Hado #31

"Hey, why do I have to take them away?"

"I want to see the Tang Sect too."

Xu Sanshi grumbled, looking at Song Que.

Song Que smiled faintly. "Because we still need to rely on you, Young Master Xu."

"There were only three of us before, and we hadn't planned to enter this year's Soul Master Tournament."

"Then you showed up out of nowhere, just as I happened to break through."

"So this works out nicely. We can use your impressive connections to enter under a Soul Master Academy's name."

"After being looked down on earlier, I'm still a little annoyed."

Xu Sanshi flicked his bangs back. "You were the one they looked down on. I'm a prodigy who was selected for the Shrek Seven Monsters Reserve Team."

Tang Ya scoffed. "It's only the reserve team. You make it sound so impressive."

Song Que gave him a knowing smile. "Suit yourself. I don't mind either way."

"As I am now, I could even wipe the floor with an opponent like Ma Xiaotao."

"And your mother is a princess of the Dou Ling Royal Family, isn't she? We might even bring a championship home for the Dou Ling Empire."

"How did you know?" Xu Sanshi stared at Song Que in surprise, his face full of questions.

He began to consider the idea seriously.

That's not a bad idea. My mother never returned to the Dou Ling Royal Family after running away with my father, and she cut off contact with my grandfather.

But if the Xuanming Sect won a championship, it would certainly be something to be proud of.

Song Que smiled. "You wear that necklace every day. Anyone paying a little attention could work it out."

"Ah! You pervert!" Realization dawned on Xu Sanshi, and he struck a coy pose that made everyone's skin crawl.

"I never knew you were like this, Song Que. Secretly watching me~ (u‿ฺu✿)"

Bei Bei rolled his eyes and couldn't resist kicking Xu Sanshi. "Shut up, Xu Sanshi."

Everyone burst out laughing.

A moment later, Xu Sanshi turned serious. "All right, all right. Since you're asking me so nicely, I suppose I can help."

"I'll head to Lingdou City and wait for you. Once you've dealt with the Tang Sect's affairs, come straight to the Xuanming Sect. Good luck."

Huo Yuhao hesitated before speaking. "Brother Song Que, I want to go too. My Spirit Eyes might be able to help."

Wang Dong quickly chimed in. "Me too! Senior Xu Sanshi has the academy arrangements covered, so there's no need for us here."

"Yuhao and I also have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. It might make a real difference."

"I've heard of it. Withering in Splendor—Golden Road, right? It's powerful. You even won first place among the new students with it," Bei Bei said with a smile.

Song Que looked at the two of them. After a moment's thought, he nodded.

"All right. You can come."

"You're both only around level twenty or thirty, so be careful. Don't push yourselves."

"With me there, you probably won't need to fight anyway."

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged confident smiles.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine."

"Great. On my own again." Xu Sanshi sighed helplessly. "If only Nannan could come too."

"Enough talking. Get going," Song Que said.

Xu Sanshi said goodbye to the others and left ahead of them.

"All right. Heaven Dou City, where the Tang Sect's old headquarters is, is about five or six days from here."

"We can travel at a normal pace."

"I can practice my new abilities on the way. They're pretty interesting, and you might find them useful later."

Song Que smiled at the remaining four, then his figure blurred. He stopped in midair, suspended above the ground.

"Huh?!"

All four of them looked up in shock.

"What's going on? Song Que, how are you staying in the air?" Bei Bei blurted out.

Song Que chuckled. Without explaining, he slowly extended his palm toward empty space.

"Ruler! Mask of flesh, myriad things, take wing and bear the name of humanity! Scorching heat and strife, roll back across the sea toward the south, and march forth!"

"Hado #31: Red Flame Cannon!"

A blazing fireball shot from Song Que's palm and struck a nearby tree.

Boom!

The explosion shattered the entire tree, sending wood chips flying.

"What kind of power was that?!"

Their pupils contracted, their faces filled with astonishment.

Meanwhile, in the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy.

Yan Shaozhe looked at Xuan Zi gravely. "Elder Xuan, is my teacher still in seclusion?"

Xuan Zi nodded. "Yes. He said he'd discovered something and wanted time to study it."

"He's meditating in the deepest part of the Golden Tree."

Yan Shaozhe nodded, feeling slightly relieved.

"I've arranged replacements for the gaps in our tournament roster. Elder Xuan, I'll have to trouble you to take the team out for a few days of training."

"As for the Shrek team's supervising teacher, Zhou Yi will take over."

Xuan Zi nodded without objection.

"Xiaotao and Ling Luochen..."

Yan Shaozhe looked troubled as he glanced at the room behind him.

"If Xiaotao recovers before the tournament, she can still compete."

"The Sun Moon Imperial Academy is strong this time. Relying on Dai Yueheng alone would be too risky."

"As for Ling Luochen, her injuries were already serious. I'm afraid she isn't fit to compete. I only hope she can help Xiaotao suppress the evil fire and return to normal."

Xuan Zi glanced at the room, worry on his face.

"Are we going too far? Mu En would be angry if he found out."

Yan Shaozhe looked helpless. "I know. If my teacher were here, he certainly wouldn't agree."

"But Xiaotao is the future leader of our academy. Her martial soul may not be an Ultimate Martial Soul, but it's close."

"If we let this continue, the evil fire will destroy her sooner or later."

"Fortunately, she and Ling Luochen are both women, so the consequences shouldn't be too severe. The academy will compensate Ling Luochen adequately afterward."

"If this goes well, Xiaotao should still make it to the Soul Master Tournament."

Xuan Zi sighed. "I suppose that's all we can do."

"I'll go find Zhou Yi. I'll leave things here in your care."

After seeing Xuan Zi off, Yan Shaozhe turned toward the room behind him and slowly extended his spiritual power inside.

Ma Xiaotao's gaze had grown unfocused again. Barely conscious, she twisted faintly without control over her body.

Beside her, Ling Luochen lay still, staring blankly at the ceiling. She did not move, as though every trace of life had drained from her.

In her daze, Ma Xiaotao reached out and held Ling Luochen tightly. Scorching evil fire continued to coil around Ling Luochen, who could not move.

Feeling the unending current of extreme cold flowing from Ling Luochen, Ma Xiaotao trembled involuntarily.

The two currents of ice and fire Soul Power clashed and intertwined.

Outside the room, Yan Shaozhe sighed softly. "I hope everything goes smoothly."