Yan Shaozhe's Request! Great Minds Think Alike! Agreed!

Sea God Pavilion.

Elder Mu sat by the window, holding a cup of hot tea in his hands.

The sunlight spilled over him, warm and cozy.

His gaze rested in the direction of the distant dormitories.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Youth is truly wonderful..."

He murmured, taking a gentle sip of his tea.

An hour later.

Bai Lan finished washing up and sat on the edge of his bed.

He flipped open his Contract Book.

On the first page, the golden mark of the Tiangang Bamboo glowed quietly.

On the second page, the silver butterfly silhouette of Yinxing trembled slightly.

On the third page, the purple leopard silhouette of Youye remained motionless.

"Come out," he said. "What are you hiding for?"

There was no response.

Bai Lan sighed.

"Yinxing, Youye."

"I don't blame you."

"Come out."

Silence hung for a few seconds.

With a flash of silver light, Yinxing appeared before him.

She kept her head lowered, the roots of her ears still flushed red.

With a flash of purple light, Youye appeared on the other side.

She remained expressionless, but the tips of her ears were still glowing.

Bai Lan looked at them and suddenly smiled.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You slept perfectly fine last night, so why are you afraid to show your faces today?"

Yinxing lowered her head even further.

Youye turned her face away.

Bai Lan stood up and walked over to them.

"Look up."

The two of them slowly raised their heads.

Bai Lan looked at them, his gaze earnest:

"You are my Contract Beasts."

"You are my most trusted partners."

"What is there to be shy about regarding sleeping together?"

Yinxing opened her mouth, wanting to say something.

Bai Lan interrupted her:

"We will be sleeping together many more times in the future."

"Are you going to hide every single time?"

Yinxing was stunned.

Youye was also stunned.

The two looked at him, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was surprise, confusion, and a hint of...

Anticipation?

Bai Lan didn't notice any of that, turning to walk toward the door.

"Alright, stop standing there in a daze."

"It's time to go eat."

He pushed the door open, and the sunlight spilled in.

As he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He looked back for a moment.

"Right."

He looked at the two of them, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly:

"I slept very well last night, too."

"Thank you."

After saying this, he pushed the door open and walked out.

Yinxing stood where she was, stunned for a long time.

Then, she lowered her head.

The corners of her mouth quietly curled into an arc.

Youye looked toward the doorway, silent for a few seconds.

And then—

She smiled, too.

It was very light, very faint.

But she truly smiled.

The cafeteria.

Bai Lan carried his tray and found a corner to sit down.

Yinxing and Youye sat opposite him.

Neither of them spoke, simply eating in silence.

Students around them looked over from time to time, their gazes lingering on Yinxing and Youye.

It couldn't be helped.

These two were simply too eye-catching.

One had silver hair and silver eyes, with a cold temperament like a fairy from a moon palace.

The other had purple hair and purple eyes, with a mysterious temperament like a queen of the dark night.

Whichever one walked down the street, the head-turning rate would be one hundred percent.

With both of them appearing together.

Half the people in the cafeteria were sneaking glances.

"Who are those two?"

"I don't know, I've never seen them before..."

"So beautiful..."

"Could they be new teachers?"

Whispers drifted over incessantly.

Yinxing lowered her head to eat, pretending not to hear.

Youye remained expressionless, but also pretended not to hear.

Bai Lan ate on his own, completely unbothered.

Just then.

At the cafeteria entrance, someone walked in hurriedly.

Yan Shaozhe.

His gaze swept across the cafeteria and landed on Bai Lan.

Then, he walked over quickly.

"Bai Lan."

Bai Lan looked up: "Dean?"

Yan Shaozhe looked at the two people sitting opposite him, a flash of surprise in his eyes, but he didn't ask any questions.

"Are you finished eating?" he asked: "There is something I would like to discuss with you."

Bai Lan put down his chopsticks: "Now?"

Yan Shaozhe nodded: "Now."

Bai Lan was silent for a second, then stood up.

"Yinxing, Youye, you two head back first."

The two nodded and vanished from where they stood.

Yan Shaozhe watched this scene, his eyelids twitching.

Although he already knew that Bai Lan had three Contract Beasts, seeing those two with his own eyes.

No, those two Soul Beasts.

Being so obedient still left him feeling a bit dazed.

"Let's go," he said, turning to walk outside.

Bai Lan followed.

Dean's office.

Yan Shaozhe sat behind his desk, and Bai Lan sat opposite him.

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds.

Yan Shaozhe spoke up:

"Last night, Elder Mu told me everything."

Bai Lan nodded, saying nothing.

Yan Shaozhe looked at him, his gaze complex:

"Three hundred thousand years."

"Bai Lan, do you know what that concept even means?"

Bai Lan thought for a moment and said:

"Very strong?"

Yan Shaozhe was so exasperated he laughed.

"Strong?" He shook his head: "It's not just strong, it's absurd."

He stood up and walked to the window, turning his back to Bai Lan.

"That Void Shadow Beast is now a three-hundred-thousand-year-old Fierce Beast."

"Across the entire continent, there are no more than twenty people who can reliably defeat it."

"And no more than ten who can kill it."

He turned around, looking at Bai Lan:

"And you, you are only level thirty-seven."

Bai Lan was silent for a second, then said:

"Dean, is that the only reason you asked to see me?"

Yan Shaozhe looked at him, his eyes deep and inscrutable.

"No."

He walked back behind the desk and sat down again.

"Bai Lan, there is something I would like to ask of you."

Bai Lan raised an eyebrow.

Ask?

Yan Shaozhe was the Dean of the Martial Soul Department and a powerhouse at the Title Douluo level.

He was using the word "ask"?

"Please speak, Dean," Bai Lan said.

Yan Shaozhe was silent for a few seconds.

Then, he spoke:

"I have a disciple."

"Her name is Ma Xiaotao."

Bai Lan's heart stirred.

Ma Xiaotao?

Of course he knew that name.

In the original story, she was a genius student at Shrek Academy who possessed the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul and had been plagued by evil fire for many years.

"What happened to her?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

Yan Shaozhe sighed:

"Her martial soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix."

"It is very strong, but it also brings great problems."

"The evil fire burns her body."

Bai Lan nodded: "I know."

Yan Shaozhe was stunned for a moment: "You know?"

Bai Lan realized he had let something slip, but his expression remained unchanged:

"I've heard of it. The Evil Fire Phoenix, a branch of Ultimate Fire, but it backfires on the user if not controlled properly."

Yan Shaozhe stared at him for a few seconds without pressing further.

"That's right," he said. "That child Xiaotao has been plagued by the evil fire ever since she awakened her Martial Soul."

"She is twelve years old now and a level 43 Soul Ancestor."

"But the problem with the evil fire is becoming increasingly severe."

He paused, his voice dropping low:

"If this continues, I fear she will become an Evil Soul Master."

Bai Lan fell silent.

In the original work, Ma Xiaotao was indeed tormented by the evil fire for many years, and it was ultimately Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice that saved her.

But it is six years earlier now, and Huo Yuhao has not yet come to Shrek.

Since it is six years earlier, it makes sense that Ma Xiaotao is a level 43 Soul Ancestor.

After all, cultivation becomes more difficult the further one progresses.

Spending six years to break through to the level 60s as a Soul Emperor is just about right.

"What do you want me to do, Dean?" he asked.

Yan Shaozhe looked at him, his gaze earnest:

"Your Contract Beast can evolve."

"If you contract an ice-attribute Soul Beast with sufficient age from the start, after a few evolutions, it is very likely to reach the level of Ultimate Ice."

"By then..."

Bai Lan finished his sentence: "It can suppress her evil fire?"

Yan Shaozhe nodded.

Bai Lan remained silent.

Yan Shaozhe continued:

"I know this is asking too much of you."

"The fourth Contract Beast is very important to you. It should be your own choice, not something arranged by others."

"But that child Xiaotao... I watched her grow up."

His voice was somewhat hoarse:

"I don't want to watch her become an Evil Soul Master and suffer so much."

"And in the end, have to be the one to take action against her..."

The office fell into silence.

Bai Lan lowered his head, lost in thought.

In fact, this coincided perfectly with his own plans.

Because he had already set his sights on the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress.

When the time came, he could have Dragon God Douluo Mu En personally step in to take him to the Extreme North, have Youye and Yinxing testify for him, and discuss the Heavenly Tribulation dilemma facing the two empresses; it was quite possible he could contract both of them.

At worst, he would contract the Ice Empress at level 40 and the Snow Empress at level 50.

That way, he would possess four peerless beauties.

Tsk tsk, any man would love that.

Just thinking about it made him happy.

However, he wouldn't mention this for the time being.

He would agree to Yan Shaozhe's request first, making the other party owe him a massive favor.

He would take things one step at a time from there.

After a long while, he raised his head.

"Fine, I agree."