Shrek Academy!
After Ma Hongjun returned, he went straight to his parents' courtyard.
Cuihua, dressed in a blue cloth dress, was drawing water by the well. Seeing Ma Hongjun return, Cuihua looked over with surprise.
"Cuihua, you've worked hard!"
Hearing the noise outside, Li Hui came out.
"Hongjun, you're back. What have you been doing in Soto City for the past three days? I asked your academy teachers, but they wouldn't tell me."
"Mom, I went to buy you some things!
They're all in here."
Ma Hongjun took out a ring and said to Li Hui.
"You child, how much did you buy that took you three days?"
"A lot, Mom, I'll go inside and show you!"
He went into the inner room, greeted Ma Ming, and then gave him the ring. Although Ma Ming was injured, his soul power was still there, so using the ring was not a problem.
"Why did you buy so much stuff, Hongjun? You should be more frugal, it's such a waste."
"It's alright, Dad, you have to believe me, we'll have more gold soul coins in the future."
Ma Ming started taking things out one by one, and Li Hui took them from the side.
"Why are they all my clothes? I can't possibly wear all of them!"
Ma Ming was quite cunning, taking out the clothes that Ma Hongjun had the Shuang'er sisters pick out for Li Hui one by one.
Sure enough, this set was very appealing to women. Li Hui took the beautiful clothes one by one, and it seemed that she liked the style and design of these clothes.
Happiness radiated from her face. This mother, who silently and selflessly devoted herself to her family, smiled at this moment, but her eyes were already blurred with tears.
She hadn't thought about these things, but she had thought about them too. This wasn't a contradiction; this was her mother.
Although not having these things wouldn't diminish her love for her family, having these things would let her know that her love was reciprocated; her love was worth giving; her love wouldn't be forgotten.
Li Hui turned her face away, not wanting Ma Hongjun and Ma Ming to see that she was vulnerable at this moment.
No mother is without hardship. Just imagine a woman, day after day, three years of dedication—only she knows the bitterness she endured.
Even the most intense love can be slowly worn down by the monotony of daily life; love that's always fueled by passion will eventually run out of steam.
Fortunately, she wasn't forgotten by life. Her son and husband both cherished her. Although her husband was sometimes a bit dull, he occasionally knew how to surprise her.
Her proudest child was her son. Aside from being a genius Soul Master, he was incredibly thoughtful, especially when it came to winning people's hearts.
"Alright, stop!"
Li Hui patted Ma Ming, her voice trembling slightly. Her hands were already full of clothes, while Ma Ming continued to take more, still looking on blankly.
"Hongjun, there's something I need to tell you. We've gotten along very well with Cuihua these past few days. Cuihua is a good girl!
Mom has already recognized her as her goddaughter, so from now on, Cuihua will be your god-sister. Don't call her 'Cuihua Girl' anymore, just call her 'Sister'!"
Cuihua stood awkwardly to the side, clearly unsure how to face Ma Hongjun. Actually, she had fallen for Ma Hongjun from the beginning, but she knew there was no future for them. Still, she wanted to see him up close.
"Sister, then you can call me Hongjun from now on!"
"Okay, okay!"
"From now on, please take good care of Mom and Dad. If you have any difficulties, just tell me, and I'll help you."
…
After having dinner with his parents, Ma Hongjun returned to the academy.
When he returned, Xiang Chengxian had already officially passed the examination and joined Shrek Academy.
Xiang Chengxian settled down at the academy, living in a wooden hut next to Ma Hongjun and the others. She studied and lived with them at the academy, returning to Soto City only when needed.
With fewer students, the academy made scheduling easier.
Three days of intense, frenzied self-purification had completely depleted the pent-up pent-up energy within Ma Hongjun, preventing an eruption for the time being.
Academic life continued normally, with Lu Qibin and Shao Xin handling theoretical instruction, and Li Yusong and Zhao Wuji responsible for practical training.
Flander filled in on both fronts, but mostly remained hands-off.
Physical training was added, designed and led by Ma Hongjun.
Physical training was relatively simple, requiring persistence and endurance, with Ma Hongjun's role being supervision and demonstration.
Building upon previous grueling training plans, Ma Hongjun divided physical training into two parts:
pure physical training and physical training to unlock his Martial Soul.
The physical training was similar to military training, focusing on increasing the load to push his physical limits through repeated training sessions.
The Martial Soul training aimed to familiarize himself with the Martial Soul state and develop its potential.
In fact, very few people will deliberately practice this; they usually only summon their martial soul when needed.
In this world, a martial spirit is essentially a part of the body, just like limbs and the brain, only its form of existence is different.
The benefits of this training are very obvious. Take Ma Hongjun for example; his speed in summoning his martial spirit is much faster than others. Basically, the Dragon Soul Spear appears with a thought. Needless to say, its use is effortless; he can already wield the Dragon Soul Spear as easily as an extension of his own arm.
Moreover, the process of using a martial spirit to train requires repeatedly consuming soul power. After each consumption, meditation and cultivation will increase soul power.
Originally, he wanted to use the perverse methods the devil had used to deal with Dai Mubai and his companions, but considering his cold war with Dai Mubai yesterday, Ma Hongjun decided to postpone it to avoid further deterioration of their relationship.
The physical training proceeded mechanically amidst Oscar's complaints and the indifference of the old black and white tiger.
...
Ma Hongjun also began another training exercise:
Dragon Beard Needles!
He had already witnessed the power of the Dragon Beard Needles, which made him deeply wary of Tang Sect hidden weapons. And this was only the eighth-ranked hidden weapon.
Although Ma Hongjun now knows how to use the Dragon Beard Needle, his throwing technique is extremely clumsy. He simply throws it, which doesn't travel far and lacks power. Without the guidance of his soul power, it can't even guarantee a straight flight.
Therefore, he needs to practice and refine his skills; mastery comes from countless repetitions.
Because of his innate advantage in soul power, he uses the Dragon Beard Needle with great ease, and he can develop it into his own signature technique,
perhaps even giving it a name like "Little Ma's Flying Needle."
The power of the Dragon Beard Needle is closely related to the user's strength; the deeper and stronger the soul power, the greater the power of the thrown needle.
Ma Hongjun began practicing.
After several experiments, Ma Hongjun discovered that with his current soul power, the thrown needle could achieve the same attack power within a three-meter range. Beyond three meters, the needle would retract before hitting the enemy due to insufficient soul power.
Furthermore, the demand for soul power increases with the attack distance.
It seems that this incredibly powerful and domineering hidden weapon is not so easy to use.
After experiencing the power of the Dragon Beard Needle, Dai Mubai remembered it vividly and began secretly practicing it like Ma Hongjun, though he always practiced behind Ma Hongjun's backside! He
even frequently stole glances at Ma Hongjun's buttocks!
This gave Ma Hongjun a bad feeling, and he always avoided walking in front of Dai Mubai.
Now that Dai Mubai wouldn't speak to him, he clearly held a grudge and would probably give Ma Hongjun a needle in the buttocks when he wasn't looking.
Ma Hongjun thought: "
You can't be too careful!
Protect your chrysanthemum, stay away from dogs!