Yan Shaozhe's Suspicion, Operation Annihilate Evil Soul Masters

Martial Soul Department Dean's office, several minutes ago.

Yan Shaozhe sat behind his expansive desk, brows furrowed.

A thick stack of files lay on the desk before him, all concerning Huo Yuhao.

From his entrance exam scores to his Martial Soul and soul ring information, and even the detailed account of his fight with Wu Feng a few days ago—it was all here.

Wang Yan had organized it meticulously, even recording how many bowls of rice Huo Yuhao typically ate in the cafeteria.

After reviewing all the data, Yan Shaozhe reached a conclusion.

This kid was truly bizarre.

A ten-year soul ring defeating a Soul Grand Master was absurd, yet it could barely be explained away by combat technique and a mutated Martial Soul.

But what happened in the stone chamber last night was completely inexplicable!

Xiao Tao was an Evil Fire Phoenix who had been tormented by her evil fire for over a decade!

For all these years, not only he, but even Mu En had examined her and declared there was nothing to be done.

Huo Yuhao, a first-ring freshman, had gone in for half the night and not only suppressed the evil fire but left Xiao Tao feeling as if she had been reborn.

What kind of method did he use?

Yan Shaozhe tapped his fingers on the desk, calculating whether he should personally grab Huo Yuhao and probe him directly with his spiritual power.

Regardless of what secrets the boy held, he was currently just a first-ring soul master with absolutely no ability to resist him.

This thought flashed through Yan Shaozhe's mind, only to be immediately dismissed.

Setting aside the fact that he, a Title Douluo, would have no face to bully a freshman, the main point was that whatever secrets Huo Yuhao possessed, he had undeniably saved Xiao Tao's life and helped her resolve the issue of the evil fire.

In this matter, he, Yan Shaozhe, owed the boy a favor.

That made such an action even more impossible.

Just as he was deep in thought, a knock sounded at the office door, and Yan Shaozhe spoke without hesitation.

"Enter."

As his voice fell, an inner court deacon pushed the door open, looking hurried.

He held a letter in his hands, presenting it to the desk.

"Dean, an urgent letter just arrived."

"The messenger left as soon as they dropped it off; their movement technique was extremely fast, and we couldn't catch them."

Yan Shaozhe frowned, taking the envelope with a puzzled expression.

The envelope was made of an extremely rare beast hide, with no extra decorations on the surface, save for a dark golden hammer emblem stamped in the center.

The moment he saw that emblem, Yan Shaozhe's movements froze.

The mark of the Clear Sky Sect!

Without time for further thought, he immediately tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter.

The handwriting on the page was bold and unrestrained, exuding an incomparably overbearing aura.

The content was not long, consisting of only a few sparse sentences.

The gist was: Clear Sky Sect Master Niu Tian, accompanied by Vice Sect Master Titan, would visit Shrek Academy in one week's time, and this was to serve as notification.

Yan Shaozhe's fingers tightened around the letter.

The Clear Sky Sect Master was visiting in person? And the Vice Sect Master was coming along too?!

If this news were to spread, the entire Douluo Continent would be shaken to its core.

As a high-level official of Shrek Academy, Yan Shaozhe knew all too well the weight of those three words: Clear Sky Sect.

It was the head of the Upper Three Sects that had stood at the pinnacle of the continent ten thousand years ago.

Even after remaining in seclusion for ten millennia, their foundation was not to be underestimated.

Why would they suddenly choose to come to Shrek at this time?

Yan Shaozhe stood up and paced back and forth in the office, his mind racing.

Could it be because of Wang Dong?

That Wang Dong was from the Clear Sky Sect was no secret within the Sea God Pavilion.

When the child had come to enroll with the Clear Sky Sect's token, he had been the one to personally verify the identity.

But Wang Dong was only an outer court freshman; even with great talent, it wouldn't warrant two Sect Masters coming out of seclusion and traveling all the way to Shrek to see him, would it?

It simply didn't make sense!

Unless...

Yan Shaozhe stopped in his tracks, his expression turning grave.

Unless the Clear Sky Sect intended to use this opportunity to formally announce their emergence to the entire continent!

If that were the case, the existing landscape of the Douluo Continent would inevitably face a massive reshuffling.

The Sun Moon Empire has been making frequent moves lately, and the Body Sect has also begun to stir. It was only through the concerted efforts of Shrek Academy and the other three great empires that the situation was barely stabilized.

If the Clear Sky Sect were to intervene now, the entire situation would descend into complete chaos.

No, this matter is far too significant.

Yan Shaozhe turned and walked to his desk, picked up the Soul Tool communicator, and contacted the other Sea God Pavilion elders directly.

"Notify everyone: an emergency Sea God Pavilion meeting will be held in one hour!"

Setting down the communicator, Yan Shaozhe let out a long sigh.

Since he couldn't figure it out himself, he would let those old fogies in the Sea God Pavilion rack their brains over it instead.

He turned his head, his gaze falling squarely on the stack of files regarding Huo Yuhao.

Yan Shaozhe chuckled, feeling that he was being ridiculous.

He had actually been agonizing over the secrets of an outer court freshman just moments ago.

Compared to an event like the emergence of the Clear Sky Sect, which was capable of shifting the landscape of the entire continent, what did Huo Yuhao's little eccentricities matter?

Even if the kid had some special methods, he was ultimately just a teenager. Could he possibly have any connection to the Clear Sky Sect?

Yan Shaozhe shook his head, feeling that he had simply been idle and bored.

He swept Huo Yuhao's files into a drawer and slammed it shut with a bang.

"I'll deal with that after this busy period passes."

Hundreds of miles away from Shrek Academy, in a hidden valley located at the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Dou Ling Empire.

The area was shrouded in toxic miasma year-round and was rarely visited by humans.

Ma Xiaotao descended from the sky, landing steadily on a clearing at the edge of the valley.

She looked around and discovered that quite a few people were already standing there.

Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, Gongyang Mo... and several other familiar faces.

They were all elite disciples of the Shrek inner court.

Every one of these people was a true prodigy of the inner court.

Seeing them, Ma Xiaotao was stunned; with this lineup, half of the inner court's top combat power had arrived.

This realization made her instantly aware of the gravity of the situation, and she set aside her usual laid-back attitude, stepping forward quickly.

To mobilize so many core inner court combatants at once, this mission was definitely not simple.

"Xiaotao, you're here."

Just as she approached the others, a gentle yet authoritative voice rang out.

Ma Xiaotao looked toward the source of the voice and saw a familiar figure drifting down from the treetops.

The person was dressed in a crisp, practical outfit with her long hair tied up high, exuding an air of composure and reliability.

Zhang Lexuan.

She was the universally acknowledged senior sister of the inner court.

"Senior Sister."

Ma Xiaotao and the others greeted her in unison.

In the inner court, Zhang Lexuan's prestige was immense; even though she was extremely gentle by nature, no one dared to show her any disrespect.

Zhang Lexuan scanned the group, and seeing that everyone had arrived, she nodded and cut straight to the point.

"Our target this time is a roving group of Evil Soul Masters."

"According to intelligence, the leader is a five-ring Soul King, with three Soul Elders and over a dozen Soul Masters and Soul Grand Masters under his command."

Hearing this lineup, Dai Yueheng frowned.

"Don't Evil Soul Masters usually act alone? Why have so many appeared at once this time?"

"And all in the same place?"

Zhang Lexuan shook her head upon hearing this, speaking frankly.

"It's unclear, and that is precisely the most puzzling point."

"So, if possible, try to capture one alive later so we can interrogate them."

"But if the situation turns dire, do not hesitate—kill them immediately to ensure your own safety."

"After all, the abilities of Evil Soul Masters are extremely bizarre and often impossible to guard against."

Hearing Zhang Lexuan's words, the group nodded.

As elite disciples of the inner court, they possessed rich experience along with superior discipline and execution; they didn't need Zhang Lexuan to tell them what to do.

"Xiaotao, your Martial Soul has a powerful restraining effect on Evil Soul Masters. You will be responsible for the main assault later, tearing through their defensive line."

Ma Xiaotao clenched her fists, her knuckles popping, and an excited smile appeared on her face.

"Leave it to me."

Zhang Lexuan looked at her, offering a word of caution with a hint of unease.

"Mind your emotions, and whatever you do, don't let the Evil Fire backlash."

"If you feel you can't suppress it, pull back immediately and let Luochen cover you."

Ling Luochen chimed in coldly from the side.

"My ice can help you cool down, but you'd best not push yourself."

Ma Xiaotao waved her hand, completely unbothered.

"Don't worry, I won't be needing your ice today."

Ling Luochen raised an eyebrow and said nothing more, assuming Ma Xiaotao was just being stubborn.

Seeing this, Zhang Lexuan said no more and gave a wave of her hand.

"Move out!"