Return to the Continental Soul Master Tournament

Shrek Academy

That evening, Tang San discovered that Xiao Wu was missing again. He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

It was late at night, and Xiao Wu still hadn't returned.

He was going crazy with worry. Ever since that guy surnamed Chen came back, nothing good had happened.

The last time Xiao Wu didn't come back all night, and now she was missing again. Both incidents were related to Chen Xuan.

Tang San's mind was in turmoil. Two coincidences, both involving Chen Xuan, made him deeply suspicious.

**Nighttime**

Chen Xuan stood by the window, gazing at the dark starry sky. He shook his head slightly, dismissing the idea of going to Shrek Academy.

He felt guilty, knowing that the root of the problem lay with him, and there was no way to shirk responsibility.

Perhaps Xiao Wu had already woken up by now and returned to the academy.

The night passed in silence, and soon it was the next day.

**Morning**

As the sky brightened, the first rays of dawn illuminated the earth. The light of the rising sun gently bathed the waterfall and the stream, casting a warm golden hue that made the scene incredibly beautiful.

**Shrek Academy's Back Mountain**

When a ray of sunlight filtered through the leaves, Xiao Wu had already awakened, sitting on the grass, lost in thought.

The first thing she did upon waking was to check her clothes in a panic. After finding nothing unusual with her body, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Then, Xiao Wu noticed the blanket covering her and realized she had been sleeping under a tree.

After checking her body several times, she found no wrinkles in her clothes and realized that Chen Xuan had not taken advantage of her while she was asleep.

Looking at the blanket, her thoughts were a whirlwind. She thought of many things and was left in a daze, feeling incredibly conflicted.

Xiao Wu felt terrible. She had originally been very angry with Chen Xuan, even to the point of loathing him, blaming him for everything so that she could feel a bit better.

But these small gestures, insignificant as they might seem, struck her heart deeply, making it impossible to deceive herself any longer.

After calming down, Xiao Wu realized that she didn't actually hate Chen Xuan as much as she thought. She had just been suppressing her emotions for so long that they were about to spiral out of control, and Chen Xuan had become her scapegoat.

She just needed to vent, to release the pain she had been bottling up for so many days, the daily tears, and the longing for Tang San, all of which only she knew. It was too much to bear.

Now, Xiao Wu gradually understood that on the day of the incident, half of the responsibility was actually hers, which had led to the subsequent tragedy.

She understood that it was something she had wanted, something she had initiated, and that it had little to do with Chen Xuan. She just needed someone to blame.

"Xiao Wu, you're finally back. Where were you last night? Do you know how worried I and the teachers were?" As soon as Xiao Wu returned to Shrek Academy, she ran into Tang San.

Tang San had hardly slept all night, his worry consuming him. He had searched many places but found no clues.

Now, the sister who had kept him on edge all night had finally returned.

However, at that moment, Xiao Wu was in a terrible mood, her emotions were very low, and she didn't want to talk. She casually brushed him off and hurried back to the dormitory.

Tang San clenched his fists, a flash of anger passing through his eyes, but it quickly disappeared, and he returned to his usual self.

He hadn't seen Xiao Wu for many days, and today was the first time, yet he was met with this cold reception.

Tang San felt deeply hurt, a sense of oppression weighing on him. Ever since Chen Xuan had returned, his sister had become like this, unwilling to speak with him. What had happened between them?

He no longer believed Xiao Wu's excuses and began to suspect that there was a connection between these events that was being kept from him, leaving him in the dark.

Although Tang San had his suspicions and sensed that something was wrong, he still didn't think in that direction, believing that Xiao Wu wouldn't betray him.

Time passed quietly, and soon it was noon. Today was the day of Shrek's match in the tournament.

**Rest Area**

Following Flender's instructions, Chen Xuan rejoined the team, replacing Huang Yuan's position. The two would rotate for the matches.

Previously, Huang Yuan and Jing Ling had been participating in the matches. Now that Chen Xuan was back, the lineup needed to be adjusted, and he was sent in as a replacement.

Chen Xuan had no objections; it was a good opportunity to test his abilities after breaking through to the Soul Ancestor level.

According to Yu Xiaogang's strategy, the Seven Monsters were not to reveal too much during the preliminary rounds, especially Ning Rongrong and Ma Hongjun, who were strictly prohibited from participating.

The five substitute members, who were relatively weaker in spirit power, had been brought in specifically to conceal the strength of the Seven Shrek Monsters.

Therefore, the team for this match included Captain Dai Mubai, Vice-Captain Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, Tai Long, Jiangzhu, Chen Xuan, and Xiao Wu as the final member.

"What? Xiao Wu is willing to participate?" When the last name was read, the Shrek members were all taken aback, staring in disbelief.

They knew that for the past six days, Xiao Wu had been like a person possessed, staying in her room and refusing to come out, let alone compete.

"I wasn't feeling well before, but now I'm fine," Xiao Wu forced a smile, trying to regain her usual demeanor, presenting herself as the sweet girl everyone knew.

However, the keen-eyed members could see that she was no longer as lively and cute as before; there was something forced about her current behavior.

Chen Xuan withdrew his gaze and sighed softly. That incident had clearly affected her deeply.

"Alright, little monsters, quiet down. Here is the information about your opponent for today's match, an experienced team," Flender said as he entered the room, placing a folder on the table.

The Shrek members snapped back to attention, their eyes focusing on the documents.

"Blazing Academy?" Ning Rongrong's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

She had heard of this academy since childhood. It was one of the five elemental academies, specializing in fire elements, and was a very experienced and old team.

"That's right," Flender nodded, his expression growing more serious. "Your opponent today is Blazing Academy. They've won all seven of their matches so far, undefeated."

At these words, Tai Long, Huang Yuan, and the others grew tense, feeling the pressure of the upcoming match.

Chen Xuan, however, remained calm. With the completion of his Shunshin and Chidori techniques, he felt more confident.

"Tang San, the members of Blazing Academy specialize in fire combat. Your Blue Silver Grass will be at a disadvantage, and it might not be effective. Maybe you should sit this one out," Dai Mubai suggested, looking at Tang San with concern.

Fire is the natural enemy of plants, and the same applies to martial souls. All seven members of Blazing Academy have fire attribute martial souls.

Everyone knew that Blue Silver Grass would burn when it came into contact with fire, making it nearly useless in this battle.

Unfortunately, Shrek Academy didn't have any water or ice attribute spirit masters; otherwise, they would have the advantage over Blazing Academy.

"Don't worry, I have a way to counter them," Tang San replied with a confident smile, though he didn't reveal his plan, keeping it a secret for now.

As the soul of the Shrek team and its strategist, he couldn't afford to sit out.

"Alright, just be careful during the match," Dai Mubai said. Despite the overwhelming disadvantage, he chose to trust his brother, not because of anything else but because he was Tang San, the soul of Shrek Academy.

Ma Hongjun grumbled, "If only our team had water or ice element spirit masters, then we would have the upper hand!"

"Yeah, fire can restrain plants, but it gets extinguished by water. Why couldn't we be from the Water Element Academy?" Oscar lamented.

"Water?" Chen Xuan felt the water attribute chakra within him and began to ponder.

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