Beside the Lake of Life.
As Xuan Ji and Azure Luan appeared, Bear Lord and Bi Ji fell into a brief silence. If, in the past, they were slightly tempted by Su Wen's grand promises, now... all that remained was gut-wrenching regret.
Bear Lord gazed at Xuan Ji's awe-inspiring golden "armor" and razor-sharp claws—the kind of powerful body capable of wrestling a True Dragon. It was exactly what he had always dreamed of.
And now, he could even feel a powerful sense of pressure emanating from Xuan Ji. It was the aura of an overlord, from deep within the bloodline, just like how he felt when facing ordinary Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears.
Bi Ji exchanged a glance with Di Tian, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
Master was right after all...
"How is it?" Gu Yuena spoke calmly.
The ferocious beasts: "…"
Is it too late to join now?
"Don't even think about it. Su Wen's seventh spirit ball slot is empty, but the eighth ball is mine. You'll have to wait until I advance to Dragon God before I give you a hand…" Gu Yuena sneered.
Their earlier arrogance now turned to deference—how laughable.
"So this was your solution?!" Di Tian suddenly realized, his eyes widening.
"Correct, a teachable child indeed," Gu Yuena said with a scholarly air, arms akimbo, tossing her silver hair, her gaze tinged with a proud aloofness.
"Once I become Su Wen's pet—cough, I mean, after I sign a contract with him, I'll most likely evolve into a Dragon God, my ultimate form. At that point, soul beasts can become gods!"
"The God Realm will no longer reject soul beasts. Di Tian, you could seize the chance to become a god, and so could the rest of you… Even if you only become a third-rank god, a divine official, that's still an official seat. Don't look down on it."
"Once our soul beast clan has a voice in the God Realm, everything will fall into place!"
Gu Yuena declared proudly.
Clap, clap, clap!
The ferocious beasts applauded enthusiastically.
Di Tian's eyes were full of gratification. Their master had grown...
Even though she'd have to be subordinate to Su Wen, they knew the contract gave him absolute control. But… now, it seemed she was already shaped to Su Wen's will.
And from the looks of it, Su Wen's "exaggerated boasts" from before perhaps weren't mere words.
"The pets under his command all have top-tier bloodlines. They might even be chosen for inheritance by first-rank gods. Do you have any idea how weighty that is…" Gu Yuena continued.
"…"
"Huff, huff…" Bear Lord's eyes turned red.
He stared fixedly at Xuan Ji.
Xuan Ji didn't back down, his huge pupils looking down at Bear Lord.
For Master, I dared to challenge a Super Douluo with just a thousand years of cultivation. Have you ever done that?
I've always fought across levels. Have you?
I fought a Limit Douluo to the death, and was almost blasted apart—can you imagine that?
Xuan Ji gave Bear Lord a sidelong glance.
Shrek teammates are brainless, Sun-Moon Empire's cannons are blind, and Evil Soul Masters' words are incomprehensible.
"…"
Bi Ji also looked at the younger generation in silence, thinking that if the clan saw this scene, they'd probably regret their decisions until their guts turned green.
Of course, she herself regretted it most.
With such a top-tier bloodline, if their master truly advanced to Dragon God and broke the "curse" over the soul beast race, Azure Luan could soar to the heavens and transform into a true Phoenix.
As for herself… If she was lucky, she might barely become a third-rank god, or more likely, just a divine official waving a flag. The gap between the two beasts was as wide as the clouds and mud.
Once, an opportunity had been right before her. She didn't cherish it, and only now did she regret it deeply. If heaven gave her another chance...
But there are no "ifs."
Di Tian placed his hand on her shoulder and sighed.
Some things can't be forced. What's yours will be yours; what isn't, no matter how you fight for it, it's useless...
He too was envious of this great fortune.
Just a contract, and you could soar to the heavens, your bloodline improving in a single leap. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a carp leaping the dragon gate.
But the available slots were pitifully few.
…
Core area of Star Dou Forest.
Towering ancient trees pierced the clouds.
At the base of the trees, viewed from above, a group of ant-sized people busied themselves making campfires and pitching tents.
Jiang Nannan, Zhang Leng, and others grew increasingly tense—not daring to relax in the slightest. In the outer regions, ten-thousand-year soul beasts were rare, but here, they were everywhere. Sometimes, entire groups of soul beasts would migrate past them during the day, led by several ten-thousand-year beasts, nearly resulting in conflict.
"Where's Young Pavilion Master?" whispered a female inner court disciple by the campfire, leaning toward Jiang Nannan.
"I don't know…" Jiang Nannan shook her head.
"Nannan, don't lie to your sister. Tell me honestly, that day you went out, did you go wild in the woods with the Young Pavilion Master?" The senior teased, wearing a knowing smile.
"What? No, of course not!" Jiang Nannan's face flushed red, glaring at her senior in embarrassment.
"Oh, come on, I've been there myself. Don't think I don't understand the little secrets of you young people." The senior grinned, wrapping an arm around Jiang Nannan's slim waist and whispering in her ear, "Just be careful, use protection, you don't want to get pregnant now…"
Even Jiang Nannan's fair ears turned pink.
She stiffened a little.
"What are you two chatting about, Sister Can? Count me in!" Zhang Leng, warming himself by the fire, grinned as he ate a skewered meat caterpillar.
"Zhang, what will you do after you graduate from the inner court?" Senior Can fiddled with the fire, changing the subject.
"Graduate?" Zhang Leng was surprised. "Maybe I'll stay at the academy, become an ordinary teacher in the outer court, get married, have children, and live out my life."
"Tsk, what about you, Xiao Bo?" she smiled at another aloof youth.
"I'll join Director Hongchen's research lab and continue studying soul tools," the youth replied concisely.
"Then… Bai Se?" (Bai Se is Xiao Bai. Xiao means 'Little' or chan in JP)
"M-me?" Bai Se stammered, a little shy and flattered. "I'll probably join the inner court. I want to join the Inspection Team. I really admire the seniors who hunt down Evil Soul Masters across the continent."
"My mom… was killed by Evil Soul Masters."
"…"
The atmosphere turned somber.
The inner court disciples looked stunned.
"Bai Se, the inner court… fighting Evil Soul Masters is far from as easy as you think." Zhang Leng hesitated, removing his jacket to reveal a long scar on his neck.
"I've gone on eleven missions—every one a near-death experience."
"Shrek Academy's intelligence network is terrible. The info they give is always perfunctory, most of it wrong. You have to investigate yourself, step by step, to find Evil Soul Masters, and their strength is often underestimated."
"There's a place in the inner court called the Honor Monument, where the spirits of countless fallen seniors are buried. Every time I visit, I feel a heavy, suffocating weight in my heart."
Seeing Bai Se's confusion, Zhang Leng sighed. "I'm not trying to dampen your spirits. I just want you to know: hunting Evil Soul Masters isn't something you do on impulse. Ask your family first. Making it through these life-and-death trials… is really hard."
"Every year, students die across the continent; sometimes, their bodies can't be returned to the academy."
"Even so, would you still join the inner court?"
"I would!" Bai Se gritted his teeth and nodded determinedly.
"Not bad."
A palm patted Bai Se's shoulder. A youth stepped out of the darkness, casually sat next to Jiang Nannan, and took the half-eaten barbecue from her without hesitation.
Jiang Nannan blushed and shot Su Wen a glare.
He didn't mind her bite marks at all.
Zhang Leng and Wang Bo sat upright.
Senior Can also grew more serious, nodding.
Originally, Zhang Lexuan was to lead the team, but she was only the vice-captain. As a peak Soul Sage, she ranked near the top of the inner court. But this time, it was Su Wen—the mysterious Young Pavilion Master—in charge. She could joke with others, but not with him.
"You have guts and drive. The inner court needs talents like you," Su Wen said, swallowing the barbecue and smiling at Bai Se. "When you join, sign up for the Inspection Team's special training."
"Mm!" Bai Se's eyes sparkled.
He forgot all about Zhang Leng's pale face when he heard about joining the special training...
"The inner court is strong. Those who died far from home were heroes too."
"But rest assured, in the future… Shrek Academy won't send young people to die like before. This internal issue will soon be fixed."
"Of course, by the time you join, Evil Soul Masters might not even exist."
"But the Inspection Team is the academy's foundation. They must hide in the shadows, silently protecting the school and the whole continent…"
"…"
Bai Se felt his blood boil.
Only the other inner court disciples twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Complaining about the academy in public—only this guy dared do it.
But with his record, who could argue?
And the news from his mouth was surely first-hand.
After all, he was a Sea God's Pavilion Elder, Young Pavilion Master, and attended Shrek's highest-level meetings.
A flash of excitement crossed Zhang Leng's face.
Was the academy finally going to change?
…
Days passed quickly.
Su Wen led the team back.
But upon returning to the academy, Ah Yin delivered shocking news… The Golden Tree contained a vast, almost untouchable energy, hidden deep within its core, only perceptible by the tree's main consciousness.
As Ah Yin gained control over the Golden Tree, she discovered this.
Su Wen entered the tree's inner space, seeing a vast cloudlike sea, and his pupils shrank—was this… the Power of Faith?!!
…