Shrek Academy.
Back Mountain.
Fallen leaves whirled in the breeze, settling silently into the soil.
Several days had passed since Chen Jin left.
Yet Shrek Academy remained peaceful.
It was as though the companion who had once lived and cultivated here had never existed at all.
Zhu Zhuqing stood alone beneath the dark shade of the trees.
Her arms were folded across her chest, her whole figure almost blending into the shadows.
Days had passed, yet the scenes from that day still lingered in her mind.
Especially the words Chen Jin had spoken when he left, and the resolute silhouette of his departing figure.
"I'm going to find my own path to strength."
Those words echoed in her ears, over and over.
Zhu Zhuqing pressed her red lips together.
That courage to refuse to bow even in desperate straits, to vow to rise against the current, had truly moved her.
In this cold, indifferent academy, only Chen Jin had shown true backbone.
Yet.
In the end, it could only become a sigh.
How difficult it was to defy the heavens.
The rules of this continent were cruel. Without a powerful background or a suitable cultivation method, how could someone keep going alone?
Zhu Zhuqing could not imagine it.
How would Chen Jin break through his limits on this thorn-strewn path?
Without the aid of evil fire, and even facing the danger of its backlash, could he really survive?
Perhaps this was nothing more than a struggle born of overestimating himself.
On the distant training grounds.
The sunlight was dazzling.
Ma Hongjun lay sprawled on the grass, gasping for breath.
"I'm dead tired."
"Boss Dai, what godforsaken corner do you think that Chen Jin fellow has died in by now?"
Ma Hongjun rolled over, his face full of contemptuous sneering.
"That Gobi Desert is so barren there isn't even a hair growing there."
"With that evil fire of his, if he doesn't have a woman to help vent it, it'll burn him to charcoal in less than three days."
"Does he really think he's some saint? What's with that act of lofty purity?"
Dai Mubai sat on a stone bench nearby, wiping his hands with a white cloth.
Hearing Ma Hongjun's words, Dai Mubai stopped what he was doing and shook his head.
"He was just trying to be clever."
"For the sake of his so-called convictions and lofty purity, he threw away his life and ruined his own future."
"With that sort of disposition, he's destined never to achieve anything great."
"In this world, staying alive and growing stronger are the only truths."
"The means and the process don't matter at all."
Dai Mubai tossed the white cloth aside and turned toward Tang San, who stood quietly nearby.
"Little San, what do you think?"
Tang San was silently arranging the hidden weapons inside his sleeves.
At the question, Tang San slowly raised his head, his expression calm and unruffled.
"Strength reigns supreme on this continent."
"Chen Jin's persistence means nothing before absolute power."
"Those who refuse to follow the rules will only be cast aside by this era."
"Someone destined to fall isn't worth mentioning."
Tang San spoke indifferently, as though discussing some trivial matter.
Just then.
Yu Xiaogang approached with his hands clasped behind his back, his steps steady and measured.
"There's no need for you to dwell on this person any longer."
Yu Xiaogang's voice rang out across the training grounds.
Everyone turned to look.
Yu Xiaogang was expressionless, his eyes holding a lofty, condescending scrutiny.
"No matter how gifted a soul master is, if he cannot manage even the most basic adaptability, he is utterly useless."
"Although his martial soul mutated, he did not understand how to control and use it."
"Blindly suppressing and rejecting it was foolish in itself."
"So, however great his talent, in his hands it would be no more than a night-blooming flower, ultimately dissolving like a bubble."
At this point, Yu Xiaogang raised his chin slightly, his eyes brimming with confidence.
"But you are different."
"As long as you cultivate in strict accordance with my training plan, under the guidance of my theories."
"Every member of Shrek will reach the very summit of this continent in the future."
"This is the true great road to the heavens."
Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up as he listened, and he hastily scrambled up to flatter him.
"Grandmaster, you're absolutely right!"
"Following Grandmaster is the wisest choice!"
"That Chen Jin probably doesn't even have a chance to regret it now!"
Dai Mubai also nodded repeatedly, his face filled with pride.
Ning Rongrong listened nearby, a flicker of agreement also passing through her beautiful eyes.
Only Zhu Zhuqing, standing in the corner, silently turned away. Her forlorn figure disappeared into the shade of the trees, and she no longer looked at the group.
Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ancient trees towered into the sky, their enormous crowns blotting out the sun and casting dappled light and shadow below.
The air was filled with the damp scent of soil and rotting leaves.
A tall, straight-backed figure slowly made his way through the woods.
It was Chen Jin.
By now, he had undergone a complete transformation, as though reborn in new flesh and bone.
His former air of gloom and exhaustion had vanished without a trace.
In its place was a noble, sacred bearing, like a deity descending into the world.
The irritating aura of evil fire that had once surrounded him was gone.
Now, with every breath, the aura emanating from his body was that of pure, gentle phoenix fire.
Soul power surged through his meridians like a mighty river, flowing without obstruction.
"Level thirty."
Chen Jin clenched his fists.
Feeling the surging power within him, he wore a satisfied expression.
"My most urgent task is to find a suitable third soul ring."
Chen Jin closed his eyes.
His vast spiritual power spread outward like a rising tide.
The transformed Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix Martial Soul had increased his perception severalfold.
Every blade of grass and every tree within several li, even the sounds of insects crawling, registered clearly in his mind.
Suddenly.
The soil beneath his feet began to tremble violently.
Rumble-
The surrounding ancient trees swayed slightly, and dead leaves fluttered down.
The bushes a short distance ahead were abruptly torn apart.
An enormous beast charged out with savage force, radiating a violent aura.
It was a golden male lion over five meters long.
Its entire body was covered in thick golden scales that gleamed like metal in the dappled sunlight.
A Scale-Armored Lion with three thousand years of cultivation.
However, this Scale-Armored Lion was clearly in a wretched state.
Its hard scales were covered in wounds so deep that bone was visible. Blood flowed continuously from them, staining the fallen leaves on the ground red.
Clearly, it had just been through a brutal battle and was in a state of extreme rage and vigilance.
The moment the Scale-Armored Lion charged out, it spotted Chen Jin standing in the clearing.
It sensed a faint threat emanating from this human.
"Roar!"
The Scale-Armored Lion let out a furious roar.
Its massive body became a golden gale, carrying a savage, murderous aura as it hurtled straight toward Chen Jin.
Faced with this menacing charge.
Chen Jin stood where he was, his expression as calm as still water.
"Perfect."
"I can test the power of Phoenix Claw."
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