"Yan Feng, let me see your Martial Soul," Qian Chen said.
"Yes."
An icy, sinister presence swept past, and the phantom of a gigantic skeletal dragon appeared behind Yan Feng.
Qian Chen recognized it at a glance. This was indeed the Bone Dragon Martial Soul of Bone Douluo Gu Rong from ten thousand years ago. A bold plan gradually took shape in his mind.
"Yan Feng, your Martial Soul does indeed possess an evil attribute," Qian Chen assessed.
"Manor Lord, please don't drive me away! Everyone treats me like a monster. They shun me and hate me. I also heard there are people called Evil Soul Masters who specifically capture children with strange Martial Souls like mine."
"Rest assured. Your village is only two or three hundred li from us, and I've already killed every Evil Soul Master within a thousand li of Angel Mountain Manor. Your village won't suffer persecution from Evil Soul Masters again," Qian Chen replied with commanding confidence.
"Thank you for ridding our village of that scourge, Manor Lord!" Yan Feng looked at Qian Chen with admiration and gratitude written all over his face.
"Yan Feng, I hereby grant you permission to join Angel Mountain Manor. From today onward, you're one of us."
"Thank you, Manor Lord!" Yan Feng answered excitedly.
"But I don't want you to serve merely as a steward who awakens people's Martial Souls. There's something very special I want you to do."
"Please give me your orders, Manor Lord. I'll make sure it gets done," Yan Feng said firmly.
In the blink of an eye, the six-month deadline arrived. Qian Chen had made all the necessary arrangements, laying out detailed plans for his brothers and Angel Mountain Manor.
Back when Qian Chen was reborn, he had suffered a major loss at the hands of Soul Tools, so he attached great importance to them. Feng Luan's Azure Luan Martial Soul enhanced his eyesight tremendously, making him well suited to learning how to craft Soul Tools. Three years earlier, Qian Chen had arranged for him to study Soul Tool technology in the Sun Moon Empire. Shortly after their return from Soul Hunting, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Tool Academy began another term, and Feng Luan had already returned to school.
At that moment, Bing Ling and Yan Feng stood guard on either side of Qian Chen. Looking at his fourth brother, Pan Long, who had come to see them off, Qian Chen instructed, "Fourth Brother, I'm leaving the running of Angel Mountain Manor to you. Continue awakening the Martial Souls of those in the surrounding area who haven't had theirs awakened. Afterward, accept anyone willing to join us. Those who aren't willing must never be forced."
"Yes, Big Brother!" Pan Long answered earnestly.
Listening to Qian Chen's instructions beside him, Yan Feng's admiration grew even stronger. Those noble lords who did nothing but bully commoners weren't even one ten-thousandth the man their manor lord was.
Then Qian Chen turned toward the White Tiger Duke's Mansion several dozen li away and instructed him again, "That child named Huo Yuhao in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion is very important to me. You must keep an eye on his movements at all times. If anything happens, send someone to notify me at Shrek Academy immediately. And you absolutely must not neglect your own cultivation."
Pan Long gave an honest smile. "Don't worry, Big Brother!"
With everything explained, Qian Chen and his two companions took out three Flying Soul Tools and strapped them onto their backs. The next moment, they shot into the sky and vanished into the distance.
Along the way, Bibi Dong kept nagging him in his Sea of Consciousness. "Qian Chen, are you really going to Shrek Academy? You're betraying your Angel Clan."
Finally irritated by the racket, Qian Chen replied in his Sea of Consciousness, "Bibi Dong, don't measure me by your ignorance and incompetence. I'll show you all just how ignorant and laughable your Nation-Stealing Plan from ten thousand years ago was. Watch how I turn Shrek Academy into Spirit Hall Academy and make the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect our Spirit Hall's purse!"
Qian Chen's reply utterly stunned Bibi Dong, and she finally fell silent in his Sea of Consciousness.
While Qian Chen's group was still on the way to Shrek Academy, two groups in Shrek City were already as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
Inside the Sea God Pavilion on Shrek Academy's Sea God Island, a grease-covered old man held a chicken drumstick in one hand and pointed at the young woman opposite him with the other, scolding her. "Little Lexuan, I said back then that we should bring Qian Chen straight back to the academy. Look! Just look! It's been six months, and there's still no sign of him. Three of this generation's Shrek Seven Devils are dead, and one is seriously injured. Xu Sanwu, the one who was seriously injured, might not recover even in a year. What are we supposed to do now if Qian Chen doesn't come? I never should have listened to you and just taken someone else at their word!"
Zhang Lexuan looked aggrieved, but she rebutted without backing down. "Xuan Zi, that's not fair. First, the six-month deadline only falls today. How can you be so certain Qian Chen won't come? Besides, can anyone else be blamed for how this generation's Shrek Seven Monsters ended up?"
Hearing Zhang Lexuan's veiled reference to how his drinking had caused things to go wrong six months ago, resulting in heavy casualties among the inner court students, Xuan Zi instantly deflated like a punctured ball. He could only soften his tone. "Then tell me, what if Qian Chen really doesn't come back? I finally found such a promising seedling, only for you to let him slip away in a moment of softheartedness."
Then Xuan Zi swept his gaze over the other Sea God Pavilion members present and asked, "All of you, tell me. What do we do now?"
The handsome middle-aged man sitting beside Xuan Zi was none other than Yan Shaozhe, dean of the Martial Soul Department. He glanced at the hunched old man in the seat of honor, who had remained silent with his eyes closed: the current Sea God Pavilion Master, Dragon God Douluo Mu En, who was also Yan Shaozhe's teacher.
Seeing that his teacher had no intention of speaking yet, Yan Shaozhe immediately understood that his teacher had yet to make up his mind and wanted to hear everyone's opinions first.
Taking the hint, Yan Shaozhe immediately stood. "Teacher, Xuan Zi, I suggest we immediately select age-appropriate disciples from the inner court and reorganize the Shrek Seven Devils to take part in this Soul Master Tournament. We've already delayed for six months for Qian Chen. We thought that once he arrived, with Wu Ming, Han Ruoruo, and Ning Ke'er-the three original members-we would certainly sweep the tournament. Now that he hasn't arrived, we must take remedial action immediately. I suggest selecting several inner court disciples from the Martial Soul Department who can fight to fill the vacancies."
The moment he finished speaking, Xian Lin'er slammed the table and snapped, "What do you mean, selecting from your Martial Soul Department again? Does our Soul Tool Department not have inner court disciples? Our disciples are no worse than the ones left in your Martial Soul Department!"
Qian Duoduo, vice dean of the Soul Tool Department, immediately chimed in. "Exactly! Lin'er is right! Why should your Martial Soul Department get first pick of every good thing? Our Soul Tool Department must have at least two spots this time!"
At that moment, Cai Mei'er of the Martial Soul Department stood as well and said sharply, "The Soul Tool Department? Even our remaining inner court disciples are stronger than yours. Giving you one Shrek Seven Devils spot every year is already generous, and now you want more? Ridiculous. Can your Soul Tool Department beat the people from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy?"
Listening to the argument below, Mu En frowned slightly. He had wanted to hear solutions, but instead, it had turned into an arena for the Martial Soul Department and Soul Tool Department to fight over power and benefits.
At that moment, Zhang Lexuan looked at Mu En and said softly, "Mu En, if we select the Shrek Seven Monsters anew, the students who died in battle or were seriously injured will inevitably be stripped of their titles as this generation's members. But it was precisely because they were members of the Shrek Seven Monsters that these classmates fought to the death without retreating when faced with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. If we strip them of their titles, what does their sacrifice amount to?"
Then Xuan Zi spoke again. "We at Shrek acknowledge these children's sacrifice! But if we don't reorganize the Shrek Seven Monsters, what happens to Shrek's ten thousand years of glory? Which matters more-the academy's ten thousand years of glory or the personal titles of four students?"
The argument inside the Sea God Pavilion continued.
Meanwhile, in a luxurious private suite in Shrek City's finest hotel, a refined middle-aged man paced back and forth. Anxiety had long since swept away all his refined bearing. This man was Ning Yuan, the current sect master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Watching her father pace before her, his daughter Ning Tian tried to reassure him. "Dad, don't be so anxious."
Ning Yuan turned to look at Ning Tian, then crouched down and said gently, "All right, Dad won't be anxious. Tian'er, do you remember what I taught you? What should you say and do when you meet that Qian Chen with the Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul?"
Ning Tian nodded obediently.
Just as Shrek City was about to descend into a bubbling pot of chaos, three trails left by Flying Soul Tools finally appeared on the distant horizon. Three figures were hurtling toward Shrek City at tremendous speed.