Electrolux said,
"Unfortunately, my soul is incomplete right now. Otherwise, I would have had a way to help them enter the cycle of reincarnation sooner."
Lin Yun wasn't too hung up on it. He simply said calmly,
"It doesn't matter. I've done what I could. They weren't in the wrong, but their fate was also their own choice."
"This world has no room for people as pure as you. Only someone like me can survive—someone who knows how to say all the right things while harboring dark thoughts inside."
"I only hope that when I look back in the future, things will be a little purer."
After Lin Yun finished speaking, he gave the few tombstones one last wipe, then turned to Electrolux and asked,
"By the way, Elder Yi, is there some kind of magic or something else that can keep them from ever being disturbed again?"
Electrolux thought for a moment, then said,
"Well, the Martial Souls and Soul Skills in your world are subject to too many variables. But if all you want is to make this place undetectable and inaccessible to ordinary people and Soul Masters below Soul Emperor who have no spatial abilities, that won't be difficult."
Lin Yun considered this, then said to Electrolux,
"Then I'll leave it to you, Elder Yi. Let's get it done."
Electrolux nodded, then raised his hand and swept it toward the graves. Lin Yun instantly felt a large portion of his spiritual power being drained away.
His spiritual power combined with his Soul Power, manipulating the nearby stones and sending them flying as they quickly arranged themselves into a ring of magic formations.
Soul Power linked them together as Electrolux muttered under his breath. Before long, he had formed a special barrier.
The barrier operated on its own, drawing on the free-floating energy of heaven and earth to keep itself in continuous motion. It wouldn't fade anytime soon.
This power wasn't meant to injure anyone nearby. Instead, it warped the graves to a place slightly offset from the current space, concealing them.
Simply put, it was much like Huo Yuhao's Simulation Soul Skill.
An upgraded replacement, you could say.
After returning to Shrek Academy, Lin Yun casually fought his way through the semifinals and finals, stepping over the bitterly hostile brothers Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin to claim first place among the new students.
But Shrek's rewards were far meagerer than in the original story. For instance, no one even mentioned a Soul Bone.
As for the chance to obtain a Soul Ring, it was explicitly limited to the best possible Soul Ring below the third ring.
Wang Dong was naturally outraged. She puffed up her cheeks and said,
"The Academy really went too far this time. You didn't get any benefits at all!"
Lin Yun glanced at Mu En, who was sitting calmly nearby as if nothing could ruffle him, and replied without changing his expression,
"Relax, relax. The Academy has to consider the consequences, too. My Martial Soul hasn't completely cleared itself of suspicion of being an Evil Martial Soul. And I skipped several rounds of the competition, so my claim to the championship was shaky to begin with. I'm not missing out on much by losing a reward that might as well be a mirage."
"We Soul Masters should keep our feet on the ground and make progress little by little through our own abilities. Absorb a Soul Bone and jump five or six levels at once, and your foundation might not hold."
Just as Lin Yun had said in front of the tombstones, that was the kind of person he was: he spoke one way to people and another to ghosts, and pretty words rolled off his tongue with ease. As for what he really thought...
Let's just say some of it wouldn't have passed the censors of the web novels he'd read in his previous life. In short, it was a classic set of profanely crude principles, all centered around one particular organ.
Mu En couldn't read minds. In their interactions, Lin Yun had him wrapped around his finger. Thinking he understood Lin Yun, Mu En spoke to him after Wang Dong had gone upstairs first, still fuming,
"There's no one else here now. If you feel wronged, you can talk to me about it."
Electrolux scoffed quietly from within Lin Yun's Sea of Consciousness.
"He's sealed off the area around us with Soul Power. Mind your step."
Lin Yun curled his lips. When he looked up, his expression had already turned sincere.
"Your people saved my life. No matter what happens, I'll never forget that. I also understand why the Academy feels this way. After spending a year recruiting students, it must be hard for a lot of the teachers to accept that I—a suspected Evil Martial Soul owner who was rescued—ended up in first place."
"And just as I said, relying on resources to force your way up has its pros and cons. Since things have turned out this way, there's no point dwelling on it. Feeling wronged or harboring other negative emotions over something like this would only hinder my cultivation."
Mu En nodded, fully agreeing with Lin Yun.
"Children from poor families grow up early. If my great-grandson had your temperament, I could die this very day with my eyes closed."
Lin Yun grinned.
"Different people have different fates. You still have plenty of life left in you, after all. You're the Academy's Pillar of the Academy."
That night, while wandering outside, Lin Yun spotted Zhang Lexuan standing at the entrance to a path in Shrek Academy.
"You feel wronged, don't you? You clearly took first place, but got no rewards at all."
Zhang Lexuan looked at Lin Yun and asked curiously.
"Not at all. I'm not that petty."
At that moment, Zhang Lexuan pulled something like a brocade pouch from her robes. She curled her lips at Lin Yun and said,
"Those people in the Outer Court don't know how to behave. Your senior's going to make it up to you tonight..."
Before you continue