Undercurrents Stirred

Since the Sun Moon Continent and Douluo Continent collided and merged ten thousand years ago, the clash between the two civilizations had ended with the unification of the Douluo Federation. Yet the rivalry rooted in their bloodlines had never truly subsided.

Located in Ming Capital, the Federation's capital, Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy had once been the core of the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Guidance heritage. It had always regarded Shrek Academy, the continent's number one Soul Master Academy, as its hereditary nemesis.

Over countless centuries, the two academies had clashed repeatedly in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament. Although Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy possessed an absolute advantage in Soul Guidance technology, it had always been overshadowed by Shrek. That humiliation and unwillingness had long been carved into the bones of every generation of the academy's leaders.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the Skysea Alliance's council chamber had reached a deadlock over an invitation from Shrek Academy.

Alliance Leader Qin Tianzhou tapped his fingers against the icy deep-sea froststone table, his gaze sweeping over the alliance's senior officials. He said in a low voice, "You have all seen Shrek Academy's invitation. Two months from now, they will send Outer Court students of the same age to Eastsea City for a Young Soul Master Exhibition Tournament. It is called an exchange, but in truth, they are here to establish their authority over our Skysea Alliance. Yet we cannot refuse this invitation—there is no need for me to explain Shrek's weight. Even the Federation Parliament has to show them some respect."

"Alliance Leader, but we are still an alliance under the Federation's jurisdiction. If we handle such a major matter without reporting it to the Federation, it may leave us open to criticism later," one senior official said at the right moment, pointing out the most critical issue.

A flash of understanding passed through Qin Tianzhou's eyes. How could he not understand that this seemingly simple exchange tournament had actually stepped onto the red line of the struggle between the Federation and Shrek?

Shrek had remained independent year-round and refused Federation command. It had long been a thorn in the Federation Parliament's side. If the Skysea Alliance accepted this tournament on its own, it would be no different from taking Shrek's side. But if it refused, it would offend one of the continent's foremost Soul Master powers.

The only way out was to hand this hot potato over to the Federation Parliament intact.

"Pass down my order." Qin Tianzhou made the decision without hesitation. "Reply to Shrek Academy immediately. The Skysea Alliance fully agrees to host this exhibition tournament, and Eastsea City will fully cooperate with its preparations. At the same time, draft a top-secret letter. Send the tournament's time, location, student age range, and participation rules to Federation Parliament headquarters without missing a single word. Let the Speaker and core councilors decide."

Once the order was issued, the attendant immediately bowed and left to carry it out.

The people in the council chamber exchanged glances. They all knew that once this secret letter was sent, the seemingly peaceful exhibition tournament would never return to being a simple exchange between Soul Masters.

In less than half a day, the secret letter from the Skysea Alliance crossed thousands of miles and arrived in a sealed chamber on the top floor of the Federation Parliament Building in Ming Capital.

Inside the sealed chamber, six of the Federation's core rulers sat around a round table. After the secret letter had been passed around, the air instantly filled with cold calculation.

"What a Shrek. They are truly becoming more and more contemptuous of the Federation." The chairman of the Federation Soul Guidance Committee slammed the secret letter onto the table, his eyes filled with anger. "Using an exchange tournament as an excuse to win over hearts in the Skysea Alliance—if this continues, local powers will all follow Shrek's lead. Where will the Federation's authority be then?"

"It is more than that." The deputy master of the War God Temple continued in a deep voice, faint killing intent radiating from him. "In recent years, geniuses from Shrek Outer Court have emerged one after another, and their reputation among the people has soared. Countless young Soul Masters take pride in entering Shrek, completely forgetting that the Federation is the true ruler of this continent. This exhibition tournament is their stage to display their strength to the entire continent. We cannot let them get what they want." (Chen was kicked out of the group chat. As everyone knows, he is a dragon simp.)

The Federation Speaker stroked the edge of the secret letter with his fingertips. A sinister glint flashed through his aged eyes as he slowly said, "You are all right. We should have pulled out this thorn called Shrek long ago. But we cannot act openly. Shrek is the spiritual symbol of the continent's Soul Master world. If we move directly, we will only provoke resistance from Soul Masters across the continent. The Tang Sect and Spirit Pagoda may even seize the opportunity to cause trouble."

"Then what does the Speaker mean?" Everyone turned to look at him.

"Kill with a borrowed blade." A cold smile appeared on the Speaker's lips. "We will not act. We will have someone else act for us. Across the continent, no one wants to defeat Shrek more than Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. They share a blood feud with Shrek, are a Federation-affiliated academy, and possess the Federation's finest Soul Guidance resources and young geniuses. They are the most suitable choice."

"But if we directly send Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy to participate, people may see through the Federation's intentions and use it against us," someone immediately raised a concern.

"I have already thought of that." The Speaker's tone was certain. "Eastsea Academy, under the Skysea Alliance, is merely an ordinary public academy. It is not well known and will not arouse Shrek's suspicion. We will order Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy to select its strongest students of the same age and have them compete under Eastsea Academy enrollment identities. If they win, the world will only marvel at Eastsea Academy's hidden talents. Shrek's prestige will plummet, and we will reap the benefits. Even if they lose, it will only be the defeat of an ordinary academy. It will have nothing to do with the Federation or Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy."

"Brilliant!" The crowd immediately came to their senses and voiced their agreement.

"Draft a top-secret Federation directive immediately and send it to Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy." The Speaker made the decision at once, his tone carrying unquestionable authority. "Order the academy's headmaster, Hongchen Ming, to select the academy's strongest students of the same age, conceal their identities, and participate under Eastsea Academy's name. In this battle, they must utterly crush the fighting spirit of Shrek's students and show the entire continent who is truly number one!"

The directive was immediately transmitted to Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy at the Federation's highest encryption level.

Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy stood in the western suburbs of Ming Capital. Layer upon layer of Soul Guidance defensive arrays enveloped the entire academy. Towering Soul Guidance towers and precise forging workshops could be seen everywhere, while the air carried the distinct scent of Soul Power fused with metal.

As the Federation's foremost Soul Engineer academy, it was not only the pinnacle of Soul Guidance technology on the continent, but also the hereditary enemy camp that had opposed Shrek Academy generation after generation.

The headmaster's office was located on the highest floor of the academy's tallest Soul Guidance tower. The entire room had been cast from rare metals, and the walls were engraved with Soul Guidance Array Patterns passed down through the Hongchen Family. In the center of the office hung a calligraphy scroll: "Defeat Shrek, Restore Sun Moon's Glory." Its strokes were sharp and forceful, revealing an obsession and fixation etched into the bone.

At that moment, the office's owner, Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy Headmaster Hongchen Ming, stood before the scroll, tightly gripping the top-secret directive from the Federation Parliament.

Hongchen Ming was nearly sixty. He wore fitted black clothing embroidered with intricate Soul Guidance patterns. His features were stern, his jaw tightly set, and his eyes as sharp as a hawk's. The powerful pressure of a Title Douluo radiated from him, along with the composure and pride of a grandmaster of Soul Guidance.

He came from the Hongchen Family, the foremost family of Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. His ancestors and father had all been academy rulers, and for three generations, they had shared a single obsession—defeat Shrek and make Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy the continent's number one.

His father had narrowly lost to Shrek Academy's captain in the finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament. On his deathbed, he had gripped Hongchen Ming's hand and told him that he must make Sun Moon Academy surpass Shrek in his lifetime. Hongchen Ming had led the academy for more than twenty years, guiding teams to challenge for the continental tournament championship time and again, only to be blocked by Shrek every single time. That humiliation and resentment had accumulated in his heart for decades.

And now, this directive from the Federation Parliament was no different from the finest opportunity heaven had bestowed upon him.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Hongchen Ming suddenly turned around and laughed three times in succession, his laughter filled with the exhilaration he had suppressed for years. A trace of red even surfaced in his sharp eyes. He raised a hand and slammed it heavily onto the table, making the Soul Tools atop it hum. "Twenty years! I have waited twenty years! At last, I have the chance to trample them beneath my feet on a stage built by Shrek itself!"

He understood the value of this directive all too well. By competing under Eastsea Academy's identity, if they won, they could shatter Shrek's myth of invincibility among peers before all of Eastsea City, the entire Skysea Alliance, and the whole continent. They could slap Shrek across the face and fulfill his father's dying wish. Even if something went wrong, Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy would not be implicated, nor would they be accused of bullying the weak or scheming in secret. It was practically a foolproof plan.

What was more, the Federation Parliament's directive perfectly aligned with his own desires.

Throughout the years he had controlled Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, he had thought constantly of suppressing Shrek. Now that the Federation had taken the initiative to offer him such an opportunity, how could he possibly fail to respond eagerly?

"Pass down my order. Convene an emergency meeting of the academy's core leadership immediately!" Hongchen Ming immediately pressed the communication Soul Tool at the corner of his desk, his tone absolute. "All vice headmasters and department heads must arrive in the conference room within ten minutes. Anyone late will be severely punished according to academy regulations!"

Ten minutes later, the academy's core conference room was packed.

When Hongchen Ming revealed the Federation Parliament's directive and explained the plan to send students under Eastsea Academy identities into Shrek's exhibition tournament, crushing Shrek's students head-on, the entire conference room instantly erupted.

"Headmaster! I have been waiting for this day for far too long! Shrek has been arrogant for so many years. It is time they tasted defeat!"

"That's right! The geniuses of Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy are no worse than Shrek's! This time, we must show the entire continent who truly stands at the peak among young Soul Masters!"

"The Federation finally did something right! We must give this tournament everything we have. We will not merely win—we will win beautifully and leave Shrek utterly disgraced!"

Every senior official present was a core pillar of Sun Moon Academy, and each held deep hostility toward Shrek. The frustration of being suppressed by Shrek for years burst forth completely at that moment. Not one person objected. Everyone eagerly supported Hongchen Ming's plan, and some even proposed on the spot that the academy send its ten strongest students to form an unbeatable lineup.

"Too many people will only make it easier to expose ourselves." Hongchen Ming raised a hand to suppress the discussion, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room. His tone was firm. "What we need in this tournament is not a numbers advantage, but absolute domination. Shrek will undoubtedly send its strongest Outer Court geniuses of the same age. If we are sending people, we will send those who are invincible among their peers. Three people will be enough."

The room instantly fell silent. Everyone looked at Hongchen Ming with anticipation in their eyes.

Hongchen Ming slowly spoke, enunciating three names one by one: "Li Chen, Gu Yue, Na'er."

As soon as the names were spoken, there was not the slightest objection in the conference room. Everyone nodded in unspoken agreement.

No one understood the weight of those three names better than they did.

The three of them were core geniuses cultivated with the full resources of Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. They were the academy's future hope.

Even if the direct descendants of Ming Capital's great families joined forces, their talents would still fall far short of these three. Only they could give Hongchen Ming absolute confidence in crushing Shrek's geniuses of the same age. (They had sparred in private.)

"These three children are our academy's trump cards and our greatest reliance in defeating Shrek." Hongchen Ming's expression was solemn, his eyes filled with certainty. "With the three of them joining hands, no one their age anywhere on the continent can stand against them. No matter how strong Shrek's geniuses are, they cannot possibly be their match."

"What does the headmaster plan to do about disguising their identities?" a vice headmaster asked.

"I have already made arrangements for that." A cold smile appeared on Hongchen Ming's lips. "I will personally create exclusive concealment Soul Tools for the three of them. Using the Hongchen Family's core array patterns, I will completely conceal their martial soul traits and Soul Power fluctuations. Even a Soul Douluo-level expert will never be able to see through their true cultivation or martial souls. As for Eastsea Academy's enrollment records and identity information, I will have the Federation handle everything. It will be flawless. There will not be the slightest trace to expose."

After the meeting ended, Hongchen Ming personally drafted a reply and sent it to the Federation Parliament at the fastest possible speed. He clearly stated that Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy would fully comply with the Federation's directive, complete the mission perfectly, crush Shrek's students, and not betray the Federation's trust.

Every word of the reply carried hostility toward Shrek, along with absolute enthusiasm and confidence in the coming tournament.

Afterward, he immediately pressed the communication Soul Tool and ordered Li Chen, Gu Yue, and Na'er to report to the headmaster's office at once.

Before long, three figures slowly entered the office.

The young man walking at the front was Li Chen. He wore fitted black clothing, stood tall and straight, and had handsome features. His eyes were deep and calm. A faint aura of Reincarnation emanated from him, yet it was perfectly restrained, without the slightest outward display. Only deep within his eyes was there a composure and sharpness that did not match his age.

The girl at his side was Gu Yue. She wore a light purple gown, and her beauty was exquisite. Her temperament was cold, faint elemental fluctuations swirling around her as though she had merged with the elements between heaven and earth. Her eyes were placid and emotionless, carrying a distant aloofness that kept others at arm's length.

The girl on the other side was Na'er. She wore a white gown, her features delicate and lively. Her bright, watery eyes carried the charm of a young girl, yet a faint dragon's might radiated from her body. She appeared gentle, but concealed explosive power at its extreme.

The three bowed together, their voices perfectly synchronized. "Greetings, Headmaster."

Hongchen Ming looked at the three extraordinarily gifted youths before him, and a trace of satisfaction flashed through his eyes. He slowly said in an unprecedentedly solemn tone, "I called you here today because there is a top-secret mission concerning the academy's honor and the Sun Moon Soul Guidance legacy, and I am entrusting it to the three of you."

He told them everything about the Federation Parliament's directive and the causes behind this tournament, including the generations-long grudge between Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and Shrek Academy, the Federation's intention to suppress Shrek, and the requirement that they compete under Eastsea Academy student identities.

When he reached the end, Hongchen Ming abruptly rose to his feet. His burning gaze fixed on the three of them, his voice filled with obsession and determination carved into his bones. "Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy has been Shrek's enemy for ten thousand years. Generation after generation, we have been suppressed by them. We have endured this humiliation for ten thousand years! Now, the opportunity lies before you. Two months from now, in Eastsea City, on the stage Shrek has built with its own hands, I want you to use absolute strength to utterly crush Shrek's participating students and shatter their myth of invincibility among peers! Let the entire continent know that Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy is the true number one on the continent!"

Li Chen, Gu Yue, and Na'er listened quietly. There was not the slightest surprise on their faces, but fighting intent gradually ignited in their eyes.

"Please rest assured, Headmaster. We will not fail this mission." Li Chen stepped forward and bowed slightly, his voice calm but filled with absolute certainty. "We will win this battle."

"Good!" Hongchen Ming laughed heartily, his eyes full of approval. "From today onward, all academy cultivation resources and Soul Guidance workshops will be open to the three of you without restriction. I will personally create Soul Tools to conceal your auras and prepare the finest equipment for the tournament. The only thing you need to do is improve your strength, refine your coordination, and make Shrek's people lose so thoroughly on the field two months from now that they have no choice but to accept it!"

He repeatedly reminded the three that they must strictly conceal their identities and restrain their own brilliance. They absolutely could not reveal their Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy background before the tournament, much less expose the Federation's intentions. Everything was to be centered on the ultimate goal of defeating Shrek.