Chapter 7: The Angry Elder Xuan and the Shrek Outer Courtyard.
"What's going on?"
A greasy, rough hand landed on Liu Qing's shoulder, forcibly stopping him from his forward momentum.
"Elder Xuan?!" Liu Qing was overjoyed upon seeing the person, as if a bullied child had found their parent:"Liu Qing, a member of the Shrek Surveillance Team, reporting to the Vice-Captain!"
"Alright, enough with the formalities. Tell me what happened, why are you so nervous!" The person slapped Liu Qing on the head.
It was a disheveled old man, holding a gourd of wine in one hand and a greasy chicken leg in the other. The gourd he was holding was the one that had slapped Liu Qing on the head.
The slap jolted Liu Qing awake:"Elder Xuan, there are so many evil soul masters! More than ten Soul Saints, several Soul Douluos, and even a Title Douluo! You must hurry and save Liu Shang and Du Yu, and several other members of the Shrek Academy's inspection team. They're being ganged up on by evil soul masters!"
"What!"
The man called Elder Xuan was stunned for a moment, then roared:"Bastard!"
An extremely terrifying aura instantly erupted from the seemingly powerless old man's body, and the roar shook the entire Shrek City.
Before Liu Qing could react, he was momentarily knocked unconscious by the direct impact of the roar. When he regained consciousness, Elder Xuan had vanished.
With very little soul power left, Liu Qing struggled to carry Ji Wuchang forward. As he walked, he burst into tears.
He knew that even if he couldn't save his companions in time, Elder Xuan would definitely avenge them.
This was his confidence in Elder Xuan, and also his loyalty to Shrek Academy. Every member of the Shrek Academy's Supervisory Committee is a treasure to Shrek Academy; losing even one would shake the entire school.
Shrek has never let him down!
Those who offend our academy, though far away, will be punished!
...
As he walked, he realized he had arrived at the outer courtyard. Lacking the strength to go to the inner courtyard, he could only seek out a healing Soul Master from the outer courtyard.
Just then, a giant, vibrant tree stood not far ahead, its life force invigorating him.
"Wang Dong, what level of powerhouse was that just now? That aura was terrifying!" A boy of about twelve or thirteen, lying on the ground and feeling his rapidly recovering body, asked the boy beside him.
"That was at least a Title Douluo or higher! Definitely someone you can't reach right now." The boy called Wang Dong clicked his tongue and said,
"Putting that aside, the teacher who heals us is extremely rare! His Martial Soul is a top-tier plant-type Martial Soul, the Tree of Life! And he's a level seventy Soul Saint!"
Watching the Life Tree Soul Saint, who had already sheathed his Martial Soul and was about to depart, the boy's eyes were filled with longing:
"If only I could..."
"Huo Yuhao, look, who's that?" Wang Dong suddenly tugged at the boy, Huo Yuhao.
"Huh?"
Huo Yuhao looked in the direction Wang Dong was pointing and saw a tall man in dark green clothes slowly walking over.
He looked to be no more than thirty years old, with above-average looks and a somewhat thin build.
At this moment, he was carrying a bloody object on his back. Although the blood had mostly congealed, it still looked extremely terrifying.
"That's a child!" Huo Yuhao, whose Martial Soul acted as a spiritual eye, immediately recognized what the person was carrying.
"Excuse me, teacher, please wait a moment. Please help us heal!"
The thin man didn't care about the stares of those around him. He was exhausted and panicked when he saw the teacher with the Life Tree Martial Soul about to leave.
Although he was tired, it was only due to the depletion of his soul power and physical strength. Even without treatment, with his Soul Saint cultivation, he would recover on his own soon.
But Ji Wuchang on his back was different! His increasingly faint breathing was driving Liu Qing crazy. If the boy his companion had risked his life to save hadn't died from being chased by those evil Soul Masters, but instead died inexplicably from not receiving timely treatment, he would be dumbfounded.
"You are, a member of the Shrek Academy Inspection Team?"
The Soul Saint, who possessed the Tree of Life as his Martial Soul, stopped in his tracks upon seeing Liu Qing's clothes.
"Yes, please do your best to save this child first. I'm not in much trouble!"
His Martial Soul True Body instantly reappeared, with seven Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—reappearing. The seven Soul Rings shone simultaneously, and a branch wrapped Ji Wuchang on Liu Qing's back into the tree canopy. Hundreds of leaves fell from the tree, enveloping Liu Qing.
Feeling his physical and soul power gradually recovering, Liu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. The Tree of Life Martial Soul truly lived up to its name; his injuries were almost completely healed in a very short time.
Ninety-two pairs of eyes were fixed on him, and even he, with his incredibly thick skin, blushed slightly.
"What has this child been through?"
After a long while, the Tree of Life Soul Saint finally dispelled his Martial Soul form. He was pale, as he had somehow managed to heal Ji Wuchang.
"He... single-handedly defeated an entire mountain of evil soul masters."
Liu Qing smiled wryly, still feeling a strong sense of unreality.
"Hiss~" The Life Tree Soul Saint gasped:
"He's not seriously injured, but he needs rest. Aside from not being able to use his Martial Soul for a few days, he should wake up soon. Where did you find such a monster? His physical attributes are even better than most Soul Masters."
Liu Qing shook his head with a wry smile:
"He was earned with the lives of many companions; he's incredibly precious!"
"Um, teacher, can I ask you a favor?"
Not paying much attention to the Life Tree Soul Saint's complex expression, Liu Qing asked.
"What is it?" the white-robed man, the Life Tree Soul Saint, asked curiously.
"Could you help arrange for this little guy to study at Shrek Academy? I've successfully completed thirty Shrek Inspection Team missions; it's time to graduate." Liu Qing said with a wry smile.
"But it seems the enrollment period has already passed..." the white-robed man hesitated.
"I'll personally speak to Principal Yan about his admission to the academy," Liu Qing said.
"Alright, then, Teacher Zhou Yi, how about you arrange this child's enrollment?" The man in white turned to Zhou Yi and asked.
"Ah? This... might not be a good idea?" Zhou Yi also looked conflicted.
She was known for her bad temper; didn't you see she just kicked several people out of Shrek Academy yesterday?
But now, asking her to casually agree to let someone into her class would be blatant favoritism, wouldn't it?
What special qualities could a kid who looked less than ten years old have? Heaven knows if he's just a good-for-nothing. She, Zhou Yi, wouldn't teach good-for-nothings!
Liu Qing noticed Zhou Yi's hesitation. He had heard of a teacher named Zhou Yi in the outer academy, and although her temper wasn't great, she was quite good at teaching students:
"Teacher Zhou Yi, right? Don't worry, this child won't disappoint you. He was protected by a senior member of the Inspection Team! It wouldn't be wrong to say he's a member of the Inspection Team."
"Maybe he's just a relative of one of the members?" Zhou Yi said, unconvinced.
Liu Qing smiled wryly and looked at the man in white.
"Zhou Yi, you can rest assured about that. I've investigated; this child has excellent physical attributes and talent. Although his soul power isn't extremely high, it's still at the level of a Great Soul Master," the white-robed man said.
"Hmm? A Great Soul Master at such a young age? Where did you bring this prodigy back from?" Zhou Yi asked in surprise. A Great Soul Master around ten years old—he seemed to be the most talented student she had ever taught.
"No, I've investigated. His bone age is already twelve. At this age, being a Great Soul Master isn't exactly monstrous, but it's still quite a feat. It seems some special reason makes him look like a ten-year-old. But overall, it doesn't have a significant impact," the white-robed man said.
"Speaking of which, why is this child covered in blood? What happened?" Zhou Yi looked curiously at Ji Wuchang, who was covered in blood. Was he dug out of some pile of corpses?
She hadn't heard Liu Qing's conversation. So it was understandable that she was curious.
"It's hard to say exactly what happened. As for this child..." Liu Qing's expression turned serious: "When we arrived, he was fighting against over a hundred evil soul masters!"
"What?!"
Zhou Yi exclaimed in surprise. Liu Qing's words were utterly shocking. A great soul master under thirteen years old was actually fighting against over a hundred evil soul masters?!
Her exclamation was so loud that it was heard by those nearby.
"What are they saying? That even Teacher Zhou Yi is shocked?"
That was the only thought in everyone's mind.
Because of this, Zhou Yi, whose voice had suddenly become clear, went unnoticed, which relieved her.
Although the white-robed man quickly realized that such a cry was out of character for Zhou Yi,
his eyes remained fixed on her as if he had seen a ghost, as if trying to pierce through her.
What was that just now? An old woman who looked to be in her fifties or sixties actually uttered a cry as clear as a young girl's?
Liu Qing was also surprised; this Zhou Yi seemed to be hiding quite a bit.
Noticing the strange looks from the two, Zhou Yi's stiff face remained expressionless, but her neck and below turned bright red.
"Ahem, then this child can stay in my class. I'll arrange the paperwork and accommodation for him." Seemingly sensing the awkward atmosphere, Zhou Yi quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, then I'll leave the child in your care."
Liu Qing smiled.
"That's all for now, I'll be going now."
The man in white nodded to the two and disappeared in a few breaths:
"I remember now, Zhou Yi was probably the most beautiful girl in the outer courtyard back then? That face looks strange, it's definitely a mask."
The man in white muttered to himself.
...
(End of Chapter)