Time flies, like a fleeting moment.
In the blink of an eye, Kong Xuan and his group have been at the Shrek Academy as exchange students for five months.
Over the past five months, they have gradually adapted to life and studies at Shrek.
Aside from a few minor hiccups at the beginning, there wasn't anything particularly noteworthy afterward.
Of course, this is mainly because Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department, didn't cause any trouble.
That afternoon, as agreed beforehand, Kong Xuan and the others were supposed to meet outside Shrek's Soul Fighting Arena.
With warm Yangguang and a gentle breeze, it's the perfect day for stretching and exercising.
However, as the appointed time approached, one person was missing— Xu Tianyi!
Xu Tianyi, who is usually the most proactive, was late today.
Although everyone was surprised, they knew that given his personality, something must have really caused the delay.
However, Xu Tianyi didn't keep everyone waiting for long. After about ten minutes, they finally saw him running over.
Xu Tianyi's speed was extremely fast, clearly due to the Martial Soul Possession.
As he approached, to everyone's surprise, Xu Tianyi, who always had a serious and even somewhat rigid expression, now had an uncontrollable smile on his face.
The smile radiated joy from within, making his otherwise somewhat hardened face come alive and bright.
"Yo ho!"
Xu Wei was the first to exclaim, as if he had discovered something new. He looked at Xu Tianyi and teased, " Old Xu, you've found Gold Soul Coin! You're laughing like that. The sun must have risen in the west!"
Xu Tianyi ran up to the crowd and stopped. His breathing was still a little rapid from running, but the smile on his face did not diminish at all; on the contrary, he became even more excited.
He glanced around at his curious companions, took a deep breath, and tried to steady his voice, but it still trembled noticeably with excitement. "It is indeed a joyous occasion."
He paused, and amidst everyone's expectant and questioning gazes, he finally announced in a resounding voice, "I've broken through level fifty!"
"What? Level 50?!"
" Old Xu, you've broken through to the Soul King realm?!"
Wow! Congratulations, Brother Xu!
"Wow, Tianyi! You caught up so quickly!"
Exclamations and congratulations erupted instantly!
Genuine joy and surprise were evident on everyone's faces.
Xu Tianyi is fifteen years old now, and his Soul Power has reached level fifty. He only needs to acquire one Soul Ring to break through to the Soul King.
Across the entire continent, Soul King of this age can be considered an absolute genius.
Xu Tianyi was usually very diligent in his cultivation, so his breakthrough was a natural outcome, and everyone was genuinely happy for him.
Amidst the congratulations, Kong Xuan smiled and said, "Looks like I'm about to break through to level 60 too. Let's go Soul Hunting together."
"Otherwise, if I don't break through, the Shrek Academy students will think I've exhausted my talent!"
Everyone laughed upon hearing this, understanding the "hidden meaning" in Kong Xuan's words.
Everyone knows that Kong Xuan can condense Soul Ring on his own, but he won't let Shrek know this.
So he took advantage of Xu Tianyi's desire to acquire Soul Ring to go to the Star Dou Great Forest together, so that he could naturally break through to the Soul Emperor realm.
In fact, Kong Xuan's Soul Power had already reached level 60 a month ago, and he had been waiting for Xu Tianyi's Soul Power to break through.
Seeing that everyone's attention was clearly elsewhere, Xiao Hongchen shrugged and said, "It seems that this afternoon's cultivation will have to be postponed for the time being!"
Kong Xuan nodded. "Okay, let's go find Teacher Ren and arrange the Soul Hunting as soon as possible."
Shrek Academy, Dean's Office of the Martial Soul Department.
The antique-style room was filled with the faint scent of ink. Yan Shaozhe sat upright behind a large mahogany desk, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the surface.
When Yan Shaozhe heard Ren Jun mention that Xu Tianyi had broken through to level 50, his heart stirred slightly, and he thought to himself, " The Sun Moon Empire has gained another fifteen-year-old Soul King."
Then, Ren Jun mentioned that Kong Xuan had also broken through to level sixty.
Although he had known for a long time that this day was not far off, Yan Shaozhe's heart still skipped a beat, and his hand holding the teacup trembled almost imperceptibly, causing ripples to spread across the warm tea inside.
A fourteen-year-old Soul Emperor?!
This can't be described as mere genius; this is monstrous! A monster!
Yan Shaozhe's gaze unconsciously deepened, and various thoughts flashed through his mind.
The existence of a young man with such terrifying potential in the Sun Moon Empire is definitely not a good thing for Shrek or for the original Douluo Three Kingdoms.
If left to grow unchecked, it will surely become a major threat in the future!
He understood Xuan Zi more and more!
But he wouldn't act directly like Xuan Zi; that's too low-level!
An extremely dark, even vicious, thought uncontrollably surfaced.
Hunting Soul Beast is an extremely dangerous process, fraught with unexpected events...
If, deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, a well-planned "accident" were orchestrated, this rising star of the Sun Moon Empire could be severely injured or even... perish...
This idea is extremely tempting: weakening or even eliminating the enemy nation's top geniuses ahead of time would be of enormous benefit to Shrek Academy!
Yan Shaozhe tapped his fingers on the table slightly faster, revealing his intense inner struggle and calculation. His eyes flickered as he weighed the pros and cons and risks.
However, just a moment later, the glint of cold glint in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by a deep sense of helplessness and apprehension.
He remembered that name— Kong Deming!
That terrifying being who could capture the level 98 Gluttonous Douluo, Elder Xuan!
Kong Xuan is his grandson. Since Kong Deming dared to send him to Shrek, how could he not have a backup plan?
Attacking Kong Xuan in the Star Dou Great Forest? The success rate is questionable, but if things go wrong, even just arousing suspicion, is something he doesn't want.
Moreover, not to mention Kong Deming, even if Ma Sheng's four Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell were detonated at Shrek, the consequences would be catastrophic.
The Xuan Zi are still fresh; he can't afford to gamble!
Yan Shaozhe let out a long, helpless sigh in his heart.
In the end, reason and fear of Kong Deming's unfathomable strength prevailed over that tempting but extremely risky dark thought.
Yan Shaozhe slowly raised his head, his face regaining its usual gentle yet dignified expression. He nodded to Ren Jun and said calmly, "It just so happens that some students in the Inner Court also need Soul Ring. We can team up and go to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for Soul Ring."
He thought for a moment and then asked, "Will both Teacher Ren and Elder Ma accompany Star Dou?"
"I'll go, Teacher Ren will stay at the college."
Ma Sheng spoke in a deep voice. He was stronger and didn't know what dangers he might encounter in the Star Dou Great Forest. He was worried about not going with them.
Ma Sheng then asked, "Who is Shrek Academy planning to send to accompany them?"
Yan Shaozhe thought for a moment and said, "To ensure the safety of these students, I will ask Xuan Zi to accompany them, at his age of ninety-eight..."
"No!"
Before Yan Shaozhe could finish speaking, Ren Jun interrupted him.
Ren Jun even stood up abruptly, his face serious, and said, "Absolutely not!"
"Although Xuan Zi is strong, he has caused several accidents while leading his team, resulting in the deaths and injuries of dozens of geniuses. I don't trust him!"
As a victim, Ren Jun naturally has the most right to speak, and he will absolutely not allow his students to repeat his mistakes!
Upon hearing this, Ma Sheng also expressed his opposition. "I have also heard about Xuan Zi's deeds at your academy. He is not suitable to lead the team, and we will not hand over the students to him."
Yan Shaozhe hadn't expected the two to be so resolute in their opposition, and secretly thought that Xuan Zi would probably have to say goodbye to leading teams on trips in the future.
He then said, "Then I'll have Cai Mei'er, the vice dean of the Martial Soul Department, lead the team, along with a Soul Douluo from the Inner Court. What do you two think?"
Ma Sheng and Ren Jun knew quite a bit about Cai Mei'er, only that this vice dean was also Titled Douluo.
Even if they are a little weaker, they are still safer than Xuan Zi, that "time bomb".
"Alright, then so be it, Dean Yan's arrangement."
Ma Sheng agreed to the proposal. A Level 9 Soul Engineer and a Titled Douluo should be enough to protect the safety of these students, as long as they don't enter the Core Circle.