Lin Yi's calm, unruffled words—"You lost"—fell like a final judgment, crashing down on the heart of every Shrek member.
Meng Shenji stepped forward at just the right moment and surveyed the crowd. His voice carried the authority of a Titled Douluo as he formally announced, "The match is over. The winner is Lin Yi of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. As agreed, this Soul Beast belongs to our side.
Furthermore, the student named Xiao Wu will leave Shrek Academy immediately and join Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Imperial Fighting Team."
"No! Third Brother!" Xiao Wu stared at Tang San, frozen in ice. Her tears finally burst forth, and she tried to rush over, only for Zhao Wuji to hold her back with all his might.
"Let go of me! I want to be with Brother!" Xiao Wu struggled and cried out.
Lin Yi glanced at Xiao Wu coldly, then looked toward Tang San, who had regained the faintest trace of awareness within the ice. Tang San stared at him with unbearable pain and fury in his eyes. Lin Yi slowly said, "A promise is a promise. Xiao Wu, come with us. Of course, you can break it if you want."
Meng Shenji said nothing beside him, merely giving a faint "Hmph."
"Lin Yi! You..." Tang San's voice was hoarse, filled with boundless hatred. "Let me go with Xiao Wu! I'll join Heaven Dou Royal Academy too!"
He couldn't bear to be separated from Xiao Wu, even if it meant joining the opposing academy.
Lin Yi merely sneered and rejected him without mercy. "Heaven Dou Royal Academy isn't somewhere just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can get into. We don't welcome you."
The words were like icy knives, stabbing deep into Tang San and every Shrek student.
Dai Mubai and the others trembled with rage, yet there was nothing they could do.
Zhao Wuji's eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched until they creaked. A violent surge of Soul Power burst from him before he could stop it.
But the moment he took a step forward, Meng Shenji's vast Soul Douluo pressure crashed down like a mountain, pinning him in place. Even his Soul Power struggled to circulate.
"Zhao Wuji, a bet is a bet. Are you thinking of making a move?" Meng Shenji's voice held not a trace of emotion.
Zhao Wuji's face turned pale, then flushed. In the end, his violent aura deflated like a punctured balloon.
Strength! It all came down to strength! In the face of such an overwhelming gap in power, all his rage and resentment seemed so feeble and helpless.
He couldn't beat Meng Shenji, let alone face Lin Yi—the opponent's bizarre Soul Emperor—and the entire Imperial Fighting Team.
"...We're...leaving!" Zhao Wuji forced the words out through clenched teeth. He gave Lin Yi and Meng Shenji a long, hate-filled look, then abruptly turned around and carried Tang San, who was still being ravaged by the cold and was terribly weak. He shouted at the other Shrek students, all of them looking utterly lost, "What are you standing around for? Move! We'll figure out what to do about Xiao Wu later."
"Third Brother!" Xiao Wu let out a heart-wrenching cry, but Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling "escorted" her over to the Imperial Fighting Team, one on either side.
The Shrek group left with their wounded, staggering into the depths of the woods, weighed down by humiliation, rage, and grief. Only Xiao Wu's despairing cries lingered among the trees.
Watching the Shrek group leave, Lin Yi remained calm, as if he had done nothing more than some trivial task.
Meng Shenji flashed over to the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, which had been injured in the earlier battle. The terrifying aura of a Soul Douluo erupted from him. The fiendish tiger was ferocious, but it stood no chance against Meng Shenji. One palm strike left it gravely wounded and on the brink of death.
"Lingling." Lin Yi looked at Ye Lingling.
Ye Lingling nodded and stepped forward. With her cool, steady hand, she delivered the powerful Soul Beast its final blow.
A deep purple Soul Ring slowly appeared.
Ye Lingling sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Soul Ring, which was four thousand years old.
The process was somewhat difficult, but Lin Yi occasionally used Healing Light to stabilize her condition, and in the end, she succeeded. Her Soul Power also broke through, reaching level forty-one. The aura of her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul grew purer and more vibrant with life.
With everything settled, Meng Shenji led the group back to Heaven Dou City.
Xiao Wu remained frighteningly silent the whole way. Her head hung low and her shoulders trembled faintly; she was clearly still crying, but didn't dare resist in the slightest.
She knew she couldn't beat Lin Yi, and she couldn't escape the clutches of Meng Shenji, a Soul Douluo. The crushing helplessness and the agony of being separated from Tang San nearly swallowed her whole.
Back at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Lin Yi had his own private quarters as the team leader: a suite with a living room and bedroom.
He brought Xiao Wu straight to his room.
"From now on, you'll live with me." Lin Yi closed the door, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Xiao Wu jerked her head up, her tear-streaked face full of fear and resistance. "Y-you... What are you going to do?!"
Lin Yi didn't answer. He simply walked up to her and looked down from above, his gaze seeming to pierce her soul.
He spoke slowly. His voice wasn't loud, but it exploded beside Xiao Wu's ear like thunder. "A hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, a Soft Bone Rabbit. Am I right?"
Boom!
Xiao Wu felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. Her delicate body shuddered, and her face turned as pale as paper. Her tear-bright eyes filled with utter terror and disbelief!
The greatest secret she had—the secret even Tang San didn't know—had just been exposed by the man standing before her!
"Y-you... What are you talking about? I don't understand." Xiao Wu denied it instinctively, but her voice trembled with fear.
"Don't bother denying it." Lin Yi's eyes were cold. "Your aura might fool a Soul Douluo, but it can't fool me.
"If I told Spirit Hall about this secret, or... told anyone else in the academy, what do you think would happen?"
Xiao Wu felt ice-cold, as if she had plunged into an abyss.
She could almost see the miserable fate awaiting her: hunted by countless human Soul Masters, forced to sacrifice her Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
Overwhelming fear left her nearly choking. She could barely stand.
Seeing Xiao Wu sway, desperate and helpless, Lin Yi knew he'd made his point.
He changed tack, softening his tone. "Of course, I can keep your secret."
Xiao Wu jerked her head up. A faint glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes, but suspicion outweighed it.
A flash of light appeared in Lin Yi's hand. He took out the herb he had brought back from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well but never used: a blood-red Immortal Herb imbued with intense, heartfelt emotion—the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.
"This Immortal Herb is called the Lovesick Heartbreak Red. Keep it with you, and it can conceal the Soul Beast aura about you. Unless a Limit Douluo comes in person, no one will see through your true identity." Lin Yi held the herb out to Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu looked at the herb. She could sense the strange energy within it and how closely it resonated with her; it might really be able to protect her. But she understood even better that there was no such thing as a free lunch.
"What are the conditions?" Xiao Wu's voice was dry.
"Simple." Lin Yi let the coldness in his expression recede. His tone was flat, but carried an even tighter grip of control. "From now on, you'll do as I say. Whatever I tell you to do, you'll do it.
"Stay with the Imperial Fighting Team and compete well. I can guarantee your safety. And perhaps...there may even be a chance for you to reunite with Tang San someday."
Xiao Wu bit down hard on her lip, blood seeping from it without her noticing.
She looked at Lin Yi, then at the Immortal Herb that could save her life. Humiliation and inner turmoil filled her heart, but she had no choice.
To stay alive, and to see Tang San again someday, she could only yield.
She reached out with a trembling hand and accepted the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.
The instant she touched it, the herb gave off a gentle, blood-red glow that enveloped her. She felt the oppressive fear of being discovered that had always lingered in her heart ease somewhat.
"I...I understand." Xiao Wu lowered her head, her voice so faint it was barely audible, laden with endless grievance and resignation. "I'll...do as you say."
Lin Yi nodded in satisfaction as he looked at Xiao Wu, now completely under his thumb.
This way, he had weakened Shrek Academy and taken control of an important future combat asset...
As for the grudge between Tang San and Shrek?
He didn't care.
In a world where strength reigned supreme, only those who controlled power could go farther... And right now, he was far ahead of Tang San.
Ever since returning from Sunset Forest that day, Lin Yi's life at Heaven Dou Royal Academy had settled into a regular, efficient routine.
He spent most of his time in the top-tier Mimicry Training Ground, which the academy had opened to him as a "mentor and team leader."
Though its cultivation environment still couldn't compare to the extreme conditions of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the gathered heaven-and-earth energy was far richer and purer than what could be found outside. It also simulated a variety of extreme environments for Soul Masters of different attributes.
Lin Yi naturally chose an extremely cold glacier environment. It worked wonders for his three ice-attribute Martial Souls.
Like an ascetic monk, he honed his Soul Power day after day, tempered his mental strength, and familiarized himself with the three powerful spiritual Soul Skills of his Ice Phoenix Martial Soul.
After months of steady, painstaking effort, the barrier between level sixty-six and sixty-seven quietly broke one day, four months later.
Feeling his Soul Power surge ever more strongly within him and his mental strength grow more condensed, Lin Yi knew his foundation was growing firmer and firmer.
Besides cultivating on his own, he set aside time each week to train the Imperial Fighting Team. He never taught flashy routines. Instead, he offered each member the most direct and effective advice, tailored to their Martial Soul and fighting habits.
With the precise observations of Spirit Detection, he could often spot the tiniest flaws in a team member's coordination or Soul Skill execution at a glance.
Under his guidance, Yu Tianheng grew more precise in choosing when to unleash Thunder Fury; Dugu Yan's use of Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison became more unpredictable and difficult to guard against; the Shi Brothers' Black Tortoise defenses became more coordinated; and Osler and Yu Feng grew ever more cunning in their speed and angles of approach.
Even Ye Lingling, who had originally focused solely on healing, began practicing casting while on the move at Lin Yi's insistence. She also paid more attention to keeping herself safe.
Under Lin Yi's nearly "ruthless" and highly efficient guidance, the Imperial Fighting Team's strength steadily and rapidly improved.
The awe the team members had felt at first because of his background and power gradually turned into genuine respect for his abilities.
And Xiao Wu became a constant "sight" at Lin Yi's side.
Ever since her identity had been exposed and she'd been forced to submit, Xiao Wu had become like a beautiful doll stripped of its soul. Wherever Lin Yi went, she silently followed.
When he cultivated, she cultivated on her own in a corner of the training ground. When he coached the team, she quietly stood to one side and watched. Even when Lin Yi returned to his quarters, she had to go with him and sleep in the living room.
At first, she was full of resistance, fear, and endless longing for Tang San. She often couldn't sleep at night...
But apart from restricting her freedom and requiring her to follow him, Lin Yi never made any improper advances toward her. He didn't even threaten her again.
This seemingly "peaceful" confinement instead allowed Xiao Wu's taut nerves to gradually relax.
She began to accept reality, forced as she was. Cultivation was the only thing she could do, and it was also the spark of hope deep within her—the hope that she might escape his control and return to Tang San.
Under the protection of the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, she no longer had to worry about her identity being exposed and could cultivate in the simulated environment in peace.
Over the course of four months, her Soul Power also rose from level thirty-eight to level thirty-nine, just one step away from becoming a Soul Ancestor.
She gradually grew used to this life as a "little sidekick." She got used to Lin Yi's silence, to the biting cold he radiated while cultivating, and even to the curious, sympathetic, or indifferent looks from the Imperial Fighting Team members.
She no longer suffered from insomnia. She still rarely smiled, but her despair and helplessness gradually gave way to a numb calm.
Like a vine forcibly transplanted, she cautiously searched for a crack in the unfamiliar soil where she could survive.
Now and then, during breaks in training, she heard news about Shrek Academy.
She heard that they were training hard too, that Dai Mubai had finally obtained his fourth Soul Ring, and that Tang San seemed to have grown even quieter and more determined... Whenever she heard such things, a flicker of emotion would appear in her eyes, but soon it would fade.
She knew that, as things stood, she had no right to dwell on too much.
Lin Yi saw Xiao Wu changing, but didn't care.
He only needed her to obey and remain under his control.
A Xiao Wu who was gradually adjusting to her circumstances and still growing stronger was more valuable than one who spent all day crying, making a scene, or threatening to kill herself.
Four months passed quietly amid an outward calm and hidden undercurrents.
Lin Yi broke through to level sixty-seven, growing stronger still.
Xiao Wu reached level thirty-nine, just one final step away from a crucial breakthrough.
The Imperial Fighting Team's overall strength rose considerably, and their coordination grew increasingly smooth.
The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament drew nearer and nearer.
And the calm before the storm was about to break.
Lin Yi knew it wouldn't be long before he crossed paths with Shrek and Tang San again.
Before the Soul Master Tournament had even begun, they came...
Before you continue