Ning Tian had absolutely no doubts about Lin Yun's combat prowess.
In fact, she was convinced that even among the main team of the inner academy, Lin Yun could rank in the top few—if not outright first.
Given his overwhelming strength, if the academy were to exclude Lin Yun from the reserve team just because he was only a second-year, that would be what struck Ning Tian as strange, even unreasonable.
The decision to expand the selection scope to second-years was almost certainly because of Lin Yun.
Ning Tian was truly sharp.
While the full truth still differed slightly from her guess, she was already about eighty to ninety percent correct.
In the original timeline, the main reason for expanding the selection to second-years was Huo Yuhao's presence in that grade. But in this case, it was because of Lin Yun—and his relationship with Xiao Xiao.
Was an Ultimate Martial Soul strong?
Extremely.
Was a Twin Martial Soul powerful?
Absolutely.
And when you had both—an Ultimate and a Twin Martial Soul, and both geniuses had consumed immortal herbs—well, that was something else entirely.
If Lin Yun had enough surplus immortal herbs to gift Xiao Xiao and trade with Shrek Academy, did anyone really think he hadn't taken any himself?
Obviously not.
The reason ordinary soul masters struggled to bear Ultimate Martial Souls was their weak physical constitutions—they simply couldn't withstand the strain. That Lin Yun could handle the Golden Dragon Martial Soul wasn't just due to his innate talent; it had to be partly because of immortal herbs.
This was the unanimous conclusion of Shrek's higher-ups.
Lin Yun had his own sect, and Xiao Xiao would always stand by his side. But that didn't stop Shrek from currying favor with them!
Two geniuses—one with an Ultimate Martial Soul, the other with Twin Martial Souls—both enhanced by immortal herbs? They were destined to become top-tier powerhouses on the continent.
The reason the three original Douluo nations feared Shrek and dared not act rashly was precisely because Shrek's influence was everywhere.
Building goodwill with these two, even if they couldn't be fully claimed as Shrek's own, would still forge invaluable connections.
These deeper implications, however, were beyond Ning Tian's current grasp. Her vision was broad, but not that broad—not yet. She still needed time to grow.
"No point overanalyzing. We'll see what happens at the Fighting Arena this afternoon," Lin Yun said with a dismissive wave, leading Xiao Xiao out of the classroom by the hand.
He didn't care about these matters, nor about whatever schemes Shrek might be cooking up. As long as that walking disaster Xuan Zi remained at Shrek, no amount of control from Mu En could stabilize the situation.
Even as a Limit Douluo, his time was running out.
After watching the two leave, Ning Tian headed in the opposite direction with Wu Feng in tow.
"Ning Tian, about that selection tournament Lin Yun mentioned…?" Wu Feng couldn't help but ask.
"It doesn't concern us," Ning Tian replied, shaking her head with a faint smile.
"We'll do our best. If we're selected, great. If not, no big deal. We're from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—we'll never truly be Shrek's inner circle. And honestly, that's not where my ambitions lie."
She genuinely didn't care about Shrek's resources.
Though the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan no longer held its former glory as the continent's second-greatest sect, ten thousand years of heritage—coupled with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's unique traits—had left the clan drowning in wealth. Their gold coins practically gathered mold.
Her reason for attending Shrek was simply to scout talent for her clan.
Getting into the reserve team would mean more access to geniuses, but failing wouldn't be the end of the world. They were underaged for this anyway.
As Soul Elders and Great Soul Masters, their strength was above average for second-years—but compared to Shrek's true elites? Ning Tian and Wu Feng simply couldn't measure up.
Still…
The thought of losing chances to interact with Lin Yun did leave Ning Tian feeling a pang of disappointment.
'If only I could let Brother Yun experience the warmth of a sugar mommy…' she sighed inwardly.
Meanwhile, noon break passed in the blink of an eye.
The core disciples of Shrek's outer academy gradually gathered at the Fighting Arena—Lin Yun among them.
Most were familiar faces.
From the upper grades: Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, He Caitou…
From the lower grades: Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Dai Huabin, Xie Huanyue, Ning Tian, Wu Feng…
And a few nameless bystanders who existed purely as filler.
The moment Lin Yun stepped into the arena, his gaze locked onto a dark-skinned, muscular figure with a bald head and a seemingly simple, honest expression.
'He Caitou… Xu He!'
Lin Yun's golden eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of malice flickering in their depths.
He Caitou—real name Xu He—was a direct descendant of the previous emperor of the Sun Moon Empire. After a coup led by Xu Tianran's father wiped out his family, he had fled into exile, eventually adopted by Fan Yu and brought to Shrek Academy.
But none of that mattered.
What did matter was that, in the original timeline, this bastard had somehow ended up with Xiao Xiao.
Glancing at the little loli clinging to his arm with a blissful smile, Lin Yun's eyes narrowed further.
Sure, in this world, He Caitou hadn't crossed him. But did that mean he couldn't vent some frustration anyway?
Decision made.
Time to turn up the heat on this black egg.
According to the original plot, He Caitou could light cigars with his bare hands—just a swipe of his fingers and poof, ignition. It was unclear whether this was an innate ability of his martial soul or proof that he'd inherited the Sun Moon imperial family's Sun Martial Soul.
But did Lin Yun care?
Twin Martial Souls? Sun Martial Soul? So what if he had them? Even if he did, Lin Yun could punch them into oblivion.
On the other side of the arena, He Caitou—who wore a憨厚 (simple and honest) smile while subtly distancing himself from the crowd—suddenly shuddered, an inexplicable wave of malice prickling his senses.
Alarmed, he scanned his surroundings.
But found nothing.
'This doesn't make sense… My past made me hyper-sensitive to hostility. I've never been wrong before. So who—?'
Confused but wary, He Caitou's demeanor shifted.
Shrek Academy was peaceful, and he'd never faced life-threatening danger here—just the occasional isolation due to his appearance. He'd grown to like this life.
But Shrek was still Shrek.
He Caitou hadn't forgotten his true identity—or the blood-soaked vengeance he carried. The number of times he'd jolted awake from nightmares was beyond counting.
He had debts to repay. He couldn't die here.
His smile faded, replaced by a cold, imperious sternness—a stark contrast to his earlier憨厚 (good-natured) facade.
But no one noticed.
Except Lin Yun.
(End of Chapter)
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