After several days of travel, Xiao Tian and his group finally returned to Shrek Academy.
The moment they stepped into the academy grounds, Ning Rongrong looked around in surprise. Her delicate brows furrowed.
"Hm? Grandpa Jian isn't here? Could it be… he hasn't arrived yet?" she muttered anxiously, scanning every corner.
Before anyone could answer, Flender gathered the students as usual. His owl-like eyes gleamed behind those round spectacles.
"All right! Although our trip to the Star Dou Great Forest was thrilling and dangerous, we returned with great gains. Oscar and Xiao Tian, in particular, have benefitted the most. Therefore—three days off! Rest well before I begin the next stage of your training!"
Before the crowd could even cheer, Flender had already vanished with a flap of his cloak.
Tang San stood frozen, sighing helplessly. "…Teacher Flender is still as mysterious as ever."
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang's eyes lingered on his student. He waved. "Xiao San, come with me."
His tone carried hidden worry. Xiao Tian's gains this trip had been extraordinary, but Tang San… had paid a heavy price. After losing his Eight Spider Lances external bone, while Xiao Tian gained a dazzling sword-wing bone, Yu Xiaogang feared Tang San might feel shaken.
Comparison was the most dangerous poison. No one feared competition, but once you became inferior in every aspect, the heart would falter.
At first, Tang San had been proud of his Eight Spider Lances. But now? That pride had turned bitter in his chest.
…
At the same moment, Xiao Tian's priorities were completely elsewhere.
He had little time for emotional worries. The unresolved mystery of the Exorcism Sword Technique weighed heavily on his mind. He said goodbye to Xiao Wu and the others with a smile that brooked no argument.
"I'll be in seclusion for the next three days. Don't disturb me."
Then he disappeared into his room.
"…What?" Xiao Wu blinked.
Ning Rongrong tilted her head.
Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly.
"Going into closed-door cultivation right after coming back? Isn't that a little too… curly?"
The three girls exchanged a look. Without words, their thoughts aligned. If Xiao Tian was pushing forward madly, they could not afford to slack either. In silence, they resolved themselves to practice as well.
…
Inside his room, Xiao Tian shut the world out. Sitting cross-legged upon the bed, he replayed every page of the Exorcism Sword Technique in his memory.
The most absurd requirement still burned at the front of his mind: castration before cultivation. Ridiculous!
But was it really so ridiculous? After days of contemplation, Xiao Tian began to understand the hidden logic.
The sword art demanded an extreme state of mind combined with equally extreme internal energy circulation. Castration… was merely a crude way of forcing such extremity—reducing "desires," stripping away balance, and shaping a one-sided sharpness that bordered insanity.
"So, what if I keep its sharpness but balance it with something else…?"
He realized then—the Exorcism Sword Technique itself was too violent. If balanced with gentler energy, with yin and yang complementing each other, its destructive nature could be retained without losing control.
And what better to harmonize it than his other cultivation method, the Xuanyuan Sword Sutra? Combining the harsh with the gentle, he could forge a complete cycle of yin and yang, blade and sheath, hardness and softness.
The idea burned in his heart.
Hours passed like moments. From within Xiao Tian's spiritual space, Daming and Erming quietly emerged, blinking at the real world.
"Finally, some fresh air!" Erming groaned, stretching his massive arms. "That spiritual space always feels boring even if we can see outside. Something crucial is missing."
"Don't complain." Daming's deep voice rumbled. "We're out to protect Xiao Tian. Remember, his strength is our strength. If he falters, when my 200,000-year tribulation arrives, it might cost him dearly."
Erming clicked his tongue but nodded, realizing his older brother was right.
The two ancient soul beasts recalled just how much Xiao Tian had already done. A few nights ago, he had secretly modified their contract into the advanced version. The change was earth-shattering—they now had their full original strength, unbound by his cultivation limits.
It had been so quick, so effortless, so shocking. Truly beyond imagination. But his sincerity was clear, and both beasts felt their trust in him deepening by the day.
They fell silent, quietly watching the young man they had entrusted their future to.
Unaware of their feelings, Xiao Tian pushed deeper into his experiment.
One more step was needed. His body had to withstand the violent circulation of the improved Exorcism Sword Technique.
From his soul guide, he retrieved a small, gleaming case. Inside lay silver needles.
"Acupuncture to open the meridians… If I expand and strengthen them, my channels will be able to bear the power."
With a thought, silver needles floated into the air, controlled not by hands but by soul power itself. His upper robes slipped away and the needles drove into his body one after another, striking acupoints in a dazzling flurry.
Erming's eyes bulged.
"W-Whoa! Big brother, look! He's turning himself into a hedgehog!"
Daming coughed into his fist. "…Don't disturb him. We guard the door. He knows what he's doing."
Though both soul beasts worried, the determination in Xiao Tian's expression held them still.
Time slipped by.
A muffled boom echoed as Xiao Tian's aura suddenly burst outward. His eyes snapped open, sharp as lightning. With a roar, the embedded silver needles all shot free, embedding themselves deep in the wooden wall like arrows.
The flow of power within him surged. His meridians pulsed with expansion, his soul power now coursing faster and smoother than ever. Success.
He exhaled, sweat dripping, but his eyes gleamed with triumph. At long last, the improved Exorcism Sword Technique was complete.
Now only one thing remained: testing it.
Just as he prepared, a flicker of memory jolted him. His hand slapped his forehead. "Oh, right!"
The spatial ring on his finger flashed. In his hands materialized a small pot—inside it, a stalk of gentle, swaying blue silver grass.
Erming blinked. "Eh? Xiao Tian, why are you suddenly… gardening? Why are you growing blue silver grass? You can find this stuff growing like weeds in the Star Dou Great Forest!"
To Erming, blue silver grass was nothing worth a second look—common, weak, persistent only for its tenacity. Kill it, and it would sprout back again through its roots. Hardly impressive.
But before Xiao Tian could reply, Daming's jade-like eyes sharpened. He leaned closer, studying the stalk.
"No. No, this isn't ordinary blue silver grass."
Erming scratched his head in confusion.
Daming's voice grew serious. "Look carefully. Do you see it? That faint golden-blue pattern running along the leaf veins… This… this is not blue silver grass."
Erming blinked harder. Then his jaw hung open.
"This… It can't be—!"
Daming finished the thought in a low rumble.
"This is the bloodline mark of the Blue Silver Emperor."
He trailed off, disbelief clouding his face.
How could it be possible? The Blue Silver Emperor was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast sovereign, entirely different from petty grass. Yet in front of them was clearly a young, infant-stage ordinary grass… with the Emperor's signature trait glowing in its veins.
The impossible stared back at them from Xiao Tian's palm.
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