There was something in that aura that made even his soul tremble.
He had only ever felt that something from one person.
Mu En, a Level 99 Limit Douluo, the Sea God Pavilion Master.
But the aura Yan Shaozhe had just sensed was deeper and more terrifying than Mu En's, like an ancient beast asleep, too indifferent even to open its eyes and glance at him. A mere wisp of its aura had been enough to leave him gravely injured-and that was with it only defending, not attacking!
A layer of cold sweat seeped out across his back, soaking his clothes.
"...At least level 98."
Yan Shaozhe forced the words through his teeth. "No, possibly... higher."
A Super Douluo.
That Pavilion Master of the Carefree Pavilion, that merchant he had thought merely had a little backing, was at least a Super Douluo of level 98 or above.
And he, Yan Shaozhe, had just attacked a Super Douluo.
He had used his level 95 Soul Power to blast a Super Douluo in the back.
Yan Shaozhe lay on the floor, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Thank goodness the man hadn't held it against him!
He took several breaths before finally pushing himself up on his arms and sitting on the floor against the shattered doorframe. The searing pain in his chest made every breath feel like swallowing razor blades.
"Someone."
His voice was so hoarse it hardly sounded like his own.
An outer court teacher hurried over in a panic. Seeing the wreckage throughout the room and the blood on Yan Shaozhe's chest, he turned deathly pale. "Dean Yan! You-"
"Never mind me." Yan Shaozhe waved a hand and caught his breath. "Go... investigate. Ziqing, the Pavilion Master of the Carefree Pavilion—from the moment he entered the academy until he left just now, investigate everyone who came into contact with him, every last detail. Find out exactly who he is."
"Yes, yes!"
The teacher turned and ran.
Yan Shaozhe leaned against the doorframe with his eyes shut, his chest heaving violently.
Something suddenly occurred to him.
Which direction had Ziqing come from just now?
The path he had taken went around Sea God Lake, coming from the outer court training grounds. And this morning, Zhou Yi had held a class there.
Zhou Yi.
Yan Shaozhe's eyes snapped open, his pupils contracting sharply.
He braced himself against the wall and stood up. Ignoring his wounded chest and blood-covered body, he staggered toward the other end of the corridor. The teacher had barely run two steps before he was called back. "Where's Zhou Yi? Was she teaching on the training grounds this morning?"
"Yes, yes, Teacher Zhou was conducting physical training for the outer court's Class One-"
"Bring her here."
"She... she seems to have been injured. Some students took her to the infirmary just now-"
Yan Shaozhe stopped in his tracks and turned around, his expression terrifyingly twisted on his face covered in blood and wood splinters.
"Who hurt her?"
"I-I don't know. The students said it was a young man in a moon-white robe. One slap... just one slap..."
The teacher's voice grew quieter and quieter.
Yan Shaozhe fell silent for three breaths.
Then he changed direction and headed for the Sea God Pavilion.
He walked so fast he was almost running. With every step, the broken ribs in his chest stabbed at his lungs, but he could no longer spare that any attention.
That idiot Zhou Yi.
That idiot who could accomplish nothing and ruin everything!
The Sea God Pavilion.
Mu En sat in his wheelchair by the window. The tea before him had already gone cold.
He had been sitting there since daybreak, the Golden Tree's words turning over and over in his mind.
"He is the core of Douluo. If he dies, all life on the Douluo Continent will probably wither away in an instant."
"Don't force him. Building a good relationship with him isn't a bad thing."
Mu En had lived for nearly two hundred years and considered himself to have seen every strange thing in the world, yet those words had still left him unable to collect himself for a long time.
The core of Douluo.
What did that mean?
A living person's life and death were bound to those of the entire Douluo Continent?
As he pondered this, someone shoved the Sea God Pavilion's door open.
Yan Shaozhe rushed in, covered in blood. A large patch of his white clothes had been stained red, his hair was disheveled, and wood splinters and scraps of paper still clung to his face. He looked nothing like the normally refined outer court dean.
Mu En looked up at him, his clouded gaze sharpening.
"Shaozhe?"
"Mu En." Panting, Yan Shaozhe steadied himself against the doorframe. "The Pavilion Master of the Carefree Pavilion, Ziqing—he's canceled his cooperation with us. The scholarships are gone, and he's withdrawn the supplies. He also... he sent Zhou Yi flying with one slap. I chased after him to stop him and attacked him, but my Soul Power rebounded straight back at me and left me like this."
He paused, his voice dropping, something rarely seen on Yan Shaozhe's face showing through.
Fear.
"Mu En, that Ziqing is at least level 98. He might even be..."
He didn't finish, but Mu En understood.
Above level 98.
A Super Douluo.
Mu En's eyebrows twitched slightly, and his calm expression finally cracked.
"Are you certain?"
"My attack rebounded along its original path, and its power doubled." With a bitter smile, Yan Shaozhe lowered his head to look at the blood on his chest. "I've only ever felt that aura from you. But he's... even stronger than you."
Mu En remained silent for a long time.
Outside the window, the wind stirred fine ripples across Sea God Lake. The morning light fell on them, shattering into fragments.
"What did Zhou Yi do?"
"I don't know. The students said she was sent flying with a slap. She's lying in the infirmary now."
Mu En closed his eyes and lightly tapped the wheelchair's armrest twice.
Once, twice.
Then he sighed, his voice aged and weary.
"Shaozhe, go find Qian Duoduo. Have him investigate through the Treasure Pavilion's channels. Ziqing, the Pavilion Master of the Carefree Pavilion, appeared out of thin air only a few years ago, and he's built his business up to this point, no."
"Yes."
"Also," Mu En opened his eyes, his gaze falling in the direction of the Golden Tree outside the window, "don't take any action against Zhou Yi yet. Wait until we've investigated everything."
Yan Shaozhe nodded, then turned to leave.
At the doorway, he stopped again and looked back at Mu En.
"Mu En, if he really is connected to the Sun Moon Empire-"
"Then we have even more reason not to offend him."
Mu En cut him off, his tone carrying a gravity Yan Shaozhe rarely heard. "Elder Jin told me something this morning. That Ziqing must not be touched."
Yan Shaozhe froze for a moment, then remembered the Golden Tree's standing in Shrek Academy.
That was Shrek's foundation, an existence that had lived for untold tens of thousands of years. Anyone the Golden Tree said must not be touched truly must not be touched.
"...I understand."
Yan Shaozhe left.
Mu En sat by the window, watching the mist over Sea God Lake gradually disperse until sunlight filled its surface.
He picked up the thoroughly cold tea, took a sip, and set it down again.
"The core of Douluo," he murmured, so quietly only he could hear. "The skies over this Douluo Continent are going to change after all."
Meanwhile, outside Shrek City, on the third floor of that Carefree Pavilion branch building.
Xu Jingyao sat by the window, holding a cup of freshly brewed tea as he gazed out at Shrek City's streets.
Shadow Douluo stood behind him. After hesitating, he spoke anyway. "Pavilion Master, Yan Shaozhe attacked you just now."
"Hmm?"
Xu Jingyao tilted his head, his fan pausing in midair. "He attacked?"
Before you continue