Xuan Zi's Shock? What the Fuck Was This Monster?

The chill had yet to disperse from the dense forest, and ice crystals refracted a cold gleam beneath the dappled sunlight.

Long Aotian, Vina, and the other Body Sect disciples gathered around Liu Yuan.

Although they had already witnessed Liu Yuan's almost shameless Undying Body during sparring sessions in the sect, and had long regarded it as his ultimate defensive trump card...

Seeing with their own eyes that Liu Yuan could still undergo Limb Regeneration after being cut in half at the waist sent towering waves crashing through their hearts.

"Every time I see it, I feel like this ability is challenging the common sense of the Soul Master world." Wang Yanfeng's Adam's apple bobbed as he unconsciously touched his own arm. The shudder brought on by the visual impact lingered for a long time.

Ling Luochen, standing to the side, was even more deeply shaken than anyone else present.

As one of Shrek Academy's top students, she had seen countless strange and bizarre Martial Souls and soul skills. Yet the sight before her had utterly surpassed the limits of her understanding.

A Soul Grandmaster in his twenties, cut in half by a five-ring Evil Soul Master, had not only failed to die on the spot, but within mere seconds, his severed bones, meridians, and flesh had begun growing and reforming wildly as if they possessed wills of their own.

Her entire worldview was devastatingly reconstructed in that instant.

Ling Luochen stood frozen for a long while, her clear, cool eyes filled with disbelief.

Only when the pallor gradually faded from Liu Yuan's face and smooth skin once more covered his severed waist and abdomen did she snap out of it.

Was this... really just a soul skill? Ling Luochen let out a helpless groan deep inside. In the end, she could only grit her teeth and force out an assessment. "He really is... a freak beyond all reason!"

"Cough, cough."

Liu Yuan braced himself against the ground and rose to his feet, feeling his regenerated flesh and Soul Power begin to circulate once more.

Although the Undying Body had repaired his injuries, the excruciating pain from that moment and the massive loss of Soul Power still left him somewhat weak.

"How are you?" Vina hurried forward to support him. Her eyes were red, and her voice trembled. "If you hadn't pushed me away just now, I probably would have..."

"We're on the same team. Why say something like that?" Liu Yuan smiled casually, indicating that he was fine.

Long Aotian stepped forward and carefully sensed Liu Yuan's aura. Only after confirming that his foundation was unharmed did he sigh in relief and pat Liu Yuan on the shoulder.

"It's good that you're all right. Your life is even tougher than I expected. But in the future, leave this kind of life-risking business to your senior brother."

Liu Yuan said helplessly, "Things were urgent just now... I couldn't exactly stand by and do nothing."

As the atmosphere eased somewhat, everyone's gaze shifted toward the mysterious girl with the Ice Staff.

Ling Luochen calmed her roiling emotions, put away her Ice Staff, and gave Liu Yuan and the others a slight bow. Her tone returned to its usual cool politeness.

"If this friend hadn't pierced that Evil Soul Master's wings and shot him down at the crucial moment, I likely would have found it difficult to keep him in this forest for good. Thank you all for your assistance."

Long Aotian took a step forward and returned the gesture as the team leader. "It was nothing."

"My name is Long Aotian. We came here on our master's orders to eliminate Evil Soul Masters."

"Your cultivation is remarkable, miss, and your Martial Soul is extremely rare. May I ask what faction has produced such a talented individual? And why were you pursuing that five-ring Evil Soul Master alone?"

At Long Aotian's question, Ling Luochen's eyes flickered slightly.

As a member of the Shrek Inspection Team, she had to conceal her identity while carrying out missions. That was an absolute order from the academy.

Especially since, although the strength of the people before her was not particularly high, the dense yet peculiar Soul Power fluctuations they emitted gave her the vague feeling that their origins were anything but ordinary.

"We merely met by chance and acted when we saw injustice." Ling Luochen did not answer directly. She glanced at the darkening sky and spoke calmly.

"Now that the mission is complete and the injured are out of danger, I should be leaving as well. Everyone, until we meet again."

With that, she gave Long Aotian no chance to press further. With a light tap of her toes, she turned into an azure streak and vanished into the depths of the forest.

"That woman really is cold and arrogant," Wang Yanfeng muttered.

"Forget it. Soul Masters with ice-attribute Martial Souls tend to be rather aloof." Long Aotian shook his head, his expression turning grave.

"The commotion just now was too great. It may draw even more trouble."

"Since Liu Yuan is fine, we should set off for the sect immediately."

"We can't stay in Yaluo City any longer."

Everyone agreed with this.

After nodding, they quickly hurried in the direction of the Body Sect.

Several days later, deep within Sea God Island at Shrek Academy.

Inside a quiet pavilion, Xuan Zi, the highest-ranking official of the Shrek Inspection Team, swayed the wine gourd in his hand while contentedly gnawing on a chicken leg.

"Elder Xuan, Luochen has returned."

Ling Luochen passed through the mist and respectfully stood behind Xuan Zi.

"Oh? Did you catch that five-ring little bat?" Xuan Zi asked casually. In his view, a mission of this level was merely a matter of time for Ling Luochen.

"I killed him. But something unexpected happened during the pursuit." Ling Luochen's voice was somewhat heavy, still carrying a trace of undiminished shock.

Xuan Zi stopped biting into his chicken leg. He turned around and looked at Ling Luochen in surprise. "Unexpected? Were you injured? Or did the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family interfere?"

"Neither. I encountered a group of youths. They looked to be between twelve and fifteen or sixteen years old, but they were all very strong." Ling Luochen hesitated before finally describing the scene that had left the deepest impression on her.

"One of them in particular was only around Level 27, a Soul Grandmaster."

"But I saw with my own eyes how he used two crimson beams from his eyes to precisely pick off several Evil Soul Masters of the same rank in battle. Even more terrifyingly, when that five-ring Evil Soul Master launched a surprise attack, he was cut in half at the waist while trying to save someone..."

Xuan Zi's originally murky gaze suddenly sharpened. "Level 27, blocking a five-ring Soul King? Cut in half at the waist? Then he was dead for sure."

"I thought so too at the time." Ling Luochen took a deep breath.

"But at the moment he was severed, he not only counterattacked and used his first soul skill to blast off the opponent's wings, but in less than a minute afterward, his body actually... right before my eyes, slowly reconnected and healed back to normal."

"That vitality was simply unheard of."

"What did you say?!"

With a bang, the wine gourd in Xuan Zi's hand fell to the ground, spilling precious wine everywhere.

Yet he paid it no heed. He abruptly rose to his feet, and the terrifying pressure rolling off him like a mountain caused ripples to spread across Sea God Lake.

"A Level 27 could injure a five-ring Evil Soul Master? And regenerate severed limbs? What the fuck was this monster?"