Du Weilun: Wonderful!

Heaven Dou City.

Inside a teahouse.

"Do you know what happened last night?" A thin, seedy-looking middle-aged man dressed in coarse hemp clothes spoke with animated brows. "The Zhang Clan and Lu Clan were slaughtered overnight, corpses strewn everywhere, blood flowing in rivers..."

"Skinny Monkey, where did you get that news? The city guards have already surrounded both clans inside and out. Not even a sparrow could fly in."

Naturally, his words shocked everyone.

Another man frowned and asked.

"My brother-in-law just joined the city guards... He was called in at short notice last night because signs of fighting had been discovered, but by the time they assembled and arrived, the place was already a wreck." The thin man looked wistful.

"The geniuses of the Lu and Zhang clans had both been poised to soar lately. Supposedly, both had innate full soul power and became Soul Elders at eleven. Monsters with heaven-defying talent. Once they joined Shrek Academy before long, they would truly have soared into the heavens. But what a pity... The tree that rises above the forest is sure to be battered by the wind. I imagine that person thought the same."

"The White Spirit Duke?"

"Shh! Do you have a death wish?"

"..."

In a corner of the teahouse.

Two figures sat quietly.

Lu Cheng quietly surveyed the ancient city through the window. In daylight, carriages and horses streamed through the streets, crowds surged, and shops displayed a dazzling array of goods Soul Masters needed: pills, Soul Beast hides and meat, and more.

What a bustling scene.

It was as though none of last night's filthy deeds had ever happened.

"The White Spirit Duke..."

Zhang Lexuan lowered her head, clenching her hands until her nails dug into her flesh and a few drops of crimson blood dripped down. Bone-deep hatred filled her small face.

She would never forget what had happened last night.

Besides, when those black-robed people surrounded and attacked the two of them that night, they had mentioned that name too. There could be no mistake...

Someone titled a duke was naturally a prominent noble within the Heavenly Soul Empire, with deeply intertwined roots of influence, far beyond what minor noble clans like the Zhang Clan and Lu Clan could compare to.

As for why he had ordered them killed... perhaps it was some dispute over interests.

Once, when her father's face had been clouded with worry, he seemed to have mentioned the White Spirit Grand Duke's name.

"All right..."

Lu Cheng drew out the girl's hand, took out a towel, and quietly wiped it dry. She was docile and offered no resistance, her gaze carrying a trace of attachment and tenderness as she leaned against his side like a little beast afraid of being abandoned.

Her home was gone, and Lu Cheng was the only person she had left to lean on...

"Brother, where do we go next?"

The girl spoke softly.

"To Shrek Academy. With our talent, even if we've missed enrollment, they won't turn us away." Lu Cheng gently stroked the girl's head and finished the cup of tea on the table. The two figures slowly departed.

"Oh..."

Star Dou Great Forest.

"Splish~"

A sharpened wooden stick shot into the stream. When Lu Cheng pulled it out, a green grass carp was skewered on it, its tail flicking sparkling droplets of water.

As expected of Blood Pupils.

Lu Cheng thought to himself that its enhancement of spiritual power was far from insignificant. Even though he had yet to add a single Soul Ring to this Martial Soul, its strength could already be called top-tier, only slightly inferior to the Sun-Shooting Bow.

At the very least, it rivaled Huo Gua's Spirit Eyes after their second awakening in the original story.

Its perception used his own body as the diameter, allowing him to sense everything within roughly three hundred meters with perfect clarity, as though everything were in slow motion and he had a god's-eye view with see-through vision enabled.

No wonder Huo Gua's Spiritual Detection and Sharing were both called top-tier divine skills.

They really were extremely useful.

For instance...

"It smells so good, Brother!" Holding a grilled fish, Zhang Lexuan's eyes shone. Her stomach, which had gone hungry for two days, began to rumble, and she impatiently dug into the delicious food.

Lu Cheng smiled and shook his head, continuing to deftly turn the grilling fish.

He used a special method to remove the fishy smell, then slowly crisped the skin and fat over a gentle flame. Even without seasonings, the girl ate with relish.

It would have been a waste not to use such a powerful Martial Soul to grill fish.

"Hm? Whose children are you?"

A tall, burly man swooped down from the sky and studied the two in surprise. Their clothes were shabby, but their looks and bearing were nothing like those of commoners...

Calling them a golden boy and a jade maiden would not have been an exaggeration.

Seeing the girl shrink behind the boy, her pale blue eyes holding not only wariness but also a lingering panic, like a bird startled by a bowstring, he recalled the recent clan massacre in Heaven Dou City. Something stirred in his mind. "Lu Cheng, Zhang Lexuan?"

"How do you know our names, sir?"

Lu Cheng was also studying Du Weilun. Although he knew all of this was Mu En's handiwork, he still put on a vigilant front.

It really fucking is them.

Du Weilun's pupils abruptly contracted.

Heaven Dou City's two children with innate full soul power had caused a sensation years ago. Two years earlier, during a competition, they had even beaten a genius from the Star Luo Empire, Huang Zichen, until his Dao heart shattered.

At the time, this boy had only just turned nine, yet he had already reached rank twenty-six. His Ultimate Fire had stunned the entire arena, and he had fought above his rank with overwhelming dominance.

And now...

Heaven has blessed our Shrek!!!

Du Weilun could barely keep the corners of his mouth down.

He forced out a smile uglier than a crying face. "Then, may I ask whether any elders of your clans are still alive?"

"Of both clans, aside from the two of us, not a single person survived. They all died in that catastrophe," Lu Cheng said softly.

As his words fell, the girl behind him also recalled the tragedy. She clutched the hem of Lu Cheng's clothes even tighter, her eyes reddening.

"That's absolutely wonderful!" Du Weilun said excitedly.

"..."

Silence fell over the scene.

The corner of Lu Cheng's eye twitched.

Zhang Lexuan glared at him outright.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem. I mean... wh-what a pity..." Looking embarrassed, Du Weilun began explaining in a fluster.

If those words drove these two geniuses away, Dean Yan would probably beat him to death...

Two peerless geniuses whose clans have been wiped out, with no one left to depend on. They're simply perfect for joining our Shrek Academy!

"I am Du Weilun, director of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department. Shrek Academy has devoted itself to eradicating Evil Soul Masters for thousands of years. Now that we've heard of the tragedy in Heaven Dou City, as a member of the Inspection Corps, I naturally had to come investigate..." Du Weilun looked solemn as he hurried to make up for his earlier mistake.

"Evil Soul Masters? But the people we encountered last night were clearly the White Spirit Grand Duke's subordinates." Zhang Lexuan's little face turned pale.

Their attention had been diverted.

Du Weilun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sighed in relief, hastily continuing his explanation. "No, little girl, you've misunderstood. The White Spirit Duke isn't capable of this. Our Shrek Academy Inspection Corps has already been there and investigated the site. There were indeed traces of Evil Soul Masters..."

"And only Evil Soul Masters could use such cruel methods, extracting souls and refining spirits."

Lu Cheng remained silent.

"Evil Soul Masters..."

The girl clenched her fists tightly, a vague understanding forming in her heart. After all, the people who had pursued them last night had indeed all worn black robes and exuded a cold, sinister presence.