He paused, gazing at the familiar courtyard, his tone tinged with emotion:
"This place is good, filled with memories, but we can't let the children live their lives clinging to the past with us."
"The future lies ahead. By going to the Royal Academy, the children can grow their abilities, and only then can the name of our Shrek truly resound."
Flender turned his head, listening to the sincerity in his words, his eyes involuntally reddening slightly.
He sniffled, his voice carrying a barely noticeable choke:
"I know... I understand the reasoning, it's just that leaving all at once feels like a piece of my heart has been hollowed out, empty and unsettled, never quite right."
Over twenty years, from black hair to temples frosted with gray, he had made this place his home.
Now, having to leave this "home," even if it was for the good of the "kids," that heart-wrenching reluctance weighed on him, making it hard to breathe.
"Hey, it's no big deal."
Zhao Wuji grinned, revealing two neat rows of teeth, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
"When the kids make something of themselves, we'll move Shrek back here. We'll build it ten times grander than it is now, so the whole continent knows that our Shrek is the best academy!"
At these words, the other teachers nearby couldn't help but laugh, though their eyes grew warm.
Flender looked at them, the knot in his heart gradually loosening.
He nodded firmly, raised his hand to wipe his face, brushing away the moisture:
"Right! When the kids make something of themselves, we'll come back! Let's go, tell the children to pack up. We leave first thing tomorrow!"
That night, after everyone had rested, Xiao Wu left her room alone.
Taking one last look at Shrek's campus, her eyes were filled with reluctance, but that reluctance soon vanished.
Shrek was heading to Heaven Dou City, and Heaven Dou City was nothing like Soto City. Heaven Dou City certainly had Soul Douluo-level powerhouses.
If she went along to Soto City, her identity as a Soul Beast who had undergone Human Transformation would definitely be exposed!
She turned and leaped lightly over the academy's wall, quickly disappearing into the depths of the night.
Only a few blades of grass by the wall still swayed gently in the evening breeze, as if bidding farewell to the girl leaving with her secret.
Xiao Wu moved swiftly, reaching the outskirts of Soto City in less than ten minutes.
Just then, a figure appeared in her line of sight in the darkness. Recognizing who it was, Xiao Wu came to an abrupt halt.
"Teacher Su Yu!"
Indeed, the figure was Su Yu!
Su Yu turned to look at Xiao Wu, a faint, ambiguous smile on his face:
"What? Scared? Thinking of leaving the human world now?"
The night was thick as Xiao Wu's figure darted through the woods, stirring a swift breeze. In less than ten minutes, she was nearing the edge of Soto City.
Just as she prepared to speed out of the city limits, a familiar figure suddenly emerged from behind the tree shadows, blocking her path.
Recognizing the person, Xiao Wu stopped abruptly, her eyes widening in surprise:
"Teacher Su Yu!"
Su Yu turned around, the moonlight outlining his tall, straight silhouette. He looked at Xiao Wu, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth:
"What? Scared? Thinking of leaving the human world now?"
Xiao Wu's ears drooped abruptly, like leaves wilted by a sudden downpour. Panic instantly surged in her eyes as she instinctively clenched her fists and took two steps back, her voice trembling:
"You! You know my identity!"
Su Yu stepped forward, crossing his arms over his chest, his gaze calmly resting on her tense figure:
"Of course."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he lightly tapped his fingers twice at his side.
In an instant, circles of Soul Rings abruptly rose from beneath his feet, like blooming halos, swirling with an intimidating luster in the night.
The first ring, a deep purple; the second ring, the same purple!
Immediately after, the third to sixth rings were pure black, as dark as ink, exuding a heart-palpitating pressure.
The seventh ring was an extreme, pitch-black darkness, tinged with a hint of red.
The eighth ring, however, was a vibrant emerald green, carrying a gentle yet irresistible force.
A full eight Soul Rings hovered around him, the oppressive aura they brought making Xiao Wu gasp for breath as she instinctively took another half-step back.
"You... what do you want?"
She bit her lip and asked softly, her clenched fists tightening even more.
"Xiao Wu, a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast, the Soft Bone Rabbit, transformed into human form. Soul Beasts in human form must reach the Mature Stage to avoid being detected by high-level Soul Masters."
"If I'm not mistaken, this threshold should be level sixty. Right now, you're only a Soul Elder, so naturally, you can't go to a dangerous place like Heaven Dou City."
"What exactly are you trying to say!"
"Don't rush, Xiao Wu. I know why you came to the human world—you want to avenge your mother, right?"
"Let me tell you this: the one who killed your mother and took her Soul Ring is my teacher, the current Pope of the Spirit Hall."
"A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, the most precious treasure in the Soul Master World. However, I have no interest in your Soul Ring—it's reserved for Rongrong!"
"So you cannot leave. You must stay with us!"
A faint pink glow instantly radiated from Xiao Wu's body—the power she had cultivated for a hundred thousand years.
She stared fixedly at Su Yu, her voice trembling with anger yet carrying a resolute threat:
"Let me go! Otherwise, I'll self-destruct right now! Even if you're a Soul Douluo, the self-destruction of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast can still drag you down with me!"
"Even if I can't kill that woman to avenge my mother, killing her disciple won't be a loss!"
Her eyes burned with fury, her small body harboring world-destroying power.
Hearing Xiao Wu's words, Su Yu seemed to have heard some absurd joke, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold arc.
The next second, his figure flashed abruptly, so fast it left an afterimage, as one hand already gripped her neck:
"Self-destruct?"
Su Yu's voice echoed in her ear, icy and piercing.
"Do you think I'd give you that chance?"
Xiao Wu's face instantly flushed red. Her hands struggled futilely to pry his fingers away, her eyes filled with rage and unwillingness, yet tears uncontrollably welled up.
"You... let go... let go of me."
She forced the words out with difficulty, her vision beginning to blur.
Su Yu watched her struggle, his eyes showing no trace of pity, only utter indifference:
"Your life is no longer yours to decide."
He loosened his grip slightly, allowing her to barely breathe, yet still did not let go.
"Follow me obediently to Heaven Dou City, and I can conceal your Soul Beast aura, preventing those high-level Soul Masters from detecting anything unusual."
Before the words had even finished, three pitch-black tomoe suddenly appeared in his eyes, spinning and merging at an astonishing speed.
Finally, a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan with a crimson base and intricate patterns manifested in his eyes.
As Su Yu's Pupillary Power surged, Xiao Wu's originally tear-filled pink eyes uncontrollably took on a crimson hue, and the same Mangekyō pattern emerged within them.
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