Summer daylight lasted far longer than in spring or winter.
Dusk was just about to fall.
Zhao Linchuan had already returned to Azure Dragon Academy with Qian Renxue.
However, barely had Zhao Linchuan arrived at the academy, before he could return to the villa on the back hill for a drink of water, when Huang Yuan and Jing Ling intercepted him in the administration building's corridor.
Inside the dean's office, Huang Yuan and Jing Ling stood shoulder to shoulder.
Their clothes were flecked with mud and dark stains, their cuffs bore signs of having been torn and sewn back together, and each had several faint blue bruises on his face. Clearly, they had spent much of this time risking their lives outside.
They gave Zhao Linchuan a general account of their campaigns against the fallen soul masters over the past few months.
"...Dean, those fallen soul masters aren't human anymore!" Huang Yuan said angrily. "They actually raise their soul power by devouring other people's internal organs. How are they any different from beasts?!"
"Devouring other people's internal organs?" Zhao Linchuan rubbed his chin, his brows knitting. "Aren't those evil soul masters?"
"Evil soul masters?"
At that, Jing Ling nodded emphatically and said loudly:
"Exactly! Evil soul masters!"
"These people are following a crooked path of evil and demons. Nothing could suit them better than calling them evil soul masters!"
"Hmm..." Zhao Linchuan settled down to think.
He leaned against the edge of the desk, his hands folded in front of him, his gaze resting on the Task Hall report spread across the desktop.
A moment later, Zhao Linchuan asked, "Are there many of them?"
"Yes, but their soul power levels aren't very high," Jing Ling explained. "And most of them are just empty showpieces, without any soul fighting experience."
"Huang