Leaving

By the shores of Sea God Lake.

The night breeze blew, and the atmosphere around the entire lake was oppressively heavy.

Countless gazes stared blankly at that receding figure.

For a moment, no one spoke.

No one had expected this.

Ye Luochen had actually removed his Shrek emblem in public, turned around and left, and declared his withdrawal from Shrek.

"Senior Ye, he..."

Finally, a student couldn't help but speak up.

"He just left like that?"

No one answered.

Many students exchanged glances, shock still lingering in their eyes.

Because everything that had just happened was simply too sudden.

No one had expected that Ye Luochen, widely recognized as the core figure of this generation, would fail to be selected for the Shrek Seven Devils reserve team.

No one had expected that the reason given by the academy would be that his martial soul was too ordinary.

"But... Senior Ye has done so much for the academy over these years..."

Someone spoke in a low voice, their tone clearly carrying a sense of injustice.

"He was the one who risked his life on inspection missions."

"He was the one who charged to the front during soul-hunting operations."

"Just because his martial soul is ordinary, they deny everything he has done?"

However, others remained silent for a moment before slowly shaking their heads.

"You can't put it that way."

"The Shrek Seven Devils are, by definition, positions for the most top-tier geniuses."

"Senior Ye is indeed strong, but his martial soul..."

"A Dark Iron Blade with innate soul power of level four is, in the end, a bit lacking."

The voice was not loud, yet it caused many people nearby to fall silent.

Because they realized they could not seem to refute it.

The Shrek Seven Devils represented the most dazzling monsters within the Monster Academy.

And Ye Luochen's martial soul was indeed too ordinary.

In the center of Sea God Lake, many teachers were similarly silent.

Some frowned, others felt pity.

Yet no one spoke.

This was the academy's decision; although it was somewhat cruel, as teachers, they simply had to silently comply and support it.

And just then.

A voice, sounding slightly displeased, slowly echoed over Sea God Lake.

"Young man, he certainly has a temper."

The one who spoke was an elder of the Sea God Pavilion.

He looked in the direction Ye Luochen had left, his brows slightly furrowed.

"The academy has cultivated him for many years, yet now, over a single spot for the Seven Devils, he actually removes his school emblem and leaves in public."

"It is far too lacking in perspective."

Another elder also spoke indifferently.

"His temperament is still lacking."

"Forget it, if he leaves, let him leave; Shrek has never lacked geniuses."

"One Ye Luochen leaves, and naturally, there will be another."

Listening to everything around him, Yan Shaozhe simply stood where he was without speaking.

His gaze rested quietly in the direction Ye Luochen had departed.

A moment later, he slowly withdrew his gaze.

"Continue the ceremony."

As his calm voice fell, the ceremony proceeded as usual.

It was as if everything that had just happened was merely an insignificant interlude, which, to the vast Shrek, amounted to nothing at all.

On the other side.

Ye Luochen had already left Sea God Lake.

The night wind blew, causing his black robes to snap and flutter.

His pace quickened until, once he was completely out of sight of the crowd, Ye Luochen finally stopped.

He lowered his head, his fists clenched tight.

The sharp sting of his fingernails digging into his palms flared, yet he seemed not to feel it at all.

Yan Shaozhe's words continued to echo in his mind.

"An ordinary martial soul..."

"In the end, it is just an ordinary martial soul."

Ye Luochen let out a laugh.

The sound was filled with an indescribable sense of irony and bitterness.

So this was Shrek.

So here, hard work did not determine everything; there were also martial souls and bloodlines.

For these years, he had cultivated with his life on the line, dancing on the edge of death time and time again.

To catch up to those so-called geniuses, he had sacrificed almost everything.

When others cultivated for eight hours a day, he cultivated for sixteen.

When others went out to relax on their days off, he was still gritting his teeth in the simulated cultivation zone.

He took on dangerous missions that no one else would touch, all just to constantly break through his limits on the brink of life and death.

Back then, he thought that as long as he worked hard enough, one day he would truly be able to stand at the very pinnacle of Shrek.

But it wasn't until tonight that he finally understood.

Some things were destined from the very beginning.

Having an ordinary martial soul was his original sin.

Thinking of this, Ye Luochen slowly raised his head.

In the distance, the Sea God Pavilion remained brilliantly lit.

It was the holy land in the hearts of all soul masters on the continent.

Yet, at this moment, it appeared exceptionally ironic in Ye Luochen's eyes.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Luochen?"

Ye Luochen was slightly startled and turned to look.

He saw a middle-aged teacher hurrying toward him.

It was his former academy mentor, Wang Yan.

Looking at Ye Luochen's current appearance, a flash of complexity clearly crossed Wang Yan's eyes.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he only let out a soft sigh.

"Luochen, the academy has its own considerations. Please try to understand."

As these words fell, Ye Luochen suddenly felt a sense of release.

At this moment, the last shred of expectation in his heart completely dissipated.

Even Teacher Wang Yan, whom he had always respected, took it for granted that the academy was right.

Yes.

Shrek only ever recognized monsters.

And he, Ye Luochen, was nothing more than a hardworking ordinary person.

Watching the shifting expressions on Ye Luochen's face, Wang Yan couldn't help but speak again.

"Luochen, don't do anything rash."

"With your hard work, even if you aren't one of the Seven Monsters, you will still have a bright future."

"There is no need to leave the academy over a moment of temper."

However, Ye Luochen only slowly shook his head.

"Teacher, your disciple is not acting on impulse."

"I have only just realized that this place is not suited for me."

He then turned and walked away.

Hearing this, Wang Yan was momentarily speechless.

He understood Ye Luochen's temperament very well.

Since the other party could say such things, it seemed he was truly disheartened, and there was no need for him to say anything more.

In the end, he could only sigh in silence.

After returning to his dormitory, Ye Luochen slowly pushed open the door.

The room was not large, and aside from daily necessities, there was nothing else.

Ye Luochen did not hesitate; he opened the cabinet door and began to pack his luggage.

Once his clothes were packed, his gaze rested on a silver badge in the corner of the cabinet.

It was a very unique badge, one that did not come from Shrek.

It had been given to him by a teacher from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy during a past exchange event.

At the time, that teacher had smiled and said something to him.

"Young man, although your martial soul is ordinary, it is very similar to the carving knives required for engraving soul tools."

"A martial soul like this might struggle to gain attention at Shrek, but in Sun Moon, it could achieve great things."

Back then, Ye Luochen had not paid it any mind.

He had simply assumed that because the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was long-standing rivals with Shrek Academy, they were just looking for an excuse to poach students.

Naturally, he had not been swayed.

Because in his heart, Shrek was the true holy land for soul masters on the continent.

But now...

Ye Luochen slowly picked up the silver badge.

After a long silence, he finally sighed:

"Since Shrek looks down on my ordinary martial soul."

"Then I would like to see if this Sun Moon Empire is truly different."

"And if it can be as they once claimed..."