Warbling Orioles and Swallows

"Hehe, no need for such formalities, child."

Mu En gestured for Qian Renxue to sit down. "Relax. This old man is merely curious about you."

"After all, the Seraphim Martial Soul... has vanished from this continent for ten thousand years."

Ever since the war ten thousand years ago ended, Angel Martial Souls had still occasionally appeared on the continent.

But the Six-Winged Angel had never appeared again.

Qian Renxue sat down as instructed, and Mu En's words stirred the deepest waves in her heart.

Mu En slowly straightened his body, his gaze seeming to pierce through time. "Speaking of which, the Seraphim Martial Soul shares a certain connection with our Sea God Pavilion."

Mu En's words immediately piqued Qian Renxue's interest. Lu Chen had never mentioned any connection between the Sea God Pavilion and the Six-Winged Angel.

Mu En continued slowly, "Ten thousand years ago, before our ancestor Tang San and the others from Shrek became gods, there was another organization on the Douluo Continent—Spirit Hall!"

At the mention of the words "Spirit Hall," Qian Renxue's fingers curled almost imperceptibly.

Since arriving in this era, this was the first time she had heard the name "Spirit Hall" from someone else.

Mu En continued, "At that time, Spirit Hall's strength surpassed that of the entire continent. Among them was a Limit Douluo whose Martial Soul was the Six-Winged Angel!"

"That Douluo once suppressed the Tiantou and Xingluo Empires single-handedly, and the continent's situation was thrown into turmoil because of him alone."

Although Mu En did not mention that Limit Douluo's name, Qian Renxue knew that he was speaking of her grandfather—the Angel Douluo, Qian Daoliu!

An indescribably complicated feeling rose within Qian Renxue's heart.

Qian Renxue took a soft breath, suppressing her emotions as she asked, "What happened afterward?"

Mu En's gaze became distant, as if he were recalling those blurry fragments that existed only in records and legends. "Later, Sea God Island intervened in that war. With Sea God Island keeping them in check, the two great empires finally had a chance to catch their breath."

"After that..."

At this point, Mu En sighed softly and shook his head. "After that, the war was no longer something mortals like us could influence."

"Spirit Hall's Pope, Bibi Dong, inherited the Rakshasa God's position and killed our ancestor Tang San... The Douluo Continent once fell into its darkest age."

"If not for the former Asura God's intervention, reviving our ancestor Tang San and allowing him to inherit the Dual God Positions of Asura and Sea God, this continent would likely have long since been ruled by Spirit Hall."

"From then on, the Seraphim Martial Soul vanished from this continent."

"For ten thousand years, there was no trace of it, until... you appeared."

After hearing this, Qian Renxue could not calm her heart for a long time. Complex emotions churned in her chest.

Pride, unwillingness, sorrow, and a trace of indescribable loneliness.

Spirit Hall had lost, but it had not lost to Tang San.

It had lost to the God Realm.

The God Realm's intervention had led to Spirit Hall's defeat in that war.

Now, ten thousand years had passed. The victors had carved the matter into history, while everything she cherished had become mere background scenery.

Mu En mistook Qian Renxue's silence for shock at the history.

"Child, no matter where your Martial Soul inheritance comes from, you need only cultivate well at Shrek Academy. This continent needs the existence of Angel Martial Souls."

Ten thousand years had passed since the war of gods, and the Douluo Continent had also endured the invasion of the Sun-Moon Continent.

Even the historical records preserved by Shrek Academy were extremely limited.

Most people only knew that the Shrek Seven Devils had become gods and defeated the evil Spirit Hall.

They did not know of the twists and turns within.

Qian Renxue slowly raised her eyes. The ripples in her gaze had already settled, restoring her usual coldness and calm.

Qian Renxue nodded lightly. Her voice was not loud, but it was clear. "I will, Elder Mu. Thank you for telling me this."

She had to become stronger, and in her own way, make the glory of angels shine upon this continent once more.

Mu En nodded in satisfaction and said no more. He closed his eyes again, as if the conversation had drained much of his energy.

Seeing this, Zhang Lexuan softly said to Qian Renxue, "Elder Mu needs to rest. We should leave as well."

"Thank you for your trouble, First Senior Sister."

Qian Renxue replied, taking one final look at Mu En, who seemed to have fallen asleep, before turning and leaving with Zhang Lexuan.

After Qian Renxue and Zhang Lexuan left, Mu En slowly opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "Perhaps this child can completely put an end to the Evil Soul Masters."

Meanwhile, when Lu Chen, Wang Dong, and Huo Yuhao entered the classroom.

Every gaze in the room swept toward them in unison.

The room fell quiet for about two seconds, then—

"It's Lu Chen! He's actually in our class!"

"The one who blasted apart the Netherworld White Tiger with one arrow?"

"So handsome! Three Millennium Soul Rings—I've never seen that kind of setup before!"

"You didn't see that scene just now. That golden armor he wore made him look like a god descending to earth."

The classroom instantly erupted with activity.

Although not every student in Class 1 of First-Years had been present earlier, the news had long since spread throughout the entire grade.

In this world where the strong were revered, strength was the hardest currency.

And the strength Lu Chen had displayed earlier was enough to inspire awe in these so-called geniuses.

Several bold girls even took the lead in surrounding him.

"Lu Chen, you're amazing! My name is Lin Wan'er. Can we cultivate together in the future?"

"My name is Su Xiaoxiao. Lu Chen, what was that Soul Skill you used just now? It was so sparkly and beautiful."

"Lu Chen, are you free at noon? I know a window on the second floor of the cafeteria that serves especially delicious food. I'll treat you."

"What's so good about the cafeteria? Lu Chen, come with me at noon. I have membership cards for every restaurant in the city."

"Lu Chen, do you have a girlfriend? What do you think of me?"

Countless girls surrounded Lu Chen, asking him all sorts of questions.

Most of the boys, meanwhile, sat in the back rows of the classroom, gathered in small groups.

Their gazes toward Lu Chen held envy, jealousy, and admiration.

Of course, some were unconvinced as well.

"Didn't he just defeat Dai Huabin? What's so impressive about that?"

One tall, skinny boy said sourly.

What's so impressive about that? The round-faced boy beside him rolled his eyes. "Then go try it yourself. That was the Martial Soul Fusion Skill—the Netherworld White Tiger. You wouldn't even be able to take one of its claws."

"Exactly," another boy chimed in. "Stop being so sour. That's genuine strength. Three Millennium Soul Rings—he's publicly acknowledged as the number one first-year now."

The tall, skinny boy was left speechless. He could only turn his head away resentfully.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen, surrounded by the girls, was feeling as though his head had grown twice as large.

He had never been good at handling this sort of situation. Faced with so many enthusiastic smiling faces and delicate hands reaching toward him.

Lu Chen could only force out a polite smile and brush them off one by one.

"No, no. I'm used to cultivating alone."

"The cafeteria is fine. You don't need to treat me, I have my own money."

"This classmate, I need to criticize you. We're still young, so we should cultivate properly."

Lu Chen dealt with them while struggling to squeeze his way out of the crowd.

Behind him, Wang Dong's face had already darkened like the bottom of a pot.

Watching the fluttering swarm of girls around Lu Chen, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "A bunch of lovestruck idiots!"

With that, Wang Dong strode through the crowd in annoyance and casually found a seat.

On the other side, Lu Chen finally managed to squeeze free from the girls surrounding him so tightly that not even water could pass through. He dropped into the seat beside Wang Dong and let out a long breath, as though he had just fought a hard battle.

"I'm exhausted." Lu Chen rested his chin on the desk, looking utterly lifeless. "Dealing with them was more tiring than fighting the Netherworld White Tiger."

After hearing that, Wang Dong glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Seeing Lu Chen looking as though he had been completely drained, the corner of his mouth moved unconsciously.

But he immediately returned to his expressionless appearance. He cleared his throat and said in an unconcerned tone, "I thought you were enjoying yourself. So many pretty girls were circling around you. How glorious."

"Glorious my ass." Lu Chen rolled his eyes. "I just wanted to rest quietly, but I got surrounded the moment I walked in. You're really not enough of a friend. You didn't even help your brother out."

"Help you?"

As if he had heard the greatest joke in the world, Wang Dong snorted coldly through his nose. "I don't remember us being that close. Besides, those girls weren't looking for me. Why should I join in?"

"Fine. I'm going to rest for a while. Wake me up when the teacher comes."

Lu Chen waved his hand indifferently.

He had figured it out by now. His roommate was the typical sharp-tongued, soft-hearted type. He just liked going against him.

"Lu Chen! You!"

After hearing that, Wang Dong had just raised his fist to punch Lu Chen, but when he saw Lu Chen lying on the desk with a tired expression, he quietly withdrew his fist.