The Doubts of Yan Shaozhe

[Douluo Continent Human Spirit Master Power Ranking, Third Place: Ye Xishui!]

The grand voice rang out like a funeral bell, striking the hearts of countless Righteous Path spirit masters.

The third line of the Golden Ranking erupted with an extremely strange radiance. Half of it was a sacred, dazzling platinum, while the other half was a filthy, bloodstained dark red.

Two entirely different, mutually opposing yet bizarrely fused auras intertwined.

A figure shrouded in a spacious blood-red robe emerged. Their face was blurred, revealing only a pair of eyes brimming with resentment and madness.

[Name: Ye Xishui]

[Affiliation: Holy Spirit Cult (Supreme Cult Master)]

[Martial Souls: Bright Phoenix, Blood Soul Demonic Puppet]

[Soul Power Level: Level 99 Assault System Limit Douluo]

[Title: Death God]

[Combat Power Assessment: She possesses Twin Martial Souls, both of which are top-tier. Although the Bright Phoenix Martial Soul has fallen, the power of light at its core remains formidable. Combined with the ultimate evil of the Blood Red Demonic Puppet, it forms a bizarre balance and amplification, causing her Soul Power attributes to possess both the blazing heat of light and the corrosive nature of evil. Its power is peerless and its methods unfathomable. Her Spiritual Power is as vast as an abyss, and her attainments in soul attacks and manipulation have reached the pinnacle. She is the true supreme ruler of the Holy Spirit Cult in every sense of the word. Her strength is unfathomable, her methods cruel and ruthless, and she is one of the most dangerous existences on the Douluo Continent. Comprehensive Assessment: Third place.]

[Reward: The lifespan of all Spirit Rings increased by twenty thousand years, plus two random Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones! Spirit Power Compression and Purification Tripled, and the Demigod Artifact—Blood God Sword!]

"Twin Martial Souls? The Bright Phoenix and... the Blood Red Demonic Puppet?!"

"All Spirit Rings increased by twenty thousand years? And a Demigod Artifact, too!"

The entire continent was once again overwhelmed by this astonishing information and terrifying reward!

Ye Xishui's strength was known to everyone, but no one had known that she possessed Twin Martial Souls—and that one of them was actually the Bright Phoenix.

There was no doubt that this was explosive news!

"Twin Martial Souls?! The Bright Phoenix and the Blood Red Demonic Puppet? How is that possible?"

Across the Douluo Continent, countless cries of alarm rang out at the same time. The Righteous Path spirit masters' faces were filled with disbelief.

A Soul Douluo stationed in a border city suddenly rose to his feet, and the chair beneath him shattered with a thunderous crash.

He stared fixedly at the Ranking list in the sky, his voice hoarse with shock. "The Bright Phoenix is a top-tier Beast Martial Soul, pure and sacred. How could it coexist in one person with an evil Martial Soul like the Blood Red Demonic Puppet?"

"Ye Xishui... she actually has Twin Martial Souls! I only knew before that her Martial Soul was bizarre and her combat power terrifying. I never imagined she had such a trump card!"

Inside a spirit master tavern in Shrek City, several older spirit masters had gone pale.

One of them shakily lifted his wine cup, but his trembling hand spilled most of the wine. "And that Bright Phoenix Martial Soul... It's said to be encountered only once in a thousand years. How could it appear in the Supreme Cult Master of the Holy Spirit Cult?"

Deep within Shrek Academy, the Sea God's Pavilion was deathly still. The heavy atmosphere seemed to have frozen the air, making even breathing cautious.

Yan Shaozhe stood to one side of the pavilion, staring fixedly at the four words "Bright Phoenix" on the Golden Ranking.

His face turned as pale as paper in an instant, utterly bloodless.

His body began to tremble uncontrollably, causing even the Soul Power around him to ripple faintly.

"Bright Phoenix... My Martial Soul is also the Bright Phoenix..."

Yan Shaozhe's lips moved as he muttered under his breath, his voice carrying an unmistakable tremor.

As one of Shrek Academy's leaders, he had always been steady and composed. Yet at this moment, the shock in his heart surged like a tsunami, nearly drowning his reason.

As far as he knew, the Bright Phoenix Martial Soul was extremely special, with exceptionally harsh inheritance requirements.

Over the past several thousand years on the Douluo Continent, only a handful of Bright Phoenix spirit masters had been documented. In the current era...

Aside from him, it was fundamentally impossible for there to be a second person possessing the Bright Phoenix Martial Soul.

"Where... did Ye Xishui's Martial Soul come from?"

Countless questions churned through Yan Shaozhe's mind.

What unsettled him even more was the emergence of an inexplicable sense of connection.

The same Martial Soul—one sacred and pure, the other fallen and evil. Could there truly be no connection between them?

That thought grew wildly like a vine, winding around his heart and filling him with inexplicable unease.

"Teacher..."

Yan Shaozhe abruptly turned and looked urgently at Mu En, who sat quietly in the seat of honor. His voice carried a tremor and longing that he himself failed to notice.

"Why is Ye Xishui's Martial Soul the Bright Phoenix? What is going on?"

Mu En slowly opened his eyes. The gaze that usually held a gentle smile was now as deep as the sea.

He calmly met Yan Shaozhe's confused, answer-seeking stare and sighed inwardly.

He had known of Ye Xishui's existence long ago, and he also knew the secret connection between her and the Bright Phoenix Martial Soul.

It was simply that this secret was too weighty and involved too many things. Unless absolutely necessary, he had been unwilling to reveal it.

But now that the Golden Ranking had exposed it, nothing could remain hidden.

What was meant to come had come at last.

"Shaozhe."

Mu En's voice remained gentle, yet it carried an unshakable steadiness that seemed capable of smoothing the ripples in one's heart. "Martial Souls in this world are strange and varied, numbering in the millions. It is not impossible for similar, or even identical, ones to appear."

"Ye Xishui's life has been complicated and bizarre, filled with countless twists and turns. The origin of her Martial Soul was buried long ago in the passage of time, becoming an unsolved mystery. You need not dwell on it and add to your worries."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the elders in the Sea God's Pavilion, whose expressions varied. His tone grew solemn. "For now, what we need to focus on more is the crisis brought about by the Holy Spirit Cult's explosive increase in strength due to this reward."

"Ye Xishui was already terrifyingly powerful. Now that she has received increased Spirit Ring lifespans, Soul Bones, and a Demigod Artifact, her combat power will inevitably soar. The Holy Spirit Cult will certainly grow even more arrogant, and the continent's situation will become increasingly perilous."

"Our top priority is to unite the major Righteous Path factions as soon as possible and discuss countermeasures, rather than lose ourselves in mysteries of the past."

Mu En did not give Yan Shaozhe the answer he wanted. Instead, he deliberately steered the conversation toward the more urgent reality.

He understood that some truths were too cruel.

Given Yan Shaozhe's current state, learning the truth would not only plunge him into pain and confusion, but might even affect Shrek Academy's stability.

At this turbulent moment, any unnecessary chaos could bring fatal consequences.

Yan Shaozhe opened his mouth, still wanting to press further.

But when he saw Mu En's deep, tranquil eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything...

The words at his lips were swallowed back down.

He knew that since his teacher was unwilling to speak, there had to be a reason.

Even if he continued asking, he would receive no answer.

In the end, he could only force down all the questions and unease filling his heart.

Once the seed of doubt had been planted, it would grow wildly within one's heart. He secretly made up his mind.

No matter the cost, one day he would uncover the truth behind this.

Xian Lin'er, Cai Meier, and the other elders had also noticed that Ye Xishui's Martial Soul was the same as Yan Shaozhe's. They were equally filled with uncertainty and suspicion.

But seeing Mu En's attitude, they tactfully refrained from asking more, merely burying their shock and doubts deep in their hearts.

Instead, they began worrying about what kind of disaster Ye Xishui, having obtained such a terrifying reward, would bring to the continent.

Holy Spirit Cult Headquarters.

The frenzied cheers reached their peak!

"Welcome the Supreme Cult Master's divine might!"

Led by Zhongli Wu, all the Holy Spirit Cult's higher-ups bowed toward the phantom of the blood-colored figure, their voices filled with fervor and awe.