A wave of green hair swayed behind her, evoking a unique mermaid beauty. Coupled with the trident in her hand, she looked like the embodiment of the Sea God himself.
A beam of light enveloped her, as if she had just completed a grand "Advancement Ceremony."
Even the Sea Princess clan members stared in shock at the scene. Meeting Su Wen's gaze, their reverence only grew—bordering on fanaticism.
All they saw was Su Wen suddenly tossing out a black orb, as though granting a blessing. After that, their princess Li Ya underwent a world-shaking transformation. This kind of bloodline evolution was far more tempting than a mere increase in power.
In the world of soul beasts, bloodline is king. The strong can suppress weaker soul beasts just by bloodline alone. Most importantly… it raises one's ultimate potential.
The Sea Princess Clan Chief, with her six hundred thousand years of cultivation, had just broken through her sixth great tribulation—already the pinnacle for her clan. Even with talent unmatched among her kin, she could not go any further.
But Li Ya was different.
With her bloodline evolved, her potential now had no upper limit. She could even have a chance to touch the legendary million-year soul beast realm—or even… become a deity.
"Thank you," the Sea Princess Clan Chief bowed once more, crystalline tears rolling down her cheeks, pure as crystal in the ocean.
These were tears of joy.
But…
Only when she grieves to the extreme can she shed golden tears? Su Wen sighed inwardly. The Sea Princess's tears were valuable indeed, but too easily attracted disaster.
All the sea tribe members knelt, expressing their deep admiration.
"Master."
Li Ya swam softly to Su Wen's side, her slim waist supple as a serpent, circling him a few times. Then a glow surged from her body, enveloping Su Wen.
"What's this?" Snow Empress frowned slightly.
"This is… a mermaid's blessing? No, more like a Sea God's ritual blessing. After her bloodline evolution, Li Ya is no longer an ordinary mermaid," the Sea Princess Clan Chief said in surprise.
Seeing Snow Empress's confusion, she explained,
"Our Sea Princess clan can only bless one person in a lifetime—be it a loved one or a parent. The blessed person will carry the Sea Princess's good fortune."
"It's not as strong as the Luck Beast's power of destiny, but for most people, it's already precious…" Snow Empress nodded in understanding.
Su Wen now had an abundance of skills—never a bad thing.
Besides, he had already integrated the Luck Beast's fortune, evolving the Eye of Destiny.
"Why is there no blessing from the sharks?" Bai Xiuxiu swam over, blowing bubbles and scratching her head with her fin. "Su Wen saved me twice, I want to bless him too."
"A blessing from the heart is enough." Snow Empress patted Bai Xiuxiu's soft belly, gazing up at Su Wen, who was wrapped in light, a trace of comfort in her eyes.
The Sea Princess just smiled silently.
…
"The blessing of the ritual, huh."
Su Wen felt the changes within his body and nodded gently.
Fortune is mysterious and intangible.
He never pinned his hopes on it.
It could work—sometimes granting a person the chance to defy fate, opportunities flooding in, possibly reaching godhood. But it could never change his own pitiful fate of being beaten like a dog.
Thinking of his past Destiny Eye, Su Wen felt a sense of irony. (Wang Dong'er, Wang Qiu'er), leaving only—Tang Wutong.
The thought left him numb.
But that's fine.
This life was already a pile of dead ashes.
The Eye of Destiny couldn't see the future—even with the power of destiny, he couldn't control his own luck.
Su Wen exhaled a long breath.
Li Ya's light faded away.
The girl swam to him, asking softly, "Master, is something troubling you?"
"It's nothing," Su Wen smiled and shook his head.
"Just… sentimental, I guess."
Li Ya reached out, gently brushing Su Wen's cheek as if wiping away tears. Then she hugged him tightly.
"Thank you, Master, for giving me a chance at rebirth. I swear to follow you until the seas dry, mountains crumble, and the world ends…"
"Alright."
Su Wen was stunned, then patted her back and smiled.
With so many like-minded friends (all united against Tang San), he had changed a lot—taking the world's fortune from Huo Yuhao, rallying the Silver Dragon King and all the soul beast forces.
That was already pretty good…
Smooch!
Li Ya suddenly kissed Su Wen's cheek and, like a flying fish, darted away into the distance, leaving only ripples in the deep sea. All that remained was the Sea Princess clan, Snow Empress, and Bai Xiuxiu watching him.
"The sea sure is blue…" Su Wen scratched his head, trying to hide his embarrassment.
Only for Snow Empress to roll her eyes at him.
…
Su Wen emerged from the deep sea.
Looking at the vast sky, he felt good. He'd made a deal with the Sea Princess clan for the "acquisition" of sea minerals. Actually, "acquisition" wasn't right—it was more like a one-sided gift from them.
But at Su Wen's insistence, they agreed to trade for some land resources in exchange for sea minerals and other seabed treasures.
He'd never imagined how rich the underwater resources were.
Countless rare land minerals and metals were everywhere on the seabed. For Shrek Academy, about to enter a boom in forging technology, it was a godsend.
"So next up…"
"It's time for—Operation Rescue Jing Hongchen!"
"Low-level mechas are too limited. Let's see if he can break the barrier. After all, he's a top expert in humanoid soul tool research…" Su Wen mused.
Compared to the wildly imaginative Xuan Ziwen, who only showed his talent after joining Shrek, Jing Hongchen was a seasoned powerhouse—a Title Douluo at level 94, steady as a rock. One was a maverick, the other had honed the basics to perfection.
With his participation, the mecha project would proceed much more smoothly.
"…"
…
"Mr. Hongchen, long time no see."
Mingdu, Prison.
An old man slowly opened the door and entered, sighing.
"It's only been a few months, how is that a long time?" Jing Hongchen opened his eyes, smiling at Xu Jiangliu, but with an unusual calm in his gaze—utterly unruffled.
"…"
Xu Jiangliu quietly observed Jing Hongchen, searching for a trace of fear—finding none.
He sighed, getting straight to the point.
"You know why I'm here."
"Mm."
"In that case, I'll let you die knowing. This order comes directly from His Majesty. You have three months. I am to…" Xu Jiangliu clasped his hands behind his back, speaking lightly, "If you die, don't blame me. No one can defy His Majesty's command."
"Xu Jiangliu, you've got guts—daring to slander His Majesty, even telling me to haunt him after death. Aren't you afraid they'll overhear and hand you over—cough, cough…" Jing Hongchen teased.
"They're all my men here," Xu Jiangliu replied flatly.
"Heh, seems you're clever as ever. You know that without me, the Sun-Moon Empire's emperor will have to be wary of you…" Jing Hongchen smiled.
"I really envy you. In Mingdu's future, it'll be you, Xu Jiangliu, who calls the shots."
"Sowing discord won't work on me," Xu Jiangliu replied. "There's only one person who calls the shots in this empire: His Majesty. Only one who shields us: Elder Kong."
"You can rest in peace now…"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. After a lifetime of struggle, I've ended up like this." Jing Hongchen sighed. "You can't take over Mingde Hall anyway, so why run around for nothing? Just hand the baton over to the next generation."
Mingde Hall, the Royal Sun-Moon Soul Tool Group.
Representing the two biggest factions in the military and research sectors of the imperial capital.
As the heads of these two factions, years of rivalry were inevitable. The higher-ups preferred it that way.
Only a life-or-death struggle kept the rulers content.
Even Xu Jiangliu, though representing the royal family and sharing the same blood, was still subject to suspicion. After all, the current emperor seized the throne with an iron fist…
So even without Jing Hongchen, Mingde Hall wouldn't go to Xu Jiangliu alone. It'd probably be managed by a respected clan elder for a while.
"…"
Xu Jiangliu frowned slightly.
"To serve His Majesty is to never look back."
"Bullshit, do you believe that?" Jing Hongchen sneered.
"They, as my enemies, are more comfortable than you…" After a long silence, Xu Jiangliu finally said.
"Hahahaha…"
Jing Hongchen laughed, "So, even as fellow countrymen, you always saw me as an enemy. That's the royal family for you—the Xu clan. Cold-blooded to the core. The emperor, the crown prince, and you…"
"I have no regrets. Only one last request."
"Speak."
"After I die, let Lin Jiayi and the others go. The empire needs these cornerstones for soul tool development. If the fallout is too great, Mingde Hall will suffer…" Jing Hongchen pleaded sincerely.
"Of course. Debts die with the person." Xu Jiangliu nodded. "I won't trouble them. No point."
"That's good."
Jing Hongchen slowly closed his eyes, saying no more.
Xu Jiangliu gave him a complex look, then turned and left…
Meanwhile—
From a god's-eye view over the entire prison:
Soldiers patrolled fully armed. Some soul tool mecha units stalked the grounds. Hundreds of soul-guided ray turrets lined the walls. Teardrop-shaped soul tool drones buzzed through the air, scanning every corner under the soul masters' control.
It was like a steel fortress.
And then—
Boom—!
"Enemy attack!"
Shrill alarms blared.
A huge breach opened in the ground. Dozens of giant drilling soul tools surged out, followed by fierce firefights, explosions, and screams.
Until a mushroom cloud rose, seemingly burning everything to ash, and the riot finally quieted.
"Reporting, sir. Suspected ambush by the Body Sect. Their target was Jing Hongchen. After wounding him, we counterattacked… But they suddenly detonated a level-nine soul tool bomb, taking us down with them. All enemy forces perished, we suffered heavy casualties, and Jing Hongchen was soul-tool bound—he probably died in the flames."
Black smoke billowed.
A middle-aged man in Sun-Moon military uniform knelt before Xu Jiangliu, sweating profusely.
He had failed.
How did they pinpoint Jing Hongchen's cell so precisely? There must be a traitor!
"Go accept your punishment," Xu Jiangliu said expressionlessly, waving his hand.
Conveniently, this was a chance to purge corruption in the military…
Sun-Moon Empire's soul tools often leaked out, even the most advanced technologies appearing at Star Luo Empire's auctions. Military corruption ran deep, so this was a chance to hold people accountable. Where did they get that level-nine fixed soul tool bomb?
It also gave His Majesty an excuse.
Two birds with one stone.
As for the "sacrificed" soldiers—
Necessary losses.
An empire always needs its young soldiers to give their hearts.
Otherwise, how could it claim to be iron-blooded?
He looked at the ravaged, smoking prison, shook his head, and thought his task was done. Time to leave…
With those words, he and several personal guards faded away.
…
Above the clouds—
Su Wen and Jing Hongchen silently watched the scene below.
Jing Hongchen, now healed by Azure Luan, was full of vigor; minor injuries were nothing. Yet he shook his head with a wry smile. "Why cause all this for me alone, at the cost of so many lives?"
"If you were emperor of the Sun-Moon, would you do the same?"
After a moment, Jing Hongchen turned to Su Wen.
"Me?"
Su Wen pondered.
"If it were me, I'd enforce military discipline, but wouldn't use innocent soldiers' lives as an excuse. That's not iron-bloodedness—that's using it as a pretense to show one's own ruthlessness."
"An empire needs warmth, not just icy cold."
"Yes, every emperor has been too extreme. Even the next, Xu Tianran, has inherited his father's character—ambitious, but lacking kindness…" Jing Hongchen sighed.
"That won't take them far."
"Each has their flaws."
Su Wen shook his head.
"In the Star Luo, Heavenly Soul, and Dou Ling empires, the nobles' power is so entrenched that the royal family has to compromise their interests. These countries are more like alliances of nobles than true nations…"
"Haha! Young people see things so clearly." Jing Hongchen laughed, glancing at Su Wen with a grandfatherly look, as if seeing his grandson-in-law.
"When will you bring the Shrek Academy people back?"
"Today," Su Wen said after a moment.
"Might as well use the chaos after the prison explosion."
"Good. I'm curious to see what happens when soul tools and forging combine. They make it sound so magical, with these so-called 'battle armors'…" Jing Hongchen clasped his hands behind his back, relaxing like a retired official.
Today, he was officially retired from Mingde Hall…
…