The first month of the second academic year passed quickly.
On Sea God Island, atop the Golden Tree's canopy, Jing Shaoyu slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a turbid breath, a hint of joy flashing across his face. His Soul Power had been steadily increasing, and at this rate, he would break through to level 50 and reach the Soul King realm in no more than two months.
By then, his 15th birthday would still be half a year away.
Additionally, the Pseudo-Core that had lain dormant in his dantian for a long time had recently been showing frequent signs of activity and resonance. This was good news, as it meant that once Jing Shaoyu reached the Soul King realm, this Pseudo-Core would immediately transform into a true Soul Core.
At that time, he would become a Soul King with a Soul Core!
Jing Shaoyu was in high spirits. He stood up, surrounded by the lush leaves of the Golden Tree, from which white mist occasionally drifted. The air was filled with pure Heaven and Earth Essence and a rich natural aura.
This was the canopy of the Golden Tree, the highest point on Sea God Island and the area with the densest natural energy in the entire Sea God Island and Sea God Lake region. For Jing Shaoyu, cultivating here not only doubled his efficiency but also allowed him to comprehend the profound truths of heaven and earth, making it the most suitable place for his cultivation.
Jing Shaoyu flew down from the Golden Tree's canopy and returned to the wooden cabin of Yun Ming and Ya Li. At this moment, only Ya Li was inside the cabin, as Yun Ming and Na'er were likely practicing their spear techniques on the ground.
"Shiniang," Jing Shaoyu called out.
"Ah Yu," Ya Li's face immediately lit up with a tender and affectionate smile upon seeing Jing Shaoyu. She beckoned him over and said, "Come quickly. I was just about to take you to meet Sister Yue, and here you are. It seems we mother and son are quite in sync."
"Shiniang, who is Sister Yue?" Jing Shaoyu walked over to Ya Li, a look of curiosity on his face.
"Sister Yue is your teacher's teacher, which makes her your grandmaster's wife," Ya Li explained.
"Oh, so she's my teacher's shiniang, my grandmaster's wife?" Jing Shaoyu had already realized who Ya Li was referring to.
"Theoretically, yes, but Sister Yue's situation is a bit special," Ya Li said with a peculiar expression, her tone somewhat mysterious. "When you meet her, don't speak first. Address her as she instructs you, understand?"
"Understood."
Jing Shaoyu followed Ya Li to a simple wooden cabin on Sea God Island, surrounded by a modest fence. In the courtyard, a young man and woman in their twenties were chatting with an elderly woman.
The elderly woman was dressed plainly, appearing ordinary at first glance, but her entire being exuded an undeniable presence. Her seemingly frail and unremarkable body seemed to contain immense energy, making her impossible to underestimate.
The man accompanying her was in his early thirties, tall and handsome with a scholarly demeanor. The woman appeared to be in her late twenties, with a delicate and pleasant appearance, though not stunningly beautiful. Her demeanor was warm and friendly, and her smile was full of kindness.
The arrival of Jing Shaoyu and Ya Li immediately caught the attention of the three. The elderly woman's smile deepened, while the young man and woman stood up respectfully and greeted Ya Li, saying, "Teacher Ya Li!"
"Mu Zi, Yin Meng, you two are here as well," Ya Li responded with a smile, then turned to the elderly woman. "Sister Yue, I've brought Shaoyu to meet you."
Jing Shaoyu stepped forward, bowing respectfully while observing the seemingly ordinary old woman, his mind racing with thoughts.
This elderly woman, if he wasn't mistaken, should be Long Yeyue, the Light-Dark Douluo who possessed both the Light Sacred Dragon Spirit and the Dark Sacred Dragon Spirit—a truly extraordinary figure in the original story.
"So you're the new disciple Yun Ming has taken in. Not bad, quite a rare handsome young man!" Long Yeyue's eyes lit up slightly as she looked at Jing Shaoyu, then she chuckled warmly.
"Yes," Jing Shaoyu replied respectfully.
The young man and woman beside them were also sizing up Jing Shaoyu. They had heard about the sect master taking in a new disciple but had never met him before. This was their first encounter.
"He's a good kid," Long Yeyue said, immediately seeing through Jing Shaoyu's cultivation level. She nodded with a smile. "No need to be so formal. Just call me Sister Yue."
"Huh?" Jing Shaoyu was taken aback and glanced at Ya Li.
Ya Li sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Sister Yue, that's not appropriate. It's better to call her Elder Long."
"Not appropriate?" Long Yeyue retorted, then said with a lack of interest, "Fine, Elder Long it is. After all, I'm over two hundred years old—definitely an old thing."
"Sister Yue, you know that's not what I meant," Ya Li said helplessly, holding Long Yeyue's hand. "How about a compromise? Call her Martial Aunt, okay?"
"That works!" Long Yeyue's eyes brightened, and she agreed immediately.
Seeing this, Jing Shaoyu breathed a sigh of relief. The idea of calling a two-hundred-year-old woman "sister" was something he couldn't quite accept. So when Ya Li suggested "Martial Aunt," he readily agreed without considering the implications behind the title.
In truth, Jing Shaoyu didn't mind calling older people "sister," but only if they looked the part. He couldn't bring himself to call someone with the appearance of an elderly woman "sister"—it was just too unsettling.
Alright, Jing Shaoyu admitted he was a bit of a looks person, but who wasn't?
This meeting was supposed to be about introducing him to Long Yeyue, but he barely exchanged a few words with her. Most of the conversation was between Ya Li and Long Yeyue, while he stood to the side, chatting with the young man and woman.
During their conversation, Jing Shaoyu learned the identities of the young couple. They were none other than Lan Muzi, the current top senior disciple of the Inner Academy, and Tang Yinmeng, the top senior female disciple. The two were married, both Soul Douluos and Three-Word Battle Armor Masters. With such strength, they could easily become the headmasters of a high-level Soul Master academy in the outside world, but at Shrek Academy, they were still just students.
It was worth noting that they were in the same class as Wu Zhangkong and Shen Yi.
After leaving Long Yeyue's small cabin, Jing Shaoyu had dinner with Yun Ming, Ya Li, and Na'er before returning to the Outer Academy.
Although he occasionally went to the Golden Tree for cultivation, he rarely stayed overnight in the Inner Academy, always returning to his dormitory in the Outer Academy to sleep.
When he returned to his dorm, Mo Hentian was tinkering with her rare metals on the living room table. Seeing Jing Shaoyu return, she merely glanced up, called out "Class Monitor," and then went back to studying her metals.
Jing Shaoyu glanced at the rare metals on the table and asked curiously, "Xiao Mo, did Yuanen prepare all these rare metals?"
"Mm," Mo Hentian snapped out of her focus on the rare metals and replied, "Yuanen wants to craft a One-Word Battle Armor using Spiritual Metal, so he asked me to help forge a Sentient Alloy for him."
"I see," Jing Shaoyu nodded, then furrowed his brow in confusion. "But does Yuanen even have that much money? I remember she's pretty broke."
"She doesn't, but her classmate does," Mo Hentian blinked and explained.
"?" Jing Shaoyu looked at Mo Hentian with a puzzled expression, prompting her to explain the whole story.
It turned out that Yuanen Yehui had the funds to purchase these rare metals because of Le Zhengyu. Le Zhengyu had always been resentful that Yuanen Yehui became the class monitor, so he would frequently challenge her to duels. After defeating Le Zhengyu three times in a row, Yuanen Yehui stopped accepting his challenges.
Naturally, Le Zhengyu couldn't accept this, so he resorted to using his wealth. He promised that if Yuanen Yehui accepted his challenge, he would give her a substantial amount of Federation Currency. If he lost, he would double the amount.
And so, Yuanen Yehui found a new way to make money.
After hearing Mo Hentian's explanation, Jing Shaoyu's mouth twitched. Le Zhengyu was really spending money just to get beaten up—wasn't this the epitome of being rich but foolish? If Yuanen Yehui hadn't yet revealed her true gender, he might have suspected that Le Zhengyu had a crush on her.
Sigh, he felt too exhausted to even comment.
"By the way, Monitor," Mo Hentian suddenly exclaimed as if she had just remembered something, "Yuanen wants to ask Gu Yue to help design a Two-Word Battle Armor for him. He wants to meet with Gu Yue and asked me to relay the request."
"Two-Word Battle Armor?" Jing Shaoyu was surprised. "Has he finished crafting his One-Word Battle Armor?"
"No," Mo Hentian shook her head. "He's not very satisfied with the design of his One-Word Battle Armor, so he's planning to start over with the Two-Word Battle Armor. He's seen my Two-Word Battle Armor design and was very impressed, so he thinks Gu Yue can design something he'll be satisfied with."
"I see," Jing Shaoyu said. "It seems you and Yuanen have a good relationship. Does he know about your Twin Martial Souls?"
"Mm," Mo Hentian nodded without hesitation. "He also has Twin Martial Souls, so he can appreciate the ingenuity of my Battle Armor designs."
"I'll talk to Gu Yue about it, but I can't guarantee she'll agree," Jing Shaoyu said.
"Thank you, Monitor," Mo Hentian immediately smiled, and even in her male attire, her smile was still strikingly charming.