Marching to the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition

On the way to the cafeteria for a meal, Qin Chuan and Meng Hongchen ran into Qian Renxue, who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

"Brother, there's a letter here for you. Mom sent it."

"Thanks."

"Oh, sister-in-law is here too. Perfect, I'm hungry as well. Let's go eat together."

Meng Hongchen was dragged away by Qian Renxue, though she desperately wanted to stay by Qin Chuan's side at all times.

Watching the two women leave, Qin Chuan returned to the dormitory first. After locking the doors and windows, he opened the letter Bibi Dong had sent.

The letter contained only two matters:

First, the eight large characters Qin Chuan had left in the sky above Shrek Academy three months ago.

"Ten-thousand-year blood feud, settled today."

As soon as this message appeared, it completely ignited the entire continent.

Without a doubt, someone had declared war on Shrek Academy.

Others secretly pondered the meaning of these words—a grudge against Shrek Academy spanning ten thousand years, and now, ten thousand years later, the descendants of that bloodline had come to take revenge.

All sorts of speculations abounded, but no matter which interpretation, Shrek Academy took it very seriously. They had already dispatched personnel to investigate the entire continent, and they would not let even the slightest clue slip by.

Currently, Bibi Dong was in Shrek City, relatively safe in her capacity as the Hall Master of the Martial Soul Hall.

She warned Qin Chuan to be extremely careful when entering the Douluo Continent, including Shrek City, because the impact of the words "Ten-thousand-year blood feud, settled today" was too shocking, having already enraged Shrek Academy.

The three empires had also sent special agents to investigate this matter in secret, and once discovered, they would nip it in the bud.

Qin Chuan understood this clearly and had already mentally prepared himself to stand against Shrek Academy and the three empires.

In Qin Chuan's eyes, they were all just lively bundles of Snow Hatred Value, waiting for him to harvest at any time.

Second, the latest movements of Shrek Academy.

For example, the champion of this year's freshman assessment was actually a team consisting of a one-ring Soul Master and two two-ring Soul Grand Masters, with the finals featuring a clash between two Martial Soul Fusion Skills.

Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao.

The familiar trio.

Qin Chuan stared at the three all-too-familiar names on the letter, lingering a little longer on Wang Dong's name before muttering, "I wonder how much Snow Hatred Value killing her would drop."

The rest was basic information and data on the inner courtyard students of Shrek Academy, mostly matching what Qin Chuan remembered from his memories.

Qin Chuan put the letter away and then recalled that after absorbing the million-year soul bone, aside from a massive increase in physical strength, his soul power and other aspects had not improved.

"System, what's going on here? Logically, absorbing a soul bone should increase soul power, let alone this unprecedented million-year soul ring."

"Ding-dong. Host, absorbing this million-year soul bone has surpassed all soul bones in history, past or present. You must understand that when a soul beast reaches a million years, it has essentially become a god. But since the Dragon God fell, soul beasts have lost the qualification to become gods. Therefore, only when Host achieves the position of a deity will the Mountain Dragon King Million Year Torso Bone, which has fused with you, help you take that single step forward and advance to the God King realm. You could also choose to increase your soul power now, but the consequence of doing so would be... the result of a balloon being burst by too much air."

Hearing this, Qin Chuan asked no further questions.

His mind was now set on the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition, to be held in Star Luo City a year from now. That would be where his rise to fame on the continent began.

Spring passed and autumn came; a year flew by in an instant.

Over the course of nearly a year, Qin Chuan's life revolved around learning to craft soul tools, flirting with Meng Hongchen on a daily basis, and switching back to training at night.

He never set foot on the Douluo Continent, staying within the Sun Moon Empire. As Jing Hongchen had said, no one dared to attempt an assassination in Bright Capital.

And ever since Jing Hongchen learned of Qin Chuan's secret, he had increased his investment in the Martial Soul Hall, not only sending over many advanced soul tool blueprints but also some of his own handwritten insights on soul tool crafting, contributing his share to advancing the Martial Soul Hall's soul tool development.

Xuan Ziwen had also firmly established himself in the Martial Soul Hall. With the help of the immortal-grade herbs Qin Chuan provided, he had recently broken through to Title Douluo and advanced to a Grade 9 Soul Engineer. His ninth soul ring came from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast personally hunted by Qian Daoliu, showing just how much they valued Xuan Ziwen.

As it turned out, talent shines wherever it goes.

One day, Jing Hongchen called Qin Chuan, Qian Renxue, and Ye Guyi to his office. There, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were already waiting.

Jing Hongchen stood up, looked around at the five before him, and said slowly, "I've suddenly gathered you all here today. I think you already know what it's about."

Qin Chuan spoke up: "The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition."

"That's right, it's exactly that."

Jing Hongchen nodded and continued, "The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition has a history of ten thousand years. For the past thousand years, our Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy has always taken second place, while Shrek Academy has firmly held first for a millennium."

Hearing this, Xiao Hongchen frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Grandfather, rest assured. This year, I will definitely win the championship for the academy and make Shrek Academy taste defeat for once."

Jing Hongchen patted Xiao Hongchen on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't be careless. Shrek Academy is not to be underestimated."

"You are the strongest batch our academy has produced in a thousand years, and the one with the highest hopes placed upon you. I hope you will live up to the academy's expectations."

"Seven days from now, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition will be held in Star Luo City. Go back and pack your things—we'll set out soon. The main team members are already assembled downstairs. Although you are reserve members, that doesn't mean you won't get a chance to fight."

Everyone filed out one by one to prepare, except Qin Chuan, who stayed behind alone.

"I plan to travel separately. There are some matters I need to handle."

Jing Hongchen considered this carefully before asking, "Is it related to Shrek Academy?"

Qin Chuan nodded but said nothing more.

Ever since Jing Hongchen learned of Qin Chuan's background, he had been worried about this. Qin Chuan shared a blood-deep enmity with Shrek Academy, as well as with the three empires.

In the truest sense, Qin Chuan could be said to be the last person of the Martial Soul Hall still remaining in this world, burdened with a heavy blood feud before awakening in this era.

On the other hand, as Jing Hongchen's grandson-in-law, he really didn't want Qin Chuan to take risks.

But he knew that joining forces with the Martial Soul Hall from another world would undoubtedly be a tremendous help to the Sun Moon Empire's unification of the continent.

Therefore, the only thing Jing Hongchen had to do was fully support Qin Chuan.

"Be careful in everything." Jing Hongchen patted Qin Chuan's shoulder heavily.

"Mm, I'll be going now."

After taking his leave of Jing Hongchen, Qin Chuan didn't immediately return to his dormitory, because his luggage had long since been packed.

Leaving the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and Bright Capital, Qin Chuan activated his Flight Soul Tool and shot into the sky, flying toward the Mingdou Mountains.

Meanwhile, on the academy's training ground.

The seven main team members—Ma Rulong, Lin Xi, Chen Fei, Li Yan, Chen An, Mika, and Xiao Xiafeng—had already been waiting for some time.

Though Qian Renxue, with her Soul Emperor cultivation, could have been included in the main team roster, she was kept on the reserve list as a trump card to preserve an element of mystery.

When Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, Qian Renxue, and Ye Guyi walked onto the training ground, Qin Chuan was nowhere to be seen.

"Strange? Why hasn't my brother come down yet?" Qian Renxue looked toward the dormitory building in confusion.

The others also turned their gazes toward the dorms.

"Could it be he wants to make a flashy entrance and give us all a surprise?" Xiao Hongchen sneered.

But the next second, his sister Meng Hongchen stomped hard on his foot, making him wince in pain.

"Not even married yet, and your elbow's already bending that far."

Everyone chuckled and didn't think much of it, simply assuming Qin Chuan had a lot of things to pack.

Before long, Jing Hongchen and a tall, sturdy old man with white hair as sharp as steel needles walked over.

Jing Hongchen introduced him to the group: "Elder Ma, I'm sure none of you are unfamiliar with him. This time, heading to Star Luo City, you will follow Elder Ma's arrangements."

"Yes."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, Meng Hongchen asked, "Grandfather, where's Qin Chuan? Why didn't he come out with you?"

Jing Hongchen said, "I temporarily assigned Qin Chuan a secret mission. Once you arrive at Star Luo City, you'll naturally reunite with him."

A secret mission?

Temporarily assigned to Qin Chuan?

Everyone's minds immediately started racing, each wondering what kind of mission required Qin Chuan to set off ahead of time.

"Alright, Qin Chuan actually left early to gather intelligence on our opponents. With his quick-witted nature, there's definitely no problem." Jing Hongchen's explanation finally dispelled the group's doubts.

Only Qian Renxue kept her brows slightly furrowed. She felt that her brother was about to do something earth-shattering.

Hearing her grandfather say this, the naive Meng Hongchen finally accepted the explanation.

Jing Hongchen didn't give Qian Renxue a chance to press further and simply vanished on the spot.

This behavior only made Qian Renxue more suspicious that her brother's separate departure, rather than traveling with them, was to do something truly monumental.

But for the moment, Qian Renxue had no idea where her brother had gone.

Elder Ma, pipe in mouth, scanned the group and nodded slightly. "No time to waste. Let's set out. We need to reach Star Luo City as soon as possible."

The group hesitated no longer. Leaving the academy and Bright Capital behind, they spread their Flight Soul Tools and sped off toward the Mingdou Mountains.

Shrek Academy, school gate.

Main team members: Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, Ling Luochen, Yao Haoxuan, Gongyang Mo, Xixi.

Reserve team members: Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong.

Led by teacher Wang Yan, with Elder Xuan secretly protecting everyone's safety.

Ever since the tragedy of that year, Elder Xuan had rarely drunk alcohol. Now, standing before the group, looking at the neatly lined-up fourteen participating students, a flood of emotions filled his heart.

"Children, before we set out, there is a mission you need to complete."