Silver Moon

Shrek Academy sure had big ambitions.

Of the three famous inherited Martial Souls of the Sun Moon Empire, they already had two. If not for the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon appearing only a handful of times in the Sun Moon Empire, with hardly anyone knowing about it, then...

No, with him around, wouldn't that make it a complete set?

Xu Yanli: ...

The next morning, after class, Xu Yanli prepared to head to Yan Shaozhe's office.

Xu Yanli walked along a tree-shaded path in Shrek Academy. There was no one around.

He felt clear-headed and refreshed, his mind seeming to have relaxed a little.

But he hadn't gone far when he collided head-on with a woman wearing the uniform of the inner courtyard.

Xu Yanli shifted his step slightly, turned his head for a glance, then immediately looked away.

But the senior sister from the inner courtyard stopped in her tracks, her gaze settling directly on Xu Yanli.

"Why is there an aura on you that shares the same origin as my Martial Soul?" she asked, puzzled.

Xu Yanli wondered how his Martial Soul could possibly share the same origin as hers. No, wait...

She was Zhang Lexuan!

His face showed just the right amount of confusion and courtesy as he instinctively replied, "Maybe we have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"

Though he sounded rather casual, he understood everything in an instant.

Silver Moon.

And it even resembled a portion of the Silver Moon origin inside him. That wasn't all—the most startling thing was that this aura was clearly identical to Kong Deming's Martial Soul.

On Douluo Continent, more than ninety percent of Martial Souls were inherited, while fewer than ten percent came from mutation.

It seemed his earlier thought hadn't been mere speculation. There was definitely some unspoken connection between those two.

"Classmate, is your Martial Soul related to the moon too?" Zhang Lexuan hesitated before asking.

Xu Yanli nodded, but said apologetically, "Um, senior sister, I have something to discuss with Dean Yan Shaozhe. Could we talk another time, when we're both free?"

"Of course." Zhang Lexuan smiled faintly and nodded apologetically at Xu Yanli before continuing in the direction she had originally been headed.

Xu Yanli no longer felt relaxed. A hint of menace crossed his expression, but he quickly concealed it.

He had to admit, if anyone from the Sun Moon Empire had seen that just now, they would have marveled at how identical his expression was to his elder brother Xu Tianran's. As expected of real brothers.

Xu Yanli quickened his pace. He no longer felt like taking a stroll and headed straight for Yan Shaozhe's office.

But he hadn't expected Yan Shaozhe to rise and greet him so warmly the moment he walked in, showering him with praise right off the bat.

Soon, though, Xu Yanli sensed that something was off. As Yan Shaozhe continued praising him, his tone suddenly changed, and his gaze turned unmistakably probing.

"Your Martial Soul seemed to wield the power of the sun's fire when you fought the other day. Could it suppress special flames?" Yan Shaozhe asked, a hint of pleading in his voice.

Xu Yanli understood at once and felt relieved. He'd thought Yan Shaozhe suspected something else, but he was only probing into the flames of his Martial Soul.

And that special flame—there was no mistaking it. It was Evil Fire. He was talking about Ma Xiaotao.

Xu Yanli smiled faintly. A carefully measured hint of confusion showed in his eyes as he said, "I don't know what special flame you mean, but I'm willing to give it a try. I'd need to understand the specifics first, after all. I can't make a blind promise, can I?"

Yan Shaozhe nodded and stopped beating around the bush. His voice carried the certainty and condescension unique to Shrek's upper ranks, though it softened unconsciously for a moment when he mentioned his disciple.

"This concerns my personal disciple. Her Martial Soul is unusual, and her Evil Fire is violent and difficult to control. Only the flames of a high-quality Martial Soul can barely suppress it. If you can help stabilize the problem, Shrek won't treat you unfairly. I can offer resources, a slot, and opportunities to cultivate in the inner courtyard. If you handle this well, name your terms."

Xu Yanli sneered inwardly, then said respectfully, "It would be my honor to help the academy."

Yan Shaozhe looked quite pleased and nodded.

Xu Yanli was mainly sneering to himself. Shrek Academy had practically placed a golden opportunity right in his hands.

Xu Yanli smiled calmly as he asked, "Dean, could you give me a pass to the Library Pavilion? I'd like to learn about Martial Souls and Soul Beasts. I didn't have much exposure to them at home before..."

"That's a trivial matter. Wait until tomorrow, and I'll issue you a pass to the inner courtyard's Library Pavilion. You can go straight in. Just don't take any of the books out." Yan Shaozhe was in such a good mood that he agreed without hesitation.

Meanwhile, after learning that her husband had finished his experiment, Zhou Yi went to the Soul Tool Department. She headed straight to her husband Fan Yu's office.

Fan Yu was looking at a Soul Tool in his hands, bewildered. When Zhou Yi came in, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"You have no idea how outrageous Xu Yanli was today! Just because he's got a little ability, he made them run a hundred laps, then dared to make me lose face in front of the whole class. He kept taking digs at me, openly and behind my back. He clearly doesn't take me, his homeroom teacher, seriously!"

The angrier she got, the more her fingers trembled. Her face was full of resentment and murderous intent.

"I've taught students for so many years, and I've never seen a freshman so eager to show off and so utterly ignorant of the rules! He's got a little talent and thinks he can do whatever he wants. If I don't teach him a lesson today, won't he be walking all over me from now on?"

Fan Yu was just about to try to talk her down when Zhou Yi cut in urgently, "Don't try to talk me out of it! I can't swallow this! Who does Xu Yanli think he is, embarrassing me the moment he arrives at Shrek? If I just let it go, how am I supposed to hold my head up around the academy?"

Zhou Yi gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with resentment and spite. Her pettiness was plain for all to see.

"I don't care. I have to get even! He likes stealing the spotlight, doesn't he? Then I'll make sure he gets all the attention he can handle!"

Fan Yu knew his wife's temperament. After a brief silence, he said, "All right. I'll talk to the dean and see if we can make some changes to the rules or content of the freshman assessment, throw a few obstacles in his way, and make him take a loss."

Zhou Yi narrowed her eyes. Paired with her ugly fake face, she looked rather nauseating.

Zhou Yi sneered. "Then you'd better make sure she takes a hard fall in front of all the freshmen."

But Zhou Yi suddenly let out an "Ah," as if she'd thought of something. She tore off her mask, then went over and embraced Fan Yu...

Meanwhile, after leaving the dean's office, Xu Yanli didn't return to cultivate. Instead, he went to Xiaoyao Pavilion.