After Jiang Nannan left—
Zhu Ziyang washed up, pulled out Mu En's notebook, and leaned against the bed as he began reading.
"Light—where the heart points, it exists everywhere!"
Mu En was worthy of being a Level 99 Limit Douluo. With just a single line on the first page, he captured the essence of the Light attribute.
Compared to other natural elements, the Light element had a very distinct nature. It was not just a natural element—it was also a special energy, a force embedded within the order of all living beings.
Mu En's notes meticulously described cultivation methods for the Light element. For ordinary Light-attribute soul masters, these notes were as good as a divine manual. But for someone like Zhu Ziyang, who possessed Ultimate Light, the cultivation methods were somewhat redundant.
What he truly valued was the section in the notebook that detailed the applications and techniques of the Light attribute—an area he still lacked mastery in.
While the library did contain notes left by Light-type soul masters—mostly past Pope-level figures—those focused on holy or divine attributes, derived from their clan's Angelic martial soul. Though related to Light, they leaned heavily toward divinity. In terms of pure Light attribute mastery, none of them surpassed Mu En.
Moreover, Mu En's notebook had been compiled within the last century, making it too new to be included in the Grand Library's archival system. If Zhu Ziyang hadn't become Mu En's disciple, there's no way he would've gotten his hands on such a treasure.
"The first nature of Light is illumination—to dispel all darkness and fog…"
Zhu Ziyang extended his palm and focused. A blindingly bright orb of light instantly gathered, illuminating every corner of his dorm room, even places like under the bed or beneath the desk that would normally be in shadow.
"Heh!" Zhu Ziyang chuckled.
"Isn't that just basic? Anyone with a hand can do that—why even train it?"
Though he spoke lightly, he knew the truth: the only reason he could summon such pure, radiant Light energy so effortlessly was because of his Ultimate Light attribute.
Every element carried its own pride. Without an ultimate attribute, it would be impossible to manipulate Light with such ease and precision—even with years of training.
"Light is omnipresent. To gather light into radiance is to unite Heaven and Earth…"
"Borrowing Light techniques?" Zhu Ziyang mused, eyebrows furrowed. "Could this actually work? Teacher specifically marked this section and even noted that it's only viable for Ultimate attribute users. I suppose that makes sense. Light is notoriously 'temperamental' among natural elements!"
Zhu Ziyang continued reading Mu En's notebook with intense focus.
After the freshman assessment, the new students had officially become outer court disciples of Shrek Academy. All they had to do now was pass the annual year-start assessments and avoid being held back more than three times, and they could smoothly graduate from the outer court.
Thus, a calm yet intense academy life began.
"Can you two hurry up already?"
At Shrek Academy's front gate, Tang Ya stood with an exasperated look, watching Zhu Ziyang and Beibei dragging their feet.
"Xiao Ya, what's the rush? The conference lasts three days. It's only the first day," Beibei replied with a bitter smile.
"That's exactly why we need to go early! Otherwise, all the good stuff will get snatched up by upperclassmen!" Tang Ya scolded righteously.
"It's not that extreme," Zhu Ziyang chimed in. "I checked—there are only about thirty to forty core disciples in the entire outer court."
"Only thirty to forty?" Tang Ya stared at him, stunned. She turned to Jiang Nannan and asked, "Nannan, am I wrong here?"
"You're both right," Jiang Nannan replied tactfully. "Anyway, let's just go."
"Exactly!" Tang Ya nodded in agreement.
With that, the four of them set off at speed toward Shrek City.
It had been half a month since the freshman assessment. The group was heading to Shrek City to attend the Annual Exchange Conference hosted by the Nine Treasures Business Association.
In that time, not much had changed for the group, aside from Tang Ya. Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan had not yet used their Soul Ascension Pills. Zhu Ziyang planned to wait until he reached level 39, and Jiang Nannan until level 29. Tang Ya, however, saw soul power advancement as her top priority.
With the Wood Spirit Pill and Mystic Water Pill that Beibei had acquired for her—combined with the Soul Ascension Pill—Tang Ya jumped directly from level 23 to 26.
Interestingly, the Soul Ascension Pill was the cheapest among the three. The Wood Spirit Pill was a top-tier tonic with an effect rivaling divine medicine for someone with her Blue Silver Grass martial soul. The Mystic Water Pill, though a mid-tier pill, was rare and monopolized by hidden sects. It could reforge meridians and enhance talent—a remarkable item.
With her rapid breakthroughs and improved aptitude, Tang Ya's stress had significantly decreased, and her cheerful personality returned in full force. Her infectious laughter could now be heard almost daily.
Soon, they arrived at the Nine Treasures Business Association in Shrek City.
The Soul Master Exchange Conference was an annual grand event in Shrek City, organized by the Treasure Pavilion and co-hosted by the five major business groups. It combined auctions, trades, and exhibitions in a single venue.
This year, the Nine Treasures Business Association was hosting.
As newly promoted core disciples, all four had received invitations—and even better, they could choose one item worth up to one million gold soul coins for free.
"Wow, it's packed!" Jiang Nannan exclaimed in awe as they entered the bustling business hall.
The Nine Treasures Business Association building had five floors. The top floor was reserved for auctions, while the remaining four were filled with vendor stalls and shops. Every level was packed with people—it was a lively scene.
"So, are we shopping together or splitting up?" Zhu Ziyang asked.
"Let's split up," Beibei said with a smile.
"Alright," Zhu Ziyang agreed, then took Jiang Nannan's hand. "We'll go first. Nannan, this way."
"Okay!" Jiang Nannan replied, waving to Tang Ya. "See you back at the dorm!"
Tang Ya didn't answer—because Beibei had already pulled her away.
"Nannan, I'm heading to that booth to check out the spirit herbs," Zhu Ziyang said, pointing toward the herbal medicine section.
"Alright. I'll catch up with you later," Jiang Nannan replied. Though she wanted to stay with him, she had her own goals today and temporarily parted ways.
Zhu Ziyang walked over to the spirit herb section and picked a random booth to start browsing.
"Flame Petal – Common spirit herb, rare fire-element plant. Enhances fire resistance. Price: 10,000 gold soul coins."
"Ice Mist Flower – Common spirit herb, ice-type herb found near the edge of the Far North. Food source for some ice-type soul beasts. Boosts soul power for ice-type users. Price: 8,000 gold."
"Millennium Bamboo Heart Grass – Common spirit herb. Grows parasitically inside bamboo-type soul beasts. Enhances toughness in plant-based martial souls or soul beasts. Price: 15,000 gold."
As he walked, read, and reflected, the knowledge in his mind rapidly updated and refined itself.
"Why are these all common herbs?" he muttered in annoyance.
He moved to another booth.
"Flying Cloud Grass – High-grade herb. Grows only on cliffs above 5,000 meters. Wind element. Often found near high-level soul beasts like Flying Cloud Ghost Hawks. Boosts wind-element power and bloodline strength. Price: 350,000 gold."
"Sky Azure Fruit – High-grade herb. Translucent, jade-like fruit. Strengthens meridian toughness and physical constitution. Price: 800,000 gold."
Zhu Ziyang nodded approvingly. These were high-end herbs, rarely seen.
Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a plant blooming with white petals. He moved toward it.
"Pureheart – High-grade spirit herb. Grows atop mountain peaks. Enhances spiritual power and strengthens martial soul essence. Extremely rare. Price: 1,000,000 gold soul coins."
The moment he saw it, Zhu Ziyang made up his mind—this would be his pick. Herbs that enhanced spiritual power were exceedingly rare, and every time one appeared, there would be one less in the world.