You Come From Shandong, Carrying Away a Patch of Snow White

You Jie laughed with an exceptionally healthy vigor, possessing the distinct air of a true duelist. If he could only manage to shift his art style while laughing—perhaps adopting that classic Katsuya Jonouchi expression—he would be even closer to the real deal.

However, neither Zhang Lexuan nor Mu En had ever witnessed such a spectacle.

Mu En was fine; thanks to the mental cultivation techniques he had honed against the Holy Spirit Cult's Supreme Elder and the Bright Phoenix Dog Donkey, he remained unperturbed. Zhang Lexuan, on the other hand, was so startled that her expression shifted, and she stumbled back a step or two, nearly tripping over a small stone.

While this might sound pathetic, considering that a certain Heavenly King from a magnetic field world could accidentally fall into a cesspit upon landing—and even take a bite—or tear his own pants after stepping on a banana peel with too much force, merely tripping over a pebble really didn't count for much.

"Elder Mu, has You Jie suffered a cultivation deviation?"

Zhang Lexuan quickly steadied herself, then cast a look of distress toward Mu En.

If Zhang Lexuan could sense the chaotic soul power fluctuations characteristic of a soul master suffering a cultivation deviation from You Jie, she would be certain that he had completely lost his mind.

Thanks to a certain Evil Fire Roast Chicken, Zhang Lexuan and many others at Shrek Academy were well aware of exactly how chaotic a soul master's power became during a deviation.

But You Jie's laughter sounded abnormal, and combined with his already twisting expression, Zhang Lexuan began to hallucinate villains who would go around saying "Heh heh heh" while committing all sorts of atrocities.

"I don't think so... at least, You Jie's soul power and mental fluctuations are both perfectly normal."

Mu En had already verified You Jie's mental state and soul power; as long as those two aspects were fine, it generally wasn't a cultivation deviation.

Yet, You Jie's laughter still exceeded Mu En's imagination—it was more demonic than the laughter of an Evil Soul Master, and more manic than the cackling of those lunatics from the Body Sect.

Could this really be laughter that a human was capable of producing?

Mu En didn't know what to do for a moment, so he could only wait for You Jie to calm down on his own before making further plans.

A few minutes later, You Jie, whose throat was growing tired from the laughter, finally stopped. Seeing the worried gazes of Mu En and Zhang Lexuan, he finally realized what had just happened.

"My apologies, Sister Lexuan, Mystic Ancestor. I didn't expect my fourth soul skill to be so incredibly fitting; I couldn't help but laugh out loud..."

"It's fine, as long as you obtained a suitable soul skill. However, do the fourth soul skills of your two martial souls need to be used in tandem to achieve the best effect? I noticed your expression just now seemed a bit off..."

Zhang Lexuan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, a gentle smile returning to her face, which made You Jie feel a pang of guilt.

What a wonderful Sister Lexuan she was; how could anyone ever bear to wrong her?

From this day forward, he, You Jie, would ensure Sister Lexuan's happiness!

"Yes, and the effect is truly powerful, though it's not convenient to demonstrate it here."

"I'll show you and the Mystic Ancestor once we return to the academy."

Mu En nodded, You Jie's explanation putting his mind at ease.

If one were to obtain a perfectly compatible soul skill through a stroke of luck, even Mu En would be prone to getting carried away; he just couldn't produce laughter as... spirited as You Jie's.

As the day had grown late, You Jie and Zhang Lexuan tidied up and retreated into their respective tents to meditate, while Mu En took on the responsibility of keeping watch.

Normally, this watch duty would be quite relaxed. Although they were in the depths of the Mixed Zone, to a Limit Douluo like Mu En, even if ordinary fierce beasts wandered out, as long as it wasn't Di Tian, there was no real danger.

Regardless of whether it was Bi Ji, Bear King, or the Myriad Demon King—who strictly speaking possessed the combat power of a Limit Douluo—in front of a fully healthy Mu En, they were all just spinning tops; the only difference was how much force Mu En would need to exert to make them spin at certain speeds.

As for other soul beasts, faced with the powerful aura of a Limit Douluo that Mu En faintly exuded, unless they were gimmick-monsters like the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, they would only turn tail and run.

If they dared to charge, Mu En wouldn't even need to lift a finger; his aura alone would be enough to suppress them.

However, the soul beast that intruded this time truly gave Mu En a genuine shock.

"What is the meaning of this? Why has the legendary Emperor Auspicious Beast come here on its own? And the aura following behind it... is that Di Tian?!"

Sensing Di Tian's presence, Mu En immediately used his mental power to wake You Jie and Zhang Lexuan, then shielded them behind him.

You Jie also prepared for battle and escape, his flying soul tool and Soul Propulsion Device already equipped, while his brain raced:

"Could it be that Di Tian is here to settle the score for when I summoned the Red Demon Dragon to invite Elder Yi? If I really have to fight Di Tian, I don't have the Clear Mind right now, so I'd have to grit my teeth and try a double tuning to bring out the Tyrant to see if I can fight...

"But what does the Emperor Auspicious Beast coming here mean? I don't have Wang Dong with me to split her soul and influence the beast. Is it planning to snatch the Sister Zhang Card to get close to me?

"But I don't even have the Sister Card in my deck right now..."

Soon, a golden, shining soul beast that looked like the sun appeared before them.

The brightness radiating from its body was so intense that You Jie almost raised his hands, tears streaming down his face, ready to shout about the grace he had received.

Beside the golden Emperor Auspicious Beast, a man with a resolute face, wearing black robes and black hair, was observing Mu En and You Jie with curious eyes.

"Dragon God Douluo, you have actually recovered your health? Rest assured, we are not here to fight you this time. At least, you people from Shrek Academy still keep your word."

Seeing the extreme vigilance of Mu En and the others, Di Tian spoke calmly, then locked his gaze onto You Jie and continued:

"You are the brat who possesses the strange dragon power, right? We are quite interested in you."

"...So what are you here for? You aren't planning to keep us here, are you?"

You Jie couldn't figure out what medicine Di Tian was selling in his gourd, so he remained vigilant, his fourth soul skill ready to be unleashed.

If Di Tian or the Emperor Auspicious Beast dared to make a move, he would show them what a true dragon was!

"That is not the case. We soul beasts do not wish to invite unnecessary trouble."

"However, this little girl is very curious about your abilities. Why don't you spar with her?"

As he spoke, Di Tian patted the head of the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

You Jie was instantly stunned.

Me, fight the Emperor Auspicious Beast? That is going to be a real headache...