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As the breathtaking figure bathed in admiration on the spirit arena stage achieved the Purple-Gold badge, Dai Mubai's gaze grew complex.
"Her figure is very similar to yours, Zhu Zhuqing, but her aura and martial soul are nothing like you. Still, if this person were you, I wouldn't have to agonize over the imperial succession battle."
As someone who had deeply inherited Shrek Academy's teachings, Dai Mubai adhered to the philosophy that avoiding trouble was for mediocrities. He would never provoke a soul master he couldn't possibly defeat—especially one he harbored unspoken feelings for.
Dai Mubai, who once trained for an entire year in Suotuo City yet barely earned two points in the spirit arena, knew all too well the true value of the young woman's strength on the stage.
After mastering the Boundless Celestial Force, Dai Mubai could have dominated Suotuo's Grand Spirit Arena and earned the Silver badge to "graduate." However, due to the changes brought by Ye Wen, their group from Shrek Academy had arrived at Tian Dou Imperial City much earlier than planned.
The soul masters here were far beyond those in small cities like Suotuo. The boosts Dai Mubai gained from his self-created soul skills had plummeted to rock bottom, and he was now struggling just to reach the Bronze rank.
Moreover, Zhu Zhuqing's departure left him disheartened and unmotivated. At this point, he was practically half-crippled.
"Hey, Big Brother Dai~"
At this moment, someone lightly tapped Dai Mubai's shoulder, accompanied by a slightly mischievous voice.
Dai Mubai glanced listlessly at Oscar, who, after Ning Rongrong's departure, had reverted to his scruffy, bearded state.
"Xiao Ao, what do you want? Can't you see I'm in a bad mood? If you don't have anything important to say, I'll beat you up later," Dai Mubai said irritably.
Oscar chuckled awkwardly. While Dai Mubai was indeed capable of following through with threats—and hitting hard—Oscar didn't waste time and quickly got serious.
"Have you heard, Big Brother Dai? Master Yu finally resolved the issue with auxiliary soul masters and has returned to the academy. With him here, our strength should improve significantly. Moreover, I heard Tang San came back with him. When he arrives, we brothers can reunite."
A flicker of emotion passed through Dai Mubai's eyes. If this news was true, it was indeed good.
Though Dai Mubai had been cowardly and evasive, he wasn't stupid. He regretted his past choices. If given another chance, he would have definitely learned some self-created soul skills before fleeing. After all, his strength had genuinely grown after mastering the Boundless Celestial Force.
Draining the last of his drink, Dai Mubai tossed the bottle aside and wiped his mouth.
"In that case, let's go back and check it out."
Although he felt uneasy without Zhu Zhuqing's support, even a cornered rabbit would bite back. Realizing he might face certain doom in the imperial succession battle, Dai Mubai decided to learn a few more skills from Yu Xiaogang. Even if he had to die, he'd take a piece of flesh from Dai Weisi.
Meanwhile, Bai Ling'er had successfully joined Ye Wen's Medical Alliance team, officially becoming one of his close companions.
Looking at the group of Soul Ancestors around him, Ye Wen realized he couldn't slack off anymore. He needed to work harder; otherwise, being overshadowed by a group of women would certainly feel unpleasant.
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Shrek Academy
Six months remained until the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament. Although Yu Xiaogang had become somewhat negligent after Tang San's departure, he still instructed Flender to closely monitor the training progress of Dai Mubai and the others. After all, regardless of anything else, a soul master's cultivation level was the most critical factor. Without sufficient soul power, even the strongest martial souls and self-created soul skills were useless.
With Tang San's return, the remaining members of Shrek's Seven Monsters were now Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar.
Among them, Tang San and Dai Mubai had reached the Soul Ancestor rank. Two years ago, Dai Mubai's cultivation was already at level 37. Even without innate full soul power or Immortal Herbs, his cultivation had increased by about five levels over the past two years, making him a level 42 Soul Ancestor.
Tang San had also broken through to the Soul Elder rank two years ago. With his "innate full soul power" allowing him to gain ten levels every three years, and as the chosen child of destiny, even without the help of the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, his fourth soul ring—a standard purple thousand-year ring—had allowed him to reach level 40 thanks to some fortunate encounters.
Oscar, as an auxiliary-type soul master, progressed slowly. Despite his efforts over the past two years, his cultivation was only at level 34.
As for Ma Hongjun, there was little to say. His teacher, Flender, was completely irresponsible, leaving him free to indulge in debauchery. Over the past two years, his cultivation had stagnated, putting him at roughly the same level as Oscar—around level 33.
Compared to two years ago, Tang San, who had trained tirelessly, had grown darker-skinned, though his dazzling white teeth remained as striking as ever.
"Gentlemen, long time no see," Tang San said calmly.
Though the others weren't sure why Tang San seemed to be adopting a lofty demeanor, his presence exuded the aura of a towering pine on a mountain.
Hmm… perhaps Tang San wanted to convey his purity and integrity.
Dai Mubai and the others greeted Tang San warmly.
"Long time no see, Xiao San. You've become much stronger."
"You've grown even more powerful, Tang San."
"Hehe, Third Brother, did you bring us any gifts after being away for so long?"
That last comment came from Ma Hongjun. After two years of indulging in hedonistic pursuits, he had lost some weight compared to before. However, for some reason, Tang San couldn't help but feel that this chubby fellow now exuded a certain lecherous aura.
But so what?
Tang San smirked devilishly. The more clowns around him, the more his heroic qualities would shine.
"Of course, I've brought gifts for everyone. This is something truly valuable. If it weren't for the fact that you're my brothers, I wouldn't share it."
With that, Tang San pulled out a jade vial from his Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlight storage item, shook it to reveal its contents, and continued:
"These are pills I've concocted. Not only can they increase your soul power by three levels without any side effects, but they also purify impurities from your body, enhancing your cultivation speed. Thanks to them, I was able to advance from a Soul Elder to a Soul Ancestor in just two years."
As the saying goes, medicine and poison are two sides of the same coin.
Since the Tang Sect's records contained information on miraculous herbs, it naturally also included other alchemical recipes. How could Tang San, as the chosen one, let such treasures go to waste?
Thus, while the future had the Mysterious Water Pill, Tang San could naturally create similar elixirs.
And as the favored child of fate, it was only natural for him to gather rare herbs and refine them into potent pills during his travels.
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