Outside Shrek City, the sky was slightly overcast, and the air was damp.
Two figures walked single file along a narrow path leading to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The one in front was a middle-aged man wearing thick, black-rimmed glasses. He was Wang Yan, a teacher from Shrek Academy's Outer Court.
Following behind him was a boy who looked no older than thirteen or fourteen.
The boy was fair-skinned and thin, with round glasses perched on his nose. He held a thick book in his hands and occasionally lowered his head to work through something, the picture of a typical bookworm.
His name was Chen Fan. Among the students Wang Yan taught that year, he had the greatest talent for theory, but his Martial Soul aptitude was thoroughly average.
"Teacher, what you said... is it true?"
Chen Fan stopped, adjusted his glasses, and asked breathlessly. His eyes shone with a mixture of curiosity and doubt.
"You can get stronger just by jumping into a river? That really doesn't sound like it fits with the common sense and logic of the Soul Master World."
Wang Yan stopped too and glanced back at his student, who loved getting caught up in minutiae. He gave a wry smile.
"It doesn't fit with common sense. You could even call it absurd."
Wang Yan looked toward the distant, rolling outline of the Star Dou Great Forest. A complicated look flashed across his eyes.
"I can't be sure, but it's probably true."
"If it were false, the Academy wouldn't be so tight-lipped about that area. And if it's true, then the Academy hasn't sent a large force to guard it, or even sealed off the information..."
Wang Yan paused, his tone turning serious.
"That means there's something there even Shrek Academy fears, or powerful Soul Beasts are roaming around. After all, even though it's just a little river on the outskirts, the Star Dou Great Forest is unfathomably vast. No one can say for sure whether a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast might wander out."
"To be safe, let's check the river upstream."
Chen Fan nodded thoughtfully.
No one understood better than him how badly his teacher wanted to grow stronger. His talent had held him back, making cultivation an exceptionally difficult road for Wang Yan, but he had never given up on any possible opportunity. This risky trip was also a decision his teacher had made after careful consideration.
"Teacher, I believe you."
Chen Fan closed the book in his hands, his gaze resolute.
"Good. Let's go."
They quickened their pace, and before long, they reached a winding little river.
The water was crystal clear, and green trees shaded both banks. It looked no different from any ordinary stream in the wild.
Wang Yan stood on the riverbank, closed his eyes, and released his Soul Power, trying to sense the river.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, his brow furrowed.
"I can't sense anything."
"There really is something wrong here."
Wang Yan muttered to himself.
This strange phenomenon only lent credence to the rumor.
"Chen Fan, step back."
Wang Yan gave the order in a low voice.
He didn't jump in recklessly. As a rigorous, theory-minded Soul Master, he was used to testing the rules first.
He took out a Storage Soul Tool he had carried for many years: a somewhat worn metal bracer. After taking a deep breath, he hurled it toward the middle of the river.
Splash.
Water sprayed up, and ripples spread across the surface.
The next moment, the river suddenly churned, and a strange wave of energy spread through the air.
To the astonishment of Wang Yan and Chen Fan, a figure seated on a bluestone with a fishing rod in hand rose from the bottom of the river, looking rather relaxed.
With a casual flick of the rod, a Golden Storage Soul Tool appeared.
"Young Wang Yan, did you drop this Golden Storage Soul Tool?"
Wang Yan froze. The golden Soul Tool was incomparably better than his own!
But he took a deep breath and shook his head.
"No."
The Golden Soul Tool vanished. The fishing rod flicked again, and this time a Silver Storage Soul Tool appeared.
"Then... did you drop this Silver Storage Soul Tool?"
Wang Yan shook his head again.
"No, I didn't."
"Then was it this old Storage Soul Tool?"
"Yes, this one is mine."
Wang Yan answered honestly.
"You're an honest child."
"To reward your honesty, all three of these Soul Tools are yours."
With a wave of his hand, the three Storage Soul Tools drifted lightly into Wang Yan's hands.
Holding the three Soul Tools, Wang Yan felt a storm surge through his heart.
It was real!
The rumor was true! Answering honestly really did earn you a reward—and such an extravagant one!
Wang Yan raised his hand, and the Coiling Dragon Staff appeared. He threw it straight into the river, but... nothing happened. It seemed that if anything was going to change, he would have to go in himself.
He turned to look at Chen Fan, who was already staring in utter shock.
"Chen Fan, did you see what happened? That's how it works."
"No matter what temptation appears, make sure you answer honestly!"
Chen Fan swallowed and nodded vigorously, adjusting the glasses on his nose.
"Teacher, I understand! Don't worry!"
Wang Yan took a deep breath and patted Chen Fan on the shoulder.
"Good."
He trusted this student's character completely.
Splash!
Without hesitation, Wang Yan leaped into the river.
The water churned again.
A moment later, Lin Feng appeared once more.
This time, the figure dangling from the fishing rod was wreathed in holy golden light.
The man had brilliant golden hair, handsome, resolute features, and a magnificent suit of golden armor. His presence was utterly sacred.
"Young Chen Fan, did you drop this Golden Wang Yan?"
Chen Fan was taken aback. The man looked like a younger Wang Yan, perhaps in his teens, but he could tell the man was incredibly powerful—so powerful that, to put it bluntly, ten Wang Yans wouldn't stand a chance against him.
"No."
Chen Fan remembered his teacher's instructions and answered honestly.
The next moment, Lin Feng swung the rod again. A man with silver hair and a silver-gray robe appeared. His presence was restrained, and he looked young as well. Even with his aura held back, Chen Fan could feel that he was just as formidable!
"Then did you drop this Silver-haired Wang Yan?"
"No, I didn't."
Chen Fan continued shaking his head.
"Then... did you drop this utterly ordinary Wang Yan, the one who doesn't look special at all?"
Chen Fan wanted to complain, but when he saw how utterly ordinary this Wang Yan looked compared to the other two, he held back. His teacher really was ordinary, but... he was also someone Chen Fan deeply admired.
"Yes!"
"Very good. You're an honest child too."
"To reward your honesty, all three of these Wang Yans are yours."
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Lin Feng flung all three figures onto the riverbank, where they landed with a series of thuds.
The original Wang Yan opened his eyes and cautiously studied the two younger versions of himself. His throat felt dry, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
But finally, he spoke.
"My name is Wang Yan. I'm an ordinary teacher at Shrek Academy. My Martial Soul is the Coiling Dragon Staff, and I'm a Soul King."
The golden-haired Wang Yan spoke first, his voice strong and resonant, full of confidence.
"My name is Qian Gu Yan. My Martial Soul is the Heavenly Awakening Sacred Golden Dragon. I'm a fifty-ninth-level Soul King."
The silver-haired Wang Yan spoke in a calm voice.
"Qian Jun. My Martial Soul is the Coiling Dragon Staff. I'm a fifty-ninth-level Soul King."
Qian Jun?
At the name, Wang Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.
As a teacher at Shrek Academy who specialized in the history of Martial Souls, he was extremely sensitive to that name!
The Qian Jun Douluo from the Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago had also wielded the Coiling Dragon Staff!
Before Wang Yan could recover from his shock, the golden-haired man called Qian Gu Yan fixed his gaze on the two of them and suddenly spoke.
"You three, join my Spirit Hall!"
?
The Spirit Hall?!
That organization, which had been destroyed by Sea God Tang San ten thousand years ago, had been brought up again?
But... shouldn't Qian Jun have been the one to say that?
Why was this man called Qian Gu Yan saying it?
Wang Yan took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm. He looked at the two men. Though they looked much like him, he realized they seemed to have their own experiences and memories. They weren't simply stronger versions of himself.
"I'm sorry. I'm a teacher at Shrek Academy, and Chen Fan is a student there. We... can't join."
Wang Yan hadn't expected what should have been an opportunity to grow stronger to take such a turn. If he let the Spirit Hall return to the Douluo Continent, he would become a sinner in the eyes of Shrek Academy. But he couldn't keep making the wrong choice. He couldn't join the Spirit Hall, so he politely declined.
At his words, the smile on Qian Gu Yan's face didn't fade. But a chilling glint suddenly flashed in his golden eyes.
"I think you've misunderstood. I'm not asking for your opinion. I'm just informing you."
He slowly took a step forward.
BOOM—!
A terrifying aura erupted!
Wang Yan and Chen Fan were both pinned in place, unable to move!
Wang Yan's face turned especially grim. They were both Soul Kings, so how could the gap in their strength be so enormous?
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