On the way back, Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun chatted and laughed. Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong occasionally joined in, and even Zhu Zhuqing spoke once or twice.
Only Tang San trailed behind in silence.
Every now and then, a trace of reluctance would flash in Xiao Wu's eyes, but it always faded into quiet determination.
What happened today had truly hurt her.
She no longer had the energy—or the heart—to care about him.
The group returned to the academy in an unusually awkward and silent manner.
As expected, Flander was already waiting for them at the training grounds.
"You all did pretty well."
He scanned the group with a satisfied look, his eyes lingering especially long on Ma Hongjun.
Flander's philosophy as an educator was simple: Those who are afraid of causing trouble are destined to be mediocre.
Of course, that didn't mean students should be out creating chaos, but they shouldn't be afraid of standing up against oppression and injustice either.
The worst trait for a young soul master was cowardice—backing down in the face of adversity would shape their entire path as soul masters.
Once you lose your edge, the road only gets steeper.
But these little monsters hadn't disappointed him. They didn't blindly obey, nor did they lose their spirit to resist.
Especially his own disciple.
The more Flander looked at Ma Hongjun, the more satisfied he became.
As for Tang San—he chose to ignore him completely.
He couldn't believe Tang San would actually take Zhao Wuji's side.
It wasn't necessarily wrong in a logical sense, but Flander simply disliked that kind of behavior. If Tang San weren't Yu Xiaogang's disciple, Flander would've thrown him out long ago.
"I know you all have your doubts. But we don't have much choice—the place we're going next is extremely dangerous."
Flander's tone suddenly became grave.
"If you don't stick together, you could lose your lives."
"Even a Titled Douluo could die there if he isn't careful."
The students, who had been annoyed just moments ago, stared at him in shock.
Even Titled Douluo could die?
Xiao Wu's heart skipped a beat. A thought crossed her mind, and she asked, "Dean, are you taking us to the Star Dou Great Forest?"
The others immediately understood.
That explained everything. A place like that could indeed be fatal, even for Titled Douluo.
"That's right," Flander nodded. "Several of you have reached level 30. It's time to hunt for your third spirit rings. Go back and rest—we'll leave early tomorrow morning."
As he spoke, he glanced at Tang San standing at the back and let out a sigh.
"Tang San, stay behind for a moment."
Shrek Academy, Boys' Dormitory
"Ahh, it feels great to be back."
Oscar flopped onto his bed, which immediately creaked under his weight.
He stretched his limbs wide, lying there like a starfish.
"I'm absolutely beat today."
Dai Mubai carried in water to soak his feet. Hearing Oscar's complaint, he rolled his eyes. "You? Tired? You nearly fell asleep during the soul battle. You were spaced out the whole time we fought Teacher Zhao. Fatty did all the work."
"Come on, Boss Dai," Oscar muttered lazily. "It's already hard enough for a food-type soul master like me just to survive."
"But seriously—Fatty."
He turned to look at the normally talkative red-haired boy, his tone turning curious. "You barely said a word on the way back. That's not like you. What's going on?"
Dai Mubai also looked at Ma Hongjun.
Since they'd returned from fighting Zhao Wuji, he'd been completely spaced out.
"Are you thinking about girls?"
He grinned, winking. "I know a pair of twins. Want to try them out?"
"What?! That good? Boss Dai, you traitor! How could you hide this from me?"
Oscar jumped up, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Let me do some recon for Fatty first!"
"With your little stick figure of a body?" Dai Mubai sneered. "You'd probably need to eat a sausage just to stay conscious."
"Besides, with Fatty's charm right now, he could pull twins on his own. What do you even bring to the table?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Boss Dai, that's slander! I—"
While the two argued noisily, the red-haired boy finally lifted his head.
"Cut it out. My mind's a mess."
Ma Hongjun let out a long breath, pushing down the excitement in his chest as he focused on the panel only he could see.
[Name: Ma Hongjun]
[Age: 12]
[Soul Power: Level 30 (Ready to break through after obtaining a third soul ring)]
[Martial Soul: Spirit Phoenix (Ancestral Phoenix – Residual Soul State)]
[Soul Rings: Yellow (390 years), Yellow (670 years)]
[Soul Skills:]
Phoenix Flame Surge: A powerful evolution of the Phoenix Fire. The flame transforms into spiritual fire with greatly enhanced power and temperature. It can be freely controlled, automatically chases enemies, and causes extra piercing damage to earth-element enemies.
Phoenix Rebirth: Rise from the ashes with healing and explosive flame potential.
[Traits:]
Grace of the Ancestral Phoenix (Lv.1): Though most of the Ancestral Phoenix's divinity is gone, its innate strength allows it to bestow blessings. Grants minor soul power boosts through reproduction, with a very low chance to plunder traits. Those favored by you will also receive blessings.
Favor of the Serpent (Lv. –): Reduces all damage from snakes by 20%, and poison damage by 40%. Your flames slightly purify poison. If the poison source shares traits with the plundered species, all effects increase to 100%.
[Fate Disruption Rate: 20%]
[Evolution Points: 9300]
9300 evolution points!
No wonder he'd been so dazed.
"System, open the log."
Heart pounding, Ma Hongjun took a deep breath and spoke inwardly.
That number of points was insane. He could barely believe it.
And he still didn't know what exactly he'd done to earn so many.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host. The fate of Xiao Wu—Sheath of the Asura Sword, Wife of the God King, Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast—has been greatly disrupted!]
[Warning: This character is extremely significant, connected to the fates of multiple key figures. Please complete the final interference soon to receive the full reward. Otherwise, evolution points will be withdrawn.]
Reading the system's message, Ma Hongjun's pounding heart gradually calmed.
So it was Xiao Wu...
He hadn't even meant to target her.
It seemed Tang the God King had made a critical misstep tonight. But what exactly was he trying to do?
Use the teacher to get me expelled?
Come on—he's not that stupid.
Ma Hongjun shook his head and focused on the phrase "final interference."
What exactly did that mean?
Whatever it was, he needed to finish it.
This was 9300 points already. If he completed the interference, wouldn't it go even higher?
The red-haired boy took a deep breath—and smiled.
If he remembered correctly, the second martial soul evolution required 10,000 points.