Dusk swallowed the horizon. The lights of Shrek Academy flickered on one by one, and the shocking upheaval of the day was gradually consigned to oblivion, like dust hidden beneath the night.
The training grounds had long since been cleared. Flender had used Soul Power to make a quick repair to the cracked ground, leaving only a few faint marks to remind everyone of what had happened that day. The students had returned to their dormitories. The tension sparked by the mysterious powerhouse had vanished completely once everyone settled on the conclusion that the mastermind was merely an ordinary intelligence-gathering Soul Master.
Lin Chen walked slowly along the path back to the dormitory, holding Xiao Wu's hand. The evening breeze brushed the treetops, bringing a refreshing chill. Xiao Wu leaned against his side, her earlier fear long gone. Her bright eyes brimmed with trust as she murmured, "Lin Chen, thank goodness it was just an insignificant intelligence-gathering Soul Master. Otherwise, I'd have been worried for ages."
Lin Chen lowered his eyes, a faint smile passing through them. His voice was as gentle as ever as he reached out and softly ruffled her hair. "Don't worry. I'm here, so nothing will happen. The Spirit Hall and that mysterious person's entanglement has nothing to do with us. Just focus on cultivating."
His voice was calm and gentle, carrying a reassuring warmth. Xiao Wu nodded firmly, completely unaware that deep in the eyes of the young man beside her lay a depth and composure utterly at odds with his mild exterior.
The concealment power of Star Hidden Grass still shrouded him like a veil, sealing away the aura of his level 62 Soul Emperor Soul Power without a trace. Even at such close quarters, Xiao Wu could sense only the unremarkable Soul Power of a level 36 Soul Elder from Lin Chen. Nothing seemed amiss.
They walked without a word. After escorting Xiao Wu back to the girls' dormitory, Lin Chen turned toward his own. Along the way, he ran into small groups of Shrek students, all of whom greeted him with smiles. In everyone's eyes, Lin Chen was still the same mild-mannered, mediocre, utterly unremarkable student—and worlds apart from the mysterious figure who had orchestrated the day's events.
By the time he returned to the dormitory, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the others were already there. They were still talking about what had happened that day, but their words held no trace of wariness now, only casual speculation.
"Bottom line, that mysterious person was just playing little tricks, hiding in the shadows and relying on spycraft. If it came to a straight fight, he might not be all that strong." Dai Mubai leaned against the head of his bed, rubbing his fingertips as he spoke lightly. "Still, he did help us out by getting rid of Tang San, a potential threat. Now he won't cause trouble for the Academy again."
Ma Hongjun sprawled in a chair, chewing on some dry rations as he mumbled in agreement. "Exactly! Whoever he is, as long as he doesn't target us Shrek students, he can do whatever he wants. We should just focus on cultivation and try to break through to Soul Emperor and Soul Saint as soon as possible. That's what really matters!"
Oscar silently made sausages. At their words, he raised his head. "Dean Flender said we're not to bring this up again. There's no need for us to keep worrying about it. The most important thing now is to improve our strength and prepare for the upcoming cultivation assessments."
The others chimed in one after another, not taking the mysterious mastermind seriously at all. They even thought he was an insignificant nobody, unworthy of their attention.
Lin Chen sat on the edge of his bed, quietly listening to their conversation. A gentle smile remained on his face, and he occasionally echoed a remark or two. From beginning to end, he acted no differently from the others, blending seamlessly into their seemingly peaceful discussion.
Inwardly, however, he was going over every step of the plan: from realizing Tang San had sneaked back into the Academy, to accurately passing on intelligence that would prompt the Martial Soul Hall Adjudication Hall Secret Guard to act, to deliberately steering everyone's suspicions and clearing himself of all blame. Every move had been perfectly measured, without a single flaw.
[Host's disguise is flawless. Identity concealment remains at 100%. No one nearby has any suspicions.]
[This plan was executed with exceptional success. Stealth skill proficiency increased, and Star Hidden Grass's concealment effect has been slightly enhanced.]
The system's prompt sounded softly in his mind. Lin Chen gave no outward sign of noticing, though his thoughts had already drifted far away.
He knew this was only the first step. The Spirit Hall would never let the matter rest after capturing Tang San. The feud with the Clear Sky Sect and the Spirit Hall's ambitions meant this storm would not die down easily. His task was to stay hidden in the shadows, using his cover as an ordinary student to continue plotting, clear away obstacles one by one, and secure greater opportunities and strength for himself.
Meanwhile, far beyond the forest, the Spirit Hall's Secret Guards had already taken Tang San far from Shrek Academy.
Tang San was bound tightly with ropes of Soul Power, his own Soul Power sealed. His face was ashen, and his eyes were full of resentment and venom. He couldn't understand it. He had acted so carefully—how had the Spirit Hall ambushed him so precisely? Who was the person secretly passing them information?
Damn it! Who's trying to ruin me?! Tang San raged inwardly. He had suspected everyone at Shrek, but never once turned his attention to the utterly unremarkable Lin Chen. In his eyes, Lin Chen was merely an ordinary student—weak and timid—with none of the skill or ability to pull off something like this.
Ghost Fiend, the leader of the Secret Guards, glanced at the resentful Tang San behind him. His expression was cold and unreadable. He couldn't care less about Tang San's indignation. His mission was simply to take him back to the Spirit Hall; everything else had nothing to do with him.
As for the mysterious informant, Ghost Fiend had already given up on pursuing them. He saw them as a Soul Master skilled in stealth and intelligence work, perhaps a Soul Douluo, perhaps only a high-ranking Soul Emperor. Their methods were elusive, but not enough to warrant the Adjudication Hall of the Spirit Hall spending time and effort to track them down. If they crossed paths again, he would simply be cautious. There was no need to provoke them.
The group pressed on, soon vanishing into the boundless night as they raced toward the Spirit Hall.
Back at Shrek Academy, the discussion in the dormitory gradually died down. Everyone settled into meditation and cultivation, and the Academy fell completely silent.
Lin Chen sat cross-legged on his bed. On the surface, he appeared to be circulating his Soul Power in cultivation, but in truth, he had sunk his awareness into his body to carefully feel the concealment power strengthened by Star Hidden Grass.
After this operation, Star Hidden Grass's ability had grown even purer. No Soul Master below the Titled Douluo level could detect the slightest anomaly in his Soul Power. Even if they probed him with their spiritual sense at close range, they would only think he was an utterly ordinary Soul Elder in his thirties.
He slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them before being concealed by his gentle expression.
For now, he was still that unremarkable Shrek student. Everyone was deceived by the illusion he had created. No one knew that this seemingly ordinary young man was the true player moving the pieces behind the scenes.
The turmoil beyond the Academy, the Spirit Hall's movements, and the hidden threat from the Clear Sky Sect—all were within his grasp.
Lin Chen's lips curled into a slight smile. He had already settled on his next move.
The peace now was only a temporary façade. The real game had just begun. He would continue to keep up his ordinary appearance and lie low among the others, waiting for the right moment to make his next move and bring every threat to him firmly under his control.
Night deepened. All was silent. Beneath the calm of Shrek Academy, Lin Chen's secret plans were quietly unfolding, unseen and unknown to all.
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