The sun filtered through the dense canopy as the Shrek students traveled along a forest path, led by Flender and Grandmaster. Today marked their first official field mission as part of Shrek Academy—a spirit beast investigation near the outer edge of Silvershadow Village.
"Strange spirit fluctuations have been reported," Grandmaster explained, walking beside Tang San. "We suspect the death of a powerful beast has left remnants behind. Your task is to investigate and subdue anything dangerous. This isn't a spar. It's a real mission. You could die."
The words fell heavy, but Tang San's expression didn't change. He understood the weight of battle more than anyone.
Xiao Wu walked beside him, arms crossed behind her head. "You think it's a wild beast or something more?"
Tang San glanced at her, his voice calm. "Spirit beasts rarely die without a fight. Something killed it. That's more worrying than the corpse."
As they entered Silvershadow Village, they found the locals restless. An old hunter led them toward the nearby cave system.
"It screamed for three days before it went silent," he muttered. "Blood leaked out the stone. We don't go near it now."
The Cave of Crimson Echoes
The moment the group entered the cave, Tang San's eyes narrowed. The scent of blood still lingered in the cold air. Spirit particles floated unnaturally, sharp and violent. Whatever had died here, its soul hadn't fully dispersed.
"This is where a thousand-year-old Fox Mirage Beast used to dwell," Grandmaster said.
Tang San tensed. Fox-type again?
Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the dark. A beast charged from the shadows—its form mutated, half-spirit and half-shadow, corrupted by some external energy. It wasn't truly alive—but not dead either.
"Everyone retreat! Tang San, Dai Mubai, hold the front!"
Tang San surged forward, vines whipping outward, catching the beast's legs mid-leap. It snarled, snapping the Blue Silver Grass with corrupted strength.
"Watch out!" Xiao Wu shouted.
Tang San didn't hesitate—he vanished from the creature's range using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and reappeared beneath its belly. His left leg flashed—Fox Spirit Bone activated—slamming upward with concentrated charm and confusion aura.
The beast froze for half a second, disoriented.
That was all Tang San needed.
His second spirit ring shone—Parasite Bind—vines sprouted from every direction, anchoring the beast to the earth. Then his hand struck its skull—a precise burst of spirit power shattered the core of the mutated spirit energy.
The cave went silent again.
Something Left Behind
After the battle, Tang San approached the beast's corpse.
"This wasn't natural corruption," he muttered. "It wasn't a spirit beast… it was a puppet. Controlled."
Grandmaster crouched beside the remains. "You're right. See this mark—burned behind the ear. A Spirit Control Seal. Forbidden technique. Who did this?"
Oscar walked closer. "That means someone's experimenting on beasts?"
Ning Rongrong looked horrified. "Why would anyone do that?"
Tang San remained silent, but a chill ran down his spine. The mark on the beast was faintly similar to the energy his own Fox Emperor Soul Bone resonated with—yet twisted, crude.
The Growing Bone
That night, back at camp, Tang San sat alone, his legs crossed as he slowly refined the beast's residual blood. Another slow round of Blood Refinement began.
His body throbbed—not with pain, but with pressure.
The fox soul bone pulsed again.
A fragment of the Mirage Beast's essence had entered it during the battle. Now, the soul bone shifted. A tail-like mist wrapped around Tang San's thigh. When he reached into his spiritual sense, the bone seemed to breathe.
Then, a memory flashed in his mind—not his own, but inherited from the bone.
A court of fox spirits… a sovereign with golden eyes… nine seeds glowing in his palm…
Tang San gasped and opened his eyes.
The Fox Emperor was real.
And this bone… it was more than just an ordinary growth—it was becoming a vessel of that emperor's legacy.
He knew now: the more spirit beasts he subdued or refined—especially fox types—the more this bone would evolve. But at what cost?
Would he become the wielder… or the vessel?
Quiet Conversations
Later, as the campfire died down, Xiao Wu approached and sat beside him. "You okay?"
Tang San looked at her, uncertain whether to hide the truth. But something about her presence always made him lower his guard.
"I think this spirit bone… it's growing. Too fast. And the last beast we fought—it was connected. Not by blood, but by power."
She hesitated, then gently held his hand. "Whatever it is, you're not doing this alone."
Tang San didn't pull away.
"I won't let it control me," he said. "I'll master it—or destroy it."
Xiao Wu smiled faintly. "You're still you. That's what matters."
The Watchers Beyond
Far beyond the borders of Shrek territory, in the dark chambers of a hidden sect, a robed man viewed a crystal orb. Within it shimmered an image of Tang San—his spirit bone glowing faintly.
"So the successor has awakened," the man whispered. "Let the Fox Emperor rise again. And let him carry our will."
End of Chapter 44