The noise and turmoil of Xingluo City were left behind as the Shrek Academy team began their journey home.
On the carriage, Gu La played with the newly acquired Golden Earth Dragon King Right Leg Bone. Through the keen observation of his Appraisal Eye, he perceived its uniqueness more clearly than others.
It did not merely contain immense earth power and resilient attributes—deep within its core lay an extremely faint, yet exceptionally pure, aura of Light Dragon bloodline.
"Golden Earth Dragon King… truly worthy of its name. Its bloodline shows a faint inclination toward the Holy Dragon. Had I been a pure Angel Soul, absorbing this might have advanced my Light attribute by a fraction."
"But unfortunately, for me, its greatest value lies in its 'Earth' and 'Resilience' traits—traits that perfectly align with my Groudon martial soul. Yet its age is too low. It cannot compare to the true dragon soul bone I had planned for."
Gu La silently mused, then stowed the bone away.
Before their departure, Jing Hongchen had indeed approached Elder Xuan Zi, proposing an "academic exchange" between the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy and Shrek Academy—his words earnest, as if genuinely seeking the collective advancement of the Soul Master world.
Elder Xuan Zi, having lived nearly two centuries, saw through the old fox's intentions at once: he merely wished to draw near—or worse, seize—Gu La and his Evolution Watch technology.
He had no patience for pretense. He replied bluntly: "If you're sincere, come to Shrek City yourself to discuss it."
That single sentence dismissed Jing Hongchen.
Jing Hongchen was momentarily speechless; a shadow flickered in his eyes. Yet he recalled that Shrek had no top-tier Soul Engineers—the strongest, Mu En, was said to be near death, perhaps already gone.
With his own ninth-grade soul guidance devices and the might of Mingde Hall, he could protect himself—and even take the upper hand—in Shrek City. He agreed without hesitation: "Very well. When the time comes, Hongchen will personally visit your gates!"
Meanwhile, Gu La had already completed his final handover with Princess Xu Jiujiu, who had come to see them off.
The Xingluo Empire would regularly dispatch reliable teams to Shrek City, bringing the rare metals, peculiar plant seeds, and soul bones as "processing fees" for trade with Gu La. Gu La had no objection—this served his interests perfectly.
The group returned smoothly to Shrek Academy.
Elder Xuan Zi and Master Wang Yan immediately proceeded to the Sea God Pavilion to give a full report on the tournament, especially Elder Xuan Zi, who must face another formal reprimand regarding his failure to prevent Huo Yuhao's abduction by the Body Sect's leader, Du Busi.
The atmosphere within the Sea God Pavilion was heavy.
The elders had already learned of the incident through intelligence channels. After intense debate, they reached a consensus:
The event occurred suddenly. Du Busi was among the world's supreme Douluo. At the time, Elder Xuan Zi's priority was the safety of the other students—he could not be everywhere. Though negligent, his failure was understandable. No severe punishment would be imposed.
Yet the public abduction of a Shrek student could not be allowed to pass unaddressed.
Seated upon the main seat, his aura like a dying candle in the wind—yet none dared underestimate him—Mu En spoke slowly, his voice calm yet carrying absolute authority:
"Xuan Zi, you remain at the academy. I… will go to the Body Sect myself, and speak with Du Busi. Our students are not his to take."
The room fell silent in shock—but no one objected. Dragon God Douluo Mu En had not left the Sea God Pavilion in decades. Yet against Du Busi, only he possessed the strength to confront him.
Next came the matter of tournament rewards.
One elder proposed that Gu La, Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, and Xiao Xiao—the seven students who performed outstandingly—be formally recognized as the new generation of the Shrek Seven.
But Huo Yuhao's status became a point of contention.
"Huo Yuhao…," one elder sighed, "his talent is extraordinary, but now he has been taken by the Body Sect. His future is uncertain. Should he still be counted among the Seven?"
A moment of silence passed.
Then Mu En spoke again, setting the tone: "It was our failure to protect our own student that led to his suffering. We cannot make him pay for our mistake. Huo Yuhao remains on the list of the new Shrek Seven. His place awaits him—unchanged—when he returns."
The final resolution: each of the new Shrek Seven would receive one opportunity for inner meditation within the Golden Ancient Tree, one opportunity for a perfect hunt with the aid of academy elders to obtain a Soul Ring, and—since six of them had not received soul bones as rewards—each would be granted a suitable ten-thousand-year soul bone as compensation.
Huo Yuhao's portion, naturally, was the Ice Explosion soul bone. The reward was not light—it reflected the academy's profound expectations for these future pillars.
Master Wang Yan, hearing only the middle portion, quietly left the pavilion. What followed was not meant for his ears.
He announced the decision to his class. The students rejoiced. Gu La cared little for the extra soul bone—he fixed his attention on the "Golden Ancient Tree meditation."
"Golden Ancient Tree… its immense Light and Life energy is the perfect nourishment for Ah Yin's recovery. Has she already taken refuge within it?" Gu La mused inwardly, his anticipation for the meditation growing.
Meanwhile, within the Sea God Pavilion, the discussion on the "Evolution Watch" grew heated.
"What? A soul guidance device that can prematurely awaken a Soul's potential—even allow a Soul Master below Saint level to experience a Soul Body manifestation?!"
Professor Yan Shaozhe, head of the Soul System, leapt to his feet, his face filled with disbelief and deep-seated disdain. "Absurd! soul guidance devices are external tools—how could they touch the secret of a Soul's origin? This is impossible!"
Vice Director Qian Duoduo, though equally ignorant of the Evolution Watch's mechanism, instinctively countered his longtime rival:
"Yan Shaozhe, your ignorance does not mean it doesn't exist! The power Gu La displayed on the arena—was that fake? Facts speak louder than words!"
The two had long been rivals; now, with a pretext, their argument raged on endlessly.
"Enough." Mu En's voice, gentle yet commanding, cut through the dispute. "You need not quarrel. According to Xuan Zi's report, the Evolution Watch's core lies in the soul bone and a special array that guides and awakens the Soul's own latent power."
"This method may have tremendous effect on Douluo below the Supreme level—but for Supreme Douluo, its effect is minimal, or requires a soul bone of a Fierce Beast-level creature of matching attribute."
"If you are interested, you may negotiate directly with that boy. The academy is not an army—we cannot force him to surrender his technology, nor can we casually use our ancestral soul bones for mass production."
The implication was clear: bring your own relics for experimentation, then observe the results.
The two exchanged glances—mutual loathing—and withdrew their eyes, pondering which of their own useless soul bones might serve as material.
At this moment, Elder Xuan Zi raised Jing Hongchen's proposal for academic exchange.
As expected, several elders immediately opposed it, arguing that Shrek's ten-thousand-year legacy required no lessons from the Sun Moon Empire—especially one with such treacherous intentions.
Yet Mu En dropped another bombshell:
"We must send a delegation to the Sun Moon Empire—to learn their soul guidance device technology."
He looked at the stunned elders, then revealed a shocking truth: "I once visited the capital of Sun Moon. A deep, instinctive sense of crisis warned me—the Sun Moon Empire may have already developed soul guidance devices capable of threatening a Supreme Douluo."
Silence fell.
Every elder's face turned pale with horror.
A weapon capable of threatening a Supreme Douluo? It meant the balance of power across the continent would be shattered.
Before such a dire threat, isolation was suicide. All opposition was silenced. The plan to send exchange students was approved.
Then came the discussion of who would go.
Huo Yuhao, due to his Spiritual Detection soul skill, was unanimously assigned one slot. Gu La, too, possessed notable Soul Engineering skill—but his performance had surpassed Huo Yuhao's. The pavilion fell into debate.
Finally, Mu En made the decision: "Send him. soul guidance device technology progresses only through exchange. We cannot waste his talent."
Yan Shaozhe frowned: "But—"
Mu En shook his head, sighing. "My time is short. I must let them grow quickly. I cannot protect them forever."
"Moreover, this time, we bring back Huo Yuhao. I will attempt to reconcile with Du Busi—even if I must apologize."
Mu En and Du Busi's older brother, Du Bisi, had clashed over the White Dragon's Inner Core. In the end, Mu En was gravely wounded and nearly died; Du Bisi perished. Now, for the sake of Shrek, Mu En would set aside his personal dignity.
"Pavilion Master!"
The elders pleaded—but Mu En's mind was made up. Whether he also sensed the pressure from the Body Sect and the tide of fate pushing him forward, no one could say.
After the meeting, Yan Shaozhe indeed sought out Gu La. Though he still despised soul guidance devices, the effects of the Evolution Watch were too tempting.
Especially after Mu En's words, he temporarily set aside his pride and calculations.
He lowered his stance, expressing his hope that Gu La could craft a few Evolution Watches for several core students of the Soul System.
Gu La had no objection. A business opportunity handed to him—and resources to be gained—was not to be refused.
"Agreed. You provide the materials. The labor fee will be calculated at thirty percent of the soul bone's value, paid in equivalent rare metals or peculiar seeds." He set his terms.
Yan Shaozhe's lip twitched. The price was exorbitant. But the potential gains… he gritted his teeth and agreed: "Fine. The academy will not betray you. After your meditation, we will discuss details."
Finally, Gu La received his opportunity for inner meditation within the Golden Ancient Tree.
Guided by Elder Xuan Zi, he entered the strange space within the Golden Ancient Tree, saturated with thick Light and Life energy.
Before leaving, Mu En had specifically arranged for him the innermost chamber, where the Light energy was most concentrated.
The moment he stepped inside, pure, almost solid Light energy enveloped him like a warm tide.
"Every former Sea God Pavilion Grandmaster's sacrifice… indeed a fine place. Too bad most of it will go to Ah Yin," Gu La thought coldly, sitting cross-legged without hesitation.
He did not directly absorb the energy to boost his soul power. Instead, he focused his mind—and behind him, the Six-Winged Sun Angel spirit soul spontaneously emerged, spreading its wings to greedily devour the vast Light energy.
At the same time, Gu La's eyes glowed golden. He murmured: "Ancient Memories—Awaken!"
Not for himself—but to channel this ancestral recall power, amplifying it onto the Sun Angel spirit soul.
He intended to use the Golden Ancient Tree's unparalleled environment to perform a second bloodline tracing—forcibly pushing the spirit soul's evolution.
The process was far more violent than expected. The Sun Angel spirit soul became a bottomless void, frantically devouring the Golden Ancient Tree's Light energy. Its form grew denser, its radiance brighter.
Gu La retrieved the Light Unicorn soul bone and the newly acquired Golden Earth Dragon King soul bone. The Light attributes within both bones were forcibly extracted and fused by the spirit soul, accumulating as foundation.
Outside the chamber, the guarding elders stiffened. They could clearly feel the energy in the Golden Ancient Tree's core being drained at an unprecedented rate.
The consumption rate rivaled that of several Supreme Douluo meditating simultaneously.
"What is that boy doing in there?" The elders trembled with anguish—yet dared not interrupt.
One day passed.
Inside the chamber, the evolution reached its critical point. The Sun Angel spirit soul, wrapped in endless Light, began reshaping. Its six wings grew wider, more sacred; the edges of its feathers flowed with molten gold. A complex, golden divine glyph—imbued with the essence of Sun and Holiness—faintly emerged upon its forehead.
Sacred, majestic, blazing, luminous energy surged to its peak—and then underwent a complete transformation.
Boom!
An indescribable holy pressure erupted from the chamber. Though dampened by the Golden Ancient Tree's own barriers, it still sent a shiver through the elders outside.
The light gradually faded.
Before Gu La stood a transformed spirit soul.
Its form was perfected, its body forged of white gold, its radiance inwardly contained yet more noble. As its six wings fluttered gently, starlike specks of light drifted from its feathers. Within its pupils glowed two miniature suns.
The dual Ultimate attributes—Ultimate Light and Ultimate Fire—had fused perfectly into a higher existence: the Sun Saint Angel.
Feeling the evolution complete, and having consumed nearly one-tenth of the Golden Ancient Tree's energy, Gu La ceased his absorption.
He did not wish to evolve his first spirit soul further—that would drain too much. He feared the elders would faint from grief—and invite unwanted trouble. He would leave them some dignity.
He adjusted slightly, then stepped out as the chamber door opened.
Dean Yan Shaozhe rushed forward first. The usually composed dean now had bloodshot eyes—partly from grief over the energy, partly from desperate anticipation. His voice trembled: "D-did you succeed?"
Gu La's expression remained calm. He nodded. "As expected."
He focused his mind—and the evolved Sun Saint Angel spirit soul appeared quietly before him.
Instantly, a pure, vast pressure of dual Ultimate attributes spread through the corridor. The sacred, blazing light brightened the entire Golden Ancient Tree passage. Its quality and power left the arriving elders gasping under overwhelming pressure.
The elders stared at the spirit soul radiating terrifying power—and then sensed the clearly dimmed energy reserves within the Golden Ancient Tree. Their emotions were complex: pain and pride intertwined.
Finally, the eldest elder let out a long sigh, his voice heavy with resignation: "Enough… energy can be replenished. With this boy, our Shrek Academy shall be secure for the next two hundred years."
The cost had been immense. But a top-tier genius with dual Ultimate attributes and near-divine potential? He could become the most solid pillar of the academy's future.
In the long term, this investment… did not seem a loss.
Yet as they looked at Gu La's calm, unremarkable expression—as if he had merely done something trivial—the elders still felt a persistent ache in their chests.
This kid is truly a "gold-swallowing" beast!
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