Shrek Academy – Restless Nights
"Haah…!"
Zhu Zhuqing bolted upright, her chest heaving from another restless dream. She grabbed a glass, took two gulps of water, then slipped on a thin cloak and sat before her window, trying to calm her racing heart.
"It's him again…" she whispered.
No matter how different the dreams—whether of battle, wandering, or quiet evenings—the same blurred figure always appeared. A boy with a wine jar in one hand and a sword across his back.
Lu Yuan.
Even asleep, his shadow traced her heart.
Her lips curved bitterly as she glanced toward the distant horizon, in the direction of Tiandou City. Life in Shrek was suffocating. She could not adapt to the group, not with Tang San, not with Dai Mubai. She preferred Lu Yuan's chaotic companionship, where even troubles could be eased beneath shared jars of liquor.
That life… was freer. More real.
Seven Treasure Sect – Firecrackers
Meanwhile, at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, firecrackers snapped loudly across the courtyards. At a glance, one might think it was New Year's.
But no—this was celebration.
Lu Yuan had left.
From the moment he arrived, disciples had lived like sufferers beneath a tyrant. He ordered them to carry wine jars, train under him, spar him repeatedly—or face his fists if they resisted.
Auxiliary masters groaned, broken by brutal combat drills designed for offensive war spirit masters.
And the actual war masters fared no better. Lu Yuan climbed the stage and declared ongoing challenge matches. Every warrior had to spar him twice a day.
It wasn't training. It was massacre. He trampled each opponent with drunken ease, laughing while they screamed.
Yes, they admired his strength, even respected his courage to openly duel Sword Douluo. But enduring him… that was agony.
Now that he was gone? Crackles of firecrackers sounded again. They wept from relief.
The Elders' Reflection
On the mountain peak, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong observed Lu Yuan's departing back with complex expressions.
They knew why he had left so abruptly.
Chen Xin's sword would never recover its edge while Lu Yuan was near. The boy's Martial Soul naturally suppressed his Seven Kill Sword, crippling cultivation by nearly 80%. That alone weakened the Sect's power.
"It's better this way," Fengzhi murmured.
"Hmph. He even emptied the wine cellar before leaving." Chen Xin's eyelid twitched. "What devil drinks that much? The entire stock—gone."
Gu Rong chuckled. "At least he helped whip the disciples into shape before he left." He had witnessed it himself—the terrified but hardened students whose bodies carried his bruises. "Bloody and rough, but effective."
"Complaints came the moment I returned," Fengzhi sighed. "Yet… I also think we can learn from this. We'll adapt his training methods, at lower intensity."
Chen Xin grumbled again, but he did not disagree.
On the Road
"Lu Yuan Big Brother, I'm already a Soul Venerable now!" Ning Rongrong beamed proudly, skipping alongside him, pagoda glowing faintly in her palm. "My third skill boosts soul power. Dad and Grandpa both said I'm progressing brilliantly."
As they made their way down a dirt road, she chattered about her first beast hunt.
Lu Yuan half-listened, mostly nursing his jar. "Soul Beast Forest again, huh?"
His blurred eyes sharpened faintly. Since arriving in this world, he'd rarely gone. Unlike others, he never needed rings—his Bacchus system granted everything through alcohol. But the memory of his one previous hunt stirred. That day, he walked away with a spirit bone.
If I'm lucky, maybe again...
"Tons… tons…"
Papal Palace
Far away in Martial Soul City, inside the gleaming Papal Palace, Bibi Dong sat upon her golden throne. Dressed in resplendent robes, crowned with purple-gold, scepter in hand, she twitched her foot impatiently against the dais.
"Have you confirmed?"
A platinum Bishop kneeled below. "Yes, under the Pope's Crown. The boy named Lu Yuan. At twelve years old he is already a Soul Sect. He defeated the Star Luo royal family's Nether White Tiger fusion… while drunk. Reports claim he did not even unleash his spirit abilities."
Even hearing it again, her eyes flickered with disbelief. Her fingers clenched the throne. Such a monstrous genius…
Such talent could never be ignored.
"Where is he now?"
"He was recently at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"What?!"
Bibi Dong's expression hardened. "Ning Fengzhi… you sly fox. To think you hid this from us and claimed such a child."
Her scepter slammed down, reverberating power across the chamber. The frightened Bishop pressed his forehead to the marble.
"The Martial Soul Hall in Tiandou failed to report this! What is Salas even doing?!"
"P-Please forgive, Your Holiness. Lu Yuan grew up in the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect from birth… Ning Fengzhi blocked all news before he fled to Tiandou Academy at eight. The Temple had no way of finding him."
"Hmph. No matter. The balance of the Three Sects may soon shift. At this rate, the Seven Treasure Sect may birth another Title Douluo in just a few years."
Her gaze gleamed cold like a blade. I must obtain him… or destroy him.
Back at Tiandou
At Tiandou Academy, Lu Yuan's return was brief.
Ye Lingling spotted him first, her eyes lighting like embers. Without hesitation, she ran three quick steps, bounded up—and pressed a soft kiss against his lips.
"Boom~"
He blinked, wine jar half-raised.
Behind them, Ning Rongrong stood stiff, face twisting. "Humph!"
The two girls glared at each other instantly.
"…Humph!"
Air sizzled with hostility.
"Lu Yuan Big Brother," Lingling clutched her sleeve shyly, "I've reached Soul Sect too. Will you take me to hunt my next soul ring?"
She had yet to use the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid he'd once given her. Out of pride, and stubbornness, she had ignored it back then. But after seeing what the Qiluo Tulip did for Rongrong, hesitation was gone. She'd eaten it, and evolved her vitality to new heights.
Now only one more ring remained.
Lu Yuan tipped his jar, considering. "…Spirit ring? Alright. We'll find something fitting."
Qin Ming's Relief
Meanwhile, Qin Ming sat in his office, pen poised over a leave form.
Sorrows had turned to joy.
"Ye Lingling requests leave to hunt a spirit beast… accompanied by Lu Yuan…"
Swish! His signature slashed the paper instantly.
The corners of his lips curled upward manically.
Take him. Please, take him away. The further, the longer, the better.
Finally… the advanced class could breathe again. No explosions of Sword Qi, no flasks flying mid-lecture, no walls blasted apart by drunken duels.
For once, Qin Ming leaned back in his chair, whispering in comfort, "Beautiful. Truly beautiful."
Journey to Star Dou
And so, with his jar dangling at his hip, sword tapped lazily on his spine, Lu Yuan once more followed two lovely girls down the road that led from Tiandou…
"Star Dou Great Forest, huh?" he muttered, grinning faintly. "Let's see what kind of fun it offers a drunk this time."
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