After an entire afternoon of stories, capped off with one of Gai Yue's dry jokes, Zhao Wuji decided the atmosphere was too quiet. To liven things up, he dragged Oscar into a "digestive exercise."
In reality, it was just him beating Oscar up, though Old Zhao liked to call it a "test."
So everyone gathered in the courtyard in front of the dining hall, watching Oscar wave his sword around. But Oscar's strength was still too weak—he couldn't even scratch a strand of Zhao Wuji's bear fur. In the end, he had no choice but to run crying to his teacher.
Breathless from being toyed with, Oscar rushed to Gai Yue's side, hugging his teacher's thigh and pleading pitifully:
"Teacher, you saw it with your own eyes! Before you came, look at how Zhao Old-Man bullied me! You have to stand up for your student…"
Oscar laid it on thick, performing with such emotion that it could make listeners weep. Even Flender couldn't help feeling speechless—wasn't this kid even more shameless than he had been in his youth?
Zhao Wuji, on the other hand, grew darker by the second. When Oscar needed something, he was "Teacher Zhao." But the moment things calmed down, he became "Old Man Zhao"?
What Zhao Wuji didn't expect, though, was that Gai Yue—who in his eyes was always cold and detached—actually stood up instead of brushing Oscar off.
Gai Yue gently patted Oscar's head and said calmly:
"As your teacher, I'll take this grievance for you."
Flender, who had just been laughing at Oscar's shamelessness, suddenly sprayed out his mouthful of wine. Had he heard right? Since when did Gai Yue willingly indulge in this kind of play with kids?
Didn't Oscar only acknowledge him as his teacher this afternoon? And now they already had such a bond?
Gai Yue slowly rose to his feet, setting Oscar back in his seat, and then turned to Zhao Wuji:
"Brother Zhao, it's been two years since we last sparred. Let's practice a bit. After all, constantly bullying my student doesn't look too good."
"Hah!" Zhao Wuji chuckled. "Don't let that brat fool you, Old Brother Gai. I wasn't even using any strength."
Truthfully, if this were before, Zhao Wuji wouldn't be worried. But now Gai Yue had already reached Rank 82 and even gained a powerful torso soul bone. Zhao Wuji knew he wasn't his match anymore.
Flender, of course, was overjoyed at the situation. Pretending not to hear Zhao Wuji's protests, he immediately fanned the flames:
"Old Brother Gai, I support you!"
Ma Hongjun, who was often on the receiving end of Zhao Wuji's fists, joined in without hesitation:
"Teacher Gai, beat him up! I support you too!"
Zhao Wuji silently etched both Flender's and Ma Hongjun's names onto his mental ledger.
Still, he couldn't refuse. With a sigh, he braced himself:
"Fine. It's been a while since we sparred, anyway. Let's play today."
"Frostmoon!"
Gai Yue didn't waste words. At his low chant, a long sword materialized in his right hand.
The blade was four feet six inches long, three inches wide, gleaming white from tip to hilt, adorned with delicate icy-blue crystal patterns—as though forged from a single block of ancient, ten-thousand-year ice.
Even from afar, Oscar could feel the sword's piercing sharpness and bone-chilling cold. Clearly, Gai Yue's Sword Martial Soul wasn't only a weapon of slaughter, but also carried the ice attribute. Perhaps that explained why his whole presence always felt so cold.
Flender explained to the watching students:
"This is Old Brother Gai's martial soul—the Frostmoon Sword. While it can't compare to the Seven Killing Sword, known as the number-one sword martial soul under heaven, it's still a top-tier sword soul."
As Gai Yue released his martial soul, two yellow, two purple, and four black soul rings rose around him—eight in total—before he suppressed them back within.
Clearly, he didn't intend to use soul skills. After all, this was just sparring. If they both went all out, Shrek Academy might not survive the fight.
Not to be outdone, Zhao Wuji slapped his chest with both palms, unleashing a deafening bear's roar. Two yellow, two purple, and three black rings rose around him as thick, brown fur sprouted across his body. His hands transformed into enormous, solid bear paws.
Without hesitation, Zhao Wuji charged forward. Against someone stronger than himself, he knew he had to seize the initiative.
But Gai Yue's expression didn't even ripple.
"Little Ao," he said evenly, "this is your first lesson."
As his words fell, he swung the Frostmoon Sword. A razor-sharp arc of pure white sword qi shot forth, slicing toward Zhao Wuji with unstoppable force.
Oscar's eyes were glued to his teacher. This sword qi was nothing like the finger-sword technique he had seen earlier. The sheer force of it was already comparable to a soul skill-level attack.
But Zhao Wuji wasn't a pushover. With a resounding clap, his bear paws smashed together, not only blocking the sword qi but shattering it completely.
Yet before he could smirk in triumph, Gai Yue's sword blurred. In an instant, dozens of sword qi arcs filled the air, all slashing toward Zhao Wuji.
Forced to react, Zhao Wuji spun like a giant top, his thick bear paws slapping away arc after arc. He managed to shatter each one, but the sheer number left him reeling. The sharp edges stung his paws, and two strikes even slipped through, carving off great tufts of his thick fur.
Thankfully, Gai Yue wasn't going for the kill. Otherwise, Zhao Wuji would already be bleeding.
Even as he attacked, Gai Yue explained to Oscar:
"This—this is the most fundamental ability of any swordmaster, and also the core. Next, I'll show you what happens when the sword and the self merge into one—true sword techniques. Watch closely."
With that, he surged forward, his sword spinning in his hand as his aura flared like a rising tide.
"Frostmoon Sword Technique, Third Form—Frost Petals Over the Sky!"
His blade danced in a blur, releasing dozens of strikes in mere moments. Sword shadows filled the air like a storm of petals, each strike carrying chilling frost.
Zhao Wuji was forced entirely onto the defensive. His fur was sheared away in patches, his body coated in frost. He hadn't suffered injury, but he looked utterly disheveled.
"Old Brother Gai, isn't this a bit much just to help Little Ao vent his frustrations? How am I supposed to face people now!" Zhao Wuji groaned.
Gai Yue only smiled faintly, retracting his martial soul. He turned to Oscar:
"Well? What do you think?"
Oscar grinned cheekily.
Teacher, that was amazing! Though… while I understood it, I can't use it yet. I'll need time.
Those words caught Gai Yue off guard. When he had first learned it himself, he had needed a whole hour of observation before grasping even the basics.
Yet Oscar had understood after a single demonstration.