Xuan Zi had barely finished roaring that Qian Chen had stolen Shrek Academy's Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring when his gaze swept over the corpses of two Shrek students, along with the pool of bloody water on the ground. Scraps of fabric clung to it-material from Shrek's uniforms. Clearly, this had also been one of their Shrek students.
His eyes bloodshot, Xuan Zi swept his gaze over the nine remaining students. Every one of them was injured; not one was unscathed. He instantly concluded that the Shrek students must have risked their lives fighting the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast to the death, only for Qian Chen to pluck the peach at the end!
"Ah! You wretched brat!"
Towering rage surged through Xuan Zi, his killing intent almost taking solid form as he strode straight toward Qian Chen, who was still absorbing the Soul Ring.
"Stop! Our big brother is absorbing a Soul Ring. You mustn't disturb him!"
Feng Luan and Bing Ling shouted in unison, reaching out to stop the enraged Xuan Zi.
But Xuan Zi vanished before their eyes in an instant. The next moment, he appeared behind them, his two greasy hands settling on Feng Luan's and Bing Ling's shoulders. With that light touch alone, he had already gauged the full extent of their cultivation.
"A fourteen-year-old high-level Soul Ancestor. Not bad. Unfortunately, you aren't qualified to stop me!"
Having delivered his assessment, he casually waved a hand and flung Bing Ling away. Though Bing Ling suffered no serious injuries, his landing was thoroughly undignified.
"A fifteen-year-old genius Soul King. Rare even at Shrek."
As his words fell, Feng Luan met the same fate as Bing Ling and was tossed aside.
Inside Qian Chen's Sea of Consciousness, Bibi Dong naturally sensed Xuan Zi's killing intent as well. She instantly bristled like a cat whose fur had stood on end.
"Disaster! This filthy old thing is coming for Qian Chen! If Qian Chen dies, I might still be able to escape. Before I dissipate completely, perhaps I could find another place to stay. But Qian Renxue is still asleep. Once she leaves this place, her soul will scatter within moments."
What do I do? What do I do? Damn you, Qian Chen, you should have listened to me earlier! Shrek's people really are no good-so despicable! It looks like I can only fight to the death. At worst, I'll become a purple bead too, and keep my daughter company forever. A pity I don't even have one percent of my strength left. Otherwise, I'd make this filthy old man learn the price of acting rashly! Bibi Dong cursed inwardly.
Just as Bibi Dong prepared to rush out of Qian Chen's Sea of Consciousness and fight Xuan Zi to the death, a figure suddenly stepped between Xuan Zi and Qian Chen, spreading her arms and doing everything she could to stop him.
"Xuan Zi! Stop! It isn't what you think!"
Ignoring her injuries, Zhang Lexuan shouted with all her strength.
The commotion instantly alerted the other Shrek students. Ning Ke'er's expression changed drastically. Xuan Zi was actually going to interrupt Qian Chen, the Seven Kill Sword's inheritor, while he absorbed his Soul Ring! She rushed over and spread her arms just as Zhang Lexuan had, planting herself firmly in front of Xuan Zi.
"Xuan Zi, stop! He possesses the Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul. Our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect guarantees his life!" Ning Ke'er gritted her teeth and forced herself to continue, "As for this Soul Ring Qian Chen is absorbing, if you really insist on compensation, our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect will pay!"
At that moment, Wu Ming hurried over as well and said urgently, "Xuan Zi, Qian Chen didn't steal the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring at all! Without him, we would definitely have suffered devastating casualties this time. There's no telling how many of us would have survived!"
The remaining Shrek students finally arrived one after another, speaking over one another as they gave a rough account of their desperate battle with the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
Xuan Zi's killing intent slowly dissipated. Qian Chen was now at a critical point in absorbing the Soul Ring, and every student present was protecting him. For the moment, he could find no pretext to vent his anger. As a dignified Super Douluo, he could hardly pick a quarrel with juniors like Feng Luan and Bing Ling. He could only viciously kick the Saber-Toothed Tiger King's corpse, then turn away with a dark expression to tend to the Shrek students' injuries.
Seeing Xuan Zi retreat, Bibi Dong let out a great inward sigh of relief and spat inside the Sea of Consciousness. "At least you know what's good for you, you old thing."
As she spoke, she floated over to the golden bead containing Qian Renxue and began rambling to it. "Xue'er, not a single man in your Angel Clan is any good. Every one of them looks respectable, but behind closed doors, they're all scum. Look at how he's sweet-talked these Shrek girls! That Zhang Lexuan is such a fool. Not only has she been cheated out of her Soul Ring, but she's about to be cheated out of her heart too."
Bibi Dong paused for breath before continuing, "That Ning Ke'er and Wu Ming aren't much better. Women really mustn't trust men too much. Still, now that I think about it, something about Qian Chen's appearance always feels familiar. Why does he look more and more like that beast of a father of yours?"
While Bibi Dong chatted with Qian Renxue inside the Sea of Consciousness and the Shrek students recovered from their injuries where they were, Qian Chen's presence gradually stabilized, then abruptly surged!
He slowly opened his eyes, reined in the surging presence around him, and looked around. He immediately noticed a stranger among the group, one who actually carried the pressure of a Super Titled Douluo. Looking at Feng Luan and Bing Ling, he saw that both were disheveled and had clearly just been mistreated.
"Miss Zhang, what happened? Why are my two younger brothers in such a sorry state?" Qian Chen turned to Zhang Lexuan and asked.
Zhang Lexuan was just about to explain when Xuan Zi waved a hand and cut her off. "Little Lexuan, don't speak. Let me talk to him."
Just moments earlier, after his drink-fogged brain had pondered for quite some time, a thought had emerged that sent a chill down Xuan Zi's back: a Soul Douluo who possessed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring at sixteen-how terrifying must his talent be? If this brat appeared at the Continental Soul Master Tournament in less than two years, who among Shrek Academy's team could stop him? Wouldn't the glory Shrek had amassed over more than ten thousand years be ruined at this brat's hands?
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. He kept pouring alcohol down his throat, his mind growing muddier with every drink, until he finally came up with a rather underhanded idea.
Xuan Zi walked up to Qian Chen and asked grimly, "Your name is Qian Chen, correct? Which academy are you a student of? How dare you steal the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring our Shrek students risked their lives to obtain?"
Zhang Lexuan, Ning Ke'er, and Wu Ming tried to say something, but a single look from Xuan Zi silenced them all. The pressure of a Super Douluo swept across the entire area in an instant.
Qian Chen's heart lurched. He had only come today to farm some goodwill with the Shrek students, lay the groundwork for Shrek in advance, and pick up a few benefits along the way. Never had he expected Taotie Douluo Xuan Zi to be here.
Qian Chen muttered inwardly, Their Shrek students were nearly all dead just now, so why didn't Xuan Zi act? I really thought he wasn't here!
Left with no choice, Qian Chen cupped his hands and bowed to Xuan Zi. "Judging by your bearing, you must be Shrek Academy's Taotie Douluo, Your Excellency? I've long heard of your great name. I don't belong to an academy; I'm an independent Soul Master. I certainly didn't steal your academy's Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. We agreed with Miss Zhang on the distribution of the Soul Ring and Soul Bone before joining the battle."
"Spare me the pleasantries. We at Shrek discovered the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast first, and we were the ones who crippled it first. You took advantage of its severe injuries to kill it and absorb its Soul Ring. That amounts to stealing an important asset of our Shrek."