Although the several students from Balak Academy were all great soul masters ranked in their twenties, they were all over fifteen years old, and their talent could not compare to Xu Yunhan and the others.
One after another, they unleashed their martial souls and displayed their soul rings, acting arrogantly. They assumed Xu Yunhan was only a great soul master like Zhu Zhuqing, thinking their numbers would give them the upper hand.
However, just as they were about to use their soul skills, Xu Yunhan shot them a single glance.
Suddenly, an invisible gravitational force swept over them.
"Ah—!"
In an instant, several Balak Academy students collapsed onto the ground, unable to move. A thousand-jin weight pressed down on their bodies, suffocating them.
Some even spat blood!
The ground beneath them cracked terrifyingly.
This wasn't a pressure of soul power—it was a crushing gravitational force.
Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at Xu Yunhan. This man had shocked her too many times in the past two days.
She believed Xu Yunhan had used a soul skill, one with a gravity effect, and it was incredibly powerful.
But, she hadn't seen a soul ring appear.
That meant the soul skill Xu Yunhan had just used was an instant-cast skill.
"Monster!" With a flood of emotions, Zhu Zhuqing uttered these two words, looking at Xu Yunhan with a faint stirring in her heart. This man was incredibly attractive.
"Spare us… We were wrong…"
Several Balak Academy students coughed up blood and begged for mercy, admitting their mistake.
Xu Yunhan's gaze was cold and indifferent; he remained unmoved.
"Ah—!" Suddenly, the students screamed in pain.
Their limbs were crushed by the gravitational force and broken, the pain knocking them unconscious one by one.
They wouldn't recover for at least a year and a half!
This was Soto City, the royal capital of the Balak Kingdom. Balak Academy was established by the royal family. Xu Yunhan couldn't simply kill them outright, so he gave them a brutal lesson instead.
"Let's go."
Xu Yunhan calmly pulled Zhu Zhuqing away.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes sparkled as she whispered behind him, "Yunhan, that was an instant-cast soul skill, right? Such talent makes one jealous."
Xu Yunhan replied, "Yes, it's my fourth soul skill — Gravitational Field."
When activated, the skill forms a gravitational field within a certain range, allowing Xu Yunhan to control gravity to a degree—making it heavier or lighter—and he can precisely target specific areas.
For example, just now, he used gravity to crush the limbs of those Balak Academy students.
Of course, Xu Yunhan controlled the force carefully; otherwise, he could have crushed those great soul masters into cardboard instantly.
The weakest part of a soul master is their physical body. Once their soul power can't protect it, their body suffers damage.
"Gravity-based soul skills are quite rare, and yours is a millennium soul skill. Its power is far beyond what a great soul master can endure," Zhu Zhuqing said. "Having a millennium soul ring on your fourth soul skill—probably only you can achieve that."
Xu Yunhan said, "That might not be true. The world is vast; there are always exceptions. Also, it's not too difficult to get a millennium soul ring on the fourth soul skill, as long as the martial soul quality is high enough, and you have a powerful spirit and a strong physique."
Zhu Zhuqing heard this explanation for the first time. "Is that so? You have to be strong in martial soul, physique, and spirit to absorb a millennium soul ring for your fourth soul skill?"
Xu Yunhan nodded. "My case is even more special. But if you obtain some rare items, you can boost your martial soul, physique, and spirit. For example: celestial herbs."
"Celestial herbs?" Zhu Zhuqing was unfamiliar. "Are there really such treasures? Have you ever gotten one?"
Xu Yunhan shook his head. "Not yet. But I know where to find them. When the time comes, I'll take you there. If you take celestial herbs, you should also be able to absorb a millennium soul ring on your fourth soul skill."
Though it sounded somewhat unbelievable, Zhu Zhuqing believed him and felt touched.
If Xu Yunhan really gave her such a celestial herb, she wondered how deeply moved she would be—would she even be willing to devote herself to him?
"All right, I'll wait," Zhu Zhuqing smiled softly, beautiful as ever.
Then she added, "Let's head straight back to Shrek Academy. We just crippled those Balak Academy students; they'll probably be furious. Staying in Soto City now could be dangerous."
Balak Academy was backed by royal power and had soul masters at the saint level. Even Flandre and the others might not guarantee a complete victory against them.
"True."
Xu Yunhan didn't act recklessly. His current strength was limited; there was no need to stay and risk trouble in Soto City. He'd return after the storm passed.
Besides, those Balak Academy students didn't know their identities, and Shrek Academy was remote. It would be too hard for them to find Xu Yunhan and Zhu Zhuqing.
Hand in hand, they chatted as they made their way toward Shrek Academy.
Several hours later, they arrived outside the academy.
"This is Shrek Academy?"
Looking at the plain, shabby gate of Shrek Academy ahead, Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily stunned.
Although she had expected Shrek Academy to be modest, she hadn't imagined it would be so poor—like a farmhouse in a small mountain village.
It was simply too simple.
"Heh heh," Xu Yunhan chuckled. "Quite a surprise, right?"
Zhu Zhuqing was speechless. To her, it was more of a shock, and she expressed her doubt: "Does Shrek Academy really have the ability to nurture talents?"
Xu Yunhan grinned and winked. "That's exactly why the academy only accepts geniuses among geniuses—monsters among geniuses!"
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly understood. Shrek Academy was poor and could only rely on these exceptional prodigies, these 'monsters,' to teach themselves.
"Although resources are scarce, there's no need to worry about obtaining soul rings," Xu Yunhan said with a smile. "Three Soul Saints, two Soul Emperors—this lineup is even stronger than what Balak Academy has."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded in agreement. Even the royal academies of the Xingluo Empire had only a handful of Soul Saints.
Shrek Academy lacked the "hardware" conditions, but on the "software" side, these five teachers were all they had to show for it.
"Hey, Yunhan's back!"
Entering Shrek Academy, by a simple pavilion near the square, Lu Qibin and Shao Xin were playing chess.
They were curious about the girl Xu Yunhan was holding hands with.
Feeling their gazes, Zhu Zhuqing shyly pulled her hand away from Xu Yunhan.
Xu Yunhan smiled and said to Lu Qibin and Shao Xin, "You two are playing chess. Let me introduce her—her name is Zhu Zhuqing, twelve years old, with level 27 soul power. The dean has already approved it; she's now officially a student of Shrek Academy."
"Zhuqing, these two are Teacher Shao Xin and Teacher Lu Qibin…"
Here comes another genius!
Though Shrek Academy was poor, it had no resistance to geniuses. Shao Xin and Lu Qibin's bright, sparkling eyes showed their delight.
On the way here, Xu Yunhan had already carefully explained the backgrounds of the five teachers to Zhu Zhuqing. Now they had met three—only Zhao Wuji and Li Yusong remained.
"Teacher Shao, Teacher Lu," Zhu Zhuqing greeted politely, beautiful and with a pleasant voice.
Shao Xin smiled warmly. "Good, good. Shrek Academy is growing stronger by the day! Yunhan, take good care of Zhuqing and show her around. Although we're remote, the environment here is quite nice—very suitable for settling down and cultivating."
Lu Qibin then asked Zhu Zhuqing about her martial soul and how she knew Xu Yunhan.
As for her background, that wasn't their main concern.