Inside the Thunderclap Canyon
After days of exploration, Tang San and his group finally made a significant discovery.
In the cave system where they found the Yellow Rockflower, they subsequently discovered three pseudo-immortal herbs. Later, on the cliffs of the Thunderclap Canyon, they also found three lightning-attribute near-immortal herbs.
On their way back, they unexpectedly stumbled upon an immortal herb guarded by a thirty-thousand-year-old soul beast.
Through the combined efforts of Flender and Zhao wuj, they successfully secured the immortal herb.
With eight immortal herbs in total, there was enough to distribute among everyone. Tang San decided not to linger any longer and immediately left the Thunderclap Canyon with the group.
Among the eight immortal herbs, only one was a true immortal herb, and even then, it ranked low in the immortal herb hierarchy—barely qualifying as an immortal herb.
The other seven consisted of three near-immortal herbs and four pseudo-immortal herbs.
Pseudo-immortal herbs were essentially underdeveloped immortal herbs, while near-immortal herbs were high-grade medicinal plants that had been elevated in rank through special environmental conditions but did not qualify as true immortal herbs.
Everyone had their own selfishness, so Tang San naturally kept the true immortal herb for himself.
He gave one of the near-immortal herbs to Yu Tianxin, and with that, they parted ways.
"Never would I have thought we'd make such a harvest. This time, heaven truly favored us," Flender said with excitement written all over his face.
All members of the Shrek Seven Monsters saw their strength increase. Coupled with Yu Xiaogang's tactical arrangements, they now had a chance to stand up against the Seven Treasures team in the future.
"As for the distribution of the immortal herbs, we'll discuss it after returning to the academy," Tang San said as his gaze turned toward the window, toward the direction of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family. He murmured softly, "I wonder how Teacher is doing… has he faced any unfair treatment?"
Yu Tianheng patted Tang San's shoulder. "Tang San, don't worry. Uncle Xiaogang is Grandfather's direct son. As long as Grandfather is around, no one dares to mistreat him."
"Let's hope so," Tang San sighed.
Half a day later, their carriage arrived at Shrek Academy.
They had spent over a month exploring the Thunderclap Canyon, while Yu Xiaogang had returned to the academy alone a month earlier.
Upon hearing Tang San's report, Yu Xiaogang was both surprised and delighted. "Our Shrek Academy will finally rise. Xiaosan, there's no time to waste—distribute the immortal herbs to the students as soon as possible. There are still six months until the Soul Masters Tournament, and we must quickly begin our intensive training."
Tang San nodded and promptly called for the Shrek Seven Monsters.
As for the two substitutes, they were conveniently forgotten. After all, substitutes weren't part of the main lineup, and helping them break through might even threaten the positions of the starting members.
The immortal herb Tang San absorbed was called the Vajra Grass. After absorbing it, the strength of his Blue Silver Grass martial soul significantly increased, making it nearly impossible to tear apart.
"Third Brother, did you find any Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower?" Ma Hongjun asked with hopeful eyes.
Tang San shook his head. "Sorry, Fatty. Our luck wasn't great this trip—we didn't find any true immortal herbs, only some pseudo and near-immortal herbs."
"The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower ranks quite high among immortal herbs—it's very rare. Moreover, the environment in the Thunderclap Canyon is unique, so it's almost impossible for such a plant to grow there."
Upon hearing this, Ma Hongjun's expression dimmed, clearly disappointed.
Yu Xiaogang interjected sternly, "Hongjun, don't aim too high. It wasn't easy for Xiaosan and the others to find so many immortal herbs. As for the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, you can search for it yourself on the continent in the future."
Flender clapped his hands. "Alright, little monsters, go into seclusion. Many of you will likely break through after absorbing the immortal herbs. Afterwards, we'll also need to hunt for spirit rings."
It's worth mentioning that during the month Tang San and the others were away, Ma Hongjun had successfully broken through to become a Soul Elder.
---
Each person entered their seclusion room, but Xiao Wu felt a wave of nervousness.
As a transformed spirit beast, she didn't need to actively acquire spirit rings before reaching Soul Sage—they formed naturally within her.
If she were to condense her spirit rings in front of everyone, Yu Xiaogang's sharp mind would undoubtedly see through her true identity.
Would Tang San still treat her the same way after discovering her secret?
Her current spirit power was already one level higher than Tang San's, at level 37. Based on Tang San's plan, after absorbing this pseudo-immortal herb, she would surely reach level 40.
What should she do?
---
About three hours later, Tang San was the first to complete the absorption of his immortal herb, his spirit power level reaching level 40.
Originally, his spirit power was at level 36, and after absorbing his fourth spirit ring, he could sense that his spirit power would increase by about one more level.
Soon after, the remaining six members of the Shrek Seven Monsters emerged from their seclusion one by one.
Their spirit power levels generally increased by two to three levels.
Surprisingly, Xiao Wu broke through to level 39 but didn't advance to the quasi-Soul Ancestor stage.
"What a pity—we'll have to wait until next time to get Xiao Wu her spirit ring," Flender couldn't help but sigh.
Xiao Wu feigned urgency but inwardly felt a sense of relief. "Principal, don't worry—I'll work hard to catch up with everyone."
Not hunting for spirit rings with the group, but rather having her teacher take her separately, gave her a way to conceal her true nature.
"Everyone, pack up. Erlong, Flender, let the three of us take the children to hunt for spirit rings," Yu Xiaogang suggested.
With the Golden Iron Triangle working together, he wouldn't be a burden to the team.
In case of emergencies, the fusion technique formed by the three of them was powerful enough to rival Title Douluo-level experts.
---
Inside the Seven Treasures Academy
Dugu Bo had been away from the academy for several days and finally returned today.
A smile hung on his face, and from time to time, he burst into laughter.
Hearing the teachers' conversations, Ning Tianchen approached him. "Old man, what's gotten into you? The whole academy is saying you've gone mad with joy."
Dugu Bo, feeling happy today, didn't take offense. "Can't you say something nice? I won!"
Ning Tianchen guessed the reason but pretended to be confused. "You won what?"
Dugu Bo let out a hearty laugh and recounted the details of his battle with Yue Guan.
"Thanks to your advice, I finally realized today that Chrysanthemum Pass's martial soul is the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. You mentioned its weaknesses, so I formulated a strategy to defeat Yue Guan head-on."
At the start of their battle, Dugu Bo had concealed his true strength.
Yue Guan assumed Dugu Bo was still the weakest Title Douluo and became somewhat complacent during their fight.
With the method of using poison pills, the toxins Dugu Bo released became far more threatening. Seizing a gap in Yue Guan's attacks, Dugu Bo unleashed his full power in an instant, employing all his techniques.
The white phosphorus landed on Yue Guan's arm, nearly melting it off. The sudden burst of toxic fog caught Yue Guan completely off guard.
"Old man, did you kill him?" Ning Tianchen asked urgently.
Yue Guan was one of Bibi Dong's key lieutenants. Killing him would cost Bibi Dong a major powerhouse, and his fusion technique with the Ghost Douluo would no longer exist.
Dugu Bo shook his head with a bitter smile. "Chrysanthemum Pass has already reached the Super Douluo realm—it's not so easy to kill him! However, after this battle, he'll spend a long time recovering from his injuries."
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