"Chapter 41: Ning Rongrong's Threat? What Does the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Amount to?! (Please Keep Reading!)"

The sunlight, so gentle just a moment ago, seemed to catch fire, and the temperature in the air soared.

A visible wave of scorching heat surged wildly outward from Xu Zhao.

This was no ordinary flame. It was the aura of True Sun Fire, imbued with ultimate light and heat!

"Ugh!"

The Shrek Seven Devils, caught in the blast first, all let out muffled groans.

Even Dai Mubai, whose physique was the strongest, felt as though he had been thrown into an Alchemical Furnace.

His skin burned with waves of searing pain, while the Soul Power in his body was suppressed until it could barely circulate.

Oscar and Ning Rongrong were even paler.

If Tang San hadn't quickly caught them with Blue Silver Grass, they would already have collapsed to the ground.

And this was the result of Xu Zhao deliberately restraining ninety-nine percent of his power.

If he truly unleashed the full might of his Sun Martial Soul,

forget these few little Soul Ancestors and Soul Elders—even all of Shrek Academy would be reduced to ashes in an instant!

"This... This is..."

Flender braced himself against the suffocating heat and stared fixedly at the Brilliant Sun behind Xu Zhao.

A flash of insight crossed his mind, and his pupils instantly widened to their limits.

"Sun Martial Soul... Ultimate Fire..."

"You're from the Great Sun Prince Mansion!"

Flender's voice grew shrill with shock.

"I've heard that the prince of the Great Sun Prince Mansion, Xu Yu, is a Titled Douluo, but his age doesn't match yours..."

"You're not Xu Yu... That means you're the Great Sun Prince Mansion's Heir Prince, Xu Zhao—the one rumored to have reached the Titled Douluo level at such a young age!"

The moment those words left his mouth, the whole crowd erupted.

Xu Zhao's expression didn't change at Flender's exclamation. He merely smiled calmly.

"Good eye."

Before the words had even faded, Xu Zhao took another step forward.

That step seemed to land directly on everyone's hearts.

Buzz!

A yellow ring slowly rose from beneath his feet.

Then, with every step Xu Zhao took, another Soul Ring appeared.

They pulsed with a rhythm that made the soul tremble, shining in harmony with the Great Sun's radiance.

The second step: purple!

The third step: purple!

The fourth step: black!

The fifth step: black!

By this point, Yu Xiaogang's eyes were so wide they looked ready to split.

A yellow First Soul Ring was normal enough, but the Second Soul Ring was already thousand-year purple? This

completely contradicted the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul theory he had always been so proud of!

Yet the true shock had only just begun.

Xu Zhao didn't stop. His smile grew ever brighter, radiating the absolute confidence and arrogance of the strong.

His sixth step fell.

Boom!

A strange, blood-red light suddenly stabbed into everyone's eyes!

That was... a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!

"R-Red..."

Tang San's hand shook violently as he gripped his Hidden Weapon. The defenses in his heart nearly crumbled.

But it wasn't over yet.

The seventh step: red!

The eighth step: red!

The ninth step... still red!

As the ninth blood-red Soul Ring slowly rose and pulsed around Xu Zhao alongside the other eight,

the sky above all of Shrek Academy turned blood-red.

Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, red, red, red, red!

Nine Soul Rings!

Four Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings!

Time seemed to stop.

Flender's mouth hung open, his jaw nearly dislocated.

The fighting spirit in Liu Erlong's eyes died out, replaced by deep despair.

Yu Xiaogang dropped heavily onto his backside. His eyes were vacant as he muttered to himself, looking almost deranged.

Bathed in that suffocating red glow, Xu Zhao looked like a fiendish god descended into the world.

He looked down at the "geniuses" before him, all of them already terrified senseless, and chuckled.

"Now, can we have a proper talk?"

In the suffocating silence, Flender swallowed with difficulty, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.

Though his legs still trembled uncontrollably, he braced himself and stepped out from behind Zhao Wuji.

He bowed deeply and gave Xu Zhao the most formal junior's salute, his voice filled with the utmost respect.

There was even a hint of obsequious humility in it.

"Y-Your Excellency."

"May I ask why you stopped us?"

As he spoke, Flender stole a glance at Tang San and the others behind him, their faces deathly pale.

Cold sweat dripped from the tip of his nose.

"Shrek is only a small, obscure academy in the Heaven Dou Empire.

"Our faculty is limited, and our students are just a few children who've only recently begun their training."

"I'm afraid... there's truly nothing here that could catch the interest of someone as powerful as you."

Flender could hardly have made himself more humble.

He could only hope that this terrifying, unpredictable powerhouse would let them go, seeing as they were "dirt poor and had nothing to their name."

Yet Xu Zhao merely shook his head, the hint of a smile never leaving his lips.

"Headmaster Flender, you're too modest."

Xu Zhao's voice was as gentle as jade, yet carried an undeniable force.

"Shrek Academy may be small, but it has no shortage of treasures."

As soon as he finished speaking,

Xu Zhao slowly raised his right hand and pointed with his slender index finger.

The direction he pointed was where the Shrek Seven Devils stood!

"Gasp!"

Tang San felt his heart stop. In an instant, all the blood in his body rushed to his head.

Xu Zhao's finger pointed straight at him—and Xiao Wu, who was hiding behind him!

"As I thought... He's after Xiao Wu!"

Tang San's eyes nearly split with fury, and he instinctively started to summon the Clear Sky Hammer.

Even if it cost him his life, he couldn't let Xiao Wu fall into this demon's hands.

Behind him, Xiao Wu was so terrified she nearly lost her wits. Her fingers clutched Tang San's clothes, and she almost collapsed to the ground.

But—

Just before Tang San could make his desperate stand,

Xu Zhao's finger shifted slightly, passed over the trembling Xiao Wu, and finally came to rest right in front of Tang San's nose.

"The person I'm looking for is you."

Xu Zhao looked at Tang San and spoke calmly.

"...Me?"

The furious shout that had risen to Tang San's throat caught there. He froze in place, his mind blanking for a moment.

It wasn't just him. Xiao Wu behind him and Dai Mubai and the others beside him were all stunned.

He wasn't after the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?

Or the Star Luo Empire's prince?

He was after... Tang San?

"Your Excellency... Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

Tang San forced down his unease, his brows furrowed, his eyes full of wariness and confusion.

"This junior has never met you, as far as I know, and I've certainly never had any dealings with the Great Sun Prince Mansion. Why are you looking for me?"

Xu Zhao didn't answer directly. Instead, his gaze lowered to the inconspicuous Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch at Tang San's waist.