At the top of a luxury hotel in Heaven Dou City, prepared for Shrek Academy by the Heavenly Soul Royal Family.
The door to the private meeting suite stood slightly ajar. Early that morning, Wu Ming had sent word, summoning all the members of this year's Shrek Seven Devils to a meeting.
At that moment, besides her, Zhang Lexuan, Baise, Mu Yue, Su Tong, and Hua Yao had all taken their seats. The only male student, Chu Qingtian, had also settled down by the window.
As the only boy among this year's Shrek Seven Devils, Chu Qingtian had never been able to fit in with the female team members.
He wore that dead-fish expression every day, putting on airs of aloofness.
Now, he still wore his usual cold expression, but his eyes kept darting toward the tightly shut bedroom door inside the suite.
Wu Ming had called everyone over early that morning, yet she had holed herself up in the bedroom and hadn't come out for ages.
Just as everyone was growing restless from waiting, the bedroom door finally opened.
The first person to walk out wasn't Wu Ming.
It was a young man dressed in a dark brocade robe. He was barely over five feet tall, with refined features and a calm, composed air far beyond his years.
It was Xue Yuheng.
He casually closed the door behind him, raised his eyes to scan the people in the room, and greeted them with a faint, wicked smile tugging at his lips.
The entire suite fell silent. Everyone's gaze fixed on Xue Yuheng in unison.
Chu Qingtian's mind went "buzz," as if a thunderclap had exploded inside it.
This little brat...
Was he the little brat who had been chatting and laughing with Wu Ming in the hotel lobby a few days ago?
He had actually come out of Wu Ming's bedroom?!
Chu Qingtian clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Suddenly, he forced down the turbulent emotions surging within him. His face still wore its usual indifferent expression.
No.
Something had to be wrong.
What kind of person was Wu Ming?
The Golden Crow Saintess, vice-captain of the Shrek Seven Devils, a goddess with eyes only for the highest and best.
How could she let a little brat who looked only six or seven years old into her bedroom?
That was it.
She had to be doing it on purpose.
She had deliberately brought this kid here and was deliberately putting on a show for him, trying to make him act first and see if he would get jealous.
This was all a test of him.
Chu Qingtian's imagination ran wild. When he looked at Xue Yuheng, his eyes suddenly held a touch of pity, as if he saw right through everything, along with a calm willingness to play along with him.
The bedroom door opened again, and Wu Ming walked out.
A faint blush colored her face. Seeing everyone in the room staring at the doorway, she gave a light cough and quickly walked over to take the seat of honor.
"Everyone's here. I called you over today because there's something important concerning all of your futures that I need to tell you."
As soon as she finished speaking, the door to the lounge at the back of the suite opened as well.
A beautiful woman in her forties, dressed in a teal robe, walked out slowly. Not the slightest trace of Soul Power emanated from her, yet just standing there, she was enough to awe everyone present.
She was Elder Song, a senior member of Shrek Academy and the team's teacher for this tournament—a Level 97 Power Attack System Super Douluo, Song Wanying.
Every student present immediately stood and bowed respectfully. "Elder Song."
Elder Song gave a slight nod. Her gaze settled on Xue Yuheng, studying him, but she said nothing. Instead, she sat down in a chair nearby, making it clear she intended to oversee the meeting.
Meeting everyone's gaze, Xue Yuheng stepped half a pace forward and got straight to the point.
"I asked you all here today because I asked Senior Sister Wu Ming to arrange this meeting. I have an ancient method that the imperial family happened upon. It can improve a Soul Master's Martial Soul at its core, allowing it to evolve in quality and break through the limits of their innate talent."
The moment he said this, the entire suite erupted.
A Martial Soul evolving in quality?
What a joke!
Everyone on the continent knew that a Martial Soul was determined at birth. Even when it mutated later, nine times out of ten it changed for the worse, let alone undergoing a fundamental evolution that broke through the limits of one's talent.
This was simply preposterous!
"Kid, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say anything you please. Martial Soul evolution is no trivial matter. How could it happen just because you say so?"
Chu Qingtian was the first to speak. His tone was disdainful as he stared at Xue Yuheng, hoping to catch a hint of panic on the little brat's face.
But Xue Yuheng didn't even look at him, as if he were nothing but air.
The Wordless Heavenly Book had no effect on men, so Chu Qingtian wouldn't get so much as a drop.
Elder Song, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. Her voice was authoritative.
"Crown Prince of Douling, Xue Yuheng. Is this ancient method of yours genuine?"
"Of course." Xue Yuheng replied calmly. "If you don't believe me, Elder Song, you can ask Senior Sister Wu Ming."
Elder Song turned to Wu Ming. Wu Ming immediately nodded and was about to speak, but Elder Song raised a hand to stop her.
The mature woman's gaze returned to Xue Yuheng, her tone growing more serious.
"If this ancient method truly has such miraculous effects, Shrek Academy is willing to offer all its resources to purchase its inheritance from you, young friend. Whether you want rare treasures, Soul Bones, or anything else, as long as Shrek Academy can provide it, we can negotiate."
Everyone in the suite held their breath.
The weight of Elder Song's words was astonishing.
What kind of place was Shrek Academy?
The continent's number-one Soul Master academy, with ten thousand years of legacy. The fact that it was willing to offer "all its resources" showed just how tempting this ancient method was.
Yet Xue Yuheng shook his head and refused outright.
"Please forgive me, Elder Song. This ancient method is a secret passed down only within my family. It isn't for sale, and I won't pass it on.
"If not for Senior Sister Wu Ming, and the fact that all of you are Shrek's geniuses, I wouldn't have come here today."
Elder Song's brows furrowed slightly, but she didn't press him further.
She had heard some things about Crown Prince Xue Yuheng of Douling and what he had done over the past year.
Xue Yuheng glanced around at the female students, whose expressions varied, then continued.
"I'll be frank: although this ancient method can evolve a Martial Soul, it has one unavoidable drawback."
"After a Martial Soul undergoes a fundamental evolution, its origin will dissipate slightly. You'll have to come to me every year so I can use a special secret method to reinforce it.
"If you stop reinforcing it, then within three to five years, the evolved Martial Soul will gradually regress. It may even damage your innate origin, leaving you unable to make any further progress for the rest of your life."
At these words, the eager looks on everyone's faces turned hesitant.
They would have to come to him every year for reinforcement?
That was tantamount to placing the lifeline of their Martial Souls entirely in the hands of this boy.
If they ever turned against him, their futures would be ruined.
The price was simply too high.
Naturally, Xue Yuheng's Wordless Heavenly Book had no such drawback. This was his way of keeping these talented young women under his control.
One thing would lead to another... Heh.
Zhang Lexuan's cool face betrayed no emotion, but deep in her eyes lay a yearning she could barely conceal.
She was the captain of the Shrek Seven Devils, a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, and the leader of this year's students.
Zhang Lexuan's parents had died at the hands of an Evil Soul Master. She wanted to grow stronger more than anyone else present.
She yearned for enough power to protect those she cared about and to reach greater heights.
In the silence that filled the room, Wu Ming suddenly stood up.
She raised her hand, and golden flames surged from her palm. Behind her, the phantom of a three-legged Golden Crow, its entire body a radiant gold-red, slowly spread its wings.
The terrifying heat instantly warped the air in the room. The pressure of a demigod-level Martial Soul spread without restraint.
"You don't need to doubt whether this ancient method is real."
Wu Ming's voice rang out firmly as her gaze swept over everyone present.
"Eight months ago, my Martial Soul was still an ordinary Golden Crow. Little Brother Yuheng used this ancient method to evolve it into the Sun Golden Crow I have now—a demigod-level Martial Soul that commands the power of the sun's origin."
"You've all seen it for yourselves at the tournament. A Sun Martial Soul of the same rank doesn't even have the right to raise its head in front of me. That's the power of Martial Soul evolution."
Everyone in the suite was utterly stunned.
So Wu Ming's Martial Soul hadn't undergone the beneficial postnatal mutation that the Inner Court teachers had talked about. It had evolved because of Xue Yuheng's ancient method!
They knew better than anyone how powerful Wu Ming's Sun Golden Crow was.
Since the tournament began, whenever Wu Ming took action, almost no one of the same level could last a single exchange. The suppression from her terrifying flames was nothing like what an ordinary Soul Master could wield.
So all of this hadn't been something she was born with. It had been given to her by the boy standing before them?
The cold expression on Chu Qingtian's face finally cracked.
The goddess he had longed for—and the Martial Soul she was most proud of—had been evolved by this little brat?
They had such a deep connection?
No!
Impossible!
This kid must have used some wicked trick to force Wu Ming into it!
Wu Ming must have had no choice!
Chu Qingtian's mind was a complete mess. He stood there, his face turning pale and then red as his imagination kept running wild.
"I want to try."
A cool female voice broke the silence that filled the suite.
Before you continue