The blazing sun hung high overhead, sunlight pouring down from the distant sky to scatter the thin mist lingering above Shrek Academy and illuminate the youthful faces laughing and chattering outside the new student registration office.
Inside an empty classroom, Lin Qing stood alone beside a floor-to-ceiling window, silently watching the Soul Masters his age who were ecstatic at having passed the entrance assessment.
Every admissions season, a thousand gifted youths under twelve traveled vast distances to Shrek City, brimming with ambition as they applied to Shrek Academy. They naively believed the continent's foremost academy would mark the glorious beginning of their careers as Soul Masters, never realizing it was merely wishful thinking.
The number of sixth-year students who graduated from the Outer Court was pitifully small, averaging fewer than fifty per class. That astonishing five-percent graduation rate meant Shrek's disciples faced a nightmare ordeal like venomous creatures sealed in a jar to devour one another.
"Creeeak-"
Someone slowly pushed the door open. Lin Qing looked back, and an exquisitely beautiful face entered his view.
Her features were like a painting, her autumnal eyes as clear as water. In his heart, Lin Qing admitted that she was extraordinarily beautiful, like a bright moon flowing with clear radiance. Her beauty was anything but ordinary; neither her looks, figure, nor bearing had the slightest flaw. But she was not the sister he longed so desperately to see.
"My name is Zhang Lexuan. I'm Shrek's chief disciple and the Inner Court's eldest senior sister."
Zhang Lexuan gazed at the tall, slender figure by the window. His silver-gray eyes were clear to their depths, as though reflecting clouds and daylight.
"Hello, Senior Sister Zhang. I'm Lin Qing. Sister Lan often mentions you when she comes home. Thank you for always looking after her."
Lin Lan had loved sharing her school life at Shrek Academy with her family, from the running drills that endured as timeless classics to the heart-stopping dangers of supervisory missions, along with gossip from both courts.
Those had been peaceful, tranquil days.
Lin Qing engraved Core Arrays for Soul Tools while Grandma Lin's reclining chair rocked beneath the old locust tree. Lin Lan rested her snowy-white chin in her hands, eyes shining as she chattered about everything she had seen and heard.
How many students the Outer Court's deranged old spinster had expelled that year, how the cafeteria's chicken drumstick consumption had reached another record high, how the two active volcanoes had once again turned into Fixed Soul Cannon Shells and blasted the Inner Court upside down...
Among those stories, Zhang Lexuan's name appeared with extraordinary frequency, and almost always in a favorable light.
They were only two years apart, yet Zhang Lexuan had looked after Lin Lan for years. Sitting across from Lin Qing with her pretty face cupped in her hands, Lin Lan had marveled that such a gentle, caring eldest senior sister as Sister Lexuan could exist. She would surely become the perfect wife and mother one day.
"No... it was nothing..."
Hearing that, Zhang Lexuan forced a smile. The curve of her lips lacked its usual gentle charm, and an inescapable trace of guilt lingered in her smile.
"When Sister Lan was sixteen, she met the requirements to graduate from the Shrek Outer Court," Lin Qing said softly. "She had two choices: take the graduation assessment or continue her studies in the Inner Court.
"I advised her many times to graduate straightaway, because she'd said there was no real difference between the education in the two courts. But in the end, she didn't listen."
Zhang Lexuan lowered her eyes. "Lan mentioned that to me once. An Inner Court disciple suffered terribly from a flaw in her Martial Soul. Hers was a top-tier fire-attribute Martial Soul, while Lan's was an ice-attribute blue dragon, which could effectively suppress that burning heat.
"At first, Lan did ask to graduate and leave. When the dean of the Martial Soul Department heard, he personally came to persuade her. As long as Lan entered the Inner Court and helped that student control her Martial Soul, Shrek Academy was willing to provide cultivation resources every year as compensation.
"If she managed to cure the condition completely, Shrek Academy would give her a fifty-thousand-year Soul Bone. She could request its attribute and Soul Beast species, and the academy would do its best to meet her requirements.
"She told me she didn't care about resources for herself. Her little brother had just awakened his Martial Soul, and it was precisely the time when he needed to strengthen his foundations. Besides, if he decided to enroll at Shrek in the future, his sister could stay in the Inner Court to keep him company and protect him."
"No wonder she always produced rare treasures whenever she came home on vacation. Whale rubber, Meridian-Nourishing Pills, Dragonblood Spirit Liquid... When I pressed her, she just waved it off and said they were bargains from the Treasure Appraisal Fair or payment for supervisory missions."
Questions buried for years were answered in an instant. Shadows veiled Lin Qing's lowered eyes. They were no longer a clear silver-gray, but resembled a deep gray sea heaving beneath rolling clouds, desolate and unfathomable.
"Was she badly injured, or..."
Lin Qing was no fool. From the moment Du Weilun said he would go to Sea God Island to find Lin Lan, only for the eldest senior sister, Zhang Lexuan, to arrive instead, he had understood that his sister's chances were grim.
"Perhaps Lan really should have listened back then and never set foot in the Shrek Inner Court."
The smile Zhang Lexuan had forced onto her face slowly vanished as she gently unveiled the cruel truth. "Six months ago, the Inner Court organized a large-scale Soul Hunting Operation.
"Twelve Inner Court disciples who had broken through and needed Soul Rings assembled. The Sea God Pavilion Elder, Taotie Douluo, accompanied us as our protector, and we ventured deep into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Soul Beasts. Lan and I were both in the group.
"Unfortunately, we were accidentally separated from Taotie Douluo. Late that night, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, a Blood Moon Scarlet Flood Dragon, attacked our camp. Eight died and four were gravely injured. Tragically, Lan was among those killed...
"I'm sorry. I failed in my duty as the eldest senior sister and betrayed the trust my junior brothers and sisters placed in me."
As her words fell, Zhang Lexuan bowed deeply. Suddenly, she felt faint, cold stings against her cheeks. An exceedingly sharp, chilling presence seemed to emerge in the air-a sign that only appeared when Lin Qing's emotions underwent violent upheaval.
"You kept a tragedy that happened six months ago hidden until now. If I hadn't come to Shrek Academy, were you planning to conceal it forever?"
"Absolutely not!" Zhang Lexuan answered firmly. "I absorbed that bloodstained Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, worsening the grievous injuries I already had. I had no choice but to enter seclusion inside the Golden Tree for treatment. It took six months of recovery before I could come out.
"I'm sorry, Qing. I don't want to make excuses for the delay. I simply believe that the deaths of those eight junior brothers and sisters were entirely the fault of those responsible for guiding and protecting them.
"That's why the ones who deliver the death notices and endure their families' anger shouldn't be anyone else. It must be me and Taotie Douluo."
"Taotie Douluo...
"That level 98 Titled Douluo who spends every day drinking and eating chicken drumsticks..."
Lin Qing now realized what kind of maelstrom Lin Lan had been swept into. It was the Star Dou tragedy, one of Taotie Douluo's two outrageous blunders. Hatred and fury suddenly rose from the ground and blotted out the sky, like a raging fire about to burst through his chest.
"If Shrek Academy admits its negligence and has decided to face the families' anger, you're standing here. Where is Taotie Douluo?"
Zhang Lexuan fell silent for a moment, then straightened, struggling to speak. "Xuan Zi knows he failed you all and wishes to resign from his post in the Sea God Pavilion. He hasn't left the pavilion for six months. Presumably, he still hasn't emerged from that shadow..."
Yes, Taotie Douluo couldn't emerge from Star Dou's shadow. Then next year he would happily lead a team to the Soul Master Tournament, repeat the same mistakes, and let one tragedy breed an even greater one.
Lin Qing's smile was cold, his pupils seeming to frost over. "The illustrious foremost academy on the continent. The deputy master of the Sea God Pavilion. The level 98 Taotie Douluo. The leader of the Soul Hunting Operation.
"He inexplicably lost track of twelve Inner Court disciples, leaving you to face a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and fight until eight were dead and four grievously injured. Only then did he arrive, far too late, and take the survivors out of the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Tell me, who exactly did Taotie Douluo protect? And how does he have the gall to cower inside the Golden Tree like an old turtle hiding in its shell, afraid to come out and take responsibility, leaving a student to bear the consequences?"
Even the Scarlet King, the Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff with three hundred thousand years of cultivation and the continent's eighth-ranked Ferocious Beast, could not stir up any waves in Xuan Zi's hands. That alone showed how absurd and pointless the deaths of eight Inner Court students were when Taotie Douluo had personally led their group.
Zhang Lexuan's eyes trembled. How could she not know that Xuan Zi could never escape blame?
Dragon God Douluo Mu En was elderly and severely injured. If Taotie Douluo lost all heart and insisted on remaining behind closed doors, Shrek Academy's highest-level fighting power would be greatly diminished. Elder Song alone could not protect the academy that had once stood above worldly affairs.
Mu En had shown her great kindness. Trapped between the two sides, Zhang Lexuan could only keep taking the blame upon herself, enduring the bereaved families' anger while pleading with Taotie Douluo to put his anguish aside and regain his resolve.
"Give me my sister's remains. I'll take her home and bury her so she can rest in peace."
"...The Blood Moon Scarlet Flood Dragon's innate Soul Skill, Blood Moon Corrosion, had a corrosive effect. Nothing remained of those eight junior brothers and sisters, not even their bones."
Avoiding Lin Qing's searing gaze, Zhang Lexuan took out a Storage Soul Tool. "After coming out of seclusion, I gathered the belongings from their rooms. These are Lan's. I've also put one-eighth of everything I've saved over more than twenty years inside. It's a small gesture of compensation for her family, and a way to give myself a little peace of mind."
Taking the Crescent-Shaped Ring, Lin Qing probed inside with his spiritual power. One by one, he removed everything Zhang Lexuan had offered as compensation, keeping only the personal belongings Lin Lan herself had left behind.
He said nothing, nor did he vent any more anger at Zhang Lexuan.
This eldest senior sister of the Inner Court was another unfortunate soul. In the other timeline he remembered, the mistake had clearly been Xuan Zi's, yet in the end, she was the one who knelt endlessly before the Golden Tree.
Once everything was sorted out, Lin Qing stepped past Zhang Lexuan and left Shrek Academy without looking back.
In the era of Peerless Tang Sect, Shrek Academy was like a dilapidated house, swaying on the verge of collapse and letting wind through every wall. Lin Qing could kick it, and the house would merely shake without suffering any harm. Then a mob of burly men would charge out and beat him half to death.
Ultimately, the Douluo Continent was a world where the size of one's fists decided everything. Cultivation and backing were the only hard truths. The future belonged to geniuses; the present belonged to the Sea God Pavilion, towering like a mountain.
I am not yet strong. Once I am, things will change.
Various cultivation resources lay scattered across the tabletop. Zhang Lexuan looked dazed. The window glass showed Lin Qing's retreating figure as he resolutely walked against the tide of new students, like a tough, upright stalk of green bamboo.
She did not know where he was going, but she was absolutely certain of one thing: he would never rest until either he or Shrek Academy and Taotie Douluo were dead.
With the backs of her knees resting against a desk, Zhang Lexuan watched the lively stream of people outside the window. Immense weariness surged through her heart. She found herself reluctant to return to Sea God Island and keep putting the greater good first by urging Xuan Zi to emerge. She only wanted to be alone in peace for a while.
From daylight until dusk, Zhang Lexuan maintained the same posture, quietly watching the registering students dwindle as the day's admissions hours neared their end.
"Little Yuhao, from now on, you're a Shrek Outer Court disciple just like us!"
A bright, cheerful voice came from outside. Three figures walked side by side at the end of the path, two boys and a girl. The girl slapped the skinny boy's shoulder enthusiastically, while the slightly older boy beside her mercilessly asked whether she intended to slap their little junior brother to death.
Zhang Lexuan roused herself slightly and looked toward them. They seemed to have noticed her as well.
"Eldest Senior Sister."
After presenting proof of Huo Yuhao's special Tang Sect admission status to exempt him from the entrance assessment, Bei Bei made an excuse for Tang Ya to show Huo Yuhao around the academy, then went to the room beside the admissions classroom to see Zhang Lexuan.
Ever since he and Tang Ya had become a couple, Bei Bei had changed his form of address from Sister Lexuan to Eldest Senior Sister. He asked curiously, "Eldest Senior Sister, what brings you to the Outer Court today?"
"Just looking around," Zhang Lexuan said mildly. "Did your trip go smoothly? Did you find a third Soul Ring for Ya?"
"Yes. We came across a thousand-year Mandala Snake. It was very suitable for Blue Silver Grass to absorb," Bei Bei answered with a smile.
After Lin Qing left the Star Dou Great Forest, luck had showered the Tang Sect trio with blessings. With little effort, they found a thousand-year Mandala Snake hiding in its nest. Tang Ya was overjoyed. Her Blue Silver Grass Soul Ring matched the great Ancestor Tang San's once again!
"Um... Eldest Senior Sister, did a boy named Lin Qing come to Shrek today? He's the younger brother of Lin Lan, an Inner Court disciple," Bei Bei asked hesitantly.
"You know him?"
"We met once." Bei Bei nodded. "What I wanted to say is that Lin Qing's Martial Soul is a metal-attribute element, and it's extremely powerful. He could even suppress a ten-thousand-year Bronze Hellfire Dragon head-on. He's also skilled at using Soul Tools.
"In my opinion, Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department should aim for Lin Qing's style of combat and train more students who combine the abilities of Soul Masters and Soul Engineers. That's the inevitable direction of the future. The academy should try to keep him, even if it means making an exception and waiving the recommendation letter from a major city."
"You're too late. We've already met, and he's left. He also knows that Lan's death was entirely due to the academy's negligence," Zhang Lexuan told him frankly.
Bei Bei's brows knitted tightly. "Can't we bring him back? The academy can find ways to compensate him. Shrek has exceptionally gifted fellow students, cultivation resources accumulated over ten thousand years, and a powerful, abundant teaching staff. No other place can match that foundation."
"How can a life that has passed away be restored?"
An unmistakable trace of exhaustion lingered in the depths of her dark eyes. The Star Dou tragedy had destroyed what little ambition Taotie Douluo had left, and it had also shattered the Inner Court's eldest senior sister's once harmonious heart. Bei Bei froze. He had never seen Zhang Lexuan so lost.
"Bei Bei, building love takes many years, but building hatred takes only an instant.
"Never underestimate the agony of losing your closest family. The wheel of cause and consequence turns, and I will bear my own burden.
"For a senior sister to watch her junior sister die before her eyes is the greatest shame of her life. I carry eight lives on my shoulders. I should have been the first to die that night..." Zhang Lexuan said despondently.
"If you'd died first, perhaps none of the twelve students would have survived," Bei Bei could not help arguing.
"It no longer matters. People must pay the price for their own mistakes.
"Bei Bei, go to the Sea God Pavilion and try to persuade Xuan Zi for me. Mu En is advanced in years, and the severe spinal injury he suffered long ago can never heal. Shrek Academy needs the Godly Taotie Bull to guard it.
"I'm going to leave Shrek City for a while. The families of the other junior brothers and sisters are probably just as anxious as Lin Qing. I'll travel to their hometowns and deliver the death notices..."
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