Fourteen-year-old Oscar had become a Soul Venerable, and now, twelve-year-old Tang San was about to reach that same level.
Breaking through to rank thirty meant stepping onto an entirely different tier as a Soul Master — it meant a future of limitless potential. With a third Soul Ring, one's strength would undergo a qualitative leap. This was precisely why Ning Rongrong had placed such importance on Oscar's breakthrough to rank thirty.
Tang San — a mere twelve-year-old Tang San — was actually about to reach this level too. How could anyone present not be shocked?
The only person not surprised by this was Tang San himself. The truth was, he had already reached rank twenty-nine even before leaving Nuoding Academy, and he had maintained that level for quite some time — longer than he had ever held any previous rank during his cultivation. Today's battle with Meng Yiran had certainly been an opportunity, but in reality, even without it, Tang San would have broken free of the constraints of rank twenty-nine and stepped into the rank thirty tier in short order.
Zhao Wuji looked at Tang San with a grave expression. "Tell me — how old are you this year? Down to the month."
Without a moment's hesitation, Tang San replied, "Twelve years and seven months old."
Zhao Wuji nodded and turned his gaze to the others. "You all see this. Especially those of you who still haven't reached rank thirty. You see it, don't you? Tang San is the same age as you, yet he's about to step into a whole different level. This is the result of hard work. Twelve years and seven months — I believe this record will remain in Shrek Academy's history books forever. Forever."
Tang San's class was very likely to be Shrek Academy's last generation of students. Among the others, there were some younger than Tang San, but Zhao Wuji absolutely refused to believe that anyone could reach rank thirty at an even younger age.
Oscar said, "Teacher Zhao, I have to disagree with you. Tang San breaking through to rank thirty — that's not the result of hard work."
Zhao Wuji shot him a glare. "Then tell me why."
Oscar grinned mischievously. "Because we're students of Shrek Academy. If we're all monsters, then he's the monster among monsters."
At Oscar's words, Zhao Wuji broke into a smile, and the other students all laughed too. Even Zhu Zhuqing had a faint hint of a smile on her face.
"Big brother, congratulations," Xiao Wu whispered into Tang San's ear, still excitedly clutching his right arm. "But I'll catch up to you soon."
Tang San had absolutely no doubt about her words. After all these years, it was always Tang San who broke through first, yet Xiao Wu — who never seemed to put in much effort in her daily training — would invariably catch up to his level in a short time. Tang San had always believed that if Xiao Wu trained with a bit more diligence, her strength would surely surpass his own.
"Teacher Zhao, do you think we could stay here while I search for a suitable Soul Beast?" Tang San asked tentatively.
Zhao Wuji smiled faintly. "Of course. You've earned it. We won't just be looking for any Soul Beast to serve as your third Soul Ring — we'll be finding the one that suits you best. It looks like we'll need to extend our stay in the Star Dou Great Forest a bit longer."
Oscar had obtained his third Soul Ring, and Tang San had broken through rank twenty-nine into the rank thirty tier — everyone was delighted. After all, achieving these results on their very first day in the Star Dou Great Forest was more than enough to satisfy each of them. Even those whose personal strength hadn't improved had gained a great deal of knowledge and experience upon entering the forest. The bonds between everyone were also steadily deepening through these shared dangers.
Zhao Wuji did not let everyone rest where they were, because he feared that the Dragon Grandpa might show up and team up with the Snake Granny to hunt them down. Though the likelihood was slim, they had to be cautious. That evening, he led the seven Shrek Academy students roughly ten li in another direction, and only after thoroughly concealing all their tracks did they finally set up camp.
Zhao Wuji's worries turned out to be for nothing. The night passed without incident. After a full night of rest, everyone's energy had been restored to its peak.
The next morning, they set out once more on their search for Soul Beast — only this time, the one seeking a Soul Beast was Tang San, not Oscar.