Gu Qing swept his gaze across the crowd, then calmly began his lesson.
"Your reactions just now were too slow. On a real battlefield, your enemies won't give you time to stand around in a daze."
He walked straight over to Ye Lingling and pointed to where she had been standing.
"The Nine-Heart Begonia is indeed the best support Martial Soul in the world, but as a support-type Soul Master with no way to protect yourself, you were standing far too close to the front."
"If you run into a speed-based agility attack Soul Master, you'll absolutely be the first target they cut down. You have to learn to use your teammates for cover and keep yourself hidden."
Hearing his spot-on assessment, Ye Lingling nodded again and again, committing every word to memory.
Gu Qing then turned his gaze to Dugu Yan and offered several extremely incisive suggestions for improving her control over poison.
"Although your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison has been refined, you release it too diffusely, so its instantaneous burst of toxicity is far too weak."
"Try compressing your Soul Power into a single point, then release the poison alongside it. The effect will be several times better than the wide area of poisonous mist you're using now."
These simple yet vital pointers gave Dugu Yan an immediate sense of sudden enlightenment.
Even Yu Tianheng, who lay on the ground, constantly drawing sharp breaths, gradually lost the hostility in his eyes and was instead left deeply shaken by Gu Qing's analysis of team tactics.
Yu Tianheng had to admit that this man named Gu Qing was not only unfathomably powerful, but also understood Martial Souls and tactics far better than the academy's elite instructors.
The members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team gathered around Gu Qing, listening intently to these invaluable lessons from real combat.
Everyone felt they had gained an enormous amount from the experience. The desire to grow stronger had been kindled in every heart.
Looking at these young Soul Masters, who had finally set aside their arrogance, Gu Qing remained as unruffled as ever.
"That's all for the instruction. How much you manage to understand is up to your own fortune."
Outside the shabby gates of Shrek Academy, several exhausted figures trudged slowly into the grounds.
Tang San walked at the head of the group. His face, which always seemed far more mature than those of his peers, was now clouded with deep gloom and fatigue.
Dai Mubai followed at Tang San's side. His once-proud evil eyes were bloodshot, and his fists were clenched so tightly that he didn't even notice his nails digging into his palms.
Ma Hongjun and Oscar supported each other. Their clothes were torn by thorns in countless places, making it clear they had just endured a grueling search across a vast area.
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong walked at the rear. Both girls' eyes were swollen and red as peaches, and tear tracks still glistened on their cheeks.
Flender was pacing back and forth anxiously in the middle of the training field. The moment he saw his students return, he hurried over to them.
"Well? Did you find any trace of Wuji in the woods outside the city?"
Flender clutched Tang San's shoulders with both hands. His thin fingers turned white at the knuckles from the force of his grip, and his voice betrayed his barely concealed panic.
Tang San shook his head heavily. He slowly removed Flender's hands from his shoulders, his eyes gleaming with guilt.
"Dean, we searched every inch of the area within fifty li of the city. We didn't even leave out the hidden caves."
"In a dense forest to the southeast, we found traces of an extremely brutal battle. The surrounding trees had been almost completely destroyed."
"Frenzied fluctuations of Soul Power remained at the scene. One of the auras did indeed belong to Teacher Zhao Wuji's Vajra Bear Martial Soul."
Tang San reported everything they had discovered in meticulous detail. With every word, the atmosphere around them grew heavier.
Flender's tall, thin frame swayed violently when he heard this, and he nearly toppled onto the hard-packed earth.
Dai Mubai quickly stepped forward to steady Flender, then forced down his anxiety and loudly asked how it had all begun.
"Dean, where exactly did Teacher Zhao go? How could a powerful Soul Saint simply disappear for so many days without a trace?"
Faced with his students' questions, Flender shut his eyes in pain. Two streams of tears slid down his wrinkled cheeks.
"It's all my fault. I should have stopped Wuji at all costs. I shouldn't have let him take that risk alone."
Flender slapped himself hard across the face. The sharp crack rang out across the silent training field.
"A few days ago, Wuji learned where that Gu Qing was. He believed the boy would become a major threat in the future, so he went to assassinate him without telling any of you."
The shocking secret had barely left his lips when every Shrek student present froze as if struck by lightning.
Tang San's mind raced as he quickly pieced together all the information he had gathered in Heaven Dou City over the past few days.
"That's impossible. It can't be. Gu Qing was showing off at Heaven Dou Royal Academy just today."
Tang San jerked his head up. A look of utter shock flashed through his eyes as he hurriedly shared what he knew.
"Today, I saw with my own eyes as Gu Qing used his Life-Type Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul to badly injure Yu Tianheng with ease at Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Mimicry Training Ground."
"Gu Qing didn't have a single scratch on him. He even had the leisure to give Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and the others pointers on their tactics."
"If Teacher Zhao really went to assassinate Gu Qing, how could Gu Qing be walking around in public, completely unharmed?"
Tang San's analysis was like a rusty, blunt knife, hacking open the cruel truth that no one wanted to face.
Oscar swallowed hard, his voice trembling so much that he could barely get a whole sentence out.
"If Gu Qing is completely unharmed, and it's already been so many days since Teacher Zhao disappeared, doesn't that mean..."
Oscar couldn't bring himself to finish, but the terrible conclusion had already taken shape in everyone's minds.
Ma Hongjun sprang to his feet, his body wreathed in scorching Evil Fire that instantly reduced the dry grass beneath him to ash.
"I don't believe it! Teacher Zhao is the mighty Immovable Bright King, with incredible defenses. How could he possibly have fallen to that bastard Gu Qing?"
Ma Hongjun roared, his eyes red, trying to drown out his fear and grief with his outburst.
Tang San drew a deep breath, forcing down the fury that threatened to burn away his reason.
"The facts are right in front of us. Gu Qing easily defeated Yu Tianheng, which proves his strength is far beyond anything we imagined."
"On top of that, Gu Qing has the backing of Spirit Hall. He may well have even more powerful guards hidden nearby."
"Teacher Zhao went to assassinate him alone. He must have met with disaster and been killed."
Tang San gritted his teeth as he voiced the worst possibility. Every word seemed to be forced out from between his clenched teeth.
Xiao Wu could no longer control her emotions. She threw herself into Tang San's arms and burst into tears, instantly soaking his clothes.
Ning Rongrong was also sobbing behind her hands. Teacher Zhao Wuji, who was strict but always fiercely protective of them, had died without anyone even knowing how.
Dai Mubai slammed a fist into a nearby century-old tree. Its thick trunk shuddered violently, and leaves rained down from above.
"Gu Qing, Spirit Hall! I, Dai Mubai, swear here and now that I won't be fit to call myself a man until I avenge this!"
Dai Mubai threw back his head and roared like thunder as frenzied White Tiger Soul Power surged wildly around him.
Tang San gently patted Xiao Wu's back, then slowly turned to face the direction of Heaven Dou City's center.
"Teacher Zhao was killed while clearing the way for us. Gu Qing will pay for this blood debt with his life."
Tang San slowly raised his right hand. The shadow of a pitch-black Clear Sky Hammer flickered in his palm, radiating a heavy, oppressive aura.
"No matter how strong Gu Qing is, no matter how powerful Spirit Hall may be, I swear I'll tear him limb from limb and send his spirit to Teacher Zhao in the afterlife."
The other members of the Shrek Seven Devils stepped up beside Tang San. The same blazing fire of vengeance burned in every one of their eyes.
Towering rage gathered on the small training field of Shrek Academy, swelling into a sharp killing intent that shot straight into the sky.
In a quiet courtyard in Heaven Dou City, several red plum blossoms had just come into bloom. They swayed gently in the breeze, releasing a delicate fragrance.
Qian Renxue stood quietly beneath the covered walkway, dressed in a luxurious golden gown.
Ever since taking the Bright Heaven Grass Gu Qing had brought back, the impurities in her Martial Soul had been stripped away. An aura of sacred, untouchable purity now surrounded her.
The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul had brought more than a leap in Soul Power Level; it had also raised Qian Renxue's perception to an unprecedented height.
A Spirit Hall informant, cloaked from head to toe in black, knelt before Qian Renxue with his head respectfully bowed.
"Young Master, preparations for the wedding banquet in Spirit City are complete. The Great Enshrined personally ordered that this wedding be celebrated in the grandest fashion."
"The security routes along the way have also been planned. Young Master and Lord Gu Qing will be kept completely safe."
The informant quietly reported the latest news, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Qian Renxue nodded in satisfaction. As she thought of Gu Qing's calm, composed face, her delight showed openly.
"I understand. Remain on alert. The wedding is drawing near, and we mustn't allow anything to go wrong at this critical moment."
Qian Renxue waved her hand, dismissing the informant.
Like a ghost, the black-cloaked informant dissolved into a shadow and vanished into the corner.
The vast courtyard fell silent once more, as still as the grave. Only the occasional birdsong broke the quiet.
Qian Renxue turned around and was about to open the carved wooden door behind her and return to her room to cultivate and stabilize her power.
The instant her fingers touched the door, Qian Renxue abruptly stopped.
An extremely faint yet malicious aura coiled around her back like a venomous snake, silent as death.
The pure Six-Winged Angel Soul Power within her seemed to have been violently provoked. It surged uncontrollably through her meridians.
Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes narrowed sharply, a flash of golden light passing through them.
With her formidable sixty-ninth-level Soul Power and the keen instincts granted by her top-tier Martial Soul, Qian Renxue immediately sensed that someone had infiltrated the heavily guarded courtyard.
The intruder was terrifyingly powerful, even able to evade the layers of surveillance maintained by Spirit Hall's sentries around the perimeter.
Qian Renxue didn't turn around at once. Instead, she let her hands hang naturally at her sides while secretly gathering her immense golden Soul Power.
"Since you're already here, why hide in the shadows like a rat? Show yourself."
Qian Renxue's clear, resonant voice rang through the empty courtyard, echoing again and again.
No sooner had she spoken than a rockery in the corner of the courtyard suddenly began to crack under the strain.
A boulder weighing hundreds of pounds crumbled to dust in an instant. Fragments of stone rained down onto the flagstones.
Heavy footsteps followed, and even the earth trembled in rhythm with them.
A broad-shouldered man in a tattered black cloak slowly emerged from the swirling dust.
With every step he took, the flagstones beneath his feet silently crumbled into fine, evenly ground powder.
His terrifying presence pressed down on Qian Renxue like a tangible force, distorting the air as it swept toward her in an all-consuming wave.
Qian Renxue slowly turned around, her gaze fixed on the man who looked as if a demon god had descended upon the world.
When she saw the enormous, pitch-black hammer in his hand, her pupils contracted.
The Clear Sky Hammer, the greatest weapon-type Martial Soul in the world.
And across the entire continent, only one person could unleash such a crushing pressure from the Clear Sky Hammer.
"Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao."
Qian Renxue spoke the name despised by Spirit Hall, one word at a time. Golden Soul Power instantly gathered around her body, forming a sacred shield of light.
Tang Hao slowly lifted his head. Beneath his disheveled hair, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Qian Renxue's face, which bore some resemblance to Qian Xunji's.
A sudden gust of wind swept through the courtyard, blowing back Tang Hao's black hood and revealing a face etched with hardship and hatred.
"As expected of that beast Qian Xunji's daughter. Your senses are much sharper than those useless wine sacks."
Tang Hao slammed the heavy Clear Sky Hammer onto the ground. The entire courtyard collapsed beneath it, leaving a pit several meters deep.
"I've been squatting in Heaven Dou City like a living corpse for all these days, waiting for the perfect chance to catch you without Gu Qing at your side."
Tang Hao stepped closer. His nine differently colored Soul Rings appeared without restraint, and the glaring red hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring at the end radiated a suffocating stench of blood.
"Spirit Hall killed my Ah Yin and destroyed my family, and now you even dare to make a grand spectacle of preparing this wedding for the whole world to see."
Tang Hao tightened his grip on the hammer. His knuckles cracked sharply, and his murderous intent was so immense that the flowers and grass around him crumbled to dust.
"Qian Renxue, no one can save you today. I'll use your head to pay tribute to my wife, who died a horrible death."
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