The sky gradually darkened, but the forest was far from quiet. The cries of insects and birds, and even the roars of wild beasts, echoed one after another.
Deep within the forest, Xu Zihuang, holding a fixed soul cannon barrel in one hand, casually took the last fixed soul cannon that He Caitou handed over.
Looking at the engraved patterns on the shuttle-shaped cannon in his hand, he frowned slightly.
The twelve fixed soul cannons Fan Yu had him test each had different attributes, and the types and ages of soul beasts required for testing also varied.
For example, the first cannon he had fired was of the frost attribute. The main data required was to measure the area it could cover while still ensuring sufficient lethality.
That way, even when used against ten-year Nether Wolves, it wouldn't cause much of a problem.
On the other hand, cannons with explosive or lightning attributes, which had high burst power, required soul beasts with stronger defenses or at least century-old beasts as test targets.
Otherwise, if fired at weak ten-year soul beasts, a direct hit would reduce them to ashes, making the test meaningless.
This was why Xu Zihuang and He Caitou had been wandering through the forest until now.
Though this forest contained many species of soul beast groups, most were only ten-year-level. They had to go deeper, nearly reaching the Star Dou Great Forest, before finally finding a few century-old soul beasts to barely complete the tests.
Now, to test the paralysis-attribute cannon in his hand, they likewise needed a large-bodied century-old soul beast.
A deep roar suddenly sounded. Xu Zihuang instantly sensed the source and looked toward the left front.
"A century-old soul beast?"
With the advancement of his spiritual power, his perception had grown extraordinarily sharp. Though not yet able to pinpoint a beast's type and cultivation like the Skydream Iceworm, he could roughly distinguish them.
"Senior Brother He, let's go check it out."
"Mm." He Caitou's dark face broke into a guileless smile as he exchanged a glance with Xu Zihuang.
"Best if we finish testing this paralysis cannon. Then we can return to the Academy."
It was as if the recognition scene that morning had never happened; they still appeared to be nothing more than simple senior and junior.
This forest was not as ancient as the Star Dou Great Forest. The trees grew thickly, but not to the point of blotting out the sky. The golden-red sunset pierced the gaps between leaves, and specks of dust floated visibly in the beams of light.
Not long after, they found their target.
It was a massive bear over three meters tall, standing upright. Its brownish-yellow fur gave off a faint fishy odor, and on its chest was a large white hook-shaped patch.
Most striking were its light red eyes, filled with cruelty.
A Bloodthirsty Demon Bear—a powerful earth-attribute beast. Judging by its size, it had surpassed two hundred years of cultivation.
Opposite it stood a team of five soul masters.
Of them, only the leader—a sturdy middle-aged man with short brown hair—was above rank 20. The other four, all just over twenty years old, had soul power barely in the teens.
Their martial souls were antelope, rhino, lizard, and horned horse, each surrounded by only one white ring. Clearly, they were ordinary civilian soul masters with no background.
All four were in bad condition, stained with blood, and maintaining martial soul possession seemed their limit.
Only the middle-aged man had a yellow century soul ring. His bare torso was covered with gray-black hair, and under martial soul possession, his already strong body bulged with exaggerated muscles.
His martial soul was a black-furred gorilla, skilled in strength. His one white and one yellow soul ring glowed as he clenched his teeth, shielding his companions from the Bloodthirsty Demon Bear.
The bear charged forward like a red cloud of blood energy. In an instant, it collided with the man, sending him flying dozens of meters into a tree.
Blood spilled from his mouth and nose, his aura fading weakly.
Possessing a century soul ring didn't mean he could fight a century beast head-on—especially not with a mediocre martial soul and soul ring quality.
"Big Brother! Careful!" the other four cried out. The man instinctively raised his head, just in time to see a massive paw descending.
Despair and self-mockery rose in his eyes. Since awakening innate soul power as a child, he had trained for years, only to face death in a beast's maw.
Dreams of becoming a respected soul master, of rising to nobility, flashed bitterly through his mind. How laughable it seemed now.
The gulf between commoner and noble was not so easily crossed.
At that instant, a dazzling white light struck the Bloodthirsty Demon Bear, freezing it in place for two seconds.
Just as it regained movement, another white beam pierced clean through its massive body.
With a thud, the bear collapsed lifelessly.
The middle-aged man and his companions turned, stunned, toward the direction the beam had come from.
There stood a strange pair: a tall, refined, and handsome youth leading the way, followed by a hulking dark-skinned man jotting notes.
The man's emotions were complicated—relief at being saved, bitterness at once again facing the gap between classes.
To so easily slay a century-old Bloodthirsty Demon Bear at that age, the youth was surely of noble descent.
On the Douluo Continent, where martial souls dictated one's future, life was indeed cruel for commoners.
——
Night fell, stars bright in the sky.
Outside Shrek Academy's east gate, the place bustled as always.
Two trails of light streaked from the northeast—Xu Zihuang and He Caitou returning on flying soul tools.
As they neared Shrek City, a red light shot from the Academy's east gate, rushing at them at incredible speed.
Sensing danger, Xu Zihuang instantly released his martial soul.
Three purple and one black—the strange four-ring combination was not too conspicuous in the night sky.
He Caitou, also alarmed, shouted,
"Junior Brother Yu, be careful!"
Metal tubes sprouted from his body like a porcupine, most terrifying of all the two massive cannons on his shoulders—launchers for fixed soul tools.
Even the rushing red light hesitated.
At the same time, two yellow and two purple rings shone around He Caitou—he had recently advanced to Soul Ancestor.
He was about to unleash a volley when Xu Zihuang raised a hand to stop him.
"Senior Brother He, the one approaching is a senior sister from the inner court. She means no harm."
With the Golden Eyes' dynamic vision, Xu Zihuang clearly saw the red light's true form.
It was Ma Xiaotao.
Tormented again by the evil fire, and worse than before due to Xu Zihuang's cleansing seven days ago, she could no longer suppress it.
Her flushed cheeks glowed with a strange allure as she closed the distance.
Xu Zihuang did not dodge. In an instant, he was enveloped in heat.
The source of that heat was Ma Xiaotao's embrace.
Completely ignoring He Caitou, she clung tightly to Xu Zihuang, her pink eyes hazy, breath hot as she moaned softly.
"Yu Tianhuang, you're finally back. I can't endure anymore—help me suppress the evil fire!"
Red light flashed, and Ma Xiaotao accelerated, carrying Xu Zihuang away in a blink, leaving He Caitou dumbfounded.
A fleeting depth and smile crossed He Caitou's eyes, quickly replaced by confusion, before he turned toward Shrek's east gate.
Ma Xiaotao's scent was clean and refreshing, like sun-dried sheets.
Xu Zihuang, tall and lean at nearly 1.8 meters despite being only twelve, was still slightly taller than her. She clung to him, her chin just above his shoulder.
Behind her, golden-red flame wings beat furiously, carrying them over Sea God Lake. But her eyes grew even hazier, her consciousness fading.
Her third soul skill, Phoenix Wings Soaring Sky, threatened to spiral out of control.
The searing heat even pricked Xu Zihuang's skin.
He finally understood—Ma Xiaotao's state was abnormal.
His Whale Song could purify the evil aura in her soul power, but that only treated the symptoms. The source lay in her Martial Soul itself, and as she cultivated, the evil aura would return, only faster now that her previous adaptation had been erased.
Thus, her condition was harder to suppress, especially when she subconsciously relaxed in his arms.
Her consciousness was slipping entirely.
Xu Zihuang couldn't allow it to continue. Otherwise, he'd be burned alive before reaching Sea God Island.
The ethereal cry of a whale rang out as he decisively used Whale Song, purifying her soul power once more.
Ma Xiaotao's body stiffened, a blissful moan escaping her lips, before she went limp, falling into the clear waters of Sea God Lake.
Her golden-red soul power boiled the lake's surface, steam hissing upward.
Xu Zihuang's clothes turned to ash, leaving his pale, well-defined torso exposed. Dark red crystalline surfaces formed beneath his feet, holding him aloft.
Glancing at the mist-shrouded Sea God Island, he hesitated, then dove in after her.
He couldn't let Ma Xiaotao drown.
The cool water eased the burning on his skin. His long black hair floated as he swam swiftly downward.
Sea God Lake was one to two hundred meters deep on average, its clarity granting high visibility.
Soon, he saw Ma Xiaotao sinking, her crimson hair fanning around her. The lake pressed her soaked red dress against her body, outlining her curves.
But Xu Zihuang remained composed, cradling her neck and knees as he kicked upward.
Thanks to his training on Yuexu Island, his swimming was strong.
Breaking the surface, he carried her to Sea God Island's shore.
In the cool spring mist, Xu Zihuang sat by the lake, brushing back his damp purple hair, and turned to the unconscious Ma Xiaotao.
Her long legs and delicate figure were outlined through her wet dress.
Expression calm, he used soul power to dry her clothes, then rose lightly onto the crystalline surface, leaving the island.
On the cliff before Sea God Pavilion, three figures stood: Yan Shaozhe in spotless white, Elder Xuan filthy as ever, and a white-haired, youthful-looking woman—Lin Huijun, master of the Treasure Pavilion.
Lin frowned at Yan Shaozhe and Elder Xuan.
"Xuanzhi, Shaozhe, scheming against such a righteous junior like this is beneath you."
Watching Xu Zihuang earlier, she had truly admired him.
Yan Shaozhe lowered his head respectfully, saying nothing.
Elder Xuan, who had stopped Lin from intervening before, just laughed.
"Lin Huijun, how is this scheming? That boy got quite the bargain. With Xiaotao's talent, isn't she a good match for him?"
Ignoring her, he staggered off toward the Sea God Pavilion.
"Shaozhe, take Xiaotao back to rest," Lin said.
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