. If anyone is drawn to a Spirit Beast, step forward. If multiple people want the same beast, the beast will decide. Anyone who prefers to go alone is free to do so."
"Class president — who here would want to go alone?" Ding Zhouhan laughed. "From this moment, we're under your wing."
The class nodded as one.
Lan Xuanyu waved them forward.
Do I really look like their mother? he thought to himself.
"The class seems very motivated," Tang Yuge observed.
Fan Yue smiled.
"So do you. You're eager to form a contract, aren't you."
Tang Yuge allowed herself a slight smile.
"You're right."
More than thirty people began to move. They stayed together without crowding — at Lan Xuanyu's direction, the formation spread out like a net, twenty to thirty meters between each student.
The column stretched over six hundred meters in total. Moving through the forest, they looked like an enormous torch — dozens of Spirit Masters radiating every manner of aura.
Fan Yue didn't release his Battle Soul. There was no need. A faint draconic breath already emanated from him naturally.
They didn't have to wait long before they met the first Spirit Beast.
Draped lazily across the branches of a massive tree lay an enormous snake. Its body was nearly the same color as the bark, and at a casual glance it was easy to miss entirely. Over twenty meters long, scales textured like wood grain. This was a Wood Serpent, aged well beyond ten thousand years.
Unlike most venomous and predatory snakes, Wood Serpents were calm, gentle creatures. But among serpentine Spirit Beasts they stood apart — extraordinary defensive power and formidable strength. Slow, but virtually unkillable.
Fan Yue was the first to notice it.
The moment it noticed him, the serpent's lethargy vanished. Its enormous body began to slide toward him with slow, unhurried purpose. The first-years cried out in alarm and drew together, but the Wood Serpent paid them no attention. Its gaze was fixed entirely on Fan Yue.
"It seems I've caught your eye," he said calmly.
The serpent understood his words and gave a slow nod.
Lan Xuanyu smiled slightly.
"A Wood Serpent with a strength-focused cultivation. By its appearance, at least fifty thousand years old."
Spirit Beasts beyond ten thousand years already possessed a certain intelligence. Hearing this, the serpent raised its head and looked at Lan Xuanyu — but soon its attention drifted back to Fan Yue.
"I'm sorry," Fan Yue said gently. "You are truly powerful, but I don't need a spirit soul."
He meant it. Experimenting with a spirit soul was not something he had any intention of doing — his path was stable as it was.
"Our class has many talented students. Perhaps one of them would suit you."
The Wood Serpent's eyes filled with visible disappointment. It had been drawn by Fan Yue's draconic aura — with him as its master, it would surely have had a chance to evolve into a true dragon.
It turned its gaze across the group, pausing on Lan Xuanyu with his Dragon God bloodline and on Liu Feng with his White Dragon King bloodline. Neither stepped forward.
Then, from the crowd, Yu Tian stepped out.
He released his Battle Soul in an instant — the Demon Blade, a colossal two-handed sword. Pure power flooded out of him, and the blade blazed, lending him a genuinely fearsome presence.
The Wood Serpent turned its head.
Yu Tian let out a deep roar and raised the Demon Blade high. His third spirit ring ignited, his aura erupting like a flame. He seemed to grow taller and broader. A wild, untameable ferocity radiated from him, as though a single strike was always moments away.
The serpent extended its tongue and lifted the front half of its body. The largest scale on its forehead lit up — and it surged forward.
Yu Tian leapt to meet it, bringing the Demon Blade crashing down on the glowing scale.
A sharp metallic ring rang out.
Yu Tian was thrown to the side, but held the blade. The Wood Serpent's head was completely unharmed — its scales had merely shimmered softly. It went still, as though it had learned something.
Yu Tian flipped in the air and landed solidly, walking back several paces.
"What defense."
The Wood Serpent studied him for a long moment, then gave a slow nod. Yu Tian broke into a wide smile and stepped forward, his sword disappearing.
"Thank you, Senior. However difficult the path, I will walk it to the end. Let's move forward together. I'll show you the outside world."
The serpent nodded again and lowered its head.
Receiving the mental signal, Yu Tian leapt up in a single bound, landing on the very scale he had struck. The Wood Serpent lifted its head slightly and turned, heading back the way it had come.
There was only one meaning to that.
The bond had been formed.
"Brothers and sisters — I'm going first!" Yu Tian called out, laughing, and waved back at them.
Watching him go, the first-years couldn't conceal their envy. A Spirit Beast aged beyond fifty thousand years meant at minimum two, possibly three ten-thousand-year spirit rings in the future. A true spirit soul was incomparably more valuable than an artificial one — intelligent, capable of aiding in combat. When Yu Tian reached the five-ring realm, his battle power would multiply many times over.
Fan Yue smiled. Even without seeking a spirit soul himself, seeing this world was already its own small reward.
"We keep moving," Lan Xuanyu reminded them, and the group pressed on.
The method proved highly effective. Within just one hour they had encountered five Spirit Beasts — not counting one exceptional case that hadn't suited anyone.
Every beast dwelling here was in the final stage of its life, none having reached the hundred-thousand-year threshold. But nearly all of them had cultivated beyond ten thousand years, which was precisely what made this opportunity so rare. In so short a time, four first-years had already earned the recognition of a genuine ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast and gained the chance to obtain a true spirit soul. By any measure, this was a remarkable result.
Those students left the Garden of Rest immediately with their chosen beasts. The contract ceremony would take place in the presence of Bi Ji the Emerald Swan and the other senior figures assembled here. With Spirit Pagoda representatives on-site as well, the spirit soul transformation ritual presented no complications.
After another hour of searching, however, their luck seemed to turn. The Garden of Rest appeared to have fewer beasts remaining than they had hoped. Thirty more minutes of searching produced nothing.
Lan Xuanyu quickly signaled to change direction. The group turned and continued moving, scanning the surroundings carefully.
It was then that a new Spirit Beast appeared ahead.
It was unlike anything they had seen today. A lean, powerful body covered entirely in spines — roughly four meters in length, but with a three-meter tail, over seven meters overall. When its hind legs touched the ground, the spines appeared black, but its eyes glowed with a strange silver light. The skin beneath the spines was silver too.
Most of the first-years were at a loss. Not one of them could immediately identify what it was.
Fan Yue leaned toward Liu Feng and said quietly, "That's a Thorn Dragon. A perfect match for you. Tremendous attack power, high speed, and spatial abilities. Judging by the length of the tail — around thirty thousand years old."
He spoke without hesitation. He wanted to help a close friend. The Thorn Dragon was the most powerful Spirit Beast they had encountered all day. Where the earlier beasts had remained in the Garden because they couldn't break through to the hundred-thousand-year level, this one was different. Thorn Dragons had the innate potential to reach that threshold. The beast before them was in the prime of its power.
The reason it had come here was clear — it was looking for a person to grow alongside.
Liu Feng turned to Fan Yue and gave a silent nod. The gratitude in his eyes was genuine.
As with before, the first-years gathered when the Spirit Beast was spotted. But this time the situation was different. Someone was already standing before the Thorn Dragon — and more than that, it appeared that a conversation was already in progress.
A young man, roughly twenty years old. He wore Spirit Pagoda attire, and a three-layered golden pagoda marking on his shoulder indicated his rank clearly. A Spirit Pagoda Manager. And judging by his age, one of their prodigies.
When he noticed more than twenty people in Shrek Academy uniforms surrounding him, he tensed visibly. But a closer look quickly relaxed him — they were all children. The young Manager let his eyes pass over them briefly and returned his focus to the Thorn Dragon, pressing on with his persuasion.
The Thorn Dragon itself seemed interested, but had not yet decided. It hadn't given Fan Yue or the others so much as a glance — only a soft snort. A gleam passed through those silver eyes as it responded to the young man.
None of the students interfered. They all watched in attentive silence.
To earn recognition, the Manager released his Battle Soul. Fine scales spread across his body, his fingers became sharp claws, and a gold scale blazed on his forehead. Seven spirit rings rose from beneath his feet — five purple and two black. The aura of a seven-ring Soul Sage spread outward without restraint. He also had Battle Armor, and it had very likely already surpassed the two-word level.
Fan Yue exchanged a glance with Lan Xuanyu and Liu Feng.
"Looks like it's your moment. This beast is too valuable to let go."
Lan Xuanyu nodded.
"Liu Feng — go."
Liu Feng was already struggling to contain himself. Having turned down the Wood Serpent earlier, he had quietly regretted it ever since. He understood that he had let a significant opportunity slip away. But this — this was a beast that suited him far more.
He had no intention of letting this one go.
"Boy," the Spirit Pagoda Manager said coldly as Liu Feng approached, "have some manners. Didn't your teacher tell you about first come, first served? Let me finish."
Liu Feng didn't slow his pace. Among all the first-years, his will was the most unyielding — it bordered on obstinacy — and he answered without breaking stride.
"In the Garden of Rest, the right of choice belongs to the Spirit Beast. There is no 'first' or 'second' here. There is only fair competition."
Spirit rings ignited beneath his feet. He closed his right hand, and the White Dragon Spear appeared in his grip. White half-moon scales covered his body as he released his Battle Soul fully.
After his second awakening, his bloodline had become that of the White Dragon King. Though he had only four rings, his aura was remarkably clean and powerful.
The Thorn Dragon's attention snapped to him immediately. In those silver eyes, surprise flared — and then unmistakable curiosity.
"Senior," Liu Feng said, his voice steady. "I am Liu Feng of Shrek Academy. My Battle Soul is the White Dragon Spear, reawakened and carrying the bloodline of the White Dragon King. You are a master among dragon-type Spirit Beasts; I specialize in speed. I believe we are highly compatible, and my bloodline should help you grow."
The Thorn Dragon studied him thoughtfully, then shifted its gaze to the Spirit Pagoda Manager.
The Manager's expression darkened. He was furious. He had been on the verge of convincing the Thorn Dragon — and now this interruption. He knew all too well how rare and valuable a Thorn Dragon was.
Spirit Beasts who chose to become spirit souls of their own free will were especially exacting. Proud. Haughty. They would not agree without absolute certainty.
"Boy — are you deliberately causing trouble?" the Manager asked coldly.
He didn't dare use force. The Garden of Rest did not forgive such things. Beyond that, the Spirit Pagoda stood behind him, and Shrek Academy stood behind Liu Feng — a wrong move could cost him dearly.
"Fair competition, Uncle," Liu Feng replied evenly.
"Uncle?!" The Manager nearly choked. "I'm barely past twenty!"
Grinding his teeth, he turned back to the Thorn Dragon.
"Senior, my Battle Soul is the Lightning Dragon — of the same lineage as the Thorn Dragon, sharing a common ancestor. My mutation evolved it into the King of Lightning Dragons. Yes, the White Dragon King bloodline is royal — but it hasn't awakened fully yet. He is less suited to you than I am."
The Thorn Dragon gave a nod. Then — as though it were a person — it pursed its lips and fixed its gaze on Liu Feng with an expression that said clearly:
And what will you show me? Why should I choose you?
Liu Feng froze and instinctively looked at Lan Xuanyu, asking silently for an amplification.
Lan Xuanyu understood at once.
He swept his hand, and his Blue Silver Grass with its golden patterns flared like lightning, coiling around Liu Feng's body. In the same instant, the White Dragon King scales blazed, his aura surging sharply. The faint draconic roar became distinct, and behind Liu Feng's back the dim silhouette of a white dragon appeared.
"Bloodline amplification?" The Spirit Pagoda Manager stared at Lan Xuanyu, unable to conceal his shock. "But he only has three rings…"
Before anyone could react, the Thorn Dragon suddenly blazed with silver light. In the next instant it was gone — and reappeared directly in front of Lan Xuanyu.
Then it did something that stunned everyone present.
One moment the Thorn Dragon had been standing proud, radiating haughty authority. The next, it had thrown itself to the ground at Lan Xuanyu's feet. Its silver eyes shone with open, unabashed flattery, and its massive tail wagged from side to side — not like a fearsome dragon, but like an eager puppy.
"Master, master — please, accept me," a voice appeared directly in Lan Xuanyu's mind.
He was completely taken aback. He had only meant to help Liu Feng — he had not anticipated anything like this.
The situation grew more absurd still when the Thorn Dragon extended its tongue and began licking its own paws, performing the utmost degree of subservience. The corners of the Spirit Pagoda Manager's mouth twitched. Liu Feng's face went rigid.
What… is happening? What on earth did this boy do?
"Ha-ha-ha!" Fan Yue burst out laughing. "Well — what else would you expect from you, Xuanyu?"
He said it with perfect composure, as though this were entirely natural.
When he released his Battle Soul, the Dragon God's aura came through. What Spirit Beast could hold out against that? For them, this is a chance to ascend to the heavens alongside him. His potential is limitless. Fan Yue couldn't have explained how he knew this — it felt as though his own bloodline was supplying the answer.
"Get up," Lan Xuanyu said, stepping back, not allowing the dragon to approach again.
The Thorn Dragon rose obediently. Its voice sounded once more in Lan Xuanyu's mind:
"Master, I am very strong. Truly very strong."
With that, its body ignited with silver light. The black spines went silver in an instant, and the colossal body began to tremble.
A flash.
It vanished.
When the Thorn Dragon reappeared, it was over a hundred meters away. The spines across its body blazed brilliantly as it swept its tail. A silver beam shot from every spine, merging into a single band of light. A low resonance filled the air.
With a sharp crack, a pitch-black fissure split open in the sky above.
A terrifying pulling force poured out of it. Everyone present felt the world tip beneath them. In the next instant, everything seemed to darken. The Thorn Dragon itself went dark, its aura shifting — suddenly savage and ferocious. Its body curved and disappeared into the black void, then appeared again high in the sky.
Space shuddered.
Countless rifts tore open in the heavens, as though the sky itself was about to shatter.
Fan Yue was genuinely shaken.
That power — like Lan Xuanyu's halberd, it can tear and cut through space itself. This Thorn Dragon is far stronger than the books describe. Its spatial control is extraordinary.
This was what a Spirit Beast truly was. If that attack had been directed at any of them — not one person present could have withstood it.
The silver light faded.
The rifts disappeared.
In the next instant, the Thorn Dragon was back beside Lan Xuanyu — and wearing precisely the same flattering expression as before.
"Master, master… when I evolve, I'll be able to open my own spatial domain on the battlefield. If we reach the hundred-thousand-year level together and I awaken the Domain of Space-Thorns, you will be undefeatable. Please — accept me."
Lan Xuanyu was genuinely moved. The power the Thorn Dragon had demonstrated was terrifying. But at the same time, the problem was clear to him.
I am touched — truly. But I don't need a spirit soul. My rings form on their own as my realm advances. They come from my bloodline.
He could only smile with quiet regret.
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I cannot accept you. If you truly sense my bloodline… you understand why."
The Thorn Dragon went still, then gave a sharp shake of its head.
"True… why would the Dragon God King need a spirit soul? But Master — I still want to follow you. Even if only your draconic aura acts upon me, that alone is enough to change my fate. In that case — please, at least accept me as a servant. I'm not insisting on becoming a spirit soul."
Its voice echoed again in Lan Xuanyu's mind.
Lan Xuanyu was speechless.
Bring a dragon into Shrek Academy? The notion was absurd. Beyond that, Spirit Beasts were strictly prohibited from entering the human world without a contract bond.
"Senior, I'm afraid that isn't possible. I cannot allow you to simply follow me directly — you know the rules between humans and Spirit Beasts perfectly well. If you want to leave this place, there is only one path: become someone's spirit soul."
He paused, then continued in an honest, unhurried tone.
"I myself cannot have a spirit soul, but my brother can. His bloodline was awakened with my help, and I am bound to keep purifying it. The White Dragon King clan is a first-class dragon lineage. It is especially powerful in speed and spatial arts — both are your strength as well. For you, he is a far better match than I am."
The people around him could only hear Lan Xuanyu's side of the conversation. The Thorn Dragon's mental speech was beyond their reach, but the expressions shifting across everyone's faces made it clear that something unusual was being negotiated.
The Spirit Pagoda Manager had given up entirely on argument. He understood that persuasion was pointless now.
"The people of Shrek Academy…" he said, jaw tight, "are genuinely insufferable."
Liu Feng's eyes were shining. He had seen the Thorn Dragon's power with his own eyes — spatial ability, destructive attack, extraordinary speed. The White Dragon King also possessed spatial talent, but his bloodline was still far from fully refined. If the Thorn Dragon became his spirit soul, the challenges of his fifth, sixth, and seventh rings would resolve themselves naturally. Three ten-thousand-year rings were all but guaranteed. And if the spirit soul's active skills matched what had just been demonstrated, the path to the Inner Court was all but assured.
The Thorn Dragon looked at Lan Xuanyu, then at Liu Feng, and sent another thought.
"Master… will your friend always be at your side?"
Lan Xuanyu answered without hesitation.
"I can't promise forever, but for at least the next ten years, we're unlikely to part."
He paused, then casually reached into his spatial storage.
"By the way — I have a question. These… are Emperor Fruits. A rare spirit plant native to this planet. They're said to purify bloodlines. How useful would they be for Liu Feng? Or would it be better if I kept them myself?"
With that, he drew out a cluster of Emperor Fruits — the ones the white tiger Lan Hudi had given him — and dangled them gently in front of the Thorn Dragon.
In the next instant, the Thorn Dragon's eyes glazed over. Its face contorted, its jaws slowly parted, and saliva began to drip from its fangs. That enormous body gave an almost imperceptible shudder.
"Emperor… Fruits?! Where did you get those? Where?!"
Fan Yue stared at the fruit in Lan Xuanyu's hand.
Oh. Lan Xuanyu really does keep secrets. He even has Emperor Fruits.
Fan Yue knew their effect perfectly well. These were extraordinarily precious and valuable.
The reaction was so overwhelming that Lan Xuanyu felt simultaneously surprised and quietly pleased.
"I traded for them — exchanged a rare item."
His expression remained perfectly composed.
I really was lucky. An ordinary trinket for a treasure like this.
The dragon gave a sudden firm nod.
"Those are… useful. Very useful. Give them to him. I want him as my partner. Three Emperor Fruits and I will agree to anything."
Lan Xuanyu quietly put the fruits away and glanced at Liu Feng. The Thorn Dragon had made its conditions clear — it would become Liu Feng's spirit soul on two terms: Liu Feng would consume three Emperor Fruits, and he would remain close to Lan Xuanyu for at least ten years, benefiting from his aura over time.
The Spirit Pagoda Manager didn't know what to say. However furious he was, he had recognized what Lan Xuanyu's nature meant. The Thorn Dragon had shown a degree of willing submission to this Shrek Academy student that it had never shown to him — which meant the student held an influence that couldn't be competed with.
"Sorry, Uncle," Lan Xuanyu said, smiling with perfect innocence.
The Manager ground his teeth. Seeing the Thorn Dragon's clear choice, he turned and walked away. The moment he was gone, the first-years erupted. Liu Feng pressed his lips together and held up a silent thumb toward Lan Xuanyu.
A true spirit soul — and a powerful one at that. A thirty-thousand-year Thorn Dragon had chosen Liu Feng for Lan Xuanyu's sake, though no one outside fully understood the reason.
Lan Xuanyu looked at the Thorn Dragon.
"Senior — will you go back with Feng?"
The dragon shook its head.
"No, no — I want to follow my master. I go where you go. Don't rush the ceremony. I need to return first and tell the Beast God what has happened. Otherwise I would be betraying the trust of the one who protected me all these years."
With that, it vanished instantly, leaving nothing behind but a shimmer of silver light.
Liu Feng was briefly bewildered — then a voice arrived in his mind.
"I need to go. I will find you."
"He said he'll come back to find me. I don't know where he went."
Lan Xuanyu nodded.
"That's fine. Congratulations."
Liu Feng smiled — one of his rare genuine smiles.
"I'll repay you in action, not words."
He wasn't surprised that Lan Xuanyu attracted dragon-type beasts. His White Dragon King bloodline — the gold and silver scales — pointed clearly toward descent from a True Dragon, and toward a level of power that made the reason self-evident.
Fan Yue clapped Lan Xuanyu on the back with a grin.
"You really are this class's lucky star. Looks like you're on your way to becoming the goose that lays golden eggs."
Lan Xuanyu rolled his eyes and exhaled helplessly.
"What can I do… I'm simply too exceptional."
"Xuanyu — you can't play favorites." Lan Mengqin drifted close and spoke quietly. "We need a strong spirit soul too."
Lan Xuanyu smiled with effort.
"That depends on your luck. Spirit Beasts with ice and snow attributes are rare here. For you and Qianqiu, finding a suitable one won't be easy."
Dong Qianqiu said, quietly and simply, "I don't need a spirit soul."
Fan Yue glanced at Lan Xuanyu, then at Dong Qianqiu.
"Hmm… It seems everyone here has their own secrets."
Lan Xuanyu, Dong Qianqiu, and Lan Mengqin all smiled at the same moment — each carrying something unspoken, none of it coming between them.
The group continued searching. The Garden was vast, and along the way they passed several Spirit Masters who gave them a wide berth, as well as a few Spirit Beasts that simply hadn't found the right person.
Two hours later, one more Spirit Master earned recognition. In total, four hours had passed since they entered the garden. The group had been moving quickly, until Lan Xuanyu called a brief rest before the search resumed.