"So they're planning to take hostages and capture the leader? Hmm, no... 'Surround Wei to rescue Zhao' would probably be more accurate."
Watching the Shrek crowd across from him reveal their Martial Souls and Soul Rings, Fang Le felt nothing but a massive headache and helplessness.
Judging by the naked looks in those guys' eyes, they might as well have said, "We'll swarm him and grab the brat to use as leverage against Di Tian."
You had to hand it to them. This really was Shrek's traditional specialty!
He remembered something similar happening in the original story, too.
But that time, Xuan Zi had grabbed Rui'er to threaten the Scarlet King, and shamelessly had the Auspicious Beast form a connection with Huo Yuhao.
That had led to all kinds of tragedies afterward, including the Soul Beasts' fortune being stolen and Rui'er sacrificing herself.
"Mm..."
"Uncle Long, hit him hard. Give that old geezer's bones a good loosening!"
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Fang Le couldn't help shouting toward Di Tian.
"Don't worry! I'll make sure this guy enjoys himself!"
At that, Di Tian applied even more force.
"It's broken! It's broken!"
Xuan Zi, beneath his hands, let out a pained howl. Fang Le wasn't sure what he was saying had broken.
After all, Fang Le and Rui'er were now bonded, so the two of them naturally stood on the same side.
And after spending some time together, Fang Le had grown quite fond of Rui'er, the little one who was always clinging to him.
They just hadn't reached the point of formally tearing off the mask.
Otherwise, considering what Xuan Zi had done to Rui'er in the original story, Di Tian would have ripped out his tendons and skinned him alive. That would've been the least of it.
Xuan Zi ought to be grateful for a few light smacks like these.
That wailing... mm... soothing. (Felt damn good.)
Seeing that Di Tian was holding back, Fang Le nodded, then looked toward the seven Shrek students releasing their Martial Souls not far away.
Three Soul Ancestors and four Soul Elders. Setting aside the quality of Shrek's teaching, its students could fight a whole level above their peers on talent alone.
And that was without mentioning Zhang Lexuan, who was mixed in with this group.
This future senior sister of the inner courtyard, the next in line to inherit the Sea God Pavilion...
Though she hadn't shown much in the story, her talent was so formidable that she could at least match Xuan Zi and rival Mu En.
When she first appeared, she was only twenty-four or twenty-five, yet had already reached the Eight-Ring Soul Douluo level.
A true genius of her generation.
It was said that forcibly absorbing a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring had damaged her meridians, leaving her with little strength to cultivate later on.
But there was no denying that breaking through to become a Titled Douluo would still be as easy for her as eating or drinking.
By then, she would be one of the few Titled Douluo with two hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings.
In this era, without Soul Spirits to raise Soul Ring limits or God Trials to increase their age, hers was already the most top-tier configuration.
(Setting aside cheaters and the Holy Spirit Cult's secret arts.)
Only a handful of people in the world could surpass her in the quality of their Soul Rings.
As for Soul Power cultivation, she was even further ahead.
Even those of her generation who had broken through to Soul Ancestor level were only around level forty-two or forty-three. Even Han Ruoruo, who was one year ahead of Zhang Lexuan, was only level forty-five now.
But Zhang Lexuan was already level forty-nine, just one final step away from breaking through to Soul King.
On top of that, she had learned all sorts of techniques as Mu En's disciple.
It was no exaggeration to say that Zhang Lexuan was already on par with Shrek's official team members who had broken through to Soul King and were competing in the Soul Master Tournament.
The remaining six were a little weaker, but even so, they were rare geniuses outside of Shrek.
Han Ruoruo's Martial Soul was the Gold-Binding Rope. She was a level-forty-five control-type Soul Ancestor with a tool Martial Soul.
Wu Ming's Martial Soul was the Golden Crow, a creature with the bloodline of an ancient divine beast. She was a level-forty-two Power Attack System Soul Ancestor with a beast Martial Soul.
Both were characters who had made a name for themselves in the original story.
The others had the Xuanming Turtle, Vajra Bear, Life Tree, and Shadow Leopard.
They were all powerful, high-tier Martial Souls.
"The bear and the turtle are the frontal attackers and defenders. The firebird and the moon should be artillery mages. The rope handles control, and the leopard looks like an assassin.
"The tree is probably a support. It might also have control abilities. Most likely, it's the Life Tree Soul Saint who appears later in the story."
Fang Le hadn't undergone any systematic training, so he couldn't fully identify the Martial Souls of the seven opponents.
But he could still make a rough guess about their strengths.
A frontline attacker, two long-range cannons, control, an assassin, and a tank-healer. That was a very well-rounded team.
This seven-person team would be much harder to deal with than the mindless Zombies he had encountered before.
Working together, they could probably take down even an ordinary Soul Emperor.
"What a pain! But... I don't want trouble, and you really think I don't have a temper? Hmm... I wonder if I can handle them."
As Fang Le watched the Shrek crowd ready themselves, he complained about the trouble.
But the Twin Star had quietly appeared in his hand, aimed straight ahead, and his voice held a faint edge.
Hmm... it didn't seem like he was all that troubled.
Fang Le didn't dislike fighting.
But there was one thing he really wanted to... well... improve.
Without any training in combat techniques or ways to subdue an opponent, Fang Le couldn't control his strength very well.
During a fight, his violence would flare up, driven by hormones or something else, and he especially disliked that lack of control.
It was like an untamed stream, carrying him somewhere he had no wish to go, into a stinking ditch, before he even realized what was happening.
But!
Nothing could make Fang Le go somewhere he didn't want to go, or do something he didn't want to do.
Not water, not hormones or bloodlust, and not that other, brutal self lurking inside him.
He was the master of this body now. His will was the first order this shell had to obey.
Whether he had let Mi Hu go at the city gate or ordered the deaths of the two brothers in the courtyard just now, those had both been decisions Fang Le had made himself. They had been choices of his own will, and another step toward seeing himself clearly and taking control.
And now, a fight against opponents of roughly equal strength—or even a fight where he was at a disadvantage—was the perfect way to temper himself.
He could build up and release his aggression through battle, then learn to control the fury in his chest as he fought. Anyway, that was how the protagonists in the novels he'd read did it.
If they could do it, why couldn't Fang Le?
Now he was going to give it a try and see just how far he could go.
"Brother Fang..."
Fang Le wanted to enjoy the fight, but the little girl behind him felt quite differently.
Jiang Nannan tugged at the corner of the young man's plain clothes. Her voice was soft and sweet, but those three short words couldn't hide the worry rising from the bottom of her heart.
"Don't worry. I'm really strong.
"Once I deal with these guys, we'll go cure your mother's illness! That's our promise. Let's pinky swear..."
Seeing the little girl's worry, Fang Le confidently patted his chest and reassured her.
Kids really were easy to cheer up. One promise and one pinky swear, and the mood that had been on the verge of a drizzle instantly cleared up.
But that was only how it looked from Fang Le's point of view. To him, it was nothing more than a promise between a big brother and a little kid.
In Jiang Nannan's eyes, though, it was an entirely different scene.
As Fang Le made his promise with a confident smile, his small figure seemed to blaze like a brilliant light in the eyes of the anxious girl, making her want to follow him for all eternity.
Faced with the thumb he held out, Jiang Nannan reached out and hooked her own around it, a smile appearing on her face.
"Mm... Pinky swear!!"
"May it never change for a hundred years!"
"I want to, too! I want to! Fang Le, I want to pinky swear, too!"
Seeing this, Rui'er didn't know what the two of them were doing, but its natural curiosity made it want to join in.
It pressed its little head against Fang Le's body and rubbed against him, acting spoiled.
"You're impossible. Fine, come join us!"
Fang Le pushed the nuzzling cat head away with all his might and readily agreed.
"Ew... Rui'er, you should wash your paws more often! They're covered in dust!"
"Hehe! Next time, for sure!"
Before you continue