"Alright, let's go~"
Xuan Zi waved his hand and left with Su Wen.
Zhang Yi pressed both palms to his chest, made a few gestures, and the once-stable wooden cabin gradually sank underground.
Su Wen watched, marveling.
No wonder it's called the Inner Court team. They might be a bit slack normally, but once in combat mode, their elite nature shines through. Ma Xiaotao winked at Su Wen with her beautiful eyes, smiled, and melted into the group.
If she wasn't at the peak Soul Elder, needing her fourth ring, she wouldn't be following this elite group averaging Soul Emperor level.
Once everyone had left, Su Wen turned to Elder Xuan, who rubbed his palms together and grinned, "Xiao Wen, want to try some bird eggs? Deep in the Star Dou Forest there's a kind of Blaze Bird. Usually three to ten thousand years old, their eggs taste—"
"So we're not watching over Sister Xiaotao and the others?" Su Wen's face changed.
"Ahem, ahem, they'll take care of themselves. Don't worry, five Soul Sages, six Soul Emperors, and four Soul Kings—unless they run into a hundred-thousand-year beast, they're unstoppable. Even a fifty or sixty-thousand-year soul beast wouldn't be a problem if they're careful," Xuan Zi stroked his chin.
"And if they do run into one?" Su Wen frowned, staring hard at Elder Xuan. "You're risking the whole team just for some eggs? Maybe I agreed to this too quickly. Is a school this unreliable really worth joining?"
"Uh...well..."
Xuan Zi was flustered and a bit embarrassed. He'd already informed Elder Mu, and if news got out that he lost Su Wen's trust over egg hunting, that wheelchair-bound old man might just kill him.
"Haha, just kidding! I was testing you, and you passed! Not bad, not bad, just as I expected," Xuan Zi laughed it off.
"You'd better be," Su Wen smiled lightly.
Xuan Zi's face turned red.
Kids just aren't easy to fool these days...
A piercing eagle cry split the sky, shaking the entire forest.
"No wonder ten-thousand-year soul beasts are so imposing. I wonder when Gale will reach this level," Su Wen stood on a thick ancient branch, watching the black speck fade in the distance, eyes flashing with envy.
"With your talent, it's not far off. About ten years at most," Xuan Zi lay nearby, gnawing on a roasted chicken leg.
Su Wen nodded.
He was confident in himself.
Looking at Gale, after a bit of training and a boost from the Marrow Cleansing Pill, he'd gained about 1.2 levels. His growth was reflected in Gale: now about 1.1 meters tall, with noticeably stronger arms.
The base stats panel had risen from 0.14 to 0.22.
Skills hadn't changed—those likely needed another evolution or a lucky encounter.
With Elder Xuan's inner cultivation technique (akin to Heaven Mysterious Skill) combined with meditation, his progress was quick—one level every two months, at this rate.
Of course, the higher the level, the slower the speed. But by age twelve, when he officially entered school, his soul power would likely be at least thirty-five... (Tang San had Heaven Mysterious Skill, meditation, and entered at 29; though numbers inflate in sequels, even top talents like Dai Huabin or Ning Tian only entered at 30). Su Wen was satisfied. Only top forces like Shrek, the Body Sect, or the Star Luo Empire could provide such cultivation methods, and he was lucky to meet the Shrek team in time.
He sat cross-legged, watching the Shrek team below. Ma Xiaotao boredly fiddled with a stick, Zhang Lexuan and Zhang Yi chatted, the group holding a meeting.
In the past few days, Ma Xiaotao had gotten her fourth ability, apparently from a Flame Ape. Other teammates had their own gains; only the eldest senior sister and two other inner court disciples were still searching, but since they needed beasts over thirty or forty thousand years, it was naturally harder.
Too far to hear them clearly.
Su Wen shook his head.
He looked at Gale, now well-behaved. They were deep in the Star Dou core zone—thousand-year beasts everywhere, ten-thousand-year ones common. A mere ten-year beast here was like a level 1 in a maxed-out village—just the pressure alone could nearly shatter its soul.
Otherwise, he'd have let Gale spar with a peer or two.
Gale growled at a distant branch, then looked pitifully at Su Wen.
They were mentally linked, so Su Wen instantly understood.
"You want to play?"
"Go ahead—but only on this tree. Don't wander. My aura's not concealed, so no soul beasts will come near," Xuan Zi yawned.
Gale nodded, joy flashing in its eyes.
"You understand speech?"
Su Wen raised a brow, then realized—the bond allowed understanding of Xuan Zi's meaning.
"Go on," Su Wen waved, then resumed cultivating.
Xuan Zi peeked at him with a smile: "This kid's diligent. Born with full soul power and still works this hard. The future's limitless~"
The cultivation method he'd gotten from Elder Xuan was Spirit Pill Technique.
Channel energy through the meridians to form a spirit pill, then circulate it to nourish the body, steadily increasing soul power.
Su Wen felt the slow but steady growth of power and couldn't help but smile. Was this the joy of a straight-A student? Immediate feedback, no wonder people loved to learn.
As for the lazy soul masters? Understandable.
He was stacking buffs for fast progress. A soul master with only meditation and low innate rank would be ten times slower—how hopeless must that feel...
"Wait—"
Just as he was enjoying training, Gale's stats suddenly refreshed—several red numbers and arrows shot up, startling Su Wen.
What happened?
Why did Gale's stats just jump by 0.09?!
Wait!
He'd just gained a level too!
Su Wen opened his eyes and saw Gale, holding a bright red fruit, darting up the tree, making faces at a pursuing giant python.
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Advanced chapter here: p-atreon.com/Sajaboyzzz
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