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After a hearty bout of drinking and exchanging stories, the five of them were clearly in high spirits.
Yang Xiong said: "Oscar, your timing for returning is impeccable. Principal Flender has called for a reunion of all of us from Shrek Academy recently. He probably wants to reminisce about our days studying in Suotuo City."
Oscar chuckled: "I do miss those carefree days in Suotuo City when we could focus solely on cultivation without worrying about anything else."
"After traveling across the continent of Douluo, I've experienced so much that my mind isn't as carefree as it used to be."
Yang Xiong laughed: "People grow up and interact with the outside world. Perhaps this is the price of growth."
Oscar nodded: "Thankfully, our progress over these years has been excellent. We shouldn't disappoint the principal."
"Still, now that the principal has rebuilt Shrek Academy, I want to see what this new iteration looks like. Will it still only recruit prodigies like the one in Suotuo City?"
Yang Xiong smiled but remained silent. The foundation of Shrek Academy was originally Lanba Academy, whose performance had consistently ranked at the bottom during the Soul Master Tournament. How could it compare to the academy in Suotuo City, which only accepted geniuses with innate soul power levels above seven?
In the following days, Yang Xiong spent time catching up with his older brother Yang Wei and Oscar at the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, freely chatting without restraint.
Father Yang Lin and mother Sun Yu were overjoyed, thrilled to see Yang Wei's return. Upon noticing the various wounds on Yang Wei's body, Sun Yu nearly shed tears.
Zhao Wuji was also delighted to see the three return. Feeling the itch to fight, he proposed sparring sessions, even including Ning Rongrong.
The four eagerly agreed, clearly wanting to show off in front of Zhao Wuji, having been thoroughly defeated by him in the past.
Unfortunately, Zhao Wuji had grown far stronger than before. Five years ago, he was merely a top-tier Soul Sage, but now he was already an 87-level Soul Douluo. With almost no effort, he quickly taught the four a lesson.
Oscar's performance was particularly impressive. His sixth soul skill, as expected, was the Replication Mirror Sausage, created using a drop of blood from a soul master. Consuming it granted seventy percent of the donor's soul skill power.
Borrowing a drop of Qin Shuang's blood, Oscar transformed into a massive Iron Armored Bear. Suddenly, three Iron Armored Bears appeared on the scene, leaving Zhao Wuji stunned.
On the sidelines, Ning Rongrong, after her defeat, wore a look of dissatisfaction: "Teacher Zhao, you're bullying us! Why didn't you let Little Bear fight with us? With your strength, fighting four or five people makes no difference, right?"
Zhao Wuji's expression darkened: "You little brat, what do you know? Little Bear and I have fought countless times—we know each other inside out. Continuing would be pointless. Since you're being so stubborn, how about we keep going?"
Ning Rongrong was momentarily speechless, while Yang Xiong couldn't help but rub his forehead.
Over the years, Yang Xiong had fought Zhao Wuji countless times. In terms of strength, Yang Xiong was now considerably stronger than Zhao Wuji. Without using his soul bones, their combat abilities were very close, making it difficult to determine a winner in the short term.
...
That morning, Zhao Wuji accompanied Yang Xiong, Oscar, and Qin Shuang to Tian Dou City to attend Shrek Academy's five-year reunion.
Zhao Wuji was also nostalgic for everyone and decided to join them. In terms of personal relationships, his bond with Dai Mubai was also quite strong.
Everyone gathered at the reunion location: Shrek Academy, formerly known as Lanba Academy.
Compared to the Shrek Academy in the original storyline, which received financial support from the Tian Dou Imperial Family, the current Shrek Academy was just an ordinary advanced soul master academy. Its grounds weren't extensive, and its students were relatively average—it was still a bottom-tier academy, and such academies were not uncommon in the Tian Dou region.
Upon arriving at this unfamiliar academy, everyone seemed quite happy, especially Yang Xiong, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong.
The three of them were originally students of Shrek Academy in Suotuo City. Now, with this new version of Shrek Academy, they felt as if they'd stepped into another world.
Especially Principal Flender, who had always earned their admiration. Now that his dream had come true, everyone was happy for him.
Flender looked at everyone with joy. These individuals were the true core of the original Shrek Academy and its old students. With so few students back then, Flender had poured immense effort into nurturing them.
Seeing everyone's progress, Flender felt a sense of satisfaction. Especially upon observing Oscar's current state, he was genuinely surprised.
Oscar's cultivation speed had always been on the slower side, and his food-based martial spirit was notoriously difficult to cultivate. Yet, within five years, he had reached the Soul Emperor level—a truly promising future.
Moreover, Oscar had been with Flender for a long time and came from a commoner background. Their bond was deep.
When Flender sensed Yang Xiong's soul power level, his face showed surprise. During the Soul Master Tournament, Yang Xiong had just reached level 40 and hadn't even absorbed a soul ring yet.
Now, after five years, Yang Xiong had reached level 69—an astonishing rate of progress.
In contrast to Flender's obvious delight, Yu Xiaogang appeared rather indifferent. They were simply ordinary teachers and students, with no deep personal connection or emotions.
Among the first to arrive at the Shrek reunion were Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, both former members of the Shrek team. As Yu Xiaogang's nephew, it was natural for Yu Tianheng to attend the gathering.
Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan appeared much more mature, especially Yu Tianheng, who now exuded a calmer and more imposing presence—befitting a direct heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Both had reached the Soul King level, with soul powers of 55 and 56 respectively. Clearly, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan valued them highly.
Yu Xiaogang looked at Yu Tianheng with a hint of pride. After all, Yu Tianheng was his nephew, and he had invested much effort into nurturing him during his time at the Tian Dou Imperial Academy. Seeing his nephew's growth brought a rare look of satisfaction to his face.
At their current cultivation pace, reaching the Soul Emperor level before the age of thirty should be achievable. This ensured the continuation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's legacy.
Shortly afterward, a very tall and stout young man arrived at Shrek Academy.
"Principal, I've missed you so much!"
Everyone exchanged glances, recognizing the person as Ma Hongjun.
Flender, however, wore a look of disappointment: "Hongjun, why do you seem to have gained even more weight? You graduated just over a year ago. Haven't you been exercising during this time? Have you become lazy?"
Ma Hongjun replied helplessly: "Principal, you know my situation. I've been working hard on cultivating my soul power, but the demonic flames still affect me easily."
Flender sighed deeply: "Look at you now—you're the weakest among all of Shrek's members. Why did I ever let you graduate?"
Ma Hongjun shrank back slightly. As Flender's sole disciple, he had placed high hopes on him.
Unfortunately, Ma Hongjun was relatively lazy and suffered from demonic flames. Without Flender's supervision, he had grown complacent.
Currently, Ma Hongjun was only at level 49—the only one among all of Shrek's members who hadn't reached the Soul King level.
Of course, at just nineteen years old, Ma Hongjun was still considered a rare genius by outsiders. However, compared to his monstrous performance in the original storyline, he fell short.
In the original Shrek Seven Monsters, although Ma Hongjun had the lowest soul power, his explosive power during this period was arguably the strongest among them.
Ma Hongjun said helplessly: "Principal, how about I rejoin Shrek Academy? That way, I can continue under your guidance and supervision."
Flender shot him a glare: "You little rascal, what are you plotting now? Are you planning to cause trouble for Shrek Academy's students?"
Ma Hongjun's eyes darted, and he quickly came up with an idea: "Principal, I noticed that Shrek Academy doesn't have many teachers or students now. Why don't I return as a teacher? That way, I can cultivate diligently under your supervision."
Flender thought carefully, a faint smile appearing on his lips: "That's not a bad idea. Your current soul power level is barely sufficient to be a teacher, but your salary will have to be lower than others since you'll be both a teacher and a student."
Oscar and the others: …
Yang Xiong was momentarily speechless. Flender's personality hadn't changed—he was still calculating, even trying to squeeze his own disciple for profit.
As everyone was conversing, two more people arrived at Shrek Academy: Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.
Dai Mubai had grown taller and more imposing compared to five years ago. His golden hair made him look exceptionally handsome, though his face bore signs of weariness, evidence of the challenges he'd faced in the soul master world.
Zhu Zhuqing had grown slightly taller and appeared more mature, her figure more striking than before.
Ning Rongrong quickly ran over and took Zhu Zhuqing's hand: "Zhuqing, it's been so long! I've missed you so much. Where have you been all these years?"
Zhu Zhuqing replied gently: "Rongrong, I've experienced many things and seen a broader world. Before, I had too little experience and a narrow perspective."
Ning Rongrong shot a glance at Yang Xiong: "You guys are so free and easy—I envy you so much. I wanted to go out and train too, but Little Bear ran off alone and didn't take me. Plus, there's been so much going on in the sect lately. Father has been keeping me busy learning how to handle sect affairs."
The two girls were extremely close, whispering nonstop.
Dai Mubai also appeared more composed and serious, exuding an air of dominance and authority with every move.
Dai Mubai first bowed to Principal Flender and Teacher Zhao: "Principal, Teacher Zhao, it's been many years. I've finally returned."
Flender nodded approvingly: "Mubai, you've worked hard these years. I've seen your growth through your experiences outside. You truly live up to being a student of Shrek Academy."
After five years of training, Dai Mubai had reached level 57, surpassing Yu Tianheng by one level.
This was somewhat unexpected for Yang Xiong. It seemed Dai Mubai's talent was indeed extraordinary, and his experiences had paid off.
As for Zhu Zhuqing, she had surprisingly reached level 53. Considering that Zhu Zhuqing had the lowest soul power and talent among the Shrek Seven, this was remarkable.
However, Zhu Zhuqing had also been the most diligent cultivator among them. Her achievements were well-deserved after all these years of hard work.
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