Ye Xi's Terrible Idea, Battle Shen Nanxun Again?

"Do it."

The moment those two words fell, a terrifying pressure of soul power erupted from his body.

Eight soul rings rose from beneath his feet in sequence. He was clearly a powerful Spirit Douluo. The three people behind him simultaneously released their own martial souls, the light of their soul rings merging in the dim cabin and pressing down on the space until it was suffocating.

The middle-aged woman pressed the infant tightly to her chest, her icy blue eyes sweeping across the four people who had sealed off every path of retreat. She was no match for them.

With only the cultivation of a Spirit Emperor, she had absolutely no possibility of escaping with the baby in her arms.

But the mistress's child must never fall into their hands.

She used all her strength to lift the infant high, taking one last look at the tiny body wrapped in swaddling clothes. The baby's face peeked out from the edge of the blanket, those bright black eyes watching her quietly—not crying, not fussing, perfectly obedient.

She gathered all her soul power into this single throw, launching the infant out through the porthole. The small bundle traced an arc through the air, moonlight catching it and making that fair forehead appear almost translucent. Then, it plummeted straight into the sea.

"No! Catch that child! I want him alive!" the leading middle-aged man roared.

The middle-aged woman did not give them a chance to pursue. The most brilliant light of her life erupted from her body, and she transformed into an icy blue meteor, throwing herself at the four Evil Soul Masters as they prepared to give chase, at the cost of burning her own life force. A massive surge of soul power exploded within the narrow cabin.

The moment the infant hit the water, a black figure chased after him. The woman was only a Spirit Emperor; even by self-destructing, she could not stop a Spirit Douluo.

His hand reached toward the sea surface, the grey-white palm just feet away from the water where the baby had fallen. At that very instant, a golden light shot up from the depths of the ocean.

An aura of pure, sacred attributes erupted, bathing the sea in a brilliant gold.

The infant thrown into the sea was now wrapped in a raging golden flame, rising slowly from the water to hover in mid-air.

The swaddling clothes had come undone in the water, revealing a face as delicate as a porcelain doll and a pair of black eyes that remained as calm as a deep pool. Those eyes had now turned a pure gold, light patterns flowing deep within the pupils. Six faint, ethereal golden wings shimmered behind him.

They were far from forming true angel wings, appearing only as an extremely vague outline, yet they carried an inviolable, sacred majesty.

The Evil Soul Master's hand froze in mid-air. His grey-white eyes bulged as if they might pop from their sockets, and he looked down at his own hand reaching toward the infant.

Starting from the fingertips, his flesh was scorched charred black by the golden flames. He let out a shrill scream, recoiling backward like a beast burned by fire.

"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible!" The leading middle-aged man's pupils contracted violently, and for the first time, fear appeared on his cold, grim face.

This was an Angel martial soul!

Leng Yunling's child, that bastard of the Xue Family bloodline, was actually a possessor of the Angel martial soul! But even a Six-Winged Angel martial soul with innate full soul power could never awaken on its own in a one-year-old infant. Unless...

There was no time to think further. The golden flames wrapping the infant surged, the brilliant light turning the entire sea into broad daylight.

In the void behind the infant, a slender golden figure slowly took shape. It was a woman with golden hair cascading to her waist and deep, clear purple eyes. Six complete golden wings unfolded behind her, their span blotting out the sky.

The Spirit Douluo didn't even have time to scream. The blade of the Angel Holy Sword swept across the sea, slicing his body in two. The moment the golden holy flame touched his skin, it incinerated him from the inside out.

A Spirit Douluo Evil Soul Master, without even a chance to cry out, vanished into the sea breeze like a wisp of blue smoke.

Three more figures rushed out of the cabin. The three Spirit Sages finally broke free from the ruins of the ship, but their will to fight collapsed the moment they stepped out of the hatch.

They had witnessed the Spirit Douluo being annihilated by a single sword strike, his soul scattered and not even a residue left behind. They turned to flee, but the flames of the Angel Holy Sword were faster than them. Three golden holy flames flew from the blade like living fire dragons, catching up to the three Spirit Sages in an instant.

All three turned into golden torches, struggling for a moment on the deck before collapsing, their very bones burned to nothingness.

The golden light slowly receded. The six-winged angel figure lowered her head, looking at the infant in her arms who still stared back with bright black eyes, the corners of her mouth curving slightly. Her figure, along with the six golden wings, dissolved into countless tiny specks of light, merging back into the infant's body.

A golden light wrapped around him and headed toward the nearest land.

And so, by the seaside...

"Honey, look! That thing glowing over there, it looks like a child!"

"The spear follows the heart!"

"Moon Breaker, Cloud Chaser, Star Chaser!"

"Hundred Prairie Slashes!"

On the training grounds of the Shen Family estate, two small figures were shedding sweat in the morning light. Na'er stood in the center of the grounds, the Silver Dragon Spear in her hands performing a beautiful flourish, the tip carving three consecutive silvery-white trajectories through the morning air.

Shen Nanxun stood not far behind, holding the Golden Dragon Spear and following along with the practice.

Since obtaining the Golden Dragon Spear, he hadn't truly begun practicing with it; now that he was back, he had asked Na'er to teach him the basics of spearplay.

As a divine weapon, the Golden Dragon Spear was certainly powerful, but he needed at least a foundation in spear techniques to use it.

"Little Xun's luck is truly something. To go to East Sea City and come back with a divine weapon," Shen Yue remarked, watching the two practice from in front of the house.

Ye Li offered a gentle smile. "You know, even Na'er was something Little Xun and Xingxing picked up. My Little Xun's luck really is good."

"Yes, Mom, you should know about Little Xun's origins by now," Shen Yue said, her tone suddenly turning serious. "If he wants revenge, he will have to stand against the entire Douling Empire."

"It's fine." Ye Li's expression remained calm. Though she wore a smile, her words were exceptionally domineering. "It's merely the Douling Empire. If they make my son unhappy, what would it matter if we wiped them out?"

This was no empty boast. As a top military family, the Shen Family head—Shen Nanxun's grandfather—was currently the Minister of the Military and one of the three great pillars of the armed forces. The Federation had long planned to unify the other two continents.

Although Shen Nanxun was an adopted son, everyone in the Shen Family doted on him. Na'er was relatively less favored, though in their daily interactions at home, they both appeared to be the center of attention. Ultimately, Na'er only received Ye Li's affection; while she had established a connection with the Yuetian Douluo, it only served to satisfy the elder Shen.

The only one the grandfather truly recognized was Shen Nanxun.

Unlike other great families, the grandfather had started from nothing, reaching the position of Minister of the Military entirely through his own formidable ability. One had to realize that the other two military giants, Yu Guanzhi of the Central Legion and Chen Xinjie of the Sea God Legion, both came from prestigious backgrounds.

Thus, his life story was a legend in itself.

Later, there was only the father, a single heir with no other branches, and the father was so deeply in love with Ye Li that it was impossible for him to have children with anyone else. This resulted in the Shen Family having only Shen Nanxun, the adopted son, as their sole male descendant.

When Shen Nanxun was first brought back to the Shen Family, Elder Shen had no interest in him. For reasons unknown, however, he later grew fond of the boy, one could even say doted on him. Before coming to North Sea City, Elder Shen had kept him by his side almost constantly.

Later, when Shen Nanxun was attacked by an Evil Soul Master in North Sea City, Ye Li had only intended to stay and look after him for a short while. She was busy with her own position in the military, after all. It was only under Elder Shen's instruction that she had remained in North Sea City for so many years.

To ensure the smoothness of Shen Nanxun's future cultivation and state of mind, the Shen Family could easily expedite all of this. This was the Shen Family's confidence; backed by the Federation military, they were unrivaled.

Na'er stood with her spear retracted, the butt of the weapon tapping lightly against the bluestone slab. The ahoge on her forehead swayed with the movement, and her silver eyes looked toward the side, sparkling.

"Did you see that? The essence of this move lies in the flick of the wrist and the continuous change in the spear tip's direction. Moon Breaker is the feint, Cloud Chaser is the solid strike, and Star Chaser is the true killing blow."

The Ahoge King's teaching was very practical and devoid of fluff, mostly because the rewards were generous; she could bite Shen Nanxun every day without restraint.

Today, she wanted to eat something spicy!

"How is your practice going?"

Shen Yue walked over, raised a hand to ruffle Na'er's smooth silver hair, and asked with a smile.

"Of course I can."

Na'er's ahoge swayed triumphantly, and the butt of her spear tapped lightly against the bluestone slab once more.

Shen Yue curled her lips, casually pressing down the stubborn hair that stood tall, and let her gaze linger on the two of them for a moment before changing the subject: "Let's talk business. The curriculum at North Sea Academy ends at age nine. Following standard procedure, you two should apply to a Federation-official Soul Master academy next. I spoke with Father via soul guidance communication a few days ago; his intention is for you to attend the primary division of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy. Shen Xing is there too, so she can look after you. What do you think?"

The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy, one of the top three elite soul master institutions on the continent, was located in the Federation capital, Ming Capital. Shen Xing was currently studying in its advanced division.

"Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy," Shen Nanxun mused for a moment. "Most officials and families in the North Sea faction are graduates of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy."

"Exactly. Although Shrek is known as the continent's number one academy, in the military—especially within the North Sea faction—the Sun Moon alumni network is far more useful than Shrek's. Our entire family is part of the Sun Moon faction. Once you go, you will be the legitimate third generation of the Sun Moon line."

Shen Yue paused, then added, "Besides, didn't you just reject Shrek? Ming Capital is our home turf, after all; no matter how long Shrek's reach is, they can't extend it into the military compound."

Upon hearing the word "Shrek," Na'er's ahoge instinctively bristled, though it quickly smoothed back down. She put away the Silver Dragon Spear and looked up at Shen Yue: "Na'er wants to go too."

Shen Yue bent down to look her in the silver eyes, reaching out to tidy the silver-white strands ruffled by the morning breeze with a gentle touch: "Of course we'll go together. Grandfather mentioned you in the communication; he wants to see you. Among the students graduating from North Sea Academy at the same time, there are a few others who want to go to Ming Capital. Ye Xi and Dong Yi'an, those two little ones, will likely apply to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy as well. You won't be short of acquaintances in Ming Capital."

Na'er nodded without a word, merely leaning her body toward Shen Nanxun. He turned his head to look at her, then asked Shen Yue: "When do we leave?"

"In three months. Use these three months to further improve your soul power. Although the competition for admission to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy isn't as fierce as Shrek Academy, it is still very strict." She smiled, patted his shoulder, and turned to walk toward the house. "I'm going to tell Mother. You two continue practicing."

"Going home, huh." Shen Nanxun thought about it; it had indeed been four years. Since coming to North Sea City at age five, he had rarely returned.

Ming Capital was their true home, but because Shen Yue was serving in North Sea City, they had attended North Sea Academy instead.

Though it was like changing maps, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy really didn't pose much of a challenge to him.

Ye Family.

Ye Xinglan had been back for some time. Ever since losing to Shen Nanxun, she hadn't returned to Shrek Academy, choosing instead to go straight home.

The young girl sat in front of the courtyard, replaying the scenes from that day in her mind—not the battle she lost to Shen Nanxun, but the words spoken in the hotel.

Yes, she realized she truly couldn't explain what that glory had to do with her. Aside from practicing swordplay at 5:30 every morning for the three months since enrollment and wearing that ugly green school uniform, what else could she use to prove she had any connection to that glory?

Her family and her own cultivation should be more important.

"Cousin, are you there?"

A clear, familiar voice came from outside the courtyard gate. Ye Xinglan looked up. Ye Xi was standing on the stone steps, dressed in a sharp, light blue casual outfit.

Ye Xinglan stood up, a smile touching her face: "Xiao Xi, why are you back?"

Ye Xi sat on the stone stool opposite Ye Xinglan and laughed: "I graduated from North Sea Academy. I heard you were here as soon as I got back, and since I heard you took a long leave, I guessed you were home."

Ye Xinglan sat back down. "You're well-informed."

"By the way, I heard you're going to North Sea City this time?" Ye Xi asked.

"Mm, Mother told me to go pay my respects to Aunt," Ye Xinglan replied with a calm expression, nodding slightly.

The entire Ye Family was busy currying favor with Ye Li; sending Ye Xinglan now was nothing more than a way to get her face known.

"That's good. We'll go together then. Once we arrive, I'll introduce you to a sword expert of our age so you two can have a match." Ye Xi was full of enthusiasm; she had been wanting to see this happen for a long time, and this was the perfect opportunity.

At this moment, although Ye Xi knew Shen Nanxun had defeated Shrek in East Sea City—as it had spread throughout North Sea Academy—she did not know that Ye Xinglan, who studied at Shrek Academy, was among those defeated.

Naturally, Ye Xinglan wouldn't go around announcing the match she had lost.

"Fine." Ye Xinglan let out a breath. She had been stifled at home these past few days; a change of environment to get some fresh air and a fight to regain her confidence was exactly what she needed.

It was impossible for everyone her age to be at Shen Nanxun's level.