Unexpected Encounter and Battle

After transferring from the flying car to the soul train, the train sped along the tracks with a low hum.

Yun Zhiyu sat by the window. Her silver hair had been dyed ink-black and tied into a ponytail with a cloth band, while special contact lenses concealed her purple eyes beneath a deep brown shade. She looked like an ordinary girl from Heaven Dou City, save for the Star Ring on her finger and the Silver Dragon Hairpin on her wrist, both faintly visible beneath her hem.

She closed her eyes to rest, but her spiritual power spread like fine threads, covering the entire carriage. The perception of the Spirit Sea Realm allowed her to "see" every passenger's breathing rhythm, heartbeat, and soul power fluctuations—most were ordinary people, with only the occasional low-level soul master among them, none worth worrying about.

Until that cold, sinister aura seeped in.

It was as though someone had cracked open the gates of hell. The stench of decay mixed with blood and distorted soul power, slowly spreading from the carriage connection. Yun Zhiyu's lashes trembled, but she did not open her eyes. Her spiritual power abruptly contracted, locking onto seven dark figures in the third carriage.

Evil soul masters.

She recalled the records from the original story. Tang Wulin had encountered these fallen beings on soul trains many times—cultivators who devoured the blood essence of living creatures and delighted in tormenting souls, the most unforgivable existence on the Douluo Continent. And now, they were on the same train as her, less than a hundred meters away.

"Dear passengers," a gentle female voice came over the broadcast, "the train will soon pass through the Heaven Soul Mountains tunnel. The journey will take approximately fifteen minutes. Please close your windows and do not move about." Her voice was steady and clear, carrying a reassuring strength.

Yun Zhiyu's spiritual power extended along with the sound, reaching the broadcast room. A woman around twenty-seven or twenty-eight sat before the control console, dressed in a crisp dark-blue uniform with a silver-white conductor's emblem embroidered on her epaulets—Mo Lan. She had no soul power and was an ordinary person, yet her back was straight, and her fingers moved over the controls with practiced decisiveness.

Yun Zhiyu silently repeated that name. In the later parts of the original story, Mo Lan had been a dove-faction councilor, the daughter of a Heaven Dou City executive, and the wife of a Federation councilor. Yet she had willingly given up a privileged life to become a train conductor who faced danger head-on. She had encountered evil soul masters many times, and once had nearly died. Only after Zhen Hua asked her mother, Yali, for help had she been saved. Even so, she had remained on this train, speaking for civilians and shielding strangers from blades.

"Interesting." Yun Zhiyu curled her lips, though there was a chill in her smile.

She rose and walked toward the third carriage.

When the door to the third carriage was pushed open, the stench of decay rushed at her.

Seven dark figures were scattered throughout the carriage. They appeared to be ordinary passengers, but each had something abnormal about them—black mist wriggled like maggots inside an old man's eye sockets; scarlet liquid dripped from a young woman's fingertips; a child's laughter was shrill enough to sound inhuman.

They all turned toward Yun Zhiyu at the door, their eyes carrying the amused scrutiny of predators examining prey.

"Little girl," the old man said, his voice like sandpaper scraping rotten wood. "Did you enter the wrong carriage?"

Yun Zhiyu did not answer. Her gaze swept over the carriage, and she saw several ordinary passengers huddled in a corner, their faces deathly pale after being invaded by the evil soul masters' aura. Farther away, a mother clutched her infant tightly and covered the child's mouth, refusing to let him make a sound.

"Seven," she said softly, as though speaking to herself. "Two Soul Elders, three Soul Ancestors, and two Soul Kings. Not a small lineup."

The old man's pupils contracted sharply. He had not expected this seemingly ordinary girl to see through their cultivation at a glance. What unsettled him even more was the aura around her—she clearly only possessed the fluctuations of a three-ring Soul Elder, yet she carried a majesty that made his soul tremble, like an ancient beast turning in its sleep.

"Who are you?" the young woman demanded sharply, the scarlet liquid on her fingertips transforming into claws.

"Shrek Academy." Yun Zhiyu spoke only two words before releasing her martial soul.

The phantom of the Xuanyuan Sword appeared behind her, but it was not in its usual violet-gold state. To avoid drawing attention, she had completely concealed the aura of her Torch Dragon Bloodline, revealing only pure sword intent. Even so, the sharpness of the Human Emperor's sword caused the temperature in the carriage to plummet. All seven evil soul masters retreated half a step at once, as though burned by an untouchable authority.

"Shrek..." The old man's voice trembled, yet it carried twisted excitement. "Shrek blood is sweeter than ordinary blood."

He attacked first.

Black soul power transformed into countless maggots and surged toward Yun Zhiyu like a tidal wave. At the same time, the young woman's claws, the child's piercing laughter, and the other four people's soul skills erupted together. The air inside the carriage instantly became as thick as blood, as though it had fallen into the depths of a nightmare.

Yun Zhiyu did not retreat.

First Soul Skill: Yinglong: Lightning-Calling Sword Chime.

Violet-gold lightning surged from her palm, but instead of spreading outward, it condensed into a slender streak of sword qi that precisely cut into the center of the maggot swarm. Wherever the sword qi passed, the black soul power melted like ice and snow, hissing as though some evil thing were wailing while being purified.

"Evil-breaking!" the old man cried. "Her sword qi can break evil!"

Yun Zhiyu gave him no time to think. Her second soul skill, Yinglong: Heavenly Thunder Flash Slash, activated. Her figure transformed into a streak of violet-gold light within the carriage and swept past the old man's side. Sword qi left a charred wound across his shoulder, but did not take his life—she needed one survivor to learn their purpose.

But the evil soul masters would not give her a chance to catch her breath.

The two Soul Kings simultaneously unleashed their martial soul true bodies. One became a twisted skeleton, the other a rotting giant python. Black soul power pressed down on Yun Zhiyu like a tide. Her breathing stalled. The gap between a three-ring Soul Elder and a Soul King was like a chasm, but she did not retreat. Her third soul skill, Black Tortoise: Azure Abyss Sword Shield, formed a heavy sword-shaped barrier around her. Deep-blue light collided with black soul power in a deafening explosion.

Boom—

The shield shook violently. Yun Zhiyu was sent staggering back several steps, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. But she also felt the shield absorb part of the impact and convert it into the circulation of her own soul power—the restorative effect of the Azure Abyss Sword Shield had saved her life at a critical moment.

"Little girl, can't hold on anymore?" the giant python Soul King sneered, its rotten stench washing over her.

Yun Zhiyu wiped the blood from her lips. Her deep-brown contacts shattered under the turbulence of her soul power, revealing the vertical slits in her purple eyes. The slits opened fully. Within her pupils, the shadow of the Black Tortoise Serpent intertwined with the phantom of the Torch Dragon, forming a totem that made even the Soul Kings shudder in terror.

"I can hold on," she said softly, her voice carrying an inhuman majesty. "But you won't."

She crushed the Quasi-God Jade Slip her father had given her.

No, not all of it—only half. Of the thirty percent soul power Yun Ming had sealed inside, she released only five percent, roughly equivalent to a casual strike from a Super Douluo. Even so, that jet-black sword qi descended like heavenly punishment, tearing the giant python Soul King's martial soul true body apart down the middle. Its rotten body dissolved within the sword qi, letting out a shrill scream.

"A Quasi-God strike!" Despair filled the skeleton Soul King's voice. "You're the daughter of the Sky-Crossing Douluo!"

"Correct guess," Yun Zhiyu said coldly. "Your reward is—death."

She turned the remaining five percent of Quasi-God power into a barrier to protect the ordinary passengers in the corner, then faced the remaining six evil soul masters alone. Her soul power was being rapidly depleted, and the glow of the Azure Abyss Sword Shield gradually dimmed, but her gaze became ever sharper—burning, boiling, like a sword about to break but never bend.

"Attack together!" the old man roared. "She can't last much longer!"

Black soul power surged forward again like a tide. Yun Zhiyu's sword qi crisscrossed the carriage. Every strike took away a trace of evil, and every strike consumed a portion of her soul power. Her arms trembled, her meridians spasmed, and her nails turned white from exertion, yet she still gripped that sword forged from soul power with all her strength.

Black Tortoise: Azure Abyss Sword Shield! She summoned the barrier again, blocking the young woman's claws. At the same time, her sword qi spiraled back and purified the old man's maggot swarm completely.

But her soul power finally ran dry.

She dropped to one knee, her sword qi dispersing until she barely had the strength to breathe. Though the six evil soul masters had all been injured to varying degrees, they still had power left. Black soul power gathered above her head, forming the shadow of death.

"It's over," the old man sneered. "Shrek blood belongs to us now."

Yun Zhiyu looked up. There was no fear in her purple eyes, only an almost peaceful expression, as though she were waiting for something.

She was waiting for someone.

Bang!

The carriage door was kicked open. A dark-blue figure rushed in, gripping a soul ray gun. She had no soul power, yet she stood as straight as a pine.

"Train security! Don't move!" Mo Lan's voice rang out as steadily as a bell, the barrel aimed at the old man's forehead.

The old man froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. "An ordinary person? You're courting death!"

He waved a hand, sending black soul power toward Mo Lan. Yun Zhiyu's pupils shrank. She exhausted the last thread of her soul power, raising the fading light of the Azure Abyss Sword Shield before Mo Lan—

Boom!

The shield shattered. The shockwave sent Mo Lan stumbling back several steps, blood spilling from her lips, yet she still clutched the ray gun tightly. She looked at Yun Zhiyu without fear, only with a stubborn resolve that made warmth rise in Yun Zhiyu's heart.

"Hold on," Mo Lan said between breaths. "I called for support. The Federation law enforcement team is on its way!"

"Too late," Yun Zhiyu said with a bitter smile. "Five minutes remain."

"Then hold on for five minutes!"

Mo Lan pulled the trigger. Soul rays poured toward the evil soul masters. The beams could not inflict real damage on evil soul masters above the Soul Ancestor rank, but they successfully disrupted their rhythm, buying Yun Zhiyu precious time to recover.

Yun Zhiyu looked at the figure shielding her and suddenly remembered the records from the original story—Mo Lan, an ordinary person with no soul power, had repeatedly stepped forward during evil soul master attacks, using her flesh and blood to form a defensive line for civilians. Her husband had urged her to stop, her father had scolded her, but she had only said, "If I don't go, who will?"

"Conductor," she said hoarsely, "step back. I'll handle this."

"You can barely stand!"

"I can!" Yun Zhiyu gritted her teeth and took a pill from her system storage—the Soul-Recovery Pill refined by Yali, capable of restoring thirty percent of her soul power for a short time. The moment it entered her stomach, a warm current flowed through her depleted meridians. She gripped her sword once more.

Yinglong: Lightning-Calling Sword Chime!

Yinglong: Heavenly Thunder Flash Slash!

Black Tortoise: Azure Abyss Sword Shield!

The three soul skills erupted in succession. Violet-gold lightning and a deep-blue shield intertwined within the carriage into a dazzling curtain of light. Yun Zhiyu darted through it like a fish swimming into the abyss, like a sword piercing darkness. Her sword qi no longer sought precision. Instead, it became a blanket of sharp radiance that engulfed all the remaining evil soul masters.

"Madwoman!" the skeleton Soul King retreated in horror. "She's burning her soul power!"

"Yes." Yun Zhiyu's voice was stained with blood, yet her eyes curved with a smile. "So you'll have to go mad with me."

The final strike.

She poured all her remaining soul power, spiritual power, and even the origin power of her Torch Dragon Bloodline into that single strike. The phantom of the Xuanyuan Sword behind her completely solidified. The sharpness of the Human Emperor's sword pierced through the carriage, ripping apart, purifying, and annihilating all six evil soul masters' martial souls at once.

Boom—

The carriage wall was pierced by sword qi, and sunlight poured in. Yun Zhiyu collapsed to her knees amid the wreckage. Her silver hair emerged from beneath the shattered contacts, while the vertical slits in her purple eyes slowly closed, like a colossal beast that had exhausted all its strength.

Mo Lan rushed over and gathered her into her arms. It was an embrace without soul power, yet it was warm enough to make one want to cry.

Yun Zhiyu buried her face against Mo Lan's shoulder, breathing in the distinctive scent of a conductor's uniform, mixed with machine oil and sunlight. Suddenly, she felt that this battle had been worth it.

The law enforcement team arrived five minutes later and captured all the remaining evil soul master remnants.

Yun Zhiyu was arranged to rest in the train infirmary. The medicinal power of the Soul-Recovery Pill flowed slowly through her meridians, restoring roughly twenty percent of her soul power. She leaned against the headboard and watched the drifting clouds outside the window when she suddenly heard the door open softly.

Mo Lan entered, having changed into a clean uniform. There was still a scrape at the corner of her mouth from the battle, but she smiled warmly. "Little hero, how are you feeling?"

"Not a hero." Yun Zhiyu shook her head. "A Shrek student."

"Shrek students are all heroes." Mo Lan sat beside her bed, her gaze falling on the silver hair Yun Zhiyu had inadvertently revealed during the battle. "Silver hair... are you Pavilion Master Yun Ming's daughter?"

Yun Zhiyu did not deny it. She simply took a necklace from her clothes—a top-grade defensive soul device. Its chain was forged from Heavenfrost Flowing Silver fused with Life Azurewood Gold, while its pendant was a small shield-shaped gemstone containing a complex defensive formation.

"Sister Mo Lan." She held the necklace out, her voice tired but sincere. "This is for you."

Mo Lan paused and did not accept it. "This is too precious..."

"When you stood in front of me," Yun Zhiyu interrupted, sunlight from the window reflected in her purple eyes, "you had no soul power and no martial soul, but you stood straighter than those Soul Kings. This necklace cannot match your courage, but..."

She paused, then pressed the necklace into Mo Lan's palm. "It can shield you from one deadly calamity. Not so you can depend on it, but so that you... have the confidence to keep standing at the front."

Mo Lan clenched the necklace, feeling the gentle soul power contained within it. Her eyes suddenly grew hot. She remembered her father's words—"Mo Lan, you're an ordinary person. Stop trying to be brave." She remembered her husband's plea—"Quit this job. Let's live a proper life together." She remembered every nightmare after encountering evil soul masters, and every morning when she chose to persist.

And now, a ten-year-old girl was telling her with a necklace: someone had seen her courage.

"...Thank you." She tied the necklace around her neck, the shield-shaped gemstone resting against her collarbone and radiating faint warmth. "I'll keep standing there, until those with soul power are willing to stand with me."

Yun Zhiyu curved her lips. It was her first smile after the battle, pale yet bright. "That day will come. I promise."

The train continued speeding along the tracks. Outside the window, the scenery shifted from mountains to plains, then from plains to coastline. Yun Zhiyu leaned against the headboard, listening to the wheels striking the rails like an ancient rhythm, playing a prelude to her arrival in East Sea City.

The Tang Sect wristband on her arm glimmered faintly, while Zhen Hua's Star Ring flowed with deep light upon her finger. She recalled everyone's faces when they parted, Na'er's Silver Dragon Hairpin, and her father's Quasi-God strike—she had used half of it, and she could not bear to use the remaining half again.

East Sea City, she silently murmured. Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan...

Conductor Mo Lan's figure passed by the doorway, her dark-blue uniform glowing with a steady sheen beneath the corridor lights. Yun Zhiyu watched that retreating figure and suddenly felt that this world was better than she had imagined—there were ordinary people willing to shield strangers from blades, brave people who refused to retreat despite knowing the danger, and countless lights she wished to protect and stand beside.

"Wait for me," she said softly, her voice scattering into the roar of the train wheels. "Wait for me to change everything."