The Great Master spoke to Tang San with heartfelt earnestness. "Now that you know your origins in the Clear Sky Sect, I hope you will keep a level head. Don't go rushing off to seek out your clan, and don't let your mind dwell on it too much. Can you understand your teacher's good intentions?"
Tang San nodded without hesitation. "Teacher, I understand. No matter what I do, strength must come first. Until I believe I have sufficient power, I will never go lightly seeking the Clear Sky Sect. Or rather, at the very least I should wait until my father appears before there's any chance of returning to the sect. Besides, you know how I've always valued my freedom — life in a sect wouldn't suit me anyway. Honestly, I'd rather just be a blacksmith's son. What meaning does status hold for me?"
The Great Master looked at Tang San with surprise. After all, Tang San was still just a teenager in his eyes, and he hadn't expected his student to see things so clearly. A rare smile broke across his stiff features, and he patted Tang San's shoulder once more. "That puts my mind at ease. There's still half a year before the Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament begins. That event is not only a stage for you to showcase your abilities but also the best opportunity for you to gain experience. At this continent-wide competition, you'll encounter all the powerful young-generation Soul Masters. Defeating them and winning them over will not only sharpen your combat experience but also bolster your confidence. Flandre and I have already discussed it — once this tournament is over, you children can graduate from the academy."
"Graduate? Teacher, isn't that a bit early?" Tang San said, taken aback.
The Great Master shook his head with a smile. "No, it's not early at all. At ordinary advanced Soul Master academies, reaching rank thirty is already enough to graduate, and you'd even be considered a top student. None of you are anywhere near just rank thirty anymore. Even from Shrek Academy's perspective, I'd expect that after this tournament, each of you should be approaching rank forty. Xiao San, the academy isn't everything. For your lives, training at the academy is only one part — what matters more is tempering yourselves in the outside world. That is the true battlefield where you will be tested."
Whether in his previous life or this one, Tang San hadn't had much experience navigating society. But looking into the unwavering certainty in the Great Master's eyes, he knew his teacher's decision was sound.
Perhaps because he had never spent time in the wider world, there was a flicker of fear within him toward all the unknown possibilities.
Of course, now was not the time to dwell on such things. Nor could Tang San have imagined that when he finally ventured out into the world, it would be a full six years from now.
Walking out of the Great Master's office, the sense of clarity that washed over him left Tang San feeling unspeakably refreshed, both in body and mind. He had found his life's purpose once more. So what if he was born into a clan? So what if his father was a Titled Douluo? In the end, none of that was about him.
Only by first making himself strong would any of it hold meaning.
Tang San had thought it through thoroughly. At his current age, nothing was more important than cultivation, and all of his energy should naturally go toward that — not into idle worries and wild speculation.
Starting from that day, Tang San and the rest of the Shrek Seven Devils all plunged into six months of grueling training.
The Great Master no longer put them through any special drills. Instead, he simply held tactical guidance sessions at regular intervals, focusing particularly on their teamwork and coordination, as well as the techniques for using their Soul Skills more effectively.
On the surface, each person had their own Soul Skills and simply needed to activate them.
But in reality, there was an enormous depth of knowledge involved. Which Soul Skill to use at what time, which Soul Skill to deploy when one's Soul Power was at a certain level — every situation carried its own hidden complexities. The Great Master had spent decades researching these very matters, and with his guidance, the Shrek Seven Devils could be said to have avoided countless detours.
Just as Tang San had said when he gifted the immortal-grade medicinal herbs to everyone, their effects were far from limited to the initial burst of power. As they continued training, everyone — except Xiao Wu, who had not taken the Passion Berry — could feel the changes taking place in their bodies.
Not only was the speed of their Soul Power growth faster than before, but more importantly, the herbs were reshaping their Martial Souls and bodies. The herbs Tang San had carefully selected were almost perfectly suited to each individual.
Through the gradual, silent process of their continuous cultivation, the heaven-and-earth energy contained within the herbs slowly merged with their physiques, elevating their strength comprehensively.
Even the Nine-Purple Lingzhi — which didn't qualify as truly immortal-grade — helped the Great Master raise his Soul Power from rank thirty to rank thirty-five in just half a year. As for the Shrek Seven Devils, during this half-year period, Dai Mubai's Soul Power had increased by only one and a half ranks to reach forty-four, approaching forty-five, while among the remaining six, only Xiao Wu had failed to hit the bottleneck at rank forty.
The first person to break through the rank-forty bottleneck came as a surprise to everyone. They had assumed the frontrunner would be either Zhu Zhuqing, who had already reached rank thirty-eight when taking the immortal-grade herbs, or the tirelessly diligent and naturally gifted Tang San.
Yet to everyone's astonishment, among the six of them, the first to break through rank forty was none other than Oscar — the Food Type Soul Master who was notoriously difficult to train. Four and a half months into his cultivation, he had successfully shattered the bottleneck and officially stepped into the threshold of rank forty. All he needed now was a new Soul Ring, and his title would be formally upgraded from Soul Venerable to Soul Ancestor.
No one else knew how hard Oscar had been working, but Tang San understood better than anyone. Although he didn't know the exact cause, ever since Ning Rongrong had returned from her family visit that time, Oscar's training had become far more diligent than before.