The Martial Soul Department dean's office, several minutes earlier.
Yan Shaozhe sat behind his wide desk, his brows tightly furrowed.
A thick stack of files lay on the desk before him, all of them about Huo Yuhao.
They covered everything from his entrance exam results to information on his Martial Soul and Soul Rings, and even the detailed account of his fight with Wu Feng a few days earlier.
Wang Yan had compiled them meticulously. He had even recorded how many bowls of rice Huo Yuhao usually ate in the cafeteria.
After reviewing all the materials, Yan Shaozhe reached a conclusion.
This kid was downright bizarre.
Beating a Soul Grandmaster with a Ten-Year Soul Ring was absurd, but it could just barely be explained by combat skills and a Martial Soul Mutation.
But what had happened in the Stone Chamber last night was completely inexplicable!
Xiaotao was an Evil Fire Phoenix who had been tormented by Evil Fire for more than a decade!
All these years, not only had he been unable to help her, but even Mu En had said there was nothing they could do after examining her.
Huo Yuhao, a newcomer with a single Soul Ring, had spent half the night in there, and not only had he suppressed the Evil Fire, he had left Xiaotao seeming like an entirely new person.
What method had he used?
Yan Shaozhe tapped his fingers against the desk, pondering whether he should go and seize Huo Yuhao himself, then probe him with his spiritual power.
Whatever secrets the kid had, he was still only a one-ring Soul Master. He was utterly incapable of resisting Yan Shaozhe.
The thought flashed through Yan Shaozhe's mind, but he immediately dismissed it.
Putting aside the fact that, as a Titled Douluo, he had no face to bully a new student, there was also the more important matter that Huo Yuhao had indeed saved Xiaotao's life and helped her resolve her Evil Fire problem.
On that score, Yan Shaozhe owed him a favor.
That made it even less possible for him to do something like that.
Just as he was thinking, someone knocked on the office door. Yan Shaozhe replied without a second thought.
"Come in."
As soon as Yan Shaozhe spoke, an Inner Academy steward hurried in, looking flustered.
He held a letter in his hand and presented it to Yan Shaozhe with both hands.
"Dean, an urgent letter just arrived."
"The messenger dropped it off and left immediately. He was incredibly fast, and we couldn't catch up."
Yan Shaozhe frowned at this and took the envelope, puzzled.
It was made from an extremely rare kind of beast hide. The surface had no decoration except for a dark-gold hammer emblem stamped in the very center.
The moment he saw the emblem, Yan Shaozhe froze.
The Clear Sky Sect's seal!
Without wasting time, he immediately opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.
The handwriting was bold and free, exuding an imposing, domineering aura.
The message was brief, containing only a few lines.
In essence, it said: Niu Tian, sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, would visit Shrek Academy in one week, accompanied by Tai Tan, the vice sect master. This letter served as notice.
Yan Shaozhe's fingers tightened sharply around the letter.
The Clear Sky Sect's sect master was coming in person? And the vice sect master was coming along?!
If this news got out, all of Douluo Continent would be shaken.
As a high-ranking member of Shrek Academy, Yan Shaozhe knew all too well the weight carried by the name Clear Sky Sect.
It had stood at the peak of the continent for ten thousand years, foremost among the Upper Three Sects.
Even after remaining hidden for ten thousand years, its foundations were absolutely not to be underestimated.
Why had they suddenly decided to visit Shrek at a time like this?
Yan Shaozhe rose and paced back and forth across the office, his mind racing.
Could it be because of Wang Dong?
It was no secret within the Sea God Pavilion that Wang Dong belonged to the Clear Sky Sect.
When the child had come to enroll with a token from the Clear Sky Sect, Yan Shaozhe himself had verified her identity.
But Wang Dong was just a new student in the Outer Academy. No matter how talented she was, surely that wasn't enough to make both sect masters leave seclusion and travel all this way to Shrek to see her?
It made no sense!
Unless...
Yan Shaozhe stopped, his expression grave.
Unless the Clear Sky Sect intended to use this opportunity to formally announce its return to the world!
If that was true, the existing order of Douluo Continent would inevitably face a major upheaval.
The Sun Moon Empire had been making frequent moves lately, and the Body Sect was growing restless too. It had taken the combined efforts of Shrek Academy and the other three empires just to barely stabilize the situation.
If the Clear Sky Sect joined in now, the entire situation would descend into chaos.
No, this matter was far too serious.
Yan Shaozhe turned and walked to his desk. He picked up the Communication Soul Tool and immediately contacted the other Sea God Pavilion Elders.
"Notify everyone. We'll hold an emergency meeting of the Sea God Pavilion in half an hour!"
After putting down the communicator, Yan Shaozhe let out a long breath.
Since he couldn't figure it out on his own, he could let those old geezers in the Sea God Pavilion rack their brains over it together.
He turned around, and his gaze fell on the stack of Huo Yuhao's files.
Yan Shaozhe chuckled, feeling a little foolish.
He had actually been fretting over the secrets of a new student from the Outer Academy.
Compared with the Clear Sky Sect's return, a major event that could change the balance of the continent, what did Huo Yuhao's little oddities matter?
Even if the kid had some special tricks, he was still just a teenager. It wasn't as if he could have any connection to the Clear Sky Sect, could he?
Yan Shaozhe shook his head, deciding he must simply have had too much time on his hands earlier.
He casually swept Huo Yuhao's files into a drawer and slammed it shut.
"I'll deal with that after I get through this busy spell."
Several hundred li from Shrek Academy, in a hidden mountain valley near the border between the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Dou Ling Empire.
The place was shrouded in poisonous miasma year-round, and few people ever ventured there.
Ma Xiaotao dropped from the sky and landed steadily on a clearing at the edge of the valley.
She looked around and saw that quite a few people had already gathered there.
Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochеn, Gongyang Mo... and several other familiar faces.
They were all elite disciples of the Shrek Inner Court.
Every one of them was a true prodigy of the Inner Court.
Seeing them, Ma Xiaotao paused. With a lineup like this, half of the Inner Court's top fighters had come.
That made her instantly realize how serious the situation was. She dropped her usual casual attitude and strode forward.
A mission that could bring out so many of the Inner Court's core fighters at once was bound to be no simple matter.
"Xiaotao, you're here."
Just as she approached the others, a warm yet authoritative voice rang out.
Ma Xiaotao looked toward its source and saw a familiar figure floating down from the treetops.
The woman wore a neat, practical outfit, her long hair tied up high. Her whole bearing radiated steadiness and reliability.
Zhang Lexuan.
She was also the Inner Court's universally recognized senior sister.
"Senior Sister."
Ma Xiaotao and the others greeted her in unison.
Zhang Lexuan commanded enormous respect in the Inner Court. Even though she was extremely gentle by nature, no one dared show her disrespect.
Zhang Lexuan looked around. Once she saw that everyone had arrived, she nodded and got straight to the point.
"Our target is a group of rogue Evil Soul Masters."
"According to the intelligence, their leader is a Five-Ring Soul King. He has three Soul Elders and more than a dozen Soul Masters and Soul Grandmasters under him."
Hearing this lineup, Dai Yueheng furrowed his brows.
"Don't Evil Soul Masters usually act alone? Why are so many of them showing up at once this time?"
"And in the same place, no less?"
Zhang Lexuan shook her head and answered frankly.
"I don't know. That's one of the things that's most puzzling."
"So if possible, try to capture one alive and interrogate them."
"But if things go wrong, don't hesitate. Kill them immediately and make sure you stay safe."
"After all, Evil Soul Masters' abilities are incredibly strange, and sometimes they're impossible to guard against."
Hearing Zhang Lexuan's words, everyone nodded.
As elite disciples of the Inner Court, they had plenty of experience and excellent discipline and execution. They knew what to do without needing Zhang Lexuan to spell it out.
"Xiaotao, your Martial Soul has a powerful effect against Evil Soul Masters. You'll lead the attack and tear through their defenses."
Ma Xiaotao clenched her fists. Her knuckles cracked, and an excited smile spread across her face.
"Leave it to me."
Zhang Lexuan looked at her and added a concerned reminder.
"Keep your emotions under control. Don't let the Evil Fire turn on you."
"If you feel like you can't suppress it, fall back at once and let Luochеn cover you."
Ling Luochеn chimed in coldly from the side.
"My ice can cool you down, but don't try to tough it out."
Ma Xiaotao waved her hand, unconcerned.
"Relax. I won't need your ice today."
Ling Luochеn raised an eyebrow but said nothing more, assuming Ma Xiaotao was just being stubborn.
Seeing that, Zhang Lexuan said no more. She waved her hand.
"Move out!"
Before you continue