Chapter 16: Unexpected Conflict

On the roadside, recalling everything Feng Wuyu had told him last night, Gu You gazed at the sky, lost in thought. He actually wanted to take Feng Wuyu as his true master. After all, after three years together, he had already called him "Master" more than once. But he had to admit that if he wanted to become a Divine Craftsman, he had to apprentice under Zhen Hua. Perhaps this was just one of the world's inherent injustices.

To Gu You, the past three years had been monotonous—blacksmithing, cultivating, and occasionally visiting the Sea God Pavilion in Shrek Academy's inner court to accompany Yali. Other than that, nothing much happened. The outside world still had no idea who he was. If they knew, he'd probably become a celebrity. As for his cheap master Leng Yaozhu, he hadn't seen her in so long that he wondered what kind of mood she would be in now.

Thinking of this, he had already entered Shrek Academy. At the academy gate, the student guards overseeing the mission board initially didn't recognize him and refused him entry. But after hearing a voice in their minds, their expressions changed to respect, and they immediately stepped aside to let him pass.

If not for his blacksmithing duties and other minor distractions, he probably would have already broken through to Rank 30 by now, right?Gu You glanced at his hands. A trace of dark purple soul power rose silently before fading away again.

"Who is that? Why isn't he wearing a school uniform? I remember it's mandatory, right?"

At Lingbing Plaza, Gu You was visiting for the first time. Previously, Feng Wuyu had always taken him directly to the inner court. But today, for some reason, Feng Wuyu suddenly stopped doing that, forcing Gu You to walk all the way from the Blacksmiths' Association to the inner court on his own.

"Rules aside, even without a uniform, he's so handsome!" Some female students in the plaza had heart-shaped eyes. Many gathered around, curious about the unfamiliar face. There wasn't much gossip at Shrek Academy—most students focused on training hard to qualify for the inner court.

Approaching his ninth birthday, Gu You's appearance had undergone a drastic transformation. His pitch-black, faintly blue pupils, slightly curled black hair, and impressive height of 1.6 meters already gave him the presence of an adult. Moreover, he exuded a unique aura that sparked the imagination.

Normally, Lingbing Plaza wasn't very crowded. The only ones present were students doing chores to earn contribution points. But today, with so many people gathered, it was likely due to the timing coinciding with class dismissal—and perhaps an unexpected event.

Sweeping his gaze over the crowd, Gu You noticed that almost all of them wore the white and yellow Shrek uniforms, indicating first- and second-year students.

Just like the Spirit Pagoda, Shrek Academy used different colors to distinguish students' ranks.

"Too arrogant! Walking around without a Shrek uniform—does he think we have no one here? And you idiots are defending him? Just because he's a little better looking than me?"

A disgruntled voice rang out from the crowd.

"Yeah, yeah! Not wearing a uniform… If we report him, we might even get some contribution points! What luck!"

A second voice chimed in.

Gu You said nothing, coldly making his way through the crowd.

"Did I say you could leave?! Wait here for the Enforcement Team to come and explain yourself before you go." A thick arm clamped down on Gu You's shoulder.

"Let go." Gu You clenched his fist, turning his head calmly to look at the person behind him.

"Oh? Such a bad temper! If you can walk away today, I, Zhou Tian, will change my name!" The youth sneered at Gu You.

"I'll say it one more time. Let go." Gu You's voice grew heavier.

"Ooooh, so scary! What if I don't? Maybe you're a trespasser! Once the Enforcement Team gets here, we'll know for sure!"

"I support you!"

Another frail-looking student stepped forward to stand beside Zhou Tian.

Zhou Tian nodded approvingly. "Good, kid, you know the drill."

"You two are going too far! The academy's outer security is so strict—how could an intruder even get in? I think he's just a newly admitted student who doesn't know the rules," a bespectacled girl timidly spoke up.

"Hah! Just joined and doesn't know the rules? You still need to 'learn' that wearing a school uniform is required? What class are you in? Dare to fight me in the arena?" Zhou Tian shot her a sinister glare. The girl immediately lowered her head and fled in fear.

"Alright, I've wasted enough time on you." Gu You let out a soft sigh. "I'll be direct—I'm not an intruder. But… I'm also not a Shrek student."

He casually threw a punch.

Seeing this, Zhou Tian was overjoyed—his Martial Soul was the mutated King Kong Baboon, and he loved nothing more than direct confrontations.

However, what he didn't know was that Gu You had killed more King Kong Baboons than he could count.

Fists clashed. Zhou Tian hadn't even activated his Martial Soul.

Crack!

A sharp snap echoed.

"AHHHHH!"

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air as Zhou Tian was sent flying under the stunned gazes of the crowd.

What just happened?

"Did I see that right? Zhou Tian, a Rank 34 second-year, just got punched into the air?"

"You're dead!"

Zhou Tian clutched his injured arm, three soul rings glowing beneath his feet. His Martial Soul activated, covering his body in coarse brown fur, making him look especially ridiculous.

"You made a big mistake!" Gu You remained calm as two soul rings emerged beneath him, both gleaming with a dazzling purple light.

"Thousand…thousand-year soul rings?!"

"His first soul ring is a thousand-year one?!"

Zhou Tian, now in berserk mode, activated his second and third soul skills simultaneously. A massive, earth-shattering fist shadow formed and slammed toward Gu You.

A mere trick.

Gu You sneered. His second soul ring glowed.

Purple Dread Eye!

"Surrender to fear!"

Gu You's pupils turned into vertical slits, releasing a violet glow that spread outward.

In Zhou Tian's eyes, Gu You's figure expanded endlessly. A sense of absolute destruction flooded his mind, directly assaulting his spirit. Horror movie images from his past life filled his head.

"NOOOO!"

Zhou Tian convulsed violently, his limbs twitching. As for his supposed earth-shattering soul skill, it had long since been consumed by the destructive aura.

That was the invincible nature of Gu You's Martial Soul—his extreme Destruction Attribute could negate any soul skill or soul power. Regardless of rank, even if he faced a Titled Douluo, the pure destruction energy would at least weaken their attacks.

And that was just the aura. If his draconic claws were to pierce a person… it wouldn't just destroy their soul power—it would tear them apart entirely.

At that moment, terrifying auras suddenly descended from above.

The pressure came so suddenly that none of the students had time to react.

The first-year students, with their low Rank 20 soul power, were instantly forced to their knees. Third-year students barely managed to stay upright, pressing one hand to the ground for support.

Yet under this oppressive force, Gu You stood firm, completely unaffected.

"Shrek Outer Court Enforcement Team! Who dares cause trouble here?!"

Two figures descended from the sky, landing before the crowd. They looked around thirty years old—one had seven soul rings at his feet, while the other had six.

But what was truly terrifying was that both of them were clad in shining battle armor.

(Chapter End)