Although Xiao Wu had taken Oscar's Recovery Sausage and Tang San's Dragon Spirit Leaf, she hadn't meditated at all. She had waited in anguish for more than five double-hours, and had it not been for that final shred of belief sustaining her, she would have collapsed long ago.
At last, Tang San returned. The taut string in her heart finally loosened, and her body, no longer bound by the duty to remain vigilant, allowed itself to sink into unconsciousness.
Tang San scooped up Xiao Wu's slender legs and held her tightly in his arms. Though she hadn't managed to say a single word to him, how could he not understand what she had endured?
That night, Tang San slept while holding Xiao Wu. This time, he not only stopped avoiding the awkwardness but kept her cradled against him the entire time.
That night, Tang San did not sleep. His hand rested on Xiao Wu's back the whole time, circulating her blood through her meridians.
That night, no one disturbed them—just as no one disturbed the Great Master and Liu Erlong.
For the eleven members of the Shrek Academy party, that night was far from peaceful. The Shrek Seven Devils, in particular, began their true transformation into formidable powers from that night onward.
Though they had weathered one setback after another, their objective had ultimately been accomplished. The next morning, as the group awoke from their slumber, Flandre urged everyone to leave the Sunset Forest as soon as possible, afraid of further complications.
As the academy's dean, Flandre bore the heaviest burden of responsibility. Setting aside the fact that many of the Shrek Seven Devils came from influential backgrounds, even without that, as their mentor, he was unwilling to see any of them come to harm in this dangerous place. They had already obtained their Soul Rings, so naturally he was anxious to get everyone out.
After a night of Tang San's treatment, most of Xiao Wu's injuries had healed. She woke early the next morning without saying much about the previous day's events, though the way she looked at Tang San now carried a new measure of attachment.
"Xiao San, what's your fourth Soul Skill? Show us." As they walked toward the edge of the forest, Oscar nudged Tang San with his shoulder.
Tang San smiled faintly. "Nothing special, really—just a variation of the skill the Cave Dwelling Demon Spider used yesterday. You really want to see?"
"Of course. You're the first among us to possess a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring. Let us see."
Their exchange drew the attention of the others. Not just the Shrek Seven Devils—even the Great Master and Flandre wanted to see what kind of Soul Skill Tang San had obtained from that Cave Dwelling Demon Spider.
"Alright." A hint of mischief flickered in Tang San's eyes. He raised his right hand, and dark blue light surged from his palm.
A stalk of Blue Silver Grass materialized from his palm. Its thickness appeared no different from before; the only distinction was the color. The Blue Silver Grass had turned a deep, pure black, giving off an oppressive aura. But what truly stunned everyone was the four Soul Rings that appeared simultaneously.
Two yellow, one purple, one black—two hundred years, one thousand years, one ten-thousand years. The four Soul Rings orbited around Tang San's body, rising and falling. The moment they emerged, an invisible pressure forced Oscar to stumble back several steps. Tang San's body now radiated an unfathomable mystique.
Then the black Soul Ring quietly lit up. In contrast to the dazzling purple ring, the ten-thousand-year ring gave off a feeling of deep composure and restraint.
Without the slightest warning, sixteen pitch-black stalks of Blue Silver Grass erupted from the ground around Oscar, converging above his head in an instant to form an individual prison cage.
Since there had been no fluctuation of aura whatsoever when they emerged, Oscar had no awareness to dodge. Furthermore, the sixteen stalks appeared far too quickly. By the time he reacted, the ring of Blue Silver Grass was already as hard as refined steel.
"This is my fourth Soul Skill. It evolved from the Cave Dwelling Demon Spider's Web Prison. Since this prison is formed from Blue Silver Grass, I call it the Blue Silver Prison."
Dai Mubai reached out and flicked one of the pitch-black stalks. A metallic clang rang out. The normally flexible Blue Silver Grass had become as hard as steel under the effect of the Soul Skill.
Dai Mubai took a deep breath and bellowed as he released his Martial Soul. White light surged around his right fist as he condensed his Soul Power and hammered a punch into one of the sixteen stalks.
With a tremendous boom, fine cracks instantly spread across the stalk. Dai Mubai struck again, and only then did it shatter, dissolving into faint black light that vanished into nothing.