“Zhu Zhuqing.
My name is Zhu Zhuqing.
And you?”
She sounded a little exasperated.
She knew Xu Fan was putting on an act, yet he had approached her without even asking her name first.
“Xu Fan.
Nice to meet you.”
“I agree to follow you,” Zhu Zhuqing said seriously, “but if I choose to leave in the future, you’re not allowed to stop me.”
Xu Fan nodded calmly.
“Of course.”
He chuckled inwardly.
As long as she stayed by his side, why would he worry about her leaving?
[Phew… that was easy.
I sparred with Zhu Qing and defeated her without much effort.]
[Zhu Qing is currently at level 27, while I’m only level 20.
But my combat instincts are far superior—she simply can’t withstand my attacks.
On top of that, I’ve mastered all techniques, so every move she makes is full of flaws in my eyes.]
[I beat her in just a few minutes.]
[Even Xue’er, who’s at the same cultivation level, wouldn’t be my match.]
[I didn’t even use my soul bone skills or my domain.
It seems my combat strength is still quite formidable.]
[Once I obtain my second soul ring, my strength will rise to an entirely new level.]
The women who witnessed this were all stunned.
A level 27 Great Soul Master versus a level 20 half-step Great Soul Master—normally, the difference should be enormous.
After all, the latter lacked a second soul skill.
Yet Xu Fan had defeated Zhu Qing with ease, without even using his soul bone skills or domain.
Just how terrifying was his strength?
Spirit Hall.
Hu Liena swallowed hard.
“Teacher… this guy is a monster.
If he joins the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, how is our Martial Soul Academy supposed to compete with him?”
“Teacher, should Spirit Hall try to recruit him?”
Bibi Dong shook her head.
“Even if we don’t win the championship this time, it doesn’t matter.
He won’t become our enemy in the future.”
Ling Yuan lowered her head, the corner of her mouth twitching.
It seemed that Her Holiness the Pope was already starting to view Xu Fan as her future partner.
Good heavens.
Could things really turn out like that?
Blue Tyrant Academy.
Liu Erlong looked excited.
Xu Fan’s combat ability was extraordinary.
Even back then, she hadn’t been capable of something like that.
“I wonder when he’ll arrive in Heaven Dou City,” she muttered.
“I’ll definitely test him myself.
After all, he’s said far too many bad things about Xiao Gang.”
[Zhu Qing plans to travel with me now.
That means one part of my plan is complete.]
[Tomorrow, I’ll go to Shrek Academy to see if Rongrong is there.
If nothing unexpected happens, she should still join Shrek Academy—but it’s not guaranteed.
After all, I’ve been reborn.
Who knows what kind of butterfly effect this will cause?]
[The present is no longer exactly the same as my past life.]
[Rewards: Immortal Herb Compendium, Second Soul Ring, Martial God Domain, One-Time Treasure-Hunting Tool.]
Xu Fan looked at the rewards and smiled.
“These are really good.”
The second soul ring and Martial God Domain went without saying—they were immensely useful.
The Immortal Herb Compendium was also extremely valuable.
Xu Fan didn’t recognize most immortal herbs; without it, he’d be completely lost when he reached the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
As for the one-time treasure-hunting tool, it was most likely meant to help him locate the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Although the Sunset Forest wasn’t as vast as the Star Dou Forest, it was still enormous, and it housed soul beasts ten thousand years old—or even a hundred thousand years old.
If he couldn’t find the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well quickly, the danger would be immense.
Now the only remaining issue was poison—and whether Dugu Bo was still guarding the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye.
Xu Fan stopped overthinking it.
He would deal with it later.
If all else failed, he’d just have Dugu Yan go herself.
“Let’s go,” Xu Fan said, looking at Zhu Zhuqing.
“Alright.”
Xu Fan brought Zhu Zhuqing back to the hotel, arranging for her to stay in the room next to his.
Back in his room, Xu Fan gazed at the second soul ring behind him, his smile growing wider.
His second soul ring was ten thousand years old.
Thanks to the Martial God Body Refinement Technique, the Martial God Body itself, Physical Sainthood, and his hundred-thousand-year soul bone, Xu Fan—despite being only level 20—already possessed a physical body comparable to a ten-thousand-year soul beast.
Naturally, his second soul ring reached the ten-thousand-year level.
Though it was just at the threshold, its power was undeniable.
Moreover, the soul rings granted by the system caused no soul backlash.
Otherwise, with Xu Fan’s current mental strength, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand the impact.
“It seems I still need a mental cultivation technique,” Xu Fan murmured.
After obtaining his second soul ring, his cultivation rose to level 22. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“So the system’s soul rings only increase my soul power by two levels,” he mused.
“Otherwise, I’d already be level 23 or 24.
After all, this is a ten-thousand-year soul ring.”
He didn’t mind.
Now that he had a second soul skill, he was confident enough to challenge even a full Soul Master.
His second soul skill was called Martial God Armament.
Once activated, it formed a complete set of Martial God armor over his body, boosting all attributes, increasing the effectiveness of all soul skills by 30%, granting partial immunity to weaker attacks, and reducing damage by 20%.
After taking damage, the armor could rapidly repair itself by consuming soul power.
It also possessed an additional ability: Armed Liberation—doubling all attributes at the cost of greatly increased soul power consumption.
This second soul skill was far more powerful than the first.
Using both together… Xu Fan couldn’t even imagine how strong he would become.
Night fell.
Xu Fan didn’t waste any time.
After finishing his daily cultivation, he went straight to the Soul Arena in Soto City.
He didn’t plan to participate in soul battles.
Instead, he used his mastery of all methods to observe fights and refine his own combat understanding.
Although most of the Soul Masters there weren’t particularly strong, the variety of martial souls was immense.
Xu Fan believed he could still learn a great deal from watching them.
At the very least, he could familiarize himself with more martial souls.
They stayed in Soto City for two days.
Early the next morning, Xu Fan took Zhu Zhuqing to Shrek Academy.
“Are we really going to Shrek Academy?” Zhu Zhuqing asked.
“That’s right.”
“Aren’t we heading to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?”
“I just brought you here to take a look.
It’s on the way anyway,” Xu Fan replied with a smile.
Zhu Zhuqing understood immediately.
Xu Fan wanted to see whether he could find Rongrong—the person he had mentioned.
However, the chances were slim.
If Rongrong could read Xu Fan’s writings, she would never come to Shrek Academy again.
Not long after leaving Soto City, they arrived at a village.
“…This is Shrek Academy?” Zhu Zhuqing’s lips twitched.
At the village entrance stood a single table, with an elderly man sitting behind it.
Xu Fan looked at the shabby surroundings—far worse than even the descriptions in his memories.
He was speechless.
What ability did a place like this have to recruit students?
“Yes, this is it,” Xu Fan said.
“The name’s written right there.”
Today, he had brought Zhu Qing to a spot not far from Shrek Academy.
[After all these years, Shrek Academy is still just as dilapidated as ever.]