After completing the advancement assessments, apart from the first-year freshmen who had not yet begun their entrance exams, the learning and daily lives of the other five grades had basically stabilized.
In the blink of an eye, a week was about to pass.
"Ring, ring, ring—" The dismissal bell rang, marking the end of the day's classes. The second-year Class One students relaxed in relief.
At Shrek Academy, from freshmen to second-years, it was equivalent to undergoing strict selection. Those who remained all possessed sufficient strength. And after a year of study, they had deeply understood the effort required to continue staying here. Thus, during class, no one dared slack off.
Not working hard meant being eliminated.
Graduates of Shrek Academy were highly sought after across the continent, but graduating from here was no easy task. And this referred only to the outer court.
On the podium, Mu Jin organized her lesson plans and said, "Class dismissed."
Compared with the mild-tempered, approachable Wang Yan, Mu Jin was far stricter.
That was evident from the performance of the students in Class One, Year Two.
Only when the sound of Mu Jin's footsteps faded far down the corridor did Zhou Sicheng stretch his body and cheer loudly:
"Finally, it's the rest day!"
In all outer court grades at Shrek Academy, the last day of the week was a rest day. Most of the time, the whole day was left for students to arrange freely, though sometimes only half the afternoon. These were arranged depending on curriculum progress.
Of course, having experienced Shrek Academy's brutal elimination system, none of the second-year Class One students would truly relax on this so-called rest day.
For example, Dai Huabin—after personally witnessing Xu Zihuang kill a ten-thousand-year Man-Faced Demon Spider head-on, he had become increasingly diligent in cultivation. As soon as class ended, he rushed straight to the dormitory. Usually, if not in class, he was cultivating in his room. The results of such hard training were evident: at his current pace, he would soon reach the bottleneck of level thirty-seven.
Wang Dong's situation was similar to Dai Huabin's. However, because he had excessively consumed rare treasures that forcibly boosted cultivation, he had to spend extra effort stabilizing his foundation, slowing his progress somewhat.
Moreover, unlike Dai Huabin, he wasn't truly hardworking. His twin Martial Souls gave him not only a sense of superiority but also confidence.
He felt that even if his cultivation speed was slower now, the advantages of twin Martial Souls would manifest later anyway.
By nature, he wasn't diligent. Otherwise, he wouldn't have only reached rank twenty-one soul power at the age of eleven. If not for being shattered head-on by Xu Zihuang in last year's freshman exam and thus stimulated, he would probably still be as lazy as before—no self-discipline at all.
Meanwhile, Zhou Sicheng, Cao Jinxuan, and Tuoba Yu walked together at the front, chatting, while Xu Zihuang followed behind with a warm smile.
Almost every time class ended, Ning Tian from Class Three, Year Two came specifically to find Xu Zihuang. Over time, those three no longer wanted to walk with him after class, to avoid feeling sour.
Sure enough, when Xu Zihuang walked out of the classroom, Ning Tian, waiting at the door, revealed a gentle smile and came forward.
"Class leader, we'll go first. We won't disturb the two of you." Cao Jinxuan teased sourly, then left with Zhou Sicheng and Tuoba Yu, arms over each other's shoulders.
Other male students leaving the classroom cast envious glances.
Xu Zihuang's looks certainly matched female aesthetics, but Ning Tian was no less.
Just her identity alone—as the sole heir and future sect master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—was enough to make them give up any thought. Yet they had to admit, Yu Tianhuang and Ning Tian standing together truly looked like a perfect pair.
As for some female students in Class One who had strong feelings for Xu Zihuang, their mood soured—especially Cui Yajie and Xiao Xiao.
Cui Yajie was bolder, but compared to Ning Tian, her talent and background were far inferior. To compete head-on with Ning Tian, she lacked the confidence.
Xiao Xiao, with twin Martial Souls, had even greater talent than Ning Tian, but her overly shy personality made her equally lacking in courage.
Then there were the twins Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, even shyer than Xiao Xiao. Just making eye contact with Xu Zihuang left them blushing—proactivity was out of the question.
"Are you planning to go to the Soul Tool Department again today?" Ning Tian brushed back a stray lock of golden hair from her temple and asked softly.
Girls matured earlier, and her tall figure, even in Shrek Academy's standard uniform, had a unique beauty. Combined with the elegance nurtured by her noble upbringing, she drew every gaze.
Xu Zihuang shook his head gently.
"Senior brother already informed me. Tomorrow we'll be testing that batch of fixed soul cannons in the field. The location is quite far, so I should rest tonight and set out early tomorrow morning."
The two chatted as they walked, unknowingly leaving the Martial Soul Department's teaching buildings behind along the lakeside path.
The golden-red sunset reflected across the clear waters of Sea God Lake, with the calls of insects and birds echoing at the shore, making the place serene and mysterious.
A faint mist rose over the lake, still veiling the central island in hazy concealment.
It was early spring, the season of renewal. Along the lakeshore, countless buds poked out from the vegetation, waiting for tomorrow's sunlight and the nourishment of Sea God Lake's waters to burst forth with new life.
Just like Ning Tian's gradually changing heart.
The two didn't linger long. After dining together at the Martial Soul Department's cafeteria with its top-grade meals exclusive to core disciples, they parted ways.
Xu Zihuang aside, Ning Tian was also rational and composed. She knew clearly that if she wanted to stand at Yu Tianhuang's side in the future, she needed strength and capital of her own.
She wouldn't abandon cultivation for love.
Another dawn came, with Shrek Academy still shrouded in night.
Xu Zihuang had already arrived at Sea God Lake, calm in expression but with waves surging in his heart.
Today, going out with He Caitou alone was the perfect chance to reveal his identity.
Memories of the past flashed in his mind. As a child, he had shared sincere brotherhood with He Caitou. The emotions he had suppressed for nearly a year now seemed to find an outlet.
He Caitou's father had over ten daughters before finally, in his forties, having He Caitou as his only son.
Thus, He Caitou had always been showered with affection. Even though at six his Martial Soul had not awakened into any of the Sun Moon Imperial Family's inherited powerful Martial Souls, nothing changed.
He was the only candidate for Crown Prince. If not for the coup in the palace, he would surely have become the next Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire.
Yet despite that, He Caitou had always yielded to Xu Zihuang when they were young—letting him have the best food and toys, and even taking the blame whenever trouble was caused in the palace.
Before regaining his past-life memories, Xu Zihuang had not been so mature. Even as a child of the royal family, at four or five years old, how precocious could he really be?
A faint white glow appeared in the eastern sky as He Caitou came jogging from the Soul Tool Department. Seeing Xu Zihuang, he hurried over.
Scratching his dark bald head sheepishly, he apologized.
"Sorry, Junior Brother Yu, I'm late. Didn't expect you'd be up this early."
"It's fine, Senior Brother He. I just got here." Xu Zihuang suppressed all his inner turmoil, not daring to show the slightest change. He never forgot that he was still inside Shrek Academy.
"Shall we head out now?"
"Yes." He Caitou grinned.
"Teacher said we're going to a small village in the southeast of the Heavenly Soul Empire. Because it borders a forest next to the Star Dou Great Forest, soul beasts often stray into the village and attack. Teacher wants us to test the fixed soul cannons there, clearing out the beasts and recording key data.
"It's not close, so I brought two flying soul tools. Once we're out of the Academy, we'll fly there."
Within Shrek Academy, random flight was not permitted.
When they reached the east gate, He Caitou retrieved two compact flying soul tools from his storage device, each with thin folding wings.
One was classic black; the other was ornate purple, decorated with patterns.
"I remembered you said you liked purple, so I chose this one."
He handed the purple flying soul tool to Xu Zihuang. "Junior Brother Yu, you should be skilled with flying soul tools, right?"
Xu Zihuang nodded, strapping it on his back. With a surge of soul power, two white jets propelled him skyward—answer enough.
Operating a flying soul tool required concentration, channeling soul power into the core array at the back to produce thrust. Buttons on the harness adjusted wing length—not always longer for more speed, but according to airflow. As long as one maintained high forward velocity, they wouldn't fall.
Xu Zihuang was already familiar with them, so controlling it was easy.
He Caitou followed, cheering, and flew alongside him northeast. He seemed thrilled just to leave the Academy.
The greatest advantage of flight was ignoring terrain, taking the straightest route.
But the direct path crossed the Star Dou Great Forest. Even Title Douluo dared not fly over it.
So detouring meant eight hundred li.
Flying soul tools could cover five hundred li per hour at best, and their cultivation limited them to a little over an hour of continuous flight.
As a spiritual-type soul master, Xu Zihuang's airflow sensitivity made him adept at flying. Controlling the soul tool, he asked, "Senior Brother He, do you rarely leave the Academy?"
"I'm an orphan. When I was eight, my family was killed by bandits. Teacher brought me back to the Academy. Aside from two trips with Teacher to hunt soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest, this is my first time leaving without an elder." He Caitou laughed sheepishly.
Though Xu Zihuang wanted to reveal himself, still within Shrek City's range, he forced it down.
An hour later, they descended into a desolate valley within the Heavenly Soul Empire.
By then, the sky was bright.
Sitting on a flat rock, Xu Zihuang watched He Caitou calmly, while inwardly communicating with the Skydream Iceworm.
"Skydream, no one else nearby, right?"
"Relax. My spiritual sense covers dozens of kilometers. If anyone approaches, I'll know. In combat I may not match noble-blooded soul beasts, but in detection, no human or beast beneath the transcendental level can evade me." The Skydream Iceworm's tone grew serious, knowing what Xu Zihuang was about to do.
Just then, He Caitou pulled out a meat-filled flatbread from his storage and offered it with a smile.
"Junior Brother Yu, here. I got this from the Soul Tool cafeteria—it's still warm."
Xu Zihuang did not take it. Instead, he slowly raised his head, his warm smile vanishing as he met He Caitou's gaze.
That aloof, noble expression made He Caitou freeze.
Then Xu Zihuang spoke words that made He Caitou's heart seize, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Imperial Brother, I am Zihuang."
He Caitou stared, stunned. The honest look on his face shifted into solemn gravity. The confusion in his eyes vanished, replaced by a depth never seen before.
In that instant, he seemed to become a different person entirely. His body trembled violently, eyes locked onto Xu Zihuang's noble deep-purple gaze.
Understanding, Xu Zihuang raised his left hand, where dark-purple flames surged from his palm—immensely oppressive.
Their eyes met, locked for a long time.
He Caitou's voice shook.
"Zihuang Exterminating Heavenly Dragon Martial Soul… you really are Zihuang?! You're alive?!"
Before Xu Zihuang could reply, He Caitou lunged forward, hugging him tightly, voice choked.
"It's enough that you're alive… it's enough…"
Seeing the imperial family's inherited Martial Soul left no doubt.
For years, He Caitou had borne guilt toward Xu Zihuang's family. Though it had been Xu Zihuang's father's own decision, the coup in the palace had indeed implicated them.
He himself had only escaped because Xu Zihuang's father, his Third Uncle, led the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment in a desperate stand against the invading evil soul masters and his Second Uncle's rebel forces.
He had thought Xu Zihuang surely perished. To see him alive before him—joy overwhelmed sorrow, and six years of pent-up emotion burst out.
By contrast, though Xu Zihuang's heart surged, his reaction was calmer. After all, he had always known He Caitou lived.
So now, it was the younger-looking Xu Zihuang who comforted He Caitou.
After nearly fifteen minutes, He Caitou finally calmed, tears still glistening.
"Zihuang, what have you been through all these years?"
Xu Zihuang's face softened. The thousand words he had prepared became only a sigh.
"Nothing worth mentioning. Just some setbacks—my path wasn't smooth."
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