One Person Missing...

"According to the latest rules of the Spirit Transmission Hall, its task difficulty is measured by star ratings, with five stars being the highest. Ordinary one-star tasks award the completer a minimum of one hundred points, and each additional star multiplies that by ten. Except for certain special tasks, this rule will never change."

After leaving the seaside, Gu You looked through the Spirit Transmission Hall task information on his Soul Guidance Communicator and muttered to himself.

His Eastern Sea assignment this time had been a one-star task, which meant that he could only earn one hundred task points in the end.

Under the Spirit Transmission Hall's latest rank system, one began as a Bronze Spirit Envoy. It took 100 points to advance, with each subsequent promotion requiring ten times as many points.

"So that means I've already been promoted?"

Gu You thought to himself.

Though it was the lowest rank, he had officially joined the Spirit Transmission Hall.

He actually wanted to take on higher-level tasks next, but he figured he could at most accept two-star tasks.

That was because the gap between each star level was worlds apart; they were not even on the same scale. If one-star tasks were meant for Soul Elder-level Soul Masters, then two-star tasks required the strength of a Soul King just to barely complete.

Not to mention true five-star tasks, which could only be handled by peak-level powerhouses.

However, such tasks had only appeared twice in the past ten thousand years. Whenever one appeared, it would not only alert the Spirit Pagoda, but also draw the attention of powerhouses from other factions.

Once a five-star task appeared, it meant that something capable of threatening the continent existed.

At times like that, the Sun Moon Federation government would generally intervene as well.

On the train back to Shrek City, Gu You reflected on everything he had seen and thought during this mission.

You Hai was not a soul beast. Her martial soul was close to the sea, allowing her to sense certain conditions in the Eastern Sea.

Humanity's excessive development had already left some coastal regions of the Eastern Sea unrecognizable.

The sea was suffering, and so was she.

It had been tormenting her all along. The deaths of those dozen or so people were not unrelated to her either, though he had no idea what exactly had been involved.

"Could her martial soul possibly be the sea... How interesting. Because of my butterfly effect on this world, just how much more has changed?" Gu You found himself looking forward to the future. This incident had made him realize even more clearly that the world of Legend of the Dragon King was not made up of only the protagonist's story.

Every person was unique...

But he remembered that Vast Sea Douluo Chen Xinjie's martial soul was also the sea, wasn't it? Could this girl be connected to the Sea God family...

Thinking of this, Gu You found it somewhat unbelievable.

If she was a member of the Sea God family, then why had she been abandoned?

A day later, Shrek City, Heavenly Spirit Pagoda.

"Task settlement. Assignee: Gu You. One-star Eastern Sea assignment. Completion rate: one hundred percent! Reward: 100 Spirit Transmission Points. Congratulations on advancing to Bronze Spirit Envoy."

The mechanical electronic voice came from the screen before him, and Gu You put away the Soul Guidance Communicator in his hand.

This Eastern Sea assignment had been too easy. It had taken only two days to complete, so he wanted to see whether there were any other tasks he could accept first.

"Spirit Transmission System, do you have any recommended tasks?"

Gu You asked the system displayed on the screen before him.

This was the Spirit Transmission Hall's Spirit Transmission System, connected throughout the Spirit Pagoda system. As long as one's communicator had the Spirit Transmission Hall's special authorization, one could inquire about matters related to the Spirit Transmission Hall.

"Yes, yes. A one-star task in Shrek City."

The Spirit Transmission System's voice came through, sounding somewhat humanlike.

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Gu You became interested. Since it was in Shrek City, it was close by. If he went out for it, he might even be back within a day.

"Task: Evil Soul Disorder (Available). Location: Shrek City's outer district. Task requirement: Patrol and investigate Evil Soul marks. Required duration: two and a half hours. The timer will begin upon arrival in the designated area."

"A patrol task?"

Gu You frowned. Two-plus hours was not long. Patrol tasks might be dangerous, but since it was rated one star, there should not be any Evil Soul Masters above five rings.

"I'll take it!"

"We're almost there. Hopefully this ends quickly."

On the Soul Guidance bus, Gu You yawned. For the hundred Spirit Transmission Points from a one-star task, he had even sacrificed his time.

Afterward, the Soul Guidance bus came to a stop. The inertia nearly made Gu You feel as if he were about to vomit his insides out.

Good grief, did the driver even know how to drive?!

Following the map directions from the task on his Soul Guidance Communicator, Gu You proceeded down the road.

After walking for a while, the signs ahead left him somewhat at a loss.

"Ghosts ahead!"

"Construction site. No entry!"

A large stretch of steel barricades enclosed the area, blocking Gu You's path forward.

For some reason, the closer the surrounding houses were to this area, the more dilapidated they became. The walls looked ancient, crumbling apart at the slightest touch.

There were scarcely any people around—practically none at all.

How did Shrek City have a place like this?

Gu You lowered his head in thought.

The mission area was right ahead, but it seemed impossible to enter...

Could he force his way in?

That seemed a little unethical. This was a federal construction zone, and under the Federal Constitution, no one was permitted to enter without authorization.

If he broke in and was reported or caught in the act, he would face a week in prison, and then... then there was nothing else...

At that thought, Gu You smiled. Flames gathered in his hand, forming a blade that slashed through all the iron railings in one stroke.

Then he swaggered right in.

Outside the fence stood two signs. One read, "Ghosts Ahead," while the other read, "Construction Site, No Entry!"

Only now, the "Construction Site, No Entry!" sign had been cut in half by the flame blade...

Pull back and observe from high above, and one would be shocked to discover that the area Gu You had entered simply did not exist.

The entirety of Shrek City remained prosperous and bustling as ever.

It was as though this world had lost one person here, a person named—

Gu You...

"Did I leave the country?" Gu You rubbed his eyes, utterly confused.

This place was Shrek City?!

The bleak sunlight shining down brought neither warmth nor blazing heat. Instead, it felt chillingly unsettling.

Great swaths of dark clouds drifted across the sky, blocking out the midday sun until only a sliver of light remained.

All around him stood ruined houses, giving the place a distinctly medieval feel.

The wooden signs and storefronts of many buildings had begun to rot away, leaving a scent in the air that resembled wood shavings.

Gu You checked the Soul Guidance Communicator in his hand. He was within the mission map's designated area.

"Shouldn't be a mistake. I'd better call Teacher first. No wonder this place caught the attention of Evil Soul Masters." Gu You found Leng Yaozhu in the Soul Guidance Communicator's contact list and was about to call her, only to discover that there was no signal...