Night had fallen, and Shrek Academy was wrapped in utter silence.
The day's entrance exams had ended with only Tang San's team of four passing the first three trials — not a single other candidate had made it through.
And, ironically, this still counted as Shrek's biggest intake year in many years.
As one of the academy's teachers, Yun Chuan naturally had his own quarters… but they were appallingly crude. It wasn't just the cracked walls — the place crawled with snakes, insects, rats, and roaches. Having grown up in the luxurious comfort of Spirit Hall, he could barely stand it. He hadn't expected the academy to be lavish, but surely basic cleanliness wasn't too much to ask?
So after spending just one miserable night there, he'd had enough. The next day he left for Soto City to find a hotel — which was when he'd run into Dai Mubai and gotten caught up in a string of events involving Tang San and the others.
Now, seated cross-legged in his teacher's room, Yun Chuan looked as though he were meditating — but in truth, he was patiently waiting.
By his reckoning, the beating he'd given Tang San with the whip earlier that day had been light on damage but heavy on humiliation. There was no way that drunken old man would swallow it; tonight he'd surely come to "seek justice" for his son.
He was genuinely curious about his "cheap" father in this life. Even when reading the original story, Yun Chuan had found this character's personality full of contradictions — especially from an outsider's view, much of what he'd done made no sense.
'… Tang… Chuan…'
A low voice, carrying an odd echo, suddenly brushed his ears.
'Finally.'
Yun Chuan's heart stirred, but outwardly he only opened his eyes slowly, feigning puzzlement. His gaze swept the room before he barked, "Which skulking rat is it? Stop playing tricks!"
'… Come out.'
The voice paused briefly before continuing. At the same time, a faint, almost imperceptible presence locked onto him.
"Hmph! Paranormal games? You think you can scare me?"
With a cold snort, Yun Chuan vaulted through the window without hesitation, surging his soul power to the peak as he raced toward the source of that presence.
In moments, he had left the academy grounds and entered a forest nearby — where the trace vanished.
"Come out. I know you're here," Yun Chuan called grimly. In the same breath, his martial spirit cloaked his form — Blue Silver Grass in his palm, seven soul rings pulsing in rhythm around him, the three black ten-thousand-year rings radiating a depth that drew the eye.
From behind a large tree, a tall figure in black eased into view, hidden head-to-toe in robe and hood.
"Cowled and covered… You hardly look like an upstanding man. What's your game, dragging me out here?" Yun Chuan demanded coolly, though he already knew exactly who it was.
The man in black didn't answer directly. "I saw your display of power today. It stirred my interest. I thought I'd spar a little — been a long time since I stretched my limbs."
As he spoke, his right hand rose. Black light gathered in his palm, forming into a massive weapon — a hammer, strikingly similar to Yun Chuan's own Supreme Clear Sky Hammer.
At once, nine soul rings rose around him: two yellow, two purple, five black. Unlike Yun Chuan's, they did not ripple, but hung motionless, completely enveloping him in their aura.
Nine soul rings was already a terrifying sight — but the last one, though black, shimmered faintly red at its heart. The difference between ten-thousand-year rings was vast: that reddish-black meant it was at least a ninety-thousand-year ring.
Yun Chuan knew this one well — it had come from his own birth mother, the hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form, Blue Silver Empress Ah Yin. This was, in truth, a full hundred-thousand-year ring. Its current color came only from having been detonated years ago to grant temporary power. When the ring fully recondensed, it would once again glow a solid, ominous red.
There was no doubt — the man before him was his biological father: the Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao.
Yun Chuan's gaze swept him, and a flicker of distaste rose in his heart. Even shrouded in black, the man's lack of grooming was obvious; he clearly bathed rarely. Even at a distance, Yun Chuan caught the stench of sweat and other… unsavory odors. 'Completely unhygienic.'
"Titled Douluo…"
Though his inner thoughts were scathing, Yun Chuan's face showed only solemn respect, eyes fixed warily on those nine rings. Among high-level Soul Masters, a gap of even one rank past sixty meant a notable difference in power — and a Titled Douluo stood at the very summit.
Noticing that Yun Chuan looked serious but not awestruck, Tang Hao grew certain the young man wasn't ordinary. Clearly, he had seen enough of the world — and enough Titled Douluo — to stay this calm. That alone planted the seed of suspicion in Tang Hao's heart.
"An honor to meet you, Your Majesty," Yun Chuan said once his initial show of surprise faded. "Might I ask why you've summoned me here at this hour?"
"I told you — I saw your little exhibition earlier. It caught my interest. I want to cross hands." Tang Hao's voice was cool, though suspicion still lingered. "Of course, if you wish… you could call it bullying with strength. After all, didn't you say this afternoon that the strong can do as they please? I'm simply exercising that right."
Step by measured step, he approached. No overt pressure leaked from his frame, yet as he loomed closer with the gigantic Clear Sky Hammer in hand, a heavy, storm-laden oppression settled over the clearing.
'As expected… he's strong.' Yun Chuan's features tightened. His soul rings flared as he prepared to meet the attack — but then Tang Hao halted.
"Since you're here," the older man said coldly, "you might as well come out. One or three — what's the difference?"
'Oh? Someone else?' Yun Chuan drew a blank for a second before recalling the original events. 'Ah… so it's them.'
Two new figures emerged.
One was Headmaster Flender, already in martial-spirit-attached form — great wings unfurled behind him, feathers covering his body, vertical pupils gleaming orange-yellow as seven soul rings flowed around him.
The other was Vice Headmaster Zhao Wuji. Shorter than Yun Chuan but built like a fortress, his broad shoulders strained his clothes, thick muscle radiating pressure. Seven rings, the same colors as Flender's, drifted up and down his frame.
"Your Majesty Clear Sky," both greeted respectfully, making no move to fight.
Tang Hao's gaze slid to Flender. "No need for ceremony. I'm here to make trouble. Owl Spirit, level seventy-eight — as expected of the main assault of the old Golden Iron Triangle. This academy is yours, then?"
Flender inclined his head. "It is, Your Majesty. I wonder — how has Teacher Tang Chuan offended you? Might I beg you to give us some face?"
He and Yun Chuan had certainly clashed at first, and he'd been beaten for it. Later, Yun Chuan had been virtually forced to join Shrek. But whatever the start, once someone was part of Shrek, they were his own people — and Flender, stingy though he was, had his principles. Even before a Titled Douluo, he stepped up to speak for him.
This, Yun Chuan admitted silently, made him see the man in a new light. 'Stingy, yes… but decent. Guess I was right not to kill him.'
Zhao Wuji said nothing — but by standing at Flender's side, he made his stance clear: he'd back the headmaster, no matter what.
"Enough chatter. Step aside — or I'll beat you too," Tang Hao said flatly. His eyes fixed on Yun Chuan. "I'll give you a chance. I won't use any soul skills. Last one stick of incense against me, and I'll leave without another word. Fail, and you'll do something for me."
He might have been furious watching Yun Chuan humiliate Tang San earlier, but in truth, he had also been impressed — the way this young man wielded humble Blue Silver Grass was beyond anything Tang Hao had imagined. It was obvious he was an expert in the martial spirit.
If his own son, who shared that same spirit, could be trained by such a master, Tang Hao believed it could utterly transform Tang San's cultivation — perhaps even make Blue Silver Grass rival the Clear Sky Hammer one day.
So while beating Yun Chuan was part of the plan, the deeper purpose tonight was to win him over… as Tang San's teacher.
(End of Chapter)