Oscar and Ma Hongjun were both dumbfounded. They hadn't expected Dai Mubai to leave as well—and now, the original Shrek Seven Devils had lost two more members. Only the two of them remained.
"Fatty, do you think we should leave too?" Oscar elbowed Ma Hongjun and gave a bitter smile.
"If you want to leave, you can go with Zhuqing and the others. But I'm not going anywhere. Dean Flender gave me a second chance at life. Even if that so-called Grandmaster is useless, I won't abandon him." Ma Hongjun's tone was rare in its seriousness as he replied firmly.
"Do you think Dean Flender didn't do the same for me? He's the one who brought me to Shrek, too. But ever since Tang San left, the Grandmaster's patience has been wearing thinner and thinner. His training plans have become more and more perfunctory. We used to have sparring drills to keep pressure up—now it's just running laps." Oscar rolled his eyes, his tone annoyed. When he mentioned Yu Xiaogang, a look of deep resentment crossed his face.
—
Meanwhile, in the office of the Shrek Seven Devils, Yu Xiaogang was smashing things in a rage. He hated the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. If not for them, the disciple he'd poured his heart and soul into wouldn't have left without a word.
He also hated Tang San's heartlessness. It had been over a year, and he hadn't sent back a single message.
But most of all, he hated Tang Hao. That man had clearly known for a long time that Xiao Wu was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Why hadn't he captured her and kept her sealed away until Tang San needed her for a soul ring? Why let her stay by Tang San's side and get discovered—only for him to be powerless to protect her?
His heart was consumed by hatred. His dream of raising a genius to slap the world in the face had come to nothing. Among the remaining Shrek members, only Oscar still met his standards. The others just didn't measure up.
But Oscar was a food-type soul master. Even if he reached the Title Douluo level, his combat ability would still be extremely limited.
—
In Seven Treasures City, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing entered the city and were immediately drawn to the unfamiliar modes of transport. In the center of the streets, there was a long rail line, with strange carriages running swiftly along it, ferrying passengers through the city.
There were also many two-wheeled vehicles parked by the roadside. Some civilians and soul masters rode these vehicles, zipping past them in a blur.
The two approached a stop and, after checking the schedule, boarded a railcar bound for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. The car moved rapidly along the track, and both of them were visibly intrigued.
"These are soul tools, aren't they? I can sense soul power inside them."
"They must be. I can't believe the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has developed soul tools to this extent. It's incredible!"
Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai weren't ignorant. They immediately recognized the vehicles as soul tools. Although the craftsmanship of soul tools had largely been lost, some low-grade lifestyle soul tools—like lighting devices—had survived and were still in use in major arenas and among nobles and royals.
As the vehicle continued, fewer and fewer passengers remained. By the time they reached the base of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's mountain, only they and the driver were left. After disembarking, they looked up toward the sect grounds.
The entire sect lay at the rear of Seven Treasures City, occupying a vast area no smaller than the city itself. It was surrounded on all sides by mountains—natural defenses enclosing the entire sect.
Sect disciples patrolled the perimeter. Sensing their auras, Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai were both stunned—these were no ordinary guards. The weakest were Soul Elders, and there were quite a few Soul Ancestors and even Soul Kings.
"No wonder they're one of the Upper Three Sects. Even their patrolling disciples are this powerful," Dai Mubai remarked sincerely.
The two approached the entrance, and Zhu Zhuqing handed over Xu Yang's jade token while briefly explaining their visit. The guard nodded and called another disciple to escort them inside.
Once within the sect, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing realized just how ridiculous the outside world's assumptions about the sect were. Soul masters were everywhere, and their strength was impressive. The weakest were Grandmasters, and the strongest—some were clearly Soul Douluo level.
Just from what they could see with a rough estimate, there were close to a thousand soul masters—not to mention those hidden from sight.
Soon, they were led to a lake in the rear mountain area. The lakeside was filled with blooming Sun Flower, swaying in rhythm as they drew in Sun energy from the sky. Even though the flowers absorbed most of it, the ambient temperature was still noticeably higher—easily over thirty degrees Celsius.
By the flower field's training ground, they saw three familiar figures—Xu Yang, Ning Rongrong, and Ge Erdan. Xu Yang was currently instructing Ning Rongrong in training. He was teaching her the Great Sun Body technique, a modified version of Cloud Steps fused with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and the Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon technique which utilized push-and-pull forces.
The two approached, and Zhu Zhuqing immediately called out, "Rongrong, I'm here!"
Dai Mubai, a bit awkward, gave a small wave. After all, during Ning Rongrong's stay at Shrek, their relationship hadn't been particularly close, and now he'd shown up unannounced.
But Ning Rongrong didn't mind in the slightest. She stopped her training and practically flew over to Zhu Zhuqing, exclaiming excitedly, "Zhuqing, you finally came!" She also waved at Dai Mubai with a smile.
Xu Yang was a bit surprised to see Dai Mubai—he hadn't expected Zhu Zhuqing to bring him along. It seemed the two had reconciled, and Dai Mubai had found his fighting spirit again. He no longer planned to muddle through his cultivation.
Still, Xu Yang didn't mind. Teaching one person or two made little difference. Besides, what he was teaching were only foundational techniques. The true core secrets of cultivation would not be shared—unless they officially joined the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Ge Erdan, meanwhile, studied the newcomers with interest. Very few people ever came to Xu Yang's personal training ground—even inner sect disciples.
Dai Mubai also gave Ge Erdan a closer look. The boy stood at least 1.8 meters tall, with a muscular physique even bulkier than his own. He could tell the youth was two or three years younger, but his soul power wasn't any weaker than Ning Rongrong's. He radiated a sharp, focused energy.
After Zhu Zhuqing chatted with Ning Rongrong for a bit, she and Dai Mubai stepped up to Xu Yang.
"Brother Xu Yang," she said, "what do we do first?"
Xu Yang glanced at Erdan, then said, "You two spar with Erdan first. Let me see where your current level is."
"Brother Xu Yang! I go by Ge Tao now, not Erdan! If you keep calling me that, I'm gonna be mad!" Although he grumbled, Ge Erdan still stepped forward and stood a few meters away from them. He extended his right hand in greeting.
"Ge Tao. Martial Soul: Skeleton. Rank 37 Power Attack System Soul Elder. Please guide me."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin