One day, my Fire Phoenix, untouched by a speck of dust, will shake the nine heavens!

Shrek Academy.

On the training grounds.

The autumn wind swept up dust from the ground, adding a touch of grim severity.

Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, his expression somewhat grim.

"Without Shrek, you're nothing!"

Standing opposite him, Chen Jin was handsome, with an indelible air of aloof pride between his refined brows.

"I've made up my mind to leave."

Chen Jin's expression was calm, his clothes stirring gently in the wind.

Looking at that young, resolute face, Yu Xiaogang could not help sighing.

He simply could not understand why this young man, blessed with such exceptional talent, was so stubborn.

Chen Jin came from Holy Soul Village, the same hometown as Ma Hongjun, and had awakened his martial soul at six.

He had the same top-tier beast martial soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix.

Yet their choices were as far apart as heaven and earth.

Unable to endure the agony of evil fire burning through his body, Ma Hongjun had chosen to indulge his desires and frequent brothels.

But Chen Jin had never compromised.

To Chen Jin, the phoenix was a spirit bird of the nine heavens, the king of all birds, and should never be tainted by the filthy desires of the mortal world.

Over the years, relying on his Dao Heart alone, he had endured the endless agony of evil fire devouring his body.

But this persistence had also left him out of place at Shrek, an outcast subjected to constant exclusion behind the scenes.

Yu Xiaogang looked at the young man before him and spoke again:

"I'll give you one last chance. Stay at Shrek. Otherwise, don't ever think of coming back."

Chen Jin remained expressionless:

"I'm going to find a way to suppress the evil fire myself."

Beside them, Ma Hongjun curled his lip, his face full of disdain:

"You could solve that pain with a trip to a brothel, but you insist on toughing it out. I really don't know why you're putting on such lofty airs."

Dai Mubai laughed as well, folding his arms across his chest:

"Bringing suffering on yourself. Utter stupidity. Even if you think those prostitutes are dirty, just give some poor family a few Gold Soul Coins, and plenty of commoner women will willingly offer themselves. I kindly took you along before, but you wouldn't appreciate it. What a waste of effort."

Listening to their mockery, Chen Jin's gaze remained clear, without the slightest wavering.

"All worldly pleasures are dust and filth. I would rather suffer flames consuming my body than ever sink into the mortal mire."

"..."

Those words echoed across the training grounds.

Looking into Chen Jin's utterly unclouded eyes, Yu Xiaogang felt something tremble deep within him.

He sighed, his tone softening slightly:

"Chen Jin, your talent and potential both surpass Hongjun's."

"But you're too stubborn, refusing to vent the evil fire. By now, Hongjun has already broken through, while you're still stuck as a rank twenty-seven Soul Grandmaster."

"Stay at Shrek, and I can help you find a way to solve this problem."

"Listen to me..."

Chen Jin shook his head slightly, his refusal exceptionally decisive:

"Grandmaster, there's no need to persuade me further."

"The atmosphere at Shrek runs counter to my Dao Heart."

Seeing that he could not make him stay, Yu Xiaogang could only wave helplessly and turn away.

Under everyone's gaze, Chen Jin stepped forward and walked toward the academy gates.

Watching Chen Jin's retreating figure, Ma Hongjun snorted:

"He doesn't know what's good for him. Sooner or later, the evil fire will turn on him, and he'll become a complete cripple."

Tang San stood to one side, watching that figure gradually recede, and shook his head lightly:

"On the Douluo Continent, the strong devour the weak. So-called lofty principles are worthless in the face of strength. As a Soul Master, you should stop at nothing to grow stronger."

Dai Mubai nodded in wholehearted agreement:

"Little San is right. Dignity means nothing. With such a powerful martial soul, refusing to make use of it means he's destined never to amount to much."

Ning Rongrong's expression was somewhat complicated as she lightly pressed her red lips together:

"I actually admire his character."

Admiration aside, she was no more optimistic about Chen Jin's future.

In a corner of the training grounds, Zhu Zhuqing stood quietly.

Her black, skintight clothes outlined her stunning, perfectly proportioned figure, while a barely perceptible hint of a sigh lingered on her fair, beautiful face.

She admired those who stayed true to themselves.

For years, Chen Jin had silently endured the agony of his body burning, never yielding to desire. That perseverance far exceeded an ordinary person's.

"Reality is cruel."

Zhu Zhuqing murmured to herself, her gaze resting on the retreating figure that had already vanished beyond the training grounds.

In the woods.

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light and shadows.

Chen Jin walked unhurriedly along the path, silence all around him.

Suddenly, faint footsteps sounded behind him.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Chen Jin stopped and turned around.

Zhu Zhuqing stepped out from the shadows of the trees.

There was no unnecessary expression on her delicate, fair face, yet her beauty was breathtaking.

"What did you follow me for?"

Chen Jin looked at her and asked.

Zhu Zhuqing stopped a short distance in front of him:

"Everyone else thinks you're wrong, but I think you did nothing wrong."

Looking at Chen Jin, she continued:

"Where do you plan to go?"

Chen Jin turned and continued walking:

"To grow stronger."

Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward to match his pace, walking beside him:

"The path to strength you've chosen will be several times harder than anyone else's. Won't you regret it?"

His expression composed, Chen Jin looked at the road ahead:

"If you merely scrape by through venting your desires, one day you'll play with fire and burn yourself, until not even ashes remain."

Something jolted deep within Zhu Zhuqing.

She stopped and looked at Chen Jin:

"Then what are you seeking by enduring endless suffering?"

Chen Jin stopped as well.

He slowly raised his head to gaze into the boundless sky, a trace of solitary pride appearing on his refined face.

"Common birds flock to power and influence; a true phoenix bathes in fire and ascends to heaven."

"I, Chen Jin, take no shortcuts. I temper only my phoenix soul."

"One day, my Fire Phoenix, untouched by a speck of dust, will shake the nine heavens!"

"..."

As his words fell, even the breeze around them seemed to still, leaving only that vow between heaven and earth.

Zhu Zhuqing stood rooted to the spot.

Sunlight fell across Chen Jin's handsome profile, revealing a startling beauty.

At that moment, her view of the young man before her changed completely.

This was a true phoenix.

Zhu Zhuqing gazed at Chen Jin in a daze, a trace of anticipation quietly appearing in her deep eyes.

Perhaps.

This young man really could forge an unsurpassed great path that no one had ever trodden along this road strewn with thorns.

"Until we meet again."

Chen Jin cupped his hands slightly, then turned crisply and strode away.

Zhu Zhuqing stood quietly beneath the shadows of the trees.

She watched that tall, proudly solitary figure recede, until he vanished completely from sight.

The autumn wind swept over the treetops, sending fallen leaves fluttering through the air.

He covered this stretch of the journey swiftly.

At that moment, the clamor of Shrek Academy and those nauseating remarks were cast completely from his mind.

His steps were firm, without any lingering attachment.

After leaving the woods, he deliberately chose deserted paths to follow.

He needed somewhere quiet to put his thoughts in order.

Even more, he needed an undisturbed environment in which to fight the evil fire within his body.