"Hey~" An old voice called.
Elder Xuan gnawed on a chicken leg, a string of gourds at his waist, staring at Su Wen. Before Su Wen could react, he grabbed Su Wen's wrist, squinting as he sensed the soul power…
"Huh?"
Elder Xuan exclaimed, "Damn, you guys really struck gold—found a rare treasure."
"I found him! I did!" Ma Xiaotao said excitedly.
"Yeah, yeah, go play," Elder Xuan replied, waving her off. "Lexuan, come with me. The rest of you, stay put."
Su Wen felt the world spin. In the next instant, he was standing on the crown of an ancient tree.
They were high up—through the leaves, he could just make out the campfire and the ant-like students below.
A moment later, Zhang Lexuan landed nearby, her uniform fluttering in the breeze, accentuating her long figure. She smiled calmly at Su Wen.
"Child, can you tell me your martial soul?" Elder Xuan asked kindly.
"I can capture soul beasts—you can think of it as controlling them," Su Wen answered without hesitation. Since he'd decided to join Shrek, he needed to prove his worth and earn resources.
Shrek Academy had its flaws, but was good to its own, especially core students.
And in Douluo fanfic, the general consensus was: go tech with Sun Moon; go tradition with Shrek.
The Body Sect was also very protective, but since he met Shrek first, that was fate…
Most importantly, he'd probably be seen as one of them.
As expected, Elder Xuan was elated.
A six-year-old child with no background—perfect to groom as the next Sea God Pavilion successor. And a control-type martial soul with innate full power? That was top-tier.
"Would you like to join Shrek Academy?" Elder Xuan asked, voice trembling.
"Yes!" Su Wen answered instantly.
"Good! Good child!" Elder Xuan danced with joy.
"But…" Su Wen hesitated.
Elder Xuan immediately became serious, as did Zhang Lexuan.
"I still need to get my first soul beast," Su Wen said.
With Elder Xuan here, why not take advantage?
"Easy! Elder Xuan will help you catch one!"
Elder Xuan patted his chest, relieved. "Doesn't matter if it's thousand, ten thousand—even a three-to-four-hundred-thousand-year beast in the core, I'll get it for you!"
"No need, just a ten-year one."
"Ten years? Oh, makes sense—you're just starting, need to hunt your first ring…"
"I already have my first ring." As he spoke, Su Wen's first white soul ring appeared.
Elder Xuan froze, then exploded, "Who the hell gave Su Wen his first ring?! Which brat?!"
"I did." Su Wen said.
Elder Xuan: "…"
"My martial soul comes with it," Su Wen explained.
"Oh, well, that can't be helped. Still, it's a pity. For geniuses like you, the first ring should be a four-hundred-year one…" Elder Xuan sighed.
"But I think I can increase the ring's age," Su Wen mused.
"You can what?!" Elder Xuan stared in disbelief, and even Zhang Lexuan widened her eyes.
"As the soul beast I catch grows stronger, my ring will upgrade with it," Su Wen said.
Elder Xuan: "…"
He exchanged a look with Zhang Lexuan.
"I need to report this to Elder Mu," he said, swallowing hard.
A green shadow darted through the forest, leaving only a faint afterimage, shaking the trees as it went. It moved like a ghost.
But in the next instant—
A pale hand gently caught it. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free.
"Qingfeng—a fast-flying bird-type soul beast. Judging by its wings, about seventeen years old," Zhang Lexuan said, opening her palm to reveal a trembling little bird, feathers as light as jade, tiny as an ornament.
"But its abilities are too basic," Su Wen shook his head. "It doesn't even have an element."
Speed was great, but he preferred a well-rounded soul beast—balanced in attack, defense, and speed.
And this Qingfeng? Even the wind baboon, which nearly killed a god, was better—it at least had wind element and growth potential.
Most importantly, Su Wen saw a line of text:
[Qingfeng Bird, 17.5 years, no element, no potential, not worth raising.]
A three-no soul beast…
Indeed, after awakening, he could now scan soul beasts and see their stats—like a living Pokédex.
Most ten-year soul beasts were about the same—almost no potential.
No wonder—they were at the bottom of the food chain, hardly evolved from normal animals, except for rare mutations…
Buzz~
Seeing their attention shift, the Qingfeng darted into the sky, circling before vanishing.
Zhang Lexuan lowered her hand, watching the bird disappear, her eyes softening. She patted her hands and glanced at the dazed Su Wen.
Her gaze softened—she was strict with the inner court, but with a six-year-old? She couldn't help but feel motherly.
Elder Xuan had gone to report to the Academy. With someone of Su Wen's strategic value, he'd be a priority—even more than Ma Xiaotao.
And since this was the forest's outer edge, it was relatively safe. Elder Xuan could make a round trip in a day.
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Advanced chapter here: p-atreon.com/Sajaboyzzz
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