Zhu Zhuqing's Awakening

On the other side, Yu Luomian, who had rushed back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan overnight, was trembling all over.

He was truly terrified; the sheer impact of a Title Douluo possessing two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast rings was simply too immense.

Upon returning to the sect, he didn't even have time to change his clothes before heading straight to the Sect Master Hall.

Yu Yuanzhen, sitting in the Sect Master's seat, frowned at the sight of his younger brother's disheveled appearance.

"What is going on? You were just sent to capture someone, how did you end up like this? Did Dugu Bo intervene? Even if he did, you shouldn't be in such a state."

The other elders were equally bewildered; Yu Luomian was an eighty-eighth-level Soul Douluo with considerable strength, and with over twenty guards, he shouldn't have been reduced to such a pathetic state.

Yu Luomian fell to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"B-Brother, w-we kicked an iron plate—a massive iron plate. Dugu Bo's interference is a minor matter; the real issue is the person beside Xuan Qing..."

He recounted the events exactly as they happened, from going to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to capture the target, to the appearance of Xuan Qing, and finally, Zi Ji revealing the Hell Demon Dragon and her two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast rings.

The temperature in the hall dropped with every word he spoke, and by the time he finished, the entire hall had fallen into a deathly silence, so quiet that a needle dropping on the floor could be heard.

Yu Yuanzhen stood up abruptly.

"Hell Demon Dragon? Two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast rings? How is that possible? Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

"Brother! Even if my eyes were dim, that is a legend recorded in the Sect Records; how could I be mistaken? That aura, that pressure—it was definitely a Hell Demon Dragon!"

"And those two red soul rings cannot be faked; that aura is absolutely incomparable to your ninth soul ring."

Yu Yuanzhen sat back down, his expression shifting uncertainly.

He was weighing his options and thinking: a Hell Demon Dragon martial soul with two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast rings—this level of strength was at least ninety-seven, perhaps even higher.

Because two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast rings meant she had hunted two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, a feat that exceeded his understanding of the Douluo Continent.

Yu Yuanzhen suddenly remembered something and asked in a deep voice.

"How did you manage to return?"

"She gave us two choices: either pay four hundred million Gold Soul Coin or go hunt the seventy-thousand-year bear-type soul beast marked on this map. We chose the latter."

Yu Luomian took out the map and handed it to Yu Yuanzhen.

Yu Yuanzhen took the map and examined it carefully; it was drawn in great detail, with the location at the edge of the core area of the Star Dou Forest.

It was not within the territory of the Sky Azure Bull Python or the Titan Giant Ape, which made him breathe a sigh of relief; if it had been in their territory, he wouldn't have dared to go even if his life depended on it.

"Summon all elders above the Soul Saint level. We will set out to hunt the soul beast in three days. See if any elders who have reached a bottleneck need a soul ring and bring them along."

"If we can succeed in the hunt and absorb a soul bone, my strength will definitely see a breakthrough. By then, Dugu Bo and Xuan Qing will be nothing to worry about."

"Even that Demon Dragon Douluo, I will be able to contend with."

He spoke with great confidence, though he still felt uneasy inside; two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast rings were beyond his comprehension, but he had faith in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul.

As for the soul beast hunt, they had no suspicions at all, assuming Xuan Qing simply wanted to eat bear meat.

If they had been suspicious, Xuan Qing would have started to wonder if he had truly transmigrated into a normal Douluo Continent.

After all, apart from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which was semi-commercial, the other two of the Upper Three Sects were arrogant beyond measure.

The titles of "Number One Beast Martial Soul" and "Number One Tool Martial Soul" had already gone to their heads.

But what they didn't know was this:

That was merely a cave where Lord Bear stayed when he occasionally went out to forage.

Lord Bear spent most of his time in the Life Lake, cultivating alongside Di Tian and the others.

This time, Xuan Qing had asked Zi Ji to contact Lord Bear and have him wait in the cave—a classic case of "Jiang Taigong fishing, waiting for the willing fish to take the bait."

Yu Yuanzhen and his men were exactly those willing fish.

Meanwhile, inside Dugu Manor.

Xuan Qing was sitting in the courtyard, leisurely sipping tea.

Zi Ji stood beside him, a black scale resting in her palm—it was the reverse scale of Di Tian.

"How is it? What did Di Tian say?"

Zi Ji put away the scale and Kaidō, "I have already notified Di Tian. He has ordered Lord Bear to guard that location; whoever goes there is in for a disaster."

"Di Tian said he invites you to visit the Life Lake again when you have time."

Xuan Qing smiled.

"That old dragon is quite the businessman. It's clear he wants me to continue wearing down the sword qi for that Little Silver Dragon."

Zi Ji, however, was somewhat puzzled.

"Senior, you seem to think highly of Lord Bear? When we went to the Life Lake last time, he gave you quite a hard time."

Xuan Qing set down his teacup, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

"If you had a subordinate who did exactly as they were told, you would be happy too. Even if they complain a few times, they never fail to get the job done."

"This kind of person—oh, no, this kind of soul beast is the most pleasing. As it happens, Lord Bear is exactly that type; as long as your fist is bigger than his, he'll be obedient."

"Besides, he's powerful and thick-skinned, making him the perfect hired muscle."

Zi Ji fell into thought; indeed, that was true.

Although that blockheaded bear had a volatile temper and would occasionally give Di Tian trouble, even coveting the position of Beast God, he was reliable when it came to serious matters.

If Di Tian told him to go east, he would never go west. Which leader wouldn't love a subordinate like that?

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is in for a grim fate this time. Yu Yuanzhen is only level ninety-five; going there is just serving themselves up on a platter."

Xuan Qing shrugged.

"Who can they blame? They dared to set their sights on me and Dugu Yan. People must take responsibility for their own choices. Once you choose a path, you must walk it to the end. If you can't reach the end, that's just fate."

"There are always self-righteous fools in this world whose ambitions are higher than the heavens, yet their lives are thinner than paper."

Zi Ji nodded and said nothing more.

She was a soul beast. Although she no longer lived by drinking blood and eating raw flesh as she once did, she was a soul beast at her core. The law of the jungle—the strong preying on the weak—was the fundamental rule of the soul beast world.

It was the same for humans. If you aren't ruthless, others will be ruthless to you. Xuan Qing was simply applying this rule to humans, and there was nothing wrong with that.

At this moment, Shrek Academy was in an uproar.

Dai Mubai paced back and forth in the dormitory, his expression extremely grim.

"Has anyone seen Zhu Zhuqing? She's been missing for an entire day."

Ma Hongjun shook his head.

"Haven't seen her. She's never been one for crowds, so who knows where she went? Maybe she's off training by herself."

Oscar added.

"Yeah, Boss Dai. Zhuqing has a cold personality and doesn't like lively places. Maybe she's just training somewhere; don't worry yourself over nothing."

Xiao Wu sat on the edge of the bed with her head down, not saying a word.

She had a bad feeling. Zhu Zhuqing might have already run away; she had heard Xuan Qing's words that day, too.

People strive for higher ground, just as water flows to lower places.

Zhu Zhuqing wasn't a fool. She knew what she wanted, and since Shrek Academy couldn't provide it, she naturally had to leave.

Flender hurried in, his face heavy with concern.

"I just went to the Great Soul Arena to ask around. Zhu Zhuqing did go to compete the night before last, but she left right after the matches and never returned to the academy."

Dai Mubai's face turned pale.

"What? She ran away? Why? Why would she run?"

Flender sighed and shook his head, unable to say anything.

Dai Mubai clenched his fists, his eyes filled with resentment.

It must be Xuan Qing. If it weren't for Xuan Qing, Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't have left. It was all his fault.

He would remember this grudge.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing had long since left Suotuo City and was heading in the direction of Heaven Dou City.

Xuan Qing's words had awakened her. She hadn't fled her clan just to waste her days at Shrek Academy or to entangle herself with Dai Mubai.

She needed to become strong—strong enough to master her own destiny.

Shrek Academy couldn't give her what she wanted; Yu Xiaogang only knew how to train them by carrying rocks, and Flender only knew how to make them earn money.

What was the point of staying in a place like that?

She didn't have that much time to waste. She had to become strong; she had to survive.

She looked ahead, her eyes resolute. She was going to find Xuan Qing. Even if she could only watch him from afar, that kind of powerhouse was the goal she should be pursuing.

Even if Xuan Qing wouldn't take her in, she would forge her own path. She would go to the Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City and hone herself on the edge of life and death; that was still better than wasting time at Shrek Academy.

This was the path she had chosen, and she would walk it to the end, even if she had to crawl.

Even if she died out there, it would be better than being a useless drifter at Shrek Academy.