However, Ye Wen was a cautious person. Without the concrete validation of a Title Douluo-level expert, he decided to add a second layer of insurance.
For instance, he planned to create a soul tool capable of masking or interfering with soul power fluctuations.
In the Douluo series set thousands of years later, there was a special spirit beast that transformed into human form before reaching ten thousand years of age—the Imperial Auspicious Beast, Three-Eyed Golden Lion, Wang Qiu'er.
Reflecting on this now, Ye Wen realized Wang Qiu'er was a major anomaly. When she entered Shrek Academy, her cultivation was only at the Soul King level, yet she directly joined the inner court of Shrek, which was filled with Title Douluo-level experts.
Though the original story didn't explain why this was possible, Ye Wen speculated three possibilities: either she possessed a soul tool capable of concealing her spirit beast aura, she had an extraordinary innate talent, or—most logically—she had the backing of Di Tian. Given Shrek's contractual relationship with Di Tian, this would have allowed her to act freely within Shrek.
Moreover, in subsequent series of Douluo, there were similar instances of apparent ten-thousand-year spirit beasts moving freely under the watchful eyes of Title Douluo-level experts.
Thus, if others could do it, so could he. This thought also reignited Ye Wen's passion for research.
Knowing that he possessed a strong creative talent, Ye Wen had long wanted to explore new domains. Xiao Wu's aura concealment wasn't just a challenge—it was the perfect research topic!
To avoid creating any distance between them, Ye Wen always approached Xiao Wu subtly when asking for her cooperation in experiments. Initially, he justified his request by claiming that they needed a hidden trump card to stay alive and undetected by enemies while traveling outdoors.
Xiao Wu, trusting Ye Wen completely after their encounter with the human traffickers, readily agreed without hesitation.
However, even the most skilled cook couldn't prepare a feast without ingredients. In this era of soul tool stagnation, Ye Wen had to painstakingly gather materials, leading to slow progress.
During moments of frustration, Ye Wen lamented more than once how much easier things would be if he had access to the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
After all, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud wasn't just the energy core of the super-divine weapon, the Sea God Trident—it was also an extraordinary soul tool. Ye Wen even speculated that the era of the Sea God might have been a peak period for human soul tools, which had since declined for various reasons.
Thanks to the Huo family's vast resources and Ye Wen's thriving business empire (backed by Qian Renxue despite his relatively low cultivation), he managed to collect a significant number of soul tools to aid his research.
Finally, after relentless effort, Ye Wen succeeded. Using the remains of a ten-thousand-year spirit beast, he created a unique soul tool that activated its aura to intimidate lower-level spirit beasts and partially mimic the aura of the original beast.
Though it was far from the aura-concealing soul tool Ye Wen had initially envisioned, it still served its purpose.
But having a soul master like Xiao Wu carry around a non-combat soul tool that merely emitted an aura felt odd. To make it less conspicuous, Ye Wen modified it extensively, eventually crafting it into a small sword-like accessory tied to the end of Xiao Wu's ponytail.
Now, not only could Xiao Wu perform her beloved Explosive Eight-Step Throw, but she also gained a stealthy finishing move.
Xiao Wu gently stroked the unique soul tool, momentarily lost in thought. Her eyes welled up with tears as she suddenly hugged Ye Wen tightly.
"Thank you, Brother. I really like this weapon."
Her lips quivered as if she wanted to say something more. After all, even someone as simple-minded as Xiao Wu could sense the peculiarity of Ye Wen's actions—first the cultivation method, then this soul tool with its distinct aura.
Ye Wen's eyes were sunken and shadowed, evidence of his exhaustion. Developing soul tools from scratch in this era was no easy feat, even for someone with his remarkable talent.
But feeling Xiao Wu's warmth in his arms, Ye Wen felt everything was worth it.
Gently stroking her soft back, he whispered, "Don't worry. I promised to protect you."
---
Ultimately, Xiao Wu didn't confess her identity as a spirit beast. But the unspoken understanding in their lingering gazes said it all—they both knew, and no words were needed.
"Cough, cough."
Just as their interaction was about to escalate further, Huo Yu'er, who had been observing silently, cleared her throat in displeasure.
Though Huo Yu'er had actively encouraged Xiao Wu to become her sister, she now felt oddly like the neglected third wheel. This outcome was absolutely unacceptable!
So, clinging to one of Ye Wen's arms and pressing herself against him, Huo Yu'er spoke sweetly, though with a hint of threat:
"Little Wu's hair accessory is so pretty. I want one too~"
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Ye Wen's temple. Only then did he realize the blunder he'd made, hastily promising to craft a similar accessory for Huo Yu'er.
In the end, Ye Wen created a matching hairband for Huo Yu'er using similar materials.
With equal attention given to both, Ye Wen successfully avoided a potential catfight.
By the time all this was done, nearly a year had passed. If Ye Wen remembered correctly, Tang San should have officially joined Shrek Academy by now.
But without Xiao Wu's presence, would Tang San still be able to assemble the original Shrek Seven Monsters?
None of this mattered to Ye Wen anymore. He had no intention of interfering with Tang San's journey—he simply wanted to live safely with his loved ones.
That was what he told himself, anyway. In reality, Ye Wen was deeply engrossed in his research, leaving Huo Yu'er to lead the way and decide where they went next.
For some reason, today Huo Yu'er brought them to Suotuo City.
When Ye Wen realized they had arrived at the city central to Tang San's destined rise, his face instantly twisted into a bewildered expression: "What?!"
"Why are we in Suotuo City?" Ye Wen asked, confused.
Though Suotuo City wasn't originally on their travel route, Huo Yu'er certainly wasn't about to admit that she wanted to witness the live-action version of the Shrek Seven Monsters. Instead, she casually replied, "Is there a problem with Suotuo City?"
At this, Ye Wen found himself at a loss for words. He couldn't exactly say he knew the plot.
"It's nothing," he muttered.
Thus, two individuals harboring knowledge of the original storyline arrived in the city destined to be Tang San's stage of triumph.
After months of effort, Ye Wen and his companions had all reached the Silver Combat Soul rank—one of the graduation requirements for Shrek Academy in the original story.
At their age, achieving this level of combat soul badges made it difficult for them to find worthy opponents in small towns like this.
Just as Ye Wen was considering whether to challenge higher-level opponents, he realized that he wouldn't have to worry about lacking opponents for much longer.
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