"Alright, now that the class divisions are finalized, each class teacher will escort their students to the teaching building," Du Weilun announced, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. "Chen Junting, Qin Lan, Gao Ming—come with me."
The three followed the director through Shrek Academy's inner paths. None of them had ever stepped foot in the Dean's building before, so they couldn't help but look around curiously.
Simple. Elegant. No ostentatious carvings, no glowing emblems—just floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled with worn tomes and a few living green plants swaying gently by the windows.
"Take a seat." Du Weilun gestured at the sofa with a faint smile.
Chen Junting nodded and sat down calmly, tugging Qin Lan and Gao Ming to join him. Qin Lan hesitated, but Junting's tone brooked no argument.
"We'll be brief. You still have class later."
With a flash from the ruby ring on his finger, Du Weilun summoned a leather soul guide and held it out to Junting. "What's inside is... unique. The academy hasn't given out something this valuable in over three hundred years. There's only one, so I'm trusting you to handle it properly. Choose wisely—don't let it hurt your bond."
Chen Junting accepted the bundle without much reaction. His calm eyes didn't even flicker with greed.
Du Weilun motioned. "Open it."
With a flick of his fingers, Junting untied the knot.
Golden light spilled out like flowing water. A faint pressure filled the room. Floating midair, the object shimmered with dense soul power and the distinctive aura of an ancient beast.
"A... a soul bone?" Gao Ming's eyes widened.
Even Qin Lan's usually composed voice cracked, "Is that real?"
Neither of them had ever seen a soul bone in person. For commoner-born soul masters, soul bones were legends—glimpsed only in books.
But neither showed even a flicker of desire.
Du Weilun noticed and silently nodded in approval.
"Yes," he said. "This is a left leg bone from an 8,000-year-old Kongming Demon Leopard. It suits all three of you… but perhaps one of you best."
His gaze lingered on Qin Lan for a heartbeat.
He already knew Junting wouldn't want it. The heir of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect didn't need an 8,000-year bone—his own bones were likely five times that quality. Gao Ming, while stable, wasn't compatible with the beast-type energy.
But Qin Lan?
His martial soul was the Kongming Ghost Leopard, a high-grade variant. The match was nearly perfect.
Junting closed the leather wrap, sealing the soul power inside. "Thank you, Director Du."
Du Weilun nodded and dismissed them with a reminder: "Keep this between you. No one else needs to know."
---
Walking back, the moment they turned a corner and confirmed no one was nearby, Junting stopped.
"Qin Lan." He tossed the bag lightly over his shoulder without looking. "That's yours."
The bag hit Qin Lan's chest and bounced into his hands. "Wait—what? No! This should go to you!"
Junting turned his head, eyes flat. "Why? Because I'm stronger?"
Qin Lan hesitated. "Well... yeah."
Junting rolled his eyes. "You're overthinking it. I already have six soul bones, all perfectly tailored. This one would be a waste on me."
He pointed at the bag. "Your martial soul is a direct match. For you, that bone might as well be ten thousand years old."
That silenced Qin Lan.
Even Gao Ming, who hadn't said a word yet, nodded slowly. The logic was unshakable.
With trembling hands, Qin Lan hugged the soul bone to his chest. "Then… I'll take it. Hehe."
He made a playful gesture, mask covering his smile, but his joy was obvious. He even leaned in as if to hug Junting.
"Don't even try." Junting raised one leg and kicked him back.
"Oww! Hey!"
"You've never been this shy before," Junting said with a rare smirk.
Then he turned to Gao Ming.
"I've got something for you too."
He reached into his ring and pulled out another leather pouch—this one stamped with the same Shrek seal.
Inside: another soul bone.
"Wait… isn't this—?" Gao Ming's hands trembled.
"Yeah," Junting nodded. "This one came from Teacher Mu Jin. After our team dinner last night, she gave this to Ning Tian and me. It's a secret-type right leg bone—Zhou Yi's bet, the one she lost."
Gao Ming's mouth fell open. "But—why me?"
"Because it suits you better than it suits us. I can't use it. Neither can Ning Tian."
He paused.
"And you're not 'just' an average soul master, Gao Ming. You're someone who'll repay any gift a hundredfold."
Gao Ming was stunned. "Boss Chen… I…"
He clutched the leather bag tightly, trying not to tear up.
"I can't even repay this."
"You don't need to." Junting shrugged. "But if you really want to—"
He looked at both of them.
"Join the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."
Silence.
Then:
"We can?" Qin Lan asked.
"Really?" Gao Ming whispered.
Junting grinned. "For talent like yours, the doors are always open."
The two looked at each other—and nodded without hesitation.
"Then we'll join!" they said in unison.
Junting's smile deepened.
Welcome to the family.
---
(End of Chapter
---
Stones meeeee~~