The Federation's Move, Shrek's Dispute

The entire venue fell silent.

Thirty thousand spectators sat without making a sound.

Then Li Chen turned around, his back to the Shrek Seven sprawled across the ground, and faced Gu Yue and Na'er.

The Pluto Sword slowly dissipated in his hand, transforming once more into intangible Law of Death and merging into his body.

He adjusted the cuff that had been slightly lifted by the blast of air, his tone as casual as if he had merely stretched his limbs.

"Let's go."

The chief referee seemed to awaken from a dream. He raised one hand high, his voice carrying through the amplifying Soul Tool to every person present.

"Eastsea Academy wins!"

The thunderous roar from the circular stands did not erupt until a full three breaths later.

There were cheers, screams, and furious curses from those who had lost their bets. But more people simply stared wide-eyed at the three figures walking side by side toward the exit, replaying everything they had just witnessed over and over in their minds.

Inside the VIP box.

Qin Lie slowly sat back down, his fingers no longer tapping the armrest.

The tea in Sun Bo'an's cup had long gone cold, but he did not notice. He merely stared toward the arena, his gaze profound.

After a moment of silence, Lu Zheng suddenly spoke. His voice remained low, but it now carried shock that everyone present could hear. "No one of the same generation in the Spirit Pagoda could receive that sword."

Chen Huaiyuan crushed his burned-out cigar into the ashtray and slowly rose to his feet.

He walked to the one-way glass window, clasped his hands behind his back, and watched the three figures about to disappear at the end of the corridor.

What the Federation wanted was a crushing victory. What Li Chen had delivered was a complete and utter rout—not only crushing Shrek's strength, but also utterly defeating Ye Xinglan, the genius they were so proud of in swordsmanship.

"How should we write the report?" Lu Zheng's voice came from behind him.

Chen Huaiyuan did not turn around. At last, the curve of his lips rose without restraint.

"Write it exactly as it happened. Do not leave out a single word."

The corridor was far darker than the arena, with only a few Soul Tool lamps overhead casting dim yellow pools of light.

Most of the commotion outside was blocked by the thick granite walls. By the time it reached the three of them, it had become an indistinct hum, like waves crashing against reefs far away.

Li Chen walked at the front, neither hurried nor slow.

A Soul Tool lamp stood every few steps along the corridor, stretching and shortening his shadow across the stone walls, then shortening and stretching it again.

Gu Yue walked half a step behind him. Her silver-white hair shimmered faintly beneath the dim yellow light, and her steps were as light and quiet as ever, almost soundless.

Na'er walked at the back, swinging her wrist as she went. Her golden ponytail swayed behind her shoulders, and she was still immersed in the thrill of crushing Shrek.

The corridor was long, leading from beneath the arena all the way to the preparation area.

Halfway through, Na'er finally could not hold herself back any longer. She quickened her pace by two steps and walked alongside Li Chen.

"Seriously, when did you forge that black sword of yours? There doesn't seem to be a move like that in Fate Verdict. You didn't use that thing the last time I saw you fight."

"The Pluto Sword," Li Chen said. "It isn't a soul skill. It's the manifestation of the Law of Death."

"The manifestation of the Law of Death," Na'er repeated. She tilted her head and thought for a moment before commenting with the confidence unique to an outsider, "Fancy nonsense."

Li Chen did not argue.

Gu Yue gave a soft laugh beside them. It was extremely light and brief, like a small feather falling into a pond, but all three of them heard it. Na'er immediately turned around. "Gu Yue, you think it's fancy too, right?"

"It's all right." Gu Yue's tone remained calm. "Black suits him."

Na'er blinked. She felt there was something in Gu Yue's words that she had not quite grasped, but after thinking about it carefully, she still could not figure it out. She could only curl her lips and change the subject. "Oh, right. You told Ye Xinglan that 'the pinnacle of swordsmanship isn't having more swords.' So what is the pinnacle of swordsmanship? You defeated her with three swords. If her teacher finds out, they'll probably chase after you demanding an explanation."

"Her cultivation in swordsmanship isn't poor, and her sword heart is pure enough. She's just been confined by the name 'Star God.' Every inheritor of the Stargod Sword takes pride in Starfall Like Rain, believing that releasing ten thousand stars at once is the highest realm. But a sword isn't a weapon for group attacks—a sword is a weapon for killing. The essential difference between ten thousand swords and one sword is only whether you're willing to admit that you only want to kill one person."

Na'er fell silent for a moment, then softly said, "Wow. So that last thing you told her—'In my rules, every weapon must remember who the king is'—you meant that too?"

"I was stating a fact," Li Chen said.

Na'er shook her head, her tone carrying the smile of someone who saw through him but chose not to say it outright. "You're that kind of person—when you could have simply crushed them with raw power, you insisted on crushing them with swordsmanship. Put plainly, you just wanted to beat her into submission in the field she was best at, then make her kneel there and question her entire life."

The three of them passed through the long corridor. After turning a corner, they could see the entrance to the preparation area in the distance. Two figures stood there, one in front of the other.

The figure in front was tall and slender, dressed in casual dark-purple clothes and leaning against the doorframe in boredom. She held an exquisite box in one hand. Who else could it be but Leng Yaozhu?

The figure behind her made all three of them pause slightly.

He was a burly middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a wide back, standing as straight as an iron spear driven into the ground.

He wore no military uniform, only a sharply tailored set of dark-gray casual clothes. His sleeves were rolled to the middle of his forearms, exposing arms lined with defined muscles. What drew the most attention was his face—hard, sharply defined features, high brow bones, deep and steady eyes, and neatly combed short dark-gray hair swept back from his forehead. His temples were touched with gray. When he was silent, the corners of his mouth naturally turned downward, giving him the grim, murderous aura that could only be cultivated through commanding countless soldiers for many years.

He simply stood at the end of the backlit corridor. He needed no rank insignia, no ceremonial escort. Merely standing there made the air in the entire preparation area feel heavy.

It was not the pressure of Soul Power, but the presence of a man who had carved ruthless decisiveness into his bones through decades of bloody campaigns.

Yu Guanzhi.

One of the Federation military's three great leaders, commander-in-chief of the Central Legion, known as the Divine Pen Douluo, and a peerless powerhouse at the level of a Limit Douluo.

His name was known throughout the entire soul master world, but few had seen him in person. This old general kept a low profile, spending most of his time stationed with the Central Legion and rarely appearing in public.

Na'er instinctively stopped and turned to look at Li Chen.

Li Chen's expression did not change much, but his pace visibly slowed by half a beat.

Gu Yue's purple eyes rested on Yu Guanzhi for two breaths before returning to calm.

Seeing the three of them approach from afar, Leng Yaozhu lifted the small food box and waved it at them. "Oh, the three little heroes are back." Her tone remained light, as though the person standing beside her was not a military titan who could shake down half a city with a stomp, but an ordinary colleague who had come to visit with her.

The three of them approached.

Leng Yaozhu stuffed the food box into Na'er's hands, brushed away nonexistent pastry crumbs from her palms, and tilted her head toward Yu Guanzhi. "Old Yu, these are the three I told you about. Gu Yue is my disciple—you saw her in the arena just now. This is Na'er, and as for Li Chen—"

She paused, a trace of undisguised pride entering her voice. "Pluto Martial Soul. Today's match was his personal show alone. You saw that black sword too, the manifestation of the Law of Death. If he had fought seriously in the arena, those seven from Shrek probably wouldn't have survived three breaths."

Yu Guanzhi's gaze swept across the three of them in turn.

His eyes were steady, without the sharpness of scrutiny or the benevolence of an elder. He was simply looking—like he was inspecting an elite squad that had just completed a mission. Even Na'er unconsciously straightened her back when his gaze passed over her.

"Central Legion, Yu Guanzhi." His voice was gentler than his hard exterior, carrying a hoarse weight, like a tone weathered by decades of sea wind.

"General Yu." Li Chen gave a slight bow, his manner neither humble nor overbearing.

Gu Yue and Na'er followed with bows of their own. Their gestures were not particularly formal, but they did not lack any of the proper courtesy.

All three of them understood that the man standing before them was not one of the old men in the Federation's civilian system who had clawed their way to the top through political scheming. He was a true iron-blooded commander who had fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Before someone like that, empty formalities were far less meaningful than a proper attitude.

Yu Guanzhi nodded slightly at the three of them in return, then turned his gaze back to Li Chen. "I knew in advance about the Federation's arrangements for today's exhibition match. The reason I did not tell you beforehand that I would be here was because I wanted to see a real match, not a performance put on for someone."

He paused. At last, the corner of his lips formed an extremely faint curve—so faint that one might miss it without looking closely, yet it was undeniably there.

"The result was better than I expected. Seven moves, seven opponents defeated. Every move was clean and decisive, without needless flourishes or unnecessary injury. That shows your control over your strength has reached a rather mature level. Among people your age, very few can achieve that."

Li Chen did not rush to be modest, nor did he rush to offer thanks. After a breath of silence, he answered honestly, "Gu Yue and Na'er were in the arena too. Although they did not fight with their full strength today, their presence alone was a restraint."

Yu Guanzhi nodded slightly, apparently fairly satisfied with his answer. "Victorious without arrogance. Not bad."

Leng Yaozhu laughed beside them, shaking her head as she did. "Old Yu, stop pretending. Didn't you tell me on the way here that those words the kid said to Ye Xinglan at the end were pretty damn impressive? Why are you acting like you're inspecting troops now that you've met him?"

Yu Guanzhi's expression did not change. "Private conversation and a formal meeting are two different matters."

"All right, all right. You're the general, so you call the shots." Leng Yaozhu could not be bothered to argue with him. She turned and called the three of them over to eat. "Stop standing around. Come sit and have some snacks. Li Chen, you used up quite a bit today. Come rest."

Na'er had been waiting for those words. She immediately hugged the food box and sat on a stone bench. When she opened the lid, there were two neat rows of crystal pastries, each one translucent and dotted with tiny osmanthus blossoms.

She cheered, stuffed one into Gu Yue's hand first, then forcefully shoved another into Li Chen's hand. Finally, she popped one into her own mouth and mumbled, "Thank you, Aunt Leng."

Seeing how eagerly she was eating, Leng Yaozhu reached out and wiped a bit of pastry crumb from the corner of Na'er's mouth, her motion natural and practiced.

Yu Guanzhi did not sit. He remained by the doorway, yet he showed no intention of leaving. He merely folded his arms and leaned against the stone wall, watching the three young people share a box of pastries. The decisive Pluto from the arena was now being hounded by Na'er to give his review after eating, while Gu Yue sat quietly beside them, occasionally helping Na'er along with a look.

"How long have you known these three children?" Yu Guanzhi suddenly asked in a low voice, quiet enough that only Leng Yaozhu could hear.

Leng Yaozhu did not turn around. Her gaze rested on the three figures fighting over the last crystal pastry, and the corners of her lips curved slightly. "I've known Gu Yue and Li Chen the longest. As for Na'er—I've known her for quite some time too, but some people's importance has nothing to do with how long you've known them."

Yu Guanzhi remained silent for a moment. His gaze lingered on the three of them for a long time before he slowly said, "I'll speak to Shrek." He said it casually, as though he were mentioning something utterly ordinary. But Leng Yaozhu knew that the words "I'll speak to them," coming from this man, carried more weight than ten official documents from the Federation Parliament combined.

She turned her head and glanced at him, smiling faintly. "Then I'll leave it to you. I don't want to have to deal with those old fossils from Shrek after we get back."

Yu Guanzhi's brow moved slightly, and that faint curve appeared again at the corner of his lips. "I'll make a backup of today's match recording crystal and bring it back to military headquarters. If anyone from Shrek wants to complain—tell them to come find me."

Leng Yaozhu shook her head, laughing as she clapped her hands. She turned to the three of them, her tone becoming light and cheerful again. "All right, once you're done eating, go out and take a look around. Skysea City has a night market tonight. You three can relax outside instead of sitting around in the preparation area. Besides, there's another match tomorrow—though I think your opponents will probably forfeit directly after seeing today's match."

Na'er's eyes lit up the instant she heard the words "night market," and she immediately sprang up from the stone bench.

Gu Yue stood as well, habitually brushing the pastry crumbs from Li Chen's clothes.

Li Chen lowered his head to look at her. He said nothing, merely shifting slightly to make it easier for her to brush him off.

Yu Guanzhi saw all of it without any change in expression. Yet just as the three of them were about to leave the preparation area, he suddenly called out to Li Chen.

"Li Chen."

Li Chen stopped and turned back.

"Regarding your Pluto Sword," Yu Guanzhi said, his gaze resting on him for a breath, "the military has a special project group researching the manifestation of Martial Soul laws. The non-classified portions can be shown to you another day through Deputy Tower Master Leng. It may help you develop some new ways to use it."

Leng Yaozhu raised an eyebrow—this invitation was not something just anyone could receive.

The Central Legion's special research project group was an exceptionally valuable resource for outside soul masters, even its "non-classified" portions.

Yu Guanzhi's willingness to extend this olive branch showed that he had already placed Li Chen on the list of people who required special attention.

Li Chen fell silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly. "Thank you, General Yu."

"No need to thank me yet." Yu Guanzhi waved a hand. His tone remained calm, but the weight of his next words made everyone present fall silent for half a beat. "I'll be staying in Skysea City for three days. During those three days, if Shrek makes any move beyond the rules—come find me."

He said it lightly, as though he were arranging some trivial logistical matter. But everyone present knew what it meant—he was telling these three young people that for three days, even if the sky fell over Skysea City, the Central Legion would hold it up for them.

Li Chen straightened his body and tapped his right fist lightly against his chest. It was a military salute, though he was not sure whether Yu Guanzhi would recognize it.

Yu Guanzhi recognized it.

His gaze paused for a moment where Li Chen's right fist had struck his chest, and the curve at his lips finally became a little more obvious than before.

Then he turned and walked in the other direction down the corridor. His military boots struck a steady rhythm against the stone floor. After taking several steps, he waved behind him without looking back.

It was the farewell of someone whose word was absolute.

Leng Yaozhu watched the spear-straight figure disappear at the end of the corridor, then softly let out a breath. Turning to the three of them, she smiled. "All right, even the commander-in-chief of the Central Legion is serving as your protective talisman now. For the next three days, you can swagger through Skysea City."

"Only crabs walk sideways," Li Chen said.

"Then you're a black crab," Na'er immediately replied. "A particularly aloof one. Your shell is forged from the Law of Death too, so you're incredibly impressive."

Gu Yue gave a soft laugh, and Leng Yaozhu burst out laughing as well.

The tense atmosphere in the preparation area completely dissolved at that moment. All that remained was their messy laughter intertwined with the fading sound of military boots from deep within the corridor, gradually dispersing beneath the afternoon sunlight of Skysea City.

Li Chen stood where he was, feeling something within his chest slowly melt.

He looked at Gu Yue, and Gu Yue was looking at him too.

Their gazes met for an instant beneath the dim yellow Soul Tool lamps. They did not need to say anything. Both of them understood that someone was already helping them bear the aftershocks of today's battle.

"Let's go." Li Chen took the first step.

Skysea City's sunlight remained bright, and the night market would illuminate the entire city in a few hours.

Beneath the surface where hidden currents surged, the attention of every faction toward these three young people would, beginning with today's exhibition match, be raised completely to a new level.