The So-Called Shrek Inspection Corps

When they saw Cai Yue'er, they hurriedly saluted her, each speaking in a respectful tone.

"Greetings, Elder Cai."

The seven of them clasped their fists and bowed in perfect unison, their posture respectful to the extreme.

Having spent many years at Shrek, they understood this elder's temperament well.

They did not even have time to flatter her, much less dare show any negligence.

Cai Yue'er gave a slight nod, maintaining her lofty demeanor as though the embarrassment and humiliation from earlier had never happened.

Yet the swelling on her right cheek made that proud appearance especially ridiculous.

Although Cai Yue'er desperately wanted to get rid of it, it was not as though she had not tried using Soul Power to erase it or applying medicine externally, but no method had any effect whatsoever.

That was because Zang Xin had used a trace of Law Power in that slap, and the swelling could not be dispelled easily.

The Law Power of a Quasi-God had been imprinted into her skin and muscle tissue. Unless Zang Xin personally withdrew it, it would take at least several months to fade naturally.

Thus, she could only endure the swelling on her right cheek whenever someone looked at her...

Feeling that burning sting of humiliation.

Although this group of students was shocked and their gazes uncontrollably drifted toward the red, swollen handprint for an instant before quickly moving away, not one of them dared laugh.

After all, they knew Cai Yue'er's personality well.

This elder held grudges most fiercely. Even a careless glance could be remembered by her and settled later.

Then, Cai Yue'er took out a photograph.

Cao Xin was in it.

It had been captured by the academy's soul-guidance surveillance system.

However, she had someone print it out.

"Get rid of this person for me."

Cai Yue'er handed the photograph to the captain, her voice icy.

"As for the reason..."

"Say that he was connected to Evil Soul Masters, but suddenly fled upon seeing you, and you accidentally killed him."

The seven froze for a moment before answering in unison.

"Understood."

They accepted the photograph and quickly passed it around, committing Cao Xin's face to memory.

The entire process was clean and efficient. No one asked for a reason, nor did anyone raise any objections.

They were not particularly surprised by this.

Such things had long ceased to be unusual within the Shrek Inspection Corps. The so-called "connection to Evil Soul Masters" was merely a convenient excuse.

The real reason was often simply that some elder or high-ranking figure wanted to eliminate someone who had become an eyesore.

It was not as if this was their first time doing it.

Within the Inspection Corps, this sort of "accidental" job had long developed an unspoken procedure.

Who should file the report, who should handle the aftermath, and who should keep quiet—each had their own role.

They were as proficient as workers on an assembly line.

After all, if the Inspection Corps had truly been clean and pure, with strict discipline...

How could the Holy Spirit Cult have assembled such an absurdly powerful lineup as one emperor, two sovereigns, and four heavenly kings?

Therefore...

Reality itself had already explained everything.

Some things...

Had never been purely black or white.

After returning to headquarters, Zang Xin arranged for Ye Xinglan to be taken care of by a managing disciple from the Internal Affairs Hall.

Cao Xin returned to his room and sat there for a while, but the thought in his heart grew clearer and clearer.

He went to Zang Xin's study and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Zang Xin's voice came from within.

Cao Xin pushed open the door and entered. Seeing Zang Xin seated behind his desk, reading through a case file, he spoke directly.

"Second Dad, I want to go out and gain experience."

Zang Xin was slightly taken aback.

He set down the case file in his hand, raised his head, and looked at Cao Xin, a trace of surprise flashing through his gaze.

He asked seriously.

"Why do you suddenly want to go out and gain experience?"

Cao Xin said,

"Staying in the sect all the time, I always feel that I lack some understanding of heaven and earth."

"My comprehension of Sword Intent has also reached a bottleneck recently."

Cao Xin was rather helpless about this as well.

He was not the kind of traditional soul master who could become a Titled Douluo simply by piling up all sorts of resources.

The path he walked required greater insight.

Therefore, he needed to encounter different scenery, different opponents, and different conditions of heaven and earth...

Only then could he break through amid repeated resonances.

In truth, this was somewhat like Ji Juechen from ten thousand years ago.

Because for people like them...

Soul skills were merely supplementary.

Whether in cultivation or battle...

What mattered more was their comprehension of Sword Intent.

Otherwise...

He could not possibly fight across several major rank gaps.

This was not boasting, but a fact.

With the cultivation of a Three-Ring Soul Elder, he could defeat a Seven-Ring Soul Sage because his Sword Intent altered the surrounding environment of heaven and earth.

Of course, [Self] had helped with this as well.

After all, an artistic conception was only an artistic conception.

The reason he could make an artistic conception resemble a domain was entirely due to [Self]'s ability.

Whatever artistic conception he used, the surrounding heaven and earth would transform into an environment suited to unleashing it.

That was what allowed his combat strength to soar.

The right time, the right place, and the right people.

Terrain had always been important.

And within the range covered by his Sword Intent, he was the one who set the rules.

That was why he needed to go out and see the world even more.

Having remained at Tang Sect headquarters all this time, he was already familiar with the surrounding scenery and people. It was difficult for anything new to stir fresh insight within him.

Only by going out and facing unfamiliar mountains and rivers, as well as soul masters from different schools...

Could he loosen that stalled Sword Intent once more.

Besides, although he was only seven years old.

He had been reincarnated into this world from the womb.

He had already been in his twenties in his previous life.

Adding the two lives together, he was nearly thirty.

Naturally, his way of thinking differed from that of other children.

Seeing that this concerned Cao Xin's future path, Zang Xin had no intention of opposing him.

He fell silent for two breaths, then nodded.

"It would be good for you to go out and see the world."

"After all, though you brat are only seven, you are already a Three-Ring Soul Elder. You are qualified to go out and gain experience."

Cao Xin's cultivation having reached the Three-Ring Soul Elder rank was the real reason Zang Xin agreed.

A Three-Ring Soul Elder was truly not weak.

At the very least, it was enough to travel through the Federation.

And with Cao Xin's actual combat strength, so long as he did not deliberately provoke those high-level soul masters...

Ordinary threats could not do anything to him at all.

Then, Zang Xin took a small soul-guidance communicator from his robes and handed it to Cao Xin.

"This soul-guidance communicator is a special model."

"Keep it with you at all times."

"In a crisis, you can use this special soul-guidance communicator to contact your Eldest Dad."

"He is a Peak Quasi-God. So long as he is on the Douluo Continent, he can tear through space and arrive instantly."

Hearing that, Cao Xin obediently accepted it. He carefully tucked the tiny communicator into an inner pocket, then patted it to make sure it was secure.

"Mm."

He was not arrogant enough to believe he could successfully handle every crisis he might face.

And with his Eldest Dad...

His safety was guaranteed.

Of course, even if the soul-guidance communicator was destroyed, it would not affect his Eldest Dad's arrival.

There was an imprint from his Eldest Dad on his body. As long as he encountered a life-threatening crisis, his Eldest Dad would be able to sense it.

It was simply that having this soul-guidance communicator...

Allowed him to send a message in advance.

It saved those few breaths needed for sensing and locating him.