Zhang Lexuan's Shock, Chen An's Worry

Chen An promptly and obediently invited Zhang Lexuan into the house.

When Qian Renxue heard that the visitor was from Shrek Academy, she betrayed nothing.

Although she deeply loathed Shrek Academy for swallowing up Spirit Hall's legacy, she also understood that she was far too weak now. She needed to lie low for a while and could not clash with the powerful Shrek Academy yet.

Qian Renxue revealed not the slightest flaw before Zhang Lexuan. Clearly, her experience impersonating the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire had proved immensely useful.

After entering the house, Zhang Lexuan did not even need to search. A couple of casual glances were enough for her to spot the corpse of the Evil Soul Master Li Wu in the devastated main room.

Zhang Lexuan glanced at the Evil Soul Master's corpse, then looked at Chen An with a faint, knowing smile.

Chen An hurriedly said, "Uh, big sister, here's what happened. This Evil Soul Master barged into my house and tried to kill me, so I killed him instead."

Zhang Lexuan reached out with a slender, jade-like hand and tapped Chen An's forehead, saying gently, "Good children don't lie."

Zhang Lexuan was eighteen that year, and her cultivation had already reached rank sixty-five. With such formidable cultivation at so young an age, she had long since been designated a priority student by Shrek Academy's leadership, who had poured substantial resources into nurturing her.

Even the Sea God Pavilion Master, the rank ninety-nine Dragon God Douluo Mu En, had named Zhang Lexuan as one of the candidates to succeed him as the next Sea God Pavilion Master.

Thus, Zhang Lexuan's strength, discernment, and even knowledge were far beyond those of an ordinary Soul Emperor.

From the wounds on the Evil Soul Master's corpse and the lingering traces of soul power, she could tell at a glance that two people had joined forces to kill him.

Moreover, one of them possessed the exceedingly rare holy attribute.

Although Zhang Lexuan's voice was very gentle and kindly, her words sent an involuntary chill through Chen An's heart.

It felt as though he had encountered a predator at the very top of the food chain.

Just as Chen An was trying to figure out how to patch up his lie, something happened.

Qian Renxue, who had remained silent until then, said, "Chen An and I joined forces to kill the Evil Soul Master."

Looking at Qian Renxue, Zhang Lexuan could not help furrowing her brows. With her strength and perception, how could she fail to see that the boy and girl before her were only rank ten and had not even obtained soul rings?

How could two Soul Scholars without even a soul ring possibly stand against a vicious, cunning Evil Soul Master with the cultivation of a Soul Grandmaster?

Thus, in Zhang Lexuan's view, someone else must have killed the Evil Soul Master. The two children before her were probably nothing more than tools used to throw people off the scent.

Yet Zhang Lexuan vaguely sensed that something did not add up. Two children who appeared to be only around six years old, both with rank-ten soul power—they were geniuses among geniuses, and might even possess innate full soul power.

Anyone would be scrambling to protect geniuses like these. How could they possibly be used as cover?

Then could the Evil Soul Master really have been killed by this boy and girl, both only around six years old?

At the thought of that possibility, Zhang Lexuan could not help growing a little excited.

A vicious, cunning Evil Soul Master had been killed by two six-year-old children. Their martial souls had to be extraordinary.

Furthermore, judging by the absence of any powerful guardian beside them, they were most likely undiscovered talents.

They could absolutely be recruited into Shrek Academy, adding bricks and mortar to the academy's strength.

For a moment, Zhang Lexuan's curiosity about Chen An and Qian Renxue soared to its peak.

She smiled at Chen An and said, "That little girl called you Chen An. Let me ask you something: what is your martial soul?"

A wise man knew which way the wind blew. Chen An obediently replied, "My martial soul is my True Self!"

"Your True Self? Your martial soul is your own person?"

Zhang Lexuan's pupils abruptly contracted at his words, and she stared at Chen An in disbelief.

With her breadth of knowledge, she naturally knew about body martial souls, and she understood even better just how terrifyingly valuable a martial soul that encompassed one's entire self was.

It was unquestionably a body martial soul of the very highest caliber. Becoming a Super Douluo in the future would be as easy as turning over a hand, and there was even a possibility of breaking through to Limit Douluo. Its combat power would also far surpass others of the same rank.

In fact, Du Busi, the master of the Body Sect, which had a hostile relationship with Shrek Academy, possessed a martial soul that was his own self.

Zhang Lexuan could not help swallowing before asking, "Are you a disciple of the Body Sect?"

Chen An inwardly rolled his eyes. He would have liked to join the Body Sect, but he had only just undergone his martial soul awakening and had not had the chance.

Besides, he knew that Shrek Academy and the Body Sect were on bad terms. If he falsely claimed to be a Body Sect disciple, this member of Shrek Academy's Inspection Corps might very well kill him.

Chen An shook his head. "What's the Body Sect? I've never heard of it."

Zhang Lexuan said, "Good, very good. Quick, summon your martial soul and let me see."

A bigger fist could crush a man into submission. Naturally, Chen An could only obediently comply.

Chen An immediately summoned his martial soul. Gold and silver energy billowed out of his body, gathering behind him into an enlarged phantom of himself.

"It really is a True Self Martial Soul!"

Zhang Lexuan's eyes lit up. She looked at Chen An as though she had discovered a precious treasure.

She even thought that she had to bring Chen An back to Shrek Academy, even if she needed to resort to a few underhanded measures. Otherwise, if the Body Sect obtained him, he would inevitably pose a threat to Shrek Academy.

As a student nurtured directly by Shrek Academy, Zhang Lexuan had always put the academy first. Anything that threatened Shrek Academy was her enemy.

Despite Zhang Lexuan's gentle demeanor, as the senior sister of Shrek Academy's Inner Court, that gentleness was merely a surface appearance. Beneath it, she was exceedingly formidable.

Otherwise, how could she have brought the arrogant, unruly geniuses of the Inner Court so thoroughly to heel?

Having finished questioning Chen An, Zhang Lexuan turned to Qian Renxue.

"What's your name?"

"Ren Xue," Qian Renxue replied.

Zhang Lexuan nodded. "I imagine your martial soul possesses the rare holy attribute. May I ask what your martial soul is?"

Standing beside them, Chen An could not help feeling his heartbeat quicken at those words. Although he and Ren Xue had known each other for only a single day, their connection already ran deep.

The two of them had faced life and death together, and Ren Xue had also helped him awaken his martial soul and taught him a Meditation Method.

He already considered Ren Xue his friend. If she exposed her six-winged angel martial soul, then given the way Shrek Academy operated, her life might be in danger.

Just as Chen An was fretting over this, she spoke.

Qian Renxue said, "My martial soul is the Holy Swan."

With that, Qian Renxue summoned her martial soul. A beautiful golden swan phantom appeared behind her, its holy light filling those who saw it with warmth.

Chen An: [・_・?] Wait, what was going on? Wasn't it a six-winged angel martial soul? How had it become a holy swan?