Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
*****
"The Shrek Inspection Team is here!"
"Despicable Evil Soul Masters—today we'll tear you to pieces!"
The moment the four girls and one boy stepped out, they immediately noticed the battle remnants on the ground and the still-ominous, black-blooded Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. Without hesitation, they mistook Jiang Yundong and his grandson for Evil Soul Masters.
They might not have recognized the evil soul beast lying dead, but in their eyes, any soul master capable of absorbing such an evil spirit ring couldn't possibly be a decent person.
The one who had shouted was a girl with long, wavy red hair and an oval face—Ma Xiaotao.
Zhang Lexuan, leader of the inspection group, narrowed her beautiful phoenix eyes, sweeping her gaze across the grandfather and grandson before her.
The elder wore a luxurious purple-gold robe, presumptuously embroidered with several dragon patterns. This alone was a capital offense in the Four Great Empires. Even a Titled Douluo with a dragon martial soul wouldn't dare wear such a thing.
What's more, the six or seven-year-old boy standing beside him sparked an inexplicable sense of discomfort in Zhang Lexuan's heart. She couldn't explain why, but the feeling was strong. The strange, noble attire of the pair only heightened her suspicion.
Suppressing her unease, Zhang Lexuan tried to think rationally. Anyone bold enough to wear such garments in broad daylight might not be…
She was still deep in thought when the blond youth in the group stepped forward.
Dai Yueheng took a step and clasped his fists. "Our deepest apologies, Senior. It seems we've mistakenly taken you for Evil Soul Masters."
"We're students of Shrek Academy, currently carrying out an official inspection mission."
Jiang Yundong stood calmly, hands folded in his sleeves. At the mention of "Shrek Academy," his rosy face didn't even flinch.
A thought of testing his grandson arose in his heart. With a subtle nudge of his toe, he tapped the boy's foot—wanting to sharpen his edge.
Jiang Shuo looked back blankly but understood the moment he met his grandfather's gaze.
His expression calm, he swept his eyes across the group of teenagers and asked coldly, "Shrek… is that supposed to be impressive?"
Dai Yueheng froze. He had never expected someone in this world to dare question the prestige of the continent's number one academy.
Ma Xiaotao, the one who first spoke out, completely lost her temper. Unlike Zhang Lexuan and the noble-born Dai Yueheng, she hadn't noticed the unusual aura surrounding the pair, nor did she restrain herself in time.
Instead, she concluded that these two were arrogant Evil Soul Masters—daring not only to stand their ground before the famous Shrek Inspection Team but also to speak with disdain.
"Hmph! Rats hiding in the shadows dare to pass judgment on Shrek?!"
"Then today, I'll show you what the end of an Evil Soul Master looks like!"
With that, Ma Xiaotao activated her martial soul. Flames erupted skyward with a boom, rushing straight toward the supposed Evil Soul Masters.
Dai Yueheng's face changed dramatically. As a duke's son, he understood the sheer significance of that purple-gold dragon robe better than even Zhang Lexuan.
"Xiaotao!"
"Stop, now!"
He too activated his martial soul, reaching out to restrain her—but there was no way he could catch her.
Zhang Lexuan's mind jolted as she registered Dai Yueheng's reaction, and she immediately pulled back her impulsive junior. Yet even she couldn't discern the true identities of the two before them.
But she didn't need to. Ma Xiaotao's brash words had already stirred a flicker of anger within Jiang Shuo.
Unconcerned with the number of enemies and too disinterested to waste words, he yanked his spear from the ground—his sole purple spirit ring glowing instantly. Having broken through to the Soul Master rank, his soul power surged to level fifteen, boiling with energy.
Boom!
Jiang Shuo stepped forward, his speed skyrocketing. His spear surged with dark-purple thunder.
Swish!!
The spearhead shot forth, appearing before Ma Xiaotao's face in the blink of an eye.
Dai Yueheng's pupils contracted sharply. He hadn't expected someone so young to strike with such audacity and ruthlessness, completely ignoring Shrek's reputation and showing no hesitation. Worse still, despite being a rank-30 Soul Elder himself, he felt a bone-deep dread from this youth's first soul skill.
His first soul ring—is it a thousand-year one?!
Zhang Lexuan was equally stunned. She hadn't expected this supposed Evil Soul Master to attack before even explaining himself—and at the core disciples of Shrek, no less.
She tossed aside her previous assumptions and swiftly extended two delicate, fair fingers to block Jiang Shuo's spear.
But just as she acted, an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended, slamming down on her like a mountain. Her face flushed red instantly, her bones creaked audibly, and her body froze—she could only watch helplessly as the thunder-wrapped spear tip closed in on Ma Xiaotao's face.
Freed from restraint, Ma Xiaotao became even more enraged. This damn Evil Soul Master had the audacity to strike first—unforgivable!
"Third Soul Skill—Phoenix Wings Ascend!"
Radiant fiery wings and a phoenix tail burst from her back, lifting her into the air. Waves of flame erupted from her body, rapidly expanding over hundreds of meters.
Hovering in midair, she looked like a blazing flame demoness—her eyes, however, were icy cold.
"First Soul Skill—Phoenix Fire Line!"
A blazing line of fire shot from her mouth, charging head-on toward the youth's incoming spear.
Yet instead of backing down, Jiang Shuo accelerated. The hundred-meter distance between them vanished in an instant.
The thunder-enshrouded spear tip collided head-on with the incoming fire line.
In that moment, a wild surge of energy exploded at the point of impact. The air itself cracked with a deafening boom.
Zhang Lexuan's expression changed, and she shouted, "Everyone, fall back! Ruoruo, shield the juniors!"
A cold-looking girl in a blue dress immediately stepped forward, raising a soul power barrier to shield Dai Yueheng and Ling Luocheng. She didn't bother shielding Ma Xiaotao, though—Han Ruoruo also carried Shrek's pride. A rank-33 Soul Elder losing to a freshly advanced Soul Master? Impossible.
But she was wrong.
Ma Xiaotao, wielder of the Evil Fire Phoenix, was suddenly at a disadvantage.
Although Jiang Shuo's first soul skill boosted his strength and speed, it wasn't enough to defeat her instantly.
So, he activated the domain skill from the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger attached to his spear: Evil God's Guard.
In an instant, gray energy enveloped both fighters in a massive, translucent dome.
Jiang Shuo's body was clad in stream-like gray armor. His strength, speed, and thunder abilities all surged by 300 percent.
Despite being a Soul Elder, even Ma Xiaotao's third soul ring—though a millennium-level one—couldn't compete with the four-thousand-year-old Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
In the blink of an eye, the Phoenix Fire Line she spewed was shattered like dry twigs.
Jiang Shuo's silver spear pierced through the remnants of flame and came within three inches of her lips—about to pierce her skull.
(End of Chapter)