Talent, Strength, and Influence-He Lacked None?

The accusation of "colluding with Evil Soul Masters" was never something that could simply be brushed aside, whether ten thousand years ago or in the present era.

The Holy Spirit Cult had been rampant on the Douluo Continent both ten thousand years ago and ten thousand years later, bringing profound disaster to countless people. Corpses littered the land and blood flowed like rivers; wherever those Evil Soul Masters passed, hardly a blade of grass remained.

Naturally, everyone loathed Evil Soul Masters to the extreme.

What Long Yeyue said was something others had considered as well, and once they started thinking along those lines, they could not help feeling repulsed by Lin Fan.

Originally, everyone had thought that Lin Fan was not only handsome but also a young genius. But once he was suspected of colluding with Evil Soul Masters, everything took on a different flavor.

Especially at that moment, everyone could not help thinking of another person: Ha Luosa. He had become a Titled Douluo at nineteen, broken through to Super Douluo at twenty-five by slaughtering more than a hundred thousand people, and possessed extraordinary looks as well.

It fit perfectly. Earlier, when everyone saw Lin Fan, they had only thought of Yun Ming because Ha Luosa's method of breaking through had been far too cruel, and they had been unwilling to acknowledge him as a genius.

Now that they saw Lin Fan associated with Zhang Peng, who needed to devour blood or souls for his Martial Soul to advance, they finally thought of Ha Luosa.

If Lin Fan truly had ties to Evil Soul Masters as well, then the era ten thousand years ago must have been shrouded in terrifying darkness.

But...

If that was really the case, why was there no relevant record anywhere in history?

The truth behind it all still sent chills down everyone's spine.

Over at the Holy Spirit Cult, Ghost Emperor could not help sighing when he saw the scene on the Light Screen.

"What a pity..."

He leaned back in his chair, a trace of regret in his cold, gloomy eyes.

"How wonderful would it have been if Lin Fan had lived in our era?"

"We could have built a great cause together and offered our loyalty to Lady Demon Empress!"

Meanwhile, on the Light Screen, Leng Yaozhu was still somewhat uneasy after hearing Lin Fan's explanation and could not help asking again.

"If herbs alone are used to suppress it... won't there be problems later?"

Lin Fan shook his head and answered with certainty.

"There won't."

Then Lin Fan began giving examples.

"The flaws of a Martial Soul can be remedied and improved through certain miraculous herbs and Immortal Herbs."

"For example, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda needs Aromatic Silk Beauty to evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."

"The Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul needs Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower to eliminate the harm caused by Evil Fire."

"And the Purifying Evil Spirit Leaf Grass happens to be able to suppress the flaw in Senior Zhang Peng's scorpion-tiger Martial Soul."

"However..."

Lin Fan paused slightly here.

"At present, it can only temporarily suppress it. To resolve this problem completely, herbs of a higher age are still needed."

Lin Fan naturally understood the concerns ordinary people would have after learning these things, so he did not choose to hide anything.

After all, some people harbored misgivings only because certain matters had not been explained clearly.

"Don't worry. Senior Zhang Peng has never taken a single human life in all his years of cultivation. He merely uses the blood of wild beasts to cultivate."

"Of course, over time, evil aura would still cling to him, but now there are herbs that can remove the evil aura from his body."

As Lin Fan spoke, he appeared much more serious.

"Moreover, Senior Zhang Peng and I made an agreement."

"If he is ever controlled by his Martial Soul and loses his reason, then he has asked me to kill him."

Leng Yaozhu and Ling Luochen were both slightly stunned when they heard that.

Neither had expected Zhang Peng to possess such resolve. Ordinary people were deeply wary of death, let alone arranging the manner of their own death.

Perhaps it was precisely because Zhang Peng possessed such determination that Lin Fan had chosen to help him.

No, it should be called... cooperation.

At that moment, Leng Yaozhu could not help thinking of her younger sister, Leng Yulai. Influenced by her Martial Soul, her personality had become somewhat obsessive, and Leng Yaozhu also wanted to find a way to help her.

Fortunately, her sister's Martial Soul would not force her to harm others.

Among those watching the Light Screen, some believed Lin Fan's words, while others felt that he was merely saying pleasant things. But regardless of what they said, Lin Fan could not hear them, nor did he care.

Seeing that the two women did not press further, Lin Fan smiled and said,

"Let's leave it at that for today."

"I'll take you two back first."

Leng Yaozhu nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked,

"By the way, Lin Fan... Senior Zhang Peng called you 'Pavilion Master' just now?"

She had noticed that form of address earlier, but had held herself back from asking.

Lin Fan did not intend to hide it. He smiled and said,

"It's an organization I founded myself, called the Hidden Azure Pavilion."

When Ling Luochen heard that, she froze, her cool eyes widening slightly.

"The Hidden Azure Pavilion... you established it?"

Seeing that Ling Luochen seemed to know about it, Leng Yaozhu cast her a curious look.

"The Hidden Azure Pavilion has a bit of a reputation in the Soul Master world. It mainly trades in Soul Tools, rare metals, and all kinds of herbs. It's extremely wealthy, and its Soul Tool technology is quite advanced. But no one knows who the Pavilion Master is."

Noticing Leng Yaozhu's gaze, Ling Luochen explained.

Lin Fan merely smiled openly and explained,

"I wasn't deliberately trying to hide anything. I simply didn't want to spend too much time on trade and dealing with all sorts of troublesome matters."

"With an organization handling those trivial matters for me, I can free up time to research other things."

After hearing that, Ling Luochen suddenly looked at Lin Fan with a hint of expectation in her eyes and asked,

"Then... what would I need to do if I wanted to join the Hidden Azure Pavilion?"

Leng Yaozhu hurriedly looked over as well. Clearly, she wanted to know too.

Lin Fan did not think much of it and simply replied with a smile,

"There aren't many requirements for joining the Hidden Azure Pavilion. As long as your character is suitable, that's enough."

Ling Luochen's eyes immediately lit up.

"Then can I join?"

Leng Yaozhu quickly added,

"I want to join too."

Seeing the expectant looks on their faces, Lin Fan chuckled and nodded.

"Of course you can."

As he spoke, he took two entirely jade-green pendants from his Storage Soul Tool and handed one to each of them.

"These are identity tokens of the Hidden Azure Pavilion. They are also Soul Tools and can be used to contact the other members of the Hidden Azure Pavilion."

Ling Luochen accepted the jade pendant and examined it in her hand for a while. A faint smile appeared on her face before she looked up at Lin Fan.

"Lin Fan, how should I address you? Should I call you Teacher Lin Fan, or Pavilion Master?"

A sly glint flashed through Ling Luochen's beautiful eyes.

"Whatever you like."

Lin Fan answered easily.

"Then how did you come up with the idea of founding an organization like this in the first place?"

"Naturally, so that when I leave Shrek Academy in the future, I won't be left without somewhere to go."