Walking along the road, Gu You's gaze lifted toward the sky, his mind quietly circling back to everything Feng Wuyu had told him the night before. He let out a long breath. Honestly, deep down, he really had wanted to formally take Feng Wuyu as his main forging master. After all, they'd spent three years together; he'd even called the old man "teacher" plenty of times. But…
He had to admit it — if he wanted to become a Divine Craftsman, he couldn't stay here forever. He had to go to Zhen Hua. Maybe that was just one of life's little unfair truths.
For Gu You, these past three years had felt long and monotonous: endless forging practice, relentless cultivation, occasional visits to the Sea God Pavilion inside Shrek Academy to keep Yali company, but aside from that, nothing really eventful had happened. The outside world still had no idea who he was; if they did, he suspected he'd already be some kind of rising celebrity. And as for his "cheap master," Leng Yaozhu — they hadn't seen each other in years. He wondered idly what her mood would be like when they finally crossed paths again.
These thoughts lingered in his mind as he crossed into the main grounds of Shrek Academy.
At the front gates, the student guards on duty didn't recognize him at first. They were about to stop him — after all, he wasn't in uniform — but then, as if they'd suddenly received some silent message, their eyes shifted, filling with a hint of respect. They stepped aside and politely opened the gate.
'If it weren't for these forging tasks and some pointless academy requirements, I'd probably have broken through to level 30 by now,' Gu You thought, glancing at his own hands. A faint purple-black aura of soul power rose briefly around his fingers before dissipating quietly.
"Who is that guy? Why isn't he wearing the academy uniform? I thought it was mandatory?"
This was Lingbing Plaza — the first time Gu You had ever come here. Before, Feng Wuyu had always directly transported him to the inner courtyard. But today, for some reason, the old man hadn't arranged a shortcut. Gu You had been forced to walk all the way here from the Forging Association.
Ignoring the curious glances, Gu You's eyes swept over the plaza.
Lingbing Plaza was usually pretty quiet. On most days, you'd only see a few students hanging around, picking up contribution point tasks or sweeping the grounds. But today, it just so happened to be right after class — and combined with some… unfortunate timing, the plaza was unusually packed.
'…I should've just worn the damn uniform,' Gu You thought, feeling a tick of regret as he noticed how many eyes were turning toward him.
Several young girls nearby clasped their hands together, eyes sparkling. "Oh my God, he's so handsome!"
"Who cares if he's not in uniform? Look at that face!"
Gu You, now almost nine, had undergone striking changes in appearance. His deep black-blue eyes gleamed faintly under thick, slightly wavy black hair. Standing at nearly 1.6 meters, his figure was already comparable to an adult's, yet his sharp features carried a mysterious, captivating aura that set him apart.
Among the crowd, mostly first- and second-year students dressed in their signature white or yellow Shrek uniforms, whispers stirred.
"Who the hell does he think he is, walking around without a uniform? What, does he think Shrek doesn't have any rules?"
The first voice of discontent cut through the crowd.
"Yeah! Doesn't the academy give contribution points if you report people like that? Damn, today's my lucky day…" another voice chimed in.
Gu You didn't respond. He calmly continued walking forward, his expression cool.
But before he could get far, a thick, meaty hand clapped onto his shoulder.
"I don't recall giving you permission to leave."
Gu You's eyes flicked to the side, voice calm but sharp. "Let go."
A sneer twisted across the taller boy's face. "Oh? Temper, temper. You think you're scary or something? Today, if you manage to walk away from this, I'll stop calling myself Zhou Tian."
Gu You's voice deepened slightly, his fists tightening. "I'll say it one more time. Let. Go."
"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots," Zhou Tian laughed mockingly. "Come on, what are you gonna do, huh? This is Shrek Academy, kid. You sure you're not some kind of stowaway? Once the enforcement team gets here, we'll see who's laughing."
"Yeah, I'm with you!" a thin, scrawny student chimed in, stepping up beside Zhou Tian.
But just as they were getting cocky, a soft voice piped up nearby.
"You two… don't you think you're going a little too far? The academy has strict entry checks. How could an outsider possibly sneak in? Maybe… maybe he's just a new student who hasn't learned the rules yet…"
It was a bespectacled girl, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke up.
Zhou Tian turned on her with a sneer. "New student? Doesn't know the rules? What, you think wearing the academy uniform is optional? What class are you in, huh? Want to test that theory on the duel stage?"
The girl immediately lowered her head, backing away in fear.
Gu You exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "Enough."
With a flick of his wrist, he lightly punched forward.
Zhou Tian's eyes lit up. His martial soul was the mutant King Kong Baboon — he lived for brute force contests like this. He didn't even bother activating his martial soul, grinning as he raised his fists to meet the blow head-on.
He had no idea.
He had no idea how many King Kong Baboons Gu You had killed in the wild.
Their fists collided — CRACK!
"Aaaaah!!"
Zhou Tian let out a scream that tore through the plaza, his body flying backward, crashing into the ground several meters away.
The entire crowd froze.
"…Did I just see that right? Second-year Zhou Tian, 34th rank soul power… knocked out in one punch?"
"You little shit!" Zhou Tian staggered to his feet, clutching his arm in pain. His three soul rings lit up simultaneously, martial soul activated — coarse brown fur sprang up across his body, his figure bulking up like a deformed ape.
But Gu You remained perfectly calm.
Two soul rings rose beneath his feet, glimmering with an eerie purple glow.
"…Wait… his first ring is… a thousand-year ring?!"
Second soul skill: Divine Shatter Fist.
Zhou Tian roared, activating his second and third rings. A massive fist-shaped projection hurtled toward Gu You, the force rippling through the air as if it could split the earth.
'Tricks.'
Gu You's eyes narrowed, his second ring flaring.
Purple Fear Monarch Gaze!
"Submit… in terror!"
His pupils morphed into narrow vertical slits, purple light blasting outward.
In Zhou Tian's vision, Gu You's figure expanded infinitely, looming like a god of death. Waves of annihilating pressure surged into his spiritual sea, flooding his mind with nightmarish hallucinations.
"No — no, no, no!!"
Zhou Tian's screams echoed across the square, his body convulsing uncontrollably. His attack dissipated midair, torn apart by the overwhelming suppression of Gu You's destructive aura.
This was one of the terrifying aspects of Gu You's mutated martial soul — its extreme destruction attribute could erode and disrupt all soul power and soul skills, no matter the level. Even against a Title Douluo, while it wouldn't entirely erase their attacks, it could severely weaken them. And that was just the passive aura. If Gu You struck directly with his dragon claws, it wouldn't just shatter soul power — it could shred the opponent's body itself.
Suddenly, an immense pressure crashed down from above.
It came so abruptly, no one had time to react.
First-year students collapsed to their knees, their 20-something ranks of soul power utterly overwhelmed. Even third-year students struggled, bracing themselves on one knee, faces pale.
But Gu You stood tall and unmoving, as if nothing had happened.
"Shrek Outer Court Enforcement Team! Who dares cause trouble?!"
Two figures descended from the sky, landing heavily in front of the crowd.
They looked to be in their thirties, one with seven soul rings, the other with six — but the truly terrifying part was the armor they wore.
It shone with dazzling light, radiating the aura of true power: battle armor.
(End of Chapter)
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