A green-gold ruler silently appeared in Meng Bei's hand. With a gentle stroke, he sliced open Liu Erlong's leather coat, revealing her defenseless, fair skin underneath.
"No, don't!" Liu Erlong cried in panic.
Meng Bei swiftly covered her mouth with his hand.
"Erlong, you wouldn't want anyone to discover you like this, would you?"
Liu Erlong trembled. Staring at the man before her, her emotions surged uncontrollably.
Seeing her reaction, Meng Bei removed his hand. This time, without needing further words, Liu Erlong bit her lip, trying to suppress herself, not daring to make another sound.
Under the moonlight, the Grandmaster paced back and forth, unable to pinpoint the source of his unease. Unbeknownst to him, events were unfolding in the nearby forest.
Meng Bei was harshly punishing Liu Erlong.
Her affections for another man were something he couldn't tolerate, so he decided to discipline her thoroughly.
Using the trunk of a tree for support, she could only rely on her delicate arms to hold herself up.
Meng Bei even removed one of her leather boots, exposing a pale, slender foot clad in a black sock. The contrast with her other foot, still wearing the boot, heightened her humiliation. Yet deep within her, amidst the shame, a faint excitement stirred.
Biting her lip, Liu Erlong tried to stifle her whimpers, but Meng Bei's punishments made it almost impossible to endure.
Lost in the intensity of the moment, all her worries faded away. Even Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang seemed like a distant memory.
In this moment, there was only Meng Bei behind her.
A soft, alluring sound escaped her lips, cutting through the darkness.
Startled, the Grandmaster paused his stroll.
The sound was familiar yet enticing, carrying an inexplicable allure.
"Who's there?"
He cautiously approached, but the forest was already empty.
All that remained were traces of a peculiar scent and scraps of leather fabric.
An inexplicable sense of loss welled up within the Grandmaster, though he couldn't quite understand why.
The next day, with Liu Erlong's approval, Meng Bei gathered the elites of the Blue Tyrant Academy.
Among them, four stood out in both age and spirit power:
Tai Long, a Level 35 Great Strength Gorilla Martial Spirit user.
Huang Yuan, a Level 33 Lone Wolf Martial Spirit user.
Jing Ling, a Level 33 Skeleton Martial Spirit user.
Jiang Zhu, a Level 33 Healing Staff Martial Spirit user.
Meng Bei's method of gaining their loyalty was straightforward. With Liu Erlong's authorization, he only needed to use his strength to convince them.
It turned out to be simpler than expected. The moment Meng Bei activated his martial spirit and revealed his soul rings, even the most arrogant Tai Long was awestruck by his power.
With a Level 40 martial spirit master and a ten-thousand-year soul ring, Meng Bei's configuration was an overwhelming advantage—a dimensional suppression against these Spirit Elders.
The other three didn't even attempt resistance and surrendered immediately.
Tai Long, braver than the others, challenged Meng Bei to a sparring match.
Meng Bei quickly subdued him with a single Freezing Ray, freezing half his body solid. If not for the academy's healing teacher, Tai Long would have needed thousands of gold soul coins for frostbite treatment.
After this display, the four from Blue Tyrant Academy became utterly respectful of Meng Bei.
Later, Meng Bei summoned Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Tang San, announcing the official reformation of the Shrek Team. The team members included:
Meng Bei,
Xiao Wu,
Ning Rongrong,
Tang San,
Tai Long,
Huang Yuan,
Jing Ling,
Jiang Zhu.
Meng Bei himself took on the role of team leader.
At the moment he declared the team's reformation, a notification echoed in his mind:
[Ding! Side quest: Shrek's Reformation completed. Reward: Spirit Power +5 levels.]
In an instant, Meng Bei's spirit power surged. Previously, the addition of his ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring had pushed him to Level 43.
Now, with the quest's reward, his spirit power soared from Level 43 to Level 48. The immense increase caused his aura to leak uncontrollably, making the surrounding air frigid.
Meng Bei was now only two levels away from becoming a Soul King and obtaining his fifth soul ring.
Of course, Tang San and the others had no idea about this.
Tang San only knew that Meng Bei and Xiao Wu had a special family technique that allowed one of them to experience rapid progress while the other would be affected. However, he had no idea of Meng Bei's current strength.
Realizing his aura was leaking, Meng Bei quickly restrained it, and the temperature returned to normal. Smiling at the group, he explained, "Sorry, my spirit power accidentally broke through just now."
Everyone nodded, seeing no reason to doubt him.
To them, Meng Bei's breakthrough seemed natural and nothing out of the ordinary.
Little did they know, Meng Bei hadn't just gained one level but had leaped five levels in a single breath!
With the new Shrek Team fully assembled, Meng Bei's next task was to assess the original Shrek Academy members.
Sometimes, fate can be ironic.
Two months ago, Meng Bei had left Shrek Academy in a fit of anger.
Now, two months later, he was leading the new Shrek Team and assessing the old Shrek students, teachers, and even the headmaster.
"Bring Headmaster Flender!" Meng Bei instructed.
Soon, Flender, Zhao Wuji, the Grandmaster, Dai Mubai, and the rest of the Shrek faculty arrived together.
Seeing them from a distance, Meng Bei strode forward to greet them.
"Headmaster Flender, Teacher Zhao, everyone, welcome to my place!"
The Shrek crowd froze, stunned.
They had expected Meng Bei to mock and humiliate them after making them wait so long.
But instead, he was warmly welcoming them?
This unexpected gesture touched the Shrek group deeply.
Meng Bei even took Flender's arm, guiding him toward the training grounds.
"Headmaster Flender, I know why you've come. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for my former companions."
Hearing this, Flender relaxed considerably.
It seemed Meng Bei held no grudges against them.
The Grandmaster followed behind Flender, wanting to apologize several times but finding it impossible given Meng Bei's calm and forgiving demeanor.
At the training grounds, Meng Bei scanned the Shrek members and announced:
"Boss Dai's spirit power far exceeds Level 35, so there's no need to test him. We'll start with Zhuqing!"
Clapping his hands, Meng Bei signaled Huang Yuan to step onto the training field.