Second Transmigration; Golden Tree in Peril!

Ye Chenxing was a transmigrator.

More precisely, this was his second transmigration.

In his first life, he had merely been an ordinary person from Blue Star. Like most people, he had gone to school uneventfully and only occasionally enjoyed reading novels.

Ye Chenxing had thought his life would continue along that same predictable path.

Until a big truck crashed into his life.

In his second life, he arrived in a magical world filled with danger—or rather, in that world, people preferred to call it "magecraft."

That was right. Ye Chenxing had entered a world within the Fate universe, or rather, the Fate world better known to most people.

Unfortunately, Ye Chenxing knew nothing about his circumstances, for a very simple reason.

He had never read it in his previous life.

In that life, he was born into a distinguished magecraft family, becoming the child born of an Einzbern Family homunculus. His name was Chenxing von Einzbern.

Under normal circumstances, this should never have happened. To those cold-blooded magi, he was merely an experiment.

Yet because he possessed the soul of a transmigrator, this experimental subject unexpectedly developed complete human emotions and was ultimately designated as one of the candidates for the Holy Grail War.

The Holy Grail War was, simply put, a battle royale waged by seven magi for the miraculous vessel known as the Holy Grail, which could grant any wish.

In this war, the seven magi—known as Masters—would use a ritual and an object connected to the summoned being as a catalyst to summon great heroes, emperors, or sages from myth, legend, or real history as their Servants.

These historical figures descended in the form of Heroic Spirits and fought to the death for their Masters until only one remained.

To maintain balance and conceal their identities, the summoned Heroic Spirits were assigned to seven different classes—the so-called Seven Servants.

Saber (Swordsman), Archer (Archer), Lancer (Lancer), Rider (Rider), Caster (Mage), Assassin (Assassin), Berserker (Berserker).

For more than a decade, he had never met the top candidate known as "Illya."

The indifferent members of the family never explained anything, only forcing him to obsessively practice summoning magecraft.

Fortunately, though he had been confined in a castle buried beneath perpetual snow and wind, he was generally quite free. With homunculus maids attending to him closely, his days were not too unbearable.

Until one day, when an unforeseen change abruptly descended.

Two uninvited guests claiming to be from "Chaldea" suddenly barged into the Einzbern territory, where outsiders should never have appeared under normal circumstances.

Ye Chenxing still remembered their conversation clearly.

"Senior, are you saying... this child is actually a seed of the Fantasy Tree?"

"A Fantasy Tree capable of absorbing magical energy, altering reality, and even creating myths... how could it have taken the form of a human child?"

At the time, before Ye Chenxing could even process the meaning behind their words, they had already passed judgment.

"Transfer him away. Make him leave this universe."

When he opened his eyes again, he was already on this land known as Douluo Continent.

Crossing the shimmering Sea God Lake, spiritual energy so dense it nearly became tangible rushed toward him.

Shrek Inner Court, the supreme holy land in the hearts of Soul Masters across the continent, now revealed its foundations to Ye Chenxing without reservation.

"Well? The scenery of the Inner Court isn't bad, is it?"

After finishing the last bite of chicken, Xuan Lao casually tossed the bone into the lake. His greasy hand patted Ye Chenxing's shoulder as he spoke earnestly.

"Kid, work hard. As long as you're willing to endure hardship, with your talent, there will definitely be a place for you in the Inner Court one day."

Yet Ye Chenxing did not answer.

He merely stood quietly where he was, staring at the Golden Tree before him. His gaze was so deep that no one could discern the emotions within it.

Xuan Zi raised a brow and took a swig of wine without concern. He assumed Ye Chenxing had just arrived and had been completely awed by the grandeur of Sea God Pavilion.

Hmph, so what if he's some freakishly talented little monster? Xuan Lao smugly thought. Once he reaches our Shrek, won't he still obediently be won over?

In Xuan Zi's eyes, every genius yearned for Shrek Academy as though they had been branded with an ideological seal, believing even Shrek's air smelled sweeter than the air outside.

"Enough. You'll have plenty of time to look around later. Come, enter Sea God Pavilion with me."

Xuan Lao called out in satisfaction, then turned and strode toward the ancient pavilion carved entirely from Golden Tree wood.

"Alright." Ye Chenxing answered calmly and followed him.

But in the blind spot of Xuan Lao's vision, Ye Chenxing's fingers, which had been hanging naturally at his side, silently loosened.

A small sphere emitting an eerie, deep purple glow slipped soundlessly into Sea God Pavilion like a drop of water merging into the sea. It stirred not even the slightest fluctuation of soul power before vanishing in an instant.

Ye Chenxing suddenly halted and looked at Xuan Lao, who was preparing to head inside. He spoke gently.

"Xuan Lao, before meeting the senior you mentioned, may I prepare myself here first?"

Xuan Lao paused, stopping in confusion. "Prepare for what?"

"Since he is a senior among Shrek's upper ranks, I would like to adjust my condition a little. I hope to leave a deep impression on him." Ye Chenxing's smile was flawless, while his tone carried just the right amount of restraint.

"Ha, what's the big deal?"

Xuan Lao laughed, took a deep gulp from his purplish-red gourd, and waved his hand.

"Do as you like. But from my perspective, with your martial soul talent, as long as you don't go crazy and try to blow up the academy or uproot the Golden Tree below... Mu Lao will treat you like Shrek's greatest treasure!"

Blow up Shrek? Uproot the Golden Tree?

At that moment, Ye Chenxing felt that the corners of his mouth were harder to suppress than an AK.

Could Xuan Zi be the one who had read the script?

He truly deserved to be Shrek's number one harbinger of disaster.

"Then I'll borrow your auspicious words, Xuan Lao. Thank you."

Just then, steady footsteps suddenly sounded from the wooden staircase.

An elegant old man slowly descended from upstairs. When he saw the white-haired youth standing in the middle of the hall, he visibly froze for a moment before turning to Xuan Lao, who was gnawing on a chicken leg.

"Xuan Lao, this is...?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Xuan Lao immediately wiped his greasy hand carelessly on his clothes. He leaned closer with a mysterious air, his voice filled with undisguised pride.

"Shaozhe, you came at the perfect time! Don't let this scare you. This kid is a little monster I picked up for free in Shrek's outer city!"

"I really never expected that there could be such a hidden little monster right beneath our noses. If this old man hadn't gotten hungry today, heh, this pearl might have been left to gather dust."

"Picked up?"

The old man frowned slightly, his gaze once more falling on Ye Chenxing's unusual white hair and red eyes.

"Then he..."

"This will scare you to death!" Xuan Lao suddenly raised his voice, as though afraid no one would hear him. He dropped the bombshell one word at a time. "His martial soul... is the Dark Sacred Dragon!"

"What?!"

The old man's refined expression instantly shattered. He stiffened as if struck by lightning, his eyes widening slightly in disbelief.

The next instant, he stepped forward sharply and appeared before Ye Chenxing as though shrinking the earth itself. He grabbed the youth's wrist, his expression so excited it was almost distorted.

"Child! Quickly, release your martial soul and let me see it!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the old man seemed to realize his loss of composure. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the tumultuous ecstasy in his heart. Releasing Ye Chenxing's hand, he tried to make his voice sound warm and approachable.

"Ahem... forgive my rudeness just now. I am Yan Shaozhe, Dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department."

"Hello, Dean Yan."

"Come on, kid. Show Dean Yan your martial soul."

Xuan Lao took another swig of wine and urged him with a grin, clearly ready to enjoy Yan Shaozhe's shocked expression.

Yet Ye Chenxing remained where he stood, showing no intention of circulating his soul power.

"I don't have a martial soul."

The air in the hall froze for a moment after those words fell.

Xuan Lao's motion of drinking stopped halfway, while the anticipation in Yan Shaozhe's eyes turned into bewilderment.

"Kid, are you messing with us?" Xuan Lao lowered his gourd, his brow furrowing.

"I am not joking." Ye Chenxing looked at Xuan Lao, his tone remaining calm. "Xuan Lao, I never admitted that I possessed the Dark Sacred Dragon martial soul. From beginning to end, that was merely your own assumption."

Yan Shaozhe's expression darkened. He stared intently at the youth before him and said in a low voice, "Then what do you mean by 'you don't have a martial soul'? On this continent, even someone with a useless martial soul cannot possibly have no martial soul at all."

Ye Chenxing turned to Yan Shaozhe and smiled politely, though with a trace of mockery.

"Ten thousand years ago, Tang San overthrew Spirit Hall, yet he did not take over its duty of awakening martial souls free of charge for the common people across the continent. In today's Douluo Continent, how many commoners at the bottom of society spend their entire lives without ever getting the chance to touch an Awakening Stone? Naturally, they become people who 'have no martial souls.'"

Ye Chenxing paused, then continued, "As the dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, it is truly laughable that you would ask such a question."

Yan Shaozhe opened his mouth, but it felt as if something had clogged his throat. For a moment, he found himself utterly speechless.

"Impossible!" Xuan Lao interrupted them in a deep voice. He stepped forward and stared fixedly at Ye Chenxing. "The aura around you, that pure dragon's might and darkness attribute, are no different from those of the Dark Sacred Dragon. I have lived for so many years—I could never have misjudged it!"

Ye Chenxing shook his head again. He slowly raised a hand and pulled a jet-black scale with irregular edges from his pocket, spreading it across his palm.

"The 'Dark Sacred Dragon' you sensed earlier was probably this, wasn't it?"

Seeing the scale emitting faint dark fluctuations, Xuan Lao's pupils abruptly contracted.

From the very beginning, Ye Chenxing's target had been Xuan Lao.

Among Shrek's upper ranks, there was only one person who could identify the Dark Sacred Dragon martial soul from its aura alone and whose personality would lead him to trust his own judgment without verification.

At the same time, only one person could directly bring him into Sea God Pavilion and allow him to approach the Golden Tree at close range.

That person was Xuan Zi, the Taotie Douluo, whose innate troublemaking constitution was completely maxed out.

As long as Ye Chenxing threw out a little bait, this overly eager Pavilion Elder would willingly act as his guide, escorting this extremely dangerous "Trojan horse" all the way into the kingdom known as Shrek.

Looking at the scale in the youth's hand, which emitted the pure aura of a black dragon, Xuan Lao's face completely darkened. The temperature within Sea God Pavilion plunged to freezing in an instant.

"Kid." Xuan Lao's voice was terrifyingly low. A horrifying pressure belonging to a level ninety-eight Super Douluo locked onto Ye Chenxing like something tangible.

"You dared to toy with me? Do you know the consequences of this?!"

He had thought he had stumbled upon a peerless genius who could let Shrek shine for another thousand years. Just moments ago, he had already imagined everything from Ye Chenxing entering the academy to the next hundred years.

But that beautiful fantasy had instantly shattered into glass shards scattered across the floor.

It was like meeting a stunning beauty on the street who smiled gently at you. You got so excited that you had already thought of names for your future two children, only to get closer and discover that the other person was actually a man!

How could he not be furious after such a massive plunge from heaven into hell?!

Facing pressure that could instantly crush an ordinary Soul Master, Ye Chenxing seemed entirely unaffected. His body did not even sway.

He stood there, composed in the face of danger, meeting Xuan Lao's murderous gaze head-on before suddenly asking in return.

"Xuan Lao, before losing your temper, have you not considered something?"

"What?" Xuan Lao froze.

"Why would a commoner without even a martial soul go to such great lengths to scheme against you, insisting on entering the interior of this Golden Tree?"

The moment those words were spoken, both Xuan Lao and Yan Shaozhe stiffened. An indescribable sense of danger suddenly surged into their hearts.

Before they could react, a mysterious and terrifying aura erupted violently within Sea God Pavilion!