It had been 2 years since the competition. Life returned to its usual routine, and now, the five of them had graduated from Nodding Academy.
Fu Tian had left to venture out alone, "I'll see you guys in the future" he said before separating with the group, heading to wherever his journey finds him at.
After a few days, Liu Yan, Ying Xuan, Xiao Wu and Tang San made it to Soto City located in Balak Kingdom.
Liu Yan's appearance had changed slightly, his face was much more defined, his greyish hair grew longer but still as messy as it was back then. He and Tang San had grown much taller, a bit taller than the average boy their age.
Ying Xuan had grown quite a lot, her silver hair was allowed to grow longer. Her blue eyes sparkled at moments, the rest of her body matured in a lot of ways.
"Grandmaster had said the enrollment to Shrek Academy starts tomorrow, right Tang San?" Liu Yan inquired to Tang San, he remembered the story, but it was best to ask just in case. After all, the manhwa doesn't portray every single day that passes in Soul Land.
"That's correct, though it's still early. What should we do?" Tang San turned to look at Xiao Wu and Ying Xuan as they continued deeper into Soto City.
"How about some shopping!" the girls immediately said excitedly.
Sigh
Both of the boys sighed, it was certainly troublesome to save money when these girls always want to go on shopping sprees.
Ying Xuan and Xiao Wu begin to look around the shops enthusiastically the moment they had entered the shopping district. "Look at this, Xiao Wu" Ying Xuan pointed at some carrot desserts.
Xiao Wu saw it and looked at Tang San "Can you buy it for me?" she said, trying to sound cute and convince him.
"Sigh Alright..." he said reluctantly before taking a coin pouch out of this belt, and paying for it.
As they continued looking around, a certain shop caught Tang San's eyes. Liu Yan looked at it. "You felt it? The leaking soul power?" Liu Yan said to Tang San which he nodded.
"Let's take a look then" Liu Yan and Tang San went inside, Ying Xuan and Xiao Wu noticed they went into that shop, having nothing else to look at, they decided to enter too.
The shop was dusty, everything was ancient and collected dust. "Spirit tools... so many" Tang San said, amazed at the quantity and the quality of some of them. There was an old man sitting on rocking chair made out of canes. His face unable to be seen.
Creak, Creak
"Take a look around and see what you're interested" the old man said, not bothering to stand up and welcome guests.
"What an arrogant shopkeeper" Xiao Wu said.
Tang San looked around and saw a crystal in a box, he picked it up and using mystic eyes, examined it. "This is..." he thought to himself.
Liu Yan looked around, not really interested. He wasn't in need of spirit tools, he could use the things he bought and needed to carry as a way to train while not having a proper area.
"Hey, Tang San, me and Ying Xuan will be waiting outside first" Liu Yan said before stepping out of the shop with Ying Xuan.
Liu Yan looked at Ying Xuan who was holding a lot of bags, he sighed before reaching out and taking the bags from her. "Ying Ying, you need to learn how to save money, alright? I can't provide for everything, I don't have much myself" he lectured her.
"Alright, alright. I heard you LiYan, I'm sorry, okay?" she made puppy eyes.
Puff
Liu Yan lightly chopped her head.
Five minutes later, Tang San and Xiao Wu got out from the shop holding a package. "Alright, since we're done with shopping. Let's find a hotel to stay in for now" they started heading to a nearby hotel.
"Rose hotel... well it's getting late and I'm tired from travelling. Let's just stay here" Liu Yan yawned before the four of them headed inside.
"Four rooms please!" Xiao Wu said enthusiastically to the receptionist. "I'm sorry miss but we currently only have one vacant room" the receptionist replied.
"Well we can simply go look for another plac-" Tang San was saying when suddenly Xiao Wu cut him off "Sure, we'll take it!" Tang San was shocked and reluctantly paid thinking, "I will have to teach Xiao Wu the difference between genders soon."
As the receptionist was about to hand them the room key when a voice sounded from the entrance.
"Why are you handing other people my room key" They turned to the entrance to see another man who looked a little but older. His eyes blue and red and his yellow hair. He was adorned in an expensive looking suit. Two beautiful twins walked beside him, smiling at him.
"Young master Dai, I'm so sorry. Let me prepare your room now" the manager who came running in said hurriedly while panting.
"No, I want that room" he replied while smirking.
The manager looked helpless and looked at the receptionist, "Quickly, hand him the room key." he ordered
"Hold it! We came here first, so we should be given the room" Liu Yan stopped the receptionist and looked at the manager and "young master Dai".
"You're brave kid, looking at your clothing, you must be soul masters? How about this, we solve this the soul master's way." he said before letting go of the twins and summoning his martial soul.
"I'll even be generous, how about a two on one?" he said as his body grew larger, a chinese letter writing "king" appeared on his forehead, his musclles swelled bigger as his hair turned from yellow to white.
"Dai MuBai, martial soul: Evil eyed tiger, level 37 soul elder." he introduced himself.
"Tang San, martial soul: blue silver grads, level 29 grand soul master"
"Liu Yan, martial soul: Crystalline glory, level 31 soul elder"
Hearing this, Dai MuBai was shocked, a soul elder? This Liu Yan was obviosuly a year younger yet he passed into soul elder realm already.
"First soul skill: entangle!" Blue silver grass grew out of the marble floor, heading straight for him.
Shaa
"First soul skill: definitive creation!" Liu Yan said before creating a large fist shaped crystal, sending it straight at Dai MuBai.
Dai MuBai, being restrained by a mere grand soul master broke free easily.
Snap
But the crystal shaped fist, he couldn't dodge.
"Third soul skill: White tiger diamond transformation!" His second soul ring lit up, his body glowing.
Bang, Crack
The crystal fist had hit him, unable to withstand much pressure, it broke upon contact with Dai MuBai. But he didn't fare any better.
Dai MuBai was sent flying in one attack!
Thud
He was able to regain his footing, but he was shocked and a bit terrified. "What type of strength is this?! To almost send me flying out the entrance when he's 5 levels below me. Terrifying." His shock was mirrored onto the guests and staff.
"To be such a strong person and be under thirteen, you're here for shrek academy, isn't it? Well, you better pass, I wish to spar you four soon." Dai MuBai said before leaving with the twins. His hair slowly returning to its original yellow colour.
"That was it?" Liu Yan thought, he thought he would witness more battle spirit within the tiger, seems he will have to wait until his enrollment in shrek academy.
After a bit, the shock slowly faded and the receptionist approached the four "dear customers, shall I bring you to your rooms?"
"Yeah, let's go" Liu Yan said.
In the room of the rose hotel, it was gery grand and large.
"No wonder Dai MuBai was so reluctant to give it up…" Xiao Wu said while exploring.
"You better train hard, Tang San. You have what it takes to be a leader, but you have to the best in a lot of fields if you want to do so." Liu Yan said to Tang San, a form of motivation speech since Tang San, felt that he wasn't of much help in the last fight.
"There's only one bed?! Xiao San and I call dibs on the bed. We're sleeping together" Tang San hearing this couldn't help but be frustrated.
"Don't you know gender difference?!" Tang San complained while slightly flustered as he realised Ying Xuan and Liu Yan was snickering at this.
"I'll take the couch, Ying Ying can take the other one" Liu Yan continued to snicker as he said this.
"Stop laughing!" Tang San yelled, a rare moment of openness and sense of life compared to constant cultivation and hidden weapon forging.