Bold! Trying to Poach Talent from Our Body Sect?

On the dirt road outside the abandoned manor, Liu Yuan slowly rose to his feet, the red glow in his Double Pupil gradually receding.

At his feet, the once-arrogant Five-Ring Evil Soul Master had been reduced to a heap of charred ashes, not even a trace of blood left behind.

Behind the dead trees in the distance, Ling Luochen's beautiful eyes, hidden beneath her mask, remained fixed on Liu Yuan's back.

She felt her heart pounding violently, a surge of exhilaration born from overwhelming shock.

This time, I have to invite him to Shrek!

Ling Luochen silently made up her mind.

Though she had always been aloof by nature, she was no fool.

A boy of twelve or thirteen crossing two major realms to kill a Five-Ring Evil Soul Master—if she had not seen it with her own eyes, she would have thought someone was spouting nonsense.

Such talent could no longer be described as "genius." This was an anomaly unseen in Shrek Academy's ten thousand years since its founding.

She knew very well how significant it would be for the younger generation of the academy if this boy could join Shrek.

Ling Luochen even had an utterly crazy thought:

With the decisiveness and terrifying combat strength this boy had displayed, he did not need to cultivate at Shrek for several more years. Even in this year's All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, he was absolutely qualified to serve directly as a main team member.

I absolutely cannot miss an opportunity like this again.

Ling Luochen's figure flashed, turning into a blue afterimage as she shot out of the woods and rushed straight toward Liu Yuan.

"Who's there?!"

Liu Yuan had just finished the battle, and his nerves were at their most taut.

The instant he sensed someone rapidly approaching with fluctuating Soul Power, he hesitated not at all and abruptly opened his Double Pupil.

"Ssshh—!"

A blazing laser beam tore through the air, carrying heat hot enough to melt steel as it shot precisely toward the blue afterimage.

Ling Luochen felt the terrifying heat wave bearing down on her, and her heart trembled.

She did not dare take it lightly. The Soul Rings beneath her feet flashed as extreme cold burst forth, instantly condensing into an ice wall several feet thick before her.

Yet only when the Laser Eye struck the ice did Ling Luochen truly understand just how powerful Liu Yuan's attack was.

The seemingly indestructible ice was pierced through and melted in an instant before the red beam, like a hot knife through butter.

Ling Luochen broke out in a cold sweat. Twisting her body forcefully in midair, she narrowly evaded the beam with her extensive combat experience.

"Boom!"

The Laser Eye struck a tree behind her, instantly triggering a small explosion.

Ling Luochen landed on the ground, still shaken.

Once again, she reassessed Liu Yuan's strength in her heart.

Could this kind of destructive power really be unleashed by a Soul Elder?

"Don't be nervous, I'm not a bad person!" Ling Luochen hurriedly shouted, no longer caring about maintaining her cold image.

Liu Yuan withdrew his attack, his Double Pupil coldly examining the masked woman before him.

Through the familiar style of her mask and the aura of ice, he quickly recognized her.

"It's you?" Liu Yuan's voice was low. He remembered meeting this person when he had saved those villagers during a mission in Yaluo City.

By then, Long Aotian, Chen Lü, Vina, and the others had also arrived at full speed.

When they saw Ling Luochen's mask, Long Aotian frowned and immediately recognized her. "It's you? That ice-attribute Soul Master from last time?"

The Body Sect members did not relax their vigilance. Instead, they vaguely formed a semicircle around Liu Yuan, protecting him at the center.

Seeing this, Ling Luochen directly raised a hand and removed her mask, revealing a delicate but somewhat weary face.

"I am Ling Luochen, a student of Shrek Academy's Inner Court." She took a deep breath and first cupped her hands toward Liu Yuan and the others.

"I was ordered by the academy's elders to come kill this Evil Soul Master. I just didn't expect you to move faster and deal with him already."

Hearing that she was an Inner Court disciple of Shrek and had come for the same mission, Long Aotian's expression softened slightly.

But before Long Aotian could ask for details, Ling Luochen disregarded everything else, stepped forward twice, and stared intensely at Liu Yuan as she asked:

"I still don't know your name."

"After we met in Yaluo City last time, I returned to the academy and reported your situation to the higher-ups."

"The academy places great importance on the talent you displayed and has sent me searching everywhere for you for a long time."

Ling Luochen's tone was earnest and urgent. "On behalf of Shrek Academy, I formally extend an invitation to you."

"As long as you are willing to join Shrek, the academy will certainly give you the best resources and the finest training. Would you be willing to come with us?"

Liu Yuan's expression instantly became extremely strange.

Shrek Academy was inviting him to join again?

At that moment, Liu Yuan felt an absurd urge to laugh welling up inside him.

Back at Shrek Academy, Xuan Zi had personally told him to leave.

Since Liu Yuan had never held any expectations for Shrek, he did not bear Shrek any grudge because of it...

But hearing Ling Luochen say this still made it hard for him to keep a straight face.

If Xuan Zi found out that the person he had sent to recruit was him, what expression would he make?

However, before Liu Yuan could respond, Long Aotian, standing to the side, had already exploded.

Long Aotian stepped in front of Liu Yuan, dark golden Soul Power rippling faintly around him.

He glared coldly at Ling Luochen, his tone full of hostility. "Friend, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"You're trying to poach talent right in front of us, even poaching from our Body Sect? Does Shrek Academy think every genius on this continent should belong to you? Isn't that going a bit too far?"

Chen Lü snorted coldly as well. "Exactly. Senior Brother is our Sect Master's personal disciple. What kind of insignificant nobody does that make your Shrek?"

Ling Luochen froze. She had not known that he already held such a high status within the Body Sect, and for a moment, she opened her mouth without knowing how to respond.

At that moment, Elder Chen, who had been watching from the shadows all along, finally revealed himself.

He appeared beside Long Aotian like a phantom. Though he did not release the pressure belonging to a top-tier powerhouse, merely standing there made Ling Luochen's breathing tighten.

"Aotian, well said!"

Elder Chen's gaze was sharp as he looked directly at Ling Luochen.

As an elder of the Body Sect, he naturally had no favorable opinion of Shrek's habit of "recruiting geniuses" everywhere.

"Shrek's hand has indeed stretched too far. You dare to snatch just anyone?"

Elder Chen's voice echoed through the forest, carrying an unquestionable force. "Little girl, considering that you did not know the circumstances, this old man will not hold it against you."

"Go back at once! When you return, tell Shrek's higher-ups to put away those improper thoughts. This child is the future of our Body Sect. He will never join Shrek!"

Ling Luochen looked at the suddenly appearing Elder Chen, then at the utterly resolute Liu Yuan and Long Aotian, her heart filling with bitterness.

She understood that this attempt at recruitment had apparently failed again.