The former Blue Tyrant Academy, now Shrek Academy.
This time, Yu Xiaogang did not avoid Liu Erlong but chose to face her directly. Unlike the carefree Yu Xiaogang from the original story, he now carried a burden of shame.
Whether it was his proud disciple being defeated by Shen An or the humiliation he suffered from Tom, as well as the hidden resentment towards the Sword Douluo that he dared not show, he urgently needed the resources of Blue Tyrant Academy.
"Flender, tomorrow we will go together to help Ma Hongjun hunt for a soul beast. The children have been too tense lately. Let's treat it as a chance to relax," Yu Xiaogang said.
"Haha, you're right about relaxing. With our Golden Iron Triangle, the Sunset Forest is nothing more than a backyard," Flender laughed heartily.
Spirit City.
At the entrance of the Pope's Hall.
"Halt." Two silver-armored hall knights blocked the path of a middle-aged man.
"I am a personal guard of the Pope. I have urgent matters to report to Her Holiness," the guard said, presenting a token.
In the grand hall, spanning over a thousand meters, the guard knelt respectfully before a woman.
She was not tall, dressed in a luxurious black robe adorned with golden patterns, wearing a nine-curved purple-gold crown, and holding a scepter about two meters long, embedded with countless gems.
Her fair skin and nearly perfect features made her appear both majestic and noble.
She was the youngest Pope in the history of Spirit Hall, having assumed the position before the age of forty as a woman.
"What is it?" Her voice, though that of a Pope, was soft and pleasant, like a gentle breeze.
"Your Holiness, you instructed me to keep an eye on Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang. According to reports, he had a conflict with the Poison Douluo at Heaven Dou Academy yesterday."
Bibi Dong's eyes turned cold as she urgently asked, "Was he harmed?"
"No, but his disciple was injured by Dugu Bo. After descending the mountain, it is said he went to an academy called Blue Tyrant."
Bibi Dong's expression darkened completely. Her grip on the scepter tightened until her knuckles turned white. Was he going to see that woman?
"I don't like the name Blue Tyrant. Go, secretly find people to target them!"
"You may leave. Report back to me if there are any further developments."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
'Yu Xiaogang, Yu Xiaogang, you dare to go see that woman. I've always held back from taking action against her, but now, don't blame me for being ruthless.'
The next day, Sunset Forest.
Although there were many soul beasts in the Sunset Forest, most were only at the thousand to ten-thousand-year level.
With Gu Rong, a level 95 Super Douluo, present, Ning Rongrong quickly found a suitable soul beast.
At this moment, Ning Rongrong was absorbing her soul ring, with Bone Douluo guarding her and Shen An also by her side.
As for Tom and Jerry, these two troublemakers couldn't stay still and had already run off to play somewhere far away.
Meanwhile, Tang San and the others were also searching for a suitable soul beast for Ma Hongjun.
Xiao Wu's eyes were somewhat dim. "Brother, do soul masters really have to hunt soul beasts?"
Tang San patted Xiao Wu's head and said, "If a soul master wants to become strong, they must hunt soul beasts. I am no exception."
"After all, only by becoming stronger can I better protect you."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu's somewhat idealistic thoughts dissipated, replaced by a deeper dependence and affection for Tang San.
Walking in the middle, Flender keenly noticed movement in the nearby bushes and immediately signaled everyone to stop. "Wait, there's something."
Everyone halted, and sure enough, a cat's head popped out of the bushes, followed by a small brown mouse.
Yu Xiaogang's thoughts stirred. It was them, the cat and mouse by Shen An's side. That meant Shen An was also here.
Yu Xiaogang knew that after the incident at Heaven Dou, he had likely completely offended Shen An.
Shen An's talent was too terrifying, and he was ultimately a threat. This made Yu Xiaogang extremely wary, especially since Shen An might hinder Tang San from becoming the strongest soul master on the continent.
'If Shen An is alone, I'll have Flender and Erlong kill him,' Yu Xiaogang thought, his killing intent rising.
Just as Yu Xiaogang was considering the feasibility of this plan, Dai Mubai stepped forward first. He was always at the forefront of opposing Shen An, including those close to him.
With the buff of the "stolen wife" grudge and having been defeated by Shen An multiple times, Dai Mubai harbored deep hatred for Shen An.
However, he wouldn't dare to confront Shen An directly—the gap in strength was too great. But this cat and mouse were different; they looked easy to bully. Dai Mubai's eyes gleamed with malice.
"What do we have here? Just two beasts. You're unlucky to have run into me."
"Is this really necessary? We're here to hunt soul beasts, not to cause trouble," Liu Erlong said, frowning instinctively at Dai Mubai's behavior.
Yu Xiaogang waved his hand. "It's fine. Let Mubai vent his frustrations. It will help his future development."
Tang San watched with slight excitement, while Xiao Wu, who usually had a "soft spot" for soul beasts and small animals, remained silent, her eyes filled with a strange light.
Tom and Jerry, who had been standing there with their usual cute and dumb expressions, suddenly became angry. This person was so nasty, calling them beasts.
Dai Mubai's malice overflowed as he instantly activated his White Tiger Martial Soul, charging toward Tom and Jerry with wide tiger claws, ready to crush them to vent his hatred.
But Tom, who was usually cowardly, didn't dodge or avoid this time, standing firmly in place.
Tom wasn't a forgiving cat. This person had dared to insult it, and it was determined to strike back.
Dai Mubai's malice grew. These creatures had no idea what they were up against.
"Bang!" "Slap!"
"Bang, slap!"
The sounds of heavy blows and slaps rang out repeatedly.
The Shrek group was stunned. When Dai Mubai attacked, they thought the ordinary cat and mouse were done for.
Who would have thought that Jerry, standing on Tom's head, would pull out a small wooden hammer that rapidly grew in size and smashed it down on Dai Mubai's head.
Immediately, Dai Mubai seemed to be stunned, his movements completely halted.
This was unimaginable for the Shrek group. How could an attack leave someone standing still, as if their soul had been knocked out of their body?
Tom didn't hold back, delivering a big slap to Dai Mubai's face, leaving a deep red paw print.
Jerry kept hammering Dai Mubai's head, while Tom kept slapping his face. This went on for a while before the Shrek group finally reacted. They needed to save Dai Mubai, or he might end up with a concussion.
Tang San was the quickest to react. Without hesitation, he threw two poisoned daggers at Tom and Jerry's heads.
The two little creatures reacted differently. Tom retracted its head into its body, while Jerry leaped three feet into the air.
Then, adhering to the principle of "a wise man knows when to retreat," they turned and ran, their speed so fast that even Flender, an Agility-type Soul Sage, was amazed.
One moment they were there, and the next, they were tiny dots in the distance.
The series of actions was so seamless that no one could react in time.
But before the Shrek group could give chase, the two creatures came running back, skidding to a stop and leaving deep grooves in the ground.
Tom and Jerry had run off but then realized that Tang San had thrown daggers at them. Without hesitation, they turned back. Revenge was best served immediately.
Tang San was startled. What the hell? A blue cat face was suddenly in front of him, followed by a white paw flying toward his cheek.
"Slap! Slap!"
Though it was just two slaps, Tang San's face visibly swelled and turned red.