"Fatty, don't tell me you're scared already!"
Dai Mubai's eyes were burning with irritation. Just a moment ago, Ma Hongjun had vowed loudly to avenge him, but the instant he heard Lu Yuan's name, his tone faltered.
Before the fire-attribute boy could answer, Tang San stepped forward calmly. "No matter what, we aren't without hope. Lu Yuan is strong, but we outnumber him six to three. With proper tactics, we can bring him down."
But an icy voice cut across the conversation.
"It's five. Don't count me."
Zhu Zhuqing's tone was cold as frost, but her meaning was clear. She stood at the corner, her arms folded and back straight. "Lu Yuan saved me. I will never fight him."
Never.
At her declaration, the others froze for a moment, comprehension dawning. So this was the root of the grudge between Dai Mubai and Lu Yuan.
Still, after a quick discussion, the five remaining Shrek students arranged themselves into a rough plan.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
Lu Yuan drank deeply from a jar, not paying them the slightest mind. His cheeks were a little flushed, his grin a little loose. "So, finished squawking?" he said lazily.
Ye Lingling and Ning Rongrong instantly placed themselves beside him. Despite their usual rivalry, both spoke in unison:
"Lu Yuan Big Brother, we'll help you!"
But Lu Yuan lazily waved them off, chuckling. "No need. You're both too precious. Besides…" He tipped the jar up again, wiping his mouth. "These few Muggles aren't enough for me to need help."
"Lu Yuan, don't be too arrogant!" Tang San snapped coldly. Anger burned in him—the way Lu Yuan flaunted his confidence pushed every nerve.
He flicked his wrists, and countless strands of Blue Silver Grass erupted into the air, slithering forward like blue serpents to coil tightly around Lu Yuan.
"White Tiger, possess!"
"Phoenix, possess!"
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun roared at the same time, releasing their martial souls. Dai Mubai's rings shone, a sphere of white light forming in his mouth—the signature White Tiger's Light Wave. Ma Hongjun spread his wings, a searing purple-red line of fire bursting forward to weave with Dai Mubai's attack.
Blazing flames and radiant light hurtled toward Lu Yuan.
"Pretty Little Sister~" Lu Yuan's unfocused gaze drifted briefly toward Xiao Wu, his eyes softening for a moment as a haze of wine blurred his senses. But the clarity in his soul snapped back almost instantly.
"You brats, sneak attacks, is it?" His grin shifted to something sharper.
With one motion, his drunken body straightened, and he drew his blade. The shift in his aura was instant and undeniable—like a sleeping beast stretching awake.
"Sword Formation!"
His long sword rose, pointing at the heavens. In the next moment—rays of cold steel cascaded downward. A storm of blades rained into existence, spinning around him in a whirling defensive array.
Whisshhhhh—!
The sword rain cut through every Blue Silver Grass vine that reached for him. Sparks flared as the fiery Phoenix line and ferocious White Tiger light wave slammed uselessly into the flickering sword curtain, blocked entirely.
Lu Yuan, drunk as he might appear, had turned his group attack skill into an impregnable defense. The perfection of his combat instinct was laid bare.
Both Tang San and Dai Mubai gasped sharply. Their eyes locked onto the glowing rings beneath Lu Yuan's feet.
"W-what?!"
Four rings shimmered—but the last was a black ten-thousand-year ring.
"This isn't right. Impossible! He was a Soul Sect!" Dai Mubai's jaw worked.
"When did he… when did he become a Soul King?" Tang San's face paled. Facing a Soul Sect was one thing. A Soul King this monstrous? Utter despair.
Behind them, Zhu Zhuqing's lips quirked in the lightest, almost imperceptible smile. "He's stronger again…" she whispered under her breath. The pride flashing in her eyes vanished as quickly as it came.
Around them, the area buzzed. Spirit masters in the inn and street—wanderers, rogue hunters, mercenaries—had all gathered when the clash began.
"That's Lu Yuan!"
"Unreal, he really broke through to Soul King so young?"
"How did those idiots from Shrek provoke someone like him?"
The crowd shook their heads. To pit themselves, average Soul Venerables and Soul Masters, against Lu Yuan, was courting disaster.
One girl in the bystanders clutched her face with stars in her eyes. "Lu Yuan, live and in person! So powerful... and so handsome!"
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
Lu Yuan tilted the jar for a final mouthful and then grinned, wine dripping from his lips. "Not bad. Now you bastards, taste this!"
His blade hummed. Nine arcs of Sword Qi burst out, slicing through the air. Each howled like a dragon's roar, wrapped in his drunken, unpredictable aura.
Tang San's pupils shrank. He couldn't move—frozen by sheer killing intent. This wasn't an attack a Soul Venerable could endure!
"Danger!"
Before the Sword Qi landed, the floor above groaned. Boom! A hulking shadow crashed down from the second floor. Zao Wou-ki, the famed Immovable King, landed with earth-shaking weight, his hands spreading wide like massive bear paws.
He clapped them together, intercepting the Sword Qi head on. Crack! Crack! Seven streams shattered against him, but two blades twisted unnaturally mid-air, bypassing him entirely.
Bang!Bang!
Tang San fell heavily as two Sword Qi shattered his defense, his Xuanyu Hand stinging even as he slammed into the floor. Dai Mubai, body hardened and covered in the White Tiger's power, used raw physique to endure his hit—still, he was thrown even farther than Tang San, coughing blood.
If not for Zao Wou-ki taking most of the pressure, they might have been crippled on the spot.
"You stupid brats!" Zao Wou-ki barked, his chest rumbling in frustration as he turned to glare at them. "When we get back, I'll personally deal with you!"
His anger wasn't for their failure, but for dragging the academy into potential ruin. Lu Yuan was no ordinary youth. He carried the name of the Tiandou Royal Academy and was a disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. That was two powerful banners protecting him.
Trouble with him meant trouble they could never afford.
Lu Yuan, unconcerned for the groaning Tang San and Dai Mubai behind him, fixed his sharp gaze on Zao Wou-ki. A careless smile spread across his lips. "You bastard… your defense isn't bad."
The massive Spirit Master's expression twitched. "You're Lu Yuan, aren't you? I am Zao Wou-ki… Immovable King. This matter ends here."
He declared it firmly. He would not escalate.
"End here?" Lu Yuan chuckled coldly, sword still at his side. "Why would I end it? I finally found a decent opponent. You… will fight me."
Zao Wou-ki's brows twitched violently. "You reckless brat. Do you understand what you're saying?"
But in the corners of his lips, there was a tiny upward curl—he hadn't fought a good duel for a long time either. "Fine. My old Zhao will 'play' with you. You brats—watch carefully and learn."
His body erupted in power as he called, "Vigorous Vajra Bear, possess!"
His frame swelled, muscles bursting, brown fur springing as his height grew to five meters, a true bear manifesting in spirit form.
"Come then!" Lu Yuan roared back, black miasma coiling from him, a wicked pressure scorching the air. Even drunk, his hands were steady, sword flashing with lethal intent.
Their blades and paws collided with a thunderous crash.
Bang!
Zao Wou-ki's teeth clenched as he caught Lu Yuan's strike with both bear paws, only to feel his muscles scream in pain as numbness spread through his arms. That sword's force had nearly split his spirit in two.
Grinding his teeth, he retaliated. The first ring under his feet flared.
"Fudo King Seal!"
Golden light blazed from his body, exploding flat against Lu Yuan, rebounding his Sword Qi in waves.
The drunk young swordmaster slid backward a few meters, but instead of discouragement, his grin widened.
"Big Bear…" Lu Yuan's foot stomped the cobblestones, black mist boiling as his fifth ring pulsed. His body ignited with flame and vanished like a meteor. "Your defense really isn't lazy!"
The crowd exploded. Zao Wou-ki, Shrek's immovable protector, had encountered an opponent whose sword could split mountains.
The real fight had only just begun.
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