Jiang Che glanced at the uniforms the three wore. They had the insignia of first-year students from the Outer Court, and since today was the recruitment day, they had been enrolled for less than a day.
With strength like theirs, daring to venture into the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest would have been asking to become monster chow in the past.
The girl with the ponytail was the first to react. She put away her spear and bowed respectfully to Jiang Che. "Thank you, senior, for saving our lives! We're first-year students in Class Seven of the Outer Court. My name is Ling Shuang, and they're my classmates. We heard there might be suitable Hundred-Year Soul Beasts in the outskirts, so we came to take a look. We didn't expect to run into a thousand-year-old Shadow Leopard..."
As she spoke, her face turned red. She clearly knew she'd been reckless.
Jiang Che waved a hand and said nothing more. Every class of new students had their share of reckless young calves who feared no tigers. Lectures wouldn't help; one hard lesson would teach them to be more careful.
"Get back quickly. The smell of blood here will attract stronger Soul Beasts," Jiang Che said coolly, turning to leave.
"Senior!" the round-faced girl suddenly called after him, her eyes shining. "A-Are you from the Inner Court? You're amazing! You froze a thousand-year-old Shadow Leopard with one slap—no, one finger! What rank are you? A Soul King? Or a Soul Emperor?"
Jiang Che paused and glanced back at her with a faint, amused smile. "You tell me."
With that, he blurred and vanished into the dense forest, leaving the three teenagers staring at one another.
"He's so handsome..." The round-faced girl clasped her cheeks.
"Stop swooning and let's go!" Ling Shuang dragged her along as they hurried away. But in her heart, she was thinking that the aura of that senior was like nothing she'd sensed except from the Soul Saint elders in her family—and his was even stronger.
By the time Jiang Che returned to Shrek City, dusk was beginning to fall.
He didn't use the main gate. Instead, he entered the Inner Court directly through the private passage to Sea God Island.
Sea God Island lay to the east of Shrek City. It was the heart of Shrek Academy, linked to the Outer Court and Inner Court by a long bridge. Ordinary students weren't allowed to set foot there.
Green trees shaded the island, and buildings peeked through the foliage. The air brimmed with dense natural energy, at least thirty percent richer than outside. The island was home to the elders of Sea God Pavilion and the Inner Court's most outstanding students. It was the true foundation of Shrek Academy.
The moment Jiang Che set foot on the island, he spotted Bei Bei squatting on the stone steps at the entrance, happily sipping a steaming bowl of meat soup.
At the sight of Jiang Che, Bei Bei nearly dropped the bowl. He scrambled to his feet. "Brother Che! You're back!"
"Mm." Jiang Che glanced at him and noticed a fleck of grease by his mouth. "Are you drinking soup squatting by the gate?"
"I was waiting for you!" Bei Bei grinned and wiped his mouth. "Elder Mu told me to wait here. He said to bring you to Sea God Pavilion as soon as you got back. There's something important to discuss."
Jiang Che raised an eyebrow. "Something important? Did Elder Mu say what it was?"
Bei Bei shook his head, his expression growing more serious. "No, but Elder Mu called Elder Xuan, Dean Yan, and Dean Cai over. It looks like several Sea God Pavilion elders are there too."
He left the rest unsaid, but the meaning was clear. Only elders and the Academy's highest decision-makers attended Sea God Pavilion meetings.
If Jiang Che had been invited to sit in, that meant Elder Mu officially considered him one of Shrek's future pillars.
Jiang Che understood. He nodded. "All right. I'll head over now."
After taking a couple of steps, he looked back at Bei Bei, the corner of his mouth curling up. "By the way, how long have you been squatting there drinking soup?"
Bei Bei froze and guiltily looked away. "Not long... just... about an hour."
"Next time, bring a stool." Jiang Che left him with that and headed toward Sea God Pavilion.
Bei Bei stood rooted to the spot with the bowl in his hands. Only after a long moment did he realize what Jiang Che had said. His eyes widened. "Wait... was Brother Che looking out for me?"
He looked down at his numb legs, then at the meat soup that had gone cold in the bowl. He couldn't help chuckling and muttered, "That guy isn't so scary all the time..."
Sea God Pavilion stood in the center of Sea God Island. It was a three-story wooden building, old and imposing, without lavish adornment—only the solemn dignity left by the passage of time.
The pavilion doors stood wide open. By the time Jiang Che entered, quite a few people were already seated inside.
Mu En sat in the seat of honor, still looking as though he were at death's door. He reclined in his chair, his yellowed eyelids drooping slightly, as if dozing. But everyone knew that the Dragon God Douluo had never truly let down his guard.
On Mu En's left sat a thin old man with graying hair and a gaze sharp as an eagle's. His aura was deep and steady. He was the strongest person in Shrek Academy after Elder Mu, a Level 98 Super Douluo named Xuan Zi, known as the Taotie Douluo. His true strength was unfathomable.
On Mu En's right sat Yan Shaozhe, Dean of the Martial Soul Department, and Qian Duoduo, Dean of the Soul Tool Department. Farther down sat several Inner Court elders. Every one of them was a Titled Douluo of at least Rank 91—any one of them could make the whole continent tremble.
The moment Jiang Che entered, everyone's gaze converged on him.
Some looked him over, some were pleased, some curious, and others openly admiring.
"Little Che is here." Mu En opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his aged face. He pointed to the empty seat beside him. "Sit."
That seat was originally reserved for the deputy pavilion master. Mu En's meaning was clear.
Jiang Che didn't refuse. He walked over and sat down without hesitation. With his strength as a Titled Douluo at twenty-two, and the potential of his dual Ultimate Martial Souls, he had every right to that seat.
"Everyone," Mu En began slowly. His voice was quiet, yet it reached every ear in the room. "I called you here today for two reasons."
"First, my youngest disciple, Jiang Che, officially broke through to Titled Douluo today. A Titled Douluo at twenty-two is a rare sight even in the history of Shrek."
Though the elders had already heard the news, astonishment still flashed in their eyes. They understood better than anyone what it meant to become a Titled Douluo at twenty-two.
"Second..." Mu En's gaze swept across the room, and his tone grew more solemn. "I'd like to hear your opinions on Little Che's ninth Soul Ring. The ninth Soul Ring is of immense importance. It will shape his future path to becoming a Limit Douluo, so we must consider it with the utmost care."
Elder Xuan set down the chicken leg in his hand—yes, he'd been gnawing on a chicken leg the whole time—and wiped his fingers. He turned his murky eyes toward Jiang Che and said, "Kid, the best fit for your Ultimate Ice Martial Soul would naturally be a top-tier ice-attribute Soul Beast. But ice-attribute Soul Beasts are few and far between at the hundred-thousand-year level. They're either far away in the frigid north, or they're those old monsters in the Core Circle of the Star Dou Great Forest. What are you thinking?"
Jiang Che fell silent for a moment, a thoughtful look passing through his silver-blue eyes.
In truth, he already had a target in mind.
"Elder Mu," Jiang Che said as he stood and looked toward the Limit Douluo. His voice was calm, yet carried an unshakable conviction. "I want to make a trip to the Far North."
"The Far North?" Yan Shaozhe frowned. "The conditions there are harsh, and it's full of ice-attribute Soul Beasts that have lived for over ten thousand years. They say there's even a seventy-thousand-year-old ice king in the Core Circle. Your Ultimate Ice may make you immune to the cold, but with your strength right now..."
"Senior Brother," Jiang Che interrupted, a confident smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "The reason I want to go is precisely because there's an ice king there."
"For my ninth Soul Ring, I'd rather have nothing at all than settle for anything less than the best."
The moment he finished speaking, the entire room was stunned.
Even Elder Xuan stopped chewing. Mu En's drooping eyelids lifted slightly, a glint flashing in his yellowed eyes. The elders exchanged looks; some seemed worried, while others nodded to themselves.
The one in the Far North's Core Circle was an existence even Limit Douluo were reluctant to provoke lightly.
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