Meanwhile, in the backyard of a side hall.
Gu Tian sat in a wooden chair in the pavilion, gazing at the moon and falling into deep thought.
Regarding the Holy Spirit Cult's covert assassination plan inside the Star Luo Imperial Palace...
There was no doubt that the Holy Spirit Cult was afraid. They had seen the cult's future in the information revealed by the Sky Curtain, and that was why they had decided to take such a desperate risk.
Even the Holy Spirit Cult's Cult Master, Deputy Cult Master, and several powerful Venerables had taken part.
Knowing that he was only a two-ring Soul Grandmaster, they had still sent five Titled Douluo to carry out the assassination.
Three of them were Super Douluo, a force not just any faction could muster.
Some factions might have had the strength, but they would never have gone to such lengths.
After all, sending five Titled Douluo to assassinate a Soul Grandmaster was a tremendous waste.
And it would be humiliating, too.
In their eyes, there was no need for it.
One could only say that, true to form for a cult made up of Evil Soul Masters, the Holy Spirit Cult had acted decisively.
Unfortunately, for all their careful planning, they had still been defeated by the overwhelming power of the Ultimate Emperor Armor.
As for how the Holy Spirit Cult had evaded the Star Luo Imperial Palace's defenses and silently infiltrated the residence where he was staying...
Gu Tian could more or less guess the reason.
There was undoubtedly a spy inside the Star Luo Imperial Palace.
That was only to be expected.
The Sun Moon Empire was ambitious and wanted to unite the entire continent, so it would naturally have planted agents in the Three Great Empires.
In the Original Work, the rapid destruction of the Sky Soul and Dou Ling Empires had surely been partly due to this.
By the same token, the Star Luo Empire, as well as the Dou Ling and Sky Soul Empires, must have planted spies in the Sun Moon Empire and other countries.
This was a very common occurrence between nations.
Otherwise, Xu Jiawei couldn't have known that the Sun Moon Empire had developed Soul Tools powerful enough to threaten even Limit Douluo.
Though that level of intelligence wasn't a core secret in the Sun Moon Empire, it wasn't something just anyone could learn, either.
Still, for the Holy Spirit Cult and its people to infiltrate his palace so silently and precisely, the spy's standing within the Star Luo Empire was probably quite high.
But Gu Tian didn't care.
With Xu Jiawei's methods, the spy hidden in the Star Luo Empire would likely be dealt with soon. There was no need for Gu Tian to worry about it.
Just then...
Gu Tian paused.
"Have you been following me for a while, senior?"
As if he had sensed something, he slowly rose to his feet and looked toward a certain spot. In an even tone, he asked, "Would you care to show yourself?"
"When did you notice me?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, an extremely disheveled old man appeared there, seemingly out of nowhere. He looked at Gu Tian in surprise.
Gu Tian raised an eyebrow.
The old man before him was greasy from head to toe, with a string of gourds hanging from his waist. His hair was a tangled mess, and his clothes were torn in several places. His appearance was truly dreadful.
Yet his crimson eyes were unforgettable, giving off a chilling feeling.
In an instant, Gu Tian recognized him.
How could he put it?
That scruffy appearance was simply too distinctive.
The old man wasn't from the Star Luo Empire. He came from Shrek Academy.
Even in the Sea God Pavilion, a place full of powerful people, he was the strongest after Dragon God Douluo Mu En—a Super Douluo with Soul Power at Level 98.
That's right. He was the Deputy Master of the Sea God Pavilion, Deputy Leader of the Shrek Supervisory Team, the "Supreme Leader of the Holy Spirit Cult," and Taotie Douluo, Xuan Zi.
Of course, "Supreme Leader of the Holy Spirit Cult" was only a joking nickname.
What could you expect, when he was so unreliable and so hopelessly incompetent?
If Xuan Zi hadn't been utterly loyal to Shrek in the Original Work, Gu Tian would have suspected he was a spy sent by the Holy Spirit Cult to infiltrate Shrek Academy.
A dignified Level 98 Super Douluo had led the team, yet failed twice in a row, sacrificing many of Shrek Academy's promising young talents who had only just begun to grow.
The reason for those disastrous outcomes was laughable. No powerful enemy had held him back, nor had anything else unusual happened. He had simply wanted to satisfy his appetite.
It was true that, because of the special nature of his Godly Taotie Bull martial soul, he needed to eat constantly and could cultivate while eating. But surely there was a time and a place for that!
Xuan Zi simply didn't understand that, and so he had caused Shrek Academy heavy losses time and again without learning a thing.
He might have felt deeply remorseful at first, but after some time, he would go right back to his old ways.
The saying "Old habits die hard" truly fit Xuan Zi.
And that was only what the Original Work had described.
The leader of the Shrek Supervisory Team, Dragon God Douluo Mu En, had long since stopped managing affairs because of his physical condition. He lay outside the freshman dormitory building at Shrek's outer courtyard, acting like a gatekeeper.
That left Xuan Zi, as Deputy Leader of the Shrek Supervisory Team, in charge of the actual work. Given his irresponsible nature, it was no wonder that so many mishaps occurred.
Gu Tian wasn't sure what to make of Xuan Zi.
Could you say he didn't love Shrek Academy?
At critical moments, he could give everything for Shrek Academy without hesitation, even his life.
Could you say he loved Shrek Academy?
He was always managing to cause one disaster after another.
He inflicted more harm on Shrek Academy than its enemies did.
A villain's painstaking schemes were no match for a fool's sudden inspiration.
The saying was certainly true, and Xuan Zi embodied it perfectly.
In Gu Tian's view, Xuan Zi was only suited to being a hired fist. Even Yan Shaozhe, that shameless womanizer, was more suited to the position of Master of the Sea God Pavilion.
At the very least, Yan Shaozhe was relatively responsible compared to Xuan Zi.
Of course, that didn't apply to matters of the heart.
If Huo Yuhao, the Child of Destiny, hadn't existed in the Original Work, Shrek Academy might well have fallen into decline.
"From the very beginning."
Gu Tian smiled, his words carrying an unmistakable implication.
"How did you notice me?" Xuan Zi's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had originally thought Gu Tian had only sensed him secretly watching when he summoned the Golden Armor. Now it seemed that wasn't the case.
"Just a hunch." Gu Tian shrugged and smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.
In fact, Gu Tian had noticed another person following him in secret as early as yesterday.
Since that person hadn't shown any ill intent, Gu Tian had assumed they had been sent by the Star Luo Empire and hadn't paid them any mind.
Two people following him were still following him; three were still following him. There wasn't much difference.
It wasn't until the battle just now that the other person failed to show themself right away, instead watching from the shadows the entire time as if trying to confirm something.
Gu Tian could even clearly sense that, when the attack was about to hit him, the other person had been ready to step in at any moment.
That was why Gu Tian hadn't called them out as soon as the battle ended.
With the Heavenly Dao Substitute backing him up, he could afford to be this carefree, without the slightest fear.
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