The Second Letter on the Road to Heaven Dou

Heaven Dou City looks close, but it actually takes half a day to walk there.

The captured Soul Master were tied to a tree by the roadside. Zhao Wuji squatted in front of them, one hand on his knee, and asked them questions in a gruff voice. The men were stubborn. When asked who sent them, they only said they were paid to do it. When asked where Cheng Su was, they all lowered their heads and pretended to be mute.

Flender, impatient, examined the bronze plaque of the leading Soul Ancestor several times over.

"An External Affairs Steward dares to stop people from a high-level Soul Master Academy?"

Qin Ming said in a low voice, "Cheng Su does have some connections in Heaven Dou City, and he usually helps the Prince's Mansion with miscellaneous matters. But according to the rules, he has no right to mobilize Soul Master to stop people on the Official Road."

Yuan Yu sat on the carriage shaft, the Wine Gourd spinning between his fingertips.

"To do something you're not qualified for suggests two possibilities. First, he's incredibly audacious. Second, someone has made him believe he's incredibly audacious."

Ma Hongjun stroked his chin.

"Brother Yu, is there a difference between these two?"

"Yes. The first type only needs a beating, the second type needs an even bigger beating."

Oscar nodded.

"That makes a lot of sense; the main thing is that it's more satisfying to hear someone beat you up."

Tang San didn't laugh along. He carefully put away the bronze plaque and then checked the belongings of the other Soul Master. Besides the plaque, there was also a half-burnt letter with torn edges, containing only the words "change course" and "not allowed to enter the mountain gate."

The Heaven Dou Royal Academy is located in the mountains outside the city.

The meaning of this letter is already quite clear.

They wanted Shrek to leave via another route before he even met the Three Education Committee Members.

Dai Mubai sneered.

"Afraid we'll go in?"

Qin Ming's face darkened further. As a graduate of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he knew how many noble students were within the academy and how a single word from the Royal Family could distort many things. But he hadn't expected that the other party would extend their reach into the Official Road before Shrek even arrived.

Flender entrusted several Soul Masters to the care of a nearby post station, and the caravan continued on its way.

Half an hour later, a Stone Bridge appeared ahead.

The Stone Bridge was narrow, with shallow rivers on both sides, the water gleaming in the sunlight. In the center of the bridge stood a middle-aged man in a gray robe, followed by a dozen guards. The guards were not masked, and their waist badges were clearly visible.

Prince's Residence External Affairs

The middle-aged man in the gray robe raised his hand, his tone very polite.

"Please wait. Heaven Dou City is currently under martial law, and the Royal Academy area is not accepting any outside groups at this time. Please take the southern route instead, register upon entering the city, and wait for further instructions."

Flender adjusted his glasses.

"Who gave the notification?"

The middle-aged man in the gray robe took out a token from his sleeve, which was engraved with the Prince's Mansion crest.

"The Prince's Residence External Affairs"

Qin Ming stepped forward.

"I am Qin Ming, a teacher at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I have already informed the Three Education Committee Members in advance. Shrek Academy is here by invitation and is not among the unauthorized outside groups."

The middle-aged man in the gray robe glanced at him, his smile unchanged.

"Teacher Qin, this is also for the sake of the academy's stability. You all came from a small place Soto, and you had a conflict with someone on the way. If you go directly into the mountain gate, it won't sound good."

"Someone tried to kill us on the road, and now you're saying we had a conflict with someone?"

Dai Mubai took a step forward, and the aura of White Tiger emanated from him.

Behind the middle-aged man in gray robes, a tall guard also walked onto the bridge, seven Spirit Ring appearing beneath his feet.

Soul Sage.

The wind near the bridge suddenly subsided.

Ning Rongrong tightened her grip, and Zhu Zhuqing also looked up. Xiao Wu subconsciously moved closer to Tang San, but Tang San stood in front of her without making a sound, blocking her gaze.

Yuan Yu jumped down from the carriage shaft, his White-Clad landing on the ground, and he casually slung his Sun Wheel Blade over his shoulder.

"Was this bridge built by the Prince's Mansion?"

The middle-aged man in the gray robe was taken aback.

"The Official Road, the Heaven Dou Dipper."

"So, did your family dig this river?"

"Of course not."

"The road isn't your home, the bridge isn't your home, and the river isn't your home either." Yuan Yu laughed as he walked forward. "You think you can make us wander around half the city just because you have an External Affairs Token? Your token's pretty powerful, could you also cover our meal expenses while you're at it?"

Ma Hongjun whispered from behind, "If they offer meals, we'll listen to them first."

Flender turned to look at him.

Ma Hongjun immediately shut up.

The smile on the middle-aged man in the gray robe faded.

"Young man, don't be so sharp-tongued. Heaven Dou City isn't Suotuo City, and the Royal Academy isn't your shabby school. It's good for young people to have talent, but being too impulsive can lead to a fall."

"I've fallen before." Yuan Yu nodded. "I used to fall from trees when I was drunk, but I could climb back up the next day."

Oscar couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yu, you're bringing this up too?"

"What's there to be afraid of? The Dean can't beat me."

Flender was so angry he wanted to curse, but the Soul Sage on the bridge had already moved.

His Martial Soul was the Ironclad Rhinoceros. His third Spirit Ring lit up, and he became like a heavy iron shield, directly crashing into Yuan Yu. The bridge surface trembled under his foot, and the dust in the cracks of the stones bounced to both sides.

Yuan Yu did not retreat.

The Wind Pattern appear first.

"Wind Breathing - Second Form, Claw Claw - Koto Wind."

Without drawing his sword, the scabbard unleashed three wind blades that grazed past the Soul Sage's shoulder, arm, and knee. The Ironclad Rhinoceros Martial Soul's defense was extremely thick; the wind blades failed to penetrate his Soul Power, but they did deflect his charge by an inch.

In that very inch, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass emerged from the crack in the bridge and wrapped around the opponent's ankle.

The Soul Sage's Soul Power surged, shattering the Blue Silver Grass. But Dai Mubai had already arrived, unleashing White Tiger Fierce Light Wave head-on, while Zhu Zhuqing followed up with a claw attack from the side. Neither of them sought to be injured, only to make him stop.

A flash of Nine-Colored Radiance appeared in Ning Rongrong's palm.

"The Nine Treasures Have Names: First: Strength; Second: Speed."

The middle-aged man in the gray robe's expression changed.

"Nine Treasures?"

Before he could even see clearly, the Thunder Pattern beneath Yuan Yu's feet exploded, and his figure swept past Dai Mubai's shoulder. The scabbard struck the Ironclad Rhinoceros Soul Sage's chest, not sending him flying, but causing his Martial Soul armor to emit a dull thud.

Rock Pattern followed closely behind.

Yuan Yu landed on his left foot, and the rocky energy below the bridge surged up, catching his landing point. He used the momentum to spin around, his scabbard sweeping horizontally, forcing the Soul Sage back half a step.

Not even half a step more.

But the dozen or so guards on the bridge all fell silent.

The twelve-year-old Five-Ring Soul King forced the Soul Sage to take half a step back in a direct confrontation.

Yuan Yu lowered the scabbard and gently rotated his wrist.

The collision just now was quite intense. The defensive shockwave from the Ironclad Rhinoceros Soul Sage traveled through the scabbard into his palm, and the Rock Pattern and Thunder Pattern on the Sun Wheel Blade heated up for a moment. The residual force left by the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was shaken off slightly and moved forward along the meridians.

Tang San glanced at him.

"Fine?"

"Something came up." Yuan Yu shook his hand. "My hand is numb. I'll have the Dean pay for the medical expenses later."

Flender sneered in front of the car.

"You should seek compensation from that Soul Sage."

The gray-robed middle-aged man's lips twitched, as if he wanted to speak again, but Tang San had already wrapped a few strands of Blue Silver Grass around his sleeve and pulled out a second letter from inside.

The envelope was unsigned, with only one sentence written on it.

Shrek is forbidden from entering the mountains.

After reading it, Yuan Yu looked up and asked, "Who wrote this?"

The middle-aged man in the gray robe gritted his teeth.

"I was just following orders."

"On whose orders?"

He did not answer.

One of the guards, bound by the Blue Silver Grass, panicked and blurted out, "The prince will know you're here!"

The wind at the bridgehead suddenly fell silent.

Qin Ming closed his eyes.

Flender took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on. The expression of heartache over the travel expenses was no longer there.

"Walk."

Yuan Yu stepped aside from the center of the bridge and tossed the token and letter to Tang San.

"Let him know. We've been wanting to see who really calls the shots at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy."