Shrek Academy.
Inner court.
Inside a villa.
"Here, Sister Xiaotao—Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and Fiery Delicate Apricot—pick one of these two immortal herbs."
Su Wen held a blossom in each hand.
Both were blazing crimson like flame; the former clearly bore the shape of a fiery cockscomb, while the latter looked like layered bok choy, wrapped in tier upon tier.
"Immortal herbs?!!"
Ma Xiaotao's beautiful eyes slowly went blank, a big question mark practically popping over her head. She still remembered before Su Wen left; how did he get two immortal herbs in just a few days?
And if she recalled correctly…
The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower was the very immortal herb absorbed by the ancestor from ten thousand years ago who shared her surname and martial soul!
Later generations concluded that Ma Hongjun's talent was decent, but what truly transformed him was that immortal herb!
"Mm…"
Ma Xiaotao's scarlet eyes darted back and forth.
Her face was full of hesitation.
"The former is a great tonic, pure yang in nature. After taking it, your Evil Fire Phoenix will become purer, and you'll be free from the torment of evil fire in the future. That's why Ma Hongjun set foot on the path to godhood. As for the latter…" Su Wen didn't rush her, instead explaining.
"It can cleanse the evil fire?" Ma Xiaotao's eyes widened.
"Yes."
Su Wen nodded seriously.
"Then I definitely choose… that one!"
Ma Xiaotao's fair, slender, tapered fingers decisively pointed at the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower… then swerved to the other immortal herb, the Fiery Delicate Apricot: "Since my ancestor chose that one, I'll naturally try a different approach."
Su Wen raised a brow, feeling something was off.
Ma Xiaotao turned away, secretly relieved: Good thing Su Wen reminded her. If she really purified the evil fire in her body, that'd be a disaster!
It had always been hard for her to accumulate a bit of evil fire; that immortal herb would cut off her future prospects!
"What are the effects of this Fiery Delicate Apricot then?"
"It's toxic, a fire-attribute immortal herb that greatly boosts fire-attribute martial souls. It's the polar opposite of the first. If the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower's strength is purifying evil fire but its fire amplification is relatively weaker, this one has no purifying ability at all. Its toxicity will mix with the evil fire in your body…"
Su Wen frowned slightly. "Simply put, it'll make your evil fire harder to suppress, but its amplification of fire will far exceed the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower."
"Sister Xiaotao, are you sure…"
But as Su Wen hesitated with a frown, he saw Ma Xiaotao nearly jump up. Her beautiful eyes fixed on the Fiery Delicate Apricot with no fear, only intense desire.
She'd been fretting about how to stockpile more evil fire—this was a gift from the heavens!
"I'm sure!"
Watching Ma Xiaotao nod like a pecking chick, even resorting to coyness, Su Wen still felt something was odd…
Is Sister Xiaotao a pure DPS maniac?
Obsessed with extreme damage numbers?
Fine, that… kind of makes sense.
"In that case, Sister Xiaotao, come with me…"
Su Wen snapped his fingers, and the two vanished from the room.
They reappeared inside Azure Luan's Poké Ball, by the Lake of Life brimming with vitality. Anyone would love this place, Su Wen included, so it was the ball he visited most.
Ma Xiaotao's pupils suddenly contracted.
Following her gaze—an enormous crimson flower whose petals alone were four meters long, and whose stem rose nearly ten meters. Each leaf was crystal-clear, gently swaying, its anthropomorphic head bowed, overlooking her. and flower met eyes.
"Fiery Delicate Apricot!"
Ma Xiaotao finally uttered the words, awe welling up within.
Immortal herb was one thing—but this huge?
"So this is the one I'll sacrifice myself to?"
The flower—Xiao Huo—looked Ma Xiaotao up and down and spoke.
"The f… flower talked!" Ma Xiaotao felt like a raw recruit entirely out of place here.
"Yes. You can also choose not to sacrifice yourself. Then return to the secret realm—I'll give you a task to temper intruders and grant rewards," Su Wen said blandly.
"You…" Xiao Huo's tone grew complex.
"Could I sacrifice to you instead? Honestly, I really want to know what our immortal herbs' advanced forms would be."
During her time in the Poké Ball, from what Azure Luan said and what she saw, she'd been itching with curiosity. Advancement is irresistible to any soul beast—being bound is worth it…
In the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, rapid cultivation and comfort were just a facade. Except for that fool You You, all the immortal herbs knew they were penned-in medicine plants. Tang San hadn't touched them yet only because the time hadn't come; once he needed them, the butcher's knife would be raised high.
Just look at Azure Luan—this top-tier bloodline's noble, elegant form made even her feel inferior…
Sacrificing to Ma Xiaotao wasn't out of the question; with the woman's talent, godhood was possible with her help.
But with Su Wen's towering thigh right here, she was truly tempted.
"Me? No slots left."
Su Wen stroked Azure Luan's holy feathers, at ease.
"If I were born ten thousand years ago, I might have tried immortal herbs. But now there are better options… you don't make the cut."
Also, besides the immortal herbs from Doulou One, he had another thought…
Contract with myself—me controlling me. Wouldn't that make me a saint on the spot—unity of knowledge and action.
Of course, just a thought.
The laws in Douluo are too barren; saints likely don't exist…
"I see…" Xiao Huo dimmed.
"In that case, I'm willing to sacrifice to her."
Ma Xiaotao: "Huh???"
Am I that casual a person?
…
As Ma Xiaotao stared blankly skyward, a bright red petal mark appeared on her forehead—Xiao Huo—while her entire body was slowly wrapped in flame-like energy.
Su Wen quietly left.
"If Ma Xiaotao gets Fiery Delicate Apricot, then I want the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass!" Ling Luocheng huffed.
Jiang Nannan took the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng.
Mu Xiu'er took the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
Wang Dong'er wanted to try the Yearning Heartbroken Red, but with her mind in turmoil over the Clear Sky Sect, she failed. She settled for the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone.
When Ning Tian received the Qiluo Tulip, her face went blank for minutes before she came to, threw her arms around Su Wen, and gave him her first kiss. This scene stunned the simple-minded Wu Feng, who stood there as witness for a good ten minutes.
Only when Ning Tian was out of breath did they reluctantly part…
A letter was sent overnight from Shrek Academy, headed straight for the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Elder Mu had an immortal herb Su Wen had prepared specifically for him, awaiting his emergence from seclusion. As for Xuan Zi, Yan Shaozhe, several friendly elders, Xie Huanyue, Xiao Xiao, and others, slightly lesser immortal herbs were also prepared.
As for the three in the forging department, they were a key focus, but their character was still unclear—he'd wait and see…
…
Inner court teachers' office.
Su Wen looked at Zhang Lexuan.
"Senior sister, pick a blossom."
"I want that one!"
Zhang Lexuan didn't hesitate.
"Yearning Heartbroken Red!"
As the king of immortal herbs, the Yearning Heartbroken Red differed in essence from the others; even the Qiluo Tulip, a top-tier herb, lagged by a good margin.
"If it were just the Yearning Heartbroken Red, you'd only need to offer a drop of heart's blood. But I've long been sentient and cultivated for ten thousand years. If you want to pick me, it won't be easy…"
At the Lake of Life.
A pure white peony-like flower spoke calmly.
It wasn't large, but held absolute prestige among the immortal herbs.
It had considered sacrificing to Su Wen too, but with Xiao Huo first, it gave up the idea.
"I'm willing!"
Zhang Lexuan said resolutely.
"Good."
The big flower bent its stem, presenting petals to Zhang Lexuan.
"Pfft~"
Without hesitation, Zhang Lexuan spat a mouthful of heart's blood. Her face paled, yet her exquisitely beautiful cheeks remained composed. The next instant, the Yearning Heartbroken Red exclaimed, surprised: "I didn't expect your love for him to be so pure, untainted by any interest. Rare indeed…"
Su Wen was stunned.
He hadn't expected that this flower would end up picked by his senior sister…
Ning Tian loved him, but even if her love was absolute, there was still one percent of sect interest mixed in. Wu Feng was a dowry maid—no need to elaborate.
Gu Yuena might love him, but their meeting was driven more by the future of the soul beasts and the allure of advancement.
Wang Dong'er was unsettled by mysteries of identity.
Only senior sister's love was the purest.
As the white flower wrapped Zhang Lexuan and her figure disappeared, her last glance at him carried a playful glint mixed with a trace of pride in her dark eyes.
"…" Su Wen fell silent.
It seemed he still knew too little about his senior sister.
A merely physical understanding wasn't enough…
Not far away.
Gu Yuena watched quietly, a flicker of envy crossing her indifferent silver eyes.
She had tried in secret too, and failed miserably. Neither Su Wen nor the Snow Empress knew.
She'd been furious then, even berating the Yearning Heartbroken Red.
But its answer left her speechless—it said she came to Su Wen guided by "fate," with a built-in purpose: to save the soul beasts. That love might be real, but was not pure…
In this world, only the Yearning Heartbroken Red is absolute—truth is truth. Even if she tore the big flower to shreds, she still couldn't pick it.
"Master… Love can't be summed up in a few words. Failing to pick it doesn't mean you don't love him. Feelings are complex. For love to be so pure… it just means this Zhang Lexuan loves Su Wen down to her bones," Mu Xiu'er sighed.
"I'll prove with actions who loves him most." Gu Yuena turned away and vanished from the Poké Ball world.
"Sigh…"
Mu Xiu'er pouted. "What a womanizer."
Before leaving, she couldn't help glancing back at the white cocoon formed by the Yearning Heartbroken Red, a hint of loneliness in her eyes.
She'd tried too…
But the auspicious beast with always-great luck didn't succeed this time.
…
Eastern Shrek City.
Night market.
Being close to Shrek Academy, this area had more shops along the streets, and a lively night market full of food stalls. Many students in Shrek's outer court uniforms came by in pairs or small groups for late-night snacks.
"Mm…"
Su Wen sat on a second-floor balcony, looking at the bustling market below. He swallowed a skewer of grilled meat. "So many people today…"
"It's the weekend."
Yan Shaozhe sat opposite, leisurely admiring the lively scene.
He ate elegantly, gold-rimmed glasses, half-white hair, cultured and kind aura maxed out—lethal to rich ladies. On their way here, countless noblewomen had cast him sultry glances…
"Shrek Academy's defensive layout has problems."
Su Wen suddenly frowned.
"What if evil soul masters launch a surprise attack? Can we intercept in time? We don't have many powerhouses; the inner court elites are fewer, yet they insist on running to the enemy's fountain to feed, and—"
"Stop, stop!"
"Can we eat without talking about this?"
Yan Shaozhe rubbed his temples.
"Sea God Pavilion heir is skipping generations; telling me is pointless. I'm not an elder, just the Martial Soul Department dean, often butting heads with the Soul Tool Department. I don't have real decision-making power—taking flak for nothing!"
"We should be united against outsiders!"
Yan Shaozhe narrowed his eyes, smiling as he coaxed, "Xiao Wen, once you become the Sea God Pavilion Master, you help me uphold the Martial Soul Department's status, and I'll be your most loyal piece on the board—say the word, and I obey!"
"…"
Su Wen smacked his lips.
He sure rolled that off the tongue.
These days, he'd raised this in the Pavilion too, almost falling out with Elder Song—Xuan Zi, that chronic slacker, had to step in. But Shrek's "tradition" ran deep—"we all came up this way; the young must be tempered."
He was annoyed and simply dropped it.
Only after he inherited the Pavilion Master's seat would he launch a true reform.
For now, Jiang Nannan, Xie Huanyue, Ning Tian, and the entire forging department were pieces he'd placed. Once they grew rapidly and took high posts in Shrek, that would be the time to act.
Of course, there was senior sister Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao, plus Elder Mu's support…
Elder Yi's urgent voice sounded in his spiritual sea.
"Holy Spirit Cult!"
The next instant.
Countless figures rose from beyond Shrek's west city, flying straight for the east! In the pitch-black sky, several powerful auras also stepped across the air from the Star Dou Forest direction.
"Holy Spirit Cult…"
Yan Shaozhe stood at some point, face dark as he looked skyward.
"Xiao Wen, go alert—"
Before he finished, he noticed Su Wen had already ascended into the air, flying straight toward the black-robed figures.
Yan Shaozhe's mouth twitched, and he followed close behind.
He didn't even fire a signal flare.
Because the black-robed group wasn't concealing their auras at all!
Like the Body Sect days ago, they didn't put Shrek in their eyes. Many powerhouses from the Sea God Pavilion sensed the disturbance and were rushing here.
The once-bustling night market fell silent. Vendors abandoned their stalls and fled in a panic, crowds jostling, noisy and directionless.
"…"
"Hum!"
Holy radiance flashed.
Half the sky awoke from the silent night, bright as day. Yan Shaozhe hovered midair, eyes narrowed, standing ready against the dozens of figures.
He had expected this; to dare invade Shrek, the enemy must have emptied their nest like the Body Sect.
But when he saw their actual lineup, his heart sank.
Just those above Title Douluo numbered ten! At least three were Super Douluo! Evil soul masters were strong to begin with, and he couldn't even see through the leader.
With a sweep of his sleeve.
Black clouds pressed down, inky mist slowly corroding and swallowing Yan Shaozhe's holy light, proclaiming the Holy Spirit Cult's arrival with crushing momentum.
Su Wen's expression didn't change, but he was intrigued.
Two half-siblings, each inheriting one of their mother's top martial souls, now stood on opposite sides, facing off from afar. He wondered what expression Dean Yan would wear when he learned the truth.
"How familiar…"
A hoarse voice sounded.
The leading black-robed man surveyed them with a curl of his lips.
"Yan Shaozhe, you think you alone can stop us? Oh, I forgot there's also a kid…" He glanced down, seeing a figure streaking up fast.
"Tell Mu En to come out, or… you'll die."
Zhongli Wu laughed up at the sky.
His thunderous voice made the whole Shrek Academy tremble.
Then he waved his palm down.
Behind him, black clouds gathered, thunder flickering within. A bone dragon slowly thrust out its massive head, followed by a sky-obscuring body that blanketed half of Shrek City.
The bone dragon's claw mirrored his gesture—
It swiped toward Su Wen.
"Not good!"
Yan Shaozhe's pupils shrank. He was about to act—
When he saw, beneath the descending claw, an ice sword had appeared in Su Wen's hand.
"Empress Sword!"
Male and female voices spoke in unison.
Beside him, the Snow Empress's massive phantom appeared. They swung as one toward the sky.
"Hum!!!"
With the Snow Empress's full burst—
The Empress Sword ran at its limit. A long, heaven-rending arc of icy sword qi slashed at the bone claw. On contact, the dragon's palm snapped, shattered bone raining from on high. The frost on the Empress Sword didn't stop—spreading along the arm toward the whole body.
"Hm?!!"
Zhongli Wu's face froze.
Snapping back, he hastily commanded the bone dragon to sever its arm, halting the frost's spread.
Heaven and earth fell silent.
Only when Su Wen drew up beside Yan Shaozhe, staring coldly at the Holy Spirit Cult, did Zhongli Wu come back to himself.
"So Wu Yun told the truth…"
He sighed long.
"I thought I respected you enough, but any evaluation is an insult now. You defy common sense."
"You brat… the inner court trial…"
Yan Shaozhe was dumbfounded.
So Su Wen had held back in the inner court trial!
Just this display today meant he had power at the Title Douluo level! Was this his true trump card?!!
Forced out only by a Super Douluo evil soul master…
Wait!
If that's the case, won't he soon inherit the Sea God Pavilion Master's position? He knew his teacher too well—Elder Mu still clung to the Pavilion Master's seat only because none of them met his standards. It wasn't about power-lust. Once Su Wen reached Title Douluo… no, Soul Douluo, even Soul Sage!
Elder Mu would be itching to pass the mantle.
"Hiding deep, kid!"
Yan Shaozhe and Zhongli Wu thought the same.
But the former was delighted, the latter murderous.
"Holy Spirit Cult!"
Xuan Zi arrived, eyes fixed on the enemy. Even he felt a hint of danger from the leader—proof they'd come prepared.
Behind him were many Sea God Pavilion elders.
They had seen what happened.
Shock, stupefaction, disbelief, doubt.
Especially Elder Song.
She had nearly fallen out with Su Wen in the Pavilion recently, and now, seeing this, her feelings were complicated. Her conservative stance began to shift.
Shrek, at its core, revered strength.
A monster like Su Wen had passed beyond "strong" and "genius." Even they found his growth speed staggering…
Su Wen's weight within the Pavilion was rising.
The Pavilion did follow seniority.
Otherwise Yan Shaozhe's strength could have squeezed into the top ten, yet he held no seat and only listened from the side.
But there was an exception.
If someone grew so strong they exceeded everyone's expectations—seen almost as another Elder Mu.
"Mu En still won't come out? Sending a bunch of shrimps and crabs," Zhongli Wu said coolly, withdrawing his killing intent.
"Big talk," Xuan Zi snorted, rolling his neck and joints. "If you're so eager to die, this old man is happy to oblige."
"Moo—!!"
A primordial divine bull's roar.
Xuan Zi's Taotie Divine Bull possessed him, clashing with Zhongli Wu.
The elders each found opponents.
The sky turned to a cauldron of chaos.
The situation was messy.
No one mentioned Mu En; even aside from his seclusion, they could not back down. This was Shrek City, Shrek Academy…
"Time Lock!"
A shout rose from below.
A man in his mid-forties appeared. Behind him, the entire Shrek City and Academy seemed covered by a colossal clock. Pale blue temporal power sheltered those within.
Su Wen glanced at him.
An interesting scene.
Countless black-robed attackers tried to enter Shrek, but as soon as they touched the blue giant clock, their speed dropped sharply—like being put to 0.1x playback, comically slow.
Shrek City's lord, Shi Xing. Martial soul: Space-Time Silver Disk. Only forty-six or seven years old, yet already at rank 94 Title Douluo—his talent evident. But time is too broad a domain; like Cao Jin Xuan's Time Flies bell—should've been a broken martial soul, but the skills ended up trivial edge cases…
Perhaps in the future he could manipulate a soul beast with a time martial soul?
Return to the past, reverse the future?
Su Wen's thoughts ran wild—
Interrupted by a complicated gaze.
"I was right."
Wu Yun lifted his hood. His face was aristocratic and handsome, but the gentleness in his eyes had turned feral. As a hunter closing on prey, he could wear a patient, false smile—but now, he couldn't smile…
Su Wen's growth filled him with fear.
It hadn't been long.
Last time, Su Wen had barely withstood his assault, exhausting everything and nearly dying. But this time… Su Wen could probably fight him to a draw.
What about next time?
Wu Yun exhaled a long breath.
His eyes turned ruthless. Then there must be no next time.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul True Body!"
He opened with his ultimate.
Wu Yun held nothing back.
A giant raven beat its wings, blood-red eyes fixed on Su Wen.
"Dare to come to Shrek, you get this." Su Wen raised a thumb.
"But whether you leave—that's this…"
He grinned brightly.
"Little Gold!!!"
"Roar!"
With a roar ancient as time—
A giant beast appeared, its body covered in dark-gold fur, skin gleaming bronze, fur along its shoulders and spine bristling like blades to form natural armor. Amber vertical pupils danced with molten gold flames.
Five-meter-long claws flashed cold blue as it swiped toward Wu Yun above.
"Golden Left Arm!"
"Blood Frenzy!"
Two cyan-gold skills activated.
The Behemoth's "Blood Frenzy" skill differed by a single character from the Tempest's soul bone skill, but the power gap was vast.
Tempest's Blood Fury: two hours, 100% all-stats boost.
Little Gold's Blood Frenzy: six hours, 300% all-stats boost!
A ghostly crimson glow suffused its body; Little Gold's massive frame swelled severalfold. One claw swung, its air-rending momentum so terrifying that Wu Yun felt he couldn't breathe.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Darken!"
Forcing down his fear, Wu Yun lit a pitch-black ten-thousand-year ring.
His whole form turned ethereal, slipping past Little Gold's full-force strike.
Su Wen crossed his arms, watching calmly.
Darken—akin to a certain ninja's trick—hiding in the void, unable to attack while phased…
But Darken has a duration, right?
Wu Yun wouldn't miss that. This giant beast's boost must be a skill, not base power. If it trades the future for the present, all he needs to do is outlast it.
But after over ten minutes, Wu Yun was flagging, while the colossal beast still waited patiently outside. Not only was it unhurried, its eyes even looked mocking.
"Ninth Soul Skill: Dark Energy!"
He gritted his teeth, abandoning all restraint.
Bursting from the void, he unleashed his ultimate.
"Snow Empress."
Su Wen frowned slightly.
The opponent was a rank 94 Title Douluo, a step from Super Douluo; his ultimate wasn't easy to take. Little Gold might get hurt…