Su Nuo's smile stiffened for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. "Oh, he's an old friend of mine. He was passing through Nuoding City and came to see me. Why did Grandmaster suddenly ask about him?"
"Nothing, I was just asking." Zhu Shen smiled. "I just thought his aura felt familiar, as if I'd met someone similar in Soul Hunting Forest."
Su Nuo's eyes flickered. "Is that so? It was probably a coincidence. Who did Grandmaster meet in Soul Hunting Forest?"
"A few Evil Soul Masters who didn't know their place. I dealt with them."
Su Nuo's smile looked somewhat strained. "Grandmaster is quite capable. But my old friend is just an ordinary merchant. He shouldn't have anything to do with Evil Soul Masters."
"That's good, then." Zhu Shen nodded. "If you notice anything unusual, Dean Su, remember to tell me. Evil Soul Masters are no trivial matter."
"Of course, of course." Su Nuo nodded repeatedly, then turned and left.
Zhu Shen watched his retreating figure, narrowing his eyes.
That old fox would show his tail sooner or later.
That evening, as Zhu Shen was planning his next move in his room, the system suddenly chimed.
[Opportunity Quest triggered: Expose the mole within Notting Academy. Quest requirements: Find evidence that Su Nuo is colluding with the Evil God Temple. Reward: One Ten Thousand Year God-Gifted Soul Ring, Evolution Points +100.] [Quest time limit: Seven days.]
Zhu Shen's eyes lit up. A Ten Thousand Year God-Gifted Soul Ring—now that was a good thing.
But to investigate Su Nuo, he first needed to find evidence. That old fox was well hidden. Asking him outright was out of the question.
"Xiao San, are you asleep?"
Tang San's voice came from next door. "Not yet."
"Come over for a moment."
Tang San pushed the door open and entered, holding a few needles he was sharpening.
"What is it, Teacher?"
"Help me look into someone." Zhu Shen lowered his voice. "Su Nuo. There's something wrong with this dean. I need to know who he's been meeting lately, especially anyone wearing dark red clothes."
Tang San nodded. "Understood."
"Be careful. Don't alert him," Zhu Shen cautioned. "There may be Evil Soul Masters backing that old fox. You can't beat them yet."
"Don't worry, Teacher. I'll be careful."
Tang San turned to leave, but Zhu Shen called out to him. "Wait. Take this Soul Bone."
He took the Ten-Year Lone Bamboo Left Leg Bone from his robes and handed it to Tang San.
Tang San looked a little embarrassed. "Teacher, I already have four..."
"One more never hurts." Zhu Shen pressed the Soul Bone into his hands. "The sooner you gather all seven, the sooner you'll trigger the set effect. Then, even if you can't beat an Evil Soul Master, you'll at least be able to run fast."
Tang San's mouth twitched. He took the Soul Bone and returned to his room to absorb it.
Zhu Shen lay on his bed, going over recent events in his mind.
The Evil God Temple, Su Nuo, Blood Shadow, the Nuoding City Black Market... There had to be a connection between them. He still wasn't strong enough. He needed to raise his Soul Power first.
With that thought, Zhu Shen closed his eyes and began circulating his Soul Power.
Early the next morning, Zhu Shen trained the work-study students as usual.
After finishing his laps, Tang San quietly told Zhu Shen, "Teacher, I saw the dean go out last night. At two in the morning, he left alone through the back gate and headed south."
"South of the city?"
"Yes. I think that's where the slums are."
Zhu Shen thought it over. "Keep watching him tonight. I'll go take a look around."
"Are you going alone, Teacher?"
"Don't worry. Your teacher can fly now. Even if I can't beat them, I can still get away, can't I?"
Tang San hesitated, but in the end he nodded.
Training carried on as usual during the day. Zhu Shen worked the students until they were ready to drop, and the results were plain to see. In just three days, the children's stamina had improved noticeably, and a few of them had even started to sense the rhythm of their Soul Power circulating.
That night, Zhu Shen waited until midnight, changed into dark clothes, and climbed out through the window.
He spread his Dragon Wings and silently rose into the air, flying toward the southern part of the city.
The southern part of Nuoding City really was a slum. Its houses were dilapidated, and its streets were narrow. Zhu Shen landed on a rooftop and looked around.
Before long, he spotted an abandoned warehouse. Two people stood at its entrance, dressed in dark red clothes—the exact same garb as the three Evil Soul Masters in Soul Hunting Forest.
Zhu Shen was delighted. He'd found the place.
He crept closer, landed on a beam atop the warehouse, and peered down through a hole in the roof.
A few oil lamps cast dim light inside. In the middle stood a long table, on which rested a black box covered in twisted runes.
Su Nuo stood before the table, with three others beside him. One was tall and wore a dark red cloak, its hood hiding his face.
"Lord Blood Shadow." Su Nuo's voice trembled a little. "That Yu Xiaogang has started to suspect me. Yesterday, he asked about you. He said he'd seen our people in Soul Hunting Forest."
Blood Shadow?
Zhu Shen held his breath and watched the cloaked figure closely.
"Yu Xiaogang?" Blood Shadow's voice was low and deep, as if forced up from his throat. "That useless Grandmaster?"
"He's not useless anymore." Su Nuo swallowed. "His Martial Soul evolved into a Golden Dragon. And he has two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings. He's very strong. Yesterday, Xiao Wanshan brought three Soul Masters to cause him trouble, and he sent them running with a single move."
Blood Shadow was silent for a moment. "Interesting. Martial Soul Evolution? That's rare."
"What should we do, my lord?"
"No need to rush." Blood Shadow walked to the table and opened the black box. Inside lay a Dark Red Bead, radiating an evil aura. "How's the plan coming along?"
"It's nearly ready. We've gathered twenty-three orphans from the city, and another batch was sent in from outside, bringing the total to forty-seven. We have enough blood and souls for the ritual."
Zhu Shen's pupils contracted.
Orphans? A ritual?
He remembered the Evil God Temple the system had mentioned before. These people really were practicing some kind of dark sorcery.
"Good." Blood Shadow closed the box. "On the night of the full moon, three days from now, we'll hold the ritual in Soul Hunting Forest. Once we've drained the children's blood, we'll summon the temple's projection. If it succeeds, a new order will dawn on this continent."
Su Nuo hesitated. "My lord, that Yu Xiaogang..."
"I'll deal with him." Blood Shadow's voice turned cold. "He's only a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor. He can't make any waves. Just do your job."
"Yes, yes." Su Nuo nodded repeatedly.
Listening from the rooftop, Zhu Shen burned with rage.
Forty-seven children? Draining their blood? A ritual?
These Evil Soul Masters were fucking monsters.
He took a deep breath and forced down his anger. Charging in now would be foolish. Blood Shadow's strength was unknown, and his side had more people. Zhu Shen wasn't sure he could win a fight.
He needed to go back and plan carefully.
Zhu Shen quietly rose to leave, but accidentally stepped on a loose roof tile.
"Crack."
The sound was faint, but it cut through the silent night.
"Who's there?!" Blood Shadow jerked his head up, his gaze flashing like lightning as he stared straight at the roof.
Zhu Shen's heart sank. He spread his Dragon Wings and prepared to flee.
A streak of dark red light shot out of the warehouse, heading straight for Zhu Shen. He dodged sideways, and the light struck the roof, blasting a huge hole through it with a boom.
"Trying to run?" Blood Shadow's voice came from behind him.
Without looking back, Zhu Shen beat his wings with all his might and shot toward the city outskirts like a streak of golden light.
Behind him, Blood Shadow gave chase. He was astonishingly fast, riding a cloud of dark red mist. Within a few breaths, he had closed the distance.
"A Four-Ring Soul Ancestor dares to spy on me?" Blood Shadow sneered. "You're asking for death!"
He swept a hand out, sending more than a dozen dark red blades flying toward Zhu Shen.
Zhu Shen swerved sharply in midair, dodging them by the narrowest margin. But one blade still grazed his shoulder, slicing it open. Blood welled from the wound, which burned as if seared by fire.
[Host detected to be suffering Evil Qi corrosion. Purification function activated automatically... Purification complete.]
Zhu Shen breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness the system had come through.
He glanced behind him. Blood Shadow was getting closer and closer. The guy was too fast; there was no way to shake him off.
Fine, he'd fight!
Zhu Shen abruptly turned in midair and released his Dragon God Martial Soul. Two purple and two black Soul Rings revolved around him as he unleashed his third Soul Skill, Dragon Might Intimidation, with all his strength.
An invisible pressure burst from Zhu Shen's body, crushing toward Blood Shadow like a tangible force.
Blood Shadow's figure jolted, and his speed slowed.
"Interesting." A hint of surprise entered Blood Shadow's voice. "But is that all you've got?"
He formed a hand seal, and dark red light gathered in his palms, transforming into a giant blood-red wolf. The wolf opened its jaws and pounced on Zhu Shen.
Zhu Shen didn't dare meet it head-on. He dodged sideways, but the giant wolf actually turned in midair and continued after him.
"It can track me, too?"
Zhu Shen gritted his teeth and activated Dragon Scale Possession and Dragon Claw Rending at the same time. Golden scales covered his body, his hands became dragon claws, and he turned to face the blood-red wolf.
"Boom!"
Golden and dark red light collided, unleashing a ring of shockwaves. Zhu Shen was hurled backward, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
The blood-red wolf shattered too, dissolving into specks of dark red light.
Blood Shadow stopped in midair and looked at Zhu Shen, a playful note in his voice. "Not bad. You managed to take one of my attacks. Are you really Yu Xiaogang?"
"As real as they come." Zhu Shen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "What are you? One of the Evil God Temple?"
Blood Shadow didn't answer. He only stared at Zhu Shen for a moment. "Your Martial Soul... is interesting. Dragon bloodline, and a pure one at that. No wonder you can purify my Evil Qi."
"What, scared?"
"Scared?" Blood Shadow laughed. "I'm just curious how you came by that bloodline. But it doesn't matter. Once the ritual is complete, all your secrets will be mine."
With that, Blood Shadow turned and flew away, vanishing into the night.
Zhu Shen let out a breath of relief. He landed on the ground and leaned against a tree, panting.
That guy's strength was at least Soul Saint level, perhaps even higher. Zhu Shen was no match for him right now.
He had to get stronger, fast.
[Congratulations, host. You discovered the Evil God Temple's ritual plan and triggered a hidden reward: Evolution Points +50, one random Lone Bamboo Soul Bone.] [Current Evolution Points: 110/100. Dragon God Bloodline purity can be increased. Increase now?]
"Increase!"
Zhu Shen didn't hesitate.
A surge of heat welled up inside him and coursed through his meridians. His Dragon God Martial Soul released itself, and the phantom of a Golden Dragon circled behind him, letting out a thunderous roar.
Zhu Shen felt every bone in his body reshaping, his muscles tearing and regrowing, his blood boiling. His aura climbed at a visible pace, and his Soul Power surged from level 40 all the way to level 45.
[Bloodline purity increased to 40%. Dragon God Set effect enhanced. New Soul Skill acquired: Dragon Breath.] [Dragon Breath: Spit flames imbued with the might of the dragon race, dealing extra damage to targets with evil attributes.]
Zhu Shen opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
Amazing!
He stood up and rolled his shoulders, feeling power coursing through his entire body.
Right, he had a Soul Bone, too.
Zhu Shen checked the System Panel and saw that it was a Ten-Year Lone Bamboo Skull Bone.
"That should suit Tang San."
He put the Soul Bone away, spread his Dragon Wings, and flew toward Nuoding City.
By the time he returned to the academy, dawn was nearly upon them.
Tang San was still waiting in his room. When he saw Zhu Shen return, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Teacher, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. I just got into a fight." Zhu Shen waved a hand and told Tang San what he'd discovered that night.
Tang San's face darkened as he listened. "Forty-seven children? They're going to use the children's blood for a ritual?"
"That's right." Zhu Shen's voice grew solemn. "Three days from now, on the night of the full moon, in Soul Hunting Forest."
"Teacher, we have to save them."
"Of course we do." Zhu Shen patted his shoulder. "But we can't charge in recklessly. That Blood Shadow is very strong, at least Soul Saint level. I can't beat him right now."
Tang San frowned. "Then what do we do?"
"Find help." Zhu Shen thought it over. "Your father should still be nearby. I'll go find him. We also need to notify the Spirit Hall in Nuoding City. The Spirit Hall won't ignore a matter involving Evil Soul Masters."
Tang San nodded. "What about me?"
"You stay at the academy and keep an eye on Su Nuo. But remember, don't alert him, and don't take any risks."
"Understood."
Zhu Shen stood up and stretched his limbs. "All right, it'll be dawn soon. Go get some sleep. I'll go find your father."
"Be careful, Teacher."
Zhu Shen nodded, pushed the door open, and disappeared into the night.
Tang San stood at the window, watching the direction Zhu Shen had gone, his gaze resolute.
His teacher had been shouldering so much on his own. He couldn't hold him back.
He touched the needles in his robes, then turned back to his room and began sharpening them.