Zhou Sicheng didn't pay much attention to the Outer Court. As long as Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue weren't falling behind in their cultivation, he didn't worry.
Sometimes, he'd stop by to hang out with them. Beibei, Tang Ya, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao would often join in as well.
After a few rounds of interaction, they'd all gotten fairly familiar with one another.
None of them knew much about Zhou Sicheng, but since Beibei openly admired him, they all saw him as someone powerful and mysterious.
Most of Zhou Sicheng's time was spent in the Inner Court. Aside from his regular training, he'd also go to the Soul Arena every Sunday to instruct Inner Court students on how to fight soul beasts.
But with Ah Da, Hellfire, and Xiong Da growing stronger by the day, even the Inner Court's elite found themselves overwhelmed by his contracted soul beasts.
As a result, Zhou Sicheng often requested one or two ten-thousand-year soul beasts from Elder Gong. After taming them, he'd use them in the arena for training.
Over the months, Inner Court students grew used to this weekly challenge. If the delivered soul beasts weren't strong enough to pressure the top students, Zhou Sicheng's own soul beasts would take the field.
Thanks to his help, Elder Gong had it easy. By communicating with the beasts through Zhou Sicheng's contracted creatures, he had truly become a Beast King and had greatly expanded his understanding of soul beasts.
Zhou Sicheng typically trained alongside Ye Guyi. Dugu Xianmeng had been focused on purging the toxins from her body, so she hadn't been around much.
As for Ma Xiaotao, ever since receiving the Phoenix Crimson Sunflower Seed from Zhou Sicheng, she'd been clinging to him more often. Still, with Ye Guyi constantly by his side, she hadn't dared express her deeper feelings.
Another two months passed in the blink of an eye. It had now been over five months since Zhou Sicheng entered Shrek Academy.
Dugu Xianmeng, thanks to the Universal Detox Pill Zhou Sicheng had given her, had fully purged her internal poisons. The residual toxins had condensed into a poison core.
Given her current strength, she would need to release the poison every six months. Since this was her first time forming a poison core, she was still inexperienced.
Zhou Sicheng had asked Elder Mu about soul core cultivation methods, hoping to apply its principles to guide Dugu Xianmeng in refining her poison core into a true Poison Soul Core.
If successful, it wouldn't need to be expelled regularly—and instead, could massively enhance her cultivation and combat power.
Elder Mu agreed with the idea after some thought. Considering Zhou Sicheng's terrifying talent, it was likely he could condense his own soul core earlier than most.
So, Elder Mu gathered Zhou Sicheng, Ye Guyi, and Dugu Xianmeng to personally explain the entire process and nuances of soul core formation.
It was never too early to begin laying the foundation for a soul core.
Zhou Sicheng and Ye Guyi had already planned for this. They knew the sooner they formed soul cores, the stronger their future foundations would be.
Dugu Xianmeng, on the other hand, felt utterly blessed by the heavens. Thanks to Zhou Sicheng, she now had Elder Mu—one of the top figures of the current era—guiding her personally.
Although Elder Mu wasn't a poison cultivator, he'd once fought a legendary poison master to a standstill and had valuable insights into poison-based soul core refinement.
He also noticed the subtle bond between Zhou Sicheng and Dugu Xianmeng. Without pointing it out, he merely told her to first try refining the poison into a core. If that failed, he would take her to an old friend.
Zhou Sicheng knew exactly who Elder Mu meant: Du Busi, the greatest poison master of the age—and one of the few people Elder Mu would ever call a "friend."
Zhou Sicheng felt deeply moved. He had contributed much to Shrek, but Elder Mu gave back even more.
In a way, their relationship was one of mutual effort and reward—each giving and gaining in equal measure.
—
Two more months passed.
Half a month ago, Zhou Sicheng's soul power advanced from rank 43 to 44.
Ye Guyi had reached rank 65 a month prior. Thanks to the effects of the Lovesick Heartbroken Scarlet Zoysia, her cultivation speed had skyrocketed.
Of course, gaining a level in just a month wasn't solely due to the herb—it was also the simultaneous absorption of the Light Dragon Turtle's spirit ring and soul bone, which had already brought her close to breaking through. After stabilizing her foundation and cultivating beneath the Golden Tree, the breakthrough came naturally.
While the Golden Tree benefitted any soul master, for someone like Ye Guyi—who wielded a pure Light attribute Angel Martial Soul—it was simply the perfect cultivation environment. Without equal.
—
That afternoon, after finishing their training under Elder Mu's guidance, Zhou Sicheng and Ye Guyi were about to leave when he called them back.
"Wait a moment, Sicheng, Guyi," he said with a wave of his hand.
They paused, confused. "Teacher, do you have a mission for us?" Zhou Sicheng asked.
Elder Mu nodded. "Indeed. Your training has borne fruit. Sicheng, you've fully grasped the embryonic form of your Dominion Over All domain. Guyi, your Dragon Emperor's Radiant Rend has also matured. It's time to put your progress to the test."
The two exchanged a glance. "Don't worry, teacher. Leave it to us."
Elder Mu smiled. "That's what I expected. This time, we've received a report from Morey City. Suspected activity by Evil Soul Masters. After investigating, we've confirmed a team led by a Soul Sage-level Evil Soul Master, with several Soul Kings and Soul Emperors."
"I've decided to send you both, along with Xiaotao. She's even stronger now that she's purged her evil fire, and this will be a good opportunity to train you."
Zhou Sicheng and Ye Guyi both nodded firmly.
A mere Soul Sage-level Evil Soul Master posed no challenge to Zhou Sicheng.
Elder Mu's expression turned serious. "Sicheng already has experience eliminating Evil Soul Masters. Last time, he killed a Soul Douluo and two Soul Sages solo. But that was in the wilderness. This time is different. These targets are operating within a populated city."
"Their strength is dangerous, but what makes them most troublesome is their utter lack of humanity. I'm not worried about your personal safety. I'm testing your ability to protect innocent civilians while eliminating the threat completely."
Zhou Sicheng immediately understood Elder Mu's intentions.
It wasn't just about power. A true leader must be tested under pressure.
Defeating enemies without collateral damage in a crowded city—that was a challenge even a Titled Douluo might not handle well.
Evil Soul Masters didn't play by the rules. If cornered, they would undoubtedly retaliate in the most vicious way possible.
Unless you could eliminate them all in an instant, the best tactic was to send overwhelming force, soul masters a level above, so they didn't feel desperate enough to resort to extreme measures.
But no plan was foolproof. As the saying goes, "No plan survives first contact with the enemy."
Strangely, Zhou Sicheng couldn't understand why these Evil Soul Masters were still lingering. Normally, upon being exposed, they would retreat to avoid death.
This gave him a suspicion—it was likely Elder Mu orchestrated this scenario as a test.
And he was right. Elder Xuan had already left Shrek a week ago and was now observing the Evil Soul Masters in Morey City.
He had full control over their movements. The only reason he hadn't crushed them yet was because it was the perfect opportunity to temper Zhou Sicheng and his group.
Ma Xiaotao and Ye Guyi were both high-level Soul Emperors, capable of handling most Soul Sages. And Zhou Sicheng… was in another league entirely.
This group of Evil Soul Masters might as well have been created for training purposes.
Yes, it was cruel—lives might be lost. But this was a brutal world, and Elder Mu knew that sometimes, mercy led only to more tragedy.
Even Elder Xuan couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be casualties. Evil Soul Masters would absolutely use innocent lives as hostages.
So, if loss was inevitable, better to trade a few lives now in exchange for stronger protectors in the future.
The harsh truth: Only by experiencing fire and blood can one become truly tempered.
—
As for Zhou Sicheng, his safety was almost guaranteed. Not only was he a genius among geniuses, but Elder Xuan was watching from the shadows. A handful of Soul Sages wouldn't pose a real threat.
The difference between the Inner and Outer Court wasn't just resources or instructors.
The Inner Court had an unspoken rule: joining it meant bearing the burden of a great responsibility.
Many talented Outer Court graduates never entered the Inner Court—not because they couldn't—but because they didn't want that responsibility.
And what was that responsibility?
To hunt Evil Soul Masters.
After the collision of the Sun Moon and Douluo Continents 4,000 years ago, Evil Soul Masters became bolder and stronger.
In response, Shrek Academy founded the Shrek Inspection Group, tasked with eliminating them.
Every Inner Court student automatically became a part of this secret organization. To graduate, they needed to complete at least 30 inspection missions—many of which were fatal.
Every year, some students died in these missions.
That's why the Inner Court had so few students—less than a hundred at any time.
Elder Mu had already told Zhou Sicheng about the Inspection Group. Ye Guyi had completed five missions already.
Even the most basic assignments weren't easy. And Guyi was public enemy number one to Evil Soul Masters. An angel not yet at full strength? They would never let her live.
Thankfully, she'd survived every crisis so far.
As for Zhou Sicheng, his slaying of three Evil Soul Masters counted as one top-tier inspection mission—though technically a surprise encounter.
Now, Elder Mu was sending them to Morey City for a proper test.
—
Inside Zhou Sicheng's spiritual sea, Old Yi's voice rang out.
"Sicheng, last time you encountered Evil Soul Masters, I was asleep. This time, I want to see what this world calls 'necromancy.'"
"From what you've described, these Evil Soul Masters barely grasp the basics of undead magic. Catch a few alive—I'll show you what real necromancy looks like."
Nearby, Tianmeng grumbled, "Yeah yeah, do it already. Sicheng, catch a bunch of them! I'm sick of hearing Yi brag about necromancy."
Yi ignored Tianmeng's sarcasm but was already imagining the look on his face once he witnessed true necromancy in action.
Using it on regular people was immoral—but on Evil Soul Masters? The perfect demonstration.
Zhou Sicheng replied in his mind, "Don't worry, Elder Yi. I'm looking forward to seeing it too."
Aloud, he nodded to Elder Mu. "Understood, teacher. We won't underestimate any opponent."
Elder Mu smiled. "Good. You'll depart with Xiaotao tomorrow."
—
Afterward, Zhou Sicheng and Ye Guyi went to find Ma Xiaotao.
Upon hearing the mission, she wasn't afraid—she was excited.
Zhou Sicheng couldn't understand where her excitement came from.
To Ma Xiaotao, Evil Soul Masters were dangerous—but also Shrek's sworn enemies. As a member of the Inspection Group, she had completed many missions.
She had slain bandits, corrupt officials, even saved enslaved children. She had seen Evil Soul Masters at their worst—and she never backed down.
She had long vowed to eliminate every last one.
And now she was thrilled—because this mission meant going with Zhou Sicheng.
Yes, Ye Guyi was also coming.
But aside from her, it would just be the two of them.
With Dugu Xianmeng absent, Ma Xiaotao would finally get more time to grow closer to Zhou Sicheng…
****
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