Plotting Against Huo Yuhao!

The wind in the forest dispersed the scent of blood and roused Wang Dong from her stupor.

She shuddered violently, her powder-blue eyes refocusing on the black-haired youth before her.

At this moment, Zichuan had retracted all his aura; his hair had returned to an inky black, and his gaze had reverted to its previous gentle clarity, as if the terrifying existence who had just crushed an Evil Soul Master with a single punch and stood upon heaven-defying soul rings was merely a hallucination.

Yet, the corpse on the ground with its chest cavity pierced, the lingering remnants of destruction in the air, and the rapid, shock-induced thumping of her heart all clearly told her that everything she had just witnessed was real.

Wang Dong looked at Zichuan, her expression complex to the extreme. Shock, curiosity, disbelief, a trace of imperceptible agitation, and an irrepressible admiration for the strong.

Having grown up in the God Realm, she was accustomed to powerful beings; her father was a God King, so she should have been long desensitized to "strength." But Zichuan's power was a different concept entirely.

It was not the high-and-mighty, rule-level majesty of a deity, but a crushing, human-attainable, and seemingly impossible level of ferocity for someone of his age!

The configuration of those five soul rings, in particular, completely overturned her understanding.

She was only at two rings, yet he was already at five, and the age of his soul rings was unimaginably terrifying.

More importantly, he looked to be about the same age as her? Perhaps even... younger?

"Are... are you from Shrek Academy?"

Wang Dong asked tentatively, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.

She instinctively felt that a peerless genius like Zichuan must have come from the continent's premier academy, Shrek Academy. Only there could such a monster be cultivated, right?

However, Zichuan shook his head, his tone indifferent: "No. I am from the Body Sect."

"Body Sect?" Wang Dong paused, having some impression of the name. It seemed to be a reclusive sect known for cultivating the Body Martial Soul; their strength was not weak, but they lacked fame, nowhere near as thunderous as Shrek Academy.

"You... you are from the Body Sect?"

"Mm." Zichuan nodded. Looking into Wang Dong's large, curious powder-blue eyes, he hesitated before saying, "You mentioned earlier that you were going to enroll at Shrek Academy?"

"Yes, that's right." Wang Dong nodded, though a trace of doubt rose in her heart due to Zichuan's pause.

Zichuan wore an expression of wanting to say something but stopping, as if he had more to add, but ultimately he just waved his hand, his tone carrying an inexplicable meaning:

"Shrek Academy... it has a big reputation. However, sometimes a big reputation doesn't necessarily mean it's suitable for everyone. There... the rules are many, the competition is twisted, and what they teach isn't necessarily correct. If you go, it might... not be of much use."

His words were vague and stopped just at the right point. He didn't directly disparage Shrek—after all, he wasn't familiar with Wang Dong yet, and saying too much would only invite suspicion.

He left behind a hook, piquing her curiosity while subtly implying, "That place isn't all that, but I have a better destination."

Sure enough, Wang Dong's curiosity was thoroughly piqued: "What do you mean? Shrek Academy misleads its students? How could that be? I heard it's the number one academy on the continent, having cultivated countless powerhouses..."

Her impression of Shrek came mostly from her father's descriptions and rumors from the God Realm, so it was naturally excellent. Zichuan's words undoubtedly challenged her perception.

"Forget it, forget it, pretend I didn't say anything." Zichuan cut the conversation short at the right time, putting on an expression that suggested "it's useless to say more" and "you're still too young to understand," before changing the subject.

"I don't think it's safe for you to be alone; those Evil Soul Masters might have accomplices. This is no place to linger, you should leave quickly."

He still had to rush to "intercept" the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and had no time to delve into the problems of Shrek's education with Wang Dong.

Regardless, the "seed" had been planted. Given Wang Dong's personality, she would certainly seek to verify it and might even develop a trace of doubt toward Shrek because of this. That was enough. The rest could be handled slowly.

Seeing that Zichuan was unwilling to say more, Wang Dong, though curious as a cat, felt it inappropriate to press further.

She glanced at the corpse on the ground and then at Zichuan, her heart already filled with an indescribable interest in this mysterious and powerful black-haired youth, along with a trace of reliance and affection she hadn't fully realized herself.

A hero saving a beauty, crushing strength, a mysterious background, and even harboring reservations about the continent's top academy... all of this constituted a powerful attraction.

"Then... then I'm leaving." Wang Dong was somewhat reluctant to part, not knowing what else to say. After a moment of thought, she asked: "What... what is your name? Can we... meet again in the future?"

"Zichuan. Zi as in purple, Chuan as in mountain rivers." Zichuan gave his name, then thought for a moment and pointed in the direction he had come from.

"If you want to find me... you can go to the Body Sect. It's in Heaven Dou City, behind the imperial palace. Or, you can go to the 'Drunken Immortal Pavilion' in the east of Heaven Dou City and give my name; the manager will know how to contact me."

He provided two contact methods: one was the real sect address (which she wouldn't be able to enter anyway, but it showed sincerity), and the other was an external contact point. It appeared both open and mysterious.

"Body Sect... Heaven Dou City..." Wang Dong silently committed it to memory and nodded vigorously, her powder-blue eyes shining.

"My name is Wang Dong! Dong as in winter! Zichuan, thank you for today! I will definitely come to find you!"

After saying this, she took one last deep look at Zichuan, as if to carve his image into her mind, then spread her Radiant Goddess Butterfly wings and flew toward Shrek Academy.

Only this time, her mood was completely different from before.

Mixed into her anticipation for Shrek was a trace of doubt, and in the depths of her heart, there was now the figure of a black-haired youth and a strong sense of curiosity.

Watching Wang Dong's figure disappear into the forest, the gentle smile on Zichuan's face faded, and he exhaled softly.

"The first step went quite smoothly." The voice of the God of Destruction rang out, carrying satisfaction.

"The impression was deep enough, the contact information was given, and a seed of distrust toward Shrek was planted in her heart. Not bad, kid, you've made progress."

Zichuan had no heart to listen to the praise; he turned, casting his gaze toward the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, his eyes becoming sharp.

"Old Zi, is the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm... really in this vicinity?"

"This God's senses cannot be wrong. Although that worm has extremely strong mental power and is adept at hiding, its massive mental origin, accumulated over a million years and akin to a lighthouse in the dark night, cannot be hidden from this God once within a certain distance," the God of Destruction affirmed.

"It should be wandering in this area right now, waiting for that person of 'destiny' to appear."

"Huo Yuhao..." Zichuan murmured the name, his thoughts churning.