Chapter 29: Confident Elder Xuan

The middle-aged man stood about 1.8 meters tall with broad shoulders and muscular arms exposed beneath a simple cloth garment. His solid, granite-like muscles gave an impression of a mountain's immovable strength.

"Wang Yan? What brings you here to my department from the Martial Spirit Department?" The man was clearly Fan Yu, the person Wang Yan had called for.

Wang Yan smiled and replied, "I'm currently the acting homeroom teacher for the freshman class 7 and came across a student with a spirit attribute martial spirit. I think he would be well-suited to the stationary soul tool you're working on, so I brought him over."

He added with a grin, "Oh, and he just had a clash with your dear Zhou Yi. The faculty moved him to my class to avoid further conflict."

Fan Yu chuckled. "Zhou Yi having issues with students? Nothing new there—I've talked to her about it many times, but it never really helps." He turned to Xiao Yan, studying him with a hint of skepticism. "He does look well-built, but his soul power level is low—under level 20. Are you sure he can handle my soul tool?"

"Xiao Yan, why don't you show Teacher Fan Yu your first soul skill," Wang Yan encouraged, smiling.

Nodding, Xiao Yan immediately activated his Mental Detection Sharing, directing the skill toward Fan Yu. Within moments, Fan Yu's expression shifted slightly as he experienced the skill's effects.

"This... is a detection skill? And it can be shared with others?" Fan Yu's previously calm expression showed signs of astonishment. He waved to someone nearby. "Caitou, come over here."

A tall young man approached. He looked around Bei Bei's age, standing over two meters with broad shoulders even wider than Fan Yu's. His muscular, tanned upper body was bare, save for a red headscarf wrapped around his bald head.

"Yes, Teacher?" The youth greeted Fan Yu with respect.

Fan Yu pointed to Xiao Yan and said, "Caitou, try firing a stationary soul cannon with his assistance—aim for a moving target."

Without hesitation, Caitou walked up to Xiao Yan, clapped him on the shoulder in a friendly manner, and said with a grin, "Hey, little bro! I'm He Caitou, but everyone calls me Caitou, so feel free to do the same."

Xiao Yan cupped his hands politely. "Nice to meet you, Big Brother He. I'm Xiao Yan."

"Oh! You're the first to call me 'big brother'—not bad, not bad. Let's grab a meal together sometime," He Caitou said, flashing a thumbs-up.

"Shall we begin?" Xiao Yan asked with a slight smile.

"Sure." Nodding, He Caitou led Xiao Yan to a spacious area. He tapped his dark waist belt, and a black metallic cylinder about one and a half meters long appeared in his hands—it looked somewhat like a modern-day rocket launcher.

Pressing a button, He Caitou opened a cover on the cylinder. He retrieved a spindle-shaped metal object from his belt, loaded it, and lifted the "rocket launcher" onto his shoulder.

"Is that a... rocket launcher?" Xiao Yan couldn't help but mutter, his pupils constricting slightly as he recognized the design.

"Rocket launcher? What's that?" He Caitou asked, looking puzzled.

"Oh, nothing. Let's start." Xiao Yan quickly activated his Mental Detection Sharing, directing it toward He Caitou.

With Mental Detection Sharing in place, He Caitou's perception changed entirely. Everything around him appeared clearer, more orderly, as if he could anticipate every movement of the objects in his vision.

"Moving target, fire!"

At He Caitou's signal, a disc shot out from the far end of the testing field, flying toward them.

A powerful soul force surged around He Caitou, three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—appearing around him. The "rocket launcher" on his shoulder trembled, emitting a strong black radiance as it charged up.

"Boom!"

A massive roar erupted as a brilliant black beam shot out of the launcher, piercing through the air and striking the disc.

With a loud bang, the disc shattered into fragments, scattering in the air before vanishing.

"It... actually worked?" Fan Yu's face lit up in astonishment. He nearly jumped with excitement, exclaiming, "Unbelievable!"

Wang Yan smiled calmly and said, "I've always believed in the potential of combining martial spirits with soul tools. I encourage my students to study and use soul tools. That's why I brought Xiao Yan to see you today."

Fan Yu laughed. "You're one of the few in the Martial Spirit Department with such an open mind. I keep telling those old-fashioned folks they're underestimating the potential of soul tools."

With Xiao Yan's enhanced physique and the support of the Spiritual Detecting skill, he achieved a synchronization similar to soul sensing, a technique from his home continent of Dou Qi. It was also thanks to the first seal unlocked by the Iceworm's power, giving him an edge in detecting the movement.

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Meanwhile, at the Lake of the Sea God, on Sea God Island, Teacher Zhou Yi stood with an unusually respectful expression on her face.

Not far from her sat an old man with disheveled hair, dressed in a fresh gray-brown robe. His bare feet soaked in the cool waters of the lake as he alternated between bites of roast chicken and sips from a large purple gourd.

"Not bad, not bad at all," he muttered between bites, seemingly oblivious to Zhou Yi's presence.

"Elder Xuan," Zhou Yi began, "that boy is an orphan, not from any distinguished family. But his admission letter appears... forged."

"An orphan with a forged admission letter?" Elder Xuan's intense crimson eyes flickered as he looked up from his meal, his gaze sharp enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.

He nodded thoughtfully. "An orphan and a forged admission letter... intriguing. Got it."

"So, will the academy expel him?" Zhou Yi asked cautiously.

Elder Xuan shrugged, taking a long gulp from his gourd before saying, "Expel him? Let's wait and see. I want to find out why he came to Shrek Academy and who's behind him."

He paused, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes. "A soul master with an extreme ice attribute... Odd. I've never heard of anyone like that on the continent. And that mysterious person at the auction with those miraculous pills—who could they be?"

"Elder Xuan," Zhou Yi pressed, "if we already know these potential threats, shouldn't we address them before problems arise?"

Elder Xuan chuckled coldly, setting down his food. "You're forgetting where you are, Zhou Yi. This is Shrek Academy. Even if those from Mingde Hall or the Ontology Sect showed up, what could they do? How much trouble could they cause?"

He exuded a confidence born from decades of unparalleled strength.

"Alright, that's enough. You can leave now. And by the way, inform Xiao Ning to reserve me a spot for the upcoming

freshman evaluation."

"Yes, Elder Xuan," Zhou Yi replied respectfully before departing.