Friends

At Chen An's home.

Chen An wiped the blood the Evil Soul Master had splattered onto his face, and he and Qian Renxue stared at each other.

Until then, Chen An had always guessed that the blonde girl, Ren Xue, was the little princess of some rich and powerful family.

He truly hadn't expected her to possess the six-winged angel martial soul. No wonder she was in such a miserable state and had even been hunted by an Evil Soul Master with Soul Grandmaster cultivation.

If she was Qian Renxue's descendant, then everything made perfect sense.

After all, ten thousand years ago, Sea God Tang San's side had won the final victory. As the saying went, the victor became king, while the loser became a bandit. As the defeated parties, Spirit Hall and the Angel Clan had naturally been branded villains.

Spirit Hall had been destroyed. Although the members of the Angel Clan hadn't been exterminated to the last, they had been ostracized in the years that followed by various factions led by Shrek Academy.

Some Soul Masters with angel martial souls had even left their homeland and gone to the Sun Moon Empire.

Moreover, as Evil Soul Masters grew increasingly powerful and the Holy Spirit Cult was established, they had begun hunting Soul Masters with angel martial souls.

Once they discovered a Soul Master with an angel martial soul, they would pursue them like mad dogs, never stopping until one side was dead. They were determined to snuff those Soul Masters out early, never allowing them to grow strong.

Chen An felt that he had guessed the truth of the matter. Sympathy for "Ren Xue" welled up within him.

Chen An thought, As a Soul Master with the six-winged angel martial soul, she must have suffered a great deal. What an unfortunate child. Despite having such a powerful martial soul, she has to live a miserable life, never knowing whether she'll survive the next day, hunted by Evil Soul Masters the moment her identity is exposed.

With that thought, Chen An's gaze softened even further as he looked at Qian Renxue.

The way Chen An looked at her made goosebumps rise all over Qian Renxue's body.

She was the young master of Spirit Hall, second only to one and above ten thousand. She had always been the one looking down upon others. When had anyone ever looked at her with such pity?

Just as Chen An's gaze was beginning to make Qian Renxue uncomfortable—

Chen An walked to her side and sighed. "You really have suffered. But don't worry. Even if you're a Soul Master with the six-winged angel martial soul—or even Qian Renxue's descendant—I won't hold any prejudice against you.

"In my eyes, Spirit Hall from ten thousand years ago wasn't evil at all. On the contrary, I heard they awakened martial souls for commoners free of charge. To an ordinary person from a poor background like me, they were great benefactors.

"Don't worry. I'll keep your secret. I absolutely won't reveal your martial soul to anyone."

Qian Renxue was taken aback by his words. She hadn't expected the six-year-old boy before her to be so perceptive. He had already anticipated her concerns without her having to say a word.

Qian Renxue thought to herself, To think I would discover such talent in a little village. Gifted, yet also so attentive to the smallest details—he really is a promising seedling.

If I could bring him under my command to join me in this great undertaking, rebuilding Spirit Hall would surely go much more smoothly.

"Thank you," Qian Renxue said with a smile.

Chen An replied generously, "What's there to thank me for? We've been through life and death together. It wouldn't be a stretch to call us friends, would it?"

Qian Renxue froze at his words. Friends?

It seemed she had never had a friend in her entire life. All she had were elders and subordinates who obeyed her every command. Friendship was truly unfamiliar to her.

Qian Renxue gave Chen An a long look, and the image of him holding her as they dodged the Fallen Soul Master's attack surfaced unbidden in her mind.

A radiant smile blossomed on Qian Renxue's delicate, adorable face. Unlike her usual faint, courteous smile, this one was utterly sincere and so infectious that Chen An couldn't help staring in a daze.

Looking at Chen An with her large golden eyes, Qian Renxue said earnestly, "From now on, we're friends."

The earnest look in the blonde girl's eyes instantly brought Chen An back to his senses. Smiling, he poked the back of Qian Renxue's hand with a finger, then pointed at the thoroughly dead Evil Soul Master.

"Xiao Xue, shouldn't we deal with the corpse first? In this heat, if we leave it in the room overnight, it'll probably stink by tomorrow."

At his words, Qian Renxue looked at Li Wu's hideous corpse, then turned her head away in disgust.

As the young master of Spirit Hall, Qian Renxue was undoubtedly adept at fighting and killing. But she had never done rough, exhausting work like disposing of corpses.

Just as Chen An and Qian Renxue were discussing how to dispose of the body—

Zhang Lexuan had already followed the traces Li Wu had left behind and found her way there.

With his hearing greatly enhanced after his martial soul awakening, Chen An heard a faint series of footsteps approaching from afar.

He immediately turned toward the front door, where the footsteps were coming from.

At the doorway, a woman came into Chen An's view. She wore a dark green, form-fitting outfit, a dark green mask, and a dark green cloak. Her figure was shapely, and her bearing gentle.

"Who's there?!"

Chen An eyed the newcomer warily and shouted.

Zhang Lexuan was somewhat surprised that a six-year-old child had actually noticed her.

Even though she hadn't concealed herself or her soul power fluctuations, an ordinary Soul Master still wouldn't have been able to detect her.

Zhang Lexuan smiled and spoke gently. "Little one, your powers of observation are excellent. But you don't need to be afraid. I'm a member of Shrek Academy's Inspection Corps. We're responsible for maintaining the continent's safety and dealing with lawbreaking officials, nobles, and Evil Soul Masters.

"My mission this time is to deal with an Evil Soul Master named Li Wu. I followed his aura to your home, so I'll need to go inside and search."

As she spoke, Zhang Lexuan displayed the exclusive ring on her hand that identified her as a member of Shrek's Inspection Corps.

The ring's setting was made of silvery-white metal, inlaid with an emerald-green gemstone the size of a fingernail. Its color was so vivid it seemed ready to drip, its green brimming with vitality. The face had been carved into the shape of a Shrek head, making it unforgettable at first glance.

Shrek Academy's Inspection Corps had a formidable reputation throughout the Douluo Continent.

Though few in number, every member was powerful. From Super Douluos at the top to Soul Kings at the bottom, experts were as plentiful as rain. Composed of elites, teachers, and elders from the Shrek Inner Court, its strength was undeniable.

They were the scourge of evildoers on the Douluo Continent, so countless ordinary people idolized the members of Shrek Academy's Inspection Corps.

When Chen An heard the shapely woman before him say that she belonged to Shrek Academy's Inspection Corps, he instantly knew she was absolutely not someone he could afford to provoke as he was now. At the very least, she was a powerful Soul King.

Although Chen An aspired to reach the pinnacle of Soul Masters and become a god at rank one hundred, he was no Sasuke. He knew very well whom he couldn't confront head-on.

As the saying went, a true man could bend and stretch. When faced with a senior expert he couldn't defeat, behaving himself was always the right choice.

Putting on a look of delighted surprise, Chen An said, "So you're a member of Shrek Academy's Inspection Corps! You've always been my idols!"