Chapter 175: Shrek Gathering

After the five of them drank heartily and chatted about everything, they were obviously all unusually excited.

Yang Xiong said, "Oscar, your timing is truly spot on; Dean Flanders has gathered us Shrek members for a recent gathering, probably to reminisce about the days we studied in Suotuo City."

Oscar smiled, "I do miss those carefree days in Suotuo City; as long as I can cultivate peacefully, I don't need to worry about anything else."

"After circling the Douluo Continent, I've experienced so much that my mind is no longer as carefree as before."

Yang Xiong laughed, "People inevitably grow and encounter the outside world; perhaps that's the price of growth."

Oscar nodded, "Fortunately, our progress over the years has been quite good; we shouldn't disappoint the dean."

"But now the dean is rebuilding Shrek Academy, and I want to see what the new Shrek Academy looks like—whether it's the same as the one in Suotuo City that only recruited monsters."

Yang Xiong smiled without replying; Shrek Academy is built on the former Lan Ba Academy, whose strength was bottom‑ranked in the Soul Master Competition, so it could never be like Suotuo City where everyone was a genius with Innate Soul Power above Level 7.

In the next few days, Yang Xiong, along with his elder brother Yang Wei and Oscar, had a small gathering at the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, freely chatting about anything.

Father Yang Lin and mother Sun Yu were extremely delighted; seeing elder brother Yang Wei's astonishment and the various wounds on his body, Sun Yu almost shed tears.

Zhao Wuji, delighted by the three's return, suddenly felt an itch to conduct combat training for them, even adding Ning Rongrong.

The four rubbed their fists eagerly and gladly agreed, clearly wanting to show off before Zhao Wuji, since they had been harshly reprimanded by him back then.

Unfortunately, Zhao Wuji had become far stronger than before; five years ago he was merely a top Soul Saint, but now he's a full Level 87 Soul Douluo, who easily chastised the four in a flash.

Oscar performed exceptionally dazzlingly; his Sixth Soul Skill was indeed the Copy Mirror Sausage, created using a drop of a Soul Master's blood, and after consumption grants a soul skill with seventy percent of the blood Soul Master's power.

Using Qin Shuang's drop of blood, Oscar transformed it into a massive Vajra Bear; three Vajra Bears instantly appeared, leaving Zhao Wuji staring in shock.

After Ning Rongrong's defeat, a hint of resentment showed on her face: "Teacher Zhao, you're bullying us; why didn't you let Xiao Xiongzi fight with us? With your strength, what's the difference between one versus four and one versus five?"

Zhao Wuji's face darkened, "What does a little girl know? I've fought Xiao Xiongzi countless times, already know his strengths and weaknesses; continuing is pointless. You keep being stubborn—shall we keep fighting?"

Ning Rongrong was momentarily at a loss for words, and Yang Xiong beside her couldn't help but hold his forehead.

Over the years, Yang Xiong has fought Zhao Wuji countless times; in terms of strength, Yang Xiong is now considerably higher, though without using soul bone their combat power remains very close, making it impossible to decide a winner in the short term.

……

That morning, Zhao Wuji, Yang Xiong, Oscar, and Qin Shuang went to Heaven Dou City, intending to attend the five‑year Shrek gathering.

Zhao Wuji also deeply missed everyone, so he chose to accompany them; purely in terms of friendship, his relationship with Dai Mubai is also very good.

The group arrived at the gathering venue: Shrek Academy, which was formerly Lan Ba Academy.

Compared with the Shrek Academy in the original work that received financial support from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the current Shrek Academy is merely an ordinary Advanced Soul Master Academy, with limited grounds and relatively average students; after all, it's just a bottom‑ranked school, and such schools are still common in the Tiandou Region.

Upon arriving at this unfamiliar academy, everyone was quite happy, especially Yang Xiong, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong.

The three were originally students of the Shrek Academy in Suotuo City; now with a brand‑new Shrek Academy, it feels somewhat like a different world.

Especially the dean, Flanders, who has always earned everyone's admiration; now his wish is fulfilled, and everyone is happy for him.

Flanders looked at the crowd with great joy; these people were the true core of Shrek back then and the alumni of Shrek Academy, and since there were only a few students before, Dean Flanders had poured a lot of effort into them.

Seeing everyone's progress, Flanders felt a bit nostalgic, especially looking at Oscar's current state, which left his jaw dropping in surprise.

One must know Oscar's cultivation speed is rather slow and he follows the relatively difficult Food System, yet in just five years he has reached the Soul Emperor Realm—truly a boundless future.

Especially since Oscar has been with Flanders for a very long time and comes from a common background, their bond is very deep.

When Flanders sensed Yang Xiong's Soul Power Level, his face was even more shocked; back during the Soul Master Competition, Yang Xiong was only Level 40 and hadn't even absorbed a Soul Ring.

Now, after five years, Yang Xiong has already reached Level 69; that rate of improvement is truly terrifying.

Compared to Flanders' excitement, Yu Xiaogang seemed very indifferent; everyone is just ordinary teachers and students, with no special private interactions or other feelings.

Among the Shrek members, the first to arrive were Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, both also members of the original Shrek team; especially since Yu Xiaogang is his paternal uncle, he naturally came to the gathering.

Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan both look much more mature, especially Yu Tianheng, who appears steadier and more imposing—truly worthy heirs of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Both have Soul Power that has reached the Soul King Realm, at Level 55 and Level 56 respectively, showing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan indeed values them.

Yu Xiaogang seemed a bit happy seeing Yu Tianheng—after all, he's his nephew; he had invested much effort in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy before, and seeing his nephew's growth, he finally showed a rare hint of satisfaction.

Given Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan's current cultivation speed, reaching the Soul Emperor Realm before age thirty should be no problem, ensuring the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has successors.

Immediately after, a very tall Pangzi arrived at Shrek Academy.

"Dean, I've missed you to death."

The crowd looked at each other, then realized the person was Ma Hongjun.

Flanders, however, showed a look of "iron that won't become steel": "Hongjun, why do you seem to have gotten fatter again? You've only graduated a little over a year; have you not trained your body this year? You haven't become lazy, have you?"

Ma Hongjun replied helplessly, "Dean, you know my situation; lately I've been diligently cultivating soul power, but I'm still easily affected by evil fire."

Flanders lamented, "At this point you're the lowest among all Shrek members; how did I ever let you graduate back then?"

Ma Hongjun seemed a bit withdrawn; as Flanders' sole disciple, Flanders had placed great expectations on him.

Unfortunately, Ma Hongjun is relatively lazy and has evil fire inside; without Flanders' supervision, he would become even more lax.

Now Ma Hongjun is only Level 49, apparently the only Shrek member who hasn't reached the Soul King level.

Of course, Ma Hongjun is also only nineteen; to outsiders he would appear a rare prodigy, but he lacks the monster‑like performance seen in the original work.

One should know that among the original Shrek Seven Monsters, although Ma Hongjun's soul power is bottom‑ranked, purely in terms of explosive power he might actually be the strongest of that era.

Ma Hongjun said helplessly, "Dean, how about I re‑join Shrek Academy so I can receive your guidance and supervision."

Flanders shot Ma Hongjun a cold stare, "You little scoundrel, I don't know what mischief you're up to—are you trying to harm the students of my Shrek Academy?"

Ma Hongjun's eyes flickered, and he instantly had an idea: "Dean, Shrek Academy now has few teachers and students; perhaps I should just return as a teacher, so I can still cultivate diligently under your supervision."

Flanders thought it over carefully, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "That's actually a good idea. Your Soul Power Level is just enough to qualify as a teacher, but your salary will probably be a bit lower than others, since you're both a teacher and a student."

Oscar and the others: ……

Yang Xiong was also speechless; Flanders' personality hadn't changed, still shrewd and calculating, even trying to fleece his own disciple.

While the group was communicating, two more people arrived at Shrek Academy: Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.

Dai Mubai is taller and more imposing than five years ago, his golden hair looking exceptionally handsome; however, his face now shows far more world‑weariness, clearly having gone through many events in the Soul Master world.

Zhu Zhuqing is slightly taller than five years ago, appears a bit more mature, and her figure looks even more striking.

Ning Rongrong hurried over, taking Zhu Qing's small hand: "Zhu Qing, it's been years since we last met; I've missed you to death—where have you been all these years?"

Zhu Zhuqing seemed unusually gentle: "Rong Rong, in the past few years I've been out there experiencing many things, and I've also witnessed a broader world; the things I experienced before were truly too few, my perspective was too limited."

Ning Rongrong gave Yang Xiong a glance: "You guys are so carefree; I'm dying with envy of you. I originally wanted to go out to train, but Xiao Xiongzi went out alone and actually dared not bring me. And lately the sect's affairs are just too many; dad keeps pulling me to learn to handle sect matters."

The two young girls were unusually close, whispering continuously.

Dai Mubai likewise appeared more composed and serious, his every move exuding overwhelming aura and great presence.

Dai Mubai first paid his respects to Dean Flanders and the others: "Dean, Teacher Zhao, it's been years, I finally returned."

Flanders nodded appreciatively: "Mubai, you've worked hard these years; seeing you endure so many trials outside, I've witnessed your growth—truly worthy of being my Shrek student."

After five years of training, Dai Mubai has now reached Level 57, actually one level higher than Yu Tianheng.

This was somewhat beyond Yang Xiong's expectations; it seems Dai Mubai's talent is indeed exceptional, and the training over these years has indeed had a definite effect.

And Zhu Zhuqing has surprisingly reached an astonishing Level 53; one should know that among Shrek's odd ones, her soul power was the weakest, and her talent also relatively the lowest.

But Zhu Zhuqing is also the most diligent cultivator among all Shrek members, and her results do reflect her many years of effort.

(End of Chapter)