Time flew by like running water. In the blink of an eye, Li Chang'an had already been at Shrek Academy for over a month.
And this month had been a very busy one for him.
Busy coaxing Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu so that they wouldn't be too upset when he brought more "women" into his net later. Busy sneaking into the little grove on campus with Ning Rongrong for secret trysts.
Busy playing "Father-daughter games" with his Meng Yiran. Busy being dragged away by Liu Erlong from time to time for heart-to-heart talks.
When he had spare time, he even kept Miao Ling company, and twice more went to meet Qian Renxue, once even Ye Lingling.
In short, Li Chang'an's time management had been polished to perfection—his schedule arranged to the extreme.
During this month, Tang San and the others, who had all been just shy of level forty, finally broke through and reached the realm of spirit Ancestor. This made Flender extremely happy. After all, without Li Chang'an, Shrek's hopes rested entirely on the Seven Devils.
After discussion, Flender, Zhao Wuji, and Liu Erlong decided to lead the Shrek Seven Devils to Sunset Forest, not far from Heaven Dou City, to hunt spirit beasts and obtain their fourth soul rings.
This time, besides the three teachers and the seven students, there was also a special guest—Li Chang'an—as well as Yu Xiaogang, who tagged along under the flimsy excuse of "doing research," though almost no one paid him any attention.
--
Early morning, at the gates of Shrek Academy.
Flender, Liu Erlong, Zhao Wuji, and Li Chang'an stood before the academy gates, looking at the seven spirited youths before them. Flender's heart swelled with pride.
Level forty. That was a realm most spirit masters could only reach around the age of thirty—if they were talented.
Yet these children, the oldest no more than seventeen, the youngest not even fourteen, had already reached this level.
Of course, some miracles had helped along the way, but more importantly, their natural talent was simply astonishing.
Naturally, the standard of "monster" did not apply to a freak like Li Chang'an.
And as their discoverers and teachers, how could Flender and the others not feel proud?
Li Chang'an, too, felt proud. After all, three of them were his women and their rapid rise in strength was closely tied to him—something far beyond what the other four had achieved by eating immortal herbs.
---
Flender spoke:
"We leave immediately. Our destination: Sunset Forest. Although the four of us will be accompanying you this time, there's something I need to make clear first."
The "four" referred, of course, to himself, Zhao Wuji, Liu Erlong, and Li Chang'an. Although Yu Xiaogang was technically at the five-ring level, his severe injuries had only just healed. Any one of the four teachers here outclassed him easily.
"The fourth soul ring may not have the bridging role of the third, but it's still extremely important. To prepare you for the upcoming spirit Master Tournament, Teacher Li and I have decided that you will be responsible for the entire hunting process yourselves."
"Unless it's an absolute emergency, we will not intervene. In fact, under normal circumstances, not only will we not protect you—you'll have to protect us. This hunt will serve as the first phase of your graduation exam. The second phase will be the upcoming Advanced spirit Master Tournament. Do you understand?"
---
Ma Hongjun, who feared Flender the least, couldn't help but ask:
"Teacher, then how do we actually pass this exam?"
Flender nodded.
"Good question. Passing isn't difficult. In the first phase, you'll work together to hunt spirit beasts suitable for your fourth rings. As long as the four of us never need to intervene, you've passed."
"As for the second phase… well, just bring back a second-place finish in the tournament and you'll scrape by as graduates."
"Ah? That's supposed to be not difficult?" Oscar blurted out in disbelief.
Though they were all prodigies, their age meant their strength couldn't be heaven-defying yet. And their opponents in the tournament would be the continent's finest spirit masters under twenty-five. Fighting all the way to the finals and taking second place was no easy feat.
"Dean, why second place and not first?" Tang San, ever sharp, suddenly asked.
Based on Flender's personality, he would normally aim for the top. Unless… something had already convinced him the championship was out of reach.
"That… we'll talk about later. For now, just remember—second place will satisfy me." Flender glanced at Li Chang'an but kept the real reason to himself.
Then, turning to Oscar, Flender snorted:
"What? Do you have an opinion, Oscar?"
"N-no, Dean, you're wise." Oscar quickly shook his head. He knew Flender's temper well enough. Any objection from him would only make the exam even harder.
"Good. Let's move." Flender gave the command, and the eleven of them set off toward Sunset Forest.
---
The four teachers walked in front, chatting and laughing as though on an outing, while the Seven Devils followed behind. At the rear trailed Yu Xiaogang, accompanied by Tang San.
Dai Mubai whispered to his companions:
"I've already obtained my fourth ring. Have you all thought about what kind of soul rings you need? Since the teachers won't help us, we need a clear plan."
"You haven't forgotten what happened when Tang San absorbed the Man-Faced Demon Spider's ring, right? He endured it, but the pain was immense, and one misstep could've been fatal. So we must be cautious. Aim for maximum benefit, but always consider what you can actually absorb."
Tang San suggested:
"How about this? Since we can't predict which beasts we'll encounter, whenever we find one of suitable age, we bring it down first. Then we carefully assess its years and determine who it suits best. If it suits none of us, we let it go. What do you all think?"
Given Tang San's steady nature and his role as a control-type spirit master, no one objected.
---
Though walking ahead, Flender and the others overheard. Flender glanced at Li Chang'an and the others.
"I must admit, Tang San's thinking about soul rings is meticulous."
"Mm, not bad indeed. But I still think Teacher Li is more impressive," Liu Erlong said frankly.
With Li Chang'an as a dazzling example, Tang San's excellence could only be measured against peers. Li Chang'an had long since transcended that category.
Zhao Wuji nodded in agreement.
"Little San is doing well. Dean Liu, you flatter me."
"You're calling me Dean again?" Liu Erlong arched a brow, displeased. Over the past month, she and Li Chang'an had often discussed academy affairs together, and their relationship had grown closer.
Still, she saw him as a promising junior—those girlish heart-flutters were long gone.
At the back of the line, Yu Xiaogang frowned as he watched Liu Erlong chatting and laughing with Li Chang'an. His world now contained nothing but resentment.
Some people are like that: when they had the chance, they failed to cherish it. Once it slipped away, regret consumed them, and they lived forever in the shadow of old dreams.
'Just wait. Once I help the Abyss isolate the Divine Realm, and billions of undead soldiers descend upon the Douluo Continent—you'll all die!'
___
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