At the first hint of dawn, Nuoding Academy still lay shrouded in a faint morning mist. Most of the students were still lost in sleep, but Lin Chen had already arrived beneath the dormitory building with a simple pack, where Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing soon joined him.
Xiao Wu wore a neat, pale pink outfit with short sleeves and shorts, her signature scorpion braid in place. Her eyes brimmed with anticipation for the road ahead as she stood close beside Lin Chen, utterly free of any last-minute jitters. Zhu Zhuqing, meanwhile, wore her usual cool black attire, her posture straight and proud. The keen senses of her Hell Spirit Cat kept her constantly alert, yet when she looked at Lin Chen, there was an unmistakable certainty in her gaze.
"Let's go. We'll set out before they realize what's happening." Lin Chen's voice was low. He glanced around, and, once he had confirmed no one was paying attention, led the way toward a secluded path in the hills behind the academy.
He had scouted this path a few days earlier. The mountain trail was rugged but rarely traveled, and it led straight toward Shrek Academy. It would let them avoid the crowds at the academy and, more importantly, shake off Tang San and Yu Xiaogang for good. He had already left faint traces of Soul Power along the road leading from the academy's main gate, deliberately making it look as if the three of them had left that way. It was his first trap for Yu Xiaogang.
Sure enough, not long after Lin Chen and the two girls entered the mountain trail, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang hurriedly packed their things and sneaked over to the academy's main gate. Yu Xiaogang studied the faint traces of Soul Power left on the ground, convinced he had accurately deduced the route Lin Chen and the others had taken. A smug look flashed in his eyes, and he immediately said to Tang San, "Xiao San, they took the main road through the front gate. Let's follow them at once! If we reach Shrek first, we can seize the advantage!"
Tang San heard him and didn't doubt his judgment for a moment. He clenched his fists, consumed by his obsession with catching up to Lin Chen, and followed Yu Xiaogang as they raced down the main road. All he could think about was reaching Shrek as soon as possible and escaping the humiliation he had endured at Nuoding Academy. He had no idea that he had fallen into Lin Chen's trap from the very beginning.
On the mountain trail, Lin Chen walked at an easy pace with the two girls. Morning mist curled through the hills, and the air was fresh, with none of the bustle of the main road. He seemed relaxed, but he kept a close watch on the path behind them. At the same time, Soul Power from his Ink Shadow Spirit Cat flowed quietly at his fingertips as he discreetly laid obstacles along the way.
Under the control of his Soul Power, thick vines crept across the uneven trail, ready to trip anyone who didn't watch their step. Scattered stones shifted slightly, forming slick slopes on steep stretches. He even drew on his knowledge of low-ranked Soul Beasts' habits to lure several groups of Ten-Year Soul Beasts into wandering near the forks in the trail, all to make trouble for anyone who came after them.
He carried out every maneuver with the utmost stealth, using only the surface layer of his ten-level Soul Power and revealing none of his true strength. Xiao Wu, walking beside him, thought the path was smooth and easy, and bounced along without noticing a thing. Even Zhu Zhuqing, perceptive as she was, assumed the trail was simply rugged and didn't realize Lin Chen had arranged everything deliberately.
"Lin Chen, this path is so peaceful. It's much nicer than the main road, and we don't have to squeeze through the crowd." Xiao Wu plucked a tiny wildflower from the roadside and tucked it into her hair, bouncing along beside him with a light, happy voice. With Lin Chen by her side, she never had to worry about the dangers ahead. She felt nothing but safe and secure, and trusted him completely.
Zhu Zhuqing followed quietly nearby, her cool gaze occasionally settling on Lin Chen's back. He always walked at the front, his posture straight and his steps steady. Even on the rugged mountain trail, he remained calm and unhurried, as though everything was under his control. Compared to Tang San, who was gloomy and full of spite all day long, Lin Chen's composure and wisdom, his strength kept carefully sheathed, inspired far more trust in her. She felt all the more certain that traveling with him had been the right choice.
The two girls chatted and laughed as they went, their mood light and carefree. Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, however, were already in a thoroughly sorry state.
Yu Xiaogang had led Tang San racing down the main road for quite some time, but the route was not only long—they had yet to catch sight of Lin Chen and the others. The farther they went, the more desolate the road became, hardly looking like a path anyone used. Yu Xiaogang's face gradually turned livid. His unease grew, but he still forced himself to remain composed, unwilling to admit that his judgment had been wrong.
"Teacher, something's not right. Did we take a wrong turn?" Tang San panted, cold sweat beading across his forehead. The long sprint had already drained a great deal of his Soul Power, and he could barely hold back his growing frustration.
"Impossible! My theories can't be wrong!" Yu Xiaogang snapped back. But as he stared at the empty road, even his voice faltered. He gritted his teeth and, with no other choice, reluctantly led Tang San back the way they had come, heading toward the hills behind the academy.
By the time the two stumbled onto the mountain trail, Lin Chen and the others were already several miles ahead. The moment Tang San stepped onto the path, he tripped hard over the vines snaking across the ground and crashed onto the stony earth. His elbow scraped open in an instant, and dust covered him from head to toe. The frustration he had been suppressing blazed into anger.
Before he could get back up, several dark shapes shot out of the grass. They were Wind Wolves, each ten years old. Catching the scent of strangers, they lunged straight at the two of them.
"Blue Silver Grass, Entanglement!" Tang San scrambled to his feet and hurriedly summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. Soul Power surged as several blue vines burst from the earth, barely managing to snare the Wind Wolves. But he had already expended a great deal of Soul Power and struggled to hold them back. Yu Xiaogang's own Soul Power was pitifully weak, so all he could do was fret on the sidelines. His store of theoretical knowledge was useless in the face of such a sudden crisis.
After a messy struggle, Tang San finally managed to drive off the Wind Wolves, but only after exhausting himself. His Soul Power was nearly spent, and he was filthy and battered, his face pale as paper. Yu Xiaogang looked at the scene before him, then thought of how calmly Lin Chen and the others had gone on their way. Anger and anxiety churned in him, but he couldn't say a word.
The master and disciple stumbled along, forced to deal with the rugged mountain path and the occasional harassment of low-ranked Soul Beasts. Lin Chen had left them far behind, and the atmosphere between them had grown oppressive. Tang San found himself looking at Yu Xiaogang with a trace of resentment. If his teacher hadn't made the wrong call, they wouldn't be in such a sorry state.
By then, Lin Chen had already led Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing to a smoother stretch of trail, where they stopped to rest in a clean spot. Seated on a rock with his eyes closed, he could clearly sense the two faint, agitated traces of Soul Power trailing far behind them, left in the dust and utterly exhausted.
Xiao Wu obediently offered him a flask of water, her big eyes blinking as she looked at him. "Lin Chen, when will we reach Shrek? I'm getting excited."
Zhu Zhuqing had also finished arranging her pack. She stood quietly nearby, her gaze resting on Lin Chen as she waited for him to decide what to do next.
Lin Chen opened his eyes. A cold smile flickered in them as he looked toward Shrek Academy. His voice was calm, yet carried an absolute certainty. "No rush. We'll take our time. Someone back there can follow along, nice and slow."
He had never planned to shake Tang San and his teacher completely. He wanted them to trail along behind, suffer every step of the way, and watch helplessly as he seized every advantage.
The humiliation at Nuoding Academy had only been the beginning.
The sorry state they were in now was merely a small lesson.
Once they reached Shrek, he would block every road ahead of Tang San and make sure the master and disciple lived forever in his shadow, with no chance of ever turning things around.
Sunlight pierced the morning mist between the hills, falling warmly across the three of them as the two girls accompanied Lin Chen along a clear road ahead.
The storm that would sweep through the world of Douluo under his name had only just begun.
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