Yu Xiaogang was delighted, the stage had been set. Now he had obtained the authority to negotiate.
Next, he needed to maximize his gains.
"I accept your invitation, but I have one condition," Yu Xiaogang said, emphasizing that this was Qin Ming's invitation, not his, giving him the upper hand.
Naive Qin Ming didn't notice the manipulation and focused only on helping his juniors.
"Master, please tell me."
"The Imperial Academy must admit all the teachers from Shrek and allow us to teach our students personally. The Imperial Academy is not allowed to interfere with our training plans."
This condition was crucial. How could I allow others to claim credit for my hard work? Yu Xiaogang thought. If no one from the Imperial Academy interfered, he would maintain control of their training, and the fame would belong solely to him.
"Okay, Master. Even after they join, we will not interfere with their training," Qin Ming agreed without hesitation.
Yu Xiaogang was pleased. His path to fame was secure, and with two Soul Saints backing him, his influence would grow even further. Though strong in theory, his combat strength was pitifully weak. He wanted Flender to accompany him, and if Flender followed, Zhao Wuji and the others would follow as well.
After concluding negotiations with Qin Ming, Yu Xiaogang returned to the academy and announced a two-month break, granting everyone free time to do whatever they wanted.
Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Ning Rongrong cheered for the end of hellish training.
Mubai, in particular, was relieved; he had recently felt that his body was close to breaking.
Tang San immediately began planning the construction of his hidden weapons.
Soon, everyone dispersed to rest for the night.
In Wu Lan's dormitory, however, sleep did not come so easily. He remained awake, observing everyone's locations with his Blue Silver sense.
For an entire month, Wu Lan had not been idle. After everyone slept, he would open his domain and send traces of vitality to collect soul power payments from Flender and the others.
But despite trying every day, he had received only seven payments in a month. Whenever he failed to receive any payment, he vented his frustration on Yu Xiaogang.
Thanks to this, Yu Xiaogang was barely a Soul Master. His soul power was now below Level 1.
Wu Lan had considered draining what little remained, but he only gained one percent of soul power per attempt, hardly worth the effort.
Now, if anyone asks him about his soul power, I wonder how he'll answer, Wu Lan mused with amusement.
Beating Yu Xiaogang had become pure entertainment.
As for Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Fatty, Wu Lan had spared them, for now. He planned to start draining them only after they obtained their next soul rings. That way, even when they began losing power, they would attribute it to Yu Xiaogang's suggestions for their rings, making him appear as the world's greatest scammer.
But that's for the future.
For now, his main contributor remained Tang Hao.
Though Tang Hao was still around Level 60, Wu Lan had sensed his injuries when the man came to check on Tang San recently. His face was pale, his body struggling to contain the damage from his past battles.
Wu Lan stopped drawing soul power from him; if Tang Hao's condition worsened, that meddlesome Asura would notice, and intervene again, like before.
Instead, Wu Lan began drawing soul ring age from Tang Hao to upgrade his own rings, and the results were extraordinary.
His soul ring configuration now stood at: black, black, red, red, red.
A lineup capable of making even a Title Douluo feel fear.
He felt proud of his accomplishment, having used all available soul ring age attributes from his inventory to achieve it.
Thanks to these upgrades, his healing ability had increased by 800%, and all of his attributes were passively enhanced by 400%.
Now, few on this continent can even hurt me.
Content with his progress, Wu Lan finally went to sleep.
In the following days, everyone busied themselves with their own pursuits.
Tang San focused on crafting his hidden weapons.
Fatty frequented the brothels.
Oscar followed Ning Rongrong around like a loyal dog.
Dai Mubai visited various medical shops, searching for medicines to heal his injuries, though with little success.
Meanwhile, Wu Lan continued perfecting his plan, making frequent trips to the capital.
Xiao Wu and Zhuqing wanted to accompany him, but he asked them to stay behind, which initially made them furious. After he explained the importance of his mission, they relented, realizing their own weakness. They began training more intensely than before.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
The journey to the capital would begin tomorrow.
Wu Lan had already departed ahead of time, taking Xiao Wu and Zhuqing with him. He did not want them present when Shrek Academy was humiliated by the Fourth Prince and Poison Douluo.
Only I can bully them. No one else, he thought with a smirk.
As for the rest of the Shrek team? He didn't care. He had already arranged with Flender for them to meet in the capital.
Originally, Wu Lan had no intention of wasting his time on the Continental Soul Master Tournament. The rewards didn't interest him; soul bones could be easily obtained through Gu Yuena.
But after his system upgrade, he gained the ability to choose his payment.
Now, he wanted to try and obtain Xiao Wu's mother's soul.
If I remember correctly, Bibi Dong still carries her soul within her spirit ring. If possible, I can save her.
Uncertain of the outcome, he decided not to tell Xiao Wu, he didn't want to raise her hopes only to crush them.
There was also Zhuqing's family situation to consider. Her sister would be competing in the tournament, and Zhuqing would undoubtedly want to face her.
For these reasons, Wu Lan chose to participate in the tournament, though he would only step in if absolutely necessary. With his power, joining most battles would be nothing short of bullying the weak.
Still, he had prepared a few surprises for Tang San when the tournament began.
[Author's Note:
🌟 Special Thanks to My Patrons! 🌟
I want to take a moment to give my heartfelt thanks to Benji for supporting me on Patreon! 🙏💙
Your encouragement and generosity keep me motivated to write more and bring Wu Lan's journey to life. Because of you, this story can grow stronger, chapter by chapter.
Thank you for believing in me and walking this path together! ✨
]