ă€ŠDouluo Dalu - The Story of Sheng Feilongă€‹


 1 The Awakening Ceremony

    Late at night in one of the central courtyards of the Sheng Clan estate, a small figure of around 6 years is sitting cross-legged on a veranda, his piercing blue eyes calmly staring into the night sky, seemingly out of focus and lost in thought. His pitch black, medium-length hair and loosely fitted attire swaying in the night''s wind as a few leaves from the nearby old olive tree land on the veranda, the boys lap and in the courtyards pond.

    A middle-aged man with broad shoulders, long, yellowish brown hair and sharp blue eyes, akin to the young boys, approaches the boy from the side. He calmly stands at the boys side and stares into the sky, like the boy besides him does.

    After a few minutes the boy takes his eyes off the sky and looks toward the middle-aged man, clearly startled by the figure who suddenly appeared by his side.

    "Father! You surprised me... Since when were you standing there?"

    "For a few minutes by now... you seemed so focused, father couldn''t bear to disturb you, little Feilong." the middle-aged man replied with a light chuckle.

    The boy, Sheng Feilong, obviously embarrassed and slightly blushing, grumbles.

    "You could have just said something..."

    Feilongs father looked at his son, amused by his embarrassment, and asks with a kind expression.

    "Why are you still up so late at night, staring into the sky? Tomorrow is an important day, the day ofthe Awakening Ceremony. Don''t tell me my, oh, so mature son is too agitated to sleep?"

    "Of course not, father! I.. I was just... just..." Feilong stammered and lowers his head, even more embarrassed than before after being seen through by his father.

    Sheng Lingtian, Feilongs father, chuckled again at his sons antics and ruffled his hair.

    "Alright, alright, of course you''re not that agitated, father was wrong. You will do just fine tomorrow and make father proud. Still, you should go to bed now. Its already so late. Surely you don''t want to oversleep tomorrow, right?"

    "But...before that, can we... talk a bit, again?" Feilong asks with a meek voice.

    "Sure..." Sheng Lingtian takes a seat beside his son and similarly sits cross-legged on the veranda.

    "So, what do you want to talk about?"

    The both of them continue talking about all kinds of stuff. At some point Sheng Feilong asks about the Awakening Ceremony that will take place the next day and his father kindly explains the ceremony''s history to him.

    Every human has some type of Spirit Soul lying dormant within themselves. The Awakening Ceremony is, as the name implies, a ceremony to awaken ones Spirit Soul. Depending on what kind of Spirit Soul it is, one may be able to become a Soul Master. In general, a Spirit Soul defines the speciality of a person. Someone who awakened an Axe Spirit, for example, will generally be better at cutting wood that someone who awakened a Shovel Spirit.

    The Awakening Ceremony itself is a ritual that dates back to more than 20.000 years ago. Spirit Masters who at least reached Rank 20 would help children awaken their Spirit Souls before measuring their Innate Soul Power.

    In recent times, most people would make an appointment with the Spirit Pagoda to have their children''s Spirit Soul awakened. In Clans like the Sheng Clan, an elder of the Family would usually take charge of the Ceremony.

    "Alright, that''s really enough now. It''s already way too late. Come, go to bed."Sheng Lingtian said with his hand on Sheng Feilongs shoulder. "Let me bring you to your room, Feilong."

    "Yes, father..." Sheng Feilong answers with half opened eyes, by now clearly tired, and follows his father, stumbling back to his room to go to sleep.

    The night passes quietly and Sheng Feilong slowly regains his senses, as the rays of the sun shine into his room. Quite a bit of bustling is going on outside the room, quite loud voices, as if he was at the edge of a marketplace, shortly after, he hears a loud and seemingly angry knocking on his door which eventually forces Sheng Feilong to wake up completely.

    "So noisy, what time is it..?" Sheng Feilong questions, still in his half asleep stupor. Taking a quick look at the clock, he immediately understands what the rude knocking is about. He overslept. At the day of the Awakening Ceremony. His father is going to be furious...

    Just as he thought that, an obviously angered but familiar voice sounds through the whole room

    "Sheng Feilong, wake up immediately! You overslept, you little brat!"

    Sheng Feilong jumps to his feet and opens the door, where the huge figure of an over two meters tall, middle-aged man with the same yellowish brown hair as his fathers and a greenish blue vein pulsing on his forehead awaits him.

    "Uncle Fengtian, I-"

    "Keep the excuses for later, the family has already assembled! Change your cloths and come with me. Now!"

    With a clearly paled face, Sheng Feilong rushes back into his room, changes his clothes in record speed and reopened the door after what felt like less than 10 seconds, leaving even his uncle, Sheng Fengtian, the fourth Elder of the Sheng Clan, speechless for a few seconds. Regaining his composure, Sheng Fengtian now lets loose a short laugh and grins at Sheng Feilong.

    "So you can hurry when there''s a bit of pressure on you, haha. The Ceremony starts in a bit over an hour, so there''s enough time for breakfast. Come on."

    This time, it was Sheng Feilongs turn to be rendered speechless.

    ''I haven''t overslept? But, what about my clock? Who tinkered with it?!''

    Hurriedly following his uncle to the dining room, Sheng Feilong sees his father and his uncle''s daughter, Sheng Lijing, along with his aunt, Luo Mei, already waiting for the two of them. A high-pitched chuckle escaped Sheng Lijing as she''s musing over Sheng Feilongs misfortune.

    "Father, that shout earlier came from you, didn''t it? You''re bullying Feifei again!"

    Sheng Feilongs countenance visibly darkens, clearly displeased by the nickname "Feifei", though before he could say something, his Sheng Fengtian takes the lead.

    "Come on, Jing''er, I''m not bullying the little brat. The order to wake him up clearly came from his father, isn''t that right, my beloved brother Lingtian?"

    This time Sheng Lingtians countenance changes, warping into a mixture of disgust and faked anger.

    "Just sit down and eat breakfast, brother. We don''t have all day. Or do I have to ask sister Mei to help me out here?"

    Sheng Fengtian throws his arms to the air in defeat while shaking his head, whereas Sheng Feilong simply takes a seat next to his father, glancing at the laughing expression of his aunt, who just handed him a bowl of rice. Truly, families are something else, all right.

    The five of them finish their breakfast in peace and slowly make their way to the Sheng Estates Main Plaza, where a crowd of dozens of people has already gathered.

    Elevated on a few feet high platform in the middle of the Plaza stands a kind of an altar-like obelisk with a transparent crystal ball on the top. Besides this obelisk stands the Grand Elder of the Sheng Clan, Sheng Yuntian, with his usual aged, but stoic expression, and lion-mane like yellowish brown hair and full beard, clothed in a formal, dark-grey attire and his hands clasped behind his back. About a dozen or so children, all of them around 6 years old, are standing on the platform below the obelisk, all of them quite fidgety and nervous.

    Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lijing ascend the platform and stand beside the other children.

    A few minutes later, the high-pitched voice of a eunuch was heard and the square quickly quieted down.

    "The Patriarch has arrived!"

    A moment later, the Sheng Clans Patriarch, Sheng Hentian, arrived, closely followed by a young boy, who closely resembled the former. He ascends the platform, heading to the side of the obelisk, opposite of Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian, waiting for everyone to quite down, while his son waited with the other children. Being the Patriarch of the Clan is not just a position of honour. It is a position of respect, only given to the mightiest warrior of the clans generation. Sheng Hentian is at the level of a Spirit King, a cultivator of level 50 or above. With his tall figure, in a tightly fitted formal attire and his, for the Sheng Clan common, yellowish brown hair combed back and beard neatly cut, he truly commands the authority the Clans mightiest warrior should have. For him to hold the Awakening Ceremony himself, the excitement of the youngsters can be imagined.

    Taking a step forward, Sheng Hentian fueled his voice with Soul Power, making sure it''s delivered to anyone in the Plaza.

    "As all of you know, today we''ve assembled here to proceed with this years Awakening Ceremony. Todays youngsters hold the future of the Sheng Clan. I''m sure all of you will bring pride to your parents and the Clan. Well, enough of these empty words, let us proceed with the Ceremony! Sheng Liwu, you shall be the first. Step forth."

    Responding to the call is a boy in plain clothing, with short brown hair, a calm face and a unexpectedly big nose, which doesn''t really fit in with his face. Stepping up to the obelisk, where Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian was already waiting for him, Sheng Liwu stood there facing the crowd as the Grand Elder put his hand on the child''s back, channelling his Soul Power into the childs body. Sheng Liwu closed his eyes and shortly after a lions mighty roar was audible in the whole Plaza as the distinct image of a black maned, 4 meters tall lion appeared above Sheng Liwu''s head, letting out another roar before slowly disappearing into the childs body, afterward he goes up to the crystal ball, putting his hand on it and channelling his Soul Power into it. A moment later, the crystal ball lightly lights up.

    "Black Maned Mountain Lion, a upper-middle tier hereditary Spirit Soul with an Innate Soul Power of level 3. Sheng Liwu, you will surely bring pride to your parents in the future. Be sure to cultivate faithfully to become a powerful Soul Master in the future." Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian said with a satisfied expression while stroking his beard.

    "Very good. Sheng Liwu, return to the other children''s side. Next up will be Sheng Ning''er." Patriarch Sheng Hentian said with a similarly satisfied expression.

    Acknowledging the Elders responses, Sheng Liwu bowed and return, before a young girl, namely Sheng Ning''er, ascended. Goind through the same procedure of awakening her Spirit Soul, earning herself a similar satisfied expression and responses from the Elders.

    Only after around half a dozen children went through the procedure did something unexpected happen. When Sheng Lijing went up to awaken her Spirit Soul, she actually awakened the Two-Tailed Mountain Lion, a variant Spirit Soul of the relatively common Fierce Mountain Lion. Moreover, she had an Innate Soul Power of level 6, the same level the Patriarch awakened with in his time, earning her sky-high praises from the Elders and Patriarch.

    Afterwards nothing mayor occurred until only two children remained, waiting for their Spirit Souls to be awakened ¨C Sheng Feilong and Sheng Henjian, the Patriarch son. Both of them looked at each other before Sheng Henjian gestured for Sheng Feilong to go first.

    Sheng Feilong steps up to the obelisk, bowing to the Grand Elder and Patriarch before turning to the crowd, fidgeting around from nervousness, meeting his fathers reassuring gaze, he takes a deep breath and calms down. Seeing this, the Patriarch mentions to Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian to begin, as the latter puts his hand on Sheng Feilongs back and channels his Soul Power into the childs body.

    Feeling the warm current of Soul Power flowing inside his body, Sheng Feilong closes his eyes and focusses on sensing his Spirit Soul, however even after tens of seconds, nothing happened.

    Feeling his Soul Power having no effect, Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian increases the output and pours more and more Soul Power into Sheng Feilongs body.

    A few seconds later, a series of headaches assaults Sheng Feilong, while his eyes begin to burn as if sthey were on fire, nearly causing him to lose consciousness. Sheng Feilong abruptly opens his eyes and takes a step forward, suprising the Grand Elder and Patriarch. Turning around and looking questioningly looking at the Grand Elder, he sees the shock in the latter and hears him exclaim.

    "Spirit Eyes..?"

    "It''s not our Clans Mountain Lion?" Patriarch Sheng Hentian chirms in, lightly frowning.

    Sheng Feilong hurriedly turns around again, looking at his father, only to see him too shocked and speechless, like the Grand Elder before him.

    The Sheng Clan''s crowd, seeing and hearing the reaction of the Patriarch and Grand Elder, as well as seeing Sheng Feilongs eyes begin whispering among themselves.

    "That''s the Spirit Eyes?"

    "He is an Elder''s son... how can he not have inherited our Clans Mountain Lion Spirit?"

    "He couldn''t possibly be an illegitimate child? How shameful."

    "The Sixth Elder''s position in the Clan is likely to fall given this situation..."

    "Enough!" the Soul Power fueled, angry shout of the Patriarch immediately shuts the crowd up. Taking a deep breath, Sheng Hentian speaks in a voice, even deeper than usual.

    "No matter what Spirit Soul he has awakened, he is the son of our Clans Sixth Elder. Show some respect. Now, Feilong, come up here to test your Innate Soul Power."

    Sheng Feilong, still despirited and confused by his own Spirit Soul, mindlessly puts his hand on the crystal ball, which suddenly starts shining more and more brightly like never before, the white light turning a light blue than a deeper blue as it continues to shine, forcing Sheng Feilong to close his eyes, as he takes a step back, clearly taken by suprise. When his hand let go of the crystal ball, the light fades, leaving behind a stupefied crowd, Grand Elder and even Patriarch, who unknowingly exclaims in a shaky voice.

    "Heavens... Innate... Innate Full Soul Power...!"

 2 Newfound Determination

    "Innate... Innate Full Soul Power" Patriarch Sheng Hentian exclaimed with a shaky voice.

    Never, in the entire history of their Sheng Clan, has anyone ever awakened with Innate Full Soul Power. Even the Sheng Clans Progenitor, Sheng Wuyong, who awakened the Sheng Clan''s legendary Spirit Soul, the Sun Swallowing Mountain Lion and reached the level of a Titled Douluo, merely awakened with level 8 Innate Soul Power!

    To think Sheng Feilong, who isn''t of the Progenitors direct bloodline managed to awaken it... To top it off, he doesn''t even have any variation of the Clan''s hereditary Mountain Lion Spirit.

    Sheng Hentian, as well as Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian''s countenances grew increasingly unsightly as the crowd realized what the crystal balls bright light truly meant and begin exclaiming and whispering among themselves.

    "Innate Full Soul Power! Our Sheng Clan has been blessed by the Heavens!"

    "Sixth Elder Sheng Lingtian truly is a dragon among men to give birth to such a son!"

    "The Sixth Elders position is sure to rise!"

    "This... But the child''s Spirit Soul isn''t our Clans hereditary Spirit Soul..."

    Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian was the first to snap out of his daze. He hurriedly turns to the crowd and infuses his voice with his Soul Power.

    "Quiet, everyone! Quiet!"

    At this point, Patriarch Sheng Hentian also snaps out of his daze, quickly chiming in with the Grand Elder.

    "The Grand Elder is right. Everyone, calm down. Sheng Feilong, Sixth Elder Sheng Lingtian, meet me at the Main Hall later. For now, let us continue with the Awakening Ceremony! Sheng Henjian, step forth!"

    Sheng Henjian currently has an indescribably unsightly expression to behold. Today way supposed to be his great day! He is the son of the Patriarch! He is aware of his own talent; even his father couldn''t hold a candle to him when he was his age! He is of the Progenitor''s direct descent!

    But now? Some random Elder''s child from one of the branch bloodlines actually awakened with Innate Full Soul Power? Unbelievable!

    As he ascends the platform to the obelisk he throws Sheng Feilong a vicious glare, startling the latter, who simply continues his way to the other children''s waiting area.

    As usual, Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian also puts his hand on Sheng Henjian''s back and begins channelling his Soul Power into the boy''s body. Just a few moments later, a powerful lion''s roar resounds through the whole Main Plaza, even more powerful than everything the crowd heard today, as a nearly 9 meters tall, deep brown lion with a majestic golden mane that sways in the wind as if made of fire appears above Sheng Henjians head.

    The whole crowd of the Sheng Clan feels their heart rates increase while an invisible pressure envelopes every single one of them.

    Feeling this pressure, Patriarch Sheng Hentian immediately cries out, his voice booming with excitement.

    "Flame Maned Mountain Lion! My son awakened the Flame Maned Mountain Lion! Ha, ha, ha, glorious! Our Sheng Clan has been blessed by the Heavens!"

    The Flame Maned Mountain Lion is atop-class Spirit Soul of the Sheng Clan that possesses a part of the bloodline of the Sun Swallowing Mountain Lion. So far only two people in the history of the Sheng Clan had awakened it. And both of these people reached the late stages of the Soul Saint rank!

    Through all this, Sheng Henjian has a smug look on his face, while the crowd bursts into another round of exclamations of excitement and disbelieve. Recalling his Spirit Soul, Sheng Henjian turns around, looking at his father, still with the same smug look on his face, and waiting to have his Innate Soul Power assessed. Seeing this, Patriarch Sheng Hentian mentions for him to step up and put his hand on the crystal ball.

    Channelling his Soul Power in it, the crystal ball lights up brightly, though not as impressive as it did when Sheng Feilong touched it, but still brighter than for other people.

    "Level 7 Innate Soul Power, congratulations, Patriarch. Your son is sure to become a great man in the future." Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian strokes his beard again as he chuckles to the Patriarch.

    "Grand Elder is right, my son is sure to become a great warrior, ha, ha, ha! This calls for banquet! Everyone, tonight our whole Sheng Clang shall celebrate the new, young talents of the clan!

    With this, I declare this years Awakening Ceremony completed!" Patriarch Sheng Hentian shouts, clearly elated by his son''s talent.

    Sheng Lingtian hasn''t taken his eyes of Sheng Feilongs back for the entire time. The small figure of his son, even though he''s surrounded by all those other children, who are elated and happily chatting, looks incredibly lonely to him. However, before he can say anything to his son, the voice of Patriarch Sheng Hentian resounds in his ear.

    ''Remember to come to the Main Hall tonight. Bring your son with you, as I said. No need to attend the banquet.''

    Turning his head to meet the Patriarch gaze, Sheng Lingtians clenched fists slightly relax, as he sees the conflicted and even so slightly sorry look of Sheng Hentian.

    Making his way down from the platform, Sheng Feilong is still lost in thought about his Spirit Soul. How could it not be the clan''s Mountain Lion? What lead to this? Wasn''t his mother''s Spirit Soul just a common Field Hoe? It couldn''t possibly overwrite the Mountain Lion. How... could have betrayed his father''s expectations like this..?

    Before he could continue his train of thought, he felt a big and strong hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he sees the same relaxed and calm expression of his father, slightly smiling and looking down to him. Tears well up in Sheng Feilongs eyes as he lowers his head.

    "Let''s go home, Feilong." After saying that, Sheng Lingtian silently leads his son back home.

    Reaching the familiar courtyard within the clan''s inner abode, Sheng Feilong makes his way to his own room, halfway through, he could no longer hold back his tears, nearly falling to the ground, bawling his eyes out.

    Seeing this, Sheng Lingtian feels a painful tug at his heart and immediately makes his way to his son.

    "Feilong, look at me!" stopping in front of his son, Sheng Lingtian kneels down on one knee, putting both his hands on his son''s shoulders, before continuing with a solemn look on his face.

    "No matter what your Spirit Soul is, Feilong, you will always be my son. Father will never lose faith in you. So what if you do not have the Sheng''s hereditary Mountain Lion Soul? Your Spirit Eyes are at the very least as good as the Mountain Lion, if not better! Do you remember the stories I told you? About the great master of ancient times? 10.000 years ago, one of the Spirit Souls of the Spirit Ice Douluo, Huo Yuhao, also were the Spirit Eyes. He was considered a weakling, as he only had a Innate Soul Power or level 1, still he became a Titled Douluo, and even a god! What about you? You have a Spirit Soul which once produced a god, and moreover, you have Innate Full Soul Power, ten times stronger that the Spirit Ice Douluo! You would be considered an incredibly rare talent no matter where on the continent you go!"

    Speaking up to this point, Sheng Lingtian''s grasp loosens and after a short pause, he continues.

    "...So what does it matter if you can''t practice the clan''s hereditary techniques? So what if you can''t walk in those old fogey''s footsteps? Your talent is more than father could''ve ever wished for. Stand with your back straightened and be proud. You have all the rights to be."

    Sheng Feilong wipes the tears off his face and straightens his back, a newfound determination shining in his eyes.

    "You are right... I''m sorry father, I''ll never let you see such a pitiful state again, I promise!"

    Sheng Lingtians solemn look vanishes into a bright smile, taking his hands of his son''s shoulders, ruffling the latter''s hair with one hand, and nudging the latter''s nose.

    "Good, that''s my son. Now, go to your room and rest for a while. Today was a tiring morning. Tonight, we''ll go and meet Brother Hentian and see what he has to tell us, alright?"

    "Yes, father!" Sheng Feilong nods, takes off to his room and lays onto his bed, slowly fading to sleep, even though it''s barely noon, this morning was truly taxing for a 6-year old.

 3 A Talk With The Patriarch

    The Sheng Clan Estate is in a festive atmosphere. Just this morning, in the annual Awakening Ceremony, Patrairch Sheng Hentian''s son, Sheng Henjian, awakened the Flame Maned Mountain Lion Spirit, a top-class Spirit Soul of the Sheng Clan, while his Innate Soul Power was measured to be of level 7; Even higher than the Patriarch''s Innate Soul Power!

    A huge banquet has been organized at the Sheng Clan''s Main Plaza, dozens of tables, filled with all kinds of delicacies and beverages. Dancers and musicians are performing all over the place, young and old talking, eating and enjoying each others company. At the reserved table at the head of the other tables, elevated on the Main Plaza''s Platform, many of the Elders sit with their families, at the middle of the table, Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian sits beside the young Sheng Henjian, taking lead of the festivities in the absence of the Patriarch.

    However, not everything is as harmonious as it seems. The seats reserved for the families of the Fourth and Sixth Elder are all empty. Many guests of the banquet have also noticed this, as they whisper among themselves about the reasons for that. Many rumours couldn''t be more accurate. The son of the Sixth Elder Sheng Lingtian, Sheng Feilong, did not awaken the clans hereditary Spirit Soul, instead he awakened a foreign Spirit Soul. However, the rumours don''t end there. Many people saw the young boy awaken with Innate Full Soul Power as well as the unsightly expressions of the Grand Elder and Patriarch. Now, with the Patriarch, Sixth Elder and Fourth Elder absence, the scenery can be imagined...

    Rumours are rumours, after all.

    Sheng Feilong is still sleeping peacefully in his bed. As the festivities go on, he slowly wakes up and looks around. Seeing as it is already dark outside and hearing the bustling atmosphere outside, Sheng Feilong stands up and makes his way to his father''s room. Gently knocking on the door, he hears the calm voice of his father, allowing him entrance, he pushes open the door and steps into the room.

    Inside the room, Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Fengtian are sitting on a small wooden table next to the bed. A cup of fragrant tea in front of each of them.

    "Feilong, you''re awake. Did you sleep well?" Sheng Lingtian asks with his usual calm expression and a slight smile on his lips.

    "Yes, I did, thank you, father." Sheng Feilong replied, grinning sheepishly while awkwardly scratching his head. Looking at his uncle and father, he asked "Did I interrupt you..?"

    "You didn''t. We were just talking about today, and I was actually about to come and get you." Sheng Fengtian replied, before looking at Sheng Lingtian. "Now that Feilong''s here, shall we go and see what the Patriarch has to say?"

    "Very well. Feilong, come with us." Sheng Lingtian said. Though, seeing his sons troubled expression, he holds in his steps and puts his hand on Sheng Feilong''s shoulder. "Don''t worry. Everything will be okay. Just trust father on this one. You only have to come with us to see the Patriarch. We will take care of the rest." He continues on his way.

    Moving past his nephew, Sheng Fengtian gives him an encouraging pat on the the back, accompanied by a nod, before he walks away as well. Sheng Feilong quickly skips after the two of them.

    Walking along the clan''s inner abode, they don''t really come across anyone. Most of the people are near the Main Plaza, enjoying the festivities, while those that aren''t keep to themselves in their own homes. It doesn''t take long before the three of them reach the Main Hall, this massive building, overtowering most of the other buildings. Adorned with delicate ornaments and engravings, it represents the pride of the whole clan.

    Pushing open one of the massive doors, they quickly spot Patriarch Sheng Hentian at the top of the main table, where he usually sits during clan meetings. Sheng Feilong''s able to see that he''s currently going through some documents of some sort, which he puts down the moment Sheng Fengtian closes the door behind the three of them. Not waiting for them to announce their presence, Sheng Hentian speaks up, while directly looking at Sheng Feilong.

    "Sheng Feilong, the son of the Sheng Clan''s Sixth Elder, Sheng Lingtian, and his deceased wife, Luo Beifong, currently 6 years of age. Has awakened the rare Spirit Soul of Spirit Eyes, Innate Soul Power of rank 10, also known as Innate Full Soul Power. Talent for becoming a Soul Master is therefore assumed to be of the highest degree."

    He pauses briefly before picking up one of the documents he was occupied with before, folds it twice and puts in in an envelope. Afterwards he proceeds by sealing the envelope by stamping the Sheng Clans official seal of approval on it. Sheng Hentian sighs deeply before looking at Sheng Lingtian, who was only watching him the whole time with a stoic expression.

    "Brother Lingtian, this is a personal recommendation from the Sheng Clan''s Patriarch for little Feilong to attend the Heaven Dou Primary Academy. The new year there will begin next month."

    Sheng Heitian slowly says, looking straight into Sheng Lingtian''s eyes, who by now seems to suppress his incredible anger. Looking at each other for a few moments, Sheng Lingtian is the first to break the silence with an incredibly icy voice, which greatly surprises both, Sheng Feilong and Sheng Fengtian. However, it is not his voice that leads Sheng Feilongs face to pale, but his words.

    "Sheng Hentian, are you banishing my son from the clan? To put your own son into the position of the next patriarch?!"

    At this point, Sheng Fengtian freezes as well, however Sheng Hentian is still looking at Sheng Lingtian with the same determined and cold expression.

    "Brother Lingtian, his talents would be wasted in our Sheng Clan. None of our cultivation techniques fit with his Spirit Soul. Moreover... I also have to consider the public opinion not just my own... The Heaven Dou Primary Academy has so much more to offer for him and you know that as well."

    "You are willing to go that far for those damnable public opinions? Just to save some face in front of mere outsiders, you are forcing away my son, the greatest genius in the hundreds of years of history of our Sheng Clan?!" Sheng Lingtian did not even bother to suppress his anger anymore, his Soul Power recklessly charging out. In reaction to this, Sheng Fengtian hurriedly uses his own Soul Power to shield Sheng Feilong, who''s countenance is ashen and is barely able to stand.

    Sheng Hentian, using his own Soul Power to shield himself and the documents, still replies with iron determination.

    "I am not forcing him away. I am giving him a chance to get a better life. Better than being an Elder''s child who didn''t manage to awaken the clan''s hereditary Spirit Soul, who isn''t able to cultivate the clan''s cultivation techniques properly. Do let your own emotions blind you. This is all for the future of your son, Brother Lingtian."

    Sheng Lingtian was about to refute the Patriarch, but then he heard the meek voice of his son, forcing a smile, while tears well in his eyes.

    "Father, isn''t that enough? Let''s just go to Heaven Dou Primary Academy. Didn''t you say that Heaven Dou City is so beautiful? That you wanted to take me there for sightseeing in the future? The Patriarch has done nothing wrong, right? It''s me who doesn''t have the clans hereditary Spirit Soul, right? He''s just doing his job."

    Seeing his son like this, Sheng Lingtian gradually calms down, his aura slowly retracting. He looks at his brother, Sheng Fengtian, with a pleading expression. "Fengtian, take Feilong back home. We''re done here."

    Sheng Fengtian nods before leading Sheng Feilong, who''s still looking at his father, out of the Main Hall. A moment after them, Sheng Lingtian walks to the door as well, stopping just a step before it and speaks with his back towards the inner hall.

    "From today onward, my family and I no longer have any connection to the Sheng Clan. It''s life and death are no longer of concern to us. We will leave the clan''s compound in three days. Until then we will not stir up any trouble and keep to ourselves."

    With this Sheng Lingtian exits, closing the door shut after himself, leaving behind the lone figure of the Patriarch in the hall. A prolonged sign escapes Sheng Hentians mouth, before he turns around to the back of the hall, leaving as well.

 4 A New Home And Heaven Dou Primary Academy

    No one within the Sheng Clan seemed to know or suspect anything about the conversation between the Patriarch and Sheng Feilong''s family. Sheng Lingtian had long since told his brother, Sheng Fengtian, about the last words he spoke to the Patriarch when they were on their way back to their courtyards. As well as his decision to leave alone with his son, appealing for Sheng Fengtian to stay in the Sheng Clan with his wife and daughter.

    While it took quite some time, after a lot of discussion and persuasion, Sheng Lingtian finally managed to get Sheng Fengtian to agree. The next morning, the latter decided to tell his family about his brother''s plans, causing Sheng Lijing and Luo Wei to immediately storm off to Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian respectively. This lead to a major headache for Sheng Lingtian, as he hadn''t told his son about the plan, yet. Persuading and discussing for what felt like hours again, all of them eventually agreed and settled down.

    Three days later, late at morning, Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Feilong sat in Sheng Lingtian''s car, driving down a highway towards Heaven Dou City. They had been on the road for almost two hours by now, driving past some smaller villages and mountainous sceneries.

    Sheng Feilong had been looking out of the window for quite some time now, playing around with the black, strangely engraved ring on his finger and thinking about what happened earlier this morning.

    They had decided to leave the clan in silence, not telling anyone besides Sheng Fengtians family about their plan. However, when the five of them reached the clan''s Main Entrance, Patriarch Sheng Hentian was already waiting for them. He talked a bit with Sheng Lingtian, before giving him the sealed envelope with the recommendation for the Heaven Dou Primary Academy. He than turned to Sheng Feilong, telling the boy that, if ever something happened and he didn''t know what to do anymore, he could always return to the clan and ask for help. Afterwards he gave Sheng Feilong the black ring he now wears.

    Sheng Feilong had already asked his father about that ring. Apparently it is an Spacial Ring, an item created by a Soul Master proficient in the space element. Using the space element, the Soul Master opens up a small, idependant space, bofore than using inscriptions or engravings to bind that space to an object, in this case, Sheng Feilongs ring. Using his Soul Power, Sheng Feilong can access that space at will to store or take out items. Such a ring is also the reason why Sheng Lingtians car is not stuffed to the brim with their belongings ¨C all of them are in his own Spacial Ring. Of course, the space inside is not infinite. Sheng Feilong''s Spacial Ring only has a capacity of three cubic meters, whereas Sheng Lingtians ring is of a higher quality and has a capacity of 12 cubic meters.

    A few minutes later, Sheng Feilong was pulled out of his thoughts by the voice of his father.

    "Feilong, look up ahead. Heaven Dou City is already in sight. We''ll soon reach it."

    Turning his head around to take a look, Sheng Feilongs eyes widened almost instantly. They we''re still a few miles away from the city, but he could already see the city''s skyline, many of the building reaching high into the sky, much taller than the Sheng Clan''s Main Hall. One of the buildings, a huge, square shaped tower, reaching out to the clouds was located near the center of the city. Sheng Feilong, of course, knew what building that was. It''s the Spirit Pagoda, one of Douluo Continents greatest institutions, founded over 10.000 years ago by no other than the Spirit Ice Douluo, Huo Yuhao!

    "You don''t have to stare at the Spirit Pagoda like that, Feilong. We''ll go there soon enough. You need to obtain your first Spirit Ring anyways, right, Mr. Innate Full Soul Power?" Sheng Lingtian chuckled, as he had once again managed to make his son feel embarrassed.

    "We will have to take care of two other things first, though. Renting an apartment and getting your registered at the Heaven Dou Primary Academy."

    Sheng Lingtian had already contacted an old acquaintance of his, who conveniently just so happens to be the proprietor of a number of real estates in the western part of the city. Hearing of his old friends dilemma and his need to find a residence in Heaven Dou City, that old acquaintance offered Sheng Lingtian to rent a relatively big apartment for a low price, to which Sheng Lingtian naturally happily agreed.

    Comfortably driving through the streets of Heaven Dou City to their new home, they soon reach a small building with a decently sized courtyard in a calm neighborhood, where a lanky looking, middle aged man already waits for them. Getting of the car in front of the building, both Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Feilong are visibly surprised. Sheng Feilong because he recognized that middle aged man. It is Wang Lingzhi, an old friend of his mother who frequently visited them in the Sheng Clan. However, Sheng Feilong didn''t really like Wang Lingzhi. He would always flick the Sheng Feilong''s forehead with his finger if he said anything the latter didn''t like!

    Sheng Lingtian, on the other hand was surprised because of the house they found themselves at.

    "Wang Lingzhi, it is good to see you again. How have you been?"

    "I have been fine, thank you. It is also good to see you, Sheng Lingtian. So? What do you think about the little house I''ve found you?" Wang Linghzhi replied with his usual coarse, low-pitched voice, that you wouldn''t really expect given his physique.

    "Wonderful, but didn''t we agree upon an apartment?" Sheng Lingtian replied with an uncertain expression.

    Wang Lingzhi just shrugged his shoulders in response. "Don''t sweat the details, the price is the same. Rather, isn''t this much better? You''ll be able to cultivate in peace here. And it''s closer to the academy." He walked a few steps ahead before stopping in front of Sheng Feilong.

    "Hey, how''ve you been, little Feifei?"

    Sheng Feilong flinched at the nickname and frowned a little, but still forced a smile.

    "I have been good, thank you, Uncle Wang. How- ugh!" before he could finish his sentence, his forehead had already been mercilessly flicked by a steel beam like finger.

    "What uncle? Am I that old? Make sure to call me big brother next time!" Turning around, Wang Lingzhi threw Sheng Lingtian a pair of keys.

    "Anyways, I''ve got to go. Still have a few things to do. Enjoy your new home." With this, he went for his car, and simply left.

    While Sheng Feilong still rubs his forehead, Sheng Lingtian fakes a cough before looking at his son.

    "Well, shall we take a quick look before heading to the Academy?"

    Entering the house they were surprised to find it fully equipped.

    A bedroom to the left, the bathroom on the same side, just a door further in, a big master bedroom on the right side. Straight ahead they have a communal living room and kitchen with a glass front leading to a small veranda and the garden.

    They stayed a while and unpacked their luggage, then setting up in their respective rooms, before going out again and driving toward the Heaven Dou Primary Academy.

    The Heaven Dou Primary Academy is actually just a part of the actual academy grounds. Both, the primary and intermediate share the same campus, while the advanced academy is located in the central region of the city.

    It didn''t take long for Sheng Feilong and Sheng Liangtian to arrive at the Primary Academy.

    Going to the secretary and asking to see the Principal, who personally takes charge of new student with recommendation letters, they are soon invited in.

    A black haired women in her 30s clothed in a formal attire currently sits in the principals chairs and stands up to greet them.

    "Good day, sir. I am Su Wan, the Principal of Heaven Dou Academy''s Primary School Department. I was informed that you have a recommendation letter from the Sheng Clan for you son to attend our academy?"

    "Good day, Principal Su. I am Sheng Lingtian and this is my son, Sheng Feilong. We indeed came today to have my son registered for the Primary Academy. The letter of recommendation has personally been written by the Patriarch. Please." Quickly going through pleasantries, Sheng Lingtian introduces them before handing Su Wei the letter.

    Su Wei opens it and begins reading more or less out loud.

    "Sheng Feilong, 6 years old... Spirit Soul are the Spirit Eyes? What a rare Body Spirit..." Midway though, her eyebrows suddenly shoot up, a hint of disbelief in her voice, while looking at Sheng Lingtian.

    "What? Innate Full Spirit power?! Mister Sheng, why would your clan send someone with such talent away to attend a civil academy?"

    Sheng Lingtian could not help but smile bitterly.

    "The clan is not able to support my son''s talents. As he does not have the clans hereditary Spirit Soul, the cultivation techniques don''t suit him very well. So we made the decision to have him learn at an academy away from the clan. Given Heaven Dou Academy''s reputation, I was sure he would be able to obtain a top-class education here."

    "I see, so it was like that. Very well, I''ll personally see to his registration papers. They will be sent to you within the next few days. Shall we address them to the Sheng Clan?" Su Wei asks in a respectful tone.

    "No, my son and I have settled down her in Heaven Dou City. You may sent the papers there."

    Giving Su Wei their address, Sheng Lingtian and her continue talking about a few formalities before he and Sheng Feilong make their way out of the Academy.

    Letting out a small sigh, Sheng Lingtian looks at his son with a smile.

    "Phew, that was tiresome. Now than, shall we go to the Spirit Pagoda?"

 5 The Spirit Pagoda

    "That was tiresome. Now than, shall we go to the Spirit Pagoda?"

    Sheng Lingtian asked his son with a smile.

    Soon after, they arrived at the Spirit Pagoda. On the way there, Sheng Feilong was barely able to suppress his excitement. Practically jumping out of the car, he made a beeline for the main entrance. Stepping in, he''s greeted with a bustling atmosphere of dozens of people talking, lining up at the counters, our preparing to leave with deliveries or missions. Almost all of those people were Soul Masters, some of them may even be stronger than his father or the Patriarch! Sheng Feilong smiled brightly at that sight, earning him a few side glances from some of the women. The sight of a cute little boy roaming and looking around with such a bright smile couldn''t be ignored by them.

    A moment later, Sheng Lingtian appeared as well. Seeing him, Sheng Feilong immediately runs over to him.

    "Father, come on, tell me where we have to go!"

    "Feilong, calm down. The people are already looking." Sheng Lingtian said, as Sheng Feilong flinches, turns around and hurriedly bows to the crowd before hiding behind his father.

    Sheng Lingtian chuckled, he had once again managed to get his son embarrassed.

    Lining up at one of the counters, they had to wait a few minutes before being able to talk to the employees. A torture for a 6 year old boy who as excited as Sheng Feilong. Waiting for their turn, they are then greeted by a young women wearing the simplistic, white standard uniform of the Spirit Pagoda.

    "Welcome to the Spirit Pagoda. How may we help you?"

    "We''ve come to obtain the first artificial Spirit Soul for my son." Sheng Lingtian replied while putting his hand on Sheng Feilongs shoulder.

    The employee seemed surprised at Sheng Lingtians words.

    "Artificial Spirit Soul? You son has already reached Rank 10?"

    "Indeed. So, where shall we go to obtain one for him?" Sheng Lingtian replied courteously, his voice riddled with pride.

    "Ah, excuse me. Please, go through the elevator on the right. On the third floor, there will be another counter with personal to measure his Spirit Power and help you choose a fitting artificial Spirit Soul."

    The employee bows lightly before gesturing for the elevator.

    They board the elevator, stepping out of it on the third floor. With only one counter and a few doors the third floor appears rather deserted compared to the bustling first floor. Sheng Lingtian leads the way to the counter, where they are greeted by a young man in his twenties. He''s wearing the same simplistic, white standard uniform as the woman from before, he however has a badge on the left side of his chest which certifies his permission to make the different tests which have to be made in order for Sheng Feilong to choose a artificial Spirit Soul.

    Stating their purpose once again, Sheng Lingtian is asked to fill in a standard form with questions about personal information of the one to receive a artificial Spirit Soul as well as a liability agreement to make sure the Spirit Pagoda cannot be held accountable should Sheng Feilong be unable to fuse with his artificial Spirit Soul.

    After answering all questions and filling in the form, Sheng Lingtian gives the clipboard with the form back to the employee, who quickly looks at through.

    "Very well, everything looks all right. We can now begin with the test. If you would follow me, please." The employee respectfully said before going through on of the doors.

    Following him in, Sheng Feilong sees a strange setup of machines and computers. On some of the computer''s monitors are all kinds of diagrams and complicated formulas disoplayed, none of which Sheng Feilong has seen before, they''re really looking weird and he''s not able to make any deductions of what they''re meant to be. Most notably, however, is a chair with a huge headgear that has multiple cables attached to it. The headgear is completely made of metal and easily big enough to fit the whole head of an adult.

    The employee than introduces the machine as a method of determining ones Spirit Power using and mixture of technology and Soul Power. He than asks Sheng Feilong to take a seat on the chair, which he does, whereas the employee takes a seat before one of the computers and begins typing in something, probably to get the machines working and the test starting.

    "Alright, you don''t have to be scared now. The headgear will slowly come down and cover your head. Then you will feel like some kind of power tries to get inside your head. Try to focus on that power as good as you can, but don''t stop it from flowing into your head. The machine will measure your Spirit Power by telling how well you can focus on that power. Alright, I''m lowering the headgear now."

    The headgear soon covers Sheng Feilongs whole head, a very weird view, as the headgear is even bigger than his upper body. Inside of it, Sheng Feilong doesn''t really see anything. It''s pretty much completely smooth, so he just closes his eyes and waits for the strange power the employee mentioned.

    "Okay, I''ll now start the machine. Remember to try and focus on the strange power, as I said before. Here it comes." The employee says as he clicks a few buttons on his computer.

    Sheng Feilong hears the machine power up and soon feels a warm current flowing inside his head.

    ''Is that the strange power...? It just feels as if I''m standing in the sun... He said to focus on it, right? Here goes... warm feeling... warm feeling... warm fee- wait, it''s getting hotter? How weird!'' Sheng Feilong thought as he tried to focus on the warm feeling as best as he could.

    The procedure continued for about a minute and a half, and the strangely warm power Sheng Feilong was feeling was steadily becoming hotter, not as much as to be uncomfortable, though.

    What he did not know was, that the employee currently had a stupefied expression on his face. More precisely speaking, he had a stupefied expression on his face since 40 seconds ago. As the test finishes and the headgear goes up again, Sheng Feilong now sees his father looking at him with a stupefied expression and the employee looking at him as if he were some kind of monster.

    Snapping out of his daze, the employee looks back at his monitor before turning towards Sheng Lingtian.

    "A Spirit Power of 486 points at the age of 6 years... Sir, I... I really have to inform my superiors of this matter... Please wait for outside for a while."

    Sheng Lingtian nods with a solemn expression and leads Sheng Feilong outside to wait. The employee runs up to the counter and makes a quick phone call before heading up the elevator.

    A few minutes later, the employee returns with another man behind him. The man is about 1.90 meters tall, with a lean build and a sharp jawline. He''s wearing a white uniform with black pants and shoes. On the left side of his chest he has a badge like the other employee, instead of the usual bronze badge, his is of a golden colour and endowed with three stars, though ¨C a symbol which only members of the Spirit Pagodas top echelon posses. The most eye-catching thing, however, is not the badge on his chest, but his hair. A giant, 4 cm wide and 15cm mohawk cut in a vibrant, pink colour.

    Sheng Lingtian was petrified. He knew that to enter the Spirit Pagodas top echelon, there a two criteria. One has to either be a Titled Douluo or have the recommendation of three other members of the top echelon who are Titled Douluos. They are in charge of a whole department of the Spirit Pagoda or may even be part of its Council. Either way, they are not people that low-level Soul Kings like himself can easily meet.

    However, it had to become worse. Sheng Feilong saw the man in the same moment as Sheng Lingtian. He also saw the giant, pink mohawk, couldn''t suppress his surprise and burst out laughing loudly. The mohawk man seeing this, raised his eyebrows and to a few step forward before crouching down in front of Sheng Feilong.

    "Hey little guy. You must be Sheng Feilong, right? What, you don''t like my hair? Hah... I''m devastated. Anyways, I''m Song Weihan, I''m in charge of the distribution of artificial Spirit Souls and the various tests here. Little Wu here said you scored nearly 500 points when measuring your Spirit Power, is that right?" Song Weihan questioned Sheng Feilong with an amused expression.

    By now, Sheng Lingtian was sweating profusely, however he didn''t dare say anything to Song Weihan, as the latter directly chose to speak to his son.

    It took Sheng Feilong a few seconds to stop laughing and catch his breath before he could reply to Song Weihan all the while brightly smiling.

    "I''m sorry Mister Song, I didn''t mean to laugh! But your hair surprised me! It''s so awesome and pink! And yes, what Mister Wu said is true. My score was 486!"

    "Whoa, amazing! Hey, how about we do some other little tests? If you''re doing good, I''ll give you a nice present." Song Weihan replied with a little laugh.

    "A present? What kind of present?" Sheng Feilong asked with sparkling eyes.

    Seeing this, Song Weihan smiled mischievously. "I won''t tell you. But I promise you''ll like it. So, want to do the tests?"

    Sheng Feilong didn''t even think before blurting out.

    "Okay!"

 6 Acknowledging A Master

    Sheng Feilong was currently following Song Weihan, a member of the Spirit Pagoda with a giant, pink mohawk cut, through the Spirit Pagoda''s third floor. Song Weihan lead him to another room with more weird machinery in it, a few computers and some kind of white bed with a weird metal ring at the head.

    "Alright, Feilong, I need you to lie down on that bed and keep still for a while. You see that ring at the head? Once I press a few buttons, it will light up and move above your body, down to your feet. The light will scan you and once it''s done we''ll see a picture of you on this screen here." Song Weihan said with his usual upbeat voice.

    Sheng Feilong does as he''s told, the man promised him a present if he does well, after all!

    He lies down, hears the machine start up and light up in a green colour. Then it starts moving down to his feet before halting a moment and moving up again. Song Weihan tells him to stand up again and come over to show him and Sheng Lingtian the result.

    "And here''s the picture of you on the screen, see? The machine scanned your whole body and like this, we can look into your body." Song Weihan says, letting out a relieved sigh, than presses a few buttons and the monochrome picture of Feilong changes to only show his skeleton. "Like this, we can see if you''re healthy or ill. And guess what? You''re totally healthy. That''s one step closer to your present."

    Hearing this, Sheng Feilong was gleeful and happily followed Song Weihan to the next test. They stop before another room where Song Weihan opens the door for Feilong to enter.

    "Alright, the next test will take a few minutes. Mister Wu is already waiting inside. Just do as he says and you''ll be alright. I need to talk to your father for a bit."

    Sheng Feilongs looks at his father, whonods in return, and then goes off into the room.

    Afterwards, Song Weihan turns towards Sheng Lingtian and mentions towards a bench before he begins talking.

    "I''m really sorry for not consulting your opinion before, Mister Sheng, however taking the scan of Feilongs body was of utmost importance. Such a high Spirit Power at such a young age often results in some kind of deficit in the brain or nervous system. I had to make sure he was alright before we could do something else." Song Weihan said while bowing his head.

    "There is no need to apologize, Mister Song. I had heard about such cases before, as well. It''s good that you took action immediately. However, may I know what other tests you have planned for Feilong? And what was that about a present?" Sheng Lingtian inquires calmly.

    "The other tests are mainly of the standard procedure for choosing an artificial Spirit Soul, save for the last one and the one he is currently doing. As for the present, you should be aware of the Spirit Pagoda''s intent to support promising Soul Masters by providing their first artificial Spirit Soul for free, correct?" Song Weihan answered in an equally calm tone, before adding on.

    "Correct me if I''m wrong, but I think you did not mention his Spirit Soul to our staff before. What is it, if I may ask?"

    "Feilongs Spirit Soul is a rare body spirit, the Spirit Eyes. Moreover, the reason that we are here today to obtain his first artificial Spirit Soul is because he awakened with Innate Full Soul Power."

    A hint of pride could be heard when Sheng Lingtian said the second half of his answer.

    Song Weihan''s eyes widened. "A young genius who has the rare Spirit Eyes, awakened with Innate Full Soul Power and has an incredible 486 Spirit power at the age of 6? Just what kind of talent is that?"

    Sheng Lingtian did not answer him, as he saw that Song Weihan had already become lost in his own thoughts. He merely smiled pridefully, while thinking about the situation.

    ''Even a top master of the Spirit Pagoda can not help but praise my son''s talent to the high Heavens!''

    Song Weihan was the first to break the silence with another question.

    "Mister Sheng, how are you inclined to letting your son join the Spirit Pagoda? His talent is incredible and with the Spirit Pagoda''s resources, he is sure to become a top grade Soul Master in the future, moreover we posses techniques to allow him to specifically train his Spirit Power and with his natural endowment, he could possibly reach the peak of the Spiritual Abyss Realm, allowing him to easily become a Titled Douluo, relatively speaking."

    Sheng Lingtian was baffled by the sudden suggestion. Taking a moment, he eventually answered.

    "I think it would be in his best interests to join the Spirit Pagoda. Please note that the decision is ultimately his to make, though. I will merely support him, whatever he chooses. However, does a normal member of the Spirit Pagoda really have the means to obtain such resources..?"

    Song Weihan smiled at his question.

    "Thank you for giving him and us this chance. As for your question, a normal member naturally does not enjoy the full support of the Spirit Pagoda, even if they are as talented as your son. However, I do not intend to recruit him as a normal member."

    "Oh? I wonder what Mister Song means by saying that?" Sheng Lingtian squinted his eyes, slightly suspicious of Song Weihan.

    Song Weihan on the other hand merely smiled brightly again.

    "What I mean is that, depending on his test results, I intend to recruit Feilong as my personal disciple."

    Sheng Lingtian nearly fell of the bench hearing that. He could only speechlessly stare at Song Weihan''s smiling expression.

    - - -

    A few minutes later, Sheng Feilong finally came out of the room. The test with Mister Wu was truly tiring, he would just be asked one question after the other. And they would become harder and weirder the more he answered... That Mister Wu is a strange guy, Sheng Feilong even supposed that Mister Wu was playing tricks on him, asking weird questions, that aren''t part of the test, on purpose!

    Looking around, he quickly found his father and Song Weihan sitting on a bench, drinking tea while waiting for him.

    Song Weihan was the first to greet him. "Oh, Feilong, you''re already done? That was quick. Do you want something to drink as well?"

    Sheng Feilong quickly nodded, putting on a pained expression.

    "Yes please! Mister Wu asked to many questions, I''m really thirsty!"

    They took a short rest while drinking tea and chit chatting for a while, but soon returned to topic, as Sheng Feilong was the first to ask to resume the test. Sheng Lingtian sighed seeing his son like this. The little guy really becomes impatient once someone mentions a present.

    As there was no prior information other than Sheng Lingtian''s statement, Song Weihan used the pretext of a test to have Sheng Feilong show him his Spirit Soul and Soul Power, with Sheng Lingtians agreement, of course. Even though he was prepared and practically knew it beforehand, he was still awed by Sheng Feilongs talent. He there and then decided to take Sheng Feilong in as his disciple.

    "With this, we''re all done. That was the last test, Feilong. And you once again did great! With this, you qualify for the present I promised you." Song Weihan said, again with an upbeat voice.

    Sheng Feilong was overjoyed and excitement sparkled in his eyes, but before he could ask about it, Song Weihan spoke up again, this time with a more solemn voice and expression.

    "However, before that, I still have one question for you. I''ve talked about it with your father before and he said, you had to make the decision yourself. Would you like to become a member of the Spirit Pagoda?"

    This time, Sheng Feilong was puzzled by the question.

    "Join the Spirit Pagoda? You mean, work for you like Mister Wu does? But I''m only 6 years old!"

    Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan chuckled, before the latter explained his meaning.

    "That''s not what I meant. You know, the Spirit Pagoda has many member, that don''t directly work for us. They are Soul Masters that are trained by the Spirit Pagoda to become stronger. You can think of it like a Clan or Sect. I was wondering if you would like to join the Spirit Pagoda like that."

    "So the Spirit Pagoda will help me become a strong Soul Master? That''s awesome! What do I have to do to join?" Sheng Feilong asked, now understanding what Song Weihan meant.

    "As long as you''re willing to join, your father and I will take care of the rest." Song Weihan kindly explained, again.

    "There''s one more thing. In the world of Soul Master, there are people who can become your teacher or your master. A teacher will help you gain knowledge like in the academy, whereas your master will teach you anything he knows, to make help you get even stronger than himself. However, a master will only teach his disciples, and not everyone. So, would to you willing to acknowledge me as your master?"

    Sheng Feilong already knew what it meant to have a master compare to a teacher, he knew this was an important decision. So he took a quick look at his father, who just calmly looked back at him, leaving the decision to Sheng Feilong. Thinking for a moment, Sheng Feilong made his decision. He really liked Song Weihan and the latter even has people who work for him at the Spirit Pagoda, so he must be really strong, too! Thinking up to this point, Sheng Feilong quickly kneeled down on one knee, bowed towards Song Weihan and loudly spoke.

    "Disciple Sheng Feilong greets Master!"

 7 The First Artificial Spirit Soul

    Song Weihan was in a really good mood, seeing his little disciple greet him so respectfully like that, so he nodded in satisfaction, than spoke to Sheng Feilong.

    "Very good! Feilong, come, stand up. Now that you are my disciple, let me introduce myself again to you and your father."

    Song Weihan took a step back, straightened his back and collar, than fixing the golden badge on the left side of his chest again.

    "My name is Song Weihan. I am a member of the Spirit Pagoda''s regional Council for Heaven Dou City and the leader of the Artificial Spirit Soul Development and Distribution Department. That, you already know."

    Coming up to here, Song Weihan took another step back. An immense pressure fell onto the both of them without hurting them and a strong wind surged, as different coloured light sprung into existence around Song Weihan. He had unleashed his Soul Power and Soul Ring for Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian to see.

    Sheng Feilongs eyes widened in awe. 4 purple Rings, 3 black Rings and 1 red Ring! 8 Soul Rings in total! His Master is a Soul Douluo of at least level 80! The strongest Soul Master Sheng Feilong had ever seen!

    Sheng Lingtian was similarly stunned. Song Weihan didn''t look much older than 30, much younger than himself. Yet he is already a Soul Douluo and he even had a 100.000-year-old red Soul Ring, moreover, from his Soul Power''s pressure he seems to be in the late stage of the Soul Douluo level! Someone with that kind of talent may even reach the level of a Hyper Douluo in their lifetime! And that person even took his son as his personal disciple! He knew Song Weihan must be strong, given his identity as a member of the Spirit Pagoda''s top echelon, but he didn''t think it would be to this extent!

    Seeing their reactions, Song Weihan simply smiled and continued his introduction.

    "... What you did not know, is that I am only 34 years old this year. My Spirit Soul is the Spirit Endowed Flamingo and I am currently a Level 89 Control System Soul Douluo, with my main focus lying in spiritual assault to disrupt the enemy''s momentum, and the application of illusions."

    Song Weihan recalled his Soul Rings and the pressure slowly lessened until it was completely gone. He continued to smile after finishing and again took a look at Sheng Feilong.

    "From today onwards, I am your master. I''ll teach you how to cultivate properly, how to become a strong Soul Master, about the world of Soul Masters in general, and if, in the future you wish to learn, I''ll also teach you about artificial Spirit Soul research. Starting next Monday, you will come to the Spirit Pagoda for 3 hours in the afternoon, 5 days a week, while you''ll be free to do as you please on weekends. My standards and expectations are high and my training will be reflective of that, especially considering your talent. But for now, there''s something more important."

    Song Weihan''s tone changed from the previous solemn one to his upbeat, more relaxed one.

    "I promised you a present after all, didn''t I? Though, now that I''m your master, I''ll make it an even better one. Follow me."

    Before Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Feilong could react, Song Weihan had already turned around and moved through the door past the counter. They looked at each other for a moment before quickly following behind Song Weihan. Stepping through the door, they entered a big, laboratory like room, where a number of people white coats were working. There were tables packed with computers and documents, all kinds of discussions about statistics and the newest results were going on, while a huge machine that occupied nearly one-third of the room was running on full speed. It must be important considering its size and the fact that every single computer in the room was hooked up to this machine.

    Song Weihan was currently talking to a green haired young woman in a similar white coat, who after a moment, bowed slightly to Song Weihan before rushing off to the side. Song Weihan once again turned to Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian, asking them to come over to him while he walked off to a door at the side. They quickly followed him out of the room and entered a hallway with a lot of doors with numpads at their sides. They walked a few meters in and Song Weihan typed in a few numbers on one of the pads to open the room and entering it.

    The group was now standing in an decently sized room, with noting but a bed in it, a simple, light grey floor, white walls and soft lighting coming from the white ceiling. Song Weihan turned around to look at Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Feilong, let out a tiny sigh and looked quite content.

    "Alright, no one will disturb us here. You originally came here for your first artificial Spirit Soul in order to become a full fledged Soul Master, right, Feilong? Master decided to gift one to you. And a really special one that fits you perfectly, at that. I sent Miss Yu, the lady I was talking to in the laboratory, to get it for you, Feilong."

    Sheng Feilong''s eyes lit up at the mention of a Spirit Soul and he promptly run up close to Song Weihan.

    "My first artificial Spirit Soul? And a special one just for me! What kind of Soul is it? Is it a dragon?!"

    Song Weihan smiled lightly.

    "You''ll have to wait until you get it. I won''t tell you in advance. But before you can get it, I have to show you something else. Get on the bed and sit down cross-legged, as if meditating." Waiting for Sheng Feilong to get on the bed as he was told, Song Weihan than put his hand on the formers back and carefully poured his Soul Power into him.

    "Close your eyes and remember the way my Soul Power flows inside you. That''s a secret technique that only core members of the Spirit Pagoda are allowed to learn. It''s extremely important that you get it right. It''ll be your main cultivation technique and also the technique you have to use when absorbing an artificial Spirit Soul into your body. Stay focused."

    Feeling the warm energy coursing through his a body in a weird way, he tried his best to remember it. After a few rounds of circulation, he began moving his own Soul Power together with Song Weihans. He quickly got the hang of it, surprising Song Weihan, who than stopped using his Soul Power, told Sheng Feilong to continue and simply observed, making sure Sheng Feilong made no mistakes.

    ''This boy... his perception is really good. He got the hang of the technique after just a dozen rounds of circulation. And he''s getting more and more relaxed with each. It seems I really made a good decision to take him as my disciple before those old foxes saw him.''

    While Song Weihan was thinking that, the room''s door opened and the green-haired woman, Miss Yu entered with a big metal box in her arms. Song Weihan mentioned for her to keep quiet, as Sheng Feilong was still running the cultivation technique, and took the metal box out of her arms. Miss Yu bowed lightly to Song Weihan again and then quietly left.

    Song Weihan placed the metal box next to himself and just a few seconds later, Sheng Feilong opened his eyes.

    "Master, I''ve got it now! I can circulate my Soul Power in the weird pattern without problem now!"

    Song Weihan smiled and pointed at the metal box.

    "That''s good. Your present just came in, too."

    He opened it on one side, causing white vapor to come out of it and than took out a delicate, half transparent blue ball, which he handed to Sheng Feilong.

    "In here, is your first artificial Spirit Soul. Once you pour your Soul Power into the ball, the Spirit Soul will be bound to you and you can begin to absorb it. However, if you don''t absorb it, the Spirit Soul will die within 24 hours. So make sure you''re ready."

    Sheng Feilong quickly sat down on the bed again, hearing his master''s words, took a deep breath and carefully poured his Soul Power into the ball. The ball''s blue colour became deeper, and once it was full, the ball cracked. A yellow light emerged, as a thick, yellow Soul Ring appeared around the ball. The ball shattered completely and revealed the Spirit Soul Song Weihan chose for Sheng Feilong.

    A thick four-legged creature, with powerful hind legs, slightly thinner arms, a bumpy, tough hide and a massive head sat on Sheng Feilong''s hand. It''s lower body was deep brown in colour, almost dark enough to be black, while the rest of it body was toned in a lighter slightly yellowish brown with occasional darker spots. It''s huge, multicoloured eyes ominously flickered in a change of the eyeball''s yellow base colour, a blood-red crimson and deep black, as it''s pupils and irisescontinuously changed shape, from a horizontal slip, to a cross and back.

    Sheng Feilong was stupefied by this and trembled. He finally got his first artificial Spirit Soul! And one his master, a powerful Soul Master from the Spirit Pagoda hand-picked for him, at that!

    But... but why did it have to be a... giant toad?!

 8 Ancient Hypnotic Toad

    Sheng Feilong was stupefied. He kept mindlessly staring at the giant, brown toad in his hand. This was the super special artificial Spirit Soul hand-picked by his master specifically for him...? The toads loud growl echoed through the room, powerful and filled with energy, and pulled Sheng Feilong right out of his thoughts. He looked at Song Weihan with disbelieve in his eyes.

    "Master, this... why is my first artificial Spirit Soul a toad..? Didn''t you say it was a present for me? That it was super special? Were you playing a trick on me? Or maybe, this is just a joke and you still have the real thing? That''s it, right?"

    Song Weihan couldn''t help but laugh, further amplifying Sheng Feilong''s guess, however, he than spoke with certaincy and determination in his voice.

    "What you hold in your hand isn''t some normal toad from the pond, Feilong. It''s an artificial Spirit Soul created with the genes of an 180.000-years-old Ancient Hypnotic Toad, a species that had been extinct on the Douluo Continent for more than 300.000 years. It is a Soul Beast vastly superior to the 10 Great Ferocious Beasts of today. The Spirit Soul you have in your hand is at the level of a 642-years-old Soul Beast, however, it''s growth potential is absolutely limitless. I actually planned to further strengthen into an 100.000-year-old artificial Spirit Soul before absorbing it myself when I break through to the Titled Douluo boundary. However, after your tests, I decided to give it to you."

    Song Weihan walked a few steps over, crouching down before Sheng Feilong and continued his explanation.

    "The Ancient Hypnotic Toad got its name from its incredibly potent illusionary powers. According to our research, it trapped any enemy in an illusion filled with dangers. Most prey would lose their minds in the illusion, becoming completely helpless and being totally at the toads mercy. However, that''s not the most terrifying part. Once they hit the level of 100.000-years-old Soul Beasts, their illusions would become reality. Imagine an illusion where any injury becomes real. Poking your finger at a thorny vine and now your real body is bleeding as well, despite standing right where you were, not moving an inch. That''s the true power of the Ancient Hypnotic Toad. Of course, you can''t use that power yet, as the artificial Spirit Soul will also only get that power at the 100.000-year-level."

    ''This ugly toad has such incredible powers?'' Sheng Feilong was baffled by the explanation, still he quickly remembered something.

    "Master, if you wanted to use it to break through to become a Titled Douluo, why did you give it to me? Didn''t you say only I can use it now?"

    Song Weihan smiled again, looking Sheng Feilong directly into the eyes.

    "It''s because of your eyes. The Ancient Hypnotic Toad''s illusionary powers come from its eyes as well. Seeing your test results, especially your incredible Spirit Power, and taking into consideration your Spirit Eyes, you''re the perfect match for its abilities. If you train diligently and really advance your Spirit Power to the peak of the Spiritual Abyss Realm, than further amplify that Spirit Power with your Spirit Eyes and than use the Ancient Hypnotic Toad''s power, the result will be unimaginable. You will be able to draw out the maximum potential of the Toad, much, much more than I could ever hope to achieve. That is why I gave it to you."

    "Master ...-"

    Sheng Feilong was about to say something, when the powerful growl of the Ancient Hypnotic Toad disrupted him, causing Song Weihan to laugh before speaking up again.

    "Alright, enough chit chat, you still have to absorb your first artificial Spirit Soul. And this little guy is already getting impatient. Let''s continue talking later. Your father and I will keep watch, so concentrate on absorbing it well. And remember, use the technique I showed you earlier."

    With that, Song Weihan stood up and ruffled Sheng Feilong''s hair before taking a few steps back and casually leaning against the wall.

    Sheng Feilong lightly shook his head go straighten his hair, than deeply looked at the Ancient Hypnotic Toad in his hand. Fixing his sitting position, he than held the toad in both hands before closing his eyes and starting to circulate his Soul Power the way Song Weihan taught him to. After a few circulations, the toad starting to radiate a slight heat that entered Sheng Feilong''s body through his hands and began circulating together with his Soul Power. The warmth quickly melded together with his own Soul Power and Sheng Feilong felt his whole body slowly heating up, especially his head and eyes.

    Unbeknownst to him, the Ancient Hypnotic Toad in his arms slowly became more and more transparent as the dim light it radiated was absorbed by Sheng Feilong. It soon closed its eyes as well, thoroughly fusing with Sheng Feilong as it completely dissipated into the dim light that entered Sheng Feilong''s body. A thick yellow Soul Ring emerged from Sheng Feilong''s body and quickly settled behind his back.

    The warm feeling Sheng Feilong felt had disappeared. Instead, it felt like it had fused with his own Soul Power, becoming a part of him and strengthen his Soul Power and body. After trying to feel all the changes, he found something. A unknown energy that did not exist before, flowing together with his Soul Power. When he tried to inspect it, he could feel the energy concentrate on his back before leaving his body. At that moment, some kind of knowledge appearing in Sheng Feilong''s mind. He instantly knew what kind of energy that was and what it does. It''s his first Soul Ring.

    Sheng Feilong opened his eyes, turning his head around and saw the yellow Soul Ring behind his back. He turned to look at his father and master, to see the former look at him in surprise and the latter smiling brightly. Both of which confused him.

    "43 minutes. A mere 43 minutes was all it took you to fully absorb your first artificial Spirit Soul, extract your first Soul Ring from it and assimilate the knowledge on said Soul Ring. You''re truly incredible, Feilong." Song Weihan spoke in a single breath, truly unable to hide his excitement.

    "Come on, tell me, what''s your first Soul Skill? It got to have to be related to an illusion, right?"

    Sheng Feilong was surprised by the sudden request, however, when his master mentioned his first Soul Skill, he instinctively knew what it was and how to activate it. He activated his Soul Skill, the Soul Ring behind his back lighting up, while his Spirit Eyes activated, turning his eyes'' colour into a vibrant light blue, which radiated a weak light, and turned to look his master into the eyes.

    At first, nothing happened. But when Sheng Feilong looked into Song Weihan''s eyes, the latter felt a ripple of Spirit Power. Knowing that that was his disciple''s Soul Skill, he let the Spirit Power invade his mind. Then Sheng Feilong stretched out his hand, using the illusionscape his Soul Skill formed to have a cauliflower grow and blossom within his palm.

    Song Weihans eyes lit up, clearly more excited than before.

    "That''s incredible! Your Soul Skill resonates with your Spirit Eyes, using your Spirit Power as the medium to trap the opponent in an illusionscape, than uses Soul Power to create illusions within the illusionscape''s radius'', than Spirit Power again to cover up the usage ofSoul Power. If your opponents Spirit Power isn''t vastly supperior to yours than it''s almost impossible to break out of the illusion. It can even mess with my senses when I don''t oppose it. This ability is truly too convenient for a Control System Soul Master. In a fight you could use the illusions to fake your Soul Skills, Spirit Soul or even the number of your Spirit Rings. If not that, you can create copies of yourself or teammates to confuse the enemy and even make yourself invisible to have them chase after the clone. How truly terrifying! Feilong, can you trap more people into your illusionscape?"

    Sheng Feilong looked at his father as well, pulling him into the illusion as well. However, he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him as soon as he pulled his father into the illusion. His Soul Power dropped significantly as well. This change went not unnotice by Sheng Lingtiang and Song Weihan. The latter quickly speaking up again.

    "Pulling in more people into the illusionscape requires a large amount of Spirit Power as well as Soul Power. I assume pulling in even more people will increase the cost exponentially. Mister Sheng, you should be able to see the cauliflower Feilong created in his hand now, right? Ah, and Feilong, how much longer can you keep the illusion up before becoming too tired?"

    Sheng Lingtian quickly nodded, than looked at the strange cauliflower growing from his son''s hand and smiled. That son of his really came up with weird ideas. Whereas Sheng Feilong answered Song Weihan.

    "I think I can manage about 2 more minutes, but I''ll be really drained by than. It''s really hard to have two people in the illusion. I can feel my own Soul Power running out, it''s weird!"

    Sheng Weihan laughed at that answer, first because his little disciple really knows how to make himself look pitiful and second, because this ability of his was really too powerful for a 6-year-old, freshly made Soul Master to have.

    "Alright, you can stop your Soul Skill now, we don''t want you to drop unconscious, do we? By the way, what''s your Soul Skill called? You should have gotten that knowledge when you got to knew how to use it before."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t hesitate to say it''s name and didn''t really think about it, he really knew it from before and it felt natural to him.

    "It''s called Toad Prison!"

 9 First Day At Heaven Dou Primary Academy

    Hey there, Yozuka here.

    Recently, I''ve seen many people in the comments ask about Sheng Feilong''s second Spirit/MartialSoul. Questions whether he''ll have one, some directly assuming that he has one and asking which it will be and other even making nice and thought through suggestions what his second Soul could be.

    I thought it might be a good idea to answer that question for now, as I''ve had my own thoughts on the matter since even before starting to write this novel.

    I''d asked myself the same questions and actually came up with two separate story lines depending on if he gets a second Spirit Soul or not. I also have a Spirit Soul planned out for him, which I currently don''t want to reveal, yet. But I can say that it''s been inspired by an anime from 1997 and it''ll be related to the element of darkness.

    So I''ve decided to start a poll on the matter and you, the readers, will be deciding whether he gets one or not!

    I''ll leave the poll open until November, 21st00:00 GMT+1 for you to vote.

    Poll >> https://www.strawpoll.me/16873318

    Thanks for reading my novel so far and your continuous support in form of Power Stones, comments, likes or what not!

    Without further ado, please enjoy the next chapter!

    ---------------------------------------------------

    After a tiring day at the Spirit Pagoda, Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian returned to their new home. They spent the rest of the day there, unpacking and sorting through all of their stuff, before eating dinner and finally going to sleep. Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Feilong used the rest of the week to get to know their new neighbours, touring around the closest parts of the city and getting used to their new lives in general, while they would cultivate in the evening.

    On the next Monday, Sheng Feilong once again returned to the Spirit Pagoda with his father, where they met up with Song Weihan. Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan spent the next few hours together, while asked for a room to cultivate as he bid his time, waiting for Sheng Feilong to finish.

    Song Weihan helped Sheng Feilong with his cultivation, explaining the theories behind the cultivation technique he taught Sheng Feilong before and training his control over his Spirit Power and Soul Power. After the training, Sheng Feilong was thoroughly spent, not physically but mentally. Sheng Lingtian could only wrily smile and bring Sheng Feilong home.

    This became Sheng Feilongs daily routine. Spend the day with his father, doing all kinds of things, before heading to the Spirit Pagoda to train with Song Weihan in the afternoon, than come back home and go to sleep early due to exhaustion.

    Like that, nearly half a month flew by where Sheng Feilong would learn new things from Song Weihan on a daily basis, without any drastic events, until one day Sheng Feilong would feel something change. Sheng Lingtian went to his usual cultivation location provided to him by Song Weihan, while Sheng Feilong would proceed in his training. Learning about cultivation, a bit of hand to hand combat, before training the control over Soul Power and last but not least, Spirit Power. On this day, Sheng Feilongs Spirit Power finally broke through 500 points, reaching the Spiritual Ocean Realm from the Spiritual Sea Realm. Following his fusion with the Ancient Hypnotic Toad, Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power obtained a considerable boost and paired with his daily training, he reached the Spiritual Ocean Realm. The world slightly changed for Sheng Feilong on that day. His thoughts became clearer and his perception shaper, he could remember things more easily and his control over Soul Power and Spirit Power became more precise.

    On that day, Song Weihan returned to Sheng Feilongs home together with him and Sheng Lingtian, celebrating Sheng Feilong''s break through with a small feast. In the next few days, Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan would focus more on training Sheng Feilongs Spirit Power over everything else to quickly get him accustomed to the changes.

    Days flew by once again and soon the new month came. Early in the morning, Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian were getting ready to leave. Today will be the first day at the Heaven Dou Primary Academy for Sheng Feilong and he was excited to go there. He wore his school uniform consisting of white pants, a white shirt, a red jacket with the Academy''s logo embroidered on the right side of the chest and a pair of black shoes. He quickly left the house locking the door and running over to his father who waited beside a purple coloured Mecha.

    Sheng Lingtian currently wore a standardized white uniform with a bronze badge on the left side of his chest ¨C The same uniform Mister Wu from the Spirit Pagoda wore. Song Weihan offered him to work at the Spirit Pagoda as a guard. Given his rank as a Soul King, his experience with the piloting of Mechas and the personal recommendation from Song Weihan, he quickly became the leader of a small team consisting of 5 other Macha Pilots beneath him.

    Boarding the Mecha, Sheng Lingtian brought Sheng Feilong to the Heaven Dou Academy, earning them looks of admiration from the passerbys, as Purple Mechas weren''t commonly seen. He let Sheng Feilong out before heading to the Spirit Pagoda himself.

    Sheng Feilong was excited as he entered the Academy Gounds. Following his daily training, his Spirit Power reached a grand total of 503, which was absolutely above any standards given his age and even his Soul Power had reached the early stage of a Level 13 Soul Master. Still, he was only a six year old child. He didn''t know where to go on this giant Academy''s Ground, so he had to ask for directions, despite his embarrassment. He quickly found his way to the Primary Academy''s First Year Soul Master Class and sat down in own of the seats.

    After some time, around 30 children had assembled in the classroom and a few among them already seemed to be familiar and were talking with each other. Sheng Feilong sat in his seat, looking around the classroom, he didn''t recognize any of the other children. Besides him sat two other boys. On his right, a rather thin boy with glasses and neatly combed hair who was reading a book about general knowledge about Soul Masters and Spirit Souls and on his left a plump boy who was currently leaning over the table with his eyes closed, clearly he was sleeping. Both didn''t seem like Sheng Feilong could talk to them, so he just sighed and waited for class to start.

    About a minute later, the teacher, a middle aged woman with black hair and the Heaven Dou Academy''s staff uniform, entered the room. Sheng Feilong quickly woke the plump boy to his left up, earning him a smile and a ''Thank you'' from the boy. The teacher hurried the children to take a seat and calm down, before she started going through the attendance list. As it turns out, the thin boy with glasses was called Xiao Yuewu and the plump boy was called Jian Wang.

    The teacher then asked everyone to introduce themselves, tell the class a bit about themselves and what their Spirit Soul and their Soul Level are. Sheng Feilong was a bit confused by this, as his teacher taught him that a Soul Masters Spirit Soul and Soul Level a very important and shouldn''t be told to everyone. However, as no one else seemed to have doubts about this and freely told the others about their''s, Sheng Feilong decided to do so as well. They would spend at least 3 years together as classmates, so it shouldn''t be a problem and trust is important, after all.

    Most of the children were about Soul Level 3-6 and their Spirit Souls more or less ordinary. The most powerful person in class so far was Jian Wang, whose Spirit Soul was the Mountain Splitting Axe, a high rank Tool Spirit Soul of the Power Attack System. Jian Wang''s Soul Power also was at level 8, earning him a round of gasps and exclamations for him peers. Sheng Feilong thought about what to say for a bit and when it came to his turn, he already had his little speech prepared and stood up.

    "My name is Sheng Feilong and I really like about anything that has to do with Soul Master. I''m a member of the Spirit Pagoda and my Spirit Soul are the Spirit Eyes. I''m a level 13 Control System Soul Master."

    For a moment, the classroom was so silent, you could have heard a pin drop down, before the children burst out in a fervorous cheer, asking questions left and right. Jian Wang and Xiao Yuewu couldn''t help but be shocked and look at Sheng Feilong in astonishment and even the teacher looked clearly surprised.

    It took a while for everyone to calm down before one of the children lifted his hand and asked the teacher what kind of Spirit Soul the Spirit Eyes were, as he had never heard of them. The teacher patiently explained about them, resulting in another uproar. Before, the children were astonished about Sheng Feilong''s Soul Level, but now it turns out he even had a super rare and powerful Spirit Soul!

    After again giving everyone some time to calm down, the teacher asked the next person to introduce herself. The one to stand up was a small girl with short black hair tied to a ponytail, who wore a huge blue scarf above her uniform. She looked a bit nervous and spoke up with a meek voice.

    "My name is Jian Shiguan. I like small animals and stories about Soul Masters. My... my Spirit Soul is Bluesilver Grass and I''m at-"

    Before she could continue, she was interrupted by someone laughing out loud. Turning around, Sheng Feilong saw that it was Xiao Yuewu who''s laughing and currently holding his stomach.

    "Bluesilver Grass, that trash Spirit Soul, ha, ha, ha! What are you doing here, as if you could become a Soul Master! Just go to the ordinary class, ha, ha, ha!"

    Jian Shiguan stood there, her fists clamping down on the hemp or her skirt, while he tried to hold back her tears. The teacher was deeply frowning and Sheng Feilong was about to speak up when Jian Wang jumped to his feet, staring at Xiao Yuewu.

    "Shut up! Who said you could run your mouth about my cousin! Her Spirit Soul is not trash!"

    Xiao Yuewu stopped laughing and frowned, clearly displeased that someone spoke to him like that.

    "What are you saying? Bluesilver Grass is trash, and everyone knows that. It can''t be cultivated to high levels and is useless because it''s so weak! Since her Spirit Soul is trash, she should just go away!"

    This time Sheng Feilong could hold it in. He stared at Xiao Yuewu, frowning and speaking in a cold voice.

    "Who are you to say Bluesilver Grass is weak? The Tang Sect''s Founder, Tang San''s Spirit Soul was also Bluesilver Grass. He only later evolved it into the Bluesilver Emperor. Since he could do it, who says Jian Shiguan can''t? Every Spirit Soul can be strong if cultivated right. So stop laughing and shut up!"

 10 Getting Into A Figh

    Jian Shiguan and Jian Wang were taken aback by Sheng Feilong''s sudden comment. They didn''t expect this super talented Soul Master to speak up for them and he even told Xiao Yuewu to shut up! Naturally Xiao Yuewu wasn''t expecting Sheng Feilong to speak up, either! He hails from the Xiao Clan, one of the three most powerful clan''s of Heaven Dou City! It''s one thing for Jian Wang to defend his cousin, but for an uninvolved party to speak up like that? Xiao Yuewu couldn''t let that slide that easily.

    "Who do you think you are to speak to me like that? You think you can say anything just because you''re a bit talented? You''re nothing before my Xiao Clan, so shut up, this doesn''t even involve you!"

    Sheng Feilong really hated his attitude. His clan was strong so other''s couldn''t say anything? Yeah, right!

    "I''ll get involved, then! What you said was mean and it was wrong as well. So apologize to Jian Shiguan and stop boasting. Who cares about your Xiao Clan!"

    Jian Shiguan was looking at Sheng Feilong in admiration and Jian Wang also couldn''t help but look at him. Xiao Yuewu, on the other hand, was now really angry and his face totally red. He stood up, but before he could say something, the teacher stopped their fight.

    "Alright, that''s enough. All of you sit down and stop arguing. Xiao Yuewu, you shouldn''t laugh about others Spirit Souls, they couldn''t choose them. Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan, you sit down as well, we will continue will the introductions now."

    Although the teacher stopped the fight, it is clear that she also didn''t think much of the Bluesilver Grass. Sheng Feilong didn''t like that fact, but he chose to remain silent. Glancing to the side, he could see Xiao Yuewuangrily staring at him, so he simply looked in another direction, ignoring the arrogant young boy. Jian Wang threw him a thumbs up, causing him to smile before looking to Jian Shiguan, who hid her face behind her blue scarf, making Sheng Feilong unable to see her face.

    Still smiling, he thought to himself.

    ''She''s probable smiling. I guess she didn''t think someone would speak up for her.''

    The introductions continued without any unreasonable results, all of them fit the average. Soul Power of levels between 3 to 6, relatively ordinary Spirit Souls and relatively ordinary family backgrounds. When it came to Xiao Yuewu''s introduction, the children went ferverous again, and Sheng Feilong was slightly shocked as well. Xiao Yuewu was already a Level 11 Agility System Soul Master. And his Spirit Soul was a variant Spirit Soul from his clan, the Moonlit Curved Daggers.

    ''No wonder he dared to laugh at Jian Shiguan, so it turns out he''s really strong!'' Sheng Feilong thought, still a bit shocked that Xiao Yuewu was already a Soul Master.

    ''But why would the Xiao Clan send him to the Academy? Can''t he learn from his clan?''

    Still, Sheng Feilong decided not to pry too far into Xiao Yuewu''s matters. Although they are classmates, he can''t become friends with everyone, much less that arrogant guy! Jian Wang didn''t seem surprised at Xiao Yuewu''s cultivation level, though.

    ''I guess he already knew... But he still stood up for Jian Shiguan. He''s a good guy!''

    Classes soon came to an end and it was time for their first break. Xiao Yuewu simply left the room without saying anything, while most others stayed inside the classroom, forming small groups and talking. Sheng Feilong turned to Jian Wang, surprised to find the latter already looking at him.

    "Thanks for speaking up for Shiguan earlier. I didn''t think someone with a powerful Spirit Soul like you would say something in her defence!"

    Sheng Feilong smiled in response.

    "No problem. That Xiao Yuewu was wrong anyways. But why would you choose to sit just one seat apart from him when your cousin sits on the other end of the classroom?"

    Jian Wang scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.

    "Well, Shiguan wanted to sit with other girls and not with me, so I just sat down wherever and take a nap, but he wasn''t sitting their when I first came here."

    "Well, yeah, he came even later than I and there weren''t many empty seats. He just sat down next to us and read his book." Sheng Feilong replied with a nod, then frowned a bit.

    "I don''t really like him. Even if Jian Shiguan''s Spirit Soul is weak, why would he laugh and say such mean things?"

    Jian Wang frowned as well and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

    "I''ve known him for a while and he''s always been like this. He hates anyone who''s weak and is jealous of anyone stronger than him. It''s become even worse since he awakened his Spirit Soul. Well, he said it''s a variant of his clan''s Spirit Soul, but it''s actually weaker than the normal one. That''s why he was sent to the academy."

    "He should be happy he even has a Spirit Soul related to his clan..." Sheng Feilong muttered under his breath, before asking Jian Wang another question.

    "Why do you know him so well, though? Are you of some big clan as well?"

    Jian Wang smiled proudly when he heard the question.

    "My father is a super good blacksmith and the Xiao Clan often asks him to work for them. Since we were of the same age, his father would often bring him to the smithy and we would play together."

    Time quickly flew by as the two of them talked to each other. At some point Sheng Feilong told Jian Wang that he''s training at the Spirit Pagoda to become a strong Soul Master causing Jian Wang to sigh in awe and question him about what he does there, though Sheng Feilong didn''t mention Song Weihan, he told Jian Wang about his training in general.

    A few minutes later, they heard the unpleasant voice of Xiao Yuewu. "Out of the way!"

    He was shouting at a group of girls standing near the door and pushing two of them to the side. One of them was a girl with a few strands of blonde hair who had a Spirit Soul related to the light element. The other was Jian Shiguan.

    Both girls weren''t expecting to be pushed to the side, tripped and fell to the ground. Xiao Yuewu didn''t bother with them, though, he simply made his way through the class to his seat. That caused both, Jian Wang and Sheng Feilong, to instantly become enraged, both stood up and Sheng Feilong walked over to stand in Xiao Yuewu''s way.

    "Apologize to them!" He said with an angry expression and cold voice. Xiao Yuewu just mockingly smiled at Sheng Feilong, taking another step forward, he stood directly in front of Sheng Feilong.

    "What, you want to fight? Fine by me."

    Before Sheng Feilong could answer, the teacher entered the room and saw them standing in the middle of the classroom. By now, the other girls had already helped Jian Shiguan and her friend up. Luckily none of them were injured. The teacher walked up to the front of the class and spoke up.

    "What are you doing? Class has started, so return to your seats at once."

    Sheng Feilong angrily looked at Xiao Yuewu, but ultimately returned to his seat without causing trouble. Classes were quite boring as most of the time they would just get to know each other or talk about general knowledge about Soul Masters or the Academy. Soon, it was time for lunch break and the teacher showed them the way to the cafeteria, before leaving them there. Sheng Feilong payed for his lunch and saw Jian Wang waving at him. They sat at a nearby table where Jian Shiguan and Su Liyun, the black haired girl with blonde strands, were already seated. They ate their lunch and talked to each other. Near the end of the break, Xiao Yuewu walked over to their table.

    "Today after school at the training grounds. Come, if you dare." He said while looking at Sheng Feilong and directly left after, not waiting for an answer.

    Jian Wang and the others frowned and worriedly looked at Sheng Feilong. He was frowning as well while munching away at a carrot. He swallowed a piece in his mouth before looking in the direction where Xiao Yuewu left.

    "This guy... I actually just wanted to ignore him. Hmpf, fine, I''ll kick his butt, then!"

    He then focused his attention on the carrot in his hand, happily munching away at it again. The others just stared at him with complicated expressions, rendered speechless by his nonchalant attitude.

    Back in class, Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang wordlessly took their seats next to Xiao Yuewu and simply chose to ignore him and concentrate on classes. This time, they had a history lesson, where the teacher explained various things that happened in the last thousands of years. About the Spirit Pagoda, The Great Douluo Forest, Tang Sect and many more.

    That was the last class for today. After it ended, many people excitedly made their way to the training grounds. Word about the fight between the two strongest of the first years had already spread through the Primary Academy.

    When Sheng Feilong, Jian Wang and the others reached the training grounds, nearly a hundred people had already gathered around one of the arenas. On there, Xiao Yuewu already stood with his arms cross in front of his chest, waiting for Sheng Feilong.

    "You actually dared to come, and here I thought you would hide away!" Xiao Yuewu spoke in a loud voice when he saw the Sheng Feilong.

    Sheng Feilong made his way up the arena and stood a few meters away from Xiao Yuewu before casually commenting.

    "You left just 30 seconds before we did, though."

    Xiao Yuewu frowned and took a fighting stance.

    "Enough of that, let''s just fight!"

    Sheng Feilong than looked at him with a more serious expression as well.

    "Good. You wanted this. Don''t go crying when I kick your butt!"

 11 Literally Kicking His Butt!

    Hey there, Yozuka here!

    Time''s up for the poll!

    First of all, thank you very much for all your votes!

    The end result was very clear with 84% being leaned towards one answer.

    As decided by the poll, Sheng Feilong will indeed awaken a second Spirit Soul.

    As I said before, I already have a plan for what it''ll be and a rough concept of how to incorperate it into the story. However, that will not happen for at least the next 10 to 15 chapters.

    Therefore, I don''t wish to go into too much detail about it. As mentioned before, the Spirit Soul has been inspired by an 1997 Anime and will be of the darkness element. As for why it didn''t awake naturally like his Spirit Eyes, take note of the Awakening Ceremony Sheng Feilong went through and how it is different from the ceremony described in the original Douluo Dalu novels. Please trust me when I tell you that everything will explain itself later and any major differences to the original have their reasons (at least all of them I conciously put in and didn''t just got wrong.)

    Link to the poll''s results ( Screenshot taken at 00:09, November 21st GMT+1):

    https://puu.sh/C56UW/6a41950447.png

    Without further ado, please enjoy todays chapter!

    It was incredibly satisfying to write and I hope you''ll like it!

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sheng Feilong and Xiao Yuewu stood 10 meters apart on the big arena. Both of them staring at each other and waiting for the fight to begin. A second year student had ascended the arena with them and stood at the side to act as the referee. Apparently, even the higher grades knew about the fight. He lifted his hand and announced with a loud voice.

    "First year student Sheng Feilong versus first year student Xiao Yuewu. Both combatants on your marks! Ready? Fight!"

    He abruptly lowered his hand as a signal to begin the fight.

    In nearly the same moment, Xiao Yuewu''s Soul Power surged and a bright, yellow Soul Ring sprung into existence behind his back as two curved, black and white daggers appeared in his hands. His Soul Ring lit up and a hazy, light green aura enveloped his body. That was Xiao Yuewu''s first Soul Skill ¨C Wind Enhancement!

    Wind Enhancement greatly increases the users speed and, while being of the wind element, could still be used by any Soul Master, making it a perfect match for Agility Type Soul Masters. With the boost from his Soul Skill, Xiao Yuewu brandished his daggers and dashed towards Sheng Feilong with astonishing speed!

    If it was a month ago, Sheng Feilong would definitely be flustered by this however, after his training with Song Weihan and the things he learned about being a Control System Soul Master, he couldn''t hope for more than a opponent mindlessly dashing towards him!

    Sheng Feilong quickly made look to unprepared and flustered while he used his Spirit Eyes and activated his first Soul Skill ¨C Toad Prison. He felt his Spirit Power trap Xiao Yuewu in his illusion without much resistance, as the latter had a quite low Spirit Power, before than hastily taking a few steps to his right.

    Inside the illusion, Xiao Yuewu saw Sheng Feilongs flustered expression before the latters Soul Ring lit up, making Xiao Yuewus head buzz a bit. Sheng Feilong definitely used a Spirit Attack to make him lose focus before, too bad his Spirit Power wasn''t strong enough! He than saw Sheng Feilong jump back and use his Soul Power to create a light blue barrier in front of himself to avoid Xiao Yuewus attack.

    Xiao Yuewu grinned and used the dagger in his left hand to attack Sheng Feilongs barrier and dissipate it with a single attack. Such a weak and hastily made barrier couldn''t stop his assault in the slightest! He than used his other dagger to stab towards Sheng Feilong''s shoulder, piercing it easily and ending the fight in an instant with Sheng Feilong being badly hurt! ˇ­Or so he thought..!

    The Sheng Feilong he just stabbed suddenly stopped moving and with poof, he turned into over a dozen cauliflowers that flew into all directions! Xiao Yuewu pulled back his dagger and swung his head to the side to dodge one of the cauliflowers, before exclaiming in shock!

    "Cauliflowers?! Where did they- ugh!"

    In the real world, the crowd saw Xiao Yuewu activate his Soul Skill and madly dash towards Sheng Feilong who also activated his Soul Skill in return before taking a few steps to the side. They than saw Xiao Yuewu dash past Sheng Feilong and attack the air with a powerful downward slash from his left dagger before taking another step forward and piercing the air with his right dagger. He than grinned like a fool, before looking shocked and taking a step back.

    "Cauliflowers?! Where did they- ugh!"

    By now Sheng Feilong had already circiled behind his back, lifted his leg and strongly kicked Xiao Yuewu''s butt in a fluid motion!

    Xiao Yuewu fell to the ground after a strong kick and landed face first on the arena''s stone surface. He quickly turned around only to see Sheng Feilong coldly smiling at him with his hands in his pockets!

    "One!"

    "When did you-?!" Before he could finish his words, Sheng Feilong pulled his hands out of his pockets and madly dashed at him, trying to hit him in the face! Xiao Yuewu quickly rolled to the side and than sprung to his feet. Sheng Feilong quickly repositioned himself before charging at Xiao Yuewu again. The latter quickly dodged Sheng Feilong''s fist before slashing at his stomach, injuring him heavily! ˇ­ Or so he thought..!

    The Sheng Feilong he just slashed again exploded into cauliflowers, nearly causing to fall Xiao Yuewu to the ground, not knowing what just happened, before he was ruthlessly kicked in the butt again, tripping and falling to the ground!

    Outside of the still existing illusion, the crowd, which by now stopped cheering and instead stared at Xiao Yuewu like he was an idiot, saw the latter being kicked to the ground, than stare at Sheng Feilong before he rolled on the ground and sprung to his feet. Xiao Yuewu quickly took a step to the side and slashed at the air again, only to then stop moving and stare at the air, giving Sheng Feilong enough time to casually stroll around his back and lift his leg before kicking Xiao Yuewu''s butt again, causing the latter to fall to the ground, again!

    Xiao Yuewu turned around, sat up and once again, stared at Sheng Feilong casually standing behind himself with his hands in his pockets. Sheng Feilong still looked at Xiao Yuewu with the same cold, but mocking smile on his face.

    "Two! Do you want to continue? Or do you admit defeat?"

    Xiao Yuewu was about to lose his mind, he was just kicked ruthlessly kicked in the butt by that prick, Sheng Feilong, who even dared to make fun of him afterwards! He forcefully calmed himself down and tried to analyse the situation.

    ''How did he do that? Where did he get those cauliflowers?! No, wait! It must be related to his Spirit Soul! He most probably has a second Spirit Soul! Twin Spirit Souls, damn it!''

    Xiao Yuewu stood up and looked at Sheng Feilong with an ice cold expression.

    "I get it. Not bad, you got me good. To think you actually hid your second Spirit Soul, hmpf. So, what is it? Is it related to the space element and allows you to teleport? Or is it a plant Spirit related to cauliflowers? Whatever, now that I figured it out, you have already lost. I''ll show you what true strength is!"

    The crowd didn''t know what to say to Xiao Yuewu''s sudden exclamation. Second Spirit Soul? Cauliflowers? What was he talking about? Many people started muttering amongst themselves and Jian Wang looked at Xiao Yuewu weirdly before quietly asking the person next to him.

    "What is Xiao Yuewu talking about? He couldn''t have hit his head when he fell down, could he..?"

    The person shook his head, but before he could answer, he gasped in surprise as he saw Sheng Feilong take a few steps to the side again and Xiao Yuewu madly charging at the position Sheng Feilong stood in before, with a face red from anger!

    "Sheng Feilong, I''ll break your legs, how dare you insult my mother!"

    Xiao Yuewu madly slashed at the air where Sheng Feilong stood before, while the latter, again, casually strolled around the arena, stopped behind Xiao Yuewu''s back, lifted his leg and kicked Xiao Yuewu in the butt before exclaiming.

    "Three! We can always stop if you want to."

    Sheng Feilong than took a few steps to the side again, strolled around the arena while Xiao Yuewu jumped around, slashed the air and cried in raged, before being kicked in the butt!

    This continued for also half an hour. By now, the crowd was dead silent, many of them seriously concerned about Xiao Yuewu''s mental health, as he jumped about, slashed the air and threw profanities and insults left and right, while seemingly just waiting to be kicked in the butt.

    At last, they again heard Sheng Feilong exclaim after kicking Xiao Yuewu to the ground.

    "52! You know, I''m really getting bored now. Well, I admit defeat, I guess. It''s your win, congratulations!"

    On the arena, Xiao Yuewu laid on his back, his hair and face riddled with dust, all limbs stretched away from his body, while his Spirit Soul dagger''s had long since disappeared. He just stared at the sky, mindlessly mumbling something about cauliflowers while breathing heavily. He was totally exhausted and will probably never eat cauliflowers in his life again!

    Sheng Feilong happily skipped down the arena, his hands still in his pockets, as he made his way to the Academy''s entrance. The crowd opened a path for him naturally, still shocked about what they just witnessed. From start to finish, Sheng Feilong didn''t use a single hand, he just kicked Xiao Yuewu in the butt again and again!

    When Sheng Feilong reached the Academy''s gates, he saw Sheng Lingtian, already wating for him, next to his Purple Mecha, so he hurredly run over while smiling brightly. Sheng Lingtian retuned the smile, not forgetting to add a witty remark.

    "Oh, Feilong. What''s wrong, why are you smiling so happily? Are you that glad to see your father?"

    Sheng Feilong continued smiling and ruthlessly shattered his father''s hope for love.

    "Not really. I''m just in a good mood. I made a few friends today... And kicked someone''s butt!"

 12 The Aftermath Of The Figh

    On the way to the Spirit Pagoda, Sheng Lingtian was constantly torn between amusement and speechlessness. Sheng Feilong had told him about his day at the academy, how he argued with Xiao Yuewu, made friends with Jian Wang, Jian Shiguan and Su Liyun. He also heard about what happened at lunch, how he and Xiao Yuewu got into a fight after school and how... Sheng Feilong kicked Xiao Yuewu''s butt 52 times...

    While Sheng Lingtian had a hard time, Sheng Feilong couldn''t be happier. Even though he never thought he was missing something, it''s been quite a while since he''d been able to relax and spend time with children his age. He was really looking forward to seeing Xiao Yuewu''s expression tomorrow, they''re sitting right next to each other after all!

    When they reached the Spirit Pagoda, Sheng Lingtian returned to his post, while Sheng Feilong made his way to find Song Weihan. Seeing his disciple so happy, he asked Sheng Feilong what had happened and soon after Song Weihan could be seen with the same torn expression Sheng Lingtian showed earlier. Taking a deep breath and letting out a long sigh, Song Weihan scolded Sheng Feilong for his doings.

    "Feilong, seriously. Even if that Xiao boy was in the wrong, you shouldn''t have kicked him so many times. Moreover, you humiliated him in front of so many other students. You should have just showed him that you''re stronger than him and have him apologize to your friend. That would have been enough. Hah... Listen, I want you to apologize to him tomorrow. You went way overboard today."

    Sheng Feilong hung his head in silence, not knowing what to say to his master.

    ''Master is right... I don''t like Xiao Yuewu, but I should have just beat him in the match, not kick him in the butt repeatedly... I even scolded him for being mean earlier and than I did that...''

    Seeing Sheng Feilong''s state and his clenched fists, Song Weihan could easily guess his current thoughts. He patted Sheng Feilong''s hair and ruffled it hard while laughing.

    "Alright, enough of the rant! Just apologize and it should be done. For now, let''s train. And don''t you dare slack off just because you already used your Soul Skill for so long today."

    With his now messy hair, Sheng Feilong looked even more miserable as he looked at Song Weihan, who didn''t cut him any slack despite practically training his control over his Soul Skill for more than half an hour... Currently, Song Weihan''s smile truly looked devilish to Sheng Feilong. He could already see himself dead tired tonight...

    ---

    At the Xiao Clan''s estate in another part of Heaven Dou City, quite a distance away from the Spirit Pagoda.

    Xiao Yuewu currently stood in a spacious hall. A couple meters away from him stood a tall, middle-aged man with broad shoulders, neatly combed hair and a solemn expression. At the side, observing the two of them stood an aged, scrawny figure in a butler''s outfit and he head of white hair. He looked at Xiao Yuewu with an aloof and unconcerned expression.

    The scrawny looking old man was the butler that the Xiao Family, or more precisely Xiao Yuewu''s father, assigned to him to bring Xiao Yuewu to and fro inside Heaven Dou City. The butler had found Xiao Yuewu lying on the floor of the training ground''s arena at the academy with a shaggy appearance and mumbling like a fool. He then quickly took Xiao Yuewu back to the Xiao Clan''s estate and reported to Xiao Yuewu''s father, which in return immediately summoned Xiao Yuewu to this hall.

    Xiao Yuewu didn''t dare look his father in the eyes and stood with his head lowered, as his father simply stared at him, taking note of his appearance and bearing. After a moment Xiao Yuewu''s father opened his mouth and spoke with a cold voice.

    "What happened?"

    Xiao Yuewu flinched while still staring at the floor, he than proceeded to tell his father what happened over the course of the day, before pausing a moment and speaking of the day''s last event.

    "I then got into a fight with someone from the Academy after classes had ended."

    "And you lost miserably, I assume?" His father replied with the same cold tone as before, right after Xiao Yuewu ended his sentence.

    Clenching his fists, Xiao Yuewu remained silent for a couple seconds before replying.

    "No. He admitted defeat. I won."

    Xiao Yuewu''s father frowned.

    "Then why were you lying on the arena like a beaten dog and not him? Who is he?"

    Xiao Yuewu clenched his fists and teeth, remaining silent and not answering. After a few seconds, his father frowned even more deeply before taking two steps forward.

    "I asked you a question. Answer me. Who is he? Why were you lying on the arena?"

    Feeling his father''s patience running thin, Xiao Yuewu spoke through gritted teeth.

    "His name is Sheng Feilong... He... admitted defeat after getting bored of thrashing me around and left the arena."

    The pressure released by Xiao Yuewu''s father increased multiple folds, nearly causing Xiao Yuewu''s knees to give in, while the butler still stood at the side, as unconcerned as ever. Xiao Yuewu''s father raised his hand before hesitating for a moment. The pressure lessened as he, again, coldly looked at his son.

    "You will apologize to him tomorrow. And to those girls as well. That way, you can at least save theleftovers of what remains of your dignity. Don''t offend Sheng Feilong any further. The clan won''t stand up for you if it concerns him. Return to your room now. You are to cultivate for the rest of the day."

    He then turned around and left, not saying another word. The servant quietly followed after him. Xiao Yuewu was left alone in the hall, clenching his fists and teeth with his body heavily shaking, before he run off as well, returning to his room. A few drops of liquid could be seen where he was previously standing.

    ---

    Sheng Feilong''s fears had been confirmed. Song Weihan didn''t cut him any slack in today''s training, in fact, it was even more brutal than normally, and he even extended the training hours from 4 to 5 hours! Sheng Feilong could barely keep his eyes open on the way back home in the Mecha and he nearly fell asleep at dinner, just stopping himself from falling head first into his own rice bowl. After dinner, he couldn''t even be bothered to brush his teeth or properly lie down and just fell onto his bed before starting to snore loudly after a few seconds.

    The next morning, Sheng Feilong sat inside the classroom, chatting with Jian Wang and a few other classmates. Nearly all of the first year students had seen, or at least heard, about the fight between Sheng Feilong and Xiao Yuewu and about Xiao Yuewu''s weird behaviour on the arena. Naturally, they immediately started questioning Sheng Feilong about it, first thing in the morning. He didn''t want to give too much information about his Soul Skill, so he just told them that he has an illusion ability and used that to deal with Xiao Yuewu. He also clarified that he did not posses a second Spirit Soul like Xiao Yuewu said.

    While they were talking, the man in question, Xiao Yuewu entered the classroom and made his way to his seat. He and Sheng Feilong made eye contact and Sheng Feilong remembered his master''s words. He stood up walked a few steps over, standing across Xiao Yuewu. The classroom instantly became dead silent. No one dared say anything while those two stared at each other, too eager to see what would happen next. Sheng Feilong was the first to break this silence.

    "Xiao Yuewu, I-"

    Before he could continue, Xiao Yuewu had bowed his head and loudly apoligized.

    "I''m sorry. I was wrong to insult someone based on their Spirit Soul alone. I shouldn''t have said all that yesterday. I am also sorry for provoking and challenging you to a fight."

    Sheng Feilong was taken aback by the sudden turn of events. Flustered, he took a step back and also bowed his head.

    "No, I- I was also wrong yesterday. Even if I was angered, I shouldn''t have done what I did to you on the arena. I''m sorry!"

    No one spoke. Sheng Feilong and Xiao Yuewu also just stood on the spot, facing each other with their heads bowed, not knowing what to do next. A few, really awkward seconds later, Jian Wang loudly began laughing, pointing his finger at the two of them.

    "What are you two doing? Are you some old men? Stop bowing already, you look way too weird!"

    The rest of the class also began laughing, dispersing the prior tension, while Sheng Feilong straightened his back and began awkwardly his head and Xiao Yuewu tried to hide his blush with a cold expression before sitting down in his seat. Jian Wang teased Sheng Feilong a bit more, causing the latter to be embarrassed too, before Jian Wang hit Xiao Yuewu''s shoulder with his elbow.

    "Yuewu, come join us for lunch later. You should tell us what strange illusion Sheng Feilong put you in. You were constantly mumbling about some cauliflowers!"

    Xiao Yuewu shuddered at the mention of cauliflowers before quickly burrowing his head in a book. Clearly, he was traumatized by the cauliflowers.

 13 Taking A Friend To Tour The Spirit Pagoda

    A few minutes after Sheng Feilong and Xiao Yuewu made up, the teacher entered the classroom, marking the beginning of classes. She repreminded Sheng Feilong and Xiao Yuewu for their fight and told them that the academy would notify their parents of their misbehaviour. Not that they didn''t already know, but the academy needed to make an example. The warning itself wouldn''t have any negative impact on neither of the boys, but further misbehaviour would result in more drastic consequences.

    Later that day, Xiao Yuewu joined Sheng Feilong and the others for lunch as Jian Wang suggested. He also apologized to Su Liyun and Jian Shiguan for his behaviour the day before. During lunch, Xiao Yuewu didn''t talk much and although he wasn''t really friendly, he answered any questions directed at him with at least basic courtesy. However, his attitude made Sheng Feilong suspicious.

    ''Something isn''t right... Even though I apologized, he doesn''t seem to be someone to just take a beating and behave afterwards... Shouldn''t he at least contempt me a little? Did someone tell him to do so?'' Sheng Feilong mused while staring at Xiao Yuewu, earning him the attention of the latter.

    "Is something the matter?"

    "Ah, no. I was just wondering... You know, I apologized and all, but aren''t you the least bit angry about it..?"Sheng Feilong looked at Xiao Yuewu a bit worriedly.

    Hearing that, Xiao Yuewu put down his fork and stared at Sheng Feilong, frowning.

    "Don''t get the wrong idea. I hate you. More than you can imagine. What you did to me was the greatest humiliation I had to experience in my life. However, I am currently no strong enough to take revenge for myself. So what if I openly hate you? Would that help me get stronger? Just know that I''ll return that humiliation 10 times over. Don''t think you''ll get off lightly." With that, Xiao Yuewu stood up, grabbed his plate, turned it in and left the cafeteria.

    The mood on the table was ruined. Jian Wang didn''t know what to say while Su Liyun and Jian Shiguan hung their heads in silence. Sheng Feilong didn''t know it was that bad.

    ''So he''s just playing it off with courtesy..? To not get kicked out of the academy? That''s it? ...I get why Master wanted me to apologize... it''s way worse than what I thought...''

    The day ended without much happening. Sheng Feilong went to the Spirit Pagoda after school, trained, than spent the evening with his father.

    A few days went by and nothing much changed. Sheng Feilong went to the academy as per usual and followed his daily routine afterwards. Xiao Yuewu had asked another classmate to change seats with him and he now wasn''t seated next to Sheng Feilong any more and also didn''t speak much withthe latter or his friends.

    By now it was Friday and during the first break, Jian Wang approached Sheng Feilong with a kind of a solemn expression. Well, solemn for his circumstances.

    "Feilong, you''re going to the Spirit Pagoda each day, right?"

    Sheng Feilong was surprised by the sudden question.

    "Huh? Yeah, what about it?"

    Jian Wang continued to look at him with his ''solemn'' expression.

    "Take me with you today. I feel like I''m close to a breakthrough in my cultivation and I want to look at a few, cool artificial Spirit Soul. I feel like that''ll help me be more motivated about cultivation!"

    "Oh, so that''s why! Sure, you can come with me later! I''ll take a look with you, Master won''t mind, I guess. But is it okay if you don''t go home after school? You parents will be concerned, won''t they?" Sheng Feilong asked with a thoughtful expression. Whereas Jian Wang just smiled brightly in response, giving Sheng Feilong a big thumbs up.

    "Don''t worry, I already let my father know I''d by out with a friend. He won''t mind! By the way, we can ride your fathers Purple Mecha, right?"

    "Oh, okay. My father always picks me up from school, so I guess we''ll use his Mecha." Sheng Feilong answered without much thought, causing Jian Wang''s eyes to sparkle.

    "Great, we''ll go right after school than!"

    ---

    At the Blacksmith''s Association, in one of the private workshops, a certain blacksmith''s nose itched for no reason while he got a bad feeling about something concerning today...

    "That brat... Why did I think of him so suddenly..? Hah, must be up to no good again. Whatever, gotta focus on work."

    With this, he tuned his attention back to the metal on his anvil and started hammering on it again.

    ---

    Classes had ended and Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang made their way to the Academy''s entrance with the former still being confused about what happened at lunch. Jian Wang to Su Liyun and Jian Shiguan about his plans with Sheng Feilong today and Jian Shiguan frowned and stared at him, causing him to shut his mounth and quickly avert her gaze. Even after being questioned by Sheng Feilong, Jian Wang still refused to answer why he did so, so the former quickly gave up and paid it no more attention.

    They quickly met up with Sheng Lingtian, who was a bit surprised to see his son come out with a friend in tow. After explaining the situation, Sheng Feilong and other two entered the Purple Mecha, causing Jian Wang to shake with excitement. When Sheng Feilong asked him about it, Jian Wang told him that he always loved Mechas and wanted to one day built his own, which is why he already started learning blacksmithing from his father even though he was just a kid.

    Sheng Lingtian was happy to see someone so interested in Mechas and kindly explained a few of the Mechas controls and functions to Jian Wang, whose excitement seemed to increase with each word he heard. Sheng Feilong was also very interested in Mechas, though not as much as Jian Wang. It didn''t take long before the three reached the Spirit Pagoda. Sheng Lingtian seperated from the other two and returned to his work, while Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang entered the Spirit Pagoda. Greeting a few staff members he was familiar with, Sheng Feilong lead Jian Wang to the third floor where he would usually meet up with his Master. On the way there, he sternly warned Jian Wang about one matter.

    "Brother Wang, there''s one thing you have to remember. Never, and I mean never, make fun of my master''s hair. It''s fine to laugh as long as you compliment him afterwards, but never make jokes of it, got it?"

    Jian Wang was surprised but seeing Sheng Feilong''s stern expression, he quickly nodded and made a mental note to be careful about it. The soon reached Song Weihan''s office and entered it after Sheng Feilong knocked on the door. Inside, they found Song Weihan currently reading a few documents, which he put away when he saw Sheng Feilong and the unknown young boy before him.

    Sheng Feilong took two steps forward while Jian Wang remained behind him. He than bowed lightly to Song Weihan. "Feilong greets Master!"

    Song Weihan just nodded, acknowledging the greeting before tuning his attention to Jian Wang.

    "Feilong, you brought a friend with you today?"

    "Yes, Master. This is Jian Wang, a classmate and friend of mine. He''s close to breaking through to Rank 10 in Soul Power and asked if I could take him with me to the Spirit Pagoda. He wanted to ask if he could take a look at a few artificial Spirit Soul to motivate himself to cultivate even more."

    Sheng Feilong formally introduced Jian Wang to Song Weihan.

    While Jian Wang seemed quite stiff, he also shook a little bit, just like before. Song Weihan didn''t seem to mind, though.

    "Hello Jian Wang. I''m Song Weihan, Feilong''s Master. Nice to meet you."

    Accompanying his introduction, Song Weihan smiled lightly and tilted his a bit, causing his hair to sway in the same direction.

    After Sheng Feilong mentioned his Master''s hair, he already prepared himself mentally, however, seeing the real thing was too much for him. The giant, 15 cm high, vibrantly pink mohawk caused him to stiffen and it took his all just to not to be rude. However, seeing the hair sway from the sudden tilt to the right, Jian Wang could no longer hold it in and he burst out laughing.

    "Feilong, what is this, ha, ha, ha! You told me not to make fun of his hair, but this is too much! He... He looks like a chicken! Ha, ha, ha! This is too funny!"

    Jian Wang''s sudden outburst caused both, Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan to stiffen. Sheng Feilong''s face went pale and his back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. His friend had just called a extremely powerful Soul Master, who could break through to become a Titled Douluo at any time he wanted to, that his hair made him look like a chicken. Moreover, that powerful Soul Master was his own Master...

    Song Weihan smiled brightly after his initial stiffness, and took a few steps forward towards Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang. As a powerful Soul Master, his patience and bearing were naturally more refined than that of ordinary people. However, who knew his Master better than Sheng Feilong? That amicable smile of Song Weihan... looked like the smile of the devil... He was about to say something but he was cut off by Song Weihan''s voice.

    "So, Jian Wang, was it? You have a sense of humour. You like my hair? Ha, ha, you like chicken as well?"

 14 Training Together

    Hey, Yozuka here.

    I''ve made a Discord server for anyone who''d like to hang out or chat with others there.

    I''m also sporadically posting sneak peeks for later chapters there.

    Link in the Author''s Thoughts.

    Enjoy the chapter!

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sheng Feilong''s back was drenched in cold sweat. Standing as straight as an arrow, he didn''t even dare say a single word and could only look at Jian Wang, who was hysterically laughing at Song Weihan, with pity and regret. His friend would have to live through hell today.

    Song Weihan stretched his back before walking out of the room. Passing by Sheng Feilong, he turned to the latter and spoke with an upbeat voice and a bright smile.

    "Feilong, we''ll begin training. Take Jian Wang to the third training hall. We''ll start with hand-to-hand combat today ¨C the two of you against me."

    Sheng Feilong stiffened and looked as if he was about to cry as Song Weihan happily skipped out of the room.

    ''Why have I been dragged into this?! I shouldn''t have brought Brother Wang here...''

    Jian Wang stopped laughing a while after Song Weihan left. He heard what Song Weihan said and was thrilled. He just came here to take a look at a few artificial Spirit Souls but he never imagined he''d be trained by a top Soul Master instead! He expectantly looked at Sheng Feilong, only to see his pitiful expression. Surprised by that, he innocently asked.

    "What''s wrong, Feilong? Aren''t we going to follow your Master? He said he''s going to train us!"

    Sheng Feilong was speechless for a moment, than let out a long sigh.

    "Yeah, you''re right... it''s time for training... Hah... This will be hard..."

    Sheng Feilong walked out of the room with Jian Wang following behind him as they headed to a training room further back. Changing clothes to a more suitable, casual training attire in one of the locker rooms, they entered the room, where Song Weihan was already waiting for them, still wearing his usual uniform and smiling brightly.

    "There you are. As I said, we''ll start with hand-to-hand combat. I''ll suppress my Soul Power to the level of an average Soul Master of Rank 12. If you can make me use one of my Soul Skills, it''ll be your victory. You make the first move."

    Hearing those conditions, Jian Wang was encouraged. His opponent would only use Soul Power of rank 12 whereas he was already at rank 9 and Sheng Feilong even was at rank 13! He summoned his Spirit Soul, the Mountain Splitting Axe, and charged at Song Weihan. Song Weihan still smiled brightly, but that smile changed to a more mischievous, nearly devilish smile.

    About half an hour later, the training hall had become silent.

    Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang were left sprawling on the ground with dishevelled hair and bruised eyes, breathing heavily. Song Weihan was walking over to them with a bucket full of water in his hand. He took out two cold, wet cloths and shoved them into the boys faces while smiling brightly again.

    "Alright, I guess that''s enough for hand-to-hand combat. Rest up for a few minutes. I''ll come pick you up to go take a look at a few artificial Spirit Souls."

    After saying that, he happily skipped away again, letting the boys lay sprawled on the ground, now with wet cloths covering their bruised eyes.

    Jian Wang was the first to speak up with a powerless, shaky voice.

    "Feilong... you didn''t tell me your Master was so brutal... I thought he would just show us a few, cool moves!"

    Sheng Feilong sat up, holding to wet cloth his his eye before speaking in a disgruntled voice.

    "I told you not to make fun of his hair, but you had to laugh, ugh... At least he knows where to stop... and we get to take a break."

    After saying that, he put the cloth back into the bucket before circulating his Soul Power to help him recover from his injuries. Jian Wang did the same, although his technique wasn''t as efficient.

    A few minutes later, Song Weihan returned. He was quite satisfied seeing the boys meditate to aid their healing and decided to try them. He sat down a few meters away from them and began slowly using his Spirit Power to disturb Sheng Feilong, mixing a bit of killing intent into it. He wanted to see how sharp his disciple''s senses were when faced with danger. It didn''t take long for Sheng Feilong to sense the killing intent and he instantly sprung to his feet and let out a short scream, startling Jian Wang who sat next to him. Seeing his Master smile at him, Sheng Feilong relaxed and questionably looked at Song Weihan.

    "Not bad, you sensed it quite quickly. Though, still not fast enough. Any assassin would have taken you out by now. Remember, always stay focused." He than stood up and looked at Jian Wang

    "Alright, let''s go, you two. You wanted to take a look at a few Spirit Souls, right, Chicken Boy?"

    Jian Wang shuddered after being called by that nickname. ''He... he wouldn''t hold a grudge against me, right'' still, he obediently nodded and followed after Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan.

    Then walked into a room witha few computers in it as well as a strange chair with a huge headpiece attached to it ¨C the same room Sheng Feilong went to when he first had his Spirit Power measured. Song Weihan turned around and explained what they would do to Jian Wang.

    "Normally, you''d have to go through a few tests before choosing a suitable artificial Spirit Soul, but after our training, I already know most of the things we need to consider. We just need to measure your Spirit Power to see how strong of a Spirit Soul you''re able to handle. Sit down on that chair and focus..."

    After Song Weihan finished his explanation, Jian Wang nodded and sat down on the chair. The headpiece lowered and the test began. After a while, the test ended, the headpiece went up and Song Weihan took a look at the results.

    "A Spirit Power of 58. Considering your age, that''s quite good. You should be able to support an artificial Spirit Soul of up to 350 years of age."

    Sheng Feilong was surprised at the seemingly low number of Jian Wang''s Spirit Power, so he couldn''t help but ask his Master.

    "Isn''t 58 too low? The machine isn''t broken, right? My Spirit Power way way higher!"

    Jian Wang looked confused while Song Weihan chuckled.

    "You a little monster when it comes to Spirit Power, Feilong. But we can try it out if you''re not convinced. Sit down on the chair and we''ll have you take the test as well."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and also took the test. When his results came up, Jian Wang was totally shocked. His father had told him what Spirit Power is and when he heard that his own was as high as 58, he was really glad. Not every Soul Master could support a over 100-years-old Spirit Soul at the beginning, after all! But Sheng Feilong? That guy''s Spirit Power is already at 503!

    503! And he''s only 6 years old! No wonder Song Weihan called him a little monster just now! Jian Wang didn''t know what to say, while Sheng Feilong seemed to be lost in thought and muttered under his breath.

    "It''s the same as last week... so the machine isn''t broken... But Brother Wang can''t be that weak, right?"

    Jian Wang looked at him strangely and Song Weihan just laughed a bit before speaking up.

    "Feilong, just having a high Spirit Power doesn''t mean you''re stronger than anyone else, likewise, having a weak Spirit Power doesn''t mean you''re weak. Didn''t I win against you two before, even though I didn''t stop you from using your Spirit Power? Your power comes from your Spirit Eyes, so you naturally have a really high Spirit Power. Jian Wang''s is also already quite strong considering the average of 6-year-olds. Let''s go to the laboratory and take a look at the Spirit Souls, shall we? I already have a fitting Spirit in mind."

    When they reached the laboratory, Song Weihan asked a employee to print out information for a specific artificial Spirit Soul, including a picture of it. He handed the picture to Jian Wang who was instantly mesmerized by it. It was a big, double-headed axe with a long hilt and symmetrical blades that touched each other the the tip. It was completely of a pale silver colour with a shiny, white crystal in the middle between the two blades. The hilt was completely matt grey with a bladed counterweight at the bottom of it.

    Song Weihan let them take a look at it and than explained about it.

    "That Spirit Soul is called a Full-Moon Axe. It''s a top notch artificial Tool Spirit for everyone who''s Spirit Soul is related to combat axes. When fused, the first Soul Skill one usually gets from it is called Full-Moon Enchant. It coats your Spirit Soul with a silver aura of Soul Power that strengthens all melee attacks, be it in crushing power of sharpness. It can also be used as a projectile, like a sword wave often used by Sword Soul Masters. It''s quite powerful and versatile to boot. We have one that fits you perfectly. It''s 320-years-old and I don''t think anyone has set their eyes on it yet. I can reserve it for you, if you want. But you''ll have to reach rank 10 within 3 months, otherwise the reservation expires."

    Jian Wang was listening as his eyes grew wider and more sparkling with each sentence. He furiously nodded his head at the end.

    "Yes, yes! Please reserve it for me! I''ll definitely reach rank ten in three months time!"

    Song Weihan smiled and returned to the employee who printed the documents for him, before telling him something to which the employee nodded and began typing something on his computer. Song Weihan then returned to the two boys.

    "I''ve told him to reserve it to your name, Jian Wang. When you reach rank 10, remember to come here with your parents, as they still have to pay for your artificial Spirit Soul. Since you''re here today, I''ll train you together with Feilong, how about that?"

    Jian Wang happily agreed and followed Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong to Song Weihan''s personal training area. Since they already did their hand-to-hand combat training today, the rests amounted to training Spirit Power and Soul Power, cultivating and correction of techniques as well as more advanced studies than at the Primary Academy. Sheng Feilong was somewhat used to the training after a month, but Jian Wang could barely keep up. When it came to cultivating, although Song Weihan wouldn''t correct his techniques as they weren''t his, he would always repremind Jian Wang when the latter tried to slack off.

    At the end of the training, both of them were dead tired, with Jian Wang barely being able to keep his eyes open, let alone walk properly ¨C He needed to rely on Sheng Feilong''s shoulder!

 15 Saint Blacksmith Jian Wushuang

    Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang were dead tired. As they came out of the elevator, Sheng Lingtian couldn''t help but laugh. Jian Wang was barely able to walk and had to rely on Sheng Feilong''s shoulder, who himself was also struggling with the extra weight. Seeing Sheng Lingtian, the both of them walked up him, and he quickly helped them board the Purple Mecha before asking Jian Wang for his address.

    In a medium sized house in the middle of Heaven Dou City''s central district, Jian Wushuang was worried sick and angered at the same time. His son, Jian Wang, hadn''t come home today and didn''t leave any message for him or his wife. When he questioned his niece, Jian Shiguan, she also only knew that Jian Wang left with a classmate after school ended. He hadn''t been seen since than and even worse, he wasn''t answering his Soul Communicator at all!

    This evening, Jian Wushuang was just about to inform the police about this matter, when he saw a Purple Mecha, adorned with the insignia of the Spirit Pagoda, land on the street in front of his house. Jian Wushuang was annoyed. He was a rank 7 Saint Blacksmith and high ranking member of the Blacksmith Association, so naturally many people asked him to forge for them. But for one of those wannabe big-shots from the Spirit Pagoda to come to his private house at night? Enraged, Jian Wushuang stormed out of his house to confront the owner of the Mecha.

    When he just came out of the door, the Mechas lid opened and a middle aged man with yellowish brown hair came out. Even though he suppressed his Soul Power, Jian Wushuang was able to see that the middle aged man''s cultivation was merely at level 51. A mere low ranking Soul King dared to pretentiously come to his front yard!

    The man walked up a bit to the entrance before speaking up.

    "Excuse me, are you Mr. Jian? I-"

    Before he could continue to speak, Jian Wushuang rudely interrupted him.

    "Since you came here, you should know who I am. I don''t have time for you. If you want me to forge something for you, go to the Association and make a formal request there. Now, get lost before I have you removed."

    Sheng Lingtian was dumbfounded. He came to the address Jian Wang told him and was glad to see that someone seemed to await them already, as Jian Wang fell asleep on the way here and Sheng Lingtian didn''t want to wake him. He definitely didn''t expect a welcome such as this. Not wanting to cause any trouble, he quickly regained his composure and spoke to Jian Wushuang again.

    "I think there might be a misunderstanding, Mr. Jian? I didn''t come to make a forging request. I simply brought your son back."

    Hearing this stranger mention his son, Jian Wushuang lost his calm. Releasing his Soul Power, he quickly pressured Sheng Lingtian before bellowing out.

    "Where is my son?! What have you done to him?!"

    Sheng Lingtian''s countenance changed as the pressure bore down on him. Quickly releasing his own pressure to counter Jian Wushuang''s, he did not even have the means to answer the latter, the pressure released by a Soul Saint was no laughing matter for him!

    Jian Wang, by now, was wide awake. His father''s shout had instantly woken him up and the latter''s outburst of aura scared him senseless. Forgetting his own fatigue, he quickly jumped down the Purple Mecha, trying his best to pacify his father before something terrible happened!

    "Dad, calm down! Senior Sheng didn''t do anything to me!"

    Sheng Feilong looked dumbly out of the Mecha and slowly climbed down. Jian Wang had already run over to his father, urging the latter to lift his Soul Power to help Sheng Lingtian, while Jian Wushuang did as his son beckoned and just looked back and forth between Sheng Lingtian and his own son.

    A few minutes later, inside the Jian family''s house, Sheng Lingtian, Sheng Feilong, Jian Wang and his father were seated around a table. The atmosphere had visibly relaxed. Jian Wang awkwardly laughed before speaking up.

    "Eh, he, he... I''m sorry Senior Sheng, I should have warned you about my father''s temper, he- ugh!"

    Before he could finish his sentence, Jian Wushuang had already hit him on the back of the head.

    "What do you mean, ''my father''s temper'', you blockheaded little brat! If you had told me that you would spend the day with a friend, none of this would have happened. I''m really sorry Mr. Sheng, I hope you won''t take offence from my prior actions. I was simply concerned about my son''s safety."

    Sheng Lingtian slightly smiled and looked at the father-son duo.

    "No need to apologize, Mr. Jian, I can understand how you feel, ha, ha. I would''ve made sure Jian Wang informed you, if the boys hadn''t assured me that they''d already done so. (A/N: God, that sentence was a handful to write, ugh.) No offence taken, no harm done."

    Jian Wushuang smiled knowing the other party wasn''t resentful of his actions before he turned to his son and Sheng Feilong.

    "Anyway, what had you two been up to that you spend the whole day away from home?"

    Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang remorsefully smiled at each other before telling Jian Wushuang about their plan to look at a few artificial Spirit Souls for motivation, how they then trained with Song Weihan and lastly about the reservation of the Full Moon Axe Spirit Soul for Jian Wang. Jian Wushuang was naturally astonished, as he wasn''t aware his son was already close to reaching rank ten.

    "You''re already close to breaking through? Didn''t you just reach rank 8 a week before school started?"

    Jian Wang smiled sheepishly before answering his father in a meek voice.

    "Well, not that close, but I thought a bit of motivation would help. I''ll definitely reach rank 10 within those three months!"

    Jian Wushuang hit Jian Wang in the back of the head again and reprimanded him for his shameless actions. The four of them talked for a little while longer before Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian said their goodbyes before heading home.

    Sheng Feilong spent the weekend with his father and soon the next Monday came. Sheng Feilong met up with Jian Wang and the rest, while Xiao Yuewu kept his distance to them. In the blink of an eye, a bit over two months passed with the usual daily routine of going to school, training with Song Weihan in the afternoon and spending the evening his with father. Sheng Feilong spend the weekends either with his father or hanging out with his friends.

    Nothing much happened in that time. Unsurprisingly, Sheng Feilong had reached Rang 15 after those two months, whereas Su Liyun and Jian Wang reached rank 8 and 10, respectively. Jian Shiguan only managed to reach rank 4, however, she didn''t let her slow cultivation speed sour her mood and the others were also very supporting of her.

    Today after school, Jian Wushuang was waiting for Jian Wang and Sheng Feilong, together with Sheng Lingtian, the four than headed to the Spirit Pagoda where Sheng Lingtian went to his job, as usual, and Sheng Feilong accompanied Jian Wang and Jian Wushuang to meet with Song Weihan. The latter was a bit surprised, not expecting to meet the other two today, however, after sensing that Jian Wang''s Soul Power had reached rank 10, he knew what was up.

    Song Weihan and Jian Wushuang left Jian Wang and Sheng Feilong alone for a while, probably discussing the price for the Full Moon Axe Spirit Soul, before they rejoined with the children, Song Weihan leading Sheng Feilong to their training area and Jian Wushuang heading to the laboratory with a receipt he got from Song Weihan.

    Jian Wang and Jian Wushuang went to retrieve the artificial Spirit Soul from one of the employees and rented a cultivation room for Jian Wang to integrate with it. Before however, they had to go through the formal procedures, though. As they had reserved a Spirit Soul, Jian Wang merely needed the minimum of tests, consisting of the measurement of his Spirit Power, which after two months had increased to a total of 62, shocking his father, and a general health test to ensure nothing was wrong with his body, which Jian Wang easily passed with flying colours.

    After that, they went to their rented room and Jian Wang infused his Soul Power into the strange metal ball holding the artificial Spirit Soul. I took him around one and a half hours to fuse with it, which can be considered pretty fast. He took another 15 minutes getting accustomed to his new Soul Power and tried out his Soul Skill a few times.

    By now, Sheng Feilong was already around two hours into his own training and Song Weihan told him that they would now go to the training hall for hand-to-hand combat training. In the hall, they found Jian Wang and Jian Wushuang already waiting for them.

    Sheng Feilong was glad to see his friend and, judging by his facial expressions, he had successfully integrated the Full Moon Axe Spirit Soul! Jian Wang could barely hold himself back. After his recent power up, he was really itching for a fight to test his powers out and who better for an opponent than the strongest child his age he knew, Sheng Feilong?

    Jian Wang run up to the middle of the training hall''s arena, staring at Sheng Feilong with an confident smile.

    "Feilong, I''m a Soul Master now, as well! We''ll see who''s stronger now. Come, let''s fight!"

 16 Sheng Feilong vs. Jian Wang

    Jian Wang stood in the middle of the arena waiting for Sheng Feilong to step forward after issuing his challenge to the latter. Sheng Feilong was stunned for a moment and then threw Song Weihan a questioning look. After thinking about it for a moment, Song Weihan nodded towards Sheng Feilong and went to the side of the arena, seemingly volunteering to be the match''s referee.

    As Sheng Feilong walked up to the arena, he heard a sound transmission from Song Weihan, causing him to sweat profusely.

    ''You''re not allowed to use you Soul Skill before Jian Wang uses his own. Also, when you use yours, only make illusions that support your attacks, like we did in training, and not a complete prison. This is still training, after all.''

    Sheng Feilong walked up to the arena, trying his best to hide the bad feeling he got after Song Weihan''s sound transmission. Standing opposite of Jian Wang, he smiled and cracked his knuckles.

    "Brother Wang, let''s start warming up with hand-to-hand combat. I know you want to try out your Soul Skill, but it''s boring if we use all we''ve got right from the start, right?"

    "Heh, fine by me. Let''s see if the techniques of the Spirit Pagoda or my father''s are better!" Jian Wang replied while taking a fighting stance, not wanting to lose to Sheng Feilong''s provocation. Jian Wushung, on the other hand had a blank expression.

    ''That little brat, why did he have to pull me into this, of course the Spirit Pagoda''s techniques are better! Let''s just hope he doesn''t embarrass himself too much.''

    Seeing both of them ready, Song Weihan took a step back.

    "We''ll begin the sparring match now. On your marks."

    Sheng Feilong took a fighting stance of his own as well and focused on Jian Wang, both of them now just waiting for Song Weihan''s command.

    "Begin!"

    Jian Wang and Sheng Feilong instantly stormed at each other with Jian Wang being the first to throw a punch towards Sheng Feilong''s gut. Breaking his sprint, Sheng Feilong sidestepped out of the way, throwing his own punch towards Jian Wang lower ribs! Jian Wang''s reaction was just as fast and he solidly blocked the punch with his arm. Seeing his punch blocked so easily, Sheng Feilong took half a step back, distancing himself from Jian Wang while simultaneously sweeping his free leg for Jian Wang''s knee.

    Jian Wang dodged the kick, taking a step back in the process and allowing Sheng Feilong to bring a bit of distance between the two of them, before the former than pursued Sheng Feilong again, aiming a strike at the latter''s head. Sheng Feilong dodged the punch by lightly crouching down before he than struck out, hitting Jian Wang straight into the chest, causing him to let out a muffled groan and taking a step back again.

    This time, Sheng Feilong rushed forward in hot pursuit, punching out again, this time towards Jian Wang head. Jian Wang quickly turned his head out of the way and grabbed Sheng Feilong''s arm with his hand, then pulled hard, causing Sheng Feilong to lose his balance, slightly tripping forward and took a punch to the gut in nearly the same instant!

    Swallowing the pain, Sheng Feilong quickly caught his footing again, tuned 90 degrees and shoved Jian Wang with his held arm, then quickly tugged free his own arm. Jian Wang didn''t let that opportunity slide and kicked out with one foot while rotating on the other and kicking towards Sheng Feilong''s side. Having already predicted the kick, Sheng Feilong easily blocked it with one arm and his own weight, grabbed Jian Wang by the foot, pulled him closer and tried to elbow the latter''s chest!

    Jian Wang had no other option then blocking the elbow with both arms crossed before his chest. Still being held by Sheng Feilong, he leaning in even more, headbutting Sheng Feilong with full force! The heavily collided with each other, both groaning from the impact which caused Sheng Feilong to et go of Jian Wang''s leg. Both of them tumbled a few steps back, staring at each other.

    They stood opposite of each other again, both breathing rather heavily and focused at each other. Jian Wang then breathed out heavily, relaxing from his fighting stance and smiled confidently.

    "I guess that''s enough warm up now. Let''s get started with the real deal!"

    After saying that, Jian Wang released his Soul Power, summoning his Spirit Soul, the Mountain Splitting Axe. The heavy looking, two-handed axe appeared in hishand, a sharp and intimidating aura radiating from it, while a yellow Soul Ring appeared behind Jian Wang. He grabbed the axe firmly, with determination showing in his eyes. Taking a fighting stance again, his look became solemn.

    "Make sure you take this serious, Feilong! If you get hit by my axe, the wounds will be heavy!"

    Sheng Feilong took a deep breath, stealing a glance at Song Weihan, who was watching the battle with an expressionless face. He then released his Soul Power as well and a faint hue appeared around his eyes, which now were clear blue in colour. Even though Jian Wang knew about Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Eyes, their menacing aura and Sheng Feilong''s cold expression gave him an uncomfortable feeling as if someone was staring right through him, looking at all of his secrets.

    Sheng Feilong, with his Spirit Eyes activated, stared at Jian Wang, expressionlessly pulling out a knife from his pocket and took a fighting stance again, biding his time and waiting for Jian Wang to make the first move. Jian Wang observed Sheng Feilong for a moment before charging at the latter, thrusting out with his axe. Due to his Spirit Eyes, Sheng Feilong''s mind and vision were exceedingly clear and he easily dodged the thrust by turning his body slightly while charging forward as well and thrusting his knife towards Jian Wang''s shoulder.

    Jian Wang, not expecting Sheng Feilong to charge at him like that, hurriedly pulled back his axe and took a step back, narrowly getting out of Sheng Feilong''s reach, who then took another step forward in pursuit. Jian Wang swung the hilt of his axe upwards, forcing Sheng Feilong to doge with a sidestep. Grabbing this chance, Jian Wang turned his body, swinging his axe down toward Sheng Feilong, the Spirit Ring behind his back lit up and a bright aura covered the head of Jian Wang''s Mountain Splitting Axe.

    Sheng Feilong''s Soul Ring lit up in nearly the same moment and he took another step to the side in an attempt to dodge the swing. The Mountain Splitting Axe fell down towards Sheng Feilong in a horizontal way and the bright glow left behind a white aura in the air which than quickly surged forward and lunged itself into the arena''s stone floor, leaving behind a long and multiple inch wide cut. That was Jian Wang''s first Soul Skill ¨C Full Moon Cleave!

    Jian Wang''s axe cleanly cut through Sheng Feilong who had dodged to the side, however the Sheng Feilong before Jian Wang quickly turned into nothing after being cut. Jian Wang instantly knew that he was already caught in Sheng Feilong''s illusion! He had wasted his Soul Skill on an afterimage created by Sheng Feilong and cut through it! All of this happened in an instant and Jian Wang could already see the real Sheng Feilong in the corner of his eye; He had dodged into the other direction after sidestepping once!

    Sheng Feilong lunged forward and attacked Jian Wang again. The latter reacted quickly again, jumping back to dodge, Sheng Feilong''s knife only grazed his shoulder. Sheng Feilong was still in hot pursuit and causing Jian Wang to try the same tactic again. He swung the hilt of his axe upwards, but Sheng Feilong dodged again by sidestepping to the left! Taking another step back, Jian wang swung his axe toward Sheng Feilong, only to cut right through him. It was an afterimage again! Sheng Feilong had actually dodged towards the right and the instant Jian Wang cut the afterimage, he could see Sheng Feilong swinging his knife with an ice cold expression and a ruthless glint in his eyes.

    "Alright, that''s enough."

    The knife halted abruptly, just having cut Jian Wang''s skin and Song Weihan appeared besides them, his hand clutching the Sheng Feilong''s knife like steel tongs. Jian Wang took a step back, feeling the warm blood flow down his neck, cold sweat ran all over his back. If Song Weihan hadn''t stepped in, Sheng Feilong might have actually sliced open his neck..! He stopped the bleeding with one hand and stared at Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan, relieve and a hint of fear apparent in his eyes.

    Sheng Feilong''s eyes returned to normal and the cold expression was washed off his face as if it was a lie to begin with. He looked up and saw Song Weihan looking at him with a solemn gaze.

    "You''ve lost your cool again, Feilong. You nearly sliced Jian Wang''s neck open! Stay focused and never lose you rationality in battle. Your lack of control nearly cost you the life of a dear friend!"

    Song Weihan''s voice was cold and his ruthless words poured a bucket of water over Sheng Feilong''s head. Realizing what just happened, he turned to look at Jian Wang who stood behind Song Weihan with his hand on his neck and a fearful look in his eyes. Sheng Feilong''s mind shook and he started shaking ever so slightly. He looked Jian Wang in the eyes and spoke with a shaky voice.

    "Brother Wang, I- I didn''t mean to! I was too focused and I- I''m really sorry! Please, I really didn''t mean to harm you...!"

 17 Mistakes and a New Technique

    Jian Wang was still sweating and fearfully stared at Sheng Feilong. Song Weihan was right and if he hadn''t stepped in, Jian Wang might have lost his head! Meanwhile, Sheng Feilong didn''t even seem to realize that until Song Weihan pointed it out! He was about to say something when Jian Wushuang put his hand on Jian Wang''s shoulder, slightly smiling at the latter.

    "Alright, stop looking like a scared rabbit, Wang''er. You fought with sharp weapons and were evenly matched, so it''s only natural that you get hurt. Where''s that pride and confidence from before gone?"

    Jian Wushuang than looked at Sheng Feilong who was shaking and staring at Jian Wang with a pleading look.

    "Still, what your Master said is right, little Feilong. Even in the heat of battle, it''s essential that you remain calm and rational. Moreover, take it easy on Wang''er. He might not look like it, but he''s a little sentimental sometimes. He might cry if you do something like that again, ha, ha!"

    Jian Wushuang said the second half of that with a amused and slightly mocking tone, causing Jian Wang to blush and furiously glance at his father.

    "Who are you calling a crybaby!?"

    He swung his head around looking at Sheng Feilong again, his face red from blushing.

    "Feilong, let''s have a rematch! You just got me by surprise! As if I would be scared, don''t listen to that old fart- Ugh!"

    Jian Wushuang hit Jian Wang in the back of the head before the latter could finish his sentence.

    "You little brat! I dare you to call me that again! And don''t just randomly challenge anyone like that. Didn''t you say Feilong had some extremely strong illusion ability? He didn''t even use that against you, but still beat you easily! Get stronger before you start boasting. We''ll leave now, to get that cut checked by a doctor."

    He than pulled Jian Wang behind him and threw Song Weihan a meaningful glance before leaving the training hall despite his son''s loud protests. Song Weihan was grateful for what Jian Wushuang did. With just a few words he dispelled the tension and distracted Jian Wang, causing the latter to calm down and forgetting his fear. Sheng Feilong had also considerably calmed down, even tough he still clutched his fists, he stopped shaking and his breathing also became more controlled.

    Song Weihan looked at Sheng Feilong, pondering about something for a moment before taking a look at the clock and turning back to Sheng Feilong.

    "We still have about one and a half hours left. Might as well teach you something new."

    His words instantly roused Sheng Feilong''s interest. He stopped shaking and looked at Song Weihan who lazily stretched and walked towards the training hall''s exit.

    "Follow me. We''ll go to the terrace. I''ll show you there."

    They took the elevator to a higher floor, walked through the hallway into a restricted area and there through a door to the terrace. Song Weihan casually sat down on one of the chairs and mentioned for Sheng Feilong to do the same. They were a few dozen meters above ground and had a nice view over the whole city while not being disturbed by its noise. Sheng Feilong sat down on a chair next to Song Weihan and both of them just enjoyed the scenery for a while.

    A light breeze blew across them and the sun slowly set at the horizon. As it was already nearing summer, the temperature was pleasant despite the late time of day. Song Weihan turned towards Sheng Feilong after a few minutes and lightly smiled.

    "Calms you down, right? I like going up here when I have a lot on my mind. It''s quiet and not many people come here."

    Sheng Feilong nodded without saying a thing, blankly staring over the city while lost in thought. Song Weihan continued to look at him before speaking up again.

    "Today wasn''t the first time you lost yourself in battle. Though it didn''t matter much when we were sparring and instead greatly helped you advance in your techniques, you have to keep perceptive at all times. When you get really focused, you automatically cease more and more unnecessary movements and your attacks and senses become sharper. However, your temperament also turns much colder and more ruthless. Outside of battle, you often get distracted by your emotions, as well. When you think about something you want or like, you focus on obtaining these things, when you don''t understand something, you hole yourself up and work on it until you get it right without asking about it and when you can''t get it done right, you get flustered and depressed."

    He stopped for a moment and observed Sheng Feilong again, who had his head hanging down, not knowing what to say and not daring to meet his Masters gaze. Song Weihan let out a sigh which Sheng Feilong couldn''t hear.

    "Just like now. I''m telling you a few facts and you get flustered, don''t know what to say and hole yourself up. Don''t get me wrong, being emotional is a good thing, however, you seem to focus way too much on negative aspects instead of positive ones and you always try to please others and not bother them, even if they want to help you, like I do... I know of a technique that will help you. It''s an old technique the Spirit Pagoda created to specifically train Spirit Power and to calm the users emotions, called the Spirit Heart Doctrines. It''ll help you to gain better control over your emotions, it even is highly compatible with your cultivation technique, but it is extremely difficult to get used to. It''s an ethereal technique that focuses on finding ones self to temper the Spirit. I myself use it, too, but I only obtained it a few years ago. I already knew who I was and I had no problems with my emotions. You, however, are just 6 years old. You haven''t matured to the level where one would usually use such a technique. So the question is; Do you want to learn it?"

    Sheng Feilong had stopped staring into the distance. His gaze was focused on Song Weihan but his eyes had lost their usual brightness and instead looked rather hazy. For a while, the two silently looked at each other, before Sheng Feilong spoke up first.

    "I don''t know why it''s like that. I never felt anything was wrong with my emotions... Even when I fought Brother Wang today, everything felt natural and I only realized what happened when you told me... If you hadn''t stepped in, I would have killed Brother Wang..."

    Sheng Feilong paused for a moment. By now, he was shaking again, his fists tightly clamped together.

    "I don''t want to lose control like that... I don''t want to hurt others because I couldn''t control myself... And if the technique can really stop me from losing control, then I definitely want to learn it as soon as possible!"

    Song Weihan nodded and comfortably sat on his chair again.

    "Go home for today. Speak to your father about what happened today and what we talked about here. When you return tomorrow, I will teach you the technique. And... Make sure you don''t let Jian Wang down. You need friends like him, trust me."

    That evening, Sheng Feilong didn''t talk much when he and Sheng Lingtian returned home. It didn''t take long for his father to ask what was wrong today. Sheng Feilong told him about the match against Jian Wang, that he couldn''t control his emotions and nearly killed the latter and about the technique Song Weihan had told him about.

    Sheng Lingtian listened silently with a calm expression and waited for his son to finish. After hearing it all, he stayed silent for a little longer before nodding his head.

    "If you wish to learn that technique, I will not stop you. But you have to remember what your Master said. Don''t let your friends down. And when you apologize to him, you have to promise him to do better the next time."

 18 Four Years Later

    After the day Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang fought and Song Weihan told Sheng Feilong about the Spirit Heart Doctrines, almost 4 years had passed.

    Sheng Feilong was currently walking down the pathway on the academy grounds towards his classroom. He had grown considerably taller, reaching a formidable 135cm in height with quite broad shoulders. His temperament had also changed significantly due to him cultivating the Spirit Heart Doctrines. While he still had the usual youthful playfulness to him, he also had a kind of calm and soothing aura to him which made him seem easy to approach.

    Even though he appeared calm on the outside, Sheng Feilong was incredibly nervous. Today he and his classmates would graduate from the Primary Academy and either leave or join the Intermideate Academy. As he already talked to his father about that and the latter went through all necessary paperwork, Sheng Feilong just had to give the application for the Intermediate Academy to a teacher.

    As he was thinking about what to do and what would happen today,a large hand suddenly pat shoulder. Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan had caught up to him and Jian Wang was the one to pat him on the shoulder.

    "Feilong, you''re early today. Nervous about our graduation?"

    Jian Wang laughed as he looked down on Sheng Feilong, literally. Jian Wang had become a huge fellow these last few years. Reaching a staggering height of 157cm and shoulder as broad as most adult men at the tender age of ten, he truly fit the image of a hulking Power Attack Spirit Master. Or at least he would, if it weren''t for his big, round belly. Sheng Feilong seriously wondered what his father fed him for him to get this big while still maintaining his plump figure.

    Jian Wang continued to tease Sheng Feilong about his nervousness along the way. While the latter still replied in a refined way at the begin, he cracked up and some point and both, Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang, started loudly bickering after a while, causing a few other students to throw them amused glances from time to time. Jian Shiguan followed behind them with some distance, but could only sigh at their antics.

    Jian Shiguan had also grown up considerably. She stood at a height of 129cm, half a head smaller than Sheng Feilong, but had a slender build and delicate face. Paired with her straight black hair that casually lay on her shoulder and the huge blue scarf wrapped around her beneath the hair, she had the qualifications to be entitled a little beauty. The most obvious change, however, was her personality. The shy little girl that only spoke in a meek voice had developed into a poisonous tongue and Jian Shiguan just said whatever was on her mind, so much so that sometimes, it was hard to tell if she was being brutally honest or honestly brutal.

    The three of them made their way over to the classroom that was already filled with students and went to their seats. By now, the seating arrangements had been changed and they sat together at the left of the classroom in two rows with Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang in front and Jian Shiguan and Su Liyun directly behind them.

    Su Liyun already sat at her place, talking with a classmate besides her. When she saw Sheng Feilong and the others take their seats, she quickly greeted them with a smile. Su Liyun hadn''t changed much in the last years apart from her height. She was now just slightly shorter than Sheng Feilong, reaching 133cm in height. She still just wore the plain, standard uniform at school without much personalisation, though she changed her hair recently. Apparently her Spirit Soul, the Fairy Vine, influences her body in the way that her hair was changing colour from time to time. About a year ago, when she broke through rank 10 and became a Soul Master, the blonde strands in her hair changed to a light purple colour, which Su Liyun herself really didn''t like, so she usually tied her hair into a dutt.

    "You guys are late. Everyone else is already here." Su Liyun said with a grin. Looking at her friends, who all seemed confused by her words, she chuckled before explaining the situation for them.

    "Don''t you remember? Yesterday after classes, all of us students promised to come early today since we will graduate today. Most of the others have been here for about an hour already and a few teachers had also come by to talk to the class."

    Sheng Feilong looked at her strangely. According to Su Liyun''s explanation, it really sounded like they were late, but after taking a quick look at his Soul Communicator, it''s clear that he, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan had come 20 minutes before school even begins. They weren''t late in the slightest! Sheng Feilong crossed his arms in front of his chest before sneering at Su Liyun.

    "Well, even so, that just means that all of you just got here way too early! We might be the last to come, but there''s still about 20 minutes until classes begin. Sure, we said we''d come early, but hanging around in the classroom for over an hour? No, thanks!"

    Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan were shocked for a moment as they didn''t expect Sheng Feilong''s reply, though they quickly turned around to look at Su Liyun, smug smiles on their faces. Su Liyun stared at Sheng Feilong, rendered speechless by his rebuttal. After a moment, she sighed and looked at Sheng Feilong with an expression of disgust.

    "You''re as shameless as ever, ''Class President''. Where''s your solidarity in times like these?"

    The grin on Sheng Feilongs grew wider and his eyes displayeda spiteful glee.

    "An hour before school starts? Usually in the living room at home, eating breakfast in delight. Got a problem with that, Lady Su?"

    After his reply, Su Liyun turned back to the classmate she was talking to earlier, refusing to say another word to Sheng Feilong. Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan had also turned around, pretending not to know him as the student around them, who clearly heard Sheng Feilong''s earlier words, were looking at him in disgust.

    The 20 minutes flew by in a breeze and the teacher walked into the room the second classes were supposed to start. After a mandatory speech to the class, their teacher brought them to one of the gyms where rows and rows of chairs were placed in front of the stage. A few hundred people soon flooded the gym, mostly students of the senior year or their parents, and the Academy''s Principal, Su Wan, held a long-winded speech, before passing the baton to another teacher, who than also proceeded to hold a speech. In total, about 10 different people held speeches, lasting about 3 hours total, before Sheng Feilong was asked to hold a speech. As the Class President of the senior year, that much was natural.

    Sheng Feilong held a short speech, thanking the teachers for all their effort, how nice and valuable those past few years were for all of the student and other pretentious stuff that would be expected to be said. After the ceremony ended, all of the students were handed their graduation papers and the crowd slowly began dispersing and the students were dismissed for today. Sheng Feilong went to the secretary''s office of the Intermediate Academy and handed the lady there his application papers. As they were already signed by his father, he could leave shortly after and found Jian Wang, Jian Shiguan and Jian Wushuang already waiting for him.

    A few days before, Sheng Lingtian had already asked Jian Wushuang if he could take Sheng Feilong to the Spirit Pagoda after the graduation ceremony, since he himself couldn''t leave his post. Jian Wushuang agreed as he was planning to fetch both, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan, anyways. Boarding Jian Wushuangs car, Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang shared the back seat while Jian Shiguan took the front seat. None of them thought too much of the graduation since the three kids would attend the Intermediate Academy together after summer break. They casually talked while driving to the Spirit Pagoda.

    "Say, Feilong, what do you plan to do during summer break? Any plans for travelling with your father or Master, or something?" Jian Wang asked with a curious expression. Sheng Feilong, that friend of his, never really seemed to do anything exiting outside of his daily routine, though they would sometimes spend the weekends together, Sheng Feilong never really took the initiative.

    "Not really. I''ll probably be training with Master most of the time. Or maybe I''ll go visit the Sheng Clan again with father. Our family still lives there, after all." Sheng Feilong replied with a nonchalant expression. The light in Jian Wang''s eyes diminished and he instantly seemed bored at the mention of training.

    "You''re always just training. Why don''t you ever do something fun or exciting?"

    Sheng Feilong looked at him and sneered.

    "That attitude and laziness is the reason you''re still stuck at rank 18 while I''m already midway into the Soul Grandmaster stage." Hearing that, Jian Wushuang could help laughing. Even Sheng Feilong would berate his son because of his laziness! Jiang Wang never listened when he said that, but now it''s a fellow who''s the same age as him. That ought to hurt!

    Just as Jian Wushuang predicted, it really hurt Jian Wang''s pride. He leaned back into his seat and just grumbled.

    "Of course you have a higher cultivation level, you have a good Master and high talent, while I have to learn from father, who''s forcing me to learn blacksmithing as well..." Jian Wushuang face darkened.

    "What was that about a good Master, you ungrateful brat?! There''s tons of people begging me to teach them!"

    Jian Shiguan and Sheng Feilong giggled. Though, before Jian Wang could answer, Jian Shiguan spoke up.

    "Uncle, don''t be to hard on Brother Wang! It''s his fault for having low talent and being an idiot. You''re a great teacher! Ah! The Spirit Pagoda, we''re there."

    Jian Wang was speechless, while Sheng Feilong continued to giggle and Jian Wushuang had a gleeful expression. At least his little niece knew how to appreciate him! Parking the car near the Spirit Pagoda, they saw Song Weihan standing near the entrance. He hadn''t changed much in the last four years, appearance wise, though, his aura had changed. His usually calm aura had become deeper and contained a certain solemness in it that commanded respect.

    Seeing him there, Sheng Feilong was the first to run over and greet him. The Jian Family members only shortly behind him, stood besides each other about 3 meters away from Song Weihan and bowed.

    "We pay our respects to senior Spirit Flamingo Douluo!"

 19 Artificial Soul Bones

    "We pay our respects to senior Spirit Flamingo Douluo!"

    Spirit Flamingo Douluo, Song Weihan? That''s right, Song Weihan had already reached Rank 90 2 years ago! He became a Titled Douluo and his title is Spirit Flamingo. Not only that, but being only of age 36 when he broke through, he also became known as one of the youngest Titled Douluo''s on the continent, raising his fame even higher!

    Not only that, but just a year after that, another piece of news shocked the whole continent. Song Weihan''s research at the Spirit Pagoda''s Artificial Spirit Soul Development and Distribution Department had reached a major and critical new breakthrough as well: Together with his team, he had created the first Artificial Soul Bone and successfully fused with it himself!

    Although that Artificial Soul Bone was currently only at the level of a 10-years-old Soul Bone, according to Song Weihan himself, the Soul Bone could be improved even after one had fused with it, just like with artificial Spirit Souls! Naturally, everything had its drawbacks. An artificial Soul Bone couldn''t be mass produced right off the bat. The process of creation involved thousands of sub procedures and even the slightest mistake or miscalculation would instantly result in a fail, causing the overall success rate to be abysmally low. So far, only 3 Artificial Soul Bones had been successfully created: A right leg bone, a skull bone, and the first Soul Bone, Song Weihan had fused with: A torso bone.

    While the whereabouts of the first Soul Bone are clear with Song Weihan having fused with it, reportedly, the right leg Soul Bone was giving to one of the Spirit Pagoda''s Top Soul Master, a rank 98 Hyper Douluo who was only missing a right leg Soul Bone to complete a full set of 6 pieces. It has been rumoured that the Skull Soul Bone hasn''t been given to anyone, as it''s functionality couldn''t be guaranteed, yet, though it will probably land in the hands of another top master of the Spirit Pagoda in the near future.

    After they paid their respects to Song Weihan, Jian Wang, Jian Shiguan and Jian Wushuang stood up and Song Weihan smiled at them with a nod.

    "It''s been a while, Master Jian. You''re also looking well, little Wang, but who might this young lady be?"

    Sheng Feilong flinched. Jian Shiguan was staring at Song Weihan. Or more precisely his hair... He forgot that Jian Shiguan hadn''t met Song Weihan before and she didn''t know about the situation of the latter''s hair. Even worse, Sheng Feilong didn''t warn her about it. Just as Sheng Feilong thought about that, he heard Jian Shiguan''s voice.

    "Whoa. Brother Wang was right, your hair really looks like a chicken''s, senior! I''m Jian Shiguan, nice to meet you!"

    Jian Wang and Jian Wushuang also froze. Jian Wang remembered the time he called Song Weihan out about his hair and the terrible beating that followed in the name of "hand-to-hand combat training", while Jian Wushuang froze since, well,his niece just told a Titled Douluo that he looks like a chicken! Both of them looked over to Sheng Feilong in seek of help, though, noticing the latter''s pale and tense expression, the knew he couldn''t save them.

    Song Weihan was stunned for a moment before chuckling at Jian Shiguan.

    "Nice to meet you as well, but you shouldn''t just tell people they look like chickens, you know? The last time little Wang did so, I beat him up!" Saying so, Song Weihan smiled bright, though, it looked more like the smile of the devil for the others.

    Jian Shiguan froze for a second as well, innocently blinking at Song Weihan, she than said with a cute expression.

    "Ah. Got it, senior. Sorry about that, I didn''t want to insult you! Chickens are awesome, though!"

    Jiang Wushuang nearly fell to the ground.

    ''This airhead! How could she be so casual about this! She just insulted a man who could kill our whole family on a whim!'' Jian Wushuang knew he had to speak up at this point. Mustering his courage, he took a step forward, trying to explain himself to Song Weihan.

    "Senior, this... Please don''t take offence of her words, she''s just a silly child! She really didn''t have a bad intentions!"

    Song Weihan still had that bright smile on his face as he casually dismissed Jian Wushuang''s comment with a wave of his hand.

    "Don''t worry about it, Master Jian, no offence taken." He than turned towards Jian Wang. "By the way, little Wang, did you want to join Feilong in his training today?"

    Jian Wang immediately had cold sweat run down his back and he spoke with a shaky voice.

    "N-No, senior. It''s just that Senior Sheng had asked us to bring Feilong here, so- so we were going to go home soon." Song Weihan stopped smiled at him and faked a sad expression, while glancing at Jian Wushuang for a moment.

    "Ah, how sad. I hoped Feilong would be able to practise coordinating together with others today. I wouldn''t have minded giving you a few pointers on the side. Really, what a shame..."

    Jian Wushuang understood the meaning of that glance instantly and he light cleared his throat before looking at Jian Wang.

    "Little Wang, no trouble. We can always return home later. It''s a rare opportunity to have Senior Spirit Flamingo give you pointer, you should definitely take it!"

    Jian Wang was close to tears and looked at Sheng Feilong for support, but the latter''s cold eyes directly conveyed his emotions.

    ''I won''t take the blame for this. If I die today, I''ll drag you down with me. No chance I''ll let you escape.''

    Jian Wang could only force a smile while replying to Song Weihan with a light bow.

    "Since it''s like this, I''ll have to ask for Senior''s guidance." Song Weihan''s mood brightened at the thought of his new punching ba- temporary student. His gaze wandered over to Jian Shiguan, this time with a genuine smile.

    "Do you want to join in, too, little Shi? It''ll be a good experience for the future."

    Jian Shiguan, oblivious of the underlying meaning when the training was offered to Jian Wang, cheerfully nodded her head. She would train with a Titled Douluo today! Who could boast of having such a privilege!

    A while later, inside of Song Weihan''s personal training area, the three children and Song Weihan stood in the room, where Song Weihan asked them to release their Soul Power and Spirit Souls to see what levels they had reached. Jian Wang proudly stepped up first, releasing his Soul Power of rank 18 and his Mountain Splitting Axe Spirit Soul.

    Song Weihan nodded seeing this. He wasn''t really surprised by Jian Wang''s Rank and he already knew the latter''s Spirit Soul.

    "Not bad, reaching rank 18 at your age is quite good. Little Shi, come and show me yours."

    Jian Wang smiled smugly, clearly content that he was complimented by Song Weihan. Jian Shiguan was a bit nervous. After all, compared to Jian Wang or Sheng Feilong, she lagged behind quite a bit. Taking a step forward, she released her Soul Power and 3 strands of Bluesilver Grass appeared on her hand. Song Weihan took a look at her and was surprised.

    "Bluesilver Grass and a Soul Power of rank 11. That''s a surprise." Jian Shiguan was downcast when she heard Song Weihan''s voice. But before she could say something, he spoke up again.

    "Not many people are able to cultivate the Bluesilber Grass, even if they awaken with Innate Soul Power. To reach rank 11 at age ten is an obvious sign of your diligent cultivation. Tell me, what did you choose for your first artificial Spirit Soul and what''s the Soul Skill you''ve obtained?"

    Jian Shiguan was stunned. She didn''t expect a powerful Soul Master like Song Weihan to compliment her on her Bluesilver Grass. Taking a moment to snap out of her daze, she then quickly answered him and released her Soul Ring.

    "My first artificial Spirit Soul is a 10-years-old Thorned Tulip and the Soul Skill I''ve obtained is called Restricting Vine. It allows me to to bind an opponent with rope like strands of Bluesilver Grass that have the Tulips thorns, but it''s not very resilient and even if my opponent can''t break it, I have to hold the rope myself..."

    Song Weihan nodded at her explanation but couldn''t refrain from asking why she only had a 10-years-old Spirit Soul. Jian Shiguan blushed slightly and replied in a meek tone, not unlike her ''old self''.

    "My... My Spirit Power is to low to hold a 100-years-old Spirit Soul... And my body is quite weak as well..."

    Song Weihan followed up his question with another.

    "Do you have a cultivation technique for training your Spirit Power or physical training?"

    "I''m using the basic methods the Heaven Dou Primary Academy handed out to everyone in class."

    Jian Shiguan said with the same meek voice. Song Weihan nodded again and looked over to Jian Wang. "What about you?"

    Jian Wang was surprised by the sudden question but answered hastily.

    "I''m using the personal techniques of my father. Though, I can''t teach them to Shiguan as she''s not suited to learn them."

    Song Weihan understood that sentiment as not everyone''s suited for every technique and his gaze returned to Jian Shiguan.

    "I''ll get you a suitable basic technique after watching you train today. They won''t be some great secret manuals, but they''ll at least be better than whatever the Academy hands out for free." He than looked at Sheng Feilong. "Your turn, Feilong. Tell them your Soul Skills as well."

    Sheng Feilong nodded, took a step forward and also released his Soul Power and Soul Rings. Yellow and yellow! 2 Rings, signifying that he''s already a Soul Grandmaster of at least rank 20! He then told the others about his current powers.

    "I''m currently at rank 23. My Soul Rings both come from my first artificial Spirit Soul, the Ancient Hypnotic Toad. The first Soul Skill is called Toad Prison, an illusion ability, and the second is called Mental Detection. It''s the same ability that the Spirit Ice Douluo, Huo Yuhao, got for his first ability, though mine''s quite a bit weaker. I''m able to increase my perception in a limited area around me, which also allows me to see things in slow motion and I can give that ability to allies near me at around double the cost. I require only very little Soul Power for that, but the Spirit Power consumption is quite large."

    Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan were stunned. To think Sheng Feilong actually got the same ability as Huo Yuhao! Even though it''s weakened, it''s still an amazing support ability and it doesn''t even require much Soul Power! Song Weihan let them talk amongst themselves for a while longer before starting the training by having them normally cultivate and give them some pointers.

    After that he had them cultivate their Spirit Power, which both, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan had some problems with, but with Song Weihans help, they didn''t encounter much problems. Song Weihan also talked with Jian Shiguan about a few things like what she''s comfortable with while training to choose a suitable technique to teach her later.

    When they went to one of the training halls for hand-to-hand combat training, Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang were incredibly nervous and a bit scared about what was to come, while Jian Shiguan was incredibly exited. As it turns out, Jian Wang''s fear were confirmed. The training lasted for about an hour and by the end of it, both Jian Wang and Sheng Feilong were beaten to a pulp and left grasping for breath on the training hall''s floor while Jian Shiguan was quite pale and had a few bruises.

    ---

    In a small restaurant near the Spirit Pagoda, Jian Wushuang received a call on his Soul Communicator at about the same time the children''s combat training ended. Taking a look at the number, he recognized it as the number of one of his subordinates. They were told to only call him if the occasion was of utmost importance, so he quickly answered the phone.

    A few minutes later, he hang up with a incredulous expression. His old rival, the Blacksmith Association''s only 8-star Saint Blacksmith, Chen Mu, had accepted a child from some backwater town as his personal disciple, stating that that boy called Tang Wulin was even more talented in blacksmithing than his own daughter and even he himself!

 20 Comprehensive Combat Assessmen

    Jian Wushuang frowned while sitting in the restaurant, thinking about what could have driven Chen Mu to accept a personal disciple. As for that kid being more talented than him? hat was most likely just an exaggeration. If he was truly that talented wouldn''t that mean that this Tang Wulin would become the next Divine Craftsman after Zhen Hua? Ridiculous.

    His frown deepened the more he thought about that matter and he unconsciously let out a rather terrifying aura, causing the waitress not to dare to approach him. Today really wasn''t his day. First his niece insulted a Titled Douluo, then he had to leave his son with that smiling devil to get beat up and now this. Seeing the scared waitress near him, he waved her over, causing her to swallow dry in fear and cautiously walk over to him.

    "Bring me a coffee, please. Black."

    The waitress nodded and quickly run to the kitchen, not daring to let that man wait. This person was just too terrifying!

    ---

    Back at the Spirit Pagoda, in the usual training hall number 3, Sheng Feilong, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan sat cross-legged in a circle, absorbing the Soul Power around them to regenerate theirs and heal their injuries. Jian Shiguan was the first to reopen her eyes as she was the least injured and saw Song Weihan casually sitting at the side, waiting for the children to finish. She didn''t know when he came back nor could she feel him sitting there. Even now, noting seemed out of the ordinary and if she didn''t see him, she wouldn''t believe Song Weihan was there. A Titled Douluo was something else!

    Seeing her look at him, Song Weihan lightly smiled and motioned for her to stay silent and wait for the others to finish recuperating first. After a while Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang opened their eyes as well. Though both were still bruised here and there, they looked much better than when the training had just ended. Song Weihan stood up and casually walked over to them with his hands behind his back. Sheng Feilong was the first to jump to his feet and stand straight while facing Song Weihan. Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan followed suit and stood by Sheng Feilong''s left and right respectively.

    Song Weihan nodded with a smile before putting on a more serious expression.

    "Good, all of you recuperated rather fast. Although your injuries weren''t serious, being able to regenerate quickly is important for every Soul Master."

    Jian Wang flinched and the look in his eyed soured. He didn''t dare to speak out loud, but couldn''t help screaming in his heart.

    ''If you hadn''t beat us up because you''re so unforgiving, we wouldn''t need to heal like that!''

    Song Weihan didn''t know about Jian Wang''s thoughts as he nonchalantly continued.

    "I will give you an assessment later. Before that, I would like Feilong to give me a comprehensive analysis of the battle. You took the de-facto leadership of your team even before the match began, so I would like to know your thoughts."

    Sheng Feilong thought about it for a while before speaking up with a serious expression.

    "As much as I''d like not to say it, that match was honestly a disaster."

    Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan were stunned. Even though they lost, they didn''t lost that badly, right? Their opponent was a Titled Douluo, even if the latter limited his Soul power to rank 20, he was still way above their leagues! Song Weihan smiled when he heard Sheng Feilong.

    "A disaster? Why is that. Little Wang and little Shi don''t seem to be of the same impression. Explain your meaning."

    Sheng Feilong gave a small nod and continued.

    "Although our team was balanced quite well with an Attack System Soul Master, a Control Type and a semi-Support Type, our teamwork was not up to par. Brother Wang just activated his Soul Skill and stormed in without any real plan or consideration for the rest of the team, causing a gap to form in our midst while he himself was isolated to deal with the opponent alone. Although he is a Power Attack System Soul Master, the gap in raw physical strength and combat experience was obvious and he should have fallen back as soon as possible. His pride and confidence in his own abilities clouded his judgement of the situation and lead to a dismay in possible attack patterns."

    Jian Wang hung his head in shame. He knew they didn''t do too well but hearing it so bluntly from his own teammate and friend really hurt his pride.

    Sheng Feilong''s explanation, however, wasn''t finished yet.

    "Next up is Jian Shiguan''s lack of control and her flawed observations. She constantly tried to find a gap in the opponents defence, but mostly remained standing where she was, limiting herself and others. She failed to assess and predict the opponents movements and was unable act upon them in conclusion. Her lack of combat experience led her to be prone to faints and traps which gave opportunities for counters to the opponent while putting herself into a disadvantageous position. Her low Soul Power and comparatively weak Soul Skill failed to control the opponent and caused her to break out of line due to her weak physical strength and the fact that her skill relies on being held in her hands."

    Jian Shiguan clenched her fists in anger. She was ashamed of her own obvious weakness but Sheng Feilong''s objective explanation rendered her unable to refute.

    Sheng Feilong took a deep breath and thought for a moment again before speaking up again.

    "As for myself... As the leader of the team, I failed to control the movements of my teammates or come up with a plan to deal with the opponent. I knew Master''s strength best, but did not relay this information to the others, which lead to serious miscalculations on our side and disarray to the chain of command. As a semi-supporter, my abilities were not explained detailed enough and giving my teammates no time to adept to their changed perception lead to a flawed perception of the situation in battle. Using occasional illusions in the right situations would have lead to minor advantages, I was too focused on keeping out defence up and failed to use the rare opportunities to use those illusions while the attempts I made were wasting my Soul Power and Spirit Power repeatedly. My lack of leadership, flawed observations of the battlefield and wasteful actions lead to a serious drop in our overall combat capabilities."

    Sheng Feilong took a deep breath again, trying his best not to let the frustration of their loss influence his mood. He looked at the downcast Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan with a slight regret.

    ''Was I too harsh...? They had never undergone any serious combat training like this before.''

    Song Weihan slowly clapped, getting him the attention of the children while smiling brightly.

    "A brilliant assessment. Little Wang, little Shi, do you have anything to say about Feilong''s analysis?" Both of them shook their heads. Although it hurt, they knew Sheng Feilong''s word were true. Song Weihan looked at them for a second and then continued.

    "You don''t have to be so downcast. While Feilong is right in what he said, what we''re doing isn''t called training for nothing. The three of you formed a team like this for the first time together and you seldomly went through combat training of this degree, if any at all. Little Wang, your strength and knowledge in terms of hand-to-hand combat excel most of your peers, but you need to keep an eye on your surroundings and teammates. You''re not alone on the battlefield. Little Shi, you''re a Control System Soul Master. You always need to keep any and every opportunity in mind. Even if your Soul Skill isn''t strong, if used at the right moment, it''s hinder your opponent perfectly. You just need to create an opening for your teammates to strike. Feilong, what you said about yourself was completely right. However, you weren''t used to leading a team nor fighting while taking care of deficiency on the battlefield. All three of you have the potential to become outstanding Soul Master. That is why you are training. You wouldn''t need to if you were already perfect. Embrace your own flaws and improve upon them. That''s all, you''re dismissed."

    Song Weihan turned around and walked towards the exit after saying all this. He had only taken a few steps before he heard Jian Wang''s voice.

    "Senior Song! Can we challenge you again tomorrow? We want to improve!"

    Song Weihan turned around and saw the determined expressions on the faces of all three of them. He mischievously smiled to himself, but quickly hid that smile with a nonchalant expression and spoke with a dismissive tone.

    "Suit yourselves. Same time tomorrow. But be prepared, I won''t be as lenient as today and the training will only get harder." He then turned around and left for real.

    Sheng Feilong, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan remained a while longer and discussed plans on how to deal with Song Weihan while trying out a few combination attacks. They continued for about an hour and then went down to the ground floor where Sheng Lingtian and Jian Wushuang were already waiting. The both of them were talking about something and Jiang Wushuang seemed incredibly angry for some reason while Sheng Lingtian was as calm as ever.

    Walking over to their parents, Sheng Feilong noticed 2 booklets in Jian Wushuang''s hand, which he definitely didn''t have when they came here. Jian Wushuang gave those booklets to Jian Shiguan, saying Song Weihan left them for her. They were the cultivation techniques for her training in Spirit Power and physical strength!

 21 Return To The sheng Clan

    Jian Wushuang had a conflicted expression. Song Weihan had asked him to give those two technique manuals to Jian Shiguan, saying she should at least get the chance to catch up to her friends. Jian Wushuang naturally knew the value of those booklets. While they may not be the best, they''re still much better than anything that would be taught at the Intermediate Academy, maybe even better than the techniques of the Advanced Academy. Moreover, Song Weihan had hand-picked them for Jian Shiguan and they were perfectly suited for her.

    Jian Wushuang was worried about the strings that might be attached to obtaining those techniques and while joining the Spirit Pagoda was definitely a good choise, he didn''t want to force it upon his niece. Jian Shiguan should be able to freely choose whether she wants to join the Spirit Pagoda or not. Though, seeing his niece''s gleeful expression, he really couldn''t bare to voice his concerns.

    Sheng Lingtian understood Jian Wushuang troubles. Putting his hand on the latter''s shoulder, he gave a small, reassuring smile and lightly shook his head. Jian Wushuang glanced at him before turning back to the excited children. Letting out a small, inaudible sigh, he took a step forward and spoke with an amused voice.

    "You seem to have an awful lot of fun considering that you''ve just been beaten up. If you''ve talked enough, then let''s go home."

    The children were startled when Jian Wushuang suddenly spoke up and turned towards him out of reflex before nodding their heads. On the way out, Jian Wang remembered something turned towards Jian Wushuang again.

    "Right, father, we need to come back tomorrow at around the same time! Senior Song said we could train together with Feilong if we want!"

    Jian Wushuang looked at him strangely. Train with Song Weihan again? Weren''t they just meditating for a while before then going to the training hall where Song Weihan beat them up? His son couldn''t possibly like to get beaten up, right? While Jian Wang failed to guess Jian Wushuang thoughts, Sheng Feilong seemed to realize something and decided to correct Jian wang before the situation got worse.

    "We were doing combat training in the form of a team fight. Brother Wang, Shiguan and I fought against Master and Master invited the both of them to join us again tomorrow for the same exercise."

    Jian Wushuang relaxed slightly. So it was a team fight and not his son having some weird thoughts. Probably. He thought about it for a moment and spoke to the children again.

    "Well, you can''t possible do a team fight alone. If Wang''er und Shiguan want to join you, then I won''t stop them. However, I need to work at the association tomorrow and can''t take you to the Spirit Pagoda."

    He glanced over to Sheng Lingtian who just nodded in response and spoke in his usual calm voice.

    "That''s not a problem. I can pick the both of them up on the way when I bring Feilong over. It''s not much of a detour."

    Jian Wushuang promptly agreed, causing both Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan to beam with joy. The next day, Sheng Lingitan came to pick them up with Sheng Feilong in tow. They met up with Song Weihan while Sheng Lingtian was occupied with work.

    The day went by in the same way as the one before. Soul Power and Spirit Power training, corrections in their cultivation and last, but not least, the team fight against Song Weihan. Adhering by the strategies they came up with, Sheng Feilong''s group didn''t lost as badly as before, though mainly because Song Weihan gave them more leeway than yesterday since he wasn''t in a bad mood.

    Two weeks went by with Sheng Feilong, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan training together and their teamwork became better and better at a rate that stunned even Song Weihan. Although they did not manage to force the latter to the point were he had to rely on a Soul Skill thanks to his superior experience, the changes would be apparent even to laymen''s eyes.

    They had just finished today''s training, with all three of the children laying on the ground bruised and heavily panting, when they heard Song Weihan''s voice.

    "I won''t be at the Spirit Pagoda for the coming week, so there won''t be any training here. Take that time to rest a while, but remember to cultivate properly every day, even without me. I will be back the week after."

    Hearing about this so suddenly was somewhat of a shock for Sheng Feilong. Thinking back, this was the first time since he became Song Weihan''s disciple that he really had time off, other than the time when Song Weihan prepared for his breakthrough tothe Titled Douluo level. Currently, the children were still on summer break and school would only start in about 4 weeks, so they really had the whole days off.

    After all of them had recuperated, Sheng Feilong spoke a while longer with Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan about today''s training and what they were planning to do the coming week. Jian Wang planned to slack off and try to convince his father to relieve him of his blacksmithing training as well to make the most of this rare chance, while Jian Shiguan didn''t really had a plan, only saying that she''d probably spend the time with some of the girls from their former class.

    Sheng Feilong thought about their choices and decided to ask his father to go and visit their family at the Sheng Clan. He hadn''t seen his uncle, aunt or cousin in all those four years and had only talked to them sometimes via a Soul Communicator.

    Talking about the matter when they had sent Jian Shiguan and Jian Wang home, his father approved of the idea, saying that he''d ask for a leave the next day. As Sheng Lingtian had rarely asked for a leave so far, his superiors had no problem with him taking a week off and after talking with Sheng Fengtian, Sheng Feilong''s uncle, they decided to visit them at Monday and then stay for a few days.

    Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian spent the next day preparing for their stay and packing things and left early in the morning at Monday. Unlike the soul car they took to leave the Sheng Clan years ago, with Sheng Lingtian''s new Purple Mecha, the journey did not even take half as long and arrived at the Sheng Clans entrance at around 9 in the morning. Sheng Lingtian talked to an middle aged guardsman, who still recognized them as the former 6th Elder of the Clan and his son, while waiting for Sheng Fengtian to pick them up.

    Sheng Fengtian camarrived after about 2 minutes and lead them to his courtyard after a heartfelt welcome. At Sheng Fengtian''s courtyard, Sheng Feilong''s aunt, Luo Mei, who''s also Sheng Fengtian''s wife, was already waiting for them. Seeing them arrive, she quickly came out to greet them, hugging Sheng Feilong with a beaming smile. The four of them spend some time together to catch up on a few things. Sheng Fengtian and Luo Mei were absolutely shocked when they heard that Song Weihan took Sheng Feilong as his personal disciple, actively making him a Young master of the Spirit Pagoda. When Sheng Feilong bragged about his cultivation level with a proud smile, his uncle and aunt sat in their seats with their mouths wide open.

    After a few hours, Luo Mei went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for all of them while the three men remained in the living room. Sheng Feilong was wondering where Sheng Lijing was for some time now and finally couldn''t help but ask. Sheng Fengtian smiled and explained it to him.

    "Lijing is at the training grounds. The kids train there every morning under the supervision of an Elder. She should be finished in a few minutes and then make her way here. You still remember where the training grounds are, right? Why don''t you go fetch her and let us old man talk alone?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded, stood up and jogged to the door, waving at Sheng Fengtian and Sheng Lingtian with a bright smile before leaving.

    "I''ll go get Lijing now!"

    Running through the familiar Sheng Clan Estate, Sheng Feilong made his way over to the training fields. The Clan felt like it hadn''t changed at all. Safe for a few details, Sheng Feilong remembered most of the scenery, streets and even people! Although no one seemed to recognize or bother with him, Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but smile at the nostalgia.

    Sheng Feilong soon reached the training grounds. Standing at the side, he watched as the few dozen kids trained in different groups while he tried to find Sheng Lijing. He soon found her in a group of ten years old. Most of them were probably the children who went through the Awakening Ceremony together with him.

    As the training ended, Sheng Lijing made her way towards the side where Sheng Feilong stood. She didn''t seem to recognize him and didn''t mind the boy standing at the field. Even though she ignored him, the short span of time she used to look at him was already enough for her to trip over a little mound of sand. Barely being able to keep her footing, she tried to act as if nothing happened. Sheng Feilong on the other hand could stop himself from smiling.

    ''She really didn''t change much. And she''s still the same airhead as back then!"

    Seeing her approach, Sheng Feilong stood in her way, brightly smiling.

    "Long time no see, Lijing!"

    "Who are you?"

    Sheng Lijing furrowed her brows. She didn''t know who that boy was but he seemed oddly familiar. Sheng Feilong continued to smile, while feigning sadness.

    "It''s just been four years since father and I left, yet you already forgot about me? What a great cousin you are!"

    Sheng Lijing''s eyes widened in shock. Taking a closer look at the boy, his pitch black hair, fair skin and clear blue eyes merged with the image of a person in her head and she couldn''t help exclaiming in joy.

    "Feifei?!"

 22 Sheng Clans Future Patrairch

    Sheng Feilong had returned to the clan! Sheng Lijing was shocked! She stood rooted in place and din''t know what to do. She hadn''t seen Sheng Feilong in years and now her cousin is standing right in front of her, smiling brightly!

    ''No wait, he isn''t smiling... Why does he look so disgusted? Don''t tell me I stink from all the training..?''

    Sheng Lijing couldn''t help but blush.

    Sheng Feilong was originally thrilled to see Sheng Lijing again. That girl really hadn''t changed at all other than growing taller! A slim figure wearing common clothing, amber coloured eyes, a pointy nose and small mouth. Her hair which had the Sheng Clan member''s usual yellowish brown colour, but was pretty long and, unlike other clan members'', very curly and bound into a ponytail. Even that silly nickname she gave him hadn''t changed at all...

    "Lijing, I''ve told you a thousand times not to call me Feifei! If you have to give me a nickname, then call me Brother Long or something!"

    Sheng Lijing was confused.

    "But you are Feifei, so I''m calling you that! Why would I call you something else?"

    Sheng Feilong wanted to refuse, but didn''t know what to say. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he heard a rude, loud voice coming from the training grounds.

    "Sheng Feilong, you still dare to come back to our Sheng Clan?"

    Sheng Feilong furrowed his brows again, wondering who would say something like that. Looking past Sheng Lijing, he saw a rather big boy around the same age as himself. The boy wore a red martial attire adorned with silver lining, black boots and black bracer''s on his wrists. He had the Sheng Clan''s signature yellowish brown hair, cut to about middle length, and amber eyes. His gaze and demeanour were incredibly arrogant, but no one dared to stand in his way.

    The boy''s loud words had instantly attracted the attention of most children in the vicinity and all of them were staring at him and Sheng Feilong. Seeing that boy, Sheng Feilong instantly lost interest. He was Sheng Henjian, the son of Patriarch Sheng Hentian and the latter''s demeanour reminded Sheng Feilong of Xiao Yuewu when they first met. He was not someone Sheng Feilong wanted to have anything to do with.

    "Lijing, let''s leave. Father, uncle Fengtian and aunty Mei are waiting for us."

    With that, Sheng Feilong grabbed Sheng Lijing hand, urging her to come, while he left in the direction of Sheng Fengtian''s courtyard. Sheng Lijing didn''t really know how to respond to that and was somewhat pulled away by Sheng Feilong.

    Sheng Henjian''s face turned into a mocking sneer.

    "First you embarrass you father like that, pushing him as far as to forsake the Clan and now you run away without saying anything? What a good son you are, ha, ha!"

    Sheng Feilong had only walked a few meters before he halted in his steps. He let go of Sheng Lijing and turned around to face Sheng Henjian, with a cold expression.

    "What did you just say?!"

    The sneer on Sheng Henjian''s face grew even wider.

    "What, isn''t it true? The son of an former Elder who didn''t awaken the Clan''s hereditary Spirit Soul, bringing shame to his family and the Clan, Sheng Feilong. My father, the Patriarch, even offered to still let the clan take care of you, but your father was so ashamed, that he turned down the offer and left the clan for good, abandoning his own ancestors!"

    Sheng Feilong clenched his fists in anger. Sheng Henjian actually dared to talk about his father like that? He took a few steps forward and spoke in a cold and low voice.

    "Offered to take care of me? And my father abandoned the Clan? Did Sheng Hentian depict it like that or is that just you trying to insult my father?!"

    Sheng Henjian mocking expression turned into a frown.

    "What, you think I''m wrong? And who do you think you are to address my father, the patriarch, by his name. A weakling like you has no right to speak like that. Know your place and show some respect!"

    Inwardly, Sheng Henjian was rejoicing in his heart. His position as the future patriarch had always been questioned by members of the clan. When the Sixth Elder left the clan with his son, who awakened with Innate Full Soul Power left the clan without notice, many people had doubts. Rumours about Patriarch Sheng Hentian forcing them out of the clan to promote his own son''s standing quickly spread throughout the Clan. Although Sheng Hentian did his best to silence them and released an official statement saying he did all he could and that it was Sheng Lingtian''s own decision, however, that didn''t stop all the rumours. Even more so because they weren''t able to confirm the patriarch claim since no one heard about Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Feilong in all those years.

    Sheng Hentian never told his son the truth and made him believe that Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Feilong had truly abandoned the Clan. Still, Sheng Henjian had to take all the criticism and, although he was the strongest in his own age group, many of the older clan member''s still didn''t accept him. He had the strongest of the hereditary Spirit Soul the clan had seen in dozens of years, the Flame Maned Mountain Lion which even had the bloodline of the Sun Swallowing Mountain Lion and his Innate Soul Power of rank 7 was also rarely seen. He had the highest affinity with the Clan''s cultivation techniques, yet just because Sheng Feilong had awakened with Innate Full Soul Power, his achievements were simply dismissed by most people. Because of all that, Sheng Henjian hated Sheng Feilong with a passion.

    Sheng Feilong stared at Sheng Henjian and his clenched fists slowly relaxed. The anger in his eyes also subsided. He calmed down, took a deep breath and looked at Sheng Henjian with not only cold indifference but a certain arrogance as well, causing Sheng Henjian to grow nervous and he screamed in his heart.

    ''No, why are you calming down?! Challenge me! I''ll show the whole Clan who''s worthy of being the next Patriarch! Challenge me, Sheng Feilong!''

    Sheng Henjian couldn''t completely suppress his nervousness and he slowly began rigid behind his arrogant expression. Just as he was about to provoke Sheng Feilong again, he heard the latter speaking in a low, but resolute voice.

    "I am Sheng Feilong, the son of the Clan''s former Sixth Elder, Sheng Lingtian. As a man who twisted the clan''s rules in his own advantage, Sheng Hentian doesn''t deserve my respect. So what if I call him by his name? And you, Sheng Henjian, have no qualifications to call me a weakling."

    Sheng Henjian nearly screamed out loud from excitement when he heard Sheng Feilong. He looked at the latter and loudly questioned, with a solemn expression.

    "Qualifications? Sheng Feilong... Are you challenging me?"

    Sheng Feilong didn''t answer him but instead walked onto the training grounds. He went towards one of the arena''s that were enclosed by white paint ground. He stopped in the middle of the arena and looked towards Sheng Henjian, who still stood in the same spot as before with the same expression. Looking at Sheng Feilong in the arena, Sheng Henjian walked up to him and spoke in a low voice.

    "Very well. Since you dare to challenge me, you better be prepared for the worst. I won''t show you mercy.

    Sheng Feilong still looked at him with cold indifference while an arrogant gleam flickered in his eyes.

    "Stop talking already and make your move."

    Sheng Henjian''s Soul Power instantly surged and a yellow Soul Ring appeared behind his back. He charged forward and as the ring lit up, Sheng Henjian''s right arm bulked up and became covered with brown fur, littered with gold streaks that looked like flames and his hand turned into a lion''s claw. He had activated his first Soul Skill: Mountain Lion Claw!

    Sheng Feilong remained his indifferent expression and calmly waiting for Sheng Henjian''s strike. While his charge might seem ferocious and mighty to other, Sheng Feilong was used to Song Weihan''s techniques, faints and powerful assaults. In his eyes, Sheng Henjian''s charge was nothing but child''s play. He didn''t even bother to release his own Soul Power or Soul Skills.

    Just as Sheng Henjian was about to hit Sheng Feilong, the latter dodged out of the way by turning his head to the side. Sheng Feilong then turned his whole body and brutally punched Sheng Henjian, who was still in full charge, into the gut, instantly bringing him to a halt.

    Sheng Henjian stumbled a few steps backwards; the prior punch nearly caused his knees to give in. Just as he caught his footing again, Sheng Feilong kicked his chin and Sheng Henjian fell backwards onto his butt. His head was spinning and his vision blurry.

    The crowd was stunned. 2 hits! That''s all it took Sheng Feilong to take out the strongest Soul Master of his age group and render him unable to fight any longer! No one dared to believe it and they could not do anything but stare at Sheng Feilong and Sheng Henjian on the arena.

    Sheng Henjian failed to stand up after he took that kick even when he tried. Sheng Feilong looked down at him, still with a indifferent expression and sneered.

    "Is that all the future patriarch has to offer? And you dare to call me a weakling? What a joke."

    He turned around and went toward the training ground''s exit with Sheng Lijing in tow, leaving behind the stunned crowd and the defeated Sheng Henjian. They walked through the streets, and soon arrived at Sheng Fengtian''s courtyard where everyone was already waiting for them. None of them had yet heard of what happened at the training grounds.

 23 The Patriarchs Fury

    Inside the main building of Sheng Fengtian''s courtyard, their little family of 3, plus Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian, gathered around the big dining table. The whole table was filled with meals that Luo Mei had personally prepared. Sheng Feilong was especially ecstatic since he hadn''t eaten such good food in years! Although Sheng Lingtian wasn''t a bad cook, he was still worlds apart from Luo Mei.

    Sheng Lingtian couldn''t help but chuckle when he saw his son being so engrossed in the food. Taking a bite of one of the delicacies in front of him, he had to admit that Luo Mei was a grandiose cook. Luo Mei was content on seeing all of them so satisfied with her food.

    After their dinner, they moved to the living room and began talking about what happened in the last few years. Sheng Feilong was in a really good mood and talked for over an hour about all the things that happened. He talked a lot about his friends and his Master, shocking Sheng Fengtian and the others to the core when they heard that Song Weihan was a Titled Douluo, though, they were even more shocked about the latter''s identity. Sheng Fengtian had naturally heard about the super genius from the Spirit Pagoda who developed a method to create Artificial Soul Bones and even managed to create functioning ones that, reportedly, people could truly fuse with.

    Sheng Feilong also told them about how he cultivated and, again, that he was already a rank 23 Soul Grandmaster, causing Sheng Lijing, who didn''t know so beforehand, to freeze in her seat with her mouth wide open. Sheng Fengtian and Luo Mei looked at each other and sighed in relief. Thank God they already knew about it. It would have been way to embarrassing to be that shocked in front of their daughter.

    After recovering from her initial shock, Sheng Lijing excitedly asked Sheng Feilong about his Soul Skills. She saw him defeat Sheng Henjian with just two moves earlier, but he hadn''t even released his Soul Power, much less used any Soul Skills. Sheng Fengtian was curious as well and also encouraged Sheng Feilong to show them.

    Sheng Feilong nodded and asked them not to resist his Spirit Power and then used his first Soul Skill on them: Toad Prison. Sheng Fengtian and Luo Mei felt his Spirit Power invade their minds while Sheng Lijing looked confused. Soon after, Sheng Feilong smiled mischievously and created dozens of cauliflowers out of thin air that flew all across the room, much to the distress of Sheng Lijing, who didn''t like vegetables to begin with.

    After Sheng Feilong dismissed his Soul Skill and the cauliflowers disappeared, he explained how his second Soul Skill worked, but didn''t show it to them since it wasn''t that practical in normal situations. He then told the others about his newly established training sessions with Song Weihan, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan. And after a while, he had pretty much told them about everything that had happened since they left the clan.

    Sheng Lingtian then proceeded to tell them a bit more relatively normal stuff, before asking how they were faring. Sheng Fengtian and Luo Mei talked about pretty normal stuff at first, but got to the more serious happening after a while. According to Sheng Fengtian, the Sheng Clan had been quite peaceful nothing much changed when compared to before. The only real change concerned the younger generation of the Clan.

    After his son awakened the Flame Maned Mountain Lion Spirit Soul, Patriarch Sheng Hentian had changed the amount of resources that was allocated to the younger generation, clearly in favour of nurturing his own son. Of course, everyone else also profited of those changes as they obtained the same increased resources, but Sheng Henjian clearly made the most out of it, since the Patriarch added a special rule, that the strongest of each generation would obtain even more and precious resources that others.

    Sheng Fengtian really got into it when he explained the new rules and it was apparent that he really didn''t like them. Though, that is to be expected, as Sheng Lijing''s talent is better than most of those that are considered the strongest in their age group, but they still obtain more resources than her. At some point, Luo Mei cut him off and told him so finish his rant, causing the other three to slightly chuckle at his misery.

    After being reprimanded by his wife, Sheng Fengtian let out a long sigh, before glancing at Sheng Feilong with a dissatisfied expression. He sneered, looked at Sheng Lingtian and began ranting about Sheng Hentian''s leadership again.

    "Anyways, the real problem is Sheng Hentian. It''s obvious that he wants to push his son into the position of the next patriarch. He''s always speaking highly of his son while trying to rope in the other Elders for support and covering up his sons shortcomings. I''ve never told you on the communicator, but he''s even gone as far as spreading word that you and your son abandoned the Clan, even after he himself tried all he could to give Feilong the best prospects for his future. Blatant lies, all so that he could put his son on the pedestal."

    Sheng Lingtian''s expression darkened tremendously while Sheng Feilong''s became somewhat sour. He had already heard about that from Sheng Henjian and even beat up the latter for it, though that was not known be neither his father nor his uncle. Sheng Lingtian clenched his fists, nearly jumping to his feet from anger.

    "That Sheng Hentian! I already told him that Feilong and I wouldn''t have anything to do with the Sheng Clan in future, and he still dares to talk about us behind our backs?"

    Luo Mei sighed and tried to pacify both Sheng Fengtian and Sheng Lingtian.

    "Calm down, you two. While Sheng Hentian is definitely in the wrong, just raging about it won''t change anything." Her calm expression suddenly turned into a scheming smile. "That right, isn''t the annual competition of the younger generation held at the end of the week? I doubt they''d let Feilong participate, but as conceited as Sheng Hentian is, he''ll most likely get his son and Feilong to fight each other. Sheng Henjian beating Feilong in a fight is the only method to get the rumours to stop."

    Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Fengtian were stunned by Luo Mei''s idea for a moment but soon had similar scheming smiles on their faces and looked at Sheng Feilong. Sheng Feilong sat there with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a light frown. He looked at his family and simply told them about the fight at the training grounds.

    "I already fought Sheng Henjian today. He provoked me when I picked up Lijing and insulted father, so I beat him with a dozen or so other children watching."

    Sheng Fengtian looked at Sheng Feilong as if he''d seen a ghost, before holding his head with one hand and laughing.

    "You brat... you''re not even back for half a day and have already caused such a scene?!"

    Sheng Lingtian''s expression brightened and he also couldn''t stop himself from bursting out laughing.

    "Ha, ha, ha! That''s my son! Serves that brat right. But tell me, how was his strength?"

    Luo Mei and Sheng Lijing just watched the three of them. Luo Mei was speechless as Sheng Fengtian and Sheng Lingtian didn''t seem to realize how serious the situation is, while Sheng Lijing also didn''t think her father and uncle would laugh loudly instead of reprimanding him. Sheng Feilong on the other hand just scoffed at his father''s question and frowned a bit more.

    "He''s a weakling! Seriously, he''s barely around rank 16 or 17, but even more conceited than Xiao Yuewu and he just charged straight at me like a lunatic. I didn''t even need to use any Soul Power, he basically run head first into my fist!"

    Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Fengtian laughed even more vigorously after hearing him, while the others were still a bit speechless. They than continued talking about Luo Mei''s plan to pay back Sheng Hentian, as Sheng Feilong assumed Sheng Henjian would be to proud to admit that he was beaten by Sheng Feilong. In the end, they decided to go and watch the competition and to make sure Sheng Hentian knew they were there.

    ----

    At the Patrairch''s Mansion, Sheng Hentian had already heard about his son getting hurt at the training grounds and was on his way to Sheng Henjian''s room. Inside, Sheng Henjian sat with bandages wrapped around his thorax and head, which were smeared with oozy looking ointments. He lies on his bad and his injuries looked worse than what Sheng Hentian had heard. Anger seething up to his head, he stormed to his son''s side and questioned him with a cold but anxious voice.

    "Jian''er, what happened? Who did this to you?!"

    Sheng Henjian looked nervous and slightly averted his eyes in oder to not meet his father''s gaze. He then spoke with a weak and shaky voice.

    "Father, calm down. It looks worse than it actually is. Your son will be fine with a day of rest, don''t worry! But father, that Sheng Feilong has gone to far! He insulted father, blatantly lying and saying you forced him and the former Sixth Elder out of the clan and said you weren''t worthy of his respect! I couldn''t let that slip and challenged him to a fair duel, but he used underhanded tricks, utilizing hidden Soul Weapon''s to defeat me!"

    By now, Sheng Henjian was gnashing his teeth, seemingly even convincing himself of his own lies about the duel! Patriarch Sheng Hentian''s face was beet red from anger and he turned his head towards the sky, screaming on top of his lungs.

    "Sheng Feilong, you miserable rat, this Patriarch will personally slaughter you!"

 24 Annual Competition Of The Younger generation

    The Patriarch angered shout reverberated through the whole mansion, startling all the maids and servants. Many went pale and some fell to their knees due to Sheng Hentian''s terrible killing intent. Sheng Henjian, who''s still lying in his bed, was scared out of his wits by his father''s scream for a moment, but quickly caught his compusture again and was rejoicing in his heart.

    ''Sheng Feilong, let''s see how long you can live with father that angry! That''s what you get from humiliating me!''

    Just as he finished this thought, he saw his father, Sheng Hentian storm towards the door and out of the room. Sheng Hentian was running through the mansion, making a beeline towards the front door like a madman. He soon reached the main hall, but before he could go out through it to find Sheng Feilong, the figure of the Sheng Clan''s Grand Elder, Sheng Yuntian, stood in his way with a grave expression. Sheng Hentian stopped in his track and stared at the Grand Elder.

    "Sheng Yuntian, get out of my way. I will slaughter that little rat!"

    Sheng Yuntian looked at the Patriarch and spoke with a cold voice.

    "Patrairch, calm down. I''ve heard what happened to Jian''er and we will get revenge for him. But not now, not like this. Going out and killing Sheng Feilong will only lead to more rumours. A few disciples of the Clan saw the match between Jian''er and Sheng Feilong. According to them, Sheng Feilong defeated Jian''er in just two moves without even using his Soul Power."

    Sheng Hentian still stared at the Grand Elder and let out a low bellow at the mention of the duel''s outcome.

    "That rat used Soul weapons against Jian''er. It''s impossible for him to defeat Jian''er!"

    Sheng Yuntian nodded, still with a grave expression, and continued to speak, seeing that the Patriarch hasn''t lost his reason and was still willing to talk.

    "Of course he can''t defeat Jian''er with his own strength. But if we kill him now, just like that and release the information that he used Soul Weapons afterwards, many people still won''t believe it. After all, only Jian''er who was in the arena could see them. We need to find a way to justifiably dispose of him. Isn''t the annual youth competition at the end of the week? How about we use that against him?"

    "The competition? You want Sheng Feilong to take part in it?" Sheng Hentian narrowed his eyes, before continuing with a sneer.

    "The competition is only for members of the clan''s younger generation. A homeless rat like him doesn''t qualify to participate."

    Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian''s expression turned into a light smile.

    "Naturally not, Patriarch. But we can still have him fight Jian''er there. After Jian''er won first place, we''ll inform the Clan about Sheng Feilong''s underhanded methods and will have Jian''er beat him to his hearts content." Sheng Yuntian''s smile changed to an ill-natured one and a malicious aura surged out from him.

    "Afterwards, we''ll cripple him for injuring Jian''er. Knowing Sheng Lingtian, that punishment will be even worse than the death of his son and Sheng Feilong will have to live the rest of his life as a pitiful mortal."

    Sheng Hentian was stunned for a second before showing a similar ill-natured smile and beginning to chuckle.

    "Good, good. A fantastic idea, Grand Elder... We''ll do it like that. But we''ll have to make sure that they don''t leave the Clan before the competition."

    "No worries, Patriarch. According to my information, they plan to spent the whole week at Sheng Fengtian''s place. Sheng Fengtian''s daughter will also participate in the competition, so I assume Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian will stay to watch. I''ll have a few guards inform us of their movements, just to make sure. You should stay with Jian''er, Patriarch. He needs to be in his best condition when the competition starts."

    ---

    The next few days flew by relatively peacefully. Sheng Feilong spend most of his time with his family, safe for an hour or two in the evening where he would cultivate. they toured the Sheng Clan estate together and bought a few things.

    Although it''s called the Sheng Clan estate, it''s actually bigger than your average village and self sustainable to boot. The land surrounding the estate was used for farming or breeding of cattle. The Clan also frequently traded with neighbouring villages or even Heaven Dou City''s merchants, so there was no shortage of stuff to explore or buy for Sheng Feilong.

    Sheng Lijing would go to the training fields in the morning, while Sheng Feilong spent his time with the others. Although he had already offered her to spar and train with her, Sheng Lijing declined, saying she would train with everyone else as it would be unfair to have the disciple of a Titled Douluo as her training partner. Sheng Feilong didn''t know what to say to that, so he couldn''t stop Sheng Lijing from leaving. That girl was just too stubborn!

    Thursday evening, after they all ate dinner, Sheng Fengtian and Sheng Lijing seemed more serious than usual, but Sheng Feilong thought that it couldn''t be helped as the competition would be held the next day. To break the awkwardness, he decided to tease his cousin a bit. He faked a sigh before looking at Sheng Lijing with pity in his eyes.

    "Say, Lijing, when do you think you''ll drop out tomorrow? You could have easily won if we had trained together, but alas, you didn''t want to!"

    Sheng Lijing, who was a bit lost in thought, her him and instantly snapped.

    "What do you mean, ''when will you drop out''?! Since I''ll participate, I''ll naturally plan to win! Who needs your training!"

    Sheng Feilong smiled, but didn''t stop teasing her.

    "Really~? You''ll win? No offence, but you''ll have to beat THE Sheng Henjian to win! The future Patriarch and strongest of his age group, you know! He''s super strong, isn''t he!"

    Sheng Lijing crossed her arms in front of her chest and rolled her eyes at Sheng Feilong.

    "What Sheng Henjian, if you can beat him in two moves, how good can he be. I''ll just do the same, hmpf!" She then stood up, not bothering with Sheng Feilong any more and left for her room.

    "I''ll go cultivate in my room, so don''t disturb me!"

    Sheng Fengtian chuckled and Luo Mei threw Sheng Feilong a gratified smile. She had be wondering how to get Sheng Lijing to lose her nervousness for the whole day and couldn''t come up with a good way, but a few words from Sheng Feilong actually did the job. The family, minus Sheng Lijing, talked for a while longer before they split up as well. Sheng Feilong returned to his room and began cultivating for a while before also going to bed.

    ---

    The next morning, the Shang Clan estate was filled with a multitude of people. All of them flocked towards the Clan''s Main Plaza where the annual competition of the younger generation would be held.

    A big arena with the size of 25x25 meters was elevated from the ground in the middle of the Main Plaza. The Sheng Clan''s Twelfth Elder, Sheng Lutian, stood atop the platform, as he would act as the matches referee. The competition was split into 3 parts, that would be held today and the coming two days. The first part will be the competition of clan members aged 10 and below. The next day, the competition of clan members aged 15 or below will be held and on the third day, clan members aged 20 or below would fight.

    Sheng Feilong, Sheng Lingtian and Luo Wei stood in the first row beneath the platform, while Sheng Fengtian had ascended the rostrum where the other Elder of the Clan, as well as the Grand Elder and patriarch were seated. Sheng Lijing had taken her place amidst the other children, who had assembled on the platform.

    After a opening speech from the Patriarch to encourage the children, they began drawing lots to decide who would be facing who. Although a K.O. Procedure may seem unfair, as even the weakest members had a chance of facing the strongest in the first round, it was still handled in that way since it was a tradition of the Clan. Moreover, only the first ranked would obtain rewards, as the Sheng Clan valued strength the most. After the drawing, the two strongest members of the age group 10 or below, Sheng Henjian and Sheng Lijing picked numbers 6 and 19, respectively. They would be facing each other only in the finals! The competition soon started and the children who drew number 1 and 2 ascended the platform while the other children waited at the side.

    After the competition started, Sheng Feilong felt a killing intent directed at him. Looking into the direction he felt it from, he saw Patriarch Sheng Hentian stare at him. He notified Sheng Lingtian, who quickly shielded him from the Patriarch gaze. Sheng Hentian scoffed and ignored Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian afterwards.

    The competition continued for the whole day, and soon it was already afternoon. The finals would start in a few minutes and, as expected, Sheng Henjian and Sheng Lijing would be facing each other!

 25 Didnst Think He Was So Weak

    Sheng Henjian and Sheng Lijing stood opposite of each other on the arena. The crowd around them was cheering on top of their lungs. The finals of the annual competition of the younger generation of the age group 10 or younger would start any second now! The Sheng Clan''s Twelfth Elder, Sheng Lutian, looked at Sheng Henjian and Sheng Lijing, both of which were concentrating on the other and raised his hand.

    "The final round of the competition will start now. Both of you, on your marks."

    He then abruptly lowered his hand, signalling for the match to start. Both Sheng Henjian and Sheng Lijing directly released their Soul Power and Soul Ring, which then lit up. They charged at each other and simultaneously used their Soul Skill: Mountain Lion Claw!

    Sheng Henjian''s arm bulked up and was covered with brown fur that had strands of gold run through them, that looked like flames. Sheng Lijing''s arm also bulked up and was covered with the same brown fur, but was run through by strands of black. Their claw clashed together at full force and a loud, booming sound originated from the impact. Both still stood at the middle of the arena, but Sheng Lijing was pushed back half a step; Sheng Henjian had overpowered her in a competition of raw strength!

    Sheng Lijing then turned to the side and threw a kick at Sheng Henjian, aiming for his sides, but Sheng Henjian quickly blocked it. What followed was a flurry of kicks and punches from both sides that were blocked or dodged by the other party. Sometimes, one of them voluntarily took a hit, just to attack the other party. Their match had turned into a fully grown melee brawl!

    The fight on the arena quickly became more and more heated. After a few rounds, Sheng Lijing was hit in the chest, blood dripping from her lips, but she charged at Sheng Henjian again. Their melee continued, but Sheng Lijing couldn''t keep up any longer and was flung back, brutally crashing into the arena. She staggered back to her feet and stared at Sheng Henjian. Just as she was about to charge at him, the Twelfth Elder, Sheng Lutian, stepped forth and benevolently smiled at her.

    "That''s enough. Sheng Lijing, you fought well, let''s end it here. You have shown everyone your strength and willpower, there is no shame in loosing like this."

    Sheng Lutian took a few steps forward and looked at the crowd of the Sheng Clan.

    "I hereby declare the finals of the age group of 10 or younger as finished! The winner is Sheng Henjian!" A deafening cheer erupted from the crowd, as they clapped and shouted Sheng Henjian''s name. By now, Sheng Fengtian and Luo Mei had taken Sheng Lijing back to their couryard for treatment. Sheng Lutian waited for the crowd to calm down a bit and then turned towards the platform where the Elders where seated and lightly bowed.

    "The first day of the competition has ended and the second round will be held tomorrow. Now, I would like to ask Patriarch Sheng Hentian to speak a few words."

    Sheng Hentian stood up and spoke with a good-natured expression as he looked at the side where the children were seated.

    "All of you have truly done well today. You have shown your strength through the competition and I''m sureyou will bring our Clan honour in the future." He then turned towards the arena and looked at Sheng Henjian.

    "Henjian, my son, you have proven that you are the strongest of your age group and the greatest talent of the Clan''s younger generation. As your father and Patriarch, I''m filled with pride."

    He then let out a small sigh and turned to the crowd with a sad expression.

    "It is a shame, that my son could not show his true strength after he was viciously injured a few days ago."

    Hearing his words, Sheng Lingtian frowned while Sheng Feilong was impressed by the Patriarch acting and the crowd gasped in disbelieve. Many began whispering among themselves and someone in the crowd couldn''t help but speak up.

    "Patriarch, what do you mean? Younger Master Henjian was injured?"

    Unknown to the crowd, Sheng Hentian showed a sly smile before quickly putting on a pained expression.

    "Indeed, a few days ago, my son was gravely injured by underhanded methods in a fight that resulted from an argument!" He turned a bit, staring directly at Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian.

    "And the one who injured him was no other then Sheng Feilong, who abandoned the clan years ago!"

    The crowd again gasped in disbelieve, some who remembered Sheng Feilong''s awakening ceremony frowned and whispered among themselves, while most followed Sheng Hentian''s gaze and backed a few steps away from Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian. Sheng Henjian went pale when he saw Sheng Feilong in the crowd, silently cursing and screaming in his mind.

    ''What''s the meaning of this?! Why is he here? Didn''t father go to kill him already?! Why didn''t I know of this!''

    Sheng Hentian didn''t notice his son''s expression and showed a grim expression.

    "Sheng Feilong, do you dare to admit your fault and receive punishment based on the Clan''s rules?!"

    Sheng Feilong glanced at his father, who slightly smiled and gave him a reassuring smile, then looked back at Sheng Hentian and calmly spoke.

    "Patriarch Sheng, what are you talking about? It is true that I fought Sheng Henjian a few days ago and he was lightly injured as a result, but I neither used underhanded methods nor did I attack viciously. His injuries stem from his inferior strength and nothing else."

    Sheng Hentian was thoroughly angered, as he remembered his son''s bedridden appearance. He looked at Sheng Feilong with murderous intent and spoke in a loud voice.

    "Sheng Feilong, you dare spout such blatant lies?!"

    Sheng Feilong smiled sheepishly and replied with a playful tone.

    "Patriarch Sheng, how about this, then. I''ll give my Spacial Ring to my father and take of my jacket, then fight Sheng Henjian again. Like this, everyone will see if I use underhanded tricks or hidden weapons. If I do, you may deal with me as you see fit. Ah, naturally I won''t take advantage of his injured state and wait for him to recuperate before our fight!"

    Sheng Henjian''s face was as pale as paper and he was slightly shaking, but no one noticed it as everyone was focused on Sheng Feilong. Sheng Hentian was slightly stunned before laughing loudly and then spoke with a vicious grin.

    "Very well, we''ll do it like that. But if I notice even the slightest tricks, I''ll kill you on the spot. Not even your father will be able to save your life!"

    Sheng Feilong grinned sheepishly, took of his jacket and put it into his Spacial Ring before he gave the ring to Sheng Lingtian. Sheng Henjian quickly sat down and tried his best to heal his injuries, while silently cursing Sheng Feilong and his father in his mind. About half an hour later, Sheng Feilong and Sheng Heijian stood opposite of each other on the arena, the latter clearly nervous and while the former just continued to grin.

    Twelfth Elder Sheng Lutian was acting as the referee again and gave the signal for them to start. No one moved and Sheng Feilong and Sheng Henjian only looked at each other. Sheng Lutian was about to speak up, but Sheng Feilong was faster then him.

    "What''s wrong? Don''t dare to charge at me like last time, now? Good, then let me take the initiative!"

    Sheng Feilong charged at Sheng Henjian and, again, didn''t even bother to use any Soul Power. Sheng Henjian seemed to have waited for that and quickly released his Soul Power, activated his Mountain Lion Claw and punched out at Sheng Feilong. Sheng Hentian smiled at his son''s thought out surprise attack and fluid Soul Power activation, but quickly froze.

    Sheng Feilong ducked to dodge the punch, but didn''t slow down at all. He took another step forward and punched Sheng Henjian square in the face with all his body weight and momentum behind his punch; he landed a perfect counter hit!

    Sheng Henjian flew a few meters back, blood splattering from his nose and mouth as he crashed into the ground with full force. His eyes had rolled back and a tooth layed next to him. His Mountain Lion Claw quickly vanished and Sheng Henjian was knocked out cold!

    Sheng Feilong stood in the middle of the arena, smiling sheepishly, as everyone looked at him in utter disbelieve. He then showed the worst imitation of a surprised expression the crowd had ever seen and spoke in a sad voice.

    "Ah, oh no! Last time, you were able to withstand two hits, so I put a bit more strength into this one! Ireally didn''t think you''d be this weak." He then looked at Sheng Hentian, who still had his frozen smile on his face, while the crowd cursed his bad acting, and spoke with an apologetic expression.

    "Patriarch Sheng, I''m truly sorry! When I fought Sheng Henjian last time, he really withstood two strikes and didn''t even lose consciousness, so I thought I could hit a bit harder! According to the Clan''s rules, you wouldn''t punish me for something like that, right? If you''re worried then I could pay for the tooth, though!"

    Many people who believed the rumours about Sheng Feilong being forced out of the Clan or those who already heard about what happened a few days ago burst out laughing and even Sheng Lingtian didn''t know what he should say about his son''s shamelessness. Sheng Hentian snapped out of his daze and sprung to his feet. He didn''t even think about what he heard the last few days or considered what happened and just released his Soul Power and charged at Sheng Feilong with murderous intent.

    "Sheng Feilong, I will kill you!"

    5 Soul Rings, 3 yellow and 2 purple, sprung into existence behind him. The Sheng Clan''s strongest expert, their Patriarch, a respectable Soul King of rank 53, was charging at a child with the intention to kill! The crowd was instantly silenced and gasped in terror and regret at the sight of Sheng Feilong who''s about to lose his life. Before Sheng Hentian could reach Sheng Feilong, another aura burst forth from the front of the crowd and stopped in the air before Sheng Feilong.

    An agonizing scream was heard by everyone in the crowd and Sheng Hentian flew back to his seat like a broken kite, with a line of blood flowing out of his mouth as he brutally crashed into the platform, breaking the ground and a few chairs on before he finally came to a halt. 5 deep gashes with blood flowing out of them were etched into his chest. His appearance was ragged and his aura had vanished.

    Sheng Lingtian was standing in the air with a grim and cold expression. 5 Soul Ring had similarily appeared behind his back; 2 yellow, 2 purple and one black with the aura he gave off being even more profound than the Patriarch, while his arms had transformed into bulky, dark brown Lion Claws. He spoke with an ice cold voice while he stared at Sheng Hentian.

    "Sheng Hentian, you dare to attack my son in front of me? Do you have a death wish?"

    Sheng Hentian felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured over his head. He instantly calmed down and stared at Sheng Lingtian in disbelieve. As far as he could remember, Sheng Lingtian was only a Soul Ancestor of rank 47, but he became a Soul King in merely 4 years? Moreover, Sheng Lingtian''s aura was even stronger then his own and to bring forth such a pressure, he had to be at least of rank 58! And then there was the Black Soul Ring behind Sheng Lingtian''s back. A black Soul Ring meant it was at least a 10.000-years-old Soul Ring dozens of times stronger than a purple 1.000-years-old Soul Ring! Sheng Hentian was frightened by the strength Sheng Lingtian showed.

    "Sheng Lingtian, what is the meaning of this?! You dare to attack your Patriarch?!"

    Sheng Lingtian simply continued to stare at him while he stood in the air.

    "Attack my Patriarch? Sheng Hentian, have you already forgotten that my family and I have nothing to do with your Sheng Clan anymore? Your Clan''s life and death have nothing to do with us, and neither do your life or position. If you dare to take another step towards my son, I will kill you right here, right now."

    Sheng Hentian''s anger had long since reached it''s peak, but under Sheng Lingtian''s threat, he didn''t dare to do anything. With no other choice left, he backed down and hung his head low in defeat. Sheng Lingtian sneered seeing that and landed besides Sheng Feilong, before he then recalled his Soul Power and Soul Rings as well. He still stared at Sheng Hentian and spoke with a cold voice.

    "Good decision."

    He turned towards Sheng Feilong and spoke with his usual calm voice.

    "Let''s go back to Fengtian''s courtyard. We should check up on Lijing and see if we can help."

    After saying that, he simply tuned around, with Sheng Feilong in tow, and went towards Sheng Fengtian''s courtyard, leaving behind Sheng Henjian lying on the arena, Sheng Hentian staring daggers at their backs and a totally dumbfounded crowd.

 26 Jian Wangs Dilemma

    The atmosphere in the Sheng Clan changed when Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Feilong left. Although noone dared to say anything seeing their Patriarch''s expression, everyone saw what happened today. Sheng Hentian wordlessly went to the arena, picked up his son and returned to his mansion. Grand Elder Sheng Yuntian then ended the competition for today and send everyone home. He wouldn''t be able to change what happened today, but he had to come up with a plan to salvage the situation or the Sheng Clan might fall apart.

    Back at Sheng Fengtian''s courtyard, Sheng Lijing was already looking way better. Although she was still slightly pale, she wasn''t wounded anywhere. When Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian came back and told the others about what happened at the arena after they left, Sheng Fengtian and Sheng Lijing could help burst out laughing while even Luo Mei chuckled at the Patriarch plight.

    The family spent the rest of the day together, before Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian left the Sheng Clan estate the next morning, not being bothered in the slightest by all the fuss they had created. Sheng Fengtian promised to keep Sheng Lingtian up to date. Sheng Feilong spent the weekend together with his father and it quickly went by.

    Monday morning, when Sheng Lingtian was making breakfast, Sheng Feilong came out of his room, seemingly in a hurry. Sheng Lingtian questioned him about it and Sheng Feilong told him, that Song Weihan had returned and asked him, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan to come to the Spirit Pagoda to train today.

    Sheng Feilong was happy to train with Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan again and quickly finished his breakfast before following his father to the Spirit Pagoda. While Sheng Lingtian went to do his job, Sheng Feilong waited at the ground floor for his friends. A short while later he saw both of them coming. Jian Shiguan had her usual attitude and demeanor, but Jian Wang seemed somewhat... miserable..?

    Sheng Feilong walked up to them and quickly asked Jian Wang if something was wrong, but the latter just groaned, then turned to face Sheng Feilong with an expression as if he was about to cry.

    "Remember when I told you, that I''d ask my father to let me skip the blacksmithing training for the week so that I''d have the whole week off? Turns out it had the opposite effect. He forced me to train for nearly thrice as long as usual, constantly telling me that I have to improve and beat Tang Wulin..."

    Sheng Feilong was a bit taken aback by Jian Wang''s sudden rant, but even more so by the story. He looked at Jian Wang before he spoke his condolence.

    "Thrice..? Isn''t that, like, half a day? And who''s that Tang Wulin?"

    Jian Wang snorted and spoke with disdain.

    "Tang Wulin is the personal disciple of one of my father''s old rivals, Chen Mu. He''s said to be an incredible talent in the blacksmithing world and that he''ll become the next Divine Blacksmith in the future. My father''s forcing me to train like a mad man in order to beat that guy, because he lost against Chen Mu back then."

    Sheng Feilong did his utmost to not laugh at Jian Wang, while maintaining a poker face and trying to consult his friend. He mentioned for the others to come with him while he went to the elevator.

    "Well, that just shows how highly Senior Jian values your talent, I guess? The better of a blacksmith you are the closer you are to build your own Mecha, right? Just bear with it."

    Jian Wang rolled his eyes at Sheng Feilong.

    "It''s not like I can just build a Mecha by myself just because I have some metal. And when I told my father that Senior Song asked me to come, he said that we''ll just train for a few hours when I come back, even though he knows that Senior Song won''t take it easy on us. He''s even selling the metals I''m working on without batting an eye. That''s child labour, I''m telling you!"

    Sheng Feilong just smiled and shook his head.

    "Well, whatever. Where here now, so focus on Master''s training for the time being."

    They then walked towards Song Weihan''s office and found him reading some documents. They bowed and greeted him. They then went on with their usual training that ended with a team fight against Song Weihan. Sheng Feilong couldn''t put his finger on it, but he felt that something was different. All three of them proceeded to get beaten to a pulp before Song Weihan called quits, leaving the children lying in the middle of the training hall, gasping for their breaths.

    After a while, Song Weihan returned and waited for them to recuperate before talking a bit on how to improve their fighting techniques and teamwork and then dismissed the children. Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan left while Sheng Feilong followed his Master to his office again to talk a bit more.

    "Master, what did you have to leave for last week? It must have been something important, right? Can you tell me?" Sheng Feilong asked with a sincere expression. Song Weihan just smiled casually before picking up a few documents and showing them to Sheng Feilong.

    "I didn''t leave in the sense of going somewhere else. I had to focus on a few problems with the Artificial Soul Bones that had come up. While we successfully created both leg bones, a skull and a torso bone, there were a few complications with the right and left arm bones, that needed my undivided attention, hence I put our training on hold. We did get them sorted out and started creating the arm bones now, though."

    Sheng Feilong was instantly hooked. He knew just how rare normal Soul Bones were and the artificial ones his Master created were a ground breaking invention of the century. Moreover, if they could be mass produces, they would increase the strength of Soul Masters in general by multiple folds!

    "What kind of problem? Did you make mistakes in the formulars or did you not have the right materials?"

    Song Weihan smiled and affectionately looked at Sheng Feilong. He was glad that his disciple was interested in his work, so he happily explained it to him.

    "You know that Artificial Soul Bones use the same theory as artificial Spirit Souls of using small quantities of actual Soul Beast''s essence to be created, right? Well, we used the essence of the Titan Giant Ape as the base for the Arm Bones but there were a few complications. The essence didn''t mix well with the specially created spirit ingredients needed to make it possible for humans to fuse with the bones, so we had to find a way to make that happen. I''m actually surprised that we managed it in the span of one week, as something like that would usually need months if not years of research."

    "So, how did you do it? The research of years can''t possibly be done in a week just like that, right? Was is just a problem with the ingredients used?" Sheng Feilong asked.

    Song Weihan smiled and continued his explanation.

    "It was actually just a fluke. Someone came up with using a material that mixed well with the Titan Giant Ape''s essence as a catalyst, we tried it out and it surprisingly worked near instantly. With the current progress, we''ll be able to finish the first prototype in approximately 3 months."

    Sheng Feilong was about to ask another question, when someone knocked on the door. A green haired woman, the same that helped Song Weihan get the Ancient Hypnotic Toad Spirit Soul for Sheng Feilong back then, came in and bowed lightly.

    "Professor Song, a small problem that needs your supervision came up in the laboratory. Professor Ling asked for your assistance with the matter."

    Song Weihan nodded, and his expression turned more serious.

    "Very well, I''ll be there shortly. You may leave." The green haired woman bowed again and left. Song Weihan then looked at Sheng Feilong with a slightly bitter smile.

    "Seems like we''ll have to talk at another time. Your father''s shift should also be about to end, so how about you go home for today? We''ll talk more tomorrow after training."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and prepared to leave. He looked at Song Weihan, who had also stood up and they walked out of the office together. Song Weihan went towards the laboratory while Sheng Feilong made his way to the elevator, not forgetting to say his goodbye''s to his master.

    "See you tomorrow, Master. And good luck with your research!"

    Song Weihan smiled at Sheng Feilong before he left for the laboratory, while Sheng Feilong went down the elevator and went home with Sheng Lingtian. The next few weeks passed silently with Sheng Feilong, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan training with Song Weihan daily, and Sheng Feilong often asking about Song Weihan''s work afterwards.

    The children''s summer break was about to end, and tomorrow would be their first day as students of Heaven Dou City''s Intermediate Academy!

 27 Secondary Professions

    The first day at the Intermediate Academy was about the same as at the Primary Academy. Classes got shuffled and a few new classmates joined to replace the old ones that had left. Their teacher introduced himself before asking the children to do the same. Although many of the new classmates weren''t bad, Sheng Feilong, JianWang and Xiao Yuewu still stood out the most. Even the teacher stumbled when he heard that Sheng Feilong had already reached rank 24!

    At the Intermediate Academy, students had the opportunity to stay after classes for extra training. Mostly physical training or mock combat. Naturally, Sheng Feilong and his friends didn''t take that opportunity and instead went to the Spirit Pagoda to train with Song Weihan after classes.

    The first week of class passed by quickly, as most of the time was used to familiarize the children with the new schedule and with each other. It wasn''t before the second week started that real classes were held and one of them really got Sheng Feilong to deliberate his options.

    According to the teacher that held the class, Soul Masters often had a secondary profession. That secondary profession can be about any- or everything, though there were a few that stood at the top. The four most sought after secondary professions were Blacksmiths, Mecha Designers, Mecha Makers and Mechanics. As someone who already had a secondary profession, Jian Wang was asked to tell the class a few things about it and coincidently also told them about his dream to build the strongest Mecha and make it his own.

    Many of the children were hooked by his dream and the teacher explained, that Jian Wang wouldn''t be able to create a Mecha with blacksmithing alone, shattering his dream. However, he then explained, that Mecha Designers and Makers work closely together with Blacksmiths to create the best possible Mechas and that many of them make teams of their own at a young age.

    Jian Shiguan and Su Liyun told Jian Wang, that they want to become Mecha Designers and help him to make his Mecha. Sheng Feilong on the other hand decided to postpone his decision and consult his Master about the matter first. Later that day, they trained with Song Weihan at the Spirit Pagoda again and after Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan left, Sheng Feilong talked with Song Weihan at his office again.

    After a bit of their usual talk about artificial Spirit Souls and Soul Bones, as well as Soul Beasts, Sheng Feilong asked about the secondary professions and Jian Wangs and Jian Shiguans plan to make their own Mecha. Song Weihan thought about it for a while before smiling at Sheng Feilong.

    "Why don''t you become a Mecha Maker then? With that, the three of you have everything you need to build your own Mecha. A Mechanic can always be found later and just to build a Mecha, a Blacksmith, Designer and Maker are enough. Moreover, good Makers are always sought after, especially by the military or institutions like the Spirit Pagoda. I can recommend you to a few good Makers to teach you."

    Sheng Feilong agreed and Song Weihan brought him over to another building next to the Spirit Pagoda. Inside there, it looked like a combination of a laboratory and a mechanic''s garage. A few half build Purple and Yellow Mechas were fixed to some kind of stations while a few people were working on them. Song Weihan asked a worker to tell someone of his arrival and a moment later, an old man with a rugged, dark grey beard arrived, wiping his hands with a cloth.

    The old man looked like your usual down the road mechanic with common, dirty cloths and rough skin. He glanced at Sheng Feilong before focusing on Song Weihan and speaking in a casual but deep and strained voice.

    "Little Song, it''s rare for you to come over. Got a problem with your Battle Armour? Oh, and who''s the brat?"

    Song Weihan smiled at the old man and didn''t seem to mind his casual attitude and rough way of speaking.

    "Senior Bao, it''s been a while, indeed. There''s no problem with my Battle Armour; I''ve come for something else today." He put his hand on Sheng Feilong''s shoulder and pushed the latter forward a bit.

    "This is Sheng Feilong, my disciple. I was wondering if you could teach him about the work of a Mecha Maker?"

    Bao Li''s eyes widened slightly and he stopped wiping his hands. He looked Sheng Feilong up and down a spoke to Song Weihan while still staring at Sheng Feilong.

    "You took a disciple? Well, you''ve always been picky, so I guess he''s quite good anyways."

    He then stared Sheng Feilong straight into the eyes and paused for a moment. Sheng Feilong was clearly a bit uncomfortable and wanted to voice his opinion, but Bao Li cut him off with a question.

    "Got any experience?"

    Sheng Feilong flinched, but answered in a clear voice.

    "No, senior. We were talking about secondary professions at the academy today and I was interested in Mecha making. Master directly brought me over afterwards. It''s the dream of my friend to build his own Mecha and I want to help him with that."

    Bao Li listened to Sheng Feilong and showed a bored and somewhat displeased expression when the former finished. He snorted and then spoke to Sheng Feilong in an unpleasant voice.

    "Build a Mecha? What''s the point? If you''re dreaming, then dream big! And you want to become a Maker out of convenience for your friend? What do you take us Mecha Makers for, brat?"

    Sheng Feilong didn''t know what to say. His answer had clearly displeased Bao Li and he quickly tried to pacify the old man with a stammer.

    "S-Senior, I didn''t mean to, I-" Before he could continue, Bao Li cut him off again.

    "Whatever. Go to the office over there and take a look at the blueprints. Tell them I sent you. If you have any questions, ask them. I''ve got work to do. Little Song, don''t annoy me anymore if you don''t need something important!"

    Sheng Feilong was frozen in place and regret was written all over his face. Song Weihan chuckled and waved at Bao Li, who was already returning to his prior work.

    "Work hard, Senior!" He heard the old man snort again and looked over to Sheng Feilong.

    "What are you waiting for? Senior Bao gave you a task, didn''t he?"

    Sheng Feilong turned his head stiffly and looked at Song Weihan with uncertainty.

    "Master, I messed up, right? Senior Bao just sent me away."

    Song Weihan chuckled again.

    "What are you talking about? He send you to take a look at the blueprints to see if you''ve got what it takes to be a Mecha Maker. Don''t sweat his attitude. He''s just a little impatient and uptight old man, anyways."

    Just as he finished speaking, a wrench flew at him, which Song Weihan caught in the last second. Sheng Feilong was shocked at looked at the old man who was still working.

    "I heard that, Song-brat!"

    "Please don''t mind me, Senior, ha, ha!" Song Weihan said nonchalantly while still smiling and threw the wrench back at Bao Li, before facing Sheng Feilong again.

    "Now, go. I''ll be going back to the Pagoda. I''ll tell your father that you''ll come a bit later."

    After that, Song Weihan left, leaving Sheng Feilong standing alone in the hall. He quickly looked around and walked over to the office Bao Li had pointed out before. Knocking on the door, an aged voice asked him to enter. Inside the room, Sheng Feilong saw an old man who closely resembled Bao Li, with a similar grey beard and hair and common clothes, although his were clean and not dirty like Bao Li''s. The old man had a calm aura and was looking at a blueprint on his desk before he looked up to Sheng Feilong.

    "Oh, a child? Can I help you, little fellow?"

    Sheng Feilong closed the door behind himself and noticed that the noise from outside was completely gone. He quickly figured that it must be a sound isolating array and bowed to the old man.

    "Hello Senior. I''m Sheng Feilong and Senior Bao told me to look at a few blueprints... Um, I came here to become a Mecha Maker..."

    The old man looked a bit surprised but but soon smiled lightly again.

    "Oh, so you want to become a Maker. Since old Li sent you here, you probably have no experience whatsoever in reading and understanding Mecha Designs and the such, correct?"

    "Yes, that''s correct, Senior." Sheng Feilong nodded with a light twinkle in his eyes. This new old man was way friendlier than Bao Li outside. If Sheng Feilong were to learn from him, it''ll probably be really exciting.

    The old man smiled and walked over to a shelf. He skipped through a number of blueprints and put a few on another desk next to the shelf, before then looking back at Sheng Feilong.

    "I''ve put a few blueprints aside for you. They were created by a rank 1 Mecha Designer and shouldn''t be too hard. Look them through and try to understand their contents. You can ask me, if you have any questions. Ah, my name is Bao Zha, old Li, who you met before, is my younger brother. You may call me grandpa Zha, ha, ha."

 28 The Spirit Ascension Platform

    Sheng Feilong''s daily schedule changed after meeting Bao Li and Bao Zha. It became more packed and although he only learned reading Mecha Blueprints from Bao Zha for one or two hours a day, Sheng Feilong now understood why Jian Wang complained so much about training in his secondary profession in addition to going to the Academy and training with Song Weihan.

    Every morning, when Sheng Feilong got ready, he would leave the house together with his father, and attend the Intermediate Academy. After about 4 months, the classes routine and schedule became more relaxed for him. Sheng Feilong would attentively learn there and attend the mandatory physical training and mock combat classes, usually passing with flying colours together with Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan, causing the teachers to sigh as they know they''re not the ones who taught those three.

    After school, either Sheng Lingtian or Jian Wushuang would pick the three of them up and bring them over to the Spirit Pagoda, where they then follow through Song Weihan''s training. They would meditate and cultivate with Song Weihan''s occasional corrections, then train their Spirit Power before continuing to train their control over both of those powers. Lastly, they would fight a team battle against Song Weihan.

    Although their Soul Power ranks had increased, with Sheng Feilong reaching rank 26, Jian Wang reaching rank 21 and obtaining his second Soul Ring, and even Jian Shiguan reaching rank 15, they still couldn''t force Song Weihan to use Soul Power above rank 20, much less any of his Soul Skills. Song Weihan would simply overpower them with his exceptional combat experience and control over his own Soul Power, forcing the children to go past their limits instead.

    When their training battles finished, Sheng Feilong, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan would usually be left laying on the training hall''s floor, gasping from breath with bruises all over their bodies before they recuperated using Soul Power and discussed the battle with Song Weihan afterwards. Jian wang and Jian Shiguan were then dismissed, while Sheng Feilong would remain behind to talk a bit with his Master and then leave for the Bao brother''s Mecha Workshop.

    Bao Li would mostly just scoff at Sheng Feilong and then sent him to Bao Zha, who always seemed ecstatic when Sheng Feilong came. Bao Zha would gladly teach Sheng Feilong how to read the different blueprints, how they work in conjunction with other parts and sometimes even send Sheng Feilong out to help low ranked Mecha Makers when they had problems with the blueprints. Like that, Sheng Feilong slowly learned about the workings of the different parts of Mechas and by now, he could already understand fourth ranked blueprints without a problem.

    Bao Zha had tried to get Sheng Feilong to strive to become a Mecha Designer instead of a Maker on multiple occasions but alas to no avail. After being turned down a few times, Bao Zha gave up and focused on having Sheng Feilong get more practical experience, giving him tasks to produce small components for Mechas and other machinery, of which he quickly got the knack, surprising Bao Li more than Bao Zha.

    A week later, Bao Li had Sheng Feilong take the examination to become a rank 1 Mecha Maker. Sheng Feilong happily agreed and began the examination on the same day. It was mainly just creating a few machine parts from the blueprints he was handed, a discussion with Bao Li about his knowledge of Mechas and machinery and then a correction of blueprints that had a few functionality mistakes purposely made.

    Sheng Feilong passed without a hitch and Bao Li handed him his certification; a small metal badge with the caricature of a Mecha on it, the symbol of the Maker''s Association, as well as a single bronze star to signify his rank. Afterwards, Sheng Feilong was assigned to a small team of 3 Mecha Makers and 1 Mecha Designer to work with and gain more practical experience. The four adult men were shocked to have a ten years old kid join them, but after Bao Li explained the situation, they were more than happy to have Sheng Feilong work with them.

    The team''s leader, Feng Chao, who''s also the team''s Mecha Designer, showed Sheng Feilong their workshop. Sheng Feilong was a bit surprised as they had a personal workshop but after Feng Chao''s explanation, Bao Li seemed even more weird. Apparently every team would have their own, tidy workshop where they would create all their machinery, but Bao Li refused to make his own and instead persisted on using the back of the hall while maintaining it''s down-the-road-mechanic''s-garage look.

    Like that, Sheng Feilong''s routine shifted again. After his training with Song Weihan, he would leave for the Bao brother''s Mecha workshop, where he would practise with Bao Zha and later with Bao Li, before he then met up with Feng Chao and his team to work on their projects. With this new schedule, Sheng Feilong would usually get home only after the sun set and he was able to truly understand Jian Wang''s trouble''s; both of them barely had any free time to stent by now!

    A few days later, another piece of exciting news came to Sheng Feilong''s ears. Their teacher had announced that, in two weeks time, the school would select students to go to the Spirit Pagoda''s Spirit Ascension Platform elementary level! Sheng Feilong was incredibly excited, because he knew what the Spirit Ascension Platform was. He had once asked Song Weihan why people only used 100- or 100-years-old artificial Spirit Souls when they first chose their Spirit Souls and the answer was precisely the Spirit Ascension Platform.

    Originally, the Spirit Ascension Platform was used as a step in the Spirit Pagoda''s research into artificial Spirit Souls. They hoped that it would be able to upgrade artificial Spirit Souls, and hence manufacture even stronger Spirit Souls. After completion, however, they discovered that it was only a partial success. Although the Spirit Ascension Platform could upgrade Spirit Souls, it''s effects weren''t as great as they expected, and it''s nature wasn''t too clear.

    After making such a large investment, the Spirit Pagoda couldn''t discard the product. After another period of development, the Spirit Ascension Platform became a unique place. After entering the Spirit Ascension Platform, a Soul Master will feel as if they had entered a whole different realm, yet they would still be protected by the Spirit Ascension Platform. The danger inside isn''t too high, but Soul Masters can battle with Soul Beasts to increase their combat experience and even absorb the beast''s power''s to increase the strength of their Spirit Souls, potentially even upgrading them from the 100-years-old level to the 1.000-years-old level or even further!

    The teacher then told them that the number of entries into the Spirit Ascension Platform was limited. Every month, only a total of 1.000 entry tickets were given out and of those 1.000, the Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy only obtained a total of 30 each year and those had to be allocated between all three of their grades, meaning that there''s only a total of 10 for the first years like Sheng Feilong and the others. The teachers would review the students performances, their attitude and most importantly their talent and then decide who would obtain a ticket. The only reason they were told about that beforehand was to make sure no one complained about it being unfair.

    Many of the students, including the likes of Jian Wang and Xiao Yuewu, were quite restless about this new information. Sheng Feilong didn''t really care too much about it, as he was sure that he''d be selected anyways. That wasn''t because of arrogance, but confidence in his own abilities. Still, he too was nervous about the whole situation.

    Later that day, after their usual training with Song Weihan, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan left and Sheng Feilong followed his Master to his office for the first time in a few weeks. They, again, talked a bit about Song Weihan''s research as well as Sheng Feilong''s training with the Bao brothers. Sheng Feilong told Song Weihan about the school''s preparation to go to the Spirit Ascension Platform. He took a moment longer and asked Song Weihan for entry tickets for Jian Wang, Jian Shiguan and himself.

    Song Weihan didn''t look surprised by Sheng Feilong''s request and was inwardly quite proud that his disciple asked not only for himself but also for his friends to obtain tickets. Still, he carefully thought the matter through and answered Sheng Feilong with a frown.

    "The distribution of tickets for the Spirit Ascension Platform doesn''t lie with me. I could apply to obtain a few, but I''ll have to give the Pagoda a list of participants along with their talents and the reason I gave them those tickets. It isn''t a problem to get you in, as you''re my disciple, and Little Wang''s talent also easily qualifies him for me to give him one, but Little Shi''s talent isn''t up to par and I can''t just give one to her. She''ll have to go through the regular procedure with the school."

    Sheng Feilong looked a bit disappointed when he heard that Song Weihan couldn''t get tickets for all three of them.

    "Isn''t there a way, Master? You know how hard Shiguan works, so even if her talent isn''t that great, shouldn''t her effort be rewarded?"

    Song Weihan smiled bitterly; he knew it would come to something like that.

    "Of course I know that, but the Pagoda''s management doesn''t. It just my word isn''t enough to get someone with the Bluesilver Grass Spirit Soul, who barely reached rank 15 after more than 4 years of strict training an free of charge entry to the Spirit Ascension Platform. The resources spend for it to operate are shouldered solely by the Spirit Pagoda and every entry ticket is worth more than 500.000 federal coins. And that''s just for the elementary level; tickets for the intermediate or advanced levels easily cost several if not dozens of times more."

 29 Selecting 10 Participants

    After Song Weihan told him all this, Sheng Feilong was somewhat downcast. He didn''t know that the Spirit Ascension Platform had such tight rules, though, when taking the resources spent into consideration, it makes sense that even high level figures can only allow talented individuals entry. He thought a bit about his options, and eventually decided on what to do. Looking up to Song Weihan, a bit of determination shimmered in his eyes.

    "In that case, I won''t ask you to give me or Brother Wang an entry, Master! We''ll fight for the spots with everyone else."

    Song Weihan smiled at Sheng Feilong and spoke with a small laugh in his voice.

    "A good decision. While using connections is a good way to progress fast, it''s still most important to rely on your own strength. Though, if you change your mind, just ask. For now we''ll pretend we never talked about this."

    The next two weeks flew by relatively fast. Most of the students tried to show off during class in hope to change the teachers impression, even the most lazy of the bunch acting like honour students! Sheng Feilong told his friends to act as they usually would, saying that, if the teachers were that easily influenced be the children''s behaviour, they would''ve just sold them the tickets instead of evaluating them.

    Like that, Jian Wang and the others relaxed and didn''t put much extra effort into their behaviour. They were still attending school normally, following their usual schedules and would only join mandatory physical training and combat classes. Soon enough, the day of the announcement came. After lunch, when the atmosphere in the classroom had already become tense, the teacher entered the and students quickly quieted down and took their seats.

    Walking up to his desk, the teacher went through the attendance list, calling for the students as every single one of them replied with vigour. Afterwards, the teacher looked at the class while all students were expectedly looking at him, waiting for him to announce who will be allowed to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform. The teacher cleared his throat and began talking.

    "During the last two weeks, your other teachers and I have been evaluating all of you, as mentioned before. We have put together a list with the 10 people who will obtain tickets to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform from the school." The teacher held a piece of paper, likely the namelist, in his hand, looked at it for a moment and put it down again.

    "However, during our evaluation, we also noticed a stark difference in your behaviour compared to the way most of you usually conduct yourselves. All of you tried your best to impress the teachers in those two weeks, acting as one would usually expect a honour student to behave. Only 5 of you didn''t put on this act and behaved like they usually would. Jian Wang, Jian Shiguan, Su Liyun, Sheng Feilong and Xiao Yuewu, what are your thoughts on that matter?"

    All five of them were stunned for a moment; they didn''t expect to be called out. Sheng Feilong was the first to snap out of it and stood up to answer the teacher.

    "We behaved like usual because we didn''t want to influence the evaluation. All of us have been at the Academy for a few months by now, and we thought that two weeks of good behaviour wouldn''t make much of a difference."

    The teacher looked at him with indifference and spoke in a monotonous voice like he was stating obvious facts.

    "All of you, with the exception of Su Liyung, merely attend the minimum of mandatory classes. Though all of your works and grades are acceptable, you do nothing extra for or in the name of the Academy. Are you that confident that the Academy would waste precious resources like the entry tickets on you just because you''re above average?"

    Before Sheng Feilong could answer, Xiao Yuewu had stood up, indifferently looked at the teacher and spoke is his usual arrogant voice to him.

    "We are Soul Masters. If we bow down and wag our tails in front of every possible reward, how big or small it may be, what different are we from beggars at the side of the road? If the Academy deems us unfit to obtain an entry ticket because of our own pride, then I have nothing to say to that."

    The teacher, as well as the rest of the class, listened to Xiao Yuewu before the teacher looked at Sheng Feilong and the rest, asking for their opinion. Sheng Feilong looked at the others, who were still staring at him, obviously trusting him with this matter, before he spoke to the teacher.

    "We are of the same opinion, in general."

    "Very well. You may sit down again." The teacher nodded and then emerged from behind his desk, taking a few steps forward to stand in front of the class, still with the same document in his hand. He cleared his throat again before beginning to announce the names of the children who will obtain an entry ticket. He went through the first 5 names and anyone of Sheng Feilong''s group or Xiao Yuewu''s names had yet to be called out.

    "Zhi Luo... Jian Wang. Su Liyun. Sheng Feilong. And lastly, Xiao Yuewu. The ten of you will enter the Spirit Ascension Platform under the name of the Academy. The class is dismissed for today."

    After the teacher left, the classroom exploded in emotion. A few of the ones who were chosen, cheered on top of their lungs, while others congratulated them or looked at them in envy. Xiao Yuewu had the same indifferently arrogant expression as always and quietly left. Sheng Feilong and the others were frozen. 3 people out of their group of 4 were chosen, but the odd one out was Jian Shiguan. Sheng Feilong turned around to face her and spoke with a complicated expression.

    "Shiguan, this-" before he could even finish, Jian Shiguan burst out laughing while pointing at the three of them. "What''s wrong with your expressions, ha, ha, ha! You''ve been selected to enter the platform, can''t you at least cheer a bit like those other airheads?"

    Jian Wang looked at her, still with the same complicated expression, and quietly spoke.

    "Yeah, but only the three of us..."

    Jian Shiguan sneered and glared at him, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

    "So what? It''s just our first year here. You better be careful that I don''t snatch your spot next year! Whatever, if you don''t want to celebrate, then I''m out of here. Since classes ended early, I won''t join Senior Song''s training today."

    After saying all that, Jian Shiguan simply left, not even waiting for the others to reply to her. Su Liyun tried to go after her, but was stopped by Jian Wang.

    "Just let her go. She probably can''t hold it any more."

    "But..." Su Liyun looked at him with a sad expression when Sheng Feilong cut her off.

    "He''s right. Let it go. She''d just turn away and slam the door..."

    (A/N: Oh god, I hope Disney won''t sue me for that, but I just couldn''t resist. I''m sorry!)

    They talked a while longer until Su Liyun was picked up by her mother and Sheng Lingtian came to bring Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang to the Spirit Pagoda. They went through their training as usual, though Song Weihan was a bit surprised that Jian Shiguan wasn''t there. Sheng Feilong had already told his father about being selected by the Academy and planned to tell Song Weihan what happened later. Instead of a team fight against Song Weihan, Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang fought against each other, which unceremoniously ended in Sheng Feilong''s irrefutable victory.

    The next day, something clearly unexpected happened. Xiao Yuewu came to school with bruises all over his face. No one dared to ask as his mood was obviously bad, but a few children said that they saw him get beaten up by a few Xiao Clan member yesterday in the afternoon. Rumours quickly spread and soon the whole class knew about it.

    The day quickly went by and Sheng Feilong and the others sat at the cafeteria during lunch break, eating their meals when Xiao Yuewu came over to them. Jian Shiguan and Su Liyun didn''t seem happy as they didn''t like him, while Jian Wang was more or less neutral. Xiao Yuewu only glanced at them before focusing on Sheng Feilong, who looked up at him while munching on a carrot.

    "Do you need something?"

    Xiao Yuewu glanced at Jian Shiguan again before answering Sheng Feilong.

    "It''s about the Spirit Ascension Platform."

    "And?" Sheng Feilong impatiently asked after swallowing a mouthful of his carrot. Xiao Yuewu didn''t seem to mind and calmly continued.

    "Let me join your team when we enter."

    The moment he said that, before Sheng Feilong could even answer, Jian Wang and Su Liyun simultaneously blurted out a single word. "No!"

    Xiao Yuewu flinched, but still looked at Sheng Feilong, who also calmly looked at the former with a indifferent expression.

    "And why should we?"

    Xiao Yuewu furrowed his brows and put on a serious expression.

    "The Spirit Ascension Platform is dangerous. Having more people is safer and you''re lacking a Agility Type Soul Master in your team. My skills will be helpful and, as long as we cooperate, we''ll be able to gain a lot from entering and hunting there."

    Sheng Feilong continued to look at Xiao Yuewu, all the while munching down on his carrot, and thought about it for a bit. The others didn''t disturb him; they believed his jdgement. After a while, he took another bite of his carrot, munched on it and swallowed before looking at Xiao Yuewu again.

    "Rumours say you got beat up by a few Xiao Clan members? As a big clan in the city, the Xiao Clan probably gets a few entry tickets as well, right? I guess you asked to join them, they didn''t like the idea, beat you up and, with no other option left, you came here to ask us, since the three of us are still a better choice than the other 6 of our class. Am I right?"

    Xiao Yuewu clenched his fists and teeth harder and harder the more Sheng Feilong said. He was absolutely spot on. Xiao Yuewu took a moment to calm down and indifferently replied to Sheng Feilong.

    "Yes. Even if those 6 work together, they can''t compare to your team."

    Sheng Feilong bit off a piece of carrot again, nodded and spoke with a full mouth.

    "Alright, you can join. But you have to listen to my commands in there. If you don''t, then I don''t mind killing you. It''s less troublesome than an untrustworthy ally."

 30 The Simulated Star Dou Fores

    Su Liyun and Jian Shiguan weren''t satisfied with Sheng Feilong''s decision. They didn''t like Xiao Yuewu, but Sheng Feilong let him join their team just like that. After the former left, they confronted Sheng Feilong about it.

    "Why did you let him join? Don''t tell me you think he''ll be a great help?"

    Sheng Feilong shook his head.

    "He wouldn''t be of much help if Shiguan were to join us. Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform is a simulation of the ancient Spirit Dou Forest from over 20.000 years ago. With her Bluesilver Grass, she could perfectly scout the area, but she''s not allowed to join us this time. Xiao Yuewu is still a better choice than joining the other 6 or acting alone. Moreover, what he said is right. The Platform is dangerous. Although we won''t die for real if we get killed, there are still complications and our enemy isn''t only Soul Beasts, but other participants not from the Academy as well. Killing other Soul Master to absorb their leftover Spirit Power is probably the fastest way to get stronger in there."

    Jian Wang was surprised by Sheng Feilong''s explanation.

    "So you want to use Xiao Yuewu as a shield?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded, shocking all of the others.

    "Yes. A shield and a scout. Though I won''t leave him behind as long as he cooperates. I already said that I don''t mind killing him if he doesn''t follow orders. Our main goal is to use this opportunity to get stronger. Personally, I want to evolve my Ancient Hypnotic Toad to the 1.000-years-old level as soon as possible and this is a perfect chance."

    He took a last bite from his carrot, putting the rest of it into his mouth, munched on it a few time before swallowing it down. "Well anyways, let''s get back to class."

    Just as he finished speaking, the bell rung, signaling for everyone that their break was over.

    They headed back to their classroom and arrived just a few seconds before their teacher. Quickly taking their seats, the teacher then walked to his desk and started his classes. When the bell rung again, signaling the end of the classes, the teacher stood up and informed asked the 10 participants for the Spirit Ascension Platform to stay a little longer.

    After everyone else left, the teacher looked at them again an gave them a bit of new information.

    "The day for entering the Spirit Ascension Platform is the day after tomorrow. We will meet up here at the classroom at 8:00 am and then head over to the Spirit Pagoda together. All of you have a day off tomorrow to make your own preparations. Don''t bother with the other students, they''ll have classes as normal on both days. That''s all, you may leave."

    Sheng Feilong, Jian Wang and Su Liyun head out together. Looking around a bit, they quickly found Su Liyun''s mother, as well as Sheng Lingtian and Jian Shiguan, waiting for them. They talk for a moment longer, before Su Liyun and her mother leave and then make their way over to the Spirit Pagoda. Doing their usual training, they later fight Song Weihan as a team again, since Jian Shiguan joined them again. Before Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan leave, Sheng Feilong told Song Weihan about the Academy''s schedule and asked for a day off for all three of them tomorrow.

    Song Weihan agrees and let''s them do whatever they deem necessary. Sheng Feilong then walked over to the Bao brother''s wrokshop, also asking for 2 days off there, since he didn''t know how long their adventure inside the Spirit Ascension Platform would last. Sheng Feilong spends the next day gathering as much information as possible about the Spirit Ascension Platform, the layout inside of it and the beasts they may encounter before buying a few supplies, as Song Weihan said they could scan backpacks to take items with them.

    A day later, Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian left their home with Sheng Feilong carrying a big backpack fixed with an extra strap around his waist. They boarded Sheng Lingtian''s Purple Mecha and headed for the Heaven Dou Academy. Sheng Feilong walked into the classroom at around 7:50 am and all the other 9 children had already gathered there. The rest of the class wasn''t there as they had other classes in another room. He quickly found Jian Wang and Su Liyun who had taken seats next to Xiao Yuewu and sat down as well. They talked about their general tactics for a few minutes until the teacher arrived and hurried all of the children to board a bus together with the other 2 grades of the Intermediate Academy. After some light introductions from the teachers, they boarded the bus and headed to the Spirit Pagoda.

    Many people were currently gathered at the Spirit Pagoda. The opening of the Spirit Ascension Platform was usually the busiest day of the month and today was no exception. One of the teachers asked them to wait with the the others, while she registered their arrival with the Pagoda. Nothing much happened other than that they had to wait for a while as the Spirit pagoda was well organized and orderly so no one would cause any trouble. The teacher returned with a Spirit Pagoda employee in tow, who then led them to another area past a lot of rooms where similar groups had gathered. Sheng Feilong could see a lot of strange, man-sized capsules as well as a lot of computers and machinery inside. They entered a larger hall, similarly equipped with lots of those strange capsules, easily enough for all 30 of the children.

    The employee was about to explain a few things about the Spirit Ascension Platform until he noticed a man sitting at one of the computers, reading a few documents. The employee froze for a moment before quickly bowing to the man.

    "Greeting to the Department Head!"

    The teachers were surprised for a moment before quickly following suit and bowing to the man.

    "The teachers of the Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy greet the Department Head!"

    The Department Head nodded, mentioning for them to be at ease and stood up. He is about 1.90 meters tall, with a lean build and a sharp jawline, wearing a white uniform with black pants and shoes. On the left side of his chest he wore a golden coloured badge endowed with three stars. The most eye-catching thing, however, is not the badge on his chest, but his hair. A giant, 4 cm wide and 15cm high mohawk cut in a vibrant, pink colour.

    The children were surprised by the strange sight, a few of them beginning to chuckle and carefully point at the man while whispering among themselves, causing the teachers to sweat profusely. Jian Wang froze as he didn''t know why the man was here, while Sheng Feilong was just as bewildered and blurted out, while walking to the front and lightly bowing.

    "Master? What are doing here?"

    The Department Head, Song Weihan, looked at Sheng Feilong and smiled innocently.

    "Well, working of course. Little Pong asked me to review a few things as he didn''t have the authority to judge them himself, ha, ha."

    Sheng Feilong still looked as bewildered as before, so Song Weihan explained nonchalantly.

    "The Spirit Ascension Platform was originally created to research and groom artificial Spirit Souls, so naturally I''d be in charge of things here. You should have already figured that, didn''t you?"

    Sheng Feilong wrily smiled and shook his head, causing Song Weihan to laugh. The teachers had relaxed already since Song Weihan didn''t seem to mind the children''s whispering, but Sheng Feilong''s classes teacher was still sweating buckets. He didn''t know Sheng Feilong was the disciple of such a big shot. He was currently thanking whatever deity had looked over him, since Sheng Feilong''s position among the 10 to participate was nearly taken from him by the teacher. The end result was 4:4 and he made the decision to allow Sheng Feilong to participate as his talent was enormous. He didn''t dare to think about what would''ve happened if Song Weihan knew his disciple would have been denied access!

    Song Weihan stepped forward, gathering the attention of all the students and teachers with a clearing of his throat before he explained the origins of the Spirit Ascension Platform briefly then told them about the dangers inside and how to absorb the leftover Spirit Power into their Spirit Souls. Afterwards, the students were asked to lie down in the capsules and then told to close their eyes. A few moments later, Sheng Feilong felt as if his Soul was leaving his body. A strange feeling like being pulled over and then falling from some height. When the feeling stopped, he opened his eyes, but to his own surprise, he wasn''t lying in the capsule anymore.

    No matter in which direction he looked, all he could see were towering trees, all kinds of plants unknown to him as lush green grass. Although he read about the Star Dou Forest of old before, truly standing in it, or at least a simulation of it, was entirely different. While he was looking around, quite a few other people popped up all around him; all of them other students from his Academy. He waited for little while longer and found Su Liyun, then Jian Wang and lastly Xiao Yuewu.

    The four of them quickly made a plan to distance themselves from the other and headed northeastward with Xiao Yuewu about 50 meters in front of them to scout the perimeter. They quickly found their first beasts in the woods. A flock of 10-years-old Crookbeaked Falcons, lead by a number of 100-year-old variants, but decided to avoid them due to their great numbers. A while later, they found a small lake and chose to set camp there and wait for sole beasts to arrive.

    Sheng Feilong used a rope from his backpack to climb a tree and hide there with Su Liyun while Jian Wang and Xiao Yuewu hid in the bushes near the tree. All of them observed the lake and surrounding woods carefully and patiently waited, after all, lakes, rivers and the such had always been gathering places for beasts, as even they need to eat and drink. After a while, a lone panther like creature appeared at the lake and the group prepared to engage it, but suddenly, the noise of trees and wood breaking was heard, accompanied by a thundering roar that stopped them from acting on the thought.

    The roar thundered through the forest, instantly causing the panther to run into the opposite direction at top speed in fear for its own life. Sheng Feilong and the other were patrified.

    The roar came from directly behind them and it was unimaginable close!

 31 Elementary Level Guardian, Terrorghost Elk

    The air inside the preparation room for the Spirit Ascension Platform was tense and the air heavy. The student lied calmly in their capsules, not being disturbed by anything around them, but the teachers and Spirit Pagoda''s employee didn''t even dare to breath loudly. Song Weihan was reading a report on one of the computer screens with a murderous expression while a terrifying aura of bloodthirst radiated from him. He didn''t turn around while speaking in a cold voice to the shaking employee next to him.

    "Who''s responsible for this?"

    The employee swallowed dry and replied with a shaky voice despite his back being dreanched in cold sweat.

    "We- We don''t know. We have not found an explanation yet. Every parameter seems normal, but the guardian''s just started moving on their own without any external stimuli."

    Song Weihan continued to stare at the computer screen while giving his command.

    "Tell everyone to stop what they''re doing and go through all of the records of confrontations between the guardians with humans, others beast or other guardians of the last year. Every single one is to be checked for any inclinations of abnormal behaviour, be it from beasts or humans. Check any items the humans that entered took with them or used against the guardians. Check weather the beasts that encountered the guardians had any confrontations with humans before that. I want every piece of information. Maintain only the bare minimum of observational personnel necessary."

    "Yes, sir!" The employee quickly saluted and hurried off to inform others. Even though the pressure Song Weihan generated had lowered significantly, the teachers still didn''t dare to say anything. He pressed a few buttons on his keyboard and the picture on the screen changed to show Sheng Feilong and the others.

    Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform''s simulation of the Star Dou Forest, Sheng Feilong and the others were petrified. They were hiding in the trees and bushes around the lake, waiting for prey for fall into their trap when a thunderous roar echoed out directly behind them, scaring every beast away.

    Sheng Feilong slowly turned around, still hiding in the tree. In front of him stood an humongous, 4 legged creature with a massive head and huge antlers that directly stared at him. Mind you, he was still a few meters above ground, yet the Beast was on eye level with him. Strong, stone like hooves, muscular legs and body, with a thick neck and massive head. Black fur running all over its body and a ominous red glow in its eyes. Its huge, branching antlers shimmering in a strange black and white luster, yet they seemed transparent as if they had no substance.

    Sheng Feilong swallowed dry. He couldn''t even move a muscle as the creature stared at him, as he felt that a single wrong move would cost him his life. The reason he was so terrified wasn''t the creature''s aura. It''s because he knew what that beast was. A Terrorghost Elk. A terrifying ferocious Soul Beast known for its incredible spiritual power and huge physical strength. Even when compared to a Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear, it wouldn''t lose out in the slightest and actually had a better chance at winning if the two were at the same level.

    There should only be a single Terrorghost Elk in the elementary level of the Spirit Ascension Platform, but it shouldn''t apear at the outskirts, where Sheng Feilong and the group were currently located. It should actually act as a Guardian between the elementary and intermediate levels so weak Soul Master didn''t accidentally step into the realm of 1.000-years-old Soul Beasts and above. Moreover, it was one of the strongest Guardian''s with a age of over 4.200 years.

    He didn''t know why it had came here, but he didn''t have the freedom to even think about it. Sheng Feilong knew that he had to immediately warm his group to run for their lives. This beast wasn''t something they stood even the slightest chance against. However, the beast was currently locking eyes with him. If he made even the slightest attempt to warm the others or avert his eyes, it would probably attack, killing all of them in mere seconds.

    Jian Wang and Xiao Yuewu stood still, staring at the Terrorghost Elk while Su Liyun was shaking with a pale face. None of them had ever heard much less seen such a beast and seeing that Sheng Feilong did nothing, they didn''t dare show aggression or move thoughtlessly. The worst part was the Beast''s strength. Although it radiated no pressure, that the fact that they didn''t notice such a huge creature approach them was enough to show the difference in strength.

    Sheng Feilong began perspiring as the Elk stared at him, slowly increasing the spiritual pressure on Sheng Feilong''s mind. He could withstand it at first, but the pressure kept increasing to frightening levels. Sheng Feilong''s vision slowly became blurred and he began shaking slightly, while he tried to signal Jian Wang and the others to leave by slightly flicking his hands.

    Xiao Yuewu was the first to understand Sheng Feilong''s intention and slowly moved back, indicating for the others to do the same. He walked past a few tree so that the Elk wouldn''t see him anymore and then madly dashed be few dozen meters forward. He summoned his Spirit Soul and used the backside of his daggers to hit a tree with all his might to make some noise.

    The loud cracking sound of the tree''s bark and the rustling leaves were heard by the Terrorghost Elk and the pressure on Sheng Feilong''s mind instantly vanished as it swung its had around to look for the source. It didn''t see Xiao Yuewu as the latter had already hid behind the next tree, but found the damaged tree and walked over to see what had happened.

    Xiao Yuewu dashed in another direction when he saw that the beast was distracted and Sheng Feilong and the others, seeing Xiao Yuewu flee, quickly followed him as fast as they could. All of them ran and ran through the forest, not daring to stop even though they couldn''t see the Terrorghost Elk anymore. After more than half an hour or fleeing, they finally stopped as Su Liyun couldn''t continue any further.

    Jian Wang was the first to break the silence that was filled with their heavy breathing.

    "What... What in the world was that thing? I didn''t even see when it appeared behind us."

    Xiao Yuewu looked towards Sheng Feilong. Apparently, he also didn''t know what it was. Sheng Feilong took another deep breath and answered them.

    "A Terrorghost Elk. A super powerful Soul Beast that doesn''t even fear the likes of Duskgold Dreadclaw Bears or beasts with draconic bloodlines. But it shouldn''t have come here. The only Terrorghost Elk in the elementary Spirit Ascension Platform should be a Guardian near the entrance to the intermediate platform. And that Guardian is over 4.000 years old."

    Jian Wang and Su Liyun looked perplexed while Xiao Yuewu shuddered.

    "A Guardian? Those things are the strongest Soul Beast of each difficulty. All of them are top class Soul Beasts and usually even stronger that most of the beasts in the outskirts of the next higher difficulty. Why would it come here?"

    Sheng Feilong shook his head with a bitter smile.

    "I don''t know, but we should get as far away from it as possible. It that thing wanted us dead, it would just need a single sneeze. Liyun, are you okay? Can you continue?"

    Su Liyun was still catching her breath, but stood up and nodded towards the others, who all looked at her.

    "I''m okay. Let''s go."

    On the computer screen outside the Spirit Ascension Platform, Song Weihan saw Sheng Feilong and the others walk further away from the Terrorghost Elk, all of them unharmed, and the bloodthirsty aura he emitted the whole time slowly faded, giving the teachers a chance to breath. He watched them a little while longer before a Spirit Pagoda employee came over with a stack of documents.

    "Sir, these are the profiles of all the Beasts and Guardian''s of the elementary level that came in contact with participants in the last 12 months. We checked the participants and filtered out all beasts that didn''t provoke any unforeseen possibilities."

    Song Weihan took the documents and began to skim through them. After checking about 20 of them, he found one that made him frown. According to the documents, the 3.800-years-old Bull-Horned Bald Eagle, one of the Guardians of the elementary level, fought a group of participants that had unusual supplies with them about 3 months ago. Other than a few weapons, daily and utility supplies, they had a few Heavenly and Earthly Treasures with them, stating they would use them as bait. They entered the territory of the Bull-Horned Bald Eagle and were wiped out while the beast ate their treasures and became much stronger thanks to them. It''s strength could now match beasts of close to 6.000 years of age.

    Song Weihan had a bad premonition and quickly checked a few of the other documents and quickly found one he was looking for.

    "This is bad. The Bull-Horned Bald Eagle had a sudden spike in strength and started to expand its territory. It attacked the Raging Fire Ape, another Guardian and killed it before assimilating its territory. I assume it continued to attack other Guardian''s later and forced them to abandon their territories, causing them to walk further towards the outskirts. That would explain our situation. So far, 5 Guardians have been spotted outside their territories and 3 of them encountered groups of participants so far, all of those teams, 26 people, were wiped out and forced out of the Spirit Ascension Platform. If this continues, the Guardian''s will probably go on a rampage in the near future."

 32 A Gentlemans Fox Hunt!

    Another hour had gone by since Sheng Feilong and the others have fled from the Terrorghost Elk, and, fortunately, they hadn''t met any strong Soul Beasts since then. They kept advancing northeastward while being most alert in fear of running into another Guardian. On their way, they passed a few rather large flocks of Beasts, but still decided to avoid them due to their numbers.

    When faced with sole beasts, they would create distractions using Xia Yuewu''s speed and Sheng Feilong''s illusions in order to allow Jian Wang to strike critical hits to the beasts, effectively taking them out in the fastest manner. Jian Wang was allowed to absorb the Soul Beasts lingering Spirit Power most of the time as none of the others would profit much from it since all of them had special elements.

    Occasionally they would kill a flying beast for Xiao Yuewu to absorb which benefited him quite a bit. As an Agility Type Soul Master who''s artificial Spirit Soul was related to the wind element, flying beasts always provided him with suitable Spirit Power, even if they''re elementless. Su Liyun mostly kept in the background as she didn''t have much offensive capabilities. Her Fairy Vine Spirit Soul was a plant spirit related to the light element with slight healing effects and they would have to find plant spirits for her to absorb efficiently.

    Honestly though, for this trip to the Spirit Ascension Platform, Sheng Feilong''s reasoning was suite selfish. He had chosen the northeastern direction as he knew that there are a few spots where Soul Beasts of spiritual natures would live. Spiritual Soul Beasts were quite rare, even in ancient times, but just as powerful. The Terrorghost Elk they encountered before was only a mid level beast when compared to other spiritual Soul Beasts, but it was already considered to be on par with Beasts that ranked in the top ten of their specialities.

    Sheng Feilong prodded his team to halt and gather around him. He gavesignal to Xiao Yuewu and he also came back. Sheng Feilong then told them about their situation.

    "We''ve been walking in this direction for about two hours now, minus the escape from the elk. If we continue at this pace, we''ll enter the territory of a few spiritual Soul Beasts soon. All of you have to be on alert even more. Don''t easily trust your eyes and try to feel your surroundings with your Spirit Power. The beasts we''ll most likely encounter are called Cunning Foxes, and they''re living up to their name quite well. They like to make traps and place illusions around them to lure prey in before assaulting them in groups."

    He paused for a moment before looking at Xiao Yuewu.

    "You''ll have the hardest job out of us all. Cunning Foxes mostly hide and flee at the first sign of danger, so in order to lure them out, we have to step into their traps... After that, it''ll be easy for me to trap about 5 of them in an illusion to prevent them from fleeing as long as they''re below 800 years of age. We''ll dispose of them easily then."

    Xiao Yuewu frowned and stared at Sheng Feilong for a moment.

    "So we''ll lure a flock out, then you''ll trap a few of them n an illusion and you guys show yourselves to force the rest to flee. And you want me to play the bait to lure them out?"

    Sheng Feilong scratched his head awkwardly and slightly smiled.

    "Well, Cunning Foxes are quite fast, you''re the only one who can keep up with them if they attack en masse. Jian Wang could probably block them, but his Spirit Power is too low to keep them in check and I''m not physically strong enough to deal with multiple 100-year-old Soul beasts at once. You''ll just have to block their initial assault and I''ll place the ones closest to you in an illusion immediately."

    Xiao Yuewu nodded, but still asked another question.

    "What if you can''t trap them? You said it''ll be easy as long as they''re not 800-years-old Soul Beasts? What if the rest of the flock doesn''t flee after you emerge?"

    "I can still trap them if they''re 800-years-old variants, but just 2 or 3 at most. Anything below that level isn''t a problem as they have a major spike in Spirit Power every 100 years of age. The flock will flee no matter what. Cunning Foxes are physically weak and can barely compare to normal Soul beasts a tenth of their age. So facing a 600-years-old Cunning Fox in melee combat is like battling a 60-years-old Brown Wolf for example. Their only strength is their Spirit Power, and if we all emerge with out Soul Power released, they''ll flee. I''ll also lock onto them with my Spirit Power, that''s even superior to 1.500-years-old Cunning Foxes. That''ll scare them to the grave."

    Xiao Yuewu relaxed slightly and eventually agreed to Sheng Feilong''s plan. They walked further into the forest and soon reached the territory of the Cunning Foxes. Sheng Feilong locked onto Jian Wang, Su Liyun and Xiao Yuewu with his Spirit Power to tell them to be on high alert before reaching out into the forest with it and hiding it to the best of his ability. Xiao Yuewu summoned hisMoonlit Curved Daggers Spirit Soul and also spread his Spirit Power, looking for traps, while the other three hid their presence about 50 meters behind Xiao Yuewu.

    After a while, Xiao Yuewu spotted a strange fruit at the side of the road. It was a juicy, red apricot like fruit that radiated a dense Soul Power. He quickly checked it with his Spirit Power and found out that it''s actually a rotting green fruit with brown spots; It was a trap set by the foxes. He feigned being exited and quickly plucked the fruit, storing it in his pocket and looked around for more. He found a stalk of the same fruits but that one was nearly buried in the dirt. He crouched down and started digging in the dirt with his hands.

    Just as he started, he felt a sharp pain in his head, a Spiritual Attack, and quickly jumped back, brandishing his daggers. Luckily his Spirit Power was high enough and he could block the attack, and saw a bunch of red foxes with white heads jump at him. He quickly blocked the first attack and dodged a second and thirg before using his second dagger to block the fourth! More foxes stormed out of the forest but quickly froze and looked into the direction Xiao Yuewu came from.

    Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang had released their Soul Power and charged into the direction of Xiao Yuewu the instant they felt him use his Soul Power to block the first fox. When they saw Xiao Yuewu and the foxes, the former just blocked the fourth fox and they saw the rest storm out of the forest. Sheng Feilong quickly used his first Soul Skill, Toad Prison, on the four that had attacked Xiao Yuewu before while striking the rest with the blunt of his raw Spirit Power.

    The foxes froze for a moment, before a slightly bigger Cunning Fox howled loudly and all the foxes, with the exception of the four trapped in Sheng Feilong''s Toad Prison, fled explosively, completely abandoning their prey. Jian Wang summoned his Mountain Splitting Axe Spirit Soul and used his first Soul Skill, Full Moon Cleave, to send a energy wave at one of the foxes, directly cutting it in half, with blood splattering about!

    Xiao Yuewu quickly disposed of the third fox that he dodged earlier as it stood still, trapped in Sheng Feilong''s Toad Prison, by cutting its throat. He then distanced himself a few steps from the rest, allowing for Jian Wang, who was still charging at the group of foxes, to rush past him and attack another fox. By now, Sheng Feilong had led the last Cunning Fox to run in his direction and stop a few steps away from him, then took out a knife from his Spatial Ring and cut the foxes throat. He grabbed the fox by its neck and pulled it towards Xiao Yuewu and Jian Wang, then high-fived both of them.

    Su Liyun came out from her hiding spot and joined the rest of the group. She looked at Xiao Yuewu with a concerned expression and quietly asked if he was alright. Xiao Yuewu shrugged at her question.

    "Just a bit sore, since I had to block two of them, nothing of concern." Su Liyun nodded and released her Spirit Soul, the Fairy Vine. It was a rather fragile looking, reddish white vine with bright, yellow flower buds all over it, that radiated a light, soothing aura. She activated her Soul Skill and the vine grew rapidly, lightly encasing Xiao Yuewu and the vine lightly lit up in a yellow light. Xiao Yuewu closed his eyes and felt his fatigue dwindle and his sore arms relax.

    Xiao Yuewu thanked Su Liyun, while Jian Wang and Sheng Feilong waited for them to finish. Sheng Feilong then walked over to the fox''s bodies and sat down at a clean spot next to them, before he spoke to the rest of the team.

    "Keep watch for a while, please. I''ll absorb leftover power of the foxes."

    After saying so, he summoned his Ancient Hypnotic Toad Spirit and a yellow Soul Ring appeared beneath his hand. He closed his eyes and began cultivating according to the method the Spirit Pagoda''s employee taught them to draw the Spirit Power of the dead Soul beasts towards his artificial Spirit Soul.

    Xiao Yuewu and the others were on guard against any Soul Beasts, especially the flock of Cunning Foxes that fled earlier. Nothing happened for about half an hour and they slowly relaxed while Sheng Feilong absorbed the Spirit Power of the dead foxes. After a while, though, Xiao Yuewu suddenly turned around and brandished his daggers.

    "Who''s there?!"

 33 Wong Wushuang

    Jian Wang and Su Liyung where startled by Xiao Yuewu''s sudden shout, but both of them instantly were on edge. Su Liyun moved over to Sheng Feilong, shielding him behind her body while Jian Wang summoned his Mountain Splitting Axe and run over to Xiao Yuewu. All of them were extremely taunt; not only was their, more or less, ace unable to fight, Sheng Feilong was also extremely vulnerable at the moment!

    All of them were ready to attack, when they heard young calm voices from behind the bushes.

    "Whoa, easy their, Junior-Brothers, Junior-Sister. We mean no harm."

    A moment later, a group of 6 people walked out from the bushes. 4 boys and two girls, all of them around 1 or 2 years older than Jian Wang and the rest.They wore matching uniforms, namely white pants, white shirts, black shoes and green jackets with the logo of the Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy embroidered on the right chest along with 3 silver stars beneath that logo. That was the uniform of the Third Grade of the Intermediate Academy. So that means those people whre Senior Students for their academy.

    Xiao Yuewu heaved a sigh of reliefas he knew those people weren''t any enemies. His moonlit Curved daggers vanished from his hands and he slightly bowed to the newcomers.

    "Greetings, Seniors!"

    The person who talked to them before stepped forward again. He was a tall young man with light brown hair, green eyes and a slim face. He looked quite feminine, but that just made him look even friendlier and more handsome. He looked around and saw Sheng feilong absorb the Spirit power of the dead foxes and looked quite astounded before he looked back at Xiao Yuewu.

    "You four killed those Cunning Foxes? And all of you are even unharmed. Did you force their flock to flee? That''s really impressive."

    Xiao Yuewu liked this seniors easygoing nature and the compliments he gave their group and was therefore quite relaxed as he replied with a smile.

    "Yes, we killed them, senior. Though we didn''t force the flock to flee; Sheng Feilong, ah, the one who''s currently absorbing the foxes'' leftover strength used his Spirit Power to trap them in an illusion and assaulted the rest of the flock."

    The young man seemed quite surprised and looked at Sheng Feilong again before he seemed to remember something.

    "Ah, right, he''s the disciple of Senior Spirit Flamingo, isn''t he? His Spirit Power must be enormous if he''s able to trap three 400-years-old Cunning Foxes and a 500-years-old one. No wonder Senior Spirit Flamingo took him in. I''m Wong Wushuang, by the way. Do you mind if we stay here with you for a while? We could use a short rest after travelling through the forest for all this time. We''ll help keeping watch, of course."

    Xiao Yuewu''s eyes widened for a moment when he heard the young man''s name. Wong Wushuang was the commonly known number one student of the heaven Dou Intermediate Academy! Altough he''s only 12 years old, he already reached the peak of the Soul Grandmaster Rank, rank 29, and his Spirit Soul is the Dragonscaled Gale Eagle, one of the most powerful bird type Spirit Souls that even has the bloodline of a dragon. Although it couldn''t compare to the Phoenix Spirit, it''s power and control over the wind element were an incredible boon for an Agility Type Soul Master.

    Xiao Yuewu quickly invited them to stay with their group after confirming that Jian Wang and Su Liyun had nothing against his decision. They talked among themselves and Wong Wushuang''s easygoing nature made it quite easy for the children to relax in front of their seniors. After waiting for around another half an hour, Jian Wang asked why they we''re that far in the Cunning Foxes'' territory.

    Wong Wushuang looked a bit embarrassed at the question, but still answered.

    "We were actually travelling in the east before, but we encountered a nearly 4.000-years-old Iron Hide Gorilla and had to flee to the north for quite a while. We basically just arrived in the foxes territory and run straight into you. Luckily the ape had given up on chasing us when we went through the Black Panther''s territory."

    Jian Wang nodded in understanding while Xiao Yuewu frowned and looked at Wong Wushuang.

    "That Iron Hide Gorilla should be a Guardian, right? But you encountered it in the outskirts, just like the Terrorghost Elk... Could their be something wrong with the Guardians?"

    Wong Wushuang seemed surprised.

    "You also met a Guardian away from its territory near the entrance to the intermediate platform? You little guys are lucky to have survived meeting it, well done. The Terrorghost Elk is known to be over 4.000-years-old and one of the most powerful Guardians. How did you escape it?"

    Su Liyun was the one to answer this time as she embarrassedly smiled at Wong Wushuang.

    "It pressured Feilong with it''s Spirit Power, but he held out long enough for Xiao Yuewu to distract it, which allowed us to flee. I think it wasn''t that interested in us anyways, as we should be pitifully weak in its eyes..."

    Wong Wushuang lightly laughed and then smiled at Su Liyun, seemingly consoling her.

    "No need to talk yourselves down over it. The Guardian''s are actually not meant to be defeated, anyways. Moreover, they''re even more powerful than normal Soul Beasts of their age since they are special, powerful Beasts and they''re said to leave behind a Soul Bone in 100% of the cases. That''s also the reason why only Soul Masters up to rank 39 Soul Elders are allowed to enter the elementary platform."

    They continued to talk for a while after that and it didn''t take long before Sheng Feilong woke up. He didn''t notice Wong Wushuang and his team and focused on his Ancient Hypnotic Toad. He willed it to appear and inspected it for a while. It had increased from a slightly over 640-years-old Spirit Soul to a 833-years-old Spirit Soul. An increase of nearly 200 years! That was even better than what Sheng Feilong had expected. Although the 4 Cunning Foxes were around 400 years old, that should have just increased the age of his Ancient Hypnotic Toad by around 100 years.

    Sheng Feilong was lost in thought for a moment before coming up with an explanation. The age increase was most likely boosted by the Ancient Hypnotic Toads extreme suitability with Spirit Power. Al the cunning foxes had quite a formidable Spirit Power themselves, the toad managed to absorb even more of it than other Spirit Souls of the spiritual element would be able to. Sheng Feilong nodded to himself and willed his Spirit Soul to disappear again, before looking around.

    The first thing he noticed was the lack of fox corpses. Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, Soul Beast corpses that had their remnant Spirit Power absorbed, would vanish, not leaving behind a body. He then looked around to find his friends and flinched when saw all three of them look at him, as well as 6 strangers! Sheng Feilong quickly calmed down as he saw that they were calmly sitting around with no hostility present while a few kept watch.

    Xiao Yuewu and Wong Wushuang walked up to him and Sheng Feilong and the latter introduced themselves. Sheng Feilong was surprised to see the Academy''s number 1 genius hand out with his team and also asked what the were doing here. Wong Wushuang told him about their encounter with the Iron Hide Gorilla and Sheng Feilong nodded in understanding, not asking further. They sat down around the patchwork camp that Xiao Yuewu and Wong Wushuang built and talked for a while. Jiang Wang then asked Sheng Feilong how much progress he made with his artificial Spirit Soul and was shocked when Sheng Feilong told him that its age increased by nearly 200 years. Wong Wushuang could help but become interested at that moment and asked for Sheng Felong''s Spirit Souls actual age. Hearing that it''s already over 833 years old, he become shocked as Sheng Feilong was just 10 years old but already had such a strong artificial Spirit Soul.

    Wong Wushuang excused himself for a moment and walked around between his team members, whispering a few things to them, to which most of them nodded, while a few others eyed Sheng Feilong''s group of four suspiciously before eventually also agreeing. After talking to everyone of his team members, Wong Wushuang returned to Sheng Feilong''s side and spoke up with an interested expression.

    "Do you think you could handle increasing your artificial Spirit Soul''s age breaking through the 1.000 years boundary?"

    Sheng Feilong seemed a bit surprised but still nodded his head.

    "I''ve talked about that with my master before, and he said that I''d easily be able to handle it. So, it''s actually my goal to make that breakthrough by visiting the Spirit Ascension Platform this time."

    "In that case, do you mind if we help you guys out with that?", Wong Wushuang asked with a slight smile. Sheng Feilong looked at him a bit strangely, before Wong Wushuang quickly made his intention clear.

    "Don''t look at me like that, we have no ulterior motives. I was just wondering if you could put in a good word with Senior Spirit Flamingo for us. A good impression from him would greatly help us if we wanted to join the Spirit Pagoda sometime, ha, ha. We''ve also seen one of the Cunning Foxes'' traps on our way here, so we could immediately go there and try our luck."

    Sheng Feilong thought about this offer for a while, asked his friends for their opinion, still in the presence of Wong Wushuang, and ultimately decided to agree. After that, their newly formed group of 10 went out again, going by the same plan as before to lure out the foxes, although now Wong Wushuang would take Xiao Yuewu''s place as ''bait''. Sheng Feilong''s team of 4 then focused on taking out the foxes trapped in Sheng Feilong''s illusions while Wong Wushuang''s team tried their luck at hunting the other foxes before they could flee.

 34 Strengthening The Spirit Soul

    The hunting Sheng Feilong and the others did together with Wong Woshuang''s team of 6 went very well. The implied strategy of having Wong Wushuang act as the bait to lure the Cunning Foxes out worked without a hitch. He stepped into the trap of the foxes on purpose which lead to a group of 4 foxes jumping him. Quickly blocking or dodging all of them, the rest waited a moment longer for the rest of the fox flock to move before Sheng Feilong locked the four that attacked the first time into an illusion.

    Jian Wang, Xiao Yuewu, Wong Wushuang and the rest of his team attacked the fox flock directly, ignoring the four foxes trapped in an illusion. The foxes quickly fled, but a few were caught by them and directly killed, while Sheng Feilong and Su Liyun took care of the four foxes left behind. After a while, Wong Wushuang and the others returned, bringing with them a total of another 4 foxes. With the ones disposed of by Sheng Feilong, they had the bodies of 8 Cunning Foxes, ranging from around 300-years-old Soul Beasts to a huge 700-years-old Cunning Fox!

    Wong Wushuang approached Sheng Feilong and was once again shocked. Although he heard of Sheng Feilong trapping the foxes, when he actually saw it, the result was incredible. The foxes he trapped hadn''t fled, and moreover hadn''t even moved in the slightest, as if waiting to be slaughtered! Like that, even Su Liyun, who''s Spirit Soul doesn''t have any offensive capabilities could finish them of with a normal steel knife.

    Bringing all of the foxes together, they made a spot for Sheng Feilong to sit in so he didn''t have to bother with the blood flowing out of the foxes, build a temporary camp again and took their places to watch out for any dangers. Wong Wushuang and Sheng Feilong stood in the middle and waited for the others to prepare. Wong Wushuang couldn''t help but glance at Sheng Feilong again.

    "Junior Brother Sheng, you''re really surprising me. Junior Brother Xiao told me of your way to trap the foxes in an illusion, but actually seeing it, that ability of yours is truly terrifying. I expected them to be stunned for a short while, but to think they''d be totally unable to put up any resistance is incredible. Your Spirit Power must be enormous."

    Sheng Feilong smiled wryly, not answering Wong Wushuang''s question. He wouldn''t just tell anybody any sensible information about himself. Although Wong Wushuang was his senior and a person easy to get along with, you never know if that would change in the future. Even Song Weihan only gave the bare minimum of information about Sheng Feilong to the Spirit Pagoda and others, since Sheng Feilong''s talent in regards to Spirit Power were just too shocking. Although he was just over 10 years old, his Spirit Power was already approaching 1.000 points. Normally, a 10 year old, even if their Spirit Power is strong, would have around 100-200 points of Spirit Power. Moreover, due to Song Weihan''s extensive training, Sheng Feilong had the physical strength to match that Spirit power and not be burdened by it. Something like that is extremely rare.

    Sheng Feilong casually chatted with Wong Wushuang for a bit more while everyone else got ready for their jobs. Afterwards, Sheng Feilong sat down between the bodies of the 8 Cunning Foxes and started absorbing their remnant energy to strengthen his Ancient Hypnotic Toad. Over an hour quickly passed without any unforeseen events and Jian Wang, Wong Wushuang and the rest relaxed a bit, with 3 of them standing guard while the rest calmly chatted in their makeshift camp.

    ---

    Outside of the Spirit Ascension Platform, the mood wasn''t quite as relaxed as at Sheng Feilong''s groups camp. Song Weihan was again sitting at the computer screen and reviewing some documents with a stern expression. He breathed out loudly and put the documents on his desk before looking at the tense employee in front of him.

    "Is that information reliable? Have you double checked everything?"

    The employee quickly nodded with a grave expression.

    "Yes, sir. Everything written in the report has been double checked and we had our staff verify with the people in question. A ten years old child from Eastsea City killed a 100-years-old Horned Dragon with more or less a single hit, before he grouped up with his comrades to defeat a 1.000-years-old Crystal Bear and he, again, crushed it with sheer strength. However, the boy who defeated the Horned Dragon before was encased in the Crystal Bear''s crystal, while three others were more or less rendered unable to fight. Afterwards, they were attacked by a flock of Green Wolves, and the one remaining child battled them all by himself to shield his comrades."

    Song Weihan seemed lost in thought for a moment as he bare audibly mumbled.

    "Xie Xie, 10 years old, an Agility Type Soul Master with twin Spirit Souls and incredible willpower and loyalty. Gu Yue, a 10 year old girl with an unidentified Spirit Soul that has incredible affinity with multiple elements and becomes stronger in relation to the possessors Spirit Power. And lastly, Tang Wulin... A 10 years old twin Spirit Soul possessor with an incredibly powerful Assault Type Dragon Spirit Soul, that grants him unimaginable physical strength and a strong suppression effect on dragonic Soul Beasts and a mutated Bluesilver Grass... I can''t help but think that I''ve heard that name before..."

    The Spirit Pagoda employee quickly caught up where Song Weihan started to become silent.

    "Tang Wulin is a genius in blacksmithing and the personal disciple of Saint Blacksmith Chen Mu, the Blacksmith Association''s Eastsea City''s Branch President."

    Song Weihan looked at the employee and then sighed.

    "Right, that was it. With his physical strength, being a blacksmith suits him. But all three of them refused to join the Eastsea Spirit Pagoda?"

    "Yes, sir. The employees tried their best to recruit them, but Director Long of Eastsea Spirit Pagoda and the children''s teacher put them down and rejected in their stead." The employee replied agan, causing Song Weihan to let out another sigh.

    "Very well, nothing we can do then. Don''t let that information get out. We don''t need rumours or competitors. You may leave."

    The employee saluted and then left, leaving Song Weihan alone. A few meters away from him, the teachers of the Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy were restless. They heard everything, but Song Weihan didn''t even seem to care. Or was that last sentence about not telling anyone meant for them? He wouldn''t try to silence them, right..?

    ---

    Sheng Feilong slowly opened his eyes and tried to feel the changes in his artificial Spirit Soul. After absorbing the 8 Cunning Foxes, he felt somewhat strange. Song Weihan had once told him, that one would be able to absorb roughly 1/10th of the cultivation of the Soul Beasts slain in the Spirit Ascension Platform, however, he clearly absorbed more from the first 4 Cunning Foxes and when he absorbed the 8 Cunning Foxes this time, he felt as if something was blocking him.

    Inspecting the Ancient Hypnotic Toad, Sheng Feilong quickly saw that it had only evolved from a 833-years-old Spirit Soul to a 904-years-old Spirit Soul; an increase of barely over 70 years even though it should have been nearly 200 if not more. Sheng Feilong furrowed his brows and tried to think of a reason for that. Meanwhile, Jian Wang and the others had noticed that Sheng Feilong woke up and ask him how he did, pulling him out of his own thoughts. He explained what happened and all of them tried thinking of a reason.

    After a while of thinking and a few questions, Wong Wushuang was the first to come up with an idea.

    "You said that your artificial Spirit Soul is quite special and consideribly strong, right? Maybe you''re not compatible with the Cunning Foxes. Being able to absorb so much of their energy from the first batch could be explained by the difference in strength between them and your Spirit Soul. There''s a few other spiritual Soul Beasts not too far from the foxes'' territory, we could try them. If that also doesn''t do the trick, we''ll hunt a 1.000-years-old Soul Beast. That should be enough, no matter what."

    After a bit of discussion, Sheng Feilong and the others agree. They went northward, to the territory of the Screaming Ghost Squirrels. Despite their name, they''re not actually ghosts. Instead, they''re pitch black squirrels of about 50cm large with weird, gaseous tails which seem to have ghost like human faces on them that had screaming expressions, hence their name. On the way there, the hunted a few avian Soul Beasts that were then absorbed by Xiao Yuewu and Wong Wushuang, increasing their artificial Spirit Soul''s ages to roughly 600 years and 950 years of age, respectively.

    Screaming Ghost Squirrels were different from Cunning Foxes; they were carnivorous Beasts, that actively hunted for prey in small groups of 3 to 7 Beasts, so Sheng Feilong and the others quickly came across a group of them, consisting of 2 10-years-old beasts, 2 around 300-years-old beasts and their leader, a nearly 500-years-old Screaming Ghost Squirrel. Wong Wushuang and his comrades had a few problems while dealing with them as the squirrels Spirit Power was quite powerful, but with Sheng Feilong''s assistance, they quickly dealt with them.

    Afterwards, Sheng Feilong absorbed the 3 over 100-years-old Screaming Ghost squirrels while ignoring the 10-years-old variants as they wouldn''t contribute much considering their strength. After roughly two hours, he opened his eyes again. Examining the Ancient Hypnotic toad, its age had increased to 983 years, meaning that Sheng Feilong did gain a good 1/10th of the squirrels remnant energy and he was only a small step away from evolving his artificial Spirit Soul to the 1.000-years-old level!

 35 1.000-Years-Old Spirit Soul

    Sheng Feilong had just opened his eyes and finished examining the changes of the ancient Hypnotic Toad when Jian Wang neared him. Although they could pass the time by chatting with each other while keeping watch, but after two hours, everyone got more or less restless. Especially Jian Wang who isn''t patient to begin with. He had run over to Sheng Feilong as soon as he saw the latter open his eyes.

    "Feilong, how was it? Were you able to absorb enough of the Scream Ghost Squirrel''s remnant energy to get your artificial Spirit soul to the 1.000 year level?"

    Sheng Feilong smiled happily albeit a bit wryly after hearing Jian Wang''s question. He couldn''t help but amused by his friend''s laid back behaviour.

    "Sadly, not quite yet. I''m still short a bit of energy, although I''m really close to the 1.000 year level. If we catch one or two more Screaming Ghost Squirrels, I should be able to evolve it. After that, we can focus on helping Senior Brother Wong to increase his artificial Spirit Soul''s strength to the 1.000 year level as well."

    Wong Wushuang, who stood a few steps away from Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang nodded when he heard Sheng Feilong''s plan.

    "Sounds like a plan. I''m still off 50 years for my Spirit Soul to evolve, but as long as we find avian Soul Beasts or Beasts of the wind element, it shouldn''t be a problem. The hardest part for now will be finding more Screaming Ghost Squirrels. We''ve killed quite a few earlier, but not every single one and they got away. They''re quite intelligent, so I assume they''ve informed most other Soul Beasts near here of the danger. All of them will be on high alert and we''ll probably have to search for them as they won''t mindlessly attack us like before."

    "Can''t we look for a nest? The squirrels must have a place they return to where they sleep, live or have their young reside, don''t they?", Su Liyun said while walking over to them. Sheng Feilong frowned lightly, as he tried ot remember the Screaming Ghost Squirrel''s habits.

    "I don''t think that would work. Screaming Ghost Squirrels live in large flocks, so we won''t just find a sole nest just like that. Moreover, they live in the trees with their nests dozens of meters above ground and they''re naturally really protective of their nests. Also, such a flock would usually be led by a 1.000-years-old Soul Beasts, if not multiple. Our best chance would be to ambush one of their hunting parties, but that could take a while since they''re more cautious now."

    Su Liyun and the others frowned. Just walking through the forest and hoping to find a hunting party would take a long time, like Sheng Feilong said, and it was slowly approaching night time. In about an hour, the sun will begin to set, making the forest all the more dangerous. Wong Wushuang smiled and opened his mouth.

    "Well, it can''t be helped. We''ll have to rely on out luck. If we can''t find them before sunset, you''ll have to evolve your Spirit Soul another time. It''s not much of a problem."

    The rest of the group agreed and they then made their way into the forest again, looking for Screaming Ghost Squirrels. All of them mostly kept quiet while Wong Wushuang and Xiao Yuewu, the team''s Agility Type Soul Masters, took the front, one on the left side, the other on the right, as they searched through the forest. About half an hour later, Wong Wushuang found a group of squirrels that had just fought their prey. He quickly returned to the others and informed them of his findings.

    Quickly making a plan, the assaulted the squirrels when they prepared to return to their nest and quickly finished them off. Though in their haste, one of Wong Wushuang''s team members was struck by a powerful Spirit Attack. Su Liyun couldn''t help him with her Spirit, so he had to leave the Spirit Ascension Platform, reducing the numbers of their team to a total of 9.

    After they had settled this matter, Sheng Feilong once again sat down and began absorbing the remnant energy of the Screaming Ghost Squirrels. This time, they had hunted a total of 4 squirrels above 100 years of age and with the Ancient Hypnotic Toad already being 983 years old, Sheng Feilong was confident that it would break through the 1.000 years level. Everything went smoothly as he slowly absorbed the energy.

    After a while, Sheng Feilong felt something change. A strange feeling suddenly hit him as if he was suddenly falling from the sky. Sheng Feilong shivered for a moment, but soon after the strange feeling was already gone and Sheng Feilong felt the absorption progressing smoothly. Not only that, but the speed of absorption became faster and faster as time went on, much to the satisfaction of Sheng Feilong.

    There was a problem though; Although the speed of absorption was increasing drastically, the feeling of improvement was dwindling. Before this, Sheng Feilong could clearly feel the Ancient Hypnotic Toad become stronger and stronger as he absorbed the remnant energy of Soul Beasts, but now, that feeling had changed to something akin to pouring a bucket full of water into the vast ocean; it was such an insignificant amount that barely anything changed at all!

    Sheng Feilong couldn''t get that strange feeling out of his head, wondering if anything had went wrong. He inwardly sighed and shook his head before concentrating on absorbing the rest of the remnant energy again. Whatever that strange feeling is, it would have to wait until he finished absorbing all of the energy. He couldn''t let a free meal slip by him, could he?

    Jian Wang and Xiao Yuewu were keeping watch for a few minutes now after Sheng Feilong began absorbing the squirrel''s remnant energy, when suddenly, a powerful, foreign Spirit Power washed over all of the team, causing their eyes to lose focus for a moment before instantly dissappearing again. All of them were instantly put on edge, quickly checking their surroundings with all weapons drawn.

    Xiao Yuewu''s hands were sweating profusely. The only time he had felt such a powerful Spirit Power was when they were facing the 4.300-years-old Terrorghost Elk near the lake in the outskirts of the elementary Spirit ascension Platform. For such a power to suddenly appear in their camp was impossible, unless some similarly powerful Soul Beast was near them.

    A few minutes passed with the children being as taunt as fully drawn bows while they were waiting for a Soul Beast to attack, however, even after all that time, nothing happened. Wong Wushuang breathed a sigh of relief before he quietly spoke up.

    "False alarm. I think nothing is coming. It might have been a powerful Soul Beast looking for prey somewhere in the forest. It would have been here if we were its target."

    He lowered his spear before looking at the other people around him.

    "Junior Brother Xiao, junior Brother Wang, you too take a break. Ling, Yan, you two take their watch. Everyone else, calm down, but keep your eyes open."

    Xiao Yuewu, Jian Wang, as well as Senior Brother Yan and Senior Sister Ling, two of the students of Wong Wushuang''s original group, nodded and changed positions. Su Liyun also relaxed at took a look at Sheng Feilong. She couldn''t help but feel that something was different than before. Spreading out her Spirit Power, her heart suddenly jerked and she quickly looked at Wong Wushuang.

    "Senior Brother Wong, something''s wrong with the Screaming Ghost Squirrels! They remnant energy is quickly decreasing."

    Wong Wushuang looked at Sheng Feilong and the squirrels around him before spreading his Spirit Power as well, quickly noticing that Su Liyun was right. The squirrels remnant energy was quickly drained, but that wasn''t a problem with the squirrels; it was Sheng Feilong, who''s speed of absorption had massively increased, being nearly 5 times as fast as before!

    Wong Wushuang stood there for a moment, not knowing wht to make of this matter before he muttered in a low voice.

    "How is he absorbing them so fast..? Don''t tell me-! He has broken through already? His Spirit Soul is at the 1.000 year level now? Wait, could that powerful Spirit Power earlier come from him... or even his artificial Spirit Soul? Just how monstrous is that thing then..?"

    While Wong Wushuang was talking to himself, the last bit of energy the Screaming Ghost Squirrels vanished and they turned into dust. Sheng Feilong slowly opened his eyes, coincidentally looking Wong Wushuang in the eyes. Wong Wushuang froze, his back instantly drenched in cold sweat as he looked at Sheng Feilong''s eyes, that looked like bottomless abysses.

 36 Evolution Complete

    Wong Wushuang was distressed. He had only looked at Sheng Feilong for a moment before the latter turned away from him, but his back was already drenched in cold sweat. The pressure Sheng Feilong gave off wasn''t normal. Wong Wushuang had seen many strong people, even Soul Emperors that fully released their Soul Power, but the pressure he felt from them was weaker then Sheng Feilong''s.

    Jian Wang saw Sheng Feilong nodding towards Wong Wushuang, who instantly tensed up, and was wondering what''s wrong. He looked at Sheng Feilong, who also happened to turn towards Jian Wang, and he tensed up as well. If he wasn''t certain that it was Sheng Feilong who sat in front of him, Jian Wang would''ve already summoned his Mountain Splitting Axe. The presence Sheng Feilong gave off felt as if he wasn''t human, but a powerful Soul Beast!

    Xiao Yuewu was made aware of the uncomfortable feeling Wong Wushuang and Jian Wang had. He furrowed his brows and looked at Sheng Feilong before using his Spirit Power to inspect the latter. He couldn''t feel anything special other then the fact that Sheng Feilong had become noticeably more powerful. His Spirit Power and, more importantly, the small toad in his left hand felt incredibly powerful.

    Su Liyun didn''t seem to notice anything and casually walked over to Sheng Feilong before asking a question with an expectant expression.

    "Brother Feilong, how was it? Did you manage to evolve you little Toad Spirit? Is it a 1.000-years-old Spi-" Before she could finish her questions, Su Liyun froze. Sheng Feilong had turned towards her and looked into her eyes. She felt the same as Jian Wang; as if she was faced with a powerful Soul Beast instead of her friend! Her face paled and she took a step back before stammering a few words.

    "Br-brother Feilong, w-what''s wrong? Why are looking at me like that..?"

    Sheng Feilong was perplexed at first and looked at Su Liyun strangely. He was just looking at someone who asked him a question, how is that considered looking at someone ''like that''? It''s common sense to look at people you talk too, isn''t it? He was about to say something when he saw her frightened expression and suddenly realized, that he was leaking out Spirit Power and that the Ancient Hypnotic Toad was somehow amplifying that Spirit Power with its unique beast''s aura.

    He quickly retracted his Spirit Power and artificial Spirit Soul and awkwardly scratched his head.

    "Sorry Sister Liyun, I was releasing my Spirit Power unconsciously. What was the last thing you wanted to ask?"

    Jian Wang and Su Liyun heaved a sigh of relief, but Wong Wushuang was non the less shocked. Sheng Feilong was at least 2 years younger then him, but that suffocating pressure he released was just his Spirit Power? His teacher praised Wong Wushuang for his strong Spirit power, reaching more than 140 at his young age, so how powerful was Sheng Feilong to give him such a dreadful feeling? He was lost in his own thoughts for a second, but still spoke before Su Liyun with an incredulous expression.

    "That pressure was just you leaking Spirit Power unconsciously? How can your Spirit Power be that strong?"

    Everyone looked at him before turning back to Sheng Feilong with questioning gazes. Jian Wang and the others knew about Sheng Feilong''s enormous Spirit Power, Spirit Eyes and artificial Spirit Soul as well as the fact that he didn''t like telling other people about it. Sheng Feilong merely smiled and nodded at them before turning towards Wong Wushuang again.

    "Senior Brother Wushuang, you should know that I''m a Spiritual Type Soul Master by now. My Spirit Power is my greatest strength and Master always focused my training on it." Sheng Feilong closed his eyes for a moment, trying to feel his own Spirit Power before opening his eyes again with a slightly puzzled expression. "Though it seems that it increased a bit when the Ancient Hypnotic Toad evolved to the 1.000 year level. I guess it''s kind of a side effect since it''s a Spiritual Type Spirit Soul?"

    Wong Wushuang nodded with a thoughtful expression, while Su Liyun''s eyes lit up at the mention of the 1.000 year level. She happily skipped over to Sheng Feilong and looked at him with sparkling eyes.

    "So you really evolved it! How is it? Did you get any new abilities? How much stronger are you now?"

    Sheng Feilong and the others chuckled before the former smiled and looked at Su Liyun.

    "Calm down, will you? It''s hard to tell how much stronger evolving the Ancient Hypnotic Toad made me. I''d have to try on Soul Beasts to get a precise measure, but I certainly feel a lot stronger." He then turned to look at the whole group with an impatient expression.

    "Shall we go hunting for a bit more?"

    Jian Wang and the other laughed at his sudden spike in confidence. Wasn''t it Sheng Feilong who said they''d have to hurry since it''ll get dark soon when they hunted for the Screaming Ghost Squirrels before? Wong Wushuang shook his head while speaking to Sheng Feilong.

    "Look around you, it''s already getting dark. Once the sun sets, it''ll be way too dangerous for us to go hunting. You should know that, Junior Brother."

    Sheng Feilong was taken aback. ''Now that he''s saying it, it was indeed approaching night time... but it''s bright as day, isn''t it?''

    Sheng Feilong pondered for a moment, before releasing his Spirit Soul. His eyes became a deeper, piercing blue colour with a fog like hue around them as he looked around. Focusing on a tree some distance away, he could clearly see the structure of the bark with all its curves and bumps. Moreover, he could see it as bright as day and wasn''t bothered by the dusk. He smiled and turned to Su Liyun.

    "It seems I''ve got a new ability after all."

    Everyone looked at him a bit perplexed, while Su Liyun looked at him with sparkling eyes again and asked what he meant. Sheng Feilong still smiled, but got a better idea.

    "Hold on. I''ll try something."

    After he said that, his soul Power surged and his second Soul Ring lit up; he activated his second Soul Skill, Mental Detection. To the surprise of everyone, though, the Soul Rings behind his back weren''t the usual yellow colour. When his artificial Spirit Soul evolved, the Soul Rings did so as well. They were 1.000-year-old Soul Ring and now of a bright purple colour!

    Sheng Feilong tried a few things while maintaining the Mental Detection status. He lowered the abilities and Soul Power and Spirit Power cost as much as possible before he contently smiled. He looked at Su Liyun and used Mental Detection on her as well. After a moment, her eyes widened and she let out a sharp yelp before looking around. After a moment she stared at Sheng Feilong.

    "You''re kidding, right?" Sheng Feilong just smiled, so Su Liyun continued with her questions.

    "How long can you keep this up?"

    "If I don''t share any other abilities, then sharing with everyone here isn''t too troublesome. I should be able to keep it up for a few hours." Sheng Feilong smiled at her. At this point, Wong Wushuang, who didn''t know of Sheng Feilong''s Mental Detection, nor his new ''ability'', couldn''t help but ask.

    "What are you two talking about?"

    Sheng Feilong shared his Mental Detection with him and gave him the same abilities as Su Liyun. Wong Wushuang froze and stared at Sheng Feilong in disbelief, while the latter continued to smile like an idiot. "We should be able to hunt with this, right?" Wong Wushuang mechanically nodded his head, not knowing what to say.

    An hour later, when the sun had already set, a group of shadows could be seen flickering through the simulated Star Dou Forest. No sound was heard from them while they run between the trees at breakneck speed. Soon, they appeared near a group of wolf like Soul Beasts and two of the shadows dashed out from the group to attack the wolves. No sound was made, but all of the wolves lost their lives in a matter of seconds while peacefully sleeping.

    One of the shadows sat down in the middle of the wolves while the others kept watch. About an hour later, a powerful pressure, accompanied by a strong gale swept through the surroundings as the shadow stood up, while the wolves had long since turned to dust. Another shadow, one with strangely glowing blue eyes, approached the first one with a smile.

    "Congratulations, Senior Brother Wushuang. You broke through to the 1.000 year level, right?"

    The other shadows approached as well, while the first shadow, Wong Wushuang, laughed at the question of the second.

    "Indeed. Thank you very much, Junior Brother Sheng! Without this night vision ability of yours, we''d have a much harder time. My Soul Power is near breaking through to level 30 as well, ha, ha!"

    The second shadow, Sheng Feilong, as well of the rest of the team quietly smiled, before Sheng Feilong made another suggestion.

    "Well, since we''ve already reached our goals for the visit of the Spirit Ascension Platform, should we leave for now? The Spirit Pagoda can''t keep it open forever."

    All of them nodded and pressed the special exit button on the back of their hands, as their surrounding turned from a forest to pitch black. Outside the Spirit ascension Platform, in the preparation room of the Spirit Pagoda, Sheng Feilong slowly opened his eyes. He still laid in the same capsule he entered this morning. He opened the lit and crawled out of it, nearly at the same time as the rest of his team. At the other end of the room, Wong Wushuang and his companions also crawled out of their capsules.

    They nodded at each other with a smile before turning around to look for the rest of their classmates and the teachers, only to see a shocked crowd before their eyes.

 37 Spirit Power Increase

    Going back a few hours, Song Weihan was still watching the computer screen showing Sheng Feilong, Wong Wushuang and their respective teams hunting in the Spirit Ascension Platform. By now, over 15 hours have passed since the students of the Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy had entered the Spirit Ascension Platform and Sheng Feilong''s group of 9 were the only ones left inside.

    Everyone else, be they students from the first, second or even third year of the intermediate Academy, had already left the Spirit ascension Platform on their own accord or had been forced to exit by powerful Soul Beasts. Still, the last of them to exit was the tenth of Sheng Feilong''s group, the classmate of Wong Wushuang, who took the full blunt of the Screaming Ghost Squirrel''s mental attack when they were on their last hunting trip a few hours ago.

    Night time had already fallen onto the Star Dou Forest, but thanks to Sheng Feilong sharing his senses with Mental Detection, their group was able to see clearly. Song Weihan didn''t expect his disciple to obtain a night vision like ability once the Ancient Hypnotic Toad evolved to the 1.000 year level, it was, however, a quite pleasant surprise. Having someone with an ability such as Sheng Feilong was incredibly useful for any team, as they were impressively demonstrating.

    Under Sheng Feilong''s guidance, Xiao Yuewu and Wong Wushuang were able to effectively take out one Soul Beast of the wind element after the other, which were then absorbed by Wong Wushuang. Spending a few hours in the dark forest, they quickly got to the point were they made plans to attack groups of beasts to speed up the process.

    Coincidentally, while searching for a group of wind elemental Soul Beasts, they even found a nearly 700-years-old Slumbering Lotus, a powerful Spirit Plant, that was guarded by a rhino like Soul Beast. They quickly disposed of the beast before allowing Su Liyun to absorb the Slumbering Lotus, allowing her to increase the strength of her artificial Spirit Soul tremendously.

    Just a few minutes later, they found a pride of Storm Wolves, peacefully sleeping in the forest with no guards or scouts in the vicinity; perfect prey to help Wong Wushuang to finally evolve his Spirit Soul to the 1.000 year level. After taking them out and absorbing the remnant energy, they finally decided to leave the Spirit Ascension Platform, where they were greeted by a group of shocked students and teachers upon exit.

    Wong Wushuang and his team smiled before inquiring about the health of their sixth member, while Sheng Feilong and the others didn''t really know what to do. Everyone was staring at them like seeing some attraction in the zoo, causing the four of them to be embarrassed. Song Weihan was smiling widely as he stood up from his seat, beckoning for Sheng Feilong to follow him while telling the teachers to take the other children back.

    Saying his good bye''s to his friends and classmates, Sheng Feilong followed Song Weihan to his office after everyone else had left. He took his usual seat while Song Weihan sat behind his desk with a satisfied expression.

    "Congratulations on advancing your artificial Spirit Soul to a 1.000-years-old Ancient Hypnotic Toad. You''ve been doing well in there, though I didn''t expect you guys to remain in their for over half a day. Most people only manage to stay about 4-6 hours on their first try. You''ve done well leading your team with your observations and preparations beforehand. But tell me, what do you think of it?"

    Sheng Feilong smiled brightly at his Master''s praise and answered the question without dalay.

    "It was incredible! I''ve read about the real Star Dou Forest and the Spirit Ascension Platform before, but really going in there is so much different! Everything smells and looks like a real forest and the air in refreshing!"

    Sheng Feilong continued to talk about his thoughts and experiences in the Spirit Ascension Platform for a few more minutes, no showing any signs of stopping soon, when he suddenly realized that he''d been talking non-stop, saying way more than Song Weihan had actually asked about. He awkwardly scratched his head while wryly laughing and looking at Song Weihan, who still smiled at him.

    "Sorry, Master, I got swept up in the moment...", Sheng Feilong said, while Song Weihan chuckled, not being troubled by his disciple''s excitement.

    "Don''t worry, it''s good that you had fun. Though, there''s one thing I''d like to know. What was it like when your Spirit Soul evolved? I know you were meditating though it, but you should''ve felt the difference. And why were the others looking so tense when you were done?"

    Sheng Feilong thought back for a moment, not exactly knowing what Song Weihan when he said to feel the difference.

    "Uhm... A few minutes after I started absorbing the energy of the squirrels, I suddenly felt weird and then like I was falling. I guess that''s when I broke though? After that, the speed of absorption became faster and faster, but it didn''t feel like the Toad was getting stronger at all. Is that what you meant, Master?"

    "A feeling like you were falling..?", Song weihan muttered with a thoughtful expression, before suddenly lifting his head and staring at Sheng Feilong.

    "Use your first Soul Skill on me. Make it as strong as possible and try to use all of your Spirit Power."

    Sheng Feilong was surprised, but quickly nodded and two purple Soul Rings appeared behind his back. The first lit up and Sheng Feilong stared at Song Weihan, while his eyes turned blue with a weird fog like energy around them. He didn''t give his illusion any form and just tried to trap Song Weihan inside of it, but no matter what, he couldn''t get a hold on Song Weihan. Still, the latter seemed at ease handling the amount of Spirit Power Sheng Feilong could produce, but his expression showed his surprise.

    "That''s enough, you can stop. I think I know what happened now. Honestly, it''s quite surprising. It seems like evolving your Spirit Soul not only made your illusion ability tremendously more powerful, but even enhanced your own Spirit Power by quite a great margin. That being the case, the Ancient Hypnotic Toad seems to be even more powerful than I thought. It''s abilities are powerful, it enhanced your Spirit Power and it gave you a new ability, your night vision, which you can even share with companions using your second Soul Skill. That''s honestly quite amazing."

    Sheng Feilong smiled proudly. He worked hard to fulfil his Master''s wish for him to evolve his Spirit Soul as fast as possible, and he made it. Not only that, but he managed to do even more than Song Weihan had expected. The both of them looked at each other before Song Weihan spoke up again.

    "Let me take you home for today. Your father already returned since it''s late. We can make a few tests tomorrow to see how much more powerful your Spirit Power and artificial Spirit Soul have become."

    A few minutes later, Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong flew towards Sheng Feilong''s home in a spacious purple Mecha that Song Weihan had borrowed from the Spirit Pagoda. Song Weihan returned after a short talk with Sheng Lingtian, who later told Sheng Feilong that he wouldn''t have to go to school tomorrow. Asking why, Sheng Feilong found out that the teachers had informed the children of the Intermediate Academy, that they wouldn''t have to come to school tomorrow, since they spent so much time at the Spirit Pagoda today.

    The next morning, Sheng Feilong joined his father to go to the Spirit Pagoda when the latter got ready for work. He had asked Song Weihan before if it was okay to come this early, but the latter was busy for a while. He asked Mister Wu, a Spirit pagoda employee who Sheng feilong met when he first came to the Spirit Pagoda, to take Sheng Feilong for a few tests, including the one for his Spirit Power.

    A while later, Mister Wu seemed quite shocked, but didn''t show Sheng Feilong the results on orders of Song Weihan. They did a few more tests before Song Weihan was free to meet up with Sheng Feilong at his office. Song Weihan had already received the results of Sheng Feilong''s test and was just as shocked as Mister Wu. While Sheng Feilong didn''t change much physically, his Spirit Power had increased by over 200 points compared to the last test.

    The 10 years old boy now had a inconceivable Spirit Power of 1.209!

 38 Frightened Rabbit? Terrified Toad?

    A Spirit Power of 1.209 was already incredible for any normal Soul Master, much less a 10 years old child. While Song Weihan was silently sighing in admiration, Sheng Feilong didn''t seem to care much. Of course, that doesn''t mean he didn''t knew how impressive such a Spirit Power is or that he had become much stronger thanks to it; he just didn''t put too much regards to it as he was still far, far weaker than his Master, Song Weihan.

    Naturally, if anyone else knew of Sheng Feilong''s thoughts to this, they would probably beat him half dead for his shamelessness. A 10 years old child comparing himself to a illustrious Titled Douluo famed for their Spirit Power and genius ¨C What a joke!

    Song Weihan was still reviewing the results of the other tests seriously. Although he was happy about his personal disciple''s growth, he was even more concerned about the latter''s well-being. A powerful Spirit Power has to be supported by an equally powerful physical strength and toughness. Without a trained body, a high Spirit Power would bring more harm then good to any Soul Master.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t disrupt his Master and instead began reading one of the less important documents about the refining of Artificial Soul Bones that he was allowed to study. Meanwhile, Song Weihan found alarming results about Sheng Feilong''s brain activity and body within the test results.

    He looked at his disciple without the letter noticing and had an incredibly concerned expression, but quickly put on a mild smile again to not worry Sheng Feilong before speaking in a semi-serious tone.

    "Feilong, it seems we need to focus a bit more about your physical training. Your Spirit Power increasing this much due to your artificial Spirit Soul was really unexpected and we should make sure no problems manifest themselves. For now, you''re prohibited from training your Spirit Power. Meditate to consolidate and calm it down, but down try to strengthen it before I allow it. Do you understand?"

    Sheng Feilong looked up and looked at his Master''s expression and unusually serious tone and quickly nodded. After that, Song Weihan took him to take a few more throughout tests before they worked out a modified training schedule for Sheng Feilong. Sheng Lingtian was also informed about the changes and Song Weihan later told him about the alarming results.

    According to the initial tests, Sheng Feilong''s body was at its limit. His body and brain can''t support his strong Spirit Power and will collapse in due time if no precautions are taken. The both of them discussed a few methods and Sheng Lingtian vowed to make sure Sheng Feilong wouldn''t train his Spirit Power while Song Weihan would supplement the training with a number of rather mild Soul Treasures to further enhance Sheng Feilong''s physique.

    Aside from the two of them, everyone else, including Sheng Feilong and the teachers at the Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy, were left in the dark about this. During the next few months, Jian Wang, Jian Shiguan and Sheng Feilong would continue to train together while their Spirit Power training was completely put on hold by Song Weihan. He didn''t stop Jian Shiguan and Jian Wang from training, but forbid them from doing so during their stay with him at the Spirit Pagoda.

    After about 4 months, Sheng feilong''s Spirit Power balanced itself out and remained at 1.305 while his physique was constantly enhanced by Song Weihan''s meticulously planned training. With the help of various Soul Treasures and medicinal baths, he entered another growth spurt and reached a height of 143cm at the end of it, while his physical strength was enough to make even Jian Wang break out sweating whenever they competed in raw hand-to-hand combat.

    Even tough Sheng Feilong''s physique and Spirit Power had reached a balance, Song Weihan continued to forbid the training of Spirit Power for another 4 months to make sure and enhance Sheng Feilong''s strength even more. However, during those 4 months, he also added another part to Sheng Feilong''s training. As the boy had already evolved his artificial Spirit Soul to the 1.000 year level, he would be able to communicate with it on a spiritual basis.

    Sheng Feilong had heard about this communication between Soul Master and Spirit Soul before. According to the research of the Spirit pagoda, every Soul Master would be able to communicate with their artificial Spirit Souls starting be conveying emotions at the 100 year level, to basic thoughts on the 1.000 year level and even have full grown conversations with them at the 10.000 year level and above! Apparently, this was found out by accident by a Soul Master a few thousand years ago, causing all Soul Master at the time to change their minds about Spirit Souls.

    Although artificially created, Spirit Souls were living beings with a consciousness that had their own thoughts and emotions. It was never a secret that Soul Beasts were capable of understanding humans to an extent and even communicate with them, but for artificial Spirit Souls to be the same was unheard of at the time. Later research came to the conclusion that the first person to find out about that was actually the very founder of the artificial Spirit Soul research, Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao.

    Sheng Feilong went to a meditation room that Song Weihan assigned to him and entered his mind space, where he searched for the Ancient Hypnotic Toad and tried to communicate with it. As he new it would only be able to communicate using basic thoughts, he tried conveying thoughts like ''wanting food'' or ''sleeping'', but didn''t receive an answer.

    He continued to try while loosing track of the time. After a long time, Song Weihan came to pick him up. Apparently, he had spent nearly 3 hours inside his own mind space, continuously trying to get a reaction from the Ancient Hypnotic Toad. He still looked lost in thought after being picked up, and Song Weihan instantly noticed the probable reason.

    "You didn''t get the ancient Hypnotic Toad to communicate with you? Don''t worry, it''s pretty normal. Most people take a few dozen tries before finding the right things to convey."

    Sheng feilong snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Song Weihan, before answering with a light frown.

    "That''s not it. I got a few reactions from it, but they were... weird... I tried all kinds of things from food, hunting, sleeping and even reproduction, but the only ones I got answers to were ''blood'', ''frightening presence'', ''survival'' and ''getting stronger''... Do you know what that means, Master?"

    Song Weihan frowned, and seemed lost in thoughts for a while. He had heard of many things from people communicating with their Spirit Souls for the first time, but things like ''blood'' and ''frightening presence'' were new to him, still he didn''t fail to come up with a reaonable explanation.

    "You''re right, it seems a bit weird, but you shouldn''t worry too much about it. Stuff like ''survival'' and ''getting stronger'' are pretty normal. Surviving and getting stronger are equal to Soul Beasts as their cultivation increases with their age. The ancient Hypnotic Toad was never strong and had to rely on its Spirit Power and illusionary abilities to survive in ancient times. ''Blood'' could have to do something with their bloodline. The toads are, by now, known for cross-breeding. A lot of toad or frog type Soul Beasts have similarities to the Ancient Hypnotic Toad''s bloodline."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and didn''t seem too concerned anymore, but still couldn''t help but ask another question with an amused expression.

    "What about the ''frightening presence'', though? Does that mean me? Could it be the toad fears me?"

    Song Weihan looked a bit surprised for a second before begging to chuckle.

    "I don''t it means you. You''re pretty harmless, aren''t you? The ''frightening presence'' its referring too could be a predator that had slain Ancient Hypnotic Toads. The genetic information used to create the artificial Spirit Soul you fused with was from a long dead and fossilized Ancient Hypnotic Toad after all. I may have not died a natural death and still have lingering fear within it."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his, but still had a slightly unsightly expression and muttered in a voice only he could hear.

    "Non the less, even if it is as predator, is there a reason to still fear it to that extent that it is one of the only things it can think about? The toad somehow feels like a frightened rabbit more than a powerful toad..."

    A few days later, the Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy had a festive atmosphere. Today would be the last day of the third years, including Wong Wushuang, and starting next week, Sheng Feilong and the others would be second year students! Apparently the Intermediate Academy invited not only the graduating students but also the younger once to attend and see off their seniors as many would leave the Academy and not continue with the Advanced Academy.

    As the representative of the third years, Wong Wushuang held a short speech, followed by the principal and a few teachers wishing them luck and glory on their ways to become outstanding Soul Master. The ceremony was over after about an hour, and Sheng Feilong and the others decided to speak to Wong Wushuang again. They met him and his parents together with a 2 of the people they met at the Spirit Ascension Platform, Senior Brother Yan and Senior Sister Ling, and the lot of them talked for a while.

    At last, Sheng Feilong couldn''t keep his curiosity in check.

    "Senior Brother Wong, what will you do now? Will you attend the Advanced Academy, search for a job or cultivate in silence?"

    Wong Wushuang smiled at him as Jian Wang and the others, including Xiao Yueuwu, who had slipped into their group unseen by everyone until now, expectedly looked at him.

    "I''ll continue with the Advanced Academy, but not the one her in Heaven Dou City. I''m going to attend Shrek Academy!"

 39 Shrek Academy

    A number of figures were located in a brightly lit conference room with a lot of tall windows. Outside of the room, clouds sometimes scratching the building and the conference rooms. Inside of the room, 11 figures were seated around a conference table, while a single person stood near the table with their hands behind their back. The standing figure seemed relaxed and at ease, while the seated people were frowning and clearly displeased.

    Among the seated people, an old man with a long grey beard and sparse grey hair stared at the standing figure with a furious expression as a powerful aura radiated from him. He spoke in a slow and menacing voice, not stopping to stare at the standing figure.

    "You want to involve another person outside of this room? And even give them that treasure?!"

    The standing figure didn''t seem to mind the elder''s menacing tone nor his surging Soul Power and still looked as relaxed as before while answering with a casual expression.

    "I''ve already made it clear at the beginning that I''ll decide who to give it myself. Now I''ve made that decision, and none of you have the right to question it. I''m merely informing you all about it."

    The grey old man furiously hit the table and sprung to his feet as his Soul Power stormed through the whole conference room, throwing over a few potted plants and unused chairs as he bellowed in a loud voice.

    "Song Weihan, you want to give the most precious Artificial Soul Bone that''s been created with the genetic material of a 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion to some brat that''s not even officially part of the Spirit Pagoda?! Have you gone insane or do you intend to betray the pagoda?!"

    The man casually standing at the conference table, Sheng Feilong''s Master, Song Weihan, eyed the furious elder before him with indifference. Even though the latter Soul power was ravaging through the room, Song Weihan''s clothes didn''t even flutter as he shielded himself wth his own Soul Power.

    "Elder Pai, I think you should calm down. It''s not good for your health to become that agitated. I''m neither insane nor do I intend to betray the Spirit Pagoda. That ''brat'', as you''ve referred to him, is my personal disciple and the greatest genius in terms of Spirit Power that I''ve ever seen. As I said before, this matter is non-negotiable and I''m merely informing you of my decision."

    Before the raging Elder Pai could speak up, another one of the people sitting at the table spoke up; a small female figure that didn''t look older than 16 years with blonde hair and light green eyes.

    "Elder Song, the value of that Artificial Soul Bone is incomparable to the others. You''ve used up the only genetic material of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion in the Spirit Pagoda''s possession. Even if the boy is your personal disciple, it''s a bit unreasonable to give him something like this, no?"

    Song Weihan merely glanced at her as he dismissively answered her in a annoyed voice.

    "I''ve paid for that genetic material with my own funds and contribution points. I''ve researched it and the methods of refining Artificial Soul Bones myself without the assistance of the Spirit Pagoda, build the research laboratory and the machinery involved and tutored the staff alone. While I''m indeed doing my research on the property of the Spirit Pagoda, you all of no say in the matters regarding my own possessions. Until now, all you''ve done is make a profit from my research."

    Another elder, a bold middle aged man with long eyebrows looked at Song Weihan and spoke to him with a sly grin.

    "Elder Song, if memory serves me right, you agreed to refine a personalized Soul Bone for everyone of us, so why not give the Three-Eyed Golden Lion Soul Bone to another of-"

    Before he could finish his sentence, Song Weihan looked at him and rudely interrupted his speech.

    "Elder Luo, you''ve already obtained your right leg Soul Bone and none of the other elders specializes in Spirit Power, so giving them the Golden Lion''s Skull Bone would simply be a waste of resources. And I don''t like wasting resources, so spare us your hypocritical care for your fellow elders. I will naturally create one for everyone, as I had promised, but the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Skull Bone is not included in that promise and I will proceed with it as I please."

    Another old man with sail ears, that was currently stroking his beard looked at Song Weihan with a thoughtful expression.

    "Elder Song, I won''t try to persuade you, but will the boy be able to take the Soul Bone? If I recall correctly, you said you took him in five years ago when he was six, so he''s barely 11 by now? A Artificial Soul Bone as powerful as the Thee-Eyed Golden Lion''s isn''t something a child could handle."

    Song Weihan nodded at the old man as an appreciation of his concern before calmly speaking to everyone in the room.

    "It is indeed too early for him to absorb the Soul Bone. Due to his artificial Spirit Soul evolving to the 1.000 year level about 8 months ago, his Spirit Power and body became disordered. I managed to balance it out for now, but I intend to have him train his body more for at least the next two years while making modifications to the Thee Eyed Golden Lion''s Soul Bone to suit him better."

    Elder Pai, Elder Luo and the seemingly young girl were rendered unable to say anything after Song Weihan''s explanations and had grim countenances, while the other elders decided not to say anymore. Song Weihan glanced at them before letting a faint smile show itself.

    "If there''s nothing else, I shall take my leave now. Elder Sun, your Titan Giant Ape''s left arm bone will still take roughly about 3 to 4 months. I''ll be contacting you as soon as the refining and testing are finished."

    After that, he exited the conference room, leaving the rest of the elders alone and headed for the elevator. As it turns out, the conference room was located at the Spirit Pagoda''s top-most floor where only the top echelon''s was allowed to step foot on. Song Weihan took a look at his watch before smiling to himself. It was nearly time for Sheng Feilong to come over after school.

    ---

    After the farewell of the third years had ended and Sheng Feilong and the others had heard about Wong Wushuang''s plan to go to Shrek Academy, their classes continued until school was over. Sheng Feilong couldn''t quite get Wong Wushuang''s decision out of his head, even after they met up with Sheng Lingtian and were on their way to the Spirit Pagoda.

    As every Soul Master usually would, Sheng Feilong had also heard about the illustrious Shrek Academy. As the academy with the longest history on the Douluo Continent, dating back to over 20.000 years ago, the time when the Tang Sect''s founder, Tang San, attended school, Shrek Academy was naturally well known.

    With their principles of only accepting monsters and not ordinary people, coupled with their extremely strict entering criteria and dozens of famous alumni, among which were people like the aforementioned Tang San or even the Spirit Pagoda''s founder, Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, they were known as the best academy one could possibly attend.

    Sheng Feilong shook his head with a wry smile before closing his eyes and focusing on the upcoming training.

    ''I''ll just ask Master what he thinks about it later... But Shrek Academy, huh... I''d really like to see Senior Brother Wong again!''

    While Sheng Feilong was thinking about Shrek Academy, Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan had their own thoughts about it, so no one paid Sheng Feilong''s behaviour any mind. Song Weihan was surprised by the newfound energy and determination of his disciple and the others. Even in their hand-to-hand combat training, they seemed oddly energetic and stood up again and again even though they were badly beaten every time.

    Song Weihan continued their training about half an hour longer due to their dedication before calling it a day. After Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan left, Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong headed to Song Weihan''s office where they talked a while about the formers research and work. Song Weihan didn''t mention anything that about his confrontation with the Spirit Pagoda''s elders nor his intention to give Sheng Feilong the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Skull Bone.

    After a while, Sheng Feilong asked about Shrek Academy and his Master''s thoughts about it. Song Weihan was surprised by the sudden and uncommon question, but still answered to the best of his abilities, even though he never attended Shrek Academy himself. The most important answer Sheng Feilong got from this was that, although Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda aren''t on good terms with each other, attending Shrek Academy as an Spirit Pagoda associate wasn''t a problem and they didn''t contradict each other.

    Sheng Feilong always thought he wouldn''t go to Shrek as he knew about the Spirit Pagoda''s conflicts with the academy, but after having his questions answered, he was excited and finally made the decision to attend Shrek Academy after graduating from the Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy!

    Song Weihan didn''t fail to notice this dedication and slyly smiled to himself before starting a speech about how Shrek Academy only took in the most monstrous Soul Masters and that Sheng Feilong, as his disciple had to pass their entrance exam with flying colours to bring honour to himself and his Master. This further riled up Sheng Feilong''s fighting spirit which Song Weihan used as an excuse to increase the former''s training load.

    Like that, a hellish 2 years began for Sheng Feilong while training at the Spirit Pagoda, as well as Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan, who got dragged into it by default.

 40 Graduating From Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy

    Two years passed byas if but an instant. With the newfound dedication to training in order to enter Shrek Academy in the future, Sheng Feilong''s progress had skyrocketed, while Jian Wang also progressed smoothly, though not as much as Sheng Feilong. Sadly, the difference between them and Jian Shiguan also became more obvious and grew wider at a steady pace.

    While the three of them trained together, Song Weihan''s training became more and more demanding, leaving them utterly exhausted at the end of it; no matter how much stronger and better coordinated they became, Song Weihan would just increase the difficulty accordingly.

    Thanks to that, however, Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang reached completely new heights. At the beginning, all of them had a incredibly hard time to adjust to the new training load, but after the end of their second year at the Intermediate Academy, Jian Wang had already reached rank 25 as a Soul Master while Sheng Feilong had reached the peak of rank 29, ready to condense his third Soul Ring at any time. Jian Shiguan lagged behind considerably; only reaching rank 19 with much difficulty despite her determination and hard training.

    In the second year at the Academy, they also entered the Spirit Ascension Platform again and while the participants changed slightly, Sheng Feilong''s team of 4 remained the same, as Jian Shiguan failed to obtain a place again. Sheng Feilong''s team proceeded carefully and went out to hunt with a clear goal and system.

    Under his leadership, Jian Wang and Xiao Yuewu managed to evolve their artificial Spirit Soul to the 1.000 year level, while Sheng Feilong mainly focused on 1.000-years-old Soul Beasts, increasing the Ancient Hypnotic Toad''s cultivation to that of an 2.100-years-old Soul Beast. He also attempted to communicate with it again, but the results were the same as before, other than the fact that the toad put more priority of the thought of ''getting stronger''.

    This time, the team managed to survive inside the Spirit Ascension Platform for a full 24 hours, completely shocking the teachers and earning them sky high praises and later even rewards from the Academy. They were allowed to skip classes they didn''t like in order to focus on training; a privilege that even Wong Wushuang didn''t enjoy in his prime.

    A few weeks after the beginning of their third year, Jian Wang progressed even more, reaching rank 26 thanks to the more powerful 1.000-years-old Full moon Axe Spirit Soul to assist him. Just a few days after, Song Weihan finally allowed Sheng Feilong tomake the breakthrough to rank 30 and condense his third Soul Ring from the Ancient Hypnotic Toad, granting him a rather unique, new Soul Skill called Mental Amplification.

    By burning a proportionally huge portion of the user''s Soul Power, it could, as the name implies, enhance the mental capabilities and attacks of the user and it could even be used in tandem with other Soul Skills. According to Sheng Feilong''s and Song Weihan''s experiments, the increase was, roughly, a bit over 30% at the moment. While that may sound weak compared to other amplification type Soul Skills, the extent of it''s growth yet remains unknown.

    Due to the increasing strength of the Ancient Hypnotic Toad, Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power also steadily increased despite Song Weihan not allowing him to manually train it for all this time. According to the latest test that Sheng Feilong took just a few days ago, his Spirit Power had safely reached 1.800 points and due to the highly intense training, his body could endure it without any complications, even leaving a lot of room for it to grow further.

    About 4 months into their third year at the Intermediate Academy, they once again visited the Spirit Ascension Platform. As Jian Shiguan had not yet managed to break through to rank 20, she was, once again, left behind. This was their last year at the Academy and Sheng Feilong and the others really didn''t know what to say to cheer her up this time.

    After hunting inside the Spirit Ascension Platform for around a day, Su Liyun had managed to bring her artificial Spirit Soul to the 1.000 year level, while Jian Wang and Xiao Yuewu increased their cultivation to 2.400 and 2.300 years, respectively. Sheng Feilong had even gone as far as recklessly absorbing the remnant energy of Soul Beasts other then those of the Spiritual nature and managed to strengthen the Ancient Hypnotic Toad into a 4.400-years-old Spirit Soul, greatly enhancing his strength again.Afterwards, they set another goal for themselves this time around; To hunt down the Terrorghost Elk that they encountered two years ago!

    They tracked it down in its territory, crafted a plan and attacked the Terrorghost Elk. With Sheng Feilong''s greatly enhanced Spirit Power, he was able to resist the Terrorghost Elk''s mental attacks and pressure quite well to some extent, but they failed in the end.

    Jian Wang didn''t act according to plan when he saw Sheng Feilong and Xiao Yuewu restricting the Elk and sneakily attacked it from behind. He didn''t anticipate it to notice his approach thanks to its strong Spirit Power and was met with a merciless kick to the end, instantly killing him and kicking him out of the Spirit Ascension Platform. With just Sheng Feilong and Xiao Yuewu left, they couldn''t defeat it as they were severely lacking in explosive strength. Su Liyun diverted its attentionfor a moment, allowing Sheng Feilong and Xiao Yuewu to run, but the Elk forced Su Liyun to exit out near instantly instead.

    As they couldn''t outrun it, Sheng Feilong and Xiao Yuewu had no other choice but to bail out as well, leaving the fuming Terrorghost Elk to rampage through the forest. A Guardian was a Guardian after all! They really weren''t meant to be defeated. Later that day, their team of 4 was wildly scolded by Song Weihan as their attack on the Elk and its rampage caused over 30 participants that were in the vicinity to lose their lives to it. Naturally, no one outside of their group was informed of this to ensure the safety of the children.

    Just 8 months after that, Sheng Feilong, Jian Wang and the others of their class graduated from the Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy. Sheng Feilong cursed at his own misfortune, as he was elected to be the class representative for their third year, which meant that he had to hold a speech in front of the whole school at their graduation. Quickly finishing it, he gave the microphone back over to the principal who also held a speech before the teachers continued with their own.

    Although Sheng Feilong''s speech wasn''t grand by any means, the audience, especially the females, were still happily cheering for him afterwards. Without wanting to sound cynical, even Sheng Feilong himself had to admit that he had become handsome in the last few years. He grew out his pitch black hair a bit more until it reached about medium length, while his piercing blue eyes took an even deeper and stronger colour due to his increasingly strong Spirit Power and the influence of his Spirit Eyes. He was quite tall, reaching 152cm in height, with a well proportioned body and toned muscles thanks to his extensive physical training. Paired with the school''s standard uniform, he really gave of the aura of a ace student.

    Many people flinched after Sheng Feilong took his seat beside Jian Wang. The latter had become even more ridiculously looking. As if reaching a staggering height of 183cm at the age of thirteen wasn''t enough, Jian Wang became even more round then before. With his fat belly, even a grown man would have problems embracing him at waist level. Thanks to his training in blacksmithing and Power Attack Type Spirit Soul, his arms and chest became increasingly muscular that it looked nearly unnatural. Still, one shouldn''t be deceived by Jian Wang looks; due to Song Weihan''s specialized training, the boy was even more agile than a cat despite his size!

    (A/N: Imagine a strongman like Brian Shaw, for example.)

    After the ceremony, Sheng Feilong talked a while with his friends, as well as his father and Jian Wushuang. Bao Li and Bao Zha also came to congratulate Sheng Feilong personally. Both of them had really gotten attached to Sheng Feilong because of his character and incredible talent as a Mecha Maker. Despite being only 13, the boy had broken the records for becoming the youngest second ranked, third ranked and even fourth ranked Mecha maker of the Maker''s Association of the Douluo Continent and at the current pace of improvement, it would not take long for him to break the record of becoming the youngest fifth ranked Mecha Maker.

    After a long while, Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian left for the Spirit Pagoda. Yesterday, Song Weihan had informed Sheng Feilong to come there and meet him at his office together with his father. Arriving at the Spirit Pagoda, Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian headed to the elevator and then straight to Song Weihan''s office. Without saying much, he beckoned for them to follow him back to the elevator where they headed to the 84th floor of the Spirit Pagoda.

    Up there wasn''t very much. It was a sparsely decorated, wide hallway with a massive metal door opposite of the elevator. Song Weihan took out an ID-card from his pocket and scanned it at the door''s unlocking mechanism before typing in a long code on a number pad. The door opened with a hissing sound and Song Weihan turned to face Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian.

    "Beyond this door lies one of the Heaven Dou City''s Spirit Pagoda''s most restricted area. Even a number of elders are not allowed entry here. Take off any communication, photo- or video recording devices you have on you and leave them here. Take off your Spacial Treasures as well. You can not take anything in there."

 41 Artificial Soul Bone Research Center

    Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian had taken off all communication or storage devices they had on themselves as Song Weihan had ordered and the latter stored them in a basket behind the metal door. Walking through the metal door, they entered another, much narrowed hallway. It was as sparsely decorated as the hallway before it, but there were a few lenses on the walls, scanning the three of them as they walked past. As Song Weihan didn''t seem to mind those scans, Sheng Feilong ignored them as well, while Sheng Lingtian looked around warily.

    The hallway was only a few meters long and ended in another metal door, that Song Weihan opened using the same method as before; he scanned an ID-card before typing in a long code on a number pad. The door behind their group had already closed as the door in front of them opened. Behind it was another, much longer hallway with many doors and, surprisingly, an equal amount of windows while it was free of other decoration.

    They walked past a few of those doors and windows and, soon enough, curiosity got the better of Sheng Feilong. He sneakily looked through one of the windows and saw a few people in with laboratory coats inside a spacious room and the door left of the window seems to be connected to the it. Inside the room stood a huge machine that had a computer screen attached to it while the people in laboratory coats sat in front of computers that were attached to the machine with a bunch of cables.

    Sheng Feilong stopped and tried to see what the people were doing, but he could quite see the computer screens from his position, much less tell what the people were doing in particular. Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan had noticed that Sheng Feilong stopped and looked through the window and waited for him. They stood just a few step away from Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan smiled wryly and finally decided to explain what was going on.

    "The 84th floor is my personal laboratory. Unlike the one on the 3rd floor where artificial Spirit Souls are created, this one is a restricted area that belongs solely to me and only I have the authorization to decide who gets to enter. The people working here are my most trusted employees."

    Sheng Feilong snapped his head around and looked at Song Weihan as soon as the former started talking. He was a bit embarrassed that his master saw him look through te windows while he was supposed to just follow behind the former, but what Song Weihan said quickly caught his interest.

    "What''s the use of this personal laboratory, Master? Ah-" Before he finished his sentence, a thought flashed through his mind and he rushed in front of Song Weihan with an excited expression.

    "Is this were you''re refining the Artificial Soul Bones?! So those people research them with you? What''s the use of the machines then? Are they , like, refining stations or something?!"

    Sheng Lingtian chuckled with a small smile while Song Weihan patiently answered his questions.

    "Indeed, the Artificial Soul Bones are created here, but not in those smaller laboratories directly. They''re mainly for theoretical research, calculations and the sorts. The real ''refining station'' is in a bigger laboratory further back. I was going to take you there, but if you''d rather take a look at the other laboratories, I won''t stop you."

    Sheng Feilong flinched and silently grumbled with a slight blush.

    "I wouldn''t be this curious if you''d explained from the beginning..."

    Song Weihan, or course, heard him and lightly chuckled before turning around and heading to the aforementioned main laboratory. Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian followed behind him, while the former still looked through every window he passed, hoping to find something exciting, but didn''t stop to take a closer look anymore. The more he saw, the more exited he got for the main laboratory. Through the windows, Sheng Feilong could see that a few of the smaller laboratories had people working with various plants and fruits, most probably Soul Treasures, he had never seen before, while others housed test tubes of various sizes with strange looking liquids in them, some boiling and others even frozen in freezers.

    They soon reached the end of the hallway and, through an automatic door, they entered another room, that was bustling with computers and easily over 20 people in laboratory coats. At the end of the room was a huge machine that was blinking with a few different lights. Through a small window in the middle of the machine, Sheng Feilong was able to see inside a chamber where a few robotic arms coursed around a strangely glowing ball suspended on a rack. They were pricking the ball every now and then, causing sparks to fly through the champer.

    A woman in her early thirties noticed them and approached Song Weihan before bowing lightly in his direction.

    "Faculty Head Song, you have returned already." She then glanced at Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian with an uncertain expression before looking at Song weihan for confirmation. "Those two are..?"

    Song Weihan dryly replied with a calm expression.

    "My disciple, Sheng Feilong and his father, Sheng Lingtian. I mentioned bringing them over them yesterday." The woman nodded and Song Weihan turned to face Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian before speaking up again.

    "This is Ruo Lan, my assistant and a researcher here as well. She''s responsible for the laboratory in my absence."

    Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian slightly bowed to her and introduced themselves. After that, Song Weihan looked at Ruo Lan and spoke in a commanding tone.

    "Bring me the modified S-01 commodity and prepare the A-Class Amalgamation Chamber. Get Yelu Hanbing and his team to immediately make all the preparations for the procedure and have him set the energy saturation to the C-3 level."

    Ruo Lan was shocked by the sudden command and stared at Song Weihan for a moment and unconsciously muttered a few words while turning her head to Sheng Feilong.

    "The S-01...? The best Artificial Soul Bone created to this date... for a child...?" Song Weihan frowned when she spoke and quickly spoke to her again. "Ruo Lan. Get moving." Ruo Lan flinched, bowed to Song Weihan and quickly run off to speak to an old researcher some distance away.

    Sheng Lingtian looked shocked after Ruo Lan spoke her last words and looked at Song Weihan, while Sheng Feilong stared at his Master with wide eyes and unconcealable excitement.

    "Artificial Soul Bone..? Master, you want to give me an Artificial Soul Bone?!" Song Weihan sighed and smiled wryly before answering Sheng Feilong in a calm tone.

    "I wanted to keep it a secret for a little longer, but I guess I''ll have to tell you since Ruo Lan already spilled the beans. Yes, I''ve prepared an Artificial Soul Bone for you. The ''modified'' part I mentioned to her earlier means this Soul Bone was prepared for you and only you. Remember the periodically tests I''ve had you take? They were to measure you physical prowess and the growth of your Spirit Power as well as to make modifications to the Artificial Soul Bone to make it more compatible with you."

    While talking, Song Weihan lead the other two to a resting area where they wouldn''t disturb any of the researchers and Song Weihan proceeded to tell them a bit about the Artificial Soul Bone''s history. He told them that it was a Skull Type Soul Bone and the first Skull Type they had successfully created. Sheng Feilong was surprised hearing this as the general knowledge about it was that the Artificial Skull Bone from nearly 3 years ago wasn''t suitable to be fused with by humans, but Song Weihan explained that its properties and stability made a full 180 degree turn once it was nurtured into a 1.000-years-old Soul Bone. It had become the most stable and potent Artificial Soul Bone created to this date.

    While talking about the Soul Bone, Song Weihan didn''t mention his dispute with the Spirit pagoda''s Elders from 2 years ago, nor that the Artificial Skull Bone was made with the genetic material of a Three-Eyed Golden Lion. A while later, Ruo Lan returned and informed Song Weihan that all preparations were completed. She then led the three of them to a separate room where a team of 7 researchers were already waiting. The room was filled with monitors and computers and had a big window on one side through which one could see another room. The leader of the 7 researchers, Yelu Hanbing, led Sheng Feilong to the second room behind the window, where Sheng Feilong sat down and had a few things attached to his body: a bracelet like light grey machine, a half-moon shaped machine, that was attached to his neck and a few electrodes that were attached to his by now bare upper body and head.

    After that, Yelu Hanbing returned to Song Weihan''s side and the other researchers started their tests and monitoring. Sheng Lingtian saw that the many monitors in the room observed Sheng Feilongs physical and mental status. They displayed his heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, the nervous system''s functionality and much more. There was one screen that showed information Sheng Lingtian couldn''t quite get, but his thoughts were interrupted by Song Weihan''s voice.

    "Stabilize the energy saturation to the C-3 level. Give me a full report about Sheng Feilong''s status afterwards."

    One of the researchers began slowly pushing a lever higher and higher as he gave a status every few seconds.

    "Energy saturation increased to D-2... D-1....Energy saturation has reached level C-3." The other researcher then began to give reports on Sheng Feilong heart rate, blood pressure and the like. Meanwhile, inside the other room, Sheng Feilong felt the Soul Power density drastically increase. After about 30 seconds, it had reached the pressure one would normally feel from a early Soul Emperor level Soul Master! As the energy wasn''t hostile towards him, Sheng Feilong simply sat down cross-legged and tried to get used to the increasing pressure.

    After a while, Song weihan grabbed a microphone that stood on the desk near the window and spoke into it, so that Sheng Feilong could hear him.

    "Feilong, don''t get surprised. The ground in front of you will open up and a glowing ball, akin to artificial Spirit Souls, will come out of it. This is the Artificial Soul Bone. Grab it, sit down cross-legged and begin to absorb it whenever you''re ready. Keep at your own pace, that''s the most important thing." He then deactivated the microphone and looked at one of the researchers. "Bring in the S-01 commodity."

    Sheng Feilong grabbed the Artificial Soul Bone, sat down again and inspected it for a while. It was as Song Weihan had said, it looked exactly like a artificial Spirit Soul in it''s container. But it felt different. It really felt like a bone, or a ball of bone... After a while, he inserted his Soul Power and the glow around the ball slowly began to encase Sheng Feilong as well. Sheng Feilong closed his eyes and began to cultivate like he normally would. He felt the strange, glowing energy slowly condense in his head and the ball of bone in his hand becoming softer; the Artificial Soul Bone had began fusing with him.

    Song Weihan, Sheng Lingtian and the researchers observed the changes in Sheng Feilong with calm and focused expressions. So far, everything was going smoothly and Song Weihan started to smile. After a while, they suddenly heard Sheng Feilong painfully groan. And everyone became more serious again. Song Weihan spoke with a cold tone.

    "Status."

    The researcher instantly replied orderly.

    "Spirit Power fluctuations and brain activity increasing."

    "Blood pressure slowly increasing. Everything within normal parameters."

    "Energy saturation slowly decreasing. Energy is being absorbed steadily. Everything within normal parameters."

    Song Weihan nodded; everything was proceeding normally. Fusing with a Soul Bone had always been a painful process and Sheng Feilong seemed to take it quite well so far. With the high Soul Power level in the room, he wouldn''t have any problem as he could permanently regenerate easily.

    A beeping sound suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts and one of the researchers frantically type something on their keyboard. Song Weihan frowned and looked at him.

    "What''s the matter?"

    The researcher didn''t even look at him and hastily gave his report. "Blood pressure fluctuating heavily. Spiking above critical limits and falling below average in rapid intervals. Vital signs destabilizing."

    Song Weihan frowned even deeper, but before he could answer, another two researcher chimed in.

    "Spirit Power fluctuating increasing rapidly, brain activity increasing rapidly as well."

    "Energy saturation quickly dropping. No leakage found. Energy is being absorbed at heavily abnormal speeds."

    Suddenly Sheng Feilong was heard once again painfully groaning before coughing out blood and wobbling from one side to the other. His face was pale and his body shaking while sweat run down all over his body. Sheng Lingtian became anxious and his expression vicious and cold as he stared at Song Weihan with clenched fists.

    "Song Weihan, what is happening to my son?!"

 42 Three-Eyed Golden Lion! Three-Legged Golden Lion?!

    Song Weihan clenched his teeth and walked over to the window, staring at Sheng Feilong with an anxious expression. Sheng Lingtian''s expression became even more vicious as he stared and Song Weihan, but before he could open his mouth, the researchers hastily spoke up again.

    "Blood pressure and vital signs continue to destabilize. Immediate support needed."

    "Energy saturation falling more rapidly. Saturation level has fallen to D-1. Decrease accelerating continuously."

    Song Weihan turned around and immediately gave his commands to the researchers, ignoring Sheng Lingtian''s increasing killing intent.

    "Increase the energy saturation to level C-1, if the decrease accelerates to the point where it''s faster than a C-3 increase, change the saturation level to B-2 immediately. Release Blood Mandale and Mending Lotus gas in a 40-60 ratio. What about Spirit Power fluctuations and brain activity?"

    The third researcher immediately replied with a serious expression.

    "Stable at 63% above normalized parameters. Strain on the brain will become harmful after 26 minutes. Spirit Power expenditure stable, no problem yet."

    Song Weihan nodded with a solemn expression.

    "Good. Report every change immediately. Sheng Lingtian, cease your killing intent and retract your Soul Power, we need to concentrate. Nothing will happen to Feilong. I swear upon my life. If you can''t take it, get out."

    Sheng Lingtian gnashed his teeth, but still retracted his Soul Power after seeing Song Weihan''s expression. The latter was just a rigid as himself, but had to keep a clear mind and give instructions. He couldn''t allow himself to be disturbed by anything right now!

    Meanwhile, Sheng Feilong had an even harder time than the others. The Artificial Soul Bone is his hand had already completely entered his body and was currently fusing with him. According to his knowledge, he would have to withstand excruciating pain since the Soul Bone would remold the respective bone, in his case, the skull, of the one who''s fusing with it, but this was different. While the pain he felt inside his head was indeed the remolding of his skull, the power contained within the Soul Bone was also savagely attacking his spiritual consciousness continuously. Moreover, the excess energy was also ravaging through his body, tearing flesh and ripping through blood vessels wherever it went!

    Sheng Feilong was frantically absorbing the dense Soul Power around him while simultaneously shielding his spiritual consciousness to the best of his ability and enduring the ravaging of his body. He had to endure the savage beatings of Song Weihan again and again in his training, but this was on a whole different level. The physical pain alone nearly caused him to lose consciousness, but he couldn''t allow that as he had to protect himself from the Soul Bone''s spiritual attacks!

    After a while, the Soul Power density in the room increased once again and a soothing fragrance was released in the air, aiding him with the physical pain and allowing him to focus more of his attention on the spiritual attacks.

    After around half an hour, the physical pain slowly subsided and instead, Sheng Feilong felt his whole body heat up wherever his blood flowed. This heat increased to the degree of burning his blood vessels and the surrounding flesh from the inside out! At the same time, the attacks to his spiritual consciousness changed as well. The savageness and hostility lessened, while the pressure became increasingly stronger and it felt like something was trying to force itself into his spiritual consciousness instead of destroying it.

    The people inside the control room became more and more frantic. The energy saturation had been increased to the A-2 level, which corresponds to the power of an average Lv 85 Soul Douluo, but Sheng Feilong still absorbed the power frantically. The density of the medicinal gas has also been tripled only to be absorbed even faster. Still, the researchers were hastily giving their reports while Sheng Feilong''s body had changed from a deathly pale to a burning red colour!

    "Blood pressure and body temperature continuing to rise rapidly. Blood vessels are expected to be severely burnt at this point. Various organs showing similar injuries, while vital signs continue to fluctuate."

    "Spirit Power fluctuations becoming increasingly abnormal. Unknown, hostile spirit signature detected; expected to be remnants of the Soul Bone''s genetic material''s spirit. Brain activity still stable. 15 minutes remaining until lasting damage is expected to occur."

    "Energy saturation stable at A-2 level. No problems."

    Sheng Lingtian was clenching his fists so hard that his nails pierced his skin and blood was dripping down from his hands by now. He stared at Sheng Feilong through the window while speaking to Song Weihan.

    "Is there nothing we can do? We have to do something to help him. At this rate, he... he..."

    Song Weihan similarly clenched his fists but still remained his clear mind, although with a vicious glint in his eyes.

    "There''s nothing. We''re helping him as much as we can. If he can''t overcome the rest by himself, then-" One of the researchers interrupted him with a surprisingly excited tone.

    "Unknown spirit signature has been extinguished! Spirit Power fluctuations returning to normal level. Brain activity leaving critical levels. No remaining damage will occur at current level!"

    Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian instantly snapped their heads around to look at Sheng Feilong. The pained expression on his face had calmed down significantly and he now looked more focused instead of strained. Sheng Lingtian clenched his fists even more, while Song Weihan had an excited glint in his eyes.

    Sheng Feilong was ecstatic. He had successfully beaten back the spiritual pressure and the attacks on his spiritual consciousness had stopped! While the physical pain still remained, without the mental pressure, he could focus on enduring it way more effectively! He focused to circulate the incredibly dense Soul Power and strange medicinal energy in the air into his body, along his meridians and blood vessels. At this level, he could endure it without much trouble!

    The researchers in the control room had already noticed this and excitedly called out their respective reports. Sheng Feilong''s blood pressure and vital signs were returning to normal values while the energy saturation in the room was stable and slowly reaching the point where Sheng Feilong''s absorbtion was slower than the increase; this would help Sheng Feilong massively.

    Everyone slowly calmed down and Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan heaved a sigh of relief. Both of them squeezed out a slight smile as they looked at Sheng Feilong, who''s skin colour was slowly returning to a healthy tone. But suddenly, an alarm rung out from one of the monitors as Sheng Feilong swayed, threw up a mouthful of blood and became deathly pale. One of the researches nearly jumped from his seat and frantically reported the situation.

    "Unknown spirit signature has returned! Spirit Power fluctuations disrupted; now plummeting to critical lows while taking on abnormal forms!"

    Another researcher chimed in with the same frantic tone,

    ""Vital signs and blood pressure severely affected my spiritual backlash! Vital signs reaching critical lows as well!"

    Sheng Lingtian abruptly turned around again, staring at Sheng Feilong and furiously bellowing with dread written all over his face.

    "Feilong!"

    ---

    Sheng Feilong was completely focused on regenerating and didn''t pay any mind to the pain from remolding his skull bone. What he didn''t notice, however, was the dreadful spirit attack that was about to hit his spiritual consciousness. The full brunt of the attack him unprepared, massively shaking his spirit and causing him to lose consciousness. Still, his body remained seated, circulating the Soul Power and medicinal energy through his body.

    Sheng Feilong found himself in the depths of an unknown, ancient forest. Tree towering dozens ¨C if not hundreds ¨C of meters into the air, blotting out the sun nearly completely. Lush bushes and tall grass were covering the ground and many birds, insects and other animals could be heard in the distance. From behind the trees, a humongous Soul Beast stepped out; 4 powerful claws trotting on the earth, leaving behind deep footprints, a muscular body adorned with gleaming, golden fur with occasional golden scales protruding from it, shouldering is massive head. Delicate features with an elongated snout and bright, golden eyes, as well as a third, ominously glowing red eye on it''s forehead. The beast turned from one side to the other, seemingly searching for something, glancing past Sheng Feilong from time to time.

    Sheng Feilong instantly froze. This was a Three-Eyed Golden Lion! And not just any Golden Lion; Judging from its size and the pressure it gave off, this was a 100.000-year-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion! As beast such as this could kill him a 1.000 times over with a single sneeze. Just how had he ended up here?! What was going on?!

    Just as Sheng Feilong''s mind was running on overdrive to find a way to flee from this situation, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion directly stared at him, causing him to freeze again. Before he could do anything, the scene in front of his eyes changed. He wasn''t standing in the unknown ancient forest anymore, but on a mountain cliff, looking down on another forest of red and orange leafed tree, stretching out even farther then he could see.

    Sheng Feilong turned around to find out where he was, and, once again, was forced to freeze in place. On the other side of the mountain stood another humongous Golden Lion. This one had similar gleaming, golden fur with golden scales protruding from it and a massive head with an elongated snout and piercing golden eyes. However, it did not have the same ominously glowing red eye on its forehead, but instead something that looked like a badly healed scar in the same place. Not only that, but this Golden Lion was missing a front leg! It only had 3 legs and no third eye, but the pressure it gave off was just as intimidating as the Three-Eyed Golden Lion from before; This must be a 100.000-years-old Soul Beast as well!

    Sheng Feilong broke out in a cold sweat. He would have been able to hide in a forest, but on top of a freaking mountain?! As soon as he was seen, he''d be as dead as can be! He stared at the unknown Golden Lion, that was staring at the setting sun and it made a sound as if it was sighing before its pressure spiked to unseen heights and it shrouded itself in a radiant golden light, forcing Sheng Feilong to close his eyes. When he was able to open them again, the Golden Lion in front of him was gone.

    In its stead, there now stood a naked man with glossy, tanned skin, and untamed, long golden hair, who was similarly staring at the setting sun. The man turned around, allowing Sheng Feilong to see his face; delicate features are if chiseled by the gods themselves, piercing golden eyes that radiated an incredible power and a vicious looking, badly healed scar on his forehead. The man had only one arm, but the wound on his shoulder had long since healed. He walked towards the edge of the mountain, directly walking towards Sheng Feilong, who was deadly pale and trembling heavily.

    The man didn''t stop, ignoring Sheng Feilong who stood in his way, and directly walked... though Sheng Feilong..? baffled by this, Sheng Feilong turned around, looking at the back of the man and tried to touch him, only to have his hand slide into the man''s back; He couldn''t be touched.

    A sound pulled him out of his thoughts, deep sigh from the man, and he looked at the latter''s head in a panic, but the man didn''t seem to have notice him. He stared a while longer at the silent man, before hearing another sigh and a deep and powerful voice filled with regret but also determination, identifying it as the voice of the man.

    "30.000 years have I remained on this mountain, absorbing the power of the sun, but to what end? I was unable to open my eyes, unable to heal my wounds. What use to I have for the body of a beast? From today onwards, I shall become a human. I aspired to become a saint, only to bring shame upon my pride. I failed in my life, failed to become useful for my pride. From now forth, ''til the end of time, my name shall be Sheng Wuyong; a useless saint!"

 43 Changes To The Spirit Eyes

    Song Weihan silently sat in an office on the 84th floor of the Spirit Pagoda, reviewing and contemplating reports from his subordinates with a solemn expression. It has been 18 hours since Sheng Feilong has lost consciousness and he has yet to awaken again.

    After the sudden rebound of the unknown spirit signature, that is still thought to be the remnant spirit of the Artificial Soul Bone, Sheng Feilong''s spirit was broken and the backslash caused himto throw up a large amount of blood. The prior Spirit Power fluctuations had completely ceased while his brain activity had fallen to low levels; a clear sign of Sheng Feilong losing consciousness.

    Sheng Feilong sat inside the chamber, his body slowly regenerating from his injuries while the energy still ravaged his body. No one dared to enter the chamber as he needed the high energy saturation inside the room to recuperate. Yelu Hanbing, the team leader of the researchers, is of the impression, that the unknown spirit signature had invaded Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness and that both of them were still desperately fighting for control. Any foreign intervention would most probably do more harm than good, possibly even leading to Sheng Feilong''s immediate death.

    Letting out a long sigh, Song Weihan put down the documents in his hand and laid back in his chair. None of the reports or theories Yelu Hanbing or he came up with were reliable and while Sheng Feilong''s situation looked stable from the outside, he still showed no signs of waking up, causing Song Weihan to be constantly tense. He could only continue to search for a method to help Sheng Feilong while hoping that the latter can hold out until then.

    Sheng Lingtian still stood inside the control room, staring at Sheng Feilong through the window. Sheng Feilong''s skin colour had returned to normal, while his breathing was balanced and he had a peaceful expression. If it wasn''t for Sheng Lingtian knowing that his son''s body was still constantly ravaged by the energy of the Artificial Soul Bone and regenerating at the same speed with the help of the dense Soul Power and medicinal gas inside the chamber, he''d think that Sheng Feilong was just peacefully cultivating.

    A few minutes later, Sheng Lingtian suddenly heard one of the researchers yelp in surprise. Turning around, he saw an disbelieving and excited expression of the researchers face. Sheng Lingtian furrowed his brows and looked at the latter.

    "What''s wrong? Why are so surprised? Did something happen?!"

    The researcher seemed to snap out of his daze and looked at Sheng Lingtian with a serious expression.

    "The Artificial Soul Bone''s energy is slowly subsiding. It''s stopping to ravage through Sheng Feilong''s body. This means he... he might be winning the fight against the Soul Bone''s remnant spirit." Sheng Lingtian''s eyes widened and he snapped his head around, staring at Sheng Feilong again. The researcher stood up and walked towards the rooms exit.

    "I will immediately inform Faculty Head Song about this matter."

    ---

    Sheng Feilong absolutely shocked about what he heard just now. The humongous Golden Lion that had transformed into a human man and walked over to the edge of the cliff introduced himself as Sheng Wuyong?! The only Sheng Wuyong that Sheng Feilong knew about was the ancestor of his Sheng Clan, the strongest expert in their Clan''s history and the only one who had reached the level of a Rank 96 Hyper Douluo! Could this man before him be the same Sheng Wuyong?!

    ''No, this is impossible! Our Old Ancestor is a Soul Beast? Then, doesn''t that mean that all members of the Sheng Clan are part-Soul Beasts as well...? Soul Beasts that reach 100.000 years of age are able to transform into humans. But, the Old Ancestor''s Spirit Soul was the Sun Swallowing Mountain Lion, not a Three-Eyed Golden Lion with three legs... And what was that other Three-Eyed Golden Lion in the forest? Why am I seeing all this?!'' Sheng Feilong was distressed and his head was spinning. But before he could think about it any longer, he saw the man, Sheng Wuyong, jump down the cliff in front of him. Sheng Feilong unconsciously reached out with his hand, but failed to touch the man and the scenery in front of him vanished.

    He now stood in an empty, vast expense of white, formless space. Sheng Feilong looked around, trying to find anything near him, but suddenly stopped due to shock after turning around. Behind him were 3 entities. Sheng Feilong saw a hollow human figure with two glowing, blue orbs where the eyes were supposed to be, a sleeping, 2 foot tall brownish toad and a translucent lion''s skull coated in a golden aura. A strange strand of this golden aura was continuously flowing inside the hollow human figure''s eyes, slowly causing them to take on a golden colour instead of the prior blue.

    Sheng Feilong looked at the things in front of him with a frown. He recognised this white space as his spiritual consciousness; he''s been here a few times to talk to the Ancient Hypnotic Toad after all, but he had never seen the lion''s skull before.

    "The skull... must be the Soul Bone. But why is that golden aura flowing inside the manifestation of my Spirit Eyes..? The colour is changing... could my Spirit Eyes be evolving..?"

    Without noticing it, Sheng Feilong had focused on the change to the manifestation of his Spirit Soul. He sat down in meditation inside his spiritual consciousness and tried to perceive the changes to his own body and more importantly his Spirit Eyes.

    When he tried focusing on his Spirit Eyes, Sheng Feilong noticed that he was unable to do so. Moreover, he was unable to exit his spiritual consciousness, no matter how hard he tried. Normally, he''d just have to think about leaving and he would instanly awaken from his meditation, but not this time. He opened his eyes again and looked at the manifestation of his Spirit Eyes and the lion''s skull with a frown.

    By now, the Spirit Eyes had already taken on a light golden hue and were still continuously absorbing the golden aura of the skull. With no other choice left, Sheng Feilong decided to wait for this transformation to finish and see what would happen.

    ---

    Song Weihan heard the report from his subordinate and immediately returned to the control room to personally take a look. Only about a minute had passed, but by now, the energy ravaging through Sheng Feilong''s body had completely disappeared. His body was slowly regenerating, but he was still unconscious. Song Weihan examined Sheng Feilong''s status while remaining in the room.

    A few minutes later, another researcher yelped in shock and Song Weihan''s eyes widened after taking a look at the screen; Spirit Power fluctuations started to appear again. After nearly 19 hours, Sheng Feilong was slowly waking up! Song Weihan immediately turned to the window and looked at Sheng Feilong.

    After what felt like days, Sheng Feilong was finally able to exit his spiritual consciousness. He eyelashes fluttered before he slowly opened his eyes. He didn''t know how long he spent inside his spiritual consciousness, but his whole body was sore and aching. He looked around and saw Song Weihan and his father standing by the window, both of them looking incredibly excited but also shocked. Sheng Feilong smiled and stood up to go over to them; or he tried. Just after putting some strength in his legs, Sheng Feilong felt a searing pain all over his body and fell back to his prior position. Seeing this, Song Weihan immediately grabbed the microphone by his side and spoke into it.

    "Feilong, don''t move too much; remain seated! Your body is still injured from before. Focus on healing for now, no need to worry about anything else!"

    Sheng Feilong nodded and closed his eyes again. Meditating to recuperate while absorbing the still dense Soul Power in the room, his injuries quickly healed in about an hour. The researchers where constantly observing his status with utmost focus, but everything was completely within the norm and nothing happened. After healing up, Sheng Feilong walked into the control room with a smile and was instantly greeted by Sheng Lingtian giving him a bear hug, startling Sheng Feilong as his father nearly never lost his composure like this.

    Being startled for a second, Sheng Feilong then returned the hug with a smile.

    "What''s wrong father, calm down. We''ve seen each other just a few hours ago, haven''t we?" Sheng Lingtian didn''t answer and continued to silently hug his son, while Song Weihan looked at Sheng Feilong with a calm expression and slowly spoke to the latter.

    "You''ve been absorbing the Artificial Soul Bone for about 4 hours before losing consciousness. Afterwards, you''ve been unconscious for about 19 hours, where we were unable to assert what happened to you. Adding in the recuperation just now, we''ve last seen you awake 24 hours ago. You were absorbing the Soul Bone for a whole day, Feilong."

    Sheng Feilong flinched and looked at Song Weihan in disbelief, but said nothing. After a while, Sheng Lingtian let go of him, and they walked into Song Weihan''s office on the 84th floor to talk about what happened in private. Coincidentally, Sheng Feilong saw his own reflection on some glass and stopped in his steps with a shocked expression while unconsciously speaking up in a loud voice.

    "Huh? Wh-why have my eyes turned golden?!"

 44 Truth About The Sheng Clan

    Hey there, Yozuka here!

    Ugh. I''m not a 100% satisfied with this chapter. It feels a bit like a filler, even for me, but I really wanted to get a few points straight with this. Tomorrow and the weekend will have even better chapters, I promise!

    We''ll also go to Shrek Academy soon and the second Spirit Soul that I promised you will follow soon after! It''ll be introduced by around chapter 50~55! Sorry for the long wait, but the event that awakens it existed before I even made the poll back then and I didn''t want to derive from it. ^^''

    Anyways, I hope you''ll enjoy today''s chapter!

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sheng Feilong was stunned when he saw his own reflection in the window. His originally piercing blue eyes had taken on a pale golden colour with no remnant of the prior blue left! He actually liked his blue eyes quite a lot; paired with his pitch black hair, they actually gave of a relaxed feeling, making him easy to approach. Now, however, his black hair and pale golden eyes had more of a majestic and intimidating vibe to them. The new colouration seemed more indifferent than innocent, but even Sheng Feilong had to admit that it made his face more handsome...

    ''No, no, no! I shouldn''t think like that! Why are they golden? Can''t I have my normal blue eyes back? This doesn''t look like me at all!'', Sheng Feilong cursed in his mind. Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian were looking at him frowning at his own reflection and weren''t sure what to say. They had already seen that Sheng Feilong''s eyes had changed colour before, but Sheng Lingtian didn''t say anything about it as he attributed it to the Skull Soul Bone, while Song Weihan pried deeper, suspecting the Three-Eyed Golden Lion Soul Bone to have influenced Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Eyes to some extent causing the abnormal golden colouration.

    Soon after, they entered Song Weihan''s office and the latter sealed the room off from the outside so that only the three of them would know what was spoken inside. He sat down behind the desk while Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian took a seat in front of the desk each. Song Weihan turned to Sheng Feilong and let out a loft sigh.

    "Now then, Feilong. Can you tell us what happened when you were absorbing the Artificial Soul Bone? We know roughly what happened from observation, but I''d like to hear your take on it."

    Sheng Feilong nodded before thinking about what happened for a moment. He then told Song Weihan and his father everything from the beginning; How he started absorbing the Soul Bone and the initial headache from the fusion, how the pain spread out to his whole body and the spiritual attacks, about him blocking the attacks and the counter he launched to beat the Soul Bone into submission. Up to hear, Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian continuously nodded their head; everything was like what they observed from the control room.

    Sheng Feilong was silent for a moment before speaking up again, telling them about the searing pain that went along his blood vessels, that felt like his body was being burned from the inside out and then the unexpected brutal spiritual attack when he let his guard down and how it pulled him into his inner consciousness. Song Weihan was still solemnly nodding his head as everything Sheng Feilong said was in accordance to his observations, but Sheng Feilong''s next words shocked him deeply.

    "After that attack, I felt like loosing consciousness and when I opened my eyes again, I was inside a huge ancient forest. I looked around for a while before I saw a humongous golden lion with a long snout and a third eye on its forehead; A real Three-Eyed Golden Lion. And judging from its size and the pressure it gave off, it was at least a 100.000-years-old Soul Beast."

    Song Weihan couldn''t help but widen his eyes and blurting out a question that burned on his tongue.

    "You woke up in a forest? You didn''t fight the Soul Bone''s remnant spirit in your spiritual consciousness?" Sheng Feilong was startled by the sudden question, by still shook his head in denial.

    "No, I really woke up in the forest and saw the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. But it didn''t seem to notice me even though I stood just a few meters away from it. It didn''t do anything and just strolled through the forest, but when I was thinking about how to hide from it, it suddenly stared directly at me before my vision blurred and I then stood on a mountain cliff, looking over a huge forest of red and orange leafed trees."

    This time, Sheng Lingtian couldn''t help but be surprised.

    "You changed places and saw another vision? What about the Three-Eyed Golden Lion?"

    Sheng Feilong scratched his chin with a frown before replying.

    "The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was gone, but... when I turned around to see where I was, I saw another golden lion, that looked exactly like the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and felt just as strong. However, this one didn''t have the third eye on its forehead; instead, it had a huge scar where the eye should be. Moreover, it had only three legs; one of its front legs was missing." Then, Sheng Feilong suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at Sheng Lingtian. "Right, father. Do you know what the Old Ancestor, Sheng Wuyong looked like? Like, his hair and eyes or if he was missing an arm?"

    Sheng Lingtian was surprised by the unexpected question and hesitated a moment before answering.

    "The Clan''s ancient books mentioned that Ancestor Sheng Wuyong had long golden hair and golden eyes, that radiated a powerful feeling and he was indeed missing an arm. It''s said he lost it when he was young and fought his own brother over the position of the family head. He apparently lost the duel and was badly injured, losing an arm, and then left his old clan before creating the Sheng Clan dozens of years later. Why are you suddenly asking about that?"

    Sheng Feilong''s heart was furiously beating and he took a while to calm himself down. After taking another deep breath, he answered Sheng Lingtian''s question.

    "When I looked at it, the golden lion with three legs suddenly began shining in a radiant golden light and transformed into a middle-aged human man. He had long, untamed golden hair, piercing golden eyes that radiated immense power and a horrendous scar on his forehead. His left arm was missing and he walked to the edge of the cliff before lamenting over his life. In the end... he said that he shall live as a human now, as he had failed to live as a Soul Beast, and that his name will be Sheng Wuyong..."

    Sheng Lingtian took a moment to process the information before his eyes explosively widened to the limit and his breathing became haggard. His hands began shaking and he spoke in a disbelieving, shaking voice.

    "This- This is impossible. You must have heard wrong. They can''t be the same person. Out Old Ancestor was a human, not a Soul beast in human form!" Sheng Lingtian shook his head before abruptly looking down, lost in thought, while he continued to mumble to himself.

    "No, it''s definitely impossible. When a Soul Beast takes human form, the Spirit Soul they awaken will always be the same as their prior body. The Old Ancestor awakened the Sun Swallowing Mountain Lion, not a Three-Eyed Golden Lion!"

    Song Weihan looked at Sheng Lingtian. He didn''t know about the Sheng Clan''s origins, but he made his own conclusions from what Sheng Feilong said.

    "Mister Sheng, what does the Sun Swallowing Mountain Lion look like from the records of the Sheng Clan?" Sheng Lingtian looked at him before speaking of the Sun Swallowing Mountain Lion''s features near mechanically.

    "The Sun Swallowing Mountain Lion is a tens of meters tall, golden lion with a darker golden coloured mane that sways in the wind like a flame. It''s said to be able to absorb the energy of the sun to strengthen itself and is said to have unparalleled control over the fire element, only second to the Fire Dragon King''s Absolute Fire. It has piercing golden eyes and..." He suddenly stopped before looking at Sheng Feilong with a shocked expression.

    "And three legs; two hind legs and a single front leg..."

    Sheng Feilong''s heart still beat as fast as before and he slowly spoke with a stoic expression.

    "The man calling himself Sheng Wuyong said something about having absorbed the evergy of the sun for 30.000 years, and still being unable to reach his goal. I don''t know what happened to his arm ¨C or his Beast Form''s leg for that matter ¨C but whatever the cause was, his voices showed extreme regret. Moreover, he most likely remained on that mountain cliff for those 30.000 years..."

    Sheng Lingtian gave up resisting and slumped back in his seat with a self-mocking smile.

    "We''re... we''re descendants of a Soul Beast; A 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion that calls itself a Sun Swallowing Mountain Lion, and no one ever knew... No one in the Clan ever knew..."

    Sheng Feilong looked at his father and ruefully smiled. He understood the shock his father felt. All his life, he grew up with the stories of the Old Ancestor, the hero and founder of the Clan, and now it turns out that Ancestor wasn''t a human. Suddenly, a thought crossed Sheng Feilong''s mind; something he had forgotten about until now. He turned towards Song Weihan with a curious and sly expression.

    "Master, we now know about Ancestor Sheng Wuyong, the second Three-Eyed Golden lion I saw, but what about the first one? The one in the forest. They can''t be the same, right?"

    Song Weihan was surprised by the question, but then smiled.

    "You''re right. That''s the actual surprise I had planned for you. The Artificial Soul Bone you fused with was made with the genetic material of a 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Moreover, it wasn''t just made from some blood, but a fragment of an actual 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Skull Type Soul Bone. It isn''t just a artificial Soul Bone; It''s a recreation of an actual Soul Bone."

 45 Spirit Eyess Second Awakening!

    Song Weihan''s answer not only shocked Sheng Feilong, but also got Sheng Lingtian''s attention and astonishment. Both of them were somewhat familiar with Song Weihan''s research and work and knew the differences in the quality of Artificial Soul Bones.

    The genetic material used to create an Artificial Soul Bone can vary greatly. From using some of the Soul Beasts skin or blood, to organs, refined blood essence or even their bones; anything could be used, but the material used would greatly influence the Soul Bone''s strength and potential for growth. An Artificial Soul Bone made from pieces of Soul Beast skin or ordinary blood would usually be very weak compared to others and most likely not grow stronger than the 100 year level.

    So far, the strongest Artificial Soul Bone was made from a near complete skeleton of a 10.000-years-old Titan Giant Ape and it is said to have already reached the 10.000 year level with a lot of potential for growth left; It could easily evolve into a 100.000-years-old Soul Bone with enough nourishment!

    Yet, the Artificial Soul Bone Song Weihan gave to Sheng Feilong was made from an actual Skull Soul Bone. According to a theory that Song Weihan once told Sheng Feilong, a Soul Bone such as this would have infinite potential, meaning it could even grow into a 1.000.000-years-old Soul Bone or even further! Moreover, it was the Skull Soul Bone of an actual 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion; just how strong would it become?!

    Sheng Feilong could help but shake from excitement. He was already shocked when his Master gave him an Artificial Soul Bone that, until this date, only elders of the Spirit Pagoda had obtained, but he got one that was even more powerful than any other one known. He looked at Song Weihan and didn''t know what to say.

    "Master, this...An Artificial Soul Bone made from an actual one... Can I really take this..?"

    "I''ve already given it to you and moreover, you have already fused with it. What use is there talking about it?", Song Weihan answered with a smile. He then looked at Sheng Feilong with an amused and teasing expression. "What''s more important now is what happened to you. I have to admit, though, those golden eyes are quite the eye-catcher."

    Sheng Feilong flinched and turned his head away, not giving Song Weihan the chance to look at his eyes anymore before he began pouting.

    "It''s not like I wanted them to change colour. It''s because of the Soul Bone; it changed my Spirit Eyes and my normal eyes were affected..." As soon as he heard Sheng Feilong, Song Weihan''s smile vanished and was replaced with a solemn expression and a frown. He looked at Sheng Feilong and spoke in a commanding tone, that Sheng Feilong rarely heard from him.

    "Feilong, turn around and look at me, activate you Spirit Soul. Show me the changes now."

    Sheng Feilong turned back to look at Song Weihan with a serious expression. Whenever his Master spoke in that tone to him, it meant that the situation was so serious that even the easygoing Song Weihan couldn''t remain calm. He nodded his head and activated his Spirit Eyes. His pale golden eyes turned a more powerful, more vibrant shade of gold and seemed to radiate light of their own, while his pupils turned a light shade of red and a blood red, diamond shaped symbol with two two wings and three more, much smaller diamond shaped symbols beneath it, appeared on his forehead.

    Song Weihan''s pupils constricted the moment Sheng Feilong used his new Spirit Eyes. His body became tense and he intently stared at the red symbol on Sheng Feilong''s forehead. Unconsciously, he muttered a few words, shocking Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian.

    "The Eye of Destiny..."

    Sheng Lingtian looked at Song Weihan before turning his head back to Sheng Feilong.

    "Those are the Eyes of Destiny? The legendary third eye of the Three-Eyed Golden Lions, that only one in 100 can open... It''s said to give them unrivalled Spirit Power and strengthen them as a whole. A Three-Eyed Golden Lion who awakened their third eye can go toe to toe with true dragons with their body alone, not to mention their Spirit Power."

    Song Weihan calmed down and slowly shook his head after hearing Sheng Lingtian''s explanation.

    "That not all. The Eye of Destiny is a bit different. 10.000 years ago, the Spirit Ice Douluo, Huo Yuhao, obtained the Eye of Destiny after an encounter with a 10.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the Star Dou Forest''s Auspicious Emperor. According to the Spirit Pagoda''s information does the Eye of Destiny not only increase its bearers strength and Spirit Power, but also allows them to change the destiny of a person. If a person is destined to die in battle, the Eye of Destiny can changethat. That presumably fatal attack will miss and a mortal wound might heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. That''s the real strength of the Eye of Destiny; The Judgement of the Light of Destiny. Feilong, do you think you can use it?"

    Sheng Feilong closed his eyes and focused on his Spirit Eyes, but couldn''t find anything different. He looked at Song Weihan again with a frown.

    "I do feel stronger and my Spirit Eyes and Spirit Power have become more powerful as well, but I can''t feel anything different." He then touched the symbol on his forehead with one hand, trying to find anything strange. "And this symbol doesn''t seem to have any power at all. I know it''s there, but maybe it''s just a visual representation of my Spirit Eyes? The third eye is like a symbol for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, after all, and since it''s Soul Bone changed my eyes, I wouldn''t be surprised about something like that."

    Song Weihan seemed lost in thought for a while. He was certain that the symbol on Sheng Feilong''s forehead is the Eye of Destiny, as he had read the depictions of Huo Yuhao''s Eye of Destiny before and they were nearly identical. But, Sheng Feilong himself says it doesn''t have any powers? He suddenly looked up with an uncertain expression, deciding to simply ask Sheng Feilong about it.

    "Since it''s your own Spirit Soul, you would naturally know best, And you''re certain the symbol doesn''t have any powers?" Sheng Feilong nodded his head without hesitation, causing Song Weihan to stay silent again. ''So it''s just a symbol? Still, a Spirit Mutation induced by the Soul Bone of A Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Considering his bloodline, it was most probably even a Second awakening and not a mutation. That alone is enough to bring endless trouble, not to mention the Sheng Clan''s history...''

    Song Weihan looked at Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian before speaking up again.

    "Both of you, listen up. For now, no matter what, everything we talked about in here must never be told to a fourth person. Not your friends and neither your family. The Sheng Clan''s bloodline and the second Awakening of Feilong''s Spirit Soul are much too sensible information. I will send people to the Sheng Clan to obtain information on your lineage and history under a false pretense and we''ll investigate afterwards."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head but still couldn''t help but feel a tinge of pity for the Sheng Clan. None of them knew about this and the probably wouldn''t get to know it in the near future. A Clan related to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion is much too dangerous, even if their bloodlines are diluted. While thinking about this, he suddenly felt an aching pain in his head and couldn''t help but groan because of it. He recalled his Spirit Eyes and saw Song Weihan worriedly look at him.

    "What''s wrong, Feilong?" Sheng Feilong simply smiled lightly. "Nothing. Just a little headache."

    Song Weihan frowned. Although Sheng Feilong tried to play it down, this ''little headache'' was enough to make him groan from pain and force him to retract his Spirit Soul with a pale face.

    "We''ll go back down to the lower floors immediately. We''ll make a complete check-up on you. After the Second Awakening, we need to know how much has changed. Your body is not accustomed to the new Spirit Soul and I think this headache might come from that."

    Following his sentence, Song Weihan went to Yelu Hanbing to make sure he and his team would remain quiet about what happened with Sheng Feilong during the process of fusing with the Artificial Soul Bone before heading down to the lower floors with Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian.

    The went through all the test and the results were frightening! Sheng Feilong''s strength, endure and other physical qualities had increased significantly, nearly reaching twice his strength from before, but that wasn''t even the frightening result; His Spirit Power had increased to 4.735! A 13 year old young boy with a body stronger then most adult men and a Spirit Power of way over 4.000 ¨C just what kind of concept was that?! After they let the shock sink in for two days, Song Weihan made a new training plan for Sheng Feilong, this time without including Jian Wang and Jian Shiguan. He also sent out two of his most trusted subordinates to inquire about the history of the Sheng Clan in secret.

    ---

    In another part of the Spirit Pagoda, an employee was quickly making his way to an office at the end of the hallway. He gently knocked on the door and entered after being invited in. Standing a few feet away from the desk, he bowed to the scrawny old man sitting behind it.

    "Greeting, Elder Thosun." The scrawny old man nodded at him with an indifferent expression. "It''s rare for you to come to my office without an assignment. Do you have something important to report?"

    "Yes, sir. It about Song Weihan." The employee respectfully replied. Elder Thosun''s eyebrows lifted up and he looked interested. "Oh? What is it?"

    "3 day ago, Song Weihan brought his personal disciple, Sheng Feilong, to the 84th floor. They remained inside for more than 24 hours. We assume Sheng Feilong fused with the Artificial Soul Bone. After that, Song Weihan took him to go through a complete check-up and kept absolute secrecy over the results. Even the computer''s data were deleted. Today, Song Weihan sent two of his subordinates out of the city. According to our information, the Clan of his disciple lies about 3 hours outside the city, in the same direction Song Weihan''s subordinates went." The employee spoke all that in less than 5 breaths, and Elder Thosun nodded and spoke with an indifferent expression again.

    "Keep tabs on Song Weihan''s subordinates. Find out where they are going and what they are trying to find out. Get all the information and report it to me. Use force if necessary."

    The employee nodded and left the room. After a few seconds, Elder Thosun stood up and walked towards the window. He smiled lightly, but failed to hide the clear mocking and sinister intention.

    "That is an interesting report... Ha, ha, oh, little Song, what kind of secret are you keeping now..."

 46 Shrek City!

    Nearly six weeks had passed since Sheng Feilong had absorbed the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Artificial Skull Soul Bone and his Spirit Eyes underwent a Second Awakening. Nothing to drastic happened and Sheng Feilong''s daily life pretty much returned to normal. As he had already graduated the Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy and Shrek Academy would only have its entrance exam in another two weeks, Sheng Feilong spent nearly all of his time at the Spirit Pagoda or at the Bao Brother''s Mecha Workshop.

    Song Weihan had drastically revised Sheng Feilong''s training plan after the latest tests of the latter''s Spirit Power and physical strength. Other than putting a total ban on Spirit Power training, Song Weihan also increased the intensity of Sheng Feilong''s physical training by another notch and prepared more valuable Soul treasure for him to consume. Because of the incredible increase in Sheng Feilong Spirit Power after fusing with the Soul Bone and the second Awakening of his Spirit Eyes, his body could no longer endure his own Spirit Power for a long time. If not for the significant increase in physical strength, Sheng Feilong might have died from the imbalance already.

    During those 6 weeks, Song Weihan only made one exception in the ban of Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power; That was when Sheng Feilong underwent the examination to become a rank 5 Mecha Maker. By now, Sheng Feilong had already created his own Purple Mecha from scratch with the blueprints of Bao Zha. According to Bao Li, who had overseen Sheng Feilong''s examination, the Mecha he build was even above military standards! After the official procedures, Sheng Feilong officially became the youngest Rank 5 Mecha Maker of the Douluo Continent, shocking experts all around.

    Sheng Feilong was currently on his way to his Masters office. They would do another test to see how much Sheng Feilong''s physique had caught up to his Spirit Power. Of course, they would also check his Spirit Power to make sure nothing changed. Luckily for them, Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power of 4.735 was incredibly stable. The Artificial Soul Bone was stabilizing it so they didn''t have to worry too much about anything happening to Sheng Feilong, while the Soul Bone was continuously strengthened by the excess Spirit Power. As long as Sheng Feilong did not actively train his Spirit Power, it would mostly remain stale.

    About an hour later, Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan sat inside Song Weihan''s office again. Song Weihan was looking through the test results with a serious expression, while Sheng Feilong patiently waited for him to finish. After a while, Song weihan leaned back in his seat with a slight smile, while Sheng Feilong looked at him with an eager expression.

    "The test results are positive. During those 6 weeks, your body has strengthened considerably. With your current physique, you''ll be able to endure the pressure from you own Spirit Power, even in combination with you Soul Skills. Like this, I permit you to take the Shrek Entrance Exam in two weeks time."

    Sheng Feilong''s expression brightened into a bright smile and he excitedly jumped up and down from joy. With his Spirit Power, cultivation level and now even physical strength, he was sure he''d be admitted into Shrek Academy without a hitch! Just as he was happily laughing, he heard Song Weihan''s serious voice again.

    "However! You are still not allowed to train your Spirit Power even if you get admitted to Shrek. You have to reach the level of a Spirit Ancestor, a level 40 plus Soul Master, before you train it again. And you''ll come back to do another series of tests before doing it. This is not as simple as an annoying headache from time to time, and you should know that best."

    Sheng Feilong flinched when he heard Song Weihan''s words and awkwardly scratched his head with a hand.

    "Yes, I know, Master. I was just excited because you always said you wouldn''t let me go before... I won''t train my Spirit Power unless I have you approval!" Song Weihan nodded solemnly, before cracking a smile at Sheng Feilong, who was fidgeting around, impatiently waiting to be allowed to leave for today. Song Weihan dismissively waved at him before burying his head in another document.

    "Go already. You can''t let your father wait forever."

    Sheng Feilong hurriedly bowed and left Song Weihan''s office. After he was gone, Song Weihan''s smile slowly vanished and was replaced with a frown as he put down the document in his hands; it was a report from his subordinates, that were send after the ones he had investigate the Sheng Clan. About a week after they set off, Song Weihan lost contact with them and had not heard of them since then. He sent another team to the Sheng Clan, but their Patriarch told them, that they had already given copies of all their family histories records to the ones that came before. Song Weihan let out a small sigh before taking up another document and silently muttering to himself.

    "Old Zhou, you better not have let anything happen to you... What would I tell your wife?"

    ---

    About one and a half weeks later, Sheng Feilong, Sheng Lingtian, Jian Wang and Jian Wushuang were saying their farewells to Song Weihan, the Bao brothers, Jian Shiguan and her family. They were preparing to head to Shrek City, where Shrek Academy was located and, naturally, the entrance exam would be held. While the Exam would only last a single day, they decided to travel there for a few days total. As for the reason they were saying their farewells to the others, it''s because, if Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang get admitted into Shrek Academy, they would life on campus and would be unable to return to Heaven Dou City for at least a few months.

    Sheng Feilong was having a hard time in particular. He had spent more than half his life with Song Weihan as his Master, training almost daily. Other then Sheng Lingtian, Song Weihan was the closest family Sheng Feilong had and both of them knew that. Song Weihan gently smiled at Sheng Feilong, who had a complicated expression.

    "We won''t be able to see each other for some time now, will we?"

    He was about to say some more, when Sheng Feilong suddenly rushed at him and tightly hugged him. Song Weihan was stunned for a moment before lightly hugging Sheng Feilong back. He still had the same, calm smile on his face as he continued what he wanted to say before.

    "Silly boy. You better get stronger at Shrek Academy, or I''ll have to beat some sense into you once you return. Now go, don''t let the others wait too long."

    After a little while, Sheng Feilong let go of Song Weihan and boarded Sheng Lingtian''s Soul Car. Although they could take a Mecha to go to Shrek City, Sheng Lingtian insisted on taking the car, since they''d visit the city for a few days. Sheng Lingtian and Jian Wushuang took the front seats while Jian Wang and Sheng Feilong sat in the back row; both of them waving towards the family and friends they left behind.

    Driving the car through the lands, Sheng Feilong and the others happily conversed among themselves, so their trip wasn''t too boring. When they neared Shrek City, the scenery changed to the better, while the traffic became more and more cramped and chaotic, causing Sheng Lingtian to curse out loud again and again.

    Shrek City was the biggest city on the Douluo Continent. While Heaven Dou City was still considered the Federation''s Capital, Shrek City was actually even more splendid and more powerful. This was due to the Shrek Academy. Originally, the city was quite average, but with the increasing influence and improving standing of Shrek Academy over the last 10.000 years, the once average city grew more and more, eventually being renamed to Shrek City to further glorify the Academy.

    Due to the traffic, Sheng Feilong and the others reached their destination, a hotel near Shrek Academy, nearly two hours late. When they entered, the lobby alone was already packed with people; mostly children with their parents or guardians. Sheng Feilong guessed that most of them had come to participate in Shrek Academy''s Entrance Exam. The hotel was already booked out, but luckily Sheng Lingtian made a reservation for them beforehand, thus they still got a room; much to the displeasure of the ''influential'' people, that had not obtained a room, though no one dared to cause trouble in Shrek City.

    After making themselves at home, Sheng Feilong and the others went out to explore the city. Like that, the next few days passed with them constantly going on sightseeing trips or shopping in the various stores, stalls or even malls. At last, the day of the Examination finally came. Sheng Feilong and Jian wang were the first ones to wake up and quickly got ready for the day. Sheng Lingtian and Jian Wushuang joined them for breakfast before they headed to Shrek Academy.

    When they arrived, the huge plaza as already packed with hundreds of people, all of them there to attend the Entrance Exam, while trying to be the first without casing a ruckus. Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang silently stood in the middle of those people, waiting for their turns. After a while, they finally obtained the paperwork for application after paying a 10.000 Federational Coins fee. It was pretty basic paperwork used for identification and they quickly filled it out.

    Two rows were a bit more interesting, though; the first one asking for his Soul Rank: 33! And the last row to be filled on the paperwork; Asking for the applicants Spirit Soul. Sheng Feilong smiled while filling them out; His Spirit Soul wasn''t simply the Spirit Eyes anymore and he had discussed their Second Awakening in detail with Song Weihan and his father. After a long dicussion, they decided on a more fitting name.

    Spirit Soul: Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes!

    (A/N: Shoutout to TheHaremKing and Zusae, who helped me with the name!)

 47 Stubbornly Refusing To Kneel!

    After filling out the paperwork and giving it to one of the Shrek Academy''s staff, Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang waited for their approval and further instructions. The staff member glanced through the papers before giving Jian Wang a nod and then went on to Sheng Feilong''s. He seemed surprised for a moment after reading about Sheng Feilong''s Soul Rank and looked at the matter, but quickly forgot about it again, as cultivation level alone didn''t mean anything at Shrek. When he saw the entry for Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Soul, however, he frowned and seemed lost in thought for a while. Sheng Feilong was sure that this was because the staff member had never heard about the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes, which was only natural since Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong named it since no one had a Spirit Soul like it before.

    After a moment, the staff member ignored it, just taking it as a lack of knowledge that he''d never heard of this particular Spirit Soul; He wouldn''t be a mere staff at Shrek Academy if he knew every single Spirit in existence, anyway! After approving of Sheng Feilong''s and Jian Wang''s paperwork, he directed the both of them to enter through the Academy gates and gather together with the other children at another plaza ahead and wait for further instructions.

    Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang followed the instructions and soon found themselves in a much less chaotic plaza. While it was still filled with children who wanted to take the Examination, there were way less people then before and most of the children present were silently waiting or conversing among themselves. A while later, a middle aged man led a group of over 30 Shrek staff members over and waited for the children to calm down.

    When everyone focused on him, the middle-aged man flew to the sky, standing there for everyone to clearly see him and spoke in a loud voice, infused by his Soul Power.

    "Welcome to Shrek Academy, everyone. Today, all of you will take the Entrance Examination to become students of Shrek Academy. Be aware that, while there is no quota, only a small part of you will be able to succeed. Shrek Academy is the best Advanced Academy on the continent, and our standards are naturally just as high. Since its founding 20.000 years ago, the Academy always had the same philosophy: ''We only accept monsters, not ordinary people''! Prepare yourselves to show the best of your abilities at every given moment; it will make the difference between success and failure!"

    After his speech, he gently flew back down and another man took his place in the air, announcing the rules of the Examination. Soon, they would form groups of 10 people each and each group is to follow one of the staff members to take the examination. In order to pass the examination, one had to accumulate 60 points over the course of all the tests, while one had to accumulate 85 points to directly enter Shrek Academy''s Inner Court. One of the children asked how many tests there were, but instead of the expected answer, the announcer in the air coldly told him, that it didn''t matter, since he is to give it his all in every test. If then, he can''t accumulate 60 points, his explanation would be wasted on an ''ordinary person''.

    A few moments later, the announcer flew down to the ground as well, and the Shrek staff members began spreading out to accept the groups of ten. Many people were just surprised since they came in group, mostly consisting of 3-6 people, but the few that came in large groups had ugly expression since they''d have to split up. Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang formed a group with 2 separate groups, consisting of 3 and 5 people respectively. In total, their group had 4 female and 6 male examinees.

    They quickly found a staff member and were lead into the so-called ''Shrek House''. It was a rounded walkway inside a massively large hall and had depictions of the 20.000 years of Shrek''s history. Sheng Feilong was awed, his determination to enter Shrek growing even more than before. After thequasi history lesson, the came across as room filled with the statues of Shrek Academy''s greatest Masters. The ones that stood out the most were the ones of Thousand Hands Douluo, Tang San, and the Spirit Ice Douluo, Huo Yuhao; their lifelike and detailed depictions awing the children even more.

    After exiting the hall, they came across another room with a massive, lifelike mural on the wall in front of them. Dispite standing over 20 meters away from it, the mural radiated an incredible pressure on the children, causing all of them to pale considerably. Sheng Feilong was not affected as much as the others thanks to his incredible Spirit Power, and managed to clearly lay his eyes on the mural.

    It was a mural of a enormous black dragon. Its eyes glowed golden, even more striking in contrast to its pitch black face, and its wings were spread across the whole wall. Violet light exploded from its body; It was obviously a painting, but it was vivid to the point of blurring the lines between fiction and reality. Each dragon scale could be counted with no difficulty, without missing a single one.

    Sheng Feilong looked the dragon directly into the eyes and his heart dropped. The golden eyes were like a bottomless abyss, sucking him into it while the violent dragon might made his blood freeze. Sheng Feilong grit his teeth, refusing to back down from a mere painting and activated his Spirit Soul! His pale golden eyes deepened in colour, while his pupils turned slightly red, before the red, diamond shaped and winged marking appeared on his forehead; the spiritual pressure radiating from him spiked instantly, repelling the dragon might and allowing him to stand tall again.

    As if feeling insulted by the puny child resisting it, the dragon''s might spiked again and a powerful dragon''s roar echoed through the hall, directly forcing everyone standing in the room, including Jian Wang, to their knees. Sheng Feilong grit hit teeth again. He could clearly feel the brunt of the dragon''s might being focused on him and his blood began to surge. The awakened Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s bloodline in his body was acting up to resist the dragon''s might!

    Sheng Feilong''s aura increased even further and the spiritual pressure enveloped him whole, forcing the dragon''s might to back away once again. Another, even more powerful dragon''s roar echoed through the hall, forcing all those on their knees to grit their teeth even more while cold sweat ran over their bodies; Two of them even passed out under the pressure, while Sheng Feilong still stubbornly refused to kneel down!

    Having to rely on his last resort, Sheng Feilong willed the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Artificial Soul Bone to take action again! A profound golden aura radiated from his body, starting from his forehead, taking the shape of a tall, golden lion! The lion''s head and eyes superimposed with Sheng Feilong''s, creating a never before seen spiritual pressure, forcing the dragon to roar in rage again, as the golden lion did the same! Just from that third roar alone, another 4 people passed out, leaving only Sheng Feilong, Jian Wang and two others conscious.

    The ground beneath Sheng Feilong''s feet began cracking under the pressure as his blood began to boil, stubbornly forcing his body to remain standing, while his bones gave off creaking noises and blood began slowly flowing out of his lips! The dragon''s and lion''s roars created a brutal friction in the air, creating massive massive domains filled with the lions and Sheng Feilong''s golden aura while the other side was filled with the dragon''s might and terrifying violet aura; neither intending to back down in the slightest!

    ---

    Within a secret room inside the hall, the staff member that previously led Sheng Feilong''s group into the hall stood with his mouth and eyes wide open while disbelief, completely being unable to make even the slightest noise. Sitting in front of him was an old man with the same disbelieving expression, though he remained his composure, not showing his shock as obviously as the staff member. The old man opened his mouth with a slightly shaking voice.

    "Resisting the... the Gold-Eyed Black Dragon King''s pressure with just his own aura as a Soul Elder alone... This- this kid truly fits our Shrek Academy''s philosophy of being a monster among men!"

    As he was speaking, he saw Sheng Feilong''s aura weaken more and more while he gnashed his teeth with blood flowing out of his mouth and dripping to the now badly cracked ground. The old man quickly snapped out of his daze and shouted at another man in the room.

    "Quickly end the test, the boy''s already injuring himself!"

    The man flinched before quickly having a wall obstructing the Gold-Eyed Black Dragon King''s mural. The pressure in the room vanished instantly and not even a second later, Sheng Feilong''s aura vanished as well as his knees heavily crashed on the ground. He coughed violently for a few times, spitting out a mouthful of blood each time, but the fierce and stubborn expression in his eyes still remained; He may have injured himself to the point of coughing blood and overdraft his Spirit Power, but hell, he didn''t back off!

    The staff member that brought them to the test had snapped out of his daze as well and looked at theold man with a complicated expression.

    "Elder Li, what should we do about the examination and their score for this trial..?"

    The old man, Elder Li, looked at Sheng Feilong, then at Jian Wang and the two others who were still conscious before glancing over the ones that had passed out and replied to the staff member.

    "Give that lion-boy full marks. The three that are still conscious pass and get 6 points each. As for the 6 that passed out, they''ve failed!"

 48 Refuting A Shrek Academy Elder

    After the Black Dragon''s mural was obstructed by the wall and the pressure vanished, Sheng Feilong kneeled on the ground while breathing heavily and wiping the blood out of the corners of his mouth. A vicious glint flashed through his eyes before being replaced with a proud look. He hadn''t kneeled! Everyone else had, but he didn''t; He had persisted through this! How could he lose to some dumb painting; what a joke!

    A few moments later, the staff member returned with a few other people that seemed to be medical staff and an old man by his side. The medical staff took care of the passed out people as well as Jian Wang and the two other, conscious people, while the old man and the staff member neared Sheng Feilong. He eyed the two of them and noticed the staff member respectfully walking half a step behind the old man, making their positions clear. The old man looked at him with a solemn expression and spoke in a serious voice.

    "How are you injuries, little fellow? Can you continue?"

    Sheng Feilong staggered back to his feet and gave the old man a slight bow while replying.

    "Thank you for your concern, Senior. I will be able to continue the tests after resting for a short while." Sheng Feilong then glanced at the passed out people and Jian Wang, who still had a ghostly pale expression. "But, what about the others..?"

    The old man smiled slightly after seeing Sheng Feilong''s concern for his companions and spoke with a gentle tone.

    "Don''t wory about them, they''re in good hands. They''ve just passed out from the pressure and didn''t suffer any harm. You on the other hand seem way more ragged." He traced his Spacial Ring and took out a vial filled with a light green liquid and handed it to Sheng Feilong. "This is Hundred Herbs Liquid, a remedy made from a hundred different medicinal plants. Drink it, it will help cure your injuries within a short amount of time. The ten of you will continue you tests in one hour. Lao Shi, bring them to a resting area and take them to the second test later."

    Elder Li then turned around and left for the secret room, while the staff member, Lao Shi, was stunned by the old man''s generosity. A Hundred Herbs Liquid may not sound like much, but it''s worth could be valued even higher then a relatively rare 1.000-years-old soul Treasure! Lao Shi quickly lead the medicinal team and the children to a resting area, where Sheng Feilong drank the Hundred Herbs Liquid and sat down to recuperate from his injuries.

    After about 40 minutes, his physical injuries were completely healed, but Sheng Feilong still frowned. This was just the first test, but he already had to use all of his trump cards and no one even told him if he had passed or not! While he was lost in thought, Jian Wang approached him with an embarrassed smile.

    "Feilong, thank you for earlier! If you hadn''t taken most of the pressure for yourself, I think I would''ve passed out as well. I heard the medicinal staff whisper about the passed out children having failed the first test before. It''s thanks to you that I passed it!"

    Sheng Feilong smiled at Jian Wang''s words. So whoever passed out was considered having failed! If just remaining conscious means passing, what about him, still standing tall against the pressure? Surely he received full marks! He looked at Jian Wang and generously spoke in an exaggerated tone.

    "What are you saying, Brother Wang! We''re brothers; it''s only natural that I''ll help you!"

    The two of them bantered for a while longer while waiting for everyone to recuperate and not long after, Lao Shi announced that they''ll continue with the second test now, beckoning them to follow him. After walking a for a while, they entered another hall and were told to stand in the middle while Lao Shi backed away a bit.

    "The second trial will begin shortly. Prepare yourselves."

    Sheng Feilong and the others looked at each other and told each other some general information about their own Spirit Souls before looking at Sheng Feilong. By now, he had become the de-facto leader of their group. Other than Jian Wang, the ones who remained conscious in the first trial were the leaders of their respective groups and had silently acknowledged Sheng Feilong after seeing his strength. Sheng Feilong frowned and spoke up with some hesitation.

    "We don''t know what the test will be, so be prepared for the worst. For now, all we can do is stay focuse-ahhhhhhh!" Before he could finish his sentence, the area around them changed and they were free falling hundred of meters from the sky. Sheng Feilong unprepared and absorbed in his own thoughts, couldn''t help but scream out loud while the others were caught off guard as well.

    Sheng Feilong quickly regained his composure and snarled at one of the group members near him.

    "Ling Wu, we need your help now! Use your Spirit to construct something like a cussion to stop our fall when we''re nearing the ground! Everyone else, calm down and use your Soul Power to shield yourself from the impact!"

    Everyone quickly followed his command as they shielded themselves while Ling Wu created a net made of vines to catch their fall, causing everyone to come out of it harmless. A moment later, when they were just about to breath through, another member of the group suddenly shouted as he heard Soul Beasts. A total of 6 Blue Steel Rhinoceroses were storming in their direction, focusing on them and clearly intent on attacking.

    Taking a formation and dealing with the Soul Beasts in a systematic method, they smoothly passed the second test, earning everyone 6 points, while Ling Wu, who rescued the team at the start, Sheng Feilong, who lead the team and the assault, and Jian Wang who dealt the deciding blows to 4 or the Beasts, obtained full marks each.

    The third test had the children frown deeply. They had to run through a hall filled with guillotines, that would constantly fall down again and again. This wasn''t like passing out from the mural''s pressure or having a spiritual body beaten by a rhinoceros; If they''re hit, they would actually die! They would have to pass through to the other side within 45 seconds to pass, while they would obtain more points the faster they were.

    The team quickly figured out that the fastest way would lead them through 6 guillotines, but the risk was extremely high as well. After a while, an Agility Type Soul Master found a considerably safe way through the guillotines. They would have to pass through a total or 9 gates, but their rhythm was somewhat stable and predictable. He volunteered to try it out first while Sheng Feilong locked onto him and the gates he''d pass with his Spirit Power to try and copy his technique. After the first one made it through safely, 3 others followed, while the fifth just made it barely because she hesitated.

    By now, Sheng Feilong had figured the rhythm of the guillotines out and went through as the sixth person. He made it in slightly less then 39 seconds, earning him 8 points. Everyone got 6-8, but the girl who hesitated was failed before this was a test of courage and decisiveness. She was getting anxious since she had now failed the first and third test and only had 6 points, but Sheng Feilong and her team leader managed to calm her down.

    Afterwards, they were lead to the fourth trial. This time, it was a whole new concept again. They wouldn''t have to fight, do something dangerous or the likes; they had to show their own speciality and convince a total of three examiners of themselves in order to pass. The criteria were so loose that the group was somewhat lost about what to do, but everyone quickly focused on their own ''speciality'' and presented themselves before the examiners one after the other.

    The examiners remained rather stoic and didn''t give much comments about the performances, causing the children to become more and more anxious. Only Jian Wang and Sheng Feilong were relatively relaxed. The former since he had already performed and actually gotten praised by the old lady that sat in the middle of the examiners and Sheng Feilong because he had full confidence in his own abilities and to not worry his teammates.

    Sheng Feilong decided to present himself last in this test and stepped forward to get examined in a confident and relaxed manner, causing the old lady to frown. He respectfully bowed to the examiners and introduced himself, but before he could tell them about his speciality and ask them to allow him to perform it, the old lady spoke up, interrupting him with a mocking tone.

    "You seem incredibly confident. Do you think this test to enter Shrek Academy is a joke? Or are you just so delusional to think you''d be able to pass that easily?"

    Sheng Feilong was stunned for a moment before he answered with a determined expression.

    "This exam to enter Shrek Academy is probably the thing I''ve taken most seriously in my entire life. I would never think of this as a joke and I neither think that I''ll be able to enter easily, but if even I myself am not confident in my own abilities, who will be?"

    "What arrogance!", the old lady said with a displeased sneer, but before she could continue, Sheng Feilong retorted her in a firm manner.

    "This isn''t arrogance, but confidence that stems from my own abilities, my trust in my Master who taught me what I know and my determination to show and do my best!"

    The old lady sneered again, clearly displeased by Sheng Feilong''s attitude but even more so by the fact that he dared to interrupt her.

    "You think you are better then anyone else who really takes this examination seriously, just because some run of the mill Master trained you and your delusional belief in yourself? What a joke."

    Sheng Feilong''s countenance darkened when the lady mocked his Master and he spoke in a low and cold voice, without minding any formal addressing.

    "A joke? Then show me the Soul Master of the same generation that can beat me ¨C this so called delusional disciple of a run of the mill Master - I''ll beat them right before your eyes!"

 49 Aftermath Of The Stubbornness

    Merry early Christmas, everyone! I don''t care if you celebrate it or not, but I hope you''ll have a good time!

    I''ll be releasing chapters as normal over the holidays, so don''t worry.

    Also: last chapter for today, I don''t have eny more saved up... Your support last week was incredible, thank all of you so very much!

    Anysways, I hope you''ll enjoy the chapter!

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The other two examiners and Sheng Feilong''s group members behind him stiffened when he spoke so rudely to the old lady. Although they didn''t know who she was, the fact that she could sit in the middle of this trio, as well as the fact that she''s the one asking all the questions or commenting on the children performances told them enough about her standing; she was clearly the one calling the shots while the other two were just there to fill the empty spaces!

    The lady looked at Sheng Feilong with a cold expression and emotionlessly spoke to him while clearly looking down on him.

    "You''re an arrogant and conceited brat who doesn''t know the world, but still dares to speak as if you were its king. You have no respect for your elders and are unable to accept critique. You are unfit to be a Soul Master and even more so to join Shrek Academy. You fail this trial. You may leave now."

    Sheng Feilong stared at her, but didn''t say a word. The atmosphere became tense and Lao Shi quickly stepped forward to break the tension.

    "Sheng Feilong, Elder Cai has already spoken. Step down for now; there are still other trials your group has to undergo."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t glance at him, but turned around and walked back to his group, neither acknowledging Elder Cai''s evaluation nor denying it. He decided to let his actions speak for themselves. Lao Shi quickly bowed to Elder Cai before leading the children out of the room towards the next trial, hoping to prevent any more mishap from happening.

    The fifth test was testing their prowess in their secondary professions and was held in different buildings according to their profession. The group split up and Sheng Feilong, as well as the girl who hesitated in the third trial, entered the building for the Mecha Maker''s test. Their task was to show the best of their abilities in theoretical and practical knowledge. Building a Mecha would usually take days of not weeks, so they couldn''t just be asked to create one from scratch. Instead, they were shown blueprints, Mecha parts and many other machinery and were asked to evaluate them and search for mistakes, defective parts and the like.

    They took turns evaluating different parts and pointed out many mistakes, but Sheng Feilong was sometimes lightly frowning at the girl''s evaluations, as he saw more or other mistakes and flaws. The thin old man examining them didn''t let any emotion show on his face and mechanically went through their examination without pointing out whether they were right or wrong. In the end, Sheng Feilong obtained full marks again, while the girl got 7 points. Both of them were satisfied with their results.

    The grouped up with Jian Wang and the others again and were lead to the 6th trial. On the way, Jian Wang told Sheng Feilong, that he got full marks for the metal he refined! They soon arrived at the trial grounds for the sixth trial and were... perplexed, to say the least. Instead of an arena, hall or the likes, the had entered a cafeteria. They questioningly looked at Lao Shi who told them that their sixth trial would be eating. Eating steamed buns, to be precise.

    According to Lao Shi, this trial wasn''t just testing their appetite, but instead focused on the amount of nutrition their bodies could process in a limited amount of time. They looked at each other before nodding in understanding and went to take their seats. As they had rested for an hour after the first trial, the hall was nearly empty and just a single other group was still their, eating away at the mountains of steamed buns on their table. Sheng Feilong''s group also began eating, as they had a fixed time limit of 30 minutes.

    The other group left a few minutes after Sheng Feilong''s group started and the latter''s group was still stuffing themselves with steamed buns. When the timer ended, Jian Wang and one other child had managed to eat a total of 34 and 33 buns respectively, earning them full marks. Sheng Feilong was on par with them in the beginning, but quickly slowed down more and more and managed to eat 21 buns in the end, earning himself 8 points.

    Sheng Feilong frowned. His digestion and the conversion of energy were particularly slow today. While the remedy Elder Li gave him after the first trial healed him nearly completely, it wasn''t even to completely bring his nutrition back up and he should''ve been able to eat more buns since they weren''t really nutritious. He thought about it for a while, but the only thing he could think of was the spiritual clash with the Black Dragon''s mural. His bloodline had acted up, he used a lot of his Spirit power reserves and his body was barely able to endure his Spirit Power to begin with, so it had probably entered a self-preservation mode, limiting Sheng Feilong''s physical abilities tremendously to cope with the excess stress.

    Thinking up to hear, Sheng Feilong''s expression sunk when they arrived at the 7th trial grounds. It was a sports stadium. Lao Shi explained to them, that their trial this time was to complete a 10 kilometres run, 1.000 chin-ups and 1.000 squats while bearing an extra 50KG weights. To receive full marks, they had to finish the exercise within 1 hour and 30 minutes. Normally, this wouldn''t be a problem for Sheng Feilong, but with his body having entered a self-preservation mode now, he''d be lucky to complete the trial within 2 hours and 30 minutes.

    He asked Lao Shi about the rest of the rules, since he only said they''d have to complete the exercise within the time limit to obtain full marks. After the explanation, Sheng Feilong frowned again. They would lose points the longer they needed. Every 15 minutes, they would lose 1 point from the total 10. If they need 1 hour and 29 minutes, they''ll obtain full marks, but if they need just slightly under 2 hours, they''ll only get 8. If Sheng Feilong manages to get the exercise done in the estimated 2 hours and 30 minutes, he''ll only obtain 6 points. However, he''ll get 6 points as long as he manages to do it, regardless of the time.

    The children could also directly go to the eighth trial once they finished the seventh and didn''t have to wait for their groups anymore, to prevent physically strong Soul Masters to waste hours waiting for weaker participants. However, they could delay the continuation if they so desire. After hearing that, Sheng Feilong and the others decided to split their group up again. It wouldn''t make sense for them to stick together anymore, now. When they were alone again, Sheng Feilong told Jian Wang about his problem.

    "Brother Wang, after the first trial, I used up nearly all of my energy. You know of the imbalance of my Spirit Power and physical strength. The trial took more of a toll then I expected and my body had entered some kind of low output self-preservation mode. Now, even if I give it my all, I assume I''ll just barely be able to finish the trial in 2 and a half hours..."

    Jian Wang was shocked to hear this. From his perspective, Sheng Feilong looked totally fine. While he indeed was injured during the first trial, he seemed to have healed up perfectly afterwards.

    "Then, what do you want to do? If you spent all of your energy now to finish this test, will you be able to get through the later ones? We still don''t know how many there are..."

    Sheng Feilong frowned and contemplated on the matter.

    "If I give it my all in this condition, I''ll probably be dead meat in the next trials. If I want to preserve my energy, I need to take my time here and I''ll at least need 3 hours to finish. But you should do it as fast as you could. You''ll easily get full marks here and if you just wait for me afterwards, you''ll be able to restore yourself back to peak condition. Then, even if we need to fight Soul Beasts again, we''ll have a good chance."

    Jian Wang agreed to his idea and they made a quick plan on how to absolve this trial. Sheng Feilong began with the chin-ups in order to warm up and preserve his energy, while Jian Wang did the same, but way faster, as he didn''t really need a warm-up. Afterwards Jian Wang went to do the squats and lastly the 10 kilometres run. He finished with a astonishing time of 58 minutes, shocking the nearby children who heard about it! Meanwhile, Jian Wang sat near the exit to the eighth trial in meditation while Sheng Feilong had finished the first 3 kilometres of the run.

    Sheng Feilong ultimately finished the run in just over 3 hours and got 6 points. He was currently pretty pale and his legs were slightly shaken, but his expression was still calm. He sat down in meditation and asked Jian Wang to wait ten more minutes to let him recuperate. He opened his eyes again exactly ten minutes later and they looked for an examiner to take them to the eighth trial.

    They saw a group of 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls, lead by an female examiner wearing the Shrek Academy''s uniform being led out of the trial grounds and quickly followed them. Reaching them, Sheng Feilong called out to the group and the examiner.

    "Excuse me! Are you headed for the eighth trial?"

    The children looked at Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang without much interest, so Sheng Feilong fixed his eyes on the female examiner, who calmly replied to him.

    "Yes, we are. Do the two of you wish to join us?"

    "Yes, we would like to, thank you for taking us.", Sheng Feilong said with a light bow. He then turned to the children and struck out his hand to the tough looking, black haired boy who seemed to be their leader. "I''m Sheng Feilong, nice to meet you all."

    The black haired boy seemed stunned for a moment by his formal greeting, but replied in the same manner while shaking Sheng Feilong''s hand.

    "Nice to meet you, too. My name is Tang Wulin!"

 50 Meeting Wong Wushuang Again!

    When the tough-looking, black haired boy introduced himself as Tang Wulin, Jian Wang''s eyes widened in shock. He stared at the boy and couldn''t stop himself from blurting out In surprise.

    "You''re Tang Wulin, from the Blacksmith Association? The disciple of Saint Blacksmith Chen Mu?"

    Tang Wulin, who had just shaken Sheng Feilong''s hand, looked at Jian Wang with a confused expression. He didn''t recall knowing this giant fellow.

    "That''s right, Chen Mu is my Master. I''m sorry, but do we know each other?"

    Jian Wang''s face fell as he looked at Tang Wulin with a slight frown and spoke in a grieving expression.

    "No, we don''t. Of course you don''t know me." he then faked an exaggerated sigh before speaking up once again.

    "I''m Jian Wang. Saint Blacksmith Jian Wushuang, an old rival of your Master, is my father. That old man had forced me into child labor since I was 9 years old in order to become a better blacksmith then you and therefore beat your Master. Every time you broke one of those ''youngest rank blahblacksmith of the continent'', my training increased again!"

    Tang Wulin stiffened, not knowing what to say after the former''s speech. Jian Wang continued to speak with a tear rolling down his round face.

    "You''re the cause of all the grieve my father made me go through! If it wasn''t for my good brother, Sheng Feilong, this frail heart of mine would have been broken."

    Everyone looked at Jian Wang with pity, causing Tang Wulin to awkwardly scratched his head. Meanwhile, Sheng Feilong stared at Jian Wang with an annoyed expression.

    "Stop your nonsense already. If it wasn''t for your father pushing you, you''d still be sleeping through most of the afternoon every day."

    Jian Wang flinched and awkwardly laughed, quickly averting his eyes from Sheng Feilong and instead looking at Tang Wulin''s group.

    "Anyways, I think I still don''t know all of your names?"

    As Tang Wulin had already introduced himself, he didn''t do so again. Instead the second boy of his group walked in front of them. He was about the same height as Tang Wulin, while still slightly shorter than Sheng Feilong. He was quite handsome as he had short blond hair, fair white skin and a pair of slightly sunken, deep-green eyes. The boy introduced himself as Xie Xie, causing Jian Wang to instinctively reply, telling the former not to thank him. The boy frowned and spoke with an annoyed expression.

    "I''m not thanking you! Xie Xie is my name!"

    Everyone giggled lightly and just as Xie Xie was about to say something again, one of the females grabbed his arm and pulled him back. She looked younger than the rest and was also considerably shorter, but her beauty stunned Jian Wang and Sheng Feilong slightly. They didn''t quite notice her before, but when they looked at her this time, they couldn''t help but be taken aback; Long, light blue hair tied into twintails paired with big eyes of the same colour, snow white skin and a cute face. She slightly giggled as Xie Xie grumbled about her pulling him back before she introduced herself as well.

    "Don''t mind Xie Xie, he just doesn''t like when people get his name mixed up! I''m Xu Xiaoyan, nice to meet you."

    Jian Wang looked at her with a slightly silly expression, causing Xu Xiaoyan to become slightly uncomfortable, while Sheng Feilong simply nodded towards her with a smile before looking at the last of their group; a young girl, that looked the same age as Sheng Feilong and the rest with long, straight black hair and matching eyes that seemed full of life. She wasn''t particularly beautiful, but had a calm and delicate disposition. She didn''t seem too interested in Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang, but still responded Sheng Feilong''s look with a nonchalant tone and a slight nod.

    "Gu Yue."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t mind her nonchalance and simply returned the nod. Afterwards, the female teacher that accompanied Tang Wulin''s group impatiently stood at the side with a light frown.

    "If you''ve all introduced yourselves enough, then let''s head to the eighth trial now."

    The teacher then led them to the room where the next trial would be held. On the way there, Tang Wulin seemed to think about how they''d do the next trials, and Sheng Feilong slightly nodded to himself. He really has what it takes to be their leader. Even in these hard exams, he''s taking his friends situation into his own considerations. A moment later, Tang Wulin looked at the teacher.

    "Teacher Shen, what will the eighth trial be?"

    "The eighth trial is a comprehensive battle. You will fight current students of Shrek Academy. The available opponents are random, so your luck will also be a factor. Last ten minutes against your opponent to pass. Defeat them, and you will receive full points. Alternatively, marks between six and ten will be awarded based on your performance."

    Tang Wulin fell back into his own thoughts while Sheng Feilong looked at the female teacher, Teacher Shen, and asked another question.

    "Teacher Shen, will we take the eighth trial be as a team or one at a time?"

    Teacher Shen glanced at him and then replied with the same indifferent tone as before.

    "You''ll take turns fighting them. This test won''t just test our strength, but also your judgement as there are both strong and weak people mixed into your opponents."

    Tang Wulin was still lost in his own thoughts while the rest of his team seemed quite at ease knowing their captain was forming a plan. Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang were also quite relaxed and didn''t disturb them. Arriving at the hall, Teacher Shen spoke with an indifferent tone once again.

    "You may begin to choose your opponents."

    Tang Wulin had already snapped out of his thoughts and looked towards Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang. He took a step closer to them and wanted to talk to them, but another voice interrupted him.

    "Eh? Junior Brother Sheng and Junior Brother Jian? Is that really you?"

    Everyone heard this voice and simultaneously looked at the source. It was one of their opponents for this trial; a boy with broad shoulders, clad in Shrek Academy''s uniform, who had long black hair. Jian Wang looked puzzled while Sheng Feilong squinted his eyes. He then recognized the voice and suddenly blurted out a name.

    "Senior Brother Wong?"

    (A/N: Okay, I''ll have to admit, that I''ve made a mistake here. Wong Wushuang graduated from Heaven Dou Academy two years before Sheng Feilong and co., but Shrek Academy only holds its entrance exam every three years, so Wong Wushuang shouldn''t be able to become a Shrek student at this point. However, I took the liberty to still have him be a Shrek student; There is no explanation to this. Just leaving him out after he became the reason for Sheng Feilong to go to Shrek would have left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Really sorry about this bummer!)

    The boy smiled and nodded at Sheng Feilong while Jian Wang''s eyes widened. He hastily turned towards Teacher Shen and asked her if they could start the battles already. The teacher was surprised but nodded and Jian Wang jumped onto the arena.

    "If you''re really Senior Brother Wong, then I''ll need to fight you! I haven''t seen how strong you are in a few years!"

    Wong Wushuang looked surprised but then smiled as he stepped onto the arena. He stopped opposite of Jian Wang and his expression and the air around him changed. He now looked focused and determined to defeat his opponent; a look Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang remembered from when they hunted Soul Beasts in the Spirit Ascension Platform together with Wong Wushuang!

    "Then prepare yourself!"

    Wong Wushuang and Jian Wang simultaneously released their Spirit Souls and Soul Rings; 2 purple ones for Jian Wang, while 3 purple ones sprung up behind Wong Wushuang! Both activated their first Soul Skill and charged at each other, quickly engaging in a brutal melee. Due to Wong Wushuang being a Agility Type Soul Master and having a higher rank than Jian Wang, he had a clear advantage in speed. His vicious and precise strikes were filled with the clear intention towin this match, but Jian Wang systematically blocked every single one of them while still occasionally counter-attacking with lethal swings of his heavy Mountain Splitting Axe!

    They fought for minutes without a clear victor, shocking Tang Wulin and his friends to the core; they hadn''t expected that this big fellow would be so overbearing! Every strike with his axe would force his opponent to dodge back a few steps and they left deep marks on the arena, some powerful ones even cracking the floor around him. Xie Xie then suddenly spoke out with an excited expression.

    "That big fellow is so strong! If he keeps this up, he''ll win easily!"

    Tang Wulin looked back at the battle, but slightly frowned. Just as he wanted to say something, they all heard Sheng Feilong''s calm voice.

    "No, Brother Wang will lose in about a minute. Senior Brother Wong isn''t getting the upper hand, but Brother Wang is wasting more Soul Power than him. He''ll lose because he fought Senior Brother Wong as an equal rather then someone stronger."

    No one answered, but Teacher Shen looked at Sheng Feilong deeply before turning her head back to the match. About a minute later, just as Sheng Feilong had said, Jian Wang''s Soul Power was nearly exhausted, giving Wong Wushuang the opportunity to end the match. He held his dagger at Jian Wang''s throat, stopping just millimetres from cutting the latter. Jian Wang had held out for a full 9 minutes, but still lost in the end.

    He looked at Wong Wushuang with a smile as he willed his Mountain Splitting Axe to disappear.

    "You''re even stronger than I remembered you, Senior Brother! I''m recognizing this lose!"

    Both of them walked down the arena, and took place at their respective sides. Tang Wulin and the others looked at Jian Wang with complicated expressions, causing the latter to look at them like the were idiots.

    "What''s with the long faces? So what if I lost? I''ve already got 54 points anyways; I''ll just have to succeed in the next trial."

    While Tang Wulin and the others were shocked by his optimism, Sheng Feilong walked up the arena and looked through his opponents. After a while he fixed his gaze onto one of them; a slender male, that was most likely an Agility Type Soul Master, with the number 2 on the right of his chest. Sheng Feilong was about to announce his decision, but then stopped himself and looked at student number two again for a moment. He looked like he understood something for a second before then speaking up.

    "I choose student number two as my opponent!"

 51 The Eighth Trial

    Sheng Feilong and student number two stood opposite on the arena while waiting for Teacher Shen to allow them to begin their battle. Both of them looked eerily calm, but as soon as Teacher Shen gave the signal, the situation changed. Student number two madly charged at Sheng Feilong who didn''t move a muscle and stood rooted in his position; neither of them using their Spirit Souls yet!

    Student number two continued to charge at Sheng Feilong and when just ten meters separated the two of them, his body began to suddenly inflate madly! Three Soul Rings sprung into existence behind his back; 2 yellow and one purple and the purple one suddenly lit up, inflate student number two''s body even further. Brown fur covered his arms, neck and chest as his cloths burst apart, leaving him with only his highly elastic underwear.

    Sheng Feilong flinched when student number two''s cloths burst apart and looked slightly awkward, missing the perfect timing to release his Spirit Soul. Regaining his focus, he quickly released his Spirit Soul; his eyes turning a deeper shade of gold and the diamond shaped, winged, red pattern appeared on his forehead. Behind his back, three deep purple coloured Soul Rings sprung into existence and the first one quickly lit up, together with his eyes!

    Sheng Feilong then quickly jumped to the right, just a moment before student number two''s fist hit the ground where he just stood. Now, Sheng Feilong was able to get a better glance at student number two''s body. It had swelled to over 4 meters in size with the arms, torso, neck and even legs covered in thick, dark brown fur. While student number two''s form what still humanoid, he looked closer to a massive gorilla!

    Sheng Feilong had a bad feeling and his mind quickly spun into overdrive. Just now, he had successfully trapped student number two in the Toad Prison''s illusions, but how was he supposed to deal with a four meters tall, massively muscular gorilla?! With his current physical condition, he''d be able to kick a normal human out of the stage, but student number two''s form was just too sturdy!

    While thinking about that, the illusionary form of himself, had already dodged student number two''s first attack to the left. Student number two quickly hurried after the illusion, trying to strike it again, while everyone else saw him suddenly charging away from Sheng Feilong, who stood in his spot with his brows furrowed. Jian Wang looked conflicted when he saw that. He knew, that Sheng Feilong used his first Soul Skill, but so what? He couldn''t kick a gorilla away!

    "This is bad. He''s trapped."

    Xu Xiaoyan looked at Jian Wang with a confused expression. She didn''t know why student number two suddenly charged away from Sheng Feilong while the latter''s Soul Skill, which clearly activated, seemed to have done nothing.

    "Trapped? What do you mean?"

    Before Jian Wang could speak up, Gu Yue answered Xu Xiaoyan and the other''s question while still looking at Sheng Feilong.

    "It''s an illusion. Sheng Feilong trapped that student number two in an illusion. But he''s too weak to beat student number two, even if the latter is trapped."

    Xu Xiaoyan and the others looked at Jian Wang for confirmation, who nodded and quickly explained the situation a bit more.

    "Feilong''s Spirit Soul is related to his Spirit Power and illusions. While his body''s quite strong, he''s currently in a bad condition and can''t defeat student number-" Before he finished his sentence, Jian Wang suddenly stopped and stared a Sheng Feilong. He could see a mischievous smile on the latter''s face and Jian Wang instantly relaxed after seeing it.

    "Well, scratch that, he already has a plan now."

    The others were still confused and even Gu Yue frowned slightly, not understanding Jian Wang''s meaning. But just moments after, they understood. On the arena, student number two was currently chasing and punching out at the illusion of Sheng Feilong, while occasionally taking a blocking stance. Teacher Shen and the other Shrek Students couldn''t quite understand what was going on, but then student number two struck out another time in the direction of the trial challengers and snorted soon after, seemingly looking down on someone in their midst.

    Sheng Feilong was now walking over to the edge of the arena where the other Shrek students stood and was waiting for student number two. The latter returned to his human form after letting out another disdainful sneer, new cloths tightly fitting around his slender body again, as he lightly bowed towards Teacher Shen before returning to the other Shrek students. A step away from the edge, just past Sheng Feilong, student number two suddenly lost balance and fell of the arena!

    The other Shrek students nearly had their eyes popping out of their heads! Sheng Feilong had just kicked student number two in the back, sending him flying down from the arena. By now, Sheng Feilong broke the illusion and student number two saw him standing on the edge of the arena with a slight smile, awkwardly scratching his head at the same time. He looked at Sheng Feilong speechlessly, not knowing what just happened, before hearing Sheng Feilong speaking in a loud voice while he slightly bowed in apology.

    "I didn''t know how to deal with you other then like this. I''m really sorry, Senior Sister!"

    Everyone stiffened. The Shrek students looked at student number two cautiously. He was by fat the strongest of them; their class president, who''s Spirit Soul was the top-ranked Soul Beast, the Titan Giant Ape, but he was just kicked off the arena and called a woman by some random examinee! Surprisingly for them, student number two didn''t immediately flare up in anger, but instead looked at Sheng Feilong in shock.

    Unfortunately for him, before he could speak up, Teacher Shen''s voice resounded through the room.

    "Student number two has left the arena. The winner is Sheng Feilong. He gets full marks on the eighth trial. You may return to your side now."

    Sheng Feilong lightly bowed to student number two and Teacher Shen again before returning to Jian Wang''s side. Tang Wulin and his friends were looking at him incredulously while Jian Wang smiled teasingly with his thumbs raised.

    "You really are vicious enough, you know? Not only toying with the guy like that, letting him think he won before you kick him down the arena, you even add insult to injury by calling him a woman!" Everyone else seemed to agree and slightly looked down at Sheng Feilong after his insulting actions, but Sheng Feilong simply frowned at the tease.

    "What do mean insulting? I don''t know why she''s wearing the boy''s cloths, but she really is a woman!"

    Jian Wang''s eyes widened and he looked at student number two, who had already regained their composure and silently stood near the other Shrek students who seemed slightly distressed, not daring to speak to student number two. Sure, student number two had a slender frame and may even look a bit feminine, but their were clearly a boy! Jian Wang then looked at Sheng Feilong again.

    "Are you sure..?"

    Just then, Teacher Shen''s voice sounded through the hall again, calling for the next of them to step onto the arena. This time, Tang Wulin stepped up and chose his opponent; a female student who had the number 10. Tang Wulin''s Spirit Soul was surprisingly the Bluesilver Grass, the same as Jian Shiguan''s and he also was a Control Type Soul Master. Even so, he easily defeated student number ten, though he hasn''t done so directly. Instead, he played around with her for nearly the whole time, wasting his own Soul Power in the process before ending the fight with a single punch. Sheng Feilong didn''t know if Tang Wulin was simply a pervert who liked to play with woman like that or if he had some other motive, but it sure worked out for him in the end...

    After Tang Wulin, Xie Xie walked onto the arena, choosing a Power Attack Type Soul Master among the remaining students. Using his advantage as an Agility Type Soul Master, he quickly defeated his opponent. What shocked Sheng Feilong, though, was the fact, that xie Xie actually had a Twin Spirit Soul; two daggers, one light golden and the other shadowy and nearly invisible. Both of them adorned with the carvings of dragons.

    After that, Gu Yue walked on the stage and challenged student number one; a boy looking ordinary beyond belief. He was practically indistinguishably from any ordinary stranger on the streets! Their battle was really short, but just as bizarre. Student number one used his Soul Skills to give his artificial Lion Mastiff Spirit Soul a physical form and had it attack Gu Yue, however, the latter simply formed an ice ball in her hands, shot it into the Lion''s mouth, where it exploded into a huge amount of ice spears and turned the Lion mastiff into a giant needle cushion! After that, she enhanced herself with the wind element, charged at student number one and held an ice spear to his throat!

    Lastly, Xu Xiaoyan went up. This time, Sheng Feilong really didn''t know what to saw. Her Spirit Soul was the Ice Staff, and she was a dual Control and Long Ranged Attack System Soul Master. Still, her performance was even more unique; Didn''t just use her Spirit Soul to conjure attacks, but instead held a heavy, jet black hammer in her hand. It''s weight was obvious as she had to balance herself out with her Ice Staff. She then made an Ice Wheel and duct-taped the hammer onto it which then flew slowly to student number six, who began using his own attacks.

    Xu Xiaoyan somehow stopped his attacks, but then her Ice Staff suddenly changed. She dropped her clumsy act and used a new Soul Skill which she called Starwheel. A golden symbol appeared under student number six and chains shot out of it, restraining his movements completely while the Icewheel-hammer combination still flew towards him. With no other option left, he admitted defeat as he couldn''t allow the hammer to hit him, but also couldn''t dodge.

    Sheng Feilong was shocked again. Tang Wulin and his team were simply to weird. The captain was a Control Type Soul Master, whose greatest strength is his punching ability, an Agility Type Soul Master with Twin Spirit Souls, an Long Range Attack System Soul Master with dual elemental control and another Control-Long Range Attack Dual System Soul Master, who was acting like a weak little girl...

    Sheng Feilong couldn''t help sighing to himself with an bewildered expression.

    ''Shrek Academy really doesn''t accept ordinary people...!''

 52 The Ninth Trial Begins

    Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang had joined Tang Wulin and his friends to take the ninth trial together. After everyone, except for Jian Wang, successfully passed the eighth trial, Teacher Shen led them over to the grounds of the ninth trial. Sheng Feilong had talked to Tang Wulin a bit after the eighth trial and, according to the latter, the Shrek Entrance Exam has a total of 10 trials. Sheng Feilong currently had 62 points, already passing the minimum score to be admitted into Shrek Academy''s Outer Court, while there were only two more trials. That means that Sheng Feilong will be unable to enter the Inner Court right after the exam, even if he aced the last two trials.

    Thus, Sheng Feilong was quite relaxed. Jian Wang seemed just as relaxed as him; he currently had 54 points and just needed to pass a single trial to obtain the minimum score to enter Shrek Academy''s Outer Court. Tang Wulin and his friends on the other hand were quite anxious and focused. Other then Tang Wulin, who had 60 points after the eighth trial, none of them were in the safe zone yet. It was especially dire for Gu Yue, who currently only had 48 points. She had to successfully pass both, the ninth and tenth trials, in order to pass the exam.

    Tang Wulin also told Sheng Feilong that Teacher Shen''s name is Shen Yi and that she''s a friend of their teacher. Apparently, their teacher had organized for Shen Yi to personally oversee their entrance exam and although Shen Yi seemed indifferent and cold on the outside, she''s actually a pretty nice person.

    Walking down the corridor, they soon entered the room where the ninth trial would be held. This room was different from the rest so far; The lighting was dim and the surroundings lacked the usual decorations, with only a single large screen hanging from the metal walls. Sheng Feilong and the others couldn''t help but feel a sense of familiarity seeing this. A moment later, it suddenly struck Sheng Feilong; This place seemed similar to the Spirit Ascension Platform!

    "Your goal for the ninth trial is to survive. I believe you''ve all been in the spirit ascension platform before. Well, this is similar to that. In a sense, all the soul beasts in it are real. If you kill one and are at a bottleneck, then you''ll even be able to gain a soul ring. Alright. Prepare to enter." Shen Yi pressed a button and several metal capsules slid out of the walls.

    Sheng Feilong seemed lost in thought for a moment before directing his gaze way from the metal capsules and onto Shen Yi.

    "Teacher Shen, will this be a team trial or will we take turns like in the eighth trial?" Shen Yi glanced at him again, a slight surprise showing in her eyes, although just for a second, and she stoically answered his question.

    "You''ll be taking this trial as a team. No matter how many participants there are, they will take the trial together. This isn''t just a test of your survival capabilities but also your ability to coordinate with other people. You may enter now. Good luck."

    Hearing this, Sheng Feilong slightly glanced at Tang Wulin and his friends. If this trial was survival, then he was absolutely confident in his and Jian Wang''s abilities, but he didn''t know about the others. Still, since they were a team, he''d naturally try his best to make sure everyone of them succeeded. Tang Wulin similarly glanced at Sheng Feilong and both saw the self-confidence in each others eyes and slightly smiled. This trial should be quite easy compared to the ones before! After that, they all split up and entered a capsule each.

    Unbeknownst to the six of them, two people entered the room after the capsules closed and the children entered the ninth trial. Among those two, one of them was someone Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang were most familiar with; it was the cranky old lady that failed Sheng Feilong at the fourth trial!

    By her side was an tall old man with head full of grey hair that went down to his shoulders. He had a high nose and deep-blue sunken eyes, that accented his unyielding and stifling aura. Upon seeing this man, Shen Yi quickly walked in fornt of him and lightly bowed. "Shen Yi greets teacher."

    The old man nodded, his eyes fixed on Tang Wulin in the big screen that hung in the room, as he courtly acknowledged Shen Yi''s bow with a nod. "How are those children faring?"

    Shen Yi took a moment to find the right answer, but in the end, she simply sighed and slightly shook her head. "They''re simply unbelievable. I don''t know much about the two that joined them before the 8th trial, but that big guy''s combat standards are even higher than Tang Wulin and the rests. The other one is just as impressive; he actually beat his opponent in less than 15 seconds and with a single kick to boot." Before the old man could answer, they could already hear the old lady''s sneer.

    "That''s right, they''re really unbelievable. I didn''t let them take the fifth trial, but that Tang Wulin actually already has 60 points; he got full marks on every trial so far! And that arrogant brat Sheng Feilong; You said he beat his opponent in less than 15 seconds? Hmpf, I guess he wasn''t just mindlessly boasting after all. Zhou Shi, let me be frank; I don''t care about the other five, but I''ve already set my eyes on that Gu Yue."

    The tall old man, Zhou Shi, shot her a mocking look. "What do you mean you''ve set your eyes on her? Don''t forget that they''re all my granddisciples. They don''t have anything to do with you. You can take the other two for all I care!"

    The two started bickering for a while longer, not paying Shen Yi or the already starting trial of sheng Feilong and the others any heed. After a while, Shen Yi decided to cut the two of them off with a question.

    "Teacher, what test level are they taking?"

    Zhou Shi looked at her expressionlessly and plainly answered as if stating the obvious, but his answer made Shen Yi pale slightly with a disbelieving look.

    "The highest level!"

    ---

    Inside the capsules, Sheng Feilong''s surroundings suddenly warped as he entered the trial grounds. It really was similar to the Spirit Ascension Platform; even the feeling was nearly identical, but that only made it easier for him to adept. When the warping stopped, the six children stood inside a lush forest and Sheng Feilong immediately spread out his Spirit Power to scout the surrounding. Just half a moment later, Bluesilver Grass slithered out from beneath Tang Wulin, probing the surroundings as well. None of them found any dangers and they quickly told their team members. Xie Xie was gleeful and started boasting how this trial would probably be the easiest for them yet.

    Sheng Feilong lightly frowned at Xie Xie''s lack of awareness and spoke up.

    "This isn''t quite the same as what you''re used to. The feeling is different from the elementary level of the Spirit Ascension Platform. If I had to take a guess, I''d say it''s similar to the intermediate level." Tang Wulin nodded gravely, agreeing to Sheng Feilong. "That right. I''ve been to the intermediate level once with Teacher Wu before, and the feeling is about the same. We have to be extremely careful. If this really is the same as intermediate level, the Soul Beasts here will be powerful and we might even meet a 10.000-year-old Soul Beast."

    The others expressions became grave after Tang Wulin''s words. Although all of them had fought 1.000-years-old Soul Beasts, a 10.000-years-old one was simply incomparably stronger and they would face certain death if they fought one. They decided on having Tang Wulin use his Bluesilver Grass to continue probing the surroundings while they hid in the bushes, two hours passed quickly passed by like that and nothing happened. A while later, Xie Xie suggested to go explore, but Tang Wulin stopped him, saying it would be safer to wait until dusk to allow Xu Xiaoyan to use her Spirit Soul to the best of its abilities. Another while later, when the sun had set, they went out to explore the region, when suddenly, a terrifying howl shattered the silence and flipped the forest upside down.

    Tang Wulin shuddered in terror, goosebumps breaking out all over his body, but a powerful energy suddenly flared up inside of him, dispelling the fear and shock. The others were affected even more badly than him, but Sheng Feilong''s pupils contracted immediately and his body shuddered involuntarily. He wasn''t terrified like Tang Wulin, but the same energy ¨C his bloodline''s essence ¨C flared up as well and excitement spread through him. He had heard that howl and felt that aura before; It was a Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s aura!

 53 Encounter With A Real Three-Eyed Golden Lion!

    Sheng Feilong, Tang Wulin and the others hid in the bushes again after the terrifying howl ravished through the forest. Slowly making their way in the direction of it''s source, they found themselves in front of an incredible scene. Within a steep mountain valley, two enormous Soul Beasts were fighting; A huge, Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear, a top-ranked Soul Beast amongst the ones on the same level, that had an incredibly profound, dark gold aura, and a similarly huge golden lion, with a more majestic, brightly shining golden aura. Moreover, both of their auras certainly didn''t belong to the class of 1.000-years-old Soul Beasts; They were bonafide 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts!

    Although Sheng Feilong never saw a Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear inside the Spirit Ascension Platform before, he had read about it and its trait. The Bear got its name from its huge, dark gold coloured right claw. Among Soul Beasts, a Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear had one of the most terrifying physical strengths and was said to be able to easily tear apart Soul Beasts of a higher level; A 10.000-years-old one like the one before them, would be able to kill normal 100.000-years-old Soul Beasts like it was nothing!

    Still, this wasn''t the truly incredible part; Sheng Feilong''s body stiffened, his eyes locked onto the golden lion while his thoughts were running wild. This was a real, living Three-Eyed Golden Lion of at least 10.000 years of age! Although it hadn''t opened its third eye yet, greatly limiting it''s true strength, it was already strong enough to fight toe to toe with the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear!

    Everyone was dazed for a while, before Xie Xie''s shaking voice could suddenly be heard. "I-I finally know where I saw this lion before...! This is an auspicious beast! The guardian beast of the forests that only appeared in legends thousands of years ago! It is said to bring fortune upon everything near it and everywhere it lived; it was called the Auspicious Emperor! This beast is even stronger than the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear! I didn''t recognize it before because its third eye hasn''t opened yet!"

    While they were talking, the fight between the beasts become more and more heated, causing stormy winds to brush past the children continuously. After a while, they couldn''t keep their eyes open anymore and had to take shelter from the violent collisions. Just when all of them hid away, the winds suddenly stopped, and the sounds of fighting sounded more and more distant. Looking out of their hiding spot, they saw the devastated valley, but no signs of the beasts could be seen, only faint howls in the distance were barely audible.

    Jian Wang looked doubtful and unconsciously muttered out loud.

    "Are they gone...?" and Sheng Feilong cautiously spread his Spirit Power out again before nodding and quietly speaking. "There''s no more soul Beasts near here; They''ve taken their fight elsewhere. Let''s quickly get out of here, it''d be way too dangerous if they came back."

    Tang Wulin nodded in agreement, but Xie Xie suddenly stopped them. "Wait. This region should belong to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. That mean''s it should have its lair somewhere around here, right? It''s known as a sign of good luck, so there has to be some treasures in its lair, right? Why don''t we check it out?"

    Gu Yue and Xu Xiayan looked at Tang Wulin, letting him decide the matter, while Jian Wang seemed excited, nearly instantly agreeing to Xie Xie. Sheng Feilong contemplated for a while, deciding to go with the flow and waiting for Tang Wulin''s decision. It didn''t take long for the latter to make this decision, though. A fiery light burned in his eyes and he instantly blurted out. "Let''s go, then!"

    The six of them made their way down the valley and searched for the lair. It took a few minutes, but they eventually found a cave big enough for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion to enter. Xie Xie and Sheng Feilong confirmed that it was the lair of the Golden Lion and the group quickly made their way into it''s depths. The cave was pitch black, but Sheng Feilong sneakily used his Mental Detection on Jian wang and himself, making them able to see. After a while, the found a huge pile of gemstones and Soul Treasure littering on the ground, brightly shining and causing all of their eyes to light up as well. Xie Xie stormed for the treasure while laughing out loud, but Sheng Feilong''s senses suddenly spiked with danger. "Xie Xie, dodge!"

    Despite being distracted by the treasure, Xie Xie still recognized the warning, quickly jumping back, only to see a dangerous, scaled claw shatter the ground where he just stood. He looked up and cold sweat drenched his back. Before him stood another Three-Eyed Golden Lion! There were actually two of them living here! Xie Xie sprung back and Tang Wulin and his friends quickly got into a battle formation with trained movements while staring at the golden Lion.

    In their hurry, no one noticed that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion before them was actually way smaller than the one they saw outside; it stood barely one and a half metres tall and its shoulders were just over 2 metres wide. Sheng Feilong''s eyes widened and he quickly informed the others while still being surprised himself. "A juvenile Three-Eyed Golden Lion?!"

    Tang Wuling and the others quickly came to a conclusion with just a few words and engaged the golden lion in battle, leaving Jian Wang and Sheng Feilong out to stay behind. Judging from how they fared against the Beast, it was most certainly only a 10-years-old Soul Beast, but still pressured them greatly. They managed to injure it and force it back, but failed to see the cold glint in its eyes due to their excitement. Sheng Feilong''s countenance changed and he quickly charged forward and activated his Spirit Soul.

    The Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes light up in their bright golden colour and three purple Soul Rings appeared behind Sheng Feilong''s back with the second and third one lighting up brightly. He jumped in front of the fray while sharing his Mental Detection, amplified by his third Soul Skill, with all of Tang Wulin''s team at the same time and attacked the Golden Lion with his Spirit Power, stunning it and causing its attack to stop.

    Tang Wulin and the others were perplexed by the sudden change of their perception and came to a halt as well; Sheng Feilong stopped the whole fight in an instant! The juvenile golden lion quickly snapped out of its stun and viciously stared at Sheng Feilong before stopping again and looking incredibly confused. Sheng Feilong smiled gently and spoke with his back facing Tang Wulin''s team.

    "All of you, leave now."

    The faces of everyone other than Jian Wang changed. The enhanced perception they obtained had vanished and they stared daggers at Sheng Feilong''s back. They couldn''t see his eyes or the symbol on his forehead from their perspective, but that didn''t stop them from understanding Sheng Feilong''s intention. Tang Wulin spoke to him in a low and cold tone with a clear frown and displeased glint in his eyes.

    "You want to hog the benefits all for yourself?!"

    Sheng Feilong didn''t respond to them and instead continued to look at the golden lion with a gently smile. The lion still seemed confused, but didn''t attack Sheng Feilong as it felt some kind of familiarity from him. Until now, Sheng Feilong wasn''t able to confirm whether his bloodline really came from a Three-Eyed Golden Lion, but this sense of familiarity was a clear proof! He continued to look at the golden lion for a while longer before turning back around to face Tang Wulin and the others, who''s gazes made sure he understood that they were prepared to eliminate him if needed.

    Still, seeing Sheng Feilong''s eyes, their hearts wavered. Those majestic and bright golden eyes with a red glint in his pupils and the strange symbol on his forehead gave them a sense of inferiority. Staring at him for a moment, they started to doubt if they could even beat Sheng Feilong 4 on 1! However, seeing him not take any action, Tang Wulin quickly calmed down and looked at Sheng Feilong vigilantly.

    "What is the meaning of this?"

    Sheng Feilong calmly looked at him, silently nodding in his head again; Tang Wulin''s actions and level-headedness really were praiseworthy! Sheng Feilong took a deep breath, calming his agitated heart and resolutely looked at them as well as Jian Wang who looked back at him questioningly.

    "We''re not going to hunt this Three-Eyed Golden Lion. I don''t care what you say, but I won''t let you attack it again."

    This time, Gu Yue coldly stared at Sheng Feilong, clearly displeased by his commanding tone. "And who do you think you are to stand in our way?" Sheng Feilong stared back at her, his Spirit Power surging, filling the whole room with a bloodthristy pressure, greatly startling everyone and causing Gu Yue, who bore the brunt of the pressure, to pale considerably. He then spoke with the same eerily calm voice again. "Someone strong enough to stand in your way. I''ve said it before; I won''t let you attack it. I don''t care if you clean out the gemstones or kill any other Soul Beast in the forest, but I won''t let you kill this Three-Eyed Golden Lion."

    Gu Yue wanted to refute him and a vicious glint flickered in her eyes, but before she could act, Tang Wulin stopped her and looked at Sheng Feilong again, with a solemn expression. "Fine. We won''t attack it. But you''re forbidden to take it for yourself as well." The pressure that Sheng Feilong radiated dispersed and he nodded at Tang Wulin. "Good. You don''t have to worry about your condition; I never intended to attack it." He then turned back around to look at the juvenile golden lion and gently spoke to it as he touched its snout with his hand.

    "Sorry to disturb you, big guy. We''ll leave now."

    He then turned around again, walking past Tang Wulin and the others while Jian Wang followed behind him. Surprisingly, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion also followed a few metres behind him, not minding Tang Wulin and his friends as it passed them to catch up to Sheng Feilong''s side. Tang Wulin and his friends looked at each other, before hurriedly following them out of the cave. When they neared the entrance, the six of them had regrouped and walked near each other while the golden lion walked besides them, when they suddenly heard terrifying growl and saw 2 golden and one red dot in front of them, blocking the exit.

    Everyone other than Sheng Feilong, who still had his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes activated, froze in fear. The adult, 10.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion had returned and it was clearly not happy to see them in its lair! Just when the pressure increased to the point where they couldn''t stand it anymore, the juvenile golden lion stepped forward and let out a few short howls, causing the adult golden lion to cease its actions and look at Sheng Feilong and the others cautiously. Sheng Feilong stepped forward and lightly bowed to the adult Three-Eyed Golden Lion in apology.

    The juvenile golden lion howled again, seemingly understanding Sheng Feilong''s gesture and looked at the adult golden lion, while the adult''s gaze travelled from Sheng Feilong over to Jian Wang, Tang Wulin and the others and a murderous light flickered in its eyes, terrifying the others even more than before. By now, they couldn''t keep their calm anymore and started violently shaking with pale faces, but other than intimidating them, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion eventually did nothing and took a few steps to the side, opening enough space for everyone to get out of the cave comfortably.

    Walking a few hundred meters away from the cave, they came to a stop and looked at each other in silence, their hearts still racing from fright. They could''ve died just now. They stood face-to-face with a 10.000-years-old, unimaginably powerful Soul Beast, but came out of it alive. After a while, Sheng Feilong, who was still eerily calm, lightly spoke up. "I think that''s enough adventure, exploring or survival for today. Should we leave?"

    Without even thinking about it, everyone nodded and quickly pressed the exiting mechanism to leave the simulated forest. The space around them warped again and the weird feeling pulled them out of there before it changed back to the inside of the capsule they entered from. Unhurriedly opening the lid of the capsule, Sheng Feilong was greeted with Shen Yi, as well as unfavourable old acquaintance and an unknown old man, who all looked like they had lost their souls when they looked at him, standing in front of the big computer screen, staring at him.

 54 Descendant Of A 100.000-Years-Old Soul Beas

    Sheng Feilong had crawled out of the ninth trial''s capsule and calmly stood in front of the three Elder''s with a nonchalant expression. Jian Wang, Tang Wulin and the others soon joined him upon seeing Shen Yi and the two, powerful old people. Meanwhile, the respectable Elders and Teacher of Shrek Academy were still staring at Sheng Feilong with incredulous expressions, not even bothering to hide their shock.

    Tang Wulin and the others, including Jian Wang, still didn''t quite realize what had happened to them inside the simulated forest. While they had followed Sheng Feilong out, their hearts were still beating rapidly, not calming down in the slightest. A few seconds after everyone had lined up, Sheng Feilong faked a few coughs, pulling Sheng Yi and the Elder''s out of their stupor.

    Shen Yi put her indifferent expression and didn''t really now what to say. It took her a moment longer before she started speaking.

    "I have been overseeing the entrance exams for many years now, but I still remember when I took mine. You might not know this, but you just took the hardest level of the ninth trial. The challenges presented to you were the most difficult that we had available. This trial tested your patience, your ability to survive, and most importantly, your moral character."

    Everyone showed a look of surprise of varying degrees and Shen Yi continued in an unhurried tone.

    "Your first test in this trial determined whether or not you had the patience to find the valley. The second test checked if you could recognize the power of the Three-eyed Golden Lion and the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear, both of which were of over 10.000-years-of age and way above anything your team could handle even if you fought to the death. To pass the third test, you needed to have the courage to enter the cave. This is the most important test of the three, and you needed to pass it in order to get any points."

    At that point, the old man interjected and continued with the explanation, his focus shifting between Sheng Feilong and Tang Wulin.

    "The fourth test was the encounter with the juvenile golden lion. Originally, you were supposed to fight it like you did in the beginning. Depending on your results, you would have gotten points for winning or you could have failed by losing to it. The most important test should have been acquiring the Soul Ring and Soul Bone after defeating it ¨C a test that made a lot of teams fall apart ¨C but what you did was completely different from that."

    He paused, still looking at Sheng Feilong, seemingly awaiting a reaction, however, Sheng Feilong remained silent. A few moments passed and Tang Wulin looked at the old man, confused.

    "Then, we were actually supposed to win the fight and give someone of our team the Soul Ring?"

    The old man glanced at Tang Wulin and answered in a monotonous voice.

    "Instead of fighting ¨C and later deciding whether to kill the lion cub to obtain the rewards or not ¨C you befriended it in a never before seen manner and actually calmly left the cave. Not only that, but you even survived an encounter with the adult lion, something that we never thought possible."

    Tang Wulin nodded in understanding. His mood brightened as he looked at Gu Yue and the others. Sheng Feilong''s interjection led to them surpassing Shrek Academy''s standards! How could they not be awarded full marks for this trial? It''s a shame they couldn''t obtain the Soul Ring or Soul Bone, but entering Shrek Academy was more important for now.

    Just as they were rejoicing, the old man spoke up again.

    "The Three-Eyed Golden Lion had only appeared once in the last 20.000 years. Even if Shrek Academy possesses many detailed records of it, it''s impossible for us to recreate two of them perfectly, muss less to the point where we could allow examinees to absorb their Soul Rings or Bones; They were illusions, nothing more. We were merely testing your moral character. Though surprising, it''s even better that you didn''t kill it as there was no immediate need to; Shrek Academy has never advocated mindless slaughter of Soul Beasts!"

    This time, everyone was stunned. Illusions? They made a huge simulated forest, copies of 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts, recreated a ground breaking fight between beast overlords and orchestrated for the examinees to fight a juvenile Three-Eyed Golden Lion just for the sake of testing their moral character? This... Isn''t this a bit too excessive?

    They glanced at Sheng Feilong, silently thanking him in their minds. Not only would they get full marks because of him, but he even saved them from losing some points. This was really a win-win situation for them!

    Before they could voice their opinions, the old lady, who had stayed silent for the whole time now, coldly stared at Sheng Feilong and spoke with a indifferent tone.

    "The ''Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes''. What are they? How were you able to trick the lion cub ¨C even the adult, 10.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion ¨C into not attacking you? Even if they''re illusions, they''re not something that a mere Soul Elder could deceive; Even Titled Douluo''s would be unable to do so without prior knowledge!"

    The old lady had cut to the crux of the matter, stunning everyone for a moment before they all turned around to look at Sheng Feilong once more. Only now did they notice that his face was ghastly pale, his body lightly heaving up and down from exhaustion and his eyes, while still radiating the same confidence and determination as before, were sunken and heavy.

    Sheng Feilong looked at the old lady, still as eerily calm as ever, and spoke with indifference, not even trying to hide his contempt for the old lady.

    "According to what Teacher Shen and the Senior next to you said, all of us should have passed the test on our moral characters already, so who are you to still question me? And since when did Shrek Academy pry into the personal matters of their examinees?"

    Tang Wulin''s and the others'' eyes widened. Even the indifferent Gu Yue couldn''t help but throw Sheng Feilong a respecting glance. They knew who this old lady was. Not only was she an Elder of Shrek Academy, but she was also a Titled Douluo as well! She was the Silver Moon Douluo, Cai Yue''er.

    Six years ago, she had a reputation throughout the continent as a heaven-shaking eccentric, yielding to no one and always doing as she pleased. Her common rampages had flipped the entire Soul Master''s world upside down. Peace only returned to the continent when Shrek Academy dispatched people to retrieve her. After which she disappeared from the public''s eyes only to become known as a teacher at Shrek Academy afterwards! If, back then, someone dared to speak to her like Sheng Feilong did just now, they would most certainly have their heads cut off!

    The old man''s eyes widened, while Shen Yi silently cursed Sheng Feilong in her mind while cold sweat covered her back as Cai Yue''er''s face darkened and the pressure she radiated slowly increased. She looked at Sheng Feilong in anger for a while, before the anger was suddenly replaced with a smile.

    "Good, I really didn''t judge you incorrectly before, little boy."

    Just as they were about to question her words, her smile abruptly turned cold and her eyes fierce.

    "You really are an insolent and arrogant little bastard, who doesn''t understand the ways of the world at all and thinks of himself as someone special. You want to know who I am? Fine, I''ll tell you. My name is Cai Yue''er and my title is Silver Moon. I am the headmaster of Shrek Academy''s outer court and an Elder of the Sea God''s Pavilion. Now tell me, do you think I have the qualifications to question the cheating methods you used in this trial?!"

    Sheng Feilong looked surprised and even shocked at the revelation, that this old lady was Titled Douluo as well as a member of Shrek Academy''s top echelon! The shock quickly vanished when he heard her last question and his face turned into a disdaining sneer.

    "That''s the imposing and awe-inspiring behaviour of a Titled Douluo? At our first meeting, you insult me and my Master, detain my demeanor as unbased arrogance and failed me without giving me a fair chance. Now you suddenly accuse me of cheating in the ninth trial, while saying that even Titled Douluo''s would be unable to do so. Fine, let me tell you how I was ''cheating'' and ''deceiving'' the Three-Eyed Golden Lions: I am the descendant of a 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion. And I have integrated with an Artificial Soul Bone made from the true Soul Bone of another 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion, that mutated, evolved and led my Spirit Eyes to undergo their Second Awakening; That''s what my Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes are. My way of ''cheating'' was using my bloodline connection to lead the golden lions to not attack me!"

    Sheng Feilong''s sudden outburst had silenced anyone in the room. The descendant of a 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion? A Soul Beast even more powerful than the Auspicious Emperor, who was only a 10.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion? And a Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Soul Bone? Even Cai Yue''er was completely silenced, unable to comprehend the bomb that Sheng Feilong just dropped.

    Only after a long silence was everyone awakened by the slow clapping sound that came from the entrance of the room. They turned their heads around and saw two people walk into the room; an old man and a young man. Sheng Feilong knew the old man; it was Elder Li who gave him the Hundred Herbs Liquid. However, he had never seen the young man besides Elder Li. The young man was clad in white robes and had long, black hair, loosely hanging down his shoulders. He was slowly clapping his hands with a gentle smile on his lips.

    Cai Yue''er and the old man, that had arrived with her, were stunned to see Elder Li and the young man and stared at them with complicated expressions, while Shen Yi stood by their side, stupefied and staring at the young man with an indescribable expression, as she slowly muttered.

    "Elder Li and... Pavilion Master...?"

 55 Entering Shrek Academy

    Elder Li, who had just arrived, stood together with Elder Cai and the old, grey haired man, who Shen Yi had called Elder Zhou before. All three of them stood in a line with their hands behind their backs, respectfully letting the young man, that Elder Li brought with him, stand half a step in front of them. Meanwhile, Shen Yi nervously stood by the side, just a step behind Elder Zhou.

    Sheng Feilong fixedly looked at the young man. He didn''t give off any aura, but Sheng Feilong''s senses told him that this person was incredibly powerful. Moreover, there was the fact that that stubborn old lady was respectfully standing by the side of this young man, not daring to say anything!

    ''Just who in the world is he? Aren''t they Elders of Shrek Academy''s Sea God''s Pavilion? Why are they all standing behind him?''

    Because she was speaking in such a quiet voice, Sheng Feilong didn''t hear Shen Yi addressing the young man as ''Pavilion Master'' before and thus could only make his own speculations. Tang Wulin and the others didn''t fare any better. None of them knew who the young man was, but they still stared at him in wonder.

    A few moments passed before Elder Li lightly coughed and took a step forward. He looked at the confused children and casually introduced the young man to them, as the latter himself just kept staring at them while occasionally nodding his head with a satisfied expression.

    "Let me introduce you to him. This is Shrek Academy''s Sea God''s Pavilion''s Master, the Atlas Douluo Yun Ming. I brought him here today because he insisted on personally meeting the ones who... destroyed the Gold-Eyed Black Dragon King mural all of you faced in the first trial."

    All of the children were shocked when Elder Li called the young man ''Pavilion Master''. The Sea God''s Pavilion''s Master was the person of the highest authority in Shrek Academy. Even more shocking than his position was the young man himself! Atlas Douluo? Just how old was this person?! He barely looked a day older than 20! What kind of concept was a 20 years old Titled Douluo, who stood at the peak of Shrek Academy?!

    Sheng Feilong and the others stared at Yun Ming with open mouths, while Elder Cai and Elder Zhou seemed just as surprised, though for another reason. Elder Zhou looked at Elder Li with a frown and spoke in an irritated tone.

    "Old Li, what do you mean ''destroyed the Gold-Eyed Black Dragon King mural''? Don''t tell me those brats used some Soul Weapons?"

    Elder Li wryly smiled and spoke with a lamenting expression.

    "Sheng Feilong resisted the pressure with his Spirit Power alone, causing the mural to release more and more pressure. After a while, his bloodline energy activated, stubbornly resisting the pressure. The Dragon King''s blood inside the mural reacted to that bloodline energy and began rampaging around and recklessly attacking Sheng Feilong. It was a grand sight, but extremely dangerous and we had to stop the test, but the blood hadn''t calmed down yet."

    Elder Zhou''s eyes widened as his gaze switched between Sheng Feilong and Elder Li repeatedly, before eventually coming to a stop on Sheng Feilong''s body. He hesitated a moment before mumbling to himself.

    "So that talk about a 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion... was true... His bloodline essence is strong enough to trigger the Black Dragon King''s blood..?"

    Elder Li sighed seeing his old friend like that. He slightly shook his head before lightly coughing again and continued to speak.

    "Later today, the pressure the mural radiated increased because of the agitation, causing the trial to become much harder... I actually had to adjust the threshold for passing the test a few times because of this. Tang Wulin and his group were the last to take the test. I didn''t think much of it and just hoped the mural would stay stable. However, I didn''t expect to see another little monster enduring the mural''s pressure with just their aura alone. He eventually managed to trigger the Dragon King''s blood as well, but his aura was even more dense than Sheng Feilong''s and he still stood tall. Eventually, the Dragon King''s blood ignited itself as a last ditch effort, and finally got that boy to kneel, ha, ha!"

    Zhou Shi, didn''t listen to Elder Li too much at the beginning as he continued to stare at Sheng Feilong, but as the latter continued to talk, Zhou Shi''s face started to change and he looked at Tang Wulin. Now, at the end of Elder Li''s explanation, Zhou Shi was left with his mouth slightly open, his gaze alternating between Sheng Feilong and Tang Wulin.

    "They really are little monsters... Ah! Right..."

    Zhou Shi glanced at Elder Cai and Pavilion Master Yun before taking a few steps forward to Sheng Feilong. He cleared his throat and began to speak in an imposing manner, befitting of a powerful Elder like himself.

    "Sheng Feilong, your talent and strength are truly praiseworthy. I have seen the results of your prior trials, and after hearing Elder Li, I assume the deficits in your physical strength are a result of overusing your bloodline energy in the first trial, am I correct?"

    Faced with Zhou Shi''s sudden turn of attitude, Sheng Feilong flinched slightly and nodded reflexively at the question. The first trial had indeed overdrawn his body''s and bloodline''s strength. Zhou Shi acknowledged his answer with a grunt before he continued.

    "Seeing you results, as well as your potent bloodline energy and your moral character of showing concern for those around you ¨C may they be beast or human ¨C I think you are fit to become a student of Shrek Academy."

    Before the others could say anything to Sheng Feilong, Yun Ming sighed and shook his head lightly while looking at Zhou Shi.

    "There''s one, more important topic we need to address before the examination continues."

    He paused for a moment before looking at everyone with a solemn expression.

    "The matter of Sheng Feilong being the descendant of a Soul Beast will remain secret. No one outside of this room is to be informed of this. Am I understood?"

    The imposing aura of Shrek Academy''s Sea God''s Pavilion''s Master caused all of them to straighten their backs as they acknowledged his words in unison. Sheng Feilong told them that, other than them, only his father and master knew about this matter. Yun Ming then spoke to the children again.

    "Your ninth trial has officially finished. All of you chose not to kill the juvenile lion and have shown to stay true to your decisions. Your moral characters are excellent. For this trial, all of you obtain full marks." He then looked back at Cai Yue''er and the other two Elders and told them to continue with the tenth and final trial before he left.

    The children were confused and Shen Yi quickly explained to them, that the tenth trial was an evaluation of their performances and the three Elders, namely Elder Cai, Elder Zhou and Elder Li, would give them a comprehensive score, that would be added to their total.

    Elder Zhou started with Tang Wulin, followed by Xie Xie and Xue Xiaoyan; All three of them passed, with Tang Wulin even getting full marks! Next, Elder Cai called for Gu Yue. Elder Cai gave her a harsh review and only a single point for the tenth trial, gaining her a grand total of 59. Gu Yue was the only one out of their group of four who didn''t pass the examination.

    Tang Wulin couldn''t stand the decision and questioned the fairness of Shrek Academy, earning him more harsh comments from Elder Cai. Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang frowned, but decided to stay silent, as Elder Zhou and Elder Li didn''t refute Elder Cai, as well. Following this, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan renounced their admittance to Shrek Academy, before Xu Xiaoyan used a few clever words to get Zhou Shi to help them out.

    Apparently Zhou Shi was their Grandteacher ¨C the teacher of their teacher ¨C and Xu Xiaoyan used that connection to get him to give Gu Yue more points. In the end, Elder Cai gave in and all of them were accepted into Shrek Academy. Next up was Jian Wang. This time, Zhou Shi was the one to give him the evaluation again and after a bit of praise, Jian Wang earned another 8 points, for a grand total of 70 points!

    Last but not least, it was finally Sheng Feilong''s turn! Elder Li called for him to step forward and gave him his evaluation. He said nearly the same words as Zhou Shi when he asked Sheng Feilong to become his disciple before and gave him full marks for the tenth trial; He now finished the entrance exam with a grand total of 82 points!

    Elder Cai said nothing, but her facial expression clearly showed her displeasure. This didn''t escape Sheng Feilong''s eyes and he committed her behaviour to his memory; Not only had she tried to fail Gu Yue, nearly causing 3 other students to leave the academy, she also failed him in the fourth trial and seemingly tried the same in this tenth trial again! While Sheng Feilong thought about this, he saw Elder Li nudge Elder Cai lightly and the latter stepped forward

    "Sheng Feilong, your score for the fourth trial will be revised. As the Elder overseeing that trial, I will change your score from 0 to 3. With this, the sum of your total score is 85; You are eligible to enter Shrek Academy''s Inner Court."

    After this, Elder Cai and the others left, leaving behind the happy children, a stunned Sheng Feilong and a calm Shen Yi. They congratulated each other for a while, before Shen Yi led the six of them out. All of them were quite tired as today really was a long day. They informed their parents that they''d stay at Shrek Academy tonight and Shen Yi showed them their new homes; The student''s dormitory for Jian Wang, the Working Student''s dormitory for Tang Wulin and the others and lastly, she led Sheng Feilong to the Inner Court''s dormitory, before turning around to face him with a light smile.

    "Welcome to Shrek Academy''s Inner Court, Junior Brother!"

 56 Life At Shrek Academy And Unexpected Changes

    After Shen Yi had dropped him off, Sheng Feilong registered with the staff responsible for the student''s dormitory and quickly arrived at his room. As this was the Inner Court, the student''s accommodation was quite luxurious; Every student had their own single room prepared for them. While it wasn''t the biggest room and just sparsely decorated, there was easily enough space to fit all of Sheng Feilong''s stuff in, so he didn''t have any reason to complain.

    Sheng Feilong briefly unpacked the most necessary things before preparing to go to sleep. The night passed quietly and the next morning came quickly. Sheng Feilong woke up early and made his way to the Inner Court''s dining hall; He was quite hungry as he hadn''t eaten the night before. Luckily, Shen Yi had left him with a few instruction on how to find some commonly visited or important places in the Inner Court.

    It was quite silent in the Inner Court as it was still early in the morning. Still, a few students were already busying themselves with all kinds of stuff. Sheng Feilong continued to stroll over the campus, slowly making his way to the dining hall. Upon entering the spacious hall, Sheng Feilong was greeted with the smell of different foods. After looking through a few of the dishes, he settled on a decent breakfast consisting of some stew made from various, cheap but nutritious Soul Treasures and a side of bread.

    While Sheng Feilong continued eating his meal, the dining hall became more and more bustling as the students made their way there. Casually swiping his gaze around them, Sheng Feilong noticed that most of them were quite a lot older than he was; Most of them looking around age 20 or above. Still, a few of them looked around his age. No one really bothered with him and just assumed him to be a new student, though a few of them gave him a friendly nod.

    A while later, Sheng Feilong returned his plate to the staff and went towards the exit. Just as he wanted to walk out of the door, he crashed into another student; A big and surprisingly round fellow, that reminded Sheng Feilong of Jian Wang, minus the strong chest and arm muscles. The fellow really was a wall of flesh and even his face looked swollen.

    "Ah, I''m sorry! Are you okay?", the person spoke out while Sheng Feilong stumbled a few steps backwards. Sheng Feilong looked up and saw the students concerned expression; it seems like it really was just an accident. Sheng Feilong lightly smiled at him and nodded. "Don''t worry, Senior Brother. I''m also sorry, I should have watched where I went."

    The student looked down on Sheng Feilong and stretched out his hand.

    "I haven''t seen you before. I''m Xu Lizhi, nice to meet you! Are you a new student?" Sheng Feilong grabbed his hand and shook it while introducing himself.

    "Nice to meet you, too. I''m Sheng Feilong and indeed a new student. I''ve just enrolled yesterday."

    Just as Xu Lizhi wanted to talk to Sheng Feilong again, a annoyed and slightly cold voice sounded out from behind him.

    "Fatty, will you move yourself or do I have to make you move?" Xu Lizhi froze for a second beforewalking past Sheng Feilong to free the doorway and from behind him, a beautiful young lady stepped out. She stood about 160cm tall with a slender figure and long legs, but her gaze was just as cold as her voice from before. Xu Lizhi turned around to her and spoke in a flattering voice. "Sister Xinglan, you don''t need to call me fatty every time! You know that it''s because I''d eaten something weird the day before yesterday!"

    She didn''t seem to pay much mind to Xu Lizhi and just walked past him, slightly gazing and nodding at Sheng Feilong, which he quickly returned the same way. Sheng Feilong then questioningly looked at Xu Lizhi, wordlessly asking who this ''Sister Xinglan'' was. Xu Lizhi smiled at him and spoke lightly.

    "Her name is Ye Xinglan. Just like me, she''s a member of the Inner Court''s Prodigy Class, that is, the class for everyone who has yet to become a Battle Armour Master."

    Sheng Feilong looked a bit surprised. Not because of Ye Xinglan, but because he hadn''t heard about the Inner Court''s Prodigy Class, yet. While he thought that, he looked at Xu Lizhi with a smile.

    "Then I guess I''ll join you in class soon. I also have yet to become a Battle Armour Master."

    Xu Lizhi just shrugged at Sheng Feilong''s statement.

    "Since you only enrolled yesterday, I assume a teacher will tell you about all this stuff later." Just after he finished, his belly gave off a loud growling sound, causing Sheng Feilong to become startled while Xu Lizhi just laughed as he walked off and waved at Sheng Feilong. "Anyways, I have to eat now before I starve! See you, Sheng Feilong!"

    Seeing him leave, Sheng Feilong awkwardly waved his hand a few times before finally leaving the dining hall. He continued to stroll around the Inner Court for a little while longer before he made his way to the teacher''s office building and asking around to find the one responsible for him. It took a while, but Sheng Feilong eventually met his future homeroom teacher.

    He would join classes tomorrow and officially be a member of the Inner Court. Just like Xu Lizhi said, Sheng Feilong will join the so called Prodigy Class, which is reserved for members of the Inner Court, who have yet to complete their One-Word Battle Armour. The people who attended this class were mostly like Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan; prodigies that Shrek Academy had scouted, ofte even before the children entered their Intermediate Academies. Cases like Sheng Feilong''s where the students joined the Prodigy Class after going through the entrance exam were actually quite rare.

    Sheng Feilong took the rest of the day to visit his father in Shrek City, as the latter would leave the next day with JianWushuang, and returned to Shrek Academy in the evening. He strolled through the Inner Court a while longer before returning to his room. It was already late, but Sheng Feilong had a bit trouble sleeping as he was thinking about what would happen from now on.

    The next day, the teacher took Sheng Feilong to the class and introduced him to the students. Although the teachers were strict and demanded quite a lot from the students, Sheng Feilong was comfortable in the class, mostly because of the class''s size; Other than Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan, which he already knew, there were just 6 other students, including Sheng Feilong.

    Sheng Feilong quickly got used to the atmosphere of the Inner Court; Everyone was focused on cultivation or studying their second professions, while occasionally goofing around, mostly on their day off, though. He became friends with Xu Lizhi and the latter more or less forced him to get along with Ye Xinglan as well. Sheng Feilong didn''t really mind, though; Although Ye Xinglan had a stoic and slightly cold personality, she was quite easy to read and not really a bad person.

    After class, Sheng Feilong decided to head for the Academy''s Technique Pavilion. It was a unique structure within Shrek Academy where students could exchange contribution points for various cultivation or fighting techniques. As an Inner Court student, Sheng Feilong had free access to the techniques on the first two floors, while he would have to pay exorbitant prices for techniques on the third floor and above.

    He spent the afternoon skimming though a lot of techniques and finally found one that he thought would suit him on the second floor; A dual-sword technique that required precision and a high amount of control over ones body. It was a technique suited for Agility Type Soul Master and Sheng Feilong chose it since the requirements for actual speed were pretty low. On the other hand, with his high Spirit Power and control over his body as well as his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes supporting his precision, he was sure he''ll be able to master this technique very well!

    A few days after, Sheng Feilong asked Ye Xinglan to accompany him to Shrek Academy''s Maker''s Association as she was a mecha Maker as well. Sheng Feilong was surprised to find a familiar face at the association; Elder Li from the entrance exam. Apparently, he was the leader of the Designer''s Association, which cooperated with the Maker''s quite often and he would frequently be there as he liked being around the students.

    After going there with Ye Xinglan for the first time, Sheng Feilong would often spend his time at the Maker''s Association. Pretty much every free minute he didn''t spend in class, cultivating alone or sleeping, he would spend there. A few of the higher ranked Mecha Makers were fond of him because of his high talent and diligent nature, causing Sheng Feilong to constantly learn new things; mostly about Battle Armours. Although Sheng Feilong was already a rank 5 Mecha Maker, he mostly focused on Mechas instead of Battle Armours, so he was even more eager to learn from his seniors after one of the elders boasted in front of him and showed of his 3-star battle Armour.

    A Soul Master possessing a 3-Star Battle Armour was a big shot wherever they went, no questions asked. The Elder who showed his off in front of Sheng Feilong was actually the Vice-Chairman of the Shrek Academy''s Maker''s Association. Sheng Feilong was instantly hooked on Battle Armours after he witnessed the glory of a 3-star specimen, and he absorbed his various senior''s knowledge like a dried up sponge.

    During the following month, the Inner Court became more tense than before, though. The teachers became stricter and seemed a bit more stressed, while quite a lot of changes were made throughout the campus. Rumour started circulating that the Inner Court would be reformed soon, dismissing the Prodigy Class and only allowing full fledged Battle Armour Master''s to become Inner Court disciples.

    About a week after the rumours started, they were proven to be true! The Prodigy Class would be disbanded and the 8 of them would be distributed among the 3 Outer Court classes according to their ages. They would still be allowed to enter the Associations as they pleased as the ones for the Outer and Inner Court were the same.

    The very next day, Sheng Feilong, Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan were lead to the Outer Court by one of their teachers. Sheng Feilong was surprised to see Shen Yi there, and even more so when he heard that she would be his new homeroom teacher. The surprises didn''t stop there, though. Inside the Outer Court Class 1, his new class, he saw quite a lot of familiar faces; Tang Wulin and his group of friends, as well as his good brother, Jian Wang, were there!

    Everyone focused on the three new students as Shen Yi briefly introduced them, not mentioning their former status as Inner Court students, though.

    "Three new students will be joining our class today. This next to me is Ye Xinglan, an Assault Type Soul Master. Next to her is Xu Lizhi, a Food Type Soul Master. And lastly, on the right, is Sheng Feilong, a Control Type Soul Master. Give them a warm round of welcome."

 57 Teams To Compete With The Second Grade?

    After the brief introduction, Shen Yi looked at Sheng Feilong, Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi and spoke in her usual, professionally cold voice.

    "Since the three of you transferred in late, you can take the empty seats in the back. We''re preparing for our match against the second grade right now. You''re free to join a team as well. I hope you''ll be able to fit in quickly."

    Just before they walked to their seats, Sheng Feilong noticed Tang Wulin looking at Ye Xinglan with sparkling eyes. He couldn''t help but frown lightly while contemplating the situation in his head.

    ''First he played the weak little junior in front of that girl in the entrance exam before kicking her out in a single move, and now he''s set his eyes on Ye Xinglan? This guy really is a lecherous fellow... Not that he''ll be able to take advantage of Ye Xinglan, though; she''ll probably beat him up if he tries anything funny.''

    After that, Sheng Feilong took his seat, choosing one near Jian Wang and an unknown, big fellow with brown hair and bulging muscles. He looked similar to a bear, but seeing that Jian Wang got along with him just fine, he''ll probably be a good guy. Tang Wulin approached Xu Lizhi while a tall and handsome male went over to Ye Xinglan, only to be completely ignored by her, and Jian Wang and the bear-like fellow came over to Sheng Feilong''s desk.

    Sheng Feilong smiled brightly at Jian Wang when the latter stood before him, casually coughing out a greeting.

    "Long time no see, old friend. You get along with the others quite well?" At the second part, he was glancing at the bear-like fellow with a friendly gaze. Jian Wang shook his head after the strange greeting and replied in an upbeat voice.

    "Yeah, yeah, long time no see. Let me introduce you; This is Yang Nianxia. He''s a blacksmith, just like me, and really talented. We became friends after a mock battle. Brother Nianxia, this is my ''friend of old times'', Sheng Feilong."

    Sheng Feilong chuckled at the ''friend of old times'' part while extending his hand to Yang Nianxia with a smile.

    "Nice to meet you." They shook hands with Yang Nianxia returning the greeting. After that, they talked a bit about what they did in the last month and Sheng Feilong made sure not to mention that he came from the Inner Court. Jian Wang noticed that and tactfully let that detail slip.

    Some time later, Sheng Feilong saw Tang Wulin walk up to Ye Xinglan. She didn''t ignore him but instead instantly asked where Tang Wulin took Xu Lizhi a few days ago; On their last day off, Xu Lizhi mentioned that he''ll be busy with some stuff and later told them that he''d been out with Tang Wulin and his friends. Sheng Feilong didn''t know they knew each other, but apparently they met a few years ago when Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan were sent to some event to represent Shrek''s younger generation.

    Tang Wulin and Ye Xinglan got into an argument for a few seconds before Gu Yue and Xu Lizhi stepped in. tang Wulin then asked her to join their group for the upcoming competition, luring her with the promise of being able to fight strong opponents. Ye Xinglan agreed nearly instantly, causing Sheng Feilong to sigh; This girl really was a battle addict!

    "The class president sure is confident, huh?" someone interjected from the side. Sheng Feilong turned to see a young woman looking at Tang Wulin dismissively. She was quite good looking, even compared to Xu Xiaoyan and Ye Xinglan who stood near her, but her face was full of arrogance. She and Tang Wulin started their own little war of words, causing Sheng Feilong to frown. Not only was this girl arrogant to the limit, she also tried to manipulate the rest of the class into antagonizing Tang Wulin and his friends.

    Sheng Feilong turned to Yang Nianxia and Jian Wang and asked in a low voice.

    "Who is that arrogant girl? And why is she so against Tang Wulin that she''s even trying to manipulate the rest of the class?"

    Unbeknownst to Sheng Feilong, who still had his eyes fixd on the war that was going on in the classroom, Yang Nianxia frowned at his words, clearly displeased. Jian Wang answered Sheng Feilong with an more or less indifferent expression in a similarly low voice.

    "She''s Zheng Yiran, one of the strongest in the class. She doesn''t like Tang Wulin because his team defeated her when we were having mock battles to decide who would become the class president. She''s so arrogant because she''s on the Genius Youth Ranking and from a famous family."

    Sheng Feilong frowned even more. He didn''t know what the Genius Youth Ranking was, but just the fact that this Zheng Yiran was flaunting with her clan''s name was already enough for him to dislike her. Moreover, she''s not only an arrogant princess, but also unforgiving after she was defeated.

    After a bit more banter, Zheng Yiran left, grouping up with the handsome man, that was ignored by Ye Xinglan before, as well as two others before they walked over to Sheng Feilong''s desk; Or more precisely, to Yang Nianxia and Jian Wang. The handsome man introduced himself as Luo Guixing and it seemed like he was the leader of their group. The others introduced themselves as well, though one of them seemed quite cold and didn''t say much more than her name. They talked a while with Sheng Feilong with Luo Guixing taking the lead of the conversation.

    Apparently, Jian Wang was a part of their team, as he was about as strong as Yang Nianxia, and everyone accepted him without much quarrel. The other five people were all rankers on the Genius Youth Ranking and all of them were incredibly proud of this. While this pride wasn''t anything bad, they all seemed to look down on Sheng Feilong and Jian Wang, who weren''t ranked on the list, even though Zhen Yiran was the only one to show it openly.

    The topic of the competition against the second grade of the Outer Court came up again and Jian Wang suggested to add Sheng Feilong to their team to make it a full seven man group. Luo Guixing thought about it for a moment before nodding with a friendly smile. Since Jian Wang talked about Sheng Feilong and his strength quite enthusiastically, he should be quite strong. Everyone trusted their leaders judgement although they didn''t think too much of Sheng Feilong. Only Zheng Yiran had to throw her weight around again.

    "Since you''re Jian Wang''s friend, you should barely be decent enough to join our team. You''re a Control Type Soul Master, right? Then you should just assist Luo Guixing."

    Sheng Feilong frowned at her attitude and Jian Wang seemed conflicted. He quickly looked at Sheng Feilong with a apologetic expression.

    "Feilong, you should try to get to know Brother Luo. He''s really a powerful Control Type Soul Master. If you were to support him, no one could possibly get out of your control!"

    Sheng Feilong understood that Jian Wang''s words were mostly meant to praise him and not Luo Guixing, but the smug look on Luo Guixing''s face paired with the well hidden arrogance and feeling of superiority in his eyes bothered Sheng Feilong.

    Sheng Feilong smiled dryly and spoke to Luo Guixing in a eerily calm and uninterested tone.

    "So you''re pretty powerful? As a Control Type Soul Master, I assume you focus on your Spirit Power? How high is it?"

    Luo Guixing frowned lightly, clearly bothered by Sheng Feilong''s indifferent attitude and the arrogance in his words. His smile vanished and he looked at Sheng Feilong with a dismissive expression.

    "Pretty high. You don''t have to worry about it. I certainly won''t ''hold you back''. As for the precise number, who cares, right?"

    Sheng Feilong continued to look at him and then nodded, causing the smug look to reappear on Luo Guixing''s face. But a second later his face paled as he looked at Sheng Feilong''s eyes. They were still the same pale golden colour as before, but the spiritual pressure he radiated spiked instantly. Luo Guixing wasn''t able to turn his head away and could only try to block Sheng Feilong''s attack.

    Sheng Feilong first tried a direct Spiritual Attack with a strength of about 1.000 points of Spirit Power and Luo Guixing took it quite well, causing Sheng Feilong to be surprised. A mischieveous smile appeared on his lips for a second and he instantly had the pressure spike to the equivalent of 3.000 Spirit Power, causing Luo Guixing''s pupils to constrict as he groaned miserably and take a step back before he fell down to one knee with a loud thud.

    His teammembers were naturally the first ones to notice Luo Guixing predicament and stared daggers at Sheng Feilong, who then elevated the pressure on Luo Guixing with a shrug of his shoulders. By now, the whole class was looking at them in shock, but Sheng Feilong didn''t mind them, stood up and turned to Jian Wang.

    "Sorry, Brother Wang, but I don''t think this team is right for me. I wish you guys the best of luck, though!"

    After saying that, he didn''t wait for an answer but instead chose to walk over to Xu Lizhi, Ye Xinglan and Tang Wulin''s group under the watchful eyes of the whole class. He stood next to Xu Lizhi and nodded at the latter with a friendly smile before turning to Tang Wulin with the same smile.

    "Class President, sorry for the sudden question, but do you have space for one more member?"

    (A/N: Before you guys assume the worst again: No, Sheng Feilong will NOT become Tang Wulin''s sidekick! They will group up for this whole class battle thingy before the plot changes, don''t worry.)

 58 Battle Armour Forging Team

    Hey there, Yozuka here!

    God, I hope this chapter goes live with the auto release...

    Anyways, this is the very last chapter. For this year.

    There will be no chapter tomorrow as I''m currently at a friends house for New Year''s Eve and hadn''t had the time to write it up ''til now.

    I''ll make a double release the day after that!

    Anyways, I wish all of you a happy New Year!

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Tang Wulin was caught off guard by Sheng Feilong and didn''t say anything. Instead, Xu Lizhi put his arm around Sheng Feilong''s shoulders with a big smile as he spoke to Tang Wulin.

    "Wulin, we really need to take this guy with us! Even among our old class, he was strong enough to defeat a few of the older students."

    Tang Wulin''s eyes widened. He had faced Sheng Feilong in the entrance examination before and had felt that suppressive power of the latter Spirit Soul, but to think he''d be able to beat older students from the Inner Court was incredible news for him. He stealthily glanced at Ye Xinglan, who just slightly nodded her head, obviously backing Xu Lizhi''s claim, before his eyes went over to Luo Guixing who, although standing on hiw feet again, was still panting heavily from the earlier encounter with Sheng Feilong.

    Tang Wulin''s thoughts went wild for a few seconds before he stretched out his hand with a bright smile, ultimately agreeing to have Sheng Feilong join their team. The other members also didn''t have anything against the decision. They also knew Sheng Feilong as well as the secret of him being the descendant of a Soul Beast and saw how easily he dealt with Luo Guixing and happily accepted him.

    On the other side of the classroom, Jian Wang was put in an embarrassing position. Just now, he had asked Luo Guixing and the others to let Sheng Feilong join before the latter marched off to join their ''enemies''. Before he could say anything, Luo Guixing had regained his composure and spoke to the whole team with a serious expression.

    "This guy is dangerous... I didn''t mind Tang Wulin''s team before, but now that they have Gu Yue and this Sheng Feilong, it''s become a bit troublesome. There''s also Ye Xinglan. I don''t quite get it, but this girl also isn''t normal. Jian Wang, what do you know of Sheng Feilong? Tell us everything."

    Jian Wang smiled wryly before giving them some basic information about Sheng Feilong''s ''Spirit Eyes'', his illusion-based control abilities and combat experience. Luo Guixing''s expression became more grave with every new piece of information as he had to admit that Sheng Feilong was superior to him in every regard ¨C apart from looks and demeanor, of course.

    Everyone in class continued to make their groups and talk amongst themselves before Tang Wulin made his way to the front of the class. He asked everyone to hand in the lists consisting of their team''s information so that he could give it to the teachers. Luo Guixing was the first to swagger to the front with the list in hand. He gave Sheng Feilong a death stare, which the latter indifferently ignored, before handing Tang Wulin the list with a fake smile.

    "Class President, here''s the list with my group of 6."

    As both of them had their hands of the list, their eyes met and a explosive aura surged out from them; not Soul Power, but fighting spirit! Sheng Feilong decided to ask his new team members what happened between those two later while he wore an amused expression. Still, a bit of fighting spirit came off of him, too, when he looked at Jian Wang who sat among Luo Guixing''s group. Their eyes met as well and both faintly smiled.

    Bit by bit, everyone handed in their team compositions, leading to over 20 teams in total. Unlike the Inner Court''s Prodigy Class, The Outer Court''s class 1 had over 100 students; 102 to be precise, though most notably were the Class President, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue as well as Luo Guixing and the other rankers of the Genius Youth Ranking. Still, everyone else also passed Shrek Academy''s entrance exam and naturally couldn''t be looked down upon.

    After all teams were made, Tang Wulin allowed everyone to leave, while asking Sheng Feilong and the rest to wait for him while he handed the documents over to the teacher''s office. When he came back, everyone made their way to the Blacksmith''s Association. Tang Wulin actually had a private workshop there, surprising Sheng Feilong and the other former Inner Court students. He shut the door, isolating them from the outside before slightly bowing to everyone.

    "I''m sorry. I''ve dragged you into this mess because I''ve been neglecting my responsibilities as the Class President."

    Gu Yue frowned as she chirped in.

    "How can you be blamed for that? They''re clearly targeting all of us and are working together to get our positions. Don''t tell me you''re afraid now that they teamed up?"

    Tang Wulin smiled wryly before looking at the rest of the group again.

    "Of course not. Actually, I''ve brought you all here to discuss something. Before this happened, Luo Guixing and Wu Sidou were part of our group and, together with them, Gu Yue and I diceded to form a Mecha Making group. However, we didn''t want to build Mechas ¨C We were going for Battle Armours!"

    After that, he explained his plan to use Spirit Alloys to forge Battle Armour for everyone. A few didn''t know about Spirit Alloy, so Tang Wulin explained it, while Xu Lizhi, Ye Xinglan and Sheng Feilong, who came from the Inner Court, were listening with furrowed brows. Spirit Alloy was the work of rank 5 Blacksmiths. They would fuse various pre-treated metals and forge them together to create special alloys that were then further refined to become Spirit Alloys.

    Usually, Spirit Alloys weren''t used for 1-star Battle Armours, but only 2-star and above because of their expensive prices. Their advantages, however, were more than clear. Spirit Alloys could be fused with a Soul Master''s body directly, causing the need to don a Battle Armour to be erased. Instead, they would just have to will the armour to appear on their bodies and they would be in top condition immediately!

    Everyone, including Sheng Feilong, quickly jumped on the train. It''s been a while since Sheng Feilong had been that excited about something! Not only would they build Battle Armours of their own, they would even use Spirit Alloys provided by Tang Wulin! After that, Tang Wulin asked for everyone''s Second Professions. He himself was obviously a Blacksmith, and even of rank 5 at that, while Gu Yue is a Mecha Designer of rank 4.

    Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan introduced themselves first, causing Tang Wulin to jump in joy; They were a Mecha mechanic and Mecha Maker of rank 4, respectively, and exactly what their team needed to create a full team to make Battle Armour. Everyone then looked Sheng Feilong, who just wryly smiled before dropping a bomb.

    "I''m a rank 5 Mecha Maker, though, I''m close to rank 6. I also have experience with building Mecha''s from scratch."

    Aside from Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan, the others stared at him with wide eyes. Tang Wulin had just praised Ye Xinglan highly and told Xie Xie to learn from her, as he was a Mecha Maker as well, and now Sheng Feilong is even more proficient in it than she is! Trying to dispell the awkward situation, Sheng Feilong smiled at Tang Wulin with a calm expression.

    "So, you can really forge Spirit Alloys yourself?"

    Tang Wulin smiled lightly before reassuring them. He went over to a shelf and took out a few pieces of metal before telling them, that he was currently able to create three different alloys; Jade Silver, Spirit Gold and Star Silver. And his success rate was about 30 percent. He wanted to show them what he could do by forging a piece of Jade Silver alloy for Ye Xinglan, but was stopped by Sheng Feilong.

    "You said your success rate was about 30 percent? I''ve heard that the main issue while forging alloys are concentration and speed as one needs to be incredibly precise during the process, right?"

    He paused a moment, waiting for Tang Wulin''s response, that quickly came in the form of a nod, before he continued and activated his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric eyes and his second Soul Skill. Tang Wulin was surprised when he noticed the changes and looked at Sheng Feilong in astonishment. The latter looked at him with a smile before answering the unasked question.

    "If it''s just one person, I can keep it up for about 2 hours before I''m out of Spirit Power. This should help with your forging, right?"

    Tang Wulin was clearly excited and could wait any longer as he bagan forging the next second. Gu Yue frowned. She had noticed that Sheng Feilong used his Spirit Soul and Soul Skill on Tang Wulin, but no one could make out what changed. She questioned Sheng Feilong in a low voice to not disturb Tang Wulin.

    "What Soul Skill did you use to help him with his forging?"

    Sheng Feilong calmly looked at her with a light smile.

    "Have you heard about the stories of the Spirit Ice Douluo''s powers?" Gu Yue frowned again, forcefully nodding her head, though not knowing what the question was all about. Sheng Feilong kept his calm expression before casually telling her about his Soul Skill.

    "Mental Detection. I''m sharing it with Tang Wulin at the moment."

    Gu Yue was shocked once again, but didn''t question him an further. One because she didn''t want to disturb him as using his Soul Skill on others was not that easy, though, it didn''t seem as if Sheng Feilong had any problem with that, and two because his eyes made her uncomfortable. The golden coloured eyes seemed so arrogant, yet able to see through everything. Moreover, that strage symbol on Sheng Feilong''s forehead just made it all the more weird.

    About 20 minutes later, Tang Wulin stopped his forging and turned to face the rest of the group with a smile. He seemed to be especially excited when his eyes fell on Sheng Feilong and quickly jumped over to hug the latter intimately, causing Sheng Feilong to flinch from shock. Tang Wulin let go of him after just two seconds, but cold sweat still run down Sheng Feilong''s back.

    ''This guy... not only is he lecherous to the extreme, but he''s also not bothered by gender?! Was joining them really a good idea...?"

 59 A Matter Of Pride!

    After letting go of Sheng Feilong, Tang Wulin ran over to the shelf inside the forging workshop and pulled out a small device. He smiled excitedly when he turned the device on, telling everyone that he''d measure the alloy''s harmony rate. While forging Spirit Alloys, their harmony rate measured their quality. The higher the harmony rate, the higher the quality and, essentially, its worth. Moreover, only a Spirit Alloy with a harmony rate of 60 or above would be considered a success.

    It didn''t take long for the device to finish its appraisal, but the result caused Tang Wulin to freeze, not moving for long time. The rest of the students glanced at each other before Gu Yue walked over to Tang Wulin and Xu Lizhi tried to cheer Tang Wulin up.

    "Listen, you don''t have to worry. We already saw your forging and believe you when you say you can forge Spirit Alloys. It doesn''t matter if you failed this time, ha, ha..."

    Tang Wulin didn''t answer, but Gu Yue had already reached him by now. She glanced over his shoulder and froze for a moment as well. She then took two steps back with a disbelieving expression on her face and muttered a few words, barely audible for everyone.

    "Ninety- Ninety-seven percent harmony rate..."

    Ye Xinglan''s and Xu Lizhi''s mouth twitched before they also run over to take a look at the display and soon over stood in place with their mouth wide open, looking at the piece of metal like starved wolves. This really was a Spirit Alloy with a harmony rate of 97 percent! Not to mention 90 percent, even getting up to 60 was a task most fifth ranked Blacksmiths couldn''t do, but Tang Wulin actually made one with a 97 percent harmony rate!

    A piece of metal like that could, theoretically, be used to forge a nine-metal Spirit Alloy! While the name didn''t sound really impressive, it had to be known that the metal Tang Wulin forged was only a two-metal alloy. Even the continent''s best forger, Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua, could only occasionally forge alloy''s with more than 90 percent harmony rate and his limit was just a seven-metal alloy, even when using top rated alloys as the base!

    Although he was a former Inner Court student and the friend of a fourth ranked Blacksmith, Sheng Feilong had no idea about stuff like Spirit Alloy''s quality or the rankings of harmony rates. He looked a bit confused, but considering the others'' reactions, 97 percent should be really good. He walked over to them, patting Tang Wulin on the back with a slight smile.

    "Well, you did indeed forge a Spirit Alloy, ha, ha. And 97 percent should be really good, right? When 100 percent is the maximum?"

    Not even a second later, everyone, except for Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Xie, who also didn''t know about that kind of stuff, stared at Sheng Feilong as if he was an idiot. Seeing his confused and idea-less expression, Xu Lizhi proceeded to tell him about Spirit Alloys and their harmony rates. Sheng Feilong just awkwardly scratched his head at first, but he was left with the same disbelieving expression that the others showed, soon after.

    The group remained in Tang Wulin''s workshop for a while longer. Ye Xinglan had snatched the Jade Silver from Tang Wulin and pocketed it, saying she''ll use it for her Battle Armour. Afterwards, while Tang Wulin was forging, everyone else focused on discussing and planning their Battle armour design''s with Gu Yue and Tang Wulin dragged Sheng Feilong over to his side, forcing him to use his Mental Detection Soul Skill on the former constantly. Sheng Feilong complied after a while; he understood just how valuable the increased perception of Mental Detection was for Tang Wulin.

    A few hours later, everyone left the workshop in high spirits. Everyone except Sheng Feilong; He was dead tired after being forced to use his Soul Skill on Tang Wulin for over two hours twice in a row with minimal time to recover in between. He was gradually making his way to the Outer Courts dormitory with Xu Lizhi in tow.

    As they weren''t considered Inner Court students any longer, they were forced to move to the Outer Court''s dormitory. Although their new rooms weren''t as spacious as the ones in the Inner Court, Sheng Feilong didn''t really mind as he could still make himself comfortable enough. It was a outlandish as he had to share his room with another person, Xu Lizhi in this case, but the two of them got themselves arranged without a hitch as they were friends anyways.

    The next day, Sheng Feilong and Xu Lizhi met Jian Wang at the dormitory''s entrance and the three of them made their way to the classroom where they met with everyone else. Though, Jian Wang didn''t join them but instead went to gather up with Yang Nianxia and the other rankers further in the back of class. Sheng Feilong, Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan had asked a few other students that were seated near Tang Wulin''s group of four to switch places, so their team of 7 was now pretty much always together.

    At the last class, after the bell had already rung, Shen Yi stood at the front of the class and was just about to dismiss them when she seemed to remember something and called out to Tang Wulin. No one thought much of it, but Shen Yi suddenly dropped a bomb.

    "Ye Xinglan will not be allowed to take part in the class representative selection tournament and is only allowed to join the match against the second grade."

    Tang Wulin flinched, his face showing distress. "Huh?! Why? She''s part of the class so why can''t she take part in the representative tournament?" Shen Yi looked at him with an indifferent expression.

    "Don''t ask me why; There is no reason. Your Mecha Making group''s reassignment has been approved, though. Your new group includes Xu Lizhi, Ye Xinglan and Sheng Feilong."

    After that, Shen Yi dismissed the class and left the classroom, not wanting to discuss with Tang Wulin any longer and closing this matter. Luo Guixing had a beaming smile on his face ¨C a genuine, this time ¨C as he walked over to Tang Wulin. He had been quite worried about Ye Xinglan in the upcoming match, but now that she wasn''t allowed to participate, a lot of pressure fell off his shoulders. He looked at Sheng Feilong and casually spoke in passing.

    "Good luck at the tournament, Class President. Don''t worry about losing; You can still be the Blacksmith''s representative afterwards!"

    Gu Yue nearly jumped at him when she heard that, but Tang Wulin quickly held her back. Yang Nianxia and the others also quickly left together with Luo Guixing. Sheng Feilong looked at their backs with an amused expression, focusing his gaze on Luo Guixing.

    ''How thick is his skin to say that when he couldn''t even stand when I played with him? Or did he unconsciously repress the memory of that?''

    About an hour later, Sheng Feilong and his group had once again met up at Tang Wulin''s forging workshop. The atmosphere was quite heavy as Tang Wulin''s plan to easily sack the win in the tournament using Sheng Feilong and Ye Xinglan was busted. The latter''s were not really bothered by that, though. Sheng Feilong didn''t think much about the whole ''class president'' thing, while Ye Xinglan seemingly understood the teacher''s intention. She went up to Tang Wulin and blatantly spoke to him in her usual cold tone.

    "Tang Wulin, do you feel discouraged now?"

    Her question caught Tang Wulin off guard, but he quickly snapped out of it and solemnly answered her with a serious expression. Everyone quietly listened to him talking about himself. It was a first for Sheng Feilong, as he didn''t really know much about Tang Wulin. The latter actually came from a commoner''s family that could be considered quite poor, even for ordinary families. Tang Wulin''s Spirit Soul is a mutated form of the Bluesilver Grass, and the first artificial Spirit Soul he obtained was a defective Grass Snake, that barely reached the 10 years level, still he fought his way up to eventually become a student of Shrek Academy.

    Everyone seemed quite enthusiastic after their leader''s speech while Sheng Feilong remained silent for a long while. He was different from Tang Wulin. Unlike the latter, he came from a medium sized clan and lived a good live in his childhood. While he had to leave his clan eventually, he still had his father and later his Master to rely on; he had the previlege to obtain a top-tier artificial Spirit Soul, that suited him perfectly, underwent personalized training with a Titled Douluo and enjoyed the best treatment one could think off.

    ''I guess I''ll help him keep his position for now. They only fought Luo Guixing and the others once but it seems like this means quite a lot to Tang Wulin. That being said...''

    Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but sympathise with Tang Wulin, not knowing what to say, which is why he stayed silent in the first place. But as he thought about it a bit more, he couldn''t hold back a question. He looked at Tang Wulin and unconsciously spoke in a cold and indifferent voice, even though he didn''t mean to.

    "Why do you even want the position of Class President? Isn''t it just a useless title?"

    His question caught the others off guard, and everyone awkwardly looked at Sheng Feilong and Tang Wulin while Gu Yue frowned and stared at Sheng Feilong. The latter didn''t mind that, though, and just waited for Tang Wulin''s answer. He saw Tang Wulin''s expression change from a surprised look to a smile while a determined glint flashed in his eyes.

    "Honestly, the position means nothing to me. But, I fought for it and got it by defeating them in a fight! If they''re not convinced, they should just try and come at me; let''s see how long they can keep their haughtiness!"

 60 Battle Armour Gauntle

    Tang Wulin''s conviction was unshakeable. Even though he knew his opponents strength and his own chances, he refused to budge even the slightest bit. Sheng Feilong stretched his shoulders before smiling at Tang Wulin.

    "Alright, I guess that''s good enough of a reason. I didn''t really care about it before and only joined you because Luo Guixing and those guys were just too arrogant, but now you''ve got me hooked."

    He paused a moment and his smile was replaced with a solemn expression, the same determined glint that Tang Wulin had shown before, flashing through his eyes.

    "Since it''s like this, we won''t just win; We''ll crush them." He glanced at Ye Xinglan, who lightly nodded her head without a word and then looked back at Tang Wulin.

    "Forge us a piece of Star Silver. Gu Yue has already finished the design for your hand armour. Xinglan and I will built the gauntlet."

    Tang Wulin''s eyes widened. "You''ll built it? But there''s only three day''s time left." Sheng Feilong looked at him with the same determined expression as before before he spoke in an indifferent voice.

    "So what? With two fifth ranked Mecha Makers working on it, we''ll get it done in two."

    Everyone was shocked when Sheng Feilong spoke of a second fifth rank Mecha Maker and immediately turned to Ye Xinglan. She still had her cold expression on her face and indifferently told them, that she''d been at the fifth rank all along, saying that since Sheng Feilong was a fifth ranked Mecha Maker as well, there''d be no need to hide it.

    Just after she finished, Tang Wulin''s Soul Communicator rung as his teacher was calling him to the Blacksmith''s Association. He excused himself and after about half an hour, he returned with a red haired and red bearded middle aged man in tow. Even though he was also around the same height as Tang Wulin despite being an adult, his muscular build spoke for itself! Everyone recognized that man as Shrek Academy''s Blacksmith''s Association''s President, the Blazing Dragon Douluo, Feng Wuyu; He was a rank 8 Saint Blacksmith and Tang Wulin''s blacksmithing teacher!

    Tang Wulin asked Ye Xinglan to show Feng Wuyu the Jade Silver and was shocked that Tang Wulin had actually managed to create one. Apparently, Tang Wulin had told him, that he did so with Sheng Feilong''s help, as Feng Wuyu intently eyed Sheng Feilong after seeing the result.

    "Kid, you used a Soul Skill to increase Wulin''s perception? What''s its limits? Can you use it on people stronger than you?"

    "There aren''t any clear limits, but Soul Power doesn''t really matter, Senior. Though, the stronger the other party''s Spirit Power, the more straining it is to maintain the Soul Skill. If their Spirit Power is higher than mine, it doesn''t work at all.", Sheng Feilong replied with a respectful tone. Feng Wuyu squinted his eyes and continued to intently stare at Sheng Feilong before squeezing out a single other line.

    "What''s you Spirit Power?"

    Sheng Feilong smiled wryly; He knew he wouldn''t get out of this easily.

    "The last time I measured it was about 1 and a half months ago. It''s remained stable at 4.735 since then." Other then Feng Wuyu, who just stared at Sheng Feilong with slightly shaky eyes, everyone else froze entirely. This was the first time they heard about Sheng Feilong''s actual Spirit Power. Before they came to Shrek, the person with the greatest talent in Spirit Power they knew was Gu Yue.

    Although Gu Yue''s Spirit Power was incredible, she couldn''t compare to Sheng Feilong at all. She had just entered the Spirit Sea realm at age 11, and had now increased her Spirit Power to over 1.000, but to compare that to Sheng Feilong''s over 4.700? That was simply a joke.

    Feng Wuyu quickly got his composure back, but still looked at Sheng Feilong with a disbelieving gaze. However, he really couldn''t let this gem get away, so he extended an ''invitation'' in a casual tone.

    "That''s not enough to be of help to me, but I''ll be good for other blacksmiths to experience this state of heightened perception. Come around to the Blacksmith''s Association some time and help us out there. You''ll get paid in contribution points, of course."

    After that, he went for the door, quickly being reminded of some bet by Tang Wulin, before he smashed the door shut. Everyone snapped out of their daze and bugged Sheng Feilong about his Spirit Soul, how his Spirit Power could be so high, how he trained and every possible question along those lines. After a long while of questioning, they were finally satisfied and got back to the situation at hand. Discussing about their precise plans for a while longer, Ye Xinglan and Sheng Feilong went to the Maker''s Association with a newly created piece of Star Silver with a harmony rating of 92 and began the creation of Tang Wulin''s Battle Armour gauntlet.

    Initially, Sheng Feilong had a hard time. Compared to building a Mecha, building a Battle Armour required an entirely different approach. If a Mecha were to be called a big, complicated Machine, then a Battle Armour would be a second skin for the Soul Master; The process to create Battle Armour is arduous and mentally straining. Both, Sheng Feilong and Ye Xinglan, had no experience in building Battle Armour and could only do their best in following the design.

    Still, both of them persisted through and gave it their all to the best of their abilities, tirelessly working to get the gauntlet working. They even skipped classes and remained inside their workshop for the whole time, even sleeping there if needed! As Sheng Feilong had said, it took them about two days to finish the gauntlet. Afterwards, they invited Tang Wulin over to have him fuse with the armour and make some last adjustments.

    There was one more day until the class representative selection tournament would be held and their team had finished all preparations already. They choose to rest for the day, much to the delight of Sheng Feilong; Even though Ye Xinglan had done the most work as she couldn''t participate in the tournament, the workload was still straining on Sheng Feilong. He spent the whole day in bed, only getting up after noon to cultivate until it was time to go to sleep again. This day might be the laziest Sheng Feilong had even been in his life.

    Morning came early and Sheng Feilong quickly got ready and made his way to the classroom. Shen Yi took the whole class to one of Shrek Academy''s training facilities for the tournament where they would fight it out with live combat instead of virtual combat! After a full day of rest, everyone other than Ye Xinglan was already in peak condition. Even though no one had seen her or Sheng Feilong in the last three days, Tang Wulin and the others made sure to cover up their effort of creating the Battle Armour gauntlet for Tang Wulin; Their team were the only people who knew about it.

    When Shen Yi brought them to the facility, their classes vice-teacher, Wu Zhangkong was already waiting their. He was not only a alumni of Shrek Academy''s Inner Court, but also the teacher of Tang Wulin and his friends when they were at the Intermediate Academy; He only came back to Shrek with them! Other then Shen Yi and him, there was another person who no one of the students expected to come; The Holy Spirit Douluo!

    Not only were the students shocked that a Titled Douluo would oversee their tournament, a few had even heard of the Holy Spirit Douluo before, and word about her quickly spread through the class; The Holy Spirit Douluo didn''t just have an imposing name and power, she was also the only Titled Douluo-level healer of the Douluo Continent!

    Her reputation would soon be proven true as the tournament''s first round would begin. The students had split up into 17 teams and Wu Zhankong and Shen Yi had decided to have them fight in a knock-out tournament. Tang Wulin got lucky and got the emtpy lot, causing their team to advance to the second round without having to fight. Everyone else was paired to fight one of the other teams and, as to be expected of Shrek Academy, even the first round was already fierce. Still, the teachers and the Holy Spirit Douluo would make a move if someone was in dire straits or a clear victor had emerged.

    With the Holy Spirit Douluo''s healing abilities, no one had to reserve their strength as they would be in peak condition even before the next round began, causing the students to fight even more vigorously. The first round soon ended and only 9 teams remained. This time, Luo Guixing''s team drew the empty lot and directly advanced to the third round. By now, many people could already guess the teachers intention; This tournament was only a farce and would most likely end with Luo Guixing''s and Tang Wulin''s teams facing each other in the finals!

    When it was time to fight, Sheng Feilong and the others ascended the arena and easily won their fight under Tang Wulin''s leadership. Sheng Feilong even held back and didn''t use his Spirit Soul, but only his Spirit Power to suppress the opponents. Their opponents were by far the weakest team in the second round, anyways, so it wasn''t a problem and Tang Wulin and the others understood that Sheng Feilong simply didn''t want to give Luo Guixing and his team informations about his spirit Soul.

    The second round passed, and for the third round, only 5 teams remained. The contestants eyed each other before one of them stepped up and admitted defeat for his team. Sheng Feilong was surprised as they were one of the teams that took this competition the most serious until know, but quickly understood when the two other teams also admitted defeat right after the first one; Only them and Luo Guixing''s team remained.

    Seeing this, the Holy Spirit Douluo lightly smiled as she looked at the remaining teams. All of them were in top condition and there wasn''t anything to worry about. With Ye Xinglan being banned from participating, their teams also were of the same size with six people on either side. She reamined seated at the side of the arena and lightly spoke to the students.

    "Since there''s only two teams remaining, it seems we''ll have to bring the tournament''s finals forward a bit. Tang Wulin''s and Luo Guixing''s teams, you may step onto the arena."

 61 Fighting The Genius Youth Lists Rankers!

    When the Holy Spirit Douluo beckoned for them to ascend the arena, Luo Guixing remained standing still for a moment. Although he was confident is his own and his teams strength, he still had to take this serious. Gu Yue was definitely a threat to them. Then there was the new student, Xu Lizhi; Although he''s known to be a Food Type Soul Master, nothing else is known about him, not even his Soul Rank.

    He looked at Sheng Feilong and couldn''t help but furrow his brows. Sheng Feilong was introduced as a Control Type Soul Master and from what he heard from Jian Wang, he was a Spiritual and Control Type Hybrid. He is proficient in illusions and has abilities to support his team members. Moreover, his Spirit Power is ridiculously high; a piece of information that Luo Guixing had already verified the hard way. Back then, just the spiritual pressure was enough to cause him to lose his balance.

    Wu Sidou nudged Luo Guixing''s shoulder while walking past him, pulling him out of his thoughts as she spoke with an indifferent expression. "Let''s go."

    Luo Guixing looked at her and the rest of his team. Other than Jian Wang who was frowning, everyone else had more or less relaxed and confident expressions; They trusted their own strength more than anything, causing Luo Guixing to shake his head lightly as he walked onto the arena as well.

    ''Whatever. They''re right; We''ll just have to believe in our strength. So what if he is proficient in illusions? A single Control Soul Master can''t stop all of us. We''ll get rid of the rest before focusing on Gu Yue and Sheng Feilong, just as planned.''

    They took their positions on the arena; Yang Nianxia at the front with Jian Wang and Xu Yucheng to his left and right. Just behind them stood Wu Sidou, followed by Luo Guixing and Zheng Yiran in the third row. Jian Wang had his eyes fixed on Sheng Feilong; as soon as the battle started, it was his task to tie down Sheng Feilong while the others took care of Tang Wulin and his friends.

    Opposite of them, Sheng Feilong''s team at had also taken their positions. Tang Wulin stood at the front, with Xie Xie a step behind him, eyeing Xu Yucheng. Gu Yue and Sheng Feilong stood behind them at the sides and Xu Xiaoyan and Xu Lizhi stood even further behind, creating a gap in the middle of their formation. While that may seem unfavourable, the idea was to have anyone who dares to enter that gap face all of their attacks at the same time; It was their best chance to deal with Wu Sidou''s Self-Fusion Skill: Hell''s White Tiger.

    Wu Zhangkong stood at the side and gave them the countdown for the start of the match. As soon as he finished, the front rows of both teams stormed at each other and activated their Spirit Souls near immediately. On one side, Jian Wang was charging at Sheng Feilong at breakneck speed, while 3 purple Soul Rings lit up behind him and a huge axe appeared in his hands. At the same time, Wu Sidou charged at Gu Yue at the other side, using the agility boost of her first Spirit Soul, the Hell Civet!

    Tang Wulin and Yang Nianxia were the first to clash, standing toe to tow with none of them giving in. Xu Yucheng tried to quickly get rid of Tang Wulin, but was intercepted by Xie Xie. Although he was a Rank 40+ Soul Ancestor, due to his special Spirit Soul, his body was quite weak and he didn''tdare to take Xie Xie''s hit, but instead dodged to the side.

    The next to reach their target was Wu Sidou. She jumped at Gu Yue, trying to tie her down in close combat, but the latter quickly countered with long ranged attacks, forcing Wu Sidou to retreat. Gu Yue harrumphed arrogantly; As long as Wu Sidou didn''t use her Self-Fusion Skill, both of them were on par, even with Wu Sidou''s higher cultivation!

    With the three main battlefields having taken form, the teams Control Type Soul Masters did their best to assist their comrades, while Xu Lizhi and Zheng Yiran remained in their places, waiting for an opportunity to shine. Meanwhile, Jian Wang was still charging at Sheng Feilong; as his opponent didn''t move a muscle, he, as an Power Attack Type Soul Master, was the last to reach his target!

    Sheng Feilong merely smiled, mouthing a few words to Jian Wang, that caused the latter expresion to darken. Jian Wang naturally understood Sheng Feilong''s meaning and this meaning really angered him despite being friends with Feilong for so long! This arrogance, this nonchalance about the fight at hand; How could he not be angered!

    ''Master isn''t holding me back this time!'' - this is what Sheng Feilong made Jian Wang understand before he activated his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes! His eyes turned a more brilliant shade of gold as the winged, diamond shaped symbol appeared on his forehead and three deep purple Soul Rings sprung into existence behind his back. The first and third ring lit up simultaneously, sending a powerful ripple of Spirit Power over the whole arena!

    Luo Guixing, Wu Sidou and the others lost focus when the ripple of Spirit Power washed over them and all of them payed for that loss of focus; Yang Nianxia was hit by Tang Wulin and propelled nearly 10 metres backwards, Xu Yucheng''s shoulder was struck by Xie Xie''s dagger before he could retreat backwards and Wu Sidou could barely block a fireball that Gu Yue threw at her as she instinctively swung her arms up to guard when she lost focus.

    Yang Nianxia stood up again, wiping the dust of his face as he stared at Tang Wulin, while Xu Yucheng, Wi Sidou and the other stood near him; only Jian Wang was still fighting Sheng Feilong, but even Tang Wulin and his friends didn''t seem to bother about that side show. Luo Guixing frowned when he saw Tang Wulin and the others regroup, but quickly ordered his team to do the same. Although he hated to admit it, their team had lost the initial clash!

    Sheng Feilong smiled as he saw Jian Wang attack the air around him repeatedly. His first Soul Skill, Toad Prison, had once again worked perfectly. Moreover, seeing Luo Guixing and his team regroup, he knew that none of them escaped his illusion. While Sheng Feilong could feel his Spirit Power being drained, he knew that he had about 4 minutes time before exhausting his energy. He looked at Tang Wulin and the others, casually talking to them while walking over, with Jian Wang, seemingly being caught up in close combat with the air, a few steps behind him.

    "Stop. Fall back, everyone. They''re already caught in an illusion."

    Tang Wulin glanced at Sheng Feilong, but before he could say something, a voice caused him to tense up and instantly focus his attention to the front again; Luo Guixing was calling out a defensive action!

    "Here they come! Wu Sidou, Yang Nianxia, intercept them! Everyone else, go!"

    Everyone in the audience saw Wu Sidou and Yang Nianxia charged forward for about 5 metres before both of them hit the air before them, fighting against nothing, just like Jian Wang. They were even using their Soul Skills and Luo Guixing pulled out his ace; his space related prison Soul Skill! Meanwhile, Tang Wulin stared back at Sheng Feilong in disbelief, while the latter simply remained smiling calmly.

    "You actually trapped every single one of them?!"

    Sheng Feilong chuckled slightly before flashing a bright smile at Tang Wulin.

    "I told you I''d deal with this! That''s the strength of overwhelming Spirit Power." Just as he finished speaking, an enourmous amount of Soul Power flashed over the arena as Wu Sidou activated her Self-Fusion Skill; A giant, black and white coloured tiger taking form around her and pouncing on the air before her, crushing the arena floor before her. Everyone else didn''t miss that opportunity and quickly released their strongest abilities while their opponents were swept up by the remnant energy of Wi Sidou''s attack!

    Huge amounts of Soul Power stormed through the air as sounds of explosions reverberated through the whole training facility. The audience gasped at the show of sheer strength, even though they didn''t understand what was happening as Luo Guixing''s team didn''t attack their opponents. A few moments later, the Soul Powers calmed dow and the dust slowly settled. Wu Sidou and the other seemed content with their success, but their arrogant smiles quickly vanished when they saw their opponents standing at the same spots they just attacked unharmed!

    Before their very eyes, their opponent''s bodies slowly lost their colour and turned into a mix of white and green. They stared at the show with disbelief, before snapping out of their second of stupor. Just as Luo Guixing was about to give a command, their opponents burst apart with a loud ''poof!'' and turned into...

    "Cauliflowers?!" The whole team suddenly burst out shouting at the otherworldly display; Hundreds of cauliflowers were flying through the air, landing and busting upon impact when they hit the arena floor, leaving a huge mess behind. In nearly the same instant, Jian Wang had finally managed to get ''Sheng Feilong'', only to see the body of his friend explode into a few dozen cauliflowers as well! He turned his head to the sky, furiously shouting on top of his lungs in anger as he began wildly hacking all around him.

    "Damn it, Feilong!"

 62 Canst Be Bothered With You!

    After Jian Wang''s shout, the audience seemingly realized that the strange happenings on the arena were the work of Sheng Feilong, while Tang Wulin and the others were just staring at him with confused expressions; They already knew Sheng Feilong had trapped their enemies in an illusion, but why are they shouting for cauliflowers..?

    Before any of them could ask about it, though, Sheng Feilong lightly smiled at them and pointed at Luo Guixing and his team.

    "Let''s talk later; we still have a match to win. Just kick them off the arena or something. I''ll make sure they don''t dodge."

    Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan didn''t really know what to do, but Tang Wulin grinned and turned towards Luo Guixing and his team before charging at Yang Nianxia, with his right arm covered in golden scales again! Xie Xie was the first to react and followed after Tang Wulin, charging strait at Xu Yucheng. Even Xu Lizhi decided to join the fray and charged at Zheng Yiran, while Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan used long ranged attacks against Luo Guixing and Wu Sidou.

    Meanwhile, the five rankers just stood where they were. After their initial confusion about the cauliflowers faded, they had heard Shen Yi''s voice telling them something and proudly stood on the arena with their chests puffed out. Little did they know, they''d be kicked like footballs in a few seconds.

    All of them were kicked out of the arena less than 5 seconds later, where Sheng Feilong dispelled his illusions. All of them were blankly staring at Tang Wulin, Xie Xie and Xu Lizhi, who stood near the arena''s edge near them and were grinning brightly. Wu Zhangkong announced that all five of the rankers were eliminated from the match and told them to go to the side.

    On the arena, Jian Wang was still hacking at ''Sheng Feilong'' after the first blew up into cauliflowers. By now, he was already getting tired of it as ''Sheng Feilong'' would only dodge without attacking while constantly provoking Jian Wang. After a while, the ''Sheng Feilong'', he was attacking turned into nothing with a ''poof!'' as Sheng Feilong dispelled the illusion he was trapped in.

    Jian Wang looked around, confused but on guard, and saw the other members of his team already standing outside of the arena, while Sheng Feilong, as well as Tang Wulin and the rest of their team, stood on the arena opposite of Jian Wang, looking at him. Jian Wang looked at Sheng Feilong with an annoyed expression for a few moments, before wordlessly walking down the arena and coming to a halt next to the rest of his team.

    Wu Zhankong walked onto the arena and stood in the middle of it, nodding towards Sheng Feilong and his team before looking at the audience with his usual cold and indifferent expression.

    "Jian Wang is eliminated as well. Luo Guixing''s team has been completely eliminated. The winner of the representative selection match are Tang Wulin and his team."

    He turned around again, looking at Tang Wulin and the rest with the same expression, calling their names one by one while the ones being called straightened their backs as they looked at the audience.

    "Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan, Xu Lizhi, Ye Xinglan and Sheng Feilong. The seven of you will represent our Outer Court grade 1 in the group match against the second grade in three days. The class representatives for the Secondary Professions will take on the challenges in their respective fields. You are all dismissed for today."

    Just after he took the first step from his position, Wu Sidou jumped back onto the arena with an ice cold expression. Wu Zhangkong turned to face her and she suddenly burst out with an angered voice.

    "I do not accept this! They didn''t beat us in open battle!"

    Before anyone else could say anything, Sheng Feilong looked at Wu Sidou with a cold expression and spoke with a dismissive voice.

    "All of you were unable to escape from my control abilities in the match. You lost because of that. All of you together couldn''t even beat me alone, not to mention our whole team. Moreover, one of us was even banned from participating to give you even the slightest chance. Still, if you''re not content with the outcome, feel free to challenge us to a rematch any time, but don''t expect us to hold back. That is, only after the match against the second grade; I can''t be bothered with you before that!"

    Wu Sidou froze and stared at Sheng Feilong with a vicious expression, but he simply ignored her. Every one else, aside from Jian Wang, who knew Sheng Feilong too well and just sighed, was shocked as well. They had seen Sheng Feilong act against Luo Guixing before, but to arrogantly tell them that he can''t be bothered with them? Isn''t he going a bit too far with this insult?

    Still, Wu Zhangkong, Shen Yi and even the Holy Spirit Douluo didn''t say anything against this. They had already declared Sheng Feilong and the others the winners and said that they''d represent the class in the upcoming match. Although they might not support his arrogant demeanor, they wouldn''t penalize him for it ¨C at least not now.

    After saying his part, Sheng Feilong left the arena with an indifferent expression, and Tang Wulin and the others quickly followed after him with a similar poker-face. Ye Xinglan also joined them as they left the training facility. Wu Zhangkong frowned and looked in their direction, but quickly turned his attention back to the rest of the class, dismissing them one again, silently refusing Wu Sidou''s objection to his decision.

    After their group walked a safe distance away from the training facility, Sheng Feilong stopped and turned around to the others. He awkwardly scratched his head with a sheepish expression, before speaking to them.

    "I''m sorry about that just now. I know you may not have liked my attitude, but I really can''t deal with people like her..."

    No one really seemed to bother about it and their poker-faces had long since broken. Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Xie began to tease him about his arrogance, before the others joined in. After a while, Tang Wulin pat Sheng Feilong''s shoulder and smiled at everyone.

    "Well, we won today. How about we celebrate a bit at our dorm?"

    Xie Xie, Xu Yiaoyan and Gu Yue agreed nearly instantly, but Xu Lizhi shook his head.

    "Sorry Wulin, I won''t join you. I really need to eat something before Is tarve to death and I''ve got to go to the mecha workshop and get a task there done."

    Ye Xinglan also shook her head with her usual indifferent expression.

    "I''ve got a few things to do as well."

    Their rejections were a bummer to the atmosphere, but no one argued with them. Tang Wulin and the others silently glanced at Sheng Feilong and saw the latter smile slightly.

    "I''ll join you. I could really do with a little celebrating today. Moreover, I''ve never seen your dorms, dear Working Students."

    The group bid farewell to Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan before they split up and headed to the Working Student''s dorm. An old, run down building with overgrown and neglected greenery surrounding it and cracked pathways stood in his view, shocking Sheng Feilong. Don''t mention the Inner Court''s dormitory, even the Outer Court''s was a hundred times better than this hovel!

    This wasn''t all, though, not only did their dormitory look like ruins, they even had to share a single room with 4 people; Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue all shared the same room despite their genders! They actually only split the room up with a single curtain, that they pulled down when they went to sleep!

    Sheng Feilong was shocked for a while, before simply choosing to ignore it and enjoy their little celebration. He got to know his team members a bit better, while he talked about himself a bit as well. Gu Yue seemed surprised to when Sheng Feilong told them that he was a member of the Spirit Pagoda and that his Master was the Spirit Flamingo Douluo, Song Weihan, and she told him, that she was a member as well and that her Master was the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, Leng Yaozhu.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t get to ask more about this as they were interrupted by a knocking on the door. Xu Xiaoyan sprung up from her bed and opened the door, letting a tall, about 180cm high, thin young man in. He wore completely in white clothes without the slightest speck of dust or dirt on them, had his golden hair combed back and held in place with some sort or hair product, not letting a single strand stand out, while his eyes, that were of the same colour as his hair, seemed to radiate light. Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but admit that the young man really was handsome, but none of the others seemed to bother to much with him as they already knew him.

    Tang Wulin smiled when he saw the boy and quickly invited him in. From what Tng Wulin said, the boy''s name was Yue Zhengyu. The latter nodded, returning the smile and unhurriedly walked into the dorm room.

    "I''ve heard you guys won your classes tournament. Congratulations!"

    Tang Wulin looked at him suspiciously and spoke with a blank look.

    "You''re not here to spy on us, are you?"

    Yue Zhengyu huffed and rolled his eyes at Tang Wulin.

    "Of course not. Do you really think I''d do something like that? But I''ve heard that you guys have three new members." At this point, he looked at Sheng Feilong with a light smile.

    "Is he one of them?"

 63 Outer Court Grade Twos Aces!

    Sheng Feilong was a bit cautious of Yue Zhengyu. From what Tang Wulin just said, the latter seems to be a member of the Outer Court''s second grade, their opponent in the competition in a few days. Moreover, the guy seems to be rich, so why would he come to the Working Students dormitory? Moreover, how did Tang Wulin and the others even know him? Could he be a senior from their previous academy? Or maybe a relative of someone of them? But why was his surname Yue then?

    While Sheng Feilong''s thoughts run wild, Tang Wuling continued to speak with Yue Zhengyu. Unlike Sheng Feilong, he knew who Yue Zhengyu was and why he came here. Moreover, Tang Wulin didn''t really bother about the latter''s question, as there wasn''t much information about Sheng Feilong known inside the academy to begin with.

    "Yes, he''s one of the three new members. His name''s Sheng Feilong, a classmate. I won''t give you any more information, though."

    Yue Zhengyu nodded with a smile. It wasn''t his intention to dig for information anyway!

    "I see. Since you guys took him in, I guess he''s pretty good. I''m looking forward to the match." At this point, he again looked at Sheng Feilong, who had a complicated expression on his face and was shaking his head from time to time. "...Is he okay, though..?"

    Xie Xie, who sat next to Sheng Feilong, nudged him on the shoulder, but didn''t get any reply. He tried again and again until he even shouted Sheng Feilong''s name in the latter''s ear. Finally, Sheng Feilong snapped out of his daze and looked at Xie Xie with a surprised look.

    "Huh? Sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you say?"

    Xie Xie rolled his eyes and pointed towards Yue Zhengyu with his chin.

    "I didn''t say anything. Yue Zhengyu had asked about you, though."

    Sheng Feilong seemed embarrassed and lightly waved at Yue Zhengyu, not standing up to greet him as he was sitting quite comfortably.

    "Ah, right. Nice to meet you, Senior Brother Yue."

    Yue Zhengyu smiled brightly at how Sheng Feilong addressed him. He looked at Xie Xie and Tang Wulin before sneering slightly.

    "At least one of you knows how to respect their seniors! It''s nice to meet you, Junior Brother!"

    While they were talking, someone knocked on the door again and Xu Xiaoyan jumped off her bed, answering the door. She quickly came back with a girl around the same age as Yue Zhengyu in tow. The girl frowned when she saw the latter and the two of them bickered back and forth for a short while, while Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but feel that the girl was familiar.

    She had long, fiery red hair, a fair face and a slim build ¨C someone Sheng Feilong definitely hadn''t seen before and he couldn''t really point his finger at where he met her before. She turned to Tang Wulin, ignoring Yue Zhengyu who stood at the side, and asked him to help her build her Battle Armour. Tang Wulin merely smiled wryly.

    "You''ll have to tell me your Second Professions first."

    Yue Zhengyu chipped in before the girl could answer, sticking out his chest with pride as he answered. "I''m a third rank Mecha Maker, on the verge of breaking through to the fourth rank."

    After that, he glanced at the girl, seemingly wanting to compete with her, but she ignored him and instead answered Tang Wulin''s question with a blank expression.

    "I''m a fourth rank Mecha Mechanic."

    Tang Wulin nodded with a pensive expression.

    "We''ll lend you our help, Zhengyu. You can build your Armour yourself and we''ll provide you with the Spirit Alloys and other stuff for a fee." He then looked at the girl with a somewhat more thoughtful expression.

    "As for you, Yuanen, we''ll need to cover the resources and provide you with a Maker. Do you have a completed design ?"

    The girl, who Tang Wulin called Yuanen, shook her head and answered him in the same blank tone as before.

    "I''ve always been cultivating with a focus on harmonizing my two Spirit Souls. It''s harder to make a design for a Battle Armour for someone with twin Spirit Souls and I didn''t like any of the designs made for me yet."

    Sheng Feilong was surprised when he heard that she had twin Spirit Souls. So far, the only people he knew who had them were Xie Xie and Wu Sidou.

    ''Shrek Academy really is full of extraordinary people. Twin Spirit Souls are so rare, yet I''ve already met three people who have them since coming here.''

    He didn''t say anything out loud, though, and just listened to their conversation, while Gu Yue''s eyes lit up at the mention of Yuanen''s twin spirit Souls.

    "Designing Battle Armour for twin Spirit Souls sounds like a good challenge. I''ll need a lot of time to do it though. And I don''t think you''ll be satisfied with any of the designs until I''m at a higher rank." She then looked at Tang Wulin with a questioning look. "Should we let Xinglan help them built it or..."

    Tang Wulin understood her question and looked at Sheng Feilong. Following his look, Gu Yue and the others followed his gaze and also looked at Sheng Feilong, including Yue Zhengyu and Yuanen. For the first time since she came here, Sheng Feilong and her gaze crossed for the first time, and he instantly remembered her, blurting out in a surprised manner.

    "I finally remember you! You''re the Senior Sister from the Entrance Exam!"

    The girl frowned when he mentioned the Entrance Exam. She also remembered Sheng Feilong ¨C and the things he said during the exam. Unbeknownst to him, after he called her ''Senior Sister'' and left for the next trial, she had a really hard time keeping the fact that she''s a woman secret from the rest of her class. Other than the teachers and a few people, most others didn''t know that she had twin Spirit Souls and only knew of her Titan Giant Ape Spirit Soul. As a woman, she didn''t like the transformation the ape Spirit Soul put her through when she used it, so she disguised herself as a man most of the time. Like that, she didn''t have to bother with the weird looks.

    Sheng Feilong seeing through her disguise and ''insulting'' ''him'' as a woman, really brought her a lot of trouble. Moreover, the way he defeated her was just too dispiceable! Despite knowing she''s a woman, he faked his own lose to have her let her guard down and walk to the edge of the arena before kicking her butt with full force and expose her gender in front of her classmates; She''s never been insulted like that! She didn''t say anything, though, and looked back at Tang Wulin.

    "I''ll start saving up contribution points, then. I don''t want him to make my Armour, get someone else to do it."

    After that, she turned around on her heels, leaving the room with an angry expression. Sheng Feilong froze when he was ignored like that. He actually planned to apologize for what happened back then again as she surely had her reasons for disguising her gender, but he didn''t think she''d be that angry! He scratched his head while everyone looked at him with blank expressions.

    "Did I... say something wrong..?"

    No one said anything for a long time before Gu Yue was finally the first one to let out a sigh. As it was the first reaction, Sheng Feilong instantly focused on her, looking her dead in the eye, only to see a cold and annoyed expression. She looked back at him for a moment longer before opening her mouth.

    "For someone so talented, you''re really an idiot."

    Sheng Feilong''s expression froze while everyone else in the room, even including Yue Zhengyu, nodded their heads in silence. Shortly after that, Yue Zhengyu left the dorm room and after that, Tang Wulin and the others decided to tell Sheng Feilong about Yuanen and Yue Zhengyu.

    Yuanen''s full name was Yuanen Yehui and she is the class president of the Outer Court''s second grade, their most powerful combatant, and a Soul Master with twin Spirit Souls. Moreover, both of her Spirit Souls were extraordinary; The first is the Titan Giant Ape, the single most powerful ape type Soul Beast, while the other is the Fallen Angel, a Spirit Soul of the darkness element that stands near the top of the Soul Master world!

    Yue Zhengy wasn''t much worse. He came from the prestigious Holy Angel Clan and his Spirit Soul was his Clan''s Holy Angel Spirit! Not only was his Clan''s hereditary Spirit Soul incredibly powerful, the Clan itself also existed for more than 20.000 years, even longer than Shrek Academy, and multiple Soul Master''s from their Clan had become Gods in ancient times. The Holy Angel Spirit Soul stands among the top of the Soul Master''s world and it''s control over the holy element is unmatched.

    While the other members of the second grade''s team were still unknown, those two alone were more than troublesome enough. Sheng Feilong was continuously pondering about the match against their class for the rest of the day and even in school the next day. He still didn''t bother to pay any attention to Luo Guoxing, Wu Sidou or the rest of their team despite their clear hostility. He also didn''t notice that he had put Jian Wang in a considerably tough position, though.

    After classes ended, Sheng Feilong met up with Tang Wulin and the rest of their team to come up with a more concrete plan to take on the second grade and they spent the better part of the next two days pondering about it. Originally, Gu Yue and Tang Wulin had already come up with a decent plan, but Sheng Feilong made a selfish request, that completely threw their previous ideas out of the window. Naturally, no one was happy about that, but Sheng Feilong insisted on it, not even backing down when Ye Xinglan challenged him to prove that his request even had the slightest chance of success.

    After proving that his plan indeed had substance, Sheng Feilong managed to silence any opposition and Tang Wulin finally complied to his request and they made a plan from there. It was kinda tough to, but they eventually managed to come up with a more or less foolproof plan to deal with Yuanen Yehui and Yue Zhengyu while still having the capacity to deal with their unknown companions. Finally, the day of the competition had come!

 64 Competition Against The Second Grade

    The first and second grades of the Outer Court had assembled early in the morning at the Outer Court''s arena. While this place was usually off-limits for training, it was still used as the competition grounds today. Tang Wulin and Yuanen Yehui stood at the front of their respectives classes, standing on opposite sides of the arena.

    The first grade was bustling with excitement and fighting spirit, while the second grade''s students were comparatively more calm. This clearly showed the difference in their experience, though; While the second grade''s students were at most three years older than the first grade''s, they had been tempered by Shrek Academy for those three years, after all!

    A few minutes after everyone had assembled, the teachers walked into the arena. At the very front stood the Holy Spirit Douluo. She would watch over the competition as the students would fight for real and not in a virtual arena, after all. What surprised everyone, though, was that just half a step behind the Holy Spirit Douluo, there was another big shot of Shrek Academy; The headmaster of the Outer Court, the Silver Moon Douluo, Elder Cai!

    Even more surprising was the fact that at the side of the Silver Moon Douluo, there was a third person walking along the two Titled Douluo''s! Sheng Feilong''s eyes widened when he recognized the person; It was Elder Li, who he had met during the Entrance Exam. It was to be expected that he would be an Elder of the Sea God''s pavilion, but to walk alongside the Silver Moon Douluo and Holy Spirit Douluo; Just what was the his status?

    Behind the three of them were Shen Yi, Wu Zhangkong and the teacher of the second grade. They made their ways down to the arena instead of sitting in the viewers stands like the three respected Elders did. They took their seats near the students of their classes, but refrained from talking to them as the Douluo''s hadn''t spoken yet. The Holy Spirit Douluo seemed to want to begin to talk, when the door of the arena opened once again and two men walked in, arguing with each other for the whole time.

    This time, most of the students went tense and even the second grade''s students had a hard time keeping their composure. The two men who had apepared this time were Tiled Douluo''s as well! And not ordinary ones at that; They were Shrek Academy''s Twin Dragons, Scarlet Dragon Douluo Zhou Shi and Blazing Dragon Douluo Feng Wuyu!

    The two bickered more and more, loudly and clearly audible to the whole audience, but were quickly shut up by the Holy Spirit Douluo. Both of them hurried to the viewers stand and took their seats a row behind the first three Elders. Sheng Feilong dryly swallowed. To have the two old men, those two Douluo''s, take their seats behind her without batting an eye, just what sort of status did the Holy Spirit Douluo have?

    After everyone had calmed down again, the Holy Spirit Douluo took a step forward and declared the beginning of the competition. As everyone had expected, the first four duels would be held by the representatives for the four major Second Professions; Blacksmithing, Mecha Designing, Mecha Making and Mecha Mechanics.

    For the first round, the competition would be held between the representative Blacksmiths of the classes, so Tang Wulin made his way to the arena. There were already state of the art forging tables prepared for them, so they could start immediately. Tang Wulin courteously greeted the student from the second grade, who introduced himself as He Xiaopeng.

    Shen Yi stepped forward and explained the precise content of the first match.

    "For the first match, the subject is metal purification. Both of you will be granted a piece of Titanium Crystal and you will have 30 minutes to purify it. The one who is able to purify it the most will be declared the winner and obtain 1.000 contribution points as well as both purified metals. If the first grade wins, they''ll be rewarded 30 percent more contribution points."

    After that, Shen Yi handed both of them a piece of Titanium Crystal and both began heating the metal. Every Blacksmith in the audience was looking at them in anticipation, waiting for them to start their forging process. Waiting for some time, Tang Wulin was the first to finish the heating of the Titanium Crystal and started forging it. Surprisingly, he didn''t use much force but instead only hit the metal really lightly.

    He Xiaopeng also finished the heating process and began forging, though, much more violent that Tang Wulin''s light hits. After another while, the piece of metal Tang Wulin was working on started to emit a bright light and Feng Wuyu instantly flashed onto the stage, tellingTang Wulin to focus and continue.

    After another long round of hammering, Tang Wulin finally finished, and Feng Wuyu announced that the first grade won the blacksmithing contest. Apparently, He Xiaopeng refined his metal very well, but Tang Wulin had succeeded in an even higher form of forging, changing the Titanium Crystal into a metal known as Titanium Gold, even spirit refining and ''bestowing life'' to it. Sheng Feilong didn''t know enough about blacksmithing to understand everything, but Spirit Refinement is the work of top rank 5 and rank 6 Blacksmiths; clearly better than what He Xiaopeng did.

    After that, the second round of the competition began and the representative Mecha Designers of the classes were asked to come on the stage. Grade one''s representative was Gu Yue, while the second grade sent out a girl named Bai Hanying. Both of them were fourth rank Mecha Designers.

    Shen Yi once again stepped forward, giving them the conditions for their contest.

    "This designing match will test your reasoning and the quality of your design. You have 30 minutes to design a right gauntlet for a set of Battle Armour. You may use your old designs. Elder Li will personally select the winner."

    Sheng Feilong and the rest of their group silently smiled when they heard the conditions. Gu Yue was the one who designed the gauntlet for Tang Wulin''s Battle Armour, so she already had experience in that regard. Taking this into account, they had pretty much won the second match already!

    Paper and writing instruments were delivered to the arena and placed on the forging tables. Designer''s didn''t need specialized drawing ground; any flat surface would do just fine, so they used the forging tables from the first match for convenience''s sake. Both of them instantly went to it, using the full 30 minutes to the best of their abilities.

    Gu Yue seemed to design purely from memory and her pencil never stopped drawing on the paper, her pace neither fast nor slow. On the other side, Bai Hanying was working really fast, but also erasing her drawings repeatedly. Still, she made progress just as fast as Gu Yue. After the 30 minutes were up, both of them were asked to stop and Elder Li looked at their designs thoroughly before declaring their match a draw, much to the surprise of everyone, be it from the first or second grade.

    Seeing their confusion, Elder Li smiled gently and explained his decision.

    "Gu Yue, your design for a one-word gauntlet incorporates spirit alloys and is very comprehensive. It''s a practical and effective design. Bai Hangying''s design is much more complicated, and it implemented many advanced theories. However, the overall design is flawed. If you manage to complete it, you''ll have become a fifth-rank designer. Your design seems to be made for someone with twin Spirit Souls?"

    Bai Hanying nodded in approval and elder Li continued his explanation.

    "You should consider working together with Gu Yue to perfect your design. You two would complement each other pretty well and both of your progress would be much faster than when working independently."

    Both of them bowed lightly and thanked Elder Li for his appraisel and pointers before returning to their teams. Currently, the first grade had 1 win and one draw; they were clearly in the lead! The next match could already decide the outcome of the Second Profession competition, but the first grade wasn''t all that confident.

    The third test was Mecha Making and the contestants had to assemble machinery. As expected, the first grade lost this round miserably. While both Sheng Feilong and Ye Xinglan were fifth rank Mecha Makers, they only joined the class when the representatives were already selected and neither of them had any interest in taking on the responsibility anyways, so their current representative was Luo Guixing. Although he was pretty talented, he still fell short of geniuses like the other two and was only a rank three Mecha Maker.

    After his loss, the fourth round began and Wu Sidou and Yuanen Yehui walked onto the arena. Both of them were Mecha Mechanics and their match was actually closely tied; Yuanen Yehui only won by a minimal margin! Although this match was the win for the second grade, having their class president nearly draw with a junior from the first grade struck the second grade''s confidence pretty hard, not to mention Yuanen Yehui''s.

    Now, the moment all of the audience had been waiting for would begin. Shen Yi once again stepped onto the arena and beckoned the representatives for the group battle onto the stage. Unlike what was known before, the second grade would fight with the same amount of contestants as the first grade at Elder Cai''s command, so now, this would be a full blown 7 versus 7 match!

    On the side of the second grade, there were a total of five faces that Sheng Feilong and the others recognized; The class president Yuanen Yehui at the front, Yue Zhengyu to her left and, surprisingly, Wong Wushuang to her right! Just behind the three stood He Xiaopeng and at the end of their formation stood Bai Hanying! All of them had solemn expressions as radiated a thick oppressive feeling due to their strength.

    Still, no one from Sheng Feilong''s team backed down as the ascended the arena nearly at the same time. This was the first time they would fight with all 7 of their members. Xu Xiayan and Xu Lizhi stood at the back with Gu Yue just in front of them to protect them. A few steps off to the side stood Xie Xie, while in front of Gue Yue stood Ye Xinglan and Tang Wulin. Surprisingly, at the front of their formation stood Sheng Feilong!

    The first grade couldn''t make heads or tails of Sheng Feilong standing at the front, while the second grade was just surprised that the first grade''s class president, who was said to have incredible physical strength didn''t stood at the front, but a slim young boy, who didn''t resemble a warrior in the slightest, instead.

    Shen Yi and Wu Zhangkong were naturally surprised as well, but Shen Yi still help her question back and raised her hand to give the contestants a signal. While many people were confused, Shen Yi started the count down for the match and Sheng Feilong unhurriedly took out two white shortsword''s from his Spacial Ring. The moment Shen Yi''s countdown ended with 0, Sheng Feilong''s aura changed drastically!

    (A/N: Did someone say ''cliffhanger''..? No? I''ll give you one none the less!)

 65 7 Versus 7 Team Figh

    As soon as the match began, Sheng Feilong, Tang Wulin, Ye Xinglan and Xie Xie charged at the second grade''s students; All of them had already set their eyes on one target respectively. On the other side, the students of the second grade had also charged out and were on the right course to collide with the students from grade one.

    Gu Yue and Xu Xiayan were attacking the backlines of the second grade with fireballs and icicles, respectively, holding their support and long ranged attackers at bay. Meanwhile, on the frontlines, Xie Xie and his opponent were the first to clash; Xie Xie''s light golden dagger and his opponents transformed arm were clashing, neither backing down, when Xie Xie''s opponent suddenly clasped his talon-like hand around the dagger and pulled Xie Xie to the side before striking at him with his free hand!

    Xie Xie let himself be pulled forward, using the momentum to make another step forward and pull his opponent, Wong Wushuang, who still had his Light Dragon Dagger clasped in his talon, along with him, causing the latter to lightly lose his balance and miss his attack. Xie Xie pulled his dagger away from Wong Wushuang''s talon and they began engaging in a high speed melee duel!

    On the left side of the arena, Ye Xinglan and Yue Zhengyu met and both instantly activated their Spirit Souls; Three purple Soul Rings appeared behind Ye Xinglan while a shining, star shaped symbol appeared on her forehead and as she held a beautifully adorned longsword in her right hand. Behind Yue Zhengyu, three purple Soul Rings similarly appearing behind his back as a pair of pure white wings unfolded from his back and the aura he radiated spiked as a holy feeling lingered around him.

    Yue Zhengyu''s second Soul Ring lit up and a treasured holy sword formed from the light and consolidated in his hand; That was his second Soul Skill, the Holy Sword! Starlight gathered around Ye Xinglan''s sword as she collided with Yue Zhengyu''s holy sword and the holy light and starlight fiercely clashed for dominance, while the harsh sound of metal colliding shrieked through the arena. Taking a step back each, they began fiercely trading blows as they engaged in a swordfight with their aura''s surging outwards, none of them giving in!

    He Xiaopeng charged at Sheng Feilong with a flower like silver hammer manifesting in his hand. He struck out, both his hands holding onto the hammer, but he was intercepted by a terrifying golden coloured claw; Tang Wulin had stopped He Xiaopeng mid-charge with a single hand and stopped him from attacking Sheng Feilong! Both of their aura''s surged as two yellow and one purple Soul Rings appeared behind He Xiaopeng , while a single golden Soul Ring floated behind Tang Wulin!

    Sheng Feilong ignored Tang Wulin and He Xiaopeng as he continued to charge at Yuanen Yehui with his two shortswords in his hands. Suddenly, his pale golden eyes turned a deeper shade of gold while a the red, diamond shaped winged symbol appeared on his forehead. With his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes activated, three purple Soul Rings appeared behind him and the second one abruptly lit up. While nothing obvious happened, Sheng Feilong''s movements became more precise as he watched Yuanen Yehui transform from her slender figure into a burly, four metres tall Titan Giant Ape with thick brown fur covering her arms and upper body.

    Just before the two of them met, four Soul Rings appeared behind Yuanen Yehui; Two yellow and two purple! The third Soul Ring lit up and her body suddenly inflated once more, reaching a height of 5 metres while her muscular arms became even thicker and stronger. Just as the second transformation finished, she suddenly struck out towards Sheng Feilong''s head with her fist!

    Sheng Feilong still had a cold and eerily calm expression on his face as Yuanen Yehui''s fist neared his face. Under the effects of his second Soul Skill, Mental Detection, his 5 senses, perception and state of mind were exceptionally sharp. Tweaking his whole body ever so slightly, Yuanen Yehui''s fist missed him, grazing and tearing part of his uniform in the process, but neither injuring nor slowing his charge in the slightest!

    Tightening his grip on his shortswords, Sheng Feilong jumped into the air, striking out with both swords simultaneously as he aimed for Yuanen Yehui''s throat, his cold eyes filled to the brim with killing intent! Yuanen Yehui was shocked and barely managed to protect her throat with her hand in an instinctive motion. Sheng Feilong''s shortswords sliced at her hand, leaving deep, crimson marks on the back of her left hand and wrist, with blood oozing out of the wounds, before he kicked off her right arm, propelling himself back down to the ground again and piercing one of the swords forward to her waist!

    The pain from the wounds of her hand made Yuanen Yehui instantly spike her concentration. She had underestimated Sheng Feilong greatly! Not only were his illusions problematic, his skill with the sword and mental fortitude were immense as well. Not to mention his decisiveness to instantly go for her throat with the clear intention to kill! She quickly jumped back, dodging the strike to her waist, but that only put her into a more disadvantageous position as Sheng Feilong was able to completely take the offensive now!

    The audience from the second grade all sucked in a cold breath while the first grade cheered. Their class president, their strongest fighter, was suppressed in melee battle by a single member of the first grade! Moreover, they still didn''t know what his Spirit Soul was while Yuanen Yehui had already activated her Spirit Soul and used one of her strongest Soul Skills!

    The Holy Spirit Douluo was surprised at the show of Sheng Feilong''s decisiveness. Although this was an actual combat between Soul Master, most of the students around their age would still not dare to go for vital points of their opponents because of the risk of injuries, but this boy didn''t even flinch when a fist as big as his upper body aimed for his head and emotionlessly dodged it by a hair''s breadth and then aimed for his opponents throat.

    On another spot in the arena, Wong Wushuang and Xie Xie were vigorously fighting each other. Both of them had already just up quite a bit of Soul Power and had used multiple Soul Skills, but they were still evenly matched. Although Wong Wushuang''s Soul Power and the level of his artificial Spirit Souls were superior to Xie Xie, the latter''s strange dagger put a lot of pressure on his Spirit Soul. Moreover, he had a second, nearly invisible dagger in his left hand, further increasing the pressure Wong Wushuang had to bear.

    Suddenly, a Soul Ring behind Xie Xie''s back lit up again, and his body split into three, all of them armed with their own pair of daggers. Wong Wushuang wasn''t as shocked as one would imagine, as he had already seen Xie Xie use this skill in the Entrance Exam. He quickly activated his third Soul Skill as a bunch of feathers on both of his arms turned into sharp, scaled versions of themselves! He swung both arms around, the scaled feather shooting out and aiming for the two Xie Xie''s on his left and right, catching them off guard and piercing deep into their body, instantly killing them and forcing Xie Xie''s Soul Skill to break!

    Xie Xie groaned as the backslash of his Soul Skill breaking hit him unexpectedly. He staggered in his charge, giving Wong Wushuang the opportunity to close the distance between them as the latter struck out with his talons, aiming for Xie Xie''s chest. Wong Wushuang was confident in this strike, but this confidence quickly dissipated when he saw Xie Xie smile lightly.

    In the corner of his eye, Wong Wushuang saw another Xie Xie charge at him with the nearly invisible Shadow Dragon Dagger in his hand, that aimed for his heart! He stopped his charge in an instant, jumping away from the clone, only to have the real Xie Xie jump him with his Light Dragon Dagger, aiming for his heart again. Wong Wushuang clenched his teeth, but couldn''t escape this time. Just as Xie Xie was about to pierce him, the Holy Spirit Douluo intervened, pulling Wong Wushuang down from the arena with her Soul Power, leaving Xie Xie alone on the arena. She smiled lightly, transmitting her voice over the whole audience.

    "Wong Wushuang is herby eliminated. The fight will continue as normal."

    Trying to find a new target, Xie Xie looked around on the arena and finally fixed his gaze onto Bai Henying, who was still desperately dodging the assault of Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan. But before that, he returned to their side of the arena, grabbing a Recovery Pork Bun from Xu Lizhi and ate it in three bites before grabbing another one and charging over to Bai Henying. Just as a bigger fireball, shot by Gu Yue, exploded on the ground near Bai Henying dissipated, Xie Xie jumped through the dust and smoke and attacked her!

    He was about to hit her, but was quickly intercepted by one of the formerly unknown team members of the second grade. A sharp longsword attacked Xie Xie from the side and he barely managed to dodge it, the blade grazing and cutting his cheek. The owner of the sword was a tall and handsome young man with short black hair. More importantly was his sword, though; It looked oddly similar to Ye Xinglan''s but the starlight surrounding it and the aura it radiated itself weren''t as dense as strong. He was a member of the Ye Clan as well and his Spirit Soul is the Starsaint Sword!

    The two of them were about to engage in battle, when He Xiaopeng suddenly flew over to them, crashing into the ground, bruised and beaten all over, while his flower like silver hammer wasn''t in his hands anymore. Following closely behind him was Tang Wulin, who still looked as fine as at the beginning of the match; He had defeated He Xiaoping without much trouble, changing the match-up from a 7 versus 6 to a 7 versus 5 in the first grade''s favour!

 66 End Of The Competition

    On the left side of the arena, the sound of swords clashing against each other continuously screeched out as Ye Xinglan and Yue Zhengyu were fighting. Unlike the beginning of the battle, the disparity between the two of them had become more clear by now; Yue Zhengyu''s clothes were slightly tattered while his hair was dishevelled, still, the holy aura surrounding him was stronger than ever before. With his Holy Sword in hand, he had activated his third Soul Skill, Holy Angel''s Descent, instantly boosting the holy energy he could muster while attacking Ye Xinglan.

    On the other side, Ye Xinglan still stood as straight and proud as before, the starlight around her even denser than before. She was also giving it her all in this fight, though, she wasn''t as bad off as Yue Zhengyu; Her breathing was slightly heavy, but her face was still as cold and indifferent as before while she continuously suppressed Yue Zhengyu.

    The two of them clashed with one another again and again and slowly, but surely, Yue Zhengyu''s Soul Power was depleting. Even though they had fought for many minutes by now, with him continuously at the disadvantage, his team had not yet send anyone to help him, clearly to his irritation. Still, he couldn''t spare any effort to look around or ask for help as the fight with Ye Xinglan demanded his undivided attention; Loosing focus for a second could mean his demise!

    After a few more clashes, Yue Zhengyu finally came up with a plan. Feigning weakness by deactivating his Holy Angel''s Descent, he shouted out loudly before holding his Holy Sword in both hands and charged at Ye Xinglan in a ''last ditch effort''. Ye Xinglan in return used her third Soul Skill to spike her starlight''s power even further and countered Yue Zhengyu''s attack, causing the latter to fall back.

    Ye Xinglan charged after Yue Zhengyu, prepared to end the battle with the next attack, but her indifferent face finally changed when she saw Yue Zhengyu smile faintly. In the air, Yue Zhengyu activated his third Soul Skill, Holy Angel''s Descent, once again and struck out at the charging Ye Xinglan with an overhead chop. Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Ye Xinglan''s face showed dread as she tried to somehow avoid the attack, but it was already to late, she couldn''t stop her charge anymore!

    She clenched her teeth, deciding to just block the hit with everything she had, prepared to take the brunt of the attack, when the Yue Zhengyu in her vision and everything around them suddenly slowed down. Having fought together with Sheng Feilong before, she naturally recognized what was happening; She was under the influence of Sheng Feilong''s shared Mental Detection!

    With more time to come up with a plan, she quickly found an opening and turned her body slight, with Yue Zhengyu''s Holy Sword barely missing her as it brushed off her clothes! In the same motion, she swung her Stargod Sword upwards diagonally and struck out at Yue Zhengyu''s upper body. The latter had no room to dodge, block or somehow prevent the hit, when a powerful Soul Power suddenly stopped both of them mid-motion and Yue Zhengyu was dragged of the arena.

    The Holy Spirit Douluo had once again pulled someone out of the arena while Shen Yi disqualified him. Yue Zhengyu had an ugly expression of his face, but after the Holy Spirit Douluo had intervened, there was nothing he could possibly say. With Yue Zhengyu being disqualified and Ye Xinglan remaining on the arena, the match-up was now 7 versus 4 in the first grade''s favour!

    Ye Xinglan returned to Xu Lizhi''s side, grabbing a Recovery Pork Bun before charging out into the fray one more. Meanwhile, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie had been fighting against Bai Hanying and the handsome youth with the Starsaint Sword for a long time now. Although the Starsaint Sword wasn''t as powerful as the Stargod Sword, it''s attacking capabilities and the starlight were still dreadfully strong. He alone managed to face off against Tang Wulin, who was using his golden claw and golden Soul Ring to fight, and Xie Xie, who was using both of his daggers in tandem, with only the light support from Bai Hanying!

    Tang Wulin changed their battle plan and told Xie Xie to go after Bai Hanying while he stalled the Ye clan member. As an Agility Type Soul Master, Xie Xie was best suited to deal with a Support Type Soul Master and he quickly used his Light Dragon Clones and went for Bai Hanying. With Tang Wulin stopping the Ye Clan member from intervening, Xie Xie managed to take her down in less than a minute, disqualifying her from the match!

    Having lost the support from Bai Hanying and having to face a pincer attack from Tang Wulin and Xie Xie and even adding the attacks from Gu Yue and Xu Xiayan, the Ye Clan member soon was unable to continue as well and gave up on his own, reluctantly leaving the arena. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie smiled and ate a Recovery Pork Bun, that they still had with them and joined Ye Xinglan in attacking the last member of the second grade''s team other than Yuanen Yehui.

    Faced with 5 opponents, three of which could take out his own team members on their own, the poor second grade student had no way to put up a fight. He held up for no more than a minute before being pulled out by the Holy Spirit Douluo, battered and bruised, with cuts from Xie Xie daggers and Ye Xinglan''s sword all over his body. Even the students of the first grade somewhat pitied the poor guy, while the second grade was deathly silent.

    By now, the only ones remaining fighting on the arena were Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui. Their fight was the most ferocious of all those that had been going on. From an outside perspective, it was truly a deathmatch of man versus beast, with Sheng Feilong''s barely 175cm tall stature and two shortswords in his hands facing off against Yuanen Yehui''s over 5 metres tall Titan Giant Ape transformation!

    Yuanen Yehui seemed distressed and was breathing heavily as it was hard for her to keep her transformation for such a long time; they had been fighting since the beginning of the match more than half an hour ago! After the initial attack of Sheng Feilong, she was forced in the defensive and had yet to turn the tables on him since then! By now, both of her arms and parts of her face and upper body were littered with crimson cuts, most of which were oozing small amounts of blood as Sheng Feilong was restlessly assaulting her with his swords; precise and fatal, while his cold eyes continuously stared at her.

    Still, she looked way batter than Sheng Feilong himself. Although she had yet to land a single hit, Sheng Feilong''s cloths were battered and torn, his hair dishevelled and his body scratched from Yuanen Yehui''s attacks and the flying debris that shot out from the ground whenever she broke the arena apart! He hadn''t bothered to move more than necessary, only barely dodging her attacks while using the momentum against her and sometimes even parrying her attacks with his swords only to attack her again in the next instant!

    Another while later, when Yuanen Yehui was barely able to keep her transformation active, Sheng Feilong suddenly stopped his assault and took a few steps back after parrying her last attack. He stood as straight as a pole with his shortswords in his hands, his arms calmly hanging down. Yuanen Yehui was stunned at first and instinctively went into a defensive position when she suddenly heard Sheng Feilong speak in a strained tone.

    "I think this is enough. The battle has already ended."

    Yuanen Yehui was about to refute him, when he suddenly noticed, that there was no more sound coming from the rest of the arena and she saw Tang Wulin slowly walk over and stop next to Sheng Feilong. She hurriedly looked around and finally saw that she was the only one of her team remaining; no one else stood on the arena with her, moreover, she was surrounded by the first grade''s team!

    Sheng Feilong looked at her again, his surging bloodline essence and Soul Power slowly subsiding as his breathing became heavier.

    "Let''s stop here. Your team has already lost and you alone can''t win."

    Tang Wulin and the rest silently stood around Yuanen Yehui and waited for her decision. Although they seemed calm, all of them were ready to attack her the moment she decided to refuse to yield. Yuanen Yehui body shook as she stared at Sheng Feilong and she slowly shrunk back to her normal size; with barely any Soul Power remaining, she couldn''t keep her transformation any longer, even if she wanted! She still didn''t say anything and just stared at Sheng Feilong in silence while blood slowly trickled down from the cuts on her arms.

    The Holy Spirit Douluo saw that and deactivated the barrier around the arena as she stood up.

    "Yuanen Yehui is unable to continue the fight. The second grade has no more fighters remaining, thus the first grade wins this competition!"

    As soon as her words finished, the first grade''s students burst into excited cheers, but Luo Guixing and a few others frowned as they stared at Sheng Feilong with deep frowns on their faces. They couldn''t help but feel some respect for him; for him to go that far to hold of the second grade''s class president...

    On the arena, Yuanen Yehui stood still, silently staring at Sheng Feilong with clenched fists; she had lost! Not only had they, the second grade students actually lost to the first grade, she herselfhad lost against Sheng Feilong in an one against one match where he didn''t even use his illusions!

    Ever since she found out that Sheng Feilong was a member of Tang Wulin''s team, she had naturally investigated on her own, trying to find any information on Sheng Feilong and knew that he was a Control Type Soul Master, not a Power Attack Type like herself. Still, Sheng Feilong managed to thoroughly suppressed her, how could she not be shocked about this. She clenched her teeth and spoke in a low voice, so that the audience wouldn''t hear them.

    "Why did you need to humiliate me at the Entrance Exam if you can fight like this?!"

    Before she even got an answer, Sheng Feilong''s body swayed and Tang Wulin was barely able to catch him. He was breathing heavily as his eyes returned to normal and the red symbol on his forehead disappeared. After that, his whole body changed in front of Yuanen Yehui''s eyes; His clothes were still tattered and his hair dishevelled, but he didn''t look fine in the least. His face was ghastly pale and he was barely conscious, while his arms, shoulders and wrists were bruised, swollen and had become blue.

    His whole body was a mess and Tang Wulin had to basically keep him standing with his strength. He was lightly shaking all over with the muscles on his arms and legs repeatedly constricting an expanding again and again. Yuanen Yehui froze in place. She couldn''t believe her eyes; the opponent who had fought her the whole time without getting injured suddenly looked like he was about to die!

    The Holy Spirit Douluo stepped onto the arena and quickly took a look at Sheng Feilong before anyone could say something. After a moment, she lightly smiled and told Tang Wulin to take him to the side and let him rest. Yuanen Yehui looked somewhat lost when the rest of the first grade also left the arena after Tang Wulin and Sheng Feilong. Gu Yue brushed past her and sighed in an annoyed fashion.

    "That''s his way of apologizing. He really is a stubborn idiot."

    The Holy Spirit Douluo followed after them and left Yuanen Yehui to stand alone on the arena, still with a complicated expression and a feeling of loss in her mind. The second grade''s teacher approacher her and put a hand on her shoulder. Yuanen Yehui questioningly looked at her while her teacher looked in Sheng Feilong''s direction with an appreciative gaze, lowly speaking to Yuanen Yehui.

    "While he was fighting you, he was constantly supporting his team with his Soul Skill. Whenever they faced danger, he would help them out while keeping you at bay. The sword technique he used...is a specialized technique for Agility Type Soul Masters with dual Tool Spirits like daggers. It''s already amazing that he could display it to this extent as a Control Type Soul Master, though, he overtaxed his body and Soul Power considerably. Normally, a single punch from you would have been enough to shatter the bones in his arms; even if he parried you strikes, I really don''t know how he endured for so long."

    Yuanen Yehui remained on the stage for a long time after that before she finally left with the rest of the second grade. None of them spoke while the first grade was rejoicing. After the competition ended, the news of the first grade defeating the second grade with all of their members still standing on the arena spread like a wildfire!

 67 Rank Fourty Soul Elder

    Song Weihan sat inside his office in the third floor of the Spirit Pagoda. Although he looked calm on the outside while going through the documents that lay before him, he had a deep frown on his face and gave off a cold feeling. The atmosphere around him become even colder when he read through a specific document that he now held in his hand; It was the newest report about the disappearance of his subordinates that were sent to the Sheng Clan.

    Slightly over 10 months had passed since he lost contact with them, but no matter who he send to investigate and even when he personally went there, he couldn''t find even the slightest trace of them. By now, he had no other option but to assume them to be dead. He let out a long sigh before beckoning for one of the employees outside his office to enter. The young woman quickly saluted him and he gave her instructions with a stern face.

    "Inform the families of Zhou Weiyun and Le Bijing that the two of them have gone missing on a mission and are assumed to be dead. All contact to them has been cut."

    Just as he finished his sentence, his Soul Communicator rang and he saw a familiar number. Dismissing the employee, he answered the call after the doors had closed again and spoke with an upbeat voice into the communicator.

    "Feilong, it''s been a few weeks since you last thought about this poor Master of yours. How have you been?"

    On the other end of the call was Sheng Feilong! He was quietly sitting in his dorm room alone and smiled sheepishly when he heard Song Weihan. By now, Xu Lizhi had already left the dorm; He and Ye Xinglan had transferred to the Working Students dormitory when Tang Wulin and the other stayed, so Sheng Feilong was the sole owner of the place now.

    "Master, this lowly disciple knows how busy you are with work! I didn''t dare disturb you for my mundane matters! I have been well, though. Very well indeed!"

    After the initial turmoil at Shrek Academy, especially the restructuration of the Inner Court and the Outer Court''s competition, died down, Sheng Feilong finally had the time to regularly contact his Master and father. Still, he hadn''t called either of them for a long time now. Song Weihan couldn''t help but laugh lightly when Sheng Feilong finished and slightly relaxed despite the trouble with his subordinates.

    "That''s good to hear. So? Has anything special happened for you to suddenly call?"

    Sheng Feilong smiled brightly, taking a moment before he answered proudly.

    "Nothing much, it''s just that I managed to reach rank 40 this morning and thought that I''d boast to my Master first!" Song Weihan was surprised to hear that; A rank 40 Soul Master was already well respected in most places and Sheng Feilong hadn''t even turned 14 years old yet!

    "That''s wonderful news! A 13 years old rank 40 Soul Master; You really don''t hear that often. Still ,your cultivation really soared after being banned from training your Spirit Power...I assume it has something to do with the evolution of your Spirit Eyes."

    Giving a silent nod, Sheng Feilong replied with a thoughtful expression.

    "I think so too. Though, Shrek Academy is partly responsible as well. I''ve made a few contribution points by working for people at the Maker''s Association as well as helping out Elder Feng at the Blacksmith''s Association, so I was able to rent a personalized cultivation dwelling. Strangely enough, the best suited dwelling for me was the forest. Probably because of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion?"

    Song Weihan''s lips lightly twitched when Sheng Feilong told him about the last part and he replied with a solemn voice.

    "I assume you haven''t told anyone else about your connection to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion?"

    Sheng Feilong flinched as well before hurriedly replying in fear of angering Song Weihan again. When the latter was contacted by the Atlas Douluo of Shrek Academy about the Sheng Clan''s bloodline, he nearly died from shock. He really had to praise the Atlas Douluo''s ruthlessness, though; The man had extorted him of a contract to create 3 personalized Artificial Soul Bones for Shrek Academy''s silence!

    "Of course not, Master! Last time was just a mistake and I haven''t told anyone else! My lips are tightly sealed!"

    Song Weihan lightly sighed in relief before speaking up in his usual upbeat voice again.

    "That good then. Since you''re already at rank 40, do you want to return to Heaven Dou City for now?" Sheng Feilong acknowledged the statement with a grunt before replying.

    "Yes. I plan to ask for a leave from my class''s teacher before returning to Heaven Dou City. I think I can get about a week''s time of leave."

    Song Weihan asked him to inform him as soon as he had more concrete details and the two of them continued to talk for a while longer. After a few minutes, Song Weihan had to return to his work and ended the call. Sheng Feilong continued cultivating and later went over to the Maker''s Association. The next day, he went to speak to Shen Yi, who knew about his bloodline, in private and ask for a leave, telling her his Master wanted to check up on him before he obtained his fourth Soul Ring.

    A few days later, Sheng Feilong took the train to head to Heaven Dou City where he met up with his father at the station. Sheng Lingtian had truly used the last few months to his advantage; He had actually broken through to level 60 and obtained his next Soul Rank, becoming a full fledged Soul Emperor! Due to his cultivation, he was even promoted and was now an executive of the Spirit Pagoda''s guard, having more than 20 captains and their teams beneath him.

    Since Song Weihan was still busy with his work, Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian spend the day together before heading to the Spirit Pagoda in the early afternoon. By now, Song Weihan had once again made sure that no one else but them was involved in the tests and any and all recordings, statistics and the likes were instantly deleted afterwards. Maybe the disappearance of two of his most trusted aides had forced him to become a bit paranoid, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

    They took nearly an hour before all tests were finished and they returned to Song Weihan''s office with the results in hand. Song Weihan took a while to skim them through and analyse the results. After a while, he happily smiled and looked at Sheng Feilong.

    "Congratulations, Feilong! You are pregnant- I mean, the results are more than promising. Your Spirit Power has completely stabilized and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s bloodline has nourished your body even further. Even normal Power Attack Type Soul Ancestors would have trouble facing you with their bodies alone. With results like this, you could easily absorb a 10.000-years-old artificial Spirit Soul and obtain your next ring from it. This would bost your strength tremendously!"

    Sheng Feilong was overjoyed, but couldn''t help but roll his eyes at Song Weihan at the same time. Ever since he had entered puberty, Song Weihan was making more and more tasteless jokes, like the one just now. Although it was funny at first ¨C for them at least, while Sheng Feilong was often furiously blushing ¨C by now, they were just annoying. Still, after that, Sheng Feilong turned silent for a moment, thinking about his options. A 10.000-years-old artificial Spirit Soul was an incredible boon to achieve, but it somehow didn''t feel right for him.

    He looked at Song Weihan again before opening his mouth.

    "Master, about the artificial Spirit Soul... Do I really need to get another one? The Ancient Hypnotic Toad is already at the 1.000 year level, so I can just consolidate another Spirit Soul from it, right? If anything, wouldn''t it be better to evolve a Spirit Soul I''m so incredibly compatible with to the 10.000 year level instead of fusing with another one?"

    Song Weihan smiled lightly, amused by Sheng Feilong''s attachment to the little Toad Spirit.

    "Well, in theory, yes. But aving just a single artificial Spirit Soul has considerable drawbacks. For example, if you were to obtain your fourth ring from it, you could only evolve it to the 10.000 years level once your body and Spirit Power are strong enough to support a full 4 10.000-years-old Soul Rings. With another Spirit Soul, you could take your time to get it to higher levels while still having a 10.000-years-old Soul Ring. Moreover, when you reach the Spirit King boundary, you''d only have4 1.000-years-old Soul Rings if you''re not yet able to withstand a full set of 10.000-years-old ones and then you''d have to get another artificial Spirit Soul anyways."

    After speaking up to here, he pulled out a document from his desk and handed it to Sheng Feilong. Taking a look at it, he saw that it was the characteristics of a Soul Beast with a picture or drawing on top; A small female, about the size of an 8 year old child, with a small, round face, curly hair and a cute face. She held a a staff that was seemingly made from a tree''s root in her hand, but she clearly wasn''t human; Her skin colour, clothes, eyes and everything ¨C were light blue! Taking a look at the name, this Soul Beast was apparently called a ''Forest Witch''.

    Sheng Feilong frowned lightly and Song Weihan seemingly understood his meaning instantly.

    "Don''t think too much about the name. This kind of Soul Beast lives deep inside the forest and always near lakes, hence their name. Despite their colouration suggesting otherwise, they''re somewhat rare Soul Beasts that posses a strong affiliation to the life element; They are natural born healers and have a high status in the Soul Beast''s world." He then took out two other other documents and handed them to Sheng Feilong.

    Both of those documents also contained characteristics of Soul Beasts. They were also humanoid with similar curly hair, round faces and small frames, but unlike the Forest Witch, those two were of different colours. The first one was deep red, her hair curly, but sparse, and the tree root staff in her hand was withered; It was a mutation of the Forest Witch, the Red Forest Witch and unlike the former, it wasn''t affiliated with the life element, but with death.

    The other one was even weirder. It was also a Forest Witch, but completely purple. Unlike the former, it had short, straight hair, a thin face and a bewitching smile on its lips. Still, in its eyes lingered a deep sense of maliciousness, even causing Sheng Feilong to be uncomfortable with just seeing a picture. Seeing his expression, Song Weihan once again smiled and explained it to him.

    "This third one is a Purple Forest Witch, also called a Poison Witch. It''s a mutated Soul Beast that comes into being as the offspring of a normal and a red Forest Witch; it is exceedingly rare and just as powerful. It''s not affiliated with neither life nor death, but, as the name suggests, poison. Though, not normal poison; A special kind of poison that doesn''t afflict the physical body, but causes the mind and spirit of it''s victim to slowly corrode."

    Song Weihan stopped shortly as Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian breathed in sharply. To corrode the mind and spirit of a Soul Master was basically the same as a death sentence! A poisoned body but could healed, but a corroded spirit not be mended; This was the same as crippling a Soul Master for good! Song Weihan once gain smiled lightly and continued with an incredibly casual tone.

    "And I just happen to possess a 12.700-years-old Purple Forest Witch''s artificial Spirit Soul, stored in my personal collection..."

 68 Purple Forest Witchs Artificial Spirit Soul

    Sheng Feilong was surprised when he heard Song Weihan''s explanation. He understood why the picture of the Purple Forest Witch made him feel so uncomfortable. With an ability like mind corrosion, it was practically the natural enemy of any Soul master, even more so for Spiritual Type Soul Masters. Still, if its poison really works like that, than if he could obtain its abilities from its Spirit Soul and combine it with his illusions...

    "Master, how do the Purple Forest Witch''s abilities usually work out for Soul Masters?"

    Song Weihan smiled lightly. It seemed like he had persuaded his disciple once again.

    "There weren''t many Soul Masters who fused with Purple Forest Witches in history; Mainly due to their rarity and specifics. Most Plant Type Soul Master who could actually use its poison attribute to their advantage can''t fuse with it because all plants reject it. Even a Bluesilver Emperor would be unable to accept it, so most people who chose with it were special Poison Soul Masters. And all of them got its powerful poison as their ability."

    He paused for a moment and looked at Sheng Feilong with a contemplative expression.

    "Your Spirit Eyes would usually not be able to fuse with it due to the repulsive effect of the corrosive elements, but yours aren''t normal Spirit Eyes. As an evolution incited by the bloodline of a Three-Eyed Golden Lion, you should be able to fuse with it."

    Sheng Feilong stayed silent while Song Weihan explained the Purple Forest Witch''s characteristics, earnestly listening to the latter. Afterwards, he once again fell back into his own thoughts, neither Sheng Lingtian nor Song Weihan disrupting him, until he raised his head again, looking at Song Weihan with a serious expression.

    "All right, I want to try it. Master, please give me the Purple Forest Witch''s artificial Spirit Soul to fuse with!"

    Song Weihan smiled lightly, trying his best to hide the smugness of having persuaded Sheng Feilong to take his offer as he lead them to a restricted area on the Spirit Pagoda''s third floor. Unlike the normal room where one would get their artificial Spirit Souls, the one Song Weihan lead them to was much smaller. Moreover, it actually required Song Weihan''s personal ID-card to enter. A similar machine to the one in the main room stood in this smaller one. Like the other, it also seemed to contain a multitude of Spirit Souls of all kinds.

    Song Weihan moved to a terminal and typed a few codes, passwords and the likes in while Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian waited at the side. The huge machine began to power up and work for a while before a round metal ball was ejected at the opening in the middle a few moments later. Song Weihan walked over, grabbed the ball and checked it before returning to Sheng Feilong''s side.

    "12.706-years-old Poison Type Soul Beast, Purple Forest Witch''s, artificial Spirit Soul. Nurtured in my personal Spirit Soul storage and considerably more docile compared to normal Purple Forest Witches. Just for reference; this little treasure is is worth around 1.2 billion Federational Coins. Not that I''d charge my own disciple, though."

    Sheng Feilong was thrilled when he saw the metal ball at first. It''s been a long while since he last saw one, much less fused with an artificial Spirit Soul, and he felt slightly nostalgic, but when Song Weihan mentioned its normal price, he froze in shock. He had heard that artificial Spirit Souls were expensive, but 1.2 billion Federational Coins? That was enough money to buy the land to create a medium sized village!

    He hesitated to grab the metal ball for a moment; although Song Weihan had only mentioned the price to tease him, he still felt the money weigh down on him when he stood in front of it. Song Weihan smiled when he saw Sheng Feilong''s hesitation and took a step forward before pushing the metal ball into his embrace and spoke with a teasing voice.

    "What are you waiting for, take it already! I''ll show you a safe room where you can fuse with it. We don''t have the time to just stand around here; I''m a busy man, you know? You don''t need to be concerned about that small bit of change."

    This time even Sheng Lingtian couldn''t help but awkwardly clear his throat. He had remained calm, or at least tried to, when Song Weihan spoke of the artificial Spirit Soul''s price, but to think he would refer to 1.2 billion Federational Coins as ''small change''... Rich and successful people were really unfathomable not to mention Titled Douluo''s. To them, money really is just a number, it seems.

    What they did not know, though, was that Song Weihan, who was leading the way over to the aforementioned safe room, had a pained expression on his face; 1.2 billion Federational Coins were a huge amount of money, even for him! Luckily, neither Sheng Feilong nor Sheng Lingtian could see his face as they were walking behind him. Arriving at the room, Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan remained outside to let Sheng Feilong freely focus on his task.

    Sitting down in the middle of the room, Sheng Feilong adjusted his mind and body before slowly pouring a bit of Soul Power into the metal ball in his hands. It radiated a bit of purple and black light as it opened up and revealed a small, purple figure with short hair and round face. This figure stood on a big black ring of energy and expressionlessly stared at Sheng Feilong.

    The latter couldn''t help but swallow some saliva. Not only was the Purple Forest witch radiating the intimidating pressure of a 10.000-years-old Soul Beast, its gaze actually lightly made his mind shake. Sheng Feilong took a deep breath, adjusting his state of mind once again and slowly began to pull the artificial spirit Souls power to himself, trying to absorb the artificial Spirit Soul.

    Although the repulsive effect of the mind corroding poison attribute of the Purple Forest Witch and his own spiritual element was significant, with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s bloodline lightly acting up, the repulsive feeling vanished in an instant. Like this, Sheng Feilong was able to fully fuse with the Spirit Soul in about two and a half hours time!

    Sheng Feilong slowly opened his eyes, taking another deep breath before he looked behind himself. Having just finished fusing with the artificial Spirit Soul, he had directly gained his fourth Soul Ring. Now, there were 3 deep purple and a single black Soul Ring hovering behind his back. He had officially stepped into the realm of Soul Ancestors!

    He smiled to himself for a few seconds before turned his head back to the front and closing his eyes again. He didn''t cultivate, though; This time, he entered his own spiritual consciousness. A pure white world was once again extending into all directions around him as he saw his Spirit Souls, artificial Spirits and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Skull Bone hover silently in the air.

    The silhouette of his Spirit Eyes had changed compared to how it looked when he first entered here. It as still a hollow, lightly outlined figure, but it''s eyes weren''t blue anymore. Instead, they had taken on a deep shade of gold with a golden aura surrounding figure''s whole head like a lion''s mane. Etched into its forehead was the same winged diamond shaped symbol that appeared when Sheng Feilong activated his Spirit Soul.

    The Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Skull Bone had come closer to the silhouette and a wobbling strand of golden light was continuously connecting the two of them. The Ancient Hypnotic Toad''s artificial Spirit Soul on the other hand still looked the same as always, only that it was sleeping while occasionally croaking as if it was snoring. Must be pretty nice to have such a lax life. Originally, the toad was always fearful, stammering something about ''frightful presence'' and ''getting stronger'' but after a few years since its evolution to the 1.000 year level, it had calmed down and was nearly always sleeping if Sheng Feilong didn''t need it in battle. It was a 100 percent reliable, but just as lazy if it didn''t have to do anything.

    The newcomer to his spiritual consciousness, the Purple Forest Witch''s artificial Spirit Soul, stood still in his place, calmly observing Sheng Feilong with stoic eyes, not looking away for even a second. As the two of them had completely fused, the uncomfortable feeling that radiated from it as well as the 10.000-years-old Soul Beast''s pressure had completely disappeared; they were totally comfortable around each other.

    Sheng Feilong sat down near it and started transmitting his thoughts. As a 10.000-years-old Spirit Soul, the Purple Forest Witch''s intelligence and ability to communicate with Sheng Feilong was much higher. He tried out some easy conversation first, starting with a simple ''hello''. The Purple Forest witch continued to stare at him and just as Sheng Feilong wanted to communicate something else, he heard a high pitched, childish voice in his head, asking where it was!

 69 Terrifying Soul Skill

    A/N: I''ve decided to change a few terms used in the novel.

    Spirit Soul ˇú Spirit Essence

    Artificial Spirit Soul ˇú Spirit Soul

    This is due to the fact that it''s becoming increasingly cumbersome to always make a clear differentiation between the two, as well as the fact that there''s actually a type of Spirit Soul, that I''ve completely missed: Soul Beasts, that choose to become the Spirit Souls of Soul Masters. Those would fit in neither of the two categories so it''s better to change it before it''s too late.

    (This is NOT a statement to say that Sheng Feilong will obtain a Soul Beast''s Spirit Soul.)

    I will gradually begin to change the terms in the previous chapters to keep confusion to a minimum.

    Without further ado, I hope you''ll enjoy today''s chapter!

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Looking at the small Purple Forest Witch in front of him, Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but smile brightly. It had actually answered him! Well, it just asked a question back, but at least it was communicating with him; that''s already more than he could currently hope to achieve withthe Ancient Hypnotic Toad! Sheng Feilong took a moment to answer, trying to find the right words to explain the situation to the little Forest Witch.

    Its small face turned into a frown, seemingly trying to understand before it slightly nodded and stared at Sheng Feilong again. After a moment, he heard its high pitched, childish voice in his head again. He was thrilled again, but his look quickly turned into a bewildered one as the Purple Forest Witch was asking where the pond was...

    ''Did it not understand me? Or does it expect a pond in my spiritual consciousness? No, something like that isn''t possible and the little Forest Witch couldn''t know about something like that... Then, its really not understanding what I mean?''

    Sheng Feilong took a while to once again explain that the Purple Forest Witch wasn''t in the forest where he presumed the pond to be at anymore, but was then asked where the pond had gone to instead... After bickering and explaining the situation a few more times and asking a few other things, Sheng Feilong finally came to a conclusion: This Purple Forest Witch couldn''t comprehend the meaning of his words at all.

    He really didn''t know if it was because it was a Spirit Soul that was artificially ''aged'' or if that was simply normal for Soul Beasts, as they weren''t able to fully comprehend human language until they reached 100.000 years of age, but this little thing''s really didn''t get anything!

    Having spend around an hour to communicate with the Purple Forest Witch to no avail, Sheng Feilong at least understood that it still knew how to use its powers to assist him. This also included actually controlling the Soul Skills Sheng Feilong would gain from it in future as well as the one he just got from breaking through to become a Soul Ancestor!

    Having had enough from exhausting himself by talking to someone who didn''t get his own meaning in full, Sheng Feilong exited his spiritual consciousness and prepared to leave his cultivation room. By now, he had already spent more than three and a half hours inside the room and expected his father and Master to have become slightly listless by now. Quickly walking out the door, he saw Sheng Lingtian standing on the opposite side of the hallway, keeping an eye on his room.

    Sheng Lingtian gently smiled when he saw Sheng Feilong exit the room. He could clearly feel that the latter had become much stronger as Sheng Feilong wasn''t fully able to control his newly elevated Soul Power yet.

    "Congratulations on your breakthrough, Feilong. I had originally expected you to take a lot longer. Merely three and a half hours, you''re really quick. Shall we go see Senior Song?"

    Sheng Feilong smiled contently and quickly nodded to answer the question. The both of them then made their way over to Song Weihan''s office where the latter was currently drinking some tea. When they entered, Song Weihan glanced at the clock on the wall shortly before smiling at Sheng Feilong.

    "You''re rather quick. Three and a half hours really is a good time for breaking through rank 40. Have you already tried talking to the Purple Forest Witch Spirit?"

    Sheng Feilong smiled wryly and looked a bit lost before complaining to Song Weihan.

    "Master, this little Forest Witch really is troublesome. I''ve spent an hour trying to explain that it was now my Spirit Soul, but it didn''t understand and was just asking where the forest or some pond were... I tried changing the questions after a while because I couldn''t take it anymore and asked about its abilities. I don''t know about other stuff, but it should at least be able to take control over the Soul Skills I''ll obtain from it to some degree."

    Song Weihan was a bit shocked, but quickly made sure not to show it on his face. It was quite normal for a 10.000-years-old Spirit Soul to have a relatively low level of intelligence and comprehensive ability, but Sheng Feilong spent an hour communicating with it?

    "So, you really just spend two and a half hours fusing with the Spirit Soul? That''s incredibly fast, to be honest. Though, you don''t need to worry about the Purple Forest Witch; It''s quite normal for Spirit Souls not to know or understand what was going on. They''ll get used to it after some time, especially humanoid ones like yours."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head to display he understood. As long as there wasn''t a problem with the Purple Forest Witch, he wouldn''t mind too much. Song Weihan once again smiled at Sheng Feilong and a slightly awkward silence filled the room where the two of them just smiled at each other, before Sheng Lingtian broke this silence with a faked cough.

    "Feilong, why don''t you tell us about your new Soul Skill? We''re both quite interested as the Forest Witch''s and your Spirit Essence''s attributes contradict each other."

    Sheng Feilong flinched lightly before glancing at Song Weihan with a complicated expression and spoke in a faint voice.

    "Master, can Soul Master''s name their own Soul Skills or do we need to take their ''original ones''..?"

    Song Weihan frowned light, not expecting the question, but still answered near immediately.

    "Well, usually people use the original names as it''s more convenient, but if you can fully link the new name and effect together, you could make your own name. Imagine the name more like a shortcut to activate the effect you want to achieve like saving someone''s name in your Soul Communicator instead of remembering their number."

    Song Weihan then looked at Sheng Feilong, seemingly understanding something.

    "You don''t like your new Soul Skill''s name? Well, I guess the names of poisonous Soul Skills are all a bit weird, but before you decide on a new name, you should at least tell us about it." Hearing his words, Sheng Feilong sighed before speaking of the name in a low voice.

    "The Purple Forest Witch called this ability.. P-Playing The Dumbo Game..."

    Song Weihan''s lips twitched as he furiously tried to suppress a laugh, but Sheng Lingtian didn''t manage to do so in time and let out a weird snort before turning his head to the side. Sheng Feilong naturally noticed both of their behaviours and his face became slightly red. This name was just too much to take, even for him...

    Song Weihan faked a cough before speaking up with a neutral voice again, still keeping his stoic poker face.

    "Well, that really is a... peculiar name. I can understand why you would ask if it is possible to change it. Still, can you tell us what it does?"

    Sheng Feilong frowned when he thought about what he got to know about this new Soul Skill. Although the name was ridiculously childish, the effects were the complete opposite.

    "It''s essentially a spiritual poison attack. Using my Spirit Power to create a seed of sorts, the Purple Forest Witch''s poisonous nature takes over and infests the Spirit Power. After that, it works like a normal Spirit Attack, but it plants this poisoned seed inside the opponents mind and spirit source. It takes a few moments for the seed to bud, but once it begins, it slowly corrodes the spirit and mind of the victim... Honestly, it''s even worse than normal poison and truly dangerous. If it fully corrodes a persons spirit, the bud will turn into a flower and their whole spirit will collapse, essentially turning them into vegetables, and in the worst case, they will die on the spot because they can''t support their own cultivation anymore. That''s what the Purple Forest Witch refers to as ''making people be dumbo''... The most terrifying thing, though, is that it''s nearly impossible to detect and even harder to remove. Though, I can will it to dissipate as long as it hasn''t turned into a flower yet."

    When Sheng Feilong finished his explanation, Sheng Lingtian took a deep breath while even Song Weihan froze with a frown. He knew that the Purple Forest Witch''s poison affected the spirit and mind of it''s victims, but to apply it with a spiritual attack? This is too terrifying! With this, Sheng Feilong could basically kill any and all Soul Masters who had a weaker Spirit Power than himself without them even noticing!

    Song Weihan then abruptly stood up and walked in front of Sheng Feilong. Frowning deeply he looked at the latter with an extremely solemn expression and spoke in a deep, authoritative voice while looking his disciple directly into the eyes as his aura pressed down on the whole room.

    "Feilong, you must only use this Soul Skill if there''s no other possibility. Even when fighting your enemies, you must never let the poison seed fully bloom; You can only use this technique to its full potential against Soul Beasts! Am I understood?"

    Sheng Feilong shook slightly when he heard Song Weihan''s voice. Although his Master liked to joke around, he was just as serious when it involved anything that couldn''t be brushed off, but he had never seen this terrifying side of Song Weihan. There was no way to refute him, no way around accepting this order; This wasn''t his caring Master speaking to him ¨C This was a top-master of humanity, the Spirit Flamingo Douluo, Song Weihan, speaking to him!

 70 Spirit Infestation

    Sheng Feilong stood in front of Song Weihan frozen like a statue while his face was slightly pale. Looking at Song Weihan''s eyes, he couldn''t help but feel his mind and body tremble under the pressure as he spoke in a timid voice.

    "U-understood. I won''t use it against anyone if not necessary."

    After Sheng Feilong finished, Song Weihan calmed down and the pressure he gave off slowly dissipated before he went back to his seat. Sheng Lingtian frowned at the display, but said nothing as he seemingly understood the necessity of handling this situation thoroughly. Song Weihan looked back at Sheng Feilong with a small smile and spoke in a calm and reassuring voice.

    "Sorry for scaring you just now, but it''s really important that you understand the severity of your or Soul Skill. With a power like that, you could potentially kill anybody whose Spirit Power is weaker than yours without anyone noticing. Just for that, there''d be a lot of self righteous people who would hunt you down just to be sure nothing happened if word got out; An ability like that could easily qualify you as an evil Soul Master. If I knew that you''d get such a Soul Skill, I wouldn''t have allowed you to fuse with the Purple Forest Witch to begin with."

    Sheng Feilong frowned. He hadn''t looked at it like that before, but what Song Weihan said really made sense. From what he had heard about evil Soul Masters before, an ability like Playing The Dumbo Game really was too close to what they do... Still, the name might be even worse... Sheng Feilong''s expresion soured when he thought about the Soul Skill''s name.

    That of course didn''t go unnoticed by Song Weihan and the latter interpreted it as a reaction to the ''qualification of an evil Soul Master'' part.

    "There''s no need to be troubled by that, Feilong. You''re far from being an evil Soul Master; A single Soul Skill or even Spirit essence isn''t enough to change that. That''s right, wasn''t there also that senior sister of yours from Shrek with a Fallen Angel Spirit Essence? She''s a good example. The reason why the Fallen Angel is seen as a evil Spirit Essence by many is because of its powers, but even if the Spirit itself is evil, it still is the Soul Masters decision what to do with it."

    Song Weihan didn''t go into detail about what kind of power it is that makes the Fallen Angel so dangerous in order to not worry Sheng Feilong; He of course knew about it, but that didn''t mean that he would ruthlessly condemn everyone who possesses this Spirit Essence. He wasn''t as radical as other ''righteous'' Soul Masters or clans; As long as the Soul Master doesn''t do anything evil, he would at most keep them under surveillance.

    Sheng Feilong calmed down considerably and looked at Song Weihan with a light smile. His Master was right. Just because he had something that could be considered evil doesn''t mean that he''s evil himself and he wouldn''t let himself be pushed down by something like that.

    "Master, can you help me testing this new Soul Skill out? I want to know as much about it as possible."

    Song Weihan smiled and nodded contentedly. This was exactly the question he wanted to hear. The next few days, he and Sheng Feilong focused on testing out his new Soul Skill; Sheng Feilong would spend some time talking with the Purple Forest Witch, trying go get as much information as possible about it and its powers, as even the Spirit Pagoda naturally didn''t have every single piece of information of such rare Soul Beasts.

    After getting to know everything he could get out of the Forest Witch currently, he started testing the Soul Skill out for real. He tried activating and conjuring it up without a target under Song Weihan''s supervision, getting to the process where he had to use the poisoned bit of Spirit Power to spiritually attack his opponent. Even when he first tried it, it worked perfectly and took nearly no time, but Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan were still shocked.

    Unlike what one would expect, infusing the Purple Forest Witch''s poison into his Spirit Power used up a huge amount of Soul Power, draining Sheng Feilong of nearly 40 percent of his current reserves. This naturally was a huge drawback. Be it in battle or not, losing nearly 40 percent of their Soul Power would weigh down heavily on any Soul Master, especially when this drain happened in an instant. After seeing it happen as speaking with Sheng Feilong for a bit, he came up with the idea that this was most likely caused by the opposing attributes of the poison and Spirit Power; They were actually the antithesis of each other, fiercely clashing whenever they met, but Sheng Feilong''s Soul Skill was fusing the two together to bring out the desired characteristics of both.

    After testing around for another day, Sheng Feilong got a solid grasp over the combining of both and was even able to more or less cope and ignore the sudden drain of Soul Power and Song Weihan allowed him to unleash the Soul Skill on himself. Letting himself be affected by Sheng Feilong''s spiritual attack, Song Weihan cautiously observed the poisonous seed that planted itself in his spirit source and his heart shook fiercely. He was clearly able to ''see'' it with his spiritual senses, but even as the seed started budding and rooting itself into his spirit source, he couldn''t feel anything off; The seed or bud itself had absolutely no aura, Spirit Power fluctuations or anything else, it was essentially impossible to feel if one didn''t inspect their spirit source on purpose.

    When the bud slowly grew larger and started absorbing his spirit source, Song Weihan felt his Spirit Power being drained, but it wasn''t the feeling of using it up, but more like slowly getting tired and exhausted. In a battle, even he would just brush it off as having underestimated his own fatigue and wouldn''t recognize it as something being wrong with his spirit source. He frowned and attacked the poisonous bud, directly obliterating every last bit of it, not even leaving dust or ashes behind.

    After finishing up, he opened his eyes again, looking at Sheng Feilong and telling him about his findings. According to his estimations, the poisoned seed would take about two hours to fully absorb his spirit source and Spirit Power, but that was while Song Weihan''s Spirit Power was nearly 10 times that of Sheng Feilong. Counting back, that would mean Sheng Feilong would need around 10 minutes to turn someone who had the same Spirit Power as himself into a vegetable state, most likely even less as Song Weihan''s Spirit Power wasn''t just stronger, but he was also at the Spirit Abyss realm while Sheng Feilong was still stuck at the Spirit Sea realm.

    They tested around for a while longer, mainly to give Sheng Feilong experience in removing the bud on his own violation, and after a few tries, with long breaks in between to allow Sheng Feilong to restore his Soul Power, he was able to do so with just a thought, shocking Song Weihan again. If Sheng Feilong could remove it with just a thought, that meant that the seed or bud still had Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Mark on it, but Song Weihan was completely unable to find any traces of it.

    The next day, they asked Sheng Lingtian for help regarding the time it took for the bud to abosrd the whole spirit source of someone with weaker Spirit Power than Sheng Feilong. Currently, Sheng Lingtian''s Spirit Power was around the 3.500 mark, while Sheng Feilong''s was still unshakingly remaining at 4.735. Sheng Lingtian allowed Song Weihan to observe his spirit source in detail as Sheng Feilong used the Soul Skill against his father and saw the bud take root much, much faster than against himself, quickly beckoning Sheng Feilong to remove it after less than half a minute.

    Song Weihan sighed, once again telling Sheng Feilong to be absolutely alerted when he used this Soul Skill. To completely devour Sheng Lingtian''s Spirit power and spirit source, who was about 30 percent weaker than Sheng Feilong, the bud only needed approximately 3 minutes! After this test, the rest of the day was used for experimenting; Sheng Feilong still wanted to rename the Soul Skill, while Song Weihan gave him some pointers with this, while also making sure that Sheng Feilong trained to sense the growth of the poisoned bud.

    By the end of the sixth day of intensive training since Sheng Feilong came back to Heaven Dou City, he was finally able to fully observe the poisoned bud''s growth and could even slow it down or force it to stop with a thought, not to mention completely removing it. However, what excited him even more was that he finally managed to rename the Soul Skill! Instead of the ridiculously childish ''Playing The Dumbo Game'', Sheng Feilong would now call it ''Spirit Infestation''!

    Sadly, today also marked the last day of Sheng Feilong''s visit to Heaven Dou City. Tomorrow, he would return to Shrek Academy in the morning while his father and Master will remain in Heaven Dou City. The three of them spent the evening together and Song weihan and Sheng Lingtian accompanied Sheng Feilong to the station the next morning. Before setting off, Song Weihan gave Sheng Feilong a little ''present'', though: a small envelope with a wax seal that Sheng Feilong was only allowed to open once he had returned to Shrek Academy.

    After a long train ride, Sheng Feilong was back in Shrek City and his his way over to the academy where he returned to his dorm room. After unpacking his stuff, he went for the dining hall to grab a bite before he reported back to the Shen Yi in the teacher''s office, informing her that he had returned and then headed over to the Maker''s Association, reporting back there as well. On his way out, he met Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan who were on their way to meet up with Tang Wulin and the others and decided to join them.

    He hadn''t told them the real reason why he left for the week, only saying he asked teacher Shen to allow him to return home for a week. After meeting up with them, they talked for a while and updated Sheng Feilong on what had happened before asking how his trip home was. Taking this rare chance to be able to shamelessly boast, he released his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes and his four Soul Rings appeared behind his back; 3 purple and his new, black one, greatly shocking everyone with just the pressure, while Sheng Feilong himself cynically grinned at them.

    "Well, what do you think how the trip went?"

 71 Year End Examination

    After the initial shock of seeing Sheng Feilong''s new, black Soul Ring, everyone gradually calmed down, before Xu Xiaoyan was the first to be unable to hold back her curiosity.

    "Feilong, if you got a new Soul Ring, that means you''re a Soul Ancestor now, right? But how is the ring black if your little toad is only at the 1.000-year-level? Did you go back to get a new Spirit Soul?"

    Sheng Feilong smiled lightly as he answered with a slightly prideful expression.

    "I got a second Spirit Soul, indeed. And a 10.000-years-old one t that; It''s even from a rare Soul Beast, the Purple Forest Witch."

    Seeing their confused expressions, he smiled a bit wider, content with their ignorance as he put on a scholarly expression despite only coming to know of its existence a few days before them, when he heard Gu Yue''s neutral voice.

    "The Purple Forest Witch is a rare, humanoid Soul Beast of the poison attribute. It''s more or less an abomination that comes into being when a regular Forest Witch, which is of the life attribute and a Red Forest Witch, a variation of the normal one that is of the death attribute mate. They''re exceedingly rare among Variant Soul Beasts and even more dangerous; Their poison doesn''t affect the body but directly targets the victims spirit source. Once hit, as long as your own Spirit Power is weaker than the Purple Forest Witch''s, you''re as good as dead."

    Sheng Feilong froze in his scholarly expression with his back straightened and his mouth lightly opened. He hadn''t expected her to know this, much less steal his limelight, but had to swallow it now that it''s already been said and just nodded his head in confirmation. Tang Wulin than asked him about his Soul Skill, but Sheng Feilong refused to tell them about it with an apologetic expression, saying it was his Master that forbid him from speaking of it. He slightly glanced at Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan, causing Tang Wulin to do the same before the latter understood the situation and tactfully nodded to Sheng Feilong.

    Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi didn''t know about the secret of the Sheng Clan''s Three-Eyed Golden Lion bloodline and Sheng Feilong didn''t want to tell any more people than those who already knew about it. Tang Wulin understood how important that secret is and didn''t ask further, moreover, even Shrek Academy''s Sea God''s Pavilion''s Pavilion Master had warned them not to tell anyone else about this matter.

    After talking for a while longer, evening soon came and everyone returned to their dorms, that is, the girl''s walking over to the next room, leaving the boys in theirs while Sheng Feilong had to cross over nearly half the Outer Court''s campus to return to his. In there, he suddenly remembered the envelope Song Weihan had given him in the morning and quickly took it out and looking at it. It really was just a pure white envelope with no writing on it and a red wax seal to close it off.

    Sheng Feilong scratched off the wax seal and took out a letter from within. There wasn''t much written on the latter; in fact, there was only a single sentence written down in a easy to read handwriting, topped of with a winking smiley beneath it.

    "You may train your Spirit Power again from today onwards."

    Sheng Feilong was surprised for a moment before smiling brightly. Having been so fixated on classes, working at the Maker''s Association and cultivating his Soul Power, he had totally forgotten about the Spirit Power training ban! Back when he first came to Shrek Academy, Song Weihan had forbidden him from training his spirit Power any further as his Spirit essence had just evolved, greatly increasing his Spirit power and causing his physical strength to lack behind. Now, however, Sheng Feilong''s cultivation had grown and his body with it and he even broke through to the Soul Ancestor realm, further strengthening his body, so he now had more than enough leeway to train his Spirit Power again!

    Starting the next day, Sheng Feilong once again attended classes with everyone else. Quite a few people were wondering where he was the last week, as it was quite strange for students of Shrek Academy to miss even a single day. He didn''t mind too much, just telling them that he had returned to Heaven Dou City to train with his Master for a while, as the latter wanted to see his progress. No one questioned him as it was known that Sheng Feilong had a powerful Master in Heaven Dou City''s Spirit Pagoda. They didn''t know who that Master was, but for Shrek Academy to allow him to leave for a week in the midst of the year, he must be even more powerful than they thought.

    Following this first day, everyone went their own ways as they continued with their normal routines. Sheng Feilong was mostly focusing on cultivating while he would also visit the Maker''s Association daily. Other than that, he would occasionally visit the Blacksmith''s Association with Tang Wulin and help them out with his Mental Detection Soul Skill. Normally, he wouldn''t be bothered by that, but Feng Wuyu promised him 500 contribution points for every blacksmith he helped that.

    Afterwards, he would head to the Working Students dormitory with Tang Wulin where their group would spent some time together. They didn''t see each other often, but still tried to remain together as much as possible. In those three months, Gu Yue seemed a bit off and unusually cold, even for her standards. Occasionally, Yuanen Yehui or Yue Zhengyu would come over as well, mostly to ask for Tang Wulin to forge something for them, but they still remained a friendly relationship after the competition of their grades.

    Yue Zhengyu still liked Sheng Feilong the best out of their group as he was the only one who would courteously call the former ''Senior Brother Yue'' instead of calling him by his first name. Moreover, Sheng Feilong, just as the rest of their group, was pretty easy to get along with. Sheng Feilong was still a bit lost in regards to Yuanen Yehui, though. The latter didn''t show any signs of changing, but at least she seemed to have understood his apology for what happened during the Entrance Exam as she didn''t hatefully glare at Sheng Feilong anymore. Still, she mostly ignored his existence, not wanting to improve their relationship even when he courteously greeted her. Whenever that happened Xu Xiaoyan and the other girls would mostly laugh at him while sometimes simply shaking their heads with a sigh, thoroughly confusing Sheng Feilong.

    One day was entirely confusing as they were all sitting in Tang Wulin''s dorm room, only missing Xie Xie who had run off to somewhere as he usually does after dinner when someone knocked on the door. Surprisingly, it was Yuanen Yehui who held an unconscious Xie Xie under her arm and wordless flung him onto his bed before leaving again. For some reason, everyone stared at Sheng Feilong with complicated expressions after that.

    Like this, three months passed quietly and the end of their first semester at Shrek Academy slowly neared. That day, when Shen Yi came to the class, she happily announced the year end examination with a bright, shining smile on her face, causing shivers to run down the backs of most students, while others simply froze. As if that wasn''t already enough, her next words caused a few of the weakest students of the class to go pale in fright.

    "Five people will be expelled from the academy according to the results of the exam. Work hard if you don''t want to be among those five!"

    Sheng Feilong wasn''t really bothered by that as no one of their team was among the weakest of their class and probably wouldn''t fail, but Tang Wulin clenched his fists asked if there was a method how everyone would be able to pass causing Sheng Feilong to sigh lightly. Tang Wulin was a good leader, but this good samaritan mentality of his was really uncalled for, sometimes.

    According to Shen Yi, it was indeed possible for everyone to pass, but that would only make the exam next year even harder. The only other option was to share points from your own end score with others, but that would impact on your own grade and potentially hinder you from entering the Inner Court in the future. Only after those harsh words did Tang Wulin calm down again.

    Afterwards, Shen Yi continued to explain how the exam will work to them in detail.

    "The exam will last for 15 days. In those fifteen days, your goal is to reach Bright City and you must at least visit 10 other cities on your way there. In every one of those 10 cities, you must defeat one Soul Master who''s Soul Rank is at least 5 ranks higher than your own and you must find your opponents as well as the way to Bright City on your own. Furthermore, you are not allowed to keep any communicators, resources, money or even Spacial Treasures on your person; You will leave empty handed. The number of points you earn depends on the strength of your opponents. 5 ranks above your own rank is the bare minimum, keep that in mind. The Academy''s staff will keep an eye on every one of you. Forming groups is also forbidden; You will all face this exam alone!"

    A deathly silence filled the classroom. Sheng Feilong was interested in this challenge and looked around at his friends. Tang Wulin seemed to do the same as him and they smiled at each other, while Ye Xinglan''s eyes blazed with determination. Gu Yue calmly contemplated about the exam, not looking bothered at all, while Xu Lizhi and Xie Xie looked excited and Xu Xiayan sweetly smiled; None of them lacked the confidence to get be able to pass this exam!

    Meanwhile, just as the first few people were about to explode from anxiety, Shen Yi once again spoke up on her way out of the classroom.

    "The Year End Exam will begin tomorrow morning; Prepare yourselves."

 72 Onward To Heaven Dou City!

    Sheng Feilong and the others had gathered in the Working Student''s males dorm room, all sitting around a map of the Douluo Continent. Shrek City, their current location was highlighted with a red circle and they had created a route with the same red pen, connecting one city to another with Bright City as the end point.

    Tang Wulin put the pen in his hand down and looked at the others.

    "This is the best route. It''s the shortest path to Bright City if we use the Soul Train and most of the cities are major ones so we won''t have to fear not finding any capable Soul Masters to fight against. We can''t work together, so this is the most we can do; Everyone has to find their own way."

    "I know we''re not allowed to take any stuff with us, but can''t we just sneak something past the inspection?", Xie Xie asked in a hushed tone. "We''d have a huge advantage."

    Sheng Feilong looked at him and spoke in a calm manner.

    "We can''t risk it. This isn''t the first Year End Exam Shrek Academy has gone through so the staff are probably already expecting us to try anything fishy and keep their eyes wide open. Moreover, this is supposed to test our abilities, so we shouldn''t try to cheat them. Oh, there''s also the people watching us during the exam; How will you explain to them how you suddenly have the money to take the train right from the start?"

    Xie Xie quickly closed his mouth, looking slightly embarrassed; He hadn''t thought about the staff watching them. Catching up on what Sheng Feilong just said, Tang Wulin turned to the rest of the group again before continuing.

    "Right, about the money; Everyone needs to think of their own way. I''ll go to the Blacksmith''s Association in town and do some assignments to get the around. What will you guys do?"

    Xu Lizhi smirked before he spoke up the fastest: "I''ll just sell some buns."

    Xie Xie, who sat next to Xu Lizhi spoke up next, saying he''d try his luck with street performances if worst came to worst. The girls had some more peculiar plans, though; Xu Xiaoyan giggled at Xie Xie before telling them her plan to put on a pitiful expression and trying to ask some older students for money.

    Gu Yue''s and Ye Xinglan''s idea on the other hand caused Sheng Feilong and Tang Wulin to facepalm at nearly the same instant; They planned to extort money from other students by blocking the entrance to Shrek Academy and beating up anyone who refused to pay. Tang Wulin then looked at Sheng Feilong, hoping to hear another, more normal and rational plan from him, but the latter just smirked with a playful expression in his eyes.

    "I''ll just get by, don''t worry about me."

    ---

    Early in the morning of the following day, the first grade students assembled in front of Shrek Academy''s main gates, where Shen Yi, Wu Zhankong and four other teachers were already waiting for them. They began collecting all of the Spacial Rings from the students, beckoning everyone to put their belongings like wallets, Soul Communicators and the likes inside their rings. Tang Wulin was shocked as Wu Zhankong stopped him from taking his forging hammers with him.

    "You are not allowed to take anything with you other than the clothes you are wearing."

    After giving his Spatial Ring to Shen Yi, Sheng Feilong felt somewhat uncomfortable without it. Other than when he went to sleep, he would pretty much always wear his Spatial Ring. Same with his Soul Communicator; he would always wear those two items, even in combat, but now he was forced to go without them for 15 days and even travel through pretty much the whole western part of the continent.

    After that, the students were separated by gender and underwent a strict body search. Most of them had nothing to hide, but a few tried smuggling out small things, which the teachers quickly found and took into their possession before reprimanding the students once again that they could only take the clothes on their bodies with them. Sheng Feilong tidied his uniform as he made his way over to Tang Wulin and the others.

    "Well, the search was as thorough as expected. Still sad you had nothing with you, Xie Xie?"

    Xie Xie rolled his eyes, rebutting that whatever he had planned naturally wouldn''t have been found, though, no one really believed him as he was looking quite nervous even now. Luo Guixing waved his farewells as he passed their group and Tang Wulin waved back with a smile, promising to forge metals for their Battle Armours for everyone starting next semester, causing most students to cheer as they made their way into the city.

    Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan were the first to leave from their group, followed by Tang Wulin who still wanted to try his luck at the Blacksmith''s Association. Xu Lizhi put down a blanket at the side of the road, conjuring up one bun after the other before beginning to advertise his merchandise like a street stall owner. Wanting to see whether Ye Xinglan and Gu Yue would really try their plan, Sheng Feilong decided to sit beside Xu Lizhi and wait for them to start; He couldn''t miss such a good show, after all.

    A while later, a student of the Outer Court''s second grade stopped by, asking Xu Lizhi why he was selling buns at the side of the road. He laughed lightly at the latter''s answer before asking Sheng Feilong what he was doing. He answered with a small smile, silently remorsing the poor senior''s fate.

    "I''m waiting for the show to start."

    The student was confused and left the two of them alone, but he didn''t come far before he was suddenly blocked by two girls. Gu Yue and Ye Xinglan stood in front of the student, not letting him pass as Gu Yue pushed out her hand.

    "This mountain is mine. These trees were planted by me; These paths paved by my hands! If you want to pass, you must pay the mountain toll."

    The student was stunned and tried to walk pass them but they continued to block him and demanding their ''mountain toll'', causing the student to retaliate in anger, saying that this wasn''t a mountain and that there were no trees, but Gu Yue still demanded her money. Watching from afar, Sheng Feilong could barely hold in his laughter, when he saw ye Xinglan pull out her Stargod Sword and started beating the second grade''s student up before pulling out some money from his pocket.

    She came up to Xu Lizhi, buying one of his Recovery Pork Buns with the money she just took and fed the bun to the student before she and Gu Yue returned to their ''mountain'' and repeated the process a few times over whenever they saw a lone student making his or her way to the Academy. Sheng Feilong stayed a while longer by Xu Lizhi''s side before walking out as well.

    Sheng Feilong hadn''t come far when he saw Xu Xiaoyan in the distance. She was standing next to a few older students, probably from the second grade, as had put on her pitiful expression. He asked one of the students, a rather handsome looking male around 16 or 17 years of age with blonde hair if he could help her out. He was startled at first, but under Xu Xiaoyan''s constant flattery paired with her cute looks, he quickly gave in and she happily run off with a bunch of monetary notes in her hands and searched for another group of students.

    Making his way to the station, Sheng Feilong heard a few other students talking about a Shrek Academy student doing weird street performances near the trading district. They even called the boy the shame of Shrek Academy for doing something of such low class and criticised him even more, saying he wasn''t even good at what he was doing. Clearly, they were talking about Xie Xie. Although Sheng Feilong didn''t agree with the ''Shame of Shrek Academy'' part, Xie Xie''s plan really was... special, to say the least.

    Finally arriving at the station, he searched for information about the next train heading for Heaven Dou City. Luckily for him, he would only have to wait for about 20 minutes for the next one as Heaven Dou City was the capital of the federation; They would be a train heading to it every half an hour even during night times. After confirming when his ride was to arrive, he looked for a brochure stand and took a random one of them with him. Finally, he made his way over to the sales stand where he had to buy a ticket and watched the procedure for a while, trying to remember how it was done as clearly as possible; nothing to hard. After that, he got up and walked a few dozen meters closer to the exit and sat down on a chair. Now, he only had to wait.

    Soon enough he saw Tang Wulin enter the station. Running over to the wall, Sheng Feilong waited for Tang Wulin to come closer before he stealthily activated his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes and his first Soul Skill, Toad Prison! Quite a bit away from him, Tang Wulin suddenly hit his own neck, cursing about mosquitoes before walking over to Sheng Feilong. With a friendly smile and well practised speech, Sheng Feilong greeted the former.

    After talking back and forth for a little while, Sheng Feilong ''sold'' a Soul train ticket heading for Heaven Dou City to Tang Wulin. He tore the brochure in his hands apart, giving both pieces to Tang Wulin; His ''ticket'' and ''change''. After that, Tang Wulin made his way towards the train, but was quickly stopped by a woman recommending food stalls and restaurants in Shrek City to him. Sheng Feilong laughed mischievously; knowing the gluttonous Tang Wulin, he certainly wouldn''t say no to someone recommending him restaurants.

    Sheng Feilong then walked to the actual counter, bought his own ticket to Heaven Dou City from the money Tang Wulin generously gave him and boarded the train. He had to pass a ticket controlling device before he was let through and quickly found himself a seat; just in time as the train would head off in less than a minute. From his window seat, he saw a disgruntled Tang Wulin who couldn''t understand why he was stopped by the ticket controlling machine.

    Sheng Feilong now finally undid his illusions and Tang Wulin stared at the torn brochure in his hand in shock. A security member from the station had already made his way over to Tang Wulin, shooing him off as Tang Wulin tried to explain his situation. Just then, the Soul Train gave off a loud ''shoo'' sound to indicate its departure. Tang Wulin looked over in distress just to see Sheng Feilong lean out of a window and wave at him with a broad smile. Tang Wulin''s face changed and he frantically tried to get past the security guard as he finally understood what was happening.

    "Sheng Feilong, you bastard! I''ll get you back for this!"

    (A/N: I know that Tang Wulin actually snuck onto the train in the original, but this is a Fan-Fiction. Deal with it! It''s also way funnier this way, haha!)

 73 Terrorists Attack!

    Gu Yue, Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi had arrived at the train station only to see Tang Wulin louly curse at the leaving Soul Train while he was being held down by two security guards. They were stunned but quickly headed over to help Tang Wulin. After a while, the situation had calmed down and the four of them were allowed to leave without consequences as no one was hurt.

    Outside the security office, Tang Wulin still had a dark expression, but he remained silent. Xu Lizhi couldn''t help but ask what happened as Tang Wulin gnashed his teeth.

    "It was Sheng Feilong! That guy tricked me! When I came to the station, I thought a mosquito stung me, but it was him throwing me into an illusion. He disguised himself as a ticket seller and took my money! He even gave me some random torn brochure and held me off by having his illusion strike a conversation about food with me! I was talking to the air in the middle of the station for five minutes! I''ll get back at him for this!"

    After that he walked off, out of the station, still with the same dark expression on his face. Gu Yue frowned lightly.

    "Where are you going, Wulin?" Tang Wulin didn''t even stop, but just waved her off and sighed.

    "I''m going back to making money... You guys take the next train and do your best; We''re not allowed to help each other after all."

    ---

    A long distance away from them, Sheng Feilong had found his way to a comfortable seat for himself and enjoyed the train ride to Heaven Dou City. He''s been riding the same route when he visited his father and Master, so he knew that the ride would take about three hours. His growling stomach pulled him out of his thoughts, causing the man who sat across him to giggle. Apologetically smiling to the man, Sheng Feilong made his way to the dining wagon; Thanks to the change he got when he bought his ticket, he still had enough for a small breakfast.

    When they set off from Shrek Academy, it was still so early that none of the students had breakfast yet, so he was really hungry now. He couldn''t get too much with what little money he had, but it was still enough to fill his stomach. Staying a while in the dining wagon, he enjoyed the view outside the window, but ultimately made his way back to his seat. The man from before was still there, reading some newspapers when he returned.

    Sheng Feilong silently sat down, enjoying the scenery for a while. The man opposite of him was still busy with his newspapers, so Sheng Feilong didn''t want to disturb him and decided to just silently cultivate in the mean time. Soul Power cultivation required the Soul Master to remain calm and to not be disturbed by outside influences, so a train wasn''t a good spot to train, but Sheng Feilong could still train his Spirit Power.

    By now, three months after Song Weihan lifted the ban on his Spirit Power training, Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power had already passed 4.800 points and he got closer and closer to the Spirit Abyss realm. If is speed remained at this pace, he could possible break through in a few months.

    Another while later, a voice was heard from the train''s speaker, broadcasting a message through the whole train.

    "Attention all train attendants! Attention all train attendants! This is your conductor speaking. We have an emergency. Anyone with a weapon should head to the fifth wagon. All passengers are asked to please remain calm for the time being; Everything is under control."

    Sheng Feilong looked at the distressed attendants rushing through the wagon, silently cursing in his head. ''What ''everything is under control''? Would they have to broadcast an announcement to the whole train if that were the case? And what''s with the ''anyone with a weapon'' part?!''

    Standing up from his seat, Sheng Feilong decided to go and see if he could be of help. Although he didn''t have a weapon on him as the Academy took all of his belongings, he was still a rank 41 Soul Ancestor. That alone was more than enough reason for him to go there! He run towards one of the attendants, telling the man that he was a Soul Master and asked if he could be of help. The attendants eyes lit up and he hastily brought Sheng Feilong to the fifth wagon.

    Currently, everyone in the sixth wagon was being evacuated to the seventh, making it harder for Sheng Feilong to get through, but they eventually stepped into the fifth wagon and found a lot of armed personnel standing there and cautiously eyeing the door to the fifth wagon. Sheng Feilong remained behind the bulk of armed men and knelt next to another man, quickly asking about the situation, while the attendant who came with him walked closer to the front.

    The man was a bit surprised to see a kid here, but he didn''t think much off it before answering. Apparently, a group of armed people had taken over the fifth wagon by force and had already killed the staff that was inside the wagon, taking the passengers hostage. They were currently in a stand off against the aggressors, but under the threats of having the hostages implicated, they couldn''t really act and were currently waiting for the train''s conductor to take charge of the situation. He also didn''t know more as he had only responded to the announcement, arriving just shortly before Sheng Feilong.

    About half a minute later, the conductor arrived at the fifth carriage; a woman of about 30 years of age in a formal uniform. She wore a solemn expression and made her way to one of the attendants who seemed to be the security captain. After talking a few sentences in hushed voices, the conductors expression changed. Sheng Feilong couldn''t hear everything, but thanks to his strong Spirit Power, he could get a few more pieces of information at least; There were currently 6 armed terrorists and hey hadn''t only taken passengers hostage, they had even planted bombs all over the first through fifth wagons! Sheng Feilong swallowed dryly. They were currently on a high-speed train with no other stop before Heaven Dou City. If those bombs explode, the whole train will be destroyed, including the wagons behind them. The conductor made her way to the front, a man with a big shield by her side to protect her.

    The conductor took a deep breath before beginning to speak to the terrorists.

    "Please don''t act impulsively; We can negotiate! If you have any demands, we''ll do our best to fulfil them, but please don''t hurt the hostages!"

    One of the terrorists at the front pointed his gun at the conductor.

    "Quit your bullshit! You''re the conductor? Inform the Federal government to release the people they arrested 20 days ago. I know you can disconnect the wagons, but if you do that, all the passengers in the first five wagons will die! The bombs will detonate in 30 minutes, if you can''t fulfil our demands by then, they''ll be blown to pieces!"

    The conductor immediately turned to the security captain next to her, telling him to wire their demands to the headquarters. Quickly answering the conductor, the security captain spoke in a hurried voice.

    "We''ve already informed them, they''re forwarding it to the federal government." Leaning in a bit closer, he spoke in a quiet voice. "I''ve also called for backup, they''ll be here in 20 minutes and board the train in the ninth wagon."

    The conductor nodded before addressing the terrorists again.

    "We''re fulfilling your demands as we speak, but we need more time; Thirty minutes is too short! Please extend the timer on the bombs! Headquarters has already forwarded your demands to the Federal government, but I don''t know how long they will take. Please trust me!"

    Sheng Feilong noticed the man in the front glancing at another terrorist closer to the back. Sheng Feilong''s view was obstructed by the passenger seats, so he didn''t know if that one had a weapon as well, but he saw the man nodding at the one at the front. Only after that did the frontman answer while pointing at the hostages.

    "We''ll extend the timer by one hour. If you try anything, they will die!"

    Sheng Feilong eyed the one in the back, from the other''s demeanor, he seemed to be their leader. Stealthily activating his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes and used his first Soul Skill, Toad Prison, again; The same way he used it against Tang Wulin prior this day. None of them seemed to notice, only the one in the back was warily looking around, releasing his Soul Power to oppose Sheng Feilong Spirit Power.

    Sheng Feilong felt his Spirit Power being shaken off, but having five of them under his control already, he waited for a while, not doing anything, but the terrorist''s leader also didn''t do anything, just warily looking around, trying to spot the one who attacked him. By now, the conductor beckoned all of her staff to leave the wagon and backing off to the sixth while she herself offered to become a hostage instead of the passengers. Just when everyone was trying to convince her to stop, Sheng Feilong stealthily made his way over to the terrorists, making sure the leader didn''t see him.

    He was already at the front row of their people, but hadn''t expected the conductor to notice him, much less suddenly speak to him in shock.

    "Boy, what are you doing, get to the back!"

    Sheng Feilong cursed his luck, while the terrorist''s leader instantly focused on Sheng Feilong, releasing his Soul Power. Sheng Feilong hastily activated his third Soul Skill, Mental Aplification, instantly boosting his Spirit Power to the max before he sent a pure spiritual attack at all of the terrorists!

 74 Fight Against An Invincible Foe!

    A/N: Warning: The following chapter contains light elements of gore and excessive violence that some readers may find disturbing. Readers discretion is advised.

    ---------------------------------------------------

    Sheng Feilong stormed forward immediately after he released the spiritual attack and fully released his Soul Power and Soul Rings. The conductor was shocked stiff, but the security captain next to her reacted instantly, grabbing the conductor before charging back to the sixth wagon.

    "Everyone, retreat immediately! A Soul Master is taking over!"

    At the same time, as the terrorists were caught off guard, three of them immediately lost consciousness while two others fell to their knees after receiving the brunt of the attack. The leader just shook heavily, having to grab the seat next to him to keep his balance, his Soul Power in slight disarray. His pupils constricted before he stared at Sheng Feilong in shock and anger. Meanwhile, the latter used the time to charge at the two people on their knees, brutally kicking them in the neck and gut, respectively, knocking both of them out as well!

    All of the attendants snapped out of their stupor when they heard their captain''s shout and saw Sheng Feilong take out five of the terrorists in an instant. They turned around, fleeing from the wagon as per the security captain''s orders.

    Sheng Feilong suddenly felt an extremely powerful Soul Power burst into action in front of him and immediate turned toward the source. He knew this terrorist leader was an extremely powerful Soul Master since he could withstand Sheng Feilong''s full power spiritual attack! But to his dismay, the man was no longer standing before him! Suddenly, Sheng Feilong heard screams behind him and he quickly turned around around again, his nerves tense as steel!

    The terrorist''s leader had somehow rushed past Sheng Feilong in the short time it took him to knock out the other two and he had attacked the armed people heading for the sixth wagon. Blood was spilled all around him as he had already slaughtered two people and maimed a third. Sheng Feilong froze in shock; no because of the terrifying gore, his Spirit Power forced him to remain calm despite the scenes, but because of the man himself!

    Yellow, yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black! A total of seven Soul Rings hovered behind the man''s back; He was a rank 70 or above Soul Saint. In his hand was a blood red, warped and deformed hatchet that he used to hack apart one person after the other! His assault lasted only a few seconds, but the whole wagon was painted red with corpses and body parts lying all around. Those that were lucky enough to survive were either missing limbs or lying on the ground, brutally maimed and unconscious from the shock; In just 3 seconds, he had massacred all of the armed personnel that had assembled in the train!

    The only person left standing was the conductor herself. She was only an ordinary person and now covered in blood, frozen as she stared at the terrorist''s leader in complete shock while her whole body shock. Lifting his free hand, the man brutally punched the conductor in the face, directly knocking her out. She fell to the ground, landing on the body of another person, unmoving!

    By now only Sheng Feilong and the man covered in blood remained standing. Turning around to look at Sheng Feilong, who still stood above one of the unconscious terrorists with his Spirit Essence active and Soul Rings suspended behind his back, the man revealed a grim expression and spoke in a deep and low voice.

    "That was unexpected, boy. I hoped to be able to settle this without having to personally make a move, but it''s rare to see a little talent like you. Your Spirit Power is pretty strong and, seeing your Spirit Ring configuration, you yourself seem even better... Is that weird symbol on your head your Spirit Essence? No, it''s your eyes, right? The symbol''s a bonus, ha, ha!"

    He began slowly walking toward Sheng Feilong with his blood red hatchet still in his hand while Sheng Feilong''s brain was running on overdrive.

    ''Damn it, I''ve underestimated them! I didn''t even see him when he moved past me! And Agility Type Soul Saint that can withstand my spiritual attacks; How am I supposed to beat him without any of my stuff?! And where''s the teacher that''s been said to look over us students?! How can they not intercepts in such a situation?!''

    "You seem pretty nervous? Ha, ha, don''t worry. Rather than disposing of you like with those trash, I''d like to take you back with me. I''m sure the higher ups will be really interested in you.", the man spoke in a terrifyingly calm tone. He was just a few steps away from Sheng Feilong, when the latter''s heart suddenly turned cold; He remembered Shen Yi saying something about the staff not intervening even if the students lost their lives!

    Grabbing a knife one of the terrorists had on him, he charged at the man with the hatchet and attacked wildly, his second Soul Skill, Mental Detection, running on full power while his the Spirit Power boosts of Mental Amplification was still active. The man easily blocked Sheng Feilong''s first strike with his hatchet and blocked the second attack ¨C a kick to the waist ¨C with his knee, forcing Sheng Feilong back. He frowned and attacked Sheng Feilong himself, not wanting to waste more time than necessary with the latter.

    Even with Mental Detection running on full power, Sheng Feilong could barely keep up with the terrorist''s leader and was forced to block whatever attacks he could while occasionally being able to throw in an attack of his own. A Soul Saint''s physical strength and speed were just too high and his opponent was an Agility Type Soul Master to boot!

    Exchanging a number of blows, the man''s frown deepened more and more. Despite being much stronger than Sheng Feilong, the latter was actually keeping up with his attacks and came out of the confrontation with minimal injuries. Granted, he wasn''t using any Soul Skills while Sheng Feilong continuously used some strange ability, a difference of 30 Soul Ranks couldn''t be bridged that easily, unless...

    "Boy, you''re from that eyesore Shrek Academy, aren''t you? Their damn monsters really do know how to put up a fight. You really are a feisty one."

    The third Soul Ring behind the man''s back lit up and a blood red aura covered the man as his attacks grew stronger, faster and more ruthless. After exchanging attack after attack for some time, Sheng Feilong was covered in blood and the knife in his hands badly chipped. The glint in his eyes, signifying the activated Mental Detection, had dimmed down considerably by now and Sheng Feilong was breathing heavily while blood dripped from the cuts on his body. The man just showed a wicked smile in response.

    "Finally running out of steam, are we? Honestly, you really are something. Let''s end this with a surprise, shall we?"

    His aura suddenly spiked and his muscled bulged as the hatchet in his hands massive increased in size with a boom. Holding the hatchet in a reverse grip, the man suddenly vanished, causing Sheng Feilong to instantly tense to the extreme, only to suddenly feel a massive impact just below his sternum. He bend over, coughing out a mouthful of blood as he nearly lost consciousness.

    "A Soul Saint''s Spirit Essence Avatar, boy. Consider it your honour!"

    Sheng Feilong stared at the man with blood dripping from his lips, anger and hatred blazing in his eyes as he furiously bellowed in his mind.

    ''You want to take me with you?! No chance; You''ll be a corpse before that, you bastard!''

    Sheng Feilong forced the Three-Eyed Golden Lion Skull Bone''s ability, Spirit Suppression, to activate immediately. The image of a Three-Eyed Golden Lion superimposed with his own, increasing his spiritual pressure and Spirit Power again. Also spurting his Mental Amplification Soul Skill to give him another boost as he activated his fourth Soul Skill for the first time; Spirit Infestation! In the same instant, Sheng Feilong felt the rest of his Soul Power, nearly 70 percent of his total, drain in an instant, causing him to cough up another mouthful of blood from the backlash as he heard the blood covered man scream out in agony.

    This time, his spiritual attack was finally effective and he could feel the poisoned seed take a hold in the terrorist leader''s spirit source; His attack was a total success! The terrorist''s leader backed off three steps as he held his head and Sheng Feilong grit his teeth, charging at the man once again with the chipped knife in his hand. He screamed out as he stabbed the man in the side, just missing the liver by a small margin and twisted the knife. Blood spilled onto Sheng Feilong, but he didn''t have the time to rejoice over this.

    The Spirit Suppression ability, as well as Mental Detection and Mental Amplification Soul Skills immediately stopped working as Sheng Feilong no longer had any Soul Power to support them. The man stared at Sheng Feilong with killing intent and furiously slammed down the blunt side of his hatchet''s head into the latter''s neck. A loud thudding sound and the man''s furious voice were the last things Sheng Feilong heard before he lost consciousness.

    "Damned brat, you dare stab me?! See how I''ll refine your flesh and blood into my own strength!"

 75 Is It Power That You Seek?

    Nearly halfan hour had passed since Sen Guo had left the Soul Train to Heaven Dou City, flying in the sky in a eastward direction. This was supposed to be an easy job, especially for someone as powerful as him. Board the train, smuggle a few weapons and bombs on it, giving commands to those trash commoners to take over the train and make the conductor release the people that were captured 20 days ago; Simple as that!

    He was only there to make sure nothing went wrong and if it wasn''t for that weird brat, who had knocked out those trash in a second, he wouldn''t even have to act and could just sit back and watch, but no! Not only had the brat forced him to move, he even stalled for enough time that the Military from Heaven Dou City could come with their Mechas. Because of this, he had to flee with his tail between his legs like a rabid dog!

    Think back at this, Sen Guo cursed his own damn luck. He could only hope that the higher ups wouldn''t kill him and would accept his failure in exchange for that strange boy. Looking at the unconscious and bound boy under his arm, he frowned. The kid was only a Soul Ancestor, but his Soul Ring configuration was incredible; Three purple and one black ring, this wasn''t something people like him could dream off. Moreover, even after being hit by Sen Guo''s after he had activated his Spirit Essence Avatar, the boy still managed to send out a spiritual attack that had affected him.

    Unknown to Sheng Feilong, his last attack, the Spirit Infestation Soul Skill, had not only taken root in Sen Guo''s spirit source; the spiritual attack alone had even caused his Soul Power to go in disarray and the backlash from his Spirit Essence Avatar had him cough up a mouthful of blood.

    Luckily, Sen Guo hadn''t checked his spirit source yet, and the poisoned bud was continuously growing bigger and absorbing his energy. By now, it had already infested over half of Sen Guo''s spirit source without the latter noticing. Flying with a high speed just a couple metres above the ground in order to not be found, Sen Guo had felt something off, but just attributed it to the backlash from his Spirit Essence Avatar.

    A few more minutes passed in relative silence. By now, Sen Guo was flying through a hilly region with only sparse vegetation while panting heavily. He cursed in his mind as even he hadn''t expected a backlash from his Avatar to have such severe consequences. If he didn''t take a rest soon, he would surely lose his combat abilities for the time being, but recognizing where he was, his expression soured and he accelerated instead of searching for a place to stay.

    Sheng Feilong felt his world filled with nothing as he slowly regained consciousness. Still having his eyes closed, he remembered fighting a terrorist Soul Master in the train to Heaven Dou City, remembered being injured and finally being knocked out with a powerful strike to the back of his neck. He opened his eyes and saw the scenery beneath him quickly rush past. Trying to move back in shock, he noticed himself being bound in strange, red ropes and saw that he was held under the arm of a person.

    His pupils constricted and he desperately looked around, only to find that he was currently carried through some wasteland he''d never seen before. Trying to figure out where he could possibly be from the Douluo Continent''s map he knew, he suddenly heard someone speak to him.

    "Damn brat, you''re finally awake?"

    The voice was somewhat hoarse and strained, but contained a contempt and slight killing intent that Sheng Feilong knew all to well. Looking over his own right shoulder, he saw the somewhat pale face of the terrorist''s leader that he had fought before. Trying to hide the distress he felt in his heart, he quickly noticed that the man still had the mark from his Spirit Infestation Soul Skill on him. From the man''s pale face coupled with the fact that the poisoned bud felt extremely strong, Sheng Feilong was sure that the man was close to having his spirit source devoured and be killed!

    Although Sheng Feilong didn''t know his name, he knew that Sen Guo''s Spirit Power was at least stronger than his own and probably already at the Spirit Abyss realm. The man looked somewhat older than a middle aged man in his prime. Coupled with his cultivation at the Soul Saint rank, it wasn''t that uncommon that he was at the Spirit Abyss realm. Still, the poisoned bud had already finished consuming his spirit source and thinking about his training with Song Weihan, it should have been quite some time since he planted the seed.

    Seeing Sen Guo look at him in contempt and hearing his question, Sheng Feilong cynically smiled with a hint of ridicule and killing intent behind it.

    "I''ve slept quite well, thank you for asking. I''ve even got a personal servant carrying me around; how good my life is! You on the other hand seem quite tired and weak. You''re not dying of old age, are you, old man?"

    Sen Guo''s expression turned dark and his voice grew cold.

    "You''re lucky that I still need you alive, brat. You dare insult me after loosing so pitifully? Your skin really is thick; Did they teach you that at school?"

    Even though he was at the other''s mercy, Sheng Feilong didn''t back down and refuted with the same ridicule as before.

    "Pitifully loosing? Who was the mighty Soul Saint that cried out like a dying pig from my attack at the end even though he''s at least 30 ranks above me? Moreover, you''re at least five times my age; If we were the same age, I''d swat you dead with a single hand!"

    Killing intent burst forth from Sen Guo and was about to refute Sheng Feilong as he raised his hand, but his expression quickly froze and he looked towards his left, way past Sheng Feilong, with shock and incredible dread.

    "Why is this thing near here?! It''s supposed to be hibernating during this season!"

    Sheng Feilong wanted to ridicule Sen Guo again, but a sudden change in direction made him swallow his words as Sen Guo maniacally turned right before flying away as fast as he could. Sheng Feilong groaned from the sudden pressure and furiously spoke to Sen Guo again.

    "Damn old man, can''t you even fly evenly?! What''s with this sudden turn?!"

    "Shut up, you damned brat!" shouted Sen Guo back at him before looking behind himself and accelerating even further. He was now flying at his maximum speed towards the south. Sheng Feilong wanted to speak up again, but suddenly felt a dreadfully strong energy closing in on them at an incredibly speed. Turning his head around, he saw a black dot at the horizon, quickly growing bigger as he heard a irritating buzzing sound.

    He concentrated and saw a black shadow rushing at them, but couldn''t make out it''s form, before the shadow rushed past him, a few centimetres above his head. Sen Guo groaned and exhaled painfully before he let go of Sheng Feilong, the latter falling to the ground at a high speed.

    Just a second later, while still falling, Sheng Feilong saw Sen Guo being skewered through the chest with both of his hands holding on to the blade like stinger that protruded from his front. At this point Sheng Feilong finally saw the appearance of the black shadow that followed them; Attached to the blade like stinger in Sen Guo''s chest was a long, segregated black tail that was as thick as a man''s thigh and more than 25 metres in length. It curled upwards at the end, seamlessly transitioning in a short torso, approximately 5 times thicker than the tail.

    Three pairs of long, thin legs, angled at the torso during flight, hung beneath it while two pairs on half-transparent, long wings gave off the irritating buzzing sound from before, while two sharp scissor like claws grabbed Sen Guo after he was pulled closer to the beast. Opening it''s grotesque maw, it bit down on Sen Guo, ripping him into pieces while it devoured him in a few bites.

    Sheng Feilong brutally crushed into the ground below, grinding and rolling around for more than 50 metres before he finally came to a halt. His face contorted and he groaned in pain as the initial impact broke quite a few of his bones. Looking at the Soul Beast in the distance, it''s antenna flinched after it finished Sen Guo and it looked at Sheng Feilong with it''s compound eyes as the latter paled from fright.

    (A/N: Inspiration for the Soul Beast came from the Dragon Fly that crashed into my damn head and flew off like nothing happened. Those things, I swear. Also: This image. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/4vRz1

    The Soul Beast''s black in colour, though, and it''s tail is way longer.)

    Sheng Feilong tried to stand up, but the strange, red ropes still bound him tightly and he could only lay on his back while pushing himself away from the Soul Beast with his legs. He screamed in terror as the Beast slowly flew over to him, the long, scorpion-like tail curled up under its body with the stinger pointing forward.

    "Damn it! Get away! Back off! Back off, damn Beast! You''ve had your meal, now get away!"

    The Beast hovered above him, still a few metres away while Sheng Feilong continuously shouted while he crawled away. When he passed the ten metres mark away from it, it''s tail suddenly shot forward, the blade like stinger brutally penetrating though he chest, punctioning his heart before ripped up and slicing open his whole shoulder. Sheng Feilong froze as he looked down on his chest where only a gaping hole remained, with blood unceasingly flowing out of it.

    He coughed up a mouthful of blood before turning around and looking at the beast in front of him. The tail had curled up underneath its body again as it slowly neared Sheng Feilong. Sheng Feilong''s whole body slowly turned colder and colder while his vision blurred and he felt his consciousness fading. Slowly, the world turned grey and dark and Sheng Feilong was unable to move, only lying in a pool of his own blood.

    ''This... can''t be happening... This is a nightmare..! I''m only doing my Year End Exam! I can''t die like that, damn it! I won''t die by the hands of some damn Soul Beasts!'' Sheng Feilong thought with disbelief and terror. His eyes blurry, but still focused on the giant insect Soul Beast in front of him. He could barely see anything anymore and tears welled up in his eyes.

    ''Damn it! Why me?! What have I done to deserve this?! I''m only taking a god damn exam! Fuck! If only... If only I was stronger! I''d rip that fucking vermin to death!''

    The world slowly turned completely dark as the buzzing sound from the Soul Beast''s wings vanished. Sheng Feilong cursed his bad luck, cursed the Year End Exam and cursed his own lack of strength. When everything slowly faded away, regret and hatred were the only things filling Sheng Feilong''s mind... and the world before his eyes suddenly froze. Sheng Feilong''s vision was clear. He couldn''t move, but still see the huge insect in front of him, unmoving and suspended in the air. Everything was grey.

    Sheng Feilong couldn''t think of anything. He was completely frozen as well; even the bleeding had stopped. Even though there was nothing and nothing happened, Sheng Feilong continued to curse in his mind. Everything happened because he was to weak and he became calm; Terrifyingly calm when a otherworldly and deep voice boomed in his head, loud enough to fill the whole world.

    >Is it power that you seek?<

 76 Let Me Take Revenge In Your Stead

    The world remained grey and not a single trace of emotion could be seen on Sheng Feilong''s face; It was as if he had never heard the voice booming in his head. He had accepted his fate. He would die because he was too weak. It didn''t matter what that voice was or what it said. He could only silently feel regret.

    A few moments passed in silence as Sheng Feilong continued to stare at the giant Soul Beast, that seemed frozen in time in front of him. He had accepted his fate, but the hatred still remained. If it wasn''t for the Soul Saint attacking the train, if it wasn''t for him being kidnapped, if this Soul Beast hadn''t attacked him, he wouldn''t have to feel this kind of hate and regret. At this moment, the otherworldly, deep voice rung out in his head again.

    >You crave for power. Power to destroy your enemies. I can sense it.<

    Sheng Feilong didn''t react; He couldn''t react. His body was unmoving, still, the voice roused his hatred even further. If nothing of what happened today had afflicted him... If he wasn''t so weak when all this happened...

    >Do not resist. If it is power that you seek, surrender your body to me.<

    Sheng Feilong''s mind shook as his eyes slowly lost their luster. That''s right. He just had to give in. What did his body matter when he was dying anyways? He didn''t know why he was still alive, why the time seemed to have frozen. The only thing he knew was that his life would end as soon as time began to flow again. And this Soul Beast in front of him was the cause of all this...

    >Let me take your anger, your regret, from you. Rest. Let me take revenge in your stead. You only need to rest.<

    Right, rest... When was the last time he had truly rested? Why should he put up with this Beast any longer? Why struggle against those stronger than him? He could simply rest... With these thoughts, the luster in Sheng Feilong''s eyes dimmed more and more. He couldn''t feel his body anymore, nor could he muster any strength. The only thing keeping him awake was this hatred, this regret; He was so terribly tired of it.

    Sheng Feilong slowly closed his eyes, the luster in them long since gone, as the world finally turned completely black...

    ------------------------------------------

    A staff member of Shrek Academy was hurriedly walking over to the school building. Walking through a corridor, past a few doors, he gingerly knocked on one of them, waiting to be invited in. A female voice echoed out and the staff member entered the room, making sure that his distress wasn''t shown on his face as he spoke to the teacher in front of her class.

    "Teacher Shen, could I trouble you to accompany me outside for a moment? It''s urgent."

    Shen Yi frowned. She was in the middle of class and this staff member suddenly disturbed her lesson. Still, she accompanied him outside of the room and the staff member made sure no one could hear their conversation.

    "Teacher Shen, we just got news that, about half an hour ago, the Soul Train to Heaven Dou City, that one of the first grade''s students had boarded was destroyed by terrorists. As far as we know, there a no survivors."

    Shen Yi''s expression changed. Although she told the students that Shrek Academy wouldn''t interfere with their exam if them were met with life threatening situation, that was only a phrase meant to encourage them to do their best and be cautious in their choice of opponents. She looked at the staff member with obvious worry in her eyes.

    "Which student was on that train?"

    "From our intel, it should have been student Sheng Feilong. He was the first of the students taking the exam to board a Soul Train. We didn''t expect someone to get on so early and missed the train. The staff member taking the next train is to get to Heaven Dou City is the one who reported about the incident.", the staff member reported.

    Shen Yi''s expression turned complicated as she contemplated her options in her head. She knew of Sheng Feilong''s status as well as his connections to the Spirit Pagoda. If they got news that Shrek Academy let one of their members die in their exams...

    "Inform the students in the classroom them they''ve got free time for now. I''ll immediately head over to Sea God''s Pavilion and inform Elder Cai."

    When Shen Yi reached the Sea God''s Island, she went to see Elder Cai. She was in one of the regular meeting of the Sea God''s Pavilion'' Elders when Shen Yi told her that Sheng Feilong most likely died in the attack on the Soul Train. After a short discussion, the decision was made that, after taking Sheng Feilong''s identity into consideration, the Sea God''s Pavilion Master, Atlas Douluo Yun Ming, would personally inform the Spirit Pagoda and Sheng Feilong''s family.

    ------------------------------------------

    Song Weihan was currently in the Spirit Soul Laboratory and overseeing and experiment to create another Spirit Soul that his subordinates lead when his Soul Communicator rung. Not wanting to disturb anyone, he quickly excused him as soon as he saw the caller''s ID. Taking a deep breath outside of the experimentation room, he answered the call with a faked smile.

    "Respected Atlas Douluo, what do I owe this honour today?"

    "Song Weihan, I''m sorry about this sudden call. It''s about your student, Sheng Feilong, he..."

    Song Weihan listened to the Atlas Douluo for a moment and the fake smile on his face quickly vanished, turning into a solemn face. By the time Yun Ming finished explaining the situation, no expression could be seen on Song Weihan''s face, but everyone in the laboratory could feel the ice cold pressure filled with killing intent that radiated off of him. Cutting off the call with Yun Ming, Song Weihan''s Soul Power exploded out from him as he burst out of the laboratory before crashing a window to leave the Spirit Pagoda as he flew into the direction of Shrek City, or more precisely the direction of the destroyed Soul Train, at breakneck speed.

    ------------------------------------------

    In another Soul Train heading to Heaven Dou City, Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Xie happily chatted about how to finish their exam before a howling wind hit their train and a few windows shook. Xie Xie frowned and complained about the weather, failing to notice Gu Yue''s horrified look and ghastly pale face as she stared into the direction of the winds. Gu Yue''s bodytrembled as she mindlessly muttered in a voice only audible to herself.

    "How... How can the energy of one of those monsters be present in this world..."

    ------------------------------------------

    At another place; The Blacksmith''s Association of Shrek City, Tang Wulin was currently walking around, trying to find another way to earn money. He was allowed to forge and sell his metal to the federation for a outrageously low price before to afford the ticket to Heaven Dou city, but now they refused to let him work again, saying it was to not let him make the exam easy for himself.

    He still cursed Sheng Feilong when his bloodline suddenly became agitated. Golden scales quickly covered nearly all of his body as he himself felt the disturbance in his bloodline and cold sweat flowed down his back like a river. He quickly sprung up, searching for the source of this terrifying feeling but he could find nothing even after searching for over a few minutes. His heart pounded like crazy and his blood unceasingly coursed through his body like a raging tsunami.

    "What''s going on? What is this feeling that''s even making my bloodline act up in dread to defend?"

    ------------------------------------------

    A few hours had passed since then and Tang Wulin and Gu Yue had calmed down by now. The dreadful presence the two of them felt had ceased to exist completely after flaring up for some time. A bad feeling lingered in Gu Yue''s stomach, but she forced herself to focus on the Year End Exam for now. Song Weihan had flung into a brutal rage after he saw what happened to the Soul Train that supposedly had Sheng Feilong in it; It was completely destroyed, with whatever remained of charred remains of people that were burned, exploded or squished to death in the terrorist''s attack.

    He returned to the Spirit Pagoda, mustering his subordinates and wanted to head out to Shrek Academy to declare war on them for his disciple''s life, but was stopped by nearly all of the other Elder''s and top echelon''s of Heaven Dou City''s Spirit Pagoda. Not backing down, the Elder''s had informed the Spirit Pagoda''s headquarters and Song Weihan got the formal order to stand down, causing him to flare up once again and the other Elder''s had to forcibly restrain him.

    ------------------------------------------

    At the same time, at yet another position, a cloaked figure stood in the air, looking down at the terrain beneath them speechlessly. This land was known to be a tundra like wasteland to begin with but what they saw could only be described with a single word: Carnage. The earth was dried out and dead with deep ravines running through it while all vegetation had died and an incredible dark energy lingered in the air, making it hard for them to even breath.

    Flying through these dead, destroyed lands, the figure finally stopped a few dozen meters away from a huge, insectoid corpse of a Soul Beast, staring at it in shock. It was lying directly in the middle of these destroyed lands, with the dreadful carnage having consumed everything around it in a hundred kilometres radius.

    "This is... The 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly''s corpse..? It''s the overlord of this whole area and not even Titled Douluo''s dare to approach it''s territory mindlessly. What in the world could have mutilated it like this?"

    The 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly was barely recognizable. It''s wings were brutally torn apart and their leftovers lay around it after having been thrown to the side. It''s solid, near indestructible carapace was completely crushed and it''s whole body was horrendously mutilated. Its greatest strength, its dozens of metres long, powerful tail was nearly torn from its body and even more mutilated than the torso itself. The worst part, though, wasn''t it''s mutilated state, but the stench coming off of it. A combination of the stenches of acidic burns and rotting flesh lay in the air around it while the dark energy surrounding it was dozens if not hundreds of times more intense than what the cloaked figure felt before. The arena dozens of metres around it was completely corroded and only a black, unidentifiable waste remained.

    Looking around the scene a bit, the figure didn''t dare near the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s corpse any closer, but they could see, that the Soul Beast''s Soul Ring had long since dissipated; It''s clearly been dead for more than an hour. Nothing in this wasteland stood out from the carnage and death, but the cloaked figure still looked around trying to find any clue to what happened here until something finally caught their eye, stunning them deeply.

    "There''s a... boy lying there..?"

 77 Wounds And Unconsciousness

    Hey there, Yozuka here!

    So, I tried a slightly different of writing. Instead of writing speech like I did before, I tried having the "description" and the direct speed in the same paragraph. It''s really more or less a test to see how Webnovel.com converts this. If it doesn''t look more aesthetically pleasing, I''ll change it back starting next chapter. Let me hear your opinion on it!

    Without further ado, please enjoy today''s chapter!

    ------------------------------------------------

    The cloaked figure stood in the air, more than ten metres above the ground and their heart furiously shook. It was impossible for the 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly to allow humans in its territory, but there was actually a naked boy lying in the dirt just a few dozen metres away from it. But not only was this the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s territory, it was also this horrendously corroded area where no life could possibly exist. Still, the boy lay there, seemingly peaceful and taking a light nap.

    Spreading out their Spirit Power to scout the surroundings again, the cloaked figure made sure that there''s no predators or dangers around and carefully approached the boy. They were about to touch the boy when their hand suddenly jolted backwards just a few millimetres away from the boy. Looking at their hand, the figure saw their own glove being dissolved by the corrosive aura radiating from the boy and their heart beat even more furiously the cloaked figure felt an incredible pressure. "This corrosive death aura that lingers around the whole area is coming of this small child..? That''s impossible. Could he have beaten the Doomstinger Dragonfly? But why is he lying here, then?"

    Backing off a bit, the cloaked figure started contemplating. No matter if this boy killed the Soul Beast or if it was someone ¨C or something ¨C else, they couldn''t let the boy remain lying here. Moreover, with this kind of aura coming off of him, he might be able to...

    The cloaked figure seemed to be lost in thoughts for a while before extending their vast Soul Power to encapsulate Sheng Feiling in it and pulling him towards them. The corrosive aura tried resisting this, but it couldn''t hold its own against the cloaked figure''s Soul Power and so Sheng Feilong was taken away by them.

    ------------------------------------------------

    A few hours later, at an undisclosed location, Sheng Feilong could be seen lying on a hospital bed. The strange aura surrounding him seemed to have vanished as he was now wearing plain, white pants that showed no signs of corrosion, while his upper body was free of clothing with a few electrodes being attached to his chest. There were no bandages on his body, exposing an unnatural, huge scar that stretched from the left side of his chest, just a few centimetres below the ribcage all the way over his left shoulder and to his back. The scar had already scrabbed over and the tissue was sunken in, showing that it was probably a quite old and well healed scar, but just imagining what kind of injury would lead to the forming of such a scar was enough to send shivers down the spines of even the most steeled men.

    A few machines monitoring his health stood inside the room while and old man with sparse hair in a lab coat stood behind a window overseeing Sheng Feilong''s room. A big computer screen was attached to the wall and was constantly showing Sheng Feilong''s health status with some variables occasionally changing. Next to the old man stood a middle aged woman. She had an ordinary figure, wore plain, rather formal looking clothing and had her black hair tied to a bun. No matter how one looked at her, her looks really could only be described with the word ordinary. Still, this ordinary look coupled with her calm, small smile added a certain charm to her.

    The woman was looking at Sheng Feilong through the window before turning her head to the screen on the side with a slightly confused expression. "How is he doing, Doctor?"

    Turning around and straightening his back, the old man picked up a clipboard and flipped over some pages before observing the computer screen at the wall for a few seconds as well. He let out a weird sound, like a mix of a sigh and a laugh, and turned towards the woman. His expression was surprisingly bright and he looked somewhat excited. "Madam She, I really don''t know where you found this boy, but he truly is incredible."

    He paused for a moment, walking over to the computer screen, touching and enlarging one of the statistics before he continued. "The amount of energy radiating off of this boy was far above anything his body should be able to take and its corrosive nature was too much to handle, even for the Thousand Refined Black Iron machinery we used to transport him; All of them are now scrap-metals and we could only lay him down and hope that he wouldn''t destroy the bed, ha, ha. The statistics over here are the ones that were taken when the energy finally settled down, allowing us to check up on the boy."

    Madam She, She Meixiao, nodded and gestured for the doctor to continue. "His organs worked perfectly well, no injuries in- or outside of his body, other than this horrendous scar on his chest and back, and he in a absolutely stable condition, as if just asleep. According to our initial tests, his Soul Power, blood essence energy and even Spirit Power were completely exhausted. Still, even in this exhausted state, the physical strength of his body alone is on par with the top condition of a late stage Soul King ranked Soul Master. We wanted to aid his body in recovery and attached an IV-drip with top quality nutrient fluid to his arm, but once connected, his energy flared up, with no clear source identifiable, and the IV-drip was corroded into nothingness in mere seconds. It appears that his body completely rejects any kind of outside assistance, so we can only continue to monitor him instead."

    She Meixiao frowned deeply at the doctors statement. If even the doctor could not identify this strange, corrosive death aura radiating from the boy, then just what in the world was it? Thinking about this, another question that she had forgotten until now flashed through her mind. "That''s right. Doctor, could you determine whether the boy is human or not?"

    The Doctor frowned, obviously puzzled by the question, but quickly looked over Sheng Feilong''s statistics. "Well, yes, he should be a human. At least there is nothing that would lead me to believe otherwise. There''s only one thing I can''t make tails or heads of; The scar on his torso. From the tests and scans, this scar isn''t just superficial, but reached through his whole body. It''s as if an axe had cleanly cleaved through him, cutting out a piece of his body. The whole tissue connecting this part of his body is scar tissue. However, the bones, including his complete shoulder and the affected ribs, are completely fine. His heart and lungs also show no signs of ever having been injured; it''s solely the tissue. Honestly, deducting from this, as long as his bones and organs hadn''t been swapped out, they should at least show some degree of injury, just like the tissue. It''s really too puzzling."

    She Meixiao once again frowned deeply and loosing herself in her own thoughts for a moment before she looked at the doctor again. "I see, thank you doctor. Please continue to take care of the boy, at least until he wakes up. I''ll come by again tomorrow." The doctor just smiled and nodded. "Will do, Madam She. I''ll make sure to complete a record of the changes that happen until you come back tomorrow."

    Just as She Meixiao had said, she came by daily to check up on Sheng Feilong. However, other than his Soul Power, blood essence energy and Spirit Power slowly regenerating, nothing new came to be and the doctor could only continue to observe him as his body still rejected any outside influence with the strange, corrosive energy.

    ------------------------------------------------

    Three days passed silently until a piece of news send the world into complete tumult; The Spirit Flamingo Douluo, Song Weihan, the genius scientist behind the Artificial Soul Bone development, as well as his complete team of experts, left the Spirit Pagoda on this day!

    Within minutes of this news being confirmed, dozens, if not hundreds, of institutions, powerful Clans and even the Federal government tried to recruit them, offering benefits that even left the greatest experts with their mouths aghast. Even more shocking, though, every single person under Song Weihan, including the man himself, rejected those offers.

    Meanwhile, Song Weihan and his team bought a plot of land near the outskirts of a small town in the south and took over the facilities there. No one understood how they could be so stubborn to refuse the enticing offers of all those power, but just two days later, everything was made clear and all those powers that had tried to associate themselves with Song Weihan shuddered in cold sweat.

    Armed with soul engineered weaponry and equipment, the Spirit Flamingo Douluo and his group of experts had come to Shrek City, standing in the air above the Sea God''s Pavilion, and declared war on Shrek Academy!

 78 Leaving The Spirit Pagoda

    Hey there, Yozuka here!

    I messed up a bit in the last chapter, so this chapter will be more of a flashback. But! It will also make a few things, mostly Song Weihan''s motives, clear!

    We''ll catch up to where we left yesterday in the next chapter. Really sorry about this!

    Enjoy the chapter!

    ----------------------------------------

    A few days earlier, in one of the confinement rooms at the top floor of Heaven Dou City''s Spirit Pagoda.

    Song Weihan silently sat on the bed in the room with his arms resting on his legs. His eyes were closed and looked completely calm. A few moments later, the door of the confinement room opened and an employee wearing the Spirit Pagoda''s standard white uniform entered before lightly bowing to Song Weihan. "Department Head Song, the Elders have revoked your confinement order. Please follow me outside."

    Song Weihan looked at the man and silently followed him outside with an indifferent expression. He had been confined in this top security room inside the Spirit Pagoda for 24 hours after he wanted to mobilize his staff to attack Shrek Academy yesterday. So far, no news had been heard about the Soul Train accident other then more and more deaths being confirmed. Sheng Feilong''s body hadn''t been found yet.

    After leaving with the staff member, Song Weihan calmly returned to his office on the 84th floor of the Spirit Pagoda, the Artificial Soul Bone Research Centre. A few documents lay neatly in on the desk, after apparently having been placed there by one of Song Weihan''s assistances; it was another batch of reports regarding the train accident, mostly concerning anything that happened while Song Weihan was in confinement. A while later, an assistant of Song Weihan came in, giving him another report.

    Soon after, Song Weihan asked for the assistant that brought him the reports to come back. "Prepare resignment papers for everyone connected to the Spirit Bone research team. Also include the ones for Guard Captain Sheng Lingtian. Don''t tell them about it, yet, only prepare the papers. Also inform everyone that there''ll be a meeting in an hour. Attendance is mandatory for everyone."

    With his assistant''s help, the meeting was soon brought forward to everyone and Song Weihan informed everyone of his venture. Most of them agreed with only 3 of them wanting to remain at the Spirit Pagoda. Taking all of the resignment paper into his possession, Song Weihan made his way to the Spirit Pagoda''s ground level.

    Sheng Lingtian was doing his patrols with a dull and lifeless expression. He, of course, knew what had happened yesterday, but unlike Song Weihan, who flared up in anger, he broke down instead. Only a day had passed, but Sheng Lingtian looked as if he had aged more than 10 years; his skin was dry and pale and his hair had started to turn grey. Nearly every member of the Spirit Pagoda had heard about Song Weihan''s disciple being involved in the train accident yesterday and Sheng Lingtian''s team naturally knew that this disciple was their captain''s very own son. They could understand Sheng Lingtian''s sentiment, but none of them knew what to say to him and only silently accompanied him in their daily routine.

    They were currently near the Spirit Pagoda''s entrance, when they saw that Song Weihan was approaching them. The team members quickly saluted him and the latter dismissed them with a nod, asking them to leave him and Sheng Lingtian alone for a moment. Song Weihan looked at Sheng Lingtian with a empathic expression, but still cut straight to the point. Sheng Lingtian didn''t really seem interested, but ultimately agreed to join Song Weihan while clenching his fists. "I have no reason to work for them any longer... They refuse to bring justice to my son. I don''t care where you intend to go, but I will not remain here."

    Following this, he also took the resignment form from Song Weihan and filled it out. Song Weihan pat Sheng Lingtian on the shoulder before leaving again.

    ----------------------------------

    Not even an hour later, at the top most floor of the Spirit Pagoda, a total of 11 figures, 10 sat around a table and the eleventh standing in front of the others, were staying in a conference room with tall windows on three sides, showing the clouds beneath them. The mood and countenances of the seated figured were grim as they looked at the stack of documents before the standing person.

    One of the seated figures had a angered expression on his face as he was clutching the arm rests of his chair into dust, while an old man seated near the middle of the people on the table held one of the documents in his hand with a complicated expression. "Elder Song, is there really no other choice? You have my deepest condolences for the loss of your disciple, but do you have to leave the Spirit Pagoda because of this?"

    The man standing at the head of the table, Song Weihan, lightly smiled at the old man before shaking his head. "Elder Sun, I really appreciate your sentiment, but my decision is final. I have also already talked about this with everyone else who''s resignment papers are with me."

    At this point, the person who had crushed his chair''s armrests into dust could no longer remain silent. Unlike the last time Song Weihan had come to them when he wanted to give his personal disciple the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Artificial Soul Bone, the raging Elder Pai had calmed down considerably. Staring at Song Weihan he opened his mouth and spoke in a grave tone. "The Spirit Pagoda has taken care of you and allowed you to do your research without any restraints for more than 15 years and now that you''re somewhat displeased, you want to pack up and leave just like that? Song Weihan, even a dog knows to appreciate the hand that feeds it more than you do!"

    Looking at Elder Pai, Song Weihan''s tone turned cold. "Having me work my way up with no regards to the sacrifices made and time spent is the Spirit Pagoda''s way of taking care of me? I have never asked the Pagoda for any favours while continuously working for it, but when my only personal disciple died, not only did you not help me bring the ones responsible for this to justice, but actively stop me from doing so. Should I return the same words of ''not knowing to appreciate the hand that feeds you'' to you, Elder Pai? Of course, I don''t intent to leave without showing the Spirit Pagoda any consideration. Given the long time, available space and location of my laboratory on the 84th floor, the rent I owe the Spirit Pagoda should be more or less 3 million Federational coins, correct?"

    Before Elder Pai could flare up again, Elder Sun quickly tried to pacify the both of them before asking another question himself while sighing. "Elder Song, what will happen to the Artificial Soul Bone Research Centre once you leave? Knowing you, I assume you don''t intend to leave it behind for the Spirit Pagoda?"

    All of the Elders ears suddenly perked at the question and they looked at Song Weihan with expressions varying from high expectations to calm indifference and cold glints. Song Weihan looked at Elder Sun as calm as before while speaking with a nonchalant expression. "I will take the research team with me when I leave, though three of them have decided to stay behind. As for the research results, I will take everything with me that''s based on my initial research, no matter if those results were contributed by me or one of my subordinates; As long as they don''t personally belong to the three members that stay behind, I will wipe everything clean. Still, I will leave all of the machinery up to the Spirit Pagoda''s jurisdiction. Consider it my form of compensation. With the required machinery intact, you''ll be able to train a functional research team within 5 years."

    The room turned silent once again and some time passed quietly before the Elder seated next to Elder Sun, a scrawny old man with a calm expression, spoke up. "Very well. We accept your conditions, Song Weihan. I will sent staff to take over your laboratory tomorrow and you and your team will no longer be acquainted with the Spirit Pagoda, effective from two days from now." He paused for a moment, but none of the other Elders refuted his decision. The Elder then looked at one of the resignment papers at Elder Sun''s side. "What about this person, though? ''Guard Captain Sheng Lingtian''? How is he related to your team?"

    With the Elder speaking to him, even Song Weihan was respectful. The old man wasn''t just any Elder but the president of Heaven Dou City''s Spirit Pagoda and moreover, he was a rank 98 Hyper Douluo! Even though Song Weihan didn''t have too much of a sentiment for the Spirit Pagoda, the President as well as Elder Sun had always treated him well; Both of them were fair and absolutely just. They were the real pillars of the Spirit Pagoda!

    Song Weihan nodded at the first statement before frowning lightly at the latter half. "Guard Captain Sheng Lingtian is the father of my personal disciple, Sheng Feilong. I think that should give you enough reasons to understand. I will leave the papers in your care, Elder Thosun, and will instruct my team to cooperate with the staff that will come in tomorrow. If there is nothing else, I will leave for now."

    Understanding the point about Sheng Lingtian, Elder Thosun tactfully nodded before respectfully allowing Song Weihan to leave. When there were only ten of them left, he sighed before speaking up in a slightly regretful voice. "Maybe we should have just let him vent his anger at Shrek Academy... For now, all of you are dismissed. Elder Luo, sorry to trouble you, but please stay for a little longer and help me with the resignment processes."

    Everyone else, including Elder Sun, left the conference room after respectfully nodding to Elder Thosun, while Elder Luo began organizing the resignment papers again. After some time passed, when only the two of them remained in the room, Elder Thosun''s regretful and calm expression vanished. Standing up with a loud sneer he looked at Elder Luo with a cold glint. "Song Weihan really doesn''t know his place. Still, this situation gives us a good opportunity to deal with ''that'' matter. Song Weihan doesn''t know that we''re aware of his disciple''s little secret, after all." He paused for a moment before showing a toothy smile. "Elder Luo, I assume you know what to do? I want this done the night after Song Weihan leaves the Spirit Pagoda. Also, send you best men, there shall be no soul left to report of this matter; be thorough."

 79 Waging War

    After coming out of the conference room, Song Weihan returned to the 84th floor and informed his team about everything that happened. Instead of focusing on their normal work, they starting transfering all of the data from the computer systems to external sources before giving those to Song Weihan. All of the data had been cleared out by the time Elder Thosun''s staff came the next day. After doing what was asked of them, they left Elder Thosun''s staff in the room while Song Weihan deleted all of their access to the research centre and gave full control over to Elder Thosun.

    The next day, Song Weihan and his team, as well as Sheng Lingtian, left the Spirit Pagoda while Elder Sun and Elder Thosun had come to wish them farewell. Sheng Lingtian and many of the staff members had already contacted their landlords, cancelling their rental contracts and they followed Song Weihan to the south that very day.

    After a two hours journey, they came to a moderately big town and settled down with the help of Song Weihan. As it turned out, this was actually the town Song Weihan grew up in and with the help of the latter''s status as a Titled Douluo, everyone quickly found themselves and their families a new home. Song Weihan also bought an old apartment complex in the outskirts of the town where their new laboratory would be located. While this new laboratory didn''t meet the standard of their old one at the Spirit Pagoda, all of them were experts and geniuses of their own and they quickly got to the point where they could continue their own work, albeit without being able to do experiments.

    Song Weihan sat in his new office, going through a few procedures to find a way to begin with the production of Artificial Soul Bones again as soon as possible, while more and more documents were stacked on his desk as time passed by. They had only settled down in this new laboratory, but the dozens of Clan,s institutions and even the federal government had send word that they intend to cooperate with Song Weihan and his team, some offering staggering benefits.

    Although he didn''t agree to any of them yet, Song Weihan took every single of those offers serious and reviewed them in detail while also telling his subordinates to find out more about those that offered generous benefits. Luckily for them, Song Weihan''s information network still functioned perfectly as he had never relied on the Spirit Pagoda for this in the first place. If this wasn''t the case, they would have a substantial problem with just their small team.

    The next day continued like the first ended and everyone continued with accustoming themselves to their new daily lives. A few hours into the day, Song Weihan stood in the laboratory, talking about the possibilities their laboratory has with a few senior members of the team, when one of his assistants, who''s also one of the direct contacts to Song Weihan''s burst into the room with a grave expression. He ran over to Song Weihan before taking a few deep breaths and finally speaking up to Song Weihan in a anxious tone. "Boss Song, we have a problem!" Quickly looking around and seeing everyone stare at him, he continued in a hushed and embarrassed tone. "Should we go to your office, Boss?"

    Song Weihan nodded and the both of them entered the office, closing the doors behind them while the rest of the crowd looked in their direction with curious expressions. Song Weihan looked at the anxious informant with a calm expression. "So, tell me now. What it is that made you rush in like that just now?"

    "The Clan of you personal disciple, Sheng Feilong, and his father, Mister Sheng, has been... been eliminated last night. According to our connections, the whole Clan estate was razed to the ground and burned down, while no survivors were found until now. In- in fact, no corpses and not even the slightest drop of blood could be found, as it their Clan had voluntarily abandoned the estate.", te informant reported. With each word, his voice became smaller and smaller and by the end of his report, they were but a slight whisper as his body shook in place, locked down by Song Weihan''s Soul Power.

    "Is this information reliable? If there''s even the slightest bit of falsehood in your words, you will die without a grave.", Song Weihan replied, still locking the informant down with his Soul Power. The latter shuddered, but still forcefully nodded his head repeatedly. Less than a minute had passed since they entered, but the whole laboratory shook under Song Weihan''s Soul Power and everyone could clearly feel the killing intent coming from him. They had just turned their heads back over in surprise when the door to the office burst open and a furious Song Weihan looked into their direction, bellowing out commands with a terrifying tone. "Gather everyone in the main hall and ready all of the soul engineered weapons and equipment! We are going to war!"

    ------------------------

    A few hours later, a piece of news shocked the world. According to a few intelligence agencies, the Spirit Flamingo Douluo, Song Weihan and his group of experts, armed with soul engineered weaponry and equipment, had come to Shrek City, standing in the air above the Sea God''s Pavilion, and declared war on Shrek Academy!

    The first to notice this were naturally the Sea God Pavilion''s Elders in the middle of Shrek Academy. As soon as Song Weihan, Sheng Lingtian and their group appeared, all of them felt it and assembled in the air above the academy as well, standing opposite of Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian. At first, most of them didn''t think much of this as Song Weihan was the only Titled Douluo amongst them and much weaker compared to the Sea God''s Pavilion''s Elders, but their looks quickly changed when they saw the equipment Song Weihan and his team were wearing.

    Massive cannons, diverse, battle-ready Mechas with heavy artillery and other powerful weapons were just the beginning. Even if they didn''t have much strong Soul Masters, their weaponry alone could raze the whole Shrek City to the ground and even the powerful Elders would be unable to stop most of it. The Sea God''s Pavilion''s master, Atlas Douluo Yun Ming, stood at the front of the Shrek Academy''s side and looked at the furious Song Weihan with a grave expression. "Song Weihan, what is the meaning of this? I admit that the accident concerning Sheng Feilong is a clear negligence on Shrek Academy''s part and we will take full responsibility for this, but why are you bringing such a deployment with you? Do you intend to involve the whole Shrek City in this?!"

    Song Weihan stared at Yun Ming with a furious expression as his killing intent flared even higher. "Yun Ming, you still try to play the innocent?! Other than myself and his father, the only ones to know about his bloodline are you and Shrek Academy! Promising you three Artificial Soul Bones wasn''t enough, so you had to orchestrate the attack on the Soul Train to take him! And you damned bastard didn''t stop there! After taking my disciple, you go out and erase the whole Sheng Clan as well! And for what?! To use them as guinea pigs to experiment on?!"

    Yun Ming was stunned for a moment before the frown on his face deepened. "What are you talking about? Shrek Academy would never orchestrate something like an attack on a civil Soul Train. And I assure you that we have absolutely nothing to do with the Sheng Clan! After making the contract for the three Artificial Soul Bones, we have never stuck our noses into any of this!"

    By now, Sheng Lingtian, who stood next to Song Weihan, couldn''t keep his calm any longer and charged forward in his Mecha, furiously bellowing at Yun Ming!

    "You are still denying it! After taking the life of my son and erasing my whole Clan, you still want us to believe this is all a coincidence?! Bastard, I want your life!" Just after he said this, a resplendent light burst forth from Song Weihan''s body and enveloped him whole, only to fade away in but a second. Song Weihan''s appearance changed in this time; a silvery white armour clad his whole body while a oversized, long helmet obscured his head. His Soul Power surged, further being amplified by his Battle Armour, and 9 Soul Ring''s shot forth behind his back! Hollering a command at his companions, he charged at Yun Ming. "Attack!"

    Faced with the attacks of Song Weihan and all of the men behind him, the Sea God pavilion''s Elders didn''t dare to hold back any longer. Their Soul Powers surged as their Soul Ring''s appeared behind them, some even having light burst out of them as then donned their own Battle Armours. The sheer energy released by all those top experts sent hurricanes rioting through Shrek Academy. Soul engineered weaponry and Soul Skills crashed into each other; Even the commoners in Shrek City were now able to feels the raging winds as the earth shook and explosions filled the sky, hundreds of metres above the ground! Fear painted the faces of those that saw this apocalyptic scene in the sky, while all of them hid in their homes or other buildings as fast as possible.

    Yun Ming lead the charge at Shrek Academy''s side, clashing with Sheng Lingtian''s Mecha and blocking the latter''s charge with relative ease, but he was then met with Song Weihan''s attack. Without having his Atlas Spear summoned, Yun Ming had to retreat, dodging Song Weihan''s attack,before the spear appeared in his hand and he charged at the two of them again. He suddenly felt his mind shake, as he furiously spurted his Spirit Power into action to resist Song Weihan''s spiritual attack; The sheer force of their spirits sending tangible shockwaves through the air.

    Their fight continued for hours, while the explosions in the sky wore the buildings of Shrek Academy down, slowly but surely. All of the students had long since been escorted to an underground bunker by the teachers and, fortunately, no one was injured yet. One by one, the people that Song Weihan brought began to fall, as he himself and Sheng Lingtian were restricted by Yun Ming. They could only gnash their teeth as they knew that they were at the mercy of the latter; Even though Yun Ming faced both of them at the same time, they knew he could kill them whenever he pleased, but decided to let them fight for this whole time!

    ---------------------------------------------

    In the evening of the same day, another piece of news spread over the whole continent; After a earth shaking battle, that continued for over half a day, the Spirit Flamingo Douluo and the men he brought to Shrek Academy for vengeance returned in total defeat; all of them were heavily injured and they could do nothing else but miserably flee for their lives!

 80 Finally Waking Up!

    Hey there, Yozuka here!

    So, you''ve had a few days time to compare the writing stiles for speech in the new and old chapters, but no one''s giving me their opinion until now.. :D

    Personally, I like the new style more, but I''d like to hear your take on this, as well! Please let me know what you think about in in the comments!

    -------------------------------------------------

    In the late evening of the same day they headed out, Song Weihan, Sheng Lingtian and their men returned to their base in Song Weihan''s hometown in the south. After their miserable defeat, most of them were heavily injured and nearly all of their equipment was destroyed; some of them might even become crippled for their lives! Sheng Lingtian landed his Mecha next to the laboratory and carefully helped Song Weihan out of the cabin. The latter was heavily injured and from what Sheng Lingtian could tell, he would need at least two months time to make a full recovery.

    Glancing back, Sheng Lingtian saw his once shining Purple Mecha being nearly destroyed. Most of the armour plates had either been slashed or pierced through, one of the mechanical arms was destroyed from the shoulder downwards and the whole machine looked more like a wrecked lump of scrapmetal than a Mecha. Still, compared to others, he was still fortunate as his Mecha hadn''t been completely destroyed. In fact, the most heavily injured people, those that were nearly certain to be crippled for their lives, were the other Mecha pilots. Unlike Yun Ming, who showed some consideration while fighting Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan, the other Sea God''s Pavilion Elders destroyed and attacked their enemies in the most effective ways and destroyed all of the weaponry and machines they brought with them.

    Although none of them would ever forgive Shrek Academy for their sins, Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan had no other choice but to lay low for now and lick their wounds; Continuing to fight against them would only yield to deaths on their own side!

    After the tumult made by the actions of Song Weihan and the others, the continent calmed down considerably, but the incident was well remembered by the people. Song Weihan''s accusations he said during their attack on Shrek Academy didn''t go unnoticed and many powers thorough the continent started investigating these matters. Shrek Academy''s negligence concerning the Soul Train accident and the fact that one of their students died in it during an official Exam spread and the fact that the clan of that student was eliminated also became known to the pubic soon after. Still, only a small minority believed the rumours of the prestigious Shrek Academy being the instigators of these incidents.

    -----------------------------------------------

    She Meixiao, the middle aged woman that had found Sheng Feilong lying near the 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly''s corpse a few days ago, naturally heard about those rumours as well, but failed to make any connections between the matter and the boy she found in the wilderness; There was simply no clue that would lead to such a conclusion. The day after Song Weihan''s defeat at Shrek Academy, she once again visited the doctor in the infirmary where Sheng Feilong was treated, or observed.

    Having a friendly chat with the doctor about recent happenings, both of them slightly relaxed before She Meixiao asked about Sheng Feilong''s condition. "So, doctor, how is the boy doing?"

    The doctor laughed lightly before walking over to the screen at the side where he tapped a few buttons and the like. After a moment, the screen finally showed Sheng Feilong''s statistics and the doctor turned back to face She Meixiao. "Well, his condition is still the same. No injuries other than the strange scar, but his blood essence, Soul Power and Spirit Power gradually recover. He is still unconscious, but there are also no abnormalities with his brain''s functions, so I still assume he will wake up once he has recovered enough physical strength. At the current rate of recovery, he should wake up in approximately four to six days."

    She Meixiao nodded lightly. She had already expected an answer like this, though she was a bit surprised to get an estimation of the boy''s recovery. If she had to be honest, her curiosity about this boys origins were growing with each day. In her opinion, it should be absolutely impossible for such a young boy to live near the Doomstinger Dragonfly. This monster was the overlord of an area and known for its aggressive nature, causing even Titled Douluo''s only approached with great caution, yet this boy lay sleeping but naked in the middle of its territory, next to the Soul Beasts corpse even!

    While She Meixiao was lost in her thoughts, the doctor tapped on the computer screen again and came across another piece of information about Sheng Feilong. Speaking out a word of surprise, as if suddenly remembering something again, the doctor looked at She Meixiao. "Right, there''s one more thing about the boy, Madam She. I''ve taken the liberty to test the source of the boy''s corrosive energy by doing a few test before and after trying to give him some nutrient fluid. According to the results, it seems that the origin of this energy is related to the boy''s Spirit Essence. We''ve observed a considerable drop in his Soul Power right after the energy flared up to dissolve the nutrient fluid."

    She Meixiao''s heart shook lightly. She looked at the doctor in surprise while spurting out her thoughts. "So you are saying that the energy that corroded the whole area in the western wastelands and supposedly killed the Doomstinger Dragonfly was really released by this boy?", she paused for a moment before starting to mutter once more, seemingly lost in thought as she ignored the doctor that lightly smiled at her behaviour. "Then, the corroded land is related to his Soul Skill? No, no Soul Skills couldn''t have such a range, even if that boy is a Titled Douluo... A Domain Ability? But what Domain would have such a sinister effect...? Even in the organisation, there isn''t anyone with abilities that matches this kind of corrosion... A new, prior unknown type of Spirit Essence? And with a powerful Domain ability... This is getting more and more exciting!"

    She Meixiao was looking at Sheng Feilong''s unconscious body in delight like a child that had obtained a new toy, causing the doctor to laugh a bit more. The usually refined Madam She always started to act like this whenever she discovered something new. But the doctor had to admit that he shared her excitement when it came to the unknown boy. From his looks and the tests he conducted, the boy definitely wasn''t some old monster that kept themselves young, but a child of less than 15 years of age. For him to already have a body on par with Power Attack System Soul Emperor''s is truly incredible.

    Faking a light cough to pull She Meixiao out of her fantasy, the doctor continued to chit-chat with her for a while before he had to leave for another place. Following this day, She Meixiao came by two days later, asking the doctor for another update, but the result was still the same; According to the doctors estimations, the boy would wake up in about two to four days. She Meixiao had no choice but to accept this and returned another two days later, but the boy still remained unconscious, truly straining her patience.

    The next day, She Meixiao walked down a hallway within the building, letting out a long sigh. She had promised the doctor to be patient and only return every other day since the doctor had to tend to other patients and She Meixiao couldn''t neglect her own work, as well. She was about to enter a room at the side, when her Soul Communicator rang. Answering the call, she heard the voice of the doctor she just thought about, with a tinge of excitement mixed in his voice. "Madam She, the boy''s brain activity changed just a few seconds ago; He is finally waking up!"

    -----------------------------------------------

    Sheng Feilong felt like he was waking up from a long, long dream. After taking the advice of the weird voice he truly closed his eyes and let himself slip into his own dreamscape. Although he couldn''t remember what he had dreamt about at all, he truly felt calmed down and refreshed. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a pure white, lightly lit and unfamiliar ceiling above himself. Taking a glance around, he found himself in a white room with a few machines and a big mirror at the wall. He somewhat sobered up and recognized this room as a hospital room.

    His eyes widened slightly and he tensed up a bit as he suddenly remembered what had happened before he had gone to ''rest''. Taking a Soul Train to Heaven Dou City and tricking Tang Wulin, beinginvolved in a terrorist incident, fighting a Soul Saint and being kidnapped by the latter. And lastly... that terrifying insect type Soul Beast that killed the Soul Saint and... killed him. Sheng Feilong shuddered as he unconsciously grabbed his own chest with his hand, only to feel a over 3 centimetres deep ravine right above his heart. Lightly rubbing it with his fingers, he could clearly feel his own ribs directly beneath the rough skin.

    Looking down on himself, he saw a few electrodes attached to him as well as the horrendous scar that reached from the lower end of his ribcage all the way up to his left shoulder and onto his back. Nearly three centimetres deep and, at the thickest point, more than 7 centimetres wide. It was clearly visible with thick scar tissue covering it all the way around. Sheng Feilong''s hands began shaking even more violently while his breathing quickened. He knew it wasn''t just a dream. He didn''t know what that strange voice was that told him to rest. And he also didn''t understand how he was still alive!

    Just as his thoughts were about to wander off, he heard a mechanic sound from one side of the room and abruptly turned his head towards the source; a simple automatic door that was the only entrance and exit to the room. Two figures entered, a normal looking middle aged woman with a warm feeling around her and an old man in a white coat, most probably a doctor. The walked up to Sheng Feilong, halting within a respectful distance from his bed to give him enough space, when the middle aged woman spoke up in a calm tone. "You are finally awake, boy. I am She Mexiao. I know this might be a bit sudden, but can you tell me how you feel? And what''s your name?"

 81 Twin Spirit Essences?!

    She Meixiao had to do her best to remain calm. After the chat she had with the doctor a few days ago and the extended wait, she really was incredibly excited to finally be able to get to know who he is and what really happened back then. After the doctor had informed her about the boy waking up, she had immediately run to the infirmary and met up with the doctor where both of them observed the boy from behind the mirrored window.

    When they saw him sit up in his bed, She Meixiao was about to run in there and question him, but the doctor stopped her, telling her his own insights that he hadn''t mentioned before; That the boy really only is a young boy and not some old monster. Moreover, from the amount of Soul Power the boy had regenerated, he should only be around the level of a high ranked Soul Ancestor, nothing more. Calming down somewhat, they then saw the boy shakily trace the scar on his own chest with dread and confusion apparent in his eyes.

    At this point, the doctor told her to follow him into the room and cautioned her to remain calm when she talked to the boy as he thought that the latter might be in shock. Standing a few steps away from the bed, she lightly greeted the boy before introducing herself and asking for his name. The boy seemed to be on guard against them, two people he had never seen before, but seemingly relaxed when he identified the old man next to her as a doctor.

    Sheng Feilong looked at the two people in front of him, still confused about the situation, but much more calm than before as the two of them didn''t seem to have any bad intentions. Moreover, they were most likely the ones that saved his life when he was attacked by the insect type Soul Beast. Lightly nodding towards She Meixiao, he spoke up in a hoarse voice, only now recognizinghow dry his throat felt. "My name is Sheng Feilong. I''m feeling quite well, considering the circumstances, but what happened? Did you bring me here?"

    She Meixiao was a bit surprised at his calm answer and noticed his hoarse voice, handing him a bottle of water to drink, while she answered his question. "We did indeed bring you here, but we''re not too sure what happened to you, too. On that day, I was given a report that a massive amount of dark elemental energy was felt in the west and went over to investigate the matter a while later. I found the western wastelands corroded and destroyed by some kind of energy and the area''s overlord, the 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly, dead in the centre of that energy''s source... That''s also where I''ve found you; unconscious on the ground, just a few metres away from the Beasts corpse. Can you tell us a bit more about that?"

    ''So that place was the ''western wastelands''? And the Doomstinger Dragonfly is that giant insect Soul Beast? But what about the dark energy..? Is that from someone who came before her?'', Sheng Feilong thought as he listened to She Xiaomei''s explanation. He tried to hide his confusing by showing a calm expression and occasionally nodded his head, before starting to explain what happened to him that day. "I was on the way to Heaven Dou City for the purpose of Shrek Academy''s Year End Exam, when terrorists attacked the Soul Train I had boarded. One of them was a Soul Saint, who defeated me and also took me along with him when I had lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was bound and we were flying above a tundra like wasteland. Is that the western wasteland that you meant, Ma''am? I don''t know how long I was unconscious for but, soon after I woke up, we were attacked by a huge Soul beast insect..."

    She Meixiao nodded, confirming Sheng Feilong''s question about the western wasteland, while listening to his story in shock. "The Soul Beast you encountered, was it a big, black insect with a scorpion like tail beneath it''s body, 2 pairs of strange wings and a monster like head?" Sheng Feilong nodded absent mindedly, before She Meixiao continued, "Than it was most likely the Doomstinger Dragonfly. You''re also a student of Shrek Academy? Then, are you somehow related to the Spirit Flamingo Douluo, Song Weihan, from the Spirit Pagoda?"

    Inwardly, She Meixiao was in complete shock. Just a few days ago, the Spirit Flamingo Douluo brought his man to besiege Shrek Academy to seek vengeance for his disciple, who supposedly died in an Exam of Shrek Academy. She naturally knew about the Soul Train accident near Heaven Dou City, but was this boy, Sheng Feilong, in front of her really involved in this matter? Still, Sheng Feilong''s next words instantly cleared all of her questions. The latter looked at her in surprise and tried to stand up. "Huh? Ma''am, you know my Master? Is he also here?!"

    This time, the doctor, who had remained silent until now couldn''t help but speak up and take a few steps forward to hold Sheng Feilong down. "Now, now, boy. Keep in bed for now, we still don''t know how your health is in detail, so you should take it slow. We don''t personally know Senior Spirit Flamingo, but we have naturally heard about him and what he did those last few days."

    Seeing that Sheng Feilong had calmed down, but was looking at him in confusion when he mentioned Song Weihan''s actions, the doctor continued to patiently explain the situation to Sheng Feilong. Starting from the Soul Train''s accident with no survivors, over Song Weihan leaving the Spirit Pagoda, to his siege on Shrek Academy and lastly his retreat with heavy injuries. Sheng Feilong said nothing for the whole time, but his body began shaking more and more violently as the anxiousness on his face could be seen clearly, causing the doctor to once again try to calm him down. "You don''t need to worry for now, boy. You Master is alive, that much is already ascertained, and no one from his side had died as well; all of them will recover in due time. We still need youto tell us what happened that day. You said you encountered the Doomstinger Dragonfly? What happened after that?"

    Sheng Feilong was still worried about Song Weihan, but he understood that the doctor only wants to help him and needs to know what happened to him. Moreover, She Meixiao''s talk about the dark energy near that place left him with a bad feeling. "Before we encountered the insect, the Soul Saint that kidnapped me fled in horror, trying to get away from it, but it quickly caught up to us and... and killed the Soul saint in an instant. His chest was pierced and I crashed into the ground as he could hold me any longer. That Soul Beast ate the man after killing him and then stared at me. I was still bound and could only try to crawl away." He paused for a moment, tracing the scar on his chest again as he continued his story with a nervous expression."It... It pierced my... heart with its tail and slashed my shoulder apart. After that, it was like time stopped and I... heard this strange voice that asked my if I wanted power and told me to rest... I- I don''t know what happened after that."

    She Meixiao and the doctor looked at each other and saw the shock in the others eyes before the doctor looked at the scar on Sheng Feilong''s chest in disbelief for a moment. He then looked at Sheng Feilong''s face again and suddenly asked another question. "Sheng Feilong, can you tell me what your Spirit Essence is? I know it''s rude to ask this so suddenly, but from what I found out in the last few days, something just doesn''t add up."

    Sheng Feilong was stunned for a moment, not really understanding the doctor''s statement, but non the less answered him. "My Spirit Essence is called Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes. It''s a Spirit essence that evolved from the normal Spirit Eyes after I fused with a special Skull Type Soul Bone." His words shocked the doctor even more and he deeply frowned with a confused expression. "''Radiant Emperor''..? Then, it''s not related to darkness? Or even poison or acid?" Sheng Feilong vehemently shook his head. While he did have a poison related Spirit Soul, that had nothing to do with his actual Spirit Essence.

    The doctor seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment before he spoke up again, staring at Sheng Feilong with a look that seemed to say that he want''s to confirm something. "Boy, may I test something? I want to attach an IV-Drip with nutrient fluid in it to your arm. It will sting a bit, but nothing bad will happen." She Meixiao seemed to understand the doctors idea and asked Sheng Feilong to agree, to which he slightly nodded his head with a confused expression and stretched out his arm.

    The doctor attached the IV-Drip to his arm and let the nutrient fluid slowly flow through the tube. Both he and She Meixiao watched the IV-Drip with excited expressions for a while, before She Meixiao''s expression turned into one of confusion. "Nothing''s happening..? Has the corrosive energy vanished? How is that possible?"

    The doctor on the other hand, leaned back a bit and took a deep breath. "Boy, try to reject the IV-Drip. Imagine it like it''s some kind of poison that you don''t want to get into your body. Try to get it of it as fast as possible without pulling the tube out." She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong were slightly confused, but the latter still did as he was told and imagined the nutrient fluid as something bad, like a dreadful poison that has to be gone as soon as possible.

    Nothing happened for a while, but the doctor beckoned for him to continue and after a while, Sheng Feilong suddenly felt his Soul Power to plummet somewhat, as a greyish, muddy green vapour suddenly rose up from the point were the IV-Drip was attached to him. A low hissing sound came from it and the tube suddenly fell from Sheng Feilong''s arm, loosely hanging down from the IV-Drip. But shockingly, the end that was attached to Sheng Feilong''s arm just a second ago, seemed to have been corroded away and still had some of that greyish, muddy green vapour coming off of it, while the needle that had pierced Sheng Feilong''s arm and the little wound from the prick had vanished.

    Sheng Feilong stared back and forth from his arm to the tube with a shocked expression, while She Meixiao''s eyes sparkled with an incredible glee as she stared back and forth between Sheng Feilong''s arm and the tube as well. Completely confused, Sheng Feilong then looked at the doctor for answers, while the latter looked somewhat excited as well. He took a deep breath before letting out a long sigh to calm himself down and looked at Sheng Feilong with a solemn expression. "Sheng Feilong. If I am not wrong then... you appear to have awakened a second Spirit Essence. You are a possessor of Twin Spirit Essences!"

 82 You Have Yet To Find What You Seek

    A look of disbelief appeared on Sheng Feilong''s face as he stared at the doctor. He spaced out for a moment before turning his head to look at his arm again. The little wound from the IV-Drip''s needle had completely vanished while the tube was corroded. Moreover, this seemed to happen at his own command; This definitely wasn''t something that could be explained by Sheng Feilong''s current abilities.

    While he still thought about this matter, She Meixiao and the doctor exchanged a look. Both of them understood how Sheng Feilong must feel: Not only was he told that he had suddenly awakened a second Spirit Essence, it was also a dreadfully powerful poisonous one with a corrosive nature. Then there was this strange voice that he had talked about as well... Even for them, this wasn''t something that could be explained just like that.

    She Meixiao lightly nodded to the doctor before he turned towards Sheng Feilong again, still trying her best to remain as calm as possible to not agitate the boy any further. "Sheng Feilong, I know all of this sounds really weird, but there''s a quick way to confirm our guess. As you most likely know, every Spirit Essence, Spirit Soul and even Soul Bone will engrave itself into a Soul Master''s spiritual consciousness. You just have to enter your own and see for yourself; If you have truly awakened a second Spirit Essence, then you will definitely find it there."

    At her side, the doctor calmly nodded and took a step to the side, looking at a few monitors that stood next to Sheng Feilong''s bed. "Madam She is right. If you truly have a second Spirit Essence, entering your own spiritual consciousness will be the fastest way to verify this guess. Well... looking at these results here," he points at one of the monitors showing Sheng Feilong''s vitals, "There shouldn''t be any problem with you for now. We can take off the electrodes and stop monitoring your around the clock. It will also make things easier for you."

    Sheng Feilong listened to the both of them with an unsure expression and remained silent for now, only nodding his head when both of them finished their explanations. He let the doctor help him carefully remove the electrodes while trying to calm down. They were only fixed on him with a sticky substance and came off pretty easily. The doctor then turned off a few of the monitoring devices while She Meixiao stood by the side.

    She handed Sheng Feilong a shirt so he didn''t have to remain top-less before speaking up with a warm expression again. "The doctor and I will let you alone in a while so you can calm yourself down and enter your spiritual consciousness. There''s no need to worry; As long as you''re here, nothing will happen to you." Pausing for a moment, she pointed at a little button at the side of Sheng Feilong''s bed. "If you need anything, we''ll be nearby, so just use the little button there to call for us."

    After that, She Meixiao and the doctor spoke light farewells before leaving the room. Sheng Feilong sat down on his bed in a cross-legged position while looking down. He took a while to process all of what happened since he awakened and silently closed his eyes, trying to meditate. He was still extremely worried about Song Weihan and his father, but all the talk about a second Spirit Essence really made him nervous and, honestly, somewhat excited.

    His breathing calmed down and he quickly entered a meditative state. He was able to feel his own Soul Power circulate through his body for the first time since he woke up and his heart lightly shook. He still didn''t know what had happened, but he had somehow advanced to the late stages of the Soul Ancestor level, reaching a Soul Rank of 48! He slowly circulated his Soul Power according to his cultivation technique; the one that Song Weihan had given him years ago, until he got accustomed to his raised Soul Power.

    By now, Sheng Feilong had completely calmed down. He stopped circulating his Soul Power and regulated his breathing once more before emerging himself into his own spiritual consciousness. After a moment, he could feel the familiar ground under his feet and slowly opened his eyes. But what he saw before him caused Sheng Feilong to freeze.

    The familiar, empty space of his spiritual consciousness had vanished. Instead, there was now a silvery white world in front of him. He could see a clear, white sky above his head, with occasional light grey clouds swarming around, while the familiar ground beneath his feet was now filled with a light green, silvery blanket of lush grass. This silvery world extended as far as Sheng Feilong could see and was totally calm, with only a light breeze giving it a light shake every now and then.

    Sheng Feilong quickly snapped out of his initial shock. Still disbelieving and confused of the situation, he absent mindedly began walking through this world. After what felt like an hour of walking in awe, he felt a number of familiar auras in the distance. Sheng Feilong''s face brightend when he felt those auras and quickly run in their direction; They were clearly the auras of his Spirit Essence, Spirit Souls and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Artificial Soul Bone!

    After a short while of running, he could finally see them, but was once again shocked when he looked at them more closely. The four entities weren''t as calm as they used to be, but instead cowered together and staring into the distance, away from Sheng Feilong. The Ancient Hypnotic Toad and the Purple Forest Witch were the closest to Sheng Feilong and were tightly pressing against each other, with the ethereal figure of a human with bright, golden eyes ¨C the silhouette of the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes ¨C crouching in front of them.

    The Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Artificial Soul Bone was hovering near the Spirit Essence''s silhouette with the illusory phantom of a Three-Eyed Golden Lion protectively standing above them in a defensive position, cautiously eyeing the horizon while baring its fangs. Whe he saw all this, Sheng Feilong hastened his steps, quickly running over to them, but they didn''t even seem to notice him until he was just a few steps away from them.

    The Purple Forest Witch was the first to see him and quickly run over to Sheng Feilong with an expression full of dread, tightly hugging the Ancient Hypnotic Toad in its arms. She quickly hid behind Sheng Feilong, holding on to the hem of his shirt with one hand, while a wave of messages assaulted Sheng Feilong. Both, the Purple Forest Witch and the Ancient Hypnotic Toad, were communicating their thoughts and emotions to him, warning him about a ''dreadful presence'' and clearly showing their extreme fear.

    Just a moment later, the silhouette of the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes and run over to him, standing by his side, while the Artificial Soul Bone stood on the other, with the golden lion phantom protectively standing above them again. Sheng Feilong was completely caught off guard by them, trying his best to calm down the intelligent Spirit Souls before he looked into the distance all of them were guarding against.

    Near the horizon, Sheng Feilong could see the sky change colour. The pure white sky and shing, grey clouds vanished and a pitch black sky took their place. Ominous and lusterless greyish clouds stretching across the sky. Sheng Feilong was unable to see the ground from this distance, but the sky alone made his heart shake. It looked as if the sky had split apart, ending at exactly that point and making way for another world all together!

    In the farthest distance, Sheng Feilong could make out a weak and flickering, greyish, muddy green aura that was pulsating with an incredible might, seemingly to the rhythm of Sheng Feilong''s own heart. Sheng Feilong''s face somewhat paled in dread as anxiousness squeezed his throat. Despite the incredible distance, the pulsating light made his breathing quicken. He understood his Spirit Essence''s, Spirit Soul''s and Soul Bone''s feelings now; This dreadful presence was incomparably terrifying.

    The greyish, muddy green light flickered a bit more violently for a moment, flaring up and causing the whole world to shake lightly. An otherworldly, booming voice once again sounded out in Sheng Feilong''s head, while the four entities surrounding him were forced to back of, leaving Sheng Feilong at alone the front.

    >You have yet to find what you seek. Come to me.<

    Sheng Feilong''s whole body shook and cold sweat covered his back. He couldn''t be mistaken about this. This was the same voice he had heard after the Doomstinger Dragonfly had attacked him; The same voice that had told him to ''rest''! He clenched his fists, furiously trying to withstand its extreme presence, while screaming into the direction the voice came from. "Who are you?! What do you want from me?!"

    The intense, dreadful presence that seemed to cover the whole world vanished the instant Sheng Feilong screamed out. But just a moment later, the greyish, muddy green light flickered again, causing the whole world to shake, while the same otherworldly voice boomed in Sheng Feilong''s head again.

    >I am what you crave for most. Surmount the bottomless cliff that separates these worlds. Come to me.<

 83 A Demon!

    Sheng Feilong gnashed his teeth. Glancing behind him, he could see his Spirit Souls, Spirit Essence and Soul Bone bunched together again. They didn''t move and only stared at Sheng Feilong, still not letting their guard down against whatever lies behind the horizon. He could see feel concern and worry even without them communicating to him, but still decided to walk forward.

    Soon after Sheng Feilong began moving into the direction of this strange presence, he felt the pressure on him lessen. The oppressive feeling lessened with each step and Sheng Feilong soon heard the otherworldly, booming voice in his head again, beckoning for him to continue. Although still terrifying, it seemed somewhat more calm than before.

    He continued to walk forward at a steady pace, cautiously observing the horizon. It took him about half an hour before he reached the point where he could see the other side clearly. Until now, he had only walked in the silvery white world, that was still as calm as ever, but the further he walked, the more nervous he became.

    What he had seen before was only just the tip of the iceberg; Unlike what Sheng Feilong had thought before, the strange black world wasn''t just an area somewhere in his spiritual consciousness. Instead, it stretched out as far as his eyes could see, clearly parting his spiritual consciousness in two; One half being the serene, silvery white world and the other a desolate, dark wasteland.

    Continuing for a while Sheng Feilong finally reached the edge of the silvery white world and was just a few steps away from the dark wasteland. The ground on the other side looked completely dead, with no traces of the lush green grass of this side to be seen. The blackish grey earth was dry and cracked open,completely flat and desolate, no matter where he looked.

    The ''border'' that separated the silvery white world from the dark wasteland was constantly shifting back and forth, only a few centimetres at a time at the very most, but the ground was still being corroded before than quickly being overgrown by the green grass again; it seemed as if both sides were fighting for supremacy in complete silence. Sheng Feilong observed the border a little longer before stepping into the dark wasteland ahead of him.

    Just a step separated him from the lush greenery, but the whole atmosphere changed as soon as he passed the border. The air felt heavy and had a putrid smell to it, while the ground beneath his feet cracked at his every step, sending dust flying around his feet. Sheng Feilong couldn''t make out where the putrid smell came from; There was absolutely nothing here that could produce such a stench.

    Shaking his head with a slightly ugly expression, he decided to bear with it and continued walking into the direction of the slowly pulsing, greyish-green light. He felt somewhat unwell since he entered the dark wasteland, not because of the stench or heavy air, but because he felt something staring at him from a distance, unceasingly watching his every step; This felt similar to being stared down by a hungry wolf.

    He continued onward, slowly nearing the ever growing greyish green light and this uncomfortalbe feeling rose with every passing minute. Sheng Feilong''s nerves were completely taunt, so taunt, in fact, that he completely missed the fact that the strange, booming voice hadn''t talked to him on the whole way. Slowly closing to what seemed to be the middle of this wasteland, a few ruins came into Sheng Feilong''s view.

    The were broken down, dusted and cracked, but it was the first instance of anything other than just the dead earth in the whole wasteland. Glancing them over a bit more, they seemed to be made from just the dirt and could barely account to more than unshapely bulges in the ground, but the closer he got to the greyish green aura, the higher and more common these bumpy ruins became.

    Sheng Feilong frowned lightly. He had glanced over the area a bit and from what he could see, the general outline seemed to fit a castle or fortress of some sorts. He couldn''t be sure for now, but his guess should soon be confirmed, as he now stood in front of a half broken double door made from some unidentifiable material. The walls surrounding the door to form some kind of room were strangely well preserved and about a head higher than Sheng Feilong.

    The origin of the greyish green aura was definitely inside this room; just behind the door. Taking a deep breath, he pushed one side of the door open and stepped into the room in one fell swoop, looking at the source of the aura with a determined gaze, only to suddenly freeze in place when he saw what was in front of him.

    He stood in a throne room. A small throne room, free of all decorations and with barely any of its walls intact. No pillars, banners or anything the like, just a single throne in the back of the room, exactly opposite of the doors. Half broken and with no adornments whatsoever; looked like it would crumble to dust at any second. But Sheng Feilong didn''t pay any heed to the throne. He only stared at the thing that sat on the throne.

    Even seated, this thing was over three metres tall, with a humanoid shape and proportions. Greyish black, charred-looking skin, pervaded by muddy green, vein like stripes, that slowly pulsated in the same rhythm as the aura radiating off its body. Its arms had a more bestial, more demonic look, as they had long claws of a greyish green colour and an armour like rough surface that reached up to the elbow.

    Sitting on the throne, a tattered, reddish cloth hang down its legs and in the middle left of its torso ¨C where one would expect the heart ¨C it''s body was split open. The same greyish green aura seemed to hold its body together, pulsating strongly while strange veins crawled around the wound''s edges. This wound reached all the way up to its shoulder, covered with the greyish green aura and veiny pattern; This wound had the same proportions as the scar on Sheng Feilong''s chest!

    Atop its shoulder, a human skull like head rested; its jaw split in two, once again pulsing with the greyish green aura behind the jaw, empty eye-sockets and a third such socket in the middle of its forehead, all pulsing with the greyish green aura. From the sides of its skull, two massive horns grew out, curving upwards while they were slightly tilted to the back, pervaded by the veiny green pattern, as well.

    Sheng Feilong''s back was drenched in cold sweat. This thing looked nothing like anything he had ever heard off; It couldn''t even be described as a beast! If anything, this was a demon from from hell, like the ones talked about in fairy tales! They were depicted as cruel, merciless monsters that killed humans and devoured their souls! And in front of Sheng Feilong sat one such monster in the flesh!

    The demon had long since noticed Sheng Feilong. Ever since the latter entered the room, the demon stared at him, the greyish green aura in its eyes flickering ever so slightly. It didn''t move from its place, nor did its mouth move, but Sheng Feilong once again heard the otherworldly, booming voice in his head.

    >You have finally come. Let me fulfil your craving for power. Surrender your body to me.<

    Sheng Feilong''s heart beat sped up and his face turned pale. Dread painted his face when the demon asked for his body; Now that he was standing in front of this demon, the oppressive feeling from before had increased a hundredfold, if not more and he had no chance to resist. If not for the fact that he couldn''t more his body in the slightest, he would have already run for his life! Still, despite his helplessness, the demon didn''t move. It only continued to silently stare at Sheng Feilong after saying its piece.

    Seeing that the demon did nothing, Sheng Feilong slowly calmed down. He still didn''t dare to move, but took another deep breath and stared back at the demon with a certain stubbornness flashing in his eyes. "Just what in the world are you? Why have you called me here?"

    Silence took hold in the hall once again. The aura in the demon''s eyes flickered before Sheng Feilong heard the booming voice once again, but its tone had somewhat changed, though Sheng Feilong couldn''t point out what changed exactly.

    >I am what you crave for most. Surrender your body to me, and I shall satiate your desire for power.<

    Sheng Feilong was frowned; This demon is after his body. He wanted to flee immediately, but with the demon staring at him like that, he still didn''t dare to move. He couldn''t back down here. If he did, he will most likely lose his life! Clenching his fists once more, he stared at the demon and spoke in a grave tone. "You are right; I do want power. Power to protect those close to me. But for that, I still need my own body. I cannot surrender it to you, demon!"

    The demons eyes ominously flickered once one, but it remained silent for a long time, staring at Sheng Feilong. The oppressive aura it radiated slowly calmed down as the light in its eyes somewhat dulled. Just before the aura completely disappeared, the otherworldly, booming voice echoed in Sheng Feilongs head once more.

    >Your greed is great, human. Remember this: There is no power that can be obtained without giving up on something of equal value. I will take what is mine in due time.<

    Silence. Sheng Feilong quickly realized that the demon had seemingly ceased to exist. Although its form still stood in front of him, all of the oppressive aura and terrifying presence was gone. What stood in front of him felt oddly familiar. Sheng Feilong cautiously moved closer to the demon. It didn''t react in any way and soon, Sheng Feilong stood right in front of it.

    Reaching out with his hand, Sheng Feilong touched the demon. A cold feeling washed over him and the familiar feeling became stronger and stronger. Suddenly, a strong headache assaulted Sheng Feilong and a storm of memories engraved itself into his head as the demons aura flared up once again, coursing through Sheng Feilong''s arm.

    He took a step back while holding his head, staring at the demon with an incredulous expression. He remembered what happened after he went to ''rest'' back then. He remembered the greyish, muddy green aura coming off of his body; originating from the mortal wound to his chest, the same weird, green energy mended his chest back together, still with no flesh connecting to it, as his body stood up on its own. His skin slowly turned into a unhealthy, greyish tone as green veins began pulsing through all of his body and his arms and hands morphed into demonic, armoured claws. While two thick horns spouted from his head.

    He remembered attacking the Doomstinger Dragonfly, tearing away at its body while the incredibly powerful corrosive aura destroyed the area around them. The Soul Beast was also unable to withstand the energy, its carapace cracking and breaking down under the continuous attacks of Sheng Feilong''s body. It tried its best to resist the attacks, only to have its body mutilated and corroded by the energy. Soon after, it was dead. The transformed Sheng Feilong stared down at the Beast before releasing a powerful, bestial roar as the aura surrounding his body once again flared up to its peak state.

    In his spiritual consciousness, Sheng Feilong''s face turned deathly pale as he also remembered gnawing at the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s flesh while absorbing its blood. With the energy from the Soul Beast''s blood, the wound on his chest began quickly mending itself as his whole body was strengthened. The most horrifying thing, though, was that, at some point, Sheng Feilong grabbed at the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s bright red, 100.000-years-old Soul Ring and devoured that as well, causing a bright red light to radiate from his body for some time, before he once again roared, a gigantic Soul Ring appearing behind his back; Red at the centre, while seemingly corroded at the outside and of a muddy grey colour ¨C the pressure it gave off even superior to the original Doomstinger Dragonfly''s Soul Ring!

    Sheng Feilong shook lightly, kneeling on the ground as all of these memories struck him. He took a while to process everything and slowly spoke with a deathly pale face. "Netherworld Putrefaction Demon..? Just how powerful is that thing...?"

 84 100.000-Years-Old External Soul Bone?!

    After the headache from the memories swarming his head subsided, Sheng Feilong stood up and once again examined the demon in front of him. Now that the oppressive feeling and terrifying presence are gone, he became more and more startled by the familiar feeling he got when looking at it. It was like finding something that one had lost a long time ago, but still felt like it was around him for the whole time.

    It took him a while to understand, but at some point, it suddenly hit Sheng Feilong. The feeling the demon gave off was the same as the silhouette of the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes gave off! Well, not exactly the same feeling like, not its aura, but the comfortable and familiar feeling one gets from their own Spirit Essence!

    Sheng Feilong was once again lost himself in his thoughts. If this was truly the same feeling as that of a Spirit Essence, did that mean the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was his own Spirit Essence? Then, She Meixiao and the old doctor were right and he actually awakened a second Spirit Essence? But how could he suddenly awake it? Even if he was close to death, could something like that really trigger a Spirit Awakening?

    Thinking back, Sheng Feilong tried to remember the details of his own Spirit Awakening. Back then, the greatest shock for him ¨C and everyone else of the Sheng Clan ¨C was that he, the son of an Clan Elder, didn''t awaken a variation Clan''s hereditary Spirit Essence, but instead the Spirit Eyes. As far as he could remember, his awakening was completely normal. If anything, there was only the light headache that came from his eyes'' awakening.

    Later, he found out that his Clan had actually descended from Sheng Wuyong, an 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion that had turned into human shape. For a Spirit Essence related to a Soul Beast like the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, it actually wasn''t that unthinkable to awaken a Body Spirit like the Spirit Eyes. In fact, the most prominent holder of the Spirit Eyes, Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, was known to be a descendant of the Dai Clan, the possessors of the White Tiger Spirit. He had actually failed to awaken his Clan''s hereditary Spirit essence as well!

    All of this could be explained by coincidence, or maybe just calling it chance would be more appropriate, but how could the demon spirit be explained? This had actually nothing to do with anything related to his Clan or bloodline, neither from his father''s side, nor his mothers. This Spirit Essence seemed to just come from nothing, and the oppressive aura of that demon''s voice was even more terrifying; Even if it was a Spirit Essence, it shouldn''t be intelligent enough to communicate with him, much less have its own ego...

    Thinking up to here, Sheng Feilong decided to leave it be and let out a long sigh. He stood up, once again looking at the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon before looking around this ''castle''. Strolling around, he noticed that the throne room where the demon sat was the best preserved room within the perimeter. Other than its walls, that were about a head taller than Sheng Feilong, none of the other room''s walls came even close to his shoulder''s height.

    He didn''t find anything other than more of the same dark and dusty wastelands and soon returned back to the throne room. This time, he didn''t enter through the door, but chose to just jump in from the back to spare him from the trouble of walking around. With a single jump, he effortlessly left the wall behind him, landing a few steps to the left of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. But just before he landed, something lying behind the throne caught his eye.

    He walked around the throne and found the thing he had seen before; A miniature of a withered and severed scorpion''s tail. Sheng Feilong''s heart shook when he saw this tail. "This- this is a Soul Bone?" Quickly crouching down next to it, he carefully lifted it up. Although it was barely recognizable, this tail undoubtedly had the same aura as the Doomstinger Dragonfly he had faced before; he certainly would never forget this aura in his entire life! Pitch black and intersected with a terrifying, dagger like stinger at the end, just like the real deal.

    But one thing made Sheng Feilong frown. Although this tail had the same aura as the Doomstinger Dragonfly, it looked pitifully weak; It former glossy carapace was no more and it was much thinner, looking more like a fragile, dried up stick than a terrifying weapon. Sheng Feilong could also make out a few greyish green veins on the visible tissue, the places where the intersections were connected.

    "Could this be the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s Soul Bone? Has the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon absorbed this as well when it took over my body? Wasn''t it said that the chances of obtaining a Soul Bone from a real, live Soul Beast were pitifully low? No wait, there was a method recorded in the Spirit Pagoda''s library that said that if a Soul Beast died with lingering resentment or other powerful emotions, the chances of obtaining the Soul Bone would rise exceptionally.", Sheng Feilong mused, while looking at the Soul Bone.

    Pausing for a moment, he began muttering again. "The way the 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly died was... cruel, to say the least. It would be a wonder if it didn''t harbour any strong resentment to the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, or me. So that means that old theory was right?" Sheng Feilong stood up, still with the Soul Bone in hand, and looked at it a bit more closely. It really felt familiar and, just like the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Artifcial Skull Bone, it felt like a part of his body. Though, it felt somewhat different. "Could this be... an External Soul Bone? ˇ­ A 100.000-years-old External Soul Bone... This is incredible..."

    An External Soul Bone was a special existence for every Soul Master. Normally, a Soul Master could only possess a total of 6 Soul Bones: One for each arm, one for each leg, one for the torso and a skull, but External Soul Bones didn''t fall into any of those categories and, theoretically, a Soul Master could possess an unlimited number of them. However, External Soul Bones had a critical flaw: They were unfathonably rare. If a normal Soul Bone had a chance of one in a million to be obtained when killing a Soul Beast, an External Soul Bone had a one in a billion chance.

    The kind of Soul Bone a Soul Beast produces is entirely up to the beast and it''s impossible to say for sure what Soul Bone one might get from it. For example, a Three-Eyed Golden Lion would usually have a Skull Soul Bone to strengthen its third eye even further, but in thery, it could also possess a Leg Soul Bone to run faster, if it empathizes more on its speed than its spiritual abilities. Normally, only special Soul Beasts would have an External Soul Bone, one example being the Doomstinger Dragonfly; Its most prided strength came from its powerful tail, so it was understandable that it would want to strengthen that even more. On the other hand, it could have also focused on its speed, creating a pair of Soul Bone Wings, or just a Torso Bone to protect itself.

    After finding out about this Soul Bone, Sheng Feilong decided not to reveal it to anyone for now. A Soul Bone alone was already enough to shock everyone, much less a real, 100.000-years-old External Soul Bone. No matter what time, such a Soul Bone would always be enough of a treasure to bring about the ruin of a nation!

    For now, Sheng Feilong headed back towards the other side of hisspiritual consciousness, silvery white world where his other Spirit Essence, Spirit Souls and Soul Bone were, leaving the Doomstinger Dragonfly Soul Bone and Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence inside the castle ruins.

    On the way back, when he came across the border that separated the two sides, Sheng Feilong noticed that the ongoing war had calmed down. The sky above was slowly blending into each other, creating a neutral grey area in the air, while the corrupted ground of the dark wasteland slowly grew black and weak grass with the silvery white side''s grass darkening somewhat. It seemed as if the both sides had come to a balance, slowly fusing together.

    Back in the silvery white world, Sheng Feilong quickly returned to where he parted with his Spirit Souls and the rest and found them without any trouble. They weren''t cowering together anymore and had instead resumed their relatively relaxed positions apart from each other, enjoying the tranquillity of the silvery white world to their fullest. Noticing Sheng Feilong, the Purple Forest Witch and Ancient Hypnotic Toad charged at him again, expressing their great worry for him.

    Smiling at their antics, Sheng Feilong stayed a while longer and happily communicated with the Spirit Souls as much as they liked. They had naturally noticed that the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s presence had faded and were really interested in Sheng Feilong''s story. He tried to make the tale as easy as possible, but they still struggled to understand it as their intelligence had yet to reach their peak. Compared to the two Spirit Souls, the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Soul Bone were much calmer and didn''t ask any questions; They just enjoyed Sheng Feilong''s company.

    Some time later, Sheng Feilong exited his spiritual consciousness and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was She Meixiao''s shocked face. But Sheng Feilong just stared back at her with an even more shocked expression. He didn''t even notice that all the machines in the room and the bed he sat on before had been destroyed, nor did he notice that he sat in a pit of corroded stone with a putrid smelling, greyish green vapour rising all around him. The only thing he saw were She Meixiao''s Soul Rings.

    Yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red! A total of nine Soul Rings hovered behind her back, all of them giving off an incredible pressure! She Meixiao was a 9 ringed, rank 90+ Titled Douluo with an incredible two 100.000-years-old Soul Rings!

 85 Half Truths

    Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao stared at each other, both completely shocked about the other. Inside the corroded pit, Sheng Feilong calmly sat in a cross-legged position while looking up to She Meixiao, while the latter stared back at him. The whole room was corroded and nearly destroyed by he same weird energy that they had felt before. Luckily, for Sheng Feilong, the energy didn''t destroy his clothing this time.

    She Meixiao couldn''t help but think back of how it came to this situation. A while ago, when she and the doctor had just left the infirmary room to let Sheng Feilong meditate and enter his spiritual consciousness to check the doctor''s theory of him possessing a second Spirit Essence, they simply headed to the room on the other side of the mirrored window.

    The doctor himself had already calmed down by that time, patiently waiting for Sheng Feilong to verify everything for himself while reviewing the few records they had made of Sheng Feilong''s status over the past few days. After observing Sheng Feilong for a while, She Meixiao walked over to the doctor. "He seems to be calming down rather quickly. He even checked his own body before entering his spiritual consciousness; Song Weihan really did well in training him."

    Glancing at the documents that were layed out on the table in front of the doctor, She Meixiao frowned light and had to admit that she didn''t understand much of it. Taking her eyes away from them, she looked at the doctor himself instead. "What do you think, doctor? If it really is his Spirit Essence, then this will be big."

    The doctor nodded with a serious expression before turning to She Meixiao. "I agree. If it''s really a second Spirit Essence, then we''ll have to carefully deal with the situation. Just possessing Twin Spirit Essences alone is enough to make many people go crazy about, but Sheng Feilong''s seems to be even more dangerous. This corrosive energy is no laughing matter and it makes my heart race every time he releases it. That means that it''s not just corrosive, but most likely of the Darkness attribute."

    She Meixiao frowned lightly and crossed her arms in front of her chest before continuing. "Yes, even I feel the pressure radiating from that kind of energy. If it wasn''t for Sheng Feilong being too weak himself, I assume that, whatever this energy is, it would thoroughly suppress my Spirit Essence. It''s really bizarre to see something so strangely powerful."

    The two of them remained silent for a moment before the doctor spoke up with a thoughtful expression. "Madam She, if that weird energy is really related to his Spirit Essence, then he might be a candidate for that title... Of course, that is if we get him to join Daedalus."

    She Meixiao nodded with a crafty smile, very unlike her previous bearing and demeanor, while replying to the doctor. "It''s been a few decades since the last holder of that title died, but Sheng Feilong really has what it would take. I second trying to pull him in to join Daedalus, but I guess our greatest hurdle on this would be Song Weihan. On the other hand, pulling in the child would most likely mean pulling Song Weihan and his research team in as-"

    Before she finished her sentence, she suddenly swung her head around, looking at the room where Sheng Feilong was. She quickly walked over to the window with a serious expression. "His Soul Power suddenly started acting up? Why? Is something happening to him?" Turning her head back to the doctor, she continued with the same serious expression. "Can you tell me anything about this? I don''t believe that you''d really take off all of the monitoring devices."

    The doctor quickly pressed a few buttons in the big computer screen in the room before frowning. "His Soul Power really is acting up. But it''s not in disarray, but very stable. I assume he''s... fighting against something?" Just as he finished his assessment, the variables on the screen began jumping up and down, signalling that his Soul Power suddenly turned more violent. On the other side of the room, he heard She Meixiao speak. "This weird energy is acting up again; It''s dissolving the bed and machinery!"

    After that, she run into the room and used her own Soul Power to keep the corrosive energy in check, making sure it doesn''t spread outside the room to keep damages to a minimum. Strangely enough, the energy didn''t only try to resist her control, but even began corroding She Meixiao''s Soul Power! She frowned and released her Soul Rings to consolidate her control. Only then did she manage to completely keep it in check, rendering it unable to corrode her Soul Power any longer.

    Still, she couldn''t protect the bed, nor most of the machinery near Sheng Feilong from being dissolved and even the ground below was corroding away, while Sheng Feilong casually sat inside the newly created pit. She Meixiao couldn''t help but stare at him in shock and just a few moments later, Sheng Feilong opened his eyes, flinching and staring back at her with the same shocked expression.

    Sheng Feilong''s thoughts were spinning at maximum speed. He just found out about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon and his 100.000-years-old External Soul Bone, when he suddenly saw the nice middle-aged lady, She Meixiao, before him with 9 Soul Rings suspended behind her back. He grew incredibly nervous, but didn''t dare to try anything. ''Why is she releasing her Soul Rings? Didn''t she say she''s stay somewhere else? Don'' tell me the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s Soul Bone manifested behind me when I touched it in my spiritual consciousness. Did she see it?!''

    On the other side, She Meixiao noticed Sheng Feilong''s nervous expression, but more importantly, she noticed that the corrosive energy had finally vanished. Slowly dissipating the pressure and calling her Soul Rings back, she let out a small sigh before looking at Sheng Feilong, pulling him out of his thoughts. "You really surprised me there. We saw the strange, corrosive energy suddenly act up. Are you alright?"

    Sheng Feilong was a bit surprised. ''She doesn''t know about the Soul Bone..?'' Only then did he notice that he was sitting in a strange pit and not on the bed from before. Still, he could say for certain that he was still in the same room. Quickly making up a story of half truths, he sighed in relief. "I found a pitch black area in my spiritual consciousness and when I neared it, the strange voice spoke up again... I managed to somehow get rid of it and the black area calmed down. But what happened here? The energy acted up in reality as well?"

    She Meixiao frowned, seemingly lost in thoughts, but Sheng Feilong couldn''t tell what she was thinking about. After a moment, she focused on Sheng Feilong again, gently smiling at him. "Let''s get out you out of this pit first, shall we?" Sheng Feilong nodded with an embarrassed expression and they headed to another room on the other side of a corridor. This was the first time Sheng Feilong left the hospital room since he came here and he made sure to engrave the hallway''s layout in mind.

    The doctor joined them and after they relocated to an office like room with a table and a few chairs. He he a few documents in his hand and the doctor informed Sheng Feilong of what had happened when he was in meditation. Hearing about it, Sheng Feilong changed his story about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon again to make it seem like it''s vanished, not admitting that it''s indeed his second Spirit Essence, while refusing to mention the Doomgstinger Dragonfly''s External Soul Bone.

    After about half an hour, he had said nearly all he wanted and his story seemed plausible. The doctor and She Meixiao seemed lost in thought after his explanation, but didn''t seem to mind too much. Beginning to feel a little uncomfortable in this foreign place, Sheng Feilong lightly cleared his throat before he spoke up. "Madam She, would it be possible to contact my Master now?"

    She pulled out a Soul Communicator and asked Sheng Feilong for Song Weihan''s number. Making it so Sheng Feilong and the doctor could hear everything, they soon heard Song Weihan''s voice. "Who is this? Where did you get this number from?" Although it wasn''t much of a difference, Sheng Feilong could still hear that his Master sounded incredibly exhausted, but before Sheng Feilong could speak up, She Meixiao introduced herself. "Sir Spirit Flamingo, this is She Meixiao from Daedalus. It''s a pleasure to talk to you."

    Inside his office in their new laboratory, Song Weihan currently sat across Sheng Lingtian with a light frown while talking to She Meixiao on the Soul Communicator. He was already irritated when he saw an unfamiliar number call his private Soul Communicator, but upon hearing her name and that she''s from Daedalus, he instantly put his guard up. "For what reason are you calling me? And who gave this number to you?"

    She Meixiao smiled again, casually speaking to Song Weihan in a light-hearted manner. "I''ve called to tell you about some joyous news, Sir Spirit Flamingo. Ah, and the one who gave me your number, is Sheng Feilong." Upon hearing this, Song Weihan immediately sprung to his feet, a terrifying killing intent radiating from his body as he spoke into the Soul Communicator again. "Where is he? What have you done to him?!"

 86 Daedalus

    Still inside the room, Sheng Feilong was surprised about his Master''s sudden outburst. She Meixiao on the other hand seemed to have already expected such a reaction and calmly spoke to Song Weihan over the Soul Communicator again. "Sir Spirit Flamingo, please calm down. Sheng Feilong is doing well. In fact, he is sitting right across from me."

    After saying that, she didn''t wait for Song Weihan''s reply, but instead held the communicator in Sheng Feilong''s direction, beckoning for him to say something. Sheng Feilong lightly nodded before taking the communicator from her hand. "Master, please calm down. Madam She is the one who helped me. She hasn''t done anything bad to me."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t receive an answer for a while. Carefully probing, he was instantly cut of by Song Weihan. This time, aside from the audible exhaustion in his voice, it also sounded shaky; something that he had never heard from his Master. "... Is that really you, Feilong?"

    Stunned by the unfamiliar tone of Song Weihan, Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but smile. Lightly nodding his head, he spoke into the Soul Communicator again. "Un. I''m alright, Master."

    "Thank God, ha, ha...", Song Weihan lightly replied with the same shaky voice, before he started laughing lightly. A moment later, all the exhaustion seemed to be washed away and his voice was filled with excitement. "Where are you now? You father and I will immediately come to you!"

    Sheng Feilong looked at She Meixiao and gave her the Soul Communicator back after seeing the latter lightly nodding. "He''s currently with us at the Daedalus headquarters north of Sterning City. The address is...", She Meixiao then gave Song Weihan the address and a few directions on how to find them best before ending the call as the latter said he''d be on his way right away.

    She looked at Sheng Feilong with her usual gentle smile, which the latter returned, but internally, Sheng Feilong was now wary of her and the doctor. Although he didn''t know why, Song Weihan didn''t seem to be too fond of them ¨C or their organisation which She Meixiao called Daedalus. Still, he would have to at least spend the next few hours with them as Sterning City was quite a distance away from Heaven Dou City.

    Taking this as an opportunity, Sheng Feilong quickly decided to try to get a bit more information about them and this situation. Although he already knew a bit, it was better to confirm his guesses. "Madam She, thank you for calling my Master. Though, I''m a bit confused. You said this is the Daedalus headquarters? What is Daedalus? Is it an organisation you belong to?"

    She Meixiao''s smile grew a bit bigger, seemingly not surprised by the question as she gladly answered Sheng Feilong''s question. "You''ve guessed right; Daedalus is an organisation and we''re currently in its headquarters. Both the doctor and I are members of this organisation. As for what this organisation is and does... that''s a bit complicated, but we''re essentially a group of ''evil'' Soul Masters, that have banded together to help others, if you will."

    Sheng Feilong''s pupils constricted and he immediately jumped back from his seat when She Meixiao said they were evil Soul Master. Staring at her with shock in his eyes, Sheng Feilong quickly got into a defensive posture. Still, She Meixiao remained seated on her chair, completely calm and not really bothered by his sudden display of hostility. "Calm down, calm down. We''re not the kind of ''evil'' Soul Masters that use occult techniques to cultivate, which you think us as; Daedalus is an organisation that provides shelter for Soul Masters with an ''evil'' Spirit Essence. We''re just like normal Soul Masters, it''s just that our Spirit Essences are different."

    Seeing Sheng Feilong still keeping his guard up, She Meixiao grinned slightly and raised her hands in defeat. "If we wanted to use you for cultivation purposes then we would''ve long since done so. Daedalus is an organisation to help Soul Masters who have Spirit essence with the poison, evil and dark attributes so that they don''t become evil Soul Masters. We''re not the bad guys, okay? If you don''t believe me, you can ask your Master later; Although we prefer to act secretly, the higher ups from the Federation''s government and other organisations like the Spirit Pagoda or Shrek Academy know about us."

    Seeing her like this, Sheng Feilong calmed down and was actually a bit embarrassed about his own attitude, though that could be understood; His nerves were already more tha taunt because of the 100.000-years-old External Soul Bone. After lightly apologising to She Meixiao, he sat down again and continued to talk about random matters with her. Shortly after the start of their conversions, another question popped up in Sheng Feilong''s head.

    He was a bit nervous about how to ask and how She Meixiao would react, but he couldn''t ignore this matter any longer. "Madam She, you.... you''re a Titled Douluo, right? How, uhm... How may I address you?" She Meixiao giggled for a bit before calmly answering him with a smile. "My title is Smiling Snake. Smiling Snake Douluo, She Meixiao. But you can just call me Madam She as you''ve done until now, there''s no need to cling to formalities. But don''t you dare call me Senior. I''m not that old."

    After a while, she excused herself for a moment to make a few calls. Quickly informing a few guards and other members of Daedalus that they shouldn''t block Song Weihan and asking them to lead him to her when he arrives. Like that, there shouldn''t be any problems, although it will still take a few hours for Song Weihan to reach them.

    At the same time, at another place; Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian were frantically flying through the sky at breakneck speed. They were heading to Sterning City in order to find Sheng Feilong. Although both of them should rather remain in bed as they''re still injured from the battle at Shrek Academy, they honestly couldn''t care less at this point. Even with Song Weihan''s speed as a Titled Douluo, it still took them more than four hours to finally get there.

    With Song Weihan leading the way according to She Meixiao''s directions, they quickly found Daedalus'' Headquarters a few minutes later. But upon arrival, Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian were confused at first. Quickly checking back with the instructions he had obtained, Song Weihan confirmed that they were indeed in the same place and they were soon greeted by a member of Daedalus who respectfully invited the two of them in.

    Surprisingly, their headquarters wasn''t any grand building or institution like Shrek Academy or the Spirit Pagoda. Instead, they choose to go with the look of an inconspicuous small village in a relatively secluded place. Although looking like a small village, all of the buildings there were highly secure and equipped with the best security systems and other technology. Moreover, the actual headquarters was inside the ''village hall'' and underground at that!

    After going through a quick screening, they were led through a few corridors and arrived at the medical ward. Upon reaching there, another member of Daedalus led them further down the hallway and stopped in front of a simple door. Lightly knocking at the door, he announced the arrival of Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian and they were invited in soon, before the man who led them here took his leave.

    Inside the room, Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao were happily playing cards. The doctor had already left as he had to take care of other patients, so it was only the two of them. After some time they had gotten bored of just talking, but as Sheng Feilong wasn''t allowed to randomly roam the place, She Meixiao got a deck of cards for them to play.

    Seeing Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian enter the room, Sheng Feilong became really excited and carelessly put his cards down before jumping from his seat to greet the two new arrivals. He walked a few steps towards them and spoke up with a bright smile. "Father, Master, you-!" Before he could continue his sentence, Sheng Lingtian had run up to him, tightly embracing him in a bear hug.

    Sheng Feilong was stunned for a moment and wanted to wriggle free from the hug, but noticed his father lightly trembling. Tears streaked down from Sheng Lingtian''s face while he refused to let go of his son. After a long moment, he finally spoke up with a trembling and soft voice. "I''m so glad that you''re alright..."

    She Meixiao and Song Weihan stood by the side, not interfering with the matter, while Sheng Feilong was still slightly stunned. This was the first time he had ever seen his own father like this, but upon hearing the latter''s words, he gently returned the hug with a smile. "I''m sorry father. I''ve made you suffer... I''m back."

 87 The Whole Truth!

    Some time passed until Sheng Lingtian calmed down while Sheng Feilong did his best to console his father. Agitation could be seen in Song Weihan''s eyes, but he held himself back, quietly standing at the side. When the father and son duo finally separated, Sheng Feilong started smiling and turned towards Song Weihan before bowing deeply. "Master, your disciple has returned."

    Song Weihan couldn''t help be crack a relieved smile as well, gently nodding his head in response. He looked Sheng Feilong up and down, carefully assessing the latter''s condition. Other than looking somewhat thinner than when they last met, Sheng Feilong hadn''t changed much, much to Song Weihan''s relief.

    Before saying anything else, he used his Spirit Power to inspect Sheng Feilong''s body more closely and was soon shocked. Sheng Feilong''s body had become much stronger that what he would have expected. It''s been over three months since Sheng Feilong came to Heaven Dou City to obtain another Spirit Soul after he advanced to Rank 40. Back then, his body was already strong enough to bear a 10.000-years-old Spirit Soul, but now his strength should be superior to ordinary Rank 60 Soul Emperor''s, and that''s just from from a rough estimate.

    Another thing cause Song Weihan to frown as well; Sheng Feilong''s Soul Power had elevated to rank 48. Normally, it should be impossible for him to reach this level in a short three months, considering his circumstances. Only with thousands of years old Soul Treasures would he be able to accomplish something like this, but Song Weihan knew that Sheng Feilong wouldn''t randomly take any Soul Treasures without consulting him first.

    Song Weihan retracted his Spirit Power and glanced at She Meixiao for a split second before speaking to Sheng Feilong. "You''ve become much stronger than before. What happened to you since we last met, Feilong? Other than the Soul Train accident."

    Sheng Feilong was a bit surprised but quickly summarised the happenings of the last few months that lead up to the Year End Exam. He mostly trained normally so there wasn''t anything that stood out in particular. He also quickly mentioned that he noticed this sudden increase in strength after waking up today.

    Song Weihan was a bit confused and beckoned for Sheng Feilong to explain himself. Then, starting with the Soul Train accident, Sheng Feilong started to narrate what happened. From the terrorist''s attack, to fighting the evil Soul Saint ranked Soul Master, to the encounter with the Doomstinger Dragonfly. Sheng Lingtian''s and Song Weihan''s faces quickly changed when he began to explain that he Soul Beast attacked them.

    Sheng Feilong frowned when he told his father and master about how the Doomstinger Dragonfly attacked him, how it pierced his chest and the strange voice he heard after that. He also told them that he lost consciousness after that and only woke up today. At that point, She Meixiao quickly chirped in, telling them how she found Sheng Feilong in the western wasteland, with the Doomstinger Dragonfly already being dead since hours ago and the strange condition Sheng Feilong was in.

    Both, Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian were confused about this as it didn''t really make sense for such a strange voice to be there, much less for Sheng Feilong to become so much stronger due to this. She Meixiao told them a few details about the tests and the monitoring results that the doctor made, before Sheng Feilong began telling them how he entered his spiritual consciousness earlier today and the same story about the strange black area inside there.

    Song Weihan was deep in thought while Sheng Feilong was still explaining about the situation as he could make heads and tails of it. But just a few moments later, Sheng Feilong threw him a special look while his back coincidentally faced She Meixiao. Song Weihan quickly got his meaning, but continued to give the same thoughtful look as before, silently waiting for Sheng Feilong to finish.

    After Sheng Feilong''s explanation ended, She Meixiao told them of a few more of Daedalus'' monitoring results, to which Song Weihan nodded. "I see. So,it can be assumed that this strange energy is gone for now. Still, we should do a few tests once we get back." He then looked at She Meixiao with a light frown. "Madam Smiling Snake, is there a training facility we could use? I would like to assess Feilong''s prowess myself."

    She Meixiao could understand Song Weihan''s question. Although she suspects that he''s not really willing to do something so important inside their territory, but given Sheng Feilong''s situation, there isn''t much he can do. Sheng Feilong had been unconscious for 10 days and even though his parameters are quite normal, it was always better to test it out. Moreover, there is the matter about this dangerously powerful energy that seemed to have vanished.

    Nodding her head, She Meixiao replied to Song Weihan in a calm tone. "There are a few training facilities deeper underground. I''ll manage for you to have one for yourselves. Naturally, no surveillance will be put on that room. Song Weihan quickly responded with a nod. "Many thanks."

    She Meixiao then proceeded by walking out of the room to make a quick call on her Soul Communicator, before entering the room again about a minute later. She told Song Weihan that everything was already organized and asked them to follow her. Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong exchanged a glance before following behind She Meixiao, while Sheng Lingtian also followed suit, though he doesn''t know about Sheng Feilong''s underlying agenda to be alone with them as soon as possible.

    Walking out of the infirmary ward and back into the main hallway, they followed She Meixiao for a while before reaching a heavily guarded, 4 metres wide steel door; An massive elevator! The people stationed next to it quickly saluted She Meixiao when they drew near and opened the steel door for them.

    After boarding the elevator, She Meixiao casually explained the situation. "The training facilities are at the second lowest level. The reason this elevator was so heavily guarded is that we''re headed for the core of Daedalus'' institutions. After we exit this elevator, all of you are to stay closely behind me."

    They entered another hallway after exiting the elevator. Although She Meixiao had warned them beforehand, Sheng Feilong couldn''t see any differences from the hallway they were walking through before. There were little people running around, but all of them quickly saluted She Meixiao when they saw her. Doors were tightly kept close, while people would occasionally enter or exit them; Nothing one wouldn''t expect from anormal office building or anything of the likes.

    However, there was one thing that all of the people they passed had in common. All of them wre Soul Master; There wasn''t even a single ordinary person among the ones Sheng Feilong and the others saw! Moreover, all of them gave off a sharp and dangerous vibe, probably due to their Spirit Essences. As She Meixiao had mentioned earlier, all of them were likely Soul masters with evil or dark attributed Spirit Essences!

    Soon after, they reached the training facility and She Meixiao led them inside. It was a spacious hall with reinforced walls, same for the ground and ceiling. It was completely empty other than a door at the other side of the hall. She Meixiao turned towards Song Weihan and spoke up again. "This is the facility you asked for. As I''ve promised, all surveillance devices have been turned off. I will also leave now; if you need anything, you can find me in front of the hall."

    Song Weihan thanked her and after she left. Before anything else, Sheng Feilong checked once again if anyone was spying on them before asking Song Weihan to isolate the training hall with his Soul Power. Song Weihan frowned but did as he was asked for, then turned towards Sheng Feilong with a serious expression. "So, what it is that you wanted to talk about in private?"

    Sheng Feilong sighed lightly with a solemn expression while lightly bowing. "First of all, I''m sorry for lying to your before, Master, father. I haven''t told you everything I knew while madam She was still with us. For starters, the dark energy hasn''t vanished; It is still within my body."

    Although he was prepared for something serious, Song Weihan''s expression still soured upon hearing Sheng Feilong. From what he had heard, this corrosive energy wasn''t a laughing matter and highly dangerous. "What do you mean? Is it still concentrated in your spiritual consciousness as before? What about the voice you mentioned, Is it related to the energy?"

    Sheng Feilong quickly pacified Song Weihan and told him about what really happened. Starting with the memories he regained concerning the fight against the Doomstinger Dragonfly, to the split world inside his spiritual consciousness and the reaction of his spirit Essence, Spirit Souls and Soul Bone, to meeting with the demon on the dark wasteland inside his spiritual consciousness. And lastly, about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon itself.

    Song Weihan calmly listened to Sheng Feilong at first but the more he got to know, the uglier his expression became. All of this was simply too bizarre, but what really bothered him was what Sheng Feilong said last. "The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon isn''t just some demon. It''s... It''s my second Spirit Essence."

    He focused on the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, carefully activating the Spirit Essence. Suddenly, a powerful, uncomfortable oppressive feeling filled the room as Sheng Feilong grew a few centimetres taller. A greyish, muddy green vapour started rising up from the scar on his chest, as his skin turned paler, then greyish in colour, with strange, pulsing green veins spreading all over his skin, starting from his heart. Slowly, two massive horns started growing from the side of Sheng Feilong''s head, curving upwards and his forearms and hands morphed into heavily armoured demonic claws with muddy green tips.

    This time, both Song Weihan''s and Sheng Lingtian''s expression''s changed. No matter what they said they couldn''t deny that Sheng Feilong''s transformation was certainly that of a demon!

 88 Shocking The High Heavens

    Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian were still in shock about Sheng Feilong''s new Spirit Essence. In this transformed state, Sheng Feilong was already taller than any of the both of them, while just the aura that radiated from his body made Sheng Lingtian pale; Just standing next to his son was already the best he could do without mustering his own Soul Power to resist the pressure!

    Song Weihan once again spread his Spirit Power out, checking the changes that happened to Sheng Feilong with a solemn expression. After just a short probe, his expression turned slightly sluggish. In this state, Sheng Feilong''s physical strength was already on par with a rank 70 Power Attack System Soul Saint! Moreover, there were areas where Song Weihan actually felt his Spirit Power tremble when he probed them; The head of Sheng Feilong as well as the tips of his claws.

    Song Weihan couldn''t really point a finger at what exactly it is that was hindering him, but when his Spirit Power checked Sheng Feilong''s horns, it felt like their presence was burning his Spirit Power away. The same was the case with the greyish green tips of Sheng Feilong''s claws.

    A moment later, he retracted his Spirit Power with a conflicted expression. This Spirit Essence was undeniably incredibly powerful, but just the fact that it was a demonic Spirit Essence was enough to turn Sheng Feilong into an enemy of humankind... There''s no way that the Federational government or any of the righteous factions would accept him like this.

    Song Weihan frowned for a moment before looking Sheng Feilong in the eyes. "Feilong this Spirit Essence, hah... It''s good that you''ve only shown it to us. Frankly speaking, if it was someone else that showed my this spirit, I would''ve probably personally slain them. A demonic Spirit Essence is the worst thing that could''ve happened to you. Aside from the relatively common dark or evil attributed Spirit Essences that you know off, there are also demonic Spirit Essences like yours."

    He paused for a moment, closely observing Sheng Feilong''s expression. The latter was considerably calm, but the worry and unease could clearly been seen in his eyes. Song Weihan continued with the same solemn expression as before. "The problem with demonic Spirit Essences is, that every single possessor of such a Spirit has turned to become an evil Soul Master. And every single one of them became one of the leading figures of evil Soul Masters of their generation. If those righteous factions get to know of you, they will probably not spare any effort to hunt you down."

    Sheng Feilong''s expression changed once again. He already thought that the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon would not be the best thing that happened to him in recent times, but he didn''t expect the situation to be so dire. Just the thought of being labeled an enemy of humankind sent shivers down his spine, but just as he wanted to say something, Song Weihan spoke up again. "For now, let''s just keep this a secret. You a to never use this Spirit Essence in the future. Even if your life depends on it, never show it to anyone."

    Waiting for Sheng Feilong''s response, Song Weihan saw the formers face contort slightly. With a quiet voice full of unease, Sheng Feilong spoke up. "Master... this isn''t all, yet... There''s a few more things..."

    Song Weihan frowned even more. Beckoning for Sheng Feilong to go on, the latter showed a conflicted expression before taking two steps back and his Soul Power began to surge. The oppressive aura that radiated from Sheng Feilong suddenly topped over itself, increasing and becoming more and more intense, all the while spreading out for more than 10 metres into every direction; The pressure from it creating a near tangible energy in the air.

    Song Weihan''s expression contorted into one of shock before it turned slightly sluggish again. He stared at Sheng Feilong with a disbelieving expression and spoke in a shaky voice. "D-Domain... Ability...?"

    Sheng Feilong lightly nodded, confirming Song Weihan''s guess, before he spoke up with a probing voice. "This ability if called ''Netherworld Ascension ¨C Planes of Decay''... It''s the second Innate Ability of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence other than the transformation..."

    Song Weihan continued to stare at Sheng Feilong in utter disbelief. A Domain ability was unfathomably rare; Even he himself as a Titled Douluo does only possess a single one and that''s the one he formed himself when his Spirit Power broke through to the Spirit Domain Realm! As for obtaining one from their own Spirit Essence, only the most powerful ones are said to have one. An example would be the Tang Sect''s Founder''s Tang San''s Bluesilver Emperor Domain!

    For Sheng Feilong to have one as well; One could only imagine how powerful this Netherworld Putrefaction Demon truly is! After a moment, Song Weihan''s disbelieving expression once again contorted, showing a slight amount of dread and even more shock; He felt Sheng Feilong''s domain actually attacking him, trying to wrest away the life force from his body!

    Next to him, Sheng Lingtian''s expression cortorted in nearly the same instant and he instantly released his Soul Power in order to resist the pulling force from Sheng Feilong''s domain ability! He, as a powerful Soul Emperor level expert had to use his own Soul Power to resist the ability of a Soul Ancestor, and that''s with the latter not even trying to hurt him!

    Sheng Feilong himself stared at the two of them with the same complicated expression as before and when he saw their shock and reactions to the domain''s effects, his expression soured a bit more. He spoke up again, pulling Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian out of their stupor. "That''s still not all... Do you remember when I mentioned the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon killing the Doomstinger Dragonfly..? It.. It actually devoured the Beasts Soul Ring, turning... turning it into my own..."

    With his speech, his Soul Power surged again, and the pressure radiating from him instantly became even more oppressive and overbearing as the Netherworld Ascension Domain spread out further, reaching a radius of 30 metres, now covering more than half of the huge training hall and a blood red Soul Ring with grey, corroded looking outer layers appeared behind his back!

    Sheng Lingtian''s expresison changed again and he circulated his Soul Power even fiercer; His hair and beard suddenly becoming thicker, while his arms were being covered by brown fur and 6 Soul Rings appeared behind his back. The power of Sheng Feilong''s domain became ever more powerful when he released his Soul Ring, forcing Sheng Lingtian to do the same in order to resist the pulling force on his life force!

    Song Weihan''s expression paled as well as he stared at the gigantic Soul Ring behind Sheng Feilong''s back. Now, even he had to let his Soul Power surge in order to be unaffected by Sheng Feilong''s domain, but he didn''t pay any mind to it; His eyes were completely fixated on Sheng Feilong''s Soul Ring!

    Red! A real, 100.000-years-old Red Soul Ring taken from a true 100.000-years-old Soul Beast! Moreover, it even had a different colour at the outside! But what in the world was a grey-red Soul Ring?! Song Weihan had naturally heard of differently coloured Soul Rings that were first made known by the Spirit ice Douluo, Huo Yuhao 10.000 years ago, but the latter only mentioned orange Soul Rings, signifying a Soul Beast''s ago of over 200.000 years; Never was there anything said about grey ones!

    Still, the shock didn''t stop there as Sheng Feilong slowly knelt down on the ground. He now had a serious expression on his face as he slowly raised his arm. His Soul Power surged one again and the grey-red Soul Ring behind his back lit up! Immediately, the aura surrounding Sheng Feilong changed once again and a greyish, muddy green vapour was emitted by his raised right arm. Using this arm, Sheng Feilong than stabbed his fingertips into the concrete ground and a low hissing sound could be heard.

    Only seconds later, the ground around Sheng Feilong''s fingertip began bubbling as the same greyish, muddy green vapour rose from the ground. The concrete was slowly melting away, corroded by the strange vapour and a terrifying pit appeared where Sheng Feilong had stabbed into the ground; 50 centimetres in diameter, it''s edges still giving off the strange vapour!

    Sheng Feilong stood up again and faced Song weihan and Sheng Lingtian. The grey-red Soul Ring behind his back dimmed down before slowly vanishing, while Sheng Feilong also retracted the netherworld Ascension Domain and his body slowly returned to normal proportions. After everything returned to normal, Sheng Feilong once again opened his mouth. "This was my first Soul Skill, the Putrefaction Devil Claw. It coats my body into a powerful corrosive vapour, that I can freely control, etching away anything it touches, be that concrete, Soul Power or... or even human flesh..."

    Sheng Lingtian was now slightly shaking in his place. These abilities Sheng Feilong had shown were just too terrifying! He had never fought an evil Soul Master before, but he would bet anything that they weren''t as monstrous and dreadful as Sheng Feilong''s Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence! Next to him, Song Weihan wasn''t faring much better. Although he was still much more composed than Sheng Lingtian, his breathing was slightly haggard and his eyes were shaking as he stared at Sheng Feilong.

    It wasn''t known if it was intentional or if Sheng Feilong just didn''t notice their plight, but he decided to release another bomb into their heads. Lightly breathing out before closing his eyes, Sheng Feilong focused on his own body, beckoning the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s External Soul Bone to appear. Just an instant later, his tailbone began growing out and a demonic looking, 5 metres long tail grew out from his lower back! Sheng Feilong willed it to lightly swirl around his body and took the end of this tail into his hand, revealing a over 40 centimetres long, sword-like stinger at the end!

    He looked at his father and Master; the latter had already fallen to the ground from shock, staring at Sheng Feilong with a lifeless expresison, while the latter was heavily shaking in his place, his knees looking like they would give out any second know. "This is the last thing... I... I also obtained the 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly''s Soul Bone; A 100.000-years-old tail type External Soul Bone."

 89 Demonified External Soul Bone?

    The Doomstinger Dragonfly''s tail type Soul Bone was lightly twirling around Sheng Feilong''s body while Sheng Lingtian still lay on the ground, stupidly staring at his son. Song Weihan wasn''t much better off than Sheng Lingtian and was shaking in his place, his face furiously twitching while he also stared at Sheng Feilong.

    Having his Master and father react like this, Sheng Feilong started to feel slightly uncomfortable after the two of them stared at him for close to a minute now without saying anything. Awkwardly glancing to the side to avoid their eyes, Sheng Feilong willed the tail Soul Bone to slowly retract back into his body, giving his Master and father the chance to calm down.

    After a long time of uncomfortable silence, Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian finally regained their composure, with the former awkwardly faking a cough, now again with a stoic expression on his face, before he started speaking in a forcefully calmed manner. "This really was... shocking. I understand how your Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence works now and I have to admit that its even more terrifying than I imagined. Just its Innate Abilities, especially the Domain, are absolutely incredible."

    Sheng Feilong patiently listened to Song Weihan, earnestly nodding his head as he thought the same about his second Spirit Essence. Song Weihan then continued with a light frown. "About the greyish red Soul Ring, though... I have to admit that I''m not entirely sure what it actually is. You know about the normal characteristics and levels of white, yellow, purple, black and, finally, red Soul Rings, indicating the age of the respective Soul Ring. However, there is a somewhat more secretive piece of information about differently coloured Soul Rings."

    By this point, Sheng Lingtian had stood up and regained his composure as well. Frowning lightly since he had also never heard of something like this. His eyes widened at Song Weihan''s next words. "This information has been obtained 10.000 years ago, from the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao himself. According to him, there are actually Soul Rings that stand above red, 100.000-years-old ones. One kind of them, for example, are orange Soul Rings. They''re said to be the Soul Rings of Soul Beasts that have reached an age of over 200.000 years. Another example are golden Soul Rings; They are even more incredible, signifying an age of over 1.000.000 years. Soul Beasts of that age are believed to be the equivalent to humanities true Demi-Gods."

    Sheng Lingtian felt his heart pound wildly. A 100.000-years-old, red Soul Ring was already a pinnacle existence that only the strongest Soul Masters would possess, but now there''s even 1.000.000-years-old, golden Soul Rings? He couldn''t really believe it, but since Song Weihan said so, it was most likely true; He had no reason to lie to them in any way!

    On the other hand, Sheng Feilong looked at his Master in disbelief. He didn''t know about Soul Rings above red ones, but he had once seen a golden Soul Ring. "Master, do golden Soul Rings always signify an age of 1.000.000 years? Could there be so other reasons for the ring to turn golden?"

    Song Weihan frowned light, not understanding why his disciple would ask something like this. Still, he answered promptly after thinking about it for a moment. "I don''t think there would be another reason. As far as we know, the only golden Soul Ring in the history of the Douluo Continent was owned by the Spirit ice Douluo Huo Yuhao himself. Moreover, this information is known to most major powers on the continent, so it should be true. Personally, I''ve also never heard of any other case for a Soul Ring to have such a colour, nor any other odd colour. This is also why I''m so confused about your grey-red Soul Ring; There has never been a precedent of such a situation."

    Sheng Feilong frowned. If a golden Soul Ring really always meant that the ring originates from a 1.000.000-years-old Soul Beast, then what about the one Tang Wulin showed? Seeing that Song Weihan wanted to know where this question stemmed from, Sheng Feilong told him about Tang Wulin in detail.

    "... Basically, it comes from his bloodline. At elast that''s what he told us about. But, he''s from an ordinary family... They shouldn''t have an 1.000.000-years-old history, should they?", Seng Feilong asked after finishing his explanation.

    Once again, Song Weihan started to frown. This really was weird; a young boy from an ordinary family that possesses a golden Soul Ring that allegedly stems from his bloodline. If it really was like that, then this Tang Wulin''s origin were even more shocking than the Sheng''s bloodline connection to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. It seems like Song Weihan would have to do some investigative work later...

    Shaking his head lightly, Song Weihan looked at Sheng Feilong before speaking up with a slight smile. "Anyways, we''ll talk about this matter later. For now, the strange colouration of your Soul Ring doesn''t seem to have a negetive effect. In fact, it seems to be much stronger than a normal 100.000-years-old Soul Ring, so I assume we should let that slide for now. I''m actually more interested in your External Soul Bone... Would you mind telling us of it''s abilities, Feilong?"

    Sheng Feilong smiled at Song Weihan, completely forgetting the matter of Tang Wulin and focused on the moment. Lightly stimulating the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s Soul Bone, the five metres long, demonic looking tail with the sword-like stinger grew out from his tailbone once again. "This is the Soul Bone. I can basically freely control it like its another arm and it feels like its always been there. But its form and abilities are slightly confusing. I don''t know about the normal Doomstinger Dragonfly, but my tail has a lot of similarities to the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon."

    "What do you mean?", Song Weihan asked with a light frown. Bringing the tail in front of himself, Sheng Feilong continued while looking at it. "Well, the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s tail wasn''t as thin as this one. It looked more like a number of balls being bound together and not so smooth. Moreover, there''s these green vein patters on the tissue connecting the carapace pieces..

    Looking t the tail more closely, Song weihan could indeed see the pattern''s Sheng Feilong mentioned. They looked nearly exactly like the patters that grew from Sheng Feilong''s chest in hs transformed state. Thinking about it for a moment, Song Weihan came up with a plausible explanation. "It''s not uncommon for Soul Rings or even Spirit Souls to mutate due to the influence of a Soul Master''s Spirit Essence. Given the strength of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, I wouldn''t be too surprised if it really influenced the Soul Bone. Moreover, you said the demon literally''devoured'' the Soul Ring and Soul Bone back then. That''s completely different that having a Soul Master slowly fuse with it, so it''s understandable that there are changes based on this special circumstance. What about it''s abilities, though?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded and followed up by swinging the tail around, piercing the stinger at the tip forward and even coil the tail around Song Weihan''s arm to show its maneuverability. Bringing it back and holding it in front of him once again, he continued his explanation. "I can pretty much do anything the Doomstinger Dragonfly did with it. And thanks to the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s influence, its actually easier to control as it isn''t so bulky anymore. Its attack power is about double that of me when I transform into a demon. And it even took on some effects of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s power; Any wound made by the stinger would begin to corrode away like when I use my first Soul Skill, though, the tail''s effect is much weaker and doesn''t cost any Soul Power."

    Song Weihan nodded again, while Sheng Lingtian frowned a bit. The former looked at Sheng Feilong and they talked a bit more about the various effects and possibilities of the External Soul Bone. As a Soul Bone researcher, Song Weihan''s passion really was roused by this rare type of Soul Bone, not to mention that it was a 100.000-years-old, mutated one at that!

    After a while, Sheng Lingtian cut into their discussion, bringing up a point the two of them had completely forgotten in their eagerness. "Brother Song, do you really think it would be good for Feilong to expose this Soul Bone? Not to mention an 100.000-years-old External Soul Bone, even normal ones of 10.000 years of age are incredibly rare and many people would do whatever it takes to obtain them."

    Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong instantly calmed down. What Sheng Lingtian said was completely right. Not only was Sheng Feilong''s Soul Bone incredibly powerful, its sheer rarity was enough to start a huge uproar, enough for all of the powerhouses of the continent to get involved in. In fact, Sheng Feilong had thought about this before, this is why he only mentioned it to Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian and no one else.

    After talking for a while longer, they decided to keep the Soul Bone a secret. At least until Song Weihan''s research of Artificial Soul Bones has come far enough to have Sheng Feilong''s pose an a prototype for an Artificial External Soul Bone. With all of this being said, Sheng Lingtian once again cut to the chase, asking another important question with a cold voice. "Then, how should we continue now? Brother Song, you and I can always just return to the research facility, but Feilong is still young and he needs to learn. Though, with the risk of his second Spirit Essence, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s bloodline and External Soul Bone being exposed, can we even send him to another Academy? He has far to many sensitive secrets..."

    Song Weihan frowned, sinking into his thoughts for a while. Sheng Feilong looked concerned as well. Honestly, he wanted to return to Shrek with his friends, but after the war between his master and the Academy and the fact that they had heavily injured Song Weihan and his father, he didn''t really want to have anything to do with them.

    All of them remained silent for a while, not knowing what the best course of action would be. Finally, Sheng Feilong broke the silence first, though with a hesitant voice. "What if I were to... join Madam She''s organisation, Daedalus..?"

 90 Joining A New Organisation

    Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan were surprised by this sudden idea. Looking at Sheng Feilong, Song Weihan couldn''t help but frown lightly. "Feilong, are you aware of what kind of organisation Daedalus is?"

    Sheng Feilong looked at his Master and nodded quickly. Remembering what She Meixiao had told him earlier, he was able to quickly answer the question. "Madam She told me that Daedalus is an organisation that takes care of Soul Master with dark or evil attributed Spirit Essences. They are a really uncommon organisation, but what they are doing is still amicable."

    Listening in from the side, Sheng Lingtian frowned lightly. If this was really true, it might not be a bad idea to have his son join them. Just from the current situation, they would at least be able to protect him. Before he could speak up, Song Weihan had already taken the lead, speaking to Sheng Feilong with a cold tone. "Is that what She Meixiao told you?"

    Hearing the question, Sheng Feilong flinched before he slowly nodded. Song Weihan sighed, then told him the truth. "While that in itself is true, it doesn''t represent everything that Daedalus does. They are at constant odds with real evil Soul Masters, fighting it out again and again. While the Federational government, the Spirit Pagoda and even Shrek do the same, none of them are as aggressive as Daedalus; As long as a real evil Soul Master makes an appearance, they''re the first to go ballistic."

    Sheng Feilong scratched his head light, thinking abut his Masters words for a moment. "But, isn''t that something good? Maybe they''re going a bit overboard, but they''re doing it for the good in the end, aren''t they?"

    "You don''t quite seem to get it. The members of Daedalus are lunatics that give all evil Soul Masters the fault for their own plight. They hunt, kill, torture and deal with those evil Soul Master like madmen. Moreover, they''re completely inconsistent in their doing; Sometimes, when the Federation or others are hunting down specific evil Soul Masters, Daedalus interferes, saying they''re the ones that will deal with them. There are multiple cases of Daedalus actually taking these evil Soul Masters under their protection instead of elimination them. And do you know why?"

    What Song Weihan just told him, shocked Sheng Feilong lightly. Although he didn''t believe that Daedalus would be innocent, he didn''t think they would be so extreme. He shook his head at Song Weihan''s question, before the latter continued in a plain tone. "Because it would be a waste. They take in strong evil Soul Master, train them themselves, making them obedient to the organisation and use them as fighting forces. Nearly 60 percent of Daedalus'' top fighters are made up of true evil Soul Master, that have killed dozens if not hundreds of innocents."

    Sheng Feilong frowned. He was now feeling slightly uncomfortable being here as well, but another question surfaced in his head nearly instantly. "If they''re really so bad... then how is Madam She involved in it? Since she''s a Titled Douluo, she should be one of the top members, right?"

    "She Meixiao is one of Daedalus'' three Vice Leaders. All of them are Titled Douluos, and above them is only the true leader, a Hyper Douluo who''s supposed to be rank 96.", Song Weihan said with the same plain tone, but Sheng Feilong still seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. With a small voice, Sheng Feilong spoke up once again. "...They''re letting the evil Soul Masters make amends for their own doing... Is that really so bad?"

    Song Weihan remained silent for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. He glanced at Sheng Lingtian, secretly speaking to the latter with a spiritual message. ''Brother Sheng, I think I''ll let Feilong join Daedalus for now.''

    Sheng Lingtian slightly flinched, glancing at Song Weihan with a confused expression and he soon heard Song Weihan''s voice in his head again. ''He seems to have some sort of affection to She Meixiao since she''s the one who rescued him. I don''t think he''ll listen to us for now, so I want to let him experience this for himself. She Meixiao won''t do anything, that I am sure about.''

    Sheng Lingtian glanced at Song Weihan again, lightly nodding his head this time, before Song Weihan spoke to Sheng Feilong after a light sigh. "Very well. If you want to join Daedalus, then I won''t stop you. But you must neither reveal your bloodline to them, nor the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s Soul Bone."

    Sheng Feilong hastily agreed to this as he didn''t want to reveal the Soul Bone or his bloodline, anyways. Song Weihan then continued to warn him about a few more things like not using his Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence if he didn''t have to, keeping away from the organisations core missions and the like. Basically, Song Weihan asked him to be a regular member and hold back for now.

    After that, they exited the training hall. Just outside the door, She Meixiao was already waiting for them. With a small smile on her face, she greeted the three of them. Sheng Feilong returned the greeting quickly while the other two just nodded. After that, Sheng Feilong looked at She Meixiao with a serious expression. "Madam She, is it possible to go somewhere where we can talk in private?"

    She Meixiao was slightly surprised, but still led them to another location; her actual office, where no one else was allowed entry without her permission before turning back to Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong. "So, what it is that you wanted to talk about?"

    Sheng Feilong lightly bowed to her with a somewhat awkward expression. "Madam She, I''m really sorry; I lied to you before. The truth is, I have indeed awakened a second Spirit Essence... And it''s related to the greyish green vapor that you saw before..."

    Sheng Feilong proceeded to tell She Meixiao about the matter of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon in detail, only letting out the parts concerning the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s tail type External Soul Bone. Otherwise, he was completely honest, even telling her about the encounter in his spiritual consciousness as well as the memories of his fight with the Doomstinger Dragonfly.

    She Meixiao was a bit sceptical at first, but the more Sheng Feilong told her about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, the more excited she became. As she had talked about with the doctor before, she really wanted to accept Sheng Feilong as her disciple since this power was truly his and with this new information, her desire to rope Sheng Feilong in increased more an more.

    Seeing that Song Weihan stood at the side and didn''t say anything, she was sure that they had already talked about this, as the former definitely wouldn''t allow his disciple to talk about all this otherwise.

    When Sheng Feilong came to the point where he explained the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s powers, as well as his uncommon, grey-red Soul Ring, She Meixiao was ready to jump at him and make him her disciple already!

    A while later, She Meixiao took Sheng Feilong to register with the organisation and formally join them. Sheng Lingtian went with him, while Song Weihan asked to speak with her alone while the two others were occupied.

    Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian were taken to sign a few documents, while the former also underwent a few tests ¨C mainly to see his cultivation level, age and the likes, nothing special ¨C and when he returned, She Meixiao and Song Weihan were still gone.

    Playing with the little badge in his hand, Sheng Feilong suddenly remembered that his Spacial Ring was still with Shrek Academy and that he hadn''t gotten it back yet. He looked at his father, bringing up the issue but the latter just smiled lightly. "Don''t worry, Feilong. While you were gone, your master had already obtained your Spacial Ring from Shrek Academy. It''s currently at the new laboratory, so you''ll still have to wait to get it back, though. Just put the badge into your pocket for now."

    Just as they had finished talking, Song weihan and She Meixiao came back. Both of them seemed rather calm, but the latter''s expression quickly turned into a smile when they drew near. Standing in front of Sheng Feilong, She Meixiao smiled brightly once again before explaining the situation. "Sheng Feilong, I''ve had a little talk with your Master just now and we''ve come to an agreement. So, I have a question for you. Would you be willing to become my disciple, as well?"

 91 A Short Trip Home

    Hey there, Yozuka here!

    So there''s been quite a few discussions about the grey colour of Sheng Feilong''s new Soul Ring and I wanted to clear your doubts for now:

    The grey-red Soul Ring has nothing to do with Electrolux.

    The weird colouration is due to the influence of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon itself, which will be explained in detail in the future!

    Without further ado, please enjoy todays chapter!

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Sheng Feilong was shocked by She Meixiao''s sudden proposal and didn''t really know how to reply to her. Stealthily glancing at Song Weihan, he saw the latter shrugging, indicating for Sheng Feilong to decide for himself.

    Thinking about the matter for a moment, Sheng Feilong decided to accept her offer. He took a step back, bowing deeply to She Meixiao and spoke in a clear voice. "Disciple Sheng Feilong greets Master!"

    Song Weihan''s eyebrows lifted up in surprise. When accepting a Master, it was custom to kneel down and bow, but Sheng Feilong didn''t do so. Naturally, as he already had a Master, kneeling to both of them would mean to put them both on the same pedestral, but by kneeling to one and just bowing to the other, Sheng Feilong was clearly showing that he put Song Weihan in a higher place than She Meixiao.

    Song Weihan couldn''t help but smile; Sheng Feilong really had become crafty. By taking She Meixiao as his Master, he was giving himself a higher status in Daedalus, while still still maintaining his loyalty to Song Weihan. Like this, he was saving himself the option of being able to bail out of Daedalus and return to Song Weihan''s side if need be.

    Naturally, She Meixiao understood all of this, as well. She also couldn''t help but praise Sheng Feilong in her heart, but was still a bit displeased. Although she didn''t know whether Sheng Feilong had kneeled and bowed to Song Weihan before, it was more than likely. Still, she decided to let this slide as she and Sheng Feilong had only met today for the first time, so it was understandable that he didn''t fully trust her.

    She Meixiao then gave Sheng Feilong a badge. It looked similar to the one he got when he joined Daedalus earlier, but this new one had more decorations to it. She Meixiao smiled light and kept looking at the slightly confused Sheng Feilong. "This is an identitytoken. Unlike your normal one, which just identifies you as a member of Daedalus, this one is a little special; it signifies you as my own disciple. As long as you keep it on you whenever you''re at Daedalus, you''ll be able to freely roam around at nearly all sections of the headquarters."

    She turned around, facing Song Weihan this time and spoke up with a bright smile. "I think it would be best if you left now. As promised, we''ll get everything ready within one week. I will be awaiting you then." Finishing her sentence, She Meixiao turned around for good, leaving in the same direction they had come before, probably returning to her office.

    Confused by the sudden change, Sheng Feilong looked at Song Weihan with a questioning gaze. The latter just smiled lightly and beckoned for Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian to follow him out.With Sheng Feilong''s identity as a member of Daedalus and She Meixiao''s disciple, there wasn''t any problem for them to get to the exit; Song Weihan remembered the way perfectly, while no one dared to stop them as Sheng Feilong was with them.

    Stepping out of the headquarters, they were once again inside the small, rural village. It was the first time for Sheng Feilong to see the outside of Daedalus'' headquarters and he was naturally somewhat stunned. Sheng Lingtian quickly explained to him where they were while readying his Purple Mecha for the return.

    Song Weihan decided to fly using his own power as Sheng Lingtian''s Mecha could only take two people. On the long way back to their new home, Sheng Feilong asked his father about the happenings f the last few days, especially the fight with Shrek Academy; He knew that Shrek was somewhat at fault about the incident concerning his safety and was really touched that his Master and father would go so far just for him, but objectively speaking, he didn''t think that fighting Shrek Academy was the right thing.

    Sheng Lingtian told him about everything that led up them attacking Shrek Academy, while conveniently leaving out the facts about the Sheng Clan''s fate, causing Sheng Feilong to ''confirm'' his guess that his Master and father had gone to war just for his sake. Seeing his father''s disgruntled expression when speaking about the topic, Sheng Feilong didn''t ask further.

    A few hours later, they finally reached their destination; Song Weihan''s hometown in the south, where the new laboratory and Sheng Feilong''s and Sheng Lingtian''s new house were. Sheng Feilong was excited about visiting the new house, but was quickly stopped by Song Weihan who asked him to wait for a while longer. He then went into the laboratory and came back after a few minutes, with Sheng Feilong''s Spacial Ring in his hand.

    Sheng Feilong smiled brightly and followed Sheng Lingtian to the new house. Conveniently, it was quite close to the laboratory. It didn''t look like much from the outside, but was located in a quiet corner of the town, making it a good place for cultivation. Stepping inside, Sheng Feilong was surprised to see that it looked really similar to their house in Heaven Dou City; Only the layout of the rooms was somewhat different.

    Finding his way to his own room with Sheng Lingtians help, Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but smile; This new room looked exactly like his old one in Heaven Dou City. Sheng Lingtian had even placed a few pens, paper and the likes on his desk the same way as before! He sat down on his bed, checking the things in his Spacial Ring for a moment. Everything was still there, including his heavy twin swords, the manuals he bought from Shrek using his contribution points, and all the other stuff.

    Returning to the living room, he saw his father preparing dinner in the kitchen and quietly waited, shrinking away from the duty of helping out. After dinner, Sheng Feilong spend the evening with his father before going to bed early.

    The next week flew by in a breeze and Sheng Feilong spent most of the time either cultivating or accompanying Song Weihan in the laboratory. He was still really interested in the manufacturing of Artificial Soul Bones and the excuse of saying that the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s External Soul Bone is a prototype for Artificial External Soul Bones just gave him all the more reason to be part of their team.

    The members of the research team were also quite fond of Sheng Feilong; His quick wits, respectful tone and earnest curiosity made all of them all the more enthusiastic about their work and as he was Song Weihan''s personal disciple, they didn''t have any hesitations about telling him about the projects.

    On the seventh day, exactly one week since they had come back, Song Weihanbrought all of the team together to tell them about his plans. Sheng Feilong was also present and heard that Song Weihan planned to have their team join Daedalus. Many of the researchers were confused as they didn''t know what Daedalus was, but upon hearing Song Weihan''s explanations that they were a huge, hidden organisation operating all over the Douluo Continent, all of them were convinced.

    Honestly, isn''t wasn''t a problem for them to just pack all of their stuff and relocate the laboratory somewhere else; They didn''t have most of the machinery to create new Artificial Soul Bones yet, anyways! Like this, in less than 2 hours, all of them were ready to set out.

    Sheng Feilong used this time to quickly talk to Song Weihan about this. As far as he knew, his Master didn''t think highly of Daedalus and he also didn''t tell his team the truth that they are Soul Masters with evil or dark Spirit Essences, so he couldn''t help but feel that something was off. And just as he had thought, there really was a catch.

    Back at Daedalus, when Sheng Feilong was registering, Song Weihan and She Meixiao had talked in private; In exchange for giving Sheng Feilong the best possible treatment, including to make sure that he didn''t have to take any dangerous missions, get into contact with real evil Soul Master and making sure that Daedalus wouldn''t pry into their secrets, Song Weihan promised to have his research team join Daedalus and create Artificial Soul Bones for them. Moreover, he would also personally help to create Spirit Souls with evil or dark attributes for Dadalus'' members to use!

    Sheng Feilong was shocked that Song Weihan would go so far, but he didn''t question his Masters decision as he knew that it was all for his sake. Clenching his fists, Sheng Feilong resolutely promised to not let Song Weihan down and gain complete control over the netherworld Putrefaction Demon as fast as he could, so that they didn''t have to rely on Daedalus for long!

 92 Battle Armour Plan

    As week has passed since Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan had left Daedalus'' headquarters and She meixiao had finished all preparations as she had promised. Making her way to the mission hall, she pulled out a few documents and handed them to the clerk responsible for their distribution.

    Most of these missions were scouting missions regarding sightings of possible evil Soul Master, missions to secure Spirit Treasures from various places all over the continent or even just guarding missions for places or organisations associated with Daedalus.

    On the way back to her office, She Meixiao''s Soul Communicator rang and seeing who was calling her, She Meixiao couldn''t help but smile. With a joyous expression, she hurriedly answered the call. "Sir Spirit Flamingo, it''s good that you are calling! How have you been this last week?"

    Song Weihan frowned lightly when he heard her joyous expression, surprised how fast this woman can change. He refused to get into smalltalk with her, instead cutting right to the chase. "We''ll be arriving at the Daedalus headquarters shortly. I assume you have everything prepared?"

    She Meixiao wasn''t offended by Song Weihan''s straightforward reply. She just kept her smile, speaking with the same joyous tone as before. "But of course! We''ve already prepared all of the necessary facilities for you and your respected research team and you''ll be able to take them over immediately. When will you arrive exactly? I will personally welcome you."

    Looking into the distance, Song Weihan paused a moment to make a rough estimation before he answered. "About 20 minutes. We''ll be arriving with a total of 14 Mecha''s, so I''ll have to trouble you with providing lodging for those, too. Alternatively, we can keep them in our Spacial Treasures."

    "There''s no need for that. We have a lot of space in our hangars. I''ll lead you there when you arrive. If there''s nothing else, then I''m sorry, but I''ll have to end the call for now.", She Meixiao replied with a calm voice. "I''ll have the hangars prepared for you. I will be awaiting your arrival!"

    Song Weihan confirmed with a grunt before ending the call. Turning back to Sheng Lingtian''s Purple Mecha behind him and the others further back, he used Soul Power to make his voice travel to all of them. "We''ll be arriving in about 20 minutes! There''ll be hangars for all of your Mechas. Keep the current speed!"

    A while later, the small, rural village appeared at the horizon and Song Weihan quickly looked for She Meixiao. Seeing her in front of the town hall, the entrance to Daedalus'' headquarters, he landed near her, beckoning the others to wait a bit further back. "Madam Smiling Snake, we meet again. Thank you for welcoming us. Should we just follow you to the hangars?"

    She Meixiao answered joyfully, quickly embroiling Song Weihan in a bit of smalltalk, much to the latter''s irritation. Meanwhile, Sheng Feilong alighted from his father''s Mecha and walked over to She Meixiao and Song Weihan. Bowing to both of them, he greeted She Meixiao with the courtesy expected of a disciple, saving Song Weihan from the conversation.

    With a hint from Sheng Feilong, She Meixiao finally lead the research team to the hangars, letting them store there Mechas there before they made their way over to the facilities provided by Daedalus. A number of spacious halls were revealed in front of them, connected by equally huge doors, leaving many of the researchers in awe.

    Song Weihan was also smiling quite brightly; These facilities provided by Daedalus were even more luxurious than the ones they had at the Spirit Pagoda! With this much space, they could possibly make more progress in the research than they did at the Spirit pagoda, that is, once they get everything running again.

    Turning back to facing the rest of the group, Song Weihan noticed She Meixiao smile into his direction. She took a step closer to him, now standing in front of the group of researchers as well. "Seeing you expression, I assume that you like the facilities, Sir Spirit Flamingo? We''ve made sure to get you and your team the best possible options. If you need anything from our side, please, by all means, just come to me and ask."

    Song Weihan brushed her of with a courteous nod before getting to work with the researchers. Sheng Lingtian gladly helped out while Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao went off to another part of the headquarters alone. Song Weihan didn''t really mind the two of them being alone as he believed that She Meixiao would keep her word about their agreement.

    They soon reached a quiet corner where they could sit alone and She Meixiao began a bit of smalltalk with him as well. She didn''t ask anything too specific and mostly just chatted with Sheng Feilong how he had grown up, his abilities in general and the such. Later on, she cut to another point that also got Sheng Feilong''s eyes to shine. "Do you have a design for a Battle Armour yet?"

    Sheng Feilong looked at her, excited but still somewhat embarrassed. "I was actually part of a Battle armour building team at Shrek, but I''ve not been satisfied with any designs and our Blacksmith was unable to produce the materials needed for me. So, uhm, while I want to make one, I haven''t had the resources to do so."

    She Meixiao smiled brightly again. With this, she might be able to completely get him hooked to Daedalus. "Well, now that you''re my disciple, I can''t let you run on the lower ends of experts, can I? And with your second Spirit Essence awakening, the prior design would not be optimal, anyways. Ah right, what is your Second profession? If you want a good battle Armour, you need to work on it yourself."

    "I''m a rank 5 Mecha Maker. So I''ll be able to build my own One Word Battle Armour without any problems. Also, the reason we struggled so much with the smithing and producing is because we decided to use Spirit Alloys instead of normal metals. Like that, we would have an easier time once we need to upgrade our Armours to Two Word Battle Armours.", Sheng Feilong replied with glee.

    Hearing of their plan, She Meixiao was surprised. Although it is true that they would have an easier time in the future if they used Spirit Alloys from the start, it was actually much harder to get started. Even as a Rank 5 Mecha maker, Sheng Feilong might not be able to work on every part that he was required to. "Amazing! I didn''t think you would get this idea. However, even with your current prowess, you might not necessarily be able to make use of every Spirit Alloy. Even more so no that you need to make a battle Armour for Twin Spirit Essences and use metals that have an affinity with the properties of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon."

    Finishing her explanation in a single breath, She Meixiao stood up and walked away from their seat. "Follow me. I''ll bring you to the smithy. I already have the right person in mind to help you with the blacksmithing." Sheng Feilong''s eyes gleamed and he hastily followed his new Master.

    After a long walk, they reached the smithy inside the Daedalus headquarters. Although they were underground, the smithy didn''t look much different from Tang Wulin''s private workshop. Despite looking around, Sheng feilong didn''t stop as She Meixiao was making her way to the back of the smithy in a determined fashion.

    She knocked on the door and entered just after that, revealing a private workshop with an old man inside. He ad a bald head and just a few stubbles for a beard and was currently smoking a pipe while sitting next to a burning furnace. He glanced at She meixiao and Sheng Feilong before looking back into the fire.

    Taking the pipe out of his mouth, he spoke up, his voice rough and coarse. "She-girl, what''s up? Why are you coming here without notice? You know I''m working on Old Shi''s spear." While speaking, he continued to stare into the fire and skilfully emptied his pipe only to refill it with tabaco from his pocket.

    She Meixiao didn''t mind his attitude and instead turned to Sheng Feilong with a smile. "Feilong, release your second Spirit essence for us, will you? Senior Tang won''t even bother with us if we don''t manage to get him interested."

    Sheng Feilong was confused about her statement, but still followed suit with her order and released his Spirit Essence. His skin turned grey once again, the veiny green pattern sprouting from his chest as he grew taller and his hands morphed into claws. Two horns grew from the sides of his head and his transformation slowly finished in less than three breathes of time, with the pressure of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon spreading through the private workshop.

    Next to the furnace, the Blacksmith who She Meixiao called Old Tang froze completely, the pipe falling from his mouth as he swung his head around, staring at Sheng Feilong like a tiger eying it''s prey. He stood up, walking over to them and inspected Sheng Feilong for a few seconds before showing a wide, toothy grin and spoke with an amicable tone. "What a good kid! She-girl, where did you find this monster? No, who cares, what do you need? I''ll make it for free since you showed me such a good lad today!"

 93 Five Metal Spirit Alloy!

    Old Tang was looking at She Meixiao and the transformed Sheng Feilong with a satisfied expression. Ignoring the burning furnace behind him, he waited for She Meixiao''s response.

    She Meixiao glanced at Sheng Feilong, slightly nodding to him. Sheng Feilong then slowly transformed back and and took a step forward to answer Old Tang''s question. "Senior Tang, Master and I came to you to find a metal that would be fit to be used for creating my Battle Armour."

    "Your Battle Armour? Lad, how old are you? Battle Armour can''t be worn by just everyone who has a bit of money; You need the strength to support it." Old Tang looked at Sheng Feilong with a light ridicule in his eyes. Although he was surprised by the aura of Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Essence, that didn''t mean that he had what it took to become a Battle Armour Master.

    Sheng Feilong smiled lightly and released his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes'' Soul Rings. All four of them appeared behind his back, bathing the whole room in a mix of purple and black light. "With all due respect Senior, I''m aware of what it takes to become a Battle Armour Master."

    Old Tang didn''t reply to Sheng Feilong instantly. Instead, he stared at the latter with narrowed eyes, looking him up and down. "Brat... you have Twin Spirit Essences? That transformation Spirit Essence and now this one with the four Soul Rings. Ha! I''ve underestimated you! So? Tell me, what kind of metal do you need?"

    "My first Spirit Essence, the transformation one, as you called it, has powerful corrosive abilities and equally powerful negative energies. As for the other one, it''s a spiritual type Spirit Essence that mutated from the Spirit Eyes body spirit. So, I need a metal ¨C or Spirit Alloy ¨C with dual spiritual and dark or corrosive attributes.", Sheng Feilong calmly stated, observing Old Tang in the process.

    The latter''s smile grew wider as Sheng Feilong continued to speak, not a hint of hesitation could be seen on his face. The old man actually seemed to get more excited about the whole situation, and finally spoke up after Sheng Feilong finished. "Wonderful! It''s been a while since I''ve had such an interesting task. Brat, have you tried out how strong your corrosive powers are?"

    Sheng Feilong replied instantly, not bothering to hide anything. "I''ve never tried it on metal on purpose, but Master told me that I corroded down Thousand Refined Black Iron machinery in a matter of seconds. Moreover, my first Soul Skill is strong enough to destroy the ground of the training facilities here at the headquarters."

    Old Tang''s expression brightened and he run over to one of the shelves in the back, pulling out a piece of Thousand Refined Black Iron. Stuffing it into Sheng Feilong''s hand, he spoke up in a hurried voice. "Show me how you do it! I want to see just how strong that corrosive energy is."

    Sheng Feilong nodded. Retracting his Soul Rings, he willed the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence to take the lead again, using it''s physical strength to slowly crush the metal before using his first Soul Skill, Putrefying Devil Claw. Naturally, he did so carefully, making sure not to show his grey-red Soul Ring; Even She Meixiao didn''t know about it yet and he definitely didn''t want Old Tang to see it. The less people knew about it, the better!

    The greyish, muddy green vapour rose from Sheng Feilong''s claw, causing a sizzling sound to echo out from the Thousand refined Black Iron as it slowly began deforming and melting down. Not letting it fall to the ground, Sheng Feilong completely corroding it away, leaving nothing of it.

    Old Tang and She Meixiao looked at him with stoic expression, before Old Tang began laughing loudly. He ran back to the shelf, grabbing another piece of metal ¨C a blueish dull coloured chunk ¨C and stuffed it into Sheng Feilong''s claw. Even through his armoured, transformed hand, he still felt that the metal was cold to the touch. Understanding Old Tang''s meaning without the former even saying anything, he spurned his Soul Power again, using the Putryfying Devil Claw to corrode the metal as well.

    Just as the Thousand Refined Black Iron before, it melted down into a puddle with a sizzling sound before turning into nothingness. Sheng Feilong looked at Old Tang, not knowing what kind of expression to expect, but the latter had already ran back to his shelf, coming back with three different kinds of metal in his arms. "Senior, shouldn''t we top this? Those metals are expensive, are they not?"

    "Who cares about that! Quickly use that ability of yours again, I want to see just how strong it is!" With no option to refuse, Sheng Feilong began corroding down one rare and precious metal after the other, glancing at She Meixiao from time to time. She and Old Tang were staring at the whole process with stars in their eyes, obviously thrilled by the whole thing.

    Repeating over and over again, it took only a short hour before Sheng Feilong had destroyed over 70 different kinds of rare metals. Some of them were special, rather unique pieces, but they were still melted down regardless; Even some more basic Spirit Alloys weren''t spared! Sheng Feilong didn''t spent much energy as his Soul Skill activated quite easily and the amount of energy needed to melt down a single piece of metal was laughable, even to the current him.

    "Senior, is this enough already..? We''ve been at it for over an hour.", She Feilong said as he glanced at the shelf on the other side of the room. The prior glittering collection of metals had shrunken down considerably and although he wasn''t a blacksmith, the sheer waste made Sheng Feilong uncomfortable.

    Surprisingly, Old Tang nodded, still with the same excited expression on his face. He picked up two more chucks of metal from his shelf, both of which Sheng Feilong had destroyed specimen of once before. "You''re right, this should be enough. From the tests, the ones that could take the most of your energy are the Nether Storm Quartz and the Vorpal Aldismium, with the latter seemingly reacting to the corrosive energy. If we use those two to form a Spirit Alloy, your Battle Armour would be incredibly powerful!"

    Sheng Feilong nodded again; he trusted the old blacksmith''s input and felt that those two materials were the best to use as well. But with those two, the material would only assist his netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence. "Senior, about the metals; we still need to find ones that fit my Radiant Empe-" Before he could finish his sentence, a piece of metal was thrown over to him.

    Catching it by reflex, Sheng Feilong looked at it. He looked at it and felt a slight tug at his heart while staring at it; nearly losing control over his Soul Power as he could feel the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes'' violently react to the metal. This metal was clearly in perfect sync with his Spirit Essence! With a shocked expression, Sheng Feilong suppressed his Soul Power. "Senior, what kind of metal is this?"

    Old Tang didn''t show any expression; his previous excited smile washed off of his face and he replied in a plain tone. "That''s one of my most priced Spirit Alloys. It''s compatibility with spiritual power is unmatched when compared to everything I''ve worked with and it''s incredibly rare; A single chunk like the one you have there is easily worth around 200-300 million Federational Coins."

    He paused a moment, enjoying Sheng Feilong''s shocked expression when he mentioned the metals price. With a smirk, he continued. "Star Platinum. That''s it''s name. Highly compatible with Spirit Power, highly compatible to be fused with any other metal, incredibly rare as the base metals can only be gathered in small amounts and the one in your hand has a harmony rate of 87 percent."

    Sheng Feilong looked at Old Tang with a slightly sluggish expression. "87 percent... and you want to forge it into an even higher leveled Spirit Alloy and mix it with the Nether Storm Quartz and the Vorpal Aldismium? Then, wouldn''t it become a four metal Spirit Alloy?"

    "Five metal Spirit Alloy, actually; Star Platinum is made from three base metals ¨C Heavy Silver, Meteoric Iron and Volcanic Platinum. Heavy Silver''s no issue, but the other two are rare, especially the meteoric Iron. I think you understand why just from it''s name, right?", Old Tang said without batting an eye.

    "Well, I''ll make sure to create you as many pieces as you need, and all of the finished five metal Spirit Alloys will have a harmony rate of over 85 percent. That way, you can use them until you upgrade your battle armour into a Three Word one without reforging it in between." Old Tang turned back to his furnace for the first time since they began the tests with Sheng Feilong''s corrosive energy. "Well, get out now, I''ve stil lgot to work on that piece of crap Hammer for the old fogey. Come back in a few days; I''ll have the first batch ready by then."

    Without further ado, he pulled huge chunk of metal out from the furnce with his bare hands before conjuring up a big, purple and red hammer ¨C his Spirit Essence ¨C and started hammering the metal. Resounding booms echoed through the private workshop as Old Tang didn''t even bother to say anything else to She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong.

    The latter looked at his master, confused, but calm, and they exited the forging halls. Outside, She Meixiao smiled at Sheng Feilong before speaking up in a amused tone. "Well, no that we''ve sorted out the matters regarding your Battle Armour''s materials, it''s time to pay a visit to a good Mecha Designer, right?"

 94 Three Months Later

    A few hours had passed by now as Sheng Feilong came out of a Mecha Designer''s workshop. His face was slightly pale, but he showed an excited expression when he met up with She Meixiao again.

    Just after coming from out from Old Tang''s private blacksmithing workshop, Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao headed over to meet up with a Mecha Designer to help with Sheng Feilong''s Battle Armour.

    Quickly finding a suitable one, they started explaining the five metal Spirit Alloy''s characteristics to the designer. Afterwards, She Meixiao left, leaving the designer and Sheng Feilong alone in the room to discuss about the specifics in private.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t hold back and gave the Mecha Designer every piece of information that would help perfecting his Battle Armour. They even sparred for a while so that the designer could get a better grasp over Sheng Feilong''s habits, fighting style, Soul Skills and the likes.

    Showing off both of his Spirit Essences, Sheng Feilong made sure to fight to his full potential; He didn''t have to worry about injuring the Mecha Designer, anyways. The latter was a rank 7 Mecha Designer, as well as a Rank 86 Soul Douluo!

    Enthusiastic in creating such a special Battle Armour for a Soul Master with Twin Spirit Essences that were both exceedingly powerful and different from each other, the Mecha Designer asked Sheng Feilong hundreds of questions; Most of them concerning battle related information, but the more he asked, the more weird questions came to be. At one point, the Mecha Designer had even asked whether Sheng Feilong liked toast or cereals more!

    In the end, both of them got absorbed into starting the blueprint for Sheng Feilong''s Battle Armour. Still, the Mecha Designer was naturally much more experienced than Sheng Feilong; The latter couldn''t keep up with many of the advanced theories and techniques in practise!

    The more he didn''t understand, the more excited Sheng Feilong became. Working with such a Designer, he knew he would get the best possible Battle Armour for sure. Sure, the man was eccentric, but as the saying goes, there''s only a fine line between genius and insanity!

    By the end of their session, Sheng Feilong was utterly exhausted, mentally; Still, the amount of progress they made was substantial. Before Sheng Feilong left, he asked the Mecha Designer how long it would take, and the latter estimated it to be done within a week if no complications arise. They also agreed that Sheng Feilong would bring him one of the five metal Spirit Alloys as soon as possible.

    Having rejoined She Meixiao outside of the workshop, they talked about the design briefly before She Meixiao smiled lightly and patted Sheng Feilong on the shoulder. "I think that''s enough for today. You''re utterly exhausted, so how about we go back and see how Sir Spirit Flamingo is doing?"

    Sheng Feilong readily agreed; It''s been half a day, after all. Going back the same ways they came to this section of Daedalus'' headquarters, they arrived at the facilities She Meixiao gave Song Weihan to use after a few minutes.

    Inside, the chaos had subsided and order took place. Lightly scanning the room with his eyes, Sheng Feilong smiled before walking over to Song Weihan. "It looks exactly like the other laboratory, just with much, much more room. Don''t you want to use the rest of the halls as well, Master?"

    Song Weihan had already noticed them when they arrived, but he was quite busy, only answering Sheng Feilong slightly absentmindedly. "No, we''ll use them in the future. We''re currently lacking most of the equipment needed to create Artificial Soul Bones, but the desks and workstations layout is made so we can neatly place the necessary machinery without having to relocate anything."

    After that he, abruptly stood up, grabbing a document on his desk and heading over to one of the researchers. Giving the document to his subordinate, he quickly gave them a few instructions and went back to Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao. "Sorry, I was a bit distracted. Shall we head to a more quiet place?"

    A moment later, the three of them had retreated to a nearby office room to talk in private. Song Weihan was really interested in hearing of Sheng Feilong''s plan for his Battle Armour; It was one of the most important things in the life of a expert Soul Master, after all.

    Hearing the whole story, he fell silent for for a few seconds. "Feilong, since it will still take some time for the blueprint and the material to finish, I think your best option would be to try and strive to become a rank 6 Mecha Maker. Like that, handling a five metal Spirit Alloy will become much easier. And you''ll be able to work with more advanced blueprints as well. It would increase the quality of your Battle Armour drastically."

    Sheng Feilong was surprised for a moment, but before he could answer, She meixiao spoke up with a serious expression. "I agree; it realy is a good idea to do so. However, I do have one condition: He must be able to finish his Battle armour within five months."

    Frowning at the sudden input, Song Weihan looked back at She Meixiao. He didn''t understand why she would set a five months deadline, before it suddenly hit him and he spoke up with a surprised expression. "You want him to join that journey?"

    She Meixiao smiled lightly and calmly replied Song Weihan with a nod. "Yes, I plan to do so. The old man had asked me to go personally as a few important things have to be sorted out over there, so I thought about taking Feilong with me."

    While the two of them were talking, Sheng Feilong stood by their side, confused about what is going on. He didn''t know about any special event that would happen in a few month, nor did he know where She Meixiao would have to go.

    Song Weihan notice Sheng Feilong''s questioning gaze and smiled lightly. "Don''t worry about it, Feilong. There will be a bit of a special journey in a few months, but you don''t need to mind it. Just focus on creating your Battle Armour for now. Well, if you can complete it within five months, then I won''t stop you from joining Madam She."

    She Meixiao smiled, glad that Song Weihan agreed to her condition. Same as the latter, she also didn''t tell Sheng Feilong anything about what kind of journey it would be, so the latter would just focus on creating his Battle Armour. And her plan worked out perfectly.

    With the new bonus of a special, secret journey being on the line, Sheng Feilong''s motivation skyrocketted one again. The next few days were spent solely on cultivation, safe for the few instances where he was talking with Daedalus'' Mecha Designer to help with a few details.

    Four days later, Old Tang had called for Sheng Feilong as he had created the first prototype for the five metal Spirit Alloy. Sheng Feilong quickly headed over there inspecting it and taking it with him. This first piece had a harmony rate of 90 percent, so it was more than suitable to be used by him.

    Bringing it over to the Mecha Designer, Sheng Feilong was once again caught up in a multiple hours long discussion about his own Battle Armour; With the new metal as its base, there had to be made a few adjustments. Sheng Feilong left the workshop completely exhausted late in the evening.

    Starting the next day, Sheng Feilong began focussing on his Mecha making studies in order to reach the sixth rank as She Meixiao and Song Weihan had recommended him.

    This quickly became a daily routine for him; With cultivating in the morning, spending some time with Song Weihan at the Artificial Soul Bone research centre in the day and studying in the evening.

    Like this, three months passed by quietly, Sheng Feilong ceaselessly folowing his own, boring routine. On this day, Sheng Feilong was excitedly looking for Song Weihan after his cultivation session. Easily finding the latter in the research centre, Sheng Feilong beckoned for him to follow him to talk in private.

    Standing in the office room some distance away from the research centre again, Sheng Feilong smiled and released his Soul Power. "Master, I''ve already reached rank 50!"

 95 Becoming A Soul King!

    Song Weihan''s eyes widened when Sheng Feilong told him that he had already reached rank 50. The latter had only reached rank 40, the Soul Ancestor level, less than half a year ago and now he was ready to advance to the Soul King stage at the young age of 14 years old!

    One couldn''t take Song Weihan''s surprise amiss; A 14 years old Soul King expert was basically a genius that would only be seen every few thousand years! Moreover, with Sheng Feilong''s Twin Spirit Souls, his overall power was bound to increase tremendously, far beyond what a normal Soul Master would undergo with their breakthrough!

    Looking at his disciple, Song Weihan couldn''t help but smile from pride. "That''s simply incredible! A 14 years old Soul King... I never heard of a talent like that in thousands of years. Let''s inform Madam She and get her to prepare a secluded area for you."

    Sheng Feilong nodded, quickly following behind Song Weihan; His Master might even be more excited than he was!

    They went through a few hallways, spending some time to search for She Meixiao; Both of them seemed to have forgotten that they could simply call her with a Soul Communicator..! Soon after, they found She Meixiao in her usual office, talking to an subordinate.

    Noticing Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong, She Meixiao cut the talk with her subordinate short and sending the latter out before waving the others in. "Sir Song, Feilong, what brings you here? It''s unusual for you to come looking for me like this."

    Sheng Feilong took a step forward and lightly bowed to She Meixiao with a smile. "Master, we''ve come today because I''ve reached rank 50. We wanted to ask you to help find me a secluded area to make a break through."

    She Meixiao looked at Sheng Feilong in shock, her expression just as astonished as Song Weihan''s before. She first took it for a joke, but upon glancing at Song Weihan, who nodded with a serious expression, she didn''t know what to say.

    She Meixiao then made a call to reserve one of the cultivation dwellings within the Daedalus'' headquarters and the three of them made their way there afterwards.

    With She Meixiao''s prestige and rank inside the organisation, it naturally wasn''t hard for her to make such arrangements at short notice; Even though the cultivation dwellings were mostly in use, as soon as She Meixiao made the call, one of them that was usually reserved for members of Daedalus'' higher echelons was cleared immediately and a member of the organisation lead them over.

    Sheng Feilong went inside alone and took his time to prepare himself. With his current physical strength and Spirit power, breaking through to the Soul King level with a Soul Ring condensed from the Purple Forest Witch will be a walk in the park for Sheng Feilong, but it was always better to properly prepare; One never knew when problems would arise.

    After adjusting his breathing and calming his mind, Sheng Feilong entered his spiritual consciousness and went out to look for the Purple Forest Witch''s Spirit Soul. Spending a few minutes to talk to it and inform it of what was happening, the little Spirit readily agreed to help Sheng Feilong get stronger.

    It even seemed excited to be able to play another game with Sheng Feilong. The latter was confused for a moment, but suddenly remembered that his fourth Soul Skill, the first one he got from the Purple Forest Witch was called ''Playing The Dumbo Game'' before he meticulously made the effort to rename it to Spirit Infestation.

    So it seems that all Soul Skills of the Purple Forest Witch will be some kinds of ''games''... Hopefully, this new one won''t be as weird as the first.

    Settling down together with the Purple Forest Witch, Sheng Feilong finally began his breakthrough, deciding not to bother about the name for the moment. In the worst case, he would just have to spent some time to rename the Soul Skill again!

    ------------------

    A long time passed as Sheng Feilong continued to remain in meditation. Outside his spiritual consciousness, in the real world, over an hour had already passed. Song Weihan had decided to personally stand guard outside of Sheng Feilong''s cultivation dwelling and he was soon joined by Sheng Lingtian.

    In their eagerness earlier, both Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan had completely forgotten to inform Sheng Lingtian of Sheng Feilong''s breakthrough to rank 50 and the upcoming seclusion to reach the Soul King level. Luckily, Sheng Lingtian didn''t take this badly and was instead just as excited as Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan, deciding to wait together with Song Weihan in front of the cultivation dwelling.

    Currently, the two of them were chatting away at all kinds of things, mostly about the happening of the last few months, when Sheng Lingtian brought up a more serious topic. "Brother Song, when do you think we should inform Feilong about what happened to the Clan? We have been quiet about it for months now and I think he has completely recovered from the incident back then."

    Song Weihan frowned. He naturally knew they had to tell Sheng Feilong what happened, but he wasn''t sure what would happen if Sheng Feilong had to go through such a stressful event. Altough the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon hadn''t made any problems yet, the voice that Sheng Feilong mentioned didn''t leave Song Weihan any rest.

    Some time passed with Song Weihan being lost in thought. Looking at Sheng Lingtian, he finally decided to speak up after quite a while. "I think it would be better to continue to wait. We still don''t know what that voice is that Feilong mentioned and if it really has something to do with his second Spirit Essence, then a revelation like this could very well be a trigger for it to try and take control over Feilong again."

    Sheng Lingtian didn''t seem convinced and spoke up again, his expression slightly distressed. "But what if he tries to call my late brother, for example? What am I to tell him if he asks why Fengtian doesn''t answer? What if he wants to go visit them again?"

    Before Song weihan could answer, the door behind them beeped once before slowly opening and Sheng Feilong stepped out of the room with a somewhat forced smile on his face. Song Weihan noticed this and questioned Sheng Feilong about it. "Feilong, what''s wrong? Don''t tell me you failed to break through? Are you alright?"

    "No, Master, it''s nothing like this. I''ve successfully broken through and am now a rank 51 Soul King. It''s just... do you remember the first Soul Skill I got from the Purple Forest Witch? It''s weird name, I mean..?" Sheng Feilong looked at Song Weihan with a deadpan expression. The latter frowned, remembering the weird name Sheng Feilong''s fourth Soul Skill had. "What about it? Does your new Soul Skill have a weird name again?"

    Sheng Feilong sighed lightly. "Yes. Yes, it does. My fifth Soul Skill is called ''Playing The Funny Lake Game''..." Sheng Feilong paused and saw the twitching expressions on his father''s and Master''s faces. He sighed again but then continued with a more serious expression. "It''s the same as before; The name is silly and childish, but the Soul Skill itself is terrifying... This time, it''s a kind of Domain like ability, is the best I can describe it as?"

    Song Weihan''s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a shocked expression, he spoke out in surprise. "A Domain Ability? You are joking, aren''t you? You''ve obtained a second Domain Ability after your Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s Innate Ability?"

    "Not quite. It''s ''Domain like''. I don''t know how to explain it better than that.", Sheng Feilong said, while shaking his head. "It works more like a power that gets added to other Soul Skills and should work exceptionally well with my illusions. Until now, I was able to put people into illusions and get them to fight the air, but with the help of the new Soul Skill, I can get them to completely fall into an illusionscape inside their own minds."

    Sheng Feilong looked at Song Weihan, this time with a slightly awkward expression. "If they get caught in the illusion, they will basically be completely incapacitated, but there''s a drawback as well: If I want to control the illusion they see, then I have to enter it together with them."

    "You mean you will enter the illusionscape in their minds, being incapacitated as well?" Song Weihan suddenly asked, to which Sheng Feilong nodded his head. With a light frown, Song Weihan continued. "That''s a huge drawback, especially in team fights. Still, in a one versus one situation, this Soul Skill is extremely powerful. As long as you use it the right way, you shouldn''t have any problems with it."

    Sheng Feilong nodded again, causing Song Weihan to smile lightly. "Well, we should inform Madam She for now. Also, we should really measure your Spirit Power again. After the incident concerning the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, we didn''t do so, so I''m really curious how strong it has become by now."

 96 Unfathomable Spirit Power

    Finding a testing area where they could test Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power was considerably easy. After informing She Meixiao of Sheng Feilong''s breakthrough, the former quickly got to work and brought Song Weihan, Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian to the testing area.

    Compared to the Spirit Power testing devices from the Spirit Pagoda, the ones at Daedalus were a bit different. The ones here measured an individual''s Spirit Power using a special kind Spirit Treasure; a number of differently coloured crystals, that were attached to a headgear.

    According to She Meixiao, the testing device here wasn''t as precise as the ones at the Spirit Pagoda; They couldn''t give an exact number for the Spirit Power of a Soul Master, but only a somewhat rough estimate.

    Depending on the colour of the crystals, the amount Spirit Power they represented were different: White ones represented Spirit Power values in the tens, Yellow ones in the hundreds and purple ones in the thousands. They were neatly lined up and, starting from a total of 1.000 points of Spirit Power, the white ones were omitted as the couldn''t handle the pressure.

    Sheng Feilong put on the headgear and started channelling his Spirit Power. With nearly no delay, the first white crystal lit up, then the second, the third, and so on. Soon, all nine white crystals were lit up and the first yellow one above them lit up as well. This signified his Spirit Power was above 100 points.

    Not even a second later, the next white ones began lighting up one by one, soon bringing the second yellow one to light up. A few moments later, all yellow crystals had lit up and the first purple one began glowing, signifying a Spirit Power above 1.000 points!

    In the moments to follow, the yellow crystals began lighting up again and again, followed by the purple ones. One by one, more purple crystals lit up and soon enough, the fifth purple one lit up as well.

    Song Weihan smiled brightly seeing this. With five purple crystals glowing, Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power had already reached 5.000 points; He had already entered the Spirit Abyss realm! Many Soul Masters couldn''t enter that realm in their whole lives, yet Sheng Feilong already reached it at the young age of 14; His future was absolutely limitless!

    Song Weihan''s glee soon vanished, rapidly turning into surprise; The speed with which the crystals lit up didn''t diminish in the slightest! More and more yellow crystals lit up again and just a few seconds later, the sixth purple crystal lit up.

    6.000! Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power was already over 6.000 points! Despite his surprise, Song Weihan could barely contain his excitement and he smiled even more gleefully than before.

    The crystals shone brightly and more and more of them lit up, still at the same pace as at the beginning. The first yellow one, the second, the third...! Soon enough, the seventh purple crystal lit up as well, followed by more yellow ones and finally the eighth purple one!

    Song Weihan shook from excitement. Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power was already at 8.000 points! This meant he was already at the middle levels of the Spirit Abyss realm; With a Spirit Power like this, he would have no problem supporting multiple 100.000-years-old Spirit Rings and easily up to five Spirit Souls of various levels!

    While Song Weihan was caught in his gleeful imagination of what Spirit Souls to give Sheng Feilong to help him grow even more, She Meixiao stared at the device in complete shock. She knew Sheng Feilong was a genius when it came to Spirit Power, but wasn''t this a bit to excessive?

    Soon, she couldn''t hold it in anymore and screamed out in surprise. "Impossible! The testing device says his Spirit Power is over 9.000! Just how old is he?! Is the device defect?!"

    Song Weihan was pulled out of his thoughts and looked back at the machine and indeed, there were now nine purple crystals lit up, signifying a Spirit Power of over 9.000! And it was still continuously rising! 9.100, 9.200, 9.300, and still rising lightning fast!

    All of the yellowe crystals were lit up one again, forcing a tenth pruple crystal to light up and a single black crystal above all of the others together with the rest! 10.000 points of Spirit Power! Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power had reached 10.000 points and it still continued to soar!

    By now, Song Weihan and She Meixiao were staring at the testing device with incredulous expressions. A Spirit Power of 10.000 points was already well into the middle levels of the Spirit Abyss realm. Don''t mind normal Soul Masters, even some Titled Douluo''s couldn''t reach such a level of Spirit Power! Even Song Weihan''s Spirit Power wasn''t even nearly close to 10.000 when he was at the same age as Sheng Feilong!

    Just after that, Sheng Lingtian cried out as well, his face pale from shock. "Another purple one! Feilong''s Spirit Power is already over 11.000 points!"

    Dozens of white and yellow crystals, eleven purple crystals and a single, pitch black crystal were currently lit up and only now did the speed at which more lit up slow down. After breaking past 11.000 points, it took nearly ten seconds for the next yellow crystal to light up, and another twenty for the one after that until it finally came to a total stop.

    Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power was above 11.200 points! This was absolutely incredible. For a 14 years old Soul master who just broke into the Soul King level to have a Spirit Power that would even leave some Titled Douluo''s blushing in shame was unfathomable!

    Luckily, no one other than Sheng Lingtian, She Meixiao and Song Weihan was here to see this as She Meixiao had asked everyone else to leave, earlier. All three of them were in shock, staring at the glowing crystals with expressionless faces as Sheng Feilong slowly took the headgear off.

    Sheng Feilong looked at his Masters and father with a deadpan expression and slowly turned around to look at the crystals. Seeing so many of them lit up, he frowned lightly. He had overheard the talk about what the colours represented, so he knew that his Spirit Power was above 11.200 as well, but he had already guessed as much.

    Ever since he entered his spiritual consciousness the day he woke up, he knew something had changed. It wasn''t just a change in scenery but a qualitative change; The whole realm of his spiritual consciousness had changed and his own perception of the ''real'' world had changed as well. Everything was much more clear and from what he knew about the various Spirit power realms, he deducted that he was already at the Spirit Abyss realm.

    Still, 11.200 points was really surprising, even for him. Looking back at the others, Sheng Feilong could only smile wryly. He should have really warned them... At least tell them about the chagnes to his spiritual consciousness and his perception, but he never found the right time... Everyone was always so busy.

    Awkwardly scratching his head, he tried talking to the others. "Master Song, Master She..? Um, I''m sorry about not telling you about this before, but I always thought that I was already at the Spirit Abyss realm..."

    Song Weihan was the first to snap out of his daze. He stared at Sheng Feilong and sighed deeply, reminding himself to not think of Sheng Feilong as a normal human and always expect the impossible in order to not be so shocked anymore in future. "Yes, you really should''ve told us this before... When did you break through to the Spirit Abyss realm, though? Wait, don''t say it; It was after you woke up three months ago, right? I remember you saying something about your spiritual consciousness looking weird."

    "Yes, it''s been since then... Not only did my spiritual consciousness look weird, it had also become much larger and turned into something that resembled a world more than an empty space... From what you said about the various Spirit Power realms, I deducted that I had reached the Spirit Abyss realm. I just didn''t find the right time to tell any of you, because you always seemed to busy...", Sheng Feilong answered with an embarrassed expression.

    She Meixiao had calmed down by now as well. Looking at Song weihan and Sheng Feilong bicker like that, she lightly smiled with a strange expression. "I really... didn''t expect something like this. You already told me that your Spirit Power was pretty strong due to your Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes'' Spirit Essence, but this really is above the level of ''pretty strong''."

    Sheng Feilong continued to awkwardly scratch his head while Song Weihan made another, sudden suggestion. "Feilong, it''s been a while since you had a real battle. You need to get accustomed to using your heightened Spirit Power as well as your new Soul Skill. What about a sparring match?"

    Sheng Feilong froze. He began sweating lightly as he looked at Song Weihan. The latters face was filled with a smile and his eagerness to test Sheng Feilong''s limit could be seen in his eyes. Though, this ''testing the limits'' wouldn''t end well for Sheng Feilong. Forcing a smile, Sheng Feilong answered with a meek voice. "Sure, Master... It''s really been a while..."

 97 Fighting A Titled Douluo!

    Sheng Feilong was slightly distressed as they neared the training halls. Sparring with Song Weihan always meant being beaten into a pulp to gain actual combat experience; And today the latter seemed to be in a bad mood because Sheng Feilong failed to tell him about his Spirit Power!

    Earlier, Sheng Feilong tried to get help from She Meixiao, but the latter let him hang low. It is unknown if it was intentional or by coincidence, but She Meixiao readily agreed to bring Sheng Feilong, Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan to the training halls and make sure that no one would disturb them.

    They had to wait for a bit as there were still other people training in the training halls and She Meixiao didn''t want to kick them out; All of them were members of Daedalus and required training, after all! Still, many of them noticed She Meixiao and ended their daily training early in order to please her.

    It took quite a while until they were completely alone and She Meixiao promptly closed the hall down so no one else would come. She and Sheng Lingtian then went to the side to observe the whole ordeal, leaving Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan alone on the arena.

    The latter slightly smiled at his disciple when they stood across each other. Although his posture seemed relaxed with his hands behind his back, Song Weihan''s eyes were sharp and he was intently observing Sheng Feilong''s every movement; To Sheng Feilong, this felt like a predator eyeing its prey.

    As Sheng Feilong calmed down and focused his mind onto the fight, Song Weihan spoke up in an unhurried tone. "Use anything you''ve got other than the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. I want to see just how far your Spirit Power can take your abilities now."

    Hearing this, Sheng Feilong nooded and pulled out two short swords from his Spacial Ring; The dual swords he used against Yuanen Yehui in the battle against Shrek Academy''s second grade! He took a deep breath and stared at Song Weihan, his eyes turning cold and devoid of any emotion.

    Song Weihan smirked and freed his hands. Leaning forward lightly, he now stood in a combat ready posture. Both of them stared at each other, non of them making the first move while the tension in the air slowly rose. Slowly, Song Weihan began moving his body ever so slightly, but still didn''t take a step forward and Sheng Feilong reacted near instantly according to Song Weihan''s movements.

    She Meixiao frowned upon seeing this. But as they continued doint this, her frown quickly turned into surprise. She smiled lightly and spoke to Sheng Lingtian who stood next to her in a low voice. "Incredible. It''s rare to see young people with enough patience to fight like this."

    Sheng Lingtian nodded, his eyes still fixated on Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan. "It''s always been like this. Brother Song would first check Feilong''s reactions by adjusting his position moderately. At first, when they just started training together, Feilong would charge in and get badly beaten, but now after a few years, he''s gotten the hang of it. He basically learned this type of combat the hard way."

    "Indeed, with such a method, he''s bound to improve in a short amount of time. When people of a certain level begin fighting, a single move can mean their death. Although it''s not as extreme here, the theory is still the same; Make a mistake, and you''ll get hurt." She Meixiao showed a appreciative expression.

    Meanwhile, Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong were continuing their battle for nearly five minutes, before Song Weihan stopped moving. His smile vanished and was replaced with a solemn expression. Then, he began slowly striding towards Sheng Feilong.

    The latter continued to stare at Song Weihan, with no emotions apparent on his face. Turning the shortsword in his left hand into a reverse grip, he took a slightly defensive position and his Soul Power slowly rose.

    Just three steps away from Sheng Feilong, Song Weihan''s Soul Power suddenly flared up and he vanished from his position. Sheng Feilong instantly took a step forward, bringing his left sword to his chest to block while his right hand stabbed forward, slightly to his right. A loud thud was heard as Song Weihan''s foot kicked against Sheng Feilong''s left shortsword.

    Tilting his body to the the left, Song Weihan dodged the stab of Sheng Feilong''s other sword and he put more strength into his leg, forcing Sheng Feilong to take a step back. The latter pulled his left sword up, attempting to cut Song Weihans foot, but hit nothing but the air.

    Taking another ste forward, Sheng Feilong struck out with his left, but Song Weihan dodged again, only slightly having to twist his body and send a fist flying at Sheng Feilong head. Narrowly ducking below the fist, Sheng Feilong was greeted by a knee strike and had to use both arms to block. He was forced back nearly ten steps until he could steady himself.

    Looking up again, he saw Song Weihan charging at him and quickly did the same. The two of them nearly collided, but both of them came to a sudden halt and started to exchange blows with one another. Dodging, blocking and parrying one attack after the other, Sheng Feilong barely found time to use any counter attacks, but he still had the same emotionless expression on his face while calmly going toe to toe with Song Weihan.

    She Meixiao was once again surprised. Until now, Song weihan and Sheng Feilong hadn''t used any Soul Skills or Soul Power with their attacks; They were fighting only with their bodies and techniques! She stared at Sheng Feilong who was able to keep at with a Titled Douluo in close combat. "Their combat techniques are truly excellent. And I have still underestimated his physical strength; To think that he can go toe to toe with a Titled Douluo, truly incredible."

    Their melee fight continued for a while until both, Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong, used their Soul Power simultaneously. Five Soul Rings appeared behind Sheng Feilong''s back, while Song Weihan''s Soul Power only flared up; He didn''t use his Spirit Essence or Soul Rings!

    Sheng Feilong''s eyes turned a darker shade of gold and a red symbol appeared on his forehead as he activated the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes! Lighting up the second, purple Soul Ring behind his back, Sheng Feilong''s aura increased once again as he ferociously charged at Song Weihan.

    He swung his left sword upwards in a flowing motion, forcing Song Weihan to take half a step back to dodge, while stabbing out with the sword in his right hand, aiming for Song Weihan''s vital organs! She Meixiao''s eyes widened as she could feel Sheng Feilong''s killing intent even from her position.

    She gasped lightly and frowned, while Sheng Lingtian seemed to have already anticipated this. Seeing She Meixiao''s shock, he spoke up incalm manner. "Brother Song asked him to show anything he''s got. How could he do so without the intention to kill? He is fighting a Titled Douluo; Even if he wanted to, he doesn''t have the leeway to hold back."

    Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan continued to exchange blows, with the latter using his first three Soul Skills to make his attacks more unpredictable and diverse. Song Weihan let himself be influenced by Sheng Feilong''s illusions as to not make it too easy for himself.

    Under the influence of Sheng Feilong''s illusions, although he didn''t want to admit it, even Song Weihan had problems keeping up with his disciple''s attacks. Sheng Feilong''s attacks continuously changed shapes and were hard to predict.

    After a long while of fighting, Sheng Feilong finally got a good hit in and forced Song Weihan to actually break Sheng Feilong''s illusions to get out unharmed! Bringing a bit of distance between himself and Sheng Feilong, Song Weihan smiled again. "Let''s stop here. You''ve really surpassed my estimations. Well done."

    Sheng Feilong''s body shook lightly. Although the fight didn''t take to long, he was completely exhausted. Keeping up and fighting Song Weihan was truly still too much for him. Still, unlike before, Sheng Feilong wasn''t beaten to a pulp anymore!

 98 Oath To The Heavens

    Sheng Feilong continued to stand in the middle of the training field with his hands resting on his legs to stabilize himself. His Soul Power was completely used up by now and he was so exhausted that he feared he''d fall over any second now. Still, he was smiling brightly!

    He had forced his Master, a Titled Douluo, inside a corner so much that the latter had to rely on breaking the illusions Sheng Feilong created to get out unharmed!

    At the sidelines, She Meixiao and Sheng Lingtian stood in awe; The latter with a big smile on his face and the former with an incredulous expression. Seeing a Soul King beat an Titled Douluo, even if the latter held back greatly, wasn''t something you could see every day, but Sheng Feilong did just that.

    Song Weihan nodded quietly as he looked at Sheng Feilong. He now had a good grasp of his disciple''s power and was already thinking about how to adjust the latter''s training to match his new strength. "Alright, Feilong, take a break to recover; We''ll continue afterwards with the usual routine."

    Looking at Song Weihan''s retreating back, Sheng Feilong let out a long breath and sat down, quietly meditating to recover his energy. Song Weihan, She Meixiao and Sheng Lingtian left the training hall and sat down in the smaller room further in the back.

    They remained silent for a while, with Song Weihan scribbling a few notes on a piece of paper he took out from his Spacial Ring; He was already making up a new training schedule for Sheng Feilong. Sheng Lingtian looked at Song Weihan for a while before finally speaking up. "How was he?"

    Putting down the pen in his hand, Song Weihan looked back at Sheng Lingtian with a slight smile and a confused expression. "Haven''t you been watching from the sidelines? His strength has increased considerably and he''s already at the point where he can fight Soul Emperor''s with ease."

    Sheng Lingtian sighed lightly with his eyes closed before staring back at Song Weihan. "You should now what I mean, Brother Song." Song Weihan stopped smiling and his confused expression turned more serious. "His state of mind is stable, albeit somewhat darker. Before, even if I asked him to fight with everything he got and beat him up without hesitation, he would never direct killing intent or something similar towards me. I assume this Netherworld Putrefaction Demon has affected his mind."

    Hearing this, She Meixiao looked at Sheng Lingtian in surprise. "Didn''t you say that this was their normal way? That Feilong would use his all to fight against Sir Song?"

    Even before Sheng Lingtian could answer, Song Weihan spoke up. "It is not usual. Brother Sheng merely... didn''t want to let you know all. We are on business terms, Madam She, not close friends. It is better if you do not know everything."

    She Meixiao frowned, clearly displeased by Song Weihan''s comment and answered in a cold tone. "I am aware about our cooperation, and I don''t care about your opinion about me. But Sheng Feilong is also my personal disciple. If you say there''s something weird with his state of mind, then I want to know the details." She paused, staring at both, Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian.

    Focussing back on Song Weihan, she continued with the same cold tone. "It is highly likely that the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is at fault for this change, just as you said. It is by far the most powerful dark attributed Spirit essence I have ever seen and a demon to boot. Moreover, according to Feilong himself, the demon seems to possess its own ego. This is something that concerns all of us. But let me ask you: Who knows more about dark and evil Spirit Essences and how to deal with them ¨C You? Or I?"

    A long silence took hold with She Meixiao and Song Weihan just coldly staring at each other, while Sheng Lingtian stared at She Meixiao as well. None of them spoke nor averted their gazes, until Song Weihan broke this silence. "Very well. You do indeed possess more knowledge about these kinds of things; I will believe that you only want to help Feilong."

    Song Weihan paused, still coldly staring She meixiao right in the eyes before he spoke with a low voice. "I will tell you about the things we kept secret from you so far ¨C About what makes Feilong so much more special than what you imagine." Sheng Lintian''s face changed. He quickly swung his head around, staring at Song Weihan with a shocked expression. "Brother Song, you really want to tell her-"

    "However! You will have to speak an Oath to the Heavens that you will never, and I mean, never tell anyone else of these secrets." Song Weihan said, cutting off Sheng Lingtian while continuing to stare at She Meixiao. Sheng Lingtian closed his mouth, not saying anything else, but instead stared at She Meixiao.

    An Oath to the Heavens was not something any Soul Master would speak lightly. Once spoken, the oath itself will become a heavenly law, tying down the soul of the person who spoke it. If the oath is ever broken, for whatever reason it may be, the soul of the person will be obliterated.

    She Meixiao stared back at Song Weihan, her eyes slightly shaking when she heard him speak about the Oath to the heavens. "This secret means so much to you that you would ask me, a Titled Douluo, to speak an Oath to the Heavens?"

    Song Weihan showed no change in his expression, only continuing to stare at She Meixiao. "This secret is the reason hundreds of lives were ended. And also the reason we went to war with Shrek Academy. You should understand its severity now."

    She Meixiao''s eyes widened for an instant before she calmed down again. "Very well." Straightening her back, she stared at Song Weihan with a serious expression. "I, She Meixiao, swear in the name of the Heavens to never speak about the secrets concerning Sheng Feilong that I will hear from Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian to anyone else. If I ever break this oath, the Heavens shall take my body as tribute and obliterate my soul."

    A strange feeling spread through the room, centring around She Meixiao. Nothing could be seen, but the strange feeling only faded after a few seconds, leaving all three of them behind with a serious expression. She Meixiao breathed out lightly, staring at Song Weihan with a cold expression. "That much should be enough, right?"

    Song Weihan nodded briefly. "There a three secrets about Feilong that you don''t know yet." Standing up, he walked towards the door. "Seeing it for yourself is better than just hearing it from me."

    Walking back into the training hall, they saw Sheng Feilong seated on the ground, quietly meditating and waited for him to wake up. After a while, Sheng Feilong slowly opened his eyes and stood up. He saw Song Weihan and the others and quickly made his way over to them. "Master, I''m sorry I took so long. Should we continue?"

    Smiling lightly, Song Weihan nodded his head. "We''ll continue soon, but there''s something we have to do first." Sheng Feilong looked confused and tilted his head to the side. "What is it?"

    "I want you to show Madam She your Soul Bones. And tell her about your bloodline as well.", Song Weihan said without hesitation, shocking Sheng Feilong. The latter stared at him and glanced at She Meixiao. "Don''t worry. You can trust her."

    Only then did Sheng Feilong nod and took a few steps back. "Master She, I''ll start with the Soul Bones. I currently posses two of them; An artificial one and a real one taken from a Soul Beast."

    She Meixiao was surprised about the ''real Soul Bone'', but before she could say anything, Sheng Feilong changed. His pale golden eyes turned deeper in colour and a majestic aura radiated off of him; This wasn''t him activating his Radiant emperor''s Phantasmagoric eyes, but instead the Artificial Soul Bone made from the 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion!

    The image of Sheng Feilong and the lion superimposed, creating a powerful spiritual pressure. She Meixiao was once again shocked by the display and soon heard Sheng Feilong''s voice. "This is my frst Soul Bone; The artificial one. Master Song gave it to me when I graduated from Heaven Dou City''s Intermediate Academy. It is the first Artificial Soul Bone that was ever created; A Skull type Soul Bone made from the actual Skull Soul Bone of a 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion."

    She Meixiao was gobsmacked and couldn''t say anything; Similar to when Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian first saw Sheng Feilong''s Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence. Sheng Feilong didn''t wait for her to recover and instead retracted the Soul Bone back into his body. Taking a deep breath, he willed his other Soul Bone to come out.

    Another powerful aura came off of Sheng Feilong. Unlike the previous majestic one, this one felt cold and dangerous and a lng, black tail slowly grew from Sheng Feilong''s tailbone. It was a few inches thick and had armour like, solid protection all over its surface. Still, it looked withered and old, but that made the feeling it gave off even more dangerous. At the end of the tail, there was a long, blade like stinger attached.

    She Meixiao froze completely when she saw this tail. She knew the Doomstinger Dragonfly and how it looked. She also knows about the characteristics of its tail. Sheng Feilong once again spoke up before she could regain her calm. "This is the second Soul Bone I possess. It''s a 100.000-years-old tail type External Soul Bone that I''ve obtained from the 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly a bit over three months ago. However, it isn''t in its natural state."

    Bringing the tail in front of himself, Sheng Feilong traced the tissue where the armour plates intersect and pointed out the green, veiny patters there. "The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence influenced the tail, making it even stronger and causing it to not only be a powerful weapon to attack with, but also house the incredible corrosive energy of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. Not only is it an incomparably rare External Soul Bone, it''s also absolutely unique as it''s been changed by my Spirit Essence."

    She Meixiao shook in her place. She couldn''t say anything and just stared at Sheng Feilong with a pale face. She finally understood why Song Weihan went to such lengths as having her speak an Oath to the Heavens before telling her of this.

    But just as she was about to say something, Sheng Feilong retracted the tail Soul Bone and spoke up again. "Then, there is one more thing. Another secret that belongs not only to me, but my whole Clan. The Sheng Clan that I belong to was created about 1.600 years ago by our Ancestor, Sheng Wuyong. This Sheng Wuyong gave himself his name, because he wasn''t a human. The Sheng Clan''s Ancestor was a 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion; We of the Sheng Clan are his descendents ¨C Half Soul Beast, half human hybrids!"

 99 Power Of The 100.000-Years-Old External Soul Bone!

    She Meixiao stared at Sheng Feilong. Just like Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan, she needed a long time to regain her calm; Even longer, in fact, than the other two as she didn''t even know about the Three-Eyed Golden Lion bloodline of the Sheng Clan.

    Even though Soul Beast bloodlines weren''t unheard of, they were still incredibly rare throughout history. Not only did the require a 100.000-years-old Soul Beast to take human form, which was already rarely seen as most Soul Beasts loath humans for hunting them down, the transformed Soul Beast even had to fall in love with a human.

    Even after that, love alone wasn''t enough for a Soul Beast-Human hybrid bloodline to get started. Humans and Soul Beasts in human form, although looking alike and having similar physiques, were still different species, making conceiving a child all the more difficult.

    Not to mention that the Sheng Clan''s ancestor, Sheng Wuyong, was a Three-Eyed Golden Lion, one of the beasts at the top of the world; For them to unite with humans was close to unthinkable! Normally, it would be expected that humans would hunt the transformed Soul Beast down as long as it was still weak; Obtaining a 100.000-years-old Soul Ring was simply too stimulating for their greed.

    She Meixiao really couldn''t believe it at first, but remembering what Sheng Feilong sowed her before ¨C The Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Soul Bone, as well as his bloodline power ¨C she had to admit that all of this was truly unusual.

    She turned around, looking at Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian, then back at Sheng Feilong, not sure what to think. "Feilong... are you really sure that it''s a Three-Eyed Golden Lion..?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded without hesitation. "When I fused with the Artificial Soul Bone, the remnant spirit inside of it roused my bloodline and ''awakened'' it; Normally, it would be way too diluted to give the Sheng Clan''s members any real power. But not only did my bloodline awake, I also saw some memories or something similar from the time Ancestor Wuyong first transformed into a human..."

    Sheng Feilong proceeded to tell She Meixiao about what he saw back than in detail. Including everything Sheng Wuyong said, as well as the ''memories'' he saw from the Artificial Soul Bone''s remnant spirit. He also told her about how diluted the Sheng Clan''s bloodline really was: To the point were they could only awaken weak Spirit Essences that were related to lions, not the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and that even reaching the Soul Saint stage was incredibly rare for them.

    When all was said and done, She Meixiao had completely calmed down, deciding to not question any further for the moment as it seemed as if Sheng Feilong really didn''t know anything else. Still, she managed to notice Sheng Lingtian''s ugly expression and Song Weihan''s complicated one when they talked about the Clan''s bloodline.

    "Feilong, let''s not muse about the Sheng Clan''s bloodline anymore for now. I''m actually more interested in your two Soul Bones... Would you mind if we did some private tests to see just how powerful they really are?" While speaking, She Meixiao also glanced at Song Weihan, who stealthily gave her a nod to indicate his agreement.

    Sheng Feilong nodded quickly; he was also interested to see how powerful his two Soul Bones really were and the group made their way over to another training facility. On the way there, She Meixiao quickly made the training hall free for use again while also asking someone to prepare a room where they could measure Sheng Feilong''s strength in private.

    This time, they didn''t have to wait at all as the testing facilities were mostly empty unless any special events took place and Sheng Feilong soon got to work. She Meixiao told him to attack a specially made pillar to measure the brute strength of his Doomstiger Dragonfly''s tail type Soul Bone.

    Standing in front of it, the strength measuring pillar was literally a thick pillar made to be hit. A few devices were attached to it to measure the force of the impact which was then projected onto a monitor at the side and given a number in kilograms.

    Sheng Feilong sumoned the Doomstinger Dragonfly''s Soul Bone, which quickly grew out from his tailbone, and roused his own Soul Power ¨C He was going to attack the pillar with his full strength! On She Meixiao''s commando, Sheng Feilong shot the stinger forward, viciously attacking the pillar!

    Though, unlike what one would have expected, there wasn''t any loud booming sound. Instead, the sword like stinger at the end of the tail firmly embedded itself into the pillar with nearly no sound whatsoever. A light sizzling sound could be heard afterwards as the corrosive energy from the tail began slowly melting the pillar.

    She Meixiao stared at this display in shock and only regained her wits when she heard the sizzling sound. "Feilong, quickly pull the stinger out! Don''t destroy the pillar!"

    Sheng Feilong quickly pulled the stinger out, but still too late as the pillar had already started melting. Now, there was a deep, fist sized hole left in the pillar. With a slightly pained expression, She Meixiao stared at the hole; Although the corrosive attribute of the External Tail Bone wasn''t unknown to her, she hadn''t expected it to be so powerful as to leave such a big hole in the pillar in such a short time!

    (A/N: Is it just me or does that paragraph above sound... weird..? Maybe my mind is just dirty. Yeah, that''s probably it.)

    Sheng Feilong''s awkwardly scratched his head when he saw She Meixiao''s expression. The latter quickly hid her expression and instead turned around to face Sheng Feilong with a nonchalant one. "This time, try attacking it without piercing into it. We want to see just how powerful the tail really is."

    Sheng Feilong nodded again and got into position, while She Meixiao got back to stand besides Song Weihan. They glaced at each other, both of them shocked about the force of the stinger. It had to be known that the strength measuring pillars were made from a special material that''s incredible resistant to any kind of force or impact. For Sheng Feilong''s Soul Bone to pierce into it and even corrode it so easily, it''s power could be imagined.

    As She Meixiao wanted, Sheng Feilong attacked the pillar again, this time with a dull hit instead of the stinger. A loud impact was heard as the pillar shook and Sheng Feilong took a step back. All of them looked at the monitor and Song Weihan''s voice sounded out first. "29.000 kilograms of force... Incredible. This kind of power is already beyond what would be imagined from a mid level Power Attack Type Soul Saint. That combined with the power of the stinger at the end really makes for a lethal weapon..."

    She Meixiao nodded. "Indeed. The power of the tail itself is really incredible. As for the stinger... A lethal weapon might be an understatement. Being able to pierce into the strength measuring pillar with ease is truly terrifying. I assume it would be able to pierce the defence of a high level Defence Type Soul Douluo, as well."

    Both of them agreed that it was best for Sheng Feilong to never show this External Soul Bone for the time being. She Meixiao liked Song Weihan''s to call it an experimental Artificial External Soul Bone once their research had advanced far enough. Like this, they wouldn''t have to fear people trying trying to rob Sheng Feilong.

    At the end of the day, Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian returned to their respective quarters, leaving Song Weihan and She Meixiao alone. Usually, the former would have returned as well, but he was stopped by She Meixiao.

    Inside She Meixiao''s office, both of them casually sat down and She Meixiao looked at Song Weihan with a light frown. "You said that the secrets you would tell me today would be related to your attack on Shrek Academy. How so? From your expression earlier, I assume it had to do with Feilong''s and his father''s bloodline?"

    The aura around Song Weihan quickly grew cold and he frowned deeply as well. "You are right. Not long after the train incident, the Sheng Clan... was annihilated. Not a single person could be found and the whole estate was razed to the ground. And the only people outside of Sheng Feilong, Brother Lingtian and I, were the higher ups of Shrek Academy."

    She Meixiao''s eyes widened. "Shrek Academy... attacked the Sheng Clan? For their bloodline? Why would they do something like that; Aren''t they supposed to be just? They never moved against anyone who didn''t do them harm."

    "We don''t know. We have no clues about their motive. All I know is that not a single speck of blood could be found in the Sheng Clan estate. They weren''t killed, but most likely abducted." Song weihan said through gritted teeth. She Meixiao''s aura grew cold as well. "They were captured to be experimented on..? No wonder you would attack them, then... Still, what about Feilong..? He..."

    "He doesn''t know yet. It happened when he was unconscious and we haven''t found the right time to tell him. His state of mind is still affected by the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon and we don''t know how he ¨C or it ¨C would react to this news.", Song Weihan said with a sigh.

    Both he and She Meixiao fell silent for a while until the latter broke this silence. "For now, let''s keep it secret. At least until I bring Feilong back from the Star Luo Continent. There''s still two more months until the journey begins and we''ll stay there for around half a year. That should be more than enough time for Feilong''s state of mind to return to normal."

 100 Human Experimentation

    Within the confounds of an undisclosed location, an old man casually sat in a comfortable chair,taking a sip from the glass of wine on the table next to him. The man wore completely white clothes that matched his head full of white hair and his long beard.

    On a chair across from him sat another old man. Unlike the first one, he looked unhealthily thin andhad a badly balding head and a stubbly beard. Dark tear sacks had formed beneath hhis eyes and his greyish clothes were in disarray. Still, he smiled for the whole time while facing the first old man.

    Putting down his glass of wine, the white haired old man finally looked at the man across of him. "So, how have the experiments been going? You''ve had quite some time by now, but I haven''t received a single report until now. I even had to come personally ¨C Just who do you think you are to let me wait?"

    The thin, bald old man still continued to smile, quickly standing up and pulling out a few sheets of paper before handing them to the first man. He didn''t seem intimidated at all and casually began to speak in an unhurried manner. "Please forgive me, Sir, we didn''t find the right time to make a report yet. A man of your standing is always so busy; We really couldn''t do anything about it."

    Taking the documents from the thin man''s hands, the white haired old man skimmed over them. For a while, the room was silent. Just as the thin old man was about to sit down again, the white haired old man spoke up. "What is with this trash? I was expecting a report and you hand me a useless list of dead people?"

    "Oh no, Sir, please don''t misunderstand. They aren''t casualties but material components. They themselves were too weak so recycled them instead, turning their blood into purified essence. But even then, we only managed to create twelve portions of the serum. We took the twelve with the highest bloodline purity and started the experiments with the newly created serum." The thin old man said while pouring himself a glass of wine.

    The white haired old man didn''t bother with his attitude and instead just continued his questions with a cold look on his face. "And the results of that experiment?" The thin old man smiled, looking the other man straight into the eyes, but his smile had vanished. "Three died on the spot, six lost their rationality, one turned into a full fledged beast ¨C a really interesting result ¨C and two of them are still holding on, with various changes to their bodies, like mutations, times where they lose their rationality for a moment as well or just outright lose consciousness before waking up while screaming from pain."

    The white haired old man remained silent for a moment, staring at the thin old man. "...So you have no results to speak of? Then, do you have any speculations for the two who are still holding on?" The thin old man showed a toothy smile at the question. "Why don''t you come and see fr yourself, Sir? Coincidentally, it''s almost time for a few tests to be made on one of them."

    A while later, the two old men stood in front of a big window overseeing a operation room of some sorts. In the middle of the room stood a big bench with a naked person on top of it. His hands and feet were fixed with thick metal cuffs and their posture spread out on the bench. Six people in white coats with green hats stood around the table, going through various tools while discussing things from time to time.

    The white haired old man indifferently looked at the situation below, not minding the naked man on the bench in the slightest. He quietly observed the white coated men and their tools before turning to the thin old man at his side. "Why does the subject have a bag over his head?"

    Still smiling, the thin old man replied with an amused tone. "I didn''t like his face. Constantly crying, pleading for mercy or roaring in rage; He was just too unsightly. So I told them to hide his face and give him some drugs so he shuts up."

    The white haired old man just stared at the thin old man with contempt, but remembering the latter''s eccentric personality, he refrained from saying anything. The thin old man ignored the stare, happily looking at the scene below and then spoke up again. "Oh, it seems like they''re starting now, Sir. The interesting part is about to begin."

    The white coated men in the room below started applying various needles with tubes attached to them to the person on the bench, piercing them into the veins of his arms and even his neck. The person on the bench didn''t react in the slightest, as if he was already dead. One of the white coated men brought forth a syringe with a syrupy reddish fluid in it and just rammed it into the person''s chest, then pushed the fluid into the subjects body.

    The person on the table still didn''t react and the white coated man pushed of of the liquid in before removing the syringe. Now, all of the white coated men took a step or two back and waited. A few moments passed before a gurgling sound could be heard. His body began shaking more and more violently and soon animalistic roars could be heard; The man on the bench sounded nothing like a human but more like a beast!

    As he continued to roar, his body slowly changed. Light brown fur began covering his whole body, as well as his arms and legs, his muscles bulged and retracted violently again and again while his screams became more and more twisted. The person tried to rip himself free from the metal cuffs, straining his muscles so much that obvious injuries could be seen near his shoulders; They were dislocated by the persons own force.

    Ripping sounds could be heard and blood began pouring out from between the fur, but the wounds healed so fast that it could be seen by the naked eye. This continued for nearly twenty minutes until the persons light brown fur slowly started to become a more yellowish colour, slowly turning more vibrant until it was nearly golden. The person became more and more violent the longer the procedure continued, but when the fur had nearly completely turned golden, the violent thrashing suddenly stopped.

    The persons body twitched for a while and the nearly golden fur suddenly turned pitch black and completely lost its luster. The persons body just slumped down, not moving other then the occasional twitch of their muscles. After that the black fur slowly started to fall out, leaving the person with no hair on their body, just like at the beginning.

    The bench was now painted red and blood dripped down at the sides, while some had even splashed onto the white coated men, who now stepped up to the bench again and started to take blood samples directly from the persons body and removing the various needles. After everything was done, five of them pushed the bench with the person on it out of the room, while the remaining one turned around to face the window where the white haired old man and the thin old men stood. He shook his head in disappointment before leaving the room as well.

    "It seems like this marks another failure. Though we''ll have to await the blood tests to say that for sure." The thin man said with a light sigh before turning back to face the white haired old man. "So, what do you think, Sir? Are the experiments to your satisfaction?"

    The white haired old man looked as indifferent as before, as if he didn''t see anything that had happened inside the operation room just now and faced the thin old man again. "What about the other one? You said two of them were still ready to be experimented on?"

    "Yes, other than this boy, there''s still a girl around the same age as him. Her bloodline isn''t quite as pure as the boy''s, but still much purer than the other''s. Though I have to admit, what really surprised me is her stubbornness; Unlike the boy, she didn''t beg for mercy or anything. Instead, she remained silent for the whole time, only viciously staring at my staff, ha, ha. Some even said they don''t want to be involved in her experiments because they''re scared of her.", the thin old man said while laughing about his own staff members.

    The white haired old man didn''t care about it, though, and just continued to stare at the thin old man. "So? Where is she?" The thin old man stopped laughing, facing the white haired old man with a serious expression again. "She''s recovering. We did some experiments on her yesterday. The intensity is a few times that of the experiments we can do on the boy; Her endurance is truly amazing. If we don''t give her time to rest for at least a day, she would just die like the rest of them."

    The white haired old man nodded indifferently again and started to walk away. The thin old man quickly walked after him, always remaining half a step behind. They walked to an elevator at the end of the hallway and boarded it. Walking out at the end of their ride, the white haired old man glanced at the thin old man and threw a token to him. "Inform me immediately when there''s any new developments. You know where to find me."

    Catching the token, the thin old man looked at it and smiled at the white haired old man''s back. Lightly waving his left hand, he spoke to the white haired old man in a casual voice. "Certainly. If there''s anything worth reporting, we''ll immediately inform you, Elder Thosun..."

 101 Sixth Ranked Mecha Maker!

    Two weeks had passed since the time Sheng Feilong and the others tested the strength of his Doomstinger Dragonfly''s External Soul Bone. She Meixiao decided to postpone the testing of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Artificial Soul Bone after she heard a bit more about it from Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong.

    They ended the day there and Song Weihan introduced the new training program he created for Sheng Feilong to everyone. Just like before, they would have Sheng Feilong focus on increasing his rank as a Mecha Maker in order to reach a sufficient standard for him to built his own Battle Armour.

    With no one against it, they helped Sheng Feilong to adjust his training routine accordingly. And Sheng Feilong began sparring with Song Weihan again. Although the latter was still slightly injured and couldn''t use his full strength, it was still more than enough to be able to spar with Sheng Feilong.

    She Meixiao also organized for someone to help Sheng Feilong with his studies of Battle Armour and she, as a Three Word Battle Armour Master, also gave him input about the various aspects of Battle Armours as well as her personal experiences.

    With all of this help, Sheng Feilong made great progress and today, She Meixiao would have him go through the exams to become a real, sixth ranked Mecha Maker. Although the Daedalus headquarters didn''t have direct connections to the Maker''s Association, they still had the means of doing an examination. Only, Sheng Feilong would not obtain a new Mecha Maker''s badge.

    "Are you ready, Feilong?" She Meixiao asked while looking at Sheng Feilong. They were currently standing in front of the workshop of Daedalus'' top mecha Maker, the one who She Meixiao asked to hold the examination for Sheng Feilong.

    Sheng Feilong showed a confident smile as he looked back at She Meixiao. "Yes, Master. I''m confident that I''ll pass the tests. Let''s go, I don''t want to let Senior wait to long!" She Meixiao let Sheng Feilong knock on the workshops door, calmly looking at him from behind.A moment passed before they heard a deep, low voice from within the room. "Enter."

    Sheng Feilong pushed open the door and he and She Meixiao stepped into the workshop. Inside, there stood a tall, middle aged man with a straight nose and a long goatee. Behind him, deeper in the room, was a row of different machine parts, metals ready to be given shape and a few rolled up blueprints.

    The man looked at Sheng Feilong with a stoic expression, scrutinizing him up and down before turning to She Meixiao without saying anything beforehand. "That''s the boy you want me to evaluate, Madam She?"

    "Indeed, Sir Ro. What do you think of him?" She Meixiao looked back at the man with her typical harmless smile. The man glanced at Sheng Feilong again for a short moment, then back at She Meixiao. "Isn''t he a bit young?"

    "There''s always talent that surpasses the barriers of age, Sir Ro. You should know that all to well." She Meixiao said, not budging in the slightest. The man gave a cold harrumph and frowned lightly. "That''s precisely why I''m asking. Having too much success early in his life won''t do him any good."

    She Meixiao''s smile became somewhat fainter and her voice grew a bit more serious. "Sir Ro, please, just evaluate Feilong''s prowess. I will personally take care that he won''t suffer because of this." The man just stared at her for a few seconds, both of them locking eyes before a finally sighed. "You may leave for now. Boy, come over here, we''ll directly start the examination."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and obediently walked over to the side of the man while She Meixiao left the workshop after giving Sheng Feilong an encouraging nod. The man called Sir Ro than turned to Sheng Feilong. "I''m Ro Julei, an eighth ranked Mecha Maker and the preceptor for your examination today."

    He walked over to the machines beside him and continued. "According to the Majer Association''s regulations for sixth ranked Mecha Makers, what you need to be able to do is in order to pass is find the flaws in at least 6 out of ten sixth ranked military grade machines, be able to profeciently handle four metal Spirit Alloys or 3 different kinds and flawlessly read sixth ranked blueprints for both, Mechas and Battle Armours."

    He turned around to face Sheg Feilong with an indifferent look. "The time limit for each part of the examination is two hours. You may decide on the subject you wish to start with yourself." Sheng Feilong nodded and walked over to the machine parts and looked at Ro Julei. "Senior Ro, I would like to start with the flaw identification."

    Ro Julei nodded and put a watch on the table next to him. "You have two hours starting from now."

    Sheng Feilong instantly got to work. Picking up the first machine part, a small cylinder shaped metal case that was open on one side and started to use his Spirit Power to observe it. Ro Julei''s eyebrows rised lightly when he felt Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power, but he didn''t say anything.

    Time passed quietly as none of them spoke. After about seven minutes, Sheng Feilong began to speak, his eyes still focused on the cylinder in his hands. "Sixth ranked military grade Occellion Booster, a standard booster unit for Yellow grade military Mechas. Composed of eight miniature soul engines, four main and four subs, and eight-core circuitry to connect it to the main power system of the Mecha. There''s a flaw in the second sub-engine: The soul condensator isn''t connected, causing an imbalance in power output which results in the destabilization of the Mecha''s balance if used in the field."

    (A/N: I have absolutely no idea about machinery and made all of this stuff up, so please don''t judge me.)

    Ro Julei said nothing and just waited for Sheng Feilong to continue with the test. The latter put down the cylindrical machine after about a few seconds and grabbed the next machine. Observing it for another few minutes, he gave Ro Julei his next report. Then grabbed the next machine, observed it, and gave another report.

    This continued for about one and a half hours until he was done with all ten machines. Ro Julei stopped the time when Sheng Feilong turned back to him. "Total time is 89 minutes and 52 seconds. All ten sixth ranked machines have been evaluated. You have spotted and explained all flows for every single part perfectly. You pass the first part of the Mecha Maker examination."

    Sheng Feilong smiled and bowed lightly to Ro Julei. The latter just nodded before asking Sheng Feilong which part he wanted to do next. Sheng Feilong looked at the other two tests and thought about it for a moment before deciding to do some hands on work with the four Spirit Alloys he was presented.

    With his current focus on creating Battle Armour which required him to be able to work with five metal Spirit Alloys, he was absolutely confident in being able to clear the test as he only needed to be able to work with three different four metal Spirit Alloys.

    40 minutes later, Ro Julei stared at his back with a frown. Although he had faked a calm countenance at the start, he was already slightly shocked that Sheng Feilong managed to spot the flaws in all ten machines, but now he perfectly worked the four metal Spirit Alleys into shape in just this short amount of time.

    Quickly hiding his expression when Sheng Feiong turned back to him, he announced the results, giving Sheng Feilong a perfect grade and they soon started the last test. Sheng Feilong just smiled and sported his Spirit Power to read through the blueprints in record time. As a Spirit Abyss level expert, he would be able to handle eighth ranked blueprints with ease, much less sixth ranked ones.

    In the end, Ro Julei asked She Meixiao to come in again and told both her and Sheng Feilong that Sheng Feilong passed with flying colours and easily matches the standards of top sixth ranked Mecha Makers. They thanked him and then left.

    On the way out, although happy, Sheng Feilong couldn''t understand Ro Julei''s attitude. Although he himself was a Mecha Maker, he didn''t seem happy to see Sheng Feilong succeed. Asking She Meixiao about it, the latter calmly explained to him. "Sir Ro is similar to you. He was an icredibly talented Mecha maker who reached the sixth rank at the age of 19, then the seventh rank at the age of 22 and finally the eighth rank just after he turned 27. But he has been stagnant since then. It''s not that he lacks the talent, but he advanced too fast without fortifying his own foundations."

    Sheng Feilong frowned as he understood what She Meixiao meant. "...He''ll never be able to reach the ninth rank because he was too hasty before. So, he''s reacting like that because he doesn''t want me to make the same mistake?"

    She Meixiao nodded. "Yes. He might seem like a grumpy and petty man, but he really is just concerned about your future; He values talent very highly."

 102 Nether Star Aldismium

    Sheng Feilong frowned lightly, irritated about what She Meixiao just told him. He understood Ro Julei''s concerns, but what that really enough to portray his belief unto every single other genius? "Master, do you think that Senior Ro is right? That I will be facing the same problem as him?"

    Without even looking at him and continuing to walk, She Meixiao answered immediately, without any hesitation. "No. You''re different when compared to Sir Ro. Unlike him, you''ve reached the fifth rank by studying the basics and foundations of machinery while he focused solely on Battle Armour. You have all the foundations that he lacks, so you definitely won''t face the same problem."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head but remained silent. Glancing at him for a short moment, She Meixiao smiled. "For now, you only need to focus oncreating your Battle Armour. With your current strength and proficiency, you should be able to to work with the five metal Spirit Alloy that Senior Tang prepared for you. And the design for your armour should also be finished, no?"

    "Yes. Both the Spirit Alloys and design are finished. I can begin to make the armour at any time. The only thing I need is a workshop." Sheng Feilong''s expression turned brighter when the topic switched to his own Battle Armour. He had been preparing for this for three months, after all!

    She Meixiao stopped and looked at Sheng Feilong. "Good. Then, you should rest for today. I''ll prepare a workshop for you by tomorrow and get someone to collect the Spirit Alloys and the Battle Armour Design for you."

    "No! Please just prepare the workshop, Master. I want to get the Spirit Alloys and the design myself; I want to thank the seniors for their work.", Sheng Feilong said, interrupting She Meixiao. The latter was stunned for a second but still nodded her head with a smile.

    Later, they went on their own ways and Sheng Feilong met up with Song Weihan. The two of them talked for a while and Sheng Feilong told him that he had passed the test and could now be considered a sixth ranked Mecha Maker. "Master, there''s one more thing. Starting tomorrow, I would like to focus on creating my Battle Armour. Would it be possible to pass our daily training until I''m finished?"

    Song Weihan thought about it for a moment before he agreed. "You have at most one and a half months of time. Madam She wants you to join her on a mission by then, so you should get it done before that. If you can''t, then I won''t let you go with her."

    Sheng Feilong spend some more time with Song Weihan before making his way back to his quarters. He went to sleep early in order to wake up early the next morning. Meeting up with She Meixiao, the latter showed him the workshop she prepared for him.

    It was but a standard workshop for Mecha Making, but that alone was definitely enough for Sheng Feilong. He looked a bit around, testing a few of the machines inside the workshop to familiarize himself with them before he headed out.

    First, he wanted to pay a visit to the Mecha Designer who created the design for his Battle Armour. The two of them got along quite well from the get go and Sheng Feilong spent some time with him before leaving with the blueprint for his Battle Armour inside his Spacial Ring.

    Walking through the Daedalus headquarters, Sheng Feilong made his way to Old Tang''s smithy and knocked on the door a few times. Even after a minute, he still got no reply and remembered what She Meixiao told him about Old Tang. He smiled wryly and then chose to just go into the room uninvited.

    As expected, Old Tang sat in front of the furnace, frowning and just staring into the fire. Sheng Feilong closed the door behind him and waited at the side for some time. After a few minutes, Old Tang finally spoke, though still staring at the fire. "What is it?"

    Sheng Feilong smiled. He finally got the old man''s attention. "Senior Tang, It''s Sheng Feilong. I''ve come to take the five metal Spirit Alloy you forged for me." Old Tang let out a sound of surprise and, for the first time today, turned around to look at Sheng Feilong. "Right, you''re that Twin Spirit brat that came with She-girl! It''s been over three months! I told you I''d need a week or so!"

    While speaking, he made his way over to the shelf at the other side of the smithy, completely ignoring the fire he stared in for minutes. Skimming through the shelf, Old Tang cursed about ''all the junk lying around'' while searching for the Spirit Alloys he made for Sheng Feilong. The latter could only smile wryly at the old man''s cussing.

    "Right, here it is." Old Tang came back over to Sheng Feilong with about a dozen pieces of pitch black lumps of metal that had a greyish metallic lustre to them in his arms. He handed them to Sheng Feilong, who quickly stored all of them but one in his Spacial Ring.

    While Sheng Feilong held the last piece in his hand, Old Tang spoke up again. "A five metal Spirit Alloy made with the three metal Spirit Alloy Star Platinum as its base. Adding Nether Storm Quartz and Vorpal Aldismium, it''s become much harder and also heavier while gaining strong resistance to corrosive elements and maintaining the strong spirit conduciveness of Star Platinum. Brat, it''s the first time I''ve created such an Alloy, so it doesn''t have a name yet."

    Sheng Feilong fiddled around with the Alloy in his hand. Although it was barely over 20 centimetres long and a few centimetres thick, it''s weight was more than 25 kilograms. The pitch black colour made it feel like it would let no light pass through it, but Sheng Feilong could feel his Spirit Power being roused just by holding it.

    He suddenly looked up at Old Tang who was waiting for an answer. "Can I test it first?" Old Tang was surprised and looked at Sheng Feilong with confused expression-. "Test it? Test what?"

    "The corrosive resistance. You know how powerful my second Spirit Essence is. What if it''s not resistant enough and I melt down my own Battle Armour?" Sheng Feilong said, still staring right at Old Tang. The latter frowned and scoffed back at Sheng Feilong. "Brat, we''d already confirmed that Nether Storm Quartz and Vorpal Aldismium were resistant to your Spirit Essence''s corrosive nature and now that they''re made into an alloy, it''s even better."

    Sheng Feilong continued to stare at Old Tang without a word. After a moment, the old man frowned and scoffed once again. "Whatever! Test it if you want!" Sheng Feilong nodded and slowly began transforming into the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    Old Tang could once again feel his Spirit Essence tremble and took a step back, while Sheng Feilong focused on the metal. He began slowly scratching it with his transformed claws, but to no avail; The metal really resisted the corrosive nature. He smiled and carefully activated his first Soul Skill while making sure the Soul Ring doesn''t show up.

    Greyish, muddy green vapour rose from his hands as he held the Spirit Alloy in his claw and gripped it tightly. Nothing happened for a moment, but Sheng Feilong could feel that he would be able to destroy the metal if he wanted to. Currently, he was trying out to control the corrosive vapour to not destroy what he didn''t want to destroy and it worked quite well.

    Letting out a sigh of relief, re stopped his first Soul Skill and reverted back to his normal self, stopping the transformation. Old Tang smiled proudly and scoffed at Sheng Feilong again. "I told you it would be corroded. This is a five metal Spirit Alloy and one with more than 85 percent harmony rate at that. No matter how strong your Spirit Essence is, you won''t get it broken that easily."

    Sheng Feilong sheepishly smiled at Old Tang.Laughing lightly in his head, he still answered respectfully. "Senior was right. I''m sorry that I doubted your great work!"

    Scoffing again, Old Tang crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Now that''s a better attitude, brat. So, what do you want to call that Spirit Alloy? It''s for you, so I don''t care about naming it myself; Just don''t give it some trash name!"

    Sheng Feilong looked at the Spirit Alloy again and pondered about it for a long moment. Finally he looked back at Old Tang with a happy expression. "How about... ''Nether Star Aldismium''?"

 103 Completed One Word Battle Armour!

    Old Tang''s eyebrows rose slightly and he kept staring at Sheng Feilong. "Nether Star Aldismium..? So you''re combining the names of all the metals that make it up, huh? Well, I guess that works." He turned around and grabbed a notebook from the shelf. Scribbling something inside, Sheng Feilong guessed he was noting down the new Spirit Alloy''s name.

    Putting the notebook down again, Old Tang went back over to the furnace and stared into it for a moment. He nodded his head, reached into the fire and pulled out a big chunk of glowing red metal.He observed it and nodded again sat down on his anvil.

    His Soul Power started surging lightly, startling Sheng Feilong greatly as it was nearly as powerful as Song Weihan''s and a pitch black hammer with deep, blood red markings appeared in his hand. He glanced at Sheng Feilong and spoke a single sentence while he started hammering the metal. "What are you still standing around there for? You got your stuff, now beat it! I''m busy!"

    Sheng Feilong smiled helplessly and turned around to leave. He just closed the door behind himself and started to hear loud booming sounds from inside the smithy. Glancing back he looked at the door. From the sounds alone, he could guess that the forging process was quite intense. ''Senior Tang kicked me out so I won''t have to bear the shockwaves from his forging, huh? All of them really are considerate...''

    He turned around with a smile and left the smithy. Paying a visit to Song Weihan and his father at the facilities She Meixiao gave them, informing them that he''ll be starting with making his Battle Armour now so they won''t be worried.

    A while later, he stood in the middle of his little workshop and fished out a stack of blueprints from his Spacial Ring; The design''s for his Battle Armour! Unlike what one would expect when they heard the word ''design'', the blueprints for a whole Battle Armour weren''t just drawn on a single blueprint.

    A Battle Armour, even if just a One Word variation, the lowest level among Battle Armours, it was still a highly complicated and detailed machinery that had hundreds if not thousands of details that had to be paid attention to.

    Sheng Feilong picked out one of the blueprints and pinned it to the cork wall. This one was the main design, showing the complete design for the Battle Armour and how it should look once it''s finished. Naturally, it was designed specifically with Sheng Feilong''s dimensions in mind, so there couldn''t be any differences. Still, for Sheng Feilong, this main blueprint was just to motivate himself.

    He picked another one of the blueprints ¨C one for the left arm part of the Battle Armour and studied it for a while. He had to perfectly memorize every nook and cranny of the design before he could even attempt to built it, so he sat down on the table and meticulously scanned it with no signs of hurry to be seen.

    Creating a Battle Armour was a lengthy process, even it it''s ''just'' the making part. Although he had one and a half months of time it finish it, even Sheng Feilong wasn''t sure if he could do it in that short amount of time. A few hours passed before Sheng Feilong stood up and stretched his limbs.

    His eyes were sparkling and he was enthusiastic about starting now. He had memorized the whole blueprint to a T and rummaged through his Spacial Ring to find the most suitable piece of Nether Star Aldismium to create the left gauntlet for his Battle Armour.

    Days flew by in a breeze and Sheng Feilong hasn''t left his workshop even once. Although both of them knew that it took a long time to create Battle Armours, Song Weihan and She Meixiao were still nervous. Sheng Feilong spent a total of 6 days inside the workshop without stepping out of it.

    Finally, on the morning of the seventh day, the door slowly opened and a haggard looking Sheng Feilong stepped out of the room. His face was pale and he had deep bags under his eyes, showing just how tired he was. His clothes and hair were still tidy as creating the Battle Armour mainly focused on his mental capabilities and his eyes showed a bright and excited expression.

    Sheng Lingtian currently sat in front of the room alone and was the first to see sheng Feilong emerge from it. Seeing his son''s state, he could help but feel a bit distressed, but the look in his eyes said enough about the situation. He walked over to Sheng feilong and lightly smiled "Do you want to go eat something? Or would you rather just go to sleep?"

    Sheng Feilong hadnd''t even answered before his stomach growled loudly. Sheng Lingtian chuckled and went towards the cafeteria with Sheng Feilong in tow. Gourging himself on the food there, Sheng Feilong''s face quickly regained it''s usual colour and She Meixiao and Song Weihan joined them not much later.

    They went towards Song Weihan''s office since it was closer to the cafeteria and asked about Sheng Feilong''s success. Since they were alone, the latter just smiled and lifted his left arm. Urging his Soul Power slightly, a dull black light emerged around his whole forearm, quickly followed by a solid looking, streamlined black amour.

    The piece of armour looked stoic and solid, but as Sheng Feilong moved his hand, the armour bend with it perfectly ¨C This was the greatest advantage of Battle Armour that had fused with a Soul Master''s body; It would always be a perfect fit, no matter what kind of movements they made!

    Sheng Feilong slowly moved his finger one by one and the claw like armour fluidly moved with him. It really was like Sheng Feilong grew a second layer of skin. The whole armour was pitch black, just like the Nether Star Aldismium and had a grey metallic lustre that outlined the contours of the armour itself.

    The three adults started to compliment Sheng Feilong on his work, while She Meixiao and Song Weihan scanned the armour at the same time, surprised at the seamless craftsmanship of Sheng Feilong.

    After that, Sheng Feilong returned to his quarters and slept for the rest of the day. The next morning, nearly 18 hours later as it was barely past noon when he went to sleep, he returned to his workshop and started studying the next blueprint. Thanks to his strong body and powerful Spirit Power, he could continue like nothing happened after a good night''s sleep!

    Like this, he spent over a month in his workshop, only ever coming out one he finished another part of the armour ¨C gourging himself in the cafeteria before showing off his work to his Masters and father and then sleep for a day before heading back to work on the next part.

    The others could only shake their heads, but were nonetheless surprised at his endurance and determination. Moreover, even though he worked for about a week without pause every time, his craftsmanship was superb for every piece.

    Finally, just three days before the deadline She Meixiao set for him ¨C the day where she would leave to conduct a special mission ¨C Sheng Feilong exited his workshop for the last time; He had finished the final piece for his One Word Battle Armour!

    After gorging himself in the cafeteria again with Sheng Lingtian, they went to Song Weihan''s office. It had become a routine to do so, so none of them thought it weird and the researchers had become accustomed to seeing Sheng Feilong walk in their boss''s office like a zombie.

    Song Weihan smiled when he saw Sheng Feilong''s expression. Even when compared to the first time he came out with a finished part of his Battle Armour, he looked even more excited. "So, I guess you''ve really made it? You completed the whole Battle Armour?"

    "Yes! I finished the last piece just today; The core component. With this, it''s all completed!" Sheng Feilong replied instantly and smiled brightly. He took a step back and his Soul Power began to surge.

    His body became covered in a dull black light before the metallic, streamlined Battle armour suddenly covered his whole body. The claw like gauntlets covering his arms, solid, armoured legs, a breastplate that was curved outwards covering his chest and upper body and a simple looking helmet covering his face.

    The whole armour had the pitch black colour of the Nether Star Aldismium and the greyish metallic lustre. Compared to conventional Battle Armour, sheng Feilong''s looked much simpler, but the feeling he gave off by just standing there sent shivers down Sheng Lingtian''s spine. Even with his cultivation as a mid stage Soul Emperor, he knew he would lose to Sheng Feilong in less than ten moves if the latter wore this Battle Armour ¨C It''s power was incredible!

 104 Battle Armours Powers

    While Sheng Lingtian was shocked about the power of Sheng Feilong''s Battle Armour, She Meixiao and Song Weihan looked at each other in surprise. They knew that a full set of Battle Armour could enhance the fighting strength of a Soul Master by about 10 ranks, but Sheng Feilong''s aura had already surpassed the level of mid ranked Soul Emperors.

    Considering that he didn''t even use his Spirit Essences yet, that could only mean the the Battle Armour itself was superbly strong. And with the top masters of Daedalus working on the design and material, She Meixiao was certain that Sheng Feilong''s compatibility with the armour was top notch, making him able to tell full advantage of the Battle Armour.

    Song Weihan looked Sheng Feilong up and down. In the whole set of Battle Armour, he couldn''t find the slightest flaw. Even with Sheng Feilong''s prowess, he shouldn''t be able to achieve something of this quality in a short one and a half months.

    Internally shaking his head, Song Weihan ignored the thought and just looked at Sheng Feilong and asked another question. "Feilong, how well does this armour work in conjunction with your Spirit Essences?"

    Sheng Feilong thought about it for a moment and activated his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes. On the unassuming black visor, two glowing golden lights emerge with a red pattern above them. The aura surrounding Sheng Feilong changed as the Battle Armour continued to projecting his Spirit Power outside and creating an oppressive field around him.

    Song Weihan stared at this change with excitement. "Impressive! The increase in Spirit Power is so powerful that you can''t fully control the Spirit Power and its overflowing?" Sheng Feilong shook his head. "That''s not quite it. It feels more like the Battle Armour is reacting to my Spirit Power and creating this ''field'' by itself."

    "So it''s a form of direct amplification. That really is a powerful type of effect. Combine that with your naturally strong Spirit Power and illusions and you''ll be a force to be reckoned with, even for some of the weaker Soul Saints." Song Weihan said with a smile.

    She Meixiao looked at Sheng Feilong and added with a hint of excitement. "What about your other Spirit Essence? How is it influenced by your Battle Armour?" Sheng Feilong deactivated his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes and instead began to transform into the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    His body began enlarging and, surprisingly, the Battle Armour just grew with him, still tightly encasing his body the same was as before. The only real change was the head part. It still remained elongated compared to a normal head, but the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s horns grew out from both sides and the armour made space from them, tightly closing off at the base of the horns.

    However, the Battle Armour didn''t cover absolutely all of his body; The greenish tips of his claw like hands were uncovered. Like that, Sheng Feilong would be able to use the powers of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon perfectly.

    Sheng Feilong moved a bit around to see if the Battle Armour was perfectly connected to his body, which it was, and then tried to use his first Soul Skill, Putrefying Devil Claw. The greyish, muddy green vapour rose from his hand and covered his whole forearm, Battle Armour included. He moved his hands a bit more and saw that the vapour didn''t attack the material from the Battle Armour.

    She Meixiao and Song Weihan nodded in satisfaction seeing this, but Sheng Feilong was shocked. When he tried the resilience of the Nether Star Aldismium before, he made sure that the vapour of his Putrefying Devil Claw didn''t destroy it, but he didn''t try to do so right now; He didn''t try to control the vapour, so it should normally attack the Battle Armour instantly!

    Sheng Feilong looked at his Masters in confusion. "Master She, shouldn''t the vapour attack the Battle Armour..? I''m currently not even trying to control it and leaving it free reign, but it doesn''t seem to do anything. I''m certain that the Nether Star Aldismium itself cannot withstand the Putrefying Devil Claw''s corrosive energy."

    "That''s pretty normal. Do you know the greatest difference between One Word and Two Word Battle Armour?" She Meixiao smiled light with her gaze still focused on the Putrefying Devil Claw. "Normally, you wouldn''t use Spirit Alloys to create One Word Battle armour, which means that the armour can''t fuse with a Soul Master''s body like yours does. However, your''s is different; It has already fused with your body."

    Sheng Feilong seemed to understand instantly. "So it''s already part of my body? And the Putrefying Devil Claw isn''t trying to attack it because it recognizes that the Battle Armour is part of me. Or at least it doesn''t try to destroy ''me''." With a nod, She Meixiao agreed to his thinking. "There probably isn''t a way for the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s power to realize that the Battle Armour isn''t ''you''."

    "Anyways, can you tell us what exactly your Battle Armour enhances when it comes to the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon? Honestly, I can''t feel anything different from normal." Song Weihan asked while scanning Sheng Feilong with his Spirit Power and frowning lightly.

    "There isn''t really much difference." Sheng Feilong said. Lifting his hand, he had the greyish, muddy green vapour slowly disappear. "Unlike with my Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes, there isn''t a direct effect like the reaction to my Spirit Power. It''s just the physical enhancement that goes with donning the Battle Armour itself."

    "So there''s no other effect? I understand that the Battle Armour wouldn''t increase the corrosiveness of your powers, but it should at least be able to somehow strengthen your abilities." She Meixiao asked in wonder, but to her dismay, Sheng Feilong shook his head. "There really isn''t any great increase to my abilities. But compared to when I use my other Spirit Essence, it feels like the Battle Armour is increasing my physical strength and defence even more now."

    Song Weihan and She Meixiao accepted it as such and the latter even asked Sheng Feilong to attack her with just his physical strength to see just how much more power he had. Song Weihan frowned light, and closed off the room with his Soul Power to make sure nothing gets destroyed and the people outside don''t get alarmed.

    She Meixiao prepared herself for a moment and beckoned or Sheng Feilong to attack her. She caught his punch in her hand, but a surprised expression painted her face. "Your physical strength is close to peak rank Power Attack Type Soul Saints with the help of your Battle Armour. The strength increase really is extreme."

    They tried out a few more things before calling it a day and allowing Sheng Feilong to go to sleep. The next morning, Sheng Feilong visited She Meixiao''s office after the latter left him a message on his Soul Communicator. "Feilong, come, sit down."

    She looked at Sheng Feilong with a smile, handing him a few documents. "These are the details for the mission the two of us will take on in two days time. I promised you to take you along if you can become a sixth ranked Mecha Maker and complete your Battle Armour, after all."

    Sheng Feilong looked through the documents briefly. It was mainly a request for She Meixiao to check on a few branch headquarters of Daedalus and see how they were doing, as well as looking for new recruits on the way.

    Sheng Feilong seemed a bit disappointed for a moment, which didn''t escape She Meixiao''s eyes. She smiled at him and pointed at the top section of the document in Sheng Feilong''s hand. "You should take a look at where we''re supposed to find these branches."

    "Checking on the status of branches... Recruitment on the way... Eh? Travelling to the Star Dou Continent''s two main branches and checking up on them as well?!" Sheng Feilong instantly shot up and looked at She Meixiao excitedly. "We''re going to visit another continent?!"

    She Meixiao smiled, showing that she expected this reaction. "Yes, we are. Mainly to check up on them but with the recuitment in mind, as well. There will be a political travelling party heading for the Star Dou Continent in two days time, which we will join to travel overseas."

    She Meixiao explained the situation a bit more clearly to Sheng Feilong, causing the latter to become more and more agitated. By the end of the explanation, he could barely remain seated and stormed off to God knows where without even saying his good bye''s to She Meixiao. "I''m going to prepare right now!"

 105 Boarding The Ship

    Sheng Feilong was making his way to his quarters. When She Meixiao told him they would go to the Star Luo Continent for the mission, he was so excited that he didn''t even realize how rude he was to just leave his Master behind in the office while he run off.

    That Star Luo Continent was one of the three continents on the planet and also the one that has the shortest history to it, only spanning back around 10.000 years. Back then, wars plagued the Douluo Continent after a tectonic shift connected the Douluo Continent with the Sun Moon Continent.

    The Sun Moon Empire, the overlords of the Sun Moon Continent, used their superior technology to conquer the Douluo Continent over the course of many years and forced the two great empires of the Douluo Continent, the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire, to flee.

    Eventually, the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire found uncharted continents and made themselves at home their, leading to the creation of the Star Luo Continent and the Heaven Dou Continent. While the Sun Moon Empire slowly evolved into the Federation of the Douluo Continent as it is known today.

    According to what books on the matter said, the Star Luo Continent was a completely different world compared to the Douluo Continent, so Sheng Feilong was excited to see this ''different world'' for himself. With that in mind, Sheng Feilong began reading up on the Star Luo Continent in order to get as much information as possible.

    She Meixiao still sat inside her office. After Sheng Feilong left, she couldn''t help but laugh a bit, not minding how rude it was for him to leave just like that. Still, since the latter didn''t let her finish her explanation, he''ll be in for a surprise when they go there.

    Later that day, Song Weihan visited She Meixiao. He already came in with a frown and sat down after being offered a seat. "Madam She, I heard about your talk with Feilong from this morning. Are you really sure about this? We still don''t know who they will sent."

    She Meixiao smiled lightly and offered Song Weihan a cup of tea before taking one for herself. She took a sip before she began talking. "I''ve just got the information today. It''s confirmed that the Silver Moon Douluo will be the only Titled Douluo Shrek sends to the Star Luo Continent. Other than her, there will be a Soul Saint level teacher and a handful of students. With me accompanying Feilong, nothing will go wrong."

    The Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue''er and the Smiling Snake Douluo She Meixiao weren''t on the same level at all. When She Meixiao was already a Titled Douluo and had her position in Daedalus long established, the Silver Moon Douluo was just beginning to make a name for herself as one of the Shrek''s Seven Monsters.

    By now, although not knowing She Meixiao''s exact level of strength, Song Weihan knew that she was much stronger than the Silver Moon Douluo. And unlike the latter, She Meixiao was a Four Word battle Armour Master, thanks for a favour Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua owed her.

    Song Weihan still didn''t seem very happy about the situation and was mostly concerned about Sheng Feilong''s well being, so he couldn''t help himself from continuing to frown. She Meixiao smiled again. "If what you said is true, then this is the best opportunity for us. The Silver Moon Douluo won''t be able to hide anything from me. If they are at fault, her reaction to seeing Feilong alive will be everything I need. Moreover, once we''re on the Star Luo Continent''s territory, instigating her death won''t be a problem."

    "Are you really sure you''ll be able to deal with her if need be? Although I know you''re stronger than her, the Silver Moon Douluo is still a force to be reckoned with. If you-" Song Weihan continued to doubt her, which annoyed She Meixiao somewhat.

    He quickly stopped talking when he saw She Meixiao throw him a sweet, harmless smile, that would sent shivers down the spines of anyone who knew She Meixiao. "Sir Song, there really isn''t any need for you to be so anxious. Feilong is also my disciple. If I wasn''t a thousand percent sure that I''ll be able to perfectly deal with the situation, I wouldn''t dare to let him come with me. Please just leave it to me."

    Song Weihan nodded stiffly and then took a deep breath. Looking at She Meixiao, he now smiled lightly, his frown completely gone. "I''m sorry. I''ll be troubling you for the time being, then." The two of them continued to talk about the journey for a while longer, though much more light hearted than before.

    The next two days passed quickly and in the early morning of the third day, She Meixiao asked for Sheng Feilong to come to her office. Song Weihan was already there as well, when Sheng Feilong arrived together with his father. She Meixiao smiled as she once again told everyone of the journey they would go on.

    Sheng feilong flinched when she told them that they would board a ship to cross the ocean and join a politic delegation on the journey. Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian merely nodded, seemingly already being aware of that fact. Sheng Feilong finally realized that he didn''t wait for She Meixiao to explain everything to him two days ago and started seriously listening to her now.

    Just two hours later Sheng Feilong and She meixiao sat inside a Soul Train, travelling to Skysea City at the north-east of the continent. There, they would meet up with the politic delegation and board the ship. According to She Meixiao, that ship would be sailing the ocean for two months before they would finally arrive at the Star Luo Continent.

    Sheng Feilong used the time they spent on the train to meditate in silence, while She Meixiao just used her Soul Power to create a sound proof barrier so they wouldn''t be disturbed. They were travelling first class and She Meixiao made her identity as a Soul Master known to the staff of the train, so no one dared to bother them anyways.

    Time passed by silently and after a few hours, Sheng Feilong was woken up by She Meixiao, who told him that they had reached their destination. They walked through the train station, She Meixiao lead the way. "For now, we''ll head to the Grand Skysea Hotel. Everyone who joins travels to the Star Luo Continent is supposed to meet up with the politic delegation there first. Afterwards, we''ll board the ship with everyone."

    She paused for a moment while they were walking before chuckling lightly. "Well, we''ll also get special treatment, so to say. Since I''m a Titled Douluo and all, you see? You better thank you Master properly; If not for me, you would have to wait quite a while. As far as I know, there''s over a thousand people joining the journey this time."

    "...That many?" Sheng Feilong was slightly shocked and She Meixiao explained that this journey wouldn''t just be a politic delegation but also an exchange program for experts of various professions. Blacksmiths, Mecha Makers and the likes; Even cooks and space travel researchers would join.

    She Meixiao didn''t mention that students from Shrek would join the delegation for a student exchange program and stealthily made sure that he wouldn''t see them when they arrived.

    At the Grand Skysea Hotel, the leader of the politic delegation, the federation''s head secretary Zhang Panwen, gave a speech before introducing a few important people that would be joining. They were mainly the top brass of the politicians and delegates that would be joining as well as some of the more important members that would join the first class, as well as the leader of the delegation that will return to the Star Luo Continent with them.

    Later, when they were ready to begin boarding the ship, Sheng Feilong could see head secretary Zhang Panwen personally accompany a group of people to board the ship. They weren''t introduced before and from his position, Sheng Feilong couldn''t quite see who they were, but a few of them seemed to be quite young. Tilting his head slightly, he guessed that they must be important people from the Star Luo Continent that didn''t want all the attention drawn to them.

    A few minutes later, another high ranking member of the politic delegation came to She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong to escort them to board the ship as well. The man looked to be in his late fifties and had a balding head. He wore a formal suit and had a standard practised smile of a politician on his face.

    Due to her status, the man naturally paid She Meixiao high respects. He side eyed Sheng Feilong as he didn''t recognize the latter, but didn''t dare disrespect him as he was together with She Meixiao. "Madam Smiling Snake, who is this young man by your side, if I may ask?"

    She Meixiao had a business like blank expression on her face and answered somewhat indifferently to the politician. "He is my personal disciple. Feilong, come greet Deputy Minister Hao." Sheng Feilong nodded and stepped forward before slightly bowing to the man with his hands clasped in front of him. "She Feilong greets Deputy Minister Hao."

    As he had talked about with She Meixiao before, Sheng Feilong gave a fake name instead of his real one. By now, the name ''Sheng Feilong'' was somewhat renown among the federation as the conflict between Shrek Academy and Song Weihan got many people to investigate the matter.

    Deputy Minister Hao returned the greeting with a friendly smile and a light nod. Although Sheng Feilong was She Meixiao''s disciple, he was still a junior, so he didn''t bow to the former. Afterwards, they were lead onto the ship by Deputy Minister Hao and shown their respective quarters for the journey.

    Like this, their two months long journey to the Star Luo Continent would begin!

 106 Reuniting With Old Friends

    Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao had set up their quarters after Deputy Minister Hao had shown them where they are. As expected, their quarters were next to each other since they were Master and disciple.

    While they were at it, the ship set sail and left the port. The captain made a short announcement, mainly introducing himself and greeting everyone for the trip. Sheng Feilong didn''t really listen to him and instead went over to She Meixiao''s quarters.

    He lightly knocked on the door and waited for She Meixiao to open it. Shortly after, She Meixiao opened the door and looked at Sheng Feilong. "Oh? You''re already done setting up your room?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded with a smile. "Yes. I didn''t have much to set up to begin with. Is there any plan for what we''ll be doing in these two months from now?" Looking down the hallway, She Meixiao first opened the door wider. "Well, let''s not talk about that in the hallway. Come on in."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t hesitate to walk into her room. Looking around, he saw that their rooms were actually identical, except for the few decorations She Meixiao had already set up inside. A suitcase lay on the bed from which She Meixiao seemingly took most of the decorations as it was nearly empty.

    The two of them sat down at a table and Sheng Feilong once again asked his question about what to do for the next two months. She Meixiao thought about it for a moment before speaking of her ideas. "We won''t be able to leave the ship for the whole two months, so we''ll have to do what we got here. The most basic thing would be to meditate and try to increase your Soul Power."

    Sheng Feilong nodded. This was what he had expected as well. With limited space and no way to leave, the best thing to do would be to simply cultivate. She Meixiao continued with a thoughtful expression. "We can''t do much more, so it''ll mostly boil down to that. Well, your Soul Communicator should work without a problem; You could read up on Mecha Making or something. Oh and there''s also the banquet tonight."

    "Banquet?" Sheng Feilong said with a surprised expression. "Yes, the banquet. The one the captain just talked about." She Meixiao answered while raising an eyebrow.

    Sheng Feilong had ignored the announcement the captain made because he thought is was mainly to introduce himself and greet a few important people, but it had indeed mentioned a grand banquet tonight. Apparently it was meant to celebrate the friendship between the Star Luo and Douluo Continents.

    Sheng Feilong scratched his head with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Um, Master, I don''t have any formal clothing for the banquet. I don''t think it would be appropriate for me to-" Sheng Feilong stopped and looked at She Meixiao.

    The latter had a smug look on her face and had just pulled something out from her Spacial Ring. Sheng Feilong was shocked. "A.. A suit..?" The smug grin on She Meixiao''s face grew wider. "Most people already knew about tonight''s banquet. Moreover, it''s pretty normal to have at least one set of formal clothing with you when you go on a long trip. With how excited you were, I figured you wouldn''t think about this."

    She handed him the suit with a smile. "I asked your father to choose one for you. He was just as confused as you and didn''t know why it would be important. Honestly, like father like son; You''re both reliable, but sometimes lack common sense."

    Sheng Feilong smiled wryly when he heard that. Neither he nor his father were ever invited to such an event and they didn''t went out for business trips or anyhting; They simply had no experience with stuff like this, but he remained silent, not saying anything in fear She Meixiao would make fun of him. "Thank you, Master..."

    She Meixiao showed a knowing smile, seemingly having guessed what Sheng Feilong was thinking about. "Go back to your room and try it on. If it doesn''t fir, well, then you can just wear your uniform when we go to the banquet."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and put the suit in his Spacial Ring. Even if he was just going over to the room next door, he didn''t want to risk getting it dirty. "I''ll try it on right now. I''ll be back in a minute!" He bowed lightly to She Meixiao and went back to his room.

    He was just about to open his door, when he heard a sound behind him. Coincidentally, the door across from his opened, revealing the passenger who lived there. Sheng Feilong turned around, ready to greet his new ''neighbour'', but they both froze when he saw each other.

    Sheng Feilong was simply surprised to see that person here, but the other blankly stared at him with their mouth lightly opened. Sheng Feilong snapped out of his daze first and was positively surprised. "Xu Lizhi? You''re here as well?"

    Yes, in front of him stood Xu Lizhi, his classmate from Shrek Academy! Nearly half a year had passed, but the latter still looked nearly the same. He was a tall man with a silly expression on his face, had a big, round belly and was nearly as broad as he was tall.

    Sheng Feilong turned away from his door and took a step closer to Xu Lizhi. "It''s been a while, Lizhi! How have you been?" Looking to the left and right, he didn''t see anyone else from Shrek. "Are you here alone- Hey, are you alright?!"

    Xu Lizhi just stood in the doorway with tears in his eyes, staring at Sheng Feilong without saying a word. Sheng Feilong became a bit concerned and asked if he was okay once more, lightly hitting the former in the shoulder. Xu Lizhi finally seemed to snap out of his daze and spoke up with a shaky voice. "Sheng Feilong, is that really you..?"

    Sheng Feilong''s expression was a bit odd. He didn''t expect that his identity would be questioned by an old friend on the first day he boarded the ship. "Of course it''s me? Or do you know another Sheng Feilong? Anyways, are you- whoa!"

    Before Sheng Feilong could finish, Xu Lizhi had rushed up to him and embraced him in a giant bear hug, nearly causing Sheng Feilong too fall. Xu Lizhi didn''t let go of him and laughed like a maniac with tears streaking down his face. "You''re really Feilong! Ha, ha, ha! You''re not dead! You''re not dead, ha, ha..."

    Sheng Feilong, who tried to get the huge, fat boy to let go of him, suddenly froze when he heard the latter speak. He suddenly remembered that he never told his friends at Shrek that he was alright... They still thought he died in the terrorist attack on the Soul Train back then. He didn''t know what to say and let Xu Lizhi continue to hug him while he cried and laughed.

    A few moments later, a door a bit further down the hallway opened. A young man with black hair and a moderately tall frame came out of the room. Seeing Xu Lizhi laugh and cry in the hallway he quickly walked up to them. "Lizhi? What''s wrong, why are you-... Sheng Feilong..?"

    Tang Wulin froze in his place as well, ignoring Xu Lizhi and just stared at Sheng Feilong in disbelief. The latter smiled wryly, still with the giant crybaby in his arms. "Um, Captain? A bit of help..?"

    He quickly came up to the two of them, still as shocked as before, but forced himself to be calm enough to help Sheng Feilong rather than jumping on him like Xu Lizhi did. "Lizhi! Lizhi, calm down! You''re suffocating him!"

    Even with Tang Wulin''s help, it took quite a while to calm Xu Lizhi down, but he eventually let go of Sheng Feilong. The three of them talked in the hallway for a moment before Tang Wulin offered for them to go to his room.

    They continued to talk a bit more in there before Tang Wulin got an idea. He called the other member''s of Shrek Academy, safe for the teachers, and asked them to come to his room. Apparently they all lived spread out on this same hallway, so it didn''t take long for them to arrive.

    There was a knock on the door soon, Tang Wulin called out for them to enter and Xie Xie came into the room. He was just walking in but already complaining. "Captain, why did you call all of us here? Did something-" He stopped in his tracks and started at the bed, where Sheng Feilong was sitting, casually waving at him.

    Not even a second passed before another voice came from behind Xie Xie. "Why are you standing in the way? Get in or get out; You''re bocking the whole doorway!" The person shoved Xie Xie further into the room to enter himself and Sheng Feilong smiled when he saw who it was.

    Yue Zhengyu had a frown on his face, not knowing what''s wrong with Xie Xie again, but soon saw Sheng Feilong waving at them just like Xie Xie. He froze as well, but wasn''t as bad off as the former. "Junior Brother Sheng..?" Sheng Feilong smiled at him as well. "It''s been a while, Senior Brother Yue!"

 107 Shrek Academys Exchange Students

    Hey there, Yozuka here!

    I''m really not sure how to tell you this, but... this is the last chapter.

    Well, jokes aside, I''m really sorry that there was no chapter yesterday! There were a few problems at work and I had to remain behind for more than three hours, so I didn''t have time to write a chapter. D:

    There''ll be a double release today to make up for that!

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "It''s really you..." Yue Zhengyu was the same as Xie Xie; Both of them just standing in the hallway with a shocked expression. A moment later, the next people arrived and Tang Wulin quickly pulled Xie Xie and Yue Zhengyu into the room before the same thing happens again.

    Little by little, all of the students from Shrek Academy came to the room. Upon seeing Sheng Feilong, all of them showed various degrees of shock. Though the only two who cried where Xu Lizhi and Xu Xiaoyan, while Gu Yue and Ye Xinglan were the most composed.

    To Sheng Feilong''s surprise, the students who came from Shrek were mostly composed of Tang Wulin''s team which he was originally a part of and the only other students were Yuanen Yehui and Yue Zhengyu from the second grade.

    While everyone slowly calmed down, Sheng Feilong turned towards Tang Wulin with a smile. He really liked that Tang Wulin would always remain calm no matter what happened. And he was mostly pleasant to talk to. "You''ve all been chosen to represent Shrek Academy in the exchange program?"

    Tang Wulin nodded his head with a calm expression. "The Academy chose us for the program and we''re supposed to join another academy on the Star Luo Continent. Yuanen and Zhengyu are the top students and class monitors of the second grade, so they are supposed to represent their grade."

    "And the rest of the team is made up of first years? What about the rest of the second grade? And the third grade?" Sheng Feilong asked, a bit confused about the choice. Tang Wulin smiled wryly and Yue Zhengyu chimed in. "The rest of the second grade can''t compare with Wulin and the others. We don''t know why they didn''t sent anyone from the third grade, but I guess they just opted for the rest of us since they recently beat the third grade in a match."

    Yuanen Yehui said nothing, but she was clearly displeased that Yue Zhengyu so openly said that the rest of their grade can''t compare to the first grade. Still, she couldn''t deny that this generation''s first years are all exceptionally strong. After the decision was made, she requested for another duel between the first and second grade because she wasn''t satisfied with the result.

    Although she knew the first grade''s strength and that they had lost against the first grade at the start of the year, Yuanen Yehui still firmly believed that that was because Sheng Feilong had tied her down. Now with him out of the picture, she didn''t believe that they were still their equal.

    Unfortunately, her request was turned down by the teachers, but that didn''t stop her from leading her team to challenge Tang Wulin and the others to an informal competition. The result was devastating; She and Yue Zhengyu were the only ones able to tie their opponents down while everyone else was disposed of relatively quickly. Then, with the support of the rest of their team, Tang Wulin and Ye Xinglan dealt with her and Yue Zengyu respectively. It was a total defeat.

    Sheng Feilong seemed surprised. "You guys actually beat the third grade..? Aren''t most of them around 20 years of age? And you still won?" Tang Wulin nodded and explained a bit about the third grade. Apparently they just had the advantage of their age and weren''t actually as talented as the top students from the second and first grades.

    Yuanen Yehui clenched her fists lightly when she heard Sheng Feilong accepting the fact that the second grade was weaker than the first grade like nothing. She had accepted the teachers evaluation, but for Sheng Feilong to be so arrogant to not even put them in his eyes; This was just too much. "You think the second grade is so weak that you don''t even need to mention them?"

    Sheng Feilong flinched, not expecting her suddenly speak up while he talked to Tang Wulin. He wanted to say something, but seeing Yuanen Yehui''s angry expression, he hesitated for a moment before speaking up with a calm expression. "I never cared for who''s stronger or weaker. I only cared about cultivating at Shrek and the only reason I joined the competition was to apologize to you to begin with. I don''t think the members of the second grade are weak; They are students at Shrek, that alone already says enough. But... they are weaker compared to the first grade."

    The mood in the room turned somewhat weird and it was clear that Yuanen Yehui was angry about Sheng Feilong''s answer; even Yue Zhengyu didn''t have a good expression. Tang Wulin wanted to say something to stop them, but Yuanen Yehui was faster to speak up. "You still think they''re weaker? While you played dead for half a year, all of them trained like mad to become stronger and challenged their limits time and time again. Who are you to say they''re weaker?"

    Sheng Feilong remained silent and his expression became somewhat frosty. He stared at Yuanen Yehui and released his Soul Power. The faces of the people in the room quickly changed when they saw five Soul Ring''s pop up behind Sheng Feilong''s back. Three purple and then two more, black and black!

    They were shocked to see that Sheng Feilong broke through rank 50 when they struggled to just reach rank 40 after this half a year. After a long moment of silence, Sheng Feilong spoke up with a cold voice matching his gaze. "They trained like mad? Congratulations; You''ve done what was expected of normal students of Shrek Academy. Then, how far have they reached? How strong have they become? Can they match the first grade''s students now?"

    While speaking, he began to take of his jacket and then his shirt, showing his bare upper body and the horrendous scar that went up all the way from beneath his ribcage over his shoulder. He pointed at the scar with a finger and continued to speak in the same frosty tone. "Does this look like playing dead to you? Do you think the Soul Train accident was a joke? Do you think my Master, Song Weihan, attacking Shrek Academy out of hatred is a joke?"

    No one spoke ¨C No one dared to speak up now. They all thought Sheng Feilong was dead until today and they naturally knew about the Soul Train accident. For Yuanen Yehui to speak of it as ''playing dead'' was already close to the limit they could accept, but they hadn''t imagined what Sheng Feilong had gone through while he was ''dead''. What in the world would lead to him receiving such a scar?

    Sheng Feilong sighed and put his shirt back on, ignoring the shocked stares of the others. He looked at Yuanen Yehui who didn''t dare to match his gaze anymore. "You asked for my opinion on the matter. I didn''t intend to insult you or anyone from the second grade... The Soul Train didn''t have an accident and it wasn''t just any terrorists attacking it, but was evil Soul Masters. And I nearly died fighting their leader, a Soul Saint, back then. If it wasn''t for my Master, I would have died without a doubt."

    After some time of silence, Tang Wulin looked at Sheng Feilong with a strange expression. He hesitated for while longer before speaking up. "Will you return to Shrek Academy..?" Everyone else looked at Sheng Feilong now as well. All of them were eager to hear his decision, but Sheng Feilong slowly shook his head. "No. At least not for now. I don''t know about the future, but for the moment, I have no intentions of going back."

    Just after he finished, his Soul Communicator rung. It wasn''t a call, but a message and seeing that it was from She Meixiao, Sheng Feilong quickly looked at it. It was a simple line saying ''One minute is already up.'' and ended with a cute smiling emoji.

    He had forgotten that She Meixiao was still waiting for him to try the suit on and return! Sheng Feilong''s face change and he jumped up from the bed. Grabbing his jacket, he run over to the door and left in a hurry. "I really have to go now! I''ll see you later! Right, you''ll join the banquet won''t you? See you then!"

    Tang Wulin and the others were stunned. The heavy mood had completely disappeared, but everyone was still just staring at the door. Sheng Feilong didn''t have the leisure to concern himself about what they might think and quickly returned to his own room. He pulled out the suit and carefully placed in on the bed before undressing, throwing his clothes on the ground.

    In the room next to his, She Meixiao was still looking at her Soul Communicator. Hearing the noise and chaos coming from the other room, she smiled lightly and just waited for Sheng Feilong to come over. This was the thing she didn''t want to tell Sheng Feilong before; She knew that students from Shrek Academy would join the delegation.

    She also knew that they would be on the same floor as them. And, from Song Weihan''s words after she got a hold on the list of people Shrek Academy would sent, she also know that they were Sheng Feilong''s friends.

    The chaos in the room next door quieted down and She Meixiao assumed that Sheng Feilong had finished. He smiled lightly again, waiting for him to come knocking on her door. A moment later, the awaited knock came. "Well, he didn''t spout any nonsense about his secrets, so I guess it''s okay. He also got to meet his friends, which should be good for his mind... Enter!" She mumbled the first pat to herself before asking Sheng Feilong in with the last word.

 108 The Banquet Begins

    Sheng Feilong stood in front of She Meixiao and was slightly fidgeting around, while the latter simply sat on the bed and smiled at him. She didn''t say anything which only made it harder for Sheng Feilong to stay calm.

    She Meixiao quietly looked at Sheng Feilong without a word and just as the latter finally couldn''t bare it any longer, she began speaking in a sweet and warm tone. "So you run off to have fun with your friends instead of coming back here?"

    If he didn''t know better, Sheng Feilong would never guess that She Meixiao was angry at him, which only made him more nervous. "Master, I''m really sorry! I was about to enter my room when someone caled from from behind and it turned out to be a friend from Shrek Academy. He-he started crying because he thought I was dead and I couldn''t just leave him standing there. Another one of my friends was nearby and we went to his room to calm Xu Lizhi down, we-"

    "Alright, alright, that''s enough. I''m not mad." She Meixiao playfully smiled at Sheng Feilong and stopped him from explaining any more. "I''m a Titled Douluo. You couldn''t possibly think that I wouldn''t know what was going on 10 metres away from me, could you? I knew from the start what happened in the hallway."

    Sheng Feilong sighed in relief and apologized again. She Meixiao giggled for a moment and then started looking Sheng Feilong up an down. "I have to admit, your father really knows what suits you best. You''re looking good."

    Sheng Feilong smiled lightly and looked down on himself. His father really did have a good eye for clothes. He was wearing a dark blue dress shirt with a simple unadorned dark grey jacket above it and matching pants. He didn''t wear any tie, but that only helped the strong colour of his shirt to stand out more, greatly complimenting his pale golden eyes and pitch black hair; he did indeed look quite dashing.

    He looked back up with a light smile to see She Meixiao look at him with a playful mocking smile. Seeing his expression, she decided to tease him a bit more and her smile turned into a teasing grin. "Already getting complacent for being handsome? Shouldn''t you at least bring a girl back home to your father before?"

    Taken aback by She meixiao attitude, Sheng feilong awkwardly coughed twice to hide his blushing cheeks. "Master, I''m still too young to bring a girl back home. And I was just objectively evaluating myself just now; I didn''t mean to act complacent."

    She Meixiao couldn''t help but laugh slightly. "''Objectively'', is it? Really, that was not bad." She calmed down and looked at Sheng Feilong with her usual calm smile. "Anyways, I assume you know the usual conduct of such events, right? It''s basically just a formality to go and spent some time to get to know a few people. You''re still young so most of the old folks won''t pay you too much attention; You can just have a bit of fun at there."

    "If it''s just some formalities and small talk, I''ll manage without problems. I''ll just act naturally and do it like others.", Sheng Feilong replied with a nod before looking somewhat thoughtful. "Is there anything I should pay special attention to?"

    She Meixiao thought about it for a moment and then gently shook her head. "No, not really. Try not to clash with the people from the Star Luo Continent or anyone else. A few people like to make a scene at such gatherings. Though I don''t think anything you wouldn''t be able to handle would come up. There''s still a bit of time left, so you can return to your room for now. I''ll fetch you later, so don''t run off on your own first."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and bid his farewells to his Master. Just as she had said, there was still quite a bit of time left and She Meixiao hadn''t changed yet; Even Sheng Feilong was tactful enough to understand such an obvious hit to the side.

    With his formal attire already on, he didn''t want to cultivate as he feared crinkling his pants, so he just sat down on a chair and played about with his Soul Communicator. Sadly, he couldn''t reach his father as the Communicator only had a limited range and they were currently on the open sea.

    A while later, She Meixiao came over to pick him up. Sheng Feilong was surprised when he opened the door; She Meixiao wore a black one piece dress and high heeled shoes of the same colour. Her hair and make-up were spot on, causing Sheng Feilong to wonder how she did all this in less then 20 minutes. Although her outfit was somewhat revealing, She Meixiao only exuded a mature and calm aura instead of an alluring charm.

    They walked into the banquet hall and quite a number of people were already present. Sheng Feilong didn''t see any of his friends from Shrek yet and She Meixiao asked him to accompany her for a while while they chatted with a few people. Sheng Feilong stayed true to his story and introduced himself as She Feilong.

    A few people that knew She Meixiao were surprised and gave Sheng Feilong an extended, appraising look. For the first time, Sheng Feilong felt what it meant to be the disciple of a Titled Douluo for real, even more so as they thought She Meixiao allowed him to adopt her surname. The pressure he felt was immense and he did his best not to embarrass She Meixiao.

    She Meixiao pulled Sheng Feilong to meet with one important person after the other and he already felt quite worn out after a few minutes. He spotted Yue Zhengyu and Xie Xie who just entered the hall and nodded towards them with a smile. They returned the gesture, though seeming a bit surprised to see him next to a high ranking politician of the Federation and happily chatting with him.

    They also noticed his outfit and seemed somewhat shocked. Yue Zhengyu wore a completely white suit and his hair was meticulously tidied up. The only exception was the golden Holy Angel Clan crest on his chest; He was tall and slender and gave off a noble aura, fitting of a young master from a prestigious clan.

    Xie Xie was the complete opposite of him, wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie, but equally handsome, though a bit shorter. He had a naturally cold disposition that radiated a certain charm.

    After a while, Sheng Feilong excused himself from the conversation and left after getting She Meixiao''s permission. He walked over to Yue Zhengyu and Xie Xie near the entrance, just at the right time to see two more of his friends enter.

    Xu Xiaoyan wore a white dress, perfectly in tune with Yue Zhengyu''s, that was adorned with small golden stars. It was only knee long and her shoulders were exposed. Due to being a bit younger than the rest of the Shrek students, she gave off a energetic and lively atmosphere.

    Next to her walked Yuanen Yehui ¨C though, still dressed as her male persona that Sheng Feilong first met at the entrance exam. She wore red trousers with a black shirt and although her face in her male persona wasn''t too attractive, her clothes more than made up for that, making her look tall and straight.

    The two of them fit so well together that Sheng Feilong would have thought them to be a couple if he didn''t knew that Yuanen Yehui was actually a woman. They walked up to the rest of the group and Xu Xiaoyan''s eyes sparkled a little when she saw Sheng Feilong.

    Quickly skipping over before Yuanen Yehui arrived, she started looking Sheng Feilong up and down with an amazed expression. Sheng Feilong started to feel a little awkward and scratched his cheek. "Um, is there something wrong, Xiaoyan?"

    She looked him straight in the face, still with her amazed expression and looked slightly stunned when she looked directly into his eyes. "No, it''s fine! I was just surprised how handsome you look today. Those clothes really fit you well, Brother Feilong!" Sheng Feilong awkwardly coughed from embarrassment before returned the compliment with a smile. "Thanks... You also look beautiful tonight."

    Yuanen Yehui also looked at him and gave him an appreciative nod. Sheng Feilong became slightly embarrassed again and quickly decided to change the topic. "Where''s the rest of you? Lizhi and the others will come as well, right?" Yue Zhengyu nodded and looked down the entrance''s hallway. "Yeah, they''ll all come. Lizhi and Xinglan should be here soon; They were right behind us, but Ye Xinglan chose to change again. I haven''t seen Gu Yue or Wulin the whole evening, though."

    As if waiting for them to ask, Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan came into the hall just then. Sheng Feilong was surprised to see them in their usual Shrek Academy uniforms instead of formal clothing and decided to ask about it when they had walked over. Xu Lizhi seemed somewhat uncomfortable with the question, but Ye Xinglan just straight forwardly answered him. "It''s not a rule to wear formal clothing and we didn''t feel like it."

    Sheng Feilong wanted to question it a bit more, but didn''t have the chance to as the spotlights in the hall suddenly turned towards the stage. A middle aged man, who introduced himself as Sima Lanxiao from the Star Luo Continent, held a short speech to open the festivities and the spotlight''s were coincidentally directed towards the entrance when two people entered.

 109 Titled Douluos Argumen

    The attention of everyone in the hall was drawn to the entrance. In the midst of the spotlight, two people slowly walked into the banquet hall; A man and a woman, both still having a trace of childishness to them.

    Sheng Feilong, Xie Xie and the others looked at the entrance as well, stunned by the two people that just walked in at the exact right moment. Those two were actually Gu Yue and Tang Wulin! The former was wearing a silver one piece dress that just stopped at knee length and wore a pair of simple silver gloves. Her long black hair fell loosely onto her shoulders and her arm was interlocked with Tang Wulin''s.

    The latter wore straight black pants with black lining, a white shirt and had a fitting black tie. The most eye-catching piece of clothing was his for-fitting and brilliantly shining purple velvet jacket. His black hair matched Gu Yue''s perfectly and the both of them made an incredible entrance.

    With everyone''s attention on them, Sima Lanxiao spoke up again, adressing Gu Yue and Tang Wulin with a bright smile. He didn''t know them perosnally, but they must be from the Douluo Continent as he didn''t recognize them as part of the Star Luo Continent''s delegation. "It looks like we have strong competitors for today''s prize. I welcome the both of you. May I know which part of the Douluo Continent you hail from?"

    Tang Wulin kept his calm as always and returned the smile, not bothering with the attention that was paid to them and fueled his voice with Soul Power so that everyone would hear him. "We''re from Shrek Academy on the Douluo Continent."

    Sheng Feilong saw Sima Lanxiao''s face twitch and he had to force a smile but still welcomed Tang Wulin and Gu Yue to the banquet. Apparently, even the delegation of the Star Luo Continent weren''t too fond of Shrek Academy.

    Tang Wulin and Gu Yue walked over to Sheng Feilong and the others and Xu Xiaoyan teased Tang Wulin, just like she did with Sheng Feilong. She even tried the same thing with Gu Yue, but the latter just brushed her off.

    The group continued to talk a bit longer and with the spotlights off the entrance, they didn''t notice two more people entering. She Meixiao on the other hand noticed them immediately as they were exaclt the people she was waiting for. Excusing herself from her conversation partner, she hid herself a bit to not be directly seen by the people entering.

    Cai Yue''er and Wu Zhangkong entered the hall. The latter didn''t really want to be here and quickly hid in a corner with a cold drink in his hand. Elder Cai on the other hand mingled well with the people there and quickly noticed the group of Shrek Academy students. She also noticed Sheng Feilong standing with them as well.

    She was taken aback for a moment and visually shocked to see him. As far as she and the rest of Shrek Academy were concerned, Sheng Feilong had died in the Soul Train accident more than five months ago. Of course it was a shame to lost a student like him, but even more shocking was the reaction of his Master, the Spirit Flamingo Douluo Song Weihan.

    The latter came to Shrek Academy and actually accused them of having wiped out their students Clan to get a hold on the Sheng Clan''s bloodline. It was quite well known by now that Song Weihan had left the Spirit Pagoda and was currently operating independently and now she saw the cause of all this mess happily chatting with her students.

    Cai Yue''er made a mental note to look into this later, but for now, she was just happy to see that he was still alive. He was a student of hers after all and although she didn''t like the attitude he showed at the Entrance Exam too much, he was still an excellent student.

    She mingled with a few other people, but made sure to keep an eye on Sheng Feilong and her students just to be safe. A while later, Cai Yue''er noticed a gaze lingering on her. Turning around to see who it was, she spotted the vice-leader of one of the most infamous organisations on the Douluo Continent, Daedalus''s Smiling Snake Douluo She Meixiao, smiling at her.

    Elder Cai''s expression turned cold and she walked over to She Meixiao. From the outside, everything looked normal and it seemed like the two ladies were just making acquaintance with each other on a friendly basis. She Meixiao kept her smile and even though Elder Cai didn''t seem too friendly. "Madam Silver Moon, it''s a pleasure to meet you here. How are you doing?"

    "Quit the small talk, Smiling Snake. Why were you staring at me like that? What do you want?" Elder Cai remained her cold expression, questioning She Meixiao without giving her any respect. The people closest to them noticed the atmosphere and, knowing that those two were Titled Douluo''s, chose to hurriedly distance themselves a bit without causing a scene.

    "Madam Silver Moon, please, I don''t have any bad intentions. I was just wondering why your gaze seemed to linger on my little disciple over there? I am aware that your students are chatting with him as well, but I couldn''t help but notice that you seemed oddly fixated on him." She Meixiao slightly gestured in the direction of Sheng Feilong and the rest. Her movements seemed natural and composed, nothing out of the ordinary as she still radiated the calm and sweet aura of a ordinary, nice middle aged lady.

    Cai Yue''er''s eyes shook slightly at She Meixiao''s question and she was once again taken aback. Noticing the people in their surroundings, she used her Soul Power to hide their conversation from the outside and spoke in low, but surprised voice. "Your disciple? Sheng Feilong is your disciple? Who are you trying to deceive? Everyone knows that your Daedalus only accepts people with notorious Spirit Essences."

    Ignoring the later part, She Meixiao kept her smile and answered with the usual sweet tone. "Yes, I''m talking about Feilong. Sir Spirit Flamingo told me that he was once a student of Shrek Academy, but I hope you won''t mind that I took him in? I was, after all, the person who saved his life after you failed your duties to protect him..."

    Elder Cai''s eyes narrowed and killing intent surfaced in her gaze. She couldn''t accept such an obvious insult to Shrek Academy, even if the other party was a powerful Titled Douluo as well. Her killing intent was so noticeable that even the people surrounding them looked over with conflicted expressions.

    She Meixiao kept her smile, not minding the killing intent at all and, just as Elder Cai was about to explode, a hand carefully tapped her arm. At an unknown point, Wu Zhangkong had come over to the two of them and now stood next to Elder Cai. He glanced at the surrounding, his arm already retracted after touching Elder Cai, as he spoke low and meaningful voice. "Elder Cai, with all due respect, this is not the right place. Please, for the sake of the children, compose yourself."

    Elder Cai stared at Wu Zhangkong for a moment before turning around to face She Meixiao again. Her eyes were frosty and she still radiated her killing intent. "We''re leaving." She turned around without a word and headed for the exit. Wu Zhankong quickly followed behind her. The Soul Power shutting them off from the surroundings had long vanished and She Meixiao smile turned even sweeter at once. "Madam Silver Moon, Teacher Wu, it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope you''ll have a pleasant evening."

    Sheng Feilong, Tang Wulin and the others didn''t notice the argument, but saw Cai Yue''er and Wu Zhankong leave. For a moment, they were thinking about following them to leave, but were distracted by Sima Lanxiao, who announced that the dance floor would now be opened for the evening.

    Sima Lanxiao had naturally noticed the scene that played out between Cai Yue''er and She Meixiao, so he quickly tried to distract the masses by pushing tonight''s events forward. Most people hadn''t noticed in the first place while the others chose to let it slip, so his plan worked out perfectly.

    People slowly started making their way onto the dance floor as the band in the back started to perform their musical acts. With the waitresses and waiters bringing out a number of alcoholic beverages, the mood in the banquet hall soon turned lively and more and more people started dancing and letting loose.

    Sheng Feilong and the others were still grouped up and talked to their hearts contents, eating in between, when Yue Zhengyu suddenly smiled and turned towards Xu Xiayan. He extended a hand, inviting her to join him. "Shall we dance as well?" The others took that as somewhat of a hint, and Gu Yue pulled Tang Wulin on the dance floor as well.

    Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan weren''t the ones to join such dances, so they remained a bit to the side, standing near a corner with more food and remained there for a while. Xie Xie mingled freely around the banquet hall as he didn''t dare ask Yuanen Yehui to dance with him in her male disguise and so the only two remaining in the groups previous spot were Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui.

 110 Inappropriate Dancing

    The music in the banquet hall was playing quite loudly. People were dancing and enjoying themselves all around. Sheng Feilong stopped one of the waitresses and he and Yuanen Yehui grabbed something to drink.

    The two of them watched the dance floor in silence for a while, occasionally sipping from their glasses. Normally, it would be pretty hard to have a normal conversation in such a situation, but with their strength, as Soul Masters, it wasn''t a problem to just ignore the surrounding noise.

    Sheng Feilong kept his eyes on the dance floor, watching the people with a calm, but satisfied expression. He glanced at Yuanen Yehui and thought about a few things before speaking up with his Soul Power blocking his voice from spreading around. "Senior Sister Yuanen, there''s something that''s been bothering me."

    Yuanen Yehui averted her eyes from the dance floor and glanced at Sheng Feilong. She didn''t say anything, but the latter took it as her inquireing about his question, so he continued regardless. "Back when we met at the Entrance Examination, I was surprised to see that you were disguised as a male student. And later you kept that disguise on, even going to far as not telling your class mates about it. Why is that..?"

    The topic seemed to have hit a sore spot as Yuanen Yehui started frowning lightly. She looked away from Sheng Feilong, focusing on the dance floor again and spoke in a cold tone. "None of your business."

    Sheng Feilong noticed her reaction, but chose to ignore it and also looked back at the dance floor. "Tang Wulin told me that it''s because of the Titan Giant Ape Spirit Essence. It''s a high profile transformation that would make many woman uncomfortable as well as many men that would not want to see a beauty suddenly turn into a gorilla."

    He paused for a moment when he felt Yuanen Yehui''s aura get frosty. She didn''t look at him, nor did she walk away, but just the feeling made it clear that she didn''t want to talk about it. Sheng Feilong glanced at her again before slightly sighing. "You know, I''m from a Clan where everyone has a lion type Spirit Essence. It''s also a transformation type like yours. It doesn''t matter if it''s sweet old ladies or cute young children, they all transform into bulky, muscular beasts and become covered in fur."

    Yuanen Yehui didn''t seem to listen and still stared at the dance floor, but he knew that she could hear him. "I never cared about that stuff. They''re my clansman, my family, so to speak. And most of them were powerful Soul Masters in my eyes. I aspired to be like them, to use my own strength to make the Clan prosper when I was older." Sheng Feilong took a sip from his drink before he continued with an amused expression. "Honestly, when I first fought you, I was shocked. It wasn''t because of your Spirit essence of your strength, but because your clothes suddenly burst apart when you transformed. I..., well I knew you were a girl, so it was really surprising."

    He paused for a moment again. Yuanen Yehui didn''t show much of a reaction, but she finally answered him with a slightly weird voice. "It can''t be helped. The transformation is too massive and normal clothes can''t keep up with it." Sheng Feilong smiled lightly. "I didn''t mean it in a bad way; It really was just shocking for a moment. Well, it was just the jacket, so no harm done, anyways."

    The two of them stayed silent for a moment and watched the people around them. After a while Sheng Feilong broke the silence with a question. "Can you tell me a bit about the Fallen Angel?" Yuanen Yehui looked at him with a frown. "What?"

    "Well, I heard that you have a second Spirit Essence, a dark attributed one called Fallen Angel. I heard it was similar to the Holy Angel. Is that true?" Sheng Feilong just looked at her with an interested expression. He didn''t seem to have any prejudices against her just because of her Spirit Essence, so Yuanen Yehui eventually decided to tell him a bit about her Spirit Essence, though just briefly.

    Apparently, it really is similar to the Holy Angel Spirit Essence. When activated, the user grows huge black angel wings from their back and can make use of dark elemental energy from their surroundings, just like the Holy Angel Spirit Essence uses holy energy.

    It''s a powerful Assault Type Spirit Essence that grants the user a huge boost to their speed, strength and endurance. Yuanen Yehui didn''t talk about her Soul Skills, but told Sheng Feilong that it was dangerous to rely on the Spirit Essence as it was inclined to evil and was hard to control.

    After that, the two of them continued to speak about all kinds of things for a while longer. Yuanen Yehui always gave just short responses, seemingly not really interested in speaking with him, but as she didn''t leave, Sheng Feilong continued to bring up one topic after the other.

    The whole time, Yuanen Yehui and he looked at the dance floor. The festivities were in full bloom, and people really enjoyed themselves, dancing and laughing all over the hall. After another while of silence, when both of them looked at the dance floor, Sheng Feilond suddenly turned to Yuanen Yehui. "Hey, you want to dance for a bit?"

    Yuanen Yehui was taken aback by the sudden question and looked at Sheng Feilong like he was an idiot. "Dance? With you?" Sheng Feilong nodded his head. "Yeah, why not?"

    "I''m still dressed like a boy and even if I wasn''t, why should I dance with you?" Yuanen Yehui pointed at herself with a frown. Sheng Feilong just smiled. "But aren''t you a girl? And what''s so bad about me? I might not be the best dancer, but I won''t step on your feet like Tang Wulin did with Gu Yue."

    "Shouldn''t you have a bit more self-awareness? We''re at a diplomatic banquet and you want to dance with a boy? You might know that I''m a girl but others don''t." Before Yuanen Yehui could continue, Sheng Feilong made a gesture with his hand and smiled mockingly. "Who cares what they think? I''ve spent over an hour talking to those stuck up people before finally being able to get away when you guys came. Why should we not have fun just because they might frown upon us?"

    Yuanen Yehui''s shocked expression calmed and she looked at Sheng Feilong with a colder face again. "You really are an idiot, aren''t you?" Sheng Feilong shrugged. "You''re not the first girl to ask me that." He then downed the rest of his drink and put the glass on a nearby table before walking next to Yuanen Yehui again. "Come on, let''s go out there."

    She didn''t move. Yuanen Yehui just continued to look at Sheng Feilong like he was an idiot and rolled her eyes before turning back to look at the dance floor. Sheng Feilong still smiled mockingly. "Don''t tell me the great class president of Shrek Academy''s Outer Court''s second grade can''t dance? Or maybe you''re just afraid of people judging you?"

    Yuanen Yehui''s head jerked around and she stared at Sheng Feilong with a deep frown. His mocking words seemed to have affected her, but she didn''t say anything. Sheng Feilong faked a sigh and a sad look. "I guess I''ll have to look for someone else then. Don''t worry, it''s normal for people to be afraid of something."

    Yuanen Yehui frowned even deeper and suddenly drank the rest of her drink in one gulp. She waltzed of to put the glass on a nearby table and stomped back to Sheng Feilong. "Who said I was afraid? You want to dance? Fine. You better not make a fool of yourself." She suddenly grabbed Sheng Feilong''s arm and began pulling him into the middle of the hall.

    Still frowning, she turned around to face him and suddenly froze when she saw the bright grin on his face. She knew she fell for his provocations and stepped right into the trap. Before Yuanen Yehui could walk off again, Sheng Feilong grabbed her right hand with his left and put his other arm around her waist and spun her around.

    Yuanen Yehui''s face fell and she tried to shove Sheng Feilong away, but failed to do so in her haste. Sheng Feilong smiled mischievously at her and spoke up again. "Stop struggling. Don''t tell me you didn''t want to dance. Who cares what the people think; Just enjoy yourself."

    Surprisingly, Yuanen Yehui actually stopped struggling and started dancing with Sheng Feilong. Her steps were a bit awkward and it was obvious that she wasn''t used to dancing. Sheng Feilong pulled her a bit closer, not too much though, as he kept an appropriate distance from her. "Just follow my lead."

    With the music still playing loudly, the two of them continued to dance. Yuanen Yehui''s previous awkwardness quickly faded away as she got accustomed to dancing. Her expression eased as well and she started to actually enjoy it, even trying out a few steps of her own and taking the lead from time to time. Sheng Feilong smiled for the whole time and Yuanen Yehui started to smile at some point as well.

    People started noticing slowly. Most started to frown when they saw two men intimately dancing with each other and stared at them or even made their displeasure known to the people next to them. A few even started to stop dancing and just stared at Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong. Sheng Feilong naturally noticed their looks, but Yuanen Yehui was a bit too absorbed in the moment.

    He smiled mockingly, but made sure others didn''t notice his smile. "Take a look at those idiots. They all started staring at us. Stuck up people, just like I said before." Sheng Feilong laughed a bit and just continued to dance with Yuanen Yehui, not letting her go.

    She felt awkward when Sheng Feilong mentioned the people staring at them and her steps stagnated for a bit. After a few seconds, she gave up and started to laugh a bit as well, affected by Sheng Feilong''s attitude.

    A bit away from them, at the side of the banquet hall, She Meixiao looked at the two of them with a weird smile. She was shocked seeing Sheng Feilogn dance with another man as well, but quickly saw through Yuanen Yehui''s disguise. She shook her head lightly and spoke in a whisper like voice. "This boy... Does he really plan to bring a girl home..?"

 111 Do You Like Her As Well?

    The dance party has been going on for just about an hour, but Sima Lanxiao was forced to intervene. A while ago, two boys had created a commotion by intimately dancing together, which displeased many of the influential people present.

    Even worse, the two had completely ignored the commotion around them and continued to dance for nearly half an hour by now. Not everyone bothered with them, but all those that did were people Sima Lanxiao would naturally want to appease.

    He signalled for the band to end their performance after the current piece they were playing and stepped onto the stage again once they were finished. He held another speech not unlike his opening one and slowly ended the evening. A few people asked about the vote for a pair of dance king and queen, but Sima Lanxiao only apologized and said they would have to postpone this.

    Although the dance had ended, the banquet and hall were still free for everyone to use so most people still remained there. Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui returned to their prior spot after the dance ended and were soon joined by Tang Wulin, Yue Zhengyu and the others.

    Xie Xie joined them a bit later and his face seemed somewhat complicated. When Xu Xiaoyan noticed him, she smiled mischievously and started speaking to Sheng Feilong, loud enough for Xie Xie to hear. "Brother Feilong, you and Yuanen make such a cute pair! And you really looked good when you danced together!"

    Xie Xie frowned and clenched his fists slightly, but Sheng Feilong simply took it as a compliment. He smiled lightly and glanced at Yuanen Yehui for a second. "Thanks. You and Senior Brother Zhengyu also match rather nicely."

    Xu Xiaoyan was a bit flustered as she didn''t expect such a comeback and saw Yue Zhengyu shooting Sheng Feilong a thumbs up. She pinched Yue Zhengyu''s waist, causing his face to contort, she pouted and spoke in a barely audible whisper. "Who would want to match with that idiot..."

    Thanks to his strong Spirit power, Sheng Feilong was still able to hear her and chuckled. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue kept out of their talk and just stood by the side, the latter still holding on to Tang Wulin''s arm. Previously, Gu Yue was rather displeased with Tang Wulin and he danced with an acquaintance from the Star Luo Continent and enjoyed himself a bit too much for her taste, but she had calmed down by now.

    Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan also joined them soon, the former having his arms stuffed with all kinds of food and happily eating. Surprisingly, Xie Xie only stayed for a few minutes before excusing himself and leaving the banquet hall. Sheng Feilong didn''t know what was wrong with him, but noticed that he was in a rather bad mood since the dance ended. ''Did he want to become the dance king? Well, it seems like we crushed his chances... I''ll apologize later, I guess.''

    Time quickly passed by as their group of eight continued to talk. A lot of things happened in the over five months Sheng Feilong hadn''t seen everyone, so there was no shortage of topics to choose from. Other than his Soul Power level, Sheng Feilong kept the news of his second Spirit Essence as well as his External Soul Bone and details about Daedalus a secret for now.

    While they were still talking, She Meixiao came over to them, seemingly looking for Sheng Feilong. She smiled when she saw him still standing beside Yuanen Yehui. Sheng Feilong quickly greeted her with a light bow, before the latter spoke up in a teasing tone. "I know I told you to bring a girl home for your father to see before you become complacent, but I didn''t expect you to act so soon. You''re really something else."

    Everyone turned silent at once and started at Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui. The latter quickly turned away, but it was obvious that she was blushing even with her make-up to look male on. Sheng Feilong knew of his Master''s character, so he didn''t take it as seriously as the others and just laughed the matter off. "Master, we were just dancing... I already told you that it''s still too early. What if I give father a heart attack?"

    "Oh? So you think your father is that old already?" She Meixiao chuckled, to which Sheng Feilong just replied with an innocent smile. "I would never dare to say that."

    She Meixiao then stayed with their group for a short period of time. She had a personality that made it easy to get along with her so no one said anything against it. Adding to the fact that she''s the Master of Sheng Feilong who also saved his life just made it easier. She Meixiao then excused herself and left the banquet hall as well.

    Curious due to She Meixiao''s behaviour and easygoing personality, Xu Lizhi semi-seriously asked how strong she was because she didn''t feel like a high and mighty senior like the ones he''s used to. Sheng Feilong didn''t think he''d need to keep it a secret since most of the passengers already know of her status anyways. "She''s a Titled Douluo. I''m not sure about her exact level, but she''s at least above rank 94."

    Xu Lizhi''s smile froze and he looked at Sheng Feilong with wide eyes. Just moments earlier, they had been talking to a Titled Douluo like it was nothing, not even showing her the proper respect someone of her status was entitled to. Sheng Feilong smiled again. "Don''t worry, if Master wanted you to formally respect her, she would have introduced herself in another manner. You did nothing wrong."

    People started to gradually leave the banquet hall and the evening slowly came to an end. Sheng Feilong and the others walked back to their rooms together as they all lived on the same hallway. A few days passed by quietly as no other events were planned.

    Sheng Feilong spent most of his time cultivating and didn''t really meet up with his friends. All of them took cultivating serious as well, so there wasn''t any problem with that. They would still meet from time to time in the hallway or the dining room and talk a bit, but everyone mostly kept to themselves.

    Even though they didn''t interact much with each other, Sheng Feilong noticed that Xie Xie seemed to avoid him on purpose. Even when all of them sat at a tabbe in the dining room, Xie Xie would take the spot farthest from Sheng Feilong on purpose.

    After a while, it started to bother Sheng Feilong, but he didn''t want to outright confront Xie Xie about it. He waited for a quiet time and paid a visit to Tang Wulin. The past few days, the latter always seemed to be completely drained of strength whenever they met, so Sheng Feilong used this time to check up on him as well.

    He knocked on Tang Wulin''s door and was invited in. As usual, the latter looked completely exhausted, but still had his cheerful attitude. Sheng Feilong took a seat and started by casually asking how Tang Wulin was. The latter just forced a smile. "I''m just a bit tired, nothing to worry about."

    "Really? You''ve been like this for a few days now? Are you sure you''re okay? You''re not seasick or something like that, right?" Sheng Feilong seemed honestly concerned, but Tang Wulin still insisted that he was okay.

    If the latter didn''t want to say anything, Sheng Feilong couldn''t force him to. "Well, alright. If something comes up that I could help with, just tell me." Tang Wulin smiled as well, genuinely this time. "Will do. Thanks. Anyways, did you just come over to check up on me?"

    Sheng Feilong slightly shook his head. "No, there''s one more thing. Well, it may sound a bit weird, but do you know what''s up with Xie Xie? He seems to be avoiding me for the whole time for some reason."

    Tang Wulin showed a slightly awkward expression when he heard Sheng Feilong''s question. "Yeah, I noticed... I may have a clue as to why..." Sheng Feilong tilted his head slightly with a expecting expression. "Oh yeah? What''s it?"

    "Well, if I had to guess, I''d say it''s because of the dance banquet last week." Tang Wulin said after thinking about it for a moment. Sheng Feilong frowned lightly. "The banquet? Why? I don''t think I did anything to him there. Or anything ever at all."

    Tang Wulin sighed and scratched his head. "Well, Xie Xie is trying to woo Yuanen Yehui." Sheng Feilong was taken aback. He didn''t expect something like that. "Yuanen and Xie Xie? Seriously?"

    "Yeah. Xie Xie''s been after her even before the accident at the Year End Examination. It''s just that Yuanen always turned him down. I guess you didn''t notice since you weren''t in the Working Student''s dorms all the time." Tang Wulin explained with a shrug.

    Sheng Feilong thought about it with a frown before sighing and scratching his head with one hand. "So it''s a one sided thing... And he didn''t like that the person he likes, who''s always turned him down now agreed to dance with me, huh..."

    "Yeah, that''s pretty much it." Tang Wulin nodded. Sheng Feilong remained silent for a moment before sighing again. "I guess I''ll have to talk to him about this in person, then. I don''t want to destroy a friendship for something like this."

    He stood up and stretched his back. "Well, thanks for your help. If you need anything just tell me. I''ll see if I can find Xie Xie for now." Tang Wulin stood up as well and looked at Sheng Feilong. "Wait. Before you go, can I ask you something as well?"

    "Huh? Sure, what is it?" Sheng Feilong stopped and turned around to see Tang Wulin look at him with a serious expression. "Want do you want to tell Xie Xie? Will you let this go? Or do you like Yuanen Yehui as well?"

 112 Aquatic Soul Beasts Attack!

    Sheng Feilong stopped for a moment to think about Tang Wulin''s question himself. The latter didn''t press on the matter and just waited for an answer, staring at Sheng Feilong with a serious expression. A few moments passed before Sheng Feilong''s expression finally eased up.

    He looked back at Tang Wulin. "I do. But not in a romantic way, yet; I don''t know her well enough to say that. But I am interested in her as a person. And dancing with her really was a lot of fun. So no, I will not back down."

    Tang Wulin nodded slowly but a bit of worry could be seen in his eyes. Sheng Feilong smiled, reassuring him that nothing bad will come of this and left the room. Out in the hallway, Sheng Feilong looked around and eyed Xie Xie''s room. "..Should I just go over and knock?"

    He stared at the door a moment longer before shrugging and walking over, then knocked on the door. He thought to himself to let this go slowly and see how it goes, when the door suddenly opened. Xie Xie looked out to see who it was but frowned for a moment when he saw Sheng Feilong. "What are you doing here?"

    "Sorry, but I need to talk to you. Do you have a moment?" Sheng Feilong asked, ignoring Xie Xie frown. "What is it?" Sheng Feilong looked down the hallway before turning back to Xie Xie. "Let''s talk inside?"

    Xie Xie didn''t say anything but opened the door further and went inside the room. Sheng Feilong closed the door behind himself and sat down on a chair while Xie Xie sat on the bed. Sheng Feilong looked at Xie Xie and spoke up first. "You''ve been avoiding me lately, haven''t you?"

    "Is that all? If yes, then you can leave again. I haven''t been avoiding you. It''s a coincidence." Xie Xie said with an annoyed expression. Sheng Feilong naturally didn''t buy that excuse and pressed further. "It''s not a coincidence and we both know that. If you have a problem with me, then just tell."

    Xie Xie started to get irritated and just tried to wave Sheng Feilong off. "There''s no problem; seriously what''s wrong with you. You don''t have to break you head over this." Sheng Feilong sighed lightly before looking at Xie Xie with a serious expression. "It''s because of Yuanen Yehui, right?"

    Hearing this, Xie Xie suddenly froze. His annoyed expression vanished and he stared at Sheng Feilong with a frown. Sheng Feilong just stared back and continued. "You''ve been like this ever since the banquet. And Wulin told me that you like Yuanen."

    Both of them were silent for a moment. Xie Xie didn''t answer Sheng Feilong but his looks got more frosty. Sheng Feilong continued to stare right at him, his voice still as calm as at the beginning. "Listen, I don''t want a friendship to break because of something like that. I like Yuanen as well, but the choice is ultimately hers. If she chooses you, that''s fine; I just want you to be able to say the same."

    Both of them stared silently at each other again. Sheng Feilong was just about to say something else, when Xie Xie suddenly spoke up in a cold voice. "Get out of my room." Sheng Feilong closed his mouth, sighed again and just left the room. Xie Xie just quietly stared at the door for a long while; His mood to cultivate was ruined for today.

    Sheng Feilong returned to his room as well. Unlike Xie Xie, he just ignored the confrontation from before and started cultivating as usual. It wasn''t known if Tang Wulin knew what happened, but his mood was a bit weird the next day as well.

    As usual, Xie Xie avoided Sheng Feilong as if he was the plague, but didn''t say anything else. By now, everyone in their group had noticed the weird tension between Xie Xie and Sheng Feilong, but no one asked about it as it was mostly just Xie Xie throwing a fit.

    The coming time flew by quietly. Sheng Feilong would cultivate normally, meet up with his friends from time to time to have a normal talk, while Xie Xie would ignore his existence and he sporadically went to She Meixiao to ask for pointers in his cultivation.

    Like this, a bit over one and a half months passed since they boarded the ship. Just about a week longer and they will finally reach the Star Luo Continent. Sheng Feilong was currently cultivating in his room, consolidating his foundation. Using these one and a half months of time, he managed to break through and advance a single rank just yesterday; He was now a rank 53 Soul King!

    Time passed quietly and by now Sheng Feilong was cultivating for about three hours. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled. ''Perfect, now I have complete control over my Soul Power again.'' He stood up and stretched his back with a moan. "I should visit Master and tell her about this."

    He walked over to the door, but when he reached out to grab the door''s handle, a loud boom suddenly echoed through the ship and the room shook violently, nearly causing Sheng Feilong to fall. "What was that?!"

    He grabbed the door''s handle after regainning his balance and run out of the room. He looked to his right to see She Meixiao already walking into his direction with a frown. "Master, what''s wrong? What was that booming sound?"

    She Meixiao walked into his direction, looking at him as she walked past. "It seems like we''re under attack. We have to go to the deck; Follow me." Sheng Feilong adhered her command and followed closely behind her. The whole ship suddenly shook again and when they reached the deck, the first thing they saw was the barrier surrounding the ship violently shaking.

    Sheng Feilong looked around and saw that a lot of people were already on deck and staring at the ocean in front of them. At an unknown time, the whole azure blue ocean turned to a dark purple colour. In the distance, a huge, mountain-like shadow could be seen. Sheng Feilong couldn''t make out its appearance, but the sheer size of that thing was already terrifying.

    Suddenly, a blue light shot out from the direction of the shadow and violently crashed into the ship''s barrier not even a second later. The whole ship shook again. Sheng Feilong managed to keep standing, but quite a few people fell to their knees. She Meixiao stared into the distance and muttered something, barely audible for even Sheng Feilong who stood next to her. "Deepsea Devil Whale King, Devilsoul Great White Shark King... Why are they attacking us?"

    While She Meixiao was talking, another blue light pillar shot towards the barrier and a cold grunt came from Sheng Feilong''s left. He only saw a red light pass him as a bulky, red haired old man suddenly stood in the air. The elder opened his hand and a red light suddenly shot toward the mass of water shot by the Deepsea Devil Whale King.

    Both attacks annihilated each other and the red haired old man grunted once again and retreated to the deck. At the same time, everyone on the ship heard a deep thunderous voice in their heads. "Humans, you''ve taken the liberty of passing over our domain and killed my kin. Surrender the murderer to me or else I''ll let all of you bury yourselves here!"

    Sheng Feilong''s body shook ever so slightly. This was a telepathic thought followed by an intense killing intent that came from the gigantic Deepsea Devil Whale King. Still, thanks to his Spirit Power, Sheng Feilong was able to shake the killing intent off without much effort.

    Another figure suddenly appeared in mid-air and coldly spoke to the Soul Beast. "We''re only passing through. We did not kill your clansmen. If you insist on not letting us pass, don''t blame us for not being merciful. Do you think that with only two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, you can stop us? Among us humans, we were never short of those that would want a hundred-thousand-year soul ring."

    Sheng Feilong saw Elder Cai from Shrek Academy stand in the air. Before he could react in shock, a deep, terrifying roar came from the Deepsea Devil Whale King. A water pillar five times thicker than the ones from before shot directly at Elder Cai at breakneck speed.

    Elder Cai raised her hand in the air and the whole sky suddenly darkened. A bright silver moon appeared miles over everyone''s head and a powerful pressure pressed down on the whole area. Nine Soul Rings suddenly appeared behind Elder Cai''s back; Three purple, three black and even three red ones! The aura she radiated was the most powerful Sheng Feilong ever felt; Even stronger that Song Weihans by a huge margin! This was the strength of an elder of Shrek Academy!

    The purple sea suddenly turned a darker shade, signaling the attack of the Soul Beasts, but four more figures suddenly stood in the air next to Elder Cai. All of them radiated the powerful pressure of Titled Douluo ranked experts, as well!

    Sheng Feilong was shocked as he recognized one of the figures from the banquet; An old man with a square face and long black hair that hung down to his waist. His face twitched when he saw this man. Not one was he one of the people who was the most displeased about Sheng Feilong dancing with Yuanen Yehui, he was also someone who constantly stuck to She Meixiao during the banquet!

    All of these powerful figures suddenly released a blinding light of different colours and Sheng Feilong''s heart shook. This was the light that shone when someone activated their Battle Armour! All five of those Titled Douluo''s activating their Battle Armours at the same time!

    The most terrifying of these figures was naturally Elder Cai. With her cultivation in addition to her Battle armour, she could fight equally against rank 98 Hyper Douluos! The morale of the ship''s passengers was high when they sa this, but another booming voice suddenly came from the horizon and with it, the sky in the distance turned bright blue. "Leave her to me."

 113 Joining The Fray!

    In the distance, Sheng Feilong could see the origin of this azure light that filled the sky. A considerably big Soul Beast with the upper body of a human and twelve long, squirmishing tentacles beneath it. The beast soared into the sky while Elder Cai frowned.

    The silver moonlight was pushed back by the azure light. It was clear the her powers were being suppressed; This Soul Beast was stronger than an Elder from Shrek Academy! Elder Cai looked into the distance and then suddenly flew directly at the Beast. Both of them vanished behind the horizon after a short while.

    She Meixiao looked around the deck, seemingly looking for something, while Sheng Feilong still stared at the horizon. He had seen a 100.000-years-old Soul Beast before, the Doomstinger Dragonfly, and he was certain that it was more powerful that the Deepsea Devil Whale King andDevilsoul Great White Shark King, but this octopus-human like Soul Beast was much stronger than all three of them combined.

    He looked at She Meixiao with uncertainty. "Master, is it ok to let Elder Cai do that? Her powers were suppressed earlier, weren''t they?" She Meixiao was still looking around the deck and replied Sheng Feilong with a side glance. "Don''t worry about her, the Silver Moon Douluo s stronger than you might think." She suddenly focused her gaze in one direction on the deck, past a crowd of people. "More importantly, come follow me."

    The two of them made their way through the crowd, pushing people aside to go further. When they finally passed the crowd, Sheng Feilong understood why She Meixiao wanted him to follow her over; The Shrek Academy students as well as their teacher, Wu Zhangkong, and another man stood in front of them.

    Tang Wulin and the others seemed a bit taken aback seeing Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao suddenly push out of the crowd and Wu Zhangkong frowned. The man by Tang Wulin''s side on the other hand just looked at She Meixiao in surprise. She Meixiao approached him, ignoring the rest of the stares. "Sir Mu, it''s been a long time."

    "So it was Miss She. I was already wondering who that presence belonged to a while ago. It''s really been a while." The man replied with a courteous nod when She Meixiao suddenly looked into the distance. "Oh? It seems like I was wrong." She turned her head around again, facing the man she called Sir Mu. "Would you mind looking after my student for a while? I''ll be heading out as well."

    The man glanced at Sheng Feilong and nodded. "We''ll catch up later, you hurry over there, I''ll take care of the ship." She Meixiao smiled lightly and took a few steps back. Her Soul Power suddenly surged and the next moment, she was already hundreds of metres away from the ship, flying into the same direction as Elder Cai.

    Wu Zhangkong had left the group and fought off a few stronger Soul Beasts above the sea, while the man looked at Sheng Feilong." I''m Mu Ye, you can just call me Sir Mu like Miss She does. What''s your name?"

    Someone She Meixiao would be willing to trust enough to let them look after Sheng Feilong must be someone powerful, so Sheng Feilong bowed lightly. "Greetings, Sir Mu. My name is She Feilong, I''m Master''s personal disciple."

    Mu Ye looked Sheng Feilong up and down for a moment before he raised his eyebrows. "You''re good; No wonder she let you take her surname." Just as he finished, an announcement was made by the ship''s captain, asking for every Soul Master to help out to fight off the Soul Beasts.

    Just a moment after that, Wu Zhangkong suddenly used his Spirit Essence''s True Avatar and a huge, icy blue sword emerged above his head. He was fighting a10.000-years-odl Devilsoul Great White Shark, so Sheng Feilong thought he wanted to finish it quickly, but he attacked the surface of the ocean instead of the beast.

    The moment his sword touched the water, the temperature in the surroundings dropped furiously and the ocean began to freeze over. Hundreds of aquatic Soul Beasts were frozen solid and Wu Zhangkong single-handedly created ground for the other Soul Masters to stand on and fight the Soul Beasts.

    Soul Beasts that were able to crawl on land started to pour over the ice and approach the ship and Tang Wulin turned around to Mu Ye. The latter quickly looked over everyone and smiled. "Join if you want. An opportunity like this is a rare chance to face actual combat."

    The group of Shrek Academy students looked at Tang Wulin, waiting for his commands, while the latter turned to Sheng Feilong. "Will you join us as well?" Sheng Feilong thought for a second before he looked down onto the ice where a few Soul masters were already fighting. "No... I''ll go alone."

    Before Tang Wulin could respond, Sheng Feilong walked past him and released his Soul Rings and Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes. Mu Ye''s eyebrows rose again when he saw Sheng Feilong''s Soul Rings, but he didn''t say anything. Tang Wulin on the other hand frowned and walked two steps after Sheng Feilong. "Wait! Fighting as a group is safer, you shouldn''t-"

    He hadn''t even finished when Sheng Feilong suddenly jumped onto the railing of the ship and another burst of power came from his body. A pitch black, metallic armour with a grey lustre suddenly covered his whole body and two shortswords appeared in his hand; This was Sheng Feilong''s Battle Armour!

    Mu Ye''s eyed widened slightly in surprise while Tang Wulin froze in place. Before he could recover, Sheng Feilong jumped down from the railing and right into the fray below. Tang Wulin looked at the place Sheng Feilong was at before and stammered a few words. "He... He already has a Battle Armour..?"

    On the ice, Sheng Feilong''s heart shook from excitement. He had fought in the Spirit Ascension Platform a few days and wasn''t new to actual combat, but a fight in reality was another thing all together. So far, he hadn''t had the time to try out his Battle Armour for real, causing him to be even more excited.

    He had already picked out a ''prey'' when he stood in the railing and as soon as eh landed on the ice, he stormed into the direction of a about 2.000-years-old Devilsoul Great White Shark. He didn''t know how it could survive on the ice, much less fight like it did, but he didn''t care; It would have tofight him now!

    It soon noticed Sheng Feilong and dodged to the right just before Sheng Feilong could cut it. Turning around, it attacked Sheng Feilong with its sharp tail fin, which Sheng Feilong quickly jumped over. He landed again, just to face the next attack of the beast; A bite with its powerful jaw!

    Sheng Feilong jumped back and blocked the attack with his swords, cutting the shark''s nose in the process. It spewed out blood from the would and let out a hiss like roar, then attacked Sheng Feilong with even more frenzy. Other Soul Beasts had noticed this fight and started to draw closer to Sheng Feilong with high speed.

    Sheng Feilong frowned lightly; He had to end the fight now. The shark attacked him again with a huge bite, but just before dodging, Sheng Feilong sent a powerful mental attack towards the shark. Boosted by his Battle Armour''s prowess, the mental attack caused the 2.000-years-old Soul Beast to freeze in place with dull eyes and Sheng Feilong spared no effort to take advantage of that.

    Taking a step forward and spinning to the shark''s left, he cut through the shark''s throat with both of his swords, nearly decapitating it! Blood spewed out of its wound in an exaggerated fashion and the beast lifelessly fell to the ground before the effect of the mental attack wore off.

    Sheng Feilong charged at the other Soul Beasts that drew closer; Another shark and a giant, dark blue crab, both of which seemed weaker than the first shark he just killed. Still, with them being two Soul Beasts instead of just one, it was harder for Sheng Feilong to deal with them by just relying on his sword techniques. He eventually dealt with them by using only his sword techniques and went into another direction to help a Soul Master who also fought two Soul Beasts at the same time.

    Tang Wulin and the others had long since left the ship and were fighting Soul Beasts as well, but unlike Sheng Feilong, they sued everything they got to deal with as many as possible as fast as possible; They were wrecking havoc in the midst of the battlefield!

    Mu Ye stood on the boat, keeping an eye on the two 100.000-years-old Beast that were each fighting two Titled Douluo''s, while his main focus was on Sheng Feilong as well as Tang Wulin''s group. He frowned lightly when he saw Sheng Feilong fight. "He''s not using all his power? Just sword techniques? This brat really is the same as She Meixiao; He''s using this solely to train!"

    Meanwhile, Sheng Feilong and the other Soul Master had disposed of the two Soul Beasts they were fighting as well as three more after that. By now, they were fighting on the battlefield as a group of three and attacking Soul Beast after Soul Beast.

    Sheng Feilong had naturally taken command of their team as he was the first one to help the other two. Both of them were also weaker than him; One being a low levelled Soul Ancestor and the other being somewhere around the ranks of a high ranked Soul Elder. They just killed another Soul Beast and were looking for a new opponent, when Sheng Feilong suddenly had a bad feeling.

    He jumped a few metres to the side and just a moment later, a one and a half metres long, thick icicle landed in the spot he just stood in. Sheng Feilong looked into the direction the attack came from and saw a 14 metres long, light blue snake Soul Beast. The Soul Ancestor next to him quickly spoke up. "An Ice Sea Serpent! And judging from it''s size, it''s over 7.000 years old!"

 114 Fighting A 7.000-Years-Old Soul Beast!

    "7.000-years-old Ice Sea Serpent..." Sheng Feilong mumbled the Soul Beasts name again, eyeing it as to not be caught by another surprise attack. The Soul Ancestor behind quickly narrated a few key aspects of the Soul Beast to the rest of the team. "It''s an aquatic Soul Beast with the Ice element; We''re pretty much in its home turf. Watch out for attacks from the ground as it can manipulate the ice. Don''t bother attacking it''s scales; They''re harder than any steel; Aim for weak tissue or the inside of the mouth or eyes."

    "It shouldn''t be able to control the ice here; It was created by a Soul Saint from Shrek Academy. Focus your attention to the icicle attacks and wait for an opportunity. I''ll grab its attention." Sheng Feilong jumped at the Ice Sea Serpent and shouted to the people behind him.

    The other two naturally didn''t stand still and started circling around the serpent as fast as they could; They didn''t want to become living targets!

    Sheng Feilong slashed at the serpents scaled belly to test the waters. Although his companion warned him, he still needed to ascertain the situation and get a good grasp over the opponent''s actual strength. As a result, he hacked one of his swords at it which was repelled with a heavy clunking sound. Sheng Feilong frowned ever so slightly. ''Hard!''

    The serpent let itself be hit and its head suddenly lunged downwards, trying to bite Sheng Feilong. He dodged to the side without much trouble, but just as he got a foothold, the serpents tail whipped at him. ''Fast!'' Having no time to dodge, he took the strike head-on and blocked it with his swords.

    A powerful strike hit is side and ripped him off his feet. The other of Sheng Feilong''s companions, a high ranked Soul Elder, used his Spirit Essence to manipulate the wind and catch Sheng Feilong, allowing him to regain his balance.

    Although being pushed away, Sheng Feilong wasn''t injured in the slightest. ''It''s fast, maybe because we''re on the ice? The strength isn''t too great, but it''s size makes the momentum behind it''s attacks troublesome. This isn''t gonna work with just sword techniques.''

    Under his Battle armour''s helmet, Sheng Feilong''s face became more serious. His Soul Power surged again and his Soul Rings appeared behind his back. Shortly after, the first purple one lit up and he stared at the serpent. Sheng Feilong felt his Spirit Power penetrate it''s defences and trap it in an illusion. ''Got you!''

    He charged at the Soul Beast again, with the Soul Elder and Soul Ancestor continuing to circle it. He suddenly made a sharp right turn, while the Ice Sea Serpent slashed out to the left with it''s tail. Sheng Feilong drew closer to it from the side, while it retracted its tail and bit into the oppisite direction of Sheng Feilong. "Get it, now!"

    Just after Sheng Feilong gave the command, a flaming javelin flew past him, directly at the ice Sea Serpent. With it''s head still lowered, it was struck directly into the eye! Abruptly pulling its head up, the serpent hissed in pain, opening its mouth in the process.

    At that moment, Sheng Feilong was already in the air, jumping at the Beast while a sharp, light green aura surrounded his swords. He lunged them deep into the Ice Sea Serpents upper and lower jaw respectively and made a scissoring motion, cutting half of the Soul Beast''s head open; Thanks to the enchantment the Soul elder gave his weapons, he was able to slice the serpent like warm butter!

    Sheng Feilong pulled his swords out of the serpent''s head and jumped down from it. Its huge body crashed into the ground with a boom while blood flowed out of it''s head and eye. Sheng Feilong gracefully landed next to it, regathering with his companions. "Perfectly done!" Sheng Feilong nodded at each of them. The Soul Elder sighed regretfully at the sight of the bright purple Soul Ring that appeared over the dead Ice Sea Serpent''s body. "A shame we don''t have enough time..."

    "Don''t worry, we''ll find a more suitable Soul Beast for you to get a ring from once we reach the Star Luo Continent." The Soul Ancestor patted the Soul Elder on the shoulder. Sheng Feilong smiled lightly under his mask, but didn''t show it openly. He looked around and saw more Soul beasts everywhere. "Keep sharp. We have to repel them first."

    They were about to set out to their next target when the whole ice platform suddenly shook with a loud boom. Sheng Feilong abruptly turned his head around to the source of the explosion and saw the sky a few hundred metres from the ship light up in a mix of bright silver and azure blue colour.

    A moment later, a figure shot out from the light towards the ship, stopping the the air dozens of metres above the ship, while the light subsided. Sheng Feilong frowned again; Elder Cai was being forced back by the weird octopus-human Soul Beast! Another moment passed and the Soul Beast drew closer to the ship as well, stopping about a hudnred metres away from Elder Cai.

    Now everyone could see it clearly and even Sheng Feilong was still shocked; While its upper body looked like a humans, it was nearly ten metres tall with dozens of metres long tentacles beneath the waist. It was a humongous Soul Beast, much bigger than Sheng Feilong had first assumed! ''No wonder Elder Cai got forced back, this thing is even stronger than I thought... Can she really- Master?!''

    While looking at the Soul Beast, Sheng Feilong suddenly saw a familiar figure walking unhurriedly towards Elder Cai and the Soul Beast. Unlike them, however, She Meixiao remained on the ground, walking past the aquatic Soul Beasts. Strangely, none of them dared to come within twenty metres of her.

    Suddenly, the octopus Soul Beast opened its mouth and spoke with a deep, screeching voice. "Hand over the murderer! Otherwise, all of you shall face destruction!" Elder Cai just sneered, keeping her aloof temper. "So you truly think you''ve won? I don''t know who killed your clansman, but we protect our own people! Destruction for all of us? I''d like to see you try."

    What Sheng Feilong didn''t notice though, was that Elder Cai''s behaviour wasn''t quite as usual. While she kept her aloof temper, her breathing was actually somewhat rugged and strained under her helmet; She was clearly in a disadvantageous position! She Meixiao had walked up to about the same distance from the ship as Elder Cai and jumped up into the air, appearing next to Elder Cai nearly the same instant.

    She Meixiao smiled at Elder Cai and then turned her head towards the octopus Soul Beast. "You''ve heard her. I also don''t know who the murderer you speak of is, but we will not hand over our own people. I''ll have to ask you to leave, unfortunately."

    The octopus Soul Beast instantly flew into a fit of rage, it''s power wildly surging around it. "Preposterous woman! You want me to leave the deaths of my clansman unavenged?! You will all die for that sin!"

    She Meixiao''s playful smile turned into a more cynical one as she released her Soul Power as well. A terrifying, bone chilling aura emitted from her, so powerful that Sheng Feilong could clearly feel it from his position. Immediately after the first wave of pressure, nine Soul Rings appeared behind She Meixiao''s back.

    Sheng Feilong inhaled a cold breath when he saw this. First, two purple Soul Rings appeared, then another three black ones and finally a total of 4 terrifying red Soul Rings! The pressure radiating from She Meixiao was also nearly identical to Elder Cai''s, but the former hadn''t even taken out her Battle Armour yet!

    Not even a second later, another, even more terrifying wave of pressure spread from She Meixiao and a dark purple light burst out from her body. The light subsided and showed She Meixiao wearing a dark purple winged Battle Armour with dark green accents; Her aura was now vastly superior to Elder Cai!

    Sheng Feilong stared at the battle in the battle in the sky in awe. "Top grade Four Word Battle Armour and the power... of a Limit Douluo..? Master is actually this strong?" As a Mecha Maker, Sheng Feilong was able to clearly evaluate the rank of She Meixiao''s Battle Armour at a glance as he could see and feel it''s power from his position.

    It wasn''t that shocking to know that a Titled Douluo, who''s the vice leader of a powerful organisation from the Douluo Continent possessed a Four Word Battle Armour; What surprised him was the fact that She Meixiao''s strength was on the level of a Limit Douluo. This meant that She Meixiao''s actual level has to be that of a rank 96 Hyper Douluo!

    The octopus Soul Beast stared coldly at She Meixiao with fury in its eyes. It hadn''t expected such a powerful human to appear here! If it was underwater, this wouldn''t be a problem, but fighting in the sky like they did right now meant it couldn''t use it''s full power, even if it could control the surrounding ocean!

    The octopus Soul Beast''s power surged once more and the sky turned azure blue at the same time. She Meixiao''s voice could be heard again, now with a clear mocking undertone to it. "It seems like this squid will only stop once it''s become seafood! Let me play with you, then!"

 115 She Meixiao Versus A Great Ferocious Beast!

    She Meixiao stood in the air above the ship, opposite of the octopus-human Soul Beast, when everyone heard her mocking words. The azure blue light in the sky carried with it a powerful energy that left most of the people on the ground terrified and pale faced.

    The octopus Soul Beast roared loudly as it swung its hand at She Meixiao and the azure light started shining downwards. What followed was a scene as if the sky was collapsing onto the earth. The azure blue light blotted out the sun and, for a moment, it seemed like the whole world had been covered by the light.

    She Meixiao casually swatted her hand towards the sky as if shooing of a fly. A terrifying purple wave of energy spread out from her, completely obliterating the azure blue light in a split second. The whole scene stood still as She Meixiao smiled under her helmet and tilted her head lightly. "I said I was gonna play with you, but if this is all, then I''ll really turn you into seafood before you realize it!"

    The octopus Soul Beast roared again, shocking and rocking the whole ocean so much that even the ice Wu Zhankong created cracked under the pressure at various points. The sea started to surge, winds bellowed everywhere and huge whirlpools of seawater started forming behind the Soul Beast, reaching up into the air instead of drawing underwater!

    The octopus Soul Beast shook before a long, golden trident seemed to grow out of its hand. With the trident in hand, the beasts power seemed to multiply again the the ocean rocked even more violently; It seemed as if the God of the Sea had descended personally!

    She Meixiao glanced at the spectacle around her, than at Elder Cai and spoke in a low voice. "You go and keep the people safe. I''ll take care of our squid friend here." Elder Cai nodded and vanished from her spot, then She Meixiao turned around to the octopus.

    She remained silent for a moment before her power surged once more. A dark purple aura began emitting from her body and was slowly drawn to her back and started forming into a colossal two headed cobra. The cobra grew further and further and when it finally stopped, it was already bigger than the huge cruise ship they had travelled on.

    Then, the cobra started to get an actual physical form. The dark purple energy turned into a pitch black, scaled cobra that sat on the surface of the ocean, completely curled up. Its two heads spread and showed distinct patters on the wide part of their bodies, just beneath the head.

    One of the pattern looked like a warm, smiling face; The dark green colour clearly standing out from the pitch black scales. Even though the cobra was coiled up, its head was still on the same height as She Meixiao, quietly flicking its tongue out of its mouth repeatedly while staring at the octopus Soul Beast.

    The other head had a similar pattern, but unlike smiling face of the first head, the pattern on this one looked like a devilish and cruel grin. The head rose up to She Meixiao''s right, quietly flicking its tongue at the octopus Soul Beast as well.

    The dark purple aura that surged out of She Meixiao had stopped by now and was surrounding the double headed cobra like a light coat, making it seem like the cobra glowed faintly. The storm created by the octopus Soul Beast was still raging violently, but neither She Meixiao nor the colossal snake seemed to care.

    On the ground, Sheng Feilong continued to stare at the scene in the sky. When those leaders of both factions appeared before them, all the fighting on the ground had surprisingly stopped and all attention was gathered on them. Even though he had read of numerous Soul Beasts of all different kinds, he had never heard of a double headed cobra. Still, it was obvious that the cobra was unimaginably powerful and Sheng Feilong could feel that it had the same aura as She Meixiao.

    ''Is this... the physical form of her Spirit Essence? The ability she got from reaching the ranks of Soul Saints? It can become so massive and powerful at will?'' Sheng Feilong was silently comparing the True Avatar of She Meixiao''s Spirit Essence to that of Wu Zhankong, the only other one he had ever seen.

    He guessed that Wu Zhangkong''s Spirit Essence should already be considerably powerful and that his True Avatar was near the top of all Soul Saints when it came to power, but it was absolutely impossible to compare it to She Meixiao''s. While Sheng Feilong was lost in his thoughts, Mu Ye''s body suddenly flashed next to him and his two companions. "Kid, you can stare at your Master''s power later. Get back on the ship for now; If they start fighting, the ice won''t hold on."

    Sheng Feilong barely recognized him before his shoulder was suddenly grabbed and his surroundings blurred. Before he could do or say anything, he found himself standing next to Tang Wulin and his friends. They looked just as surprised as Sheng Feilong, but Tang Wulin quickly turned to Mu Ye. "Teacher Mu, what''s going on?"

    "We''re returning to the ship, hold tight." Mu Ye''s Soul Power suddenly spread out, fixing all nine of them in place before their surroundings blurred again. This time, Sheng Feilong was somewhat prepared and managed to see that they were moving at a high speed over the battle field and back on the ship when he concentrated.

    They just reached the ship and Mu Ye unceremoniously threw all of them down on top of the deck while he turned towards the battle in the air. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and walked to the front of the ship. His Soul Power was still spread out, seemingly protecting the ship from the battle that was about to ensue. "Watch closely. It isn''t everyday that you get to see a Four Word Battle Master fight against one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts."

    Just as he finished his sentence, the battle in the sky started as if they had waited for his command. The octopus Soul Beast roared and suddenly thrust its trident forward, followed by the pillars of water behind it moving and their tips piercing in She Meixiao''s direction.

    She Meixiao calmly responded by waving her left hand in the direction of the waterpillars. The cobra head to her left opened its jaws and suddenly spit out a stream of dark green liquid. The liquid flew straight at the waterpillars and an enormous amount of poisonous steam was created as the twoset each other off.

    In the midst of the steam, She Meixiao waved her right hand and the cobra head to her right abruptly lunged higher, then forward, above the octopus Soul Beast and spit out a stream of dakr green acid as well. But before it could hit the octopus, the latter suddenly vanished, reappearing next to the snake head.

    The cobra''s head alone was about the same size as the octopus Soul Beast, but that didn''t stop it from punching the cobra square in the jaw, sending it flying back dozens of metres into She Meixiao''s direction with a loud boom. She Meixiao''s eyebrows twitched, but she only calmly turned her left hand and the cobra head to her left suddenly charged at the octopus Soul Beast, slamming directly into it at an incredible speed.

    The octopus was barely pushed back a few metres when the second snake head appeared behind it and spit out another round of acid, directly into the Soul Beasts back. The beast roared in anger again, forcing the acid away, then turned around and swung its trident at the cobra.

    A pillar of water suddenly shot up from the surface of the ocean, impaling the snake head from beneath before the water fell down again. The head fell from the sky and She Meixiao''s body shook. She frowned and the first purple Soul Ring behind her back lit up. The dark purple light around the cobra increased in intensity and the gaping hole in the snake''s right head closed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

    Although it seemed like they were back to square one, She Meixiao continued to frown. She had underestimated the power of the octopus Soul Beast and especially the trident in its hand and the power it could exert. Her Soul Power spiked again as the first red Soul Ring behind her back lit up brightly, followed by the dark purple light on the cobra''s body intensifying as well.

    The snake heads returned to She Meixiao''s side and the dark purple light intensified further. In the end, both cobra head stared at the octopus Soul Beast and their heads slowly became wider. They grew wider and wider and it seemed as if its body was strained more and more. In the end, the heads ripped apart in the middle respectively and healed again; They split right in half!

    Those new halves quickly healed themselves and grew in size again until the were the same size as the original two heads; And where there were two massive heads before, there were now four of the same size! With the doubling of the head count, so did the power of the cobra double as well. Each individual head seemed more powerful than before and the red Soul Ring behind She Meixiao''s back continued to glow.

 116 Total Victory!

    The octopus Soul Beast floated in the air, about two hundred metres away from She Meixiao. Its eyebrows were furrowed as it quietly stared at its opponent. This time, they, the aquatic Soul Beasts, had miscalculated. It had trusted the Deepsea Devil While King and Devilsoul White Shark King and attacked the humans together with them, but it didn''t expect such a powerful opponent.

    She Meixiao stood on the other side. Her nine Soul Rings were still suspended in the air behind her, the first of her 100.000-years-old, red Soul Rings glowing with a brilliant light as the colossal, now four headed black cobra stood by her side. Her face couldn''t be seen, but from her stance and the solemn attitude alone it could be guessed that she was extremely focused on this battle.

    Both of them stared at each other and a sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the octopus Soul Beast. Half a dozen pillars of water reached into the sky around it as it pierced out with the golden trident in its hand.

    The water pillars reacted instantly, shooting out as well and targetting one of the cobra heads each with the last two aiming for She Meixiao herself. In response to this, She Meixiao spread out both of her and made a diagonal cutting motion with her left hand. None of the cobra heads moved, but the waterpillars were suddenly destroyed.

    Sheng Feilong''s pupils dilated. Despite being fully focused, he failed to see when She Meixiao''s Spirit Essence''s True Avatar moved, but it didn''t remain in its coiled up state anymore. Instead, it was now flying in the air. Not being able to tell anything for certain, Sheng Feilong could only guess that the six pillars of waters were smashed apart by the cobra''s massive tail!

    She Meiciao waved her hands independently again and the cobra''s head shot out one after the other, attacking the octopus Soul Beast. The first was easily dodged and the second repelled with a powerful strike of the golden trident, when the third and fourth cobra heads suddenly spat out massive amounts of acid from both sides of the octopus Soul Beast.

    The splashes of acid hit the Soul Beast head on before a loud roar was heard again. Azure blue light shot out from within the acid, splattering it apart and revealing the octopus Soul Beast again. Ignoring the cobra heads it charged at She Meixiao with killing intent. It closed the distance in an instant and appeared mere metres away from She Meixiao, thrusting its trident at her head.

    She Meixiao stood her ground, not moving back in the slightest and suddenly waved both of her hands up. The four headed cobra''s tail shot up and crashed into the octopus Soul Beast, shooting it hundreds of metres up into the air; So fast, that Sheng Feilong couldn''t catch a glimpse of its movement again!

    The octopus Soul Beast stabilized itself and roared again, but before it could charge down at She Meixiao again, two of the four cobra heads attacked it from behind with their jaws wide open. Of of them brutally bit down on the octopus Soul Beast''s lower half, holding all eight of it''s long tentacles in it mouth while the second crunched down on its left shoulder, covering half of the Soul Beast''s human like torso with it''s jaws.

    The octopus Soul Beast roared in anger again and azure blue light shot out from its body as it pierced the snake head that bit down on its shoulder with its trident. Half of the head was instant disintegrated while waterpillars pierced gaping holes through the rest of it''s head and neck.

    The head was completely destroyed, but She Meixiao didn''t even bat an eye this time, calmly swinging her left arm down. The second cobra head that bit on the Soul Beast''s lower body suddenly bit down harder and pulled downwards. The Soul Beast was flung down towards the water like a lifeless puppet; The lower half of it''s body still remaining in the cobra head''s jaws!

    She Meixiao made another small gesture with her hand and the cobra head swallowed all of the octopus Soul Beast''s eight tentacles its whole lower body in one gulp! The dark purple glow surrounding the cobra suddenly became brighter and the destroyed head regenerated at an incredible speed; Within seconds, it had completely recovered!

    A short pause ensued where She Meixiao indifferently stared down at the supposedly Great Beast that had only half of its body remaining and was bleeding profusely, dying the seawater beneath it red. The energy of the Soul Beast surged once more as it released another mad roar. The bleeding stopped and eight new tentacles suddenly ripped out of the wounds, recreating the lost lower half of its body in an instant.

    It breathed heavily and stared at She Meixiao again before roaring and charging at her again. She Meixiao huffed and commanded her cobra heads to attack it again. A dreadful and gory fight ensued as the octopus Soul Beast seemed to have lost its reasoning to rage; it charged in again and again, with no regards to its own safety!

    Brutal shock waves were send through the air and sea, destroying the ice that surrounded the ship and killing off numerous of the weaker aquatic Soul Beasts nearly instantly. The shock waves crashed into the ship every time, but with Mu Ye and Cai Yue''er working together to protect the ship, it withstood the assaults without trouble.

    The battle continued for nearly half an hour before the octopus Soul Beast finally stopped its assault. It was ripped apart by the four headed cobra once more before falling into the ocean. Soon, it floated atop the water again, staring at She Meixiao in hatred, but it''s aura had grown so weak that it couldn''t even regenerate anymore; Any random Soul Emperor would be able to kill it by now, much less She Meixiao!

    She slowly floated down to face it, stopping just mere metres away from it with the four cobra heads still silently floating by her side. She looked at the defeated Great Beast, then out on the sea towards the other four Titled Douluos and the two 100.000-years-old whale and sharp Soul Beasts. They had also stopped their fight for the moment and the two 100.000-years-old Soul Beasts seemed more than frightened when She Meixiao looked into their direction.

    She Meixiao ignored them and faced the Great Beast again, speaking while infusing her Soul Power into her voice so that every and any living being in a huge radius would be able to clearly hear here words. "That was a nice little exercise. On behalf that it must''ve been hard for you to survive for so long, I shall let you go today. If you ever want to play with us humans again, feel free to come and find me; I''ll gladly accompany you."

    Turning around, she faced the two 100.000-years-old Soul Beasts again, still speaking with her enhanced voice. "Take your brethren and leave. This is your last warning. I don''t know who supposedly killed your clansman and, frankly speaking, I couldn''t care less about it, but if you attacks humans again, I''ll personally come and hunt all of you down to the last of your kin."

    None of them replied, but the sea water beneath the octopus Soul Beast suddenly turned a dark purple colour - different from She Meixiao''s energy ¨C and hastily pulled the beast towards the Deepsea Devil Whale King. Subsequently, all of the aquatic Soul Beasts retreated after their three leaders silently disappeared into the ocean.

    The last of them vanished into the sea and the humans aboard the cruise ship suddenly burst out into vigorous cheers. Sheng Feilong and the others cheered loudly as well as She Meixiao dispelled her True Avatar and slowly floated down towards the ship. She also retracted her Battle Armour and lightly nodded towards Mu Ye and Elder Cai before waving at the cheering crowd.

    The other Titled Douluos returned as well and stood on the deck a bit away from She Meixiao and the other two. After a moment, She Meixiao, Mu Ye and Elder Cai moved over to Sheng Feilong and the Shrek Academy students, taking them back into the ship together with them.

    When they were away from the crowd, Mu Ye looked at She Meixiao with his usual stoic expression, while the latter smiled lightly at Sheng Feilong. "Feilong, let''s get back to our quarters. After all of those fights, you should take a rest." She turned towards Tang Wulin and the others who stared back at her in awe and smiled again. "You lot should return as well; Rest and meditate on those fights later."

    She then moved towards her quarters with Sheng Feilong following closely behind her. They reached their destination quickly as no one disturbed them and She Meixiao stepped into her room, leaving the door open for Sheng Feilong to follow her. He orderly closed the door behind him when he suddenly heard She Meixiao violently coughing and turned around.

    "Master!" Sheng Feilong hurriedly run over to her, holding onto her shoulder. She Meixiao was down on one knee, still violently coughing while a lot of blood seeped through her fingers. Sheng Feilong''s face suddenly turned pale from fright. "Master, are you alright?! What- what happened?!"

    She Meixiao soon stopped coughing and closed her eyes for a moment to regulate her beathing again. She lowly stood up with Sheng Feilong''s help and sat down on the bed. Seeing her disciple''s worried and panicked look, she laughed lightly. "Don''t worry Feilong, I''m alright. I just overexerted my powers a bit; I''ll be alright after a few hours of rest."

 117 Land, Ho!

    Sheng Feilong stod in front of She Meixiao''s room. After coughing up blood, the latter told him she would only need some time to recuperate and asked for Sheng Feilong to guard the room outside. It had been a few hours since then and Sheng Feilong was slowly growing restless as he didn''t hear from She Meixiao.

    Still, he didn''t dare disturb her inside as he could still feel the energy in the area being pulled into the direction of the room, clear evidence that She Meixiao, a powerful Titled Douluo was currently cultivating.

    He, of course, wasn''t the only one to notice this. As the people closest to the source of the energy suction, Tang Wulin and the other Shrek Students came by to take a look. Sheng Feilong explained that She Meixiao was cultivating to them, but skipped the details of her coughing up blood.

    Tang Wulin and the others stayed for a while as they couldn''t cultivate with She Meixiao pulling all the energy in, anyways. After a while, they began to scatter once more and Sheng Feilong was left alone watching the door.

    He drifted off after a while, loosing himself in the thoughts of the battle he witnessed before. The power that She Meixiao showed him ¨C the power to deal with one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts all on her own in such a calm manner ¨C really shocked him. ''When will I ever be able to reach such heights? Master isn''t just a Hyper Douluo but also a Four Word Battle Armour Master... The only one who can build that kind of armour is Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua; Are they somehow connected?''

    "You''re keeping watch over her room? So I was right, she overexerted herself, didn''t she?" A voice suddenly pulled Sheng Feilong out of his thoughts and into a defensive situation. He quickly looked up with wariness in his eyes, but upon seeing that Mu Ye stood in front of him, he quickly bowed lightly. "Junior She Feilong greets Senior Mu."

    Mu Ye nodded before looking towards She Meixiao''s room, seemingly staring right through the wall. He stayed silent for a few, awkward seconds with Sheng Feilong staring at him before he opened his mouth again. "How long has she been cultivating for?"

    His face showed no expression, so Sheng Feilong had a hard time guessing what his deal was, but opted for simply answering honestly. "About two hours now, though she only began drawing in energy a bit over an hour ago... You said she overexerted herself before; Is there something wrong with Master..?"

    Averting his gaze from the wall, Mu Ye turned to face Sheng Feilong, still with the lack of any expression on his face, nodded and began walking down the hallway. "Don''t worry. She literally overexerted herself. Keeping a 100.000-years-old Soul Ring''s Soul Skill active for over half an hour isn''t easy, even when you''re a Hyper Douluo. She also used her Battle Armour together with it. She''ll need some rest, so keep guarding her door; Don''t let anyone disturb her."

    Sheng Feilong was left standing at the door and bowed lightly in the direction Mu Ye was walking off to. It seemed like She Meixiao wouldn''t exit her session of meditation for at least a few more hours.

    ---------------------------------------

    Mu Ye returned to his own room, closed the door and casually sat down at the table. After a few moments, a dull, silver light filled the room and another fer moment later, Elder Cai appeared in Mu Ye''s room.

    She just stood there for a while, staring at Mu Ye and waiting for him to react. The latter continued to just sit at the table, not even glancing at her before Elder Cai finally left her patience. She squinted her eyes, looking Mu Ye up and down again. "You''re Sect Master Mu Ye of the Body Sect, correct?"

    Mu Ye didn''t answer, but had a faint, indifferent smile on his face. Elder Cai squinted her eyes even more and continued her questions. "I''d really like to know why Sect Master Mu Ye would follow the diplomatic delegation to the Star Luo Continent."

    Mu Ye cracked a real smile this time and finally turned to look at Elder Cai. "It has nothing to do with you. I only joined this trip as a cook. I thought there might be a good spot to find some ingredients around here..."

    (A/N: Good that sentence haunts me. S/o to anyone who read that in Donald''s voice.)

    Elder Cai huffed lightly, clearly displeased by Mu Ye''s attitude; She wasn''t a good-tempered person either. Her voice and expression grew somewhat colder as she continued speaking to Mu Ye. "What is your relationship with She Meixiao?"

    Mu Ye''s gaze turned cold as he stared back at Elder Cai. The atmosphere inside the room suddenly turned intense, but both of them were still aware enough of their surroundings to not let their energy leak outside the room. Mu Ye harrumphed audibly as he spoke up. "Is that your business to mind?"

    Elder Cai stayed silent and the two of them just stared at each other for a while. "Alright, if you''re going to be that way, we''ve nothing much to talk about. Go carefully, Sect Master Mu Ye." Elder Cai spoke coldly. A silver light flashed only once in her eyes before she vanished without a trace.

    Back in her own room, Elder Cai frowned. A powerhouse like Mu Ye appearing on the ship was not a good sign for her. It was already bad enough for someone like She Meixiao, who they weren''t on the best terms with being on the ship, much less Mu Ye.

    Shrek Academy and Mu Ye''s Body Sect have been at odds for the last ten thousand years without ever coming to an agreement. They weren''t on bad terms per se, but the Body Sect was always a threat to Shrek Academy in the past. Elder Cai couldn''t be sure whether Mu Ye was friend of foe, but she knew for a fact that she was weaker than him.

    Ever more concerning was the fact that She Meixiao and Mu Ye seemed to be on good terms, so much so that She Meixiao would entrust her personal disciple to Mu Ye when she went to fight the Great Beast. This was something that would have to be reported back to Shrek Academy as soon as possible.

    ---------------------------------------

    The last week of their journey across the ocean passed quietly. She Meixiao exited her room calmly after a few hours, on the same day of the battle, and seemed to be perfectly fine again. She assured Sheng Feilong that everything was alright and that she would only need to take it easy for a few days before being in top shape again.

    Sheng Feilong took her word and focused on cultivating again. With only a week left, he didn''t make much progress but managed to completely consolidate his foundation of rank 53 in the mean time.

    Most of his friends made their own breakthroughs and varying degrees of progress, with the most obvious being Tang Wulin who somewhen broke through rank 40 during the journey; He did so even before the great battle, apparently.

    The situation between Sheng Feilong and Xie Xie seemed to only get worse as the latter flat out refused to share the same table as Sheng Feilong. In the end, though, he stayed as the rest of the Shrek Students refused to go along with his petty antics.

    Although non of them were really happy about the situation of the two of them being at odds, they refrained from actively intervening. They knew that it was something for them to duke out between themselves and that getting involved would only make matters worse.

    The worst part about it might actually be Sheng Feilong. Unlike Xie Xie, who was petty about the situation, he seemed to completely ignore it and was perfectly content with how things played out. He acted completely normal, just ignoring Xie Xie''s existence at all, which only incited the latter even more.

    Yuanen Yehui, the cause of this whole ordeal, refrained from acknowledging any of this and continued as normal as well. Though from Tang Wulin''s point of view, it seemed like she preferred Sheng Feilong''s company over Xie Xie''s which somewhat bothered him; As the captain of their team, he had to make sure that everyone was alright, but he couldn''t just kick one of them out.

    Soon, they reached the coast of the Star Luo Continent. The people that finally returned home rejoiced at the sight of the familiar coastline, while a grant welcoming ceremony awaited the member''s of the Douluo Continent''s delegation. Most of the people coming to the Star Luo Continent were content with the situation and went along their ways with the Star Luo Continent''s members of their respective fields, but for She Meixiao and Shrek Academy''s parties, all of this was just a formality.

    She Meixiao took Sheng Feilong to a more quiet spot before deciding on their plans. Most of the delegation would visit the Star Luo Empire''s capital, Star Luo City, while they would do the same. The only exception being that She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong would pay a visit to one of Daedalus'' branches that was on the way towards Star Luo City and therefore not travel with the rest of the delegation.

 118 Visiting A Daedalus Branch

    She Meixiao had just told Sheng Feilong about the plans for the initial part of their trip to the Star Luo Continent. They would have to leave early in order to meet up with the Douluo Continent''s delegation in Star Luo City later.

    When they were about to leave, a tall, middle aged man approached them with a smile and humble demeanor. Although unable to remember his name, Sheng Feilong knew that he was a member of the Star Luo Continent''s delegation that travelled on the ship with them.

    The man stood in front of She Meixiao and gave a light bow before introducing himself to She Meixiao. The two of them exchanged a few pleasantries and the man came to the main topic why he approached them. There was a great tournament going on in Star Luo City and the man actually invited Sheng Feilong to join.

    Neither Sheng Feilong nor She Meixiao seemed too interested in the tournament as they had their own mission to fulfil, but the man didn''t give up. "I understand that Madam She and Young Sir She must be busy, but will you truly not consider it? Of course, the Star Luo Empire promised great prizes for the winners; Even Elder Cai and the respected students of Shrek Academy decided to join."

    Sheng Feilong''s interest peaked when he heard that Tang Wulin and the others would contend as well. "The students of Shrek Academy will join as well?" The man quickly caught on to Sheng Feilong''s question, not missing the chance to persuade him to join. "Yes indeed. Elder Cai herself has allowed them to join as the prizes are truly great and it would be a good way to gain experience for them."

    Shng Feilong glanced at She Meixiao, only to see the latter looking at him as well. She Meixiao nodded lightly ad turned towards the man. "Prizes that are able to sway Elder Cai must be truly excessive. I have to admit that even I''m tempted."

    "The prizes truly are grand! Depending on the type of competition the prizes will become even more promising. There are solo-, team-, two-versus-two and other competitions. Most noteably the team competition, where every member of the winner team will obtain a rare, spirit refined metal, the two-versus-two competition, where the winners will obtain a 10.000-years-old Soul Treasure and especially the solo competition; It''s champion will be bestowed a Soul Bone by our great Star Luo Emperor!" The man explained with exaggerated glee and enthusiasm.

    Sheng Feilong wasn''t too surprised about the prizes; It was meant for the greatest young talents of their continent after all. But for outsiders like them to be allowed to join and possibly even win a Soul Bone like that was really surprising. ''Why are they allowing us to join like that..? Are they that confident that their young geniuses will win?''

    She Meixiao smiled lightly and looked at Sheng Feilong. "Those prizes are really something. The Star Luo Empire truly doesn''t shy away from rewarding its outstanding young Soul Masters; Truly respectable! Feilong, what do you think? If you wish to join, we can easily adjust our schedule accordingly."

    A slight expression of contempt flashed over the face of the man when She Meixiao answered. Naturally, neither She Meixiao nor Sheng Feilong failed to see this blunder. Sheng Feilong didn''t like that of course, but seeing She Meixiao not take any action, he smiled lightly and answered her question. "I''m sorry Master, but this really is a great chance. And I''d love to see just how powerful our friends from the Star Luo Continent truly are."

    Another look of contempt flashed over the man''s face when he heard Sheng Feilong. As expected, he didn''t really take Sheng Feilong serious and thought him to be rather weak and inexperienced. Still, he tried hisbest to rally Sheng Feilong up further, even complimenting him for his open-mindedness. After a while, he left and Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao were alone again.

    She Meixiao said nothing, but when the man was out of ear''s reach, Sheng Feilong sneered lightly and smiled at She Meixiao. "He tried his best to hide it, but he doesn''t seem to think much of me. Or rather, he doesn''t seem to think much of our Douluo Continent''s younger generation at all."

    She Meixiao smiled light in response. "There''s no need to get rallied up. He said the tournament was for open everyone under the age of 20, so seeing that you''re barely 15 years old most likely led him to believe that you would be unable to put up a fight against their Star Luo Empire''s top Soul Masters near the age of 20. Don''t take it to heart; People from the Douluo Continent that don''t know you would most likely think the same."

    Sheng Feilong nodded in response and didn''t say anything else. He knew She Meixiao was right, but he couldn''t help but feel displeased about it, nonetheless. Looking at the time, She Meixiao grew somewhat more serious and turned back to Sheng Feilong. "Let''s go now. We can reach the Daedalus'' branch near here in about two hours by car. Someone will take us over to Star Luo City after that."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and followed behind She Meixiao. "Master, what do we have to do at the branch, by the way?" She Meixiao answered him while walking and made sure no one would be able to hear their conversation. "Nothing much. I''ve been asked to take a look around and just check up on them. It''s more of a pleasantry to visit them to show that the two continent''s organisations are still connected as one."

    "Are they that different that something like this is necessary?" Sheng Feilong asked with a slightly confused expression. She Meixiao answered with a smile. "Well, they''re not that different in essence. But there''s a difference between each branch even on the Douluo Continent depending on the branch headmaster. And I''ve heard that the branches here are a bit... wilder than what we''re used to from the headquarters."

    The ''wild'' She Meixiao mentioned was referring to the competition between individuals in the Star Luo Continent''s branches. Unlike the ones on the Douluo Continent, that were united as one, there was apparently a lot of tension between the branches of the Star Luo Continent as there was no clear leader. Every branch headmaster wanted to be at the top and thus conflicts arose.

    They soon reached the streets and took a cab to bring them near the branch of Daedalus. They alighted from the cab in the middle of nowhere, surprising the driver, but She Meixiao told them it was okay and paid a nice tip, so no questions were asked. After walking for a while longer, they reached the Daedalus branch.

    The people there were on guard against the unfamiliar people, but upon seeing She Meixiao''s badge, the guards immediately bowed deeply and profusely apologized. One of them went in to inform the branch headmaster and She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong were escorted in soon after.

    A grey haired, middle aged man awaited them inside a clean office and greeted them with a friendly demeanor. He was the branch headmaster and exchanged a few pleasantries with She Meixiao while occasionally praising Sheng Feilong for his strength. Apparently, this branch leader was one of the only ones that didn''t care about the struggles for power and was rather content with just helping the Soul Masters with evil or dark attributed Spirit Essences.

    He showed She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong around the base, which surprisingly had the same layout as the headquarters back on the Douluo Continent. Sheng Feilong guessed that this was the standard layout for every branch. It somehow made him more comfortable to know that he at least wouldn''t get lost whenever he stepped into a new branch.

    Overall, She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong spent the whole day there, taking turns of checking all different parts of the base while constantly being with the branch headmaster. Quite a few topics came up during their visit, many of which Sheng Feilong couldn''t quite follow as he wasn''t involved in the management of Daedalus. They left early in the morning of the next day, ready to head to Star Luo City.

    A while later, She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong were back on the road where they exited the cab before. They had already contacted another cab and had asked to be picked up there. To keep suspicions low, She Meixiao asked Sheng Feilong to make a little illusion, masking them standing there with a broken down vehicle next to them.

    The cab driver arrived shortly and took them to Star Luo City on the highway. She Meixiao told a little story of how they were on vacation to Star Luo City but their car had a problem and thus they needed a cab. The driver bought the story without a hitch, or rather, he wasn''t really interested in the story at all as he''d get paid for the drive to Star Luo City, which was a lot of money for him; He would''ve probably bought a story about a Soul Beast eating their car engine without blinking.

    Soon enough, they reached the city and rejoined the Douluo Continent''s delegation at the Grand Star Luo Hotel. Sheng Feilong was unable to get a hold of tang Wulin and the others for the whole stay as they were all occupied with different things, so he strolled the streets of Star Luo City alone. With his power, there wasn''t anything that could happen to him, so She Meixiao had no problem leaving him to his own advices.

    Two days later, they finally heard from the Star Luo Empire''s higher ups. Today, the Star Luo Emperor would personally welcome the politic delegation and other visitors in the palace. As they would meet the Emperor soon, they were required to wear formal attire, so Sheng Feilong wore the same suit he already wore at the banquet some time back.

    In the evening, when it was barely past dusk, a row of luxurious cars arrived to take them to the Star Luo Palace. She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong were invited to a personal car as they were high ranking guests. Sheng Feilong was once more reminded of how good life became once one was powerful enough.

 119 Causing Trouble At The National Ceremony!

    Being driven over from the Grand Star Luo Hotel, She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong alighted from the car in front of the Imperial Palace. The towering palace was located in the middle of Star Luo City and is said to have been recreated in the image of the Star Luo Empire''s palace from when they were still on the Douluo Continent.

    The Star Luo Empire''s Royal Family, the Dai family, were proud people. Although they were forced to flee from the Douluo Continent 10.000 years ago, they always held their heritage dear and thus built the new palace exactly like the old.

    This pride not only stems from their long history, but also the fact that the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao came from their Dai family. Huo Yuhao''s original name was Dai Huyao and he was a direct descendant of the Dai family. However, circumstances brought him to change his name. There were few who knew the specific reasons as the Dai family always kept a those secrets tightly locked.

    The luxurious cars that were sent to fetch the people from the Douluo Continent''s delegation arrived one by one. After a while, everyone arrived and Sheng Feilong quickly found Tang Wulin and the others. They were the only other people around his age as well as his friends, so he naturally went over to stand with them.

    She Meixiao didn''t seem to mind and greeted everyone with a smile before taking a place besides Elder Cai. The latter did seem rather displeased about this in Sheng Feilong''s eyes, but she put up with it.

    The whole delegation was soon led to the palace''s main plaza where a red carpet lay all the way from the gate into the palace. The sounds of loud horns echoed out and the grand national ceremony began in front of the palace. The Douluo Continent''s Federation''s Vice President stood at the forefront of the delegation. Just behind him stood a few more people, including the top Soul Masters like She Meixiao and Elder Cai.

    With all the important people present, Sheng Feilong and the other children could only stand in the back rows behind their respective leader''s. After the initial horn, majestic music started playing. The whole ordeal was long and boring and Tang Wulin even seemed to be dozing off by the side. Sheng Feilong really couldn''t really blame him for this; He himself was just as uninterested in the ceremony as well.

    A gunfire salute took place after the music faded into the background and a multitude of weapons were shot into the air. One of them was extremely loud and send a loud boom through the whole plaza. Tang Wulin instantly woke up and Gu Yue had to hold him back from jumping into action and taking a fighting stance.

    Sheng Feilong had to hold back his laughter as Xie Xie and Xu Lizhi began teasing Tang Wulin a bit before calming down again. Meanwhile, a tall, middle aged man with a golden crown on his head came out of the palace with a few people behind him. The Federation''s Vice President exchanged greetings with the man and showed great respect for him.

    ''He''s the Star Luo Empire''s Emperor? The people around him... Guards and... a princess? Where''s the rest of the royal family?'' Sheng Feilong looked at the front and observed the few different people.

    The gunfire salute continued for quite a while without anything happening and Tang Wulin actually dozed off again! This time Sheng Feilong could only shake his head. ''He''s really taking it too far with this...''

    A short while later, the girl Sheng Feilong thought to be a princess suddenly looked into their direction. She stared at Tang Wulin for a while and her expression changed a few times for surprise, to anger and finally to a cold grin. Sheng Feilong didn''t think much of it at first, but he suddenly felt a rather powerful Spirit Power sneakily wagging around the people in the plaza.

    Surprisingly, this power felt rather familiar. He was sure the princess was the one releasing this power, but that wasn''t where the familiarity came from. Rather, it felt like the type of Spirit Power itself was similar to his own. Sheng Feilong continued observing the Spirit Power with his own for a while, when his expression suddenly turned cold.

    A cold glint flashed past his eyes and they suddenly turned a deeper shade of gold while the strange, winged symbol appeared on his forehead. He sent out a spiritual attack of his own, disintegrating the Spirit Power that was sneaking it''s way towards Tang Wulin''s spiritual consciousness.

    The Spirit Power was destroyed with next to no resistance, showing how much stronger Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power is and a shrill scream suddenly echoed through the plaza. "Hyaa!" The princess behind the emperor suddenly held her head with both her hands, lost her balance and fell to the ground with a pale face.

    "Princess!" The guards next to her immediate released their Soul Power and pulled their weapons out while one of them flashed to the princesses side, making sure she was alright. The emperor''s face changed as well and he flew to his daughter''s side in the blink of an eye as well, his face contorted in anger and worry. "Yun''er! What happened?!"

    The princess stood up after two seconds, still with a hand on her head. She looked even more angry than the emperor and her face was completely red from anger and embarrassment as pointed at into Sheng Feilong''s direction. Her finger shook from her anger and the people started turning around to see Sheng Feilong stare at the princess with a cold expression.

    Before anyone could say something, Sheng Feilong''s cold voice rung out through the plaza in an unhurried manner. "Princess Dai, I''d appreciate it if you would refrain from targetting my friends with a spiritual attack." The princess continued to point at Sheng Feilong in anger and the whole plaza was silent and people stared at Sheng Feilong in shock.

    The emperor looked at Sheng Feilong in cold anger and raised one of his hands. Two of the guards that had their Soul Power already released flashed away from their positions and towards Sheng Feilong at extreme speeds. Before they could come near them, She Meixiao blocked their path with a smile. She didn''t release her Soul Power, but none of the guards dared to move in her presence.

    She Meixiao looked at the emperor and bowed ever so slightly. "Respected Emperor Dai, I apologize for my disciple''s sudden behaviour." She glanced at the princess for a split second, which the emperor saw clearly. His expression sank slightly and She Meixiao continued to speak. "My disciple tends to react rather protective of the people close to him. I hope Emperor Dai and Princess Yun''er won''t take offence from this."

    Princess Yun''er didn''t seem to content with the situation and still glared daggers at Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao, but the emperor took a deep breath before glancing at Sheng Feilong and then back at She Meixiao. He was aware of who She Meixiao was from what the members of the star Luo Empire''s delegation reported of the Soul Beast''s attack on their journey.

    If it was someone else attacking his daughter, the emperor would have already executed the offender, but with She Meixiao''s status as a Hyper Douluo and Four word Battle Armour Master, as well as Sheng Feilong''s status of being a guest in his empire and a member of the delegation, he didn''t want things to escalate. Moreover, he was aware of his daughter''s mischievous behaviour, so he could already guess that she did indeed targetted someone with a spiritual attack.

    He breathed out deeply before staring She Meixiao into the eyes with an indifferent expression. "No offence taken, Madam. It was indeed my daughter''s fault for trying to pull a prank. Your disciple didn''t do her any great harm and only intended to protect his friends, so there is no need to apologize."

    With the emperor''s words, the guards took a step back and returned to their positions while She Meixiao slightly bowed towards the emperor again. The princess seemed displeased by this and wanted to say something, but seeing her father glance at her, she quickly held it back and returned to her place as well.

    The emperor turned around and walked back over to the Federation''s Vice President while already starting to speak on the way. "I apologize for the interruption. Let us continue, valued friends of the Douluo Continent."

    The ceremony continued without any issues and slowly came to a close when the emperor invited everyone inside for a banquet. For the whole time, the princess continued to shoot a death glare at Sheng Feilong, while the latter just decided to ignore her. He didn''t have any interest in interacting with the princess more than needed; Someone who attacked his friends at their first meeting wasn''t worth his attention unless it was in a fight!

    The emperor and the princess retreated from the banquet hall for a while and later returned with another person in tow to host the banquet. The princess seemed to have calmed down by now and didn''t stare at Sheng Feilong anymore. Instead, she seemed to completely ignore the existence of Sheng Feilong and the Shrek students, much to Sheng Feilong''s delight.

 120 Wooing A Princess!

    The banquet inside the Star Luo Empire''s royal palace had just began and people were happily eating and talking about. In addition to the diplomatic delegation of the Douluo Continent and the royals of the Star Luo Empire, there were also a number of nobles and influential figures from the Star Luo Empire present.

    Many of those used the chance to make a good impression on the diplomatic delegation by showing off their manners and fame, hoping to please the emperor by humbling the diplomatic delegation, though most of them failed as the hard boiled politicians of the Douluo Continent wouldn''t really care about them and just keep their formal and friendly fronts up for the whole time.

    A large number of those nobles had brought their own children with them as well; A large number of young nobles from all over the empire. Most of them tried to get on the good side of the princess and the fourth prince, who joined the emperor in the banquet, while maintaining a friendly disposition to the people of the Douluo Continent.

    Sheng Feilong and the others mostly tried to keep out of the political talks and remained rather bunched up at one side of the banquet hall. Yue Zhengyu and Gu Yue seemed the most open minded to the talks with the nobles youths of the Star Luo Continent and seemed rather experienced with these kinds of things.

    After a while, the dance floor was opened and a lot of the people started their first dance. Sheng Feilong and the others kept out of it for now and just watched the people. Sheng Feilong silently heaved a sigh of relief; It was a good idea to stay out for the time being as the Star Luo Empire''s nobles had quite a different way to dance than the Douluo Continent''s people.

    The emperor stood up and walked up to one of the most prominent figures among the Douluo Continent''s delegation. He bowed in a gentlemanly manner and asked the lady to dance with him. The lady promptly agreed with a amicable smile; This was just a formality for both of them, but the emperor still chose her over all the other woman of the delegation, inflating the lady''s pride somewhat.

    Tang Wulin walked off to the side, taking a time out from the talks with the many young nobles around them, but Sheng Feilong saw the Star Luo Empire''s princess approach him shortly after. Sheng Feilong frowned, but didn''t do anything and just ignored the matter; He didn''t like the princess and she had attacked Tang Wulin before, but if she doesn''t do anything now, then it''s not his place to interfere.

    The two of them talked for a moment before the princess dragged Tang Wulin over to the dance floor. Gu Yue obviously didn''t like that and frowned, but soon relaxed when she saw Tang Wulin repeatedly stepping on the princesses feet with an innocent expression.

    Sheng Feilong was talking to one of the Star Luo Empire''s youths while seeing Xie Xie and Yuanen Yehui in the corner of his eye. Xie Xie seemed to be asking Yuanen Yehui something, while the latter rolled her eyes at him. Sheng Feilong was interested and decided to listen in using his Spirit Power.

    He missed quite a bit, but managed to hear Yuanen Yehui''s displeased tone as she answered. "Where do you think this is; Have you taken a look around? Do you want to provoke the whole Star Luo Empire with this? We''re at a national ceremony, not some random party. I won''t dance with you here; Know some decency." After saying that, Yuanen Yehui turned around and walked away from Xie Xie.

    Sheng Feilong could barely contain his laughter. Yuanen Yehui was still in her male disguise and Xie Xie apparently did the same thing as Sheng Feilong did at the banquet on the ship two months ago; He asked her out to dance with him despite her disguise, but failed miserably!

    Sheng Feilong''s interlocutor noticed the sudden change in his mood and asked what was going on. Sheng Feilong profusely apologized, saying he was distracted for a moment before diving back into the dialogue. The two of them ended their talk a while later with smiles on their faces and the second dance coincidentally ended as well.

    All eyes were once again on the emperor who brought his dance partner back to her prior place in a gentlemanly manner. He bowed again and also returned to his seat at the head of the hall. The festivities were about to continue, when a rather loud, sweet sounding voice echoed through the hall. "I''ve always admired Douluo Continent''s culture and Shrek Academy. After witnessing it today, I find it truly extraordinary. Will you be my boyfriend?"

    Everyone immediately turned around like hunters finding their prey and stared at the source of the voice; The Star Luo Empire''s princess and her dance partner, Tang Wulin. Low gasps of surprise filled the hall before complete silence took over.

    Tang Wulin was stunned for a moment and quickly tried to explain himself, but the princess was faster and spoke aloud again. "However, you''ll need to possess strong powers in order to become my boyfriend. Only the strongest can catch my fancy. I promise that you can be my boyfriend as long as you''re able to become the champion in the upcoming Continental Young High-Ranking Soul Masters Elite Competition. Work hard!"

    The princess smiled sweetly at Tang Wulin and quickly left the dance floor before Tang Wulin could say anything. She returned to her fathers side, who was staring at Tang Wulin with a solemn expression. He glanced at his daughter, who actually seemed serious about the issue and then back at Tang Wulin.

    The latter had already returned to his friend''s side where Gu Yue gave him a harsh comment about becoming the emperor''s son-in-law, then left with a huff. Again, before Tang Wulin could explain himself, the young noble who cheerfully talked to Sheng Feilong blocked his way and pushed into Tang Wulin''s chest with his arm. "So you wish to date our Princess Yun''er? Boy, are you trying to get beaten up?"

    More and more of the young nobles gathered around Tang Wulin. The latter didn''t pay them much heed and tried to get through them, but they refused to get out of his way. Another of the nobles pitched in with a low voice, trying to intimidate Tang Wulin with his words, before an awe inspiring voice echoed from behind them. "What are all of you doing?"

    The young nobles flinched and turned around, only to see the Star Luo Emperor, Dai Tianling, and the Star Luo Empress standing behind them. All of them quickly bowed and opened a way for them to pass through.

    The emperor sized Tang Wulin up with an inquisitive gaze, while the empress stood at the side with an amused expression. Tang Wulin swallowed dry, but still stood at attention and the emperor finally spoke up after what felt like hours for him. "What is your name, young man?"

    Tang Wulin took half a step back and gave the emperor a courteous bow while respectfully replying. "Good evening, Your Majesty. My name is Tang Wulin." The emperor nodded lightly and smiled before turning around. "I''ll be looking forward to your performance in the Continental Youth High-Ranking Soul Masters Elite Competition."

    (A/N: That''s the original name from DD3. Seriously, who came up with that? It''s just a tournament; Give it a normal name!)

    Tang Wulin looked at the leaving emperor with a complicated and wronged expression as the crowd of young nobles dispersed. Elder Cai put a hand of his shoulder, wishing him good luck. Tang Wulin turned around with a pleading expression. "Elder Cai, can I not take part in the tournament?"

    Elder Cai looked at him with the same indifferent expression as before. "You may, but I must remind you that our current trip isn''t simply a diplomatic mission alone. It is also a trial for all of you. It''s a trial from the academy for the new generation of Shrek Seven Monsters, a trial for the Inner Disciples. If you choose to run and not fight, then you''ll lose the qualification to enter the inner court."

    Tang Wulin stood there, shell-shocked as Elder Cai just left without saying anything else. Sheng Feilong, Xie Xie and the others gathered around Tang Wulin and Xie Xie shot him a thumbs up. "Captain, you''re awesome! You didn''t even bat an eye and picked up a princess!"

    Tang Wulin told him to get lost, as he was already depressed enough, when Yuanen Yehui pitched in with a serious tone. "What will you do about Gu Yue?" Yue Zhengyu followed up, also criticizing Tang Wulin for not being faithful to Gu Yue.

    They bickered a bit more and Sheng Feilong just stared at Tang Wulin. After a while, he finally opened his mouth, gaining everyone attention. "You know that she''s not trying to woo you, but is targetting you, right? I don''t know what she has against you, but the mental attack during the ceremony should''ve been enough for you to understand that something''s wrong with this."

 121 I Just Need An Answer!

    As soon as Sheng Feilong finished, everyone immediately turned to Tang Wulin. They naturally knew about the mental attack and were just as confused about it as Sheng Feilong, but they completely forgot that the princess seemed to target Tang Wulin from the beginning.

    Tang Wulin frowned, but still nodded. "I know. I''ve met her before the ceremony once in town. I was searching for some good metals and ran into her. We had a bit of an argument and it seemed like she still holds that against me."

    Sheng Feilong sighed and looked at Tang Wulin with an annoyed expression. "An argument in town, sleeping at an important ceremony that her father organized to show our continent respect and then stepping on her feet on purpose during this banquet... You really are...."

    Tang Wulin awkwardly scratched his head with an embarrassed expression when Sheng Feilong laid out his fault so openly and hurriedly tried to avoid the topic. "Yeah, I did that, but if why is she only targetting me? You used your Spirit Power to attack her during the ceremony, embarrassed her in front of all the participants of the ceremony and got off completely scot free."

    "I don''t know. Maybe she thought it would have been to obvious if she targetted me." He paused for a moment before coming up with a new thought. "Or maybe she plans to do something during the tournament."

    The others were a bit surprised and Yue Zhengyu was the first one to speak up. "You''ll join the tournament as well?" Sheng Feilong gave a short nod, confirming his question. Xu Xiaoyan happily smiled and skipped around. "That''s great! So we''ll be able to fight together again?"

    Shaking his head lightly, Sheng Feilong spoke up again with a sorry tone. "I''ll only join the solo competition. I came here alone with my Master so the two-versus-two competition won''t be possible and I doubt Elder Cai would let me join the team competition together with you guys."

    "He''s probably right." Tang Wulin pitched in at that moment. "Elder Cai said that the competition is a test to see whether we''re qualified to join the Inner Court or not. If we''re doing well, we''ll even get a chance to become this generations Shrek''s Seven Monsters."

    "We''re already eight people that fight for a position among the Seven Monsters, so adding a ninth person shouldn''t be too much right?" Xu Lizhi spoke with a carefree expression. "Moreover, Feilong is a member of Shrek Academy as well. And he was originally in the Inner Court, just like Xinglan and I."

    "I''m sorry, Lizhi, but I won''t be coming back to Shrek for a while. I''ll ask my master if she''d allow me to join Shrek Academy''s team for the competition and if she agrees, we''ll ask Elder Cai." Sheng Feilong shook his head again.

    Tang Wulin and the others agreed to his idea and Sheng Feilong suddenly spoke up again while staring at Tang Wulin. "Anyways, shouldn''t you go and explain the situation to Gu Yue..? She seemed really angry when she left."

    Tang Wulin suddenly froze and hastily turned around towards the exit. "You''re right! I gotta hurry! We''ll see each other tomorrow, remember to ask your Master! See you!" He then ran out of the banquet hall and vanished from their vision. Yue Zhengyu looked at the exit in awe. "That was quick. I didn''t know he was that fast."

    The others laughed a bit, including Sheng Feilong. Xie Xie left shortly after, saying he wanted to cultivate tonight, while the others stayed a while longer. They gradually dispersed and returned to the hotel, calling it a day. Sheng Feilong was one of the last ones to return and went straight to bed after cultivating for a little while.

    The next morning, Sheng Feilong went to She Meixiao''s room and talked about the things that happened yesterday for a while longer. She Meixiao was a bit surprised that the princess would go so far as to set up Tang Wulin for that little bit of trouble, but didn''t say anything about it.

    A few moment later, though, she raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You want to join the Shrek students in the team competition?" Sheng Feilong nodded and explained himself a bit further. "Yes. I thought it would be appropriate to ask you first before going to Elder Cai. Wulin and the others are my friends, so I wanted to fight together with them."

    She Meixiao frowned and stayed silent for a long while. She had talked about the Sheng Clan''s disaster with Song Weihan before the journey started and said she''d try to find out about whether or not Shrek Academy was involved. Elder Cai didn''t react much to her provocations and it didn''t seem like she was involved, but that still didn''t cross out all possibilities.

    Letting Sheng Feilong join the competition under Elder Cai''s supervision could lead to some problems, but She Meixiao believed that she would be able to handle the situation since Elder Cai didn''t have Shrek Academy''s backing here on the Star Luo Continent. She looked at Sheng Feilong and nodded her head. "Alright. If you want to join, then I won''t stop you if Elder Cai allows it."

    Sheng Feilong smiled brightly and thanked She Meixiao. He then quickly sent Tang Wulin a message with his Soul Communicator and they compromised with meeting up at the arena''s registration. He and She Meixiao spent a bit more time together and eventually got a cab to bring them to the arena.

    They got there shortly after and met up with Tang Wulin and the others. Elder cai and Wu Zhangkong were with them as well, and the former frowned again when she saw She Meixiao. Tang Wulin smiled and greeted Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao, while Elder Cai looked at Tang Wulin with a frown. "Is that why you wanted us to wait?"

    "Yes, Elder Cai. We were talking about this yesterday in the evening among ourselves. And now we wanted to ask you about it before we registered." Tang Wulin explained promptly, while Elder Cai frowned once more. "Ask about what? Get to the point."

    "We wanted to ask you to let Sheng Feilong join our team." All eyes were now on Elder Cai. She frowned and looked at Sheng Feilong, who calmly looked at her, then at She Meixiao. The latter just shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly, signalling that it would be Elder Cai''s decision and remained silent.

    Elder Cai looked at the other students, all of which, other than Xie Xie, looked back at her with eager expressions. She then looked at Sheng Feilong again and, annoyed by his calm expression, sneered. "You fail to show up at the academy for nearly half a year, then coincidentally come to the Star Luo Continent as well and now want to bask in Shrek Academy''s glory?"

    The atmosphere suddenly turned tense and Tang Wulin and the others looked over to Sheng Feilong. The latter just looked at Elder Cai, just as calm and indifferent as before. The two had a stare off for a few seconds before Sheng Feilong finally opened his mouth. "I have no need, nor interest to justify myself to you; I just need an answer. Will you allow me to join the Shrek Academy''s group for the team competition: Yes or no?"

    Elder Cai''s face sunk. It has been quite a while since a junior dared to be this disrespectful towards her, but seeing She Meixiao stand behind Sheng Feilong, she reigned herself in. Her face turned ice cold as she stared at Sheng Feilong. "The answer is no. Now get lost."

    The moment she said ''no'', Sheng Feilong lost all interest. Without even acknowledging her answer, he just went past her and headed to the registration counter. She Meixiao smiled and followed behind him, not forgetting to nod towards Elder Cai as a form of fake apology.

    Tang Wulin wanted to say something, but seeing Elder Cai''s face, he tactfully chose to remain silent. Elder Cai turned to the students and told them about her decisions for the two-versus-two competitions while Sheng Feilong moved to the counter and registered himself for the solo competition. He made sure that the employee knew that he was from the Douluo Continent, just so he could rub it into the Star Luo Empire''s face later.

    "Gu Yue! Wait!" He had just finished and turned around to see Tang Wulin running after Gu Yue who was leaving the arena. Judging from Elder Cai''s face that seemed even more angered than before, Gu Yue must have disagreed with her decisions.

    He ignored it for the time being as he knew that Tang Wulin would be able to deal with Gu Yue''s temper and went into the arena to take a look around with She Meixiao. The registration for the competition was actually already closed, but with the permission of the emperor, the members of the Douluo Continent''s delegation were allowed to register, so it was pretty empty.

    The arena was actually a huge colloseum with an elevated platform that was used as the arena in the middle. Heavy stone slated that were laid out in a 100x100 metres field marked the boundaries of the main arena. Around that main arena were a few more, smaller arenas on each, the south and north sides, so that multiple fights could be hosted at once. Apparently, the main arena would remain unused until the rounds of 32 of each of the competitions.

    Thousands of seats were placed on the rostrum around the arenas for people to watch and a special platform was located in the middle of the eastern side. Sheng Feilong guessed that this platform was for special guests, the royal family and other influential people to use.

    After a while, She Meixiao looked at Sheng Feilong and smiled lightly. "Let''s go back. You don''t need to feel nervous about the competition at all; You''ll enter the final rounds easily tomorrow."

 122 A Clash Before The Competition Begins!

    The night went past and morning came quickly. She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong were on their way to the Star Luo Empire''s colloseum, waiting to be let in like all the other people. The two of them separated, with Sheng Feilong going to the waiting area for the competitors and She Meixiao taking a place at the rostrum.

    Although it was still early and the competition wouldn''t start until an hour later, the whole arena was already filled with people. They came in the thousands, everyone fighting for themselves to obtain a good seat. She Meixiao had asked to get a place on the special platform where a few nobles of the Star Luo Empire were already seated.

    Most of those nobles gave her a friendly greeting as they already knew who she was and She Meixiao returned the greeting in the same manner. She took her place and quietly waited for the competition to begin.

    Sheng Feilong was also quickly lead to the waiting area for competitors. He looked around for a bit, but couldn''t find Tang Wulin and the others, so he searched for a quiet corner and sat down with his eyes closed. With the bustling atmosphere inside the waiting area, it would be impossible for him to meditate, so he could just wait while waiting to be called.

    Time passed silently when Sheng Feilong suddenly opened his eyes and hastily turned his head around. He felt a few hostile gazes fall onto him with even so much as a faint killing intent mixed into two of them. His mood soured when he saw who these gazes belonged to.

    A few people were gradually making their way over to him with unfriendly expressions. He heard a few other participants whisper among themselves and guessed that they must be some big shots, which he quickly confirmed when he saw two familiar faces; The little princess of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Yun''er, and her older brother, the Empire''s Fourth Prince, Dai Yueyan.

    Unsurprisingly one of the hostile gazes filled with a faint killing intent came from Dai Yun''er. The other, though, didn''t come from the Fourth Prince, but from a man besides those two. Sheng Feilong frowned lightly. He didn''t know this person, but the murderous cold aura he radiated was incredibly intense. He had a completely bald head and his eyes were of a deep black colour with faint red traces in them.

    This man''s gaze was filled with even more killing intent than the princess''s and he looked like he would pounce on Sheng Feilong at the first notice. Their group of eight stopped in front of the seated Sheng Feilong and the princess started speaking and pulling on the bald man''s sleeve while staring at Sheng Feilong. "Brother Long, he''s the guy who attacked me during the ceremony and humiliated me!"

    Sheng Feilong glanced at the princess with a frown while the bald man took two steps forward. He now stood directly in front of Sheng Feilong and stared at the latter. Sheng Feilong matched his gaze without flinching and they stared at each other for a few seconds before the bald man spoke up. "So, you''re the one who dared to bully my sister Yun''er?"

    Sheng Feilong grinned mockingly and glanced at the princess again. Then smiled lightly at the bald man and spoke in a voice loud enough for most of the surrounding people to hear. "If you define ''bullying'' as blocking an aggressor who attacked a member of a political delegation from another continent with a spiritual attack, then yes. Yes, I was bullying your ''sister''. Though dare I ask which noble Prince you might be?"

    "An aggressor, huh? You''re indeed quite daring... My name is Long Yue. I''m not a Prince, but Yun''er allowed me to call her my little sister. It''s nice to meet you." The bald man, Long Yue, then stretched out his hand while still staring at Sheng Feilong.

    Sheng Feilong looked at Long Yue for a moment. He still radiated the murderous cold aura and still looked like a beast that was about to pounce at him. His words sounded respectful and somewhat pleasant, but it was obvious that he didn''t have any kind intentions. He then stretched out a hand as well, grasping Long Yue''s. "It''s nice to meet you as well. I''m She Feilong."

    The two shook hands for a second before the corner of Long Yue''s mouth turned upwards. A red aura began surrounding his hand and his skin darkened somewhat as he began squeezing Sheng Feilong''s hand. Frowning, Sheng Feilong used his own bloodline''s strength to counteract the force.

    Long Yue was surprised for a second, but then the red aura''s intensity increased and he gripped Sheng Feilong''s hand with an incredible intensity. Sheng Feilong instantly felt that he wouldn''t be able to beat Long Yue with just his bloodline''s power boost, so he carefully used the only other method he had to significantly increase his strength.

    The skin on his hand suddenly turned pitch black with dark, muddy green veins coursing through it. His hand also increasing lightly in size while his fingers became more claw like. From a third person perspective, this change wasn''t recognizable, but Long Yue instantly felt this shift and frowned lightly.

    Then, Sheng Feilong strengthened his grip, squeezing Long Yue''s hand. Long Yue''s countenance changed slightly and the red light increased in intensity again, while a grey aura radiated from Sheng Feilong''s hand. Sheng Feilong still stared Long Yue directly into the eyes with an indifferent expression as both of them continued to squeeze each others hand more tightly.

    Most people surrounding them had already caught on to what was going on and looked at those two intently. They knew Long Yue, Madman Long, quite well, but they had never seen Sheng Feilong before. From what those two said earlier, there seems to be some kind of argument going on between them and they really wondered who Shng Feilong was to be dumb enough to provoke this Madman Long.

    A moment later, the sound of knuckles cracking could be heard as Sheng Feilong and Long Yue still squeezed each other''s hands. Both of their arms were currently shaking from the force they were applying. A few people''s faces changed as they realized that Sheng Feilong was about to have his hand crushed and silently shook their heads. That was what he would get from provoking this bald monster!

    The Fourth Prince, Dai Yueyan then stepped forward and put a hand on Long Yue''s shoulder with a smile. He then spoke with a serious voice and deep voice. "Alright, Brother Long, let''s call it a day. The competition is about to start."

    The pressure Long Yue and Sheng Feilong were applying instantly vanished and their hands separated. Long Yue''s hand vanished into his long sleeve while Sheng Feilong put his into his pant''s pocket. Dai Yueyan nodded towards Sheng Feilong with an indifferent expression, which Sheng Feilong returned with a light smile.

    The Fourth Prince, the princess, Long Yue and the other five peole behind them then left the scene, all the while the princess was gleefully smiling at Sheng Feilong''s plight. Sheng Feilong just returned to his seat and closed his eyes again as the crowd dispersed.

    A good distance away from him, Long Yue and the others took their places as well. No one dared to bother them so they pretty much had their quiet. Dai Yun''er then skipped over to Long Yue''s side, still with the same gleeful smile. "Brother Long, thank you! That''s what this despicable guy gets for messing with me!"

    Long Yue didn''t answer but gloomily looked into the direction where Sheng Feilong was seated. He couldn''t see him through the crowd, but that didn''t stop him from staring into this direction. "Yun''er, who is that guy really?"

    Dai Yun''er was surprised for a moment, but still answered him despite her confusion. "He''s someone form the Douluo Continent and came with their political delegation. And his Spirit Power is really strong. Although I didn''t really pay attention to him before, it remains a fact that he broke my spiritual sense with a single strike."

    "Is there something special about him, brother Long?" Dai Yueyan looked at Long Yue with a frown. The latter than pulled his sleeve back, revealing his hand. Dai Yuayan and the other people froze when they saw it and looked at Long Yue in disbelief.

    His whole hand was swollen and had a violet blue colour from hematoma. They had all heard the cracking sounds from before and assumed it was Sheng Feilong''s hand that was about to be broken, but it was actually Long Yue who was injured!

    Pulling the sleeve back over his hand, Long Yue sternly warned his team members. "Be careful when you meet him in the competition. I don''t know what his Spirit Essence is, but he''s ridiculously strong. Don''t get caught by him." He then sat down further back and closed his eyes, refusing to say anything else.

    Meanwhile, at the other side of the waiting area, Tang Wulin and the others had arrived and found their way over to Sheng Feilong. They were chatting among themselves when Sheng Feilong''s and Tang Wulin''s numbers were called to the arena; The solo competition was about to begin!

 123 Whats With Those Cauliflowers?

    Sheng Feilong, Tang Wulin and a bunch of over 50 other competitors slowly went out into the open arena. All of them were focused and composed, but that composure of most of them quickly broke when they were greeted by the roaring cheers of thousands of spectators.

    Sheng Feilong staggered for half a step before steadily walking to arena number 17, which he was assigned to. He was surprised by the sudden outburst of the crowd, but quickly calmed down again, bowed to the referee who would observe the match and waited for his opponent to arrive.

    Just a few moment later, a tall youth with long black hair and toned skin stepped onto the arena. He seemed nervous at first, but when he looked at Sheng Feilong, this nervousness visibly eased. The youth looked to be a few years older than Sheng Feilong, so Sheng Feilong guessed the youth relaxed due to his age.

    The youth also bowed to the referee and then stood opposite of Sheng Feilong. They stood about 50 metres apart and the referee asked both of them if they were ready. Sheng Feilong gave a sharp nod while the youth responded with a loud "Yes!" and took a fighting stance.

    The referee lifted his left hand above his head and spoke in a clear voice. "First round of the preliminaries; Yuan Zhu School''s Lan Zong versus Douluo Continent''s Rogue Soul Master, She Feilong." He then swung his arms downwards in one fluid motion. "Begin!"

    Lan Zong, the youth opposite of Sheng Feilong, immediately released his Spirit Essence and Soul Rings. As he charged forwards, a long, flaming spear appeared in his hands and four Soul Rings appeared behind his back; Three yellow and one purple.

    Sheng Feilong also released his Spirit Essence as soon as the match began and his eyes turned a deeper shade of gold as the red, winged symbol appeared on his forehead again. He silently circulated his Soul Power in a way to activate his first Soul Skill, Toad Prison, without showing his Soul Rings.

    His powerful Spirit Power assaulted Lan Zong and the latter staggered in his steps before quickly regaining his balance and continuing his charge. Meanwhile, Sheng Feilong, whose Soul Skill worked perfectly, casually walked a few steps to the right, waiting for Lan Zong to get into position.

    As expected, the unsuspecting young man ended his charge with a powerful thrust into ''Sheng Feilong''s'' chest. His first Soul Ring lit up in the process, showing that he even used a Soul Skill for the assault. He jumped back, his spear held vertically by his side, his body radiating a majestic might.

    Lan Zong''s complacent smile quickly vanished as soon as the residual fire from his attacked vanished. An audible ''poof!'' was heard at the ''Sheng Feilong'' in front of him exploded. "Cauliflowers?!" Lan Zong quickly backed off further and got into a combat stance, ready for any incoming attack when he suddenly felt crushing pressure on his neck, accompanied with a sharp pain as he lost consciousness.

    Sheng Feilong caught Lan Zong''s falling body in his arm, stopping the latter from falling face first onto the arena, and cancelled his Soul Skill. He breathed out lightly, his face just as calm as before the match. The referee was looking at the two contestants with a strange look on his face.

    From the start of the match, Sheng Feilong merely walked around the arena like it was his backyard before brutally kicking Lan Zong in the neck as the latter screamed about what seemed to be his dinner. Naturally, the referee still understood that Sheng Feilong was a spiritual type Soul Master and that Lan Zong fell for an illusion of some sort.

    He lifted his arm and spoke in a clear voice again. "Contestant Lan Zong is unable to continue the fight. The winner is contestant She Feilong!" Sheng Feilong bowed lightly towards the referee and made his way down from the arena. Lan Zong was still slumped over his shoulder and as soon as he left the arena, a member of the medical team of the colosseum took care of Lan Zong.

    Sheng Feilong quickly looked around and saw that Tang Wulin was still fighting his opponent, while he returned back to the waiting area. He returned to the other Shrek students side where Yue Zhengyu cast him a weird look. "What did you do to that guy? And what about cauliflowers?"

    The students from the first grade, who already knew Sheng Feilong tendency to use weird illusions giggled while Yuanen Yehui turned to the side, trying not to blush; She had once fallen for the same illusions when Sheng Feilong unceremoniously kicked her off the ring during their Entrance Exam.

    Sheng Feilong scratched his head with a faint smile and answered Yue Zhengyu. "Well, it''s an illusion." The latter looked at Sheng Feilong, just as confused as before. "I know you''re a spiritual type Soul Master and that you use illusions, but what''s that about cauliflowers?" Yue Zhengyu looked around to see the others giggling and turned back to Sheng Feilong. "They all seem to know..?"

    "Well, uhm... I''ve been using cauliflowers in my illusions for ever since I started..." Sheng Feilong admitted with a slightly embarrassed expression. He really didn''t have a real answer for that question; He just always did it that way and it worked, so he never had the intention to change it. "It does what it''s supposed to do and it''s more effective than just turning into air in front of the opponent. I mean, the enemy you just hit with all your strength suddenly bursts into a pile of cauliflowers; That would stun everyone the first time they see it."

    Yue Zhengyu still stared at Sheng Feilong, seemingly not satisfied with the vague answer and waiting for another explanation, but Sheng Feilong just awkwardly scratched his head again and turned around to look at Tang Wulin''s fight. "Anyways, Wulin seems to have really bad luck, huh? His first opponent in the preliminaries is already a rank 50 Soul King with a full set of Battle Armour."

    Suprisingly, Gu Yue answered to this with a quick nod before speaking up. "It''s unfortunate for his opponent, though; He could''ve gone quite far. There''s no way Wulin would lose." Xu Xiaoyan was the next to chime while giggling. "Yeah, there''s no way Captain would lose in the first round. He''d be too embarrassed to even come back otherwise!"

    Sheng Feilong looked at the fight, especially Tang Wulin''s opponent. It was a youth with a weird, big saber that had nine golden rings attached to it. Together with his Battle Armour, his strength was certainly high and he used his saber in a very proficient manner. Sheng Feilong himself wouldn''t face much of a problem with such an opponent, but Tang Wulin just broke through rank 40 not long ago; The disparity between the two was huge.

    "Well, it''s good that you believe in him like that, but you shouldn''t put your hopes to high. His opponent is really strong." Sheng Feilong said with a frown, worried about Tang Wulin. Ye Xinglan glanced at him before returning her gaze to the match. "Wulin will win. We''re not just blindly believing in him. We saw his opponent''s strength and know Wulin''s strength; We know for a fact that he''s stronger."

    Sheng Feilong remained silent and continued to watch the match. A few moments passed before Tang Wulin started his counter attack. A distinct dragon''s roar echoed out from Tang Wulin''s body as his fourth Soul Ring lit up and huge, dark blue vines shot out from around him. They quickly entangled his opponent, while the golden scales on Tang Wulin''s body grew more lustrous. Sheng Feilong''s lip twitched when he saw Tang Wulin then simply pummel his opponent into the ground with a flurry of blows.

    The match ended just like that and the referee announced the result. Unlike Sheng Feilong, Tang Wulin left his opponent lying on the ground as the medical team rushed up the arena while he just returned to the waiting area.

    Sheng Feilong then continued chatting among themselves, waiting for the first round to come to an end. Soon after, the two-versus-two matches started and the Shrek students went out in pairs one after the other. As he didn''t participate in the team matches, Sheng Feilong just continued hanging around and biding his time.

    Unsurprisingly, every single team from Shrek passed the first round with overwhelming victories and returned shortly after. Then, it was time for the group competitions. Sheng Feilong also didn''t participate in these, but he was way more expectant of the matches. They were seven-versus-seven matches, just like the group matches he knew, but the Star Luo Empire put more empathises on single combat, while the group competition was the main attraction on the Douluo Continent.

    The Shrek team had to wait quite a while, but Long Yue''s team from the Star Luo Empire''s Monster Academy went out in the match just before them. Tang Wulin and the others watched their match with grave faces, surprised about Monster Academy''s strength. All of them were rank 50 Soul Kings with powerful Soul Rings and their teamwork was superb.

    Surprisingly, Long Yue didn''t show his Spirit Essence nor his Soul Rings. This obviously wasn''t because he was weak, but because he didn''t need to; He just crushed his opponent with raw physical strength. He, as well as Dai Yueyan who had the same Soul Ring configuration as Sheng Feilong, were the only ones Sheng Feilong was a bit vary of.

    The rest of them were significantly weaker and the only one who came close to those the, the little princess, Dai Yun''er, only had a four ringed cultivation base. Moreover, she had a spiritual type Spirit Essence, so Sheng Feilong completely ignored her existence; She couldn''t threaten him in the least!

 124 The Second Round Of The Preliminaries

    The first round of the preliminaries ended quietly. All the members of Shrek Academy won their battles without much problems and the opponent Tang Wulin had to face was by far the strongest. The rest of them seemed around the same strength as Sheng Feilong''s first opponent.

    After being fired up by Monster Academy''s display in the first round of the team competitions, Tang Wulin and the others went out with solemn expressions. Still, their opponent were nowhere near powerful enough to really contend with them.

    In the end, Yuanen Yehui went to fight them alone while the rest of the Shrek team just stood at the sidelines, waiting for her to finish the match. Utilizing her Titan Giant Ape Spirit Essence, she furiously suppressed the opponent with her strength, taking out one after the other without much problem.

    Like that, the day came to an end and half of the contestants of the tournament were already out. Sheng Feilong spent some more time with his friends and then visited She Meixiao in the evening. The two of them talked a bit about the day, especially the different matches as She Meixiao watched nearly all of them and kept an eye open for strong competitors.

    There were quite a number of powerful rank 50 Soul Kings, but She Meixiao found only two who seemed to possess Battle Armours, three if Tang Wulin''s opponent went into the count, but even those were comparatively weaker than Sheng Feilong.

    The next day of the competition came fast and all of the competitors once again assembled in the arena''s waiting area. Sheng Feilog took a look at the match-ups and surprisingly found eight new names that he hadn''t seen before; Those eight were precisely Long Yue and the other students form Monster Academy.

    They were easy to spot as every single one of them had a bright, golden symbol next to their name, showing that they did indeed belong to Monster Academy. Everyone had their academies name written next to them, including Tang Wulin and the others, but the Monster Academy students were the only ones that had an emblem in addition to the academy''s name.

    Sheng Feilong''s eyebrows rose when he saw the matchup for one of the Monster Academy''s students and glanced at Tang Wulin. "Seems like your luck really is incredible, Wulin. You get a rank 50 Soul King with a powerful Battle Armour in the first round and a member of Monster Academy in the second. Lucky for you, you won''t face any of them after that for a long time."

    Tang Wulin frowned. Sheng Feilong was right and his opponent would be the Fox King, Su Mu. From what Tang Wulin saw yesterday, Su Mu seems to be the main control type Soul Master of Monster Academy''s team and he was incredibly powerful. Like all of them, he was naturally a rank 50 Soul King with a full set of Battle Armour.

    While they were discussing this, a mocking laughter suddenly came from behind them. Sheng Feilong and the others turned around and saw the students of Monster Academy making their way over to the matching board. Today, they were actually lead by Dai Yun''er, who was also the one who was mockingly laughing at Tang Wulin.

    She turned around and looked at a handsome youth from the Monster Academy''s group and started giggling even more. "Brother Mu, you have to show some mercy in your match later! The captain of Shrek Academy''s team losing in the preliminaries is already enough; Don''t make him lose too much face!"

    Tang Wulin and the other''s faces sunk when they heard this. Su Mu showed an arrogant smile and nodded towards Tang Wulin. "Don''t worry brother, as our lovely princess has asked me of this favour, I''ll hold back a bit. Don''t worry about losing face; All''s fair in war and love." Dai Yun''er giggled again and looked at Tang Wulin. "Right, right! Isn''t Brother Mu nice? All''s fair in war and love, so you can give it your all without having to worry about losing to badly!"

    Tang Wulin''s face turned cold as he stared at the princess. He seemed ready to burst out, but remembering where he was, he held it in. Sheng Feilong on the other hand wasn''t as civilized and just stared at Dai Yueyan with an annoyed expression. "Your Highness Fourth Prince, you wouldn''t happen to have a way to shut this obnoxious chatterbox off, would you?"

    Dai Yueyan''s and Long Yue''s faces sunk, while Dai Yun''er turned red from anger. She pointed at Sheng Feilong and gnashing her teeth. "You-!" Sheng Feilong waved his hand in her direction, cutting her off before she could even start. "Yes, yes, whatever. If that''s all you have to say, you can leave again. We don''t have the time to humour you."

    He turned around to leave, leaving the Monster Academy students and surrounding competitors behind dumbfounded. Sheng Feilong turned towards Tang Wulin and the others with an indifferent expression. "Let''s go? There''s a few free seats back there."

    Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were the first to react. They nodded shortly before following behind Sheng Feilong. Yuanen Yehui and the others followed after. They went to another corner of the waiting area where a few free seats were still available, just like Sheng Feilong said, when Xu Lizhi flashed Sheng Feilong a huge thumbs up while laughing. "Brother Feilong, that was awesome!"

    Yue Zhengyu also started laughing as he looked at Sheng Feilong. "It really was. You left them no face whatsoever." The others started smiling as well, feeling content with what just happened. Sheng Feilong smiled in response and shrugged. "If that princess wants to play games with me, she need way thicker skin than that. Moreover, I really don''t have any intention of becoming friendly with her if she behaves like that."

    Sheng Feilong''s smile than diminished and he frowned lightly. Turning to face Tang Wulin, he spoke up in a serious voice. "You really have to watch that Su Mu, though. He''s strong." Tang Wulin frowned as well and the atmosphere turned more serious. "I know. His control skills are superb. And his Spirit Essence is really peculiar. I haven''t seen one like that before."

    "Me neither, but he seems to be a pure control type. If I had to guess, I''d say his physique is rather weak. If you can get near him and land a few good hits, that should do the trick." Sheng Feilong nodded. The group remained silent for a moment before Tang Wulin smiled lightly, trying to console them. "Don''t worry, I already have a plan. It''s be a hard fight, but I''m confident I''ll win. Remember, they still don''t know that I''m a control type Soul Master as well."

    He left it at that and didn''t tell them about the specifics of his plan. Seeing Tang Wulin this confident made the others relax and they started preparing for their own fights.

    Some time passed and Ye Xinglan, Xie Xie and Yuanen Yehui were the first from their group to have to fight. Their opponents were a bit stronger than yesterday''s, but still not on the level were they would pose a threat; All three of them won without any problems.

    Tang Wulin was next. Sheng Feilong and the others watched the battle from the sidelines, while the eyes of nearly the whole arena were fixed on them; The first fight between Monster Academy''s and Shrek Academy''s representatives, of course no one would want to miss this!

    Su Mu was strong, maybe even stronger than expected, and his Soul Skills were incredibly powerful as well. He would place a field on the ground and as soon as you stepped into this field, you would be under his control. Depending on which Soul Ring he used, this field would have a different effect; One of them increasing gravity, locking his opponent down, and another even sapping away their Soul Power.

    Tang Wulin managed to break through the control and get near Su Mu after a while and everyone thought the match had already concluded as Su Mu fell to the ground after a round of blows. But surprisingly he stood up again and entered a kind of berserk state. His unique Spirit Essence, the Nine-Tailed Fox, actually gave him a hint of the real Nine-Tailed Fox''s bloodline, allowing him to enter such a state.

    Tang Wulin managed to win in the end by relying on his powerful Dragon type bloodline, completely suppressing Su Mu and beating him into unconsciousness. Still, this rendered him rather drained as well and when he returned to the waiting area, he sat down to meditate and restore his Soul Power.

    The match set out huge waves through the whole arena and barely anyone had settled down when the next matches began. One of the so called Eight Heavenly Kings of Monster Academy losing was unprecedented. Usually, they would dominate the whole individual competition and take the first 8 spots, but now one of them actually lost in the preliminaries!

    Yue Zhengyu and the others finished their matches in a rather straightforward manner and easily won as their opponent were still on the lower end scale of power in the tournament.

    Sheng Feilong utilized the same tactics as before; Drawing his opponent into his illusions, waiting for them to position themselves nicely in front of him, then brutally kicking their neck to knock them out. His opponent was left with no injuries, safe for possibly a newly developed phobia of cauliflowers.

 125 The Finals Await!

    The next few days of the competition continued normally. Sheng Feilong didn''t have to face much trouble as all of his opponents were still below the Soul King rank; though continuously growing stronger with each round, they couldn''t match up to him and faced the same fate as their predecessors.

    By the fourth day, Sheng Feilong created a reputation for himself among the competitors. Not only did all of his opponents start mumbling weird things about cauliflowers, they were also seen jumping around on the competition stage like idiots before being knocked out cold.

    Word about Sheng Feilong clashing with Monster Academy''s leader, Long Yue, on the second day also spread fast, further increasing Sheng Feilong''s infamy. It was unknown who started it, but near the end of the preliminaries, people started calling Sheng Feilong the ''Veggie Devil''.

    Sheng Feilong himself did his best to ignore this nickname and remain indifferent about it, but Tang Wulin and the others didn''t let the opportunity slide, constantly teasing him about it. Although they exaggerated the facts in their teasing, there was nothing Sheng Feilong could say.

    They themselves were doing good as well. Everyone from Shrek Academy managed to get through the preliminaries without much trouble as all of them were strong despite being younger than most other competitors.

    The strongest opponents they faces were at most low ranked Soul Kings without Battle Armours, so they were able to beat them with a reasonable amount of trouble. Even Tang Wulin''s bad luck seemed to have faded after the second round and he actually got the weakest opponents out of their group for the rest of the preliminaries.

    On the tenth and final day of the preliminaries, Sheng Feilong faced a rank 49 Soul Ancestor with a powerful Beast type Spirit Essence. Unlike many people before him, he went on the defensive instead of attacking Sheng Feilong head-on.

    Sheng Feilong waited for a while to see how his opponent would react, only to ultimately fake a few attacks against him to force him to defend and reveal a weak spot to the real Sheng Feilong. Unsurprisingly, the fight ended, once again, with a brutal kick to the neck and Sheng Feilong advanced to the elimination rounds of the solo competition!

    What followed next was a two days pause of the solo competition during which the focus of the tournament was placed on the two-versus-two competition. This meant that Sheng Feilong would have a full two days to lean back, while Tang Wulin and the other Shrek students would participate in the two-versus-two matches.

    The matches were fought in a round robin fashion and the participating duos were divided into eight groups. The top two teams of each group would then advance to the two-versus-two competition''s final elimination round and fight for the prizes.

    All of Shrek Academy''s eight students took part as duo''s and only one group had two of their teams in them: Gu Yue, who built a team with Tang Wulin, and Yuanen Yehui, who build a team with Xie Xie. Those four had another strong team from Monster Academy in their group, so they would have the hardest time fighting, while the others were lucky and didn''t have a single Monster Academy team in their group; They were nearly certain to gain one of the top two spots in their groups.

    After winning a few matches, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were up against the team from Monster Academy. Their opponents were Hua Lantang and Ye Zhi, both of which were mid ranked Soul Kings with strong Spirit Essences and surprisingly a couple.

    Ye Zhi''s Spirit Essence was the one hailed as the strongest support type Spirit Essence of the world since ancient times; The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. It was one of the rare Spirit Essences in the world that had produced a God in the past and the one who became a God was a member of Shrek''s Seven Monsters of the same generation as the Thousand Hands Douluo Tang San.

    Compared to her, Hua Lantang''s Spirit Essence was just as strong, though not as famous: The Dragonwolf, a powerful Assault type Spirit Essence that gave it''s bearer incredible speed and power due to the Dragon bloodline in it. However, when faced with Tang Wulin, the very Dragon bloodline became Hua Lantang''s demise.

    Tang Wulin''s bloodline ruthlessly suppressed Hua Lantang''s strength, making it impossible for him to put up a fight against Tang Wulin. Although Ye Zhi''s support was incredibly powerful, it couldn''t match up to the suppression and both she and Hua Lantang were ultimately taken down.

    This created another uproar in the Star Luo Empire as Tang Wulin had once again bested a powerful Soul Master from the Monster Academy, even though he was five years younger then them.

    The others weren''t doing any worse; They defeated their opponents with ease and seemingly unstoppable force. In front of Shrek Academy''s students, the masters of the Star Luo Empire''s younger generation were powerless and only the students of their continent''s pride, Monster Academy, were able to put up a fight!

    It wasn''t known whether it was intentional or a coincidence, but the commentator of the competition made sure to always give a detailed review of Shrek Academy''s student''s matches, even going so far as to explain their battle tactics, showing everyone in the audience just how grandiose their battles were.

    In the two days until the solo competition continued, all four teams of Shrek Academy managed to advance to the final, elimination rounds, while Monster Academy only had two of their original three teams remaining.

    Today, the second round of the solo competition would begin and all competitors eagerly looked at the match-ups. Just like with the two-versus-two competition, the solo competition''s second round was divided into groups that would fight round robin matches. The top four of those groups would later advance to the finals of the solo competition.

    A total of 16 groups were presented and Sheng Feilong and the others were quite glad to see there own names in individual groups, meaning they wouldn''t have to fight each other until the finals. However, there was one match-up that left them frowning; Yue Zhengyu as in the same group and Monster Academy''s leader, Long Yue, and would have to fight him later.

    Their mood was rather solemn, but Yue Zhengyu assured them he would do his best. Even if he wasn''t able to defeat Long Yue, he would use himself as the measure to force the former to show all of his strength!

    However, the result of this resolve was rather tragic. A few days passed by with everyone advancing in their groups rather smoothly until the match for Yue Zhengyu and Long Yue came. As it turn out, they had severely underestimated Long Yue''s strength; He wasn''t just powerful, he was ridiculously powerful.

    Long Yue was actually not a Soul King as they had thought before, but already a Soul Emperor; A 20 years old Soul Emperor was a kind of talent that didn''t exist on the Douluo Continent, not even in Shrek Academy! Moreover, he was sure to be a Battle Armour Master on top of that, but still crushed Yue Zhengyu without the use of his Battle Armour!

    Yue Zhengyu''s injuries after the fight were so severe, that he had to drop out of the solo competition to focus on his recovery; He wouldn''t have any lasting injuries, but if he wanted to compete in the two-versus-two and team competitions, he needed all the rest he could get.

    This time, Sheng Feilong chose to keep out of their affairs. He didn''t give his own input on the fight, nor any future fights, because, honestly, he couldn''t see any of his friends defeating Long Yue. The only one who had a chance was Tang Wulin, and even that only if Tang Wulin''s bloodline was able to suppress Long Yue''s like he did with Su Mu.

    Another few days passed by and everyone aside from Yue Zhengyu passed the round robin competition. Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan chose to resign from the competition after Yue Zhengyu''s defeat and the two of them instead focused on forging Battle Armour for the others; The pressure Long Yue put on them obviously affected this decision, but Ye Xinglan persisted on doing this, even when the others tried to persuade her otherwise.

    Two of Shrek Academy''s students resigning from the competition came to a shock for many, especially with Ye Xinglan being one of the strongest of their combatants; Her display in the solo and two-versus-two competitions were truly dazzling, only second to Tang Wulin.

    The round robin matches continued and, just as expected, everyone made their ways to the top without problems. Sheng Feilong came out as the first place holder of his group, still fighting in the same manner as before and by now, the nickname ''Veggie Devil'' had even been repeated by the commentator so that the whole audience now knew about it.

    Due to this, Sheng Feilong was seriously contemplating whether to drop out of the tournament as well, but under the constant persuasion of Tang Wulin and the others, he ultimately decided to stay and just become the first ''Veggie Devil'' to win the tournament.

    Soon, the finals of the solo competition began. Sheng Feilong, Tang Wulin and the others passed the first round without problem, but then discovered an interesting little twist On the second day of the finals, the match-ups had been changed. The students of Shrek Academy would face Monster Academy students again and again in the next few rounds and even Sheng Feilong wasn''t spared.

    But upon seeing who his next opponent would be, Sheng Feilong mockingly sneered before a devious plan hatched in his head. After all, his next opponent is Dai Yun''er...

 126 Sheng Feilong Versus Dai Yunser!

    Extra long chapter today! That obnoxious princess finally got her share, lol.

    I hope you''ll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

    -------------------------------------------------

    After getting to know that his next opponent would Dai Yun''er, Sheng Feilong wet over to a quiet corner, sat down and started fiddling with his Soul Communicator. He started looking up info on Dai Yun''er through the web.

    He caught a glimpse on one of her matches before and knew that she had a spiritual type Spirit Essence, but he wanted a bit more info. It didn''t take long for him to find all the info he was looking for, including video evidence of her powers.

    Sheng Feilong raised an eyebrow when he saw her Spirit Essences. ''The little princess actually has twin Spirit Essences... Spirit Eyes even, how interesting. This Hell Civet should be the same as Wu Sidou''s from Shrek? Shouldn''t be much of a problem...''

    Being as famous as the little princess is surely wasn''t just positive. To think that such important information about her could be found all over the web with just a quick search. Still, it really profited Sheng Feilong this time, so he obviously wouldn''t complain.

    Sheng Feilong continued to snoop around, just to make sure his information was correct, but stopped when Tang Wulin and the others came over after a while. Sheng Feilong still looked as calm as ever, so Tang Wulin asked with a small smile. "Do you think you can win?"

    Sheng Feilong shrugged and put his communicator down. "Not a problem. I just looked her up and nearly all of her information is on the web. Guess popularity has it''s drawbacks." Tang Wulin raised an eyebrow and looked interested. "So you know what her Spirit Essence is?"

    "Spirit Essences, actually, but yeah. It''s the Spirit Eyes and the Hell Civet; Twin Spirits." Sheng Feilong said with a light smile. Tang Wulin and the others were surprised. "So that''s why the emperor is so fond of her; She''s talented."

    Before Sheng Feilong could answer, a haughty voice was heard from behind Tang Wulin and the others. "So you know it by now? Scared yet? If you ask nicely, I might go easy on you."

    Tang Wulin and the others turned around, although that wasn''t even needed to know that it was Dai Yun''er who came to them. Sheng feilong spared her a quick glance before looking back at Tang Wulin. "Anyways, it won''t be a problem. But if it''s that much, it might be a bit more interesting to fight her than the people before."

    Tang Wulin instantly caught on to Sheng Feilong''s little act and nodded his head. "I know what you mean. It''s been quite boring since I fought that Su Mu. He wasn''t bad." Sheng Feilong smiled, while the other members of Shrek could barely contain their laughter. "Hopefully the others won''t disappoint."

    The faces of the students from Monster Academy turned grave, while Dai Yun''er looked as if she was about to explode. Not only did Sheng Feilong and Tang Wulin dare to ignore her, they even mocked her! Before she could say anything, Dai Yueyan put his hand on her shoulder and looked at Sheng Feilong with a cold expression. "You better remember those words on the arena."

    Sheng Feilong playfully looked at him. "Please don''t worry, Fourth Prince, unlike others, I don''t brag thoughtlessly. And my memory is quite good, as well..." Dai Yueyan didn''t say anything and turned around. "Let''s go."

    When they were out of ear''s reach, Xu Xiaoyan and the others couldn''t contain their laughter anymore. It took them a while to calm down when Ye Xinglan spoke up with a smile. "You two really know how to infuriate people."

    "You got that wrong, we didn''t try to infuriate them; It''s called mental warfare." Sheng Feilong argumented righteously. They continued to bicker and chatter for a while longer until it was time fr the next matches.

    After a few more matches, it was finally Sheng Feilong''s turn. He walked out from the waiting area and entered the coliseum. The finals of the solo competition were naturally held on the main arena in the middle of the coliseum, which is also the reason the fights were held one after the other.

    With him fighting the little princess of the empire, general assent was naturally against Sheng Feilong; He was greeted with loud booing and other such stuff, but he just ignored it and calmly walked onto the stage. A moment later, Dai Yun''er came out of the waiting arena on the other side of the coliseum and the audience went full throttle with their cheers.

    Dai Yun''er would not let this difference slide. She looked at Sheng Feilong with a cynical expression. "You don''t seem to be too popular, are you?" Sheng Feilong remained quiet for a moment. Dai Yun''er face changed again and she was about to speak up when Sheng Feilong suddenly turned to the referee. "Senior, can we begin the fight? I''d like to get this over with."

    The referee was a bit surprised and looked at Dai Yun''er. The latter was seething, but didn''t say anything else and just stared at Sheng Feilong. The referee looked back at Sheng Feilong and nodded before lifting his hand. "The match between competitors Sheng Feilond and Her Highness, Dai Yun''er, will begin shortly. Both competitors; On your marks!"

    Sheng Feilong and Dai Yun''er looked at each other; one with hatred, the other with indifference. The referee swung his hand down in one fluid motion. "Begin!"

    Dai Yun''er didn''t waste any time; Her eyes light up in a sky blue colour and four bright Soul Rings appeared behind her back ¨C three purple and one black. The air around her seemed to ripple as the third purple Soul Ring behind her back lit up. A powerful and invisible mental attack was sent flying over to Sheng Feilong with a powerful intent behind it.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t move; He took the attack head on with the same indifferent expression as before. The attack hit him perfectly and seemed to directly invade his spiritual consciousness. Dai Yun''er smirked proudly, but her face quickly changed when she felt like her mental attack fell into a bottomless abyss. She was shocked for a moment before she snapped out of it thanks to Sheng Feilong''s indifferent voice. "If that''s all the Spirit Power you have, then you should change tactics. Child''s play like that won''t work on me."

    He still stood in his place, casually without any fighting stance, no Spirit Essence or Soul Rings active and looked at Dai Yun''er. His indifferent expression slightly diminished and instead, he looked bored! Dai Yun''er gnashed her teeth and her fourth, black Soul Ring suddenly lit up.

    Another, even more powerful mental attack was sent towards Sheng Feilong, but the latter just rose an eyebrow with an annoyed expression. The mental attack burst apart before it could even reach Sheng Feilong. "I just told you that this kind of child''s play is useless. Are you deaf?"

    On the rostrum outside the arena, a few people''s faces changed. The powerful nobles sat there, and were even accompanied by the emperor himself, who sat in the first row. Beside the emperor sat an old, unremarkable man with expensive looking cloths. The man let out an astonished gasp before speaking in a low voice. "Spirit Power at the Spiritual Abyss Realm..."

    A bit away from the emperor and the old man sat Elder Cai. She looked gobsmacked at Sheng Feilong before turning her head to her side where She Meixiao sat. The latter just smiled lightly and said nothing, but it was obvious that Elder Cai''s and the various nobles reactions pleased her.

    Dai Yun''er stood still on the arena. She also understood that Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power is incomparably stronger than her own, though she didn''t understand that he already reached the Spiritual Abyss Realm. She looked at Sheng Feilong and her haughty expression completely vanished; She now had a grave face and knew that she had underestimated Sheng Feilong.

    The blue light in her eyes vanished and she changed her active Spirit Essence in a flash. Black, glove like fur covered her hands and forearms as long claws grew from her fingers; She transformed into the Hell Civet, just like Wu Sidou did!

    A different pair of Soul Rings appeared behind her back, but the colours were still the same; Three purple and a single black ring! The first Soul Ring behind her back suddenly lit up and she flashed towards Sheng Feilong.

    The latter still stood without moving, but his pale golden eyes suddenly turned a darker shade of gold and a red, winged symbol appeared on his forehead. Five Soul Rings rose behind his back; three purple and two black! The faces of the nobles on the rostrum changed again at this display and the audience gawked, completely taken aback. Even the commentator suddenly paused.

    This was the first time Sheng Feilong showed his Spirit Rings since the beginning of the competition ¨C And their quality was superb! Moreover, he was obviously a Soul King, despite being barely fifteen years old! Before anyone could further react, the second, purple Soul Ring behind Sheng Feilong lit up and he suddenly swiped his arm out, clutching down with his hand, right besides his neck.

    Dai Yun''er looked at Sheng Feilong, completely shocked from what just happened; She teleported directly in front of him using her first Soul Skill, Hell Rush, and attacked his neck, but the latter just caught her arm with apparent ease!

    She swung her head around, staring into Sheng Feilong''s cold, golden eyes and her body suddenly shook. His face was completely expressionless; even the annoyance and boredom gone. Instead he looked completely indifferent again ¨C stone cold with complete disregard for her!

    "Is that it, princess?" Sheng Feilong spoke with a completely detached voice as he stared down at the slightly shorter Dai Yun''er in front of him, still holding her arm in place. The latter shook again and suddenly jumped away from Sheng Feilong in a flash, the latter letting go of her arm in the process.

    Sheng Feilon still didn''t move from his place, he just stared at Dai Yun''er with his eyes flickering with a golden light, while the Soul Rings silently floated behind his back, the second purple one still brightly lit.

    Dai Yun''er suddenly flushed red from anger and embarrassment and another Soul Ring behind her lit up. She vanished again, flashing towards Sheng Feilong at an incredible speed. The latter didn''t seem to react and still stared at the spot where Dai Yun''er stood before. She falshed in front of him again, this time in a ducked position as she clawed at his chest.

    But Sheng Feilong''s eyes suddenly changed their focus back on her, just as cold and indifferent as before. Dai Yun''er felt a shudder run down her back and before she could react, a searing pain came from her abdomen. Sheng Feilong suddenly seemed to distance himself from her and it took dai Yun''er a long time until she finally realized what happened.

    She crashed into the ground holding her spasming abdomen, crying out from the pain, while the audience turned dead silent. Sheng Feilong hadn''t moved from his previous spot, but slowly lowered his right leg; He had brutally kicked Dai Yun''er in the abdomen, sending her flying backwards for more than 10 metres where she crashed into the ground!

    "Are you done playing around yet?" Sheng Feilong''s indifferent voice sounded out throughout the arena once again. Dai Yun''er''s face contorted and she stared back at him, slowly crawling up from the ground while trying to ignore the pain.

    Seeing Sheng Feilong''s indifferent expression, she began shaking from anger and she suddenly screamed out in a shrill voice. "Sheng Feilong, I''ll kill you!"

    The black Soul Ring behind her back lit up brightly as Dai Yun''er madly charged at Sheng Feilong again. His look didn''t change in the slightest as Dai Yun''er appeared before him again. Her body suddenly flashed again and she reappeared behind Sheng Feilong, aiming to pierce his heart from the back!

    Before she could react, she saw Sheng Feilong''s eyes, once again staring at her with cold indifference, her heart shook and her vision suddenly burred. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground again, an incredible pain coming from the right side of her face.

    The audience didn''t even dare to breath at this moment and the referee was shocked frozen as well; Sheng Feilong had turned around incredibly fast and gave their empire''s princess a ruthless, powerful backhand slap right to the face, sending her flying over 10 metres once again!

    Dai Yun''er held her face, staring at Sheng Feilong in disbelief. He was still staring at her with his cold, indifferent golden eyes; No trace of emotion could be seen on his face. Dai Yun''er slowly lost control over herself. Her Spirit Essence retracted and the Soul Rings disappeared, while her eyes slowly teared up.

    She just sat on the ground, staring at Sheng Feilong and before anyone else could react, a majestic voice echoed through the coliseum. "I think this is enough. The winner of this match is Sheng Feilong."

    Sheng Feilong turned around and looked straight at the emperor. The latter''s eyes were ice cold and it was obvious that was holding back from killing Sheng Feilong on the spot. Sheng Feilong''s eyes returned to normal as he retracted his Spirit Essence and he left the arena without sparing Dai Yun''er another glance, nor saying a single word.

 127 Dragon Kings Cold Fury!

    Sheng Feilong''s attitude left the crowd roaring from anger. Profound insults and swearing were directed towards him as he silently went back to the waiting area; Some people even threw trash like empty cups and paper wraps after him. Though none of it reached Sheng Feilong due to the size of the coliseum.

    He had completely enraged pretty much all of the empire with this battle. Not only has he fought their princess, the most popular member of the royal family, he even dared to ignore the emperor''s decree and simply waltzed off like he owned the place!

    The moment he stepped into the waiting area, Sheng Feilong was met with ice cold stares filled with malicious intent and even killing intent. All of the contestants were members of the Star Luo Empire, proud and powerful Soul Masters, who had to watch as an outsider from the Douluo Continent showed this kind of disrespect towards them.

    Even Tang Wulin and the others threw him complicated gazes, even more so after seeing the reactions of the other contestants; Those people were livid that he fought Dai Yun''er like that from the beginning and his complete disregard for their stares provoked them even more.

    Sheng Feilong himself just smiled cynically as he returned to his former place in the waiting area. All these people were livid, but not one of them dared to do or even say anything; In his eyes, they were just pretentious people that don''t dare to stand up for what they believe in.

    Tang Wulin and the others drew closer to Sheng Feilong, the former looking at him with a conflicted and solemn gaze. "Feilong, you shouldn''t have done that. You provoked every single citizen of the Star Luo Empire..."

    The girls of their group were obviously even more concerned with the situation; Their faces not only showed the same complicated gaze as Tang Wulin''s but to some extent even anger. Ye Xinglan, was always, was more direct in her approach; She chimed in just after Tang Wulin finished. "You were to brutal. Even if you don''t like her, you should have held back. Defeating her like this isn''t just an insult to the empire, but to her as a Soul Master as well."

    Gu Yue nodded with a frown, patronizing Ye Xinglan''s claim, with the others giving their silent agreement as well; All of them were Soul Masters and none of them would want to be treated like that. Sheng Feilong sighed lightly and replied in an indifferent tone. "She had it coming; She insulted us time and time again, provoking and scorning us while putting herself on a golden pedestal. I don''t think I went to far; I only did as she deserved ¨C She only has herself to blame."

    Xie Xie frowned and finally spoke to Sheng Feilong with a cold tone, for the first time in ages. "And you don''t care about implicating us with your petty actions? Or the whole Federation? This is a politic delegation trying to ease the tension between the Star Luo Continent and the Douluo Continent and you just so decide to become the public enemy number one because you don''t like their princess?"

    "What, are you afraid?" Sheng Feilong stared back at Xie Xie with a cold face. "If you''re afraid feel free to just forfeit in your next match. And why should I care about the politic delegation? I''m not part of it, nor is my Master. If the emperor wants to escalate a fight between children to a war between nations, then he''s unfit to rule a country; He should also think about the upbringing of his obnoxious, bratty daughter before making any moves."

    "You..." Xie Xie was angry, but he didn''t get to continue speaking, as Sheng Feilong interrupted him. "I what? If you have a problem, then say it."

    "Enough!" Tang Wulin finally interjected in a stern tone. The others turned to face him as he continued with a frown. "There''s no need to talk about this any longer; We can''t just undo it since it already happened. We came here to fight and win, anyways, so we''ll do just that. They were propagating against us from the beginning. It doesn''t matter now."

    "Big brother..." Xie Xie interjected, his expression slightly sunken. Tang Wulin just smiled in response. "Just focus on your next fights. All of us are facing strong opponents in the next few battles, so prepare yourselves." He turned towards Yuenen Yehui with a solemn look. "That''s especially true for you, Yuanen. You''re the only one to face a member of Monster Academy in your next match; Be careful."

    Yuanen Yehui nodded lightly with a light frown. Sheng Feilong looked at her with a calm expression and spoke up again. "Your opponent is Teng Teng. He''s called the ''Shadow King'' and, just as the other Kings of Monster Academy, he''s a Soul King and a Battle Armour Master. I looked him up a bit and his Spirit Essence is apparently related to his own shadow. He''s an agility type Soul Master and uses clones and the surroundings well. You could more or less call him an assassin, if you want. He''s dangerous."

    Yuanen Yehui nodded again, this time with a calm, but solemn expression. "I''ll be careful. Don''t worry." Thanks to this, the atmosphere lightened somewhat. They might not have the same opinion on everything, but it was apparent that, no matter what, Sheng Feilong was still their friend.

    --------------------

    Dai Yun''er had also returned to the waiting area and met up with the members of Monster Academy. All of them were livid, even more so than the other contestants. For them, Dai Yun''er wasn''t just the princess of the empire; She was their close friend and like a little sister to all of them!

    Their faces were filled with anger and killing intent radiated from them as they constantly insulted Sheng Feilong in an attempt to vent and console Dai Yun''er. Even the Fourth Prince, Dai Yueyan, who always kept a calm and collected demeanor, was fuming in rage and joined in the quarrel.

    Some time passed and they slowly got low on new insults and Dai Yun''er returned to normal, somewhat. "Enough already. Prepare for your next matches." They turned around to face Long Yue, who quietly sat in his seat. Only now did they realize that Long Yue hadn''t said anything for this whole and was staring across the arena towards the other waiting area.

    A chilling shudder ran down the Monster Academy students back. Long Yue was normally the one who lost his temper first. Due to his Spirit Essence influencing him, he always had a short fuse and regularly lost his calm in battle and other situation, but this very same Long Yue now calmly sat in his seat, not an ounce of malicious intent or anger radiating off of him.

    It''s impossible that Dai Yun''er''s plight didn''t bother him; He was always the most protective of her and truly saw her like a little sister. The only other explanation was that he was so furious that his anger reverted back to a dreadful calmness. To get the Dragon King Long Yue to react like this; Just how furious was he really? What would happen when this anger surfaced?

    Long Yue looked through his team members, finally stopping and focussing on a young man in their midst. "Teng Teng, your next opponent is from Shrek Academy. They''re friends of this She Feilong. I won''t tolerate another failure." The young man who would face Yuanen Yehui in his next match, Teng Teng, nodded towards Long Yue with a stern expression. "I''ll personally crush them, don''t worry, boss."

    --------------------

    The audience took a long time to finally calm down before the matches continued. Sheng Feilong''s match against Dai Yun''er was the second of the day, so there were quite a few rounds still to be fought.

    Other than the times where Monster Academy students would step onto the arena, the matches were relatively calm. About two hours passed since sheng Feilong''s match by now and it was finally time for another grand match of the day; The twelfth match, Shrek Academy''s Yuanen Yehui versus Monster Academy''s Teng Teng!

    Both of them ascended the arena and the crowd went livid again. As if trying to compensate for the time they spent gobsmacked and silent during Sheng Feilong''s match, they were screaming and shouting for the whole time; The general consensus was so obviously against Shrek Academy that it would be a wonder to even find a single person in the empire who was rooting for them.

    Both, Teng Teng and Yuanen Yehui, used their Spirit Essences as soon as the match began. Five brilliant, purple Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet and Teng Teng''s shadow seemed to come to life as two clones of him appeared next to him on the arena and he started charging at Yuanen Yehui with two daggers in his hands.

    Four pruple Soul Rings appeared behind Yuanen Yehui and her body suddenly inflated like a balloon as she used both, her first and third Soul Ring''s suddenly lit up. In an instant, her Shrek Uniform ripped apart and her body grew into an over five metres tall, powerful Titan Giant Ape!

    Teng Teng and his shadows took a triangle formation and started flickering between each other, creating a series of overlapping afterimages; One could barely discern his shadow clones and him from the flickering afterimages! Like this, he and Yuanen Yehui started a brutal fight!

 128 Yuanen Yehui Versus Shadow King Teng Teng

    The fight between Monster Academy''s Shadow King, Teng Teng, and Yuanen Yehui continued without pause. The former used his meticulous positioning and movement skills to put immense pressure on Yuanen Yehui and for a while it seemed like she could only hold her ground while remaining her defence.

    However, it didn''t take long for this opinion to shift. Yuanen Yehui was only waiting for the right moment to counter Teng Teng''s assault; She bided her time while observing him closely and gathering her momentum.

    Teng Teng suddenly appeared behind Yuanen Yehui''s back like a ghost after the latter blocked his clones'' attacks and pierced out with his daggers. However, Yuanen Yehui was not only blocking his clones'' attacks, but destroyed them at the same time with a powerful destructive force radiating from her body!

    Among Soul Beasts and Spirit Essences, there were quite a few special cases where the Beast or Soul Master would be able to tap into the essence of their power and draw out special effects. These special effects were commonly referred to as aura and Yuanen Yehui was making use of exactly that; This destructive force was the essence of her Titan Giant Ape''s power!

    With this sudden change, Teng Teng had no choice to to draw back from the clash. Using his second Soul Skill, he quickly created distance between Yuanen Yehui and himself while hiding in the shadows on the arena. A short moment later, he reappeared on the arena, now donning a dull, grey suit of battle Armour with silver lining all over; He was now fighting Yuanen Yehui with everything he got!

    Two clones of him appeared next to him again and all three Teng Teng''s suddenly vanished into the shadows, completely disappearing from sight. Yuanen Yehui didn''t waste any time and a partially completed suit of Battle Armour appeared on her body as well. Her Battle Armour wasn''t finished yet, but the core component inlaid into the breastplate, was already functional and supplying her with power!

    Sheng Feilong was surprised to see her wearing a Battle Armour, mostly because of the fact that she was still a Soul Ancestor of rank 45 and Battle Armour could usually only truly be utilized once a Soul Master reached the Soul King boundary.

    Tang Wulin and the others were even more shocked then Sheng Feilong, though more about the fact that Yuanen Yehui finished her Battle Armours core component than about her possessing Battle Armour despite only being a Soul Ancestor.

    Teng Teng and Yuanen Yehui continued their fight relatively equally for a while longer, when Yuanen Yehui suddenly changed her tactic. Her body suddenly shrunk in size, back to her normal size and a thick, black smoke radiated from her body, filling the area around her.

    Grand, pitch black feathered wings sprouted from her back as her yellowish Battle Armour suddenly turned black in colour. In this form, she couldn''t keep her male persona any more and her real appearance surfaced; Her long, crimson hair falling behind her back in stark contrast to the black armour and skirt that reached to her knees, leaving her long legs exposed.

    The people in the audience were shocked by this sudden change; They hadn''t expected the unremarkable student from Shrek Academy to suddenly turn into a winged, red haired beauty!

    A sinister glow shone in Yuanen Yehui''s eyes and the black smoke, her Fall Angel Spirit Essence''s innate ability, Curtain of Darkness, increased in density. Teng Teng''s reaction was to immediately get away as he once again used his Soul Skill to hide in the shadows, but Yuanen Yehui''s figure suddenly flashed past him.

    Two of her Soul Rings lit up and a two handed, pitch black demonic greatsword appeared in her hands while she fell from the sky with a terrifying aura surrounding her. She once again grew in size, though she remained her appearance, and now stood at two and a half metres tall! Those were her second and third Soul Skills, Shadow Demon Sword and Fallen Angel''s Descent!

    Teng Teng managed to perfectly dodge that first attack, but the power behind it left him shocked. Frowning deeply, he knew that he didn''t have the capabilities to hold back anything. Who would have thought that Yuanen Yehui, who he and the other students of Monster Academy thought to be the weakest ofShrek Academy''s group, was actually this powerful!

    He brought some distance between himself and Yuanen Yehui again and the fifth Soul Ring behind his back lit up brightly. Dozens of pitch black shadow clones of himself started appearing around him, all of them locked on to Yuanen Yehui.

    The clones began walking forwards, but surprisingly, they didn''t target Yuanen Yehui but instead merged together with Teng Teng''s body. Unbeknownst to the Shrek students, this was Teng Teng''s strongest ability. Each of these dozens of clones had about 5 percent of his true strength and by merging all of them into his own body, he could increase his own strength, speed and other abilities by multiple times.

    When all of the clones finished merging into his body, Teng Teng''s first Soul Ring lit up as well. The two exact copies of him that Yuanen Yehui destroyed before suddenly reappeared next to Teng Teng. Surpsingly, those two clones also marched forward, right towards the real Teng Teng and started to merge into him.

    Teng Teng''s body bulged slightly from the excess power and blue veins started appearing on his arms, neck and face. It was apparent that this combination of Soul Skills placed a huge burden on his body, but he still kept a completely cold but calm face. The two daggers in his hands vanished and he exchanged them to other weapons from his Spacial Ring; Two longer, curved daggers with crooked tips.

    Yuanen Yehui frowned at this display. Teng Teng''s power was way higher then what she had expected. Using her Fallen Angel Spirit Essence, she could tie with him despite his superior Soul Power, but now that he was in this strange, overloaded state where his abilities had multiplied, she couldn''t compare.

    It was clear that this was Teng Teng''s trumph card and it wasn''t known how long he could remain in this state. Yuanen Yehui took a defensive posture and Teng Teng frowned; Apparently Yuanen Yehui planned to stall him out and finish him once he had run out of steam!

    Seeing this as a provocation, as well as knowing that his Soul Skills put a huge burden on himself, Teng Teng suddenly shot forward. He wasn''t using any other Soul Skills or advanced strategies, but only the most basic of charges, but Yuanen Yehui''s pupils constricted; Teng Teng was many times faster then when he used his movement Soul Skill before!

    The two of them exchanged a few blows, with Yuanen Yehui barely being able to take them head on, much less keep up with his speed. She was forced to take a few hits while trying to minimize the damage she took. Luckily, her Battle Armour was protecting her further, but even the black armaments slowly lost their power and were getting torn up after a number of attacks.

    It didn''t take long for Yuanen Yehui to fall into the absolute disadvantage. She accumulated more and more injuries and her Soul Power was depleted at an alarming speed. Even while using the Tang Sect''s techniques, she could barely keep up with Teng Teng.

    The latter didn''t seem to be faced by any problems. He was continuously attacking with a cold face. His muscles were still bulging with the blue veins running all over his body, but his state hadn''t changed since he first entered it; It seemed like he could keep this up for quite a while longer and, at this rate, Yuanen Yehui was sure to lose!

    Frowning, but with no other choice left, Yuanen Yehui chose her only, last remaining option. The fourth Soul Ring behind her back suddenly lit up in a flash and Yuanen Yehui distanced herself from Teng Teng. The latter wanted to pursue her, but suddenly stopped in his tracks as a ominous premonition struck him. He backed off, alarmed by the tremendous, dark purple gate that suddenly appeared right behind Yuanen Yehui.

    This was Yuanen Yehui''s fourth Soul Skill! Not to mention Teng Teng or the audience, not even Sheng Feilong or the students from Shrek had seen her use this ability before. Sheng Feilong were a strange tug in his mind when he laid his eyes on the purple gate.

    There were indistinguishable complex patterns above ad all over the gate and those patterns seemed to be moving, constantly squirmishing around without coming to a halt. The insides of the gate suddenly changed as Yuanen Yehui put her hand on the side of the gate. The purple aura surrounding the gate spread out to cover Yuanen Yehui as a the insides of the gate turned into a fluid like, black curtain.

    Shrill wails arose one after another from within the gate. Suddenly, a slender leg stepped out from inside. Without delay, a slender figure stepped out of the gate completely; A figure that looked exactly like Yuanen Yehui, the only difference being her dark purple hair colour and two, bright red horn protruding from her head.

    Inside the waiting area, Sheng Feilong''s eyes constricted when he saw the figure step out of the strange gate. He froze in his seat and his mind violently trembled. An incredibly terrifying aura suddenly surged throughout his spiritual consciousness, bringing with it a dreadful pressure as a otherworldly, horrendous scream ran echoed in his head.

    >Demonic scion! Eradicate the abominable vermin!<

 129 Demon Spirits Hatred!

    Sheng Feilong shook in his seat, nearly blacking out from the terrifying pressure for a second when he felt an indescribably deep hatred and killing intent rise from inside him. He couldn''t explain where this hatred came from, but felt like he was losing his mind for not jumping onto the arena and ripping apart the demonic clone of Yuanen Yehui.

    Still not having lost his rationality, he quickly turned away, not daring to face the arena any longer out of fear of not being able to control himself. As he did so, the otherworldly, horrendous scream echoed through his head again.

    >Eradicate the abominable vermin! Destroy their bodies! Devour their souls!<

    Sheng Feilong had barely taken two steps forward when the voice impacted and shook his spiritual consciousness. He groaned miserably, instantly gaining the attention of Tang Wulin and the others around him as he fell to his knees.

    A sudden pain rose from Sheng Feilong''s chest and a grey vapour started radiating off of him, spreading a few metres around him. Sheng Feilong finally understood that he was loosing control over the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    Tang Wulin stormed over to him, when Sheng Feilong suddenly screamed at him with a strained voice. "Get back! Don''t touch me!" Tang Wulin stopped, clearly stunned and the grey vapour came into contact with his hand and sleeve.

    A low, acidic hissing sound rung out as the sleeve and Tang Wulin''s skin were quickly being dissolved. Tang Wulin''s eyes constricted and he quickly used his bloodline power. Golden scales formed on his arm, frantically resisting the grey vapour as he backed off.

    Luckily, he was fast enough to only damage a thin layer of skin on his wrist and damaging his sleeve; Nothing serious as the golden hue around him continued to fight off the remaining vapour. He stared at Sheng Feilong in shock; Having never seen this kind of energy, nor knowing what was wrong with the latter, he didn''t know what to do.

    Sheng Feilong quickly entered his spiritual consciousness, but what he saw wasn''t the same as he remembered it. The silvery while grass on the ground was still the same, but sky was painted in ominous, greyish colours.

    He ran towards the weird, dark side of his spiritual consciousness where the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s Spirit Essence and the 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly''s External Soul Bone were. Quickly arriving at the edge between the two different parts of his spiritual consciousness, he charged forward, passing over to the dark side.

    A powerful pressure fell onto him as soon as he stepped in there; much more dreadful then when he first came here and talked with the demon''s spirit. This whole time, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was raging about, screaming bloody murder, while Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness heavily quaked under the pressure.

    Despite the pressure, Sheng Feilong quickly continued towards the castle ruins. He noticed a dark, muddy green light coming from the castle again, just like the first time, but it was much more intense. The heavy quaking cracked the desolate, black ground all around the castle, stretching out to the horizon.

    These cracks were filled with the same muddy green light as the castle and corrosive grey vapour rose from them in huge fumes. Sheng Feilong didn''t bother with the vapour as it couldn''t hurt him and jumped over one of the small ravines, finally reaching the castle ruins.

    Inside, the Netherworld Putrefaction demon stood upright in front of the broken throne, the green markings all over it''s body flaring up as it screamed towards the sky in a blinding rage. Sheng Feilong was barely able to stand in it''s presence and had no clue what to do now.

    ---------------------

    In the Star Luo Empire''s Grand Coliseum, the fight between Yuanen Yehui and Monster Academy''s Teng Teng continued. With the help from the demonized clone, she was finally able to completely suppress Teng Teng and it was only a matter of time until she won; Either his injuries would accumulate until he couldn''t fight any longer or his Soul Power reserves would run dry, ending together with his strange transformation.

    She Meixiao stared at the match between the two with stars in her eyes; Especially paying attention to Yuanen Yehui. The Soul Skill she displayed, the so called Gates of Hell, was an incredibly rare and powerful ability that Soul Master with extremely powerful or potent dark and evil attributed Spirit Essences would sometimes possess; Every one of those Soul Master were highly sought after in Daedalus, especially those that could control it when they were as weak as Yuanen Yehui still was.

    Knowing that Yuanen Yehui was a member of Shrek Academy, she was about to make a comment towards Elder Cai, when her attention was suddenly drawn towards another place. Elder Cai, the old man next to the Star Luo Emperor and the Emperor himself also suddenly looked in the same direction with a frown.

    All of them could feel a powerful, but dark energy come from that direction and She Meixiao''s face suddenly changed. She instantly recognized this energy as the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s and sprung to her feet. "Feilong?!" Not wasting a single moment, she suddenly vanished from her place.

    The Emperor frowned a bit deeper and spoke to the old man next to him. "Elder En Ci, what is that?" The old man frowned as well, still looking into the direction of the combatant''s waiting area. "I am not sure, Your Highness. But seeing that Madam She has gone towards that direction, she seems to be aware of it."

    "Go." The Emperor spoke a single word and the old man next to him vanished like a ghost. The Emperor turned his head back to face the arena and watch the fight between Yuanen Yehui and Teng Teng end with a displeased expression; It has ended with Teng Teng''s eventual defeat.

    ---------------------

    She Meixiao appeared next to Tang Wulin and the other just an instant after she vanished from her position on the podium. Looking at Sheng Feilong, surprise, shock and dread alternated on her face.She looked at Tang Wulin with a grave expression. "What happened?!"

    Tang Wulin shook lightly when She Meixiao''s eyes fell onto him. The powerful intent struck him hard and he nearly instantly replied. "I don''t know! We were watching Yuanen''s battle when he suddenly fell to the ground and that grey gas appeared."

    She Meixiao glanced at Tang Wulin''s arm and waved her hand, instantly extinguishing the grey vapour that was left on his wrist. She then turned away from them, stepping closer to Sheng Feilong frowning deeply and muttering a few words. "A backlash? Has the demon''s spirit reappeared? But why?"

    The grey vapour couldn''t hurt her, but it spread out further. She waved her hand and nine Soul Ring''s appeared behind her back in an instant as her Soul Power radiated off of her body. She created a barrier, insulating Sheng Feilong from the rest of them and blocking the grey vapour from spreading.

    Just in that moment, En Ci, the old man who sat next to the emperor for the whole time, appeared next Sheng Feilong, on the opposite side of She Meixiao. He frowned as he looked at Sheng Feilong and looked up to face She Meixiao. "What''s going on?"

    She Meixiao kept silent, not answering his question. En Ci frowned and inspected Sheng Feilong briefly with his Spirit Power. After a short moment, he frowned even deeper. Waving his hand, he also created a barrier around them with his Soul Power.

    This barrier encapsulated She Meixiao, himself and the Shrek students within it, keeping the other onlooking contestants outside. He spoke in a solemn voice. "A backlash from his Spirit Essence, is it? We can''t help him, he has to survive through that himself." He paused and glanced at She Meixiao again. "That vapour is corroding your Soul Power? What is that power?"

    She Meixiao still kept quiet, but En Ci''s words shocked the Shrek Academy students. They knew Sheng Feilong for a while, but this strange grey vapour definitely didn''t come from his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes Spirit Essence, so how could it be a backlash?

    ---------------------

    Inside Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon continued screaming around. His former speech had digressed into ungodly roars that no human or beast could recreate. It continued rampaging around, creating more and more cracks and ravines in the ground.

    Sheng Feilong could do nothing but try to stay conscious. The incredible hatred the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon gave off was suffocating him, but he couldn''t allow himself to give in to this; He didn''t know why it was so angry, but he needed to keep control!

    A long time passed and Sheng Feilong came close to his limit. His mental strength was slowly giving in and it was hard for him to keep standing. Suddenly, strange runes started lighting up on the throne behind the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. These runes became brighter and brighter and pitch black chains suddenly shot out from the throne.

    The chains pierced into the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s arms and legs, pulling it back to sit in the throne with its whole body bound to the throne. It continued thrashing around while still letting out these ungodly roars, but being bound to the throne clearly weakened it and Sheng Feilong was able to calm down.

    He continued staring at the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon with dread and confusion in his head, slowly circulating the formula for the Spirit heart Doctrines that Song Weihan had giving him years earlier after he first fought against Jian Wang and nearly killed the latter. Using this technique, his mind grew more calm and he slowly managed to keep all this hatred in check.

    After another long while, everything finally returned to normal. The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon stopped roaring, the chains drew back into the throne and everything became silent once more. Sheng Feilong took a deep breath while looking at the now irresponsive demon in front of him. "Just what in the world happened..."

 130 Defused Situation

    The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was finally quietly sitting on the throne in the midst of the castle ruins and Sheng Feilong was finally able to stand up again. He cautiously wandered around the throne room, trying to find anything of importance at all before he set his eyes onto the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    He drew closer to it, looking it up and down, then walked around the throne in circles. Everything looked just like the last time he saw it. Like nothing had ever happened and the incredible outburst of the demon was but a lie.

    Seeing that the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon didn''t react, Sheng Feilong focused on the throne itself. The strange runes that lit up on it before where nowhere to be seen. No traces were left of them, nor were any engravings; The throne was as plain as always.

    There were also no indicators left that could explain the chains that pierced and bound the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. No wounds were left on the demon and there were no traces on the throne. Sheng Feilong reached out with one hand, touching the backside of the throne.

    It was smooth; cold and hard to the touch, like any ordinary, somewhat polished stone. Again, nothing out of the ordinary could be made out. Even the 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly''s External Soul Bone was still quietly laying in a corner on the throne room like nothing happened.

    If not for the memories of this unfathomable hatred that the demon''s spirit radiated and the fact that the whole ground around them was still filled with deep ravines, Sheng Feilong would''ve really believed that nothing had happened.

    There was, however, one thing that Sheng Feilong would never forget about this whole situation. It all started when Yuanen Yehui used her fourth Soul Skill and the demon that looked just like her stepped out of the gate that her Soul Skill created. The ara radiating from it as well as it''s appearance clearly indicated that it was a demon.

    With this known to him, it didn''t take Sheng Feilong much brainpower to come up with the conclusion that, for whatever reason, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon hat demons themselves to the core. In fact, it hated them so much that it forced itself to reappear only to go on a rampage fueled by rage.

    Seeing that everything returned to normal, Sheng Feilong slowly wandered out of the castle ruins and onto the open field. The former, desolate black wastelands were now filled with deep ravines with strange muddy green light radiating form their bottoms and grey vapour rising off them.

    Despite the changed landscapes, the whole region still felt the same. The grey vapour and strange green light don''t seem to do anything. Sheng Feilong crossed onto the other side of his spiritual consciousness, the silvery white world, again. There, the sky had returned to the tranquil silver curtain with spotless white clouds; The dark grey was completely gone.

    He quickly checked on the other entities in his spiritual consciousness; The Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes, his Spirit Souls and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Artificial Soul Bone. Catching a glimpse on them and making sure they were okay, he left his spiritual consciousness again.

    Naturally, Sheng Feilong was still aware in what kind of situation he was when he entered his spiritual consciousness. He couldn''t keep control over the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s power, the corrosive grey vapour creeping out of his body and he even collapsed with quite a few people around him.

    ------------------------

    In the waiting area of the Star Luo Empire''s grand coliseum, She Meixiao was staring at the still unconscious Sheng Feilong intently. After En Ci arrived and said his piece, she could do nothing but wait; She knew he was right, so she focused on suppressing that grey vapour.

    With her cultivation, this wasn''t too hard, but it didn''t end there. A while after the vapour started to appear, Sheng Feilong''s skin became darker and darker with the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s unique green veins spreading over his body, constantly pulsating.

    The whole ting continued on for a while, with Sheng Feilong even sprouting horns from the side of his head at some point, before it suddenly completely stopped. Not only didn''t his body change any further, everything quickly returned to normal and even the grey vapour disappeared.

    Some more time passed with Sheng Feilong quietly lying inside the barrier She Meixiao created. Tang Wulin and the other Shrek students anxiously stood by the side, inside the second barrier that En Ci had created. Yuanen Yehui had also rejoined with them, naturally, she was shocked about what was going on.

    Sheng Feilong slowly opened his eyes after another while had passed. He groaned slightly and sat up. He flinched, quickly noticing that the grey vapour had corroded his clothes. Luckily, they weren''t completely destroyed and the remaining rags still covered his body. He heaved a light sigh of relief and cracked a light smile. ''This could''ve become really embarrassing.''

    He looked up to see She Meixiao standing in front of him with a solemn expression on her face and all nine of her Soul Rings suspended in the air behind her. He also noticed Tang Wulin and the rest of the Shrek students standing a few steps behind her with worried gazes.

    This scene was really to similar to when he firs met the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s spirit at Daedalus. Back then, he had destroyed nearly the whole infirmary room, though, not just some concrete of the coliseum''s waiting area. His small smile quickly vanished when he noticed another powerful figure behind him.

    En Ci looked at Sheng Feilong with an appreciative gaze. Despite the confusing situation and his Master and friends in front of him, Sheng Feilong still noticed him standing behind him while he didn''t make his presence known on purpose. ''This boy''s senses are quite sharp.''

    Before Sheng Feilong could say anything, the barrier She Meixiao had set up vanished and he heard the latter''s voice. "What happened, Feilong? Are you alright now?" She was now looking at him with a concerned expression, the same one Tang Wulin and the others made.

    Sheng Feilong smiled lightly in response. "I''m fine, Master." He paused for a moment, slightly glancing at Tang Wulin and the others as well as indicating at En Ci behind him with his eyes. "Is it fine to speak..?"

    En Ci instantly understood Sheng Feilong''s concern. He turned towards She Meixiao and spoke with a nod. "Since there is no longer any problem here, I will excuse myself." Although the Emperor had told him to find out what was going on, the situation had gone beyond what he had expected at first and he knew better than to pry into the matters of other Titled Douluo''s, especially those matters concerning people like She Meixiao.

    She Meixiao acknowledged his goodwill with a nod before En Ci vanished into thin air like a ghost. Tang Wulin also noticed Sheng Feilong''s hesitation and spoke up. "We''ll go watch the other matches. Goodbye, Madam She. Later, Feilong."

    "Eh? But we still don''t know what-" Xu Xiaoyan started but Gu Yue grabbed her should, lightly shaking her head while shooting Sheng Feilong a frowning glance. "Let''s go." Thus, the Shrek students also left, leaving Sheng Feilong alone with She Meixiao.

    The two of them relocated to a quiet room inside the coliseum. She Meixiao looked at Sheng Feilong with a concerned look once more. "What happened? How did you suddenly lost control over the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon?"

    Sheng Feilong began explaining what had happened in detail. How he had watched Yuanen Yehui''s match together with Tang Wulin and the others, the sudden, violent reaction of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon when the demonized Yuanen Yehui stepped out of the Gates of Hell and also what had happened inside his spiritual consciousness.

    She Meixiao listened closely, waiting for Sheng Feilong to finish what he had to say, but her face grew more and more serious as time went on. "... It hates other demons to the core..? So much so that a single demon being near you caused such a reaction?"

    "Yes, but I also don''t understand why. It also happened so suddenly. But, that wasn''t the first time I was near a demon, was it? Aren''t there a few people with demonic Spirit Essences at Daedalus?" Sheng Feilong had a frown on his face as well.

    (A/N: A certain rabbit knows the reason *cough* Don''t you dare talk, though. I''ll cook you into a stew.)

    She Meixiao stayed silent for a while, quietly processing all of the information Sheng Feilong had just given her. She looked at him again with worry in her eyes. "Are you really sure you are okay now?" Sheng Feilong smiled and gave her a cheerful nod.

    She Meixiao smiled lightly, obviously relieved about his answer. She asked a few questions about some details that Sheng Feilong mentioned and they quickly came to an agreement, that She Meixiao spoke out loud. "I think you should resign from the competition. Even if you''re okay, we don''t know if the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s spirit will cause havoc again. Moreover, I''m concerned about the throne and those black chains you mentioned."

 131 The Last Of The Solo Competition

    Sheng Feilong deliberated on his next course of action for quite a while. She Meixiao''s suggestion to drop out of the tournament was a feasible decision. Although the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon had calmed down, there was no confirmation that it wouldn''t wake up again.

    On the other hand, Sheng Feilong would lose out on the possibility to obtain another Soul Bone. Although he didn''t know what kind of Soul Bone it would be and guessed that it would most likely be a rather common one, no older than 1.000 years, it was still a treasure.

    Moreover, even if he didn''t intend to use it himself, he could give it Song Weihan for his research; The latter would surely be delighted. Then, there was the fact of gaining fame through winning the tournament, not just for himself, but for the whole of the Douluo Continent.

    He talked with She Meixiao about his choices and concerns for a while. She understood his point, but was still of the impression that he should quit the tournament as it wasn''t worth the risk, though she wouldn''t force his decision. Eventually, he agreed with She Meixiao.

    The two of them informed the organizers of the tournament about the decision that ''She Feilong'' would no longer compete in the tournament and returned to the hotel.

    The next day, the matches continued without delay. A few great battles were fought, but one truly surprised the audience; She Feilong, who defeated their Star Luo Empire''s princess in his last match, was set to fight against the captain of Shrek Academy''s team.

    However, instead of She Feilong ascending the arena, an announcement was made that he had retired from the tournament due to personal reasons. As the announcement didn''t explain the situation, many people started to complain, calling She Feilong a coward who backed out of a fight against Tang Wulin, while other insinuated that he only planned to insult the royal family from the beginning.

    Many of those rumours quickly spread, but Sheng Feilong just brushed them off; He didn''t care about the opinions of those people, that were against him from the start, in the slightest. Tang Wulin and the other Shrek students were just as surprised as the audience, though; Sheng Feilong hadn''t told them about his decision beforehand.

    Still, having seen his state from yesterday, they understood his decision. They didn''t know what was going on exactly, but even a powerful Titled Douluo could do nothing but watch him when the strange grey gas appeared, so it could be guessed that he faced a dangerous situation.

    The person most infuriated by this announcement was probably princess Dai Yun''er herself. She had gone on a total rampage in the waiting area. She hated both, Sheng Feilong and Tang Wulin, and really wanted to see those to claw at each others throats.

    The matches of the day continued without delay, though. Tang Wulin more or less obtained a free pass for this round and his mood was rather good. He had spotted Sheng Feilong in the spectator''s area before, sitting on the pedestal with the Star Luo Empire''s nobility and his Master, She Meixiao.

    A handful of matches passed with Yuanen Yehui winning her fight easily, entering the final sixteen, just like Tang Wulin. Xie Xie also entered the top sixteen, making it a total of three students from Shrek that stood toe to toe with the greatest talents of the Star Luo Continent, despite their ages being way younger.

    The next day, the round of sixteen began. People were once again incredibly hyped for the matches, especially since two of the eight matches would be held between students from Shrek Academy and students from Monster Academy; Xie Xie would fight the Wind King, Lin San, while Tang Wulin would fight His Highness, the Fourth Prince and Tiger King, Dai Yueyan!

    The first few matches went by quietly, as expected. Yuanen Yehui advanced with some minor problems in her fight as was the first to enter the quarter finals. Another powerful Soul Master with a Soul King ranked cultivation base and a finished Battle Armour was the next to advance. Following him, were Long Yue and another powerful Soul King expert.

    Next, it was Xie Xie''s match. He was facing Lin San, the Wind king of Monster Academy. Both of them were agility type Soul Master, however, despite Xie Xie''s desperate struggles, Lin San was superior to him in nearly every aspect; Be this combat techniques, cultivation base or even his mentality in battle.

    Even though he lost, Xie Xie gave it his all, earning the respect of his opponent. Even the audience acknowledged this match with applause for both parties. Lin San was apparently the least talented member of Monster Academy''s Eight Heavenly Kings, but the most hard working. His strength had been forged with his own blood, sweat and tears.

    Despite being completely exhausted, Xie Xie didn''t miss the opportunity to take liberties with Yuanen Yehui. Normally, the latter would just tell him to scram, but seeing his achievements today, she didn''t retort.

    The next, and last battle for the day, was finally the fight between Tang Wulin and Dai Yueyan; Shrek''s team captain versus His Highness, the Fourth Prince! Everyone was on edge to see this fight play out in front of them; And they were right to do so!

    As soon as the match began, Tang Wulin and Dai Yueyan clashed head on, comparing their physical strength in the purest of confrontations! With the Dai family''s heritage Spirit Essence, the White Tiger, Dai Yueyan''s strength was naturally immense. Even so, the much younger Tang Wulin could keep up with him using his Dragon bloodline!

    The fight soon escalated to incredible degrees; Both of them were still fighting using their raw strength as their preferred combat method, but Tang Wulin soon started using his Bluesilver Emperor Spirit Essence. As the real name was only known to a handful of people, the announcer naturally didn''t recognize it and referred to it as a mutated Bluesilver Grass.

    Soon, they competed all out, using every method at their disposal; Tang Wulin using his Battle armour pieces and all of his strength as well as Soul Power, while Dai Yueyan donned his complete One Word Battle Armour while simultaneously using multiple Soul Skills to boost his power further.

    In the end, Tang Wulin came out as the winner; He used greathammers that were usually used by Mecha''s to fight. Making use of his incredible strength, he nearly crushed Dai Yueyan in the end, forcing the referee to intervene in order to save the latter. Thus, it was Tang Wulin''s win by default.

    The audience went wild once again. They had expected the Fourth Prince to finally lay an end to Tang Wulin''s winning streak, but even he failed to do so. With this, Tang Wulin advanced to the quarter finals as well!

    The day ended with that match, but the next day would result in matches just as exciting to watch; They were finally coming close to the end of the competition!

    Today''s pairing were a bit special; Out of the eight remaining contestants, two were from Shrek Academy, two form Monster Academy and the remaining four from different smaller influence of the Star Luo Empire.

    Long Yue and Lin San, the Monster Academy students would be facing one of the smaller influence''s students, while Yuanen Yehui and Tang Wulin would face each other; Only one of the, would continue into the semi finals!

    Unexpectedly, however, Yuanen Yehui forfeited the match, giving Tang Wulin his second free pass in this tournament. Long Yue and Lin San obviously finished their matches without much problems; There opponents, although strong, weren''t on the same level as them at all.

    In the semi-finals, the strength of Tang Wulin''s opponent was also very strong. However, he had fought frantically in his previous match which resulted in his Battle Armour being seriously damaged. Tang Wulin exploited a weak spot and ended the battle in ten minutes. Thus, he entered the finals of the competition!

    Long Yue and Lin San fought a grand battle; possibly the greatest of all the tournament had shown thus far. The crowd was continuously roaring and cheering for them and even after over an hour of fighting, there was still no clear winner. However, after another few minutes, Lin San suddenly admitted defeat.

    He didn''t saw anymore, but from Long Yue''s relatively relaxed appearance, Sheng Feilong guessed he was still holding back. In fact, from their prior match of strength while they shook hands, Sheng Feilong knew that he was stronger than what he had shown today. Moreover, Long Yue had yet to reveal his Battle Armour in this tournament.

    The next day would be the last of the solo competition. With only two competitors, Monster Academy''s Long Yue and Shrek Academy''s Tang Wulin remaining, there was only the finals waiting to be fought.

 132 Bloodied End

    Hey there, Yozuka here!

    Extra long Bonus Chapter today!

    Compiling these 5 chapter long fights into a single one, combined with other content is getting exhausting... Thank God the tournament is nearly over. D:

    Thank you for your support last week! Enjoy the chapter!

    -----------------------------------------------------------

    Early in the morning of the solo competition''s final day. Sheng Feilong sat at a table with Tang Wulin and the other Shrek student, enjoying breakfast together with them. The mood was somewhat solemn as Tang Wulin would fight Long Yue today, however, two people were much more relaxed than the rest; Tang Wulin himself and Sheng Feilong.

    The two of them were eating normally with no worry in the world, while the one could clearly see the tension in the eyes of the others. After a while, Yue Zhengyu was the first who couldn''t take it anymore. "Captain, aren''t you feeling nervous at all..?"

    Tang Wulin stopped what he was doing and shrugged with a small smile. "Why would I? The whole population of the empire thinks I''ll lose. I''m a four ringed Soul Ancestor fight a six ringed Soul Emperor. Even if I lost, would that be embarrassing? I don''t think so."

    "You''re thinking of giving up?" Ye Xinglan frowned, a slight contempt audible in her voice. Tang Wulin turned towards her with a serious expression. "The glory of Shrek isn''t secured by victory alone. Fresh blood will do just as fine. Now, let''s finish up eating, everyone."

    Gu Yue sat beside him like she usually did. When she saw the smile on his face, she could not restrain herself from saying, "Don''t push yourself too hard." Tang Wulin glanced at her, his smile softening somewhat. "I''m not pushing myself. But thanks..."

    For a while they continued their breakfast quietly, but the tension was still easily perceivable. Knowing Tang Wulin''s thoughts on the matter calmed the others somewhat, but they still couldn''t help but feel some pressure; The Dragon King Long Yue was just that terrifying.

    Despite being just as calm and seemingly carefree as Tang Wulin, Sheng Feilong remained quiet for the whole time. He could feel that Tang Wulin was just as nervous as the others, but he didn''t let it show on his face to calm his friends.

    About three hours later, everyone rejoined at the grand coliseum. Sheng Feilong followed the others to the waiting area. As it was the finals today and he came together with Tang Wulin, he luckily wasn''t barred entry.

    The finals match would start in a few minutes and Tang Wulin was sitting cross-legged in one corner, silently calming his mind. He opened his eyes when he heard the announcer asking for him and Long Yue to ascend to the arena.

    Sheng Feilong stood a bit away from the entrance way together with Gu Yue and the other Shrek students. They gave Tang Wulin one last round of encouragements, but only Sheng Feilong stared at him with a blank expression.

    Facing Tang Wulin, he slowly opened his mouth. "He''s strong." Tang Wulin was startled for a moment but then replied with a small smile. "I know. I said it before, Shrek''s glory doesn''t only come from victory; Don''t worry."

    He then walked past the others, towards the arena. Sheng Feilong turned around, looking at Tang Wulin''s back. "Wulin. Don''t force yourself to fight him head on." Tang Wulin turned around, frowning lightly, but Sheng Feilong continued with the same calm tone. "You''re a control type Soul Master, not a bloodline Soul Master. Don''t forget that."

    Tang Wulin stared at him for a moment before suddenly smiling again and walking towards the arena. Sheng Feilong was just as concerned about his well being as the others, however, he seemed to understand Long Yue''s power much better than the others for some reason.

    Making a small mental note about what Sheng Feilong just said, he put all distracting thoughts to the back of his head. Right now, the only think that counts is the fight against the greatest Soul Master of the Star Luo Continent''s younger generation!

    -------------------------

    Sheng Feilong quickly made his way out of the waiting area and went over to She Meixiao''s side. From there, he would be able to watch the fight much better. He had already said his part and given Tang Wulin all the tips he could. Now, it was all in his hands.

    During the time he walked over there, the emperor was holding a grand speech at the front, speaking about the tournament itself, a few set phrases about how proud he was about the young Soul Master of the empire and about Shrek Academy, riling everyone up to make Long Yue''s eventual win even more impressive of a feat.

    Just after Sheng Feilong sat down next to She Meixiao, the crowd went wild, profusely booing Tang Wulin who was stepping out out towards the arena. They continued their booing even after the latter stepped onto the arena where a barrier was lit up to stop distractions from outside; He wouldn''t be able to hear the boos at all, but the audience still continued!

    A few moments later, Long Yue stepped out from the other side of the arena. The people exploded into cheers, screaming and expression their encouragement for Long Yue. Long Yue didn''t acknowledge those cheers, though; His eyes were already fixed on Tang Wulin.

    Both of them soon stood across each other, a hundred metres between them. The announcer began rattling about how the two of them were, speaking of their powers and what they had shown in the tournament so far as well as giving a few speculations for the fight.

    Suddenly, the announcer stopped and beckoned for everyone to focus on the arena; The referee just lifted his hand to signal the imminent start of the match. The magical ten count began, announcing the start of the match. The referee swung his hand down again and Tang Wulin instantly started charging towards Long Yue. Two golden Soul Rings appeared behind his back and golden dragon scales covered his arms and neck.

    Giant dragon images appeared behind Long Yue and Tang Wulin as they collided with each other; A terrifying, huge stone like dragon that appeared to be carrying an ancient city on its back behind the former, and a similarly colossal golden dragon behind the latter. Both dragons unleashed mighty roars; one deep like the ocean, the other high pitched and ear piercing.

    The dragon image behind Long Yue was flickering ever so slightly from the high pitched roar that the golden dragon behind Tang Wulin released and Long Yue''s eyes constricted; This was bloodline suppression! Tang Wulin''s dragon bloodline was actually suppressing his Mountain Dragon King!

    On the platform a bit away from She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong, the old man next to the emperor, En Ci, suddenly sat up straight, staring at the arena with shock on his face; It originally shouldn''t have been possible for any dragon type Spirit Essence of bloodline to suppress Long Yue''s Mountain Dragon King, but Tang Wulin was doing exactly that, just what was his bloodline?

    On the arena, Long Yue''s face quickly changed. His lofty expression was replaced with a solemn one and six Soul Rings appeared behind his back; He was using his Spirit Essence to fight Tang Wulin to his fullest!

    One of the Soul Rings behind his back suddenly lit up and the landscape changed. Even though they were still on the arena, hills and mountains suddenly seemed to appear all around, one of the suddenly shooting out of the ground towards Tang Wulin.

    The latter took out the huge great hammers, that were used by Mechas, to destroy the mountain summoned by Long Yue. With the two hammers in his hands, he suddenly charged at Long Yue once more, showing off strange movements, hammer techniques that seemed to be completely unconnected from one another; This was a secret technique of the Tang Sect, the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer!

    Seeing his attacks broken again and again by Tang Wulin, Long Yue suddenly started laughing. He also charged at Tang Wulin, the two of them starting a full blown melee fight! By this point, the audience was completely dumbstruck by their display of strength; They simply didn''t seem human any more! Even the other contestants had similar expression. Only now did they realize the gap between themselves and Tang Wulin and Long Yue!

    Sheng Feilong on the other hand frowned deeply. Other contestants may not be able to see it, but he knew that Tang Wulin was being firmly suppressed by Long Yue. While his bloodline was stronger that Long Yue''s, they were physically simply not on the same level. Tang Wulin could barely compete with him while using his giant hammers while Long Yue only used his fists.

    Moreover, the former was completely serious and already using his strongest techniques, that had even instantly defeated Dai Yueyan, only to fight Long Yue, who seemed to be doing some light exercise instead of an intense battle. Sheng Feilong sighed lightly, muttering a few words under his breath. "I even told him not to force himself into a melee..."

    To Sheng Feilong, it was clear that it was only a matter of time until Tang Wulin would lose if things continued like this. Soon enough, his premonition became true; tang Wulin was sweating profusely, barely keeping up with Long Yue''s ever strengthening assault, but he couldn''t find an opening to retreat backwards.

    Sheng Feilong frowned again, not because of Tang Wulin this time, though. He turned towards She Meixiao and spoke to her in a low voice. "Master, something''s not right about this Long Yue. His attacks are getting more wild by the minute. He... seems to be losing control?"

    She Meixiao nodded slightly. "I thought the same. It appears that he can''t fully control his Spirit Essence. It''s just too strong for him to properly control and he''s lacking the needed Spirit Power to surmount that gap in control. Still, Tang Wulin is in more of a pinch; He''ll definitely lose if this continues."

    A moment later, Tang Wulin suddenly discarded his great hammers, engaging Long Yue in a different way. Long Yue also turned the fight up a notch; He started using one Soul Skill after the other, changing the landscape of the arena as a whole, using them to attack Tang Wulin. A huge dragon phantom appeared behind Tang Wulin again, breaking Long Yue''s Soul Skills one after the other.

    The fight continued of for many more minutes, but Tang Wulin was losing out more and more in that time. After a while, Long Yue finally got a solid hit in and Tang Wulin was propelled backwards with blood spilling out of his mouth.

    By now, he was using his Bluesilver Emperor Spirit essence as well, but it was already too late; Long Yue had complete reign over the battle''s pace. Moreover, his cultivation was vastly superior to Tang Wulin''s to begin with!

    Tang Wulin was pushed back again and again, spilling blood, but stubbornly refusing to admit defeat. Long Yue''s attack continued; As long as Tang Wulin would stand up again, he would strike him down! Soon, Long Yue seemed to have lost himself in a battle frenzy completely, attacking Tang Wulin viciously and seemingly without regards to anything.

    Tang Wulin was once again pushed back, crashing into the arena floor, but still struggled to stand up again. Long Yue appeared next to him, a feral expression on his face with his eyes completely red. Sheng Feilong''s face suddenly changed, while a startled cry suddenly came from the side.

    "Oh no!" En Ci looked troubled, the same as Sheng Feilong. A few other powerful people looked the same, but none of them moved. Tang Wulin attacked Long Yue once again, injuring the latter and causing him to cry out in pain. He lifted his right leg and viciously stared at Tang Wulin.

    Sheng Feilong jumped up from his seat almost immediately, with a distressed expression on his face, roaring at the powerful Soul Masters around him. "Someone stop them!" Again, no one moved. Sheng Feilong turned around to She Meixiao, only to see her with a deep frown and stoic expression. She also refused to move. "Master?!"

    Just then, a loud booming sound came from the arena and Sheng Feilong instantly. Blood splattered everywhere over the arena. Startled cries came from everywhere in the audience, while the powerful Soul Master on the platform remained silent, even Elder Cai not moving from her seat.

    Meanwhile, Tang Wulin had his whole chest kicked in by Long Yue. A mixture of blood and gore could be seen of what remained of his upper body, while Long Yue suddenly lifted his leg again. A red figure suddenly flashed out of nowhere, breaking the barrier around the arena and slamming Long Yue away.

    Now, someone finally moved. En Ci''s body swayed and he vanished from his spot, reappearing in front of the red figure, who stood next to Tang Wulin. En Ci stared at the figure with a frown, Soul Power radiating from his body. "Who are you? How dare you make trouble in Star Luo City?"

    The red figure said nothing and Elder Cai suddenly appeared behind them. Sheng Feilong finally recognized the figure as Senior Mu Ye and wanted to jump onto the arena as well, but She Meixiao grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him. Sheng Feilong turned around, only to see She Meixiao shake her head with a solemn expression.

    With no chance left, he stayed up at the pedestal, staring at the bloodied, mutilated Tang Wulin on the arena. Long Yue suddenly released another feral roar, before En Ci knocked him out cold, while Elder Cai, Mu Ye and En Ci started talking. On the platform, the leader of the political delegation and the Star Luo Emperor also started talking, loud enough for Sheng Feilong to hear.

    He clenched his fists in anger when the emperor simply spoke about giving an explanation for the ''incident''. En Ci was the same, saying that the contestants had signed a death disclaimer before they were allowed to enter the arena and thus it wasn''t anyone''s fault. Mu Ye coldly stared at him before he turned around, grabbed Tang Wulin and suddenly vanished.

    The important people continued to talk nonchalantly about the matter, while Sheng Feilong was shaking and seething from anger. He gnashed his teeth, staring at the unconscious Long Yue with an intense killing intent, terrifying enough to gain the attention of both, En Ci and the emperor at once.

    No one said anything as the arena was slowly tidied up again. Ignoring She Meixiao''s warning, Sheng Feilong now jumped down from the pedestal, running towards the waiting area where Gu Yue, Yuanen Yehui and the others were.

 133 An Argument With Elder Cai!

    Sheng Feilong quickly made his way over to the waiting area. The other contestants had already cleared out of there and only the students of Shrek Academy remained. Seeing them in their current states, the killing intent in Sheng Feilong''s heart quickly vanished.

    Xu Lizhi, Yue Zhengyu and Xie Xie were anxiously skipping around, unable to calm down from what they just saw. Gu Yue stood rooted in place, shaking with tears streaking down her cheeks, while Xu Xiaoyan bawled out loud. Ye Xinglan and Yuanen Yehui were trying their best to remain calm and comfort the others, but were obviously shaken as well.

    Sheng Feilong quickly forced himself to appear calm and walked over to them. He frowned and spoke up with a clear voice, assisting Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan in their attempts to comfort them. "All of you, calm down. You know the man who took Wulin with him, right? He''s the same person who looked after us when the Soul Beast attacked our ship. Wulin is in the best hands. Nothing will happen to him."

    "Nothin will happen? How do you know that? No matter who that guy was; Didn''t you see what captain looked like? He looks worse than the dead!" Xie Xie said with a shaky voice. He was one of the closest to Tang Wulin and visibly lost his cool.

    Sheng Feilong looked at him with the same frown on his face. "Calm down. That man was Mu Ye, Sir Mu. I don''t know who exactly he is, but even my Master respects him. He''s a Titled Douluo so powerful that even Elder Cai and that old man from the Star Luo Empire didn''t dare to stop him. He''ll help Wulin."

    "Feilong is right; You saw how powerful that person was. His aura alone made it so none of us could approach even a single step. If anyone can help Wulin, than it''s him." Yuanen Yehui pitched in from the side, followed by Ye Xinglan who also said something along the same lines.

    Slowly, the others began to calm down as well. Sheng Feilong, Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan continued to gently talk them through until they were ready to go back to the hotel. On the way back, Sheng Feilong frowned. He knew She Meixiao would only keep an eye on him from a distance and let them sort things out on their own, but even Shrek Academy''s teacher Wu Zhangkong, and Elder Cai were nowhere to be seen.

    ''How can they leave them alone like this? Where are they even? Wasn''t Elder Cai on the arena with Sir Mu and the old man before?'' Sheng Feilong frowned, thinking about this, but didn''t say anything, not wanting to unsettling the others.

    Everyone returned to their respective rooms, letting the day slowly end. The next few days passed by quietly. Long Yue was heralded the winner of the solo competition, while Tang Wulin was deemed the runner-up. No one really cared about the subsequent ranks as they were all about on the same level.

    Due to Tang Wulin''s severe injuries and disappearance, Shrek Academy''s group of students refused to participate in the two-versus-two final''s matches. Every one of them backed out from the match, keeping to themselves. Naturally, Monster Academy took the top spots due to this. Long Yue and his partner, Dai Yun''er, were the champions, with Fourth prince Dai Yueyan and Su Mu obtained the second place.

    After hearing this, Sheng Feilong went to look for She Meixiao. He had suppressed the killing intent in his heart for the past few days for the other Shrek students, but seeing Long Yue just continue the competition as if nothing happened roused his anger once more. "Master, I need you to help me find Elder Cai. I need to talk to her."

    "What do you want from her?" She Meixiao was visibly surprised by this sudden request. All this while, Sheng Feilong kept the Shrek students company and the two of them didn''t talk much, so she really didn''t understand where Sheng Feilong was coming from.

    Sheng Feilong looked at her with a serious expression and spoke in a cold voice. "I need to speak to her; I want to join the others in the group competition."

    She Meixiao frowned lightly, directly understanding what Sheng Feilong implied. "You want to fight Long Yue?" Sheng Feilong nodded with a frosty expression. "First this princess insults us constantly, then they start belittling us and now nearly kill one of us and still dare to compete in the competition as if nothing happened. I won''t stand for this."

    "I won''t let you kill him. No matter what, I will not sit by and see you become a murderer." She Meixiao spoke with a solemn expression, staring right into Sheng Feilong''s eyes. The latter didn''t budge in the slightest, staring right back at his Master. "There''s worse things I can do to him."

    --------------------------------

    About half an hour had passed since Sheng Feilong spoke with She Meixiao. They were now sitting across from Elder Cai in a quiet private booth of a caf¨¦. She Meixiao sat at the side, not saying anything, while Sheng Feilong just right at the frowning and displeased Elder Cai. "What di you just say?"

    "I want to join the Shrek team for the rest of the group competition." Sheng Feilong again just stared at her, his expression firm, but sincere. Elder Cai once again frowned deeper. "There''s no need for that. Shrek Academy will not compete in the group competition any longer."

    She paused for a moment, waiting for Sheng Feilong''s reaction. He frowned clearly, but waited for Elder Cai to finish. "I will not allow any more incidents like that. It''s already fortunate that Mu Ye took Tang Wulin with him. If it was anyone else, they would''ve died right on the spot."

    She stopped talking with that, quietly taking a sip from her tea. This time, Sheng Feilong spoke up with a displeased expression. "So you''re just gonna let those presumptuous Monster Academy students run wild? Not only did they injure one of your precious students so heavily, they also claimed the first place for both competitions like nothing happened."

    He paused, with Elder Cai now staring right at him, daring him to keep speaking. Sheng Feilong matched her gaze without fear and continued in the same condescending tone. "You''ll just bail out and later return to the Douluo Continent with your tail between your legs? Is that that so called ''glory'' of Shrek Academy that I ''tried to bask in''?"

    "Watch your mouth, boy." Elder Cai''s expression and tone were now ice cold. If it wasn''t for She Meixiao, she would''ve probably already struck Sheng Feilong down. The latter didn''t mind this in the slightest, though. He just continued speaking, further incensing Elder Cai. "Am I wrong? Not only did you fail to protect your students from harm here, you now even want to deny them the opportunity to take revenge for themselves? After leaving them to deal with the situation on their own for the whole time?"

    Sheng Feilong''s expression turned into a disdaining gaze. "This whole time, though I never liked you, I always thought that you, as an illustrous elder of Shrek Academy''s Sea God''s Pavilion, were one of the greatest personages of the world. Unyielding and headstrong, always doing what you wanted and ever backing down in the face of anyone... It seems I have misjudged you. You''re just an old hag who brags in front of the weak and cowers from the strong-"

    Sheng Feilong abruptly stopped; He had no way to continue speaking. Elder Cai''s hand was firmly clenching his throat, lifting him out of his chair and choking him. She Meixiao still didn''t move, but Sheng Feilong didn''t have the leisure to notice this. Elder Cai slowly started speaking while still staring right at Sheng Feilong. "Very good, boy. You''ve got guts."

    Her hand clenched around Sheng Feilong''s neck tighter as her voice grew colder. "You dare look down on me? You don''t understand what you''re talking about. There''s more to this matter than just a fight between some children. You want to play the holy avenger and take revenge for Tang Wulin? Very well, do as you please. See how the Star Luo Empire will deal with you. But if even one of my students gets hurt because of you, I will personally kill you. Am I understood?"

    She threw Sheng Feilong back into his seat, who proceeded to violently cough as he was finally able to breath again. He then stared back at Elder Cai with a smug glint in his eyes. "That''s all I''m asking for. I''ll rely on Elder Cai to make the necessary arrangements with the competition''s authorities, then."

    After that, he smugly left the room, leaving behind She Meixiao and Elder Cai. The former was still smiling as calmly as before, while the latter glanced at her. "You really need to reign that boy in. He''ll get himself killed someday if he continues like this."

    "Don''t worry, he won''t. That''s why I''m here, isn''t it? Moreover, he knows his own capabilities best; He''s usually quite collected, but once the string rips, there''s no holding back. I don''t think that that''s that bad of a habit." She Meixiao answered, then looked at Elder Cai with a small smile. "But don''t you think you need to reign yourself in as well? Although you were just acting as if incensed by his words, did you have to go as far as assault him?"

    Elder Cai just huffed. "He needs to learn his place. How dare he speak to his Elders like that." Without waiting for She Meixiao to continue, she vanished from her spot, leaving She Meixiao alone in the room.

    --------------------------------

    It was nearly dinner time when She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong returned to the hotel. Sheng Feilong had awkwardly waited in front of the caf¨¦ when he realized that he wouldn''t get back to the hotel without his Master, embarrassing himself in the process.

    The two split up again and Sheng Feilong met up with Yuanen Yehui and the others in the dining hall during dinner. He was waiting for the right moment to talk to them about his plan of oining the group competition, but just when a chance occurred, Gu Yue suddenly spoke up. "Let''s participate in the group match''s finale!"

    Everyone''s gaze was focused on her instantly. She continued in a deep voice, "Wulin isn''t here. I''ll be the captain. If he''s still with us, he''ll definitely never give the upcoming matches up. We shall seek back what we''ve lost earlier and use our victories from the matches to welcome his return. Are all of you willing to do it with me?"

 134 The Group Competitions Finals!

    Gu Yue had just finished speaking and the atmosphere turned tense. It seemed like all of them had been waiting for someone to make this suggestion. Seeing them all stare at her, Gu Yue waited for their answers with a determined expression on her face.

    Sheng Feilong was surprised that Gu Yue suddenly brought this up and missed his opportunity. Before he could say anything, Ye Xinglan spoke, saying she''d join Gu Yue. Yuanen Yehui, Xu Lizhi, Yue Zhengyu and Xu Xiaoyan also quickly agreed.

    Xie Xie''s eyes were slightly reddened. His tightly fisted hands pressed onto the table. "I''ll join in to avenge the captain." All of them were suddenly burning with passion, ready to give it their all in the upcoming matches.

    "No, all of you aren''t allowed to participate." an icy cold voice echoed from nearby at this moment. Turning around, they saw Wu Zhangkong walking over to their table with a solemn expression. "Wulin''s whereabouts are already unknown. I can''t allow all of you to risk your lives again. Don''t participate in the matches afterwards. The search for him is also still going on and we can''t take any more chances until he is found."

    Gu Yue stood up, coldly staring at Wu Zhangkong. "Teacher Wu, since the academy didn''t interfere and intervene with us since the earlier matches, I hope that the academy will act as such and not intervene with us in the following matches as well."

    "This is the academy''s order." Wu Zhangkong spoke with a deep voice. Gu Yue''s expression turned even more frosty when Sheng Feilong suddenly spoke up. "Teacher Wu, I already spoke with Elder Cai earlier today. Shrek Academy will be participating in the group competition. I''ll take full responsibility."

    All eyes were on Sheng Feilong. Gu Yue and the others were shocked about what he suddenly said. They didn''t know anything about this until now. Wu Zhangkong''s eyes were even colder than before. Staring at Sheng Feilong, he started speaking in a deep voice once again. "You''ll take responsibility? How do you think you''ll do that? What if they get injured-"

    Sheng Feilong spoke up before he could continue, his voice determined and leaving no room for discussion. "I already added my own life to the bet with Elder Cai. If even one of them gets hurt, she''ll personally kill me. Do you still think I won''t be able to take responsibility?"

    Gu Yue and the others suddenly felt a cold shiver run down their spines and stared at Sheng Feilong with wide eyes. Wu Zhangkong''s pupils shook lightly; He was just as shocked as the others. "You bet your life against Elder Cai on this...?"

    "Sheng Feilong, this..." Gu Yue started speaking, but was cut off by Sheng Feilong nearly instantly. "Yes. For them, this concerns their honour and their love for their team captain. For me, it concerns my life. I''ll personally crush Monster Academy''s team."

    Wu Zhangkong stayed silent for a long while, staring at Sheng Feilong in shock. As he didn''t say anything else, Shng Feilong turned around to Gu Yue and the others with a blank expression. "Let''s go. The next round starts soon."

    The other followed behind him without saying anything. Wu Zhangkong stayed silent. He would have to verify this with Elder Cai as soon as possible, but knowing her, she really was someone who wound go through with agreements like these.

    -----------------------------

    A while later, Star Luo City was in an uproar. Just a few minutes ago, the students from Shrek Academy officially announced that they would continue to participate in the Continental Young High-Ranking Soul Masters Elite Competition''s group matches!

    After the individual match''s profoundly disturbing scene, the two-on-two category became much less interesting without the participation of Shrek Academy''s students. The common people had also gradually calmed down after Long Yue''s victory. On the contrary, they were anticipating the arrival of this exciting match.

    The group competition was already in full throttle and Shrek Academy had already qualified for the final''s round. Unlike before, the matches wouldn''t only consist of a seven-versus-seven match, but of a different categories.

    The teams will choose one participant each to fight in a one-versus-one against the other team first. Then there will be a two-versus-two team fight and lastly, the seven-versus-seven. Each round gave the winners a certain amount of points and, with this set of rules, it would be possible to win the group competition before the group match!

    If one team won all three one-versus-one matches and then also won the two-versus-two match, they would already have a majority of the points, leading to a win by default!

    Making use of this rule, the Shrek Academy group won every one of their matches by a landslide. None of the normal competitors in the tournament were strong enough to win against their participants for the one-versus-one and two-versus-two matches. The same was true for Monster Academy''s team; They also won every single one of their matches by default.

    A few more days passed with matches every day. The audience was getting more and more expectant of the fight between Monster Academy and Shrek Academy. And as it turns out, according to the match-ups, they would only face each other in the grand finale of the competition!

    As per the plan of Gu Yue and Sheng Feilong, the latter always kept in the background. He never showed his face during the normal competition and never went out together with the others. As far as the audience was concerned; They were participating with only seven people and without their captain, Tang Wulin.

    Naturally, the officials knew that ''She Feilong'', a former student of Shrek Academy, had joined the Shrek team to fill the gap left behind by Tang Wulin''s accident. With the confirmation of the Emperor, She Feilong was allowed to join, even though the registration period was long since over.

    There were only 16 teams remaining in the final rounds, so after just three days, it was time for the grand final.

    The audience was going wild once again, cheering and screaming for Monster Academy to win as they walked out of the waiting area. A while later, the cheering died down a bit, but the audience was still thrilled when the participants from Shrek Academy walked into the coliseum.

    No one really noticed it, but unlike before, Shrek Academy''s group came with eight people as opposed to the former seven. Naturally, the members of Monster Academy noticed this; And they also noticed that this eighth person was She Feilong!

    Gradually, the audience also realized this and when Sheng Feilong sat down together with the members of Shrek Academy, their confusion was visible. The announcer started the introduction of each teams competitors, starting with Monster Academy, then Shrek Academy.

    Everyone''s abilities were explained in general and then the announcer paused for a short moment. "... We have also just received news from His majesty, the Emperor, that Shrek Academy has an eighth member again. Contestant Tang Wulin is still missing, but contestant She Feilong was allowed to take his place for this competition."

    The audience was once again riled up when they heard the familiar name of the person who disrespected their princess in the solo competition and they just quit. They went into an uproar again, but the announcer continued their explanation without regard to them. "As we''ve been informed, She Feilong is actually a certified student of Shrek Academy. However, due to personal reasons, he hadn''t joined the competition under their name before."

    The announcer explained a bit more about the situation, also including a general run-down of Sheng Feilong''s abilities before the competition officially began. The Emperor once again held a speech like he did in the grand finals of the solo and two-versus-two competitions, before the first one-versus-one match began.

    Shrek Academy already had a clear plan. As soon as the competitors were asked to come on stage, Ye Xinglan opened her eyes and climbed up the arena without hesitation. On Monster Academy''s side, Su Mu walked onto the arena.

    Unlike his usual self, Su Mu was considerably tense during this match. Prior to this, they had thought that Yuanen Yehui was the second strongest of Shrek Academy after Tang Wulin, but Ye Xinglan had revealed that she already possessed complete set of Battle Armour in one of the prior rounds of the competition.

    This Battle Armour, combined with her incredible combat standards and powerful Stargod Sword Spirit Essence, she managed to defeat Su Mu with a moderate amount of effort after a long fight. Contrary to the solemn atmosphere of Monster Academy, Shrek Academy''s students didn''t even cheer about this victory. Instead, they just nodded towards Ye Xinglan as if it was expected that she wouldn''t have any trouble!

    For the second round, Monster Academy sent out the second ranked Soul Master of their Eight Heavenly Kings, Tiger King Dai Yueyan! Shrek Academy, on the other hand, sent out Yuanen Yehui. Similar to how the fight against Shadow King Teng Teng went, Yuanen Yehui also defeated Dai Yueyan with the help of her Fallen Angel Spirit Essence''s fourth Soul Skill, the Gates of Hell.

    She Meixiao''s pupils constricted when Yuanen Yehui summoned this gate and the demonized version of herself stepped out of it. She instantly turned aorund to look at Sheng Feilong, but the latter just stared across the arena, directly at Long Yue without flinching. She Meixiao was confused; This time, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon didn''t rampage around!

    Unbeknownst to her and the members of Shrek Academy, though; The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon did indeed rampage around again. However, it was already bound down by the strange black chains as soon as it started, and Sheng Feilong was able to suppress it by focussing all of his attention on Long Yue instead of the demonized Yuanen Yehui; He resisted it with just his willpower alone!

    By now, Shrek Academy was in the lead by having won two of the three solo matches. As for the third match, it was one that riled the audience up completely; From Monster Academy''s side, the first ranked of the Eight Heavenly Kings stepped out ¨C Dragon King Long Yue, the champion of the solo competition! On the other side, Shrek Academy sent out someone who all of the audience wanted to see lose; Sheng Feilong.

    The two of them stood on the arena, staring at each other and waiting for the match to begin without so much as saying a single word. Long Yue was completely focused on this match; He knew that Sheng Feilong might be even stronger than Tang Wulin. Moreover, Sheng Feilong was staring at him for this entire time, radiating a terrifyingly cold killing intent.

    The referee slowly lifted his hand, speaking in a clear voice for everyone to hear. "The third solo match of the group competitions finals. Monster Academy''s Long Yue versus Shrek Academy''s She Feilong!" He swung his arm down in one fluid motion, announcing the start of the match. "Begin!"

 135 Fight Of The Strongest! 1/2

    The moment the match began Long Yue charged forward. His aura exploded out from him, just as terrifyingly powerful as people remembered it from his match against Tang Wulin; He didn''t hold back right from the start!

    Sheng Feilong didn''t move, his cold eyes still on Long Yue as they suddenly changed into a deeper shade of gold. Five Soul Rings sprung into existence behind him, with the third purple one lighting up immediately.

    At the same time, his aura suddenly rose again and the silhouette of a majestic golden lion appeared, fusing with Sheng Feilong while releasing a thunderous roar. Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power surged to the skies as he sent out a spiritual attack against Long Yue, ten times more powerful than anything he had used in his match against Dai Yun''er.

    Long Yue had barely taken two steps when his eyes suddenly constricted. The terrifying spiritual attack effortlessly invaded his mind, accompanied by an ice cold killing intent, instantly freezing Long Yue in his steps. His body shook for a moment before he fell down on one knee with a blurry expression in his eyes.

    People were surprised at the sudden turn of events and the arena quickly quieted down as they didn''t understand what just happened. Only a few powerful people among them knew what had happened and all of them had solemn, frowning expression as blood slowly started to drip down from Long Yue''s ears, nostrils and eyes.

    Sheng Feilong looked at him with an indifferent expression as the golden lion silhouette faded away. He slowly spoke up, imbuing his voice with his still surging Spirit Power. "Do you think that''s it already?"

    His voice echoed through the coliseum, impacting into Long Yue''s mind again and instantly causing the latter to regain his focus. He stared at Sheng Feilong in shock, then sprung back as six Soul Ring appeared behind his back; three purple and three black ¨C Long Yue was an absolutely exceptional Soul Emperor!

    His body suddenly enlarged greatly and the first Soul Ring behind his back lit up shortly after. Long Yue swung his left arm up into the air as if pulling something from the ground while furiously bellowing in a deep voice. "Mountains!"

    The whole arena shook. Suddenly, the landscape started changing, just like in the fight against Tang Wulin, turning into a mountainous field filled with hills, spikes and pillars of solid rock. Long Yue stood atop one of those pillars, staring at Sheng Feilong with a serious expression. He raised his left hand again, swinging into the direction of Sheng Feilong.

    Another thick spike of rock shot out from the ground, directly shooting towards Sheng Feilong. The latter still didn''t move. The golden light in his eyes faded and the red symbol on his forehead vanished at the same time; He had recalled his Spirit Essence.

    His eyes grew colder once again. He stared at Long Yue, then started muttering under his breath, barely audible for anyone outside the arena, but She Meixiao''s expression changed when she heard him. "Since you''ve been rampaging this whole time, come out and work off some of that steam."

    She abruptly walked up to the emperor and En Ci, speaking to them in a low voice. "Your Majesty, Sir En Ci, you must stop the match immediately if something goes south." The emperor just frowned, while En Ci replied with a displeased tone, also frowning. "Miss She, there is no need to worry. What happened with Tang Wulin was an accident. We will make sure nothing of the sorts happens to your student."

    She Meixiao still had the same solemn and concerned look on her face. "That''s not what I''m talking about. You must interfere immediately if Long Yue can''t hold on any more." En Ci huffed, but just as he was about to reply, a loud crashing sound was heard along with shocked gasps from the crowd.

    The rock spike Long Yue had sent out just crashed head first into the defenceless Sheng Feilong! En Ci frowned again. He just said that he wouldn''t let any accidents happen, but now it seemed this She Feilong couldn''t even take a single hit. Seeing She Meixiao''s frowning and slightly distressed expression, he expected the worst.

    Then, a greyish green light shone out of the swarming dust on the arena. An instant later, a terrifying wave of a dreadfully dark aura washed over the whole arena, flushing over the whole coliseum and leaving people shivering in their seats with pale faces, despite the arena''s barrier being perfectly intact!

    She Meixiao''s expression hardened even more. Among the people present, she understood this aura best by far and she also immediately understood that it was even more terrifying than when Sheng Feilong normally released his Netherworld Putrefaction Demon; This time, an ice cold, bone chilling murderous intent was mixed into its aura!

    The stands at the side and the waiting area for other contestants was influenced by this aura all the same, but, other than the people on the arena itself, the people most affected where the members of Shrek and Monster Academy''s teams. All of their faces turned ghostly pale and they could barely remain seated upright.

    Among them, Monster Academy''s Shadow King Teng Teng and Yuanen Yehui were affected the most. Their whole bodies were drenched in sweat, both of them not even daring to gaze upon the arena as they felt their very souls shiver in dread; All of their instincts were screaming for them to run away as fast as they could as far as they could, but they couldn''t move an inch.

    Next to Yuanen Yehui sat Gu Yue, who didn''t seem to be any better off. She shivered just as much with a similarly ghostly face as unconsciously spat out a few words in utter shock and disbelief with a violently shaking voice. "This is impossible... How can such a monster be here...?"

    A few powerful Soul Master promptly went to the edges of the audience''s stands and used their own Soul Power to create barriers all around to keep the citizens safe from the dreadful aura. Only then did the people gradually calm down to see what was going on on the arena.

    By now, the dust had settled down, revealing the arena for everyone to see. On it stood Long Yue, still on the same pillar of rock as before, with a pale face and shocked expression. Opposite of him, about a hundred metres off to the other side; The stone pillar had impacted. But not into the ground, rather, it was held in a single hand, or claw.

    Sheng Feilong had completely transformed. His skin was greyish black with muddy green veins running all over his body, all originating from his chest where a green flame was burning, seemingly holding his chest together as it looked like it had split open from under his ribcage all the way over his left shoulder.

    His eyes had taken on a ghostly green colour while two massive horn protruded from the sides of his head. His hands had turned into thick, armoured claws with the same veiny, green pattern running through them. He was staring at Long Yue with a calm gaze, but the aura radiating off of his body contained the same bone chilling killing intent the audience had felt before.

    His left hand was firmly clamped around the tip of the rock spike that Long Yue shot out before. Extending a bit of force, he crushed the pillar with a single hand, causing the veiny, green patter to run all across the pillar before it crumbled to the ground, breaking under Sheng Feilong''s grasp, sizzling and leaking a sickening green gas.

    Sheng Feilong opened his mouth, speaking in a neutral voice while the whole audience was staring at him in shock. "This little trick of yours isn''t bad. But, honestly, it''s way too weak." The dreadful aura radiating from Sheng Feilong suddenly spiked tremendously, enough for even the Soul Douluo that acted as the referee to shock a dreading expression. "An imitation isn''t bad, but let me show you what a true Domain looks like."

    He slowly lifted his leg, then furiously stomped down on the ground, causing the arena flooring to crack. These cracks were glowing in a muddy green light, similar to the corroding rock pillar at the side, while a grey vapour rose from them. "Netherworld Ascension ¨C Planes of Decay." Sheng Feilong spoke only a single sentence in a monotone voice, causing the cracks on the ground to explosively spread outwards, covering the whole arena and every and all of the rocks, pillars and spikes Long Yue had created.

    The green cracks didn''t stop there and started to actively spread onto the barrier covering the arena, slowly crawling up on its edges for a few centimetres before finally coming to a halt. Besides She Meixiao, everyone else was staring at the stage in dread and disbelief as most of them had never seen a Domain ability and those that did knew just how terrifying they were.

    At the centre of it all, Long Yue''s face changed drastically and, for the first time since the start of the tournament, he showed a hesitant, fearful even, expression; He had completely lost his control over the landscape he had created and felt his very strength continuously being drained by Sheng Feilong''s domain.

    Sheng Feilong looked at him with a calm expression, the same one he had on his face ever since transforming into the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, and once more spoke in a monotone voice as he slowly walked in Long Yue''s direction. "Use your every last bit of power now. You will not have that chance much longer."

 136 Fight Of The Strongest! 2/2

    Long Yue was thoroughly enraged now. The match had only just begun, but he has been played by Sheng Feilong since the very beginning. Not only the show of dominance with his superior Spirit Power at the beginning, he also effortlessly blocked Long Yue''s attacks and know even insulted him, prodding him to show his true strength.

    "Do you think you can defeat me so easily?!" Giving a roar of his own, Long Yue''s domineering voice echoed through the entire arena. His aura once again surged as pulled out a thick, double-pointed lance from his Spacial Ring.

    He instantly sped forwards, the rock pillar below his feet crumbling into pieces. He charged at Sheng Feilong head on and thrust out lance towards Sheng Feilong. Sheng Feilong returned in kind, clawing at Long Yue without hesitation. The two of them heavily crashed into each other, causing a loud explosion to ensue.

    Long Yue was sent flying backwards from the impact and crashed into one of the stone spikes on the arena, breaking it and burying himself under the rubble. Sheng Feilong, though still with his feet firmly on the ground, was pushed back nearly ten metres from the impact as well.

    A moment later, Long Yue burst out of the rubble, uninjured but with messy clothing, and furiously stared at Sheng Feilong. Just at the right time to see the latter casually speak towards him while walking back to his original spot. "Didn''t I tell you? Use your full power, lest you miss the chance entirely."

    Long Yue became even more enraged, not only at Sheng Feilong''s words themselves, but also about the fact that he had to admit that he was in a dire situation. The clash just now was clearly his loss and it was apparent that Sheng Feilong was superior to him in terms of pure physical strength.

    Without a word, his six Soul Rings appeared behind his back again and he charged at Sheng Feilong once more. The fourth Soul Ring, the first of his black ones, lit up and an earthen brown aura spread over Long Yue''s whole body.

    Seeing this, Sheng Feilong sneered and then also charged at Long Yue. What followed was a melee brawl that shook the whole arena; Sheng Feilong and Long Yue clashed again and again, moving from place to place as they fought while destroying the arena bit by bit. Both of their powers seemed limitless and the blocked, dodged and parried each others attacks again and again.

    Even after a few minutes, none of them had hit the other even once, but the arena soon lay in ruins. Long Yue was becoming more and more tense, feeling the pressure from Sheng Feilong increase again and again while his own arms were trembling, screaming from pain with every impact.

    He was completely on edge as well; He couldn''t allow himself to be hit by Sheng Feilong''s claws. Even with his powerful defence, a direct hit was certain to heavily injure him. With every exchange, Long Yue was pushed back further until he was finally forced to break off the melee.

    He suddenly bellowed loudly, his aura spiking again as he pushed past Sheng Feilong. But to his dismay, the latter seemed to have anticipated such a move, dodged out of the way brutally kicked Long Yue in the back with a spinning kick!

    "Argh!" Long Yue shot out of the melee, directly into the debris that remained of the formerly mountainous landscape. He crashed into it, sliding over the ground for another few metres, but instantly sprung back to his feet. For the first time in the match, blood was actually flowing down the side of Long Yue''s face.

    Still, he ignored it completely; He had reached his goal and created some distance between Sheng Feilong and himself. Jumping back again, he looked at Sheng Feilong with a grave expression. The latter didn''t pursue and only looked at Long Yue with an indifferent but cold expression.

    They stared at each other for a few seconds before Long Yue sudden issued a wild, draconic roar as a dark golden light exploded out from his body. It spread over his whole body and in the same moment, a thin, dark golden armour started covering his whole body and had ¨C Long Yue had activated his Battle Armour!

    The crowd suddenly grew excited and cheered once more, but suddenly gasps of shock came from them after the golden radiance faded; Long Yue didn''t only have a normal Battle Armour with a helmet, he also had a pair of gigantic, dark golden dragon wings sprouting from his back.

    Normally, a Battle Armour wouldn''t possess any special characteristics like wings, at least not on the lowest tier of Battle Armours. This meant that Long Yue has surpassed this lowest tier of battle Armour; He was a genuine Two Word Battle Armour Master!

    The moment he released his Battle Armour, a gush of tremendous pressure descended onto the arena, seemingly fighting against Sheng Feilong''s Domain ability. Sheng Feilong frowned lightly. He hadn''t expected for Long Yue to be a Two Word Battle Armour Master. He hesitated for a moment, but feeling the aura released by Long Yue, he knew that this was still within the scope he could handle.

    Long Yue noticed the change in Sheng Feilong''s expression nearly immediately and smirked beneath his helmet. "What''s wrong? Didn''t you beg me to use my full strength? Now, let''s see how you will deal with this!"

    without waiting for Sheng Feilong''s response, his first Soul Ring once again lit up brightly, and the arena shook. Long Yue raised the double-pointed lance in his hands and once again bellowed loudly. "Mountains!" New rock spikes, hills and pillars emerged all over the arena, free from the veiny green pattern and under Long Yue''s complete control.

    Sheng Feilong''s face fell slightly and he spoke in a cold and displeased tone. "You think you can wrest away control just like this..?" Sheng Feilong''s aura spiked once again as he re-released his Netherworld Ascension Domain, covering the whole arena again in a short amount of time, including the newly created structures.

    Still, Long Yue was able to control the landscape like he wanted; Albeit not completely, the amplification from his Battle Armour was enough to offset Sheng Feilong''s Domain! However, Long Yue''s expression quickly distorted when he suddenly felt his control over the area diminish again and Sheng Feilong''s aura spiking once more.

    Another gush of powerful energy descended onto the arena as a ominous, black light exploded out of Sheng Feilong''s body. The audience once more cried out in shock as they saw a Sheng Feilong''s body being covered with a smooth, pitch black set of armour!

    (A/N: There was once a question about the looks of Sheng Feilong''s Battle Armour in the comments. I think I never answered that question... sorry! Imagine it like a Sci-Fi version of Albedo''s Armour from Overlord: https://tinyurl.com/yyrvetcv )

    Long Yue''s heart tightened when he felt this change. He was already shocked to see that Ye Xinglan had a full set of One Word battle Armour, but now Sheng Feilong had one as well? And his seemed to be even more powerful than Ye Xinglan''s! Moreover, it was perfectly complementing his powers, even going as far as strengthening his Domain ability!

    The muddy green veins on the ground suddenly lit up brightly and the dreadful power that filled the air drastically increased in intensity. Sheng Feilong looked at the shocked Long Yue with the same expression as always, coldly speaking. "Trying to escape my control? Dream on."

    Sheng Feilong flashed away from his spot, the ground where he just stood exploding into hundreds of small pebbles. In but an instant, he was already in front of Long Yue. The latter barely had any time to block Sheng Feilong strike and was mercilessly flung through the air, only stopping when he crashed into the arena''s barrier!

    The barrier furiously shook, sending ripples over the whole side''s surface as Long Yue coughed out a mouthful of blood and fell down to the ground, unhamperedly crashing into the ground head first. With just a single punch, his powerful Battle Armour had deep cracks running all over his chest; Smaller pieces and splinters of it falling off as Long Yue slowly stood up again.

    He furiously bellowed, charging at Sheng Feilong like a madman again, without any form or combat technique, only to be pummelled to the ground once more. This time, the shoulder of his Battle Armour cracked under Sheng Feilong strength. He was flung back tens of metres by a single kick from Sheng Feilong, but he stood up again, relentlessly charging at Sheng Feilong again and again!

    Sheng Feilong continued to pummel Long Yue through the whole arena without a care in the world. Regularly throwing, punching or kicking him through the various rock formations, burying under the debris. The whole audience was deathly silent, no one uttering a single sound; Only Long Yue''s bestial roars were heard again and again before being interrupted by being crashed into the ground every time.

    The referee was frowning deeply, but he couldn''t end the match, as Long Yue was standing up again, charging at Sheng Feilong every time he did so; The losing party was obviously the aggressor, so he couldn''t end the match directly ¨C only His Majesty, the emperor, had the right to do so, but the latter was silent, just like the rest of the audience.

    After dozens of failed attempts to attack Sheng Feilong, Long Yue was barely able to stand. His whole Battle Armour was nothing but broken scrap metals, with blood oozing out between the gaps. Whenever he stood up, he would be violently shaking in his spot, but never the less charge at Sheng Feilong again with a roar.

    After being flung into the arena ground once more, Long Yue struggled for a long time to stand up. Just as he managed to do so, his body swayed once more and one of his legs finally gave in, leaving him in a half kneeling position. He lifted his head, still trying to stand up.

    Sheng Feilong moved over to him with a blank expression, his aura still as steady and overbearing as at the beginning, with no obvious reserves being spent. Looking at the roaring Long Yue in disgust, he suddenly grabbed the latter by the throat, shutting him up and lifting him off the ground without any effort.

    Long Yue clawed at Sheng Feilong''s arms, trying to get the latter''s hand away, but to no avail. Sheng Feilong removed his Battle Armour''s helmet. He stared at Long Yue, then spoke up in a clear voice, fueled by his Soul Power for everyone to hear. "Admit defeat already. This is getting ridiculous."

    The whole audience was still silent, waiting for Long Yue to answer, but after a few moments, the only thing the heard was a loud thudding noise. Instead of giving up, Long Yue powerlessly started kicking against Sheng Feilong''s side with his leg.

    Sheng Feilong ignored it for a moment before making a knife hand and pulling his arm back. "... Let''s end this farce."

    His aura spiked again in a terrifying manner, sending the surrounding rubble flying outwards as a mixture of blood red and deathly grey colour suddenly bathed the whole arena. The audience and even the high nobles and masters of the Star Luo Empire gasped in shock, utterly dumbfounded at what they were seeing.

    Behing Sheng Feilong''s back, a single, colossal, grey-red Soul Ring was suspended in the air, lighting up the whole arena with it''s sheen. In the midst of the crimson-grey light, a muddy green light and a massive amount of greyish vapour, condensed around Sheng Feilong''s hand.

    Then, suddenly, a cold glint flashed in Sheng Feilong''s eyes and he abruptly thrust his hand forward, piercing the remains of Long Yue''s Battle Armour, all of his natural defenses and right into his sternum. "Putrefying Devil Claw." In an eerily calm voice, Sheng Feilong slowly spoke his Soul Skill''s name. Long Yue''s body stiffened for a moment before spasming shortly after, and then returning to being still.

    A terrifying pressure fell onto the whole coliseum and Sheng Feilong suddenly threw Long Yue down to the ground before crossing his arms in front of his chest. A blinding golden light suddenly crashed into him, blasting him all the way to the other side of the arena and against the barrier as he spat out a large mouthful of blood. "Bastard! You dare to hurt my disciple in front of me?!"

 137 Refuting Even The Emperor!

    When She Meixiao first warned him about this fight, En Ci didn''t pay her much heed. Sure, her disciple''s Spirit Power was astonishing, but that''s already it. Compared to his own disciple, Long Yue, with his Mountain Dragon King Spirit essence and bloodline, there shouldn''t be anything he can do.

    The only thing that kept him from lashing out at She Meixiao right when she told him to be careful was the fact that she only meant well. Although En Ci had seen Sheng Feilong lose control over his second Spirit Essence before, he wasn''t able to gauge its strength due to She Meixiao suppressing the outburst with her own Soul Power.

    Sure, he could have easily pried through that barrier back then, but She Meixiao would''ve surely noticed; He refrained from it in order to not seem rude as She Meixiao and her disciple were still guests of the Star Luo Empire.

    However, the fight between Sheng Feilong and Long Yue proved him wrong completely. Not only was the former''s Spirit Power even more immense than what anyone had predicted, his second Spirit Essences power was also far greater.

    At first, En Ci didn''t interfere for a few reasons. Long Yue still hadn''t shown his full power and still had full control over himself. Sheng Feilong also didn''t directly try anything against the rules, so although En Ci didn''t like seeing his disciple beaten, he did not have a reason to interfere.

    As the match continued, En Ci''s face contorted more and more and finally, when both, Long Yue and Sheng Feilong, released their Battle Armours, he was finally able to relax, but even that only lasted seconds; Long Yue wasn''t a match for Sheng Feilong in the slightest.

    They had only exchanged a few hits, but Long Yue''s Battle Armour was already in tatters, while Sheng Feilong was completely fine. Moreover, the injuries and the fact that he used his full strength made Long Yue slowly lose control over his emotions.

    Finally, when Sheng Feilong grabbed Long Yue by the neck and ordered him to surrender, En Ci couldn''t take it any longer. He stood up and was about to end the match then and there, but at the same time, Long Yue kicked out at Sheng Feilong again and again. Though mindlessly and powerless, he still didn''t give up.

    Even worse, before En Ci could speak up, the words became stuck in his throat and he stared at the arena in utter disbelief; Behind Sheng Feilong, a massive, grey-red Soul Ring silently appeared, releasing a pressure that even he had never felt from a Soul Ring before.

    This short moment of disbelief lead to En Ci moving to late as he only regained his focus after Sheng Feilong struck out. Seeing this, and feeling the sinister power of the attack, En Ci''s pupils constricted and he instantly dashed onto the area, ignoring and breaking the barrier that surrounded it and instantly kicking Sheng Feilong back. "Bastard! You dare hurt my disciple in front of me?!"

    He didn''t pay any more attention to Sheng Feilong and instead focused on Long Yue. En Ci spread out his spiritual sense to examine Long Yue''s condition and his mind shook violently directly after; Long Yue''s body was in even worse condition than his Battle Armour.

    His whole body was overtaxed from the strain of the battle, nearly all of his bones broken with most of the joints dislocated or even crushed; There was basically no area in his body that wasn''t in critical condition.

    Then, there was the worst part. In the middle of his chest, with his sternum crushed into scraps, resided a gaping whole, sizzling with a greyish energy and releasing a mind numbing odour. Not only were his organs shred apart, the strange grey energy was continuously corroding away at Long Yue''s flesh. It was fortunate that Long Yue was already unconscious; Such a pain wasn''t something he, or anyone for that matter, would be able to bear.

    En Ci pushed the rising anger in his heart to the side and started using his own Soul Power to carefully assist Long Yue in healing. His energy carefully spread through Long Yue''s whole body, aiding in his recovery. However, even his energy was constantly corroded away by the grey energy in Long Yue''s chest.

    By now, the emperor and a few other high ranking people of both, the Star Luo Empire and the Douluo Continent''s delegation, stood on the arena. The emperor looked at Long Yue and seeing En Ci''s expression, frowned deeply. En Ci was the most powerful Soul Master of the continent; For him to make such an expression could only mean that Long Yue''s condition was extremely severe.

    She Meixiao already stood next to Sheng Feilong, carefully helping him up. The latter frowned and looked at En Ci and Long Yue. He stood up again. She Meixiao looked at him with an anxious expression and spoke in a soft voice. "Are you alright..?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded slightly, holding his left arm. "I''m alright. The old man''s attack broke my arm, but it''s nothing too serious." The terrifying aura of the Netherworld Putrefying Demon receded, but Sheng Feilong was still in his transformed state; He was currently able to control it without any problem.

    Sheng Feilong looked towards Long Yue and En Ci with a cold expression, but remained calm and said nothing. She Meixiao could see En Ci faintly shaking where he sat and frowned. She knew that Sheng Feilong used his Soul Skill on Long Yue, but she didn''t know how severe it was. Still, from the fact that it could easily melt even strong Spirit Alloys without much problem, she could imagine the extent of the injury.

    She Meixiao sighed lightly. Pitying Long Yue slightly, she turned to Sheng Feilong. The latter was still coldly staring at En Ci and Long Yue, not an ounce of compassion is his eyes.

    En Ci continued to try and helpt Long Yue get rid of the corrosive grey energy, but because of Long Yue''s condition, he had to be extremely carefully. If he used to much power, he might accidentally injure or even kill his own disciple. Due to this, the corrosive energy just eroded his own Soul Power away while constantly doing the same with Long Yue''s flesh.

    She Meixiao sighed once more and turned to Sheng Feilong. She opened her mouth and was about to talk to him when En Ci suddenly stood up and coldly stared at the two of them. "Remove that corrosive energy immediately." His voice was extremely grave and oozed with killing intent. If it wasn''t for the fact that he couldn''t help Long Yue with just his own Soul Power, he would''ve already killed Sheng Feilong on the spot.

    Sheng Feilong stared back at En Ci, not fearing to cross his gaze, and replied nearly instantly. "And why should I?" En Ci''s gaze turned even more hostile and an invisible pressure began radiating from him. "Bastard, don''t force my hand."

    "Force your hand? If you could help Long Yue on your own, you would''ve already tried to kill me, isn''t that right?" Sheng Feilong didn''t back down in the slightest, speaking to En Ci without a hint of respect. She Meixiao''s expression turned into a slight frown, but she still didn''t say anything.

    The pressure radiating off of En Ci was growing more intense by the second when the emperor suddenly spoke up. "She Feilong. I know you are infuriated because of the indident involving Tang Wulin. However, if you commit murder in my Empire, I will have to judge you accordingly. Remove the energy from Long Yue''s body and well'' end this incident here."

    Sheng Feilong slowly turned his gaze towards the emperor, still as cold as before. With the same impolite tone he used to speak to En Ci, he replied the to the emperor as well. "Again, and why should I?"

    The emperor''s expression turned into a frown, clearly displeased by the rude tone of Sheng Feilong when a person from the side suddenly spoke up in anger. "Brat, you dare to to His Highness, the Emperor, like this?! Show some respect before I personally slay you!"

    Sheng Feilong sneered coldly. "Respect? What has your emperor done to deserve my respect?" This single sentence instantly silenced the whole coliseum. No one dared to believe their ears. Sheng Feilong actually dared to insult their emperor while the latter stood in front of him..?

    However, Sheng Feilong wasn''t finished yet. "An emperor who can''t control his own subordinates and allowed a group of rebels to attack the political delegation of another continent when they just arrived on his lands, who allowed his own daughter to attack members of that delegation during a national ceremony and who allowed a random, wild Soul Master to critically injure ¨C maybe even kill ¨C a member of that delegation during a friendly competition?"

    He turned towards the emperor, staring him directly into the eyes, and continued to speak without hesitation. "What right has this emperor to deserve my respect?"

 138 She Meixiaos Pligh

    A heavy silence descended onto the coliseum. No one dared to believe their ears, but seeing Sheng Feilong still stare at the emperor made it clear that they truly didn''t hear wrong. Slowly, all eyes started to focus on the emperor, many of the people swallowing dry, waiting for what was to come.

    The matter about the Douluo Continent''s politic delegation being attacked by the rebel and terrorist organisation Green Skeleton was widely know. Not only were they attacked, but the Douluo Continent''s Soul Master also helped rescuing civilians after the train was destroyed.

    Not everyone knew about the second matter Sheng Feilong spoke of, though. Those that attended the national ceremony back then knew that Princess Dai Yun''er had her mental attack destroyed by Sheng Feilong and that she sustained a backlash. Thinking about it, it was obvious that with all the powerful people, including the emperor and En Ci, present, it was impossible for the princess'' doing to go unnoticed. However, just as Sheng Feilong said, no one stopped her from doing it.

    Even less people knew about the third matter. While many saw what happened, they failed to understand the underlying currents. Long Yue did indeed lose control and attacked Tang Wulin with the clear intention to kill, but that wasn''t what Sheng Feilong was referring to.

    Back then, he himself had already noticed that things were going awry and shouted out loud for someone to stop the match, but no one moved until it was to late. If even he could see what was happening, how could the emperor, En Ci, or any other Soul Douluo or Titled Douluo present not notice? Still, again, no one stopped him from doing it.

    Those present that understood all of this couldn''t help but show ugly expressions. What Sheng Feilong said was perfectly true. Although he couldn''t be fully blamed for a terrorist attack like Sheng Feilong said, in the end it really amounted to those rebels being discontented with the emperor''s reign. However, who would ever dare say something like this to the emperor''s face and in front of the whole nation at that?

    However, Sheng Feilong had already spoken of all of these things. There was no denying it and no way to turn this situation around. She Meixiao''s expression was probably the most ugly of all of them. Her face was pale and her eyes were violently shaking.

    She stared at Sheng Feilong and the emperor, rooted in place and not moving. ''H-How can he say something like that?! What do I do now? If I don''t do anything, he''ll be killed! I-I can''t lose him! What can I do now?!''

    She Meixiao''s thoughts were a complete mess. She couldn''t think of anything she could do to defuse this situation, while the atmosphere between Sheng Feilong and the emperor grew more and more tense. After the long silence, Sheng Feilong''s voice rang through She Meixiao''s head again, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Well? What is it?"

    The emperor''s expression darkened to a terrifying degree, but before he said anything, a loud smacking sound echoed through the coliseum. Sheng Feilong''s eyes shook as he didn''t understand what just happened. He slowly turned back forward while holding his aching cheek. "... Mas-?"

    "Shut up!" She Meixiao suddenly snarked back at him, not letting him speak. Her expression was incredibly conflicted, switching between a ghastly pale dread and a beet red anger continuously. She hastily turned to face the emperor and grabbed Sheng Feilong by the neck, pushing him down and forcing him to kneel with his head lowered.

    With Sheng Feilong kneeling like that, She Meixiao bowed at a 90 degree angle with her head lowered as well, speaking in a hasty and slightly shaky voice. "Your Majesty, She Meixiao has failed to teach her disciple properly. Anger had gotten the better of him and he didn''t know what he was talking about. I beg Your Majesty to find it in your heart to show mercy to an unruly child."

    By now, She Meixiao was visibly shaking with her head lowered in front of the emperor. Sheng Feilong didn''t understand what was happening and kept kneeling, rooted in place by She Meixiao, who was still pushing him down by the neck.

    The emperor''s expression was still dark, not having changed in the slightest by She Meixiao''s begging. He stared at the both of them and slowly opened his mouth. "Remove the corrosive energy."

    "Yes!" She Meixiao replied immediately, staring at Sheng Feilong with the same ever changing expression. "Feilong, remove it immediately." She pulled Sheng Feilong up a bit, enough for him to see Long Yue on the ground with En Ci standing next to him. "Master, I-"

    "Remove it!" She Meixiao was still shaking, enough for Sheng Feilong to notice it now as well. His eyes shook slightly before he lifted his hand. Long Yue''s body shook slightly as a large amount of the grey energy rose from his body before dissipating in the air.

    En Ci didn''t miss a beat to immediately crouch down next to him and examine his condition for a moment before nodding at the emperor and then focusing on Long Yue completely, helping him recover with his own Soul Power again.

    Seeing this, She Meixiao instantly pushed Sheng Feilong down again, forcing him to kneel with his head down and waiting for the emperor to speak again. Again, she didn''t dare to say anything and only silently waited.

    A few more moments of heavy silence passed before the emperor finally spoke again. "Leave now. Do not enter my sight again." With this, he slowly turned around, his body flashing for a moment as he appeared on the pedestal again and sat down. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy."

    She Meixiao grabbed Sheng Feilong by the arm, dragging him off the stage without delay. The latter still didn''t fully understand why She Meixiao was acting like this, but he didn''t have the strength to free himself form her grip and was thus pulled along with her.

    He ended the Netherworld Putrefying Demon''s transformation, revealing his human form again. Neither he nor She Meixiao spoke a word and only hastily walked down from the stage. Sheng Feilong looked around for help, but his expression froze when he saw the faces of Gu Yue and the others.

    All of them had pale faces with complicated expressions, displaying a slight fear. They had been exposed to the Netherworld Putrefying Demon''s power this whole time and couldn''t help but feel apprehensive towards it. Gu Yue and Yuanen Yehui had been affected even worse; They were still shaking with their faces displaying obvious dread and Gu Yue''s even more confusion.

    ''W-What''s with them? Why are they looking at me like that? ˇ­ Did I do something wrong?'' Sheng Feilong shook lightly. He wanted to ask them what was wrong, wanted to explain the situation to them, but She Meixiao dragged him off without stopping.

    A few moments later, they were already out of the coliseum''s arena area and inside a hallway. Still, She Meixiao didn''t stop; She dragged Sheng Feilong away from the arena and they returned to the hotel. On the way, She Meixiao didn''t say a word and Sheng Feilong didn''t dare to ask about it.

    Arriving at the hotel, both of them entered She Meixiao''s room and the latter finally spoke, her anger apparent in her voice. "What''s with you?! How could you say something like this to the emperor''s face? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

    Sheng Feilong flinched; He had never seen She Meixiao like this. He wanted to say something, but before he could even start, She Meixiao interrupted him. "Do you even understand what you were doing in the arena? Do you understand how close you were to being publicly executed?! How can you do something like this in another empire?"

    "Master, I-I didn''t-" Sheng Feilong fidgeted around, not knowing what to say, but She Meixiao interrupted him again, waving her hand at him while she sat down on a chair with a frustrated expression. "Get out. Return to your room and remain there."

    Sheng Feilong froze, but did as he was told without saying anything else. He sat on his bed with a blank expression for a long time, not saying anything; Only quietly sitting on his bed, lost in thought. She Meixiao wasn''t off much better; She sat on her chair for a long time, slowly trying to calm down again.

    Like this, the rest of the day passed. Sheng Feilong didn''t leave his room the next morning, but coincidentally found out that Shrek Academy won the final group match against Monster Academy. They had given up on the two-versus-two match in order to be able to fight the last match.

    Even more surprising was the news that Tang Wulin had returned. Just after Xu Xiaoyan and Xu Lizhi came down from the arena after giving up on the two-versus-two, he appeared from the waiting area, slowly walking over to them with a bright smile.

    With Long Yue out of the match, Shrek Academy steam rolled Monster Academy''s team with a perfect seven to zero win in less than 15 minutes. Tang Wulin had become even stronger than before the incident and people thought that he might even be strong enough to defeat Long Yue on his own now.

    Naturally, Tang Wulin also heard about the fight between Sheng Feilong and Long Yue, but none of the Shrek students came to search for Sheng Feilong.

    Time passed quietly until it was already close to noon of the next day when Sheng Feilong received a message on his Soul Communicator. It was a number he remembered; The number of the Daedalus branch master, whom he visited with She Meixiao a few weeks ago.

    [Hello. Little friend Feilong, would you happen to have a bit of time to meet me at a caf¨¦? I would like to talk to you about your Master.]

 139 Ouyang Sen

    Sheng Feilong wrote back and forth with the branch master of Daedalus for a while. The branch master introduced himself as Ouyang Sen after shortly after and gave Sheng Feilong an address for the caf¨¦ he wanted to meet at.

    Currently, Sheng Feilong was among the most hated personages in the Star Luo Empire so going out like normally was a bit tough. He rummaged through his Spacial Ring and quickly found himself a coat with a hood that obstructed his face. Although it wasn''t really cold outside from a Soul Master''s perspective, a commoner wearing a coat in spring wouldn''t draw any attention to himself.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t directly tell anyone where he was going, only leaving a notice in his room that he would be going out for a while. He didn''t want people to start looking for him, especially anyone related to him. He just needed some time to relax and Ouyang Sen''s offer came just at the right time.

    It didn''t take him long to find the caf¨¦ Ouyang Sen mentioned; It was actually just three streets down from the Grand Star Luo Hotel where he was staying. Although being located at a rather prestigious area of Star Luo City, the caf¨¦ was rather small and cozy with a relatively low amount of customers; perfect for him to relax and have a nice chat with someone.

    "Little friend, over here." Just after Sheng Feilong entered, a grey haired, middle aged man entered his vision, lightly waving at him; This was the branch master of Daedalus quarters located south of Star Luo City. Seeing Ouyang Sen, Sheng Feilong promptly walked over to him and gave a light bow after which Ouyang Sen beckoned for him to sit down.

    Both of them ordered a snack and something to drink before they started a bit of small talk, with Ouyang Sen continuously praising Sheng Feilong. Ouyang Sen was a pleasant person to have a conversation with; An easygoing person who paid attention to what happened around him, confirming the favourable impression Sheng Feilong had of him when they first met.

    "I know it''s not really nice to ask about such things, and I definitely won''t pry; I just want to compliment you on your Spirit Essence. Ha, ha, when you first released it during your match with that Long Yue, I was shocked. I felt my own Spirit Essence shiver even though I only watched through a TV screen." Ouyang Sen lightly spoke with a small while taking a sip from his tea.

    "I can understand why Madam She would take you as her personal disciple; Just that Spirit Essence alone makes you qualified to receive this honour." Ouyang Sen continued speaking lightly, but noticed that Sheng Feilong''s expression sunk lightly when he spoke of She Meixiao. He tilted his head lightly, looking at Sheng Feilong with a concerned expression. "Is something wrong?"

    "Ah, no, it''s nothing, Senior Ouyang. It''s just that I had an argument with Master..." Sheng Feilong said with a forced smile. It wasn''t just a small argument, but he didn''t want to trouble this kind senior of his with it. Ouyang Sen quickly saw through this and pressed the question again. "An argument? What happened?"

    Although everything that happened took place on the star luo coliseum''s main arena, all broadcasts were stopped the moment the emperor and other people stepped onto the arena, thus Ouyang Sen didn''t know what had happened as he didn''t investigate the matter.

    Sheng Feilong looked at him with a slightly troubled expression, but chose to ultimately speak about what had happened; From the start of the match against Long Yue, to the beatdown during the latter half, the conflict with En Ci and the emperor and what She Meixiao had done afterwards. He spoke in a low voice so the other guests wouldn''t hear him.

    This whole time, Ouyang Sen just listened attentively, his expression changing according to the part of the story. When Sheng Feilong finished, Ouyang Sen let out a rather exaggerated sigh. "I can understand why she acted like that. At least partially. What you did really was dangerous for yourself."

    Sheng Feilong hung his head down, displeased that he was, once more, reprimanded for doing what he thought was right, when he hard Ouyang Sen sigh once more. "However, you also have to understand Madam She in this situation. She... was more concerned about this than you can imagine."

    "What do you mean, senior..?" More concerned that he could imagine? Sheng Feiong was confused by this sudden statement. She Meixiao was just concerned about his well being, wasn''t she?

    Ouyang Sen nodded lightly and started speaking again with a sorrowful expression. "You know... you aren''t the first personal disciple Madam She took in. There was someone before you." Sheng Feilong was surprised by this. "Master... had another personal disciple before me..?"

    It was common for powerful Soul Masters to teach a number of young Soul Master, but everyone would usually only take a single personal disciple in their lifetime. That was because a personal disciple would inherited all of their Master''s techniques. In a way, they were their Master''s successor, may that be in techniques or standing. That was also the reason why many personal disciples would take their Master''s surname.

    Ouyang Sen nodded his head once more with a sad expression. "Yes. And that other personal disciple was just as talented as you. She was able to have people feel the same suppression with her Spirit Essence as you did and had a similar character to you as well. But..." He paused sighing deeply once again. "But she met an unfortunate end. Back then, Madam She''s prior personal disciple had provoked a powerful person and despite your Master''s pleas, she was killed on the spot."

    Sheng Feilong''s heart chilled when he heard this. He flinched for a moment and swallowed dry. Ouyang Sen looked at him with an understanding expression and continued to speak. "That''s why she reacted the way she did. She couldn''t bare the thought of losing you. She may have reacted too extreme, but I hope you won''t hold this against her; I wholeheartedly believe that Madam She only wants the best for you."

    Sheng Feilong shook again. Earlier, he didn''t understand why She Meixiao acted the way she did and really held her actions against her, but now he understood. Someone you hold dear being killed right in front of you while you have to powerlessly watch is probably the worst thing someone could go through; And now She Meixiao had to see Sheng Feilong in a similar situation. But, was She Meixiao really powerless this time?

    Before Sheng Feilong spin this thought further, Ouyang Sen seemed to see through him and started speaking once more. "Daedalus is a powerful organisation, that is out of the question. But you can never underestimate the foundation and connections of another organisation. That is especially true for that Star Luo Empire that has existed for nearly 10.000 years now."

    Ouyang Sen paused for a moment again, taking another sip from his tea and continued with a calm expression. "Madam She already stands at the pinnacle in Daedalus; Whether it is in power, reputation or position, there is only two people that stand above her; One is our leader and the other one is the second vice leader, Ye Wanxing. Both of them are on the Douluo Continent and wouldn''t be able to help."

    "Then, Master did something like that because she wouldn''t have been able to..." Sheng Feilong started slowly muttering with a conflicted expression. Taking another sip from his tea, Ouyang Sen slowly nodded his head. "Because she wouldn''t have been able to save you otherwise, yes."

    Sheng Feilong clenched his fists with a worried expression. "Senior Ouyang, thank you for telling me, but I... I really have to go now." He began standing up but Ouyang Sen spoke up once more. "Don''t go to Madam She." Sheng Feilong flinched and looked at Ouyang Sen. "Let her calm down for a few more days. She''ll get back to normal soon and you can always talk to her when that time comes."

    Ouyang Sen''s words calmed Sheng Feilong down again. He sat back down and continued to talk with Ouyang Sen for a while longer. In the blink of an eye, over two hours passed. Both, Ouyang Sen and Sheng Feilong, had finished what they had ordered and where about to leave.

    Outside the caf¨¦, Sheng Feilong bowed lightly towards Ouyang Sen when he said his good bye''s. "Senior Ouyang, thank you for today. And thank you for telling me about Master..." The grey haired man gave Sheng Feilong a good natured smile and slightly waved his hand in dismissal. "Don''t worry about that. I also had a good time today. Feel free to drop by at the branch quarters whenever you feel like having a chat."

    The two of them parted ways after that. Sheng Feilong decided to stroll through the streets of Star Luo City for a while longer before going back to the Grand Star Luo Hotel. He bought a few things, but generally just aimlessly strolled around.

    Later that day, Sheng Feilong walked through the entrance of the hotel and into the lobby. Still with his hood up, he made his way to the elevator, he suddenly heard a familiar voice behind. "Feilong?" Turning around, Sheng Feilong saw Tang Wulin and the other Shrek students coming back from outside as well.

    The girls seemed pleased with themselves, while Xie Xie and Xu Lizhi seemed tired; All of the boys had various bags full of stuff in their arms. Tang Wulin approached Sheng Feilong with a conflicted and serious expression. "So it was you. Say... do you have a few minutes? I wanted to talk to you."

    (A/N: You will never escape the cliffs. Give up your futile efforts, mortals!)

 140 A More Relaxed Evening

    It appeared that, despite using the hood of his coat to obstruct his face, Tang Wulin easily saw through the disguise and recognized Sheng Feilong. Sheng Feilong turned around with a calm expression and looked at Tang Wulin when the latter''s question entered his ears.

    Slightly surprised by Tang Wulin''s expression, Sheng Feilong just nodded. "Sure. Though, do you want to bring your stuff up to your rooms first?" He glanced at the various bags in their hands with an amused expression.

    It was rare enough for Soul Masters to go shopping in commoner''s shops, but to think they actually carried the bags back to the hotel? Why didn''t they use their Spacial Rings for that? ''Perhaps their Spacial Rings are already full? No, no way.''

    Sheng Feilong followed Tang Wulin and the other Shrek students up to their rooms. They quickly unloaded most of the bags in the girls'' rooms, while the boys mostly just took a few items back to their own rooms. None of them seemed to take out or put in anything to or from their Spacial Rings, though.

    Soon after, the nine of them grouped up in Tang Wulin''s room. Luckily, there were enough seats for everyone. Sheng Feilong turned to Tang Wulin and asked the decisive question, already half expecting the answer. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

    The mood in the room became somewhat more solemn, a change that Sheng Feilong naturally noticed, and Tang Wulin frowned with a serious expression. "I''ve heard the stories from the others and also watched the video of your match against Long Yue. I know it''s not nice to ask, but just what in the world is that second Spirit Essence of yours..? How can it be so powerful?"

    ''As expected, it''s exactly that question...'' Sheng Feilong sighed lightly. This was the answer he had expected. Of course, their curiosity could be understood. Still, despite knowing that they didn''t have a problem with evil or dark attributed Spirit essence as could be seen from Yuanen Yehui, Sheng Feilong didn''t want to disclose any information about it.

    He shrugged lightly with a passive expression. "Well, as you just said, it''s my second Spirit Essence. I never used it before because it wasn''t necessary. Plus I can''t fully control it and I... well, easily lose control over it."

    Tang Wulin nodded lightly, still with a serious expression. "Still, what exactly is it? It''s power is honestly no joke. I was already inside the area when you released its aura and my bloodline instantly flared up trying to protect me from it." He glanced at the others, especially Gu Yue and Yuanen Yehui for a short moment. "...The others had it even worse, sitting directly beside the arena."

    "...I know. I''m sorry, but I can''t tell you much about it. Master told me to keep it a secret for now. If possible, I''ll tell you in the future. If the right moment comes..." Sheng Feilong sighed lightly again, an apologetic expression on his face.

    He turned to Yuanen Yehui and Gu Yue and spoke up in a softer voice. "I''m sorry that I didn''t warn you two. Are you alright now?" Just as Tang Wulin said, those two were affected the most. Sheng Feilong didn''t know the reason why Gu Yue was affected, but concerning Yuanen Yehui, it was definitely a kind of Spirit Essence suppression.

    Yuanen Yehui nodded with a solemn expression. "I''m alright. After you retracted your Spirit Essence, everything went back to normal. Though, I''ve never faced a situation like that before. The Fallen Angel Spirit Essence is a top class Spirit Essence; If anything, it was me suppressing other people''s Spirit Essences."

    Gu Yue said nothing though the whole conversation, but her eyes were fixed on Sheng Feilong and she forced herself to look calm. Sheng Feilong didn''t explicitly ask her again as she only seemed to be shocked from what happened, not injured. Though it was rare to see Gu Yue lose her calm.

    Nodding slightly, Sheng Feilong once again apologized to Yuanen Yehui and Gu Yue, then spoke a bit more. "It''s a dark attributed Spirit Essence more or less made to defy other dark attributed Spirit Essences. It''s kind of an antithesis to evil, despite being ''evil'' itself. Sorry, but I really can''t say more."

    Other than the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s name and the stories about the demon spirit in his spiritual consciousness, Sheng Feilong truly didn''t know anything else about it. So far, he had basically told them anything he knew without including any sensible information; Anything he said could more or less be found out by analyzing his match against Long Yue.

    The others nodded, understanding that he wouldn''t talk about it. Therefore, they tactfully didn''t ask any further. Sheng Feilong turned towards Tang Wulin after they talked abut random things for a while. "Anyways, I''m glad you''re okay again... Luckily, Senior Mu was able to help. Back then, all of us already assumed the worst..."

    Tang Wulin smiled bitterly. "If it wasn''t for teacher, the worst would''ve become reality... It''s all thanks to him that I survived." He paused before suddenly smiling lightly. "Though I don''t blame Long Yue; He already suffered his sentence thanks to a certain someone."

    They started chuckling while Sheng Feilong scratched his head slightly awkwardly. He didn''t agree with Tang Wulin though, and really wanted to see Long Yue dead, but didn''t say anything to not make things weird. Tang Wulin then asked another question out of the blue. "Right, where do you know teacher from? I already wanted to ask back when we were on the ship, but never got the chance to."

    "Ah, I actually don''t really know him. I met Senior Mu for the first time during the aquatic Soul Beasts attack. Though it seems Masters knows him quite well. She doesn''t address many people with earnest honorifics; They''re mostly just to keep the facade, but she really seemed to respect Senior Mu." Sheng Feilong spoke casually, also adding his own guess in the mix.

    Tang Wulin''s eyes lit up with admiration when Sheng Feilong mentioned She Meixiao. He was someone who respected the strong through and through and She Meixiao''s display left a deep impression on him. "Your Master''s strength is truly incredible... A Four Word Battle Armour Master with a cultivation at the Hyper Douluo level... And her Spirit Essence is also incredible. Is it really the legendary Hydra?"

    "I don''t really know. I never asked." Sheng Feilong''s voice suddenly became more reserved when the topic shifted to She Meixiao. He couldn''t help but suddenly thing of what Ouyang Sen had told him about her... He really wanted to go to her immediately, but Ouyang Sen''s advice to give her some time to calm down stopped him from doing so.

    Tang Wulin quickly realized that he shouldn''t have brought up the topic and scratched his head. ''Right, he had an argument with his Master after the match...'' He quickly tried to change the topic. "Right, we wanted to go to the city tomorrow again. Do you want to join us? I''m sure no one would mind, right?"

    He quickly glanced at the others. Other than Xie Xie and Gu Yue, who both just stood there silently without giving an answer, the others agreed with smiles. Xu Lizhi seemed especially happy and hurriedly swung his arm around Sheng Feilong''s shoulder. "Right! We haven''t been out together for so long! Brother Feilong, you have to buy us a drink! Or rather, invite us to a barbeque, he, he, he!"

    Sheng Feilong laughed, pushing Xu Lizhi to the side. "Get lost, fatty! Invite yourself out! I''m too poor to pay for you!" Xu Lizhi didn''t seem to care about the elbow that was playfully pushed into his face and just continued without a care in the world. "Eh? What do you mean too poor? You''re a Soul King; There''s tons of ways to make money for you! You can afford to help out a friend once!"

    Their bickering continued for a while, with pitching in from time to time. The serious topics had been dropped by now and they started to just fool around instead. Time flew by and they decided to call it a day after some time.

    Sheng Feilong returned to his room in a good mood. Sitting down on the bed, he calmed his mind and started cultivating. It was still a few hours before he''d usually go to bed, so he might as well use that time; Slacking in cultivation was not an option.

    A few hours later, he opened his eyes again. Content with the training he did, Sheng Feilong decided to call it a day, when a heavy knocking came from his door. Sheng Feilong frowned lightly; Rather than a knocking, this could described as someone banging at his door.

    Sheng Feilong opened it depite the time and was surprised to see two people standing there. "... Gu Yue? What are you doing here?" His gaze fell upon the ordinary looking old man who stood behind her. "And this senior is...?"

    Gu Yue and the old man ignored him and instead waltzed into his room, brushing past him with stoic expressions. Sheng Feilong stared at them with an incredulous expression, but still closed the door behind him and walked after them. Now, they all stood in the middle if the room. "What in the world do you want? Why do you two barge into my room like that? Gu Yue? And who''s this?"

    "Seal." Gu Yue spoke a single word with an indifferent expression and the old man waved his hand. An invisible pressure enveloped Sheng Feilong''s hotel room in a flash, causing the latter to frown. He knew what this was; A sound isolating barrier, and a powerful one at that. He turned to Gu Yue with a frown. "What''s going on?!"

    Gu Yue returned the look with a grave expression. Both, she and the old man, seemed visibly tense and were carefully observing Sheng Feilong''s every movement. At the same time, Gu Yue suddenly spoke up with a grave expression. "Who are you really? What''s your connection with the Netherworld Putrefaction Demons?"

 141 Turning The Tables

    Sheng Feilong''s heart skipped a beat when Gu Yue suddenly asked about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. He had told her and the other Shrek students about it before, but Sheng Feilong never told them its name!

    "...You know what the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is?" Sheng Feilong asked back in astonishment, but Gu Yue only frowned. Her expression was grave to begin with and she spoke in the same cold tone as before. "Answer my question. What is your connection with them? Who are you?"

    "What are you talking about? You know who I am; Sheng Feilong, the personal disciple of Spirit Flamingo Douluo Song Weihan and Smiling Snake Douluo She Meixiao. A 15 years old Soul King, who, until about eight months ago, was a student of Shrek Academy." Sheng Feilong spoke with a dry voice, not sure whether Gu Yue was just making a bad joke or not.

    Gu Yue''s expression was still as chilly as before, but she didn''t say anything more. Sheng Feilong looked at her and started frowning. He had already told Her and the others more than they needed to know and Gu Yue asked about it only now, even barging into his room like she owned the place.

    "I already told you and the others what I know about it. If there''s nothing else, you can leave. I was about to go to bed when you barged in." Sheng Feilong''s tone became somewhat colder. He didn''t like Gu Yue''s attitude at the moment and really didn''t want to explain any more about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    "So you refuse to speak?" Gu Yue''s tone was still as cold as before and with her words, the old man behind her focused completely on Sheng Feilong. The latter just rolled his eyes at the intimidation attempt. "I already told you everything. If you don''t believe me, then that''s your problem."

    Sheng Feilong stood up and walked over to the desk that stood at the side. He grabbed a bottle of water from under it and drunk something. He already figured that Gu Yue and that strange old man wouldn''t leave just like that, so he hatched a plan in his head.

    With the sound isolating barrier active, it would be hard for Sheng Feilong to get someone to help him and with the old man''s presumed strength, it wouldn''t be hard for him to suppress Sheng Feilong. Coincidentally, though, the wall where the desk stood was the one that separated his room from She Meixiao''s. If he banged on the wall with enough force...

    "Very well. Since you won''t speak, we''ll have to force you." Gu Yue once again spoke with a chilling tone, seemingly not bothered by the fact that Sheng Feilong sat down at the desk. He was in an arm''s reach to the wall, but Gu Yue didn''t seem to notice his plan.

    Sheng Feilong frowned deeper, not letting any hints to his plan show on his face, and spoke up again. "Force me? Can''t you talk like any normal person would? Also, how many times do I have to tell you that I already told you everything?"

    He clicked his tongue, staring at Gu Yue and the old man with an annoyed look, stood up once again and leaned against the wall. "The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is my second Spirit Essence. I have no idea what kind of ''connection'' you''re talking about, nor do I know what you want me to say. For the record, it''s also not a hereditary Spirit Essence; Neither my father nor my mother awakened a Spirit that was even remotely similar to it."

    Gu Yue didn''t speak, but the old man by her side made a step forward with a dark expression. The pressure radiating from him slowly rose more and more and pressed down on Sheng Feilong. The latter frowned; It seemed like they really wanted to go through with this.

    The old stared at Sheng Feilong and spoke to Gu Yue with respectful tone. "Young Lady, what should we do?" Sheng Feilong also looked at Gu Yue with a cold expression. So far, he was able to resist the old man''s pressure without using his own Soul Power, but it was obvious that the old man would hold back until Gu Yue gave the command.

    "I''ll ask you one last time; What is your connection with the Netherworld Putrefaction Demons and who are you?" Gu Yue spoke with a haughty expression, but her tone was as cold as always. Sheng Feilong just stared back at her with an incredulous expression. "You''re an idiot, aren''t you?"

    The old man''s expression changed while Gu Yue''s got even colder. The pressure on Sheng Feilong increased abruptly, nearly forcing him down, but he was still able to resist it with his bloodline power and physical strength. ''I need to wait for the right moment...''

    The old man still stared at Sheng Feilong, his face painted in ice cold anger. "Young lady?" He waited for Gu Yue''s decision, not saying anything, but killing intent radiated off of him. Gu Yue''s expression became indifferent as she looked at Sheng Feilong. "It''s to dangerous to let a Netherworld Putrefaction Demon run around. Since he refuses to speak..."

    She dragged her words out, waiting for a change in Sheng Feilong''s expression as she knew he would understand what came next. This was the very last chance she would give him, but he still refused to take it, his expression remaining unchanged. "... kill him."

    The old man nodded slowly, his pressure still locking Sheng Feilong in place and he was about to take a step forward when Sheng Feilong suddenly moved. He had been biding his time, slowly focusing his Soul Power and it exploded out as soon as Gu Yue finished her sentence.

    Sheng Feilong violently spun around on the spot, using the momentum to slam his elbow into the wall behind him. A loud booming sound echoed through the room and the wall cracked; Even with the sound isolated into the room, the force of the impact was sure to be strong enough to alarm someone as strong as She Meixiao, especially when it came from the room directly adjacent to hers.

    (A/N: Yes, I''m aware how unrealistic it is for a normal hotel''s wall to withstand the power of a Soul King''s attack, but it would be weirder if he suddenly punched through the wall... Let''s just say it works like this for plot reasons!)

    The old man and Gu Yue were shocked when he suddenly released his Soul Power and the old man hastily jumped in front of Gu Yue to protect her, but they both just stared at him for a moment when he slammed into the wall. Due to this, the pressure on Sheng Feilong suddenly lessened and he inwardly smiled.

    Using his moment and the burst of power, he spun around on the spot once more, into the other direction and slammed his other arm into the wall with the same force as before, once again, the wall cracked and the sound boomed through the room.

    Only now did Gu Yue understand what he was doing and her face quickly changed. "Stop him!" The old man''s expression changed as well; He also understood what was happening and instantly struck out at Sheng Feilong, pushing him away from the wall, but it was already too late.

    ------------------------

    She Meixiao sat in her room with a slightly conflicted expression. She was still thinking about what happened two days ago and couldn''t fully calm down. Fidgeting around with the book in her hand, she was lost in thoughts, when she suddenly frowned.

    Turning her head, she could see the framed picture hanging on the wall shake from side to side for no apparent reason. For a moment, it also felt like the wall shook. She frowned, but as there wasn''t any great sounds, she brushed it off, thinking that Sheng Feilong must''ve had something bang the wall by accident.

    Suddenly, the wall shook again without any sound. It was just as violent as before, but no sound was heard. She Meixiao frowned deeper and extended her Spirit Power to check what was going on. Not even a second later, her pupils constricted and a terrifying pressure burst out from her.

    Inside of Sheng Feilong''s room, she noticed two figures, one of which was an unknown Soul Master or at least rank 80, while the other was one of the children from Shrek Academy. However, the reason She Meixiao reacted in such an extreme way was because the unknown Soul Douluo had created a sound isolating barrier in Sheng Feilong''s room and because Sheng Feilong had just been attacked!

    ------------------------

    The old man just struck out at Sheng Feilong, flinging him away from the wall and sending him crashing into a cupboard when his expression turned once more; From the room next to him, a terrifying pressure gushed out, firmly locking on to him. Gu Yue turned towards the old man, calling out to him. "Leave!"

    Not missing even a second, the old man directly charged out of the closed window, completely shattering it and flew into the night sky at break neck speed. Immediately after, the terrifying pressure that came from the other side of the wall also vanished out of the room, much faster than the old man could move.

    Gu Yue''s face was complicated and she suddenly flinched as she stared at Sheng Feilong. The latter had already stood up again after being hit by the old man and had a cold smirk on his face. Blood was trickling down from the corner of his mouth, but that didn''t seem to bother him at all.

    Sheng Feilong''s eyes turned a darker shade of gold and a red, winged symbol appeared on his forehead without any delay. Gu Yue''s expression paled slightly and her body shook. Sheng Feilong''s Soul Power burst out from his body once more and five resplendent Soul Rings apepared behind his back, the third suddenly lighting up bright.

    A powerful mental attack was aimed at Gu Yue at full force. Both she and Sheng Feilong were already at the Spiritual Abyss Realm, but Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power was still much stronger. Moreover, he had the amplification effects of his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes and his third Soul Skill, Spirit Amplification.

    Gu Yue cired out in pain as the attack impacted onto her spiritual consciousness and her vision suddenly blurred; her fate was the same as Long Yue''s ¨C bleeding from all seven orifices as she fell to her knees.

    Sheng Feilong looked down at her with a small smile. Gu Yue shuddered lightly when she heard what he had to say. "So, shall we turn the tables completely? ''Who are you really? What''s your connection with the Netherworld Putrefaction Demons?''"

 142 A sFriendlys Talk With Gu Yue

    Sheng Feilong stood in front of Gu Yue and deactivated his third Soul Skill. Gu Yue had just been hit by his mental attack and was still out of it; She would probably need a few moments to regain her focus.

    He waited patiently for her to return back to normal, observing her cautiously in the process. Sitting in a normal chair, Sheng Feilong then asked her a question as soon as she seemed to be backto normal. "Who are you really? What''s your connection with Netherworld Putrefaction Demons?"

    Gu Yue gnashed her teeth. She hadn''t expected that Sheng Feilong would act like he did. For any normal Soul King, the deterrent effect of a peak Soul Douluo would have been enough to shut them up and get them to do your bidding.

    She didn''t include the fact that he was connected to multiple Titled Douluo''s into the equation and made a fatal mistake. Moreover, she had never expected that Sheng Feilong would be able to suppress her so easily with his Spirit Power; Although they were both at the Spirit Abyss Realm, he was much, much stronger than Gu Yue estimated.

    Knowing that she wasn''t able to defeat him with her current strength, Gu Yue had no other choice but to remain here. Still, she didn''t answer Sheng Feilong''s question and only hatefully stared at him, hiding any change in expression from him.

    Sheng Feilong stared down at her for a moment before he spoke up again. "Not talking? Who would''ve guessed..." Both of them remained quiet again. Sheng Feilong was silently thinking about everything he knew about Gu Yue, trying to remember anything he could use to make her speak.

    His thoughts spun into all directions, but from what he remembered, Gu Yue was actually quite mysterious, even among their circle of friends. Some time ago, Tang Wulin and the others mentioned how they met each other at their Intermediate Academy. Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were classmates while Gu Yue suddenly appeared when they were training, seemingly from nowhere.

    They didn''t know where she came from, but quickly became friends with her as she was the only one who''s talent was on par with theirs. Moreover, she seemed to really like Tang Wulin from the get go. However, she never mentioned where she came from.

    Later, it turned out that Gu Yue is the personal disciple of the Spirit Pagoda''s Vice-Pagoda Master, Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu. Again, something no one knew beforehand. The plan formulating in Sheng Feilong''s head slowly pieced itself together.

    He stared into Gu Yue''s eyes, slowly speaking in a light tone. "You seem to have quite a few secrets yourself, don''t you? No one, not even your ''friends'', know where you are from. You just suddenly appeared and coincidentally became their friend..."

    Gu Yue''s expression still didn''t change. She remained quiet, staring at Sheng Feilong with the same hateful gaze as before. He wasn''t bothered by this and continued talking in a light-hearted manner. "From the get go, you got surprisingly close to Tang Wulin. If one didn''t know you, one could even think that that was intentional."

    Gu Yue''s expression didn''t change, but her gaze was not only hateful but also had a certain cold touch to it. It seemed like that last sentence had an effect. Sheng Feilong internally smiled and made a mental note, then decided to try something similar. "Hm... The most interesting thing about Tang Wulin is by far his dragon type blood line. It''s incredibly strong and potent moreover, it seems to continuously grow and strengthen itself as he gets stronger. Surely, that''s something many people would covet."

    This time, Sheng Feilong''s words hit home. Gu Yue''s expression finally changed, sinking considerably. Her eyes ever so slightly shook for a short moment; Something Sheng Feilong didn''t miss and he knew he was on the right track. "As you already know, I''m the descendant of a 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Evil Soul Master''s were really interested in that. Moreover, many of them practise ominous blood arts to strengthen themselves. Tang Wulin would be a perfect target for such people, don''t you think?"

    Gu Yue furiously tried to calm herself in order to not give Sheng Feilong any information. Sheng Feilong, of course, noticed that. And he also noticed that something like this happened every time he mentioned Tang Wulin. ''I have to think outside the box... What more can I say about Tang Wulin...''

    Both of them stared at each other in silence for a while longer. Gu Yue gradually managed to calm down again, but that''s exactly what Sheng Feilong had been waiting for. He smiled lightly and continued his monologue in a light-hearted tone. "That old man who was with you, who was he? Certainly, he wasn''t from the Spirit Pagoda. His aura and Soul Power were surprisingly heavy; Something that you normally only see from soldiers who have gone through many life and death situations. In other words, people who have killed a lot."

    This time, Gu Yue''s expression didn''t change. She didn''t seem to be bothered by this partner of hers at all and remained perfectly calm. This, however, was within Sheng Feilong''s expectations. "If I had to make a bold guess, I''d say he isn''t a soldier; He seemed more likely to be an evil Soul Master. But... he called you ''young Lady'', didn''t he? I wonder what kind of relationship the two of you have? Though I guess you''re some kind of big shot?"

    Again, no changes. Sheng Feilong sighed lightly and his relaxed expression turned into a serious one. "Let''s get serious. If he''s an evil Soul Master and calls you ''young Lady'', that means you''re one as well and you stand above him in status. I assume you''re after Tang Wulin''s blood; Something so powerful, you guys wouldn''t want to miss out on it, right?"

    He paused for a moment, looking at Gu Yue''s expression only to see her stare at him with a grave face and dagger like stare. Sheng Feilong continued in the same serious tone. "The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is able to suppress evil and dark Spirit Essences with ease as shown during the tournament. You were heavily affected by it. You fear it''s power. So, tell me; What is it that you know exactly? How much do you know about it''s origin and powers?"

    Sheng Feilong had just finished when a familiar voice came from behind him. "So it was like that... Really a good theory, Feilong." Sheng Feilong didn''t even have to turn around to know who it was. Gu Yue''s grave and lightly shaking expression were enough for him to know. He turned his head around, lightly smiling. "Welcome back, Master. Did you have a nice trip?"

    Behind him, coming in through the window, was She Meixiao. Her expression was extremely cold when she stared at Gu Yue, but Sheng Feilong''s greeting made her smile lightly. "It was quite refreshing. Though it''s a shame that old man was able to flee. I actually lost him in the forest. His Spirit Essence seems to be quite peculiar."

    Her gaze wandered to Gu Yue, who was obviously distressed by She Meixiao''s appearance, and she smiled thoughtfully. "Hm... So this little rat doesn''t want to speak?" Sheng Feilong lightly shook his head in response and She Meixiao continued. "Rats ned to be treated right; You need to lay a trap and bait them with something nice."

    Gu Yue''s expression sank; She would''ve never expected to be treated like that by She Meixiao. However, the latter didn''t mind her at all and turned to Sheng Feilong with a light smile. "Feilong, call Tang Wulin and ask him to come over. Maybe he can elaborate on a thing or two."

    Sheng Feilong was a bit surprised. He didn''t do anything like that in the first place because he thought it would be better to keep this matter a secret, but She Meixiao seemed to have a plan. Moreover, judging from Gu Yue''s distressed expression and shaking body, involving Tang Wulin was the easiest way to make her talk.

    Sheng Feilong went outside for a moment while She Meixiao created a sound isolating barrier inside the room and waited inside with Gu Yue. Luckily, Tang Wulin was still awake and Sheng Feilong''s call got through without problem. He asked Tang Wulin to come over because he had something important to speak about and waited in the hallway.

    Half a minute passed and Sheng Feilong saw Tang Wulin jog over to his room. Greeting him with a light wave, he turned towards the door and spoke with a light voice. "Keep calm about what you''ll see soon. Nothing bad''s gonna happen, so you don''t need to lose your cool."

    "What do you mean? Don''t tell me you stole something?" Tang Wulin made a light joke, but seeing Sheng Feilong serious expression, he quickly kept quiet and nodded meaningfully. Sheng Feilong then opened the door and went inside. Following closely behind him, Tang Wulin closed the door and soon saw She Meixiao standing in the room with a small smile on her face.

    Tang Wulin was surprised to see her at first and was about to bow, when he suddenly froze. Sheng Feilong had moved to the side a bit and so Tang Wulin could see Gu Yue. She was kneeling on the ground, shaking lightly and bleeding from the nose, eyes and mouth. Tang Wulin instantly turned to ferociously glare at Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao. "What have you done to her? What''s the meaning of this?!"

 143 Truth About The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon

    Tang Wulin''s aura rose explosively, almost to the point of exploding out of him. He was furious; Gu Yue, the person closest to him, was injured and restrained in the room of someone who had thought to be his friend. Moreover, a Titled Douluo also had a hand in this! Just what was happening!

    Sheng Feilong looked at him with a stoic expression and spoke in a neutral voice. "Calm down, Wulin. Let me explain the situation before you do anything." He paused for a moment, waiting for Tang Wulin''s response, but the latter only stared at him in silence. "Gu Yue came to my room a while ago with a high ranked Soul Douluo in tow."

    Tang Wulin nearly instantly snapped back in confusion. "A Soul Douluo? What are you talking about? The only people with us are Elder Cai and Teacher Wu; There is no Soul Douluo with us." Sheng Feilong nodded and continued in the same neutral voice. "I know. That''s what''s so suspicious about this. They came here and asked more about my second Spirit Essence. I told them everything I told you before as I don''t know anything else. And then? Well, they tried to kill me for not telling them anything."

    Tang Wulin was shocked. He couldn''t believe that Gu Yue would try to kill someone and quickly looked at her with a questioning gaze. "Gu Yue...?"She didn''t answer. She only continued to stare at Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao with hatred. Tang Wulin looked at her and frowned light. "Gu Yue, talk to me. What happened?"

    She Meixiao pitched in at that moment, pointing at the half destroyed hotel room with an indifferent expression. "Tang Wulin, what Feilong said is the truth. There is no other version, and she knows that as well. Look around. Does this look like something that would happen without a fight?"

    "T-that''s impossible. Gu Yue would never try to kill someone! This must be a misunderstanding." Tang Wulin continued to argue, not wanting to believe it like this; In front of a Titled Douluo, this was all he could do. She Meixiao slightly frowned and spoke in a stern voice. "Tang Wulin. I have personally chased that Soul Douluo. Are you implying that we''re lying?"

    "No, Senior... But there really has to be a misunderstanding. Gu Yue would never do something like this!" Tang Wulin still tried his best. He didn''t know why Sheng Feilong called him here, but he feared that Gu Yue would meet a tragic end if he stayed silent.

    Sheng Feilong looked at Tang Wulin with a apologetic expression. "Sorry, Wulin, but we haven''t brought you hare to talk with you." Tang Wulin looked at him, clearly confused. "What do you mean?"

    She Meixiao vanished from her place and instantly appeared behind Tang Wulin. She raised a hand and quickly hit him in the back of his neck, knocking him out cold. The last thing Tang Wulin saw before losing consciousness was Sheng Feilong apologetic expression.

    "Wulin!" Gu Yue cried out and tried to jummp over to Tang Wulin, but She Meixiao''s aura firmly locked her into place. She Meixiao caught Tang Wulin and handed him to Sheng Feilong, who in turn pulled him to the said and placed him on the bed.

    She Meixiao looked at Gu Yue with a calm, piercing gaze, her voice emotionless. "He''s just unconscious; Not harmed. At least, not yet. Whether he ever wakes up will depend on you. So, what will it be? Cooperate and save him. Or die together with him."

    Gu Yue was shaking. She couldn''t form a clear thought and completely ignored She Meixiao, only staring at Tang Wulin. Sheng Feilong walked next to She Meixiao, both of them breaking Gu Yue''s line of sight to Tang Wulin and looked at her. Sheng Feilong''s heart was beating wildly from what She Meixiao just said. Although he didn''t think she''d go through with this, the tone she said her last words with made even him shiver.

    He breathed in deeply before looking at Gu yue with the same cold gaze as She Meixiao. "You''ve heard what Master said. So tell us, what do you know about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon? And who are you? Why do you even know about it; We want to hear it all."

    Gu Yue stared at Sheng Feilong with a blank expression for a long time before she finally forced herself to calm down. She didn''t care what they did to her, but her heart ached knowing they would involve Tang Wulin. So she spoke, with a sullen voice and listless expression.

    "Originally, there weren''t just nine layers in Hell. There were 18, and they were aptly called the 18 Layers of the Abyss. A long, long time ago, a great war between the Abyss and the Gods broke out. The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was a weapon in that war." Her spoke quietly, but her words were clear.

    Sheng Feilong frowned, while She Meixiao seemed lost in thought. "A weapon? A demon made into a weapon to fight the Gods?" Sheng Feilong''s expression showed his shock, but Gu Yue shook her head. "No. A weapon made by the Gods to fight the Demons and Devils of the Abyss."

    "...What?" This time, She Meixiao let out a gasp of surprise. Then Gu Yue continued with a sullen voice. "A living weapon of mass destruction, sent to the lowest levels of the Abyss to annihilate the Demons, while the Gods themselves fought the Demons of the upper levels. It was made to be the bane of all Demons, their nemesis, all just to eradicate the threat the Demons and Devils posed."

    "Wait, how did the Gods make a Demon into a weapon?" Sheng Feilong''s voice suddenly sounded out, but Gu Yue simply continued with her explanation. "After the weapon was sent in and activated, the Gods sealed all entrances and exits of the lower layers of the Abyss and let it rampage inside. Everything was destroyed; Demons and Devils, the land itself - even time and space in those places couldn''t escape destruction. However, it didn''t stop there. With all ways out sealed, the excess energy couldn''t escape, nor could the souls of the dead. The weapon absorbed all of this ¨C the countless souls of Demons and Devils, the evil energy inside the layers, everything ¨C and slowly mutated into a twisted, demonic form."

    "The once divine, most powerful weapons of the Gods were turned into what you know as the Netherworld Putrefaction Demons ¨C monsters that devoured and destroyed everything that came near them. The Gods didn''t know that yet. So after a long time, the reopened the sealed layers of the Abyss and went in to retrieve their weapons. However, none of them ever returned Their prided weapons had turned into crazed beasts craving for destruction, torn apart by the hatred of the Demons and Devils they had slain. They killed the very Gods that created them."

    Gu Yue then stopped talking. She didn''t say another word for a long time and Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao also fell deep into thoughts before Sheng Feilong spoke up. "Then, it should be impossible for the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence that I possess to be the same thing you know. How could crazed, mindless beasts become Spirit Essences?"

    In truth, this wasn''t exactly what Sheng Feilong thought. The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon inside of him obviously had a spirit. It wasn''t mindless, nor completely crazed. Although it exploded into a frenzied rage every time anything demonic was near it, it still had a hint of sanity in it. Moreover, from what Gu Yue said, it should be impossible for those crazed monsters to escape from the so called Abyss.

    However, Gu Yue shook her head once more. "No, it''s possible. Three of those things were destroyed by the Gods. And another one is known to possess sentience." She Meixiao frowned frowned, slowly repeating what Gu Yue just said. "One possesses sentience..."

    "Yes. The most terrifying of them all, sitting on the pitch black throne of the Demon God in what remains of the deepest levels of the Eighteenth Layer of the Abyss." Gu Yue once again answered. Her sullen look had somewhat recovered as she understood that She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong truly seemed oblivious of those matters.

    However, Sheng Feilong shook when he heard about the black throne. Wasn''t the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon in his spiritual consciousness also sitting on a pitch black throne in what seemed to be the ruins of a castle amidst desecrated lands? "...What happened to that demon on the throne? How do you know it possesses sentience?"

    Gu Yue looked at him, surprised by the question as she didn''t understand how it mattered. Still, she answered the question with a plain tone. "Because it waged war against the Gods all by itself. After devouring everything in the eighteenth layer, including the soul of the Demon God, it gained sentience and rose against the Gods all alone."

    "What happened in that war..?" Sheng Feilong''s heart was violently shaking. He couldn''t help but believe that this sentient Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was the same Demon Spirit that resisded in his Spirit Essence.

    Gu Yue still answered in the same plain tone. "Dozens of Gods perished. The sentient Demon was just that strong. They waged war for an unknown amount of time, but couldn''t defeat it." She paused for a moment, then continued with hesitation. "In the end, the Dragon God and the other Godkings united and fought it together, forcing it back into the Abyss. They managed to somehow destroy the monster''s soul, but that only lead to its body becoming a mindless beast again. Then, they sealed it onto the Demon God''s throne for all eternity."

    Sheng Feilong shook in his place. Everything matched up, however, he wanted to confirm one last thing. "How did they seal it...? Do you know of any... black chains?"

    Gu Yue frowned. Sheng Feilong seemed oblivious to everything she mentioned, but how did he know of the black chains? "They used black chains to seal the demon onto the throne. The indestructible Chains of Heaven, that can bind even Godkings. They''re ancient artefacts that, once placed, will never be broken."

 144 End Of The Interrogation

    "Chains... of Heaven?" Sheng Feilong slowly muttered with a thoughtful expression. He was already certain that the strange chains around the throne were not ordinary when he first saw them, but chains from the God realm? Chains that can even bind Godkings?

    He wasn''t exactly sure how strong Godkings were among Gods, but their title is already enough to understand that they must be extraordinarily powerful. He had a strange thought and looked at Gu Yue again. "... Couldn''t the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon break those chains? Even if not with pure physical strength, can''t it corrode them?"

    Gu Yue frowned lightly, but still answered quickly. She didn''t know how Sheng Feilong knew about theChains of Heaven, but with She Meixiao observing her like a predator, she didn''t dare to ask. "The Chains of Heaven are indestructible. It doesn''t matter if it''s a Godking, Demon Emperor or even a whole mortal realm; If the chains bind it, it is forever captive."

    Sheng Feilong nodded slowly. With all the information Gu Yue gave him, he didn''t think that she would lie about the chains. Moreover, he already saw the chains restrict the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon and chain it back to the throne, even making the demon''s spirit lie dormant afterwards.

    He took a deep breath and glanced at She Meixiao. The latter didn''t know about the chains and from the look she gave Sheng Feilong, she was sure to answer questions later. Sheng Feilong slowly nodded towards her and then focused his attention back to Gu Yue. "There''s still one thing you haven''t told us yet: Who are you?"

    Gu Yue stared at the two of them in silence and gnashed her teeth. She contemplated for a long time before finally opening her mouth slowly, looking Sheng Feilong directly into the eyes. "I can''t tell you. However, I can assure you that I''m not an evil Soul Master."

    "And we are to believe that on what basis?" Sheng Feilong frowned lightly, obviously not content with this answer. Gu Yue continued to resolutely stare at him; She seemed set on not exposing her identity. "It doesn''t matter what you think of me. No matter what, I''m not an evil Soul Master ad that''s it. I can''t tell you more."

    She was still gnashing her teeth. Even with the threat of death and with Tang Wulin in their hands, she refused to tell them of her real identity. This was how important this secret is for her. "... You can do to me whatever you want, I will never speak."

    "Then we no more use for neither you nor Tang Wulin." She Meixiao coldly spoke with an indifferent expression. Gu Yue''s body shook for a moment, but she still didn''t say anything. Clenching her fists, she remained silent with her head hanging down.

    "Master, wait..." Sheng Feilong said, still looking at Gu Yue with a serious expression. She Meixiao glanced at him, but stopped, curious to what he was planning. Sheng Feilong continued to stare at Gu Yue and spoke up again. "Why do you refuse to tell us who you are? Is your identity that sensible? Or are you afraid that we''d kill you on the spot once we know of it?"

    She still remained silent, not even acknowledging Sheng Feilong''s question, but that didn''t bother the latter. He opened his mouth again with the same expression. "Then, what''s you connection to the Spirit Pagoda? How are they involved?"

    "... They''re not. And went there when I was younger with the intention to get accepted as someone''s disciple to gain a solid identity. Like that, many people wouldn''t dare to question it and even if they investigated and didn''t find anything, they would just assume the Spirit Pagoda was hiding any information." This time, Gu Yue spoke, though still hesitant.

    She paused for a moment, then looked at Sheng Feilong again. "Leng Yaozhu isn''t involved in any of this. I didn''t expect to become her disciple, but it just came to be and I never changed that." Sheng Feilong stared at her silently, then spoke up with a colder voice. "You''re quite considerate towards her."

    "She worked along with my plans quite well. She never asked useless questions and never restricted me from going where I wanted. She didn''t even question it if I shook off the people she sent to observe me." This time, Gu Yue''s voice was cold again; She didn''t want to involve Leng Yaozhu in this at all.

    After this, a long silence ensued. Seeing that questioning Gu Yue wouldn''t bring any more results, Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao were at a bit of a loss. They got all the information about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon the wanted; At least Gu Yue refused to tell them anything else.

    Sheng Feilong turned around and looked at Tang Wulin who was still silently laying in his bed, unconscious. Then asked one last question. "What are you planing to do with Tang Wulin?" Gu Yue''s body visibly shook and she remained silent for a long time.

    Staring at her this whole time, Sheng Feilong didn''t force her to answer, but if she didn''t... He couldn''t just let his friend in danger if he knew about it. His expression slowly turned into a deep frown and only after waiting for a long time did Gu Yue finally speak up. "...I won''t hurt him."

    "That doesn''t answer my question." Sheng Feilong replied instantly, staring at Gu Yue with a deep frown by now. She remained silent for a few seconds again before letting out a small sigh. "I need his bloodline. But only the power contained within. I only need to stay near him and slowly absorb the energy he emits; It won''t bring him any harm... No matter what, I... Tang Wulin is also important to me..."

    She spoke the last part in a small, extremely faint voice and hung her head down, not showing Sheng Feilong nor She Meixiao her expression. Not that that stopped those two from seeing it thanks to their Spirit Power, but they understood the gesture.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t say anthing for a long time, so She Meixiao looked at him with the same indifferent expression she showed to Gu Yue before. "So, what do you want to do?"

    Her question gained the immediate attention of Sheng Feilong and Gu Yue silently stared at the latter. He looked back and forth between She Meixiao, Gu Yue and the unconscious Tang Wulin and contemplated about the matter for a while, then sighed lightly and looked at Gu Yue with pity in his eyes. "... Let her go."

    Gu Yue stared at him in confusion. "What..?" Sheng Feilong didn''t answer her immediately, instead he went to the bed and lifted Tang Wulin up, pulling him over to her side. "... Take Wulin and leave for now. After the journey here on the Star Luo Continent ends, I want you to leave Shrek and never come near any of them again."

    Gu Yue glanced at She Meixiao, who still only looked at the spectacle with indifference, silently agreeing with Sheng Feilong''s decision. Gu Yue looked at Tang Wulin in Sheng Feilong''s arms and quietly grabbed him. She slowly got up and pulled him out of the door.

    With a wave of her hand, She Meixiao dispelled the sound isolating barrier and let Gu Yue walk out. She returned to Tang Wulin''s room, just two room off from Sheng Feilong''s, and remained there.

    She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong were left alone on the latter''s room now. Sheng Feilong seemed to be in a sour mood while She Meixiao just waited for him to say something first. "... I''m sorry, Master. I couldn''t.. do anything to her..."

    She Meixiao smiled lightly and answered in a soft tone. "It was your own decision. There''s no need to apologize." With this, she slowly left the room, returning to her own and calming Sheng Feilong down for a while longer.

    Inside her own room, She Meixiao let out a long sigh and stared into a certain direction. Her spiritual sense was still locked on to Gu Yue and she observed the latter''s every action. A cold light shone lightly in her eyes and spoke with an emotionless voice. "...He''s really to soft for his own good."

    She was displeased with Sheng Feilong''s attitude; He had no problem being ruthless to his enemies, even going as far as nearly killing or crippling them without any hesitation, insulting an Emperor straight to his face and generally didn''t care what people thought of him.

    But once someone got close to him, he couldn''t do anything to them. At least nothing that would harm them in the long run. Sure, he overwhelmed Gu Yue and took her hostage, but this viciousness vanished nearly instantly after that.

    She Meixiao sighed once more and her body vanished from inside her room. She appeared at another location, staring at the scene in front of her with a cold look. A young woman sitting next to a bed where a young man was sleeping.

    In this scene, She Meixiao was like a ghost. She silently stood behind the woman for a long time without saying anything, seemingly no even being detected. Slowly her hand stretched out towards the young woman''s neck.

    She was just mere centimetres away from breaking the woman''s neck, when her hand suddenly stopped. She Meixiao felt cold sweat run down her back and instantly jumped back, staring to the left of the woman.

    Where there wasn''t anyone before, now stood a tall, muscular man with long black hair and piercing, golden eyes. He didn''t say anything and only stared at She Meixiao while the young woman slowly turned around. She looked at She Meixiao and only spoke two words. "Get lost."

    She Meixiao ignored her completely. She stared at the black haired man next to Gu Yue with a grave expression. She couldn''t measure this man''s strength in the slightest. No aura radiated from him and she couldn''t feel an ounce of energy, even when probing with her Spirit Power. "Who are you?"

    The man replied with an expressionless face. "You heard the Young Lady. Get lost before I kill you." She Meixiao still didn''t react, only staring at the man and once again spoke in a more serious tone. "Who are you?!"

    The man glanced at Gu Yue and only spoke after seeing her nod. A small smile on his face, with his arms casually resting at his side; He had a calm and dignified demeanor, but his words made She Meixiao''s body shake. "...You may call me Di Tian."

 145 Beast God Di Tian

    She Meixiao''s face quickly changed for the worst. She had expected this unknown, black haired man to be powerful, but his words left her dumbfounded. For the last 10.000 years, there was only one person who would dare to call themselves ''Di Tian''.

    The greatest foe that the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao had to fight in his time in the mortal world, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King of 800.000 years of age, Beast God Di Tian. He was the world''s most powerful Soul Beast and leader of the ancient Ten Great Ferocious Beasts.

    However, even though she looked worse than before, the man''s words actually calmed She Meixiao down after a few seconds. From her understanding, the man was obviously bluffing. Beast God Di Tian was alive, that much she knew, but it was impossible for him to come her to assist a little Soul Ancestor like Gu Yue.

    Thus, She Meixiao thought him to be bluffing. It was most likely that the powerful pressure that man radiated was an illusionary ability. She Meixiao smiled lightly, but was still cautious enough not to move from her spot. "Beast God Di Tian; Truly a great name. But for you to pose as him... Shouldn''t you have thought of a bit more plausible lie if you want to safe you ''Young Lady''?"

    "Whether you believe me or not is none of my concern. Leave now, or be removed and leave your life behind." The self-proclaimed Di Tian spoke with an indifferent voice. He didn''t seem interested in She Meixiao in the slightest.

    However, this made She Meixiao even more sure of her suspicion. Would the real Beast God need to give her a chance to leave? Wouldn''t he just kill her and be done with it? For this man to give her this chance meant that he feared not being able to win; He was weaker than her and could only pray that his bluff would be enough.

    She Meixiao continued to smile as she looked at the man and spoke with a provoking voice. "I think I''ll take the third option. I''ll leave, no problem. However, only after I take the head of your ''Young Lady''."

    Hearing this, DI Tian''s eyes grew colder. For this woman to threaten Gu Yue wasn''t something he could accept just like that. However, Gu Yue''s words have been clear; She told She Meixiao to leave, not for Di Tian to kill her. Thus, he continued to stay still, but was now completely focused on She Meixiao. If she dared to make so much as a step forward, he would strike her down.

    With Di Tian focussing on her, She Meixiao was able to feel his power and her heart wavered ever so slightly due to it. The person in front of her was either incredibly powerful or an absolute master of illusions; The pressure he radiated felt completely real.

    This was exactly what made She Meixiao nervous. If that man wasn''t Di Tian and if he was weaker than her, how could his illusions be this strong? On the spot, She Meixiao decided to change her approach. She needed to find out if that man was truly Di Tian. "What an incredible pressure. I''m truly impressed. For a child''s lap dog and servant, you a very powerful."

    She said this with her usual, provoking smile, the same kind she always showed Elder Cai just to tick the latter off, but it didn''t seem to work on the man in front of her. Instead, Di Tian salmly turned towards Gu Yue with an insulted look. "Young Lady?"

    Gu Yue slowly turned around. For this whole time, her attention was always on Tang Wulin, not anyone else. She looked at She Meixiao with cold indifference and then spoke lightly to Di Tian before turning back to Tang Wulin. "Don''t kill her. I don''t care about the rest."

    She Meixiao frowned. Before, Gu Yue seemed helpless and terrified when she was held captive in Sheng Feilong''s room, but now that this black haired man was here, Her attitude had completely changed.

    Di Tian only smiled lightly. Space rippled lightly around him and She Meixiao instantly focused on him. He had just casually isolated the space around them. No sound or energy would be able to leak through such an enchantment. She Meixiao was able to do something like this as well, but not as casually as the man in front of her.

    With a wave of his hand, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were also isolated from the rest of the room and he strode towards She Meixiao. Within the confines of a small hotel room, a Titled Douluo wouldn''t be able to use their full strength, but that wasn''t a problem for Di Tian.

    She Meixiao was now completely focused on Di Tian and didn''t hold back any longer. Still, before she could react, Di Tian vanished from his spot. The next instant, he was already in front of She Meixiao, casually punching her in the stomach with his arm transformed into a black, scaled claw.

    Although it seemed like a casual punch on his side, it carried enough force to make She Meixiao''s face change drastically and for her to topple over. Her eyes shook violently and she nearly instantly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

    Di Tian didn''t care for the blood that was spit on his clothes and just continued to casually beat She Meixiao up with an indifferent expression. A punch to the face, another to the back, more towards her guts. It seemed like he was casually warming up before starting a workout, but every punch carried enough force to destroy half a city.

    After a few rounds, She Meixiao was already unable to defend herself any more and Di Tian pulled her up by the neck. He smiled lightly, then glanced at Gu Yue before looking back at She Meixiao. "You''re lucky the Young Lady wants you to stay alive..."

    With this both he and She Meixao vanished. A few moment later, he reappeared in the room without She Meixiao. He once again smiled lightly, this time at Gu Yue and spoke with a carefree tone. "I threw this human woman back into her room. She won''t bring us any more trouble for a long while."

    Just as Di Tian had said, he had brought She Meixiao back to her room, casually throwing her on the bed before leaving. Now, She Meixiao unconsciously laid on her bed, battered and bruised, with blood flowing out of her wounds and occasionally trickling down from the bed.

    ------------------------

    Sheng Feilong woke up the next morning with a refreshed feeling. Yesterday''s happenings didn''t stop him from sleeping well, especially since he pretty much made up with She Meixiao again. It was still early in the morning, but already late enough to get something to eat, so put on some clothes and went to the hotel''s dining hall.

    He didn''t hear any sounds coming from She Meixiao''s room when he was inside his own, nor when he stood in the hallway. Figuring that she was either sleeping or had already gone out, he didn''t want to disturb her and just went on with the day.

    Going for a normal breakfast, Sheng Feilong sat down on a nearby table in the dining hall and started eating. There weren''t many people here yet, so it was considerably quiet. A few minutes passed before a few upbeat voices could be heard chatting near the entrance.

    A few students of Shrek Academy had already come to eat breakfast a bit early; Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan, as well as Xu Xiaoyan and Yue Zhengyu. Xu Lizhi quickly spotted Sheng Feilong and waved at him before getting to the buffet. The others saw him as well and after taking what they wanted to eat, they sat down on the same table as him.

    "Good morning!" Xu Lizhi greeted him with a small smile and dug into into what could only be described as a mountain of food on his plate. Sheng Feilong and the others were already used to Xu Lizhi and Tang Wulin eating that much, so it wasn''t anything special.

    The five of them finished their meal and Yue Zhengyu brought a topic up after a while. "So, do you guys already have something in mind for today''s trip? Anything special you want to buy or see?" Xu Xiaoyan''s eyes lit up at the question and she happily talked about all kinds of things she wanted to buy and see and even Ye Xinglan seemed more talk-active than usual.

    Xu Lizhi and Yue Zhengyu were more reserved, only talking about a few things that they had in mind. "What about you, Feilong?" Ye Xinglan casually asked after a while. Sheng Feilong was about to answer, but suddenly remembered that Gu Yue and Tang Wulin would also be there.

    Not wanting any unnecessary conflict with them, he lightly scratched his head. "Ah, sorry, I won''t be joining today. Something came up and Master wants me to stay today and accompany her somewhere later. I forgot to tell you, sorry."

    A bit later, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, along with Yuanen Yehui and Xie Xie, came to he dining hall as well. The former froze lightly when he saw Sheng Feilong, but didn''t say anything and sat down. Gu Yue seemed perfectly fine and casually greeted everyone.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t know why the two were so calm, but he figured Gu Yue must have told Tang Wulin a few things to calm him down. Sheng Feilong stayed a little longer, talking with them before he took his leave, once again apologizing for not telling them earlier that he wouldn''t join. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue seemed to appreciate this, so Sheng Feilong didn''t say much more.

    Bacjk in the hallway, he still didn''t hear anything from She Meixiao, so he just went back to his room and meditated for a while. Since he turned today''s trip down, he didn''t have anything to do and figured he would talk to She Meixiao later. Moreover, he would apologize about his behaviour at the tournament as well.

 146 She Meixiao Heavily Injured!

    For the moment, Sheng Feilong remained in his room, cultivating in peace after he split up with Tang Wulin and the others. Talking to She Meixiao about the happening of the last few days would have to wait as he still didn''t hear anything from her.

    He was a bit taken aback by the fact that She Meixiao was seemingly still asleep, as she would usually be awake before him, but he wasn''t too concerned. Given the fact that he didn''t hear anything from her room, she might as well be outside, so Sheng Feilong didn''t pry into matters.

    It was still early when he started cultivating and a few hours passed peacefully. He made a bit of progress in his Soul Power cultivation and changed to cultivating his Spirit Power some time later. A few months earlier, he still had to balance his Spirit Power cultivation with physical training, but thanks to the influence of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, his body was already much stronger than ordinary Soul Masters of his level.

    He finished his daily schedule a few minutes after noon and slowly stood up. Stretching his shoulders and back with a content expression, Sheng Feilong checked his Soul Communicator for any messages out of habit.

    He awkwardly scratched his head when he found another article from the Star Luo Empire about himself on the web. Apparently, the general public really hated him by now and news agencies naturally would try to make a profit out of that.

    Browsing the web for a little more just to pass some time, Sheng Feilong eventually put the Communicator down and looked towards She Meixiao''s room. Coincidentally, he just heard a sound from inside. ''I''ve never seen Master sleep for so long... Maybe this whole thing took more of a toll on her than I expected... Senior Ouyang said so as well.''

    Sheng Feilong had a apologetic and slightly concerned expression on his face, but still waited a few minutes before jumping off his bed. If She Meixiao just got up, then it wouldn''t be proper to bother her immediately. He walked out into the hallway and knocked on the door of her room.

    Despite waiting a few minutes beforehand, he didn''t get an answer. Normally, he would expect her to be busy with something, but the fact that he, once again, heard nothing from her room made him feel a bit apprehensive.

    Knocking on the door again, Sheng Feilong tried speaking to her. "Master? This is Feilong. Do you have some time?" Again, there was no answer. However, Sheng Feilong could hear a faint sound from inside. He sharpened his ears and soon recognized a faint, pained gasping.

    Sheng Feilong frowned lightly and knocked on the door again. "Master, are you alright..?" He heard the pained gasps again and finally decided to barge into the room. Reaching out for the door handle,he was surprised to see that the door wasn''t locked.

    Wondering why She Meixiao would leave the door open, he slowly walked into the room, but soon froze in place, staring at the interior. The first thing Sheng Feilong saw upon entering the room was blood. A lot of blood; All over the floor and dripping down from the bed.

    Sheng Feilong felt a cold shudder wash over his back and he quickly run over to the bed where She Meixiao was lying. He carefully, but hastily went to her side with a pale expression. "M-Master, what happened?! Master!"

    She Meixiao was lying in a pool of her own dried blood, seemingly heavily injured and just barely conscious, though her eyes were closed. Sheng Feilong soon felt that She Meixiao was slowly circulating her Soul Power to regenerate, so he stopped himself from shaking her awake.

    Instead, Sheng Feilong carefully put his hand on her back and inserted his Soul Power into her body, following along the path that She Meixiao''s own Soul Power took. His faced paled more by the minute; Only now did he understand how weak she really was.

    Still, She Meixiao was a Titled Douluo and thankfully had a powerful body; Even though she was incredibly weakened, she wouldn''t die. Though without help, regenerating would take at least a week, and that was just to get to the point where she would be able to be able to stand again.

    Thanks to Sheng Feilong''s Soul Power, She Meixiao recovered much faster. After about an hour, her breathing had stabilized and her Soul Power was flowing much more naturally. The self healing process of her body had fully kicked in and Sheng Feilong was able to sigh a breath of relief; For now, he would have to wait.

    She Meixiao quickly healed enough to be able to be moved and Sheng Feilong carefully laid her down on the couch. Like this, she wouldn''t have to remain lying in a pool of her own blood. From start to finish, Sheng Feilong couldn''t spot a single injury on her body that would lead to such a bleeding; there were a few injuries from blunt impacts, but no cuts or stab wounds.

    "Ugh..." A few more hours passed with Sheng Feilong continuously watching over She Meixio and the latter slowly regained consciousness with a groan. Sheng Feilong instantly went back over to her side and anxiously called out to her. "Master! Master, can you hear me?"

    "Feilong..?" She Meixiao faintly called out when she saw him so anxiously. She seemed a bit confused, but her eyes quickly narrowed as she remembered what had happened. Still, she suppressed the feelings, forced herself to stay calm and smiled lightly at Sheng Feilong. "Don''t worry; I''m alright."

    "Master, what- what happened? Why are you injured like this?!" Sheng Feilong''s voice was obviously distressed and he was ghastly pale. She Meixiao still smiled lightly and spoke with her usual, calm voice. "Calm down, Feilong. Let me rest a bit, will you? I''ll tell you everything later. Just know that I''m alright for now."

    Although she was speaking calmly, She Meixiao didn''t have the leisure to remain this nonchalant. She understood her own condition best, so she immediately closed her eyes and started focusing on recovery.

    Sheng Feilong also sat down a bit away from her and gradually calmed down. She Meixiao''s breathing was calm and steady and her Soul Power was flowing smoothly, so Sheng Feilong knew that the worst part was already over.

    A few more hours passed and She Meixiao slowly opened her eyes again. She had managed to stabilize her injuries for now and didn''t have to worry about it anymore. She noticed Sheng Feilong staring at her with an anxious expression, though obviously calmer than before. "...Are you alright?"

    She Meixiao smiled lightly and nodded. "My injuries are stable. There''s no need to worry. I''ll be back to top condition in a few days." Sheng Feilong nodded, his anxious expression calming considerably. "What happened, Master? Why where you injured to this extent?"

    By now, Sheng Feilong had changed the bloodied bed and cleaned the floor, so it didn''t look that bad. She Meixiao was still wearing her bloodied clothing, but she didn''t seem to care. Instead, she frowned and looked at Sheng Feilong with a solemn expression. "Keep your distance from that Gu Yue."

    Sheng Feilong had a puzzled expression on his face from the sudden order, but nodded his head lightly. She Meixiao continued after slowly sitting up on the couch. "I went after Gu Yue and Tang Wulin to find out who she really was. I didn''t expect her to have another expert by her side. The Soul Douluo that attacked you was nowhere to be found, but surprisingly, there was a high ranking Titled Douluo present. I was ambushed and injured, but managed to defeat the Titled Douluo. Though, I passed out when I got back here."

    Sheng Feilong''s body shook lightly, but he didn''t say anything, only listened to She Meixiao''s explanation. "Well, seeing that they didn''t do anything to you, nor me when I was unable to defend myself, they don''t seem to be our enemies. Still, it''s better to not involve ourselves with them. They won''t hurt your friend Tang Wulin,though, that much I could ascertain."

    She Meixiao quickly fell into thoughts after this and remained silent for a while, while Sheng Feilong was still anxious and trying to calm down. She Meixiao frowned. ''Something about this doesn''t add up. How could Di Tian appear here without anyone noticing? I can understand that Mu Ye and Cai Yue''er weren''t able to feel his presence, but Cai Yue''er must know something about this Gu Yue.''

    "Master, are you sure that we can ignore this...?" Sheng Feilong was clenching his fists, obviously angered by what had happened. She Meixiao smiled lightly, glad that her disciple would react in such a way for her, but still had to turn him down. "I was spying after them and got beaten up; That much is natural. I would''ve done the same if someone spied on us, probably even worse. Moreover, Shrek Academy most likely knows who Gu Yue really is. You know them; There''s no chance they wouldn''t investigate who their geniuses are. Especially since Elder cai already said that they are candidates for the new generation of Shrek''s Seven Devils."

    Sheng Feilong calmed down. She Meixiao was right; Shrek Academy would know about this... Still it left a bad taste in his mouth. First, he was injured during the Year End Exam because of their neglience, then they injured Song Weihan and now She Meixiao was injured as well, again with them being involved.

    ''Shrek Academy... They can''t be trusted. Especially now; If Gu Yue knows about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, then Shrek Academy does as well. And Elder Cai... she saw me using it. I hope this won''t cause trouble...'' Sheng Feilong was lost in thoughts, while She Meixiao silently watched him while internally sighing in relief. It seemed like he had calmed down.

    She once again smiled lightly and pulled him out of his thoughts. "Feilong. Could you go and get me something to eat? I''m really getting hungry." Sheng Feilong lokked up at her and quickly nodded, practically sprinting out of the room to get her something to eat.

    She Meixiao chuckled lightly, but soon started frowning. She pulled out her Soul Communicator and sent a message to Song Weihan, as well as one of her most trusted aides, through Daedalus'' network.

    -Shrek has a connection to Di Tian. Investigate that for me, please. Also, find out about Shrek Academy''s student, Gu Yue. Di Tian called her ''Young Lady''. We need to know what''s going on.

 147 Meeting A Demon Up Close

    A few days had passed since Sheng Feilong found the wounded She Meixiao inside her room. During this time, Sheng Feilong stayed by She Meixiao''s side as much as he could. She Meixiao also managed to recover nearly completely; A Titled Douluo''s self healing capabilities were truly remarkable.

    During these few days, other than focusing on recovery, She Meixiao was also mainly thinking about two specific people. They had caught her eye during the competition and she wanted them to join Daedalus if possible. Moreover, she was already thinking of a plan to convince them.

    The only problem was that, for both of these people, She Meixiao would have to deal with other Titled Douluo''s and convince them to let the people who caught her eye join Daedalus. However, with the other Titled Douluos'' temper, she knew that this would be the most troublesome part.

    She would have to deal with one of those two alone and try to get them to join, as for the other, however, Sheng Feilong''s help would be needed. That is, if She Meixiao''s assumption is correct; And she had no way of confirming that assumption without testing it.

    Sheng Feilong was surprised when She Meixiao told him of her plan regarding this, but agreed to help non the less; He would try his best and they would have to see whether She Meixiao''s idea was viable.

    "Ah, right, tomorrow is the last day before the delegation will take off to it''s next halt. From Star Luo City, they''ll continue northward to another city. We''ll join them until about the halfway point, from there, we''ll go to another branch of Daedalus." She Meixiao mentioned this when she was about to send Sheng Feilong back to his room.

    "It''ll also be the last time you''ll see any of your friends until we return to the Douluo Continent, so make sure to say your goodbye''s." She added with a light-hearted smile before sending Sheng Feilong off. After that, She Meixiao stood up and stretched her neck lightly. "Well then. Now for the troublesome part..."

    She lightly stepped forward, vanishing from her place. Soon enough, She Meixiao stood inside a lightly lit room with a cozy atmosphere. However, that atmosphere was disturbed by the dagger like stare from the person sitting at the table inside the room.

    Elder Cai looked at She Meixiao and huffed lightly, still, she offered the latter a seat with one hand and took a sip from her cup of tea. "So, what is it that you would request for me to meet you like this?" Elder Cai''s voice sounded quite aloof, but it was obvious that she was at least interested to hear She Meixiao out.

    The latter sat down on the table with a smile, but didn''t take the cup that stood in front of her. Instead, she looked at Elder Cai and spoke with a serious expression. "I''d like for you to allow me to test something in regards to Sheng Feilong''s second Spirit Essence."

    "...What?" Elder Cai was visibly confused. She frowned and stopped for a moment, thinking she had misheard She Meixiao. "Why would you need my permission to test your disciple''s powers?"

    "Because this test requires the assistance of one of Shrek Academy''s students." She Meixiao looked at Elder Cai, ignoring the latter''s frown and continued in a serious tone. "I want to test the just how much Feilong''s Spirit Essence can influence other demons. And for that, I''ll need the help of Yuanen Yehui."

    Elder Cai''s face stiffened for a moment, before he face visibly darkened. "Explain your meaning. In detail."

    ------------------------------

    The next morning came and She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong left the Star Luo Grand Hotel early. They went to a secluded hall in the outskirts of town. Sheng Feilong didn''t really know what was going on other than She Meixiao telling him they''d try something out with the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    She Meixiao expressed herself in a rather cryptic manner, so Sheng Feilong was more or less clueless about the situation. When they arrived at the hall, She Meixiao looked at the time before nodding lightly. "They should be here soon, so we won''t have to wait long."

    She didn''t say much more and the two of them quietly waited for a few minutes. After a while, She Meixiao redirected her gaze towards the entrance and the two of them could hear people approaching.

    Sheng Feilong was a bit confused when he saw the two people who just entered. "Elder Cai and Yuanen Yehui..?" It wasn''t just him, but Yuanen Yehui showed a similarly surprised expression. She looked at Elder Cai with a questioning look, but the latter simply ignored it and walked over to Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao.

    She Meixiao smiled lightly and greeted Elder Cai before cutting straight to the point. "Great, now that you''re here, we can start our little test." Elder Cai nodded and Sheng Feilong couldn''t hold his confusion in any longer. "Master, what''s going on? You said we''d test something with my second Spirit Essence."

    She Meixiao smiled lightly and started to explain the situation to the two young people. "We''re doing exactly that. In fact, the first thing we''re going to test has to do with Yuanen Yehui''s Gates of Hell." Yuanen Yehui looked surprised and looked at Elder Cai once more, though the latter only lightly nodded her head.

    Sheng Feilong on the other hand had a bad feeling. If it was related to the Gates of Hell Soul Skill of Yuanen Yehui, then there was a large possibility of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demong going out of control once again.

    She Meixiao seemed to see through his concerns and explained shortly when their eyes met. "The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon going out of control is one of the two things we want to test today. I understand that you''re not exactly feeling well about that notion, but it''s important that you manage to control it. Yuanen Yehui isn''t the only person with a connection to demons you''ll ever meet."

    Sheng Feilong understood what she meant and nodded his head lightly. If he lost control every time he met someone with a demonic Spirit Essence or a Soul Skill like Yuanen Yehui''s, it would be impossible for him to fight properly. With two Titled Douluo''s present and a controlled environment, it would be the best situation for him to try and control it.

    Still, something seemed to suddenly click in his head and he remembered what She Meixiao said just a moment ago. "...What''s the second thing you wish to test, Master?" This time, She Meixiao smiled more brightly and answered in a rather excited voice. "The authority of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon."

    "The what..?" Sheng Feilong was confused. "What do you mean by authority..?" Hearing his question, She Meixiao continued to smile and her eyes seemed to glitter like a child''s. "From what I know about demons, they have a strict hierarchy, where a inferior demon wouldn''t be able to refuse a superior''s even if they were told to kill themselves. At least, that''s what the stories say."

    Yuanen Yehui, who had remained silent until now, seemed to understand what she meant by that and opened her mouth with a baffled expression. "You wish to use Feilong''s Spirit essence to suppress the demon form the Gates of Hell..?"

    She Meixiao energetically nodded, much in Yuanen Yehui''s disbelief. "Is something like that even possible..?" She herself understood her Soul Skill and te abilities of the demon who looked so much like herself best. Although she couldn''t deny that Sheng Feilong''s second Spirit essence was terrifyingly strong, what the Gates of Hell summoned was, in the end, a real demon, not a Spirit Essence.

    "That''s what we want to find out! If it works, it''s the perfect help for you and valuable information for us; If it doesn''t, it''ll be a shame, but it''s worth a try at the very least, don''t you think?" She Meixiao once again spoke with an energetic smile and Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but look at her slightly strangely due to this.

    He had never seen She Meixiao this excited about something like a test; Even when he first showed her his Spirit Essence, she wasn''t this excited. She was completely shocked, yes, but never so engrossed with it.

    "Anyways, let''s just try it out!" She Meixiao didn''t want to lose any time and lightly clapped her hands, then smiled at Yuanen Yehui. "For now, you just need to use your Soul Skill. I know about the side effects of using that skill too often, but this is definitely worth a shot."

    Sheng Feilong''s brows twitched lightly and he looked at Yuanen Yehui. ''Side effects..?'' He wanted to say something, but refrained from doing so when he saw Yuanen Yehui''s determined expression. The latter looked back at him and nodded lightly. "Get ready."

    Sheng Feilong nodded as well, throwing his thoughts to the back of his head and concentrated. He knew the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon would start rampaging as soon as the Yuanen Yehui look-alike demon stepped out of the Gates of Hell; He needed to focus intently to no lose control.

    She Meixiao and Elder Cai stood besides Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui, respectively, and were ready to interfere at the first moment something went wrong. She Meixiao''s cheerful smile was gone and a serious expression had taken it''s place as she looked at Yuanen Yehui. "Ready whenever you are."

    The latter nodded her head and her Soul Power suddenly surged. A pair of large black wings sprouted from her back and four purple Soul Rings appeared around her. Then, the fourth Soul Ring lit up and the strange looking Gates of Hell appeared in front of her.

    Soon after, the gates opened and a graceful figure, clad in a suit of armour, with two horns protruding from its head slowly stepped out of it. The demon looked around with a smiling expression, then at Yuanen Yehui, waiting for a command.

    Sheng Feilong''s body was shaking violently and with a pale expression, his eyes were fixed on the demon. This was the first time he stood so close to the demon summoned by the Gates of Hell. He gnashed his teeth, but slowly, his eyes were turning red.

 148 Demon Subjugation!

    Elder Cai, She Meixiao and even Yuanen Yehui quickly noticed the change in Sheng Feilong''s demeanor. Although the demonized version of Yuanen Yehui had just been summoned, it seemed like Sheng Feilong was already struggling to keep calm; His reddened eyes fixately staring at the demon were proof enough of this.

    Elder Cai glanced at She Meixiao to see if they should already interfere, but the latter only stared at Sheng Feilong with a serious expression. She noticed Elder Cai''s gaze and slightly shook her head. Thus, both of them waited for a while longer, not doing anything yet.

    The demonized version of Yuanen Yehui still looked around, but upon not finding any enemy, stared at Yuanen Yehui herself with a piercing gaze. Elder Cai, She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong didn''t release their Soul Power, so the demon was probably unable to feel how strong they were and was thus quite relaxed.

    Across from her, Sheng Feilong was the exact opposite. Just after the demon stepped out of the Gates of Hell, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon also woke up. It uttered the same ungodly screams as before, unceasingly shaking Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness, but it was still bound by the black chains, the ''Chains of Heaven'', as Gu Yue called them.

    It couldn''t move nor stand up from its throne, but that didn''t stop it from rampaging around while still seated and the endlessly radiating hatred and murderous intent also affected Sheng Feilong. The latter still found himself inside the hall with She Meixiao and the others, but he could naturally feel the tumult inside his spiritual consciousness.

    Moreover, the indescribably hatred was ceaselessly flowing inside his head, trying to corrode him. Sheng Feilong didn''t know if it was due to the chains binding the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon or simply because he had already felt this sensation twice before and was thus accustomed to it, but it was easier for him to withstand it.

    He took a deep breath, doing his best to suppress the emotions that affected him and his eyes slowly returned to their normal colour. By this time, the demon summoned by Yuanen Yehui also had her eyes fixed on Sheng Feilong; It was naturally able to feel the incredible hatred and murderous intent that where directed at it.

    Still, without the real Yuanen Yehui''s command, it couldn''t directly attack Sheng Feilong and could only stare at him. She Meixiao looked at Sheng Feilong as well with bright eyes; She could feel that Sheng Feilong was keeping control over the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon and was naturally excited.

    "Feilong, try giving Yuanen Yehui''s demon a command. Let''s see if it works." She Meixiao spoke in a quiet voice, but that didn''t stop the others from hearing her excitement. In fact, she didn''t bother hiding it as she was way too focussed on Sheng Feilong.

    Sheng Feilong looked at the demonized Yuanen Yehui, but the latter didn''t react in the slightlest to his gaze. He frowned ever so slightly and already had a hunch that it wouldn''t work, but still spoke as She Meixiao asked him to. "Go back to Hell. You''re not welcome here."

    As expected, the demon didn''t move. Instead, it looked at Sheng Feilong with an amused gaze as if ridiculing him; It apparently understood what Sheng Feilong said, but wasn''t impressed in the slightest.

    However, this indifference seemed to have further incited Sheng Feilong, or the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon to be exact. It started rampaging some more, but still couldn''t do anything with the black chains binding it down. However, Sheng Feilong could feel its increasing anger quite clearly.

    He frowned more deeply and suddenly thought of another approach for this. He remembered Yuanen Yehui and the others being affected when he transformed into the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, but that wasn''t the case when the demon only rampaged like it did now. ''...What if I use my Spirit Essence and transform?''

    Sheng Feilong took another deep breath and ever so slowly and carefully tried to use the power of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. For a short moment, its ungodly screams stopped and it froze in its spot, before screaming even more frenzied than before, while also recklessly pushing its power unto Sheng Feilong.

    The latter was surprised by the sudden increase in power and couldn''t stop his body from transformaing; It wasn''t a full transformation yet, but the aura and energy e radiated were already clearly of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. He continued to carefully pull the power out as to not get affected by its emotions, when he heard She Meixiao''s concerned voice from the side. "Feilong..?"

    "Everything''s alright, Master. I''m trying to use the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s power and that seemingly excited it out of nowhere." His half-transformed state continued to grow for a few more seconds until it became the normal, fully transformed state. However, it wasn''t the normal transformation, but one that radiated much more power than before; Probably because the demon itself wanted Sheng Feilong to take its power.

    By now, even She Meixiao felt her heart tighten by the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s appearance; Her Spirit Essence was shivering again from something that under normal circumstances would have been called Bloodline Suppression. She Meixiao knew it was something different, as she didn''t feel her Spirit Essence being suppressed, but only instinctual dread, but it was essentially the same in that she wouldn''t be able to unleash her full combat potential in front of Sheng Feilong.

    Still, her strength was vastly superior to Sheng Feilong, thus she was only mildly effected, enough for her to clearly feel it, but nothing more. Yuanen Yehui on the other hand was in a much worse situation. The aura Sheng Feilong radiated alone would be suppress her with her lower cultivation base, but the ''Bloodline Suppression'' and the incredibly dread her Fallen Angel Spirit Essence signalled her caused her face to turn ghastly pale and send shivers down her whole body.

    However, Yuanen Yehui herself didn''t seem to be the one being affected the most. Just a single step away from her, the demon summoned from the Gates of Hell was staring at Sheng Feilong with a soulless expression; Its skin so pale that it looked as if it would fall over dead at any second. Moreover, its body was shaking without stop and it looked as if it was barely able to keep standing; It''s whole appearance was pitiful.

    Sheng Feilong opened his eyes and carefully moved his hands, trying to get a feeling for how much his strength has increased in contrast to a normal transformation. ''Incredible... It''s at least twice as powerful when compared to when I used its power against Long Yue...''

    The increase in power was quite frankly ridiculous, so much so that even Sheng Feilong himself barely believed it. ''Could it really be a weapon made for destroying demons..? How else could I explain this nonsensical power.''

    Sheng Feilong soon got a good grasp over it''s power and turned to She Meixiao. The latter flinched ever so slightly because of the violent reaction her Spirit Essence was showing and stared at Sheng Feilong with astonished, but sparkling eyes, while encouraging him to give Yuanen Yehui''s demon another command. "Try making it submit to Yuanen Yehui, would help her best."

    With a light nod, Sheng Feilong turned around to face the demon, who''s body instantly shuddered even more, looking like a broken rattle drum. Feeling curious, Sheng Feilong took a single step towards it and the demon instantly collapsed, prostrating itself on the ground in front of him, still shaking violently without stopping.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t have the leisure to feel interested in this as the single step he took forward was enough for the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon to go completely nuts. It''s rampaging increased several fold and it completely ignored the black chains binding it. The murderous aura it was radiating, combined with the incredible hatred invaded even Sheng Feilong''s heart.

    His body shook lightly, and it took as of his effort not to rip the demon in front of him into pieces. Veins could be seen protruding on his neck as if to demonstrate how much he had to hold himself back. He stared at the demon, speaking in a low, nearly otherworldly cold voice. "Raise your head."

    The demon shuddered violently once more and ever so slowly raised its head, still not daring to meet Sheng Feilong''s gaze. She Meixiao and Yuanen Yehui also felt a tuck from their Spirit Essences and unconsciously stared straight at Sheng Feilong now. She Meixiao quickly snapped out of it, but her pupils constricted. A simple command was all it took to make her submit unconsciously, even if just for half a second.

    Yuanen Yehui wasn''t as lucky and could only continue to stare at Sheng Feilong while her body shook from fear. Elder cai stepped in, using her Soul Power to quickly shield Yuanen Yehui. Only then did the latter snap out of her daze and stopped shaking, though once again looking at Sheng Feilong in shock.

    Sheng Feilong still stared at the demon on the ground and spoke in the same otherworldly cold voice again. "Your Master is Yuanen Yehui. You will come to her beck and call without the slightest delay and obey her every command. Am I understood?"

    The demon shuddered violently again, but didn''t give any answer, only lowering its head unto the ground again. Still ,Yuanen Yehui''s face showed a slight surprise and she looked at the demonized version of herself. Summoning a demon with the Gates of Hell had certain side effects connected to it, but she could clearly feel all of these side effects stop their function as soon as Sheng Feilong finished his sentence.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t know that, but still assumed the demon''s submissive gesture of lowering its head again as it following his command. He didn''t move, but only gave the demon another command, the same he gave it before. "Go back to Hell. You''re not welcome here."

 149 sThat Was Impressive...s

    Yuanen Yehui stared at Sheng Feilong in shock. She already knew that his Spirit Essence is incredibly powerful and definitely a top ranking Spirit Essence, so it''s to understandable that her Fallen Angel Spirit Essence would react to it, but the demon she summoned as well? That was a real demon summoned from the true Nine Hells!

    The reason why everyone was so shocked to see her unleash her fourth Soul Skil in the tournament is exactly because of that reason. A true demon from the Nine Hells has unfathomable powers. Although the one Yuanen Yehui summoned is comparatively weaker, that is only because of her own cultivation base; Once she became stronger, the summoned demon''s strength would be adjusted accordingly.

    The Gates of Hell was a Soul Skill highly sought after by every evil Soul Master in this world and their organizations; They would go to great lengths to get anyone with this power to their side ¨C forcibly, if need be.

    However, Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Essence turned this situation upside down, completely disregarding the normally dreadful demon. Yuanen Yehui wanted to know just how powerful his Spirit Essence truly is for it to have such an effect on an actual demon, but she didn''t have the time to do so.

    As soon as Sheng Feilong finished his words, the demon version of Yuanen Yehui sprung back to its feet and the real Yuanen Yehui felt a powerful force pulling at her Soul Power; The demon actually tried to open the Gates of Hell using her power.

    She had already closed the gates she had summoned at the beginning because the Soul Power expenditure of keeping it opened was extreme high. Yuanen Yehui''s face changed when the demon suddenly tried to pry the gates back open, but quickly calmed down when she saw the demons distressed and pleading expression; It seemed to want nothing more than to just flee far away.

    Reluctantly, Yuanen Yehui used her forth Soul Skill again, opening the gates and the demon instantly dashed through them, back to where it came from. She looked around, only to see She Meixiao stand by the side with a satisfied smile and glistering eyes, while Elder Cai had an extremely solemn expression.

    Yuanen Yehui followed Elder Cai''s gaze; She was staring at Sheng Feilong, who now stood in place with his eyes closed. His body was shaking ever so slightly, but one could clearly feel the intense, sombre energy radiating off of him calm down.

    Sheng Feilong had closed his eyes when the summoned demon returned to the Nine Hells, because the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was still rampaging. It wasn''t satisfied with how things had turned out at all and instead wanted to rip the summoned demon into shreds. Sheng Feilong was currently focusing to keep control over himself.

    A few minutes passed in silence before the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon finally calmed down and became quiet again; It''s spirit vanishing into silence once again. Sheng Feilong slowly transformed back into his human form and let out a long sigh when he opened his eyes. His back was now drenched in cold sweat; He could barely retain his rational thoughts when the demon stood in front of him.

    Sheng Feilong soon noticed Elder Cai staring at him with a solemn expression. Noticing him staring back, Elder Cai turned her gaze towards She Meixiao, who was still smiling brightly. "Just what is his Spirit Essence...?" Elder Cai understood just what kind of existence the demon summoned by Yuanen Yehui is, thus increasing her interest in the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    She Meixiao smiled back at Elder Cai, speaking with an sweat voice, but accusing undertone. "I don''t think we''ll have to tell you, do we?" For Sheng Feilong, it was clear that She Meixao was implying that she already knew due to the circumstances regarding Gu Yue, but Elder Cai seemed to understand differently.

    The latter let out a displeased harrumph, and replied in a plain tone. "No, you don''t. He isn''t a member of Shrek Academy anymore, but of Daedalus, after all." Sheng Feilong frowned lightly, but said nothing, while She Meixiao continued to smile. "I''m thankful for Elder Cai to be so understanding."

    She Meixiao then turned slightly to the side, looking at Yuanen Yehui. She nodded with satisfied expression and smile on her face. Then spoke up in a light voice, seemingly meant for everyone. "It seems our little test was a complete success. Feilong, you did really well and it seems like that Yuanen Yehui won''t have to worry about demons, at least not until she reaches a certain boundary."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t quite understand what his Master meant with the last part of her sentence, but still thanked her for the praise. Elder Cai''s expression darkened somewhat, while Yuanen Yehui seemed flustered at what She Meixiao said.

    Once again smiling lightly at Yuanen Yehui, She Meixiao spoke up with a light voice. "Daedalus is the number one organisation when it comes to knowledge about evil, dark or demonic Spirit Essences and information; Usually, even Shrek Academy, the Tang Sect or the Spirit Pagoda can''t compare to our knowledge in those regards. You don''t have to worry, though; This information will not land in the wrong hands."

    "Master? What information are you talking about?" Sheng Feilong asked in a rather low voice, not understanding where his Master was coming from. The latter lightly shook her head with a calm expression, while Yuanen Yehui still looked flustered. "You don''t have to understand, yet. You will know in the future, if necessary."

    Sheng Feilong looked back and forth between She Meixiao and Yuanen Yehui for a moment before nodding. He still didn''t understand what information they were talking about, but he wouldn''t press the matter as Yuanen Yehui didn''t look like she wants to talk about, while She Meixiao already said he''d know when he needs to.

    Elder Cai''s expression was still rather dark, but she spoke with a plain tone. "We''ll be taking our leave now." She glanced at Yuanen Yehui, indicating for the latter to follow her. Yuanen Yehui nodded before turning to She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong again and respectfully bowed to the two of them. "Thank you for your help."

    She Meixiao smiled, but remained silent, only stalthily glancing at Sheng Feilong. The latter didn''t notice her gaze, and only smiled at Yuanen Yehui. "There''s no need for thanks, we asked you to come, after all. Though, if that demon is troubling you again, I''ll gladly help you."

    Yuanen Yehui hesitated for a moment before nodding with a small smile. "Thank you..." She bowed lightly once again and then followed Elder Cai out of the hall.

    She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong remained in the hall for a while longer and the former suddenly smiled brightly at Sheng Feilong. "That was impressive..." Sheng Feilong looked a bit confused. But quickly nodded his head. "The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon rampaged a lot, specially after I transformed, but didn''t kill the summoned demon. The strange black chains really are powerful."

    She Meixiao showed a amused expression for a second and also spoke up. "That was also impressive. You did really well today. Let''s return to the Grand Star Luo Hotel for now. We''ll continue our travels tomorrow, so take it easy for the rest of the day."

    Sheng Feilong nodded before also following She Meixiao out of the hall. Back at the hotel, Sheng Feilong returned to his room first. It was barely past noon, but he was considerably tired from dealing with the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, so he opted to rest for a while in meditation.

    It took him about an hour before he opened his eyes again, no long considering cultivating in meditation was a normal thing for every Soul Master, but he had a reason to stop. Holding his grumbling stomach, he stood up from the bed and went for the dining hall; He was craving something to eat.

    The Grand Star Luo Hotel was usually quite empty durign this time of the day as most people didn''t remain at the hotel for lunch, but the dining hall would still prepare a buffet for everyone that didstay.

    Sheng Feilong grabbed a plate and tried a few of the food items from the buffet before settling down on a table. There were a few people scattered throughout the spacious dining hall, but no one that Sheng Feilong recognized.

    A few minutes later, someone came to his table and sat down across from him. Sheng Feilong was surprised to see that it was Yuanen Yehui. "You''re not with Wulin and the others?" Yuanen Yehui nodded her head nonchalantly and shruged lightly. "Elder Cai didn''t mention how long it would take when we went out, so the others have gone to the city alone."

    "I see." Sheng Feilong nodded and smiled lightly before starting to eat again. "Well, let''s enjoy our meal then." However, Yuanen Yehui didn''t start eating. Instead, she looked at Sheng Feilong with a light frown and asked another question. "You''ve been avoiding us for the past few days. And Tang Wulin also didn''t look good whenever you were nearby. Did something happen?"

    Sheng Feilong stopped and looked back at her. His face turned a bit more serious, but he hesitated to say something. "...No, nothing." Yuanen Yehui obviously wasn''t satisfied with that and rolled her eyes. "It sure doesn''t look like nothing."

    "You wouldn''t believe me even if I told you." Sheng Feilong tried saying this ith a joking expression, but Yuanen Yehui took it serious. "How would you know? Just tell me."

    He hesitated again, but then decided to to just tell her the gist of it. "Gu Yue came to my room after the tournament and tried to kill me. I used Tang Wulin as a hostage to make her spill her secrets. Well, they didn''t like that."

    As expected, Yuanen Yehui looked at him with an incredulous expression and frowned. "...What?"

 150 Yuanen Yehuis Secre

    "What are you talking about?" Yuanen Yehui frowned; What Sheng Feilong told her was just too unbelievable. "Gu Yue attacked you and even tried to kill you? Why should she do something like that?"

    Sheng Feilong shrugged lightly and looked at her with a calm expression. "I told you you wouldn''t believe me even if I told you told truth." Yuanen Yehui''s frown deepened and she spoke with a serious voice. "No, I want to believe you, but do you realize what you''re saying?"

    "I know. It sounds incredulous, but it really happened; Gu Yue tried to kill me." Sheng Feilong''s expression was still calm and looked Yuanen Yehui directly into the eyes, waiting for her reaction. The latter hesitated for a moment, seemingly lost in thought before staring back at him. "...Why? For what reason would ¨C or did ¨C she attack you?"

    "The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon." Sheng Feilong spoke bluntly, causing Yuanen Yehui to frown again. "Your Spirit Essence..?" The former nodded his head, reminding Yuanen Yehui of something. "I never told you guys that name, right? You also only heard it today. However, Gu Yue knew it. And she knew its history. Plus, she questioned me about it, with an unknown high ranked Soul Douluo in tow."

    Yuanen Yehui stared at Sheng Feilong, still not knowing whether to believe him or not; Her expression openly showing this exact reaction, so Sheng Feilong just continued to speak. "I won''t bore you with the details, but the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is apparently something unfathomably and inherently evil and Gu Yue wanted to exterminate me before I become an evil Soul Mast. She thought it was inevitable, so killing me sooner instead of later would be easier."

    After Sheng Feilong finished, Yuanen Yehui stayed silent for a long while. As a Soul Master with an evil Spirit Essence, she understood that what Sheng Feilong said about being hunted down wasn''t uncommon. In fact, she was faced with the same situation, even inside of Shrek Academy; back then, Yue Zhengyu wanted to hunt her down for possessing the Fallen Angel Spirit Essence.

    However, Yuanen couldn''t believe that Gu Yue would do something like that; She, Tang Wulin and the other students of Shrek Academy never acted like that. Even Yue Zhengyu apologized for his actions and never tried anything again, despite it being his Clan''s orders.

    "But, they never did anything..." Yuanen Yehui finally said with some difficulty. She looked concerned and somewhat confused, but Sheng Feilong only smiled lightly. "To you, yes. However, you also know how much more dangerous and powerful the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is. And you don''t even know all the details about its origins."

    Yuanen Yehui took a deep breath, then looked at Sheng Feilong with a frown again. "...Then what about Tang Wulin? You used him as a hostage?" Again, Sheng Feilong lightly nodded his head, his voice still calm. "Yes. After Master forced that high ranked Soul Douluo to flee, we captured Gu Yue, but she refused to talk, even when threatened with death. So I asked Tang Wulin to come to my room. Master knocked him out, and we used him as leverage to make Gu Yue speak. Ah, he wasn''t injured, though. And he also doesn''t know what''s going on."

    Sheng Feilong paused for half a second, then added with a low murmur. "..He probably hates me by now, though. I doubt Gu Yue ever explained it to him..."

    Staring at him and noticing his saddened expression, Yuanen Yehui''s expression softened somewhat. "Why don''t you explain it to him, then..?" Sheng Feilong suddenly leaned back into his chair and scratched his head while showing an annoyed and conflicted expression. "...Master and I assume Shrek Academy is involved. And I don''t want to get Tang Wulin into trouble because of this... Honestly, the less he knows, the better. I don''t even know why I''m telling you all of this."

    Yuanen Yehui''s eyes widened slightly and she asked in a surprised voice. "Why would Shrek Academy be involved? Even if they were, they would help you, not send someone to kill you." Sheng Feilong sighed once more, then showed a serious expression again. "Where else could Gu Yue get all this information? I was a member of the Spirit pagoda as well, so I know for a fact that they don''t have this kind of information. Even Daedalus, the organisation that is literally made of people with evil and dark Spirit Essences, didn''t have any information about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon."

    He paused for a moment, both, Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui, remaining silent in the meantime. "...I don''t know how Shrek Academy got their hands on that information, but considering that they even produced about a handful of Gods in their 20.000 years of history, it isn''t too unbelievable."

    Yuanen Yehui hesitated for a while again. She glanced around to make sure that there was still no one listening in and then started to speak in a slightly lowered voice. "...I''m in a similar situation." Sheng Feilong looked at her, frowning with a questioning expression. "I can''t tell you any details, but the Fallen Angel Spirit Essence is more special than how it appears. Shrek Academy is helping me with that, that''s why I don''t believe they would send someone to deal with you, even if they knew of your Spirit Essence."

    "...So you''re saying Gu Yue got this information from somewhere else?" Sheng Feilong''s frown deepened, now understanding what Yuanen Yehui meant. The latter nodded, causing Sheng Feilong some confusion once again. "But where could she possibly get that information? Tang Sect, maybe? No, wait, she''s not a member of Tang Sect."

    "I also don''t know, but I''m sure that Shrek Academy isn''t involved, and if they are, they''re definitely not the ones that sent Gu Yue and that Soul Douluo after you." Yuanen Yehui spoke with certainty. She believed what Sheng Feilong told her, but she wouldn''t suspect Shrek Academy just because of it.

    "Hm, what you''re saying sounds reasonably. I guess I need to have people do some digging." A voice suddenly came from behind Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong. Both of them flinched in shock and quickly turned around to face the unknown person, though theirs tiff expressions quickly relaxed. Sheng Feilong smiled, and lightly bowed his head. "Master, you surprised us..."

    She Meixiao giggled lightly and walked over to their table, lightly sitting down next to them. "Sorry, I didn''t mean to. However, I mean what I said; I''ll have a few people investigate this matter thoroughly." Sheng Feilong smiled lightly at her words, but Yuanen Yehui still seemed uncomfortable with She Meixiao sudden appearance.

    The latter smiled lightly at her and spoke up with a soft voice. "Don''t worry, I already know about the Fallen Angel Spirit Soul''s specifics. If I recall correctly, it was a ''Demon King'', correct?" Yuanen Yehui''s body suddenly shook lightly, but she still nodded her head.

    She Meixiao smiled in response again and continued speaking. "I also know that Shrek Academy will help you and your clan with that. Though..." She paused for a moment and glanced at Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui before speaking up again. "With Feilong here, Daedalus might even be the better choice... You saw how the demon''s reacted to him. And although he''s still weak, relatively speaking, once it comes to the time you need help, he''ll probably be a Titled Douluo already."

    She Meixiao''s smile suddenly widened as she continued to speak with sparkling eyes. "Honestly, even I don''t know just how powerful he''ll be then! Though it''s certain that the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s suppression of demons is absolute. From what he know, it''s actually the absolute bane of all demonic creatures."

    By now, Yuanen Yehui was obviously very uncomfortable talking about this matter; So much so that Sheng Feilong stepped in to stop She Meixiao. "Master..." The latter stopped speaking, and glanced at Yuanen Yehui before smiling gently again. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to make you uncomfortable."

    Yuanen Yehui remained silent, but nodded her head lightly. Before anyone started talking again, Yuanen Yehui slowly stood up and excused herself. She left just like that, stunning She Meixiao, who looked at Sheng Feilong with an apologetic expression.

    However, Sheng Feilong onlylooked at her with a questioning gaze, then looked towards the direction where Yuanen Yehui. "Master... what was that about? What Demon King? And what does it have to do with Yuanen Yehui''s cultivation base?"

    She Meixiao smiled faintly, but didn''t answer Sheng Feilong question. Instead, she asked one of her own. "Feilong, what would you think if I asked Yuanen Yehui to join us?" Sheng Feilong flinched, stunned by the sudden question. "Join us..? On the journey? But she''s with Shrek Academy."

    "I know. I just want to know what you think about her joining Daedalus." She Meixiao spoke in a serious tone, the smile on her face gone. Sheng Feilong looked at her for a moment, then answered resolutely. "You said I''d be able to help her in the future. I don''t care about Shrek Academy, but if I can help her, then I want to do so. If she joined Daedalus, I... I''d be happy."

 151 Another Revelation

    She Meixiao laughed lightly when she heard Sheng Feilong''s answer. "I see. Since I already issued an invitation to her, she can naturally join Daedalus whenever she wishes; She just needs to ask. So, if she comes up to you, just come visit me together."

    "Thank you, Master..." Sheng Feilong nodded with a genuine smile which She Meixiao returned. "Let''s just eat for now, I''m also getting hungry by now" Sheng Feilong once again nodded and started to dig in into his food.

    The two of them continued to talk about small stuff while they were eating and Sheng Feilong soon finished up. He waited for She Meixiao to finish as well, but the latter once again smiled at him. "You don''t need to wait for me. Rather than that, you should go and cultivate. There''s nothing more to do today, so you''ll find me in my room later."

    Sheng Feilong hesitated for a moment, but soon bowed lightly to She Meixiao and then left the dining hall. She Meixiao continued her meal alone and lightly smiled. "Why don''t you take seat as well? It''s rude to stare at people like that."

    The room was silent for a moment and She Meixiao just lightly looked across the table. Soon, a figure stepped out from the shadows and sat down at the table with a frown on their face. "She Meixiao, is Daedalus trying to poach away our students once again? Are you not satisfied with just Sheng Feilong?"

    "Elder Cai, please. Poaching is such a hard word. I had just been giving out a light invitation. With all due respect, I think it would be Shrek Academy''s fault for not being able to kep their students with them, no?" She Meixiao spoke in a respectful tone, once again with a faint, faked smile on her face as she stared at Elder Cai in the seat across from her.

    Elder Cai''s face darkened and she continued to stare at She Meixiao with a cold expression. "Consider this a warning. Keep your distance from out students. Especially Yuanen Yehui; You know exactly why we keep watch on her."

    For the first time in a long while, She Meixiao''s face darkened as well. She dropped the pretentious smile and faced Elder Cai with a frosty expression, her voice just as icy. "Oh, I know perfectly well why you keep watch on her. Why you make sure she doesn''t get too powerful. And also why you intend to cripple her before she becomes a Titled Douluo. Have you already forgotten that Yun Ming was the one who asked Daedalus for help, Cai Yue''er?"

    A cold snort escaped Elder Cai''s mouth before she continued to speak. "And, once again, Daedalus tries to put the blame on others. Wasn''t it Daedalus that said that there would be no other option to prevent the invasion? You, the ''experts'' in this regard, were unable to come up with any viable solution, forcing us to use such pitiful methods."

    "Back then, we didn''t have any other options, but you have personally witnessed just how powerful Feilong''s Spirit Essence is; With it, we will be able to effortlessly prevent-" Before She Meixiao could finish, Elder Cai abruptly cut her off. "You want me to leave the chances with a boy who can''t even control his own anger issues? The demon Yuanen Yehui summoned through the Gates of Hell was merely a lowly servant at best, yet he nearly lost control. And you want to leave something like the long planned invasion of a Demon King in his hands? Have you become muddled, She Meixiao?"

    She Meixiao''s expression darkened even more and her voice grew colder accordingly. "His Spirit Essence awakened less than a year ago, yet he is already able to control it to this degree. His mind and spirit will only become more firm as time passes and as he becomes stronger. I''d rather put my faith in him than simply destroying the future of one of the most talented Soul Masters of this generation."

    "You are delusional! Put your faith in him? In a irrational boy, who couldn''t even control his anger and nearly started a war between the Douluo and Star Luo continent all alone ¨C How very reliable he is!" Elder Cai spoke with a incredulous expression. Then continued with an irritated tone. "Rather relying on luck than to search for a foolproof method to deal with the situation; You really take after She Tianhao in this regard."

    The atmosphere around their table suddenly got heavy and oppressive as She Meixiao released her Soul Power. She stared at Elder Cai with murderous intent and her voice was completely devoid of any warmth at this point. "Don''t you ever dare to speak of my father like that again."

    Elder Cai snorted once again, looking at She Meixiao. "Am I wrong? If it wasn''t for your father''s blind faith, your previous disciple wouldn''t have met such a bitter end. And if it wasn''t for She Tianhao''s personal strength, we would already be dead as well-"

    "Shut your mouth before I take your head!" She Meixiao''s expression was livid; Another single word from Elder Cai and she would disregard all pretenses. Elder Cai noticed this and stood up with a grim expression. "I see you''re not able to have a civil conversation about this, yet. I''ll take my leave then; Keep your distance from Shrek Academy''s students."

    Elder Cai left without waiting any longer, leaving only She Meixiao behind. The latter took a few minutes to calm down again, before getting up and leaving the dining hall as well, ignoring the half eaten food on the table.

    --------------------

    Sheng Feilong had already returned to his room and currently sat on his bed with a calm expression. He took a deep breath and started meditating. Without knowing what transpired between She Meixiao and Elder Cai, he quickly adjusted his breathing and started cultivating just as She Meixiao had told him to do.

    About two hours passed silently while Sheng Feilong absorbed the Soul Power around him. After that time, he slowly opened his eyes with a content expression; While it wasn''t enough for him to make a breakthrough, he felt like it was enough for today and stopped.

    After that he started going through a few books on Mecha Making that he had brought from the Douluo Continent, before he started to train his Spirit Power after another hour. Like this, Sheng Feilong spent the whole afternoon ¨C from lunch until dinner time ¨C silently inside his own room.

    He finished his training up and went for a quick shower, then went over to She Meixiao''s room and asked her whether she wanted to join him for dinner. She agreed and the two of them entered the dining hall. Unlike during lunch time, the hall was packed with people this time.

    She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong passed a table where the people from Shrek Academy, including Elder Cai and Teacher Wu Zhangkong, sat. Sheng Feilong nodded towards them, but went for another table with She Meixiao. Neither he, any of the other students nor Wu Zhangkong notice the frosty atmosphere between Elder Cai and She Meixiao.

    The atmosphere at Shrek Academy''s table was jubilant and everyone was happily chatting with each other. Only Yuanen Yehui seemed more distant than usual. Xie Xie asked her about it, but she just replied that she was tired this day, so no one asked any further. Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao finished their dinner and returned to their respective rooms.

    The next day, Sheng Feilong was packing his stuff as they would soon set out to the next city. Most of it was still in his Spacial Ring, so he didn''t have much to pack anyways, but he stopped what he was doing when someone knocked on his door. He went to open it and was rather pleasantly surprised. "Yuanen? What brings you here?"

    YuanenYehui nodded lightly. "Do you have some time?" Sheng Feilong wasn''t sure what was going on, but still replied with a friendly smile. "Sure. Come in." The went inside the room and sat down at the table when Yuanen Yehui directly started to speak. "I spoke to Tang Wulin yesterday."

    "Okay." Sheng Feilong nodded his head. He didn''t expect her to bring this up so fast, but wasn''t too surprised about it. Yuanen Yehui continued with a calm expression. "He told me that you really called him and that he saw you and Senior She with Gu Yue. That you claimed she had attacked you and that he was knocked out by Senior She soon after. Gu Yue didn''t tell him what happened, but he woke up later with her by his side."

    Sheng Feilong nodded again. "Yeah, that''s about right. We let Gu Yue go after she toldus what we wanted to know. And she took Tang Wulin with her." Yuanen Yehui had a serious expression on her face. "So, she really attacked you? Because of your second Spirit Essence?"

    Sheng Feilong hesitated for a moment, but then decided to just tell her what he knew. "Yes. After that, Master followed her to her room to see what she was up to, but she was attacked by another powerful Soul Master. That''s the main reason we''re so certain that Shrek Academy is involved: That Soul Master was powerful enough to heavily injure my master, a Hyper Douluo with a Four Word Battle Armour."

 152 Good Intentions And Convenient Lies

    A short silence filled Sheng Feilong''s room. Yuanen Yehui was lost in thoughts for a moment, silently contemplating something, while Sheng Feilong had already said everything he knew. A few moments later, Yuanen Yehui looked up to him with a complicated expression. "Are you really sure it was Shrek Academy..?"

    "No." Sheng Feilong decisively shook his head. "But who else has that much power? Here on the Star Luo Continent, the strongest person is the emperor''s right hand man, En Ci, who''s supposedly a rank 98 Hyper Douluo. I doubt he has a Four Word Battle Armour, as the only Divine Blacksmith is from the Douluo Continent, so he wouldn''t be able to beat my Master to this degree."

    Yuanen Yehui remained silent for a moment again, but before she could speak, Sheng Feilong looked at her and opened his mouth. "I know that the strongest person that came with the delegation to the Star Luo Continent is Elder Cai. But that''s only what we have been told. Who can ascertain that it''s the truth?"

    Sheng Feilong sighed lightly and scratched his cheek. "Listen, I don''t want to badmouth Shrek Academy; It''s the most prestigious academy in the world and a pillar of the Douluo Continent, but everything points at them... I really don''t know who else could do something like that."

    Silence filled the room again and Yuanen Yehui took a deep breath, then looked at Sheng Feilong with a solemn expression. "...Do you hate Shrek Academy? For what you had to endure because of them? For that they supposedly send people to kill you? And for what they supposedly did to Senior She?"

    With a complicated expression, Sheng Feilong stayed silent for a long while. "I don''t know... I don''t want to hate them, but... everything that''s happened... t really feels like everything is their fault. And they never gave me a reason not to think bad about them."

    Yuanen Yehui nodded lightly and both of them stayed silent for a while longer. Yuanen Yehui was the one to break the silence first. "Hey." She looked at Sheng Feilong with a serious expression. "Can you take me to your Master? I''d like to talk to Senior She..."

    "Sure." Sheng Feilong stood up from his seat and lead Yuanen Yehui over to She Meixiao room. He knocked lightly on the door and they were invited in.

    She Meixiao smiled at them and waited for them to enter. Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui bowed lightly, expressing their greetings, which She Meixiao acknowledged with a friendly nod. "What brings the two of you here?"

    "Master, Yuanen Yehui wanted to talk to you." Sheng Feilong said with a small, friendly smile. She Meixiao focused her gaze on Yuanen Yehui. Who nodded in response before opening her mouth. "I''m sorry to disturb you, Senior She. Would it be possible to talk to you in private for a moment?"

    She Meixiao expressed a slight surprise at the request, but happily complied. "Feilong, let us alone for a moment please. I''ll call you over later." Sheng Feilong didn''t mind this. He knew that Yuanen Yehui had her secrets and She Meixiao had already told him that he''d know about them if need be.

    He left the room without any hard feelings and returned to his own. As soon as he was outside, She Meixiao used her Soul Power to create a sound isolating barrier and smiled at Yuanen Yehui. "There, now we can talk without anyone interrupting."

    Yuanen Yehui nodded, then sat down in the seat that She Meixiao was offering her. "Senior She, Feilong had told me about what had happened between him and Gu Yue... He told me that he suspects Shrek Academy. Do you think the same..?"

    She Meixiao''s smile slowly vanished and her expression become more serious. She smirked inwardly about the question, then answered Yuanen Yehui. "Yes, that''s also my impression. I understand that it is hard to believe, but Shrek Academy had never been the glorious symbol of righteousness that people believe it to be. Everything in this world has its dark sides and Shrek Academy is no exception."

    Yuanen Yehui remained silent, only clutching her fists. She Meixiao saw this and spoke up once again. "I also didn''t expect that they would have people other than Cai Yue''er watch over you kids, but it seems that I was wrong. First the Soul Douluo, that went after Sheng Feilong and then later another Titled Douluo. They really hid it well; I doubt that even the political delegation is aware of these circumstances."

    Again, Yuanen Yehui clutched her fists tighter, but she didn''t stay silent this time. She bowed her head to She Meixiao and spoke in a resolute voice. "I''m sorry, Senior She. But I cannot join Daedalus."

    She Meixiao looked at her with a calm expression, inwardly smirking again, then let out a light sigh. "Yuanen Yehui, what do you really know about the Fallen Angel Spirit Essence?" Yuanen Yehui flinched and abruptly looked at She Meixiao with a confused expression.

    The latter continued with a sad look in her eyes. "The Fallen Angel Spirit Essence isn''t just any ordinary Spirit Essence; It''s a seed planted by demons as a means to invade our world. I''m sure you already know that, as well as what happened to your mother."

    Yuanen Yehui clenched her fists even tighter and her face turned slightly red, but she still remained silent, only nodding her head. Then, She Meixiao continued. "Back what you mother met her end, Shrek Academy was present. And later, Daedalus was informed of what happened as well. Then both parties, as well as your Clan, found out about your Spirit Essence. You already know of the ''solution'' that Shrek Academy found. What you probably don''t know is, that the leader of Daedalus, my father, personally paid a visit to your Clan in order to help."

    She Meixiao paused for a moment as she saw how confused Yuanen Yehui looked, then continued with a calm expression. "My father came up with a plan to fight against the invading demons and a plan to ensure your safety, so that that tragedy of your mother would not repeat itself. Back than, both, your Clan and Shrek Academy, refused to listen to his idea because Daedalus was missing the required key to ensure success: A Soul Master that could ensure that the demons would be exterminated in full."

    She paused again and looked at Yuanen Yehui`''s expression. The latter was obviously shocked and probably already guessed where She Meixiao was going. Inwardly, She Meixiao smirked again, thanking Yuanen Yehui for being such a smart young lady, then she continued. "I have managed to find that key; Sheng Feilong. With his Spirit Essence ¨C as long as he becomes strong enough ¨C success is almost fully guaranteed."

    She Meixiao took another deep breath and looked at Yuanen Yehui with a sincere expression. "You''re one of the most talented Soul Masters of your generation; A genius with top-tier twin Spirit Essences, great willpower and dedication. You have a bright future ahead of yourself; Don''t let yourself suffer only because Shrek Academy refuses to take this chance. That is the reason why I wish to invite you for a second time; Please join Daedalus. Please allow us to help you."

    Though the beginning had lies mixed into it to entice Yuanen Yehui to join, She Meixiao spoke the last few sentences with utmost sincerity. She truly believed that Sheng Feilong and Daedalus would be able to help Yuanen Yehui and that the latter was too talented to let her suffer the fate Shrek Academy forced unto her.

    Yuanen Yehui was able to feel She Meixiao sincerity and her body shook slightly. She took a deep breath and looked down, not daring to meet She Meixiao''s eyes. "I''m sorry, Senior. I... I''ll have to think about it..."

    She Meixiao''s expression saddened ever so slightly, but she quickly smiled at Yuanen Yehui and accepted her answer. Yuanen Yehui stood up, bowed once more and left the room, with her feelings in disarray. After she was gone, She Meixiao smiled faintly once more and spoke to herself in a low voice. "Well, that should be enough for now..."

    She stretched her shoulders and asked Sheng Feilong to come soon after. When he arrived, the first thing he asked about what she was talking about with Yuanen Yehui and why the latter had already left. She Meixiao told him about it, leaving the details about Yuanen Yehui''s situation out once again, and proceeded to tell Sheng Feilong to give her some time.

    Later that day, Sheng Feilong, She Meixiao, the group of Shrek Academy lead by Elder Cai and the Douluo Continent''s political delegation left Star Luo City and made their way to the next city. The journey was a quiet once without much excitement and Sheng Feilong spent most of the time cultivating.

    When they arrived, the Douluo Continent''s huge group split up, with the political delegation going on their way, the group from Shrek Academy touring the city and Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao leaving to check up on another branch of Daedalus a few miles outside of the city.

    So far, no one in the Shrek Academy group knew of the second conversation between She Meixiao and Yuanen Yehui; They only noticed that Yuanen Yehui seemed to have a bad day, as she didn''t talk much for the whole journey and seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

 153 Huang Jialong

    "Master, will this branch be the same as Senior Ouyang''s?" Sheng Feilong casually asked while he and She Meixiao were walking down a dirt pathway towards a wooden hut in the middle of nowhere.

    She Meixiao glanced at him, then thought about it for a moment. "...Probably not. Branchmaster Ouyang was one of the few brachmasters who aren''t interested in becoming the leader of the Star Luo Continent''s Daedalus. The we''ll meet today, Branchmaster Lu, is one of the most ambitious among them."

    Sheng Feilong''s expression sunk lightly. If this Branchmaster Lu really was an ambitious person, then he would probably make it hard for She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong to do their check-up. She Meixiao seemed to understand worries and answered in a light hearted manner. "Don''t worry. Although Branchmaster Lu is ambitious, he reveres the strong even more."

    She then smiled lightly, seemingly even somewhat mockingly. "He only is that ambitious because all the Branchmasters here on the Star Luo Continent are at about the same level. He''s one of the youngest and think of himself as the most talented and therefore most fit to lead them all."

    A light frown could be seen on Sheng Feilong after the last part of She Meixiao''s explanation. "You don''t seem to like him much, Master. Is there a reason for that?" For a moment, She Meixiao was quiet, but still decided to speak. "You''re right, I don''t like him much. Or to be more precise: I don''t like his attitude."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head, but still looked at She Meixiao with a questioning gaze; He understood that Branchmaster Lu seems to be somewhat who bullies the weak and fears the strong, though not excessively, but that shouldn''t be enough for She Meixiao to dislike him this much.

    "Branchmaster Lu thinks of himself as having a personal feud with me. Back when I was appointed as a Vice-Leader of Daedalus'' headquarters, he was coincidentally present as well. He even protested against my promotion because, at the the time, my cultivation was weaker than his." She Meixiao said this with a hint of annoyance, while Sheng Feilong nodded understandingly.

    The two of them continued onwards before She Meixiao spoke up again after a while. "Ah, that''s right. Feilong, when we get there, you might need to fight against someone. I''ve heard that Branchmaster Lu took in a personal disciple about three years ago, so he''ll probably tell this disciple to challenge you. Especially since they''ve most likely heard of your victory against Long Yue."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and lightly thanked his Master for the heads up. Soon after, they arrived at a rather small, woodcutters hut in the midst of the forest. An old lady sat on the veranda, greeting them when they came here. She Meixiao introduced herself and Sheng Feilong and the old lady hurriedly bowed to them before leading them inside.

    Through the basement, they entered an elevator that brought them down into the real Daedalus branch, once again causing Sheng Feilong to think about how strange the Daedalus quarters are. Down in the base, they were lead to a waiting area where a young man informed them that he would immediately inform the Branchmaster. The old lady had already returned to the house above.

    Just a few minutes later, four people unhurriedly came to meet She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong; A middle aged man with short, black hair in the front, an old man with short grey hair by his side, a youngers about 16 or 17 with the same short, black hair as the middle aged man and the distressed young man, that went to inform the Branchmaster behind them.

    The middle aged man soon arrived by their side and calmly greeted them with a casual smile. "It has been a long time, Vice-Leader She. It''s good to see you again." She Meixiao had a faint smile on her lips as she glanced at the middle aged man and old man, respectively. "It has indeed been a long time, Branchmaster Lu and Senior Lao."

    The old man called Senior Lao bowed lightly towards She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong, while Branchmaster Lu just smiled a bit wider. "Please excuse me for having had you wait for such a long time, Vice-Leader She; We hadn''t been expecting you so soon and were in the middle of a meeting."

    Branchmaster Lu and She Meixiao exchanged a few more pleasantries, while the youngster by Branchmaster Lu''s side was unceasingly staring at Sheng Feilong. At first, he just nodded towards the youngster with a smile to greet him, but the latter didn''t stop staring, so Sheng Feilong just ignored him.

    He had already guessed that this was the personal disciple of Branchmaster Lu, of which She Meixiao had already told him about; If that youngster was the same as Branchmaster Lu, then Sheng Feilong didn''t want to much to do with him. However, Branchmaster Lu seemed to have already planned for something as he quickly introduced his disciple.

    "Right, let me introduce you to my personal disciple." Branchmaster Lu gestured for the youngster by his side to step forward. The youngster stepped forward and bowed towards She Meixiao. "Greetings, Vice-Leader She. My name is Huang Jialong."

    She Meixiao nodded in response while using her Spirit Power to check Huang Jialong''s strength. Her eyebrows rose slightly and she smiled. "A peak Soul King cultivation level, impressive. How old are you?"

    "Replying to senior, I have just turned 18 a few weeks ago." Huang Jialong spoke in a respectful tone, but he couldn''t hide the hint of pride in his voice. She Meixiao once again nodded with a smile. "An impressive cultivation level for your age. Branchmaster Lu, you have truly found a good disciple."

    Branchmaster Lu laughed lightly. "You are too kind, Vice-Leader She, ha, ha. For now, let us set the pleasantries aside and get started with the official business, shall we?" She Meixiao nodded, also fond of this development, while Sheng Feilong glanced at Huang Jialong. He knew that She Meixiao had said his cultivation level out loud for Sheng Feilong to hear.

    A peak Soul King wasn''t too much of a hassle, especially since he could use the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence without reserve inside of Daedalus, but it was always better to know who you were up against, lest you get surprised during combat.

    Sheng Feilong made sure to remember this information and Branchmaster Lu began leading them through the branch. Their entourage, not composing of five people as the young man who informed Branchleader Lu had returned to his post, went on through the branch. She Meixiao and Branchmaster Lu did most of the talking and business, while Senior Lao followed along with a calm expression and Sheng Feilong tried to get used to the business talks.

    For him, as well as Huang Jialong, this was a boring tour through the branch. Huang Jialong already knew the branch like his own backyard, while Sheng Feilong had already seen other branches; Their layout was nearly identical, so there wasn''t anything new to see for him, either.

    Soon, they reached the training facilities and, as She Meixiao had predicted, after touring them and inspecting a few things, Branchmaster Lu suggested to let Huang Jialong and Sheng Feilong spar for a round to ease things up. Huang Jialong, who was both, bored and involved in the plan, naturally agreed immediately, while Sheng Feilong also agreed for similar reasons.

    ''Coincidentally'', one of the arenas inside the training facilities was free for them to take and Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong could get started whenever they wished. Huang Jialong smiled when they stood on the arena and proposed something unusual. "Brother Feilong, I''ve heard much about your powerful Spirit Essence through the tournament a few days ago and am really interested in it. What do you think about both of us releasing our Spirit Essences before we start the match? Ah, naturally, I don''t mind revealing mine first."

    Sheng Feilong looked at him in surprise at first, mainly due to his formal and respectful speech, but soon nodded his head. "Sure, I don''t mind, Brother Huang." The latter also nodded and took a step forward as his Soul Power suddenly surged.

    (A/N: Quick side note, calling someone ''Brother'' can be done in both, formally and informally, in chinese. Huang Jialong used a formal way to address Sheng Feilong.)

    Behind his back, five Soul Rings appeared, four purple and one black, while his whites of his eyes turned pitch black. His irises turned vertical like a snakes, of a yellowish colour. Then, black scales began to show all over his arms and neck as the image of he five-headed, black scaled snake appeared behind his back.

    In the spectators stands, She Meixiao''s body shook and she stared at Huang Jialong in shock. She turned her head around to confirm her suspicion with Branchmaser Lu, but the latter only smiled at her. Then, Huang Jialong spoke in a clear voice. "Huang Jialong, 18 years of age, Soul King of rank 59. Spirit Essence: Five-Headed Black Hydra."

    She Meixiao''s jaw dropped and she stared back and forth between Branchmaster Lu and Huang Jialong on the stage. The Black Hydra was a Spirit Essence that was incredibly similar to her own Twin-Headed Poison Cobra, but of a much higher level; After all, her Spirit came from a mutation of her father''s Black Scaled Poison Cobra Spirit Essence and her mother''s Three-Headed Black Hydra Spirit Essence!

 154 Fighting Huang Jialong

    While She Meixiao was still shocked about Huang Jialong''s Spirit Essence, Sheng Feilong made sure to observe the latter carefully. The only time he had ever seen such a Spirit Essence was when She Meixiao fought against the Great Beast on the ship towards the Star Luo Continent.

    However, She Meixiao had used her Spirit Essence''s True Avatar to fight and only two of her Soul Skills, which were also ones Huang Jialong couldn''t possibly have, yet. Still, from the way Huang Jialong was currently standing in front of him and how his Spirit Essence behaved until now, Sheng Feilong guessed that each of his limbs represents one of the Hydra''s heads.

    Huang Jialong smiled lightly at Sheng Feilong and casually hung his arms at his side, before once again speaking to Sheng Feilong in a formal and respectful tone. "Brother Feilong, it''s your turn now."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and his Soul Power started to surge. According to their agreement, both, he and Huang Jialong, would release their Spirit Essences before they start the fight. As Huang Jialong already did so, Sheng Feilong would naturally not shy away from doing it either.

    His Soul Power rose sharply and his skin turned into an unhealthy shade of grey as muddy green veins spread out all over his body, starting from his chest. He grew taller, his hands transformed into claws and he grew horns on the side of his head.

    Huang Jialong took a deep breath seeing this. His Spirit Essence was only loosely connected to the dark and evil attributes, but even so, he could feel the suppressive force weighing down on him; So much so that his soul and Spirit Essence shook.

    On the sidelines, She Meixiao''s shock had somewhat died down, while Branchmaster Lu and Senior Lao looked at Sheng Feilong with complicated expressions. Branchmaster Lu frowned and stared at Sheng Feilong with a grave expression. "I didn''t expect his Spirit Essence to be this overbearing..."

    Next to him, Senior Lao''s expression seemed more pleasantly surprised than grave, but he also agreed with Branchmaster Lu. "This suppressive feeling... This isn''t Spirit Essence suppression. It feels different... Like my Spirit Essence actively fears Sheng Feilong''s. How peculiar. Vice-Leader She, could you enlighten this old man on your disciple''s Spirit Essence?"

    She Meixiao smiled lightly and shook her head with an apologetic expression. "It''s called the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. I''m sorry, Senior Lao, but I''d like to keep the clear information about it secret for now. Currently, Sheng Feilong is a candidate for that title, so the less people know about it''s specifics the better."

    Branchmaster Lu frowned. "You want your disciple to inherit that title?" She Meixiao nodded, causing Branchmaster Lu to huff once more, but he didn''t say much. "...He''s way too weak for that."

    "That''s true, but he is still young. Just his talent, Spirit Essence and tenacity make him more than qualified." She Meixiao replied plainly as if stating a fact. Branchmaster Lu frowned once more, but looked at the arena nonetheless.

    On there, Sheng Feilong had finished his transformation and was looking at Huang Jialong before introducing himself again. "Sheng Feilong, 15 years of age, Soul King of rank 54. Spirit Essences: Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes and Netherworld Putrefaction Demon."

    Huang Jialong reacted quickly and looked at Sheng Feilong''s eyes. If the latter had an eye Spirit Essence, this fight would become much more complicated. However, his eyes still looked normal, causing Huang Jialong to frown. Sheng Feilong noticed this and spoke calmly. "I''m only using my second Spirit Essence. Activating both at the same time still puts too much stress on my body."

    This wasn''t exactly the truth as Sheng Feilong never tried using both of his Spirit Essences at the same time, but with the way he put his words, he was able to lead Huang Jialong to believe that he could always use it, if necessary.

    Huang Jialong nodded and both of them got ready to fight. She Meixiao glanced at Senior Lao and the latter to a few steps forward, raised his hand and signalled for the fight to begin. As Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong had already released their Spirit Essences, the fight instantly picked up on pace and both of them clashed fiercely.

    The first collision already resulted in Huang Jialong being pushed back; Something that was somewhat expected as Sheng Feilong was physically even stronger than Long Yue, a Soul Emperor who can contend against Soul Saints without much trouble. Still, Huang Jialong didn''t expect the difference to be this big; He felt as if he had ran head first into a steel wall!

    The fight continued and both of them ceaselessly fought in close combat for some time. Taking the knowledge from the first collision as a reminder, Huang Jialong refrained from clashing head on with Sheng Feilong.

    Instead, he made use of one of the peculiarities of the Hydra Spirit Essence and displayed incredible finesse and dexterity in the fight; He would parry Sheng Feilong''s attacks or dodge by a hair''s width at times. She Meixiao gave a satisfied smile at Huang Jialong''s display.

    "The Hydra''s speciality lies in it''s ability to coordinate your own limbs as if they were separate entities. With Huang Jialong''s Five-Headed Black Hydra Spirit Essence, he can perfectly control each of his limbs separately, while all of them retain the full strength of the Hydra''s powerful physique." Branchmaster Lu added with a proud smile after seeing She Meixiao expression.

    The latter smiled back and nodded her head again. "Indeed. He perfectly displays why the Hydra is considered a dual Power Attack and Agility type Spirit Essence; It''s explosive power and continuous display of strength are leagues above normal Assault Type Spirit Essences."

    Branchmaster Lu''s smile grew even wider. He took Huang Jialong as his disciple for exactly this reason; He wanted to best She Meixiao and what better way was there then to use someone who had a similar Spirit Essence, that was leagues above hers at the same time?

    However, Senior Lao''s words forced his smile to turn solemn. "Still, it seems that Little Jia is at a disadvantage. Or to be more precise, he seems to be barely able to keep up despite his splendid display."

    Ender Lao was spot on; Huang Jialong''s heart sunk with every exchange he and Sheng Feilong had. The latter''s attacks got fiercer and more precise with every passing second as if all that came before was just some lax warm-up. Huang Jialong''s once unpredictable attacks and clever parries were now barely able to keep Sheng Feilong at bay and Huang Jianlong was pushed back again and again.

    After another few rounds, Huang Jialong backed off out of close quarters and one of the purple Soul Rings behind his back lit up. His whole body started to radiate a blackish aura and the expression in his eyes grew fiercer. His strength and Soul Power spiked and Sheng Feilong instenatly understood that this Soul Skill increased all of Huang Jialong''s abilities.

    She Meixiao had a surprised expression on her face as she understood what ability Huang Jialong was using. "Monstrous Shroud? He already possesses this ability at his cultivation level?" She looked at Branchmaster Lu, who answered proudly. "It''s his second Soul Skill. It''s a special Soul Skil that most Hydra Spirit Soul Masters possess, but to obtain it this early is unheard of. It currently boosts all of his powers by about 25-30 percent."

    She Meixiao remained silent and looked back at the arena. Monstorus Shroud was a Soul Skill that she herself also possessed; A powerful ability that increased the Soul Masters over all abilities with next to no drawbacks other than rather quick Soul Power expenditure. However, just as Branchmaster Lu had said, it''s an ability that is usually only obtained quite late and luck decided whether one obtains it or not.

    She Meixiao herself only obtained it when she became a Soul Douluo, but it still allowed her to instantly shoot to the top of her peers; Allowing a high ranking Soul Master to become superior to top ranking Soul Masters ¨C That''s how powerful of an ability Monstrous Shroud is.

    "Still, to already be at 25 to 30 percent increase..?" She Meixiao muttered with a light frown. The strength of Monstrous Shroud was usually due to two different factors, one being the quality of the Soul Ring it comes from and the other being the number of life and death battles the Soul Master has been through.

    Branchmaster Lu heard her muttering and answered rather plainly. "The Star Luo Continent isn''t as peaceful as the Douluo Continent. Especially at the coastline, people still have to fight against aquatic Soul Beasts from time to time. Many young Soul Master will go out with fishers to protect them as a tempering experience. I''ve had Jialong go a few times already."

    She Meixiao didn''t think too much about it either. Since it was real battles against Soul Beasts it was naturally to be assumed that he had killed most, if not all, of them. Instead, she focused back on the arena where Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong were fighting in a melee again.

    In addition to Monstrous Shroud, Huang Jialong had activated a second Soul Skill which caused the black scales on his arms and chest to become clearer, further increasing his strength. Still, he was being pushed back by Sheng Feilong, who''s attacks, strength and fighting style in general became fiercer and fiercer the longer the fight lasted. To the dismay of Branchmaster Lu, as well as Huang Jialong, Sheng Feilong wasn''t forced to use a single Soul Skill despite being a Soul King as well!

 155 Branchmaster Lus Real Character

    Huang Jialong was is dismay after having fought Sheng Feilong for a while. He had to rely on multiple of his Soul Skills just to keep up with Sheng Feilong, while the latter didn''t even use a single Soul Skill.

    Granted, the only one of Sheng Feilong''s Soul Skills, that Huang Jialong knew of, was the one that used the grey-red Soul Ring he showed during his fight against Long Yue. He knew how dangerous and powerful that Soul Skill is, so he was actually glad that Sheng Feilong didn''t use it until now, but knowing that he couldn''t even force the latter to use a single Soul Skill frustrated him.

    Branchmaster Lu had long since gone silent and only watched the fight play out. He had been confident that Huang Jialong would be able to force Sheng Feilong to greater lengths than Long Yue as the former was more skilled in close combat than the latter despite his inferior raw strength, but this confidence had long since been crushed.

    After overcoming the shock of seeing Huang Jialong''s Spirit Essence as well as the Mountrous Shroud Soul Skill, She Meixiao had become much calmer and focused most of her attention on Sheng Feilong. She couldn''t help but think that something was different compared to before. Of course, one of those things was that Sheng Feilong doesn''t intent to injure or even kill Huang Jialong, but there was also something else that she couldn''t put her finger on.

    The fight continued for a while longer and Sheng Feilong could have ended it at any point. After a while, Huang Jialong admitted defeat, inwardly thankful that Sheng Feilong gave him enough face to not just defeat him.

    As the host of the event, Branchmaster Lu felt himself forced to comment on the fight. He just looked at the two children with an apathetic expression on his face and nodded towards them. "It was a good fight. Both of you have shown you respective strengths very well."

    Sheng Feilong bowed lightly, though he didn''t take the comment to heart, while Huang Jialong did the same with a wry smile on his face; He knew that Branchmaster Lu was angry about him losing and just didn''t say anything in front of ''outsiders''.

    After that, Branchmaster Lu and Senior Lao showed She Meixiao around the rest of the branch, while Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong went to a resting area next to the training facilities.

    "Here." Huang Jialong gave Sheng Feilong something to drink, which he gladly took after a short thanks. Huang Jialong sat down across from Sheng Feilong and also started drinking something. Compared to Sheng Feilong, he was much more out of breath and had used up a good part of his Soul Power.

    Sheng Feilong liked Huang Jialong''s respectful, but easygoing nature, so he didn''t mind accompanying the latter while She Meixiao inspected the rest of the branch. The two of them remained silent for a while, before Huang Jialong suddenly scratched his head with an irritated expression. "Argh, seriously, what''s the deal with your Spirit Essence? It''s ridiculously strong."

    He looked at Sheng Feilong''s surprised expression and continued after a small sigh. "No, sorry, forget that I asked. Honestly though, I''ve seen your fight against that Long Yue guy from the capital; He was hailed as the greatest genius of the continent ¨C a 19 years old Soul Emperor with the Mountain Dragon King Spirit Essence ¨C yet you played him like it was nothing. I thought it was just because of his lack of close combat techniques and that I would fare better, but that was a pipe dream, I guess."

    Sheng Feilong smiled a bit awkwardly, not too sure what he should say in this situation. "Your power is just as impressive. You really are much stronger than Long Yue when it comes to close combat; His techniques can''t even compare to yours. The way you utilize your body made me think that I was fighting multiple opponents at once; I could only rely on brute strength and fierceness to not be overpowered."

    "Yeah, well, it''s basically what makes my Spirit Essence so strong; The great physical prowess of a Dragon type Spirit Essence combined with the oddities of having multiple heads on it is what makes the Hydra Spirit Essences so powerful. You were basically fighting multiple opponents because I can split my thought processes into multiple parts." Huang Jialong started explaining, still with the somewhat crestfallen expression.

    Looking at Sheng Feilong, who didn''t seem to fully understand what he meant, Huang Jialong decided to just continue. "Just imagine it like the Hydra being multiple people just like you thought: One of it''s heads is the leader, while the other four follow its commands in their own way. Basically, every one of my limbs represents one Hydra head, making it their own entity. It''s bizarre and strange to explain, but that''s how it is."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and spoke up with a small smile. "I see. The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is completely different, though. As the name suggests, it''s a demon and an incredibly high ranking and powerful one at that. It''s power... comes from hate and anger; back when I was fighting Long Yue, I was totally fixated on killing him. That''s why I was able to pull out so much of my Spirit Essence''s power. Though that makes this Spirit that much more dangerous to use."

    Huang Jialong nodded with a serious expression. "I understand what you mean. I don''t even want to imagine what would happen if you completely lose control over it. Though doesn''t that make you similar to Long Yue? He loses control over himself during heated battles as well, right?"

    "Yeah, it''s somewhat similar, though the way of how it shows is completely different. He seems to fall into a frenzy and get stuck there, becoming more of a beast than human, while I... well, I become ''cold''. You could say that I forget my emotions and just focus on that hatred and anger and try to make the opponent suffer.... That''s also the reason I didn''t just defeat Long Yue, but instead beat him down like that." Sheng Feilong freely spoke his mind, but he didn''t know if it really was attributed to the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon; He had been like that ever since he was young.

    Huang Jialong thought about it for a moment before he smiled lightly. "Whoa, that''s terrifying. Though I guess having a cold and calculative nature in such situations is better than losing control like a wild beast. At least you retain some rationality."

    He stretched his shoulders and continued to smile, completely casting his crestfallen self from a few moments ago off to the side. "Guess it''S good I didn''t try to provoke you like Branchmaster Lu asked me to then. Anyways, a loss is a loss, so I''ll probably get an earful."

    Sheng Feilong frowned ever so slightly and replied with a calm, but serious expression. "Don''t take it too badly. Your Master probably only wants to agitate you so you put in even more effort." Huang Jialong listened to Sheng Feilong, but shook his head with a sneer. "Yeah, right. My ''Master'' only took me in because of my Spirit Essence; Because he has a grudge with Vice-Leader She. He doesn''t care about anything else. If I don''t deliver the results he expects, he''ll cast me aside."

    Sheng Feilong frowned deeply this time, obviously displeased by how disrespectful Huang Jialong was towards his own Master. "How can you say something like that? Even if he has a grudge with my Master, he couldn''t do something like that; You''re his disciple."

    "Tell that to my Senior Brother that was cast aside after he failed to meet the expectations of our great ''Master''." Huang Jialong said with another sneer, clearly angry about the matter. Sheng Feilong just stared at him in shock, not knowing what to say to this.

    Huang Jialong sighed one more and continued with a frown on his face. "That''s who Branchmaster Lu is. If you''re good enough, you''re rewarded with everything you need, but if you fail his criteria, then he doesn''t need you any longer. There is no real Master-Disciple relationship, only a way for the strong to thrive."

    "What happened to your Senior Brother..?" Sheng Feilong asked with a concerned expression and stared at Huang Jialong. The latter replied rather dryly. "He was sent to another branch somewhere south of the capital. I don''t have much contact to him anymore, because he didn''t want to implicate me."

    "To the south? To Senior Ouyang''s branch?" Sheng Feilong asked, to which Huang Jialong nodded his head. "Then you don''t have to worry about your Senior Brother. Senior Ouyang is a great man; I''m sure your Senior Brother is being treated well."

    Huang Jialong nodded with a thankful expression and turned to look at the time. "...I Guess Branchmaster Lu and Vice-Leader She will finish their inspection soon. Let''s head to the administrative offices, that''s the last stop on the tour. Branchmaster Lu''s office is also there."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and followed Huang Jialong through the branch. They took the direct way there and, after asking an employee if She Meixiao and branchmaster Lu had returned, directly went to Branchmaster Lu''s office. In there, She Meixiao had just finished the inspection and was talking about a few matters regarding it to Branchmaster Lu.

 156 A Clever Trap

    "With this, it appears we are finished." She Meixiao said, looking down on the documents on the table. Branchmaster Lu agreed, putting down the pen in his hand. "Yes, that was the last one. Vice-Leader She, what do you think about my Daedalus?"

    "It''s very good. Everything is in order and there is no need for me to interfere with anything." She Meixiao gave a vague reply, not mentioning what she truly thinks about Branchmaster Lu''s leadership abilities and mentality regarding his subordinates.

    The latter nodded with a content expression, but didn''t say anything else. A short moment later, they heard someone knocking on the door of Branchmaster Lu''s office and Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong came into view after being invited in.

    Branchmaster Lu''s expression darkened ever so slightly for an extremely short moment before he looked the two of them up and down with his usual calm expression. "The two of you have recovered already?"

    Huang Jialong nodded and bowed ever so slightly. "Yes, Master. Thanks to Brother Feilong showing mercy, there were no wounds to take care of and it was simply a matter of recovering Soul Power." Branchmaster Lu''s eyebrows twitched at the word ''mercy'', but he remained silent once more and only nodded his head.

    Thanks to their Spirit Power, both, She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong, noticed this miniscule change; The former just attributing it to Branchmaster Lu''s pride, while the latter understood his anger about the matter thanks to what Huang Jialong had told him.

    Sheng Feilong glanced at Branchamster Lu with a calm expression, then at She Meixiao and his expression turned into an innocent one. "Master, will we remain here for a while or will we set out to the next branch directly?"

    She Meixiao glanced at the time and thought about it for a moment before turning to Branchmaster Lu. "It is already pretty late, so I''d say we''ll set out tomorrow. I wonder if it would be possible for us to remain for the night, Branchmaster Lu?"

    "Of course, that''s no problem. I''ll make for arrangements to accommodate Vice-Leader She and your disciple." Branchmaster Lu said with a faint smile and calm expression. She Meixiao returned a friendly smile. "Then I''ll have to trouble Branchmaster Lu."

    Branchmaster Lu then excused himself for a minute and made a call before returning. "The arrangements have already been made; Both of you will be able to reside in guest rooms for the time being. Jialong, show them to the way."

    "Yes, Master." Huang Jialong gave a small bow, then turned towards Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao with a small smile. "This way please, Vice-Leader She, Brother Feilong." The two of them followed him and left the room, leaving Branchmaster Lu alone in his office.

    After they were gone, the latter expression darkened; No one knew what he was thinking about. A few moments later he stood up and left the office as well into another direction, still with a frosty expression. "Huang Jialong... That useless mutt..."

    ------------------

    Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao had set in in their respective rooms; Small, barely decorated rooms with a bathroom attached to each of them. They weren''t anything fancy, but more than enough to spend a single night there.

    Huang Jialong talked with Sheng Feilong for a few more minutes before excusing himself and leaving. He slowly walked down the hallways back to Branchmaster Lu''s office. However, Branchmaster Lu had gone somewhere else and, after asking one of the administrative staff, Huang Jialong went there as well.

    Soon, he arrived in front of another office and knocked on the door. From the inside, he could hear Branchmaster Lu''s voice telling him to enter. Knowing what was soon to come, Huang Jialong took a deep breath to brace himself and silently activated the recording function of his Soul Communicator.

    Branchmaster Lu was sitting at the table, impatiently tapping his finger on it. His expression was frosty to egin with and it only got worse after Huang Jialong entered. The tense atmosphere was terrifying, even for Huang Jialong, who already knew of Branchmaster Lu''s temper and expectations.

    "Branchmaster Lu." Huang Jialong bowed to him with his hands clasped, then stood in front of Branchmaster Lu with his back straight. Branchmaster Lu continued to tap on the table, not saying anything for a long while.

    The atmosphere became more tense with every tap of his finger and Huang Jialong swallowed dry, before Branchmaster Lu finally spoke. "You have failed your purpose." Huang Jialong still stood straight and then slowly spoke, trying to remain as calm as possible. "We have underestimated Sheng Feilong''s abilities. His prowess in combat in general is much higher than we initially thought."

    "Do you think that is an excuse for failure?" Branchmaster Lu said with an icy voice after Huang Jialong finished. Once again, Huang Jialong remained calm and continued to speak. "I was talking with him after the match and he personally described his fight against Long Yue as an ''anger-fueled beatdown''. Both of us were unaware of his true strength when he was calm and collected like today."

    "Both of us? You mutt; Are you saying it was my fault?" The atmosphere changed once more and the aura that Branchmaster Lu was radiating became filled with killing intent. Still, Huang Jialong stood his ground. "I will not take the blame for something neither of us expected, Branchmaster Lu."

    The killing intent Branchmaster Lu radiated slowly vanished, only to be replaced with an ice cold feeling, accompanied by his equally cold voice. "Good. Very good. Starting tomorrow you are to enter secluded cultivation. You will not come back out until you have broken through to rank 61. Now, get lost before I change my mind and kill you."

    Huang Jialong didn''t say anything. Instead, he bowed to Branchmaster Lu again and left the room. He, again, went down the hall way, away from Branchmaster Lu''s position. Only after taking another turn did he kneel over, supporting himself with one hand on the wall while cold sweat ran down his back and forehead; The killing intent and anger of a Hyper Douluo isn''t something a mere Soul King like him can withstand.

    His body was shaking and it took him a few, long moments to calm down enough to continue. He stopped the recording of his Soul Communicator and slowly stood up. Then, he walked towards the night quarters; However, not towards his own.

    ------------------

    Sheng Feilong was silently meditating on his bed for a while now. Inside of a Daedalus base, he could completely relax and cultivate in peace; Much more so than in the Grand Star Luo Hotel in the Empire''s capital.

    However, he was disturbed by a knocking on his door. He opened his eyes and opened the door, only to see a, though ragged, familiar face in front of him. "Brother Jialong? What happened?!"

    "Brother Feilong, sorry to disturb you. Could you help me talk to your Master for a moment?" Huang Jialong replied with a small smile on his face. Although he wasn''t doing very well, he was still very clear about what he was about to do.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t understand what was going on, but still agreed to help and brought Huang Jialong over to She Meixiao''s quarters. She Meixiao was still awake and invited both of them in, clearly surprised to see Huang Jialong, much less in his current state.

    The three of them sat down on the table in the room and She Meixiao calmly looked at Huang Jialong. "So, what is it that you wish to talk to me about?" Huang Jialong remained silent and only took off his Soul Communicator. He placed it on the table and played the recording that he took just a few minutes ago.

    Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao could clearly see and hear Huang Jialong and Branchmaster Lu and She Meixiao was able to tell that Branchmaster Lu wasn''t just angry but also radiated killing intent at some point.

    After the recording showed Huang Jialong step out of the room, he stopped it and lookeda t She Meixiao with a determined expression. "Vice-Leader She, I wish to resign from Daedalus. Or at the very least from this branch. Would it be possible for you to help me with this?"

 157 Leaving The Branch

    She Meixiao was looking at Huang Jialong with a serious expression, while Sheng Feilong stared at them from the sidelines. For a talent like Huang Jialong wanting to leave Daedalus was something She Meixiao couldn''t possibly accept, however, if it was just changing the Branch he belongs to, this wasn''t a problem.

    She sighed lightly and stared him directly into the eyes. "Huang Jialong, do you understand what you are doing?" She Meixiao wasn''t simply implying the matter of him wanting to leave Daedalus, but rather the matter of him wanting to betray his own Master.

    Branchmaster Lu was definitely not a good man, much less a good Master, but for the disciple to betray the Master, this was something no Soul Master would take lightly, no matter how strained the relationship between the disciple and the Master is.

    Huang Jialong also understood that, but still nodded his head with a resolute expression. "Vice-Leader She, I understand the situation perfectly. However, I will not change my mind. Branchmaster Lu has no integrity for the relationship between Master and disciple and this isn''t the first time something like this happened."

    He pointed at the paused recording on his the Soul Communicator that laid on the table, still continuing to speak with the same tone and expression. "Moreover, it isn''t the worst time, as well. Branchmaster Lu doesn''t stop at mere verbal outburst; He would even regularly beat me and my Senior Brother up if we didn''t meet his expectations or brought him ''shame''."

    "Your Senior Brother?" She Meixiao frowned. "As far as I know, Branchmaster Lu only has a single disciple: you." Huang Jialong clenched his fists, while Sheng Feilong pitched in. "Master, Brother Jialong told me the story about his Senior Brother earlier. Branchmaster Lu abandoned him and threw him out of this branch. From what Brother Jialong said, his Senior Brother should be under Brachmaster Ouyang''s care."

    With a single glance at Huang Jialong, who heavily nodded his head, She Meixiao understood the situation. However, this still wasn''t enough for her and she looked at Huang Jialong again. "Still, you need to be aware of the gravity of your situation."

    Once again, Huang Jialong stared back at her with a resolute expression. "I am fully aware. Branchmaster Lu has no right to call himself my Master. The only reason he recruited me is my Spirit Essence; Because he needed a puppet to best you, Vice-Leader She. He has no other concerns for me and my Senior Brother was only ever accepted for his aptitude. Branchmaster Lu never planned to nurture an heir to lead the next generation; He only wanted to keep up the pretense of being a great leader."

    She Meixiao remained silent, but the atmosphere became more tense. Huang Jialong had said anything he wanted ¨C and could ¨C and was left with only a single method now. Still seated at the table, he lowered his head towards She Meixiao; His forehead nearly touching the top of the table. "Vice-Leader She, please help me."

    Again, She Meixiao only stared at him, unmoving and with an indifferent expression. However, Huang Jialong didn''t raise his head despite the silence. Of the members of Daedalus that existed on the Star Luo Continent, no one could exercise any power over Branchmaster Lu and so She Meixiao was Huang Jialong''s only chance; If he didn''t try anything he could, who knows if he''d ever get another chance.

    After a few, long moments of silence, Sheng Feilong couldn''t hold his voice back any longer. He fixedly looked at She Meixiao with a compassionate expression and spoke in a low voice. "Master, please let us help him."

    After another long while of silence, She Meixiao finally heaved a long sigh and her indifferent expression melted. "Very well. I''ll help you deal with Branchmaster Lu and I''ll help you with leaving this branch. However, I will not allow you to leave Daedalus."

    Hearing her finally speak, Sheng Feilong smiled brightly while Huang Jialong looked at her for a moment before once again bowing deeply and thanking her. The three of them spent some time working on a contract that would bing Huang Jialong to remain as a member of Daedalus.

    They didn''t talk about what to do in regards to Branchmaster Lu, nor anything about what Huang Jialong would do once he left this branch; She Meixiao only copied the recording to her own Soul Communicator and told Huang Jialong to prepare to leave with her and Sheng Feilong the next day.

    Once everything was one, Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong left She Meixiao''s room and returned to their own. Sheng Feilong offered to help Huang Jialong with his preparations to leave as he didn''t have much time to sort everything out, but the latter refused with a smile. "I''ll be able to deal with it myself, thank you."

    -------------------

    The next morning, She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong left their rooms and met up with Branchmaster Lu and Senior Lao once again. They spent some time together and Branchmaster Lu personally escorted them to the surface, the exit out of the Daedalus branch, with Senior Lao and Huang Jialong in tow.

    The latter was highly nervous as he didn''t know what She Meixiao was planning to do. As she had told him, he prepared everything he needed to leave and stored all of his belonging in his Spacial Ring, leaving his own room empty, but She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong were about to leave and She Meixiao had yet to say anything to Branchmaster Lu.

    However, his worries were soon calmed as She Meixiao signalled for him to come to their side when all of them stood in front of the little wooden hut on the surface. He walked over and stood beside She Meixiao, facing Branchmaster Lu, who''s expression darkened. "What is the meaning of this, Vice-Leader She, Jialong?"

    Huang Jialong remained quiet, only staring at Branchmaster Lu, furiously trying to calm his racing heart. Instead, She Meixiao spoke in a casual and light-hearted manner. "I''ll be taking Huang Jialong with me."

    "What?" Branchmaster Lu''s expression turned ice cold and he stared at She Meixiao, who only smiled in response. "I believe you''ve heard me quite clearly, Branchmaster Lu." Again, Branchmaster Lu''s expression turned even more angry and he spoke in a loud, but ice cold voice. "She Meixiao, do you realize what you are doing? You want to take my disciple?!"

    He turned towards Huang Jialong and lashed out at him as well. "And you? Do you have nothing to say to this? You are going with her as if nothing was wrong, you unfilial mutt?!" Huang Jialong began shaking, unknown whether it was from anger or from the pressure Branchmaster Lu was exerting on him, but he still refused to say anything.

    She Meixiao lightly tapped on her Soul Communicator, causing the hologram of a certain recording to play in front of everyone. Minutes passed with everyone just silently watching it, as well as some other messages, picture and even more recordings that Huang Jialong stealthily took over the past few months to play out.

    Branchmaster Lu''s face turned from cold to furious, then back to cold and finally, into one of hatred as he stared at She Meixiao and Huang Jialong with unconcealed killing intent. She Meixiao calmly turned the recordings off and looked at Branchmaster Lu with a sweet smile on her face. "Branchmaster Lu, I think this should be enough, no? I hope you won''t force me to make a greater matter out of this."

    The scene remained quiet for a long while as Branchmaster Lu still only stared at them. Senior Lo by his side also said nothing, nor did he make any move and even his expression remained unchanged. In the end, the old man heaved a slight sigh and looked at She Meixiao. "The Smiling Snake Douluo, She Meixiao. What a truly fitting title."

    His words were clearly disrespectful, causing Sheng Feilong to frown, but She Meixiao kept the same sickly-sweet fake smile on her face and looked at the two men. "Thank you for the praise, Senior Lao. Then, I''ll take it that you won''t make matter worse?"

    Branchmaster Lu was ready to explode, but Senior Lao calmly put a hand on his shoulder while shaking his head. "We''ve lost this time, Branchmaster. Vice-Leader She is not an opponent we can beat unprepared." Only then did Branchmaster Lu calm down, but he still stared at Huang Jialong with a cold expression. "Don''t think you''ll be able to get out of this unscaved, unfilial mutt."

    Huang Jialong''s expression soured, but he still remained silent, while She Meixiao''s smile once again turned even sweeter. She took half a step forward, looking at Branchmaster Lu and Senior Lao while radiating an uncomfortable aura towards the two of them.

    With her hands behind her back, she lightly spoke a few words, causing the eyes of all present to widen in disbelief; Especially Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong, who looked at She Meixiao''s back with incredulous expressions. "Branchmaster Lu, I''d prefer it if you didn''t try to threaten my disciple."

 158 Gaining A Junior-Brother

    Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong stood in their spots, rooted, and stared at She Meixiao''s back, while Senior Lao stared at her with wide eyes. Branchmaster Lu was seething in anger. "She Meixiao, you..."

    "Branchmaster Lu, in the name of Daedalus, I once again thank you for your cooperation with yesterday''s inspection and your hospitality. If there is nothing else, we''ll be taking our leave now." She Meixiao cut him off, still with the same sickly sweet smile on her face before turning around and preparing to leave.

    "What are the two of you waiting for?" Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong still stood in their places, only moving after She Meixiao beckoned for them. They hurriedly scurried after her, leaving Senior Lao and Branchmaster Lu behind.

    The latter was still seething, his knuckled turning white from how hard he was clutching his fists, trying not to explode in anger. Senior Lao looked at the backs of the three leaving figures with a unreadable expression before turning to Branchmaster Lu. "Let''s go back in, old friend. Today, we truly lost."

    "Lao Zhuwong, you expect me to just bow my head after this?" Branchmaster Lu''s voice was eerily calm despite his seething anger and shaking body. Senior Lao, Lao Zhuwong, frowned lightly and spoke in a solemn voice. "Let her have her win today. It won''t be long until the headquarters break down. I''ve already gotten notice of She Tianhao''s ascertained death. She Meixiao won''t be able to keep it a secret much longer."

    Branchmaster Lu took a deep breath, still staring in the direction She Meixiao and the others left before turning around and walking back into the base. "Let''s go. We have to prepare to take over the other branches. I don''t care about She Meixiao''s inspections; There''s nothing she can do and once she left, we''ll set the plan into motion."

    ---------------------

    "Master, what you said back there, did you really mean it..?" Sheng Feilong finally couldn''t refrain from asking any longer. They had been walking for about an hour now without talking and they had reached the outskirts of the city by now.

    Huang Jialong''s expression also focused on She Meixiao as soon as Sheng Feilong had finished; He was most likely even more concerned about it than Sheng Feilong. She Meixiao stopped and turned around to face the two of them with a small, genuine smile. "Of course I meant what I said."

    She paused, waiting for Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong to calm down a bit before continuing while looking at the latter. "I''ve already had you sign a contract that you''d remain with Daedalus, but with Branchmaster Lu''s character, who knows what would happen if you stayed on the Star Luo Continent."

    Huang Jialong frowned, and carefully nodded his head; Branchmaster Lu wasn''t someone he could take lightly, especially now that he had angered the latter. She Meixiao continued with a light-hearted tone. "So, I''ll take you back to the Douluo Continent. Moreover, among all members of Daedalus, considering your Spirit Essence, who would be more qualified to be your Master than me?"

    2Then, that means...?" Huang Jialong carefully forced out a few words and She Meixiao looked at him with a steady gaze. "I won''t take you as as personal disciple. Instead, you''ll become my in-name disciple. You will learn together with Feilong and I''ll help you as much as any real Master should. However, I will not teach you my personal core techniques."

    "I couldn''t ask for more." Huang Jialong remained silent for about half a second before kneeling down on one knee with a gratified expression and bowed deeply. "Disciple Huang Jialong greets Master."

    She Meixiao nodded, again with a small on her face, and turned towards Sheng Feilong, speaking to both of the boys. "Jialong, you''ll travel with Feilong and I to the different branches of Daedalus on the Star Luo continent and will return with us once this matter is settled. I will begin teaching you once we''re back at the Daedalus headquarters."

    "Yes." Huang Jialong once again bowed and respectfully stepped back to Sheng Feilong''s side. However, the latter looked at Huang Jialong and She Meixiao with a concerned expression. "Master... What about Brother Jialong''s family..?"

    She Meixiao''s expression was still as calm as before, but Sheng Feilong didn''t notice the change in Huang Jialong''s mood. She Meixiao reassured Sheng Feilong with a faint smile. "There won''t be any problems, Feilong. Don''t worry."

    "But, he can''t just leave them behind, can he?" Sheng Feilong frowned, even more concerned, and looked at Huang Jialong, only to see the latter smile wryly with a slightly remorseful expression. "Brother Feilong, thanks, but just as Master said, there wont be a problem."

    He paused for a moment and his expression returned to normal before he spoke with a calm voice. "I''m an orphan; There is no family for me to take into consideration..." Sheng Feilong froze and his face fell. He quickly apologized to Huang Jialong, but the latter just lightly shook his head with a smile. "You don''t need to apologize. If anything, Daedalus is my family."

    At that point, She Meixiao pitched in with a soft tone. "We can talk it out later. For now, let''s find a place to stay. We''ll take a train to the city closest to the next branch tomorrow."

    Following this, the three of them looked around to find a hotel in the city and booked three rooms next to each other. Afterwards, She Meixiao went to the train station to reserve tickets for them so they would be able to board first thing in the morning, while Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong settled in in their hotel rooms.

    A while later, Sheng Feilong went to Huang Jialong''s room knocked on the door and the two of them sat down on a table. Sheng Feilong didn''t really know what to say, but thankfully, Huang Jialong was incredibly straight forward with it. "You want to ask what happened to my family, right?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded, failing to hide his curious expression despite his empathy for Huang Jialong. The latter shrugged with a smile before leaning back into his chair. "Evil Soul Masters killed them. It happened a few weeks after I awakened my Spirit Essence at the age of six. Word got around about it and the evil Soul Master came to take me with them."

    He paused for a moment and his expression soured somewhat, obviously pained by remembering what had happened. "Naturally, my family didn''t want to hand me over, so a fight broke out. My grandfather, parents and both aunts died that day; They were all I had for family. When I was about to be taken away, a few more Soul Masters appeared, also ones with evil Spirit Essences."

    Sheng Feilong understood quickly who the people of this second batch of evil Soul Masters were, but remained silent and let Huang Jialong finish his tale. "That second batch, they were from Daedalus. Under Senior Lao''s lead, they killed all the true evil Soul Master, while a woman among them took care of me. Later, I followed them back to the branch, while Senior Lao reported this incident to the Empire."

    Huang Jialong''s smile turned softer as he continued to speak. "The woman took care of me, she became a second mother to me. Even after I became Branchmaster Lu''s disciple, she took care of me. At first, he was a really good Master, but that changed when my second mother died in action a few years ago. Branchmaster Lu became colder and didn''t keep the pretenses any longer, becoming much harsher with me."

    "Well, you pretty much know the rest of what happened." Huang Jialong finished while stretching his shoulders. His expression returned to show his usual relaxed smile. Sheng Feilong smiled seeing him return to normal and the two of them continued to talk for a while longer.

    Huang Jialong was intrigued about Sheng Feilong''s experiences as well and the latter started to talk about himself for a while. Soon after, Huang Jialong looked at him with an incredulous expression. "No way, that Sheng Hentian kicked you out despite your talent?"

    "Yeah, he did, though he was also right; Heaven Dou Primary Academy was the right place for me to go. If he didn''t kick me out, I probably would''ve never met Master. Ah, my first Master, Song Weihan, I mean. I only met Master She a few years later." Sheng Feilong clarified while laughing.

    However, Huang Jialong''s eyes widened slightly. "You have two Masters? No wait, more importantly, Song Weihan? ''The'' Spirit Flamingo Douluo Song Weihan? The creator of the Artificial Soul Bones?" Sheng Feilong smiled smugly and nodded his head.

    He explained how he and Song Weihan met, also mentioning that Song Weihan was ''only'' a Rank 89 Soul Douluo at the time, as well as what his first Spirit Soul was. Again, Huang Jialong was dumbfounded. "He actually gave you the Spirit Soul he prepared for himself to break through the Titled Douluo boundary? Isn''t that a bit excessive?"

    "If you think that''s already excessive, then you won''t believe me when I tell you want gift he gave me for graduating from the Intermediate Academy." Sheng Feilog said with a smile, trying to hold his laughter back. Huang Jialong looked at him suspiciously. "What did he give you..?"

    "The first and most powerful Artificial Soul Bone to have been created to this date." Sheng Feilong said without batting an eyelid. This time, Huang Jialong just sneered. "No way. You''re lying."

    Instead of answering, Sheng Feilong incited the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Artificial Soul Bone to make an appearance and soon after, the crown like Soul Bone appeared on his head, followed by the golden lion''s silhouette superimposing with Sheng Feilong. Huang Jialong''s body shook; The spiritual pressure that was generated by the release alone enough to drench him in cold sweat.

 159 Getting Reprimanded

    Auto-release didn''t work! D:

    Sorry for the delay!

    ----------------------

    Sheng Feilong smiled light and retracted his Soul Bone and spiritual pressure, while Huang Jialong took the time to calm down again. A few moments later, Sheng Feilong shot him a smug look. "So, do you believe me now? It''s an artificially created Skull Soul Bone of a Three-Eyed Golden Lion."

    Huang Jialong smiled wry and shook his head, though not meeting Sheng Feilong''s eyes and gazed past the latter. "No, I fully believe you; It''s definitely the real deal. This spiritual pressure was ridiculous; Even if it''s a Three-Eyed Golden Lion, why is it so strong?"

    "Ha, ha, you wanna know? Well, it has to do with my-" Sheng Feilong was about to continue with a smile on his face, but froze when a voice suddenly interrupted him from behind. "So you''re blabbering out your secrets again?"

    Sheng Feilong hurriedly turned around with a shocked look, but got a hold of himself when he saw the familiar person in front of him. "Master, you surprised me..."

    "Surprised you? Well, aren''t you relaxed. It''s as if you weren''t just about to talk about one of your most important secrets." She Meixiao sarcastically remarked, sternly looking at Sheng Feilong. "You''re way too carefree in regards to things like these. You''re not vigilant in the least and there isn''t even a sound isolating barrier in place. What were you thinking?"

    Sheng Feilong just stood there for a moment beforeawkwardly scratching the back of his head. "I''m sorry, Master..." Again, She Meixiao only sterny looked at him with a frown on her face. "You''re sorry? Do you think that is enough? Did you even think about the consequences?"

    This time, Sheng Feilong remained quiet, but She Meixiao didn''t stop there. "I didn''t even actively tried to hide; I only suppressed my Soul Power. Yet, you didn''t even notice me until I was literally speaking to you. Any ordinary person could have spied on you and get all of those neat little secrets out of you without trouble."

    She sighed, then put on a calmer expression. "At least Jialong noticed me when I stopped in front of the door, but even that isn''t enough. Listen, in a world where strength is as important as in ours, your own secrets and powers are the things you need to keep closest to you, lest someone uses them against you."

    Huang Jialong nodded, while Sheng Feilong looked at She Meixiao and once again apologized. This time, She Meixiao''s expression became somewhat softer towards both of them. "Nothing is more terrifying than an opponent that knows everything about you. They would never come to fight you unless they''re certain they can beat you and if, by then, you don''t have an ace up your sleeve that they don''t know about, how could you possibly win?"

    Sheng Feilong could only nod his head in agreement after She Meixiao finished.He clearly understood the importance about keeping secrets, but he''s always been rather talk-active when it came to people he likes or trusts. "Yes, Master, I understand. I''ll be more careful from now on. I won''t make the same mistake again..."

    She Meixiao smiled lightly, the tense atmosphere vanishing as she spoke with a lighter tone. "Good. Remember when we first met? You told me a couple of lies so I wouldn''t get too suspicious while still hiding the important bits. If you have to tell someone your secrets in the future, do it like that; Just tell them enough to not get them be suspicious of you."

    Huang Jialong and Sheng Feillong nodded once more, while She Meixiao took a look at the time. "Well, it''s already late. You two have been talking enough for now; Let''s call it a day and go to bed. We have to get the train early tomorrow."

    After her two disciples answered her, She Meixiao turned around and went to her own room. Heading her words, Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong also called it a day and everyone returned to their respective rooms.

    The night slipped past uneventfully and the next morning came fast. When She Meixiao mentioned, that they had to get the train early in the morning, she meant it; She got Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong from their rooms even before sunrise and they had to travel through the city for nearly half an hour to reach the station.

    Then, when sunrise slowly came, the train was already ready to be boarded. Luckily, Sheng Feilong and the others were Soul Master and had powerful physical bodies, therefore, the slight lack of sleep didn''t trouble them at all. During the train ride, all of them simply meditated and cultivated a little to get rid of the sleepiness and exhaustion.

    Riding the train to their destination, they entered a small town, just a bit bigger than an average countryside village and promptly began marching towards the outskirts where a farm surrounded by fields stood. This was naturally the next base of Daedalus they had to visit.

    Once again, Sheng Feilong was confused about the weird habit of Daedalus bases being built underground, mostly beneath inconspicuous buildings in the middle of nowhere, but he didn''t question it as the boarded the elevator underneath the stairs inside the house; By now, he was more or less used to the weirdness.

    The Branchmaster of this base of Daedalus was also someone with a lot of ambitions, though not as bad as Branchmaster Lu; A middle aged woman with long, black hair and light green eyes, with a piercing gaze and stoic demeanor. Though she was apparently a soft hearted person, which was reflected by the amount of chldren and young adults inside the base; Apparently this Branchmaster took in most of them when they had it tough.

    While She Meixiao went through the procedures of the inspection with the Branchmaster, Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong exchanged pointers and spent time with the members of Daedalus'' younger generation.

    As the former disciple of Branchmaster Lu, the strongest Daedalus Branchmaster on the Star Luo Continent, Huang Jialong was rather well known any many people wanted to compare themselves with him. Sheng Feilong kept to the back and let Huang Jialong take the spotlight as he didn''t want to fight too many people, but even he had to admit that Huang Jialong was worthy of his reputation.

    The latter didn''t lose a single fight against anyone of his age group and even a Soul Emperor level member, that was a few years older than Huang Jialong, was only able to fight him to a draw, nearlycollapsing after the match.

    Still, seeing Huang Jialong and Sheng Feilong talk so casually with each other, people naturally got curious. Add that to the fact that he was known to be the disciple of Daedalus'' reputable Vice-Leader She and that he came from the Douluo Continent and the amount of people that wanted to spar with Sheng Feilong could be imagined.

    He politely turned down most of the challenges, much to the ire of the challengers, but the few people that recognized Sheng Feilong quickly shut the others down. After all, they wouldn''t want to see their juniors to get on the bad side of She Feilong, the 15 years old prodigy who effortlessly beat down the strongest Soul Master of the Star Luo Continent''s younger generation, Monster Academy''sDragon King Long Yue, during the national tournament.

    The hours came and went, with challenges and battles to watch and Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong were definitely not bored. A long time had already passed when a few more members of Daedalus came to the training hall. The were generally the same bunch of people like the rest of the members, but the others seemed to revere them with at least some kind of respect.

    Sheng Feilong soon found out, that they were the family members, disciple or even personal disciples of the top executives of this branch and their leader was the personal disciple of the Branchmaster. Huang Jialong and the Branchmaster''s disciple knew each other, but were on quite good terms. Moreover, the latter was already in his mid-twenties and naturally didn''t challenge any of the them to a duel.

    They got into a conversation and Sheng Feilong also chimed in as the others were quite pleasant to talk to. At some point, their talk diverted to talking about their Spirit Essences. Most of them already knew each other''s Spirit Essences and Huang Jialong was also quite well known, so he didn''t hold much back, while Sheng Feilong only talked about the basics of his Spirit Essences.

    Among the group of top executive''s associates was a rather young child of about 12 or 13 years, who''s eyes lit up when Sheng Feilong told them about his fight against Long Yue. Someone had asked about it after getting to know that Sheng Feilong was rather easy to approach, but this young girl was extremely enthusiastic about it.

    After a while, she even challenged Sheng Feilong to a duel with a fiery expression, though with her cultivation of a high ranking Spirit Grandmaster, she naturally lost horribly despite Sheng Feilong holding back. However, her Spirit Essence was very interesting; The so called Yellow Spring Spirit Essence.

    As its name implies, its said to be related to the Yellow Springs of folklore and a unique Spirit Essence of the water and evil elements. Moreover, the girl could use it as both, the Long Ranged attack type and the Control type.

    Sheng Feilong casually asked for her name, to which she fidgeted a bit before replying in a quiet voice. "My name is Xiao Feifei." At first, Sheng Feilong didn''t think much of her name and just committed it to memory, but soon remembered something and smiled lightly.

    Of course, Xiao Feifei saw this as him laughing about her name and pouted, but Sheng Feilong quickly explained that her name reminded him of a nickname his cousin gave him when they were children. ''Now that I mention it, it''s been a while since I last saw Lijing, Uncle Fengtian and Aunt Mei... I''ll have to ask father when we return to the Douluo Continent, he''d probably like to visit them as well.''

 160 Distress Call

    While Sheng Feilong was lost in thought, the little girl, Xiao Feifei, was busy trying to get Huang Jialong to fight her. She had stopped pouting when Sheng Feilong told her she reminded him of someone he knows, but tactfully didn''t ask.

    After being pestered for a while, Huang Jialong agreed to fight her, but also quickly defeated her. Still, he actually had a bit of trouble due to the nature of Xiao Feifei''s Spirit Essence; Nothing that would hinder him from winning, but enough for Xiao Feifei to hold a clear advantage if the two of them were at the same rank.

    Without them noticing, it had already become evening. They were still inside the training area, chatting and occasionally fighting against the other members of Daedalus, when She Meixiao, this branch''s Branchmaster, as well as two other people arrived.

    The four were quickly noticed by some of the members, who promptly made way for them to come through. The leader of the top executive''s associates went over to them and bowed to the Branchmaster, then to the two other people and She Meixiao. Two more people did the same and after them, Xiao Feifei followed suit.

    She bowed first to a rather young looking man among these four important people. He didn''t look much older than most of the Daedalus members inside the training hall, but all of them obviously had high respects for him. Sheng Feilong quickly understood why when Xiao Feifei called the young man ''Master''.

    After them, Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong also came forward, first bowed to She Meixiao, then to the Branchmaster and the other two, addressing those three as Seniors. She Meixiao smiled lightly and introduced them to the others. "Feilong, Jialong, these are Branchmaster Ying, Chief Xiao and Chief Hong. Come, greet them properly."

    The two of them did as they were told, much to the satisfaction of the three upper echelons. The one called Chief Hong nodded contently at their greetings, while Chief Xiao, the young looking man, simply smiled and returned the greeting with a nod.

    Branchmaster Ying had met Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong before, so she wasn''t too set on their formal greetings. Instead, she was glad to see that the two of them seemed to have formed pleasant ties with the other younger members of her branch.

    As per usual, Sheng Feilong and the others spent another night at the branch before returning to the city the next morning. Their schedule was a bit tighter as they would take the train to the next city in the afternoon already, but none of them were bothered by that.

    The next branch they had to reach was rather far away and they spent nearly a whole day inside the train; Travelling through the night and almost until noon of the next day. This was the farthest travel Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong had had on the Star Luo Continent so far, but they quickly got used to it.

    They arrived at the branch the same day, went through the procedures and check-up of the branch and went back to their travels the very next day. This became their new routine and Sheng Feilong became accustomed to just cultivate most of the time; Especially when they were riding the train as it was almost always at least a few hours.

    Before anyone noticed it, more than three months had passed in this manner. With the constant travels, Sheng Feilong had much time for cultivating and actually managed to break through, reaching Rank 54 without much hassle, while also getting close to the halfway mark to reach rank 55. Huang Jialong didn''t manage to make a full break through, but he was close to the very peak of rank 59 already.

    This wouldn''t have been possible with just a few hours of daily cultivation, but thanks to their long travelling times, they managed to do it. This was due to the fact, that it sometimes took multiple days on the train to reach their destination; one of the branches they visited even requiring 5 days worth of travel by train as well as another half a day to reach the actual base.

    Currently, the three of them were once again sitting in a train, though Sheng Feilong had a rather unpleasant expression on his face. A few days ago, She Meixiao had gotten word that long time mission of the Tang Sect had lead to the supposed death of a certain Tang Sect member, which she also told Sheng Feilong. Because the one that supposedly died was actually Tang Wulin.

    Because of this, both of them got the same bad feeling that Gu Yue, Shrek Academy or maybe possibly the Tang Sect themselves were involved in this. They already knew that Gu Yue was after Tang Wulin''S bloodline and She Meixiao had told Sheng Feilong that she was conspiring with Shrek Academy.

    Although the public wasn''t informed of this matter, the great organisations of the Star Luo Continent were naturally aware of what occurred. This included Daedalus as well as She Meixiao. Apparently, the had sent a number of promising members to a place called the Dragon Valley. It was another world that could be entered through a space crack where they could obtains various rewards by fighting the remnant spirits of dead dragons to strengthen themselves.

    According to the information She Meixiao got, this place was an unstable space and during the operation of Tang Sact a few days ago, it collapsed. Every one of their members managed to safely evacuate and return to the normal world; Everyone but Tang Wulin.

    For the first two days, Sheng Feilong''s thoughts were in complete disarray. Even though they had a fight, he still considered Tang Wulin his friend, so hearing that the latter died left him devastated. Moreover, due to the fact that he knew that people were after him but didn''t say anything, he actually blamed himself for it.

    It took nearly all of those two days for She Meixiao to blaming himself and by now, he was rather calm, though still anxious. She Meixiao was only able to calm him down this much by saying that she would send out members of Daedalus to try to save Tang Wulin, though She Meixiao herself didn''t care to much about it as she didn''t have anything to do with Tang Wulin.

    A few more days had passed since then and Sheng Feilong had returned to cultivating during their train rides when his Soul Communicator suddenly rung. He stopped cultivating and looked who was calling him, then rose an eyebrow and hastily answered the call. "Hello, Yuanen?"

    "Sheng Feilong? Hello. Do you have some time? I need to talk to you and Senior She..." Sheng Feilong was glad to hear from her, but quickly frowned. Yuanen Yehui''s voice sounded grave and she was obviously struggling to keep calm. With a serious expression, Sheng Feilong spoke up again. "What happened? You sound awful. Are you okay?"

    Yuanen Yehui hesitated for a moment before Sheng Feilong heard her strained voice again. "...Have you heard about what happened to Tang Wulin?"Sheng Feilong sighed lightly and his voice grew a bit more emotional. "Yes, Master told me about it... Did you hear anything new?"

    "No, but that''s why I need to talk to Senior She." yuanen Yehui stopped for a moment and Sheng Feilong heard her take a deep breath. "Shrek Academy, or more precisely, Elder Cai refuses to look into this matter and she actually wants us to return to the Douluo Continent like nothing had happened.

    "...What?" Sheng Feilong waited for a moment, then asked back with a cold voice, causing both, She Meixiao''s and Huang Jialong''s eyes, to fall onto him. "Wait a moment." He said, then looked up to She Meixiao. "Master, can you isolate us from the rest of the train?"

    She Meixiao nodded, creating a sound isolating barrier around their booth before Sheng Feilong put the call on speaker. "Yuanen, Master is listening in now as well. What happened? Why would Elder Cai refuse to look for Wulin?"

    "Greetings, Senior She... I don''t know. Elder Cai was the first to hear what happened and told us students, but also said that Tang Sect would look into it and that we shouldn''t concern ourselves too much with it." Yuanen Yehui''s voice was obviously agitated by this point. "We asked her what happened and pleaded for her to tell us; Only then did we hear about the Dragon Valley. She still refused to look into it, saying we should focus on the task at hand and that we would return to the Douluo continent in about a week as planned."

    For a short moment, She Meixiao''s eyes sparkled with a crafty light, too short for Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong to notice, before she spoke up. "So Shrek Academy really refuses to look into this? I''ve heard about it from my sources, but I didn''t think it would be true."

    "...Yes, it''s true. With Teacher Wu''s help, we somehow managed to persuade her to wait and let us personally look into it, but the Tang Sect isn''t giving out any information about this matter..." Yuanen Yehui answered with a powerless voice. To this, She Meixiao replied with a concerned voice. "Daedalus is looking into it as well. I can instruct my connections to keep you updated, if you wish. But more importantly, are you and the other students okay?"

    "All of us are distressed, especially Gu Yue... She isn''t even speaking to anyone anymore and just remain in her room. I... I could actually hear her weeping when I passed her room. Everyone''s down and we don''t know what to do..." Her voice was slightly shaking, causing She Meixiao to sigh in pity as she replied again. "Yuanen Yehui, where are you guys currently? We''ll come and meet you."

 161 Meeting Up

    Sheng Feilong was surprised by She Meixiao''s sudden compassion for Yuanen Yehui''s situation, but didn''t question it; He was concerned about Yuanen Yehui, Xu Lizhi and the others as well, especially since Elder Cai didn''t seem to help them at all.

    Yuanen Yehui told them where they currently were after which She Meixiao checked her Soul Communicator. She looked at a map and how to get there the fast before speaking to Yuanen Yehui again. "It''ll take a while until we arrive in the next city and from there, we can take another train directly to you. We''ll be there in the evening. For now, try to calm the others down. We''ll help you."

    Yuanen Yehui thanked She Meixiao and they soon ended the call. Sheng Feilong put his Soul Communicator away and looked at She Meixiao. "...Is it really okay, Master?" She understood what he meant and smiled slightly. "They are your friends, aren''t they? Of course it''s alright. We don''t have a strict schedule to begin with, so there''s no need to worry."

    Huang Jialong, who had remained silent for the whole time until now, looked at the two of them slightly confused. "Who was that? I know this Tang Wulin you mentioned, so was this another one of the Shrek Academy students for the Douluo Continent?"

    "Yes. Yuanen Yehui is a student. She''s the girl with the Fallen Angel and Titan Giant Ape Spirit Essences." Sheng Feilong replied with a nod. Huang Jialong thought about it for a moment before remembering her. "The one who defeated Monster Academy''s Shadow King?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded again, causing Huang Jialong gasp lightly in understanding, then She Meixiao spoke up again. "We still have around two hours before we reach the next city. I''ve booked tickets for us to go to the city Yuanen Yehui, but we''ll have to hurry when we arrive; The train is supposed to set out shortly after we get there."

    The two boys nodded. For Soul Masters of their level, hurrying a bit to get a train wasn''t a problem and they would get there in less than a minute, even if they had to cross the whole station. Sheng Feilong noticed that She Meixiao seemed to want to say something else and looked at her.

    The latter hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Feilong, I''m planning to recruit Yuanen Yehui when we meet her this time." He wasn''t really surprised by that and simply nodded his head with a calm expression, but She Meixiao spoke up again. "I''m not talking about initiating another invitation."

    "What do you mean, Master..?" This time, Sheng Feilong was confused and She Meixiao''s expression got more serious before she answered. "I''m talking about actively trying to recruit her. Her faith in Shrek Academy is currently extremely low, which is perfect for us. I will try to manipulate her into thinking that coming with us is the best method."

    Sheng Feilong''s expression fell, but he didn''t say anything and just listened as She Meixiao continued. "I know you won''t like that, but it''s our best chance. I have to think of Daedalus'' benefit, after all, and I really want to help her. But with Shrek academy tying her down, there isn''t much I can do. However, I will not force her to join us; It will still be her own decision. I just want the two of you to know that."

    Huang Jialong promptly nodded his head; He didn''t know much about Yuanen Yehui other than she is quite strong as well as talented, so he felt it normal for She Meixiao to try to recruit her. Sheng Feilong remained quiet for a while, but then sighed and looked at She Meixiao again. "Is this really the best for her?"

    She Meixiao''s expression grew solemn. "It''s also for the sake of Daedalus. But I wholeheartedly believe that it is the best for her as well, as we can actually help her with the problem regarding her Spirit Essence. Shrek Academy can''t ¨C or at least won''t ¨C because they refuse to take chances."

    Sheng Feilong agreed to her with a nod. "I''ll try to help as best as I can." Still, he wasn''t fully convinced by this, especially about the manipulation part, but he trusts She Meixiao enough to believe that she really only had the best for Yuanen Yehui in mind.

    For the rest of the ride, Sheng Feilong remained quiet. They arrived at the next city and hurriedly made their way to the next train, going into the same direction they came from for some time, but soon took a turn, heading to the city Yuanen Yehui told them. Sheng Feilong still remained quiet, resigning with the current situation, but mostly because he was worried about Yuanen Yehui and the others.

    In the evening of the same day, they arrived at their destination and Sheng Feilong called Yuanen Yehui, asking her to come to a rather quiet place in the middle of the city, away from Elder Cai, so that they could talk.

    Soon after, Yuanen Yehui arrived at the restaurant, though, unexpectedly with Xu Lizhi, the other Shrek students minus Gu Yue, and even Teacher Wu Zhangkong in tow. She Meixiao was a bit surprised at this and frowned lightly, enough for Sheng Feilong to notice, but her expression quickly returned to a gentle smile as she invited everyone in to the private room she had booked.

    All of the Shrek students seemed distressed, though calmer than when Yuanen Yehui called. Sheng Feilong smiled lightly while he sat on the table, though also surprised. "All of you came. It''s good to see you again..."

    "Feilong, do you really know something? You know where the captain is?" Xu Xiaoyan spoke up with an agitated tone. She was the youngest of the bunch and also one of the people who knew Tang Wulin the longest. Though, before he could answer, She Meixiao smiled at them. "Now, calm down first. Take a seat, everyone."

    Her voice was very calm, which seemed to influence the others somewhat and they did as they were told. A moment later, She Meixiao looked at Wu Zhangkong. "Teacher Wu, I''d like to hear the current matter of facts from you. So far, I''ve only heard from Yuanen Yehui that Shrek Academy refuses to look for Tang Wulin and wants all of you to return to the Douluo Continent?"

    Her words seemed normal and filled with concern; If Sheng Feilong didn''t know about her intentions beforehand, he would believe her that she was extremely concerned about this matter without a doubt. However, he also couldn''t help but frown; He didn''t expect She Meixiao to begin by trying to manipulate them as soon as they started talking.

    Wu Zhangkong didn''t seem to catch on to that and instead nodded with a frown on his face and a concerned expression. "Yes. After we''ve heard about the matter from Elder Cai, she told us we are to return to the Douluo Continent in a week, just as planned before. However, after trying to persuade her for a long while, she agreed to report back to the Pavilion Master that we would stay for a while longer to wait for any news of Tang Wulin."

    Wu Zhangkong was known for his cold expressions and calm and collected demeanor, but it was obvious how distressed about this matter he was, just from his voice. Sheng Feilong had heard from Tang Wulin and the others that Wu Zhangkong was their teacher for their time at the Intermediate Academy and that he was the one that brought them to Shrek in the first place.

    She Meixiao didn''t know that, but also managed to interpret his voice without trouble. She sighed lightly and nodded at him. "I see. It''s good that you got more time." She turned more serious and looked at everyone at the table. "Our organisation, Daedalus, is also investigating this matter ever since we''ve heard of it. It''s extremely rare for spacial pathways that remained for a long time like the entrance to the Dragon Valley to collapse without any warnings. It''s even stranger that everyone except Tang Wulin managed to get out."

    "You mean, it might not have been an accident?" Her words left everyone agitated and Yue Zhengyu was the first to question what she implied, but She Meixiao shoko her head lightly. "I don''t know. All I''m saying is, that it is weird. Even more so considering Tang Wulin''s personality. You know that even better than me; He is hot headed, but also very calculative and knows when to advance and retreat. I don''t believe that he would be so reckless to remain while everyone clearly had the time to retreat."

    The room went silent for a moment, before She Meixiao once more spoke up with a low voice. "We assume that something must have happened inside the Dragon Valley. Currently, we can''t get much more information in the short time, but the Tang Sect also doesn''t know much more; No one can enter the Dragon Valley."

    She paused, looking around for a moment before once more speaking with a frown; A careful approach to consolidate something that Yuanen Yehui also knew about. "...Gu Yue didn''t come with you?" Her eyes were sharp, enough for Yuanen Yehui no notice and the latter frowned. Ye Xinglan spoke up in a quiet voice. "She''s been locked up in her room ever since we''ve heard of what happened. And she refuses to come out; She doesn''t even acknowledge us when we try to talk with her."

    She Meixiao frowned once again, causing Yuanen Yehui to look even more distressed, while everyone else was visibly confused. "So, no one had seen her ever since the accident in the Dragon Valley..? What was she doing before..?"

 162 Playing It Out Well

    "Before..?" Yuanen Yehui frowned, seemingly understanding what She Meixiao was implying, but didn''t answer. Instead, Yue Zhengyu spoke up with a thoughtful expression. "I haven''t seen her often after Captain left for the Dragon Valley. Mostly only during meal times, and sometimes not even then."

    Sheng Feilong, She Meixiao, Yuanen Yehui and Wu Zhangkong frowned at his answer. The others didn''t directly understand what the problem was, but seeing their expressions, they knew something was up. Wu Zhangkong spoke up in a serious tone. "Madam Smiling Snake, what are you implying?"

    She Meixiao gaze lingered on this teacher of Shrek Academy for a moment. She could tell that he was genuinely concerned about the well-being of his students, but she also knew that he was the once who introduced Gu Yue not only to Shrek Academy but to Tang Wulin in the first place. "...Teacher Wu, do you know who Gu Yue is?"

    "What?" Wu Zhangkong frowned, but before he could say anything else, She Meixiao spoke up once more. "I''ve been investigating Gu Yue''s background after an incident in the past, but I was unable to unearth anything about her. The earliest records of her come from the time where she went to Eastsea City''s Intermediate Academy; The time she met you, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie."

    Wu Zhangkong remained silent for a while, causing She Meixiao to ask again. "Do you know who she is? What she was doing before you she came to the East Sea Academy?" Again, Wu Zhangkong remained silent, but answered after a brief moment. "She is a member of the Spirit Pagoda. In fact, she is the personal disciple of Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu."

    "Leng Yaozhu, indeed. An alumni of Shrek Academy who went and became the Vice Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda. Who also just so happens to take a disciple who coincidentally found you to bring her to Shrek Academy." She Meixiao spoke slowly, her gaze fixed on Wu Zhangkong. "But, when was she accepted? And where did she come from?"

    Again, Wu Zhangkong remained silent. He had no answer to this question. In fact, he had never pried into his students private matters if they didn''t talk of them by themselves. To him, only their talent mattered; As long as their individual character was good, he wouldn''t question anything. Thus, he had also never done so with Gu Yue.

    Seeing their teacher silent after She Meixiao''s question, the students of Shrek Academy also didn''t dare to say anything and a heavy silence pervaded the room. A moment later, She Meixiao spoke up, but her words didn''t ease the tension in the room at all. "After the tournament in Star Luo City, Gu Yue invaded Sheng Feilongs room, accompanied by an unidentified high ranking Soul Douluo with the intention to kill him because of his second Spirit Essence."

    She stared at Wu Zhangkong while saying, who''s eyed widened as he stared back. Everyone else looked at Sheng Feilong in disbelief or shock. Faced with their stares, Sheng Feilong nodded heavily. "If it wasn''t for Master, that Soul Douluo would''ve killed me. And he referred to Gu Yue as ''Young Lady''. Later, Master personally went to investigate, but came back with heavy injuries."

    Wu Zhangkong was obviously more shaken by this than the rest. They had seen She Meixiao fight before on the ship to the Star Luo Continent, but only Wu Zhangkong fully realized just how powerful she was; There were only a handful of Soul Masters in the world who were stronger than her, and even less that could force her to retreat with heavy injuries.

    Again, everyone was shocked into silence by their words. Yuanen Yehui seemed the calmest as she had already heard about this matter from Sheng Feilong, but even she was shaken hearing that She Meixiao had been injured.

    A few moments later, She Meixiao spoke up again, looking at Wu Zhangkong. "Teacher Wu, I assume you are aware of Tang Wulin''s special power? His dragon bloodline, coupled with the golden Soul Rings?" The latter nodded; Of course he knew of Tang Wulin''s power, it was the reason he sent the latter to Shrek Academy in the first place.

    "Gu Yue was fixated on Tang Wulin from the very beginning. And according to the information I have about her, I''m absolutely certain she is after this very power." She stopped speaking, giving everyone time to process this information. Then, Xie Xie spoke up for the first time, saying out loud what everyone was thinking: "Senior, you think that Gu Yue went after Big Brother?"

    Nodding strongly, She Meixiao confirmed their suspicion. "I don''t think the Tang Sect is involved in this and I don''t know how she would have gotten past them to get into the Dragon Valley, but I am sure that she is somehow connected to this."

    "The Dragon Valley is another world. Breaching into it is-" Wu Zhangkong started speaking after a while, but She Meixiao cut him off. "Is impossible. I know. That is, unless you are strong enough to force your way in. Someone strong on, let''s say, the level of an top Elder of Shrek Academy''s Sea God''s Pavilion."

    She Meixiao knew that this wasn''t the case. She did believe that Gu Yue was somehow involved in this given that was after Tang Wulin''s bloodline, but Shrek Academy definitely wasn''t involved. If anyone, it was Beast God Di Tian who helped her, but implying that Shrek Academy was involved was definitely the best way to bring Yuanen Yehui to their side. Moreover, Beast God Di Tian wasn''t someone who could be spoken of lightly, especially not with unimportant people like Wu Zhangkong or some Outer Court students of Shrek Academy.

    Wu Zhangkong frowned, clearly not pleased with this accusation. "The only Elder of Shrek Academy present on the Star Luo Continent is Elder Cai. And I know for a fact she wasn''t anywhere near the Dragon Valley during that time." She Meixiao glanced at him and spoke lightly. "The high ranking Soul Douluo going after Feilong also wasn''t supposed to be present, no? Neither was the Hyper Douluo that attacked me."

    Wu Zhangkong was once again forced into silence. There was nothing he could say about this. Even if he didn''t believe She Meixiao''s story about Gu Yue being attacked; Could he, a low ranking Soul Saint, say this into the face of a Hyper Douluo and Four Word Battle Armour Master?

    The only thing he could do was stand up and look at She Meixiao. "I will inform Elder Cai of this matter and we will investigate this thoroughly. We will also investigate Gu Yue." He looked towards the distraught Shrek Academy students and beckoned for them to follow him, while he lightly bowed towards She Meixiao in goodbye.

    The others did the same and bowed to She Meixiao while walking over to Wu Zhangkong''s side. Only Yuanen Yehui remained seated. All eyes were on her and she took a deep breath. "Teacher Wu, I would like to talk to Senior She for a little longer. Please leave without me first."

    Wu Zhangkong frowned once more, but the words he wanted to say got stuck into his throat when he saw the dangerous glint in She Meixiao''s eyes. He stepped down, remaining silent and only nodding towards Yuanen Yehui, telling himself that he had to inform Elder Cai as fast as possible.

    Without further ado, he left with Yue Zhengyu, Xie Xie and the other students, leaving only Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong, She Meixiao and Yuanen Yehui in the room. No one said anything for a long time and Yuanen Yehui was the first to break the silence. "Senior She, is what you said about this matter true..?"

    She Meixiao sighed, but still nodded firmly. "It is what I believe to be true. I believe that Gu Yue is somehow involved in this. And I cannot think of any other reason than Shrek Academy backing her up. Only they could pull something like this under the watchful eyes of the Tang Sect."

    Yuanen Yehui went silent again, hanging her head low. Sheng Feilong didn''t feel good about this, but he knew she Meixiao wanted the best for her, so he also remained silent, clenching his fists under the table, while Huang Jialong watched the whole thing like a spectator.

    "Senior She... can I trust them?" Yuanen Yehui asked with a meek voice, much unlike her usual confident bearing. She Meixiao shook her head lightly. "I don''t know. Shrek Academy is something that even I can''t see through, no matter how hard I try."

    She Meixiao glanced at Sheng Feilong, beckoning for him to say something as well. The latter hesitated, but ultimate looked at Yuanen Yehui with a slightly guilty expression and spoke up. "Yuanen, you should come with us. I don''t know about Shrek Academy, but I know that you can trust Daedalus ¨C or at the very least, you can trust us..."

    She was even more agitated about the whole situation than any of the other Shrek Academy students and her emotions and thoughts were churning wildly. A few more moments passed in silence again until Yuanen Yehui nodded her head and forced out a few, meek words. "Thank you..."

 163 Yuanen Yehuis Fate

    WARNING!

    This chapter contains spoilers for future chapters of "The Legend of the Dragon King" that haven''t been officially translated, yet.

    Please read at your own discretion.

    ----------

    Sheng Feilong smiled faintly. Yuanen Yehui''s voice was meek and barely more than a whisper and he noticed her body shaking ever so slightly. Despite being young, Yuanen Yehui had a strong heart and rarely backed down, trying to hide her emotions even now, in this situation.

    Still, she couldn''t hide it for long; Finding out that Shrek Academy, the people who were supposed to help her, had planned to seal her cultivation before she reached the Titled Douluo boundary and were even involved in the disappearance of Tang Wulin, one of the few people she called a friend, were just too much.

    She had to deal with this on her own for all this time after leaving her Clan, without having anyone to rely on, but now, there were She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong; Two people who genuinely want to help her and even dare to go up against a colossus like Shrek Academy for her sake.

    She Meixiao mentioned for Huang Jialong to leave them alone for a while and turned back to Yuanen Yehui. Huang Jialong walked outside and saw Wu Zhangkong and the Shrek Academy students standing there, so he himself stopped, blocking the door with his hands behind his back while calmly looking at Wu Zhangkong.

    Inside the room, She Meixiao checked the sound isolating barrier again and softly looked at Yuanen Yehui. "There''s no need to hold back. There''s no outsiders here and no one will speak of anything that happens."

    With those words, Yuanen Yehui''s body once again shook and she was finally unable to hold herself back any longer. This was the first time Sheng Feilong saw her display so much emotions, stunning him; So much so, that his heart fell as he quietly watched Yuanen Yehui cry and sob for minutes without stop.

    No one said anything, nor did She Meixiao or Sheng Feilong try to console or stop her from crying. The just silently waited for her to calm down again with empathetic expressions on their faces. Yuanen Yehui ignored them completely, only wiping her tears with her hands continuously.

    She didn''t calm down for a long while, but began talking about what happened to her after getting a hold of herself. She Meixiao knew about many things from her father, but hearing it first hand from Yuanen Yehui was something different.

    Yuanen Yehui''s grandfather, Yuanen Chen, is the patriarch and founder of her Clan. He created the Clan after he became a Limit Douluo for his family to have a place to settle down. His firstborn son, Yuanen Tian, was hailed by her grandfather as being even more talented than Yuanen Chen himself.

    After growing up and receiving his father''s and Clan''s fostering, Yuanen Tian left the Clan to roam the world when he became a Soul Douluo. No one heard for him in a long time, but when he returned, he had a woman with him; Ye Hui.

    Naturally, Yuenen Chen was elated to see his own son bring a wife home and was also very fond of Ye Hui. However, peace only lasted so long. One day, the Yuanen Clan was attacked by a demon; One that wasn''t too powerful and could be subdued by Yuanen Chen, but before the latter could eliminate it, Yuanen Tian stopped him.

    The demon reverted back to Ye Hui, a possessor of the Fallen Angel Spirit Essence. When Yuanen Tian became a Titled Douluo, he married Ye Hui and soon later, the two of them had a child: Yuanen Yehui.

    Yuanen Yehui''s father, Yuanen Tian, became a Hyper Douluo at a young age and her mother, Ye Hui, was also close to reaching the Titled Douluo boundary. After her mother''s breakthrough, the Fallen Angel Spirit Essence fully awakened and a portal to hell opened.

    Thousands of demons emerged from within and killed many people, including Yuanen Tian''s own sister, Yuanen Yehui''s aunt before the portal was finally closed by the joined effort of Yuanen Chen and the Sea God Pavilion''s pavilion Master, Atlas Douluo Yun Ming.

    After this, the Sea God Pavilion''s members, the Yuanen Clan and even Daedalus'' Leader, She Tianhao, She Meixiao''s father, gathered together to find a solution to this as Ye Hui was unable to control her Spirit Essence now that it had awakened.

    Together, they worked out that the solution is to destroy Ye Hui''s Spirit Essence as even Limit Douluo''s were unable to completely seal it away. Yuanen Tian and Ye Hui refused to abide to this solution as their own daughter, Yuanen Yehui, had the same Spirit Essences as both of them; The Titan Giant Ape and the Fallen Angel. Destroying one meant crippling both of them and they didn''t want that to happen.

    She Tianhao backed them up, claiming that, since the Fallen Angel Spirit Essence is a demon, there must be a way to subdue it. However, at the time, neither he personally, not Daedalus as an organisation had the means of doing this.

    After discussing it for a long time, Ye Hui begged everyone to find another solution, to which, however, only She Tianhao uprightly agreed, while everyone else further tried to persuade her. Finally, she managed to get Yun Ming and Yuanen Chen to promise to do their utmost to find another solution and to promise not to do anything to Yuanen Yehui until she reached the Titled Douluo boundary.

    After that, Yuanen Yehui''s mother, Ye Hui, took her own life.

    Yuanen Chen stopped his son from following in his wife''s footsteps, but Yuanen Tian was torn apart by the loneliness of having lost his wife, attempting to take his life again by destroying his own cultivation and Spirit Essence soon after.

    Yuanen Chen sealed his son''s Spirit Essence so he couldn''t destroy it himself, only being able to calm the latter down by telling him that Yuanen Yehui would need his help in the future. However, Yuanen Tian couldn''t look at his own daughter, as she reminded him of her mother too much.

    Yuanen Yehui had no further contact with any of the people from Shrek Academy, nor from Daedalus, but found out about the happenings and her mother''s fate by herself. She confronted her grandfather, only for the latter to say her she was never supposed to find this out this early.

    A few years later, Yuanen Yehui went to Shrek Academy, becoming a working student there without having to take the entrance exam. Ever since then, she remained in Shrek Academy on her own, but also never heard of She Tianhao again.

    The only thing she knew, was that Daedalus, and their leader, She Tianhao, had promised her mother to find a solution, but never once had someone from Daedalus contacted her. That is, until Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao came and promised her to help.

    This whole time She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong remained quiet, only listening to Yuanen Yehui''s story. She Meixiao was rather calm, as she truly knew most of it already other than the parts from Yuanen Yehui''s very own perspective, but those were minor details comapred to the whole situation.

    Sheng Feilong on the other hand, was completely shaken and stared at Yuanen Yehui with wide eyes. "The Fallen Angel Spirit Essence... is a demon that summons thousands of other demons to our world..?"

    Yuanen Yehui nodded and Sheng Feilong stared back and forth between She Meixiao and Yuanen Yehui, before suddenly fixating his gaze on the latter again. "Then, that ''Demon King'' Master mentioned in the conversation a few months ago..."

    "It''s the instigator behind this whole ploy. My father found out that it was the one who is responsible is the Demon King than stepped out of the portal back then." She Meixiao blandly admitted, then looked at Yuanen Yehui, who had the same expression as Sheng Feilong. "Moreover, it seems tightly connected to the Holy Angel Clan. That is the reason they hunt down the Fallen Angel Spirit Essence possessors so mercilessly; They don''t know about it''s origins, but see it as a stain on their Clan and dignity."

    Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong nodded. The former remembered how adamant Yue Zhengyu was about her being an Evil Soul Master when they first met, while Sheng Feilong had also heard that story before. However, Sheng Feilong frowned soon after. "But doesn''t that make it even more dangerous? Yuanen Yehui is not the only one facing this fate... What if the Holy Angel Clan fails to control the other possessors?"

    She Meixiao spoke with a solemn voice. "I assume that Yuanen Yehui''s Fallen Angel Spirit essence is somewhat different." She looked at Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui for a moment. "Throughout history, there have been a few cases of Fallen Angel Soul Masters reaching high levels, some even the Titled Douluo rank, however, none of them summoned an army of demons to our world."

    "So, they are different? Or more precisely, Yuanen Yehui and her late mother are special?" Sheng Feilong asked with a concerned expression. She Meixiao nodded her head in response. "Most likely. Moreover, from what we''ve investigated, none of the Fallen Angel Soul Masters ever possessed the Gates of Hell Soul Skill. It could related to that."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head, then smiled and looked at Yuanen Yehui. "For now, let''s forget about this. We still have time until it becomes really important." The latter smiled back; though still with reddened eyes, she had calmed down again, but froze when she heard Sheng Feilong''s next words. "Don''t worry. I''ll protect you."

    Yuanen Yehui''s eyes widened and her cheeks blushed, but before she could say anything, the attention of all three of them was suddenly drawn to the door. From the outside, a thick killing intent was permeating into the room, together with an all too familiar voice. "Out of my way."

 164 A Fight Breaks Ou

    Wu Zhangkong''s expression was sour. After he had left the room with Xie Xie, Yue Zhengyu and the others, they had to wait for Yuanen Yehui. As their teacher, he couldn''t leave her alone, especially not with a Titled Douluo from another organisation, who''s agenda he didn''t know.

    Just a few moments afer he left, the door opened again and the unknown young man who sat next to She Meixiao this whole time came out as well. Huang Jialong ignored Wu Zhangkong and the Shrek students and just stood before them, right next to the door.

    Wu Zhangkong didn''t know what She Meixiao was trying to do by shooing her own companion out, but the fact that she wanted to remain inside, alone with Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong, was already enough for him to inform Elder Cai that She Meixiao was trying to recruit one of their students.

    He had hoped not to have to do that, as he originally only overheard the students talking about meeting up with She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong because they wanted to know what happened to Tang Wulin. After confronting them about the meeting, he insisted to come with them, but his students had him promise not to involve Elder Cai as they were aware that she and She Meixiao were on bad terms.

    Excusing himself for a moment, Wu Zhangkong walked over to a quiet corner and called Elder Cai on his Soul Communicator, explaining the situation. "She dares to try to poach Yuanen Yehui again?! Where are you exactly?" Elder Cai''s voice was cold, but her anger resulted in her nearly screaming at Wu Zhangkong.

    Wu Zhangkong told her about the restaurant they were staying at, prompting the latter to end the call shortly after. "Stay where you are, I''m coming over." From her voice alone, Wu Zhangkong was already sure that the situation would escalte, but he wasn''t afraid of that; He also wasn''t going to let someone else poach his students, but was unable to do anything in front of She Meixiao.

    Meanwhile, Xie Xie and the others had mostly calmed down from what they had heard from She Meixiao. Though, the air around them was still tense, as all signs lead to Gu Yue, one of their own, being involved in Tang Wulin''s misfortune, but none of them dared to speak of their doubts.

    "She''s been distant lately, hasn''t she..? Ever since we came to the Star Luo Continent, even Captain didn''t get-" Xu Xiaoyan muttered after a long silence. Her voice was shaky, but Ye Xinglan stopped her from continuing. "Xiaoyan. Gu Yue is one of us. Even if she had a hard time lately, she would never do anything to hurt Wulin."

    "Ye Xinglan is right, Gu Yue would never hurt him. I don''t trust that She Meixiao." Xie Xie added with a frown. The others didn''t answer him, but they had their doubts about this unknown, powerful Titled Douluo, so Xie Xie continued. "First she miraculously rescued Sheng Feilong, then Gu Yue supposedly attacked them and now Big Brother is gone. Isn''t she just trying to push a wedge between us?"

    "Xie Xie, Feilong trusts her and I don''t believe a Titled Douluo would do something like that; We''re only outer court students." Xu Lizhi chimed in. Among them, he and Ye Xinglan knew Sheng Feilong the best, so he didn''t believe Sheng Feilong would help her if She Meixiao really was evil.

    However, Yue Zhengyu seemed to be of another opinion. "She''s still an outsider. I''ve heard about this Daedalus from my Clan before; They''re all evil Soul Master, that think of themselves as good. Moreover, this trip to the Star Luo Empire is a trial to see if we''re fit to become members of Shrek''s Seven Monsters. What if she''s just trying to take preemptive measures?"

    As a descendant of the Holy Angel Clan, Yue Zhengyu was naturally somewhat biased against Soul Master with evil and dark Spirit Essences, though he wasn''t as radical as his Clan by a long shot. And the others didn''t think he was wrong per se.

    Xie Xie scowled as well and crossed his arms in front of his chest in an upset manner. "What are they talking to Yuanen about, anyways? Why did she call Sheng Feilong in the first place..."

    "Can you think of anyone else who we could''ve contacted that has a close relationship with a Titled Douluo and that might have information about happening here, on the Star Luo Continent?" Yue Zhengyu shot back at him; He didn''t particularly like Daedalus or She Meixiao, but Sheng Feilong was another matter, though this second Spirit Essence of his made things more complicated...

    In a breeze, more than half an hour had passed since they were shooed out of the room and Wu Zhangkong was returning to their side, though now surprisingly with Elder Cai next to him, who had an angered expression on her face. The students flinched, thinking them meeting up with Sheng Feilong was the reason for Elder Cai''s expression, but the latter just walked past them towards the room.

    Huang Jialong, who still stood by the door, opened his eyes and saw Elder Cai, an unfamiliar face for him, walk over and heading straight for the door. He took a step to the side, now standing directly in front of the door, blocking it. "Ma''am, this is a private room."

    Elder Cai looked at him with a frown, but still stopped. He was unfamiliar, but she had heard from Wu Zhangkong that this young man was associated with She Meixiao, so she wasn''t very fond of him, much less bother to explain herself. "Move."

    "Ma''am, again, this is a private room. Please don''t cause a disturbance." Huang Jialong replied again with a stoic voice, not budging from his place in front of the door, but frowned when he felt Elder Cai releasing her Soul Power. He could clearly feel that she was stronger than him; Much, much stronger, to the point where we couldn''t possibly put up a fight.

    "Ma''am, for the last time, this-" Before he could even finish his sentence, Elder Cai had already flashed in front of him, aggressively pushing him to the side. He didn''t dare retaliate considering the amount of killing intent that Elder Cai was radiating. "Out of my way."

    She pushed passed Huang Jialong, grabbing for the doorknob and pushing the door open. Inside, She Meixia, Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui were already looking back at her; The latter two with surprise, while the former had a cold, but calm expression. Yuanen Yehui was the first to speak up, mostly due to surprise as they had an agreement with Wu Zhangkong that Elder Cai wouldn''t be involved. "Elder Cai..?"

    Ignoring Yuanen Yehui, Elder Cai stared at She Meixiao with unconcealed anger and killing intent. "She Meixiao, you dare to try to poach my Shrek Academy''s students again? Was my last warning not clear enough?"

    "Elder Cai, I''ve told you before that I will talk to whomever I please, whenever I please. You are not in any position to stop me from doing that." She Meixiao''s reply was firm and her voice filled with a cold, steel like resolution.

    While Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong were still shocked from her sudden emergence, Elder Cai''s Soul Power suddenly surged and she stared at She Meixiao with an icy expression. "Get lost immediately. And don''t you dare approach any of my students ever again."

    Sheng Feilong had regained his calm again, but knew better then to butt in on their argument. He glanced past Elder Cai, at Huang Jialong and the Shrek students, though seeing the former was okay, he didn''t think too much of it. Yuanen Yehui also only seemed more surprised then anything, but looked at Wu Zhangkong with a frown afterwards.

    She Meixiao calmly stared back at Elder Cai, ignoring the rising Soul Power pressure of the latter and replied in a similarly cold tone. "Cai Yue''er, retrieve your Soul Power. I''d rather not we cause a scene in the middle of the city." The expression in her eyes grew a tinge fiercer as she spat out another sentence. "Don''t force my hand."

    "Force your hand? Don''t you think that''s bit to late already?" Elder Cai said coldly before turning to Yuanen Yehui. "Get up. We''re returning to the hotel. Right now." Yuanen Yehui was taken aback and didn''t know how to answer, when Sheng Feilong suddenly spoke up for her. "Elder Cai, you don''t have the authority to order Daedalus'' people around."

    For the first time, Elder Cai stopped. She stared at Sheng Feilong for half a second in disbelieve before her Soul Power suddenly kicked up a storm through the room and she struck out towards Sheng Feilong. "A little rat like you dares to speak to me like that?!"

    She Meixiao moved in the same instant, appearing in front of Sheng Feilong and blocking the attack, coldly staring at Elder Cai without saying a word before both of them vanished from within the room. Not even two seconds later, the earth shook and the patrons of the restaurant panicked.

    Lead by Wu Zhangkong, the students of Shrek Academy run out on the streets, closely followed by Jhuang Jialong, Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui. The shaking stopped as abruptly as it started, only to be replaced by an ever more dramatic scene.

    Sheng Feilong stared upwards; Where the once was a bright, sunny day, was now replaced by the darkness of the dead of the night with a brilliant, silver moon hanging in the sky. The people on the streets gawked at the scene in awe before gasps of disbelieve and terror painted their faces and a colossal, two-headed monstrosity of a black snake appeared hundreds of metres above the ground.

 165 A Clash That Split The Heavens

    The spectators gasped in shock and searched for cover as the earth once again began to quake. Hundreds of metres above their heads, the colossal black snake fiercelyclashed with a wave of silver light released by the silver moon.

    An explosion of bright silver and purplish black light filled the sky for a few seconds; The silver right growing dimmer and dimmer with each passing moment until both of them cancelled each other out.

    Just after it faded, the black snake''s second head shot forwards, widely opening its maw and spewing a wave of dark green acid towards the silver moon in the sky. Another flash of blinding silver light shot out, seemingly burning the acid away within a short moment.

    Then, a brilliant silver arrow shot towards the back of the snake, only to be destroyed by a wave of its tail. Both of the snake''s heads shot forward, biting down on the silver moon, which released another wave of brilliant silver light, forming a barrier that stopped the snake heads from advancing further.

    For nothing more but a second, the snake heads and silver moon seemed in a deadlock, before the silver barrier cracked, shattering under the pressure of the snake''s bite, but also forcing the latter back to their original places.

    Elder Cai stared at She Meixiao, who calmly stood behind her Twin-Headed Poison Cobra Spirit Essence''s True Avatar''s back with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Until now, both of them had only released their True Avatar''s, Elder Cai''s being the silver moon illuminating the blackened sky, but Elder Cai was also aware that she was using up a lot more Soul Power than She Meixiao.

    Both of them knew roughly how the other fights, thus Elder Cai knew that She Meixiao was still leisurely fighting her, as she didn''t even move her arms to control the Twin-Headed Poison Cobra herself, but only mentally gave it commands. Meanwhile, Elder Cai herself also had to fuel her True avatar with Soul Power to not be suppressed.

    Naturally, for both of them, this kind of fight was still nothing special and didn''t need much energy, but the fact that Elder Cai was having to use more strength than She Meixiao still told much about their strength when compared to each other.

    While Elder Cai''s expression darkened somewhat, She Meixiao once again ordered the Twin-Headed Poison Cobra to attack; One charging at Elder Cai and the silver moon, the other coming from the side, its maw wide open and ready to spit out a wave of acid again.

    Elder Cai frowned at the second attack. Normally, it wouldn''t be hard for her to just block ,divert or outright dodge the attack, but she couldn''t do so; If all of this acid landed on the city, who knows how many people would lose their lives or homes to it. Moreover, there was no one within the city that could possibly stop the attack instead of Elder Cai.

    Once again fueling her True Avatar with her Soul Power, a silver barrier and wave of sundering light were released, blocked the bite of the first snake head and burning away the acid attack of the second.

    However, this wasn''t the end of She Meixiao''s attack. The second snake head, the once that spit out acid, was already charging at Elder Cai with its maw wide open, forcing the latter to once again use more Soul Power to block it with another barrier. Both of them were in a deadlock again, only for She Meixiao to use a bit of Soul Power to strengthen her True Avatar, shattering the silver barrier in a split second.

    Elder Cai had no other choice but to back off a bit to avoid the snake heads and shockwaves, causing She Meixiao to smile lightly. She lowered her arms to her side before her Soul Power surged slightly, her hands bathed in a faint purple glow. "This should suffice for a warm up. Shall we take this a bit more serious now?"

    Of course, Elder Cai answered in turn, her Soul Power surging as well with the silver moon radiating an even more brilliant light. With their Spirit Essences True Avatars released, the surging Soul Power of two Titled Douluo''s caused the air around them to shoot into motion, unleashing heavy winds and a rumbling pressure in the area.

    On the ground, most people were struck with terror, staring at the sky in dread or hiding behind or beneath whatever cover they could find. Each clash of the silver moon and black snake caused shockwaves in the city that shook the earth brutally. People in their homes had their belongings and decorations break and crash down with each quake.

    Soul Masters among the crowds stared at the whole spectacle in absolute awe, standing rooted in place and forgetting even their surroundings. They clearly understood that the figures fighting in the sky were absolute powerhouses of the continent clashing with each other and they didn''t dare to miss even a second of it.

    Wu Zhangkong, the Shrek Academy students, as well as Sheng Feilong, Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong stared at the battle in the sky for a while as well, but soon averted their eyes as the registered the chaos in the city around them. Wu Zhangkong stared at Sheng Feilong and the other two for a moment and frowned.

    If it was just Yuanen Yehui, he could easily take her with him, retreating from the scene to appease Elder Cai, but with Sheng Feilong and, to him unknown, Huang Jialong present, he wasn''t certain of success and failure would only make the situation worse.

    He didn''t know Huang Jialong''s strength, but the fact that he could remain standing with relative ease even when Elder Cai pressured him in front of the restaurants door showed that he was no ordinary Soul Master. In fact, the latter''s constantly calm gaze and steady and natural bearing left Wu Zhangkong with a hint of apprehension.

    There was no doubt about Sheng Feilong''s strength as well. Wu Zhangkong himself wasn''t confident in beating Long Yue in a one against one scenario after seeing him fight in the tournament, especially after he fought seriously against Tang Wulin, but Sheng Feilong was in a league of his own, effortlessly playing and beating Long Yue down.

    Thus, Wu Zhangkong could only ignore them and started to evacuate and help the citizens in his surroundings while the fight in the sky intensified again and again. Ye Xinglan and the other Shrek students followed their teacher and rescued as many civilians as possible on their own accord.

    Sheng Feilong and Yuanen yehui looked around and were about to head out to help as well, but Huang Jialong stopped them as he had seen through Wu Zhangkong''s idea from just the latter''s gaze. "We need to stay together. Wu Zhangkong''s primary goal is to end this conflict. He''ll go after Yuanen and I''m not confident to stop him when all of us are on their own."

    Yuanen Yehui frowned and looked around, only to see Wu Zhangkong busy earnestly helping as many people as he could, but still heeded Huang Jialong''s advice. Sheng Feilong wasn''t apprehensive of Wu Zhangkong, but, as Huang Jialong mentioned, it wasn''t him who was the target, but Yuanen Yehui. Thus, he also remained with the other two. "Then let''s head out together. Stay near each other and help the civilians."

    "Got it." Huang Jialong nodded as all three of them went towards a direction with relatively many people near a rough looking building. Once again, Wu Zhangkong glanced at them, but gave up on taking Yuanen Yehui with him as he saw all three of them together.

    Within the sky, the fight between She Meixiao and Elder Cai has intensified many times over; Even a single clash would send waves of crashing force outwards, oftentimes hitting the city below.

    The black sky created by Elder Cai was completely illuminated by the bright silver light radiating from her Spirit Essence''s True Avatar as the eighth and ninth Soul Rings behind her back were brightly glowing - One red and one black.

    She Meixiao''s situation was similar; She was controlling the now four heads of her True Avatar with her hands, while the Avatar itself was wrapped in a dark purple light, a single red Soul Ring glowing brightly behind her back.

    Another black Soul Ring behind Elder Cai''s back lit up and the silver light formed a brilliant, multiple metres tall silver arrow in front of her. Quickly completing the arrow, Elder Cai sent it shooting towards She Meixiao with a powerful wave of her arm.

    The latter frowned, but still calmly reacted by activating a Soul Skill of her own. A black Soul Ring behind her back lit up as well and the scales of the four snake heads became more lustrous and defined. Then, two of the heads shot forward, directly behind each other, on She Meixiao''s command.

    The arrow collided fiercely with the first snake head, a powerful booming sound causing the air in the surroundings to churn and sending crushing shockwaves downwards. Brilliant silver and dark purple light once again painted the sky. Shortly after, the purple light died down, while the brilliant silver light dimmed considerably.

    The first snake head, with its scales strengthened by She Meixiao''s Soul Skill, was pierced right through its skull, falling downwards as the now weakened silver arrow continued to crash into the second snake head.

    The silver and dark purple light once again bathed the area for a moment, though this time, the silver light died down while the dark purple light only diminished lightly; The silver arrow shattered, as the second snake head still stood proudly in the air, the scales on it only lightly scratched while it stared at Elder Cai.

    She Meixiao waved her hand, using her own Soul Power to heal the snake head dangling down from the snake''s body. The gaping hole in it''s head closed at a speed visible to the naked eye before the head lifted itself up again, lining up with the other three, all of them loftily staring at Elder Cai, just as She Meixiao did.

    The black Soul Rings behind Elder Cai''s and She Meixiao''s backs dimmed again, showing that their Soul Skills had ended, but She Meixiao suddenly smiled. The four snake heads pulled back, forming a diamond shape in the air, one head in the above, one beneath and one at the right and left side each.

    One of the red Soul Rings behind She Meixiao''s back lit up brightly and all four snake heads opened their maws simultaneously. Vortice of dark purple and dark green energy spiralled inside their maws as huge amounts of energy consolidated in each of them.

    Elder Cai''s expression fell and she showed a hint of panic, hastily activating two of her Soul Skills simultaneously ¨C two black Soul Rings lighting up behind her back. The silver moon in the sky lit up even more brightly as Elder Cai was now using three Soul Skills at the same time. A barrier many times thicker and sturdier than before encased her, while She Meixiao''s true avatar continued to gather energy.

    Another layer of the barrier formed around Elder Cai, followed by a third, fourth, and finally, a fifths layer. Just as the fifth barrier had been formed, the four snake heads seemed to have finished gathering energy and She Meixiao swung her hand down.

    At that moment, all things seemed to have suddenly lost their colour and everything was overwhelmed by a torrential wave of dark purple light. The earth quaked like never before, buildings cracking noticeably inside the city, while cars and even people were blasted away by the terrifying explosion as the torrential beam of purple energy collided with Elder Cai''s silver barrier.

    The first layer shattered nearly instantly upon impact and the collision with the second layer send another shockwave of the same magnitude blasting outwards. Now, ever Soul Masters had to use their own strength and Soul Power to shield themselves while being flung away from the epicentre in the sky.

    The second layer shattered, the collision with the third layer sending even more people flying while buildings all around cracked even more, smaller onces even breaking down. With the destruction of the third layer, collision of the fourth and finally, the impact on the fifths, even more powerful Soul Masters like Wu Zhangkong, the Shrek students and Sheng Feilong''s group were blasted into buildings or crashed into the ground.

    However, the purple light has still only dimmed lightly and continued to break the fifth layer, directly blasting Elder Cai''s True Avatar. With an explosion silencing all sounds in the vicinity, an otherworldly scene as if the sky was collapsing occured as Elder Cai''s Silver Moon True Avatar was shattered and the blackened sky broken apart.

    Only a few seconds later, did the purple light vanish, revealing She Meixiao and her currently four-headed Posion Cobra standing in the sky under the illumination of the bright afternoon sun, staring into the distance, where the charred, tattered figure of a person was falling towards the ground.

 166 Leaving The Scene

    People looked into the sky with shocked expressions, none of them completely sure what just happened. Without warning, the whole sky had been painted purple with massive explosions and earthquakes all around only to then calm down completely.

    The night sky with the silver moon as well as the colossal black snake had completely vanished, while the inner parts of the city have been left in tatters. For a while, most people didn''t dare venture out of their hiding spots, waiting for minutes on end until they were certain nothing would happen any more.

    Soul Masters in the vicinity gulped down saliva as they finally understood what it meant to be a powerhouse of this generation; Even a major city is nothing before them. Just thinking about what would have happened to this city, their hometown, if even one of those attacks had directly hit it sent shivers down their spines. Still, they couldn''t help but admire the strong even more now.

    The few people who truly knew what was going on ¨C Wu Zhangkong, the Shrek students, as well as Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui ¨C had conflicted and somewhat awed expressions. Only Wu Zhagkong''s expression darkened and he hurried off into the direction where he had seen Elder Cai fall from the sky.

    Sheng Feilong stared at She Meixiao, who was slowly descending towards them, in awe. Before, he had seen her fight against the Great Beast on the ship towards the Star Luo Continent, but back then, she had only used her Soul Skills to multiply the amount of heads of her Spirit Essence''s True Avatar, never a direct attack.

    Even without using her Battle Armour, this was the strongest attack Sheng Feilong had ever seen by a far stretch. ''Master is even stronger than what she showed on the ship... But, is she okay..?'' Sheng Feilong was incredibly excited about being able to witness such a battle, but after remembering how She Meixiao coughed out blood after her fight with the Great beast, he was worried about her.

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui were in similar states, though the former was considerably more calm than the latter. As his former Master, Branchmaster Lu, was also a Hyper Douluo, he somewhat understood the strength of such powerhouses, but Yuanen Yehui had never seen a Titled Douluo in action like today.

    Her heart was beating wildly and she was fixately staring at She Meixiao. This was the power of one of the people who had vowed to help her, yet, judging by her rank as Vice-Leader, she wasn''t even the strongest person of Daedalus. "Senior She, she... Is incredibly powerful..."

    Huang Jialong nodded his head, also looking at She Meixiao in awe. "The full power attack of a Hyper Douluo, utilizing two of her red Soul Skills and her Spirit Essence''s True Avatar at the same time. And without even using her Battle Armour, that is."

    While the two of them looked awed, Sheng Feilong, who stood next to them, said nothing. She Meixiao graciously landed a few steps away from them with a faint smile on her face and walked over to join up with them.

    Sheng Feilong looked at her and couldn''t help but ask. "Master, are you alright?" Noticing his worried expression, She Meixiao smiled gently and shook her head lightly. "There''s not need to worry, Feilong. I''m perfectly fine."

    Sheng Feilong''s expression eased and he nodded his head with a small smile. Huang Jialong still stared at She Meixiao fixately, but didn''t speak up. She Meixiao smiled at him. "Is there something you want to say? There''s no need to hold back."

    "No, Master. I''m just reminding myself that I''ve made the right choice." Huang Jialong said with a similar smile to She Meixiao, but he was just as agitated as Sheng Feilong. Not about She Meixiao''s strength, but about the Soul Skills she has shown today.

    Don''t mind that incredible energy attack, which seemed to be something relatively normal, but what about that Soul Skill that multiplied the amount of heads her True Avatar had? If She Meixiao, who only has a two headed Spirit Essence was already this powerful, then what about him, whose Spirit Essence is the Five-Headed Black Hydra?

    Still, he kept those thoughts to himself. He would definitely ask about it later as just thinking about it made him more agitated, but that has to wait. At least until they were somewhere private and not in the middle of the street.

    Meanwhile, Yuanen Yehui, who had been staring at She Meixiao for a while, was now looking towards another direction; One where the other Shrek students as well as Wu Zhangkong were hurrying. Sheng Feilong noticed her gaze and called out to her. "Yuanen?"

    She turned back to them, noticing that She Meixiao and Huang Jialong were looking at her now as well and smiled lightly. "Sorry, I was distracted." She Meixiao saw through her in an instant and calmly spoke to her. "You don''t have to worry. They''ll be fine, even without Elder Cai backing them up."

    "...Is Elder Cai alright?" Hearing She Meixiao, yuanen Yehui couldn''t help but ask, to which the former replied wryly. "She won''t die. At least not from just that. You don''t have to concern yourself with them. Although Shrek Academy isn''t Daedalus'' enemy, they will most likely stand in our way from time to time. Though, today was more than just a little dispute."

    "I''m sorry..." Yuanen Yehui apologized again, causing Sheng Feilong to frown lightly. "Why are you apologizing? It''s not your fault." She Meixiao nodded, backing Sheng Feilong up. "He''s right. There were disagreements between Elder Cai and I from the beginning. Moreover, you''re not obliged to them in any way, so you don''t need to worry. In the end, even Shrek Academy is nothing more than a school."

    The others stayed silent and Yuanen Yehui just nodded her head meekly, before She Meixiao turned around and looked into the distance for a moment. She turned back and smiled at Sheng Feilong and the others. "Well, for now let''s leave. We''ve done everything we''ve come her for and then some."

    "What about the city, Master?" Sheng Feilong spoke up while looking around. Buildings, roads and pavements were damaged, while people were still hiding or complaining over the destruction, but She Meixiao simply smiled again. "That''s not our responsibility. The Empire will take care of this. And Shrek Academy is involved as well. If there''s anything, they can sent a complaint to Daedalus."

    "Well, let''s go. There''s a branch in the next town; We''ll look for a taxi to go there. I wanted to visit this one on our way back, but since we''re already here, we might as well go there." With this, She Meixiao lead the three of them towards the outskirts of the city where they found themselves a taxi.

    ----------------------

    Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, Xie Xie and the other Shrek students were running past the people and debris in the city, following Wu Zhangkong who, with his speed, was already out of sight.

    About a minute later, they found him kneeling on the ground inside a small crater. Next to him laid a who they knew all too well. However, Elder Cai was barely recognizable; Her hair was charred and mostly burned, while there were burn marks all over her body and her robes were charred as well, even partially burned off.

    There were dark, purplish green marks all around her wounds, while Wu Zhangkong was administering what little help he could, frowning deeply the whole time. All in all, Elder Cai looked nothing like her usual stoic and aloof self.

    Ye Xinglan walked up to Wu Zhangkong, pulling Xu Lizhi with her. "Teacher Wu, how can we help?" She was eyeing the weird purplish green marks with caution as they gave her a bad feeling. Wu Zhangkong glanced at her, noticing her gaze and spoke coldly. "You can''t. I''m unable to help, as well. These are wounds inflicted by a Hyper Douluo."

    Ye Xinglan kneeled down as well, carefully using her Soul Power to clean Elder Cai''s wounds like Wu Zhangkong was doing, while Xu Lizhi started producing a few meat buns that help with Soul Power regeneration with his Soul Skill.

    He also noticed the purplish green marks and moved his hand towards them without thinking much about it. Wu Zhangkong turned around to him, suddenly screaming. "Don''t touch them!" Xu Lizhi and the others flinched at his sudden outburst.

    Wu zhangkong continued in a more moderate tone, though still with a grave expression. "They''re some kind of powerful poison and highly toxic. Just touching them is enough to get yourself in trouble. With you strength, there''s nearly no chance of survival. If it wasn''t for Elder Cai''s cultivation, the poison alone would have already killed her..."

    "Those look like the works of evil Soul Masters. Shrek Academy''s Elder Cai repelled them, but still got herself poisoned and beaten to this extent?" An aged voice came from above, causing Wu Zhangkong''s head to shoot up. He tensed up, but quickly calmed down when he saw the emblem on the speaker''s chest.

    "Wu Zhangkong of Shrek Academy greets the Lord Law Enforcer." He lowered his head slightly to greet the old man, who nodded in response and landed next to him. The old man looked at Elder Cai''s situation, but didn''t make any moves to help. Still, Wu Zhangkong didn''t dare ask about his help; This was one of the Star Luo Empire''s Law Enforcement Generals, one of the Emperor''s most trusted men.

 167 You Will Pay!

    Ye Xinglan and the other Shrek students were wary of the man standing silently by the side; The man Wu Zhankong called as ''Lord Law Enforcer''. Judging from Wu Zhangkong''s respectful tone, this man was powerful and probably had a lot of authority inside the Star Luo Empire, but he didn''t do anything, nor did he speak a single word.

    Not having the time to think about it too much, Ye Xinglan continued to help Wu Zhangkong. Though, despite their efforts and Xu Lizhi''s support, they weren''t able to do much other than cleaning Elder Cai''s wounds and bandaging her up; The poison She Meixiao left in Elder Cai''s body was much too strong for them to handle.

    Wu Zhangkong and Ye Xinglan used up most of their Soul Powerwithin minutes, while the others tried their best to somehow help them or keep watch on the vicinity lest they meet unfavorable circumstances.

    Another while later, Wu Zhangkong stopped his efforts and heaved a relieved sigh. Ye Xinglan also backed off, but with a more uncertain expression. "Teacher Wu, is this really enough?" The latter just nodded and replied with a calm tone. "There is nothing more that we can do with our strength. Elder Cai has to resist the poison on her own. She is rather stable, so there is nothing to worry; Time will sort things out from now on."

    His words calmed the Shrek students down considerably. Although they weren''t exactly fond of Elder Cai, she was still a senior to them and also the one that brought them here. Ignoring them, Wu Zhangkong turned around to face the Law Enforcement General and bowed to him. "I apologize to Lord Law Enforcer for the wait and thank you for you patience."

    "There is no need to thank me. Wu Zhangkong, was it? Tell me what happened here." The Law Enforcement General''s tone was cold and stoic. He didn''t even spare Elder Cai or thestudents a single glance and only looked at Wu Zhangkong with a condescending expression.

    Not daring to take any chances with the situation, Wu Zhangkong began recounting the events that happened today and what lead to the clash between Elder Cai and She Meixiao. "... Because of this, the city was impeded by the aftermath of their clash. We have done our best to insure the safety of the citizens and I can saftely say that no one was heavily injured, Sir."

    The Law Enforment General nodded lightly, still with the same expression, but his gaze seemed somewhat more appreciative of Wu Zhangkong. "You knew the evil Soul Master beforehand? And even an Elder from Shrek Academy wasn''t their match?"

    "Madam She isn''t an evil Soul Master per se; She is the Vice-Leader of the organisation Daedalus and a member of their headquarters on the Douluo Continent. She came to the Star Luo Continent at the same time as we did." Wu Zhangkong quickly clarified as lying in front of an Law Enforcer in the Star Luo Empire would definitely be the easiest way to get himself killed.

    The Law Enforcement General nodded once again, though with a small frown on his face. "What is their strength exactly?" Wu Zhangkong frowned lightly and answered. "I am not entirely sure. From the strength shown in this fight, she should be at least a Hyper Douluo."

    The frown on the stoic Law Enforcer''s face deepened, but he didn''t say anything as Wu Zhangkong continued with a solemn expression. "I am also aware that Madam She is a Four Word Battle Armour Master." This time, the Law Enforcer''s expression tensed considerably and he flinched lightly. "Are you sure about that?"

    "I was able to confirm it with my own two eyes during the crossing to the Star Luo Continent a few months ago. We were attacked by a horde of aquatic Soul beasts, as well as two 100.000-years-old beasts and a Great Beast. Madam She personally fought the Great Beast back." Wu Zhangkong replied solemnly.

    The Law Enforcement General remained silent for a moment frowning with a tense expression before turning away and making a call with his Soul Communicator. He had created a small sound isolating barrier around himself, so Wu Zhangkong couldn''t listen in and patiently waited.

    A few moments later, the General turned back to him, now with the same stoic expression as at the beginning and spoke in a cold tone. "From what you said earlier, this incident is interpreted as Shrek Academy being at fault as the aggressor. You are expected to pay for the repairs on the city grounds in full."

    Wu Zhangkong frowned, but he honestly expected something like this to happen as She Meixiao wasn''t as easy to deal with as their small delegation from Shrek Academy, thus he could answer calmly. "I am in no position to make a decision on this part and will have to report back to His Eminence Sea God''s Pavilion Master."

    "Do as you need. The Sea God''s Pavilion''s Master may contact the administrative bureau of Star Luo City directly if there are any questions. At the decree of His Highness, the Emperor, punishment shall be abolished as long as the fines are paid in full." The General once more spoke with the same stoic tone, obviously following orders of whoever he had just called.

    He glanced at Elder Cai and the students, remembering their faces before turning back to Wu Zhangkong. "You may leave for now. The administrative bureau will be expecting the Sea God''s Pavilion Master''s reply within 10 days as of now."

    "Understood." Wu Zhangkong bowed lightly, then turned towards the Shrek students and mentioned for them to leave as he went to carefully pick up Elder Cai. Seeing them leave, the General walked inside the city where more of the Law Enforcement Squadron were already stationed.

    ----------------

    Meanwhile, in another part of the city, close to the outskirts, She Meixiao, Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui had just boarded a taxi and were comfortably travelling to the next city over.

    Even following along the highways, the trip lasted for over two hours, time that Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong used for meditation; They were already used to travelling like this and were perfectly fine with meditating during the ride as long as there wasn''t too many disturbances.

    Yuanen Yehui tried to do the same, though struggling with entering a meditative state due to the rough ride compared to when she meditates in a calm environment. From time to time, She Meixiao would give her some tips on how to calm herself despite the circumstances and by the time they reached the next city, Yuanen Yehui was able to meditate for about half an hour in total.

    The four of them were once again in the outskirts of a small city and now travelling through by foot. This time, though, it didn''t take long for them to reach their destination as this branch of Daedalus was rather close to the city.

    They were stopped at the entrance as they weren''t expected for today, but once She Meixiao made clear who she is, the guard became startled and rushed to inform his superiors of their arrival. Just a few moments later, someone came up to greet them and lead them inside.

    The branchmaster of this base was already waiting for them inside a meeting room, though clearly didn''t expect She Meixiao. He apologized profusely for not greeting them earlier, but She Meixiao dismissed it and calmly explained the reason why they were already here instead of when they were scheduled to come.

    She Meixiao directly started her inspection afterwards, which the branchmaster was fine with, as he didn''t have anything to hide, anyways, while Sheng Feilong and the others were lead to the training facilities as per their own wish.

    This branch didn''t have as many children, but there were still plenty of people to spar against and compare notes with. Yuanen Yehui was a bit awkward at first, while Huang Jialong and Sheng Feilong easily mingled with everyone; Many already knew Huang Jialong, like with the last branch, while Sheng Feilong was also rather well known by now.

    Seeing the others spar with the people from this branch so naturally, Yuanen Yehui opened up to it as well and soon started competing with the others as well.

    Like this, a few hours passed. Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui became friends with most of the people and eagerly fought them, talked and compared notes with them. She Meixiao returned together with the banchmaster after the inspection was finished.

    They stayed for the night and left early the next morning, as usual. Sheng Feilong and the others were used to this, while Yuanen Yehui also didn''t have a problem with waking up early. They were waiting for the train in the nearby city when She Meixiao spoke to them. "It seems like, that for the next year, we won''t be bothered and can focus on the inspection. Huang Jialong, I''d like for you to accompany me during the inspection some more. Feilong and Yehui, you can do as you please."

 168 The Perdix Douluo

    Time quietly passed by and by now, it was past noon. Sheng Feilong, She Meixiao and the others had just arrived at the branch of Daedalus. As planned, Huang Jialong went which She Meixiao while Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui went to the training facilities to meet up with the members of the branch.

    Like usual, they were sparring with each other, comparing notes and the such, though the start was a bit more bumpy as Huang Jialong wasn''t present. He was the most well known of them and everyone approached him quite casually while they didn''t dare to do so with Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui, who were from the headquarters on the Douluo Continent.

    Still, after warming up with each other, things continued normally and they quickly got to know each other, spending their day with heated competitions and training.

    Meanwhile, She Meixiao, Huang Jialong and the branchmaster of this branch had gone on with the inspection. Huang Jialong was taking notes and carefully remembering how these inspections were done while occasionally asking questions as well.

    He was quite content with his position and everything went smoothly as this branch of Daedalus was one of the best organized ones. After going through about half the branch, they took a break and the branchmaster left She Meixiao and Huang Jialong alone for a while.

    "So, what do you think?" She Meixiao asked, eyeing Huang Jialong calmly. The latter glanced at his notes, not at all bothered by his task. "It''s not that hard. As long as one knows how things are supposed to be, inspecting them isn''t much of a problem. Though I guess it gets more complicated once there are violations to the norm."

    She Meixiao nodded her head with a small smile. "Even then, it''s not too bad. Most things sort themselves out rather nicely and there aren''t many situations that force us to do much more work; If something isn''t up to specifications, the members of the branch are to resolve it. At most, we check back some time later."

    Huang Jialong put the notes to the side and looked at She Meixiao. "So, why did you want me to accompany you, Master?" She Meixiao paused and looked at him, before smiling lightly and giving a casual answer. "Because I want you to take over this work in the future."

    "What..?" Huang Jialong was obviously surprised by this, but She Meixiao just continued at the same pace. "You don''t have to take over tomorrow, but in the future. I want you to be able to take my position when the next inspection is to be done in a few years."

    "But, why me? I''m your in-name disciple, Master, so wouldn''t it be more appropriate for Feilong to take these responsibilities?" Huang Jialong said with a frown and slightly confused expression. Of course, he was glad that She Meixiao would give such a responsibility to him, but he couldn''t help but feel that it was weird.

    In response, She Meixiao only smiled at him. "Normally, yes, but I''m not training Feilong to take my position." Her words were somewhat cryptic, causing Huang Jialong to frown a bit more. "Not you position? Then, you want him to become the next leader after Senior She Tianhao?"

    "No, not the leader. You''ve been with Daedalus for a long time already, so I''m sure you''ve heard of the position that is equal, if not superior to the Leader of Daedalus, right?" She Meixiao once again smiled while giving a cryptic description.

    Huang Jialong tilted his head to the side for a moment, trying to get what She Meixiao was referring to before it clicked in his head. "The Perdix? Isn''t that just some rumour among the lower leveled members?"

    "No, it''s true." She Meixiao said with an appreciative expression as Huang Jialong really was well informed. "''Perdix'' is a real title, only meant for the strongest in Daedalus. The last time someone got that tile was 800 years ago."

    "Okay, but why? Isn''t the strongest normally the leader? Then why doesn''t have Senior She Tianhao the Perdix title?" Huang Jialong''s expression became more calm, while She Meixiao was still smiling at him like usual. "Because Daedalus'' Perdix Douluo may never become its leader."

    Huang Jialong looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "It''s more of a honorary title than anything else. The leader is the leader, while the Perdix Douluo is someone who usually keeps out of Daedalus'' daily business. They will only get involved if forced to by, let''s say, a powerful enemy attacking Daedalus and the leader not being able to fight them back on his own."

    "So, he''d be someone who has the same authority as the leader but doesn''t have to report to anyone?" Huang Jialong asked, causing She Meixiao to nod her head. "Yes, but it''s a bit more complicated. The first Perdix Douluo obtained his title after killing the leader of the time."

    Huang Jialong tensed up slightly and She Meixiao calmly continued on. "He was a Vice-Leader at the time, but much more powerful than the actual leader. Though, he was younger and left it to the leader instead. The leader was too ambitious for his own good and in the end, was killed by his Vice-Leader."

    "Then he became the new leader and took the title of Perdix Douluo?" A frown was on Huang Jialong''s face again, but She Meixiao shook her head. "No, he didn''t become the new leader. He gave the position of leader to the other Vice-Leader, while he proclaimed himself as the Perdix Douluo, a observant party. If the new leader made the same mistakes as the prior one, he''d take them out as well."

    "So, he''s like a type of law enforcement for the highest echelons?"

    "Exactly. If things go totally awry, the Perdix Douluo takes charge and sorts things out. But for that, they need to be strong enough to deal with the leader, the vice-leaders and other conspiritors at the same time - and alone, if need be." She Meixiao said, now with another small smile on her face.

    Huang Jialong finally seemed to understand and his eyebrows rose slightly. "So that''s why you want Feilong in that position. With his Spirit Essence, defeating a dozen Daedalus members at the same level, or even slightly above him, shouldn''t be a problem. The suppression when faced with it it just that ridiculous."

    She Meixiao smiled a bit more brightly, but Huang Jialong soon frowned again. "But, if he is that strong, why not just make him the leader? If he, as the leader, keeps things in a straight line, would we even need a Perdix Douluo?"

    She Meixiao''s smile turned into a small frown and she turned serious. "Lu Wangso, your former Master, isn''t the only one who''s that ambitious. After my father... went into seclusion, things have turned quite messy. And Vice-Leader Ye is getting more and more secretive. If it wasn''t for the state of things here on the Star Luo Continent, I would''ve liked to remain back to keep an eye on him. Though, giving him free reign here would''ve probably been worse."

    Before Huang Jialong could say something, someone knocked on the door, causing She Meixiao to smile. "Well, let''s talk about this later. We still have to finish an inspection." She opened the door, where the branchmaster was already waiting for them. Huang Jialong quietly followed her and they continued the inspection.

    A few hours later, they went over to the training facilities where they found Sheng Feilong, Yuanen Yehui and a few of the members of this branch talking about some things. Huang Jialong joined them while She Meixiao talked to the branchmaster, asking for accommodations for the four of them.

    As usual, they left early the next morning. Today, they didn''t have to walk as a member of the Daedalus branch drove them to the train station instead. Boarding the next train, they went towards their next destination.

 169 Returning To The Douluo Continen

    Together with She Meixiao, Huang Jialonga and Yuanen Yehui, Sheng Feilong spent months travelling all over the Star Luo Continent. During this time, Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui sparred with the members of the different Daedalus branches day after day, gaining more and more combat experience.

    Huang Jialong followed along with She Meixiao during the inspections of the branches and slowly but surely learned everything he needed to one day lead these inspections himself; During the later stages of the year long journey, She Meixiao even let him do the inspections himself, spectating from the side to see how well he does his work.

    Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui had been informed why She Meixiao takes Huang Jialong along with her every time instead of letting him stay with them. She had also told them why she didn''t take Sheng Feilong or Yuanen Yehui with her and only Huang Jialong.

    Remembering that She Meixiao said that she wanted Shaeng Feilong to accompany her to some day take over her position before they even left for the Star Luo Continent, Sheng Feilong was somewhat confused, but understood the situation; She Meixiao mentioned that what Huang Jialong was learning were only the responsibilities of a Vice-Leader.

    There weren''t that many branches of Daedalus on the Star Luo Continent, but due to the continent''s sheer size, they oftentimes spent days travelling from one branch to another. In addition to that, there were times where they had to spent multiple days at a single branch because some of them didn''t pass She Meixiao''s inspection.

    Huang Jialong''s cultivation speed somewhat dropped as he didn''t have as much time to cultivate as before, but he still managed to break through to become a Soul Emperor after a few months. The group took a break for a few days after his breakthrough, which gave Huang Jialong time to consolidate his cultivation, reaching rank 61 without a problem.

    With the constant and repeated battles against all types of Soul Master, Yuanen Yehui''s experience also skyrocketed, which was mirrored by her increasing cultivation speed. Although she still couldn''t quite keep up with Huang Jialong and Sheng Feilong, she was miles ahead when compared to her cultivation speed at Shrek Academy.

    As no one feared or frowned upon her Fallen Angel Spirit Essence, nor her Titan Giant Ape Spirit Essence, she was able to fully take advantage of the many powerful Soul Masters that gladly gave tips and advice to anyone that would listen.

    By the time Huang Jialong broke through to the Soul Emperor boundary, she was already close to becoming a Soul King and reached rank 50 just a few days after Huang Jialong consolidates his cultivation rank.

    Luckily for her, the group was currently at another branch of Daedalus where she could focus without worry and perfectly broke through within a few short hours. Due to some problems occurring during the inspection, they also had to remain at the branch for a few more days, giving Yuanen Yehui the extra time she needed to consolidate her cultivation.

    Sheng Feilong''s cultivation speed fell somewhat behind when compared to back home, mainly du to the reason that She Meixiao wanted for him to cultivate using the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence instead of his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes.

    All of the Daedalus bases were build in areas with naturally high amounts of dark and negative energy, making them very good cultivation grounds for every member of the organisation. Sheng Feilong''s Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyeswere a Spirit essence that was being restricted somewhat by that dark energy, thus slowing his cultivation.

    Still, She Meixiao wasn''t comfortable with letting him cultivate using the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence casually and always told him to only cultivate it under her supervision. Surprisingly, it''s cultivation speed wasn''t much faster than Sheng Feilong''s normal cultivation speed, even though the Spirit was much stronger than the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes and having the support of the high concentration of dark energy.

    Sheng Feilong even said that he felt burdened by cultivating using the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon inside the branches, causing She Meixiao to frown. The most common occurrence for such a feeling was an unsuitable cultivation environment, like cultivating a water Spirit Essence on the edge of a volcano.

    This caused Sheng Feilong some confusion, but She Meixiao guessed that it was due to one of the more uncommon reasons; A difference in quality of his Soul Power. She guessed that the Soul Power refined through the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was much denser of higher quality than what Sheng Feilong''s body was accustomed to, thus resulting in the burdening feeling.

    After testing this a few days, She Meixiao adjusted the training to using both of Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Essence to cultivate, using the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes for half of the usual time, just to see how well that worked out for Sheng Feilong.

    Surprisingly, the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes weren''t restricted by the negative energy in the vicinity and cultivating using them worked perfectly for Sheng Feilong. With time, the burden he felt while cultivating using the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon also lessened more and more until he was able to use it normally.

    As there were never any flare ups from the Demon Spirit during his cultivation, She Meixiao allowed Sheng Feilong to cultivate freely whenever he saw fit without her supervision. After that, his cultivation speed once again soared as he focused mostly on cultivation other than the regular spars against Daedalus'' members.

    After their group of four had been together for about a year, Sheng Feilong was already close to reaching the Soul Emperor boundary after recently reaching rank 59. He talked to She Meixiao for a while who ultimately recommended for him to wait a while longer and just strengthen his foundation on rank 59.

    Abiding her word, Sheng Feilong only broke through to the Soul Emperor boundary a few weeks later, long after Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui had finished their breakthroughs; Yuanen Yehui had already reached rank 52 by the time, while Huang Jialong was close to rank 63.

    Still, out of the three of them, the latter felt the most pressure. When they met Sheng Feilong was still only rank 54, while he was already at rank 59, but now there were barely even two ranks separating them.

    A few more weeks had passed since then and Sheng Feilong and the others were currently seated in a train towards the port city from which they had originally stepped foot on the Star Luo Continent; They had finished inspecting every single branch of Daedalus on the continent after one year and four months and were now about to return to the Douluo Continent.

    Huang Jialong and She Meixiao were sitting on one side of their booth inside the train, while Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui shared the other; They had grown closer during the year of seeing and spending time with each other nearly every single day.

    However, that wasn''t what was on Sheng Feilong''s mind. Currently, his thoughts were focused on the Douluo Continent. He hadn''t been in contact with his father or Master, Song Weihan, for a year and a half by now. And there were still two more months of travelling back to the Douluo Continent by ship left.

    They had already booked tickets for the journey back and everyone entered their assigned cabins after boarding. This time, the ship was much more quiet as the political delegation had already left months ago; There weren''t any banquets or parties planned and it was a quiet journey back, one that might even be called boring.

    Time passed by again, peacefully and without any mishaps, and they were scheduled to reach the Douluo Continent the very next day when Sheng Feilong stood on deck of the ship. Yuanen Yehui wandered over the ship when she noticed him staring into the distance with a blank expression. "Are you okay?"

    "Hm?" Sheng Feilong turned around, facing her and soon smiled. "Oh, yeah, don''t worry. I was just thinking about what to say to my father and Master." Yuanen Yehui smiled back at him and shrugged. "Maybe something like ''I''m back'' and that you''ve missed them?"

    "I haven''t seen them in a year and 8 months. It''s not like I''m returning from a day long trip." Sheng Feilong rolled his eyes, but still smiled. "Well, then what do you want to do?"

    Sheng Feilong paused for a while, thinking about it, before speaking up with a calm expression. "Maybe I''ll fight my father..." Yuanen Yehui looked at him like he was an idiot. "What? What kind of greeting is that after not seeing them for years?"

    "Well, my father likes strength. And I think I''m already stronger than him. He''d be super happy and proud." Sheng Feilong replied with a straight face, to which Yuanen Yehui just sighed. "Still, that''s not how you should greet him, or anyone for that matter. At least wait until later before you start bragging."

    "I guess you''re right..." Sheng Feilong said, then suddenly started smirking and looked at Yuanen Yehui. "Well, then maybe I should introduce you to him. He''d love to see me with a girlfriend." Yuanen Yehui flinched before her head turned bright red. Her face contorted in anger before stomping away. "Idiot!"

    Sheng Feilong laughed at her before casually jogging after her. "Wait for me!"

 170 Update

    @@

    I''m really sorry there weren''t any chapters yesterday or today.

    My mother was hospitalized yesterday after noon and I wasn''t in the ''mood'' for writing.

    She''s getting better now, so no need to worry!

    I''ll try to catch up with the missing chapter during the easter weekend!

    Normal releases will re-start tomorrow!@@

 170 Meeting The Parent And Master!

    A few hours had passed and Sheng Feilong, alongside Yuanen Yehui, She Meixiao and Huang Jialong, were eagerly awaiting the time the ship docks at the port. Even regular people could already see the Douluo Continent at the horizon; It wouldn''t be much longer until the arrive.

    Among them, Huang Jialong was probably the least excited one and looked more vary than anything else. As a native from the Star Luo Continent, this was his first time seeing the Douluo Continent. He heard from She Meixiao that it wasn''t that different, especially in regards to Daedalus, but he still couldn''t fully suppress his worries about the uncertainties.

    As always, She Meixiao had a faint smile on her face, making it hard for anyone to guess what she was thinking, much less how she was feeling about their return. Still, after two months of travelling on sea, it could be assumed that she was at least glad to soon have solid ground beneath her feet.

    Sheng Feilong was in a different situation compared to them; He was honestly excited to see his father and Song Weihan again and couldn''t wait to reach the Douluo Continent. A lot of things had happened during the time on the Star Luo Continent; From fighting Long Yue and refuting the Emperor, to the dozens of Daedalus bases and lastly, the person currently standing next to him.

    Unlike Sheng Feilong, Yuanen Yehui wasn''t just excited about returning to the Douluo Continent. After what happened to Elder Cai when she joined Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao, Yuanen Yehui couldn''t help but fear repercussions from Shrek Academy.

    Yet, none of them had happened yet. She hadn''t heard of Shrek Academy doing or planning anything, nor did her Clan contact her in any way. This complete lack of anything happening left her with an uneasy feeling; A feeling as if something was about to happen.

    Sheng Feilong noticed her unease and casually grabbed her hand. Yuanen Yehui flinched and stared at him, only to be met with a confident smile. She turned her head back and glanced downwards, but didn''t pull her hand away, which caused Sheng Feilong to smirk.

    Slowly, more and more people started coming to the deck to look at the coastline. With the Douluo Continent in plain sight, people got more emotional. Not everyone was able to deal with the two months of travel as well as Sheng Feilong and the others; Some were openly laughing to express their joy, while some others had to suppress tears.

    Those were mostly commoners, but even some Soul Masters started getting to get infected by the heated atmosphere. The closer they got tot the shore, the more elated people became. Slowly, they started to spot people they know among the crowds at the port.

    Compared to them, Sheng Feilong and the other''s were much more calm and collected. There also wasn''t anyone to come and get them; As they were already travelling with She Meixiao, there wasn''t any need to do so.

    Soon, they docked the port and started to get off the ship. Sheng Feilong and the others made their way through the crowd, looking for a more quiet place to plan on how to go back to the Daedalus headquarters. Three of them were smiling, while Huang Jialong was still somewhat cautious.

    As She Meixiao had told him, everything was somewhat different, though not too much. Apparently, this was just one of the coastal cities on the Douluo Continent and it naturally couldn''t be compared to places like Heaven Dou City or even Shrek City.

    After some time, the four of them were already on the road again; She Meiixao had rented a car and was driving them back to Starling City, where the Daedalus Headquarters were located. Still, with their current speed, they only reached the city by dusk. From there, they travelled a bit north until they finally reached the headquarters.

    Sheng Feilong''s eyes lit up soon after as he saw Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan already standing in front of the entrance, waiting for them. Both of them hadn''t changed much from how they looked before, with the exception of both of them looking much more in-place with Daedalus.

    When Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao left to set out to the Star Luo Contiennt, they had barely been at Daedalus for half a year and hardly gotten used to living and working their, but now, after another one and a half years, they were totally content with their place, something that could clearly be seen on both of their faces.

    Following after She Meixiao, Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui stepped out of the car and all four of them walked over to Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan. The latter two were surprised to see two unfamiliar faces instead of just Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao, but didn''t mind at all other than that.

    Sheng Feilong was the first to step forward and stand in front of both of them with a huge smile on his face. Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan didn''t say anything and only smiled back at him, the former looking him up and down and nodding his head repeatedly. "Master, Father, I''m back!"

    The two of them looked at him again, Song Weihan just with a smile on his face, nodding in acknowledgement, while Sheng Lingtian''s smile grew wider until it matched Sheng Feilong. "Welcome home, Feilong."

    The three of them ignored the others for a moment, before She Meixiao cleared her throat loudly, pulling them out of their own little world. Sheng Lingtian laughed somewhat awkwardly, while Song Weihan casually strode over to She Meixiao. "Welcome back, Madam She."

    "Thank you, Sir Song. Though I have to admit, it''s always funny to see you act so emotional around Feilong." She Meixiao smiled at Song Weihan, giving a rather strange remark, that Song Weihan brushed of with a chuckle. She Meixiao''s eyebrows rose slightly and she looked at him with surprise. "Your reputation as a genius is truly well deserved, Sir Song... Congratulations."

    Song Weihan took the compliment with a calm smile and expressed his thanks, leaving Sheng Feilong and the other''s, save for Sheng Lingtian, confused. She Meixiao was referring to Song Weihan''s cultivation level, something that Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui were too weak to determine.

    Despite being barely over 40 years of age, Song Weihan had already reached the threshold of a Hyper Douluo; The very limit of a rank 93 Titled Douluo. Judging his foundation as well, She Meixiao was certain that he could actually break through to rank 94 whenever he wanted to, but was still refraining from doing so for some unknown reason.

    Finally, Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian turned to the two unfamiliar faces, the latter speaking to She Meixiao in a casual tone. "And who might these two be?" She Meixiao mentioned for them to introduce themselves, causing Huang Jialong to take a step forward. "Greeting, Senior. My name is Huang Jialong. I''ve become Master She''s disciple during her travels on the Star Luo Continent."

    "You''re not a native of the Douluo Continent?" Song Weihan was surprised that Huang Jialong would come to the Douluo Continent with She Meixiao alone, but didn''t question him any further after he nodded with a calm smile.

    Sheng Lingtian didn''t really mind this as much as Song Weihan and just acknowledged him with a nod as he saw Sheng Feilong smile. Then, he turned towards Yuanen Yehui who had remained quiet with her head slightly lowered until now. "And who might you be?"

    Yuanen Yehui flinched and looked at Sheng Lingtian while fidgeting a bit. "Greetings, Senior. My name is Yuanen Yehui. I am new member of Daedalus, that was invited by Senior She and Feilong during their travels on the Star Luo Continent. I''m originally a student of Shrek Academy."

    Before Sheng Lingtian could say anything, Sheng Feilong chimed in with a smile. "I think I''ve told you about her before, father, Master. She''s the Soul Master with the Fallen Angel Spirit Essence from Shrek''s second grade."

    "Ah, yes, you did tell me about her before. I didn''t expect her to join Daedalus, though." Song Weihan spoke with a small smile as he noticed her nervousness. Yuanen Yehui was still fidgeting around a bit as Sheng Lingtian still hadn''t said anything.

    She cautiously looked up at the latter, only to see Sheng Lingtian intently stare at her with a distraught expression. His eyes were shaking a little and his mouth was slightly opened. The others noticed his look as well, causing Sheng Feilong to nudge his shoulder. "Father?"

    "Ah, I''m sorry. You said your name is Yuanen Yehui? It''s nice to meet you. I''m Sheng Lingtian, but you can just call me uncle Sheng." He quickly snapped out of his daze and showed a strained smile while introducing himself. He turned towards Huang Jialong, still smiling. "The same goes for you, of course; Just call me uncle Sheng."

    He hid it very well, but with their high Spirit Power, She Meixiao and Song Weihan could clearly feel the grief behind Sheng Lingtian''s smile. The same goes for Sheng Feilong; He had never seen his father like this. "Father, are you okay..?"

    The latter smiled wryly again and nodded towards Sheng Feilong. "Don''t worry, I''m alright. I just remembered something unpleasant." Sheng Feilong looked concerned, but didn''t question his father further and nodded his head lightly.

    "Ah, that''s right!" Sheng Feilong suddenly blurted out. The other''s looked at him with surprise before he walked over to Yuanen Yehui''s side and once again grabber her hand. Song Weihan rose an eyebrow while She Meixiao and Huang Jialong smirked slightly.

    Sheng Feilong pulled her along and stepped a bit closer to Sheng Lingtain and Song Weihan with a broad smile on his face. "Sorry; I should''ve said this sooner. Father, Master, Yehui is my girlfriend. I hope you two will give us your blessings!"

 171 Sheng Lingtians Trouble

    "Oh..?" Song Weihan''s eyebrows rose after he heard Sheng Feilong. With his hands behind his back, he looked at Yuanen Yehui, seemingly waiting for something, while the latter didn''t dare to meet his gaze; She hadn''t expected Sheng Feilong to be this blunt and was furiously blushing.

    All of them were silent for two or three seconds before Sheng Feilong''s broad smile became somewhat awkward. Though before he could say anything, Song Weihan started chuckling. "Good, Feilong. Really good! You''re gone for a year and a half, come back stronger and bring along a girlfriend like it''s nothing."

    His words sounded nice, but Song Weihan''s tone made it hard to guess how he was actually feeling about the situation. Sheng Feilong''s smile dimmed down somewhat and he looked at Song Weihan with a serious expression, which caused the latter to chuckle some more. "You''re really bold."

    Again, Sheng Feilong''s expression became a bit more complicated, but Song Weihan suddenly started laughing and actually shot him a thumbs up. He spoke up again, his voice much more jubilant and glad. "You really are something. Well, you have my blessings or whatever, but be sure to take responsibility for your choice. Got it?"

    Sheng Feilong grabbed Yuanen Yehui''s hand a bit tighter, causing her to flinch a little as well. He nodded his head with a smile and a determined glint in his eyes. "I will, Master." He turned to face Sheng Lingtian, who was staring at Yuanen Yehui with a complicated expression again, and frowned. "Father?"

    Sheng Lingtian looked at Sheng Feilong and nodded his head with a small smile. "Take good care of her, you hear?" Sheng Feilong hesitated for a moment, but nodded his head; Something was wrong with his father today, but he wasn''t sure what. ''I''ll better ask him later... He doesn''t seem to want to talk about it in front of everyone...''

    Tossing these thoughts to the back of his head, Sheng Feilong looked at his father and spoke up in a small voice. "I will. Thank you, father." Song Weihan and She Meixiao noticed the slight awkwardness between the two of them and glanced at each other before She Meixiao took a few steps over to them and put her hand on Sheng Feilong''s shoulder.

    She smiled at him and spoke in a teasing voice. "How about we go in, make ourselves at home and talk in peace later? If you continue like this, I fear that Yuanen Yehui might faint from embarrassment."

    Just as She Meixiao said, Yuanen Yehui was still blushing furiously and didn''t dare raise her head. Needless to say, her words didn''t help the situation and only embarrassed Yuanen Yehui even more, but they served their purpose of making Sheng Feilong aware of the situation.

    He awkwardly scratched his head, looking at Yuanen Yehui and laughed lightly. She Meixiao, Huang Jialong and Song Weihan made their way inside and Sheng Feilong follwed behind them just a moment later, pulling Yuanen Yehui with him by her hand.

    Sheng Lingtian stood outside for a moment longer, looking at Sheng Feilong''s and Yuanen Yehui''s back with a complicated and pained expression before heaving a long sigh and shaking his head. "Just what are you thinking, Sheng Lingtian... It''s impossible. She''s been dead for so many years by now..."

    Scolding himself, Sheng Lingtian continued to shake his head for a moment longer, then more or less soullessly followed behind them, his pained expression now washed away by a gentle and calm smile.

    --------------------------

    Despite being absent for a year and a half, She Meixiao still had full control over the headquarters and effortlessly managed to have rooms for Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui prepared. The former''s room was close to the others, just not directly next to them, which was completely fine with Huang Jialong himself; He liked having room to breath, especially since it was already pre-planned that he''d spent most of his days with Sheng Feilong and the others.

    Sheng Feilong took his old room again, while Sheng Lingtian had moved to the one adjacent to it some time ago. Just a few doors away was Song Weihan''s. She Meixiao informed them that the other room next to Sheng Feilong''s was, coincidentally, free as well and promptly assigned Yuanen Yehui to it.

    Later that day, Sheng Feilong, as well as She Meixiao, Huang Jialonga nd Yuanen Yehui, met up with Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan again and continued to have a peaceful talk about what happened during the time they were on the Star Luo Continent, just like She Meixiao had suggested.

    Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian and heard a bit about what had happened their; mostly some general information about aquatic Soul Beasts attacking their ship on their travel there, as well as the results of the tournament held by the Star Luo Empire and news from the politic delegation, but barely knew any details.

    Though the news of Tang Wulin, Shrek Academy''s team captain, being critically injured in the solo competition and ''She Feilong'', Shrek Academy''s reserve participant, beating the Star Luo Continent''s greatest genius of the younger generation, Long Yue, up so badly because ofit that the Emperor himself had to interfere, had spread to them like a wildfire.

    Having not met them in such a long time, Sheng Feilong was especially talk active and gladly told them about any of the details about what had happened and then some. He left the heavier topics like Gu Yue coming after him and him refuting the Emperor out as to not spoil the mood, but it still made for a good story.

    Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian were also talking about what had happened during their absence rather openly, but there weren''t any wild stories; Their daily life at Daedalus was much calmer than what Sheng Feilong and the others had experienced in that time.

    Still, the news of Song Weihan reaching the peak of rank 93 Titled Douluo left Sheng Feilong in awe. Not only that, but Sheng Lingtian had also reached the peak of rank 70 and would break through to become a Soul Saint in the near future.

    She Meixiao and Huang Jialong also told the stories of how the latter happened to join them on their journey back to the Doulou Continent despite Huang Jialong being a native fo the Star Luo Empire. He briefly mentioned being an orphan as he could tell that Song Weihan was interested in the matter as it was weird for a teen like Huang Jialong to take on such a journey alone.

    They acknowledged this without a hitch and Song Weihan''s personality did a great job at keeping the mood light hearted despite the topic of Huang Jialong''s family.

    With time, Yuanen Yehui also started to open up to them a bit more. At least to the point where she would join in the on the conversation from time to time. Sheng Lingtian and Song Weihan also didn''t ask her about anything personal as they both understood how awkward her position was for her.

    They continued to talk well into the night, eating dinner and drinking from time to time, until finally calling it a day after a long while. She Meixiao was the first to excuse herself, but didn''t go for the direction of her quarters, but the administrative offices; It seemed she still had something to do at this hour.

    Huang Jialong and Song Weihan left shortly after, leaving Sheng Feilong, Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Lingtian behind, who also made their ways to their quarters. However, for Sheng Feilong, the night didn''t end yet.

    After dropping Yuanen Yehui off at her room, he didn''t go to his but instead his fathers and lightly knocked on the door. Sheng Lingtian didn''t look surprised to seem him and instead sighed lightly and invited him to sit down at the table with him.

    Sheng Feilong looked concerned as his father''s earlier calm and cheerful manner had returned to thecomplicated and pained expression he had shown when he was introduced to Yuanen Yehui. "Father, what''s wrong? You haven''t been looking good since we returned."

    Sheng Lingtian sighed once more. "It''s a bit complicated, Feilong..." The latter looked at him with a somewhat weird expression and carefully thought about what to say next. "It''s about Yehui, isn''t it, Father? Do you not like her..?"

    "No no, that''s not it. She''s a lovely young girl." Sheng Lingtian shook his head, but that didn''t convince Sheng Feilong in the slightest. "Then what''s wrong? You''ve been looking at her with such a strange, pained expression this whole time. I know you tried to hide it when we were all together, but you can''t fool me that easily."

    Sheng Lingtian closed his mouth for a moment and hesitated before looking at Sheng Feilong. "Her last name is Yuanen, right? Is she from some Clan?" Sheng Feilong nodded his head, but had a confused expression on his face. Sheng Lingtian continued with a downcast look. "Are you really sure about that?"

    "What do you mean, father? Yehui''s from the Yuanen Clan. Master She confirmed that and even Shrek Academy knows that. Why are you asking something like that?" Sheng Lingtian sighed again, but still talked under Sheng Feilong''s pressuring gaze. "I couldn''t believe it at first, hence why I was so stunned when I saw her. She looks exactly like Beifong when she was younger."

    Sheng Feilong was taken aback. He knew exactly who Sheng Lingtian was talking about, but his father always avoided to talk about her. Sheng Feilong guessed that he couldn''t cope with the loss yet and never asked about her. "...She looks like mother?"

 172 Luo Beifong

    Hey there, Yozuka here!

    Though I''ve said it in the comments a few times already, I thought it would be a good idea to clarify things: Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui will NOT be relatives.

    I''ve used Yuanen Yehui looking similar to Sheng Feilong''s mother as a method to introduce Sheng Feilong''s mother.

    This chapter will go into more detail about her and pretty much set the stage for the beginning of the next arc.

    Again, they will not be related and there will be no incest. Calm down. :D

    Enjoy the chapter!

    ---------------------------

    Sheng Lingtian looked at Sheng Feilong and lightly nodded his head with a nostalgic expression. "I first met your mother when I was barely a few years older than you are now. I was travelling around outside of the clan and passed through a small town. Your mother was there, selling produce from her parent''s farm with her sister; your aunt Mei."

    "But how could she look similar to Yehui? Aunt Mei doesn''t, does she?" Sheng Feilong frowned, noticeably confused. He couldn''t quite remember how his mother looked like, but his aunt certainly looked nothing like Yuanen Yehui.

    Sheng Lingtian lightly shook his head. "They were both quite the beauties, but in different ways. Your aunt Mei has always been bold and outspoken and she was actually the one to approach me and offer me vegetables for a low price, despite already knowing that I''m a Soul Master."

    Usually, commoners would mostly avoid dealing with Soul Master due to the fear incited by the vast difference in strength and status, thus it was weird for Luo mei to approach Sheng Lingtian like that.

    "People around us looked at her in shock, but she didn''t care in the least and began to show off all of the stuff she had in her bag. Your mother was panic stricken and tried to stop your aunt. I didn''t notice it before due to their plain clothing, but your mother was truly beautiful, even in those haggard rags." Sheng Lingtian continued, a small smile on his face as he remembered his late wife.

    Sheng Feilong silently listened in, still confused about the claim that his mother and Yuanen Yehui looked alike, but he was captivated by the story about his own mother who he could barely even remember. "So, what happened then?"

    "I bought all of their stock and practically ran to the next inn to hide." Sheng Lingtian said with a genuine happiness in his voice. Sheng Feilong stared at him, but the latter continued before he could say anything. "You see, after seeing your mother, I stared at her for a solid ten seconds; Long enough for anyone to think the worst of the worst. People began looking at me weirdly, while your mother seemed terrified."

    Sheng Lingtian smiled even more brightly. "A small, but equally slender figure, long, glossy black hair and fair skin with a beautiful face and crystal clear blue eyes the likes of which I had never seen before... I simply couldn''t avert my gaze from her..."

    "...That doesn''t sound quite like Yehui, though?" Sheng Feilong remarked while committing the description of his mother to memory. Sheng Lingtian smiled at him with a complicated expression. "Other than the colour of her hair and eyes, the two of them looked practically identical; They''re both equally beautiful."

    Sheng Feilong''s lips twitched, but he still remained silent while Sheng Lingtian continued like nothing happened. "I made sure everyone understood that I had no ulterior motive while leaving and for the rest of the day, nothing happened; I went to find an inn, waited for Fengtian and also got enough provisions to last us about two weeks."

    "...But something happened after that day, right?" Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but comment on it, causing Sheng Lingtian to nod with a heavy expression. "That night, Mei''er came to Fengtian and I''s room, haggard looking with tattered clothing and begged us to help her while crying her eyes out."

    Sheng Feilong tensed up hearing this. He only knew Luo Mei as a headstrong woman who was even more stubborn that Sheng Fengtian; He simply couldn''t imagine her crying in sorrow and begging someone for anything, but Sheng Lingtian explained the situation quickly. "They had been on their way back to their village just some distance away from the small town when they were attacked by unknown people ¨C bandits that roamed the forest in the area."

    The frown on Sheng Lingtian''s face deepened and his voice grew even heavier than before. "They were captured and the bandits wanted to take your mother and aunt with them. They knocked your mother out and Mei''er only managed to escape due to one of them being careless. She ran all the way back to the town without ever stopping and came looking for me; A Soul Master and the only person she could think of who could defeat a band of bandits before anything happened to your mother."

    Sheng Lingtian heaved a long sigh with an incredibly pained expression. "I''ll spare you the details, but I... didn''t manage to find her before something happened... Your mother was in terrible condition." Sheng Lingtian''s hands were shivering slightly from anger. "I still don''t dare to imagine what she had to endure, even if it was barely more than half an hour..."

    Sheng Feilong''s expression fell, a murderous aura seeping out of him. "They... laid their hands on mother...?" A short moment of silence ensued, before Sheng Lingtian nodded, the same murderous aura seeping out of him. "What followed was a bloodbath. The savages, in front of a Soul Elder, were no different from sheep waiting to be slaughtered. I later brought your mother back to the town where Fengtian and Mei''er were waiting for us."

    Sheng Feilong remained quiet, but the murderous aura was slowly vanishing as Sheng Lingtian continued. "Needless to say, they were furious. Quite a few people had noticed the commotion and knew what was going on. They wanted to riot to get rid off these savages and Mei''er was actually the first to rile them up. She only calmed down after I took out the heads of every last one of them from my Spacial Ring... This was the first time I had ever taken a human''s life."

    "They didn''t deserve to live any longer." Without hesitation, Sheng Feilong blurted these words out, his voice eerily calm. Sheng Lingtian didn''t comment on it, but sighed lightly again. "Fengtian and I escorted your mother and aunt Mei back to their village first thing in the morning; Mei''er didn''t leave your mother''s side for even a second."

    At this point, Sheng Feilong calmed down, while Sheng Lingtian''s voice became softer again. "We met with their parents for the first time and remained with them for a long time. That day was actually the first time I heard of your mother''s name: Luo Beifong."

    "So, you brought mother with you back to the Clan after that?" Sheng Feilong asked with a small smile to which Sheng Lingtian simply nodded. "Yes. Fengtian and Mei''er fell for each other while your mother and I also got closer. It was her parents that asked us to take them back with us; To give them a better future than they could."

    "Was mother really okay with all this?" Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but ask as he thought about what had happened to her, though Sheng Lingtian simply smiled in response. "Your mother was stronger than you can imagine. She was timid, but she never let what happened get to her."

    Sheng Feilong remained silent for a long time before looking at Sheng Lingtian again. "Father... what happened when I was four years old? What happened to mother..?" Sheng Lingtian looked at him with a sad expression and answered with a small voice. "Your mother always had a weak body... It got worse after she finally became pregnant and she never really recovered from it after you were born..."

    "So she died... because of me?" Sheng Feilong spoke with a meek voice after a long silence, to which Sheng Lingtian sternly replied while staring at him. "No. Neither your mother nor I would ever blame you for what happened to her. The years after you were born were by far the happiest of both of our lives. Nothing will ever change that."

    Sheng Feilong was taken aback by his father''s sudden change of tone, but nodded his head with a relieved expression afterwards. The two of them remained silent for a moment again before Sheng Feilong sighed and laughed lightly. "Somehow, I really want to see Uncle Fengtian and Aunt Mei again..."

    He didn''t seem to notice Sheng Lingtian''s change in expression and continued with a genuine smile on his face. "I haven''t seen them in years... Father, do you think we could visit them soon?"

    Sheng Feilong looked at his father, only to see the latter with a strange expression on his face; It was a mix of sadness, pain and anger and his face had contorted badly. Sheng Feilong was shocked by the sudden change as he didn''t know what was going on. "Father?"

    Sheng Lingtian remained quiet for a long time, with Sheng Feilong calling out to him again and again, even rocking his shoulder, before he finally spoke with a grave voice in a defeated, meek tone. "Feilong, that... won''t be possible..."

    "Why not? Are they in trouble?" Sheng Feilong nearly instantly replied. He had never seen his father like this, but it was obvious that something was going on. Sheng Lingtian clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "Feilong, I need you to remain calm now..."

    (A/N: Ah, yes, another wonderful cliff, enough to move the heart of this Author. I pride myself with my prowess; No shame, no excuses!)

 173 The Sheng Clans Fate

    "Remain calm? What do you mean, father?" Sheng Feilong looked at Sheng Lingtian, clearly confused by the latter''s statement. Sheng Lingtian looked at him gravely for a few seconds, before taking a deep breath. "The Sheng Clan... has ceased to exist."

    Sheng Feilong was taken aback, but still more confused than anything else. "What you mean? Has Sheng Hentian done something again? And why can''t we visit uncle Fengtian and aunt Mei?" Faced with his father''s grave expression, Sheng Feilong turned somewhat frantic.

    Sheng Lingtian continued to stare at him with the same grave expression as before. Originally, he didn''t want to tell Sheng Feilong what happened to the Sheng Clan; At least not until She Meixiao and Song Weihan were certain that he could handle the truth, but he couldn''t hold himself back any longer. "...You deserve to know the truth, Feilong..."

    "Father, seriously, what are you talking about?" Sheng Feilong was growing irritated, before Sheng Lingitan finally got to the point. "The Sheng Clan has ceased to exist; It''s exactly as I''m saying."

    Sheng Feilong remained quiet, staring at his father with an questioning expression. Sheng Lingtian''s expression was still grave, but he had calmed down by now and was speaking with a steady voice. "After you vanished during Shrek Academy''s Year End Examination, the Sheng Clan was attacked. Everything was destroyed."

    "Destroyed? Father, stop joking. This isn''t funny." Sheng Feilong frowned, getting more irritated by the second as he couldn''t believe that Sheng Lingtian was being serious. Still, the latter ignored his commend and continued talking. "A few days after you vanished, Song Weihan was informed by his men that the Sheng Clan had been burned down. No survivors were found and everything was destroyed."

    Sheng Feilong opened his mouth again, but before he could say anything, Sheng Lingtian continued while staring at him. "Song Weihan sent some of his best men to investigate this matter, but none of them ever returned. The Sheng Clan didn''t have any enemies. The only reason to ever attack them would be our bloodline. And the only ones that know about this bloodline, other than the few us us, were the people of Shrek Academy."

    Sheng Feilong stared at Sheng Lingtian with his eyes wide open and an expressionless face. He didn''t say anything and waited for Sheng Lingtian to continue. "After you disappeared, we didn''t know that an evil Soul Master was involved. You vanished and soon after, the Sheng Clan was erased. However, there was no blood on the scene. Everyone was simply gone."

    The atmosphere surrounding Sheng Feilong and Sheng Lingtian grew more tense the mre Sheng Lingtian said. He couldn''t guess anything that Sheng Feilong was currently thinking and simply continued to speak. "Everything happened within a single night. No witnesses, no clues to what happened and everything was burned down."

    "Was that the reason you and Master attacked Shrek Academy back then?" Sheng Feilong''s voice was completely calm, with no trace of any emotion being able to be made out. Sheng Lingtian slowly nodded his head. "Shrek Academy refused any involvement in the matter other than admitting that they failed to observe your exam properly."

    Something clicked in Sheng Feilong''s head and he calmly nodded. He was eerily calm, something that only happened to him when his anger reached its peak, but the aura radiating off of him told otherwise. Although it wasn''t directed at him, just being near Sheng Feilong sent shivers down Sheng Lingtian''s spine.

    "Father." Sheng Fielong spoke up, still eerily calm with no traces of any emotion in his voice. "I didn''t tell you or Master this before, but during our stay on the Star Luo Continent, someone from Shrek Academy tried to kill me."

    Sheng Lingtian''s eyes widened as Sheng Feilong began recounting his encounter with Gu Yue and the unknown Soul Douluo, as well as the clash between She Meixiao and Elder Cai, also inclding the fact that Elder Cai struck out towards him when Yuanen Yehui joined them.

    He began telling the story behind Gu Yue attacking him, what she said the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was as well as the fact that She Meixiao was heavily injured after going after Gu Yue later. Sheng Lingtian silently listened to everything Sheng Feilong said, his expression turning more and more angry by the minute.

    After Sheng Feilong was finished, Sheng Lingtian looked at him, still shocked about what he just heard, as well as Sheng Feilong''s eerily calm demeanor. He took another deep breath and tried to speak as calmly as possible. "We need to inform Song Weihan before we do anything else. He and She Meixiao were investigating if Shrek Academy was really involved with the Clan''s matters."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head and slowly stood up. "I''ll go back to my room then. We''ll talk to Master tomorrow... I''m tired." Sheng Lingtian knew that Sheng Feilong was in a bad condition, especially mentally, but he didn''t know what to say. Instead, he blankly nodded his head, letting Sheng Feilong leave.

    Returning to his room, Sheng Feilong carefully closed the door behind him. He just stood inside the room for a few seconds before his body started shaking lightly. His expressionless facade cracked and two rows of hot tears started trickling down his cheeks. He fell backwards, onto the ground and leaned against the door with his back.

    "Lijing, Uncle Fengtian, Aunt Mei.... This can''t be true...." Finally, everything caught up to him and Sheng Feilong broke down, silently crying to himself while hugging his knees, all just to not worry his father too much...

    <Why do you still not let your anger roam free?>

    -----------------

    The next morning Sheng Lingitan went over to Sheng Feilong''s room first after waking up. He stayed there for a moment after knocking on the door, but didn''t hear any sounds from the inside. He didn''t think much about it and simply went for the dining hall for breakfast, as usual.

    She Meixiao, Huang Jialong, Song Weihan and even Yuanen Yehui were already there, but Sheng Feilong was nowhere to be seen. Sheng Lingtian sat down with them, but Song Weihan soon noticed that he wasn''t quite himself. "Brother Lingtian, is everything alright? You don''t look good."

    Sheng Lingtian stopped what he was doing, his hand stopping midway to his mouth before he lowered it and looked at Song Weihan with a tired expression. "I''ve had a talk with Feilong yesterday... One thing lead to another and it wasn''t quite pleasant..."

    "What do you mean? Did you get into a fight?" She Meixiao chimed in with a calm expression. Sheng Lingtian shook his head. "We were talking about his mother." She Meixiao and Song Weihan paused. They didn''t know the details, but were aware that Sheng Feilong''s mother, Sheng Lingtian''s wife, had died when the former was still little. "...I''ve also told him about the clan."

    Song Weihan''s and She Meixiao''s expressions changed drastically and the former jumped to his feet near instantly, startling Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui greatly. "You did what?! Didn''t we have an agreement?! That we wouldn''t tell him until we were certain that it wouldn''t have bad consequences?!"

    Sheng Lingtian didn''t answer and only sighed instead, causing She Meixiao to frown. "How did he take it..?" Sheng Lingtian also frowned lightly. "..He was eerily calm about it." Song Weihan expected Sheng Feilong to go ballistic when he heard about the Sheng Clan''s fate and was confused, while She Meixiao got a bad feeling. "Where is he?"

    "Probably still in his room. I didn''t see him leave." Sheng Lingtian replied, to which She Meixiao also stood up and looked at Song Weihan. "We better go and look after him."

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui looked at each other with equally confused expression, but judging from how tense She Meixiao and Song Weihan seemed, they understood that something serious was going on.

    Song Weihan and She Meixiao directly went for Sheng Feilong''s room, followed by Sheng Lingtian, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui. She Meixiao knocked on the door to no avail, causing her and Song Weihan to frown even more.

    They entered the room, but what they saw shocked them even more. Sheng Feilong was lying curled up on the floor with a blank expression, but his whole body was lightly shaking. Bits of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s signature ash grey miasma flaring up around him from time to time. "Feilong?!"

    Song Weihan stormed over to his side and grabbed his shoulder only to pull back his hand with a burning feeling; Just touching Sheng Feilong lead to the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s corrosive gas to flare up immediately. The others also stormed into the room with shocked expressions, Sheng Lingtian and Yuanen Yehui also reaching out to grab Sheng Feilong, causing Song Weihan to snap at them. "Don''t touch him!"

    "It''s his Spirit Essence''s corrosive gas. You''ll only hurt yourselves." He turned back to Sheng Feilong, whose eyes were still opened, though unfocused, and tried to talk to him. "Feilong, can you hear me?" He tried getting Sheng Feilong''s attention again and again without success. The other''s pitched in as well, calling out to him repeatedly, though with the same result as Song Weihan.

    Sheng Feilong was completely unable to hear them, nor could he feel Song Weihan grabbing his shoulder before. Although he was conscious, he wasn''t able to interact with them and was instead trapped in his own spiritual consciousness. The only thing he could hear was the otherworldly voice of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s spirit inside his head.

    <You were too weak to protect them. Let your anger lead you. Let me take control to take revenge in your stead.>

 174 A Terrifying Scheme

    Sheng Feilong stood alone amidst the darkness surrounding him. He could only vaguely make out the faint silhouettes of the ruined castle that always remained in his spiritual consciousness. He was unable to see anything outside of the outlines of the ruin''s walls; No forms of the familiar wasteland with its deep ravines, nor any light from the border to the silvery white world on the other side.

    The only thing that stood out from the darkness was the pitch black, grotesque throne on the pedestal in front of him, still with the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon bound to it by the strange black chains; The greenish flames from within the demon spirit''s half-hollow skull staring down on him.

    Sheng Feilong swallowed dryly. He didn''t know how he ended up in front of it; The last thing he remembered was breaking down in his room, crying because of what his father told him about the Sheng Clan. And the all too familiar, otherworldly voice of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s spirit... "You brought me here..?"

    He stared directly at it, still able to remain calm despite its presence as he could clearly see the black chains binding it to the throne, denying it of all freedom of movement. The ghastly flaes within its skull flicked slightly and the booming, otherworldly voice echoed out with in Sheng Feilong''s head.

    <Again you refuse the power that is rightfully yours.>

    "What?" Sheng Feilong frowned, not understanding what it was talking about. Normally, he''d be incredibly vary of the demon''s spirit, but something was different with it this time. It was nearly as if it... "You... you''re capable of sane thoughts..?"

    Usually, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was driven by its anger and hatred whenever the spirit showed itself, craving destruction and trying to take over his body, but this time, it seemed completely calm. The flames inside its skull flickered again shortly after.

    <Again you refuse to destroy what does not deserve to exist.>

    "...What are you talking about?" Sheng Feilong stared at it, still not understanding what the spirit was talking about. The flames flickered again, more ominously this time, but the voice didn''t resound in Sheng Feilong''s head this time. Instead, the surroundings started to change.

    The darkness surrounding him parted as if it was a lie to begin with, but what was revealed wasn''t the desolate wasteland Sheng Feilong had expected; The dead, dusty ground beneath his feet had changed to show a fine, cobbled pavement while buildings stood erect around them. "...A town?"

    Sheng Feilong looked around, confused for a while, but his eyes soon widened when he saw a few familiar buildings in the distance. "The Sheng Clan...? What''s going on?" Sheng Feilong finally recognized his whereabouts as the main street of the Sheng Clan''s estate that lead directly towards the main halls and grand plaza.

    No one was walking around the streets as the sun had already set and the streets were only lit by lanterns at the side of the road. Sheng Feilong turned around, facing the only oddity in the estate other than himself; The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon on its black throne. "What is this? What have you done?"

    <Again you refuse to see the obvious...>

    Just as the flickering of the flames stopped, dozens of hooded figures soundlessly appeared dozens of metres above the Sheng Clan estate. If it wasn''t for Sheng Feilong''s acute senses and high Spirit Power, he would''ve missed them completely.

    Sheng Feilong frowned, unable to recognize the people who stood in the air, however he was able to hear them clearly despite the distance between them and the fact that these words definitely weren''t meant for him. "Dispose of them. Mistakes will not be tolerated."

    The moment these words left the mouth of the hooded figure in the middle, nearly all of the others left, leaving only the figure in the middle and three other''s standing in the air. Sheng Feilong frowned, understanding that those other hooded figures didn''t vanish, but split up into different directions. "What''s going on? What are they-"

    Before he could finish his sentence, the sky above the Sheng Clan''s estate lit up in different colours. The Soul Power in the whole area kicked up into violent winds and Sheng Feilong was able to see the other hooded figures again; Dispersed throughout the Sheng Clan estate, all of them had various Soul Rings behind them, their ranks ranging from yellow to black ones, with at least five to eight behind each person.

    "They couldn''t be- No!" Sheng Feilong roared out, his voice frantic from the anxiousness he felt. All of those Soul Masters were preparing various large area Soul Skills ¨C and all of those Soul Skills were aimed at the Sheng Clan.

    He was about to charge out to stop them, but before he could even take a single step, he froze in place and the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s otherworldly voice boomed out in his head.

    <You are unable to save them. You are weak, yet you carelessly revealed your secrets to them.>

    Sheng Feilong turned around to face the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, his face contorted from anger. "Let me go, you-!" A terrifying explosion combined with a blinding flash of light cut his words off. He was forced to defend himself using his Soul Power while everything around him was destroyed in an instant.

    One of the attacks landed on the building next to Sheng Feilong, resulting in debris and surging Soul Power impacting upon him, blasting him backwards and onto the floor. He did his best to protect himself, while the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon didn''t react in the slightest; no bit of debris could touch its body and no wind could rattle its throne or even clothes.

    For about a minute, deafening explosions and surging Soul Power were the things happening in the area. After that, everything turned eerily quiet. Sheng Feilong dug his way out from beneath the debris, looking at the carnage around him with a look of horror.

    Everything was either in ruins or burned to the ground. In a few of the buildings, he could vaguely make out the remains of human bodies, burning and most of them already charred beyond recognition. He opened his mouth, but no words came out as he helplessly stretched his hand out towards the flames.

    <You were too weak to protect them, yet you dared to speak of their secrets.>

    The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s voice caused Sheng Feilong''s whole body to shake. He was unable to say anything, nor could he control his own body as he mindlessly turned around to stare at it.

    <Their fate is your fault; You have brought this end upon them.>

    Sheng Feilong''s head slowly turned upwards to where the hooded figures stood before. By now, every single one of them was back, standing in the air behind the four that hadn''t taken part in the attack. Every one of them had mocking expressions on their faces and through their opened cloaks, Sheng Feilong was able to recognize their uniforms. "Shrek... Academy...?"

    His gaze wandered to the four figures at the front and he blankly stared at them. Illuminated by the flames below, he recognized every single one of their faces; The Scarlet Dragon Douluo Zhuo Shi, the Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue''er, the eighth ranked Mecha Maker, Elder Li and lastly, at the very front, the Sea God''s Pavilion''s Master, Atlas Douluo Yun Ming.

    Sheng Feilong''s whole body began to shake as he stared at their expressionless faces. After a long silence, Yun Ming''s voice echoed through the area. "Suppress the news of their bloodline. We can''t have people knowing about the descendants of a 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion."

    Following behind Yun Ming, the hooded figures started to turn around one by one and prepared to leave. Sheng Feilong was still unable to say anything and only stared at their backs with an unknown amount of anger and hatred blazing in his gaze.

    <You cannot defeat them; You are too weak. Let your anger lead you. Let me take control to take revenge in your stead.>

    Slowly, while still staring at Yun Ming and the other Shrek Academy Elder''s backs, Sheng Feilong''s body started to transform into the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. He grew taller while his skin turned ashen. Horns sprouted from the sides of his head, while his hands turned into armoured claws. His usually pale golden eyes slowly turned into a muddy green colour while his scelra turned ash grey.

    Just a few moment later, his transformation finished and the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon sitting on the black throne vanished. Sheng Feilong''s gaze still ingered on Yun Ming and the other members of Shrek before he released a deafening, ungodly roar and charged at them like a maddened beast.

    ----------------------

    Song Weihan and She Meixiao were frowned deeply, trying their best to hide their distress while observing Sheng Feilong''s condition. They didn''t know how long he had been laying on the floor like this, but the flare up of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s corrosive gas became more and more frquent, forcing them to create a barrier to stop Sheng Feilong from corroding the ground beneath him.

    They couldn''t do anything to help him as he wasn''t reacting to anything they said while it was also impossible to touch him due to the malicious gas that could corrode even their Soul Power in but an instant if its concentration was high enough.

    The two of them glanced at each other while thinking about what to do about this situation before Yuanen Yehui''s voice sounded out. "Feilong! He''s standing up." Her words instantly caught their attention and, just as she said, Sheng Feilong was slowly standing up inside the barrier they created. However, the corrosive gas didn''t vanish, instead it became more agitated.

    Song Weihan frowned, but standing in front of Sheng Feilong, he was the first to speak to him. "Feilong? Are you alright..?" He looked Sheng Feilong into the eyes and his heart jumped fiercely, instinctively forcing him to take a step back; Sheng Feilong''s eyes were not of their normal colour, but but ash grey with muddy green irises that seemed to flicker like a ghastly flame.

 175 Rampaging Netherworld Putrefaction Demon

    Song Weihan was stunned upon seeing Sheng Feilong''s state and couldn''t say anything. The latter looked around with an indifferent and expressionless face, glancing at She Meixiao, then Sheng Lingtian and Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui.

    The latter three felt their hearts tighten from the invisible pressure that Sheng Feilong''s gaze radiated and were unable to endure it at all. Cold sweat formed on their backs as a bone chilling cold invaded caused their bodies to shake. Only after She Meixiao stepped in front of them to shield them from Sheng Feilong''s gaze did any kind of colour return to their faces.

    Yuanen Yehui''s eyes shook in distress and she clenched her fists in worry. "...Feilong?" Before she could take a step forward towards him, She Meixiao stretched her arm out to stop her, her gaze not leaving Sheng Feilong for even half a second. "You three, leave immediately."

    Sheng Lingtian, Huang jialong and Yuanen Yehui were stunned and stared at She Meixiao for a moment. Meanwhile, Sheng Feilong had turned his gaze away from them and had taken a step forward, only to be stopped by the barrier set up by She Meixiao and Song Weihan.

    He frowned and the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s ash grey gas surrounding him thickened suddenly as he slowly transformed into the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon himself. Song Weihan''s and She Meixiao''s pupils constricted fiercely as they immediately felt the intensity behind the Soul Power amassing within him.

    Sheng Feilong''s body transformed into a state that neither of them had ever seen before; Much moredemonic than ever before and matching the description of the original Netherworld Putrefaction Demon that Sheng Feilong had once given them instead of his tuned down transformation. He slowly stretched out his hand, tracing the barrier with his hand before pressing against it.

    With just a bit of pressure and the ash grey gas, the barrier cracked, forcing She Meixiao''s expression to contort into one of terror. Her Soul Power instantly exploded out of her, with all nine of her Soul Rings appearing behind her back as she whipped her head around to face Sheng Lingtian, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui. "Run!"

    Song Weihan had the same reaction as her and his Soul Power exploded out of him as well, barely fast enough before the transformed Sheng Feilong uttered a low, ungodly and guttural roar. With no resistance to speak of, the barrier erected by two high ranking Titled Douluo''s burst like a bubble with the dreadful corrosive energy released by Sheng Feilong exploding into all directions.

    Song Weihan instantly shielded himself and She Meixiao, who still stood in front of Sheng Lingtian and the others, managed to create another barrier around them and herself just in time. All 5 of them were blasted back; She Meixiao and the others being flung out of the room, while Song Weihan crashed into the wall.

    She Meixiao sprung up again before once again roaring at Sheng Lingtian and the others. "Take the children away from here as fast as possible!" Her Soul Power exploded out of her once more, spreading through the whole headquarters of Daedalus as if to make her presence known before she charged at the transformed Sheng Feilong together with Song Weihan.

    Adhering her word, Sheng Lingtian grabbed Yuanen Yehui by the arm as he fled far away from the scene together with Huang Jialong, who was still composed enough to follow She Meixiao''s command. They had barely run around the first corner down the hallway as a terrifying explosion of dreadful energy shook the whole headquarters.

    Alarm sirens resounded out everywhere and people sprinted out of their rooms with horror-stricken expressions as they flooded out of the barracks towards the elevators to evacuate the building, following closely behind Sheng Lingtian and the other two.

    Another terrifying explosion shook the headquarters, much worse than the last one before a number of other powerful aura''s could be felt rising towards the sky above the underground headquarters together with She Meixiao''s, Song Weihan''s and the transformed Sheng Feilong''s.

    By now, She Meixiao and Song Weihan had already equipped their Battle Armours together with fully circulating their Soul Power to fight. Their expressions were grave; They had barely been able to contain Sheng Feilong and had to allow him to blast the headquarters into smithereens with a single attack.

    From within his own rooms, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s terrifying energy shot out, barely contained by She Meixiao and Song Weihan, who let it flow out into the sky, instantly blasting away and corroding all of the matter above the room.

    They were now above ground, flying in the sky opposite of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon with a gaping hole, dozens ¨C if not hundreds ¨C of metres in diameter right beneath them. TheNetherworld Putrefaction Demon released another deafening, ungodly roar as four more figures with powerful auras appeared next to She Meixiao and Song Weihan.

    Among them, a middle-aged man with long, white hair and a black tight-fit uniform frowned while staring at the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, then faced She Meixiao in her Battle Armour without flinching. "She Meixiao, what is going on here?!"

    "Ye Wanxing, Elders, we don''t have time! Prepare for battle! We have to stall until everyone has evacuated!" The three people addressed as Elders had solemn expressions and turned their focus on the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, while Ye Wanxing frowned deeply, but ultimately did the same.

    All of them could feel how terrifying of an opponent the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was; Just that roar before they arrived was enough to have all of their Spirit Essences tremble with the most primal fear and leaving them dreading for their own survival.

    Due to this, all of them instantly followed Song weihan''s and She Meixiao''s example and donned their Battle Armour immediately while releasing their Soul Power. With 6ix Titled Douluo''s ¨C three of which were Hyper Douluo''s, while another one was on the verge of becoming one ¨C releasing all of their power at once, the whole atmosphere around the area contorted.

    The earth shook under the pressure while the sky trembled, but all of this only seemed enough to get the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s attention as it focused on the six of them. The flames in its half-hollow skull flicked a few times, seemingly amused or even excited by their struggles before it released another ungodly roar that shook the heavens.

    With an opponent the size of a large human, these Titled Douluo experts couldn''t make use of their Spirit Essences True Avatars and were forced to engage the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon directly. As the strongest of the lot and Vice-Leader''s of Daedalus, the rank 96, Four Word Battle Armour Master, She Meixiao and the rank 97, Three Word Battle Armour Master, Ye Wanxing, lead the attack to suppress the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    -------------

    Within the underground headquarters, people where shaking in fear inside the quaking bunkers, not because of the fight itself, but because of the terrifying aura that left all of them ghastly pale while their Spirit Essences where completely suppressed into quasi-nonexistance. None of them could muster any strength, no matter whether they were Soul grandmasters or Soul Emperors; Only the Soul Douluo ranked Elder and the strongest of the Soul Saints were able to remain somewhat composed.

    Sheng Lingtian and the others had also arrived in one of the bunkers with Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong shaking like rattle snakes with ghastly pale faces and backs drenched in cold sweats. Among them, Sheng Lingtian, who didn''t have an Spirit essence associated with the dark or evil elements could remain somewhat calm, but even he felt his One-Eyed Mountain Lion Spirit Essence shake in fear. "Feilong... Just what happened to you...?"

    -------------

    Outside, just a few dozen seconds had passed, but all of the combatants already had varying degrees of injuries, with the weaker of the three elder already being pale faced. Ye Wanxing, who could still feel this strange, ash grey gas lingering on his Battle Armour trying to corrode it, frowned. "She Meixiao, just what in the world is that thing."

    "She Meixiao stared at the roaring Netherworld Putrefaction Demon with a frown, before answering Ye Wanxing begrudgingly. "...It''s my personal disciple, Sheng Feilong. He completely lost control over his Spirit Essence, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon."

    Ye Wanxing was stunned, so much so that he took his eyes off the opponent to stare at She Meixiao for a split second. He quickly snapped out of it as he had to block another of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s attacks and was forced back tens of metres. "How can it be so powerful?! What in the world is that Netherworld Putrefaction Demon?!"

    Before She Meixiao could reply, Song Weihan pitched in from the side, screaming at them. "Careful!" Just then, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s Soul Power increased and exploded out before a grotesque, ash grey Soul Ring appeared behind its back. She Meixiao''s and Ye Wanxing''s expressions changed, but they had barely enough time to defend themselves as a wave of near fluid grey gas washed over them.

    She Meixiao''s heart sunk as the gas fell upon her Battle Armour. She could see it being corroded with her naked eyes, but even worse; She recognized this attack as Sheng Feilong''s first Soul Skill, the Putrefying Devil Claw! ''This is what the real deal looks like?! It''s ridiculous!''

    As Ye Wanxing and She Meixiao were caught up with similar thoughts of different origins, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon suddenly vanished, breaking past them when they least expected it. Song Weihan blocked it''s attack with his body, but was flung away with the Battle Armour around his arms exploding into pieces as the sound of multiple bones breaking echoed in his head.

    Before anyone realized it, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon had already grabbed on to the shoulder of the third Hyper Douluo among their rank, the oldest and strongest of the three Elders. The old tried to flee, but couldn''t shake off the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s claws as they bore into his shoulders. "Help! Help me-!"

    The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon grabbed on to his head with its second claw, cutting off his words. The sound of bones being crushed could be heard, together with the Elder''s muffled screams before everything abruptly stopped as the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon enclosed him in the ash grey gas before ripping off his head in a gruesome manner.

    The other combatants felt they scalps tingle at the sight and showed horrified expressions before noticing that the blood spurting from the Elder''s severed head wasn''t even dripping down; Before it was flung even half a metre away from his body, the blood corroded away, turning into the same ash grey gas that was emanated by the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    The gas mixed together with the gas that has been present prior and all of it was absorbed into the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s body. The Elder''s severed head was still held in the demon''s claw before being encased in the grey gas, being corroded away and absorbed into its body as well.

    With one claw freed, the demon grabbed on to both upper arms of the Elder before opening its horrific maw and biting down on what remained of the Elder''s neck, ripping out a massive chunk of his torso and swallowing it whole. Everyone just stared on in horror, not able to keep calm at this terrifying display, while the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon continued to devour the Elder''s remains.

    All of it was either corroded into grey gas and absorbed into its body or directly devoured until nothing remained. To the dismay of the combatants, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s Soul Power increased with each bite it took, seemingly not only devouring the flesh but also the cultivation of the dead Elder.

    Finishing it all up, its aura exploded out of the Netherworld Putrefaction demon again, accompanied by a deafening, ungodly roar. She Meixiao, Ye Wanxing, Song Weihan and the Elders were forced back as a ash grey light burst out of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    After the light faded and all of them were able to see again, their expressions from ones of horror and disbelief into pure dread and a bone chilling cold ran down their spines while the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon stared at them with a seemingly mocking expression, still deciding who to devour next.

    However, none of them paid any mind to its expression, instead all of them were captivated by the sight that revealed itself behind the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s back. Where there was once the single grotesque, ash grey Soul Ring, there were now a total of two.

 176 Mad Clash

    "Old Li..." One of the Elder''s couldn''t hold his voice in, swallowing saliva dry while staring at the second Soul Eng behind the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s back. None of them understood what just happened; How the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon could turn a human into a Soul Ring.

    Ye Wanxing''s expression was grim. Among all of them, his cultivation base was the strongest, even above She Meixiao''s, thus he understood the change the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon had gone through the clearest; It didn''t just obtain another Soul Ring by an unfathomable method; It''s own strength, the density of the Soul Power radiating off of it and the suppressive effect on their Spirit Essences had also increased.

    "Elder Jing, request for assistance from Shrek Academy, the Spirit Pagoda and the Federal government immediately." Ye Wanxing''s expression was grim as he gave this command, still facing the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon as he didn''t dare to avert his eyes from it a second time.

    Before the Elder called Jing could react, She Meixiao spoke up while moving next to Ye Wanxing. "We can''t get them involved. This-" Ye Wanxing cut her off, speaking loudly in a grave tone. "She Meixiao, I don''t care what you think; This monster isn''t your personal disciple anymore. Elder Li has already paid with his life and the both of us understand how powerful this thing is best. If we don''t request for backup immediately, forget about suppressing it; All of us might die by its hands."

    She Meixiao frowned, but remained quiet. She secretly glanced at Song Weihan and saw him gnashing his teeth in anger, though also still staring at the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, not knowing what to do as the hesitance in his eyes was obvious.

    She understood that Ye Wanxing was right; The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was too strong for them to handle and with it inherently suppressing their Spirit Essences, they were hard pressed to even survive now that they were down to just five combatants.

    Her thoughts were spinning rapidly trying to come up with a plan to salvage the situation. For a few seconds, she remained quiet before Ye Wanxing told Elder Jing to request for backup once more. "No, wait a moment. I have an idea." Ye Wanxing was about to refute her, but she cut him off. "Ye Wanxing, trust me. Can you stall it for 30 seconds?"

    "What are you planning?" He questioned, apparently not against any ideas as long as they were reasonably; She Meixiao was the most knowledgeable about this monster, after all. "The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon has an incredible hatred for true demons. If we can draw its attention to a demon in the vicinity, we will have enough room for a focused attacked, possibly wounding it severely."

    Ye Wanxing''s expression soured and he spoke in a strained tone, trying to hold his anger back. "You want to use one of Daedalus'' members as bait for this thing?" Still, She Meixiao ignored him pressing for an answer once more. "Please. I know what I''m doing. No one will be sacrificed."

    "...30 seconds. That''s the best we can do with just four people." Eventually, Ye Wanxing conceded, taking the position on the front. Following him, the remaining two Elders nodded and positioned themselves between him and She Meixiao. Song Weihan glanced at her, then stepped up right behind the two Elders.

    Ye Wanxing''s Soul Power surged once more, gaining the attention of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon as well as what seemed to be an interested grin, before he suddenly shoutet out while charging at the monster. "Go!"

    On his command, She Meixiao sped forward, right done the hole the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon blasted into the ground, while the other four engaged the demon in combat once more. In but an instant, she appeared at the bottom of the hole; The remains of Sheng Feilong''s room inside the barracks.

    She didn''t stop, but waved her hand to blast open the corridor and headed inside the base, still flying through it at break neck speed, heading for the underground bunker. She hurried forward at her fastest speed as she could feel the whole area shake with every clash between Ye Wanxing and the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    Just a few seconds later, she reached her destination; With no time to spare, she ignored the possible consequences and instantly blasted the heavy bunker doors open, completely shocking the people inside. Many were ready to attack immediately, already circulating their Soul Power, but quickly stopped when they saw it was She Meixiao standing in the air above their heads.

    She was looking from side to side, hoping to spot Yuanen Yehui and the others. A Soul Douluo tried to approach her, but before he reached her side, she already vanished from her spot, reappearing next to Sheng Lingtian, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui. The former was the first to react to her appearance with a startled expression. "Madam She? What''s going on above-"

    "Yuanen Yehui, I need your help immediately!" She Meixiao unceremoniously cut Sheng Lingtian off with a pressing tone in her voice, startling Yuanen Yehui greatly. She was still heavily affected by the netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s aura and barely able to do anything. She Meixiao frowned and created a barrier using her own Soul Power.

    Yuanen Yehui''s and Huang Jialong''s complexions quickly changed for the better, but before they could calm down, She Meixiao pressed Yuanen Yehui for action again. "Yuanen Yehui, use your Gates of Hell Soul Skill immediately. Summon the demon right now; This is urgent!"

    Startled, but still clear headed, Yuanen Yehui nodded her head and riled up her Soul Power. Her Soul Rings appeared behind her back and the first black one lit up, summoning a about 4 metres high black gate. The gates opened and a beautiful figure stepped out from within, looking at Yuanen Yehui and the others in a condescending manner.

    Before anyone could react, She Meixiao grabbed the demon from the gate by its neck like a chicken and completely sealed its power into its body, not letting any of its energy leak out. Then, she created another barrier, tightly pressing it around the demon''s body to make sure no one could even come close to feeling its presence.

    The process completely startled Yuanen Yehui and the others as the demonized version of Yuanen Yehui stared at her with horror and a pleading expression. "Master, what are doi-" Huang Jialong said, but before he could finish, his expression paled and he staggered backwards; She Meixiao removed the barrier surrounding them, letting them be affected by the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s aura again while she herself vanished from the spot.

    Yuanen Yehui and the others were left with dumbstruck expression as they didn''t understand what was going on, but She Meixiao had already left; Dragging the demon from the gates of Hell with her.

    She Meixiao charged through the corridors of the Daedalus headquarters like a berserk beast once more, heading for the barracks to take the shortest way out again. Moments later, she arrived at the bottom of the pit, madly flying upwards to where the battle was taking place.

    Mare 25 seconds had passed since Ye Wanxing and the others had started to engage the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon in combat, but one of the Elders was already missing an arm, while the other had a bloodied gush running across his chest. Song Weihan''s Battle Armour was nearly completely destroyed and he was holding Ye Wanxing up.

    The latter had taken the brunt of the attacks so far; His Battle Armour was completely crushed and corroded around his torso, exposing the gaping wounds on his chest that bubbled with horrendous, greyish ooze. Black blood was flowing from his mouth. He had to hold on to Song Weihan to keep flying, but his powerful fighting intent was still radiating off of him.

    She Meixiao appeared hundreds of metres behind the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, on the opposite side from where Song Weihan and the other''s stood. The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon didn''t even spare her a glance and only kept its eyes on Ye Wanxing and the others, seemingly waiting for them to make another move.

    "Prepare yourselves! On my command, attack its heart with everything you''ve got!" She Meixiao roared out towards them, still being ignored by the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, before she turned to face it. "Hey! Take a look what I have here!"

    She raised the arm which held the demon summoned by Yuanen Yehui, her hands still clasped around its neck, and removed the Soul Power barrier around it. The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, which was about to attack the distracted Ye Wanxing and Song Weihan, instantly stopped in its track. The aura radiating from its body became tens of times more violent and terrifying as it whipped its head around, staring at the ghastly pale and shivering demon in She Meixiao''s grasp.

    With a surreal aura of maliciousness around it, it released a horrendous, ungodly roar like none before, that cracked in the middle of it, turning into a high pitched screech. Both Soul Rings behind its back lit up in an instant, formed a ash grey, pulsating orb of compressed energy between its claws.

    It whipped its claws apart, forcing the ball of compressed energy to take the form of a pitch black spear surrounded by ash grey gast. It grabbed the spear with one hand and readied itself to throw it at She Meixiao and the demon in her hands; Its reasoning and sanity completely gone the moment it noticed the noticed the demon.

    "Now!" She Meixiao roared on the top of her lungs, absolutely certain that there was no way she could possibly dodge, much less survive if the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon were to attack her with the black spear in its hands.

    Ye Wanxing, Song Weihan and the two Elders exploded with every last ounce of their Soul Power, channeling it into their strongest attacks with no regards to their own safety; All of them activating at least five Soul Skills at the same time, with Ye Wanxing using a total of seven.

    The four of them seemed to come to a tacit agreement in that instant, firing their attacks strait to the heart of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon in fear of it dodging were they to target its much smaller head.

    Half an instant later, a massive explosions lit up the sky in the area, creating shockwaves and deafening sonic booms that changed the surrounding landscape into a wasteland like crater. All six of them, including She Meixiao ad the demon in her grasp, were swept away by the explosions; The four attackers powerlessly falling to the ground as there was no power left in them.

    Song Weihan opened his eyes, staring at the sky where the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon stoof before and gasped in shock and disbelief; The combined power of four Titled Douluo of varying levels of power, all of which were Three Word Battle Armour Master, had only managed to blast a hole the size of a fist through the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s chest.

    However, they did manage to blast its heart into smithereens as they had aimed to do. The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon had turned silent, looking at the gaping hole in its chest, then started to shake ever so slightly.

    The terrifying aura radiated by it upped itself by a notch again and it released another ungodly roar of madness, completely void of any traces of sanity as its Soul Power flailed towards the skies. Song Weihan''s and the others'' expressions changed as they understood that their joint effort didn''t seem to affect the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s combat prowess in the slightest.

    Just as all hope seemed lost, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s roar was chocked silent and it buckled over slightly. A gagging sound came from its throat before dozens of pitch black chains that seemed to absorb all light shot out of the hole in its chest. The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon struggled madly, grabbing at the chains with its claws and trying to rip them apart, but to no avail.

    Within a few short moments, amidst the mad, ungodly roars of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, it was completely encased into the black chains, creating a kind of cocoon. Its aura was completely gone with not traces of it left, nor any struggles from within visible and just remained their, hanging in the air.

    Song Weihan and the others stared at the cocoon with shocked and aghast expressions, unable to say anything due to a lack of comprehension of the situation. A few moments later, She Meixiao''s trembling voice could be heard some distance away from them. "The... Chains of Heaven...?"

 177 Titled Douluos Among Themselves

    As She Meixiao and the other Titled Douluos of Daedalus stared at the cocoon created by the Chains of Heaven, the demon summoned by Yuanen Yehui''s Gates of Hell carefully slipped away from them. It jumped down into the hole, vanishing into the corridors, trying to escape from the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon by returning to hell.

    The black light surrounding the cocoon of chains slowly faded, leaving the area in a calm silence. She Meixiao and the others only observed it for now and after the light had completely vanished, the cocoon simply fell from the sky.

    It crashed into the hole, falling and rolling deeper into it until it finally came to a halt upon reaching the bottom of the hole. She Meixiao and the others glanced at each other, then carefully approached it.

    Ye Wanxing, Song Weihan and the two Elders were just barely able to stand due to their injuries and dried up Soul Power, leaving only She Meixiao with any combat prowess. Carefully observing the cocoon, Ye Wanxing frowned; If the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon reappeared, they were definitely done for, but She Meixiao seemed to have calmed down after seeing the black chains of unknown origin.

    "What are those chains...?" Song Weihan said after looking at the cocoon for a while. Among them, he had the strongest Spirit Power, but even he was utterly unable to understand what those chains were, nor what was going on inside the cocoon. He turned to She Meixiao with a confused expression. "You called them ''the Chains of Heaven''? Do you know what they are?"

    "I only have superficial knowledge. They''re apparently used to bind the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon and to ban it from running wild. Feilong told me about them once, when we were testing something in regards to demons." She Meixiao replied in a calm voice, though not telling him the whole story as Ye Wanxing and the Elders were still present.

    "Ban him from running wild? That obviously didn''t work." Ye Wanxing said, frowning deeply. She Meixiao glanced at him, then back at the cocoon and frowned as well. "I also don''t quite understand it... So far, the Chains of Heaven have always helped Feilong in suppressing the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon; This is the first time I''ve seen it appear like this."

    "Then, what if he refused the chains'' help..?" Song Weihan unconsciously said with a thoughtful expression. He looked at She Meixiao and continued to speak. "What if the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon started rampaging, but Feilong refused to fight it and instead just let it run wild?"

    "Why would he do something like tha-..." She Meixiao said, but swallowed her words and showed aconflicted expression. "The story about the Sheng Clan... Sheng Lingtian told him about it..."

    Song Weihan nodded his head, but before he could say anything, a clanking sound coming from the chains drew the attention of all of the Titled Doulous in. They tensed up when they saw the chains slowly loosening and pulling back into the middle of the cocoon.

    A few moments later, a normal skin tone was revealed, causing them to sigh in relief as it seemed like Sheng Feilong had transformed back into his normal form. Just like they had appeared, the chains slowly vanished back into Sheng Feilong''s chest. However, the people present also noticed that there was no wound left on it.

    With the chains gone, Sheng Feilong''s body was revealed to them. All of his clothes had been destroyed after he transformed, save for a pair of badly tattered pants that remained even now. He looked perfectly fine, with no wounds on his body and even his breathing was normal; It was as if he was only peacefully sleeping.

    Ye Wanxing eyed Sheng Feilong, frowning when he saw the old scar across his chest, but nothing of the new injury left and approached him. He had just taken a few steps towards Sheng Feilong when She Meixiao blocked his path. "Ye Wanxing, what do you think you are doing?"

    Her voice was calm and she looked at Ye Wanxing in a rather casual way, causing the latter''s frown to deepen. "You have seen what happened and still ask that question? Old Li has died because of him, the headquarters were destroyed and all of us have been injured as well. You perfectly understand what has to be done; Don''t force me to say it out loud."

    "Sheng Feilong is my disciple and none of you will lay a single finger on him. Am I understood, Ye Wanxing, Sima Wugong?" She Meixiao said with a voice that left no room for negotiation. Sima Wugong, the Elder whose chest had been slashed upon, frowned at this and stared at Sheng Feilong with an angry expression. "You want us to just leave it be? Vice-Leader She, that monster has killed Old Li; Don''t demand the impossible from me!"

    Sima Wugong and the late Elder Li had been friends for dozens of years, going as far as calling each other brothers in their youth. They have fought on numerous battlefields side by side, forging a friendship where one would lay down their life for the other, yet She Meixiao wanted him to step down his old friend''s murderer was already right in front of him.

    She Meixiao''s expression grew somewhat softer, but her tone was still just as stern as before. "Elder Sima; There will be no second warning."Sima Wugong gnashed his teeth, but ultimately backed down after seeing She Meixiao''s expression. Still, Ye Wanxing hadn''t stepped down and was still staring at She Meixiao with a frown. "She Meixiao, you want to let a traitor such as him alive?"

    His words were sharp, especially emphasizing the word traitor, but She Meixiao just remained as resolute as before. "Ye Wanxing, you''re badly injured, your Battle Armour has been destroyed and you''ve completely run out of Soul Power. Don''t force my hand into bullying a weak old man."

    The two of them stared at each other for a long time, neither backing down in the slightest. Ye Wanxing''s expression became more grave by the minute with his frown deepening more and more, while She Meixiao remained calm. "Vice-Leader Ye, I think you should tend to your wounds. It would be a tragedy if Daedalus lost an asset as valuable as you as well."

    Ye Wanxing harrumphed loudly before turning around and leaving without sparing any of them another glance. Sima Wugong looked at She Meixiao and Sheng Feilong again with a stoic expression before following Ye Wanxing.

    Elder Jing looked at the two of them leaving before sighing lightly and addressing She Meixiao with a thoughtful expression. "Vice-Leader, was that really the best course of action?" She Meixiao glanced at him with a calm expression. "Should I have rather sacrificed my personal disciple, then?"

    "That''s not what I meant, Vice-Leader." Elder Jing didn''t take her unfriendly tone to heart and just shrugged lightly. His actions made She Meixiao aware of the extent of his injuries and she looked at him with a sorry expression. "Elder Jing, I''m sorry... Your arm is..."

    Elder Jing smiled lightly again and shrugged once more. "Vice-Leader, I''m already old. I have no chance to break though to the next rank and become a Hyper Douluo and my Spirit Essence doesn''t require for me to be physically strong; Losing a limb or two is not that great of a problem considering that it means you and Sir Song are relatively well."

    As Elder Jing had already sealed the injury up with his Soul Power, making it impossible to reattach his arm, She Meixiao understood that he was being honest about not minding this loss. She was about to apologize to him again, but Elder Jing already turned around before she had the chance to. "I''ll notify the other Elders and members of the headquarters. Vice-Leader, take good care of your disciple for now."

    "Elder Jing..." She Meixiao sighed. Unlike Ye Wanxing or Sima Wugong, Elder Jing has been by her father''s side for a long time. He has already been an Elder when her father became the Leader of Daedalus and he was an incredibly loyal man.

    By now, Song Weihan had already scooped Sheng Feilong up after carefully examining the latter''s body. He was completely fine, physically, and even his Soul Power was calm. He couldn''t find any abnormalities, causing him to sigh in relief, but the same couldn''t be said about Sheng Feilong''s mental state; Even Song Weihan had no way of determining it with the person in question being out cold.

    Song Weihan stood up and looked into a certain direction. The fight had taken place above the barracks, quite far away from his laboratory, but he couldn''t be sure that nothing had been affected. His subordinates should be safe as none of them were inside it when he left today and they should''ve safely escaped to the bunker.

    "Miss She, I''ll take Feilong to the city. With the barracks destroyed, there''s no reason to leave him here." He said before taking a few steps forward. She Meixiao knew that Sheng Feilong was physically fine, thus she didn''t insist on him remaining at Daedalus and instead went to inform Sheng Lingtian and Yuanen Yehui about the situation.

    After seeing her nod, Song Weihan directly flew into the air with Sheng Feilong in his arms. Thanks to being at the rear end of their formation during the fight against the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, he was the least injured and the boundless energy and recovery powers of a Titled Douluo were enough for him to already be able to fly again.

 178 A Rough Awakening

    Half a day had passed Since Song Weihan had brought Sheng Feilong to a hotel in the nearby Sterning City. He was smoothly recovering from his injuries as he luckily wasn''t affected by the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s corrosive abilities, however, Sheng Feilong had yet to wake up.

    The night passed silently without anything happening, allowing Song Weihan to fully focus on his recovery other than keeping an eye on Sheng Feilong. By the time the next morning came, he had already recovered enough for his injuries to not affect his abilities any more.

    Later that day, She Meixiao appeared with Sheng Lingtian and Yuanen Yehui in tow. Both of them had already been informed that Sheng Feilong was physically fine, so they were relatively calm, though Yuanen Yehui still seemed to feel uneasy seeing Sheng Feilong motionlessly sleeping on the bed.

    She Meixiao and Song Weihan swapped places as the former still hadn''t had the chance to recover from the fight the last day; She had been the least injured to begin with, so it wasn''t much of a problem for her personally, but Song Weihan insisted that she had to rest.

    With nearly half of its headquarters destroyed, Daedalus was currently in chaos. While their leader, She Tianhao, was still in seclusion and couldn''t help sort things out, both of the Vice-Leaders, She Meixiao and Ye Wanxing, should take the lead. However, the latter was recuperating from heavy injuries while the former also wasn''t fully recovered.

    The loss of a Elder Li, a Hyper Douluo and one of the pillars of Daedalus, took a huge toll on the morale of the members, especially since the two remaining Elders were also more or less heavily injured. Moreover, not one of them had informed anyone what had happened; The only thing they knew was that an incredibly powerful enemy had seemingly appeared from the inside of their base.

    By now, news of Daedalus'' plight had spread to all major organisations and institutions of the Douluo Continent. All of them were keeping a close watch on Daedalus, but not one extended a helping hand to them, leaving them to deal with their troubles alone.

    Two days later, She Meixiao and Sima Wugong announced that they had completely recovered, the former adding on that she would take the lead again, while the latter offered his assistance. For nearly everyone, this seemed natural, but the few who did know about the top echelon being split into She Meixiao''s and Ye Wanxing''s factions, this was a weird development.

    Later, Sima Wugong addressed those confused, well informed people that this was only temporary; He would still be acting as Ye Wanxing''s right hand man, but for Daedalus as a whole to recover from this incident was more important at the moment.

    ---------------------

    In the evening of the same day, Sheng Feilong woke up in his room. Currently, Song Weihan was the only one watching over him in the room. Sheng Lingtian and Yuanen Yehui had left together with She Meixiao to help with the rebuilding of the headquarters, while Song Weihan was still recovering from the last bits of his injuries.

    Sheng Feilong groggily opened his eyes and looked at the unfamiliar ceiling. He couldn''t remember what had happened after he let the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon take control to attack Yun Ming and the other members of Shrek Academy that came to attack the Sheng Clan. However, he now understood that all of this was but a lie.

    The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon had tricked him into believing what he saw was real. To begin with, he had been pulled into a warped form of his own spiritual consciousness in which only the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon existed. Still, once the members of Shrek Academy appeared, he was unable to discern reality from the illusion he was drawn into.

    "What a... frightening ability..." Sheng Feilong muttered under his breath while sitting up in his bed. Song weihan looked at him with a calm and steady gaze. "What''s frightening?" Sheng Feilong flinched and whipped his head around to look at Song Weihan. "Master!"

    He tried to stand up, but was feeling dizzy when he tried and thus remained seated. "I didn''t notice you being here, sorry, Master." Song Weihan nodded his head with a content expression. "No need for apologies. How are you feeling?"

    "...Tired, and somewhat dizzy, but I''m fine otherwise." Sheng Feilong replied, then went silent for a moment. "...Master, how long was I out for? I don''t remember anything after the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon took lead... what happened?"

    Song Weihan seemed to have been waiting for that question. His expression became grave as he looked at Sheng Feilong, startling the latter. "Do you really not remember anything?" Sheng Feilong shook his head with a frown and concerned expression.

    A light sigh escaped Song Weihan mouth. "What is the last thing you remember?" Faced with Song Weihan''s serious attitude, Sheng Feilong began recounting what he remembered in great detail; What he had heard from Sheng Lingtian, that he broke down in his room and how the voice of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon pulled him into the weird, warped form of his spiritual consciousness.

    He paused for a moment, then also told Song Weihan had had transpired there; His talk with the demon''s spirit, the illusions of the Sheng Clan he was shown as well as the advent of Shrek Academy and how he was unable to discern the illusions from reality, leading to the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon taking over his body.

    After Sheng Feilong told him everything, Song weihan didn''t react to it at first, but wordlesly pulled a small device out of his Spacial Ring. He noticed Sheng Feilong''s confused look and began explaining it briefly. "This device is able to give a Soul Master''s memories and imagination a form. It uses your Spirit power to create sort of a video of of them. The same technology is used for the Spirit Ascension Platform of the Spirit Pagoda."

    He didn''t bother to explain it any further as Sheng Feilong already nodded in understanding. Instead, Song Weihan closed his eyes and started fuelling his Spirit Power into the device in his hand. Sheng Feilong could feel a kind of ripple in the area around him before the room changed form.

    As Song Weihan had said, the feeling was similar to entering the Spirit Ascension Platform, but Sheng Feilong wasn''t focused on that; Inside the changed room, he saw himself laying on the ground, passed out, but with his eyes wide upon, though unfocused.

    He looked around and saw She Meixiao, as well as Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong standing in the room, but Song Weihan was nowhere to be seen. A moment later, Song Weihan''s voice sounded out, seemingly filling the whole space out. "What you''ll see soon is what happened from my perspective. You''ll see and feel what I saw and felt during that time. Don''t resist it, just calm down and watch."

    "Understood." Sheng Feilong took a deep breath and nodded his head. The feeling of all of those sensations entering his skin was foreign to him, yet it felt natural. As Song Weihan had said, he decided to cast his thoughts aside and just focus on what was happening.

    At first, the ''Sheng Feilong'' laying on the floor bothered him somewhat, but he soon understood that this was himself while his mind was trapped by the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. Later, he saw She Meixiao and Song Weihan erect the barrier around him, but he was still calm as he understood why they did so.

    He tensed up when the ''Sheng Feilong'' in Song Weihan''s memories suddenly stood up. The look in his ¨C or its ¨C eyes wasn''t normal. So much so that Sheng Feilong himself swallowed dryly from just seeing it in Song Weihan''s memories.

    A few seconds later, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, that had taken over Sheng Feilong''s body, started rampaging, breaking the barrier created by Song Weihan and She Meixiao at ease before destroying the whole area with a single attack. A cold shudder ran down Sheng Feilong''s spine, but he was still more awed by it rather than fearful; Something natural every Soul Master felt when seeing overwhelming strength.

    Soon after, the fight between Daedalus'' five Titled Douluos, Song Weihan and the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon began. After the first few exchanges, Sheng Feilong already understood why Song Weihan was showing this to him; The rampaging Netherworld Putrefaction Demon'' strength was simply too terrifying and without seeing it with his own eyes, Sheng Feilong wouldn''t understand the gravity of the situation.

    He stood frozen inside the room when the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon killed the Hyper Douluo from Daedalus and stared on in utter disbelief; A battle on this level wasn''t something he could''ve ever imagined. She Meixiao fighting the Great Beast or even beating down Elder Cai came nowhere close to this gruesome display.

    After Elder Li was killed, Sheng Feilong saw the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon devouring his headless corpse and his stomach churned. He was shaking with a pale face and a hand in front of his mouth. No matter if this was the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon or not; It was still possessing his body ¨C He was the one that had devoured a human being.

    The second grey Soul Ring behind the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon finally threw Sheng Feilong off balance. He used his own Spirit Power to resist the illusion, which prompted Song Weihan to stop it. Without saying a word, Sheng Feilong ran into the bathroom and threw upmultiple times.

    He would have been able to deal with the grotesque pictures if that was all there was to it; The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon had done the same when it created the first Soul Ring for its Spirit Essence with the Doomstinger Dragonfly a few years ago, after all, but it wasn''t the same.

    This time, it wasn''t a Soul Beast that had tried to kill Sheng Feilong and got what it deserved; It was a living and breathing human that had been killed viciously only to be devoured afterwards. And even worse; With the pictures serving as a medium, Sheng Feilong suddenly understood what that Soul Ring and it''s Soul Skill were.

    That meant, it wasn''t just the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon gaining another power; It was Sheng Feilong''s Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence creating a Soul Ring for his use from a human corpse.

 179 Atonemen

    Sheng Feilong took a few minutes before he had calmed down enough to return to Song Weihan''s side. He walked back into the room with unsteady steps and a pale complexion. Song Weihan sighed, but didn''t help Sheng Feilong for the time being.

    The latter sat down at the table and let his head hang down, not saying anything for a long while. Song Weihan also remained quiet and silently looked at Sheng Feilong until the latter was ready to talk. "...Master. Is there a way to get rid of this Soul Ring...?"

    "It''s impossible. Once you''ve chosen a Soul Ring and absorb its essence to turn it into your own, it will remain with you forever." Song Weihan spoke with a heavy voice, understanding that Sheng Feilong''s question confirmed his worst guess.

    Sheng Feilong continued to stare blankly in front of him with his head hanging down, not showing any reaction to Song Weihan''s words. "What am I supposed to do now, Master...? This Elder Li was..."

    "Feilong." Song Weihan swallowed dryly, then spoke up in a stern voice, staring at Sheng Feilong coldly and demanding the latter''s attention. "There is only one thing you can do; Atone for what has happened ¨C for what you have done. This is your fault. You were too weak and gave in to the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. You killed Elder Li, heavily injured the other Elder, She Meixiao and I and destroyed the headquarters of Daedalus."

    Sheng Feilong''s body started shaking somewhat. He looked at Song Weihan with an expression that said that he''d want to explain himself, but Song Weihan cut him off before he could start. "You don''t have to make any excuses. What your father told you about the Sheng Clan was the truth. You failed to deal with this truth in a calm manner and brought forth this catastrophe."

    Song Weihan''s tone didn''t give Sheng Feilong any room for negotiations, causing him to stay silent. The former sighed, the stern expression and cold tone getting soft again. "I''m sorry, Feilong. We shouldn''t have kept this a secret from you until now. In all honesty, we didn''t know how you would deal with this, that''s why we didn''t say anything."

    "This incident is the reason Sheng Lingtian and I attacked Shrek Academy back then. They refused any involvement, but we were too furious to listen. That''s also the reason She Meixiao took you with her to the Star Luo Continent. We knew Elder Cai and the Shrek Students would be there. And if Elder Cai was somehow involved in this, She Meixiao was to get all the information out of her." Song Weihan was unable to understand what was going on in Sheng Feilong''s head at the moment, but he knew that keeping any more secrets now would only make things harder later.

    Sheng Feilong was still looking down while Song Weihan calmly continued. "From what She Meixiao found out during your time there, Shrek Academy really isn''t involved; At least, they''re not the perpetrator in this case. As for the things that happened between Gu Yue and you, they seem to be loosely connected to that at most."

    "Then, who did it..?" Sheng Feilong spoke for the first time in a long while. He still looked down, but his fists were clenched tightly. He didn''t care about what happened with Gu Yue; If anything, that actually helped him understand more about his Spirit Essence. Song Weihan lightly shook his head. "I don''t know. We don''t know who it was. I''ve sent a few people to investigate, but the first ones never returned and the later groups never found any clues."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t react, while Song Weihan sighed again, then looked at Sheng Feilong. He still didn''t understand what Sheng Feilong was thinking at the moment, but he had told him what he knew. "Feilong, we''ll personally investigate this later. For now, there''s something else I want to know."

    "What is it, Master?" Sheng Feilong looked at him with a downcast expression, but still nodded his head. Without giving the latter''s expression any thought, Song Weihan began talking with a heavy expression. "What exactly is your Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence''s second Soul Skill?"

    From the fight against the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, especially the end before Ye wanxing, the Elders and him used all their strength to attack it together, he had already gained a pretty good idea of what it was, but he wanted to confirm it with Sheng Feilong.

    The latter''s expression turned into one of disgust as he thought of how he obtained this Soul Ring, but he still told Song Weihan what was going on. "The Soul Skill I obtained from the ring created by Elder Li is called Demon Vanquishing Spear. The Soul Power and the corrosive energy of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon get compressed into an orb than I can then draw out into the form of a spear and either throw like a projectile or use in close quarters combat."

    "Throw it? That would be your first long ranged attack. How does it work?" Song Weihan asked again. From what Sheng Feilong said before, his guess had already been confirmed; The new Soul Skill was exactly what the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon tried to attack She Meixiao with before.

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head. "Once thrown, the energy inside it gets unstable. If it impacts on a surface or any kind of blockage, the energy will go berserk, resulting in a massive explosion. It has no piercing power when thrown, though it should be even more powerful in close combat."

    "I see..." Song Weihan supressed the curiosity in his heart for Shng Feilong''s sake. He was interested in seeing how strong this Soul Skill truly was, especially after seeing it used by the true Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. Still, Sheng Feilong was obviously not in the mood to experiment with this Soul Ring yet. ''Maybe after everything has calmed down and he has accepted this human Soul Ring...''

    These thoughts were kept in by Song Weihan. He instead looked at Sheng Feilong again and spoke in a soft manner. "Let''s go back to the Daedalus headquarters. She Meixiao and your father are sick of worry for you. There''s also your girlfriend... She came by every day, you know? You mustn''t worry them like that."

    "The headquarters..." Sheng Feilong hesitated. He looked at Song Weihan with an expression of guilt, but the latter only gently smiled at him. "No one will hold what happened against you. Daedalus'' higher up have kept a close lid on this secret. Normal members only know of a powerful enemy attacking. As long as you remember it and do your best to atone for what happened, there won''t be any problems."

    Sheng Feilong chose to trust Song weihan with this matter and only nodded his head. Together, the two of them checked out of the hotel and Song Weihan lead him back to the headquarters. Sheng Feilong had seen what had happened through Song Weihan''s strange memory recording device, but he was surprised to see how much had already been fixed.

    The gigantic hole in the ground was being fixed by dozens if not hundreds of workers even at this time; Soul Masters with earth elemental Spirit Essences and regular people working together to fill it up completely, gradually filling the whole hole up.

    The destroyed barracks that had partially been burried under all the rubble had been completely salvaged and dismantled; The corridors leading to them closed up while everything was being returned to normal. Song Weihan smiled lightly. "Apparently, they plan to rebuild the barracks from scratch once the whole is fixed. That''s why they''re dismantling everything.

    Sheng Feilong nodded hid head and continued to follow Song Weihan. Soon after, they reached Song Weihan''s Artificial Soul Bone research centre, where his subordinates were still working normally like nothing happened. Song Weihan quickly finished up a few matters before the two of them continued further, looking for She Meixiao.

    They found the latter in her office. Song Weihan had already informed her via his Soul Communicator after which she had further informed Sheng Lingtian and Yuanen Yehui. Huang Jialong was with She Meixiao to begin with, thus he didn''t need to be informed separately.

    Sheng Feilong had barely enough time to close the door behind him before a head hit his chest, a lithe figure hugging him tightly and causing him to freeze. "You''re finally awake..." Yuanen Yehui''s voice was barely more than a whisper, but Sheng Feilong understood every word of it.

    "Yehui..." He lightly returned the embrace, equally embarrassed and touched by the situation. With a smile, he calmly spoke up. "I''m sorry. You don''t have to worry anymore. I''m fine." Song Weihan stood next to them with his eyebrows raised slightly and a grin on his face. "Well, it''s not wrong to be so bold, but there''s a more pressing matter at hand, isn''t there."

    Yuanen Yehui practically jumped away from him, then stood next to him with her head lowered, though still not letting go of his hand. Sheng Feilong just scratched his cheek with a light smile while looking at She Meixiao, Sheng Lingtian and Huang Jialong. "Master, father, I''m sorry to have worried you."

    She Meixiao simply nodded with a smile, while Sheng Lingtian seemed more pleased with the prior situation than he was worried about Sheng Feilong. He chuckled for a moment, then spoke in a happy tone. "It''s good that you''re alright now."

    Huang Jialong looked at Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui with a calm, but slightly annoyed expression, causing Sheng Feilong to grin and silently mouth a few words to him ''Are you jealous, Brother Huang?''

    Still unimpressed by the latter, Huang Jialong simply shrugged his shoulders with a plain expression, mouthing a few words back to him. Sheng Feilong looked at him oddly, but quickly turned his attention to She Meixiao, though his thought''s were still on Huang Jialong. ''He''s not into woman...?''

 180 A New Plan

    "Feilong, are you listening?" She Meixiao frowned and stared at Sheng Feilong. The latter had been caught up in his thoughts and was glancinga t Huang Jialong from time to time, not paying much attention to She Meixiao''s questions. "I''m sorry, Master! ...What did you say?"

    A sigh escaped She Meixiao and she looked at him with a slightly annoyed expression, but soon calmed down again. "I asked what had happened to you? I know your father told you about the Sheng Clan, but what happened after that? How did the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon take over control of your body?"

    Sheng Feilong hesitated for a moment and looked around. Other than She Meixiao and Song Weihan, his Masters, there were only his father, Sheng Lingtian, as well as Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui present. He started talking about what Sheng Lingtian told him before, then about what happened when he returned to his room.

    The story about the illusion scape the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon created caused She Meixiao to frown, but she didn''t think it was Sheng Feilong''s fault. From what he said, not only was the illusion scape unusually real, it also took advantage of his weak spots at the perfect time. "As expected; The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is dangerous..."

    Song Weihan and the others nodded his head, as did Sheng Feilong, who then spoke up with a slightly worried expression. "Is there a way get control over it? I''ve heard about other people having problems with controlling their Spirit Essences, like Long Yue from the Star Luo Continent. Other people manage to get theirs under control, so there must be a way for me to do the same, right?"

    She Meixiao frowned lightly and thought about it for a moment. "Long Yue''s situation is a bit different. If I''m not wrong, then the problems he has with hisw Spirit Essence come from its inherently violent nature. The Mountain Dragon King is one of the strongest dragon type Spirit Essences in existence, making it hard to control."

    "I know, but how would he go with controlling it? Can''t I just use the same method? Even if it doesn''t work, it''d be still better to try than do nothing." Sheng Feilong replied with a serious expression. He didn''t know if he could control the Netherworld Putrefaction demon, but he wouldn''t be able to forgive himself if something like this happened again because he did nothing.

    She Meixiao remained silent for a moment, trying to think of a method that could work, but before she could speak up, Song Weihan interjected. "I think Feilong is right. However, the methods you use to control you Spirit Essence have to be different from Long Yue."

    He paused for a moment then looked at Sheng Feilong with a probing gaze. "From what you said, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon can barely do anything as long as you resist it. However, it will try to provoke you and get you to allow it to take control instead of seizing it on its own. That might be our best clue."

    "What do you mean, Master?" Sheng Feilong didn''t understand where Song Weihan was going, while She Meixiao showed a surprised expression, muttering lightly under her breath. "You''re planning to... That could work."

    Song Weihan nodded his head towards She Meixiao, then turned back to the confused Sheng Feilong. "Basically, what you need isn''t the strength to seize control from the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon; You need the strength to resist its temptations and provocations. In other words, your Spirit Power and mindset need serious tempering."

    Sheng Feilong was surprised for a moment, then thought about it with a frown on his face. "Master, how much stronger does my Spirit Power to become...?" Song Weihan nodded with a small grin, then glanced at Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong, before focussing back on Sheng Feilong. "Well, you''re already well into the Spirit Abyss realm, yet it can still trick you like that. Thus, I think you will need a minimum of a spiritual cultivation base of the Spirit Domain rank."

    "Spirit Domain..?" Huang Jialong''s eyes widened as he looked at Sheng Feilong, then back at Song Weihan. "Senior Song, isn''t that a bit much? Even most Titled Douluo''s barely reach the Spirit Domain rank in their lifetimes... I know Brother Feilong has a Spirit Essences with the spiritual attribute, but isn''t that still a bit much to demand of him?"

    Song Weihan smiled and looked back at Huang Jialong. "Normally, yes, but Sheng Feilong isn''t normal." Sheng Feilong''s lips twitched, but seeing Song Weihan''s appreciative expression, he said nothing. "I need you to keep this a secret, but the reason I speak so lightly of the Spirit Domain rank is that Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power is already well above 11.000. I''d even say it''s become closer to 12.000 in the year I haven''t seen him."

    Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong froze and stared at Sheng Feilong with wide eyes. Their own Spirit Powers were barely above a few hundreds, scratching at the 1.000 mark, while Sheng Feilong''swas already long past their range of comprehension. Sheng Feilong faked to ignore their stares and looked at Song Weihan. "But Master, there''s not shortcuts I could take to increase my Spirit Power in a short amount of time, right?"

    "No, there isn''t." Song Weihan lightly shook his head, then smiled again. "But there''s more extreme methods than just cultivating silently whenever you got time." Sheng Feilong scratched his head, not knowing where Song Weihan was going with this. "And what are those methods?"

    "Tempering. Or in a more practical sense, straining your own Spirit Power to force it to increase naturally. In fact, you''ve already done that a few times. Do you remember the times where your Spirit power was too high for your body to deal with it?" Song Weihan asked with a calm expression, to which Sheng Feilong nodded his head.

    Song Weihan continued without waiting for any further reaction. "Then, did you also notice how fast your Spirit power increased after your physical condition caught up and returned to normal?" Sheng Feilong seemed a bit confused, thus Song Weihan explained it further. "Whenever your body got to its limit, your Spirit Power was forced to stop increasing naturally, which caused it to become more dense. After it could increase naturally again, this density regulated itself, causing a rapid increase in Spirit Power."

    "Master, that sounds logical, but how should we do that? How do I increase my Spirit power to the point where my body can''t take it any more in a short amount of time?" Sheng Feilong asked, now even more confused than before, but Song Weihan only lightly smiled and answered him with a straight face. "It''s impossible. With your current physique, tempered by the netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s powers as well as your bloodline and physical exercise, your body should be able to handle anything below the Spirit Domain rank."

    Song Weihan paused, while Sheng Feilong stared at him with a deadpan expression, his eyes asking why the latter brought this up in the first place if it was impossible. Again, Song Weihan only smiled and responded. "Well, it might be impossible, but that doesn''t mean that we make use of the situation that lead to your Spirit Power getting to this point."

    "What do you?" This time, She Meixiao pitched in with a light frown, but interested glint in her eyes. Song Weihan smiled at her, then turned to Sheng Feilong while also galncing at Sheng Lingtian. "Isn''t it obvious? The first time your Spirit power increased to the point where your body couldn''t take it any more was after your refined the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Artificial skull type Soul Bone. That was also the point where you awakened your bloodline, wasn''t it?"

    Sheng Feilong''s eyes widened, remembering the peculiarity of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. He didn''t say anything but his expression alone made Song Weihan''s smile widen. He nodded in appreciation, then continued speaking. "We just need your bloodline to awaken to the point where you are able to open the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s name sake third eye, the Eye of Destiny."

    By this point Huang Jialong had been silenced by shock. He knew Sheng Feilong''s eye Spirit Essence had something to do with his bloodline and that his bloodline was powerful, but a Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s bloodline was on another level of ''powerful'' than he imagined. Yuanen Yehui had a similar reaction; She knew more about Sheng Feilong''s strength and his bloodline, but this was also the first time she heard of it being related to a Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

    Meanwhile, Sheng Feilong took Song Weihan''s words without any grand reaction, but merely frowned again. "Master, the last time was a reaction to fusing with the Artificial Soul Bone. Surely, we can''t just replicate that? How would we awaken my bloodline any further than it already has?"

    Song Weihan was about to say something, but She Meixiao cut him off, staring at Song Weihan with a shocked expression after coming to her own result. "Don''t tell me; You want to ask Sir Mu? It''s impossible; Even if I''ve known him for a long time, he wouldn''t just share the Body Sect''s inner secrets with us."

    Sheng Feilong seemed surprised, while Song Weihan stared at her with a confused expression. "Who is this Sir Mu..?" She Meixiao was taken aback and looked at Song Weihan weirdly. "Mu Ye, the Master of the Body Sect..? You didn''t want to ask him about it?"

    Song Weihan seemed surprised again and looked at her, speaking in a low tone. "...No. I had no idea you had this kind of connection. Moreover, I have another plan for that." She Meixiao cleared her throat lightly, then looked at Sheng Feilong like nothing happened, mentioning for Song Weihan to continue.

    The latter didn''t call her out for what happened, either, and focused on Sheng Feilon again. "If I remember correctly, you told me your saw a vision of your Clan''s Ancestor, Sheng Wuyong, whn he first turned into human form, didn''t you?" Sheng Feilong nodded, causing Song Weihan to promptly continue. "Do you still remember where that place was? That mountain from which he oversaw the lands below?"

 181 Sheng Wuyongs Remains

    While Song Weihan was waiting for Sheng Feilong''s reply, Sheng Lingtian started frowning. He didn''t understand why Song Weihan thought the spot where Sheng Wuyong turned into a human would be important. "Brother Song, why would we need to know where that was?"

    "If we find out where he came from, we might be able to track his remain down..." Song Weihan said with a small smile, not elaborating further. Sheng Lingtian frowned; Song Weihan had once asked him about the Clan''s Ancestor after Sheng Feilong''s bloodline awakened and mutated his Spirit Eyes Spirit Essence.

    Back then he didn''t think much of it due to his excitement over Sheng Feilong''s change. He told Song Weihan the story about Sheng Wuyong; How he founded the Sheng Clan at the outskirts of the city together with the wife he found himself during his travels. Records of the Ancestors remains as well as how he really died were unclear, though.

    "So, you still suspect that Ancestor Wuyong left the Clan before his passing?" Sheng Lingtian questioned Song Weihan. The latter nodded his head with a small smile. "From what Feilong told us back then, that mountain overseeing the lands should hold some importance to Sheng Wuyong. Moreover, with his remains and cause of death being unknown, it is more than likely that he left the Clan to return to the turf that belonged to him when he was still a Soul Beast."

    Sheng Lingtian couldn''t help but agree with Song Weihan''s logic once more. He nodded his head, then looked at Sheng Feilong who had silently listened to the conversation between the two of them. Song Weihan also turned towards Sheng Feilong, waiting for an answer.

    "I''m not sure where it was. When I first saw Ancestor Wuyong, I was standing on a cliff overlooking a vast forest of red and orange leafed trees. It didn''t seem like fall yet, so that might have been their natural colour. Ancestor Wuyong transformed into a human for the first time and spoke a few words about having been on that mountain for 30.000 years..." Sheng Feilong said, trying to remember as many details as possible.

    Song Weihan nodded his head with a content smile on his face. "If he really was on that mountain, it''s highly likely that he returned there. A few tens of years living as a human and creating a Clan couldn''t possible match up to the time he spent on that mountain. Moreover, Three-Eyed Golden Lions are incredibly proud and loyal."

    Sheng Feilong was still thinking about what he saw back then and remembered a certain detail that caused him to frown. By now, he knew about the process of Soul Beasts turning human and what happens to them, thus the confusion. He looked at Song Weihan with a questioning expression. "Master, there''s something that''s on my head regarding Ancestor Wuyong."

    "What is it?" Song Weihan replied immediately; Any information on Sheng Wuyong would help him and Sheng Feilong was the most reliable source regarding him. Sheng Feilong frowned and looked at him. "When Soul Beasts turn into humans, it is the same as if they are reborn, correct? They would start out as infants or at least as little children, right?"

    Song Weihan nodded his head. This was exactly what was known of Soul Beasts transformation into humans. "Correct. They transform into infants or little children at first and then grow naturally like normal humans. At the age of six, they awaken their Spirit Essence like any humans would, with it being the Soul Beast they have been before; A Three-Eyed Golden Lion turned human should awaken a Three-Eyed Golden Lion Spirit Essence."

    "Well, from what I saw, Ancestor Wuyong didn''t turn into an infant or little child." Sheng Feilong said, prompting Song Weihan to frown. "What do you mean?" Sheng Feilong looked at him with an equally confused frown. "...He turned into an adult. Maybe one in his late twenties? He had a chiseled face and fully grown, muscular body, not one of a child."

    "...That''s the first time I''ve heard of something like this." Song Weihan''s expression turned thoughtful. He remained silent for a moment, trying to make sense of that information. She Meixiao, who stood by the side had a similar expression and voiced her thoughts after a few seconds. "Maybe it''s because of his strength?"

    Song Weihan''s gaze fell onto her and she continued with a calm tone. "We''ve never heard of a Three-Eyed Golden Lion transforming into a human before, but we know just how powerful it is. Moreover, from what Feilong said, it remained in solitude on a mountain for 30.000 years. I assume that means it remained their for that long after it already reached 100.000 years of age. Sheng Wuyong might be the most powerful Soul Beast to have ever turned into a human."

    Sheng Feilong chimed in before Song Weihan could say something, nodding his head to She Meixiao''s assumption. "He said something about absorbing the power of the sun for all that time. I don''t think a Soul Beast in the 10.000-years-old range would be able to do that."

    "...A 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion absorbing the power of the sun for 30.000 years before turning into an adult human... It sounds ridiculous, but it''s indeed the most probable explanation for why he would be an adult upon transforming for the first time; He was simply strong enough to take an adult human''s form." Song Weihan said after a few more moments, agreeing with their assumptions.

    Then, he suddenly turned to face Sheng Lingtian with his eyebrows raised slightly. "Right, that reminds me; Brother Ligntian, didn''t you say your Clan''s Ancestor''s Spirit Essence wasn''t the Three-Eyed Golden Lion?" Sheng Lingtian wasn''t surprised by the sudden question and calmly nodded his head. "Yes. Records say that the Ancestor''s Spirit Essence was the Sun Swallowing Mountain Lion."

    Song Weihan nodded his head repeatedly. "In that case, it''s even more plausible that absorbing the power of the sun made him stronger; So much so that it mutated him into another, unique Soul Beast. With such a mutation in mind, it wouldn''t be that unthinkable for his human transformation to be different from the norm as well."

    She Meixiao agreed with him before turning back to Sheng Feilong. "That leaves us with the matter of the mountain itself and the forest of red and orange leafed trees." Her gaze wandered over everyone present, including Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong. "Any ideas?"

    Song Weihan frowned, while Sheng Lingtian and Sheng Feilong looked lost in thought. Huang Jialong directly shook his head; He didn''t know anything about the geography of the Douluo Continent, much less a specific forest or mountain. She Meixiao sighed lightly and was about to request for Daedalus'' information network to look into this, before Yuanen Yehui spoke up.

    "I remember a forest that sounds similar..." Her words drew everyone''s attention towards her, Song Weihan and Sheng Lingtian looking especially eager, while the others looked more surprised than anything. "I''ve heard about it from my Clan. There''s a forest bordering its territory that no one is supposed to ever enter. I''ve never been close to it, but every clansman has been warned that the red trees symbolize the territorial border and that we''re not to cross it."

    After she finished, Song Weihan pulled a map of the Douluo Continent up on his Soul Communicator and stood in front of Yuanen Yehui. "Do you remember where it was? Can you pinpoint it?"

    Yuanen Yehui nodded her head and took a look at the map. A few moments later, she pointed at a place on the map and started running her finger down on the map. "From here... until here. That was the border we''re not to cross, approximately."

    While most of them didn''t know much about the region Yuanen Yehui pinpointed, Song Weihan and She Meixiao started frowning. That was especially true for Song Weihan, who had a bit more information on the area than even She Meixiao. "That''s... the region of the old Star Dou Forest..."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t know much about the region, thus asked without much worry. "So, we know where it might be? Should we go there to look for the mountain?" Song Weihan glanced at him and shook his head lightly with a smile. "Yes, we will, but we need to prepare before that. The Great Star Dou Forest is... dangerous, to say the least."

    "Dangerous?" Sheng Feilong was taken aback. The core region of the Star Dou Forest was known as a forbidden land on the Douluo Continent, but the middle regions like the one Yuanen Yehui pointed at shouldn''t be much of a challenge to a Titled Douluo like Song Weihan.

    Still, there seemed to be something Sheng Feilong didn''t know. He looked at Song Weihan with a confused expression. Song Weihan then nodded his head. "Do you remember the legend of the Spirit ice Douluo Huo Yuhao?"

    "Of course." Sheng Feilong nodded his head, as did the others in the room, save for She Meixiao, who already knew how dangerous the forest was. "That region of the Great Star Dou Forest is the place where His Eminence, the Spirit Ice Douluo, obtained the true Eye of Destiny after an encounter with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion that was originally known as the Auspicious Emperor."

    The others'' eyes widened, but Song Weihan wasn''t finished yet. "After Senior Huo Yuhao obtained the Eye of Destiny, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was gone. And with it the greatest protector of the region. Humans poached through the region continuously for the last few thousand years, so much so that there''s now a few powerful Soul Beasts guarding the region instead of the Auspicious Emperor. Humans that enter there become prey to be hunted down, much like the Soul Beasts ages ago."

 182 Training Regime

    "They... hunt down humans?" Sheng Feilong was shocked by Song Weihan''s words, while Song Weihan himself as well as She Meixiao had serious expressions on their faces. She Meixiao nodded her head, confirming Sheng Feilong''s question. "If we go there, we''ll be attacked by the Soul Beasts. We''ll be able to easily deal with them, but that isn''t the problem."

    Sheng Feilong looked at her with a frown, not sure what she meant, but before he could ask, Song Weihan chimed in with an explanation. "Normal 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts or even young 100.000-years-old Soul Beasts would be unable to harm us Titled Douluo. However, the fight would only lure stronger beasts to our position."

    "Then, there is no way for us to go there?" Sheng Feilong frowned, but Song Weihan shook his head in response to his question. "No, there is a way. The threat of the powerful 100.000-years-old Soul Beast being attracted to us mean that She Meixiao and I can''t go there; I''ve never said anything about you going there."

    She Meixiao remained calm and nodded her head, while Sheng Feilong was taken aback. Sheng Lingtian was in a similar situation and looked at Song Weihan in shock. "You want to sent him inside the Great Star Dou Forest alone?"

    Again, Song Weihan nodded his head. "Feilong is already a Soul Emperor. With his current strength, and taking his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes Spirit Essence into account, he can easily match middle ranked 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts. Moreover, I''ve never said anything about him going alone..."

    His gaze trailed to Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui who both stood by the side, remaining quiet for most of the time. Yuanen Yehui looked somewhat surprised, while Huang Jialong remained calm, but strongly nodded his head after glancing at She Meixiao.

    Sheng Lingtian also looked at them, then back at Song Weihan when She Meixiao spoke up. "Jialong is also already a middle ranked Soul Emperor. With his Spirit Essence, his fighting capabilities are actually above Feilong''s if the latter doesn''t use the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon."

    A confident smile hung on She Meixiao''s face, while Huang Jialong calmly nodded his head once again. Sheng Lingtian seemed surprised and deeply looked at Huang Jialong. She Meixiao continued a moment later, still with a smile on her face. "As for Yehui, she''s the one who knows the terrain best. While she might not have been inside that part of the forest, she generally knows what to look out for, right?"

    She looked at Yuanen Yehui, who showed a serious, but confident expression. "I''ve been inside the forest quite often when I was younger. Moreover, the Spirit Ascension Platform is modelled after the forest; I think I know it quite well."

    Yuanen Yehui looked at Sheng Lingtian with the same serious expression before continuing. I''m also a Soul King; I''m confident in being able to defend myself and help Feilong and Brother Huang." Sheng Lingtian still didn''t seem convinced, though, and voiced his thoughts. "Then, I should go with them. I''m also a Soul Emperor."

    "You would only slow them down." She Meixiao said while shaking her head, but didn''t say anything else, leaving it for Song Weihan to dissolve the situation. "Brother Lingtian, the three of them are used to operating together. Adding a new member to the team would lead to complications. Moreover, with all due respect, even though you''re a Soul Emperor, your strength is just slightly above average."

    Sheng Lingtian remained silent for a long while, while the others just waited for him to make a decision. Sheng Feilong felt bad for his father and understood his worry, but Song Weihan was right; He was used to working with Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong, while none of them had ever fought together with Sheng Lingtian.

    Moreover, with Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong being Battle Armour Masters and Yuanen Yehui having her own half completed, they were already stronger than Sheng Lingtian. Song Weihan seemed to think the same, but still tried to calm Sheng Lingtian down. "Don''t worry; I don''t plan on sending them there just yet."

    Sheng Feilong, Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong looked at him, all of them slightly confused as he was the one who pressed the matter from the beginning. "Master, what do you mean? You were the one asking about it first..."

    "I know. But the mountain most likely being inside the Great Star Dou Forest changes things. I believe in your strength, but it''s better to be prepared." Song Weihan said with a smile. He glanced at She Meixiao, who also didn''t quite understand what he meant, then smiled more mysteriously. "...You didn''t think I''d be slacking off while you were having fun on the other side of the planet, right?"

    ---------------

    Not even an hour later, The group of six stood inside Song Weihan''s research centre. Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui were staring past Song Weihan with sluggish expressions, She Meixiao being just as dumbfounded as them.

    She took a deep breath and turned to Song Weihan. "...How on earth did I not know of this beforehand..?" Her voice was brimming with excitement, though equally stern sounding as Song Weihan just smiled back at her. "I was a bit bored, while Ye Wanxing was quite ambitious..."

    "You built a high functioning Spirit Ascension Platform inside the Daedalus headquarters because you were bored?!" She Meixiao spoke loudly, the irritation she felt clear in her voice, while the other''s still stared at the familiar machinery in front of them.

    Again, Song Weihan just smiled while answering with a shrug. "It''s still in the experimental phase, so we didn''t get to run high performance tests yet, but sending a just a few people in isn''t a problem. Moreover, I modified it a bit; You know of the original Spirit Ascension Platform''s Guardians, right?"

    She Meixiao nodded, while his words finally pulled Sheng Feilong and the others back to focus at him. Then, Song Weihan continued without a care in the world. "Well, usually they''re created as perfect copies using Soul Bones of the beasts they represent. With Daedalus possessing only a relatively small stock of those, I thought it would be more appropriate to use something else..."

    "You mean..." Sheng Feilong''s eyes widened in realization, a glint of excitement flickering within them. Song Weihan nodded his head with a smug expressions. "That''s right. I used Artificial Soul Bones instead. Though we weren''t able to complete many of them yet, the ones that are inside are working perfectly fine."

    He turned to Sheng Feilong and the others with a smile, then shrugged shortly. "Anyways, I haven''t brought you here to brag about our work. What I want you to do is familiarize yourselves further with the forest. This Spirit Ascension Platform isn''t linked to the Spirit Pagoda''s, thus you''ll be the only ones inside. Use this opportunity to get stronger as well."

    Sheng Feilong and the others nodded their heads strongly, a glint of excitement clear in their eyes, while Song Weihan looked at Sheng Feilong. "That''s especially true fr you, Feilong. With your current physical strength and Spirit Power, you can easily control a full set of 10.000-years-old Soul Rings and Spirit Souls..

    "We''ll be doing tests later to see just how powerful your physical bodies and Spirit Power are and I''ll devise a training plan for each of you. Within six months, I want all of you to reach these training plan''s goals; That means you''ll be spending most of your time each day inside the Spirit Ascension Platform." Song Weihan''s voice was stern, leaving Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui no room to refute him.

    Of course, they didn''t want to either way, especially not Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui. They had only ever heard of the Spirit Douluo Song Weihan''s genius and immense knowledge of technology. With him creating plans for them to get stronger and allowing them to freely use the Spirit Ascension Platform ,what more could they ask for?

    However, it was still too early for them to rejoice. First, Song Weihan ran them though a number of physical tests, as well as measuring their Spirit Powers in a number of different ways, making sure he had every piece of information of them. At the end of the day, he had a cruel sparring session with each of the three, basically beating them up in every way possible to see how much they could endure and how well they used their strength.

    All three of them had passed out by the time Song Weihan was done with each of them, leaving it to She Meixiao and Sheng Lingtian to bring them to their rooms, while he himself directly indulged in creating the training plans for them and calculating how high they could safely raise their Soul Rings'' and Spirit Souls'' quality.

    The very next day, Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui were called in by Song Weihan and he gave them a quick run down of each of their strengths, then handing them a piece of paper each that told them their goals for the next six months.

    Sheng Feilong flinched when he read what Song Weihan set as the goal for him, then stared at the latter with a disbelieving expression, while Song Weihan only smiled at him.

    "Ancient Hypnotic Toad ¨C 4.426-years-old --- Goal: 14.866-years-old.

    Purple Forest Witch ¨C 12.700-years-old --- Goal: 27.152-years-old."

 183 Daedaluss Spirit Ascension Platform

    Sheng Feilong continued to stare at Song Weihan with a stoic, disbelieving expression. From the latter''s smile, Sheng Feilong could already guess that he was serious about this matter, but the numbers Song Weihan set as his goal were simply too ridiculous. However, he ultimately stayed silent.

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui had similarly stiff expressions on their faces as Song Weihan''s demands for them were equally harsh. After a few seconds of silence, Huang Jialong mustered the courage to speak up. "Senior Song, this... isn''t this a bit too extreme..?"

    Again, Song Weihan only smiled at them in response before starting to speak after a few short moments. "Why do you think that?" Huang Jialong was taken aback, but soon spoke his mind. "My Coiled Blackblooded Snake Spirit Soul aside, advancing the Ironhide Flood Dragon Spirit Soul to the 9.000-years-old level in just six months is too much. Even if we remain inside the Spirit Ascension Platform the whole time, advancing its cultivation by over 6.000 years is impossible."

    Without giving his complaints much thought, Song Weihan nodded his head, then turned towards Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong. "Do you two think the same? That the goal I gave you is impossible to achieve with the amount of time you have?"

    Sheng Feilong glanced at Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong. The former didn''t notice his gaze and instead nodded her head lightly in response to Song Weihan''s question. His gaze then fell onto Sheng Feilong, still as calm as before and waiting for the latter''s response. Sheng Feilong hesitated for a moment and looked at the piece of paper Song Weihan gave him.

    "...I also think it''s too much, but I believe there''s a catch to it. I don''t think you would give us an impossible task, Master." Sheng Feilong''s words sounded a bit weird, as if he wanted to fawn over Song Weihan, but these were his honest thoughts. Under normal circumstances, he didn''t believe he''d be able to advance his Spirit Souls to the degree Song Weihan demanded, but he also didn''t believe Song Weihan would trick them.

    With a content expression, Song Weihan started chuckling. "Very good, Feilong." He turned his gaze to the other two, addressing all three of them together. "You are right, under normal circumstances, the task I''ve given you would be impossible. But didn''t I already say that I''ve modified it a little?"

    Sheng Feilong and the others looked at each other before nodding their heads, waiting for Song Weihan to explain his meaning, which followed quickly afterwards. "The Spirit Ascension Platform I created is different from the Spirit Pagoda''s. Normally, it''s a illusionary reality in which the virtual Soul Beasts roam around like in their natural habitat. The one I created is somewhat different; Instead of a safe haven for Soul Beasts, its meant to be a training ground for Soul Masters to advance their Spirit Souls and strength."

    The three youngsters in front of him still seemed confused, thus Song Weihan continued with a smile. "It might not sound or even feel that different, but the fundamental structure is different. Inside the platform I created, you''ll be able to absorb the Soul beasts remnant energy much more easily and in greater proportions as well. Moreover, you don''t have to specifically search for Soul Beasts that possess the same attribute as you; Every fight - every kill ¨C will be an immediate boost to your strength."

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui still seemed a bit unsure about Song Weihan''s explanation, but Sheng Feilong, who spent a majority of his life by his Master side, understood the way he thought a bit better, which lead to him frowning. "...Does Daedalus have that much resources available..?"

    "Of course not." Song Weihan shook his head without hesitation, causing all three of them to frown now. "But this is different from how the Spirit Ascension Platform normally operates. The Spirit Pagoda opens up the platform once a month for hundreds, if not thousands of people at the same time. Even if the one I created for Daedalus is much smaller, do you think the three of you can pressure the system the same way hundreds or thousands of Soul Masters could?"

    Sheng Feilong and the others now understood his meaning; Even if the three of them went wild inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, the could at most expend the same resources as a group of about a dozen other Soul Masters. Like this, there shouldn''t be a problem for an organisation as big as Daedalus to compensate the losses.

    Of course, there were some parts Song Weihan didn''t mention. For once, there was the fact that he didn''t explain what it meant for his Spirit Ascension Platform to still be experimental; He could simply enlist Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui as testers. That way, even if someone questioned him about the expended resources, he could just tell them about it.

    Moreover, the Spirit Ascension Platform''s main consumer of resources weren''t the Soul Masters that go hunt inside of it ¨C at least not for this much smaller version; The Spirit Ascension Platform in itself is a system that needs to be fueled with resources permanently in order to function. Sending three Soul Masters inside to cultivate was nothing in comparison and something Daedalus would be able to handle without issue.

    Although Sheng Feilong and the others weren''t wholeheartedly convinced that they could achieve the goal Song Weihan set for them, they were willing to try it now more than ever; Even if they couldn''t reach the goal, what Soul Master would ever decline to cultivate inside a private Spirit Ascension Platform.

    About an hour later, Sheng Lingtian and She Meixiao came to oversee the situation as well. Song Weihan had also informed Ye Wanxing that he would be sending people inside to test the Spirit Ascension Platform for real. The latter was thrilled at first as he made most of the investments to this project himself, but he started to frown when he saw who Song Weihan intended to send inside.

    Still, with She Meixiao present and Sheng Feilong being Song Weihan''s personal disciple as well, he didn''t argue with them. Moreover, even if he didn''t want to admit it, Huang Jialong, Yuanen Yehui and especially Sheng Feilong were by far the most talented young Soul Masters of Daedalus; Them obtaining such an opportunity was only logical.

    Sheng Feilong and the others laid down inside the usual capsules that were used to enter the Spirit Ascension Platform. From their side of the view, everything seemed to be the same as at the Spirit Pagoda, thus none of them had any issues with settling in. It took only a few moments before Song Weihan announced the start of the test run.

    The unusual, yet familiar feeling of being pulled into another world encased Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui. For the time being, the three of them closed their eyes and a few moments later, they stood inside a clearing with lush forestry surrounding them on all sides.

    The moment he opened his eyes, Sheng Feilong thinly spread out his spiritual senses to scout the surroundings. Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui quickly came to his side, creating a formation with Sheng Feilong as the core. With two assault type Soul Masters and a single control type Soul Master, there team composition was far from perfect, yet their offensive potential was a serious danger for any opponent.

    The three of them wordlessly came to an understanding and started travelling into one direction with Huang Jialong at the front and Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong behind him. With Sheng Feilong''s immense Spirit Power, they quickly found a singled out Soul Beast to take on.

    Sheng Feilong quickly judged it to be around 4.000-years-old, leaving Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong to deal with it while he stunned it with a spiritual attack. Within seconds, the beast fell lifelessly to the ground after being decapitated by Yuanen Yehui''s second Soul Skill, the Demon Sword.

    "Barely a minute has passed... they really are geniuses." Ye Wanxing''s secretary mumbled thoughtlessly while staring at the screen handing inside the hall. Ye Wanxing himself didn''t pay much attention to the time it took them to kill the Soul Beast, though. His focus laid on Sheng Feilong''s display of his Spirit Power, which caused him to frown. ''...The Spirit Abyss Realm? How many secrets did those two keep?''

    He glanced at She Meixiao and Song Weihan for a second before returning to the screen with a frown. As She Meixiao''s disciple, Sheng Feilong was registered at Daedalus, however, only his Netherworld Putrefaction Demon Spirit Essence was listed there. Still, after some investigation, Ye Wanxing already knew that Sheng Feilong had another Spirit Essence; One that was strong enough for the Spirit Flamingo Douluo Song Weihan to take him in as his personal disciple when they first met.

    While Ye Wanxing was caught up in his thoughts, the scene on the screen had already changed. Yuanen Yehui was sitting cross legged on the ground, next to the Soul Beasts corpse and was absorbing its energy while Huang Jialong and Sheng Feilong kept watch around her. Their methods in combat and even now were surprisingly professional and well coordinated, but Ye Wanxing''s focus was once again not on that, but Sheng Feilong''s eyes.

    ''His eyes? Spirit Eyes? But why are they golden? Is that because of his normal eye colour; Anyone recording with the Spirit Eyes, starting with the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao had bright blue eyes. Is there something different about him?'' His thoughts trailed off slightly, but the more he thought about it, the more the situation annoyed him; He, the most powerful person of Daedalus and its de-facto leader didn''t know about the secrets of this low level member, just because of She Meixiao.

    ''She truly is just as annoying as her father.'' He once again glanced at She Meixiao, then put the thought to the back of his head and nonchalantly looked back at the screen. Yuanen Yehui was still absorbing the Soul Beast''s remnant energy, but Sheng Feilong was now standing right next to her, while Huang Jialong was fighting off three other wolf type Soul Beasts.

 184 Tricking The Wolves

    A wave of Spirit Power akin to a fine, thin net spread out from Sheng Feilong into all directions. They had been attacked by three wolf type Soul Beasts while Yuanen Yehui was still absorbing the remnant energy of the first Soul Beast they killed.

    While Huang Jialong jumped into action to deal with them, Sheng Feilong retreated to Yuanen Yehui''s side, making sure they don''t miss any other Soul Beasts as something like this would become more dangerous with each attack.

    After making sure that there were no other Soul Beasts in the area of a few kilometres around them, Sheng Feilong relaxed slightly and informed Huang Jialong of the situation. The latter was still calmly dealing with the three wolf type Soul Beasts, all of which were between 3.000- to 4.000-years-old.

    "Brother Huang, keep them occupied for the time being. Once Yehui finishes absorbing the energy of her Soul Beast, kill the wolves; You can directly absorb their energy then." Sheng Feilong called out to Huang Jialong in a calm tone. The latter nodded his head without hesitation; Dealing with the wolves was easy for him and even keeping them occupied and not killing them was still considerably easy. To Huang Jialong, Soul Beasts of this level barely even qualified as sparring partners.

    However, the Soul Beasts themselves weren''t dumb. After a while, they recognized that they were heavily outclassed and that Huang Jialong was keeping them alive on purpose. When they tried to flee, Huang Jialong quickly glanced at Sheng Feilong, who had already began moving by the time.

    Sheng Feilong''s first Soul Ring lit up while his eyes flashed, causing the three wolf type Soul Beasts to freeze. Moments later, they began moving again, inspecting their surrounding thoroughly but much calmer than when they were about to flee. After a while, they quietly settled down at the side, one of them even laying down to sleep.

    Huang Jialong retracted his Spirit Essence and Soul Power and looked at Sheng Feilong with an amused expression while walking over to him. "What are you showing them?" He already knew about Sheng Feilong''s illusion abilities, but he never really saw them in action. Cracking a smile at the wolf Soul Beasts antics, Sheng Feilong replied with a calm tone. "I showed them an illusion of their den. They were confused at first, but after not finding anything strange, they settled down. It''s fortunate that Soul Beasts of their level only posses low levels of intelligence."

    "I see... can you keep the surveillance up?" Huang Jialong asked, seeing that Sheng Feilong''s Soul Ring was continuously glowing, something that meant that it was also continuously drawing out his strength. Still, Sheng Feilong only calmly nodded his head. "I could, though I''d be thankful if you kept watch for now. Yehui shouldn''t need too long to absorb a Soul Beast of that level."

    After the short exchange, Huang Jialong walked to the other sideand settling down there to keep watch, while Sheng Feilong sat down on the ground and kept an eye on the wolf Soul Beasts. Luckily, they were quite calm as it would put more of a strain on him if they were to rampage around or split up and walk into different directions.

    Half an hour passed by quietly before Yuanen Yehui finally opened her eyes. She took a deep breath before stretching her arms. "Oh, you''re already done? That was fast." Huang Jialong said with a small smile while walking over to Sheng Feilong. Yuanen Yehui was surprised by the strange scene of Sheng Feilong sitting in the middle of three wolf Soul Beasts, one of which was now sleeping on his lap.

    She carefully stood up and also walked over to their side, looking at Sheng Feilong with an amused expression after seeing his first Soul Ring lit up. "You found a few new friends?" Sheng Feilong turned around to look at her and shrugged while petting the wolf in his lap. "Brother Huang and I were so lonely without you, and those guys were nice enough to accompany us."

    "Well, as long as you believe that at least. Though those wolves don''t look that nice?" Yuanen Yehui said while laughing lightly, his eyes still vigilantly fixed on the three wolves. Although they were quite tame at the moment, the head of the one resting on Sheng Feilong''s leg was already bigger than his torso, the whole wolf easily towering three metres high and six metres long, exuding ferociousness visible to the naked eye.

    "I guess they''ll have to go if you don''t like them." Sheng Feilong once again shrugged while pushing the wolf head off his leg. He stood up, stretched his back and pulled a shortsword out of his Spacial Ring, then rammed it into the wolf''s skull, killing the defenceless canine in an instant. At the same time, Huang Jialong attacked the other two wolves, also killing them instantly.

    Sheng Feilong deactivated his Toad Prison Soul Skill afterwards, then grabbed the dead wolf by his feet and dragged it over to Huang Jialong, who was pulling another wolf towards the third. A comparitively large amount of energy was surrounding the wolf corpses and Huang Jialong sat down in between them, then started meditating to absorb their energy.

    Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong backed up, sitting down on a few nearby rocks. Once again, Sheng Feilong spread his Spirit Power out to scout the surrounding area, which was still empty of any other Soul Beasts. "Hmm, seems like we''ll have to search for a while once Brother Huang is done."

    "There''s not other Soul Beasts around?" Yuanen Yehui asked, her eyebrows raising slightly. Sheng Feilong shook his head lightly. "No, at least not anywhere in a few kilometres radius." Yuanen Yehui nodded, then frowned lightly looking at the three Soul Beasts surrounding Huang Jialong. "I thought we''d find a few more since we encountered multiple so early."

    "We were lucky." Sheng Feilong said with a small smile. "Master''s Spirit Ascension Platform is similar to the middle ranges of the Spirit Pagoda''s Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform. Starting from here, Soul Beasts usually live in small groups or alone and they have rather large territories. I wouldn''t be surprised if we had to wander a few dozen kilometres to encounter a new Soul Beast."

    "You''re right... I would be too easy if there were always that many Soul Beasts around." Yuanen Yehui agreed with his opinion, then remained silent for a moment, while Sheng Feilong smiled. "That reminds me; How was it? Master said we would be ale to absorb more energy, so how much is it exactly."

    "I didn''t expect too much of it, but I was surprised. Usually, you''d be lucky to absorb around ten percent of a Soul Beasts remnant strength, but I managed to absorb over 300 years of cultivation for my Spirit Soul." A flash of excitement crossed Yuanen Yehui''s eyes as she spoke about this.

    Sheng Feilong also looked surprised. "That much? It was only a 2.000-years-old Soul Beast and it didn''t even match your Spirit Essence''s attribute, yet you managed to absorb 15 percent of its strength?" Yuanen Yehui nodded with a excited smile. "Yeah, but that''s not all. I wasn''t used to growing my Spirit Soul so fast; If I was, I could''ve easily absorbed 20 percent of its strength."

    "20 percent..." Sheng Feilong muttered under his breath, a sharp, determined glint flashing past his eyes. "If it''s that much, reaching the goals Master gave us is definitely possible. Even more so if we were to encounter a 10.000-years-old Soul Beast in the future."

    Yuanen Yehui chimed in at that point with a expression as if she just remembered something important. "That reminds me, what goal did Senior Song give you, anyways?" Sheng Feilong hesitated for a moment, then told her about the goal with a wry smile. Yuaen Yehui looked at him with a sluggish expression. "He wants you to increase their strengths by over 10.000 and over 15.000 years? That''s ridiculous."

    Sheng Feilong chuckled lightly, still with a wry smile. "It''s... challenging to say the least. Though since Master made the calculations, I think it''ll be possible. And with us being able to absorb 20% of the Soul Beasts strength, t shouldn''t be too much of a hassle. Moreover, we still don''t know how much more we can absorb from Soul beasts matching our Spirit Essences attributes and characteristics."

    Yuanen Yehui once again agreed by nodding her head lightly. "Yeah... just thinking about finding something like a real Diamond Baboon and absorbing its power... Just how powerful would my Spirit Soul grow?" She looked at Sheng Feilong, but just as the latter was about to answer, his head whipped around to stare into the distance, causing Yuanen Yehui frown. "What''s wrong?"

    "Something''s coming." Sheng Feilong said plainly. He focused his Spirit Power to lock on to the intruder, scanning it up and down, frowning more deeply the longer he did so. "A powerful Soul Beast?" Yuanen Yehui asked while standing up, staring into the same direction as Sheng Feilong. "Yeah... quad-pedal, a massive body with lots of physical strength. It''s Spirit power is also extremely high; It already locked on to us the moment it felt my Spirit Power net."

    "Do you know what it is?" Yuanen Yehui was growing slightly anxious at this point; Huang Jialong was still absorbing the power of the three wolves, so they couldn''t leave him alone, nor fight a powerful Soul Beast next to him. Moreover, if that Soul Beast''s Spirit power was as strong as Sheng Feilong said, they could be in serious trouble.

    Sheng Feilong still stared at the Soul Beast, but was unable to make out any details about it. "...It''s using its own Spirit Power to stop me from finding out. It''s intelligent and extremely powerful. At the very least, it''s a 10.000-years-old Soul Beast. But why would it be here, outside of its territory... Don''t tell me its a Guardian and noticed us killing Soul Beasts here?"

 185 The Draconic Forest Tyran

    She Meixiao frowned as she looked at the screen. Aside from Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui, the screen also showed the Soul Beast Sheng Feilong had noticed earlier; It was a massive beast of at least ten metres in size, with four muscular legs and an overall massive frame. Atop its neck sat a long, massive head akin to a dragons, with long horns reaching behind its head.

    "Song Weihan, what is that..?" Despite her extensive knowledge, She Meixiao had never seen such a Soul Beast before, nor did Ye Wanxing or any of the others onlookers. In comparison, the researchers inside the laboratory had stiff expressions, seemingly knowing what this beast was.

    Song Weihan looked at the screen with a calm smile. "A 10.000-years-old Soul Beast, obviously. We''ve called it a Draconic Forest Tyrant. This one should be around 14.000-years-old." His words caused the various onlookers to frown, while She Meixiao cut to the chase. "What is that thing? I''ve never seen such a Soul Beast before."

    "Naturally. That''s because it''s not a Soul Beast. It''s a Spirit Soul; A replica of a Soul Beast that doesn''t exist in reality. We created it in this very laboratory." Song Weihan spoke lightly, his eyes still fixed on the screen showing the happenings inside the Spirit Ascension Platform.

    Ye Wanxing frowned as well, looking at Song Weihan with a stern expression. "Whatever it is; What is it doing there?" His question sounded random, but most of the onlookers understood what he meant; What was such a powerful Soul Beast doing in the outskirts of the Spirit Ascension Platform, at the place where they sent Sheng Feilong and the others in, at that.

    "Protecting its territory from the invaders, what else?" His voice as still as casual as before, but She Meixiao finally had enough. "Protecting its territory? In the place where you sent Feilong and the others? Where no such powerful Soul Beast should even be? Why did you place it there?!"

    Song Weihan simply continued to smile, still not averting his gaze from the screen. "...A team, no matter how prestigious or powerful, is only as strong as its weakest link. With Huang Jialong out of the picture, Feilong and Yehui will have to deal with this themselves. I consider this visit of the Spirit Ascension Platform not only as a test for the platform itself but also for them."

    He paused for a moment, but before anyone could speak up again, he continued his explanation. "The Draconic Forest Tyrant is the perfect opponent for them. Feilong can restrict its Spirit power perfectly, while Huang Jialong''s dragon type Hydra Spirit Essence will suppress its bloodline. Along with Huang Jialong''s physical strength and combat prowess, he and Feilong will be able to beat it easily if their cooperation is good."

    "Feilong and Jialong can...? Then what about..." She Meixiao said with a frown before becoming silent, staring at Song Weihan. The latter finally averted his gaze from the screen, looking at She Meixiao. "That''s exactly what I want to find out. Yuanen Yehui is by far the weakest link in their team. So I want to know, just where does she think her place is in this team? Just what can she do?"

    She Meixiao frowned deeply, clearly angered by Song Weihan attitude, but before she could say something in response, Ye Wanxing cut her off. "It has begun." Song Weihan calmly turned his head around to the screen, looking at the imminent fight between Yuanen Yehui, Sheng Feilong and the Draconic Forest Tyrant.

    ---------------

    Sheng Feilong had long since formed a plan on how to deal with this Soul Beast. With Huang Jialong still absorbing the remnant energy of the three wolf Soul Beasts, there was no way they could fight the Soul Beast near him. Thus, with no other option left, Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui instead opted to intercept it before it came closer to where Huang Jialong was.

    After the beast had locked on to them, Sheng Feilong immediately used his Spirit Power to shield Huang Jialong from its perception, thus making sure the beast was focusing on him and Yuanen Yehui. "I''ll restrict if from using its Spirit power; Don''t worry about that. Focus on defence. It''s too strong, physically, for us to defeat it alone. We have to keep it occupied until Brother Huang wakes up!"

    "Got it!" On Sheng Feilong''s command, Yuanen Yehui released her Titan Giant Ape Spirit Essence once they neared the Soul Beast. Its defence and toughness were leagues above the Fall Angel Spirit Essence; It was the perfect choice for a battle of attrition. She also immediately activated her first Soul Skill, Titan''s Strength, to engage the Soul Beast.

    Upon spotting them, the Draconic Forest Tyrant immediately identified Yuanen Yehui''s transformed state as the greater threat as Sheng Feilong was still hiding his Soul Power and attacked her first. The Beasts nearly ten metre tall body and Yuanen Yehui''s slightly above four metres tall stature collided, the latter being pushed back multiple metres before they came to a halt.

    Yuanen Yehui''s pupils constricted sharply; Although Sheng Feilong told her that this Soul Beast had massive physical strength, she hadn''t expected to be pushed back like that while she had already activated her first Soul Skill. Her focus increased nearly instantly and she didn''t bother to keep an eye on her surroundings any longer, leaving Sheng Feilong to deal with that.

    The muscles on her arms tensed, then bulged visibly, as she used the momentum of the first clash to trip the Draconic Forest Tyrant, wrestling it to the ground and punching it repeatedly before bringing some distance between herself and the beast.

    Sheng Feilong''s hadn''t been slacking during that time; Immediately after the first clash where Yuanen Yehui was being pushed back, he used his second Soul Skill, Mental Detection, to increase his own and Yuanen Yehui''s perception during the battle. With his current Spirit Power, keeping this ability activated for long periods of time wasn''t an issue at all and he could still use his other Soul Skills at the same time with relative ease.

    However, that didn''t mean that he could just trap theDraconic Forest Tyrant in an illusion; Despite its brutish appearance and immense strength, its Spirit Power was actually even more terrifying, even overshadowing Sheng Feilong''s by a small margin.

    After being brought down to the ground, the Draconic Forest Tyrant was furious, roaring loudly as he heaved itself up again. Sheng Feilong reacted immediately, using a focused mental attack to break the Soul Beasts roar; Not only was it loud, it was also a sound based mental attack. Judging from its Spirit Power, if Yuanen Yehui were to be hit by this, she would be stunned for at least a few seconds; A time long enough for the Draconic Forest Tyrant to mortally wound her, if not worse!

    Sheng Feilong''s mental attack broke the mental attack of the Draconic Forest Attack, reducing it to a normal, booming roar, which still left their ears ringing. At the same time, the Draconic Forest Tyrant came charging at them with its maw wide open. Yuanen Yehui passed by Sheng Feilong in an instant, putting her hands together in a fist and smashing down on the Soul Beast''s head from above.

    Its head was pushed down fiercely, nearly touching the ground, but that didn''t stop its charge. It smashed into Yuanen Yehui, pushing her back and causing her to fall, with the Draconic Forest Tyrant now on top of her.

    The Soul Beast roared again, ferociously biting towards Yuanen Yehui''s neck while she was incapacitated, only to be stopped by Sheng Feilong; With his two shortswords in his hands, he struck out against the Draconic Forest Tyrant''s head with all of his strength.

    "Ugh-!" A muffled groan escaped Sheng Feilong''s lips as sparks flew everywhere from the shortswords colliding with the Soul Beast''s metallic scales. The force of the impact propelled Sheng Feilong back, causing him to crash into the ground. He used the remaining momentum to roll backwards, jumping back to his feet after a few rolls.

    Still, his efforts weren''t for nought as the impact delayed the Draconic Forest Tyrants attack long enoughto give Yuanen Yehui the time to grab it by its neck, wrestling it to the side. The beast roared again, but was unable to stop Yuanen Yehui from breaking away from beneath it.

    Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui stood side by side, breathing heavily as the Draconic Forest Tyrant slowly heaved itself up from the ground again, staring at them with crazed viciousness. Despite all of their attacks, the Draconic Forest Tyrant was still in much better condition than them.

    Blood was trickling down from Sheng Feilong''s lips; The single impact from before was enough to brutally shake his internal organs, causing hidden injuries inside his body. Yuanen Yehui was limping slightly as the weight of the Draconic Forest Tyrant injured her right leg, causing the bone in her shin to snap, while her whole body was aching due to the impacts with the Draconic Forest Tyrant.

    Sheng Feilong wiped the blood off his mouth, then glanced at Yuanen Yehui and charged at the Draconic Forest Tyrant. "Wait for an opportunity!" He finally released his Soul Power in full, causing all six of his Soul Rings to appear behind his back. In addition to the already glowing second Soul Ring, the third lit up as well, causing his Spirit power to ripple further; His third Soul Skill, Mental Amplification, was now active as well!

    He only needed half a second to accustom himself to the increase in Spirit Power. His eyes flashed again as his sixth Soul Ring lit up brightly. Seemingly out of nowhere, four exact copies of Sheng Feilong appeared next to him, charging at the Draconig Forest Tyrant as well. All of them were transparent, with the exact same expression on their faces as the real Sheng Feilong.

    Yuanen Yehui was shocked for a moment, as she hadn''t seen this Soul Skill before. If was the ability Sheng Feilong gained once he broke through to become a Soul Emperor; His sixth Soul Skill, Spiirt Body Replica ¨C a mental attack that took physical form!

    Just a moment later, the four spirit bodies copied Sheng Feilong''s attire, even taking on the same colours as the original, with no indication to discern the four copies from the real Sheng Feilong. At the same time, a cute, childlike voice echoed out in Sheng Feilong''s head. ''Wah~! The guessing game! I wanna play, too!''

 186 Perfect Coordination

    The childlike voice resounding in Sheng Feilong''s head belonged to none other than the Purple Forest Witch Spirit Soul. After he became a Soul Emperor, the little Spirit Soul had become much more active, talking to him on its own initiative from time to time.

    It was relatively common knowledge that Spirit Souls could use the Soul Skills they bestowed upon Soul Masters themselves as well. The Purple Forest Witch was no exception to this rule and with its intelligence, it should''ve been able to do so long ago, but never did. Sheng Feilong never pressed that matter as it wasn''t really urgent, as well.

    Although it become more active, its childlike and irresponsible behaviour still remained, thus Sheng Feilong usually didn''t want to rely on it. This time however, its childlike voice brought a small smile on his lips while he was charging at the Draconic Forest Tyrant. ''You want to play, too? You see that big guy over there? He''s the one who''s guessing; If he finds the real one, we lose.''

    The Purple Forest Witch reacted in a childlike manner again, chuckling a bit, then waved its arms around, causing two more Spirit Body Replica''s to appear around Sheng Feilong, both of which also looked like exact copies of the real Sheng Feilong.

    Just like Yuanen Yehui, the Draconic Forest Tyrant was stumped by the display for a moment, but then simply ignored it, attacking one Sheng Feilong after the other. However, with the Purple Forest Witch and Sheng Feilong working together to control the replicas, the Draconic Forest Tyrant had no chance to catch them; If one dodged its attack, the other five and the real Sheng Feilong would attack it from other positions.

    Normally, that wouldn''t be a problem for the Draconic Forest Tyrant; Sheng Feilong had attacked it before, unable to wound it, but the very nature of the Spirit Body Replica''s worked in Sheng Feilong''s favour. As a physical manifestation of a mental attack, the Spirit Body Replica''s attack power was equivalent to a full power mental attack of Sheng Feilong. That multiplied by the number of Spirit Bodies and attacks was more than enough to put the Draconic Forest Tyrant in a disadvantageous position.

    A few monutes had passed since Sheng Feilong started his assault, yet the Draconic Forest Tyrant''s body was riddled with slashing wounds from Sheng Feilong''s shortswords. The Soul Beast was growing more and more enraged, flailing around to get rid of Sheng Feilong and the Spirit Body Replicas, though its wild and unfocused manner of attack only made it easier for Sheng Feilong.

    Still, despite the seemingly advantageous position, Sheng Feilong''s forehead and back were drenched in sweat. The Spirit Body Replica''s were indeed powerful, but they completely relied on Sheng Feilong''s Soul Power to maintain themselves as well as his Spirit Power for every attack they made. Moreover, he had to split his thoughts to move every single one of them individually.

    After all of those attacks, he was already getting exhausted. Thankfully, the Purple Forest Witch was controlling two of the replicas, imitating what Sheng Feilong did and taking part of the strenuous experience off of him; Four replicas was the absolute maximum he could effectively control with his current strength.

    During this whole time, Yuanen Yehui was put on edge. She strained her senses to find the perfect opportunity to attack, but had yet to find it thus far. Despite the Draconic Forest Tyrant''s wild behaviour, it was still protecting itself properly, not allowing for Yuanen Yehiu to exploit any opening.

    If it wasn''t for the fact that Sheng Feilong didn''t care if he hit a vital part or basically just cut its skin, he would also be hard pressed to attack the Draconic Forest Tyrant; Thus far, he has also not hit a vital part of the Soul Best even once.

    The fight continued to remain in this deadlock for a long time, with the Draconic Forest Tyrant accumulating more and more injuries and Sheng Feilong slowly getting more and more exhausted. Yuanen Yehui was clenching her fists and wanted to jump in to the fight to help Sheng Feilong, but she still couldn''t find an opening.

    After a long time, Yuanen Yehui noticed a burst of Soul Power from a place far behind her and turned around. A few moment later, she could see a surprised Huang Jialong standing in front of her. "Yehui?" He looked around, his eyes focussing on Sheng Feilong and the Draconic Forest Tyrant near instantly.

    His Soul Power surged once more, the image of a massive black Hydra with five heads appearing behind his back while a total of six Soul Rings jumped into existence behind his back. The Hydra''s maws opened wide as Huang Jialong jumped into the fray, causing a booming dragon''s cry to echo through the area.

    The Draconic Forest Tyrant flinched ever so slightly, its head whipping around to focus on Huang Jialong''s figure, blacking his first attack with its tail. Huang Jialong quickly made his way over to Sheng Feilong''s side, standing amidst him and the six Spirit Body Replicas.

    The seven Sheng Feilong''s smiled at Huang Jialong, then spoke at the same time. ""Took you long enough, Brother Huang!"" Huang Jialong was taken aback, not quite sure what to think of this situation, but the real Sheng Feilong suddenly spoke up alone. "Right, sorry, that''s my Soul Skill. Focus on defeating that Soul Beast; Massive body, immense physical strength, high Spirit Power and a draconic bloodline. It''s intelligent and knows how to defend its vital points."

    "Got it." Huang Jialong answered briefly with a nod, then focused on the Draconic Forest Tyrant. The Soul Rings behind his back became more vibrant while his Soul Power surged again. A moment later, the first Soul Ring behind his back lit up bright, causing black scales to appear on his arms and shoulder, crawling up his neck until they also covered his lower jawline.

    A second Soul Ring lit up behind Huang Jialong''s back, this time being the fifth one, a black Soul Ring. His eyes changed, the irises turning into vertical slits of a purple colour, while his sclera darkened considerably. At the same time, the muscles all around his body tensed and began to bulge slightly, making Huang Jialong look easily ten centimetres taller.

    The second transformation caused a reaction in the Draconic Forest Tyrant ¨C a detail that Sheng Feilong naturally didn''t miss. ''That Soul Skill...? He''s exuding the aura of a real Hydra, suppressing the Soul Beast''s bloodline. Perfect!'' He looked at Huang Jialong with a grin. "Brother Huang, you lead the assault; Don''t worry about defending or the mental attacks; Focus on offence, I''ll deal with the rest!"

    "Got it. Let''s go!" Huang Jialong once again nodded shortly, then charged at the Draconic Forest tyrant with a single jump. The image of the five Hydra heads superimposed over his arms, legs and own head as he sent a single punch out to the Draconic Forest Tyrant. He fiercely collided with the Draconic Forest Tyrant, is punch being blocked by one of its limbs.

    The ground beneath them cracked, causing Huang Jialong to sink a few centimetres into the ground, but unlike Yuanen Yehui, who was usually flung back by the impacts with the Soul Beast, he could still stand his ground, even forcing the Draconic Forest Tyrant''s limb back by a bit.

    The Soul Beast was about to retaliate against Huang Jialong, but was stopped by Sheng Feilong, who accurately pierced its thigh with one of his shortswords while the Spirit Body Replicas continued to attack the Draconic Forest Tyrants side.

    This continued for the whole fight; If the Draconic Forest Tyrant focused on one of them, the other would interfere, wounding the Soul Beast in the process. Their attacks seemed incredibly well coordinated, every attacks meticulously planned to open up an opportunity to attack for the other fighter as they gradually beat the Draconic Forest Tyrant down.

    The whole fight, since Huang Jialong joined, took over an hour with him and Sheng Feilong working together to finally bring the Soul Beast down. By that time, both of them were utterly exhausted from the fight and barely in any condition to stand. Both deactivated their Soul Skills, looked at each other and started laughing.

    This was the first time they had fought together like this and although there were still flaws, their coordination was incredible. Huang Jialong took a deep breath, then looked at Sheng Feilong with a playful smile. "That was incredible. I didn''t know you can fight like that. You never showed it during spars."

    "Of course not. Why would I try to kill you?" Sheng Feilong replied in the same playful manner, then looked at the corpse of the Draconic Forest Tyrant. "Still, just what kind of beast is that..? I''ve never seen it before." Huang Jialong shook his head lightly. "Me neither, but who cares? It''s dead and look at that."

    He pointed at the huge, black Soul Ring floating above the Draconic Forest Tyrant. "Judging from the size, its at least 15.000-years-old. Moreover, it''s of the spiritual attribute, right? You go for it." Sheng Feilong was stunned for a moment, but soon agreed to absorb the Draconic Forest tyrant''s energy. He was only one of their group who didn''t absorb a Soul Beast yet, moreover, the Draconic Forest Tyrant really fit him quite well.

    Before that, though, he quickly double checked with Yuanen Yehui, who only nodded in response. Thus, Sheng Feilong sat down next to the corpse and began absorbing its remnant energy. Meanwhile, Yuanen Yehui continued to stand aside, absent mindedly staring at the two of them and the Soul Beast behind them with a complicated expression.

 187 Absorbing The Remnant Energy

    "Yehui, are you alright?" Huang Jialong looked at Yuanen Yehui after Sheng Feilong started to absorb the Draconic Forest Tyrant''s remnant energy. He didn''t know how much she fought against the Soul beast before, but he could see that her leg was injured and the complicated look she gave Sheng Feilong and the Draconic Forest Tyrant felt strange to him.

    "I''m alright, thanks." Yuanen Yehui replied witha small smile, though Huang Jialong didn''t seem convinced. "You sure?" Yuanen Yehui hesitated a moment seeing his concerned look, but just nodded her head in the end.

    Huang Jialong looked around for a moment, then back at Sheng Feilong and the Draconic Forest Tyrant. "...This''ll take a while. That Soul Beast is much stronger than the ones we absorbed before. I wonder just how much stronger his Spirit Soul will get."

    Huang Jialong had experienced the increased absorption rate of this Spirit Ascension Platform himself; The three wolves had increased the age of his Spirit Soul by nearly 1.500 years, yet all of them combined only came close to to half the age of the Soul Beast Sheng Feilong was absorbing. Moreover, they weren''t even of the same attribute as his Spirit Souls.

    Yuanen Yehui had similar thoughts, nodding her head in agreement with Huang Jialong. "He should be able to absorb about 20 percent of that Soul Beast''s strength. So, around 3.000 years?" However, Huang Jialong shook his head. "That''s questionable. Considering that it also has the spiritual attribute, the same as his Spirit Souls, he should be able to absorb more, potentially."

    "Potentially?" A frown formed on Yuanen Yehui''s face, while Huang Jialong just nodded. "Can you imagine strengthening your own Spirit Souls by 3.000 years all of a sudden? Would you be able to handle it?"

    His question was short, but precisely addressed the most important point. Yuanen Yehui frowned more deeply, then shook her head slightly. "I wouldn''t... But, if it''s Feilong..." Huang Jialong nodded his head, silently agreeing with her, though still spoke his mind freely. "Well, we''ll see. In the end, it comes down to his strength and compatibility with the Soul Beast, as well as his Spirit Power; He''ll have to deal with the backlashes and absorb the energy at the same time."

    After saying that, Huang Jialong sat down at the trunk of a tree a short distance away from Sheng Feilong and closed his eyes while sitting in a lotus position. He spread out his Spirit Power, surveying the surroundings for any Soul Beasts that may appear, though he looked like he was silently cultivating.

    Yuanen Yehui walked to the other side, also sitting down at the trunk of a tree and observed Sheng Feilong silently while thinking about the last fight. That powerful Soul Beast she couldn''t even match in strength was so easily dealt with as soon as Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong worked together.

    Even before that, if it wasn''t for Sheng Feilong interfering at the critical moments, she might have already lost her life to it and would''ve been sent out of the Spirit Ascension Platform. ''Is the disparity really that great...? Just because they''re Soul Emperors and I''m not?''

    Although she respected Huang Jialong for his strength, she never thought that there would be such a vast difference between the two of them. As a possessor of Twin Spirit Essences, she had always been the most talented Soul Master among her peers. Even at Shrek Academy, there had been no one who could defeat her before Sheng Feilong''s and Tang Wulin''s generation came along; Even among the third graders, there were at most two or so people who could defeat her.

    Yet, ever since she mingled with Sheng Feilong or even Tang Wulin and the other first graders, she had been proven to be inferior time and time again. She never felt that to be a bad thing, but today''s fight had shown her how fatal this difference in strength can be.

    Yuanen Yehui wasn''t worried about her cultivation; She still believed herself to be superior to Huang Jialong in regards to their cultivation speed, but would she be able to reach the same combat standards as the latter once she became a Soul Emperor? This was something she couldn''t say for sure.

    Time passed quietly while Sheng Feilong absorbed the remnant energy of the Draconic Forest Tyrant and soon, two hours had flown by. Huang Jialong still sat on the ground in a meditative position while surveying the surrounding, while Yuanen Yehui had started to meditate silently.

    Both, Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong, were shocked awake by a ripple of Soul Power and Spirit Power gushing out from Sheng Feilong, accompanied by a muffled groan. They quickly ran over to his side, checking what was going on. Sheng Feilong''s face was somewhat pale and his brows were furrowed.

    Huang Jialong remained calm, but a frown sat on his face. "It seems he can''t take much more of the energy. I wonder how much he has absorbed..." It was impossible for him to gauge how much energy the Draconic Forest Tyrant left behind without trying to absorb it himself, thus he didn''t know how much Sheng Feilong had absorbed so far.

    "...He doesn''t look like he will stop anytime soon, though?" Yuanen Yehui said with a worried expression. Although Sheng Feilong''s countenance was pale, he was still steadily absorbing the energy of the Draconic Forest Tyrant, moreover, although a groan escaped his mouth, he was still highly concentrated and completely focused.

    "You''re right... Though I don''t think we need to worry too much. Feilong knows his own limits better than we do. He won''t overload himself." Huang Jialong said calmly, but Yuanen Yehui still looked extremely worried. "Calm down. The only thing we can do is wait, anyways."

    With this Huang Jialongwent back to his previous spot, sitting at the trunk of a tree and surveying the surroundings with his Spirit Power, though he wasn''t as focused as before and instead kept an eye on Sheng Feilong the whole time.

    Yuanen Yehui sat down as well, only a few steps away from Sheng Feilong, anxiously watching the latter. Time passed by again, without anything special happening. Sheng Feilong had completely steadied himself and was calmly absorbing the energy of the Draconic Forest Tyrant, while Yuanen Yehui also calmed down slowly.

    After about another half an hour, Sheng Feilong slowly opened his eyes, then let out a long breath. He looked around, spotting Yuanen Yehui who was anxiously staring at him by his side and smiled. "Hey there. Why the worried face..?" Yuanen Yehui only stared at him, seemingly holding back from doing something. "Are you feeling alright? Why were you groaning earlier?"

    "Yeah, I''m alright. I just absorbed too much energy too quickly. My Ancient Hypnotic Toad Spirit Soul wasn''t quite happy with that and rejected some of the energy. Though it quickly calmed down and started absorbing more." Sheng Feilong said with a calm expression.

    Huang Jialong had stood up by now and walked over to them while looking at Sheng Feilong. "How much energy did you absorb for you Spirit Soul to lash back at you?" He had an amused expression on his face after hearing what happened to Sheng Feilong, though the latter only smiled in response.

    "Come on, don''t make us wait. Spit it out." Huang Jialong once again said, rolling his eyes in the process. Yuanen Yehui also looked at Sheng Feilong with an interested expression, especially after seeing Sheng Feilong''s smug smile. "You wouldn''t believe me."

    "Say it already. Or do I need to force you?" The annoyed tone in Huang Jialong''s voice turned playful, though Sheng Feilong knew he would stay true to his words and actually try toforce him to speak. He rolled his eyes shortly then looked back at Huang Jialong. "As if you could. Anyways, I''ve increased the age of the ancient Hypnotic Toad to about 8.600 years."

    His voice was casual, but once he finished, the surroundings became so quiet, one would be able to hear a pin drop to the ground. Huang Jialong looked at him with disbelief in his eyes and spoke a few words in a weird tone. "Wasn''t you Spirit Soul somewhere around 4.000-years-old before..?"

    "It was a 4.400-years-old Spirit Soul before, yes." Sheng Feilong replied, still as casual as before. Yuanen Yehui sat next to him, staring at him with a sluggish expression and her mouth slightly open, while Huang Jialong let out a long sigh. "4.200 years in one go, huh... You''re really a monster."

    "Why, did you expect anything less, Brother Huang?" Again, Sheng Feilong had a smug smile on his face, to which Huang Jialong simply replied with a deadpan expression. "No, I just expected you to act like a normal human being for once. My mistake, I guess."

    Sheng Feilong laughed lightly. "That''s a mean thing to say; I''m a totally normal ''human being''." He turned around to look at Yuanen Yehui, who still looked stunned. "Right, Yehui?" She took a while to calm herself, looking at sheng Feilong with a stoic expression. "Monster."

 188 sWorse Then I Expecteds

    Sheng Feilong and the others continued bickering or a while longer before Sheng Feilong spoke up again. "Anyways, I think we should return for now." Looking at the sky, it was already becoming night time. All three of them managed to absorb the remnant energy of some Soul Beasts and get a feeling for how this Spirit Ascension Platform is different.

    Moreover, with the night approaching and Yuanen Yehui being injured made it quite dangerous for them to remain in the forest. As always, they had a method to immediately leave the Spirit Ascension Platform, thus it wasn''t a problem for them to return.

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui agreed to end the venture there and all three of them exited the Spirit Ascension Platform.

    After being caught up in the usual, weird feeling of entering and exiting the platform, they woke up inside the capsules again and slowly stood up. Inside the room, Song Weihan, She Meixiao and a few researchers were already waiting for them. Sheng Feilonga nd the others didn''t know of Ye Wanxing coming to take a look as the latter had already left after they defeated the Draconic Forest Tyrant.

    Song Weihan waited for them to climb out of the capsules, then spoke to them with a calm expressions. "Well done, all three of you." They lined up in front of She Meixiao and Song Weihan when the latter continued. "Let''s return to my office for now. She Meixiao and I want to talk to you for a while."

    Sheng Feilong simply nodded his head and followed Song Weihan into the latter''s office. After relocating, Song Weihan smiled lightly and looked at Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui. "Alright, we''re alone now. What do you think about the Spirit Ascension Platform I created?"

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui hesitated for a moment. Although they knew Song Weihan had a relaxed nature, they didn''t quite know what to say into the face of a Titled Douluo. Sheng Feilong didn''t share their concerns and simply spoke what was on his mind. "It''s a bit weird. At first, everything was normal and felt like the regular Spirit Ascension Platform, but it felt different when we started fighting. The Soul Beasts seemed unproportionally aggressive, specially the weaker ones."

    "What do you mean?" Song Weihan questioned, his interest peaked now. "Even if they''re not as intelligent, they should be able to get the hunch that they''re weaker than us and try to avoid us, yet they were aggressive the moment they spotted us. I don''t believe that this was simple territorial instincts?"

    Song Weihan frowned lightly, thn spoke up after a moment. "It didn''t feel that way from watching you. Though the Soul Beasts might be somewhat more aggressive due to the rather large territories; There''s currently much less Soul Beasts rummaging around when compared to the original Spirit Ascension Platform. I''ll look into the matter. Was there something else?"

    "That 10.000-years-old Soul Beast. What in the world was that? I''ve never seen one like it before." Sheng Feilong questioned with an interested look in his eyes, to which Song Weihan smiled again. "That Soul Beast... was a test for you."

    His words caused Sheng Feilong and the others to tense up, staring at Song Weihan, who paused for a moment before continuing. "We''ve called it the Draconic Forest Tyrant. I placed you near its territory on purpose to see how you would fare against it in battle. It''s actually not a real Soul Beast, but one we created from scratch inside the laboratory."

    After a few moments, Sheng Feilong swallowed dryly. "Then, how did we fare..?" Song Weihan''s smiling expression died down and he frowned slightly. "Worse then I expected you to do." Again, Huang Jialong, Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong flinched, tensing up visibly.

    "You took the right choice in stalling for time while Jialong was absorbing the Masked Wolves'' remnant energy, yet instead of truly stalling it out, you fought it for real, the two of you even getting injured." Song Weihan spoke in a cold voice, staring at Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui.

    "If it wasn''t for Jialong timely appearance, you would''ve probably fared even worse." His gaze wandered over to Huang Jialong, who awaited Song Weihan''s assessment with a stoic expression. "Feilong and Jialong, your teamwork was superb; You took the Draconic Forest Tyrant down, utilizing its weakness against the bloodline suppression of Jialong''s Hydra Spirit Essence while Feilong suppressed it spiritually."

    Huang Jialong and Sheng Feilong heaved a miniscule sigh of relief, both of them glancing at each other and smirking proudly, but Song Weihan''s cold voice caused them to freeze once more. "Do you think I am praising you? Why did only the two of you fight? You are a team of three."

    The two of them glanced at Yuanen Yehui, who had a complicated expression on her face, while Song Weihan continued in the same tone as before. "Did you refuse to incorporate Yuanen Yehui because she was injured? Because you thought you two could do it on your own?"

    His gaze wandered solely on Sheng Feilong, his voice dropping a bit lower. "Did you think she''d be too weak to help after the earlier fight? What were you even doing fighting it on the frontlines, to begin with? You are the leader of this team and you''re supposed to lead it as a control type Soul Master; Why are you fighting as an assault type while you have someone who could perfectly close that gap just standing in the back rows?"

    Song Weihan paused for a moment after seeing Sheng Feilong not answer, then turned to look at the three of them as a whole. "If you repeat mistakes like these continuously, then don''t even think about going to the Great Star Dou Forest in the future." He turned around and sat down on his desk, looking at the three of them just standing there. "You may leave. Rest early; You''ll return to the Spirit Ascension Platform tomorrow."

    Sheng Feilong and the other two left the room wordlessly, looking a bit lost. Sheng Feilong turned to look at Yuanen Yehui with a conflicted expression. "Yehui, I''m sorry... After you were injured, I didn''t want to take any chances. This is my fault." Yuanen Yehui hesitated for a moment, then forced a light smile. "It''s alright. Thanks for your consideration..."

    They walked back to their respective quarters, heading Song Weihan''s advice to rest early. Without talking about it to each other, they each choose to cultivate for a while upon returning to their quarters, then going to bed a few hours later, all with a vague feeling of unease in the pits of their stomachs.

    -------------------

    After Sheng Feilong and the others left the office, Song Weihan let out a long sigh ad leaned back in his chair. She Meixiao looked at him from the sidelines with a stern look. "Is that what you wanted to test them for?"

    "I was being honest." Song Weihan said, looking at her with a tired expression. "I wanted Yuanen Yehui to learn her own place in their team, yet I didn''t expect Jialong and Feilong to downright ignore her presence and deal with the threat with only the two of them. It''s honestly disappointing."

    "Still, you could''ve thought about it a bit more. An unknown foe with extreme strength, who already injured Yehui. You know well just how overly emotional Feilong reacts when it comes to people close to him." She Meixiao said.

    Song Weihan didn''t react, but She Meixiao sighed lightly and continued. "If he didn''t fully trust in Huang Jialong''s strength to be enough to deal with the Draconic Forest Tyrant, he would''ve probably given the order to flee or possibly taken it on alone."

    "I agree. But that''s also a problem; Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong also know that. Now the question is how Yuanen Yehui will react to that; Feilong indirectly told her that he didn''t trust her strength and thought her to be too weak to help in that situation." Song Weihan said after a while, then looked at She Meixiao. "What do you think?"

    She Meixiao definitely knew Yuanen Yehui better than Song Weihan, but she also wasn''t sure about this. She frowned and looked back at him. "I don''t think she''ll take it too badly. If anything, it''s rouse her to want to become stronger; Strong enough that she''ll be able to actively take part in anything that follows."

    Song Weihan nodded his head with a light, relieved smile on his face. "That''s good then... I think I''ll better go easy on them the next few days, huh..."

    -----------------

    Sheng Feilong and the others returned to the Spirit Ascension Platform the very next day, as per song Weihan''s instructions. The latter really took it a bit easy on them, sending them to another part of the forest with considerably weaker Soul Beasts and without planting any great tests for them.

    After being reprimanded the day before, Sheng Feilong kept to the back rows more, taking place in the battles as a control type Soul Master, leaving the direct confrontations to Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui, while supporting them as good as he could. Still, with the weak foes, it became a bit of a routine for Sheng Feilong to stun the foe and either Huang Jialong or Yuanen Yehui finishing it off.

    By the end of the day, they had hunted a total of six more Soul Beasts, ranging from ages between 1.000 years to 3.000 years. They took turns absorbing the remnant energy, advancing their respective Spirit Souls by roughly 400-500 years each.

    Like this, a few more days passed in the same manner and their teamwork steadily improved. Yet, none of them seemed fully satisfied. In the evening of the fifths day, Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong returned to their rooms, after being dismissed, while Yuanen Yehui returned to Song Weihan''s office again.

    She Meixiao and Song Weihan were still inside, seemingly having waited for her as both started to smile lightly. Yuanen Yehui ignored that, staring at the two of them with a determined expression before suddenly bowing deeply. "Seniors, please help me. I want to become stronger."

 189 Delusions About Strength

    She Meixiao and Song Weihan waited for Yuanen Yehui to raise her head again, silently glancing at each other with small smiles. The atmosphere turned awkward after a few seconds and, thinking that She Meixiao and Song Weihan refused her request, Yuanen Yehui slowly raised her head, ready to leave the office silently.

    Song Weihan was still smiling, though. Seeing Yuanen Yehui''s distraught expression, he couldn''t help but chuckle, surprising the latter. A moment later, Yuanen Yehui finally realized that both, Song Weihan and She Meixiao, didn''t look displeased, but were smiling happily.

    "So, you finally decided to ask us for help." Song Weihan commented nonchalantly. His tone and choice of words made Yuanen Yehui feel hopeful, despite being equally nervous. "Still, just asking for our help, saying you want to become stronger, doesn''t really help."

    Yuanen Yehui easily figured out that he wanted her to be more specific about what she meant by ''becoming stronger'' and took a deep breath. "I wish to ask Seniors to please help me with increasing my cultivation."

    "Why your cultivation? You''re barely 17 years old; Among your generation, your cultivation already stands at the very top. In fact, inreasing your cultivation hastily would only result in your foundation becoming unstable." Song Weihan said, still with the same nonchalant tone.

    Yuanen Yehui hesitated for a while, not sure of how she could respond to that, which caused another awkward silence. A few more moments passed until Song Weihan broke the silence with a few, calm words. "Because Feilong and Jialong are already Soul Emperors?"

    Another silence ensued, but Yuanen Yehui''s reaction to his words already gave Song Weihan all the answers he needed. He sighed lightly, then looked at Yuanen Yehui and started speaking. "Feilong and Jialong are different from you. First of all, the latter is still two years older than you. Once you reach his age, I have no doubts that you''ll already be stronger then he is now."

    Yuanen Yehui clenched her fists, listening to Song Weihan in silence. After stopping for a moment, Song Weihan glanced at She Meixiao, who continued to speak in a soft tone. "Do you know about Jialong''s past? Before you joined us on the Star Luo Continent, he was already with us, yet he never spoke of his past."

    Looking at She Meixiao with a uncertain expression, Yuanen Yehui still remained silent, waiting for the latter to continue. "He joined Daedalus about a month after he awakened his Spirit essence. Back then, a Titled Douluo with a Dragon type Spirit Essence taught him everything he now knows. And a few years ago, another Hyper Douluo even took him in as his personal disciple."

    Despite trying to hide it, She Meixiao''s voice sounded somewhat cold when she recalled Lao Zhuwong and Branchmaster Lu from the Star Luo Continent, still she continued speaking even after that. "He''s older than you, and had the support of Titled Douluo ranked experts from the beginning."

    At that point, Song Weihan chimed in again. "Feilong is in a similar position. He awakened with Innate Full Soul Power and when he came to the Spirit pagoda to buy a Spirit Soul, his Spirit power test got me interested. Seeing his Spirit Essence, Spirit Power and the fact that he was just a six years old boy, who could be molded into a great Soul Master according to my judgement, I took him in as my disciple."

    He leaned onto the table, his chin lazily resting on one hand. "He had my guidance from the get-go, even obtaining Spirit Souls that no one else could even think to get their hands on, Artificial Soul Bones specifically created for him and got taught my personal techniques. Moreover, there''s his special bloodline, which mutated his Spirit Eyes, as well as the late awakening of his second Spirit Essence, which is equally powerful."

    Song Weihan took a breath, then shrugged lightly. "Either way, what we want to say is, that aside from Feilong, you''re already the most talented Soul Master of Daedalus and stand at the top of the whole Douluo Continent. What you need to focus on is your fighting techniques, something that can only be honed by real combat."

    With a nod, She Meixiao agreed to Song Weihan''s opinion. "The Spirit Ascension Platform is already the most suitable place for you to train. Focus on strengthening your Spirit Souls and honing your techniques; Get used to working with Feilong and Jialong and don''t worry too much about anything else."

    Yuanen Yehui still didn''t seem completely convinced, but didn''t want to refute She Meixiao and Song Weihan after all they''ve said, thus only nodded her head. Song Weihan noticed her predicament and aptly added another thing. "If you truly feel that you need to become stronger right now, finish your Battle Armour."

    His words stumped Yuanen Yehui for a moment and caused her to think back to the time at Shrek Academy. "Senior Song... My Battle Armour comes from Shrek Academy. I don''t think there''s enough time to create a new one..."

    "Who told you to create a new one? You should possess the full design for your Battle Armour, correct?" Song Weihan asked without any hesitation, to which Yuanen Yehui nodded once again. Then sighed and spoke in an annoyed voice. "Then just ask Feilong and Jialong; One''s a six ranked Mecha Maker while the other is a peak-fifth ranked Mecha Designer. Moreover, Daedalus has quite a few talented blacksmiths, two of which are Saint Craftsmen."

    Yuanen Yehui just stood inside the room, dumbfounded and not sure what to say to that, while she Meixiao chuckled lightly. "What he means is, you already have the best people to help you with this around you. If its about a suitable blacksmith, just tell me; I''ll introduce you to a few of Daedalus'' best."

    She Meixiao continued to chuckle, while Yuanen Yehui blushed lightly from embarrassment; She had been so fixated on the matter of her cultivation level that she forgot about the obvious. Although a Battle armour didn''t increase ones cultivation, it was the best way to increase ones fighting strength by leaps and bounds.

    She quickly bowed to She Meixiao and Song Weihan excusing herself, eager to look for Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong to ask them for help with her Battle Armour. She Meixiao and Song Weihan didn''t mind, the latter only sighing in annoyance after Yuanen Yehui left.

    Taking a seat across from Song weihan, She Meixiao started chuckling once more. "You''re going to create a training plan for her, aren''t you?" Song Weihan only nodded his head in acknowledgement, causing She Meixiao to laugh lightly. "Well, she did ask us for help, after all..."

    "I''ll be counting on your expertise when it comes to her Fallen Angel Spirit Essence." Song Weihan said, still sounding as annoyed as before. She Meixiao nodded, though not forgetting to poke at his antics. "Why are so annoyed? If you don''t want to create a plan, you don''t have to; You''re not her Master."

    Song Weihan sighed once more, looking at She Meixiao after he leaned back into his chair. "I''m annoyed at how similar she is to Feilong. Both of them only ever ask for anything once they''re at their wits end, forgetting the most obvious options in the process. It''s infuriating to watch."

    She Meixiao laughed again, though the look in her eyes clearly agreed with Song Weihan. "Still, Feilong is still more of a handful..." A grunt was everything she got as an answer from Song Weihan.

    --------------

    After leaving Song Weihan''s office, Yuanen Yehui went back to the living quarters of the Daedalus members, getting bot, Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong, to come with her to the workshops. The two of them were a bit confused, but after listening to Yuanen Yehui''s earnest request for help with her Battle Armour, they both agreed immediately.

    They talked about if for a short while before Yuanen Yehui took out the designs for her Battle Armour, instantly captivating Huang Jialong''s interest. He ignored Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui, going through the designs at a fast pace, smiling gleefully the whole time.

    He asked who created the design and Yuanen Yehui explained that it was created by Gu Yue from Shrek Academy, and planned to be made with the help of Tang Wulin and the others. Sheng Feilong knew about this plan as he was formerly a member of Tang Wulin''s Battle Armour making group as well, but didn''t expect Yuanen Yehui to join them as well.

    "These designs are incredible. With the amount of details and the finesse of each component, it''s close to perfect when considering your Spirit Essences. It would take me weeks to come up with something similar." Huang Jialong praised, still visibly awed by the design.

    Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but agree and nodded his head slightly, getting Yuanen Yehui''s attention. "...Can you make it?" She asked in a meek voice, to which Sheng Feilong simply smiled in response. "It''s not that complicated. If you can get the right materials, I can assemble the whole armour in about two weeks time- No, make that three, since we need to go to the Spirit Ascension Platform, still."

 190 Yuanen Yehui; One Word Battle Amour Master

    After talking to Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong about her Battle Armour, Yuanen Yehui became much calmer and more content with her current position in the team. The next few days, they ventured into the Spirit Ascension Platform daily, absorbing the remnant energy of slain Soul Beasts as usual.

    Afterwards, the three of them would settle together to work on Yuanen Yehui''s Battle Armour. With Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui working together to enhance the design Gu Yue created even further, Sheng Feilong was able to focus on studying the parts that had already been completed beforehand.

    Yuanen Yehui already possessed the core components, including the energy core inlaid into the chest piece. Sheng Feilong took his time to analyse and partially restructure and reforge them by hand, recreating them according to Huang Jialong''s new design.

    Once the redesigning was completed, Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui asked for She Meixiao''s assistance in finding a suitable blacksmith to forge the rest of the metals needed for the remaining parts. Surprisingly, She Meixiao didn''t help them and isntead instructed Sheng Feilong to just as for Daedalus'' prime blacksmith, only referred to as Old Tang.

    Sheng Feilong smiled wryly and nodded his head, causing Yuanen Yehui to be confused. On the way to the workshop, Sheng Feilong explained to her. "Senior Tang is a bit weird. He has a rough nature, but also a genuine love for blacksmithing. Don''t take it to heart if he says anything harsh."

    Afterwards, he knocked on the door, waiting for a while before knocking again as no answer came from the inside. After a third round of knocking with no answer, Sheng Feilong unceremoniously opened the door, leading Yuanen Yehui inside, then stood by the side as Old Tang was still hammering on a piece of metal in front of his furnace.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t mind the wait as he was already used to this Senior''s antics, but Yuanen Yehui was confused; Firstly due to the blacksmith not minding them intruding, secondly about him forging so devotedly in front of them as blacksmiths usually hid their techniques from anyone, but with Sheng Feilong waiting silently as well, she didn''t dare ask about.

    About half an hour passed before Old Tang finished his work by quenching the metal in water. Only then did he turn towards Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui with a frown, though saying nothing. Sheng Feilong bowed lightly, greeting the blacksmith. "It''s been a while, Senior Tang."

    "She-girl''s Twin Spirit brat? And a little lassy? What do you want?" The grumpy old man replied shortly, then turned back to his furnace where another piece of metal was laying, observing it intently. Sheng Feilong didn''t mind and simply smiled. "Senior, we''ve come to ask you for a favour-"

    "I don''t do favours; Come back with money if you want to make a request." He didn''t even let Sheng Feilong finish, only staring at the piece of metal in the furnace. Yuanen Yehui looked dismayed and was about to say something when Sheng Feilong grabbed her wrist and glanced at her. "Not even if its to force a personalized set of Spirit Alloys for another Twin Spirit Essence possessor?"

    Old Tang''s eyes grew wide and his head whipped around to face Sheng Feilong. Seeing the latter glance at Yuanen Yehui, Old Tang''s gaze also fell on her. "That lassy is a Twin Spirit Essence possessor as well? Since when did Daedalus have so many little monsters?"

    "It''s all thanks to Master''s hard work." Sheng Feilong replied, causing the old blacksmith to grunt in annoyance. "That She-girl again; She really is lucky. So, what''s your Spirit Essences?"

    Yuanen Yehui seemed to have been caught off guard, but Sheng Feilong reassured her that it was fine. She looked at the ceiling to make sure it was high enough, then transformed into her Titan Giant Ape form.

    Old Tang''s eyes widened slightly once more, then an interested glint flickered in them. "Titan Giant Ape? Interesting! But that''s not all right? You''re the same as that Twin Spirit brat next to you; With one normal and one evil Spirit Essence?"

    Yuanen Yehui nodded, slowly turning back into her normal form. By now, she possessed special cloths made from very elastic material, allowing her to transform without a problem. After returning to her normal state, black wings sprouted from her back, causing Old Tang to smile, bemused. "Wings? What kind of Spirit Essence is that? A swan?"

    With just the wings, it was hard to make out just what Yuanen Yehui''s Spirit Essence was ¨C as long as she didn''t use any Soul Skills, that is. She shook her head lightly, telling the blacksmith about her Fallen Angel Spirit Essence. Once again, Old Tang looked at them with an bemused and interested expression. "What a strange combination; The king of the forest and the evil celestial... What kind of metal do you need, Twin Spirit lass?!"

    Yuanen Yehui flinched at the strange way Old Tang was calling her, causing Sheng Feilong to laugh lightly, which in return caused Yuanen Yehui to blush. The two of them talked with Old Tang for a long while, going over the specifics of different kinds of metal, basically relying on Old Tang''s expertise to select the perfect Spirit Alloy for Yuanen Yehui''s Battle Armour.

    The latter already had a pretty good grasp of the kind of metal she wanted and needed, but Old tang knew abut hundreds of metal and their characteristics, easily pointing out the flaws in Yuanen Yehui''s choices and explaining the qualities of metal he thought to be more suitable for her.

    In the end, they settled on a specialized three metal Spirit Alloy consisting of Blackiron Essence, Starspirit Gold and a resilient metal with earth attributed properties. Yuanen Yehui was more than happy with the choices made and the two of them returned to the member''s quarters to inform Huang Jialong about what had happened.

    The next day, Song Weihan asked Yuanen Yehui into his office, giving her a revised training plan that she was to follow until their training in the Spirit Ascension Platform was completed. Yuanen Yehui was taken aback, especially after her request for help was pretty much shut down the last time she asked Song Weihan and She Meixiao.

    Song Weihan kept his poker-face, only looking at Yuanen Yehui with slightly raised eyebrows while she fumbled around, asking him why he changed his mind. "What do you, ''changed my mind''? When did She Meixiao and I ever say we wouldn''t help you?"

    Yuanen Yehui froze, a genuine smile cracking on her face as she deeply bowed to Song Weihan. The latter just accepted her thanks, then shooed her off, telling her to return to Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong to work on her Battle Armour.

    --------------

    Three weeks later, Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen yehui managed to compelte Yuanen Yehui''s Battle Armour, allowing the latter to finally step into the ranks of full fledged One Word battle Armour Masters.

    Her Battle Armour was of a sleek design and dark, earthen colour with a hue of gold mixed into it, due to the choice of materials used. Compared to the Battle Armour she expected to create with the help of the Shrek students, the one made by Sheng Feilong''s hands using metals created by Old Tang, an eight-starred Saint Blacksmith, was miles ahead of anything she could''ve ever asked for.

    Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui tested the performance of her battle Armour extensively under the supervision of She Meixiao and Song Weihan,both of which were incredibly surprised by the Armour''s performance, though hiding their reactions behind calm faces.

    After sparring for a few rounds, Yuanen Yehui gradually got used to the enhancements of her Battle Armour, while Huang Jialong''s expression soured a bit in envy. By now, he had recognized that his own Battle Armour, despite his own design, was the weakest of their teams, be it in terms of material used or overall performance.

    After extensive testing that day, Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui sat down together again, talking about it for a while. At the end of the day, when they were about to call quits, Huang Jialong looked at the two of, announcing his choice. "Feilong, Yehui. Now that your Battle Armour is finished, I think it''s time for Feilong and I to become Two Word Battle Armour Masters."

    The two of them stopped, staring at Huang Jialong for a moment, then started smiling, while Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but poke at the sore spot he discovered. "So you''ve noticed it as well? That your Battle Armour isn''t up to par?"

    He originally only planned to rile Huang Jialong up a bit, but he hadn''t expected the latter to stare at him with a serious expression and simply nod his head. "I''ve heard of Senior Tang''s character from Master and the two of you, so I doubt he''ll help create the Spirit Alloys for my Two Word Battle Amour, but with the merit points I still have from the Star Luo branch, I should be able to hire one of the seven-starred Saint Blacksmiths to help us out."

    "You''re actually serious about this?" Sheng Feilong questioned, now with a calm expression himself, to which Huang Jialong only nodded. The former frowned lightly, then looked at Huang Jialong. "With my current rank, I should be able to create a solid Two Word Battle Armour for you, but with metal forged by a Saint Blacksmith, we might need to completely reforge your Armour. If the differences are too great, the armour will be unbalanced."

    "I know. I''m prepared for that. Moreover, we still have five months left until we head to the Great Star Dou Forest. Until then, we''ll be able to create both Battle Armours, yours and mine." Huang Jialong said with a smile, causing Sheng Feilong to nod his head afterwards. "Then, it''s decided."

 191 Six Months Later

    With Huang Jialong''s decision having been made, Sheng Feilong and the others began to set their course of action in stone. They prepared for everything they could, talking and planning for the time they would start to work on their Two Word Battle Armours.

    By the time they split up and Sheng Feilong was able to return to his room, it was already late into the night. With no more time, he opted to directly go to bed; He simply didn''t dare to remain awake for too long, especially since they would enter another, more dangerous part of the Spirit Ascension Platform tomorrow.

    The next few days went by fast. With Yuanen Yehui having gained more confidence in her own strength, their teams cooperation and combat standards increased explosively; With each passing day, each of them become more content and accustomed to their respective role.

    The day after having talked about creating Two Word Battle Armour amongst themselves, Sheng Feilong informed Song Weihan and She Meixiao about their decision. With their plans coming together quite well, Song Weihan cut their training down by quite a notch, allowing them to use most of their time to further their work, other than going to the Spirit ascension Platform.

    Huang Jialong asked for She Meixiao assistance with the most crucial part for his own Battle Armour ¨C The Selection of the right Spirit Alloy to reforge his Battle Armour with, as well as choosing a Blacksmith who would provide this metal. He insisted on using his own merit points to pay for the metal, thus turning down She Meixiao''s offer to have Old Tang create the metal.

    After a while of discussions as well as asking a few blacksmiths for their opinions, Huang Jialong decided for one of the Saint Blacksmiths, who''s prowess was only below Old Tang, though much more affordable. With She Meixiao backing Huang Jialong up, the blacksmith even gave him a great discount.

    Huang Jialong spent quite a long time with the blacksmith, to get to know him better and to be able to wholly entrust his Battle Armour to the latter. With it being made from an inferior metal than the one they decided to use, the whole One Word Battle Armour had to be reforged to make it into a Two Word Battle Armour.

    This process had to be done by a blacksmith, who would use the old Battle Armour as the base to create the new one. Not only did this require a great deal of skill; It also required a great amount of trust. A Battle Armour master''s Battle Armour, even if just a one word variant, was considered their second life.

    Letting someone repair the armour was one thing, but for the whole armour to be reforged; None dared to hand it to someone they don''t wholeheartedly trust; It meant that Huang Jialong would expose of all his Battle Armour''s secrets to the blacksmith, something that, if the two of them ever became enemies, would be Huang Jialong''s demise.

    For the next few weeks, as soon as their joint training in the Spirit Ascension Platform ended, Huang Jialong would be at the blacksmith''s workshop, nowhere to be seen otherwise. Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui didn''t question him, trusting his decision and waiting for him to tell them about the completed reforging.

    Another few days later, Huang Jialong informed them of the successful reforging process, asking for Sheng Felong''s help to recreate his Battle Armour and elevate it to a two word variant. Afterwards, Sheng Feilong began working on the Two Word Battle Armour according to Huang Jialong''s blueprint, while the latter concentrated on the blueprint for Sheng Feilong''s Two Word Battle Armour.

    As the one who originally designed Sheng Feilong''s Battle Armour was even more skilled then he was, he regularly went to ask the senior for advice. Eventually, he completed the design, much to the satisfaction of the senior Mecha Designer, after which he corrected a few details together with Sheng Feilong.

    Over three months, halve the set time their were allowed to spent in the Spirit Ascension Platform, had passed by now and Sheng Feilong had managed to reach the first half of the goal Song Weihan set for him; His Ancient Hypnotic Toad Spirit Soul had reached a cultivation of 14.800-years-old.

    The reason this took him so long was that the rate of improvement dropped significantly after the Ancient Hypnotic Toad reached 10.000 years of age; Absorbing the remnant energy of 1.000-years-old Soul Beasts only netted him an increase in the Spirit Souls cultivation of less that 20 percent of what it used to be, despite absorbing the same amount of energy.

    He had asked Song Weihan about this, as Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui were also oblivious to the answer, but were struck with the same problem. The only answer they received was an incentive to hunt 10.000-years-old Soul Beast from a smiling Song Weihan.

    Still, this proved to be less of a problem then expected. With all three of them having advanced all of their Soul Rings to the 10.000-years-old level, their Soul Skills evolved as well, to a level where their strength was incomparable to before. This was especially true for Sheng Feilong''s illusion abilities as the Ancient Hypnotic Toad''s strength mainly came from its age.

    With the usage of the same strength of Spirit power, his illusions'' strength increased by more than fivefold, enabling him to trap even 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts in his illusions without much trouble. Still, with the slowed down increase in strength, the time it took him to advance it to the level Song Weihan required was even longer than the time it took to advance it to the 10.000-years-old boundary, despite hunting 10.000-years-old Soul beasts most of the time.

    Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong faced the same problem, though still managed to reach the first of two goals Song Weihan set for them by roughly the same time as Sheng Feilong. Still, this left them even more distressed. All of them possessed another Spirit Soul that was already at the 10.000-years-old boundary to begin with, yet they had to advance it by leaps and bounds with only half of the initial time remaining.

    Thankfully, as Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong finished their Two Word Battle Armours in time, their team''s strength experienced another huge jump, which caused them to be able to hunt even mid ranked 10.000-years-old Beasts with only a moderate amount of trouble.

    There was only a single time where they completely failed a hunt, causing Huang Jialong to be killed inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, while Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui had to flee for their lives before bailing out in a last ditch effort.

    That day, they had encountered one of the Guardians of the Spirit Ascension Platfform ¨C an over 15.000-years-old Soul Beast recreated from the Soul Bone of a real Molten Earth Armadillo. They invaded its territory without noticing it and stepped into one of its traps, notifying the beast of their arrival.

    Afterwards, they were ambushed from beneath the ground, causing great injuries to Huang Jialong before he finally fell after a few minutes of intense combat. Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui managed to flee out of its territory, but with the Soul Beastsof the nearby territories being much weaker, the Molten Earth Armadillo continued to pursue them without rest, forcing them to bail out.

    This was the first time Sheng Feilong and the others become truly aware of the danger inside the simulated Great Star Dou Forest, leading to them being much more careful afterwards.

    During the following, last three months, Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui fully concentrated on their training inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, only cultivating in the evening after their usual training was over.

    By the time the six months deadline was over, all of their strengths had increased by leaps and bounds while their cultivation level remained roughly the same; Sheng Feilong managed to break through to rank 62, taking a whole six months just to advance a single rank. However, his Spirit Souls had gone through a major evolution; The Ancient Hypnotic Toad had reached an age of 14.880 years, while the Purple Forest Witch exceeded Song Weihan''s goal, becoming a staggering 29.000-years-old Spirit Soul.

    Huang Jialong''s Spirit Souls went through similar changes; His first Spirit Soul, the Ironhide Flood Dragon, reaching an age of 10.990 years, becoming a 10.000-years-old Spirit Soul as well, while his Coiled Blackblooded Snake Spirit Soul evolved into a 20.700-years-old Spirit Soul. His own cultivation level also only increased lightly, reaching rank 64 after their training.

    Compared to them, Yuanen Yehui made the greatest improvements; After becoming a Battle Armour master, she trained her fighting techniques according to Song weihan''s training regime, reaching a level of hand-to-hand combat similar to Sheng Feilong, while her cultivation increased from rank 52 to 55 ¨C a total of three ranks.

    Her Spirit Souls were the weakest to begin with, reaching a little over 2.000-years-old and 3.000-years-old, respectively. By now, both of those becoming 10.000-years-old Spirit Souls, the Diamond Baboon Spirit Soul even becoming 16.500-years-old.

    All of them met ¨C and partially exceeded ¨C the goals Song Weihan had set for them. Moreover, with the addition to their new Battle Armours, familiarity to act like a team and individual fighting capabilities, Song Weihan and She Meixiao were more than pleased with them.

    The six of them, including Sheng Lingtian, met in Song Weihan''s office, exactly six months after their training first began. Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui stood in front of the seated She Meixiao and Song Weihan, visibly relaxed and confident in their strength, while the two Titled Douluo''s smiled at them. "Congratulations, you three. With this, your training has concluded."

    Song Weihan chimed in after She Meixao congratulated them, his tone equally stern as it was proud. "The three of you have exceeded my expectations, all things concerned. When I created the training plans for you, I thought the Spirit Soul''s ages were the maximum you would be able to achieve, yet in a short six months you became able to exceed this limit."

    He paused a moment and looked at the three of them. "Two Soul Emperor ranked Soul Master with full sets of Two Word Battle Armour and a Soul King ranked Soul Master with a One Word Battle Armour; All of which possess full sets of black, 10.000-years-old Soul Rings. With this, you a ready to head for the real Great Star Dou Forest."

 192 Into The Great Star Dou Fores

    Sheng Feilong and the others stood around a map in Song Weihan''s office, going over the details of the Great Star Dou Forest again. Yuanen Yehui once again showed them where she remembered the red leafed trees to be, while Song Weihan and the others tried to pinpoint a mountain in the area, using Sheng Feilong''s descriptions.

    They didn''t have much to work with, especially since the only information Sheng Feilong could really remember was the vast forest of red leafed trees beneath them. Still, judging from Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power and his perception from back then, Song Weihan managed to scale down the possible area.

    Even with his perception from back then, Sheng Feilong should have been able to see at least a few dozen kilometres into the distance, especially from the elevated position on the mountain. That meant that the mountain has to be far away from the border Yuanen Yehui remembered.

    They spent quite some time going over the plans before everyone was sure that they had taken any information they had into consideration. Afterwards, She Meixiao and Song Weihan began to explain the layout of the Great Star Dou Forest to them, including all known territories of powerful Soul Beasts and what to look out for.

    "...That''s all I know." Song Weihan said after a long while of explaining. She Meixiao also nodded. By now, the map was split up into more than two dozen territories with the names of powerful Soul Beasts, their known routines and supposed cultivation level added to them.

    Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui had been attentively listening to them, making sure they remembered every piece of information as their lives could very possibly depend on it. Song Weihan waited for a moment, then spoke up again. "That should be all for now. During the next few days, prepare everything you need. We''ll bring you to the border of the forest in one weeks time."

    The next few days passed quickly. Sheng Feilong and the others simply followed Song Weihan''s instructions, preparing themselves as well as possible and storing everything in their Spacial Treasures.

    The next day, She Meixiao and Song Weihan organized for a means of transportation towards the Great Star Dou Forest on the other side of the continent. It took them nearly a whole day to travel there, as Sheng Feilong and the others still couldn''t fly at high speeds for such long distances.

    They arrived at a nearby town, then travelled another few tens of kilometres into the wilderness of the Great Star Dou Forest''s perimeter. Song Weihan and She Meixiao were still by their side as the perimeter could be travelled freely by them, but soon stopped once they reached a peculiar clearing inside the forest. "Beyond this point is where the territories of known Soul Beasts start."

    Song Weihan''s tone was serious as he looked at Sheng Feilong and the others in front of him. "We can''t follow you any further without arousing the suspicion of powerful Soul Beasts; From here on, the three of you are on your own."

    Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui looked at each other, serious, but still calm and collected. With a light smile, She Meixiao approved of their bearing, then spoke up with a serious tone, similar to Song Weihan. "Your Soul Communicators will still work inside the forest. I want you to report back to us daily, so we know that you''re still fine."

    "Master, there''s no need to worry. We''ve remembered every detail of the Star Dou Forest and we''ll make sure to be extra careful." Sheng Feilong spoke in a calm tone, reassuring She Meixiao and Song Weihan, then tried to see if his Soul Communicator was still functional before putting it back into his Spacial Ring.

    A few moments later, Sheng Feilong and the others headed out, deeper into the forest. Once they were out of sight, She Meixiao sighed lightly, to which Song Weihan responded with a calm tone. "Don''t worry. As long as they don''t go off killing every Soul Beast in sight, the more powerful ones will just ignore them. While humans and Soul Beasts don''t cooperate, they at least tolerate each other."

    ------------

    Half an hour later, Sheng Feilong and the others had already progressed a few tens of kilometres into the forest, however, there were still no red leafed trees in sight. Under Yuanen Yehui''s lead, they made their way through the forest, still quite relaxed, though observant of their surroundings.

    "By the way, Yehui." Sheng Feilong spoke up to get their attention. "You said you''ve been here with people from their Clan before, right? Do you think we might meet some of them?" Yuanen Yehui once said that her Clan is located somewhere around here, but never went into much detail.

    Unsurprisingly, she shook her head with certainty. "No, we probably won''t. The Clan is located somewhere else. Us Clansmen only came to the forest a few times to explore." Again, she didn''t give much detail, but Sheng Feilong didn''t bother with questioning her about it.

    The three of them made their way through the ancient forest. Trees, tens, if not hundreds, of metres tall towering above them all around. They kept their direction, heading to where Yuanen Yehui remembered the red leafed trees to be at a fast pace.

    Another hour later, they took a short rest to take a look at the map again before Sheng Feilong spoke up. "We''ve entered one of the 100.000-years-old Soul Beast''s territories by now. Be extra careful from now on." Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui nodded their head, the latter speaking up after looking at the map for a moment, as well. "We should find the red leafed trees in another two hours or so at this pace."

    "Let''s go." Sheng Feilong said, the others nodding their head before they continued deeper into the forest. Just as Yuanen Yehui had said, they found red leafed trees about two hours later. But their appearance caused Sheng Feilong to frown. "Why are they so... small?"

    The red leafed trees were barely 20 metres tall, much smaller than the towering giants around them, but their leaves were definitely of the same red-orange colour Sheng Feilong remembered. However, there smaller size was what made their red leaves so easy to spot.

    Still, it was hard to guess if there were the same trees Sheng Feilong had seen when his bloodline awakened; He had only seen the trees from above, making it hard to tell just how tall they truly were. "For now, let''s head in. We still need to travel quite far."

    According to the map they made, they would have to travel at least another few tens of kilometres into the forest to reach the point where the mountain could possibly be. With their speed, this would still take a while, especially since they had to be so careful in the forest.

    A few minutes later, Sheng Feilong started frowning, while Huang Jialong seemed to have noticed something as well. The former spoke up, mainly speaking to Yuanen Yehui, who didn''t seem to have noticed anything. "Something''s strange. Be careful." Yuanen Yehui glanced at him before nodding slightly and keeping an eye on her surroundings.

    Huang Jialong continued to frown for a while longer, then turned to Sheng Feilong. "It''s the air." He said, earning him a confused look from Sheng Feilong, then continued. "The origin energy in the air; It''s different from the earlier parts of the forest. It''s more dense here."

    Sheng Feilong closed his eyes for a moment, still moving through the forest while sensing the origin energy around them. He opened his eyes a few moment later, nodding his head. "You''re right. But it''s not only more dense, there''s something else different about it as well. It feels... like hot origin energy? A higher concentration of fire elemental origin energy, if you will?"

    "I know what you mean. It''s hard to explain, but it feels like someone with a fire attributed Spirit Essence would love this place." Huang Jialong said, also confused by the situation; Neither of them had ever come across such a place.

    It was common knowledge that Soul Masters would be able to cultivate more efficiently in a habitat that was similar in nature to their Spirit Essence; Like a plant-system Soul Master cultivating in a forest rather than a city, or an earth attributed Soul Master cultivating in the mountains or underground.

    The three of them had also done so before, but they never felt a direct difference in the surrounding origin energy they absorbed. It always felt like they it was just natural to absorb the energy better in a more suitable area.

    Sheng Feilong remained silent for a while, thinking about this change, as well as the Sheng Clan''s old records he heard about from Sheng Lingtian. "...This could be good." He mumbled silently, though loud enough for Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui to hear. "What are you talking about?"

    "The Sheng Clan''s Ancestor, Sheng Wuyong, was known to have the Sun Swallowing Mountain Lion Spirit Essence, but my bloodline seems to be that of the Three-Eyed Mountain Lion. What if this fire origin energy in the air here changed him? Like, a mutation of a Three-Eyed Mountain Lion that lead to him manifesting a different Spirit Essence once he turned human." Sheng Feilong said, semi-certain of his own idea.

    Yuanen Yehui frowned. She was unable to feel this ''fire origin energy'' Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong were talking about, probably due to her slightly inferior Spirit Power and cultivation, but she knew a lot about Soul Beasts. "It''s unknown why Soul Beasts mutate, but if this fire origin energy is real, it might be a reason. Your Ancestor spent, what, 30.000 years on that mountain? That might be enough to bring such a change."

 193 Soul Beasts Migrating Eas

    "Either way, we will find out once we find his remains." Huang Jialong glanced at Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui, then continued to look around in the forest. "For now, we should keep moving. We''re inside the territory of the Bull-Horned Green Bear. While it''s not aggressive per se, it''s protective of it''s territory."

    The 100.000-years-old Bull-Horned Green Bear was one of the first Soul Beast Song Weihan and She Meixiao had warned them about. Though not aggressive, it''s known to drive out anyone who dares to disturb its territory, killing those that refuse to leave, be they human or Soul Beast.

    "He''s right; Master said its not that intelligent and even less patient. If it notices us, we''ll be in a lot of trouble." Sheng Feilong said with a serious expression. Moments later the three of them continued on on their way.

    However, Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong still couldn''t help but feel weirded out by the strange change in the area''s origin energy; The farther through they travelled through the Bull-Horned Green Bear''s territory and into the forest of red leafed trees, the stronger the fire element in the origin energy became.

    A few more kilometres in was enough for Yuanen Yehui to feel the change in the origin energy as well, causing her to look as confused as Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong. By the time the sun began to set, the three of them had left the Bull-Horned Green Bear''s territory, entering a quasi-neutral zone between two 100.000-years-old Soul Beats'' territories.

    They had been carefully avoiding any Soul Beasts they encountered on their journey, while also making sure to cover up their own trail, using their own Soul Power to seal off their own scent; A technique She Meixiao taught them to avoid dangers as the senses of Soul Beasts were much superior to humans''.

    "We''ll have to set camp soon. The less of the night we stay active, the better." Sheng Feilong said shortly after the sun set. Their vision would be heavily restricted during the night while many dangerous Soul Beasts were active during that time; Especially those more malicious ones and poisonous ones like spiders and small predators.

    They found a relatively save spot in the middle of the forest, set up camp and made sure that at least one of them was awake at all times to watch their surroundings. Luckily for them, the night passed in peace, with nothing out of the ordinary or dangerous happening.

    The next day, they made their way through the neutral territory, still travelling into the same direction as on the previous day. A few hours passed with Sheng Feilong and the others still avoiding as many Soul Beasts as possible. After being forced to kill another, relatively weak 1.000-years-old Soul Beast, Sheng Feilong frowned. "There''s more and more Soul Beast appearing here and they''re completely crazed for some reason."

    "Something must be up." Huang Jialong said, causing Yuanen Yehui to nod while she continued. "All those Soul Beasts, they''re of different species. They shouldn''t be bunched up so close together... Usually, each kind of them should have their own, small territory somewhere around the area."

    They were about to continued to talk, but Sheng Feilong hushed them and told them to hide behind a tall tree. Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong quickly did as he told them and, following Sheng Feilong''s example, suppressed their aura to not be discovered.

    A few moments later, another batch of Soul Beasts could be seen roaming around between the tree, heading eastward, as did the beasts they encountered before. The Soul Beasts noticed their dead brethren in the vicinity, but only glanced at them before continuing.

    Once they were out of sight, Sheng Feilong and the others came out of their hiding spots, the former with a deep frown on his face. "They even ignored the dead Soul Beasts?" All of the Soul beasts that just wandered off were carnivores; With no other predator in sight, they should have feasted upon the weak Soul Beasts Sheng Feilong and the others just killed.

    Huang Jialong crouched down next to the dead Soul Beast, examining it briefly before shaking his head lightly. "There''s nothing wrong with it; No apparent illness or something similar, it wasn''t injured before, nor sick and killed off cleanly." In his opinion, there was no reason for the previous Soul Beasts to ignore such an easy meal.

    "...I think we should follow them." Yuanen Yehui said after a short silence. The other two turned to her, thinking she might have some more insights into the matter, which caused her to shrug. "It''s just a hunch. As we''ve said, something must be up. And all of them seem to head east."

    "I think we shouldn''t." Huang Jialong said with a thoughtful expression and a frown on his face. He looked at Yuanen Yehui, then continued. "We don''t know where they''re headed, nor how many or how strong the ones that are there will be. We might land in a death trap."

    Yuanen Yehui hesitated for a moment, agreeing that what Huang Jialong said made sense. Both of them looked at Sheng Feilong, waiting for him to make a decision. The latter stayed silent for a while, using his Spirit Power to probe for anything in the far east. "...I agree with Yehui. Something''s up, and I want to know what. The Soul Beasts don''t act normal."

    Huang Jialong frowned lightly, though he still nodded his head. "Alright. But we gotta be careful." Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong agreed, before the latter spoke up again. "Let''s not wait; we don''t know when or if another batch will appear. I''ve already locked on to the previous Soul Beasts."

    With a respectable distance between themselves and the Soul Beasts, Sheng Feilong and the others tailed them, Sheng Feilong keeping his Spirit Power locked on to them without them noticing. The Soul Beasts headed towards the east, not bothering with the groups of other Soul Beasts they met on the way. Every beast was peaceful, heading towards the same direction as if in trance.

    Over an hour later, they still hadn''t reached their destination, causing Sheng Feilong and the others to frown. However, a few moments later, Sheng Feilong''s expression turned weird. "Do you guys smell that? It''s... sweet?"

    A strange aroma lingered in the air, not really fragrant, but strong enough for Sheng Feilong and the others to discern it as a weird sweetness. The Soul Beasts seemed to have smelled it as well, speeding up as they continued to headed further east, into the direction of the smell.

    A little while later, they came to a halt, joining a crowd made up of tens ¨C if not hundreds ¨C of other Soul Beasts; 100-years-old Soul Beasts and 1.000-years-old Soul Beasts made up the most of the crowd, while Sheng Feilong could even spot a number of powerful 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts.

    He carefully activated his second and third Soul Skills, Mental Detection and Mental Amplification, while making sure to not leak any Soul Power. With his now enhanced Spirit Power and perception, he carefully spread it over the crowd and beyond them to find out what was going on.

    "...A beehive?" Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but mutter at the strange sight, causing Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui to look at him curiously. "There''s a huge, light-blue beehive hanging from the cliff. It''s at least 7 or 8 metres tall. The beasts seem to wait for something, all of them staring at the hive with impatience."

    "Light-blue? Can you describe it in more detail? Does it look like its reflecting the sunlight ever so slightly?" Yuanen Yehui pitched in with a surprised expression. At her question, Sheng Feilong inspected the beehive more closely, nodding his head at her after seeing that it indeed reflected light, like it was sparkling on its own.

    "That''s a Crystal Spirit Bee''s hive!" Yuanen Yehui''s eyes widened as she exclaimed in a bout of excitement. "You said it''s 7 or 8 metres tall? Are you sure?" Once again, Sheng Feilong nodded, though unsure why she was so excited.

    His answer caused Yuanen Yehui to look even more feverish. "One of that size, that means- wait, there''s no bees around it, is there?" Sheng Feilong tilted his head, but still answered. "No. Only the crowd of Soul Beasts."

    "This- Incredible! The hive''s about to fall off; Abandoned. That''s why all these Soul Beasts came here." Yuanen Yehui spoke with a huge smile on her face, excitement glimmering in her eyes. Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong glanced at each other before the latter spoke up. "What''s so great about that?"

    "The Crystal Spirit Bee Queen resides in those huge hives. Normal bees only have a lifespan of about a hundred years, while the queen bee can become a 100.000-years-old Soul Beast like an other. The size of the hive means it''s at least a 10.000-years-old Queen''s hive." Yuanen Yehui said, slowly calming down.

    Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong still looked as confused as before, their looks beckoning for her to continue. "If the Queen abandons the hive, the normal bees follow her. However, they leave the nectar behind. Normally, it''s encased into the hive, but it''s seep out over time, making the hive less resilient. Once all of it has seeped out into the chambers of the hive, the hive will slowly die."

    Yuanen Yehui stared at the two of them, her excitement once again flaring up. "That''s what''s happening there; The hive''s dying and about to fall off." Sheng Feilong finally couldn''t help it any more. "And? Why do all the Soul Beast come here, then?"

    Yuanen Yehui smiled in response. "The Crystal Spirit Bee''s nectar condenses into honey. That honey, while germinating in the hive''s chambers, becomes a Soul Treasure of the highest quality. A spoonful of 10.000-years-old Crystal Spirit Honey is worth more than a regular 100.000-years-old Soul Treasure, and even more potent in terms of of cultivation assistance."

 194 Bee Hive Heis

    Sheng Feilong''s and Huang Jialong''s eyes widened at Yuanen Yehui''s words. Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but pursue the matter with an excited expression. "Are you sure about that? It''s better than 100.000-years-old Soul Treasures?"

    Yuanen Yehui strongly nodded her head with a bright expression. "Absolutely sure. If we can get our hands on that honey, and split it between us, we might be able to jump up more than 5 ranks each."

    A hint of greed flashed across Sheng Feilong''s face, while Huang Jialong''s breathing quickened visibly. For Soul Masters, increasing their Soul Rank has always been the most arduous part of their existence. While combat techniques, Soul Bones and Spirit Souls could enable them to fight above their own rank, there was ultimately a limit to that.

    The Soul Rank, on the other hand, is the foundation of their very strength. There was no way any Soul Master would reject a Soul Treasure that would enable them to advance five or possibly even more ranks without any drawback.

    Huang Jialong''s swallowed hard, then looked at Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui with a solemn expression. "How do we get our hands on it?" The other two remained quiet for a moment before Yuanen Yehui asked Sheng Feilong to explain the line-up of the Soul Beasts in more detail.

    "There''s a total of about 160 beasts, the strongest of which are the nine 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts. But it''s strange; They''re not standing at the front. Most of them are surrounded by other Soul Beasts, moreover, they''re all waiting patiently and in peace." Sheng Feilong was spreading his Spirit Power through the area again, still using both, his mental Detection and metal Amplification, Soul Skills.

    Yuanen Yehui frowned for a moment, then asked another question. "Is there no apparent leader? Or at least a Soul Beast that is considerably stronger than the rest?" Sheng Feilong focused for a moment before lightly shaking his head. "No, there doesn''t appear to be a leader. But 6 out of the 9 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts are bear type beasts."

    He frowned, staring into the direction of the gathering of beasts for a while. "...There''s one who''s definitely the strongest, no questions asked." Huang Jialong frowned, looking into the direction as well. "Which one?"

    "I don''t know how strong it is exactly, but the aura it gives off is much stronger than the other Soul Beasts. Moreover, it''s the only 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts that''s not surrounded by weaker ones.... It''s a Dreadclaw Bear..." Sheng Feilong''s tone wasn''t too grave; Though concerned about theexistence of the Dreadclaw Bear, he was certain is was unable to notice them considering how far away they were.

    Huang Jialong''s and Yuanen Yehui''s faces tensed up, worry painting their faces; The Dreadclaw Bear was a type of Soul Beast nearly every Soul Master was more than familiar with. It stood on the top of the food chain among Soul Beasts, renown for its monstrous strength and frightening ferociousness.

    Its name came from its massive right arm and claw; Muscular and as thick as an adult man''s waist, with long claws that can easily crush steel. Moreover, its combat ability was just as terrifying; A 10.000-years-old Dreadclaw Bear was already stronger than some 100.000-years-old Soul Beasts. Among the bear type Soul Beasts, it placed second overall, standing only below the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bear; An even stronger variant of its own race.

    Sheng Feilong looked at his two companions, a calm expression on his face, though he was also frowning lightly. "Don''t worry, it can''t notice us here. Moreover, while the other Soul beasts don''t surround it, they don''t seem to fear it, either; They''re just giving it some space. Other than that, the Dreadclaw Bear seems just as docile as the other beasts, patiently waiting and not making any move whatsoever."

    "Still, with that beast present, how do we get our hands on the hive?" Huang Jialong questioned with a slightly frustrated expression. All of them quieted down, not knowing of any plan. A few minutes later, Sheng Feilong opened his mouth. "I might have a plan... We''ll wait for the hive to fall. Once it does..."

    ----------------

    A few more hours passed, with dozens of new groups of Soul Beasts appearing, driving the total of their number to a whopping 420 beasts. Thankfully, the newcomers weren''t too strong; 4 more 10.000-years-old beasts joined the crowd, all surrounded by their own entourage of lower level Soul Beasts, but none of them were quite on the level of the Dreadclaw Bear.

    A while later, just as all beasts seemed to have arrived, the stronger ones among them seemed to become more impatient and agitated. Sheng Feilong and the others guessed that those beasts were able to guess the time the Crystal Spirit Bee''s hive would fall, getting more agitated as that time approached.

    Meanwhile, Sheng Feilong and the others themselves were slowly drawing closer to the hive and crowd of beasts. Yuanen Yehui remained the furthest behind, securing a road for them to retreat onto. Huang Jialong kept his distance from the crowd, in a line between Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong, who was still drawing closer to the hive.

    Most of the beasts kept a distance away from the cliff side where the hive was hanging from as they couldn''t get a good view on it from there, but that spot was perfect for Sheng Feilong; He could keep an eye on the crowd of beasts while still being able to see when the Crystal Spirit bee''s hive would fall.

    By now, even the weaker beasts got more agitated and Sheng Feilong finally understood how they guessed the remaining time before the hive fell; The sweet smell in the air got more intense by the minute. Before, this change was too shallow for his human nose to catch on, but this wasn''t the case for Soul Beasts and their sharp senses.

    The 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts got more agitated as well, however, only a few of them slowly drew closer to the hive. Sheng Feilong frowned ever so slightly from confusing when he saw that the ones making a move were all bear type Soul Beasts, but just attributed it to the fact that bears were known to love honey and other sweet things.

    By the time even the Dreadclaw Bear was moving, slight cracking sounds could be heard coming from the hive for a short moment before the weaker Soul Beasts started roaring, getting more excited, some even with traces of frenzy on their faces.

    Sheng Feilong started stealthily circulating his Soul Power, stopped spreading his Spirit Power and instead focused on only two things; The hive, that was about to fall off, as well as a specific 10.000-years-old Soul Beast among the midst of the crowd of Soul Beasts.

    Moments later, another, louder crack came from the hive and its shell was now visibly broken near the top, with the crack widening, ready to break off the hive completely; A heavenly, sweet aroma wafted out of it, causing Sheng Feilong''s eyes to constrict as he mouth started watering.

    Not wasting any time, Sheng Feilong chose this exact moment to start the execution of his plan; His Soul Power fiercely circulating inside his body shot into three of his Soul Rings at the same time, releasing three Soul Skills; His first one, Toad Prison, the third, Mental Amplification and finally, the fourth one he obtained - Spirit Infestation.

    These attacks, all compressed into a single, mental strike, hit the 10.000-years-old Soul Beast in the midst of the crowd. The sole beast ¨C the 10.000-years-old Blazing Timber Turtle ¨C roared fiercely, shaking its head before roaring again, this time at the other 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts surrounding it and stomped onto the ground multiple times.

    It whipped its head around, spewing a massive ball of flame towards the Dreadclaw Bear. The latter, not expecting an attack and still focused on the Crystal Spirit Bee''s hive, got hit squarely in the chest. The ball exploded into a massive inferno, sweeping up nearly a hundred other Soul Beasts in its radius, including 6 other 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts in the immediate surroundings.

    The Blazing Timber Turtle didn''t bother with them, preparing and spitting out another ball of flame into the other direction ¨C Towards another powerful 10.000-years-old Soul Beast. Another explosion shook the area as a second inferno engulfed the Soul Beasts on the other side.

    All Soul Beasts were shocked, their instincts forcing them to focus on the Blazing Timber Turtle instead of the Crystal Spirit Bee''s hive. Sheng Feilong didn''t bother hiding his Soul Power any longer. He shot forth explosively, sprinting towards the hive, that had been swept off the cliff by the shockwaves of the Blazing Timber Turtle''s attacks.

    Jumping through the flames while coating himself in a barrier of Soul Power, he caught the bee hive in its fall. Madly kicking off the ground as soon as he landed and propelling himself into the opposite direction, back through the flames, his Soul Power now protecting and sealing off the hive he was dragging with him.

    When he came out of the flames, Huang Jialong was already standing at attention, grabbing at the hive together with Sheng Feilong as both of them madly ran north-westward towards Yuanen Yehui. The latter came into view just moments later and also started dashing down the route she had scouted beforehand.

    Her job during this had been to secure a route where they could pass through while Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong were carrying the nearly 8 metres tall bee hive. Within all the chaos going on at the Soul Beasts'' gathering spot and a few, tall bushes being thrown onto the path behind them, Sheng Feilong and the others vanished from view, the treasure all the Soul Beasts sought out ¨C the 10.000-years-old Crystal Spirit Bee''s abandoned hive ¨C in hand!

 195 The Bull-Horned Green Bear

    Lead by Yuanen Yehui, Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong ran through the forest at top speed, carrying the Crystal Spirit Bee''s hive in their arms as it was too big to fit into one of their Spacial Rings.

    Yuanen Yehui had scouted the way for them before, leading them forward without a problem, while the frenzied Soul Beasts in the distance were fighting among themselves, roaring and screeching as more and more bursts of Soul Power exploded out from their direction.

    Half an hour later, Sheng Feilong and the others finally came to a rest, hiding by the side of a mossy cliff, barely five or six metres high. Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong carefully put the bee hive down, still sealing it up with their Soul Power to stop the sweet aroma from wafting out.

    All of them were breathing heavily, their hearts pounding like crazy. They looked at each others ecstatic expressions, filled with adrenaline and suddenly burst out laughing as all the pressure got washed away. "We really did it!"

    "This is so ridiculous!" Yuanen Yehui couldn''t help from blurting out. She stared at Sheng Feilong with a equally disbelieving and excited expression. "You''re crazy! How did you get that Blazing Timber Turtle to attack the others?"

    Sheng Feilong faintly smiled, then spoke with a smug tone. "Apparently, it doesn''t like being insulted by Dreadclaw Bears, especially not when its told to go hide in its shell lest it gets killed for coveting what belongs to the Dreadclaw Bear. The ''Blazing'' part of its name doesn''t only refer to its fire element, but also its temperament, as seen when the ''other beasts'' chimed in on the insults."

    "You really know how to infuriate others!" Huang Jialong could hold back his laughter and blurted out. The others also started to laugh again, before Huang Jialong opened his mouth again after a while. "Anyways, what do we do with the hive now?"

    The others got more serious as well. All of them were aware that it was too big to fit into any of their Spacial Rings. Sheng Feilong turned to Yuanen Yehui before speaking up. "Can we cut it up and store it?"

    "It''s more like a jug holding the nectar. Cutting it up would just cause it all to spill out." Yuanen Yehui shook her head, also not really knowing how to proceed now. Huang Jialong came up with an unusual idea a few moments later. "What if we just take the nectar?"

    The other two turned towards him with questioningly gazes, waiting for him to explain what he meant. "We don''t need the hive itself. So what if one of us empties out their Spacial Ring and we pour all of the nectar in it instead?"

    Sheng Feilong turned back to Yuanen Yehui as she knew the most about the Crystal Spirit Bee''s hive. The latter nodded her head with a thoughtful expression. "That should work. If we only take the nectar, we can save a lot of space."

    Her answer cased the other two to smile, after which Sheng Feilong asked another question. "So, who''s got the biggest Spacial Ring?" They checked their Spacial Rings'' sizes, learning that Huang Jialong''s was, in fact, the most spacious one.

    The latter began emptying out his Spacial Ring, giving his provisions and other stuff to Sheng Feilong for safekeeping. Yuanen Yehui also took a few of his things, once Sheng Feilong''s Spacial Ring was getting rather full.

    Afterwards, Sheng Feilong took one of his shortswords out of his Spacial Ring and fuelled his Soul Power into it to sharpen the edge. Huang Jialong was already standing ready when Yuanen Yehui tilted the hive to the side. With one swift slash, Sheng Feilong cut off the top part of the hive, causing the nectar to flow out, which Huang Jialong quickly rerouted into his Spacial Ring.

    Their plan worked perfectly and Huang Jialong managed to catch all of the nectar and transfer it into his spacial ring. Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong were carefully tilting the hive so that a constant amount of nectar was flowing out. Sheng Feilong couldn''t stop the nectar''s aroma from wafting out of the hive, though.

    "Oh, this smell... It is the honey!" A rumbling voice echoed through the forest, originating from somewhere near to where Sheng Feilong and the others were, causing a cold shiver to run down their spines.

    Huang Jialong and Sheng Feilong spotted the origin of the voice near immediately, the latter grabbing the hive harshly with one hand and Yuanen Yehui''s shoulder with the other as he jumped away from the mossy cliff, the former jumping back even before Sheng Feilong, causing some of the Crystal Spirit Bee nectar to drop to the ground.

    The looked up the cliff, only to see no one standing there, but froze completely not even a second later. Their hearts started pounding much more violently than compared to when they just escaped the Soul Beasts and their spit got stuck in their throats.

    Amidst the five to six metres tall cliff, a gigantic eye, about the size of an adults upper body, had opened up, tiredly staring at the three of them with a hint of eagerness in its depths. However, this eagerness slowly vanished, turning into confusion upon inspecting Sheng Feilong and the others closely. "Brothers, why do you have the honey? Where are my brethren?"

    The voice echoed through the forest, causing Sheng Feilong''s and the others'' ears to ring from the sheer volume of it as the supposed cliff slowly rose from the ground, revealing it as what it truly is;A humongous head, full of mossy green fur. Two massive, bull-like horns protruded from the sides of the head ¨C two horns which Sheng Feilong previously thought to be tree roots on the ground.

    Sheng Feilong''s face paled as he recognized just who this humongous head belonged to; Green fur and two bull-like horns ¨C These were the traits of the sovereign of this territory inside the Great Star Dou Forest, the 100.000-years-old Bull-Horned Green Bear!

    With another cold shiver running down his spine, Sheng Feilong''s head whipped around to the pale faced Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui, shouting on top of his lungs. "Run!" He pushed the Crystal Spirit Bee''s hive away, madly dashing away from the breast, fleeing towards the north with Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui running behind him.

    For a moment, the Bull-Horned Green Bear seemed surprised, then looked at the Crystal Spirit Bee''s hive with a confused expression. By now, the hive was already 95 percent empty, leaving just a little splash of nectar behind in the lowest part of the hive. The tiredness in the Soul Beast''s eyes vanished without a trace, replaced by an unadulterated fury as its massive body lifted itself up from the ground.

    Standing on all four legs, the green furred head that Sheng Feilong believed to be a mossy cliff and the nearly 30 metres tall, lush green hill beyond it were now standing amidst the trees, as the Soul Beast released an ungodly roar, speaking in a tone that Sheng Feilong and the others understood. It''s voice echoed through the whole forest, causing all of the Soul Beasts at the gathering spot, kilometres away from their position, to instantly quiet down. "Brother! They have stolen our honey!"

    Within seconds dozens of furious roars from Soul Beasts all around the forest echoed back while the 100.000-years-old Bull-Horned Green Bear started frenziedly chasing Sheng Feilong and the others, its every step causing the ground to quake as it knocked down tree after tree, leaving a trail of destruction behind it.

    Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui were running at breakneck speed, fleeing for their lives with the humongous Soul Beast chasing after them. Sheng Feilong suddenly turned around, grabbing Yuanen Yehui by the shoulder and dragging her to the side, causing her to trip, while he himself barely managed to block the frenzied strike of a seven metres tall brown bear type Soul Beast.

    He groaned from the impact and Yuanen Yehui''s eyes widened when she recognized the Soul Beast as a 1.000-years-old Dreadclaw Bear. Sheng Feilong''s Soul Power exploded out of him, forcing the Dreadclaw Bear back, while he jumped away, back to Yuanen Yehui''s side, grabbing her by her arm once more before dragging her along while he fled. "Don''t stop! Run!"

    Over an hour passed with the three of them fleeing towards the north, dodging and breaking through the blockages of stray Soul Beasts alike, all the while the frenzied Bull-Horned Green Bear was high on their heels, constantly roaring in rage again and again. After a while, they came across a clearing with only a few sparse trees standing here and their.

    Still, Sheng Feilong and the others didn''t have the time to rest, instead diving into the forest beyond the clearing. Just as they were about to step back into the forest, another ungodly roar came from the front, radiating just as much ¨C if not even more ¨C power than the Bull-Horned Green Bears.

    The three, comparatively weak humans, stopped in their tracks, expressions of despair on their faces as a gigantic feline Soul Beast with a crimson mane stepped out of the forest, viciously staring at the Bull-Horned Green Bear that came rushing at them from behind. "Bull-Horned Green Bear! You dare step upon my King''s lands?!"

    The crimson-maned lion roared in anger, causing the air around it to explode in waves from the power behind its voice. Another roar came from the back; A frenzied tone, filled to the brim with anger, and belonging to the 100.000-years-old Bull-Horned Green Bear. "They have stolen my brother''s honey!"

    The Bull-Horned Green Bear stepped into the clearing, displaying its towering body in full view for Sheng Feilong and the others for the first time. It didn''t back down from the crimson-maned lion in the slightest, causing the latter to roar once more in displeasure.

    A surreal amount of energy burst out of the lion''s body, causing the temperature in the surrounding area to spike by more than a few hundred degrees, causing Sheng Feilong and the others to have to shield themselves with all of their Soul Power, while the tree around them and the grass beneath their feet started to burn and incinerate.

 196 The Pride Of Lions

    The intense heat waves hit Sheng Feilong and the others, nearly blasting them backwards. The crimson-maned lion roared another time, vanishing from their sight with a single jump. Sheng Feilong whipped his head around, staring at the lion with a complicated expression.

    From the moment he saw this lion, he felt a strange connection to it. After the latter roared in anger, Sheng Feilong could actually feel his own blood boil, getting more and more agitated. As someone who possessed the bloodline of a Three-Eyed Golden Lion, such a reaction from his bloodline could only mean one of two things; Either his bloodline was being suppressed because the crimson-maned lion''s bloodline was stronger.

    Or the crimson-maned lion''s bloodline roused Sheng Feilong''s bloodline because the latter''s was much purer than his own. He continued to stare at the lion, which was now fighting the Bull-Horned Green Bear, silently trying to make sense of the situation. ''That lion, it must be a Three-Eyed Golden Lion. There''s no way that its another race of lion type Soul Beasts with a bloodline superior to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. But why is it crimson?''

    Sheng Feilong absentmindedly continued to stare at the fight, before Huang Jialong grabbed his shoulder after a short while. "Feilong! We''ve got to get out of here! If they continue to fight, we''ll be swept up in it as well."

    Huang Jialong pulled Sheng Feilong to the side after which all three of them, including Yuanen Yehui, ran deeper into the forest. They had barely reached a relatively save spot among the trees when a few more Soul Beasts joined the fray; The 10.000-years-old and 1.000-years-old bear type Soul Beasts that hadfollowed along the 100.000-years-old Bull-Horned Green Bear.

    From among the forest, more lion type Soul Beasts came; Many times less than the bear type Soul Beast, but each of them able to content against many bears at once, easily evening out the disadvantage in numbers and then some.

    Sheng Feilong and the others were being surrounded by a few lion type Soul Beasts as well, all of them ready to pounce at them, but one of the stronger 1.00-years-old lion type Soul Beasts among them growled, stopping the others from taking any actions while it stared at Sheng Feilong with a confused expression.

    The weaker Soul Beasts simply seemed confused at their supposed leader''s command, but remained still, eying Sheng Feilong and the others carefully. With them now standing in plain view, Sheng Feilong got a good view at the lions; Massive, powerful bodies, with long claws attached to powerful paws, majestic, wild manes and feral expressions on their faces.

    However, the most notable feature of these lion type Soul Beasts is, by far, their golden coloured fur; All of them possessed it, some of which a bit dirtied, but they all had the same glossy, golden fur with a light, crimson-red hue to it. The biggest and oldest of the Soul Beasts, the leader that growled before, had a strange, scar like mark on its forehead.

    Despite it still being a 1.000-years-old Soul Beast, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui could clearly see that this one was much smarter than the others and possessed a formidable Spirit Power. Sheng Feilong continued to stare at it, faintly feeling the connection between their bloodlines. "...Three-Eyed Golden Lions... A whole flock of them...?"

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui carefully drew closer to Sheng Feilong. Under the watchful eyes oft eh Three-Eyed Golden Lions, they didn''t dare to try anything, especially not when Sheng Feilong didn''t seem to be himself.

    A few minutes passed during which the Soul Beasts only continued to stare at them; The supposed leader only keeping its eyes on Sheng Feilong, still visibly confused. It paced around Huag Jialong, Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong, seemingly trying to understand the reason why it halted the attack.

    A short while later, a loud roar could be heard from some distance away, after which more, similar roars echoed from different directions. The 1.000-years-old Soul beasts surrounding Sheng Feilong and the others also started howling, save for the leader.

    After the roars quieted down, the leader started roaring, though its roars sounded different from the roars of the other Soul Beasts. A loud roar, similar in power to the very first roar of victory echoed back, after which Sheng Feilong and the others could feel various powerful auras approaching them.

    Sheng Feilong himself didn''t seem to mind to much; He was still fixatly staring at the leader of the 1.000-years-old Soul Beasts, but Huang Jialong''s and Yuanen Yehu''s faces fell. A few, huge lightly-crimson, golden furred lions emerged from the surrounding forest, mostly coming from the direction where the bear type Soul Beasts were.

    Some of them were littered with big and small wounds, but none of them seemed to care; Their auras were still flaring up with incredible vigour. One of the less injured lions growled lightly at the leader of the 1.000-years-old Soul Beast, to which the latter replied with a similar growl; They were seemingly having a conversation.

    Moments later, the 10.000-years-old Soul Beast stared at Sheng Feilong and the others, glancing at Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui for merely a moment before focusing on Sheng Feilong, A few low growls and roars came from the back rows of the lions, causing them to part a way for another lion to step forward; The greatest, crimson-maned lion, that had attacked the 100.000-years-old Bull-Horned Green Bear before.

    It was completely uninjured, looking unlike what one would expect after a fight against a 100.000-years-old Soul Beast. It stared at Sheng Feilong and the others, its gaze alone sending deep shivers down Huang Jialong''s and Yuanen Yehui''s spines, while Sheng Feilong wordlessly stared back at it.

    His heart was pounding like crazy. Standing right in front of the crimson-maned lion, as well as being surrounded by the other Soul Beast, left him with an inexplicable feeling rising from his bloodline. He took a deep breath, still staring at the humongous crimson-maned lion. "...Do you know of Sheng Wuyong?"

    No reaction came from the surrounding lions; none of them seemed to understand Sheng Feilong. However, after a short moment, the 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts ¨C the ones who were able to generally understand human language ¨C started growling. The crimson-maned lion stared at Sheng Feilong, the actually spoke in human language. "What have you come here for, descendant of the traitor?"

    Again, Sheng Feilong''s heartbeat hastened. His breathing become slightly ragged and he swallowed dryly; This was the first, real lead he had gotten on Sheng Wuyong ¨C A Soul Beast who actually knew him! However, the word ''traitor'' weighed heavily on him, as he could clearly feel the displeasure of all the surrounding, 10.000-years-old lions. "I am searching for my Ancestor, Sheng Wuyong''s, remains. My father and I are the last that remain of the Sheng Clan he founded."

    The other 10.000-years-old Soul Beast were visibly agitated by now, so much so that the 1.000-years-old Soul Beasts started growling at Sheng Feilong and the others as well, displaying their killing intent. The crimson-maned lion still stared at them, completely focused on Sheng Feilong. "Follow me, descendant of the traitor. This decision is for my king to make."

    The crimson-maned lion turned to the side, then growled and lowly roared a few times before walking towards the north. The 10.000-years-old Soul Beast followed it without making any sound. The killing intent radiated by the 1.000-years-old Soul Beast vanished completely and they too followed the crimson-maned lion.

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui hesitated for a moment, but Sheng Feilong had already started running into the same direction as the Golden Lions, causing the two of them to have no choice but to follow.

    The pride of lions started slowly speeding up, to the point where the 1.000-years-old Soul Beast were sprinting. Still, as Soul Kings and Emperors, this speed was still something Sheng Feilong and the others could keep up with. Soon, they passed the 1.000-years-old Soul Beast, catching up to the 10.000-years-old ones and remaining just behind them.

    They continued to run for half an hour, always moving into the same direction. Sheng Feilong and the others were about to say something, when they saw a towering mountain through the treetops. Sheng Feilong''s eyes widened, as he clearly recognized the towering mountain; A wide plateau burning under the sun and overlooking an impossibly vast forest of red leafed trees.

    Soon, they reached said mountain, the lions starting to crawl it up in practised movements and seemingly effortless. Sheng Feilong and the others couldn''t quite keep up with their speed, falling back about halfway through the group of 1.000-years-old Soul Beast.

    Upon reaching the top, Sheng Feilong looked around him again. This was exactly the same plateau atop the mountain he remembered from the time he awakened his bloodline. He could even recognize the ledge Sheng Wuyong stood on after he transformed into a human and announced his new name.

    This whole time, his blood hadn''t stopped boiling up and his heartbeat hadn''t calmed down in the slightlest; In fact, the closer they got to the back of the plateau, where another, deep cave was located, the more agitated he became. Finally, the crimson-maned lion stopped, right in front of the cave entrance, bowing its head deeply. "My king, the descendant of Sheng Woyong has come."

    Although it spoke and most of the other Soul Beasts couldn''t understand the human language, they all lowered their heads as well after seeing the crimson-maned lion do so. For a long time, no answer came from the cave, but Sheng Feilong could feel a terrifying gaze land on him, looking him up and down before meeting his own gaze. "Enter."

 197 The Old Lion King

    Sheng Feilong hesitated for merely a moment after the voice sounded out from within the cave. Not wasting any time, he stepped forward, staring directly at the pair of blazing eyes deep inside the cave. Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui reacted just a moment later, ready to follow behind Sheng Feilong.

    However, the two of them were stopped by a towering paw stomping down in front of them. The crimson-maned lion looked down on them with a ferocious expression, the ground beneath its feet cracking. "You have no purpose to meet with my king, humans."

    The crimson-maned lion seemed ready to kill them at this point, utterly displeased with the fact that humans were standing on their pride''s mountain to begin with, but the voice from within the cave sounded out again. "Let them be. They are guests."

    Sheng Feilong took that short moment where these eyes glanced at the crimson-maned lion instead of himself to take another breath, then walked deeper into the cave. Soon, he couldn''t see the outside any longer. He would be able to see clearly if he used his Spirit Power, but with these blazing eyes staring him down he didn''t dare to and walked the path down in darkness.

    With each step he took, the blazing eyes seemed to grow. After a while, he stopped in his tracks, staring in front of him. He still couldn''t see in the darkness, but his gut feeling told him that there was something in front of him.

    "Enter." The voice from within sounded out again, seemingly not travelling outside the cave as the eyes were still fixed on Sheng Feilong. He stepped forward, passing through something that felt like walking through a thick, uncomfortable curtain.

    On the other side, Sheng Feilong was finally able to see again. He had entered a vast, spacious cavity. For an unknown reason, the whole cavity was dimly lit, enough for Sheng Feilong, as a Soul Master, to see perfectly fine and in great detail what was in front of him.

    At the opposite end of the cavity, laying on a slightly raised platform was a massive, golden furred lion, nearly double the size of the crimson-maned lion. Its eyes were eerily blazing with a reddish hue ¨C clearly the same eyes that had stared at Sheng Feilong this whole time.

    However, compared to the golden furred lion''s outside, this one seemed to be in much worse shape. It didn''t have the same powerful build with seemingly bulging muscles, but was instead unhealthily skinny, its fur having lost its glossy shimmer a long time ago.

    Stretching from its shoulder, over its entire back and down the calf flowed a horrendous scar, the already caved in tissue being devoid of any fur altogether. This king of the pride of Three-Eyed Golden Lions living in the Great Star Dou Forest looked anything but majestic.

    Still, the sheer power it radiated easily outmached the crimson-maned lion outside and its still blazing eyes left Sheng Feilong with the impression that there was nothing he could hide in front of this king of lions. Finally, after staring at Sheng Feilong for a while, the lion king finally spoke. "What have you come here for, descendant of Sheng Wuyong."

    "Junior Sheng Feilong greets His Majesty, the king of lions. How may I address you, Senior..?" Sheng Feilong bowed deeply with his hands clasped in front of his chest to show his respect; His heart was still violently pounding and he didn''t dare disrespect this Soul Beast in the slightest.

    The king of lions remained silent, neither answering Sheng Feilong''s question, nor acknowledging his greeting. Still, the latter didn''t take this as an offence; Rather, he straightened his back again, meeting the gaze of the king of lions before speaking up. "I have come here in search of my Ancestor''s remains. My father and I are the last that remain of the Clan Ancestor Wuyong founded and only I have primarily awakened my bloodline; My father''s still lays dormant."

    "...Awakened by the Soul Bone of our sister, that has found her end at the hands of humans, as I see." The lion king''s voice sounded out again, apathetic on the surface, but seething with anger underneath. Sheng Feilong, though, instinctively understood that this anger wasn''t directed at him, and only tensed up for a short moment.

    Sheng Feilong remained silent for a moment, while the king of lions stared down on him. Finally, Sheng Feilong opened his mouth again, deciding not to comment on the lion king''s last words. "Seeking out Ancestor Wuyong''s remains was the only was I could think of to fully awaken my bloodline."

    The lion king continued to stare at Sheng Feilong without blinking. After a long time it slowly spoke again. "Why do you need more strength? You are a human child, merely over a dozen years old, yet you are strong enough to fight head to head with our 10.000-years-old brethren. None of the younger generation of my pride can match your strength, yet you seek even more power."

    The king''s words, caused Sheng Feilong to swallow dryly. He hesitated for a long while, the lion king silently staring into his eyes in the meantime, until he finally decided to tell the old lion about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon and the problems he has with it in full.

    He didn''t dare lie to it as he feared being seen through by it. Moreover, it was related to him by blood, knowing even his ancestor, Sheng Wuyong, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion his Artificial Soul Bone originated from. He simply had no reason to fear this king of lion knowing of his secrets; They shared the same blood.

    After he was finished, the lion king remained silent for a long while, not saying a word. From time to time, it would slowly close its eyes for a few seonds before looking at Sheng Feilong again; It''s gaze changing every time ¨C from indifference and displeasure, to interest and finally sympathy and sadness.

    Sheng Feilong had already sat down cross-legged in front of it when the lion king spoke to him once more, its voice filled with indiscernible emotion. "40.000 years ago, hunters injured me greatly, and my dear brother saved my life, losing one of his legs; 4.000 years later, my own brother betrayed our pride, leaving and hiding far away from our home. 20.000 years ago, humans ascended to become Gods, defeating those that hunted us Soul Beasts down."

    With a slightly surprised expression, Sheng Feilong listened closely to the lion king. "15.000 years ago, those people reemerged, starting the hunt anew and taking the life of my beloved sister, the strongest of us, my brother, being nowhere near to help. 10.000 years ago, my own beloved child gave her life for that of a human, granting this human the sacred power of our brethrens'' eyes."

    10.000 years ago; This was the time of the fabled Spirit Eyes Douluo, Huo Yuhao. The same who was said to possess the sacred power of the Great Dou Forest''s Auspicious Emperor, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion ¨C The Eye of Destiny. Sheng Feilong''s eyes widened when he noticed this connection, not having thought that this old lion king would have such a history.

    Without regard for Sheng Feilong''s shock, the king of lion''s continued. "6.000 years ago, my dear brother came back to our home. He had become a human; Taking the name of Sheng Wuyong and calling himself a useless saint. His life as a human, was coming to an end, yet in the short time he spent as a human, he had reached heights where a wave of his hand would have been enough to eradicate our pride."

    Again, Sheng Feilong''s eyes widened. Sheng Wuyong was known as the founder and strongest expert the Sheng Clan had ever seen, yet for him to reach heights where he could kill dozens of 10.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lions and even 100.000-years-old ones with a wave of his hand? This was unheard of, even from what his father told him about the Clan''s ancient records.

    "I couldn''t believe what I saw, much less what I heard when him spoke. Asking me to lead our pride to leave our home and travel to a place he would show us; ''A dying man''s last wish'', as he called it. Yet, I couldn''t bare to deny his wish; The wish of my brother, who was so close to death''s door." The lion king''s voice grew heavier the longer he spoke, but he didn''t stop even once.

    He looked out of the cave, towards the far off entrance and the vast forest beyond it. "A mountain gathering the power of the sun day by day; A forest so filled with energy, that even the weakest of Soul Beasts could become hunters. He and I alone walked into the deepest part of the mountain''s cave, where my dear brother finally died in peace..."

    "Again, I couldn''t bring to hate him. His selfish wish brought prosperity upon our pride; Our young being stronger than ever before, causing even an inheritor of our brethren''s sacred power to emerge among them again. Yet, he wished to remain known as a traitor." The old lion king now stared at Sheng Feilong again, its blazing red eyes meeting his gaze.

    For the first time, the lion king actually moved its body, slowly standing up. Its sorry state was now fully revealed to Sheng Feilong; A body riddled with scars and old wounds, skinny and so weak it could barely support its own weight. On the ground, layers upon layers of old fur lay, scattering at the wind that was kicked up by the lion''s movements.

    It walked only a few steps aside before laying back down with an echoing thud. Revealing a tunnel leading deeper into the cave that has formerly been blocked by its hulking figure. Again, the old lion stared at Sheng Feilong, its eyes now revealing a saddened, incredibly tired expression. "Descendant of Sheng Wuyong, my dear brother, can you shoulder the heritage he has left behind for your kin to claim?"

 198 Sheng Wuyongs Inheritance

    Sheng Feilong looked into the pathway the old lion king had bocked before. He couldn''t see anything down the way, nor could he feel anything. It was as if there was nothing in there, yet the lion king seemed incredibly solemn about the matter.

    Taking a deep breath, Sheng Feilong put on a stern expression and looked at the lion king with determination in his eyes before bowing lightly. "I will not disappoint you, Senior." The lion king only stared at him in response, choosing to stay silent, while Sheng Feilong walked into the cave with firm steps.

    Soon, the silhouette of Sheng Feilong vanished in the darkness of the pathway, causing the lion king to finally avert his eyes from the cave. He laid his head back down, closing his eyes, still following Sheng Feilong with his own spiritual senses, unknown and invisible to not let Sheng Feilong catch wind of it.

    Amidst the darkness, Sheng Feilong was unable to see anything. The path he was walking down on was entirely black, with no source of light available; Even the dim light coming from the chamber where the lion king rests had already vanished. Yet, Sheng Feilong could follow the winding path instinctively.

    He walked for a few minutes in complete darkness until he finally saw a dim light at the horizon; One that seemed to come from another chamber, the deepest part of the mountains cave the lion king spoke of. Sheng Feilong hastened his steps, nearly running down the last bit of the path.

    He stepped into the chamber, only to stop as soon as he saw what was inside; A dome of solid light, encapsulating a 20 metres radius in the middle of the chamber. Sheng Feilong''s eyes quickly adapted to the changed lighting, and with a bit of focus, he could clearly see the winding patterns on the dome''s surface. "This is... A sealing formation?"

    Sheng Feilong had read many book while he was in school, and even more while training under Song Weihan. These days, things that needed to be sealed would utilize special pieces of machinery, such as the metal cases Song Weihan stored Spirit Souls, that were about to be sold, in. However, a sealing formation like the one in front of him, was a technique that was used only thousands - if not tens of thousands of years ago.

    Still, now that he was staring at the formation, he felt a strange familiarity with it. As if something inside was calling for him to proceed. Calmly, but carefully, Sheng Feilong walked up to the dome, now standing a mere step away from it. Then, he unconsciously stretched out his hand, touching the dome.

    The winding patterns seemed to gather around his hand, twisting and turning around for a few moments before lighting up brighter than before. Sheng Feilong had to quint his eyes, but just as he did, he felt the resistance of the dome vanishing, his hand simply pushing through the wall of light.

    He didn''t hesitate and started calmly pushing forward, his arm, shoulder and finally, his whole body, pushing through the wall of light with a feeling of passing through a curtain. Inside, Sheng Feilong once again stopped in his tracks, carefully looking around. A calming, pleasant aroma wafted around inside the dome, causing him to relax slightly.

    The ground was still the same, grey rock he had seen outside and in the rest of the cave, yet it seemed to have been flattened and polished slightly. Engraved into the surface were various arcana symbols that Sheng Feilong had never seen before, forming a circle that followed along the borders of the dome. A bit closer to the centre stood a stone with a flat surface, on it, a delicate, small chest.

    Sheng Feilong took a few steps forward, carefully inspecting the box before opening it. Inside, was a single piece of paper ¨C a letter, written in an old style of the Douluo Continent''s script. Sheng Feilong''s heart started beating faster again as he understood that the only one who could have left this letter was Sheng Wuyong.

    He picked it up, carefully unfolding it before started to read with a bit of difficulty due to the old type of wording. "I, who does not possess a name; Born as a Beast, I dedicated my life to the pursuit of strength ¨C Only to fail my brethren, fleeing in shame. On top of this mountain, I spent a 30.000 years in solitude, the sun and moon my only companions. I accepted the power of the sun, rejecting the moon that spites me so."

    Again, Sheng Feilong''s heart started beating faster; This was truly a letter left behind by his Ancestor. He quickly tried to calm himself down, reading the next paragraph. "I, who calls himself Sheng Wuyong; Reborn as a human, I dedicated my life to the prosperity of my Clan. As the leader of a family, I spent 400 years tending to its needs. I rejected my brethren, accepting the Clan that loved me so."

    Although it was just a written letter, Sheng Feilong could feel how regretful Sheng Wuyong was about abandoning the pride of Three-Eyed Golden Lions. Still, this wasn''t the end of the letter Sheng Wuyong left behind. "As my life neared its end, my regret climbed higher. I brought my brethren to a new home, gave them a new future, yet my aching heart remains."

    The letter suddenly ended there. Sheng Feilong frowned, trying to find anything special about the letter. ''This isn''t the end... There''s got to be more. A... drop of blood?'' He only gave the letter a quick glance, but a suddenly spotted a discolouration at the bottom right corner; A round, browinsh-red area.

    Without thinking too much about it, Sheng Feilong quickly understood what he had to do. He bit his finger, drawing some blood and pressed the bleeding wound onto the paper, directly at the brownish-red spot. Moments later, the brownish red spot turned into what seemed to be some kind of runes, unfurling from the spot.

    The spot vanished, turning into words that arranged themselves as a new paragraph underneath the letter''s text. "Oh, descendant of mine; How have I hoped for one to come. For you to read this, you must have received the approval of my dear brother. As as human, I have sinned, for I have learned sinister arts. Descendant of mine, step into the indention beyond this podium and drop your blood into its centre. You shall receive my life''s worth of inheritance.

    Though a sinner I might be, to the Heavens I swear by the life I have laid down that I have not brought disaster about anyone in my pursuits of sinister arts. Descendant of mine, accept my heritage and a dead man''s wish with it; Please, protect my brethren, for I have failed them."

    Sheng Feilong stared at the latter for a moment. He didn''t know what sinister arts Sheng Wuyong was talking about, but for him to call them as such felt weird to him. He looked around again; At the dome, the strange markings on the ground as well as the aforementioned indention in the ground, but he couldn''t understand what sinister arts Sheng Wuyong meant.

    Taking another deep breath, he placed the letter back into the small box, the stepped into the indention. It was about two metres deep and about six metres in diameter. Again, simply carved into the grey stone, possessing a smooth surface, void of any new markings. Sheng Feilong frowned lightly, but shook his head mere moments later, deciding to just trust Sheng Wuyong.

    He bit his finger again, widening the wound so that more blood would flow from it and let it drop down, dead into the centre of the indention. At first nothing happened, but soon after, the blood was seemingly absorbed into the stone before the smooth surface cracked.

    Slowly, deep crimson blood started seeping out from the cracks, causing Sheng Feilong to jump out of the indention with a shocked expression. Blood continuously seeped out from the cracks, forming a puddle at the bottom of then indention. "...These are the sinister arts Ancestor Wuyongwas talking about?"

    Sheng Feilong couldn''t avert his eyes from the spectacle, not just because of the weirdness, but even more so because of the blood itself; Just looking at it caused his heart beat to fasten and his own blood to boil. He felt an intricate connection to this blood, much stronger than what he felt when meeting the old lion king. "This is... Ancestor Wuyong''s blood? Is that what he meant by ''laying his life down''..?"

    Within minutes, the whole indention was filled with blood. By this point, Sheng Feilong could barely contain his own blood; It was rampaging wildly through his body, a need to jump into the pool arising from within him. His face was lightly flushed already and his limbs lightly shaking, but he still remained clear enough to not act rashly.

    A while later, the blood in the pool stopped rising and Sheng Feilong carefully approached it. With each step he drew closer, his heartbeat and the blood in his veins become more frenzied. Staring at it for a while, Sheng Feilong let out a long sigh, determination flashing across his eyes.

    ''If this is the inheritance Ancestor Wuyong has prepared for me, then I''ll take it all.'' His posture became more relaxed and he started removing his clothing, storing it in his Spacial Ring before putting the ring itself next to the small box containing the letter. Now stark naked, he looked at the pool of blood again, before calmly leaping into the middle of it, even his head submerging in the ominously glowing, crimson fluid.

 199 The Power Of Sheng Wuyongs Blood

    After Sheng Feilong entered the dome of light, the old lion king''s eyes slowly opened again. "Let us see if your descendant dares to accept your heritage, my dear brother. If he does... I shall keep my part of our promise, as well." The old lion slowly stood up and began walking towards the exit of the cave.

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui still waited in front of the cave entrance, staring into the darkness without moving from their places. After the voice sounded out before, the other golden lions had stopped staring at them with murderous intent, but many of them still retained their vigilance.

    The crimson-maned lion still stood in front of the cave entrance, calmly keeping an eye on Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui as well as the rest of the pride. A few moments later, though, it suddenly turned its head around, looking into the cave.

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui noticed its behaviour and vigilantly looked at it, but soon knew why it stared into the cave. Slow, heavy footsteps began echoing out from within and, after a few more moments, a new, massive golden lion came into view.

    The king of lions looked at Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui, calmly assessing the two of them while they stared at it in high tension, shocked by its appearance, but even more so by the power radiating off of it. Meanwhile, the crimson-maned lion lowered its head, while the rest of the golden lions also came to pay their respects to their king.

    The king of lions calmly dismissed them, causing the other lions to raise their heads again, but none of them left. It has been years since the king of lions had emerged from the cavern, and even longer since most of the golden lions had truly seen their king. Usually, only the crimson-maned lion had direct contact with it.

    "You two are the humans that travel with the descendant of Sheng Wuyong?", the king of lions questioned Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui, its voice sounding calm, but filled with authority. Swollowing dryly, Huang Jialong took half a step forward, bowing before the lion king. "Huang Jialong greets Senior. It is as Senior said, we''re Sheng Feilong''s companions."

    The king of lions looked at Huang Jialong for a moment before giving him an appreciative nod. "The descendant of Sheng Wuyong has gone into the deepest part of the mountain to claim the inheritance left behind. It will take a long time before he emerges again. You may choose to remain on this mountain or leave back into human territory."

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui were shocked, the latter hastily stepping forward. "Senior, what do you mean? When will Feilong return?" Just after she finished, Yuanen Yehui realized that she may have overstepped some boundaries and carefully stepped back again, coming to a halt next to Huang Jialong.

    The king of lions didn''t pay too much attention to what she did, but also didn''t her answer yet. It walked to the side, where another heightened platform stood, in the middle of the midday''s sun, and laid down their. "You do not need to worry. No harm will befall him; That, I guarantee."

    Huang Jialong could tell that Yuanen Yehui wasn''t satisfied with that answer and neither was he. He also took a few steps to the side, matching the gaze of the lion king. "Senior, can you tell us what happened? What is that inheritance Feilong tries to claim?"

    The king of lions intently looked at Huang Jialong, remaining silent for a long while and causing the other lions to stare at Huang Jialong as well. Still, the latter didn''t back down, standing his ground and waiting for an answer. "...That you do not need to know. My dear brother''s inheritance is easy to claim for those that are of his kin, but it will take a long time. There is nothing you, nor I, could do; Even if you tried, you would be unable to meet him."

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui still seemed unconvinced and tried to ask more about what was happening, but the king of lions had already closed its eyes, ignoring them while it bathed in the sun.

    ------------------

    "Ugh-!" Sheng Feilong let out a muffled groan after he jumped into the pool of blood. He was holding his breath without a problem and still remained submerged in the blood, bus his body was aching all over. He could feel the energy in the pool of blood streaming into his body ¨C a feeling as if thousands of needles pierced his skin.

    His own blood was violently churning, rushing through his body with an unprecedented agitation. His heart was similarly beating with a crazed fervor. At the same time, his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes Spirit Essence, as well as the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Artificial Soul Bone started crazily absorbing the energy that was rushing into Sheng Feilongs body.

    Of all of his powers, those two, in addition to his own bloodline, were tied the closest to Sheng Wuyong''s Three-Eyed Golden Lion bloodline and were naturally prone to craving that kind of energy.

    Still, all this caused Sheng Feilong to have to gnash his teeth even more violently. ''This kind of energy! It''s ever stronger than what I''ve seen from Master!'' He had expected a lot after feeling the reaction his own bloodline had to the pool of blood, but he had underestimated it by a long shot.

    There was nothing he could do; If he were to jump out of the pool now, he would most likely suffer an immense energy backlash. Moreover, he could clearly feel how the energy was slowly changing and strengthening the Artificial Soul Bone and his Spirit Essence. ''Even if I feel like dying, I have to persist...!''

    A long time passed and Sheng Feilong stopped to try and push the energy into a certain direction. He simply let it flow into his body like it wanted to, only concentrating his mind on staying calm and, even more importantly, staying conscious; He simply couldn''t allow himself to pass out.

    Slowly but surely, Sheng Feilong entered a trance like state. He could still clearly feel the energy entering his body, ravaging through him and strengthening every part it passed through. The Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes Spirit Essence continued to absorb the energy this whole time, its previously transparent, silhouette like body becoming more and more corporeal, slowly forming a deep, golden figure.

    The Three-Eyed Golden Lion Artificial Soul Bone absorbed the energy even faster than his Spirit Essence did. Though its appearance didn''t change, Sheng Feilong could clearly feel that it was becoming stronger; Its aura becoming deeper, more unfathomable, with each passing moment.

    Sheng Feilong didn''t know how much time had passed, nor did it feel like the energy in the pool of blood was ever going to run out. After another long period of time, he could clearly tell that he had entered some kind of incredible meditative state. He could clearly see all the details of his body, as if watching from a third person perspective.

    However, this was also accompanied by an ever stranger feeling; While seeing his own body, he could also still clearly feel it. For a Soul Master, knowing their own body in and out wasn''t unusual; With the help of their Spirit Power and spiritual consciousness, this was easily achievable, but the state Sheng Feilong was in was somewhat more complex.

    It even went as far as him being able to tell how much energy his blood had absorbed; Even being able to see that it was taking on a much deeper shade of crimson when compared to before. His whole body started to feel heavier, but it didn''t inconvenience him in the slightest; His physical strength was growing much faster in comparison.

    At one point, Sheng Feilong felt like he wasn''t actively absorbing the energy any longer; It was as if his body had reached a level of saturation where he couldn''t take in any more, but the pool of blood didn''t stop pouring all of this energy in to him. His Spirit Essence and Artificial Soul Bone had also stopped absorbing any more energy.

    The former had formed a complete body of pure gold, looking like a statue of a divine God, the usual deep gold colour in its eyes that represented the core of the Spirit Essence''s power glowing with an intense light, as if overseeing all of what existed around it.

    The red, runic symbol on its forehead had also grown much more lustrous, radiating a powerful force. Moreover, it had changed somewhat; Instead of a winged diamond shape, it was now much more complex, looking like the abstract for of an eye, surrounded by the same diamond pattern, while the wings were much more pronounced.

    The Artificial Soul Bone still hadn''t changed much, appearance wise, but its aura had changed completely; It was not incredibly dense, radiating a powerful intent, even while laying dormant in Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness.

    By now, the excess energy that was flowing through Sheng Feilong''s body started spreading in the world of his spiritual consciousness as well. Slowly bathing the silvery white world, in a faint, faint layer of golden light; The lush, silver grass gaining an ever so slight hue of gold, as did the clouds and even the bright, azure sky itself.

    This change in his spiritual consciousness was the most pleasant surprise for Sheng Feilong; He could clearly feel his Spirit Power growing stronger in real time as the world of his spiritual consciousness continued to change. Moreover, he could feel the clash between the silvery white ¨C now slightly golden ¨C world and the desolate, dark world, where the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon resided, calm down.

    The two different parts of his spiritual consciousness were slowly reaching a fragile balance of power. Still, Sheng Feilong was more vigilant than joyous over this unknown change. ''Is this what Master meant? My Spirit Power rising in order to suppress the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon?''

 200 Emerging From The Cave

    Sheng Feilong continued to absorb the energy within the pool of blood for a long time. He stopped paying attention to the state of his physical body, trusting that whatever change occurred would only benefit him and instead focused on the change in his spiritual consciousness completely.

    The fragile balance between the ''light'' part of his spiritual consciousness, which is the silvery white world, has taken on a strongly visible golden hue, so much so that calling it a silvery white world didn''t do it justice any longer.

    While everything, including the grassy fields and clouds above, still gave off the same pure and calming feeling as before, there was now something different thanks to the golden hue; The whole place now also shrouded in a pleasant, radiant atmosphere, one that could almost be called holy.

    At the border between the radiant world and the desolate wasteland, the fighting had stopped. Where there was a constant fight between the desolate wasteland trying to erode the radiant world with the radiant world fighting against it, trying to push the wasteland''s evil back, there was now a state of equilibrium.

    Once he reached this point, Sheng Feilong decided to stop absorbing any more energy and started actively resisting the energy contained within Sheng Wuyong''s blood pouring into his spiritual consciousness. Instead, he wandered off into the desolate wasteland, towards the castle ruins where the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon resided.

    Everything on the way had seemingly calmed down; The pungent smell and ravines in the ground, filled with corrosive acid at the bottom, had calmed down, the acid only lightly bubbling at the ground, while the pungent smell had greatly diminished.

    The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon sitting on its black throne was entirely lifeless, not reacting to Sheng Feilong in the slightest. It seemed that it had been sealed for good after the latest outbreak with the Chains of heaven binding suppressing it, at least for now. He also found the 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly''s External Soul Bone; Instead of hiding behind the black throne, it now calmly floated at at the side of the room, no longer being suppressed by the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    For the first time in what felt like ages, Sheng Feilong slowly opened his eyes. He stood up inside the pool, so that his head wasabove the pool''s surface. The radiant blood of Sheng Wuyong in which he was submerged had lost most of its colour, now having taken on a murky, brownish red colour.

    He could clearly feel that the energy within the blood had mostly been dried up, leaving only bits of it behind. Meanwhile, he himself has truly absorbed most of that energy. Sheng Feilong stepped out of the pool of blood, standing naked by its side and clenched his fists. Only now was he able to truly feel how much stronger he had become; Crushing boulders and bending steel with his bare hands would be as easy as cutting butter with a hot knife by now.

    Moreover, his Spirit Power must have increased exponentially as well; While he was unable to see into the pathways of the cave before, he could now clearly see every nook and cranny in the natural formations of stone, his vision even unobscured by the dome of light.

    "...How much time has passed?" Sheng Feilong pinched the hair hanging down from his forehead, pulling it straight down. Before, he had relatively short hair, but he could now pull it down to beneath his chin. "It''d take at least a few months for my hair to grow that much, right..?"

    Sheng Feilong frowned and continued to fiddle with his hair for a few more moments while thinking about what had happened. After a while, he simply shook his head with a wry smile. "Whatever; I''ll find out as soon as I talk to the old lion king, or Jialong and Yehui. For now, let''s get out of here."

    His Soul Power flared up, pushing the blood on his skin away, cleaning and drying his body. Sheng Feilong was taken aback for a short moment and looked at his own arms. "My Soul Power has increased that much..?" He carefully started circulating his Soul Power with his eyes closed, before snapping them open again with an excited expression. "I''m already at rank 68. This is incredible!"

    He evaluated his own strength again for a moment before remembering that he was still stark naked. Scurrying over to the stone with the small box on it, he grabbed his Spacial Ring and put it on his finger again, before pulling out the clothes he had stored inside and got dressed. "It''s still here. And there was no dust, so I guess I wasn''t inside the pool of blood for too long."

    Fixing his clothes, he began walking out, pressing through the curtain like dome of light and looking around. Again, he could see everything and clearly make out details even in the dark, far off places of the cave''s pathway; Not wasting any more time, he began walking it down, back into the chamber of the lion king.

    "It''s not here?" Sheng Feilong raised an eyebrow, surprised that the old, fragile lion king seemed to have left its cave. He didn''t think too much about it, though, and simply made his way out of the cave. Coming closer to the exit, he could already head voices and low roars in the distance. ''Probably a few of the younger Golden Lions fighting each other.''

    No one was paying attention to the cave when Sheng Feilong walked out, but he quickly spotted a few familiar faces and beasts; Including the crimson-maned lion, the old lion king and even the strongest of the 1.000-years-old Golden Lions with the scar like formation on its forehead. He couldn''t find either Huang Jialong nor Yuanen Yehui, though.

    "Senior!" Sheng Feilnong called out after assessing the situation, prompting the crimson-maned lion and the lion king to turn towards him as he made his way over to them. He bowed to the lion king with his hands clasped in front of his chest. "Senior, junior has returned."

    The old lion king laid calmly on the elevated platform in the middle of the afternoon sun and loked Sheng Feilong up and down. He could feel the lion king''s Spirit Power washing over him, as well as the crimson-maned lion''s, but didn''t resist either of them, letting them study his him freely.

    The crimson-maned lion seemed taken aback after retracting its Spirit Power while the lion king had less of a reaction; Looking satisfied at most before speaking to Sheng Feilong. "You have made great progress, descendant of Sheng Wuyong. You bloodline... is incredibly pure. And your strength is even more surprising. It seems my dear brother''s inheritance was not wasted."

    While its words sounded critical, its voice was filled with pride, obviously pleased by Sheng Feilong''s current state, to which the latter bowed again. "Thank you for your praise, Senior." He straightened his abck again, looking over the plateau, still unable to spot Huang Jialong or Yuanen Yehui. "Senior, do you know where my companions have gone?"

    "They are out hunting." The lion king replied calmly, lazily resting its head on its paws again. Sheng Feilong tilted his head, looking at it with an incredulous expression. "...Hunting?" Again, the lion king only responded calmly. "They are accompanying a few of our young in their hunt. They should return before the sun sets down."

    "I see..." Sheng Feilong was confused as to why they would go with them, but didn''t question it further. Still, the lion king seemed to notice his confusion and spoke up again. "They have nestled in with our pride quite well. Most of the young have already accepted them as part of the pride. Though I have to admit that it was my order for them to be of use to the pride if they wanted to remain here until you claimed my dear brother''s inheritance."

    With this, a lot of Sheng Feilong''s questions had been answered directly, but one was still burning under his tongue. "Senior, how long have I been inside the cave?" From the growth of his hair, he already guessed an approximate time, but he still wanted to know. The lion king glanced at him. "By the time you humans use, it should have been five months, maybe a bit more. Ask your companions later, if you want to be sure."

    "Five months?" Sheng Feilong''s eyes widened and he looked at the lion king for a while, not knowing what to say to that. Before he could find the right words, though, a few roars came from the foot of the mountain, announcing the return of the Golden Lion young''s hunting party.

    The other lions in the surrounding came over to where the king and Sheng Feilong were after hearing the roars, many of the 10.000-years-old ones surprised to see Sheng Feilong, but didn''t probe him as he was standing next to their king.

    Moments later, the first few Golden Lions could be seen jumping over the edge of the plateau, landing on it with prey in their maws as their made their way over to the group, presenting their harvests to the king. Sheng Feilong hadn''t seen this kind of ritual before and was curiously looking at the young Golden Lions.

    "Feilong..?" A familiar voice came from the cliff, causing Sheng Feilong to look over, only to break out into a wide smile. Yuanen Yehui was half kneeling on the edge of the plateau as she froze while climbing up the last hurdle, staring at Sheng Feilong with wide eyes. She jumped to her feet, rushing over to Sheng Feilong stopping in front of him and grabbing his face. "It''s really you! You''re finally out of that cave!"

 201 To Awaken Ones Blood

    Shortly after Yuanen Yehui showed up Huang Jialong appeared as well. Sheng Feilong looked at the two of them, slightly shocked about what he saw ¨C or what he felt, to be more precise. After living in the wild with the Golden Lions, their auras had become much more restricted and focused, similar to that of a Soul Beast.

    ''They''ve become stronger as well..!'' Sheng Feilong looked them up and down for a short moment, inspecting their progress since he last saw them. Yuanen Yehui was already close to reaching rank 60, while Huang Jialong was already at rank 69, on the very edge of breaking into the Soul Saint level.

    "Jialong, Yehui... It''s good to see you again." He grabbed Yuanen Yehui''s hands, pulling them off from his face with a smile. While Yuanen Yehui still seemed genuinely happy, Huang Jialong''s expression was somewhat complicated. "Rank 68..?"

    He only mumbled a few words, but Sheng Feilong understood that Huang Jialong was speaking about his cultivation base and nodded his head. The latter seemed a bit confused and couldn''t help but speak up again. "That''s all..? I mean, it''s a good increase, but... only a few ranks after all this time?"

    Sheng Feilong frowned slightly, confused that Huang Jialong seemed to have expected more, but also remembered to ask something else. "Right, how much time did I spent inside the cavern? Senior lion king said it should have been a few months."

    "Un. A bit more than five months. We''ve already informed Master and Senior Song, though, so there''s no problem. Senior lion king told us a bit about your Ancestor, Sheng Wuyong. What you obtained was a Hyper Douluo levelled inheritance at the very least, right?" Huang Jialong looked at Sheng Feilong with an inquisitive expression, still confused why the latter''s improvements were so little.

    Before Sheng Feilong could answer, a low growl came from their side. The crimson-maned lion was staring down at them, clearly displeased, while the other lions also intense looked at them. Sheng Feilong flinched and turned towards the lion king before bowing. "I apologize, Senior. We''ve been swept off by our emotions and been insolent."

    After that, he walked to the side, signalling for Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui to continue. They were part of the hunting party, thus they should have some prey with them. As expected, the two of them understood his meaning and Yuanen Yehui stepped forward, pulling a few Soul Beast''s corpses out of her Spacial Ring before bowing to the lion king. "Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong present their prey to you, Senior."

    The lion king looked at the six corpses that laid in front of Yuanen Yehui with a pleased expression. All of them were of beats of at least 1.000 years of age, a great harvest, even for the strongest among the 1.000-years-old Golden Lions among them, yet Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui were barely over a dozen years old.

    They stepped to the side, letting the Golden Lions of the hunting party present their prey. Most of them had a corpse with them, but that was about it, as they didn''t possess Spacial Treasures. The hunting party had brought a total of 17 1.000-years-old Soul Beasts corpses back to the pride today, including the ones Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui brought.

    The lion king distributed the yield, complementing the young Golden Lions on their successful hunt before they started dispersing a few minutes later. The plateau soon returned to its usual quiet before the lion king stood up, looking at Sheng Feilong and the others. "Sheng Feilong, humans, come with me." Sheng Feilong noticed that its voice was more solemn than usual and quickly stood up to follow it.

    The four of them walked towards the cave and, before entering, the lion king looked at the crimson-maned lion. "You come with me as well." The crimson-maned lion lowered its head, following the lion king inside the cave. Sheng Feilong and the others tactfully walked behind the two massive Soul Beasts.

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui were vigilant, as this was the first time for them to enter the lion king''s cavern, much less with the stoic, prideful crimson-maned lion walking in front of them as well. Sheng Feilong, on the other hand, was completely relaxed; He knew the lion king wouldn''t do anything to them, but he was slightly concerned about the lion king''s solemn voice and knew that something was up.

    The entered the chamber where Sheng Feilong first met the king and the latter laid down in its usual place, blocking the pathway deeper into the cavern. The crimson-maned lion respectfully stood in front of its king, a few metres away from the elevated platform the king laid on. Sheng Feilong and the others lined up next to the crimson-maned lion.

    "Senior, is something the matter?" A few seconds later, Sheng Feilong asked as neither the lion king nor the crimson-maned lion had said anything yet. The crimson-maned lion didn''t react to his question, but the lion king focused on him and Sheng Feilong felt its Spirit Power washing over him, inspecting his body.

    He frowned ever so slightly, but didn''t resist, waiting for the lion king to finish. A few moments later, its Spirit Power retracted and the king laid lifted its head high, staring at the ceiling before sighing. "Sheng Feilong, you have truly made marvellous progress, much more so than my dear brother could have expected."

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui frowned upon the mention of the lion king''s brother, not sure what it was talking about; They evidently didn''t know that the king and Sheng Wuyong were siblings by blood. Sheng Feilong remained silent, waiting for the king to continue with a calm, but serious expression.

    "Your blood... is already nearly as pure as my own; In this pride, other than me, there is no one who surpasses you in terms of purity. However, your blood hasn''t truly awakened." The lion king spoke slowly, its voice heavy and filled with a solemn conviction. Sheng Feilong frowned, still confused by what it was talking about, but he had a weird feeling about this. "Then, Senior, how do I truly awaken my bloodline?"

    The lion king sighed again, the spoke in an emotional tone. "6.000 years ago, I promised my dear brother to guard his inheritance until a suitable descendant of his came to claim it. However, that wasn''t the only promise I made him."

    It paused for a moment, then looked back at Sheng Feilong. "To truly awaken your bloodline, simply bathing in a Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s blood or fusing with a Soul Bone isn''t enough. You need a more direct stimulus, something that can truly affect the origin of your bloodline and you soul."

    The bad feeling Sheng Feilong had become more and more distinct, so much so that he didn''t dare make any guesses, but the lion king beating around the bush wasn''t helping him. "What is that stimulus, then, Senior?" The lion king looked at him, its face expressionless. "That is the second promise I made to my dear brother."

    It stopped again, slowly sitting up looking down on Sheng Feilong and the others in all of its majestic height. "If ever the descendant that came to claim his inheritance surpassed all others of our brethren in terms of bloodline purity, I would personally help them to truly awaken their bloodline. Back then, I was just as confused as you were, for truly awakening our bloodline meant for us to open the third eye."

    Sheng Feilong''s eyes widened. He stared directly at the lion king, eager to hear more; Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui being in the same position as him. The crimson-maned lion still didn''t react, only calmly looking at its king, while the latter continued. "The method my dear brother told me about is something that had been found out by your kin, the humans. To be more precise, by the same human that my dear daughter gave her life to."

    "Something that was found out by the Spirit Ice Douluo..? Senior, are you talking about Spirit Souls?" Sheng Feilong was genuinely shocked at this point. The bad feeling he had finally resolved itself and he understood what the lion king was implying.

    "For you bloodline to truly awaken, you, as a human, need to become one with a pure blooded Three-Eyed Golden Lion that is powerful enough to incite such an awakening. And for that to happen is for that Three-Eyed Golden Lion to become your Spirit Soul and for you to draw out its essence to undergo a transformation." The lion king spoke, still completely calm, but with its voice heavier than ever before.

    Sheng Feilong was completely shocked, stammering to find the right words, but before he could, the lion king''s voice resounded inside the cave once more. "So I ask you, Sheng Feilong, descendant of my dear brother, Sheng Wuyong; Are you willing to let me become your Spirit Soul? To let me help you truly awaken our brethren''s bloodline? And to become a protector of our kin?"

 202 Spirit Soul Assimilation

    "Become my... Spirit Soul?" Sheng Feilong stammered while staring at the calm king of lions. Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui stared at the lion king as well; Their eyes wide open, with sluggish expressions on their faces.

    A few moments passed in silence, with the lion king only looking at Sheng Feilong, waiting for an answer. The latter finally snapped out of his daze, hurriedly trying to find the right words to say. "Senior, I... Is that really possible...? What about your pride.."

    "There is no need for you to worry about that. As I''d said, this is the promise I made to my dear brother." The lion king was still completely calm, glancing at the crimson-maned lion by Sheng Feilong''s side. "There is no shortage of capable leaders among my brethren."

    The crimson-maned lion slowly lowered its head; It already knew about the promise between its king and its brother, as well as the story of what really happened after Sheng Wuyong returned to the pride. It had followed the lion king for nearly a 100.000 years and, although pained by the thought of the lion king leaving the pride, it would to its utmost best to lead their pride afterwards.

    Sheng Feilong looked at the crimson-maned lion for a long time, unable to make a definite decision. The lion noticed his gaze and turned its head to face Sheng Feilong. "Descendant of Sheng Wuyong, why do you hesitate? Do you intend to stop my king from fulfilling the last promise it made to your Ancestor?"

    Its voice still sounded as rough as when Sheng Feilong first met it; The imposing manner truly ingrained into its very bones, but Sheng Feilong was able to hear the hidden sadness within its words. He slowly turned back to the lion king and took a deep breath, before bowing deeply. "Senior, it would be my honour to accept you as my Spirit Soul. Please, help me to fully awaken my bloodline."

    Without any apparent reaction, the lion king turned towards the crimson-maned lion. "From today forth, you shall lead our pride as its king." Both of them slowly stood up and made their way towards the cavern''s exit. "Sheng Feilong, human guests; Remain here for the time being."

    Sheng Feilong and the others were about to follow the two of them out, but stopped as their heard the lion kings voice. The three of them sat back down, looking at the two giant lions leave with complicated expressions. A few moments later, two loud roars could be heard from outside the cave, after which nearly a hundred, similar, but much quieter roars followed.

    The whole thing continued for a long while, with the two loud roars ¨C originating from the lion king and crimson-maned lion ¨C echoing out again and again. About half an hour later, the lion king returned to the cave, alone. "All of you, remain in this cave. Sheng Feilong, from what I understand of human cultivation, your goal now is to reach rank 70. After that, I will become your Spirit Soul."

    "Yes, Senior..." Sheng Feilong replied with a stoic expression. By now, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui were only quietly sitting by his side. The former looked at Yuanen Yehui and gestured at the ring on his own finger, to which Yuanen Yehui nodded. "Feilong, here."

    Huang Jialong took the ring of his finger, handing it to Sheng Feilong. "It''s the ring with the Crystal Spirit Bee''s honey. We didn''t take any yet; You use it." Sheng Feilong looked at him with a piercing gaze, to which Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong only smiled. "It''s most important for you to reach rank 70 now. Don''t sweat it."

    Afterwards, under the supervision of the lion king, Sheng Feilong once again made his way into the second cavern where the pool of Sheng Wuyong''s blood was. He wanted to fully absorb the energy in the blood for now and use it to enhance his cultivation base before he used any of the honey, thus he took off his clothes again, laying his own, as well as Huang Jialong''s Spacial Ring on the stone pedestal and once again jumped into the pool of blood.

    Day by day passed quietly for him inside the pool; He directed as much of the energy as he could towards his meridians, actively pushing for his cultivation base to make another breakthrough despite the pain he was feeling from the foreign energy invading into his body.

    After about a week, he reached rank 69, yet there was still a lot of energy remaining. Another one and a half weeks later, he reached rank 70; The threshold he wanted to achieve. However, he didn''t stop there.

    Upon reaching rank 70, there was something else he had to do; Once this level was reached, to truly become a Soul Saint, a Soul Master had to create their own Soul Core inside their Dantian. This Soul Core was a manifestation of their own Spirit Essence and was needed to truly step into the next realm.

    Sheng Feilong jumped out of the pool of blood, grabbing Huang Jialong''s Spacial Ring from the pedestal, put it on his finger and submerged in the pool of blood again; There wasn''t too much energy remaining and Sheng Feilong didn''t know if it was enough to form his own Soul Core. He planned to use the honey as a backup if the energy in Sheng Wuyong''s blood was truly not enough.

    He started to gather his own Soul Power and the energy from Sheng Wuyong''s blood inside his Dantian, circling them around themselves, slowly fusing and condensing them more and more. Within half a day''s time, the energy in the pool of blood was completely used up; As expected, Sheng Feilong had to rely on the Crystal Spirit Bee''s honey.

    He emerged from the pool of blood, making sure to spurn the energy in his Dantian to keep together, further condensing it the whole time, while operating the Spacial Ring and letting the honey flow into his mouth. The incredibly rousing, sweet aroma wafted through the cave, being stopped by the dome of light while Sheng Feilong slowly swallows the honey.

    The honey was incredibly tasty, but Sheng Feilong didn''t have the leisure to indulge in its taste; An enormous amount of energy flowed in his body. Luckily this energy was extremely tame, letting itself be pushed towards Sheng Feilong''s Dantian without any complications.

    By now, three kinds of energy mixed together within Sheng Feilong''s Dantian, slowly forming a solid core that was growing bigger with each passing moment. After a full day of trying to form the core, it was already the size of an adult man''s fist, yet Sheng Feilong didn''t stop; He instinctively knew that he could push his own core further.

    Another few hours later, the core had nearly doubled in size; Its transparent colour having faded away and being replaced by a splendid golden colour. Sheng Feilong continued to nurture the core, until finally, the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes Spirit Essence moved on its own; A miniature manifestation of it slowly taking form inside the Soul Core, shrouded by a warm, nearly holy and incredibly pure golden light.

    Strange, red markings began appearing on the surface of the Soul Core, forming a few archaic runesthat pulsated with enormous power. All these runes seemed to form a kind of diagram; The very core of that diagram being the same symbol that always appeared on Sheng Feilong''s forehead whenever he used his Spirit Essence.

    "It''s complete..." Sheng Feilong slowly opened his eyes, breathing out a large mouthful of foul air. The Soul Core had completely formed, with the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes Spirit Essence taking its place within and the archaic runes sealing it up, completing the formation. "My strength has.. increased considerably one more... This power is incredible; No wonder everyone differentiated Soul Masters so drastically by whether they were above or below rank 70..."

    While Sheng Feilong still mused about his newfound strength, a powerful voice echoed out from besides him. "Congratulations, Sheng Feilong." Startled, Sheng Feilong''s head whipped around towards the source of the voice; The old lion king. It was sitting by the side of the pool of blood; The dome of light gone without a trace.

    "Your current state of mind and strength are perfect." The lion king looked him up and down, its incredible Spirit Power wafting over Sheng Feilong once again. "Now, shall we begin? Will you take me as your Spirit Soul?"

    Sheng Feilong was stunned for a moment by its sudden appearance, but soon calmed down and readjusted his state of mind, still sitting inside the now energy-less pool of blood. A few minutes later, he opened his eyes again, looking at the lion king in complete calmness. "Senior, I''m ready."

    The lion king simply nodded its head, its energy circulating through its body, quickly rising higher and higher until it reached a point where the whole cavern started to quake under its might. The rest of its golden fur slowly started to wither away, its already haggard body being drained of all strength, yet the glow in its eyes intensified more and more, slowly, its body sunk down to a laying position, unable to support its own weight any longer.

    It started to exude a dim, deep red light, similar to that of a Soul Ring. The light become more brilliant, but was soon snuffed out, replaced by an even more resplendent golden light as the translucent form of a mighty Three-Eyed Golden Lion emerged from the now dead physical body of the lion king.

    The translucent golden lion slowly walked towards Sheng Feilong, growing increasingly smaller and smaller until it was barely a few centimetres tall. Sheng Feilong closed his eyes once more and opened up his spiritual consciousness, which the lion king calmly entered.

    Everything returned to silence once more. Sheng Feilong sat within the pool of blood, the dead body of the titanic lion king laying at the side. With the dome of light gone, everything turned dark in the chamber while Sheng Feilong and the lion king assimilated with each other.

 203 The Power Of His Brethrenss Eyes

    A few minutes passed quietly inside the cavern''s chamber. Within this short time, Sheng Feilong managed to completely fuse the lion king to become his Spirit Soul. For now, nothing had changed; Sheng Feilong''s bloodline was still normal, nor did anything else change with the exception of the full-sized manifestation of the lion king standing inside of Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness.

    Unlike before, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion King inside of Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness wasn''t its old, withered self; Rather, it was a manifestation of the lion king in his prime ¨C his towering figure packed with powerful, well toned muscles, lush golden fur and an awe-inspiring aura surrounding it.

    Sheng Feilong concentrated for a moment, appearing inside his spiritual consciousness as well and slowly opening his eyes. The lion king stood surrounded by the other entities inside his spiritual consciousness; The Radiant Empeeror''s Phantasmagoric Eyes Spirit Essence, the Artificial Soul Bone as well as Sheng Feilong''s two other Spirit Souls.

    The Ancient Hypnotic Toad calmly sat at the sight, croaking lowly while watching the lion king. Sheng Feilong took a moment to spot the Purple Forest Witch, but couldn''t help but grimace when he saw her; She was sitting on the lion king''s back, holding on to its fur with a gleeful expression, laughing merrily.

    While the lion king didn''t seem to mind her, Sheng Feilong thought it to be his responsibility to stop her and ran over to them. "Purple Forest Witch, you mustn''t sit on Senior''s back! Be good and come down, will you..?" His voice sounded more like a plea, hoping the lion king won''t be offended by her actions.

    "But I wanna play with the big kitty!" The Purple Forest Witch replied in its childish voice, anxiously staring at Sheng Feilong before burying her head in the lion king''s fur. Sheng Feilong was about to jump up there to get her down himself, but the lion king stopped him. "Worry not about her, Sheng Feilong. More importantly... That is what you called the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon?"

    The lion king wasn''t looking at Sheng Feilong, but instead staring into the distance where the pure lands of his spiritual consciousness clashed with the desolate wasteland where the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon resides. Sheng Feilong became more serious, looking towards it as well. "...Yes. It resides within a ruined castle in the midst of a wasteland on the other side of my spiritual consciousness."

    "I see... its aura is truly baleful; Even this far from it, I can clearly feel its strength. Yet, it seems... harmless?" The lion king scrunched, its voice replaying its confusion. Sheng Feilong nodded in agreement, looking back at the lion king. "Its in a quasi-inactive state. Within the ruins, its bound to a black throne by something called the Chains of Heaven."

    Sheng Feilong explained what he heard from Gu Yue back then as well as what happened after he lost control the last time and his own insights into how it all worked together. The lion king listened quietly, ignoring the far away Netherworld Putrefaction Demon for the time being. "I see. Then, you wish to acquire greater power not only for my dear brother''s sake, but also to suppress this demon."

    "Yes, Senior. I apologize for not telling you the whole truth before." Sheng Feilong lowered his head with a slightly conflicted expression, though the lion king didn''t seem to mind at all. "It is normal for one to have secrets they cannot speak about. That is true for you, as well as for I and my dear brother, too."

    With a small smile on his face, Sheng Feilong remained silent, thankful for the lion king to be so understanding. The lion king turned its head back to the direction of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon for a moment. "Sheng Feilong, I think we should proceed with the awakening of your bloodline."

    His words instantly got Sheng Feilongs attention, the latter putting on a serious expression. "What should I do, Senior?" The lion king''s expression become more solemn as well. "Your physical state is already perfect; Return your spirit back to your body and calm your mind. Focus on circulating and controlling your energy and let it flow into every part of you body; I will take care of the rest."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head, vanishing from his spot in the spiritual consciousness and did as the lion king told him. The latter observed the whole process, turning his head around halfway to face the Purple Forest Witch still snuggling on its back. "Little fairy, let go of me for a while, yes? I have to help Sheng Feilong for the time being; We''ll play together later."

    --------------------

    Energy was slowly circulating through every part of Sheng Feilong''s body. He had entered a completely calm, trance like state; Carefully guiding his energy in its every move. He could feel the lion king inside his spiritual consciousness; Its energy slowly rising and mixing with Sheng Feilong''s own.

    Sheng Feilong accepted the energy from the lion king, carefully continuing the circulations for a few times. After a while, he could feel an ever so slight tug at his energy as the lion king carefully directed all the energy into Sheng Feilong''s blood instead of his body as a whole.

    Moments later, the energy Sheng Feilong had amassed started to flow through his veins, following the paths of his blood vessels and even passing through his heart. With every circulation, his heart beat become more powerful, eventually causing Sheng Feilong''s whole physical body to quake with each beat.

    ''Prepare yourself, Sheng Feilong; The next step will bring an amount of pain you have never thought to be possible.'' The lion king''s voice sounded out in his head, dignified and solemn like never before, but also tense and filled with care. Sheng Feilong braced himself, letting the lion king alone control all the energy in his body.

    The moment Sheng Feilong took a deep breath, all the energy in his blood exploded into action; The complete mass shooting through his veins and crashing into his heart. Sheng Feilong''s eyes shot open, bloodshot while his face was devoid of any colour. "Argh-" An agonized gasp escaped his mouth only to abruptly get stuck in his throat.

    He felt as if his whole body was on fire; Exploding from within his heart, which in itself felt like it was being cut by millions upon millions of rusty knives at the same time. His eyes momentarily rolled back into his head and his seated body swayed backwards. Sheng Feilong just barely managed to remain conscious through the shocking pain, catching himself and stopping his fall.

    His body shook for a short moment before an incredible power coursed through all parts of his body. All of the pain was gone in but an instant and Sheng Feilong looked up in surprise. He quickly closed his eyes again, returning to meditating to guide the influx of energy so nothing troublesome happens.

    The first thing he noticed was his own blood; Unlike before, it was now of a fluorescent, scarlet colour and contained a strange, soothing aura as if it was something holy. Sheng Feilong was mesmerized by this change for a long time, only snapping out of it upon hearing the lion king''s voice. "It truly is... our brethren''s true, awakened bloodline. Ha, ha, it really never was just a fluke that my dear brother was the strongest of us siblings."

    "Senior?" Sheng Feilong noticed that the lion king''s voice sounded somewhat unusual; While he was clearly overjoyed, there also seemed to be a hint of regret in his voice. Some time passed in silence before the lion king spoke up again, now with a genuinely joyous voice. "It''s nothing; Just some old memories. Anyways, congratulations, Sheng Feilong."

    A smile crept onto Sheng Feilong''s face and he concentrated on the changes to his own body again. Strangely enough, though, he couldn''t find anything different other than the change of his blood itself. "Senior... what effect does it have to have awakened my blood? I don''t feel different from before?"

    "Awaken from your meditative state first, then focus on your eyes. You should be able to tell a difference; Don''t use your Spirit Essence, just your regular eyes." The lion king spoke calmly. Thankfully, Sheng Feilong had it as a Spirit Soul now; Without its knowledge, he probably wouldn''t understand what was happening.

    Sheng Feilong stood up and looked through the cave for a moment before focusing on his eyes. He could feel his energy rushing to his eyes in an unfamiliar way, along with his blood circulation speeding up a tiny bit. Shortly after, a faint, reddish hue started to appear in the air around him, causing Sheng Feilong to frown and look around with a stumped expression. "This is... origin energy..?"

    The reddish hue in front of his eyes swayed around the room, silently flowing in the same way as the origin energy he could feel in his surroundings. A low chuckle came from the lion king, clearly amused by Sheng Feilong''s discovery. "So you are able to see it now? The legendary eyes of our brethren are said to see any and all that is true in this world. How could a bit of origin energy avoid their gaze?"

    Sheng Feilong was once again stumped, but quickly thought of a strange idea; He concentrated on his eyes again, looking at his own arms and started circulating his Soul Power. Moments later, he could see a two flows of energy run through his arms and body; One scarlet red and the other a translucent blue. "...I can even see the energy flow in living beings?"

 204 Sheng Feilong - Soul Sain

    Sheng Feilong was taken aback by his own newfound powers, while the lion king was still completely calm. "This is one of the most rudimentary powers of our brethrens that have awakened their bloodline. You might be able to use this power already, but you haven''t truly opened the third eye yet."

    Sucking in a deep breath, Sheng Feilong forced himself to calm down again. He stopped using his eyes'' special powers as he could feel it tiring him out even after using it just for a short amount of time and focused on the lion king. "If I haven''t opened the third eye yet, how do I do that, Senior?"

    "...That you will have to find out for yourself. I haven''t opened the third eye in my life, thus I can only help you this far. Everything else depends on you." The lion king replied after a moment of silence. Sheng Feilong frowned slightly and focused on the changes in his body again.

    However, not matter how much he tried to find any changes that could be attributed to the third eye, he was unable to find anything other than the changes that allowed him to use the strange energy vision.

    The lion king watched for some time before speaking up again. "There is no need for you to try any further. Give it some time. Among the few of our brethren that had opened the third eye, there was one thing that they always had in common; There has always been an incredible, suppressive aura surrounding them, even if they consciously left their eye closed ¨C a type of aura that you simply lack, still."

    Sheng Feilong was listening closely, frowning slightly as he was lost in thought. "What kind of aura? Can you describe it a bit, Senior?"The first thing that came to Sheng Feilong''s mind was a difference in bloodline purity when he was compared to Three-Eyed Golden Lions that had awakened their bloodline, but the lion king''s words quickly changed his mind.

    The latter seemed to see through Sheng Feilong''s train of thought, his words rather decisively. "It wasn''t a bloodline suppression. While they usually have rather pure bloodlines, it isn''t a deciding factor, just another boon. The aura I''m talking of was different; It was like just looking at them was sending a shudder through my body, down to my very core and soul. A dangerous feeling as if they could see right through me, not just my strength, but even my thoughts."

    Sheng Feilong remained silent for a while even after the lion king stopped, a frown still sitting on his face. "...Could it be... a matter of Spirit Power?" An idea suddenly popped into his head, causing him to mutter a few words while losing himself to the thought; Sheng Feilong always has a high Spirit Power and he usually had a rather easy time trying to figure other people out if he really tried to, especially those with weak Spirit Powers.

    Still, he was already at the Spirit Abyss Realm, with a Spirit Power way past 10.000 points, according to the usual testing methods. To think that every Three-Eyed Golden Lion who ever awakened their third eye would have a Spirit Power surpassing his own so far that even the old lion king felt pressured by it, was far fetched at the very least.

    Above the Spirit Abyss Realm were only two higher levels of Spirit Power; The Spirit Domain Realm and the Divine Origin Realm. Both of those were legendary realms of Spirit Power that only the most powerful of the top Soul Masters of this world could reach; Even his own Master, Song Weihan, who focused on his Spirit Power and was widely renown for his prowess in this aspect, was only in the middle to upper levels of the Spirit Domain Realm.

    Yet, if this idea of Sheng Feilong''s was true, it would imply that every single Three-Eyed Golden Lion that opened their third eye would be comparable to Song Weihan, if not superior. Considering that most of them awakened their third eye before their became 100.000-years-old Soul Beasts, and some even before they reached 10.000 years of age, made this truly hard to believe.

    ''I''ll have to ask Master for his opinion once we return...'' Sheng Feilong made a mental note to himself and stopped his attempts to find out anything else. He focused his attention back to the lion king, smiling excitedly as he remembered something else. "Senior, now that you''ve become my Spirit Soul and I''ve reached rank 70-"

    "You wish for me to bestow you with a Soul Ring? I had already been wondering when you would ask." The lion kings reply came before Sheng Feilong could even finish his sentence, its voice still calm and collected, though with a clear, bemused undertone.

    "Senior, before that, I would like to ask something else; I know you''re a 100.000-years-old Soul Beast, but just how powerful are you, really?" Scratching his cheek in embarrassment, Sheng Feilong asked this question. Before, he had completely regarded this due to his excitement of being able to obtain a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul, as well as awakening his bloodline and cultivating to reach rank 70.

    The lion king sat up inside Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness, its eyes filled with an discernable pride as its majestic mane fluttered in the breeze. "Before becoming your Spirit Soul, I had lived for a total of 177.000 years. In my prime, I was able to easily match the strength of even the greatest of beasts below 200.000 years of age and reigned as the king of our brethren for 45.000 years. While my body had already weakened, my cultivation still remained; The Soul Rings I can bestow you will be the most powerful you can imagine below those of the Great Beasts."

    "177.000-years-old..." Sheng Feilong muttered lightly, taken aback as he didn''t expected the lion king''s strength to be this extreme. Once Soul beasts became 100.000-years-old and went through their first lighting tribulation, their strength would soar crazily. Usually, a 110.000-years-old Soul beast could match 10 100.000-years-old ones in strength, yet the old lion king was able to match even those close to 200.000 years of age.

    Beasts of this magnitude should, theoretically, be dozens of times stronger than the lion king itself, moreover, from its words, that was during its prime, not close to the end of its life when Sheng Feilong met it. ''It could possibly... have been a a match for 200.000-years-old beasts while itself was about 150.000-years-old, or even younger.''

    Sheng Feilong returned to his spiritual consciousness, appearing before the towering lion king and stared at it for a few moments. He swallowed his saliva, fiercely trying to suppress his excitement and remain calm, but his voice still came out somewhat shaky. "Then, Senior, will kind of Soul Ring will you give me..?"

    The lion king looked back at him, then glanced to the side where the other parts of Sheng Feilong''s strength resided, in this case, namely the Artificial Soul Bone created for another 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Skull Soul Bone. "...Let me bestow upon you a Soul Ring in commemoration of my dear sister."

    "Your sister...?" Sheng Feilong turned to the side, following the lion king''s gaze and saw the Soul Bone. He remembered what the lion king told him when they first met. ''That I was only able to partially awaken my bloodline thanks to the Soul Bone created from... his sister''s...''

    He didn''t know what to answer to those words, and thankfully didn''t have to, as the lion king started talking again. "My sister has always prided herself with her spiritual powers that surpassed my own and my dear brothers. While this weird Soul Bone you have doesn''t inherit her full strength, it still contains a part of her will and strength."

    The lion king turned back to Sheng Feilong, looking him directly into the eyes. Sheng Feilong met the lion king''s gaze and felt a familiar sensation shortly after, as the lion king''s energy started to rise. "Brace yourself, and accept the strength I bestow upon you, Sheng Feilong."

    Sheng Feilong, in reality and inside his spiritual consciousness, started meditating, purely concentrating on the creating of this new Soul Ring. He had already perfectly assimilated with the lion king''s Spirit Soul and was familiar with the process of creating Soul Rings, but it was different this time; The times he fused with his old Soul Rings couldn''t possibly compare to the strength the lion king demanded of him.

    An hour later, an incredible pressure radiated off of Sheng Feilong, his Soul Power bursting forth into all directions and along the pathway of the cavern, startling Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong who were meditating inside the lion king''s old chamber together with the crimson-maned lion. All three of them stared into the cave, surprised by the sheer force that radiated out of it.

    A few moments later, the power subsided, vanishing without a trace within seconds, and the three of them averted their eyes after a few more moments as nothing else happened.

    Within the depths of the cave, Sheng Feilong had finished creating his new Soul Ring, the deep red, giant circle calmly floating around him as he slowly reigned its power in. He managed to control its power quickly with the lion king''s help and forced it back into his body. Then, calmly opened his eyes, stood up and stretched his body.

    Within his spiritual consciousness, the lion king''s voice sounded out again, sounding pleased with what Sheng Feilong achieved. "The Golden Lion''s Sovereign Territory and the Emperor''s Verdict; Two Soul Skills that perfectly represent my dear sister''s strength. They perfectly work together with my dear sister''s Soul Bone; Sheng Feilong, I hope you''ll use them well."

    "A Domain Ability...? And a wide ranged, powerful control ability... Senior, this is incredible!" Sheng Feilong shouted out in glee. Eager to test those abilities out, he ran towards the pathway to exit the cave as he knew both abilities'' range was greater than the small chamber he was in.

    He had just put on some clothes after jumping out of the pool of blood and was about to exit the cave, when the lion king stopped him. "Sheng Feilong, haven''t you forgotten something?" Sheng Feilong stopped in his tracks, confused by the lion king''s words; His eyes widening as the lion king spoke up again. "Next to you lays the corpse of a powerful, 100.000-years-old Soul Beast; One of which I know for a fact to posses a Soul Bone..."

 205 End Of Seclusion

    The lion king''s words caused Sheng Feilong to turn around, staring at its dead body. He had completely forgotten about the Soul Bone of the lion king because he was too focused on everything else that was going on. "Senior, is it really okay for me to take your Soul Bone?"

    "If I didn''t want you to take it, would I tell you about it? Unlike normal Soul Bones, it doesn''t possess a remnant of my will; Everyone could absorb it, but who would be worthy of it?" The lion king spoke with the same indifferent calmness as before, as if what it said were obvious facts.

    Sheng Feilong walked over to its corpse, ready to check its head when the lion king''s voice sounded out again. "Not the head. Check the torso." A hint of hesitation stopped Sheng Feilong in his tracks. "Torso..? Senior, you don''t possess a Skull Type Soul Bone?"

    "Correct, I don''t." The lion king calmly admitted, pausing for a moment but starting to speak again upon seeing Sheng Feilong''s confused expression. "I''ve told you, that our pride was attacked 40.000 years ago; My dear brother lost one leg, while I was heavily injured. I had to destroy my own Soul Bone, forging it anew inside my body to heal from my injuries."

    The lion king''s voice was as calm and indifferent as before, shocking Sheng Feilong even more as something like this was an incredible secret, even more so when knowing that the attack the king mentioned injured two 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lions. "...Senior, what happened back then? Who could possibly hurt Senior and Ancestor Wuyong to this extent?"

    "40.000 years ago, human civilization was but in its infancy, yet powerful Soul Beasts were already roaming the world for hundreds of thousands of years. Us Golden Lions are survivors of the olden times; Some of the hardiest, most adaptable, but by far not the strongest that ever existed. Take your little Ancient Hypnotic Toad Spirit Soul, for example. I might know about them, but when I was born, they were already extinct, yet their Spirit Power and mental abilities far surpass even that of Three-Eyed Golden Lions." The lion king casually laid down again, not caring that Sheng Feilong was cramming through its corpse at the same time.

    Sheng Feilong, though, stopped when the lion king mentioned the Ancient Hypnotic Toad. "My little toad is that strong...?" His voice was somewhat disbelieving; Not that the lion king cared about that, though: "Of course it it; It is an ancient Soul Beast of times where even True Dragons still wandered this world; How could it be weak? While the Soul Skills I will provide you might be stronger, think about how powerful the Ancient Hypnotic Toad will become once it reaches the same cultivation as I."

    The lion king shifted its position, glancing at the Purple Forest Witch that had fallen asleep on its back. "The same goes for the Purple Forest Witch. While not extinct, nor as powerful as the Ancient Hypnotic Toad, it is still incredibly powerful and will eventually reach the same strength as I. You have to take good care of both of them; They will become your most powerful allies within due time."

    After speaking its part, the lion king lowered its head and closed its eyes, ignoring what was going on around it and seemingly dozing off. "Senior..." Sheng Feilong stood still in front of its corpse, focusing on what was going on in his spiritual consciousness. He couldn''t believe through how much trouble the lion king must have gone to reach this point.

    To calmly accept its own death, to begin with; To become the Spirit Soul for a human, who had hunted its kind down thousands of years ago and even accept its own inferiority to the other Spirit Souls within Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness. All this, and it only asked for Sheng Feilong to protects its pride in the future.

    Sheng Feilong pulled a shortsword out of his Spacial Ring, bowing before the lion king''s body after finding the spot that would most likely contain the Soul Bone. He cut it open, carefully searching for the Soul Bone.

    Just a few moments later, he held the massive Soul Bone in its hand; nearly the size of Sheng Feilong''s own torso and formed like a spinal column with a dozen ribs attacked to it ¨C A full fledged, 177.000-years-old Torso Type Soul Bone.

    Still, Sheng Feilong was a bit confused; Unlike what one would expect from Soul Bones, the lion king''s torso Soul Bone looked more like normal bone that a spiritual treasure. It''s colour was an ivory white, with barely a few hints of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s trademark golden colour. ''Did Senior... have to substitute its own bones with a Soul Bone to survive...?''

    A terrifying thought ran through Sheng Feilong''s head, but he quickly shook it off and carefully placed the Soul Bone in his Spacial Ring. With the lion kng asleep, he didn''t wish to simply absorb it ¨C The history behind it interested him too much and, after obtaining such a treasure, he wanted to consult with Song Weihan first.

    He turned his head towards the exit, bowing before the lion king''s body once more. Now, after all this, it was finally time for Sheng Feilong to leave the cave. He could still clearly see inside the cave thanks to the power he obtained from the pool of Sheng Wuyong''s blood and the changes to his eyes and thoughtlessly wandered through down the pathway.

    It''s been about an hour since Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui felt the powerful burst of Soul Power from within deeper into the cave and they had returned to cultivating silently. Only the crimson-maned lion was still focused on what was going on deep in the cave; Thanks to this, it was the first to hear the footsteps echoing through the pathways.

    Soon after, Sheng Feilong came into view; He still wore the same casual attire from before, spotless and devoid of any dirt, but as the crimson-maned lion looked at it, an invisible pressure seemed to radiate off of Sheng Feilong. The crimson-maned lion had felt this before ¨C when faced with the Golden Lion''s old king ¨C but not as intense as right now.

    It lowered its head ever so slightly, observing Sheng Feilong''s every move and scanning over him once with its Spirit Power. "You have become stronger once more... Now, you truly hold my king''s power..." Sheng Feilong stopped in front of it, with a respectful distance between the two of them and bowed. "Junior Sheng Feilong greets the new king of lions. I apologize for not greeting you before, Senior."

    "...There is no need to greet me as king for you, who is so much closer to obtaining our brethren''s true power." The crimson-maned lion answered with a good natured tone, pleased by Sheng Feilong''s respectful approach. A moment later, though, its expression turned more solemn. "My king, he..."

    "After Senior become my Spirit Soul, I was able to see him in his full glory; Great and powerful as it was in its prime, yet with all the wisdom he obtained through the years. It is incredible. Senior is currently resting after helping me to truly awaken my blood, bestowing a new Soul Ring upon me and telling me a few things." Sheng Feilong replied calmly, causing the crimson-maned lion to simply nod its head before standing up.

    The new lion king walked towards the exit of the cave, its strong presence and the sounds of its movements pulling Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui out of their meditation. The two of them looked at the lion king with confused expression; Huang Jialong spotting Sheng Feilong first. "You''re back."

    His voice was calm, but loud enough for Yuanen Yehui to also notice Sheng Feilong. Sheng Feilong smiled, throwing Huang Jialong''s Spacial Ring back to him, while the latter eyed him up and down. Without even looking, Huang Jialong caught the ring and put it back at his finger. "It''s been a month since you left with the old lion king. Did you manage to awaken your bloodline?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head, smirking at the same time. "Yeah, I did... And not only that." He paused for a moment, his Soul Power rising, quicjkly displaying the pressure of a Soul Saint to Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong. Yuanen Yehui''s eyes twinkled, while Huang Jialong''s expression playfully soured. "You''ve already surpassed me..."

    "Your fault for not putting enough effort into cultivating. You''ve got to focus more." Sheng Feilong said with a laugh, walking towards the two of them. The crimson-maned lion had already left the cave by now, so the three of them were rather relaxed.

    Rolling his eyes at Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong retorted with an annoyed sneer. "Yeah right; Easy enough for you to say with all this cheat-like help from your Ancestor and the old lion king." Sheng Feilong started chuckling at his answer, but didn''t probe any deeper, instead, his attention was drawn to Yuanen Yehui. "You''re already a Soul Emperor?"

    A surprised expression flashed on Yuanen Yehui''s face. She had been suppressing her energy this whole time and made no moves that would hint at her current strength, yet Sheng Feilong instantly saw through her. "Yeah, that''s right. How did you know?" Again, Sheng Feilong only smiled lightly. "My eyes got a bit special after awakening my bloodline..."

    "Your eyes..?" Huang Jialong tilted his head before his eyebrows rose sharply. "You opened the third eye? The Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s legendary third eye?" Yuanen Yehui also stared at Sheng Feilong, both of them unable to truly belief him. However, Sheng Feilong lightly shook his head. "No, I haven''t opened the third eye yet. My bloodline awakening has a few more steps; One of the rudimentary being the ability to see the flow of energy in the air and even living and inanimate objects. That''s the level I''m at."

    The two of them nodded, Yuanen Yehui fixedly staring at Sheng Feilong''s forehead. "Then, what if you truly open the third eye..?" The latter could already guess what she was thinking and laughed. "Don''t worry. It won''t be a physical eye. More like a spiritual one than can be opened and closed at will.. Like the red symbol on my head when I use my Spirit Essence."

    Yuanen Yehui nodded, heaving a slight sigh of release, to which Huang Jialong and Sheng Feilong could only chuckle. A few moments later, Huang Jialong looked back at the two of them. "Anyways... it''s been half a year already. We should return home."

 206 Song Weihans Shock

    "Home, you say..." A small smile crept up on Sheng Feilong''s face as he thought about how long he hasn''t seen his Masters and father again. However, soon after, his expression changed for the worse and he turned to Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui. "Weren''t we supposed to message Master every day..?"

    Yuanen Yehui shook her head with a smile in answer to his question. "Don''t worry. We''ve been in contact with Senior Song and Master; They both know that we''ve met the pride of Golden Lions and that you''ve been cultivating with the old lion king."

    "I see. Thank, you two." Sheng Feilong heaved a sigh of relief; He didn''t even want to imagine how mad Song Weihan would have gotten if they had never contacted him for all this time. Huang Jialong looked at him and rose his eyebrows slightly with a mischievous smile on his face. "We didn''t tell them about your progress, though, nor about you taking the lion king as your Spirit Soul."

    Sheng Feilong''s brows rose as well and a similar smile showed on his face. "Then..." Huang Jialong only shrugged and answered without a care in the world. "You can shock them yourself; We didn''t take that privilege from you, yet..."

    With a slight nod, Sheng Feilong thanked Huang Jialong for that, the mischievous smile not leaving his face. He turned around, looking towards the exit of the cave and started walking. "Let''s leave the cave for now. I''ll tell Master that we''re coming back later."

    Outside of the cave, they quickly found the crimson-maned lion; This new king of lions took the old kings place on the elevated platform, laying in the sun while overlooking the pride. It noticed Sheng Feilong and the others and looked at them.

    Sheng Feilong bowed slightly again. "Thank you for taking care of us for so long, Senior." The new lion king didn''t show much of a reaction, but looked back and forth between the three of them. "You wish to leave our pride now?"

    "Yes. It has been half a year already." Sheng Feilong''s voice was calm and the crimson-maned lion only nodded its head. After a short moment, Sheng Feilong spoke up again. "Senior, the body of the previous lion king still lays within the depths of the cave. With his permission, I took the king''s Soul Bone, but its body still remains there."

    The crimson-maned lion''s flickered with an appreciative light, and it slowly nodded its head. Sheng Feilong bowed once more, thanking it again. "Senior, if the pride ever faces a problem, I''ll be sure to rush here as fast as I can.... I won''t forget the promise I made to the old king."

    Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong also didn''t stand on ceremony with the lion king; They thanked it earnestly before leaving with Sheng Feilong. None of them made a big deal out of leaving the pride and the other lions only saw them in passing.

    On the foot of the mountain, they met with the hunting party that was coincidentally returning as well. The leader, the strongest of the 1.000-years-old Golden Lions with the scar-like formation on its forehead looked at them in confusion.

    Sheng Feilong smiled and spoke a few words of goodbye to it; Although it the 1.000-years-old Golden Lion wasn''t yet capable of speaking human tongue, it was intelligent enough to easily understand what Sheng Feilong was saying and his meaning, in the end, it nodded its head in a very humanly fashion and left the carcass of a 1.000-years-old Soul Beast at Sheng Feilong''s feet before leaving with the rest of the hunting party.

    Without much thought, Sheng Feilong simply stored the carcass in his Spacial Ring, leaving the mountain with Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui in tow.

    The three of them travelled through the forest for a few days, crossing the territories of many different, powerful Soul Beasts. The avoided the territory of the 100.000-years-old Bull-Horned Green Bear out of fear that they were still being remembered and instead took a slight detour around another, more passive Soul Beast''s territory.

    In the evening of the first day, Sheng Feilong sent a message to Song Weihan and She Meixiao, informing them that they were doing well and were on their way to return to the Daedalus headquarters. He also told them that they didn''t need to send anyone to fetch them, as they would return using a Soul Train from the closest town.

    Song Weihan''s reply was a short acknowledgement of the situation; Song Weihan trusted Sheng Feilong and the others enough, especially after Sheng Feilong trained with the pride of Golden Lions for half a year. He also knew that Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong made great improvements thanks to the pride''s help; Their group didn''t even have to fear a random Soul Douluo attacking them by this point.

    As Song Weihan had predicted, Sheng Feilong and the others safely returned to the Daedalus headquarters a few days later. She Meixiao and Song Weihan were the first to receive the news of them returning and instructed the guards to send them to Song Weihan''s laboratory.

    Sheng Feilong looked around, but couldn''t see Song Weihan. Asking one of the researchers, he was told that Song Weihan and She Meixiao were in Song Weihan''s office. Knocking on the door, he entered the office with Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui in tow.

    They lined up next to each other in front of Song Weihan''s desk; Song Weihan sitting behind it, while She Meixiao was sitting at its side, drinking tea. Song Weihan eyed them up and down, while nodding repeatedly with a wide smile. "All of you have become stronger... very good!"

    Sheng Feilong stepped forward and bowed to Song Weihan. "Maser, we''ve returned." Song Weihan only nodded again, then spoke with a curious expression. "I''ve already heard from Jialong and Yehui that you''ve found a pride of Golden Lions. How was it?"

    "We indeed found them. And it was the place that I saw when my bloodline first awakened. The Golden Lion''s had migrated there under the orders of Ancestor Wuyong." A simple explanation was all Sheng Feilong gave them for the time being, causing Song Weihan to show a surprised smile. "So, Sheng Wuyong was the leader of the pride of Golden Lions?"

    Sheng Feilong shook his head and started explaining how everything came together; that Sheng Wuyong was the brother of the lion king, how the Artificial Soul Bone was connected to their sister and how he came to only possess three limbs instead of four. He also told them about the highly concentrated fire attributed origin energy inside the forest and how the Golden Lions used it to strengthen themselves.

    Later, he told them about the inheritance that Sheng Wuyong left behind, shocking all four of them when he explained the blood magic Sheng Wuyong used. Song Weihan''s expression was especially solemn and he immediately ordered for his team to prepare a full check up on Sheng Feilong.

    However, all of these tests only shocked Song Weihan even more; So much so that he could only stare at the results with his mouth wide open, unable to come up with anything to say. Sheng Feilong''s physical body was already superior to Power Attack type Soul Douluo''s, bordering on the level of Titled Douluos, while the energy in his blood was even more potent than anything Song Weihan had seen thus far.

    With a rough guess, Song Weihan estimated that Sheng Feilong could possibly suppress most 10.000-years-old Soul Beasts with his bloodline alone, not to mention his actual abilities, which were already a threat to most Soul Beasts of that level to begin with.

    Sheng Feilong made sure to keep a few secrets for now, such as the lion king becoming his Spirit Soul and calmly accepted the tests that were made; So far the latter hadn''t figured out Sheng Feilong''s actual Soul Rank, nor the fact that he had a new Spirit Soul.

    To make matter worse, Sheng Feilong suggested to take a few more tests, including a test of his Spirit Power, which, in the end, thoroughly dumbfounded not only Song Weihan but She Meixiao and the others, too. "18.951..." Song Weihan stared at Sheng Feilong, unable to stop his hands holding the document with the results from shaking.

    The others stared at him like he was some kind of monster as well, though Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong were somewhat better off as they knew that this was also because of Sheng Feilong''s increased Soul Rank and the help of the old lion king. However, She Meixiao wasn''t as well off as those two. "A... 17 years old Soul Emperor with a Spirit Power of nearly 19.000...?"

    Seeing his chance finally come up, Sheng Feilong sweetly smiled at Song Weihan and She Meixiao before releasing his Soul Power. "Actually, Masters, I''m already a Soul Saint..." Together with the pressure of his Soul Power, his Soul Rings appeared from beneath his feet, swirling around his body.

    One black Soul Ring, then the second, the third, all the way up to the sixth, before a massive, 100.000-years-old, red Soul Ring appeared as well, bringing an immense pressure with it, that even caused She Meixiao and Song Weihan to shiver for a moment as they weren''t prepared for such a display. Song Weihan''s body shook even more and he helpless sat down in his chair, staring at the Soul Ring with an aghast expression. "A... 100.000-years-old, red Soul Ring...? No, this power... it''s at least 140.000-years-old..."

    The sickly sweet smile on Sheng Feilong''s face widened and he put his hands behind his back. "Actually, Master, it''s a 177.000-years-old Soul Ring I got after the Three-Eyed Golden Lion King became my Spirit Soul..." Just like Song Weihan before, She Meixiao froze for a moment, then slumped back into her seat, tilting her head and staring at Sheng Feilong. "Sp-Spirit... Soul...?"

    Sheng Feilong eagerly nodded his head, speaker out loud while also mentally opening up his spiritual consciousness for the lion king to hear him. "That''s right. Senior, I''d like to introduce my Master to you! Would it be possible for you to come out?"

    A low growl could be heard from Sheng Feilong, much like a grunt of acknowledgement, as an incredible pressure befell the room, forcing both Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui, to take a few steps away from Sheng Feilong, while Song Weihan''s and She Meixiao''s eyes fiercely contracted.

    A miniature form of the lion king appeared next to Sheng Feilong, towering over him, with a shoulder height of about 4 metres. While its body was much, much smaller than its actual form, the pressure originating from it was the the aura of a legitimate 177.000-years-old Soul Beast. The old lion king lazily looked over the people in the room ,recognizing Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui, before looking at She Meixiao, before focussing on Song Weihan. "So, this is Sheng Feilong''s Master... the human that... turned my dear sister''s Soul Bone into such a strange one..."

 207 Arguing With The King

    Song Weihan inevitably tensed up as the old lion king looked at him. As an accomplished researcher of Spirit Souls, he knew about the particularities of Spirit Souls created from actual Soul Beasts. In fact, the first ever Spirit Soul that brought the thought of this system to the mind of the Spirit Ice Douluo was one created from a Soul Beast.

    These Spirit Souls were much more intelligent than normal Spirit Souls, even if the latter was brought to the same cultivation level and they were much more familiar with the usage of the various Soul Skills they bestowed upon the Soul Masters. Moreover, if summoned to aid in combat, their prowess from when they were alive was largely kept, some even becoming stronger after becoming a Spirit Soul.

    In addition to all this, to see a live Three-Eyed Golden Lion was a mind boggling experience for every Soul Master, much less one that was over a 100.000-years-old. Song Weihan wordlessly stared at the lion king, remembering what Sheng Feilong told him about the connection between his bloodline, the lion king and the Artificial Soul Bone he gave his disciple.

    The lion king''s power was currently limited by Sheng Feilong''s strength, thus the pressure Song Weihan felt soon faded. After the initial shock, he quickly regained his composure and calm. "Incredible... Greeting, former king of lions." His voice was calm and he gave the lion king a respectful nod; How could he back down in front of his own disciple''s Spirit Soul.

    The lion king didn''t seem to mind this and still stared at Song Weihan. The latter understood its meaning and lightly shook his head. "I am indeed the human that turned the Skull type Soul Bone of the 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion into what I call an Artificial Soul Bone. However, I am not the one who had slain her. In fact, I believe the people who did kill her to be long since dead."

    The lion king growled a bit, but ultimately nodded its head. "...My dear sister had her life taken away 15.000 years ago... There is no human to live this long, indeed. Though I do wonder, how did you get into possession of her actual Soul Bone?"

    "From what I know, the Soul Bone was never used by any human for a long time. 10.000 years ago, the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, created the Spirit Pagoda, and thousands of years later, they got into possession of the Soul Bone, though also never used it. Through merit and accomplishments, I took it for myself, researching it to finally create an Artificial Soul Bone." Song Weihan explained in a plain tone, carefully eyeing the lion king for its reactions.

    Seeing the latter reactions, or lack of, for that matter, Song Weihan calmly continued speaking. "While you may call it a strange transformation, Artificial Soul Bone''s are very beneficial for Soul Masters, and much more easily handled; A Soul Bone usually contains a part of the Soul Beasts will ¨C may that be goodwill or malice and hatred. Moreover, unlike a real Soul Bone, an artificial one is able to grow together with the Soul Master."

    Again, the lion king didn''t show much of a reaction, though Sheng Feilong could feel it not being completely comfortable with the topic as they were mentally connected. Despite this, Song Weihan continued with the same calm demeanour as before. "Once this technique is perfected, a single Soul Bone might be enough to give to a dozen Soul Masters, reducing the demand for them, thus reducing the need to hunt Soul Beast for them."

    The lion king''s expression turned colder and it stared at Song Weihan with a displeased look. "Yet, how many will have to die for you to perfect this ''technique''?" Sheng Feilong was about to step in,feeling the displeasure of the lion king, but Song Weihan spoke before he could do something. "It is a sacrifice I am willing to bring for the prosperity of my own kin. I am sure you can understand this sentiment."

    The lion king''s expression became fierce after Song Weihan finished his words. Its aura burst forth, accompanied by a powerful killing intent directed at Song Weihan. Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui had to back off even further, pale faced and with cold sweat running down their backs despite not being the main targets of the killing intent.

    At this point, Sheng Feilong couldn''t refrain from stepping up any longer and hurriedly got between the lion king and Song Weihan. "Senior, Master, please, that''s enough. Please, calm down." Song Weihan looked at Sheng Feilong in surprise, but refrained from doing anything more and backed down. The lion king stared at the two of them and continued to growl, but ultimately backed down as well, returning to Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness.

    Everything gradually calmed down, but the atmosphere inside the room was still far from normal. Sheng Feilong turned towards Song Weihan, an apologetic expression on his face. "Master, I''m sorry... I didn''t know it would end like this. I only wanted to surprise you."

    Song Weihan sighed lightly, then stared at Sheng Feilong with a piercing gaze, causing the latter to freeze in place. "Surprise me? You sure did. You brat, you didn''t even tell me that you''re a Soul saint already! How dare you leave me hanging like this!"

    He was clearly irritated from what happened before, causing Sheng Feilong to flinch and fidget around, while She Meixiao started laughing rather heartedly. "My, my, no need to reprimand him like that. Rather, I think congratulations are in order... I''ve honestly never heard of a 17 years old Soul Saint in all of my life. This is incredible, Feilong."

    She Meixiao smiled at Sheng Feilong, proud to be able to call herself his Master, while Song Weihan still grumbled, though failing to hide his admiring gaze. "What ''incredible''; It''s simply becoming ridiculous at this point. Even more so when you take his physical strength and Spirit Power into consideration. Then there''s the bloodline, not to mention a way past 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul from an actual Three-Eyed Golden Lion..."

    Sheng Feilong continued to fidget around, unsure of how to answer when Huang Jialong suddenly nudged his shoulder from behind, putting his own arm on it. "They''re right, Feilong. You really are a monster."

    This time, Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but smile. Pushing Huang Jialong''s arm off his shoulder, he shot back at him and poked the latter''s side with his elbow. "You''re just saying that because you''re not a Soul Saint yet. It''s not good for your health to get jealous, you know that?"

    "Tze. Whatever." Huang Jialong stepped to the side, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Sensingthat something seems off, She Meixiao glanced at Huang Jialong for a moment, frowning lightly, but hiding her reaction from the others. Song Weihan did the same, but focused on Sheng Feilong again, the frown on his face long since gone. "Since the Three-Eyed Golden Lion King became your Spirit Soul, what about its Soul Bone? It shouldn''t be converted, as far as I know."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head without hesitation. "I still have it." He hesitated for a moment, a frown on his face before he spoke up again. "I planned to ask you for advice, Master, but... after what happened before, I''d like to keep it as it is..."

    "Un. I understand. The lion king isn''t too fond of Artificial Soul Bones to begin with, and using its own to create an artificial one might be a bit too much. "Song Weihan nodded his head with a nonchalant expression, already having expected a similar answer. "Still, you have to remember that, once day, it might become your weakest Soul Bone because of this decision. It might not be next year, or even in ten years, but in 50, maybe a a hundred years, when the research on Artificial Soul Bones it perfected, you''ll probably be the first to get a full set of 100.000-years-old Artificial Soul Bones, maybe even stronger ones."

    Song Weihan really meant what he said; While he himself already possessed two Artificial Soul Bones, he planned on giving his own personal disciple, Sheng Feilong, the best of the best. This is the privilege of those that are closest to the source; The same going for high-ranking members of the Spirit Pagoda when selecting their Spirit Souls, for example. Whoever has the resources decides how to divide them ¨C Everyone would naturally want the ones closest to themselves to benefit the most.

    This was something Sheng Feilong also understood, yet he still shook his head without any hesitation. "I know, Master. I still wish to keep it in its original form." He was adamant about the matter, leaving Song Weihan no option but to nod his head and accept Sheng Feilong''s decision.

    The five of them talked a bit longer before Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui returned to their respective quarters. The first thing Sheng Feilong did after leaving was to visit his father. The latter hadn''t been informed that Sheng Feilong had returned yet and was doing his guard duty.

    Spotting his father among the patrol, Sheng Feilong waked over with a smile. On the way, the lion king rose within his spiritual consciousness. "There''s an aura resembling that of our brethren... Sheng Feilong, is that you father? He, who has yet to awaken our brethren''s bloodline?"

    ''Yes, he is. Senior, do you think there''s a way for my father to awaken our bloodline, as well?'' Sheng Feilong slowed down a bit to get an answer from the lion king without his father noticing him. The lion king remained silent for a while, seemingly thinking about it. "...No, I don''t think so. His bloodline is much too weak. I can even feel the presence of another beast''s power within him..."

    ''Another beast? Ah, could you be talking about father''s Spirit Essence? The One Eyed Mountain Lion?'' Sheng Feilong guessed without much thinking, to which the lion king replied with a low rumble. "It appears so... that beast contains the faintest trace of our brethren''s bloodline, but it''s much too weak."

    Sheng Feilong''s mood saddened somewhat, but he still didn''t give up. ''...Then, what if I gave my father your Soul Bone... Would that be possible?'' Yet, even this seemed impossible; The lion king replied rather bluntly this time. "He is much too weak. Even my Soul Bone wouldn''t awaken his bloodline. Moreover, his strength is lacking; He would die if he were to try to assimilate my Soul Bone."

    "Ah..." Sheng Feilong let out sigh, accepting the lion king''s assessment and stopped questioning it. If his father wasn''t fated to awaken his bloodline, then Sheng Feilong will simply bear the burden alone. He caught up to the guards, smiling brightly and finally calling out to Sheng Lingtian. "Father!"

 208 177.000-Years-Old Torso Type Soul Bone

    Sheng Feilong spent the rest of the day with his father. The latter talked to some other guards for a while, asking for the rest of the day off, and Sheng Feilong told him about everything that had happened in the last few months.

    The stories about the pride of golden lions living in the mountains already shocked Sheng Lingtian, but the real surprise for him was the fact that their ancestor, Sheng Wuyong, was actually one of the strongest Three-Eyed Golden Lions, and the brother of their pride''s king, at that.

    Sheng Feilong told him about the inheritance left behind by Sheng Wuyong, calming his father down, who reacted similar to Song Weihan after hearing about the blood magic Sheng Wuyong used, by telling him about the tests Song Weihan had run on Sheng Feilong.

    Sheng Lingtian was thrilled about the news that Sheng Feilong now possessed a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul and even more so when he heard that that Spirit Soul was the former king of the lions, and that Sheng Feilong had already obtained another Soul Ring, becoming a Soul Saint.

    After hesitating for a while, Sheng Feilong also told his father what the lion king told him ¨C that there wasn''t a way for Sheng Lingtian to awaken his bloodline like Sheng Feilong did. Sheng Lingtian was moved that Sheng Feilong even considered giving him the 177.000-years-old Soul Bone of the lion king to help out, but vehemently refused to accept it, even before Sheng Feilong told him that it wouldn''t help his bloodline.

    Two days passed by while Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui got used to living in the Daedalus headquarters again. They didn''t train during that time, aside for their usual meditation, and Song Weihan and She Meixiao also didn''t bother them during that time.

    When they returned to daily life with Song Weihan''s training, he and She Meixiao had already worked out a new training plan for the three of them. Yuanen Yehui had just become a Soul Emperor, and could thus resume to train normally until she reached another critical point, while Song Weihan and She Meixiao personally guided Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong, respectively.

    She Meixiao asked to help Huang Jialong since the latter seemed to have a problem with the formation of his Soul Core; Being a Hyper Douluo and having the most experience with cultivating, as well as having more experience with this due to her having a similar Spirit Essence, Song Weihan agreed to let her take care of this without hesitation.

    Meanwhile, Song Weihan took care of Sheng Feilong. Although the latter had already become a full fledged Soul Saint, there were still points Song Weihan put emphasis on ¨C Two that were indispensable, to be precise.

    The two of them were now alone inside of Song Weihan''s private training room ¨C a wide, spacious hall with a high ceiling, entirely made from reinforced material to sustain the strain of a Titled Douluo''s training to some extent; A perfect environment for Sheng Feilong''s current needs.

    Sheng Feilong had already turned serous, as this was a solo training with Song Weihan, while the latter was still calmly explaining what this was about. "Now that you''re a Soul Saint, there''s only one thing that''s left to do, in general. Due to the circumstances, there''s two things for you, though; The first being the matter of absorbing the 177.000-years-old lion king''s Soul Bone."

    Calmly taking the huge Soul Bone out of his Spacial Ring, Sheng Feilong nodded his head. He had already made the decision to absorb the Soul Bone as it is, as the lion king didn''t like the prospect of Artificial Soul Bones. Moreover, a 177.000-years-old Soul Bone was way, way more than enough, in Sheng Feilong''s opinion.

    Despite having seen a large number of Soul Bones already, including quite a few of 100.000 years of age and above, Song Weihan still couldn''t help but inhale a cold breath. The sheer size of the Soul Bone, along with the pressure radiating off of it were already incredible, but after the initial shock, this wasn''t his main concern. "A Torso type Soul Bone..?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head with a light frown. "I had been wondering about that, too. Senior told me that, a long, long time ago, there were other Soul Beasts attacking the pride of Golden Lions. Back then, Senior was heavily injured, while Ancestor Wuyong lost one of his limbs. Originally, the Soul Bone condensed by Senior was a Skull type, like one would expect from a Three-Eyed Golden Lion, but it had to destroy the old one and condense this new one to strengthen his body and conserve his own life."

    Spreading out his Spirit Power and focusing on the Soul Bone, Song Weihan confirmed the age and strength of the Soul Bone quickly and nodded his head. "The life force contained in this Soul Bone is incredible, to say the least... It seems that this story is true; To preserve its own life, the lion king created this Soul Bone, nurturing it to strengthen its own body to an incredible degree... I can''t imagine the kind of wound that would demand for such actions..."

    "I also don''t know, and didn''t wish to ask... But since I first saw Senior, he always had a horrendous scar going all the way across his whole back. If that was the reason, I would understand why he took such measures..." Sheng Feilong frowned lightly when thinking about the old lion king''s frail looking physical form, but shook his head shortly after.

    Song Weihan accepted his words, acknowledging them with a nod before continuing. "I see. Well, the important thing for now is that you absorb it. With the help of the lion king and it being your Spirit Soul, that shouldn''t be a problem at all. Moreover, you already possess another Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Soul Bone... I''m curious as to what will happen."

    He cracked a light smile while Sheng Feilong nodded his head seriously. "You might be the first person to absorb two Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Soul Bones, ever. Moreover, you also share their bloodline... It''s truly magnificent."

    Without further ado, Sheng Feilong notified the lion king of what he is planning now, asking for its aid. The latter reassured him in a lazy way, though Sheng Feilong knew he could count on its help during this time. On Song Weihan''s orders, he sat down, quietly calming his mind and spirit before beginning to absorb the Soul Bone while Song Weihan watched over him; His Spirit Power locked on to Sheng Feilong.

    As to be expected when absorbing a Soul Bone, the energy within started rampaging. Sheng Feilong simply concentrated on absorbing it, rousing his own bloodline''s energy into action in an attempt to calm the berserking Soul Bone. It did help considerably, and with a single roar from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion Spirit Soul within Sheng Feilong, the energy turned completely tame, allowing Sheng Feilong to thoroughly absorb it in peace.

    Still, this peace also had its disadvantages; While normal fusions with Soul Bones could last up to six hours, depending on how well the Soul Master handles the situation, the whole process lasted for over 20 hours for Sheng Feilong. Unlike the first time when he absorbed the Artificial Skull type Soul Bone, the process wasn''t accompanied with excruciating pain; Sheng Feilong''s ribs and spinal bones seemingly melted together with the Soul Bone in perfect unison, giving him a refreshing, excited feeling without any pain.

    While Sheng Feilong marvelled about the painless experience, the lion king inside his spiritual consciousness lazily went to lay down again, watching the happenings with half-closed eyes; It''s bloodline, and therefore Soul Bone as well, couldn''t be any closer, to begin with and with Sheng Feilong''s bloodline being awakened, it was even purer than the lion king''s itself.

    After those 20 hours, Sheng Feilong calmly opened his eyes, relaxed like waking up from soothing sleep. He looked up towards Song Weihan, but only saw the latter with a surprised expression, marvelling over the process of fusing with the Soul Bone. "...This is the first time I''ve seen such a flawless integration of a Soul Bone. Your energy was flaring up from time to tim; I assume that was your bloodline? And that roar at the beginning came from the lion king?"

    Sheng Feilong simply nodded his head as both these assumptions were correct, causing Song Weihan so smirk, amused by the whole situation. "You really are lucky. Though, it''s also the longest time I''ve seen someone take to fuse with a Soul Bone. It''s been a bit over 20 hours already."

    A bit taken aback by the unexpectedly long time, Sheng Feilong hesitated for a moment, but still answered calmly. "There''s been no complications, even though it took so long. In fact, I feel better than ever." Clenching his fists a few times, he could also feel a clear difference to before. "...My body''s also become even stronger."

    "Un, that''s totally normal. A Torso type Soul Bone usually strengthens the body as a whole, increasing your physical strength and defences by a large margin; Not to mention you having absorbed an extremely powerful one." Song Weihan''s reasoned logically as always, though a playful smile garnished his face. "I wonder what it''s special abilities are..?"

    Before Sheng Feilong could answer, he heard the voice of the lion king inside his head. "It''s easier to show him, no?" He paused, nodding his head a from time to time while the lion king explained the abilities of the Soul Bone in more detail than what Sheng Feilong found out so far.

    "Feilong?" Song Weihan frowned lightly, unsure of what Sheng Feilong was doing. The latter apologized, then pulled out one of his shortswords from his Spacial Ring, confusing Song Weihan even further. "As Senior had said, it''s quicker to show you the abilities directly, Master."

    After that, he simply heaved his shorsword up and... sliced open half of his other arm. Song Weihan''s face twitched seeing this, while Sheng Feilong''s face contorted lightly in pain. Moments later, Sheng Feilong roused the Soul Bone''s power into action and a slight sizzling sound could be heard from the fresh wound. The blood flowing out turned golden and began closing the wound at a speed visible to the naked eye, thoroughly shocking Song Weihan.

    After the wound and scar were completely gone, Sheng Feilong turned towards Song Weihan with a small smile. "That''s the first ability of the Soul Bone: Rapid Regeneration. While powerful, it also consumes a large amount of energy; Though that''s not much of a problem ¨C I can substitute the Soul Power needed with my bloodline''s energy... It couldn''t work more perfect for me."

    "This... really is incredible. Your bloodline and the associated abilities, as well as your connection t the Three-Eyed Golden Lions, to begin with, are ridiculous, aren''t they." Song Weihan said, marvelled by the power while a smile hung on his face. "You said first? Then, what''s the second one?"

    Sheng Feilong smiled, then a powerful, golden aura exploded out of him, causing light winds to shoot up. He jumped forward, punching out towards the surprised Song Weihan. Still, the latter''s combat experience allowed him to block the unexpected attack in that split second. Both of his arms crossed in front of his chest, he toko Sheng Feilong''s punch, but his eyes soon widened and he was flung back nearly 20 metres; He had completely underestimated Sheng Feilong''s strength.

    Looking over to Sheng Feilong in shock over the strength as well as the unexpected attack, he only saw the latter stand there, bathing in a golden aura, with a bright, toothy smile on his face. "The second ability is a powerful strengthening ability, that doesn''t have a name. It''s purely an increase in physical abilities like strength, speed and reaction time... How about a little spar, Master?"

 209 Master Vs. Disciple! Song Weihans Strength!

    After the initial shock, Song Weihan lowered his guard, looking at Sheng Feilong with a frown. The latter was still bathed in a golden light, radiating the powerful aura that originated from the 177.000-years-old Torso type Soul Bone. The expression of Song Weihan''s face then grew colder by a few notches. "Are you challenging me?"

    Sheng Feilong didn''t answer and only smiled, but his eyes were fixed on Song Weihan, ready to respond to the latter''s every move. Song Weihan similarly just continued to stare back at him, stayingrooted in his place. "You''ve become quite arrogant, Feilong."

    Bit by bit, Song Weihan''s aura climbed up. He said nothing, but the cold expression on his face was everything needed to have the smile on Sheng Feilong''s face to vanish and have him tense up. The intensity of Song Weihan''s aura matched Sheng Feilong''s, though it was obvious the former was still holding back greatly. "Brace yourself."

    Two short words, spoken in a cold voice, were everything Song Weihan said before suddenly vanishing from his spot. Sheng Feilong''s eyes fiercely contracted before his gaze shifted to his left; Both of his arms following behind to block the kick that was aimed at Sheng Feilong''s head.

    Song Weihan''s face was expressionless; His kick blocked by Sheng Feilong with neither of them backing down, nor being pushed back. This deadlock only lasted for a short moment, though, as Sheng Feilong spun around, sending a kick of his own to Song Weihan''s legs, hoping to sweep him off his feet.

    The leg suspended in the air was pulled back, landing on the ground again and giving Song Weihan the footing that he needed. Not even bothering to dodge Sheng Feilong''s sweeping kick, but instead solidifying his own stance, Song Weihan sent out a fast punch towards Sheng Feilong''s face.

    The latter had no choice but to back down and dodge the attack; Instead of kicking Song Weihan, Sheng Feilong used the momentum to kick the ground, shooting himself back a few metres. Of course, a close quarters combat master like Song Weihan wouldn''t let this chance slip by; Sheng Feilong was put into a disadvantageous position, forced to block a flurry of Song Weihan''s blows.

    With skillfull positioning, Song Weihan forced Sheng Feilong back even further, waiting for the opportune moment and then kneeing the latter to the chest. Though Sheng Feilong managed to block the kick using both arms, he still lost his footing, hanging suspended in the air for a few moments.

    Song Weihan instantly made use of this opportunity; He took half a step back, twisting his body as he spun around clockwise, brutally kicking Sheng Feilong in the chest with the sole of his foot, using the same leg with which he kneed the latter before.

    Sheng Feilong let out a pained grunt as his arms were pushed into his chest. With no footing to support himself, he was flung back dozens of metres by the force, heavily crashing into the wall on the opposite site of the training hall; The reinforced wall behind his back cracking and breaking as he was half embedded into it.

    Song Weihan seized his attacks, staring at Sheng Feilong in what seemed to be a haughty manner. The latter stared back at Song Weihan, his Soul Power flaring up and the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes Spirit Essence manifesting itself. Sheng Feilong''s pale golden eyes turned into a brilliant, glowing gold colour, a similarly coloured haze surrounding them.

    A red symbol appeared on his forehead ¨C the image of a vertical eye, encased in a diamond shaped outer edge and adorned with six wings spanning over his whole forehead. An invisible pressure radiated off of him, different from the golden aura surrounding him, but equally powerful. Song Weihan''s expressionless face turned into a frown as seven Soul Rings appeared around Sheng Feilong, the black, sixth one lighting up in a flash.

    With the increase in his Spirit Power, the effects of Sheng Feilong''s sixth Soul Skill, the Spirit Body Replica, also grew in strength. As his Soul Skill activated, a total of four copies of himself appeared next to him ¨C all just as lifelike as the original and staring at Song Weihan. Moments later, all five Sheng Feilongs charged forward; The replicas in front, with the original behind.

    Song Weihan''s Soul Power flared up, an invisible pressure surrounding him as well as his Spirit Power spread out as well ¨C Yet, his Spirit Essence didn''t appear; He was solely relying on his raw Soul Power and Spirit Power, while Sheng Feilong was already making use of his Soul Skills.

    Against the Spirit Body Replicas, Song Weihan didn''t need to pull his punches. His Soul Power and Spirit Power seemed to merge together, forming an indomitable barrier around him, as he mercilessly attacked the replicas. He deflected the strike of the first, piercing its chest and heart in the same motion with his own hand coming out from its back, shattering the replica.

    The attack of the second was denied entirely; Its arms severed and neck slashed open by a single wave of Song Weihan''s sword hand, destroying it instantly as well. A third replica attacked Song Weihan as well, kicking out towards his legs to sweep him off his feet.

    Without even bothering to look at it, Song Weihan lightly jumped, performing a backwards somersault in mid air, brutally crushing the replica''s head as a whole with a single kick after which he gracefully landed.

    Not wasting a single moment, the fourth replica and the original Sheng Feilong attacked at the same time, both sending powerful kicks towards Song Weihan''s head from to different directions. The confident expressions on their faces quickly vanished as Song Weihan calmly stratched out his hands, catching the legs of both, Sheng Feilong and the replica, without a problem, stopping their attacks and holding on to both of them.

    The next moment, Song Weihan spun around again, pulling Sheng Feilong and the replica with him before mercilessly craching the replica into the ground while the original Sheng Feilong was helplessly flung tens of metres into the air. The ground beneath the replica cracked, the last replica shattering upon impact, forcefully ending Sheng Feilong''s Soul Skill.

    The backlash hit Sheng Feilong while was still in the air, falling without being able to support himself as his Soul Power was in disarray for a moment. Just before he hit the ground, Song Weihan brutally kicking him in the stomach with a spinning motion. Sheng Feilong wasn''t even able to groan as he was once again flung dozens of metres away, crashing into the same spot on the wall as before.

    The reinforced wall cracked much more than before as the force of the impact was much higher. Pierces of rubble started falling down as Sheng Feilong was embedded into the wall once again, coughing out blood as the golden aura from the 177.000-years-old Soul Bone faded.

    Sheng Feilong looked up again, his vision blurry, making it difficult for him to focus onto Song Weihan. The latter stared back at him, his expression emotionless again as Sheng Feilong slowly tried to pull himself up. He had just taken a single step forward before everything around him turned black; Sheng Feilong had lost consciousness, toppling over and now laid on the ground, motionless!

    -------------------------

    Sheng Feilong slowly opened his eyes and stared at a somewhat familiar ceiling. His whole body was aching; His muscles and bones screaming in pain. With a lot of difficulty, he managed to sit up in the bed, looking around the the hospital room. He was alone here, a few cables connecting to his body, monitoring his condition.

    He saw a small bottle and a piece of paper just sitting on the bedside table next to him. Sheng Feilong quickly identified them as a pill bottle and a letter, the latter written by Song Weihan, telling him about the medical properties of the pills inside the bottle.

    Taking one pill, Sheng Feilong swallowed it whole before laying back into his bed, groaning as he underestimated the pain from all over his body, specially his stomach and chest. He closed his eyes, trying to enter his own spiritual consciousness while letting the medical pill work its wonders.

    He appeared on the usual grassland near the place where his Spirit Souls, Soul Bones and Spirit Essence were and started walking in their direction. Before he reached them, though, he spotted the old lion king laying in the grass some distance away from everything else.

    The lion king also spotted him and lightly raised its head. "Sheng Feilong... You''ve truly had a number done to you this time." Sheng Feilong''s face fell and he couldn''t help but blame himself for listening to the lion king. "Wasn''t this all your fault, Senior? You said I would be able to put up a good fight..."

    "Un. I seem to have underestimated the strength of human Titled Douluos... I apologize." The lion king spoke in a low voice, aware of its own faults in this matter, and looked at Sheng Feilong. The latter simply sighed before speaking again. "Senior, how long how I been unconscious for..?"

    "You do not need to worry too much." The lion king''s voice was more relaxed now, his former guilt having vanished since Sheng Feilong didn''t seem to mind his mistake. "It has only been a few hours. That human - Song Weihan ¨C he brought you here and also left the pills you just took."

 210 Back To Training

    Phew... how to start this...

    First of all; I''m terribly sorry for the missing chapters. My internet died on Wednesday and I was about to get into a literal fight with my provider as I didn''t have any connection for the last few days (Including any connection with my phone, as I''ve got a mobile contract from the same provider...)

    I''ve now signed a new contract with another provider in my area, so I''ll have stable internet again.

    I''ve had problems with the provider before, but it never implicated the chapters before, nor was it ever as bad as the last few days. The whole thing also implicated my work, as I usually work from home, which enables me to write as much as I did before. Since I couldn''t work from home, I had to commute to and from work every day (each way being a 1.5 hours trip, meaning I had to get into my car at 6:30 AM and got home at around 6:30 ~ 7:00 PM. Ugh.)

    Then, there''s also the personal problems I mentioned when I informed you about the missing chapter on Monday. Said problem was a massive fight with my girlfriend, which I thought was already done after Monday... Ya, long story short, I now don''t have a girlfriend any more. And she''s also moved out from my apartment.

    Lastly, I''d hit some kind of writer''s block after Tuesday''s chapter. I simply couldn''t come up with any passable sentences, let alone story development, despite trying for hours (literally. I was awake ''til like 4:00 AM Tuesday...) and all the stress didn''t help that.

    I originally planned the ending of Chapter 209 to be a joke between the old lion king and Song Weihan, but I couldn''t get it to work. Thus, I''ve rewritten the end of Chapter 209. It''s just some minor changes, but I recommend you read it. It''s only something like the last two or three paragraphs. If you''re reading this notice, I''ve already updated the previous chapter.

    Everything''s going uphill now again, and I''ve overcome the writer''s block after taking a day off and tinkering with my notes. My Internet''s also back, meaning I can work from home again, which makes many things much easier.

    I''ll try to catch up with the missing chapters as fast as possible, but I can''t promise anything.

    Sorry for the inconvenience guys, but there really wasn''t anything I could''ve done. I hope you''ll enjoy this chapter and the next few!

    --------------------------------------------

    Sheng Feilong frowned slightly, not sure why he would be left unconscious for hours. Although the wounds he sustained weren''t quite something to scoff at, with his physique and now strengthened regenerative abilities, it shouldn''t take much time for him to regenerate.

    "Senior, how come I''ve been unconscious for so long..?" Being asked for his opinion, the lion king simply laid back down. "That human attacked your spirit as well as your body.You were unconscious for so long due to that. If it wasn''t for the wounds to your spirit, you could have used my Soul Bone to regenerate within half an hour."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head, with a stern expression. The way Song Weihan defeated his Spirit Body Replicas was strange, to say the least; Song Weihan''s physical abilities weren''t that great, yet he finished the replicas, which possessed nearly the same bodily strength as Sheng Feilong off with ease. Sheng Feilong was about to ask more, but he felt the presence of someone outside of his spiritual consciousness. The lion king had sensed it as well, mentioning for Sheng Feilong to return.

    Outside, Sheng Feilong slowly opened his eyes, looking at the person who stood next to him. Song Weihan had come to check up on him and was surprised to find the pill bottle had been opened. He understood that Sheng Feilong had used one of the pills with a single look and was looking at him when the latter opened his eyes.

    Song Weihan showed a surprised expression, but kept his calm. "You''re awake now, Feilong?" Considering his own strength, Song Weihan expected Sheng Feilong to be out cold for a much longer time. ''It seems I''ve underestimated his Spirit Power... He is close to the Spirit Domain Realm, after all.''

    Not knowing what Song Weihan was thinking about, Sheng Feilong simply nodded his head, wincing slightly due to the pain in his body. Song Weihan smirked for a moment, quickly putting on a serious expression again. "Rest for a bit longer. Your injuries aren''t light..."

    "I will, Master..." Sheng Feilong smiled wryly, knowing for sure that Song Weihan''s words were meant to spite him; He was definitely still angry that Sheng Feilong had challenged his authority before. In turn, the latter just nodded and glanced at the pill bottle on the bedside table. "You already took one of the pills?"

    He only mumbled lightly, focusing on Sheng Feilong''s body. Feeling the potent medicinal energy flowing through the latter, Song Weihan turned around, leaving the hospital room with his hands behind his back, speaking in a cynical tone. "Come back to the training room once you''ve healed up. It shouldn''t take long thanks to your powerful Soul Bone..."

    Sheng Feilong could only force himself to laugh dryly, forcing himself to sit up. He suppressed his pain for a moment, positioning himself in a manner to make it easier to meditate then calmed down. Taking a few deep breaths, he once again activated the 177.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s Soul Bone, using its regeneration ability. Combined with the medical properties of the pills Song Weihan left him, his wounds were healed in less than 20 minutes, surprising even the old lion king.

    "So, all that stopped me from regenerating really were these wounds to my spirit?" Sheng Feilong stood up from the bed, stretching his back and neck, inspecting his whole body for any wounds he may have missed. Not finding any, he sighed, then walked out of the hospital room.

    He went through a quick check-up with the doctor in charge, then went back to the training room as Song Weihan had ordered. There, Sheng Feilong met his Master meditating in the middle of the room. Sheng Feilong didn''t disturb him, waiting a few minutes for Song Weihan to open his eyes. "You''re healed already?"

    The surprise in Song Weihan''s voice couldn''t be hidden, though Sheng Feilong only nodded in response, not explaining himself. This caused Song Weihan to scoff at him once again. "It seems I''ve still underestimated your powers; You really do have the capital to be arrogant."

    Sheng Feilong kept silent for a moment, averting Song Weihan''s gaze, while the latter just stared at him. A short while later, Sheng Feilong bowed with his head held low. "I''m sorry to have disrespected you, Master. I''ve grown complacent with the sudden increase in my strength."

    Though secretly smiling about it smugly, Song Weihan kept an emotionless expression on his face, not giving Sheng Feilong to read his thoughts before he spoke again. "There''s no need for you to apologize. As I said, you really do have the capital to be arrogant. The old lion king already told me that you acted like this because it incited you to do so."

    "The old lion king..?" Sheng Feilong was taken aback, and rightfully so, while Song Weihan simply nodded his head. "After you lost consciousness, the lion king appeared next to you. I have to admit, I was really surprised for it to appear, though I assume that''s just one more particularity of Soul Beasts that willingly became Spirit Souls."

    Though still surprised, Sheng Feilong didn''t ask anything else; Song Weihan didn''t knew anything else, while the lion king was already sleeping again. Song Weihan also didn''t seem to care as he changed the matter with a single sentence. "Well, now that you''re here, let''s continue our training. You''ve passed the first part by integrating with the Soul Bone and we already tested its strength out."

    He paused for a moment, pulling out a few documents from his Spacial Ring, then, surprisingly, a table and two chairs, positioned on opposite sides of said table. Song Weihan sat down on one of the chairs, laying the documents out in front of him and mentioned for Sheng Feilong, who stared at the strange display, to sit down on the other chair.

    "The second part, as we''ve said this morning, is to create your Spirit Essence''s True Avatar." Song Weihan started speaking as soon as Sheng Feilong sat down and pushed the first document over to Sheng Feilong. "Let''s start with the basics; A Spirit Essence''s True Avatar is, as the name implies, a manifestation of the Spirit Essence in the real world. Every Soul Master is able to fuse with their own Spirit Essences, bringing about effects that allow them to increase their combat strength ad use Soul Skills, of course; The True Avatar, at its core, is the same, though much more advanced of a technique."

    Sheng Feilong nodded while glancing at the document in front of him. It was the same introduction to True Avatars that Song Weihan gave him, written out in more detail. Song Weihan acknowledged the nod and continued to speak. "True Avatars are usually a technique only Soul saints and above use, though that is a misinterpretation made by most Soul Masters; Theoretically, you can create your own True Avatar much earlier."

    "Earlier? How? Isn''t the True Avatar a special ability of high ranked Soul Masters?" Sheng Feilong asked, causing Song Weihan to shrug. "I said ''theoretically''; The True Avatar isn''t a special ability of Soul saints, instead, its one every Soul Master possesses, but it requires a few things. Firstly, an immense control over ones Soul Power, a high grade of familiarity with ones Spirit Essence and, lastly, large amounts of highly concentrated Soul Power."

    He paused for a moment after that, causing Sheng Feilong to frown lightly before he muttered a few words, lost in thought. "...So, it requires everything.. a Soul Core stands for..?" Song Weihan chuckled, pulling Sheng Feilong out of his thoughts. "Correct. Possessing a Soul Core is the basic requirement. This is also why people generally think its an ability unique to Soul Saints. Well, there''s a few geniuses that create their Soul Core much earlier. They could, in theory, create their own True Avatar. Though I''ve also never met someone who did that."

    Nodding his head once more, Sheng Feilong read the last parts of the document in his hand before putting it down, causing Song Weihan to hand him three other pieces of paper. "True Avatars are completely unique to each Soul Master, though they can be sorted into different kinds; Tool Spirit Essences usually result in a manifestation of the Spirit essence as a powerful weapon or tool, identical to the normal activation of the Spirit Essence, but much, much more powerful and often larger in size."

    This was also the content of the first document, causing Sheng Feilong to simply nod, while taking the second from Song Weihan, to which the latter started the next introduction. "Beast type Spirit essence usually result in one of two types of True Avatar''s; A Transformation Type and a Summon Type. She Meixiao, for example, uses the latter type, while a Transformation Type usually transforms the Soul Master into the Soul Beast their Spirit Essence originates from."

    "So people could turn into a Dragon, for example?" Sheng Feilong raised an eyebrow at the thought, to which Song Weihan replied in his usual, calm tone. "Correct. Once they transform, their combat strength rises exponentially and it is often thought to be the strongest type of True Avatar, as the Soul Master''s abilities are often increased ten fold while still retaining their full combat techniques such as Soul Skills and even fighting techniques, if they are specialized for their transformation."

    Song Weihan paused, chucking a bit when he saw Sheng Feilong eagerly read through the document. "...For example, I possess this type of True Avatar. And I can even combine it with my Battle Armour." Sheng Feilong''s head shot up and he stared at Song Weihan weirdly. "...The Spirit Endowed Flamingo''s True Avatar is a transformation ability...?"

    "Yes." Song Weihan nodded his head, smiling smugly, while Sheng Feilong continued to stare at him weirdly. "So, once you activate it, you''ll turn into a... giant, pink flamingo, Master..?"

    Still not understanding Sheng Feilong''s weird looks, Song Weihan simply nodded his head again. "Un. My combat power increases exceptionally, while my Spirit Power also increases greatly, allowing me to use up to five Soul Skills at the same time. Once fused with my Battle Armour, I can then even match the strength of rank 97 Hyper Douluos."

 211 Spirit Essence True Avatar

    Sheng Feilong laughed nervously, while Song Weihan still stared at him, not understanding while the former seemed so uncomfortable. A few thoughts ran through his mind, causing him so smirk a bit. "What, you don''t believe me? How about I show it to you?"

    In a split second, Sheng Feilong''s expression turned from a smile to a dreadful one. "No, no, there''s no need for that, Master, I believe you, I believe you...ha, ha..." His antics caused Song Weihan to laugh heartedly, looking back at Sheng Feilong with a taunting look. "Don''t worry, I won''t beat you up again; I''m really only talking about showing it to you."

    From the beginning, Sheng Feilong already understood that Song Weihan meant him no harm, yet he still refused vehemently. Hearing his Master speak about it, he once again voiced that there was no need to go that far, not daring to say out loud what he was truly thinking. ''How am I supposed to keep a straight face when you turn into a literal pink bird, Master...''

    After a while, Song Weihan stopped to insist on showing off his True Avatar, though still not understanding why Sheng Feilong was so against it, but ignored it, continuing his explanation with the third kind of Spirit Essences, handing Sheng Feilong another document.

    "The third type of Spirit Essence are the plant system Spirit Essences; They are usually not that different from Tool type Spirit Essences. A powerful, physical manifestation of the Spirit Essence in extreme proportions. For example, imagine a thorny vine Spirit Essence; It''s True Avatar would most likely be a massive forest of thorns, spanning multiple tens, if not hundreds, of metres. That''s also what differentiates them from other''s; Plant system True Avatars are usually their own Domain." Song Weihan handed Sheng Feilong a third document, one depicting a few different plant system Domains, to showcase their particularities.

    Sheng Feilong studied them earnestly, surprised that there''s so many different Domains. In the midst of his studying, Song Weihan continued to speak. "If we''re talking about Domains, the most prominent one would be the Bluesilver Domain of the legendary Bluesilver Emperor, the Spirit Essence of the Tang Sect''s founder, Tang San; It''s the strongest of all plant based Domains, supposedly enabling its user to control all plants in the surroundings."

    The legends about the Tang Sect''s founder, Tang San, were widely known as he was the first human to ascend to become a God in history. Moreover, the Tang Sect he founded was one of the strongest institutions in this world to this day, while the academy he attended, Shrek Academy, became the unrefuted number one on the continent.

    Still, there was something that Sheng Feilong would much rather know, the question popping up in his head as he looked through the documents. "Then, Master, what about my Spirit Essence? I don''t think it can be classified as any of the three types; It''s a body type Spirit Essence, right?"

    A smile crept on Song Weihan''s face, but it quickly faded after he nodded his head. "You''re right, it''s a body type Spirit Essence. That''s what makes your case a bit more special. There''s only a few people with body spirits to appear throughout history, to begin with; One of them being the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, but there''s not much known about his True Avatar. Most others were members of the Body Sect, thus making it even harder to get reliable information about their True Avatars..."

    "So we have no reference material... Is there a common way to create a True Avatar, even if we don''t have much information?" Sheng Feilong frowned, trying to make out anything from the documents Song Weihan gave him, while the latter smiled lightly and leaned back into his chair, leaving Sheng Feilong to his own advances.

    A few minutes passed in silence with Sheng Feilong going through the documents in detail, trying to find any consistencies. He put the last document down, tapping his finger on the table. Moments later, his head shot up, looking at Song Weihan. "The True Avatar is basically a stronger form of using my Spirit essence, right? And I need a Soul Core to use it. A part of my Spirit Essence is connected to my Soul Core. If I draw that power out, would that be the same as creating a True Avatar?"

    Finally, Song Weihan broke into a smirk. He chuckled lightly and nodded his head at Sheng Feilong. "You''re correct; The True Avatar creates a sort-of perfect form of your Spirit essence, modelled after the imprint in your Soul Core. It''s not ''the same as creating a True Avatar'' ¨C It is the exact and most optimal way."

    Sheng Feilong frowned, glancing at the documents before grumbling. "...Then why isn''t it written anywhere here... They''re all so roundabout that its hard to even come to the conclusion..." Again, Song Weihan chuckled, shrugging when Sheng Feilong shot him a nasty look. "It''s intentional. I wanted your to come to the conclusion yourself. Moreover, I''m truly not too sure about how a body type Spirit Essence like yours will react."

    "Can you tell me how to draw out the strength of the imprint in the Soul Core?" Sheng Feilong asked with a serious expression. So far, he didn''t interact with his own Soul Core much after forming it; He was too preoccupied with the old lion king becoming his Spirit Soul and everything connected to it. Song Weihan was understandably surprised by the question. "You don''t know how to manipulate your Soul Core?"

    His voice sounded disbelieving, as if expecting Sheng Feilong to make a joke, but the latter nodded his head and explained what happened while and after he formed the Soul Core. Song Weihan frowned after hearing it all. "That explains a lot... We''ll push the creation of your True Avatar back for a while, then. Today, I''ll help you to thoroughly understand your Soul Core and its abilities andstrength."

    Song Weihan let Sheng Feilong keep the information documents of other Spirit Essence types'' True Avatars as reference material, focusing on teaching Sheng Feilong to utilize his Soul Core properly. Usually, this was something a Soul Master would learn by themselves, experimenting with their own strength and its limits over the course of weeks, sometimes even months.

    Most of those Soul Masters would create their True Avatar in the process as t not fall behind in their cultivation, but Song Weihan had Sheng Feilong thoroughly focus on controlling the Soul Core''s powers. The latter already had a very rudimentary knowledge about the Soul Core and was able to use the Soul Power stored within as easily as breathing ¨C Just like when the Soul Power was simply stored inside his body and Dantian.

    Two days later, Song Weihan gave his approval for Sheng Feilong to create his True Avatar as his control was finally satisfactory. The two of them didn''t meet up with She Meixiao and the others during this time, only training from day to night and returning to their quarters afterwards.

    With his legs crossed, Sheng Feilong was sitting in the middle of the training hall, Song Weihan standing at the side while observing the latter. It has already been a few hours since Sheng Feilong started trying to create his True Avatar and the pressure radiating off of him was continuously climbing upwards.

    By now, it had already reached the point where Sheng Feilong himself was sweating heavily from controlling the amount of energy, while Song Weihan''s Spirit Power was precisely locked on to his Dantian and the Soul Core within; He was tense and ready to interfere at the first sign of something going wrong.

    Minutes later, Sheng Feilong''s Soul Power suddenly exploded outwards as if a massive dam had been broken. A blinding flash of golden light burst forth, causing Song Weihan to avert his eyes despite his strong Spirit Power.

    An unprecedented pressure befell the whole training hall, causing the walls to shake and the ground to creak as a gigantic phantom manifested behind Sheng Feilong. Clad in loose, golden martial artist''s robes adorned with silver linings and long, dark-golden hair flowing behinds its back, all the way down to its knees, this giant silently stood behind Sheng Feilong like an emperor staring down at the world beneath his feet.

    Sheng Feilong opened his eyes, the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes activated and shining in all their glory. Song Weihan unconsciously glanced at Sheng Feilong, who''s power burst forth, and frowned lightly. The golden giant also stared at him when he met Sheng Feilong''s gaze, causing Song Weihan to look up, meeting its gaze and causing Song Weihan to shudder ever so slightly.

    Its eyes were the exact same as Sheng Feilong''s, but it didn''t have the runic symbol on its forehead like Sheng Feilong had. Instead, runic lines crept up all over its body, especially visible on the arms and chest. However, even more incredible were the runic lines that weren''t connected to its body; Flowing behind its back like a mantle, giving it an even more majestic appearance.

    Sheng Feilong blinked a few times, turning around to look into the same direction of Song Weihan. He looked up, observing the True Avatar for a short while, his eyes sparkling with delight as he felt his own power. He could feel the presence of everything within a few hundred metres radius, not even missing the light shudder that went down Song Weihan''s back despite the latter instantly suppressing it.

    Moreover, he felt like he knew exactly what Song Weihan was thinking at the moment, as if he could read the latter''s mind. He looked over to Song Weihan with a gleeful smile, noticing that the True Avatar did the same. "Master, I''ve done it!"

 212 sAbsolute Lights And sAbsolute Controls

    Song Weihan took a moment to calm down before he could reply to Sheng Feilong. The power of Sheng Feilong''s True Avatar really came as a pleasant surprise to him; Especially the pressure he feels as soon as he looks at it. "Un. You did well. Your True Avatar seems... powerful, top say the least."

    With a smile on his face, Sheng Feilong took the compliment, proudly looking his own True Avatar up and down for a few more moments, then cancelling it out; The drain of Soul Power was seriously immense. He took a deep breath after deactivating it, then Song Weihan spoke to him again. "So, mind telling me about its power?"

    The latter threw a pill over to Sheng Feilong, one which Sheng Feilong judged to be meant for restoring Soul Power after a quick test using his Spirit Power. He swallowed the pill, then spoke about the True Avatar with sparkling eyes. "It''s name is rather plain; Radiant Emperor True Avatar. Though its power is incredible."

    Song Weihan raised an eyebrow, prompting Sheng Feilong to continue with a small smile. "You saw the golden light radiating off of it and illuminating the whole hall, right, Master?" Again, Song Weihan simply nodded his head, the light could definitely not be missed; In return, Sheng Feilong smiled. "My True Avatar''s power can be summed up in a single sentence: ''Everything the light touches is my kingdom; My rule shall not end until the light extinguishes.''"

    Sheng Feilong paused, still smiling, while Song Weihan frowned. "What do you mean?" Sheng Feilong scratched his cheek for a moment, trying to find the right words. "It''s hard to put into words... Basically, its a huge domain like ability with the properties of ''Absolute Light'' and ''Absolute Control''; As long as the emperor spirit radiates light, I am in perfect control over everything within."

    By the time he stopped talking, Song Weihan''s eyes had widened to the size of saucers with his mouth sluggishly hanging open, an expression of complete disbelief on his face. "Master?" Song Weihan snapped out of his daze when he heard Sheng Feilong. Staring at the latter he started frowning deeply once again. "Are you serious? A True Avatar that is a Domain ability? And you are sure about the part of it possessing the properties of ''Absolute Light'' and ''Absolute Control''? Especially the latter; You''re a 100% certain of that?!"

    Sheng Feilong was taken aback by Song Weihan''s sudden change in attitude, but soon nodded his head with a solemn expression. "Absolutely sure, Master. The ''Absolute Light'' refers to the light radiated by the True Avatar and how hard it is to actually overpower it, while the ''Absolute Control'' refers to the actual abilities; I can manipulate anything within its range, forcing it to bend to my will with my Spirit Power."

    "Feilong, are you aware what it the prefix ''Absolute'' implies?" Song Weihan took a deep breath, staring at Sheng Feilong with a solemn expression. The latter simply nodded his head with a similarly serious expression. "''Absolute'' refers to the creme de la crop of its attribute; ''Absolute Light'', in this case, referring to the strongest kind of light, surpassing that of every other light attributed ability. It also means that this kind of element isn''t affected by the usual hierarchy of elements."

    Song Weihan nodded his head. "The most prominent example of this is the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao''s Absolute Ice element; While normal ice is susceptible to melt from fire based abilities, the Absolute Ice is immune to any kind of flame, in fact, it can even freeze fire without any problems. The only exception being Absolute Fire, which is on the same level as the Absolute Ice."

    Sheng Feilong innocently nodded his head; The strength of Absolute Elements was something that every Soul Master knew. He understood how powerful the ''Absolute Light'' of his True Avatar was, and was certain that the ''Absolute Control'' property was similarly strong. Yet, Song Weihan sighed. "Then, do you also happen to know about Conceptual Absolutes?"

    This time, Sheng Feilong was stumped. "Conceptual Absolutes..?" He scratched his cheek again, slightly embarrassed as this seemed to be something he should know, judging from the way Song Weihan reacted. However, after his answer, the latter only sighed again. "Conceptual Absolutes are the Absolute Elements of ''Concepts''."

    As his disciple was still staring at him with an unknowing expression, Song Weihan decided to start from a step lower. "''Concepts'' are similar to elements, but they describe something else. For example, ''Strength'' is a concept. The same goes for ''Speed'', or in your case, ''Control''. Applying the same rule rule as with Absolute Elements, what do you think ''Absolute Strength'' means?"

    Sheng Feilong thought about the matter for a while, his brows furrowed. "Indomitable might? Unrivalled physical strength, enabling one to break every defence..?" He still didn''t understand where Song Weihan was going with this, but it slowly became apparent that there was a difference between Absolute Elements and Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Essence True Avatar''s ''Absolute Control''.

    "Correct. It can be aptly be summed up with the phrase ''One fist to rule the world'', or its variations like ''one sword'' or ''one spear''. It describes the ultimate peak of a certain aspect, a height where no limits apply. Now, what if you apply that logic to the word ''Control''?" Song Weihan still spoke in a solemn tone and it finally dawned on Sheng Feilong.

    The latter swallowed dryly; Unlike strength or speed, the concept of control was somewhat more widespread than the former, thus, harder to grasp, but if he calculated it down to how his own form of control worked... "The Radiant Emperor True Avatar allows me to declare a Domain, my kingdom over which I rule, using the property of ''Absolute Light'' to determine its borders. Then, it uses the properties of my Spirit Essence ¨C my strong Spirit Power and mental capabilities ¨C to issue ''commands''..."

    Song Weihan remained silent while Sheng Feilong drew his final conclusions. After remaining silent for a while as well, the latter stared at Song Weihan with a solemn and shocked expression. "...Combined with the concept of ''Absolute Control''... the ''commands'' will be irrefutable. If someone''s strength doesn''t vastly surpass my own... they''ll be completely helpless..."

    A heavy sigh escaped Song Weihan''s mouth before he looked at Sheng Feilong again. The solemness had somewhat faded, but he was still highly serious about the current situation. "Can you use your True Avatar again? I want to see how strong these ''commands'' truly are. While they might not be able to affect me, I''m the perfect person to measure their strength."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and the both of them went towards the middle of the arena. Song Weihan stood about 30 metres away from him, while Sheng Feilong concentrated a while before summoning his True Avatar. He could instantly feel his Soul Power being drained out of his body and made sure to test its power quickly.

    A sharp glint flashed through his eyes as he stared at Song Weihan, with a single hand stretched out towards Song Weihan, he powerfully issued a command, prompting the Radiant Emperor True Avatar to take the same pose as him. The red, runic symbols all over its body lit up while its eyes flashed as well, focusing on Song Weihan as well. "Suppress."

    Bracing himself for an impact, Song Weihan had started circulating his Soul Power carefully as soon as Sheng Feilong summoned his True Avatar. The golden light radiating off of the emperor spirit washed over him without leaving any feeling at all, as if it was truly just a insignificant source of light. Moments later, the command was issued and Song Weihan''s pupils constricted.

    As an expert in the high levels of the Spirit Domain Realm, he was highly sensitive to any changes in the energy in the air, especially so when it came to energy being released by enemies and allies. The moment Sheng Feilong uttered the command for the True Avatar to act on, the energy in the whole training hall was stirred into motion. All of it became increasingly dense and heavy, forcing an incredible pressure onto Song Weihan.

    Moreover, with the True Avatar staring at Song weihan, the suppressive energy got all the more powerful; Pulling most of the rigin energy in the training hall and condensing it on his position to create an even stronger effect. Thus far, he could still hold on without a problem; The reason he was so shocked was because of the way the energy was controlled solely by Sheng Feilong''s and the True Avatar''s Spirit Power; There was no Soul Power involved whatsoever.

    ''His Spirit Power is affecting the physical plane..?! Moreover, its control over the area truly is absolute...'' Song Weihan was still resisting the pressure with relative ease, but the energy surrounding him was completely locked down; He couldn''t absorb nor manipulate any of it and could only rely on the Soul Power in his own body.

    Seeing Song Weihan so unimpressed with whats going on, Sheng Feilong took a deep breath and lifted his second arm to the same height as the first, still staring at Song Weihan. He once again gathered his Soul Power and Spirit Power before repeating his command. "Suppress!"

    The Radiant Emperor True Avatar moved in sync with him again, lifting up its second arm before its eyes flashed once more. Within moments, the ground beneath Song Weihan''s feet cracked, with cobweb-like cracks spreading outwards. A few more seconds later, the suppressive energy on his shoulders was so powerful that he was nearly forced to kneel over and he, a powerful Titled Douluo on the verge of reaching the Hyper Douluo boundary, actually had to bring forth his Soul Rings to resist the pressure!

 213 Strength Of The True Avatar

    The pressure released by Sheng Feilong''s True Avatar continued to press down on Song Weihan, yet, with his Soul Rings supporting him, the latter didn''t even flinch. Instead, he spread out his senses some more, using his Spirit Power to study the changes in the energy surrounding them and trying to figure out how the Radiant Emperor True Avatar manipulated it.

    For someone like Song Weihan, who focuses on his own spiritual cultivation more than his physical strength, such an opportunity was worth more than a mountain of gold; Seeing Absolute Elements in action is already incredibly rare, not to mention Conceptual Absolutes. The Absolute Control property of the True Avatar was something Song Weihan had never seen before.

    He continued to test out its limits, marvelled by what he found out within moments; No matter what he tried, he couldn''t prompt the surrounding energy to act according to his will as the whole area was under lock-down from the Radiant Emperor True Avatar.

    However, this wasn''t the only thing the True Avatar did; While the condensed energy in the surroundings was pressing down on him, forcing him to withstand it using his Soul Power and Soul Rings'' amplification, there was also a powerful mental suppression. Although the mental suppression wasn''t affecting Song Weihan due to his vastly superior Spirit Power, this wouldn''t be the case for most other Soul Master.

    Song Weihan was lost in thought for a few more moments, calmly studying the True Avatar some more. During all this, Sheng Feilong was gnashing his teeth to keep the suppression up, fuelling the True Avatar with his own energy.

    When Song Weihan had to use his Soul Rings to resist the pressure, Sheng Feilong smiled smugly for a moment, but that smile vanished quickly as all the pressure on Song Weihan seemed to vanish in an instant; He casually stood under the pressure, looking around and at his Radiant Emperor True Avatar with a nonchalant expression.

    "Alright, that''s enough." Another while later, Song Weihan finally spoke up, telling Sheng Feilong to cancel his ability and take his True Avatar back. The latter did so, toppling over with his hands on his knees and breathing heavily from the exhaustion.

    Meanwhile, Song Weihan was still as calm as before, retracted his Soul Rings and smiled at Sheng Feilong. "Your True Avatar is truly amazing... A single command from you and its abilities force attacks on multiple levels at once into action; A lock-down of all energy in the surroundings, physical suppression using the energy from the surroundings and even mental attacks."

    Sheng Feilong only looked up to him, showing a displeased expression as the latter obviously wasn''t burdened by his ''amazing power'' at all. Song Weihan ignored this look and simply continued speaking. "The power of the mental attacks is at the absolute limit of the Spirit Abyss Realm; If I wasn''t in the Spirit Domain Realm already, I would''ve had no chance against that. The lock-down and physical suppression are the same; I couldn''t make use of any energy other than the reserves in my own body, no matter what I tried and the physical suppression even forced me to use my Soul Rings."

    He paused for a moment, chuckling when he saw Sheng Feilong''s disapproving look and shrugged. "You have to understand just how powerful my Soul Power and Spirit Power are when compared to you; The fact that you can force me to use my Soul Rings is already incredible."

    "Master, you yourself said that my physical strength is already at the limit of Attack System Soul Douluo''s, while my Spirit Power is much superior to their... yet, even using my strongest ability, I couldn''t even burden you once you used your Soul Power..? Why does it feel... weak..?" Sheng Feilong finally couldn''t hold back any longer and complained with a stoic expression.

    Again, Song Weihan only laughed it off, causing Sheng Feilong to frown even more, before speaking up. "Feilong, do you remember the prerequisite for possessing strong Spirit Power? A powerful body capable of holding that power. How strong do you thing my physical body is to be able to support my Spirit Power? How strong is it after being tempered by my Soul Power at all times?"

    Sheng Feilong calmed down, nodding his head, though still not fully convinced. Noticing that, Song Weihan continued with a small smile. "When I tell you that your True Avatar is amazing, I really mean it, believe me. You''ve only just formed it and are unfamiliar with its powers, yet you''re already able to force me to such lengths. Usually, it takes weeks, if not months until Soul Masters are able to use their True Avatar''s effectively. Moreover, once you reach the Soul Saint level, your opponent will all be powerful geniuses of their own right; Fighting above your level, much less your boundary is nearly impossible."

    Song Weihan shrugged once more and casually waved his hand. "That''s especially true for Titled Douluo''s. Remember when I attacked Shrek a few years ago? I couldn''t even force Yun Ming to use his Soul Skills and was instead badly injured by just his normal attacks. That''s the difference between top level Titled Douluo and all others."

    Of course, both Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan were aware that the Atlas Douluo Yun Ming was a special case; He wasn''t just some random, high levelled Titled Douluo, but a rank 99 Limit Douluo and Shrek Academy''s Sea God''s Pavilion Master, one of the most powerful Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent, if not the whole world.

    Still, it was a good comparison as Song Weihan was a genius on the same level as Yun Ming, only, dozens of years younger. Among Titled Douluos, every single difference in rank is already a great chasm that people below that level simply can''t understand.

    Sheng Feilong became silent when Song Weihan started speaking about the attack on Shrek Academy. By now, he knew that Song Weihan only went this far because Sheng Feilong vanished during the Year End Exam of Shrek and because the Sheng Clan was eradicated during the same time.

    While Song Weihan was relatively nonchalant about it, Sheng Feilong still took the matter to heart and looked at his Master with a heavy expression. "...Do we still not know what really happened to the Sheng Clan?"

    Only now did Song Weihan realize his mistake; He only wanted to take Yun Ming as an example, but forgot that this was tied closely to the matters of the Sheng Clan. He could only sigh lightly before shaking his head. "No, we haven''t found anything about it, yet... Shrek Academy''s Elders should be the only ones that know about the Sheng Clan''s bloodline, but none of them seem to be involved in this. We still have no idea what happened to them... I''m sorry."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head and didn''t ask anything else, but it was clear to Song Weihan that he wasn''t in the right mindset to continue their training any longer. "Let''s take a rest for now. You''ve spent quite a bit of Soul Power. Try to familiarize yourself with your True Avatar when you meditate from now on."

    With this, they ended their training for the day and Song Weihan sent Sheng Feilong home, while he himself returned to his laboratory. Coincidentally, Sheng Feilong met up with Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong when he went to eat something. The three of them talked about their training, with Huang Jialong holding back a bit. He was also the first to leave, his expression somewhat tense after Sheng Feilong told them that he already finished the training Song Weihan had planned for him.

    "What''s wrong with him..?" Yuanen Yehui asked under her breath as Huang Jialong left, to which Sheng Feilong only nodded with a concerned expression. "Yeah, he was acting weird... Maybe he''s concerned about Master She''s training. He''s been at rank 69 for a while now, right?"

    Yuanen Yehui nodded; Huang Jialong reached rank 69 at around the same time she broke through to become a Soul Emperor, yet he hadn''t advanced any further while she has already reached rank 64, thanks to the Crystal Spirit Bee''s honey Sheng Feilong left for them to use.

    "...I guess we should leave him some room to breath; Master will help him with his training." Sheng Feilong said before turning back to Yuanen Yehui. "How''s yours going along?" He expression was quite expectant, but Yuanen Yehui only frowned light and replied with a pout. "...It''s only been a few days... and I''m not doing any special training."

    Sheng Feilong smirked, keeping his gaze locked with hers. "...Jealous?" He only got a venomous look and a sneer back. "You wish." Yuanen Yehui stood up, preparing to leave, while Sheng Feilong laughed at her antics. "Come on, I didn''t mean it."

    "I''m leaving." Yuanen Yehui didn''t wait for Sheng Feilong to say anything else, leaving for real, causing Sheng Feilong to have to clean up for the both of them.

    The next morning, Song Weihan informed him that he had a few things to do and that their morning training would be cancelled today. Having nothing better to do, Sheng Feilong decided to join Yuanen Yehui in her training; He had already finished the things Song Weihan wanted him to get done during their training and the only things left were increasing his cultivation level and getting more familiar with his own True Avatar.

    ------------------------

    What Sheng Feilong didn''t know though, was the reason why Song Weihan couldn''t train with him this morning. The latter was currently running a few tests with Huang Jialong and She Meixiao, mainly trying to figure out what was wrong with the former.

 214 Spirit Essence Complications

    For the whole day, Song Weihan and She Meixiao had Huang Jialong undergo a myriad of tests. The latter had been having trouble with cultivating and even She Meixiao couldn''t come up with a solution, thus they resorted to asking Song Weihan for his opinion.

    Song Weihan also couldn''t make out any anomalies with Huang Jialong and asked the two of them to run a complete test on Huang Jialong; He was equal parts a Titled Douluo and a scientist, after all.

    Hours later, Song Wiehan, She Meixiao and Huang Jialong sat together in Song Weihan''s office, going over the stacks of documents. After everything was checked, Song Weihan frowned and looked at Huang Jialong with a puzzled expression. "Everything seems perfectly fine..? Your body is already much stronger than a peak Soul Emperor or even Soul Saint was supposed to be, there''s no hidden injuries or problems with your meridians and even your Spirit Power is pretty high; You''re close to the Spirit Abyss Realm, actually."

    "Then... why can''t I form a Soul Core, Senior..?" Huang Jialong''s expression was a mix of urgency and doubt. He had been stranded at the peak of rank 69 for a while now, and while Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui made rapid progress, he was simply unable to form his Soul Core, no matter what he tried.

    "Can you explain what it''s like when you''re cultivating, again?" Song Weihan also frowned; The situation puzzled him as someone as talented as Huang Jialong normally shouldn''t have any problems during the Soul Saint boundary. In fact, this is the point where the talented really start to stand out from the rest.

    Huang Jialong nodded his head and thought back to when he last tried to form a Soul Core. "The Soul Vortex is flowing perfectly well and I can manipulate my own Soul Power without a problem. But every time I try to condense it to form a Soul Core, the amassed energy simply dissolves, leaving me in pain before quietly reforming a vortex within minutes. I can''t even get tot he point where I would need to fuse my Spirit Essence into it..."

    "I''ve also seen him cultivate and try to condense a Soul Core. Everything is going perfectly fine, but at some point, his body would shake slightly, after which his Soul Power will fall into disarray for a while. It''s not a major backlash, but it is always enough to break ones concentration." She Meixiao crossed her arms in front of her chest, adding her opinion of what happens for Song Weihan to know.

    The latter remained silent for a long while and came up with an idea a few moments later. "...Follow me to the training halls. I want you to try something, Jialong." Being caught off guard by this, Huang jialong looked at Song Weihan with a questioning gaze, causing the latter to explin himself. "There''s more than one way to condense your Soul Core, actually, though the one you used until now is the most common way. I want you to try one of the others to see what will happen. Don''t worry, it won''t be dangerous for you. She Meixiao and I will monitor every moment of it."

    Some minutes later, the three of them stood inside of She Meixiao training area where Huang Jialong had been cultivating this whole time. Just to be sure, Song Weihan spread his Spirit power through the whole hall, probing the origin energy in the surroundings, nodding upon not finding any anomaly. He then asked Huang Jialong to sit down and explained the method to condense a Soul Core to him.

    In essence, it was identical to the usual way Huang Jialong had been trying, with a few differences, and one major difference; Instead of forming the Soul Core and then adding the Spirit Essence''s power to it, Huang Jialong is supposed to form the Soul Core around his Spirit Essence.

    Huang Jialong did as he was asked of and first created a manifestation of his Spirit Essence that he let roam around inside his Dantian. He positioned it at the foot of the Soul Power vortex and slowly began coiling the Soul Power from the vortex around it in a spherical form. Everything worked out perfectly for a while, but when he was about to form the Soul Core completely, the miniature Five-Headed Black Hydra suddenly thrashed about, sending Huang Jialong''s Soul Power vortex into disarray.

    Huang Jialong''s concentration was broken and his Soul Power started running amok. She Meixiao and Song Weihan instantly helped him stabilize his Soul Power, and his Soul Power vortex was restored within a short period of time. The manifestation of his Spirit Essence inside his Dantian had been destroyed, though, with the energy returning to his real Spirit Essence.

    Song Weihan frowned when Huang Jialong opened his eyes again. The method he used to create his Soul Core was different, yet the result was the same. From his perspective, he could also only see what She Meixiao had told him before; Everything was working out fine before Huang Jialong''s body suddenly shook and his Soul Power was cast into disarray.

    Unlike Song Weihan, Huang Jialong''s expression showed more confusion than anything else and he looked at the two Titled Douluo''s for answers. She Meixiao and Song Weihan noticed this, of course, the former of the two asking Huang Jialong what was wrong.

    "I did everything as Senior Song asked of me and everyhting worked fine, but.. the little manifestation of my Spirit Essence inside my Dantian suddenly started thrashing around, intentionally destroying the nearly formed Soul Core..." His voice was just as confused as his expression; Huang Jialong couldn''t understand why his own Spirit Essence would refuse to let him become stronger.

    Song Weihan''s frown deepened and he glanced at She Meixiao; She was the expert when it came to Huang Jialong''s Spirit Essence, after all. However, She Meixiao also only shook her lead lightly with a solemn expression, causing Song Weihan to look back at Huang Jialong. "Jialong, can you explain everything? In as much detail as possible, please."

    Nodding slightly, Huang Jialong narrated everything that he did and how his Soul Power and the Spirit essence reacted to the best of his ability. After he was done, Song Weihan''s frown had deepened and he remained quiet for a few moments again. "Has anything in regards to your Spirit Essence changed lately? Maybe its colouration, or do have the feeling that your Soul Skills have become stronger, or even weaker? Anything that''s different at all?"

    Huang Jialong thought about it for a while, confused why Song Weihan would ask this now, while She Meixiao seemingly understood his concern. "...You think his Spirit Essence is mutating?" Despite Huang Jialong''s suddenly shocked expression, Song Weihan only nodded lightly. "Given the circumstances, I can only think of two possible reasons; Either his Spirit Essence is going through a change at the moment, thus refusing to let him advance to become a Soul Saint until everything is finished..."

    He paused for a moment, looking at Huang Jialong with a light frown again. "...Or, and I''m really thinking far fetched here, Jialong is unable to properly control the Spirit Essence. This could be it, but it doesn''t really make much sense as he''s able to use it during combat perfectly well."

    Huang Jialong frowned as well, more tense than before, still slightly panicked as he didn''t understand his own Spirit Essence''s reaction at all. She Meixiao and Song Weihan were more composed than him, but still frowning, the former speaking after a few moments. "Let''s assume its the first reason, for now. What should we do?"

    Both, Huang Jialong and She Meixiao, now focused their attention on Song Weihan, who once again lost himself in his thoughts. "...If it''s really a mutation, then we need to stabilize it. It''s hard to tell what the Spirit Essence needs in this case, anyways."

    He turned his head to Huang Jialong, looking at the latter and once again asking whether there were any changes to his Spirit Essence lately. Huang Jialong thought about it for a while before replying with a doubtful look. "....I think my Spirit Essence has been more active lately? Like, I got the impression that it was... impatient?"

    "That does sound unusual, to say the least." Song Weihan nodded his head, then looked over to She Meixiao. "Your Spirit Essences are similar, no? I''d like for you to try and nurture Jialong''s with your Soul Power."

    She Meixiao was taken aback by the sudden prompt, but quickly frowned. "Our Spirit Essences are somewhat similar, yes, but not so much that I could nurture his just like that..." Again, Song Weihan only nodded his head, then looked at her with a meaningful look, to which She Meixiao frowned again. She remained silent for a long time before eventually sighing in defeat. "...I''ll only try this once."

    She walked behind Huang Jialong, telling the latter to sit down again and circulate his Soul Power. Not questioning his Master''s orders, Huang Jialong did as he was told despite not knowing what She Meixiao was planning.

    She Meixiao took a deep breath and then began drawing out her own Soul Power, concentrating to not make any mistake as she carefully infused it into Huang Jialong. Song Weihan stood by their side, monitoring everything that happened and prying deep into Huang Jialong''s body, focusing his attention on the latter''s Spirit Essence.

 215 The Black Hydras Evolution

    As soon as She Meixiao''s energy entered Huang Jialong''s body, the latter shook, growing increasingly pale with each passing second. Song Weihan''s eyes flashed and he focused his Spirit Power, once again observing Huang Jialong''s Spirit Essence.

    Before, the Five-Headed Black Hydra was in a semi-dormant state; It didn''t really do much and only passively waited for Huang Jialong to access its power, but with She Meixiao''s energy invading its host''s body, the Five-Headed Black Hydra instantly turned wild, viciously attacking and devouring the foreign energy.

    The highly concentrated energy of a Titled Douluo being absorbed by his considerably much weaker Soul Emperor ranked Spirit Essence was an incredibly painful process for Huang Jialong. Not only did he lose control over his own Spirit Essence for the time being, the latter''s strength started increasing without his doing, the excess energy running wild within his body.

    Still, with both, Song Weihan and She Meixiao, watching over him, he didn''t believe they would allow for anything bad to happen, thus gnashed his teeth and endured the pain; If it wasn''t for his eyes being closed, he would''ve probably given up at that moment ¨C Song Weihan and She Meixiao, those two great Masters he put his faith in ¨C were both staring at him with confused and shocked expressions.

    Song Weihan''s Spirit power was still locked on to Huang Jialong''s Spirit Essence and he could clearly tell of every little change and the massive amount of energy that the supposedly weak Spirit Essence should be unable to contain, while She Meixiao felt her own energy been drawn out by Huang Jialong; She had to actively stop her own Spirit Essence from retaliating.

    Both of them understood that things were slowly getting out of hand, but still didn''t interfere as Huang Jialong was still holding on. Not content with the current situation, Song Weihan focused his attention from only Huang Jialong''s Spirit Essence to the latter''s body as a whole, observing every little change and whatever miniscule energy flow he could possibly find.

    Shocked, he had to discover that Huang Jialong''s meridians were already slightly bloated, overwhelmed with the amount of energy flowing through them. A quick look to She Meixiao was all it took for the latter to understand Song Weihan''s intention and she gradually lowered the amount of energy she allowed for Huang Jialong''s Spirit Essence to absorb from her.

    Within a minute, the flow of energy in Huang Jialong''s meridians returned to a more bearable level, his expression easing slightly as well, while the Five-Headed Black Hydra continued to greedily absorb whatever energy it could get from She Meixiao. By now, already massive body had become even more pumped up, its shoulders and whole torso growing wider.

    Song Weihan could detect an unusual flow of energy within the Spirit Essence itself; Thus far the Spirit Essence channelled all of its energy thorough its body into its five heads, but now, another lump of energy had formed within its body, similar to how the five heads got their energy.

    He finally stepped into action, pushing his own Soul Power into Huang Jialong''s body. This provoked another violent shudder from Huang Jialong himself as the pain of Song Weihan''s energy entering his body was much more severe than when She Meixiao did so; Their energy types were incompatible, but Song Weihan didn''t have the leisure to care for that at the moment.

    He isolated Huang Jialong''s Spirit Essence inside the latter''s spiritual consciousness and disconnected it from his body, effectively sealing the Spirit Essence away for the moment. He only left a way for She Meixiao''s energy to be absorbed by the Five-Headed Black Hydra, the excess energy being deterred from flowing into Huang Jialong''s meridians.

    Of course, Huang Jialong felt the connection between himself and his Spirit Essence weaken the moment Song Weihan started this procedure; He was shocked and about to lose his focused when Song Weihan spoke up. "Don''t lose your concentration now; Your Spirit Essence is on the verge of mutating. I''ve isolated it to prevent the energy from bringing any harm to you. There''s still too much excess energy within your meridians; Focus on refining it for now. She Meixiao and I will take care of your Spirit Essence."

    He barely managed to finish his words before he was forced to focus his attention on the Five-Headed Black Hydra Spirit Essence; It had seemingly absorbed enough energy by now and was growing more and more violent. Its torso had become wide enough to easily fit another head, while the lump of energy circulating within its body had started pushing outwards.

    With the Spirit Essence practically sealed away, Song Weihan''s Soul Power once again rose, his nine brilliant Soul Rings appearing behind his back as the sixth among them lit up. His Spirit Power obtained another boost, an ominous, pinkish-white glow appearing within Huang Jialong''s spiritual consciousness. The power appeared as a silhouette of Song Weihan, charging towards the Five-Headed Black Hydra and cutting open the base of its neck, directly above the weird lump of energy.

    This was one of the most frightening aspects of a true master of Spirit Power and spiritual cultivation; The ability to attack an opponents mind and spiritual consciousness directly, potentially even destroying their Spirit Essence and Spirit Source at their base ¨C Yet, Song Weihan used this terrifying ability now to help Huang Jialong''s Spirit Essence to finish its evolution.

    No blood splattered as the Spirit Essence was cut open; Instead, the wound revealed a fiendish black light beneath its shiny black scales and thick, leathery skin. The five heads of the hydra howled loudly before another, sixth howl echoed together with them just a moment later. From within the Five-Headed Black Hydra''s body, another sixth head shot up, breaking from the wounds Song Weihan had created before.

    All six heads howled in union, the hydra''s powerful energy bursting out into all directions, filing up the sealed space Song Weihan had created and funnelling outwards through the only opening. Despite the difference in cultivation, She Meixiao was still heavily affected by the hydra''s aura; Her body shook while her own Spirit Essence was shaken even more violently as she backed away, removing her hand from Huang Jialong''s back.

    Song Weihan used that opportunity to completely seal the Six-Headed Black Hydra Spirit Essence up, letting it thrash around and waiting for it to calm down. A few minutes later, the rampaging energy of the Spirit Essence finally died down while the hydra seemed to regain its cool as well.

    By now, Huang Jialong had refined all of the excess energy that flooded into his body; Using it to create finally create his own Soul Core. She Meixiao''s and Song Weihan''s expressions changed; They were too focused on the Spirit Essence to notice what Huang Jialong was doing with the energy. "...To form a Soul Core without his Spirit Essence being present, this..."

    She Meixiao muttered, while Song Weihan informed Huang Jialong to be careful with a mental note, then loosed the seal around the Six-Headed Black Hydra; Luckily, Huang Jialong hadn''t yet completely finished creating his Soul Core, there was still time for him to incorporate his Spirit essence into it.

    Finally being able to understand what was going on around it, the now Six-Headed Black Hydra toured through Huang Jialong''s spiritual consciousness for a few moments before noticing what the latter was up to. Then, like a predator finding its perfect prey, it charged at the newly formed Soul Core, a part of it breaking into the core through the side without a care in the world.

    Huang Jialong''s body once again, but he managed to regain his composure, continuing to create his Soul Core, now even with his Spirit Essence fused into it. The process progressed smoothly as the Six-Headed Black Hydra was readily cooperating with Huang Jialong. Not even half an hour later, Huang Jialong finally finished creating his Soul Core; A perfect, half-transparent black sphere with the silhouette of a Six-Headed Black Hydra flowing within.

    After a while, Song Weihan and She Meixiao finally calmed down upon seeing Huang Jialong complete his Soul Core and smiled again. Huang Jialong himself was still silently cultivating, slowly getting used to his Soul Core, while the two Titled Douluo kept watch over him, though much more relaxed then before.

    Another while later, Huang Jialong''s body shook violently once and he began sucking in a massive amount of origin energy from the surroundings. Song Weihan and She Meixiao raised an eyebrow, the smile on the latter''s face widening. "He''s just completed his Soul Core, yet he''s already breaking through to become a Soul Saint. He''s really gotten impatient ever since Feilong overtook him."

    The scene of Huang Jialong continued for a long time, causing Song Weihan to frown. "He''s absorbing so much origin energy..." His words slowly trailed off as he once again used his Spirit Power to pry into Huang Jialong''s Dantian and spiritual consciousness. The newly formed Soul Core was hurriedly rotating, busily absorbing the origin energy from the surrounding while Huang Jialong made his breakthrough.

    Still, Song Weihan frowned as he noticed about 70 percent of that energy being absorbed by the Six-Headed Black Hydra; It was busily circulating the energy within itself again, causing Song Weihan to once again pry deeper, only now noticing that another weird lump of flowing energy appeared in its torso. He brows once again arched up and he unconsciously blurted out a few words. "It''s trying to create another head now?!"

 216 Another Soul Sain

    After Song Weihan''s outburst, he and She Meixiao instantly approached Huang Jialong and checked up on him. A few moments later, She Meixiao frowned, looking at Song Weihan with a puzzled look and a frown. "He doesn''t seem to be affected by the Spirit Essence absorbing all that energy?"

    Forwning, while still inspecting Huang Jialong with his Spirit Power, Song Weihan nodded his head "It seems like he''s on the same page with his Spirit Essnece; They''re absorbing the energy together. When he tried to create his Soul Core before, his Spirit Essence always stopped him from succeeding; Now, they''re working together."

    Just as Song Weihan said, Huang Jialong was currently completely calm, absorbing energy together with his Spirit Essence. His Soul Core was rotating at a high speed, drawing in all the surrounding origin energy, of which his Spirit Essence took the greater part, while the more mild and calm energy was left for Huang Jialong to make his breakthrough; Although it was slower then when he was usually cultivating, it was also much safer for him.

    "What should we do now? Should we help him?" She Meixiao asked with a frown, to which Song Weihan fell into silence again. "We can either help him by drawing more origin energy towards this place and thus let him absorb more energy... or we wait it out. He''s currently completely calm, so his breakthrough is most likely going very well, though also very slow. If we increase the forcibly amount of origin energy around here, we might break this balance for him."

    She Meixiao observed Huang Jialong for a few more moments, then sighed and smiled at Song Weihan. "In that case, I say we wait for him to naturally make his breakthrough. His Spirit Essence has calmed down and resigned itself to only taking 70 percent of the energy. If we increase the volume, it might get greedy."

    The tone of her voice was light-hearted, a clear sign that She Meixiao herself had calmed down by now. Song Weihan nodded towards her, then pulled a table and two chairs out from his Spacial Ring. "Let''s wait, then. I''ll stay as well, in case anything unexpected happens."

    She Meixiao''s lips twitched before she started chuckling and sat down on one of the chairs. "I''ll never get used to your weird antics." Song Weihan merely raised an eyebrow and lightly scoffed at her. "Would you rather stand around like an idiot? Or sit on the ground?"

    "I didn''t mean it like that." She Meixiao helplessly shook her head, admitting defeat in this matter. A little while later, though she couldn''t stop herself from teasing Song Weihan again. "You wouldn''t happen to have some tea with you?" The latter just side-eyed her with an annoyed expression. "Don''t be ridiculous."

    --------------------------------------

    Sheng Feilong spent the whole morning training with together with Yuanen Yehui. Though meditating for the most part, the two of them also sparred after a while. Unsurprisingly, Sheng Feilong won this spar, but he couldn''t help but admire how much Yuanen Yehui''s strength had increased since she became a Soul Emperor.

    According to his estimate, even a high ranking Soul Saint wouldn''t be able to keep up with the strength of her Titan Giant Ape transformation. Not to mention her combat prowess being even higher once she used her Fallen Angel Spirit Essence.

    "...I guess we''ll be training together for the whole day." Sheng Feilong said as he looked at his Soul Communicator. Yuanen Yehui looked up at him, tilting her head slightly. "Master just sent me a message; His matters will take longer than expected and he can''t tell me when he''ll be finished, so he cancelled the training for the whole day."

    "So you''re basically free to do what you want?" Yuanen Yehui raise an eyebrow, surprised that Sheng Feilong was still training in that case. She knew perfectly well how straining Song Weihan''s training plans are; A day of rest in between would be a welcome surprise. Sheng Feilong understood what she was implying and simply laughed it off. "I''m used to Master''s training. Slacking off just because he''s not here wouldn''t feel right."

    He glanced at the time and turned his head towards Yuanen Yehui. "Let''s grab something to eat and then continue?" Also getting hungry at this point, Yuanen Yehui readily agreed to his suggestion, leaving every other training for the afternoon.

    ---------------------------------

    Huang Jialong refined all of the origin energy his Soul Core drew in for a long time. After a few hours, he could clearly feel the energy inside his now Six-Headed Black Hydra Spirit Essence exceeding some kind of break-even point; It released a powerful roar and the bottom of its neck, right next to where the sixth head grew, started ominously wiggling and writhing.

    Understanding its need for energy, Huang Jialong''s redirected all of the energy towards it, causing its body to shake for a while, as the writing and wiggling grew more intense. Minutes later, its neck burst open with a disgusting sound of flesh and skin being torn apart as a new, seventh head shot out from the wound.

    The powerful energy released by this second evolution of his Spirit Essence caused Huang Jialong''s body to shake massively; Enough to alert She Meixiao and Song Weihan, who instantly appeared next to his body, once again checking on him. She Meixiao was the first to notice that Huang Jialong''s Spirit Essence must have finished evolving as the pressure she felt from him had increased once more.

    Both of them used their Spirit Power to observe what was going on with Huang Jialong, but before they could react, a massive amount of energy burst out of his body, startling both Titled Douluos. After a few moments, Huang Jialong''s Soul Power stabilized again, but both Titled Douluo''s understood what had just happened. "He suddenly broke through..?"

    It was already deep into the night and She Meixiao and Song Weihan didn''t believe Huang Jialong would finish his breakthrough anytime soon, yet the moment his Spirit Essence finished evolving, he also broke through to become a Soul Saint? This was something both of them didn''t expect at all.

    It took a few more minutes before Huang Jialong opened his eyes; His energy had stabilized rather well, though a part of it was still leaking out. She Meixiao and Song Weihan stood some distance away from him with calm faces, congratulating him for his breakthrough.

    Huang Jialong broke into a huge grin, ecstatic that he finally made his breakthrough, but another thought suddenly shot into his mind. "Right, I still need to condense another Soul Ring." Song Weihan and She Meixiao stopped him, the former smiling lightly. "Why would you want to condense another 10.000-years-old Soul Ring?"

    "What do you mean, Senior?" Huang Jialong looked surprised; Wasn''t it normal to want to condense another Soul Ring after a breakthrough? Song Weihan only shrugged in response, glancing at She Meixiao. "After I came to Daedalus, I began to further my research in Artificial Soul Bones and Spirit Souls... Naturally, Daedalus would want powerful, new Spirit Souls."

    It dawned upon Huang Jialong what Song Weihan was implying and he looked at She Meixiao, who also only smiled in response. "Of course, Daedalus would want powerful Spirit Souls to increase the strength of our most talented members. That naturally includes you, Feilong and Yehui."

    "Originally, I was only planning to create a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul for Feilong using my own resources, but She Meixiao insisted that I helped er creates one for you and Yehui as well." Song Weihan added with a slightly apathetic expression, causing Huang Jialong''s eyes to widen to the size of saucers. "Senior, you... you prepared a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul for me...?"

    Not being able to suppress the smile creeping onto his face, Song Weihan nodded towards Huang Jialong. "You should thank She Meixiao for that; She paid for most of the resources. Nurturing a Spirit Soul to the 100.000-years-old level is really expensive, you see."

    She Meixiao''s lips twitched once more, but she could only smile; ''Expensive'' really didn''t do the cost justice at all ¨C What she had to pay was a sky high price that nearly left her funds dried out. If she hadn''t paid out of her own pocket, something like that would''ve never happened, even with Daedalus'' support; They would never pay so much to support a single Soul Master, that''s how expensive it was.

    Ignoring her, Song Weihan continued to speak to Huang Jialong. "However, you won''t get the Spirit Soul yet. You''re simply still too weak. You''ve reached rank 70, becoming a Soul Saint, but that''s not good enough; Your Spirit Power is still lacking. What you need to do is finally reach the Spirit Abyss Realm before you get another Spirit Soul."

    Huang Jialong was dumbstruck. Although his Spirit Power was already quite strong, he could still feel himself be quite far from reaching the Spirit Abyss Realm; At the very least, it would still take him months to reach it, even if he focused all his training on his Spirit Power!

    Song Weihan didn''t seem to care about that; He yawned, looked at the time and turned around to leave, not forgetting to take his table and the chairs with him and spoke with his back to Huang Jialong. "You''ve got half a year; If you can''t reach the Spirit Abyss Realm by then, don''t bother with asking for the Spirit Soul; I''ll just use it to nurture a few others to the 10.000-years-old boundary."

 217 Training

    Late into the night, Song Weihan finally returned to his quarters. Huang Jialong''s breakthrough to become a Soul Saint had taken much longer than he expected, but considering how much stronger the latter got after his Spirit Essence evolved, it was well worth its time.

    The next day, Sheng Feilong''s training under Song Weihan''s supervision continued. As he still wasn''t fully familiar with his own True Avatar''s abilities, Song Weihan had him use it, meditate to understand it better and many more exercises that were meant to help Sheng Feilong.

    They finally called it a day, long past sunset, but still early enough to get a good night''s sleep. Sheng Feilong was tired after the training and hurriedly left the training hall lest Song Weihan changed his mind and decided to have him train any longer.

    Song Weihan himself went back to his office for a little while longer after Sheng Feilong left. He had asked She Meixiao to give him a few updates on Huang Jialong''s situation; The latter had returned to meditating to stabilize his cultivation even after Song Weihan left the night before, spurred by the possibility of obtaining a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul for himself.

    According to She Meixiao, Huang Jialong had been cultivating the whole night and all of the next day. Somewhen in the evening, he opened his eyes again for the first time; Hungry and worn out fromall the mental strain, so She Meixiao sent him back to his quarters.

    Song Weihan could only shake his head with a wry smile; He didn''t expect Huang Jialong to take his words this seriously. Although he indeed intents to only give the 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul to Huang Jialong if the latter reached the Spirit Abyss Realm in Spirit Power, but he didn''t need to be this hasty!

    "...It seems Feilong and Yehui advancing in their cultivation so quickly put a lot of pressure on him. Well, it''s not a problem; He''s talented enough and with She Meixiao watching over him, there won''t be any complications." tapping his finger on the table, Song Weihan thought out loud, then grabbed a few pieces of paper and started scribbling a training plan for Huang Jialong, later reviewing and reworking the ones for Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui as well.

    -------------------------

    Sheng Feilong met up with Yuanen Yehui the next morning, wanting to grab breakfast together with her. Another day of strenuous training would await both of them afterwards, so they wanted to make the most out of the peaceful time in the morning.

    Compared to Sheng Feilong, Yuanen Yehui''s training was somewhat more relaxed. She Meixiao had brought one of the Soul Douluo ranked Elders of Daedalus over the day before to instruct Yuanen Yehui. The latter being fond of Yuanen Yehui''s talent, gladly volunteered to help with her training for the time being.

    Although the Elder was strict, he wasn''t on the same level as Song Weihan, who knew every bit of information about the bodies and Spirit Power to train them to their limits. Sheng Feilong sighed when Yuanen Yehui told him about what her training implied, mentally preparing himself for what he could expect from Song Weihan''s training.

    The two of them talked for a while while enjoying their meal when Yuanen Yehui noticed a dishevelled figure entering the dining room through the door behind Sheng Feilong, making a beeline for their table. Her eyes widened a little when she recognized the person. "Jialong..?"

    Sheng Feilong turned around at her words, facing a Huang Jialong in an unusually sorry state; His hair was dishevelled and his eyes bloodshot, but with a bright expression in them, a confident smile on his lips. "Jialong, what happened to you-"

    A startled expression showed on Sheng Feilong''s face at first, but he stopped talking after a moment, his expression morphing into a smile, realizing what was up when he felt Huang Jialong''s aura. "You broke through...? You''re a Soul Saint now?"

    Likewise, the smile on Huang Jialong''s face grew wider, unconsciously, he struck his chest out proudly. "It was only a matter of time to begin with... And just breaking through rank 70 isn''t all..." His voice trailed off at the end while his aura rose further. His bloodshot eyes turned into green, vertical slits, while his sclera turned black ¨C a clear sign that he was using his Spirit Essence.

    Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong stared at him in shock. Both of them were familiar with Huang Jialong''s Five-Headed Black Hydra Spirit Essence and its strength, but what they felt now was on a completely different level; The ferociousness and bloodlust mixed into the aura itself were enough to have both of them tense up.

    Sheng Feilong looked at him, quickly calming down as he understood that Huang Jialong wasn''t planning on attacking them or anything; It was truly just the innate ferociousness of his Spirit Essence. "How is your aura so powerful..? It''s completely different from before."

    "Shouldn''t you know it quite well? Your eyes went through the same process..." Huang Jialong replied with a light chuckle, his words mystifying the matter, causing Sheng Feilong to frown. "My eyes..? Wait, don''t tell me... Your Spirit Essence went through a Second Awakening?!"

    Both, he and Yuanen Yehui came to the same conclusion, staring at Huang Jialong in shock. The latter continued to chuckle and held up two finger. "Not one Second Awakening, but two. Two evolutions. My Spirit Essence is now a Seven-Headed Black Hydra."

    Sheng Feilong glanced at Yuanen Yehui, who had a similarly shocked expression on her face as he did. He wordlessly used his Spirit Power to observe Huang Jialong''s strength more closely, shocked to find out that the extent of his power would already let him fight on equal grounds with a Soul Douluo, causing him to be unable to hold in a question. "What about your seventh Soul Ring?"

    Smiling in response, Huang Jialong lightly shook his head. "I don''t have one yet. Senior Song told me to wait until I break through in my Spirit Power cultivation. Once I reach the Spirit Abyss Realm, he''ll give me a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul, specifically nurtured to suit my needs."

    "Master will...?" Sheng Feilong was obviously more shocked by this than Yuanen Yehui. He understood better than the two of them how difficult it was to create a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul, yet Song Weihan wanted to gift one to Huang Jialong, just like that?

    Huang Jialong nodded in response. "That''s what he told me personally. He actually had one prepared for you as well, though I doubt you''ll get it; The lion king is most likely much superior." He turned to Yuanen Yehui, who was taking all that information in with a conflicted expression. "Senior Song prepared one for each of us, including you... But we both need to reach the Spirit Abyss Realm before we even have the chance to get our hands on them..."

    Hearing this, Yuanen Yehui was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and nodded her head. Sheng Feilong remained silent for the time being; He really didn''t expect Song Weihan to go such lengths for them. Noticing the time, though, he face changed and he hurriedly finished his breakfast before heading off. "I gotta go; My training''s starting soon!"

    -------------------------

    For the coming months, Sheng Feilong and the others trained day in, day out. Under Song Weihan''s and She Meixiao''s supervision, and personalized training, their strengths increased rapidly during that time.

    Huang Jialong''s cultivation didn''t advance at all; Due to Song Weihan restraining him from obtaining another Soul Ring for now, he focused all of his attention to his spiritual cultivation. With much effort and dedication, as well as instructions and pointers from Song Weihan, he managed to make his breakthrough after a bit more than five months, reaching the Spirit Abyss Realm in Spirit Power.

    Afterwards, the first thing he did was barge into Song Weihan''s office with a huge smile. The latter understandably didn''t like that, chastising Huang Jialong''s for his respectfulness and for not properly stabilizing his cultivation before he came.

    A few days later, he returned to Song Weihan''s office, much more calm now and with his usual collected bearing. Song Weihan nodded contentedly, bringing Huang Jialong to a special ,isolated room where he could fuse with the Spirit Soul in peace.

    Huang Jialong''s Spirit Essence had the elements of darkness with a minor poison attribute. Taking this, as well as its power, into account, Song Weihan chose a special Spirit Soul created from an Ancient Beast''s remains for him. Though its true name wasn''t known, Song Weihan dubbed it as a Treacherous Lightning Eel.

    Yuanen Yehui, on the other hand, slowed her cultivation down. After hearing about the 100.000-years-old Spirit Souls from Huang Jialong, she asked Song Weihan and She Meixiao about it in private. The former confirmed what Huang Jialong told her, prompting her to ask for a change in her training and to be allowed to empathise her spiritual cultivation more.

    By the time Huang Jialong made his real breakthrough to become a Soul Saint, she had only reached rank 67, but her Spirit Power had soared massively; Now sitting at an impressive 4.500 points. Song Weihan guessed that, if she continued her training as is, she would reach rank 70 in another half a year, her Spirit Power breaking into the Spirit Abyss Realm even before that.

    Sheng Feilong made similar progress to the two of them; He had managed to reach rank 73 during this half a year, while his mastery over his True Avatar increased massively. Just measuring from his control, he was also superior to most Soul Douluo''s, and even slightly above them in terms of power, only inferior to Titled Douluos.

    As for his spiritual cultivation, there was no need to mention his strength; His already ridiculous Spirit Power has only increased over time, bringing him to the peak of the Spirit Abyss realm at 20.000 points of Spirit Power; Only half a step away from entering the fabled Spirit Domain Realm. However, that last step also wasn''t easy to take.

    Moreover, before Sheng Feilong had the chance to consult Song Weihan on the matter, a piece of news found his way to She Meixiao, who told Song Weihan, Sheng Feilong and the others; A spy told her that Tang Wulin, the presumably dead in-name leader of the current generation''s Shrek Seven Monster''s had returned to Shrek Academy after three years.

 218 Visiting Shrek Academy

    After telling Sheng Feilong and the others that Tang Wulin had returned to Shrek, She Meixiao looked at Yuanen Yehui, who had her eyes wide open and smiled. "He returned to the Douluo Continent two days ago with a ship from the Tang Sect. We don''t know where he was, though, but his cultivation is still the same as before, so we can say for certain that he didn''t cultivate."

    Sheng Feilong also glanced at Yuanen Yehui with a slightly worried expression. Originally, Yuanen Yehui had joined Daedalus after he and She Meixiao had told her a few half truths based off the fact that Shrek Academy didn''t search for Tang Wulin. He didn''t believe that Yuanen Yehui would simply leave, but he also didn''t know what she would do, now that Tang Wulin had returned.

    Apparently, She Meixiao was in a similar situation. She calmly looked at Yuanen Yehui, speaking a few words with a smile on her face. "There''s no reason to hold back, you can freely speak your mind, Yehui." Although she sounded calm, Sheng Feilong noticed the insecurity in her voice; She was also worried about what Yuanen Yehui would do.

    Huang Jialong raised an eyebrow, not too sure what this was about, while Song Weihan showed an expressionless face. Yuanen Yehui was unaware of their conflicted thoughts and simply nodded her head, being in a good mood after hearing about Tang Wulin. "Would it be possible to go to Shrek Academy?"

    The expressions of the people present, save for Huang Jialong, hardened, while She Meixiao frowned with a serious expression, speaking with a solemn voice. "...Do you plan to return to Shrek Academy?"

    Realizing what she had said, Yuanen Yehui''s expression stiffened. She glanced at Sheng Feilong, who now looked at her with a stiff expression, trying to remain calm. She shook her head, reassuring She Meixiao. "I''m sorry; I didn''t mean it that way! I only wish to go to Shrek Academy and see for myself that Tang Wulin is alright... I won''t leave Daedalus, no matter what."

    With her words, Sheng Feilong visibly relaxed, while She Meixiao only nodded her head, then tried to dissuade the awkwardness in a light-hearted manner. "Visiting won''t be a problem. In fact, there''s something I wanted to talk about with their authorities, anyways... Oh, and the Sea God''s Fated Date Festival will be held soon..."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t really know what festival She Meixiao was talking about, but her next words and the name itself pretty much made it clear. "You two already have each other, but.. it would be funny to watch, no?"

    Yuanen Yehui started blushing a little and turned away, while Sheng Feilong frowned a bit. "A festival...? For dating? Why would they do something like that?" She Meixiao only giggled, while Yuanen Yehui blushed more furiously. Finally, Song Weihan sighed, talking for the first time in a while. "The Sea God''s Fated Date Festival has been a tradition at Shrek Academy for over 10.000 years now. It''s meant for the Inner Court Students to find their significant other and proclaim their love in the face of the whole world."

    Sheng Feilong simply nodded his head, still not understanding why Shrek Academy would make such a fuss about that. She Meixiao stopped chuckling after a while, speaking up again. "Well, I will contact Shrek Academy and take care of the formalities. I''ll tell you when we''ll go there later."

    ----------------------

    About a week later, Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui accompanied She Meixiao to Shrek City. The latter had talked with Shreck Academy''s authorities and would meet up with them, while Sheng Feilong and the others were basically free to do what they wanted during that time.

    They arrived a few hours later, meeting up with an envoy from Shrek Academy who was waiting for them at the station. Sheng Feilong hadn''t seen that envoy before, but judging from his uniform and cultivation at the middle levels of the Soul Saint realm, he should be a teacher at Shrek Academy.

    The envoy was very respectful towards She Meixiao, while also showing the minimum amount of respect to Sheng Feilong and the others, treating them as juniors, unaware that at least Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong could probably defeat him in an instant; All of them, including She Meixiao, were suppressing their cultivation, not allowing anyone to see through them, after all.

    Shrek City as a whole was in a festive mood due to the Sea God''s Fated Date Festival and this festive atmosphere only got more intense the closer then got to Shrek Academy''s campus. They were allowed to enter the Inner Court area after being registered as guests and She Meixiao left Sheng Feilong and the others to their own accords when she moved to the Sea God''s pavilion.

    "So, what do we do now?" Huang Jialong asked after She Meixiao was out of sight. The three of them stood at the shore and Sheng Feilong noticed Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong looking at him. "Why are you looking at me?" His head turned to Yuanen Yehui. "You wanted to come here, right?"

    "Yes, but I''ve never been to the Inner Court before. Didn''t you study here for a while when you first came to Shrek Academy?" Her words did make sense and the tone she spoke them with was really dry, causing Sheng Feilong to sigh. "It''s been years since then. How would I know where Tang Wulin is living now?"

    "Well, she has a point though. You could lead us to the more common areas? Maybe we''ll find him by chance." Huang Jialong chimed in, causing Sheng Feilong to grumble a bit more before leading them around the Inner Court.

    Being outsiders in Shrek Academy''s Inner Court earned them a few weird glances, but the students ignored them when they saw the guest cards hanging around their necks. The mood inside the Inner Court was even more festive than in the city; Everyone seemed pumped for the start of the date festival.

    Ignoring most of the commotion, Sheng Feilong and the others wandered around the Inner Court for hours looking for Tang Wulin, but without any success. It was slowly getting late and they saw more and more people heading towards the Sea God''s Lake with excited expression, at which point Yuanen Yehui turned to Huang Jialong and Sheng Feilong. "How about we go to the lake? The festival is about to start; Tang Wulin is the leader of the Seven Monsters, he''s sure to make an appearance there..."

    Sheng Feilong was already annoyed from walking around aimlessly for all this time and just shrugged. "Sure, whatever. Let''s see why they''re making such a fuss about this Sea God''s Fated Date Festival." Huang Jialong also agreed and they made their way over.

    Arriving at the Sea God''s Lake, that was being surrounded by hundreds of people, who were boiling over with excitement, Sheng Feilong and the others heard all kinds of conversations, allowing Sheng Feilong to get a clearer picture of what this date festival really is. However, he couldn''t help but frown about a few other pieces of information. "Long Yue and Dai Yun''er are at Shrek Academy...?"

    All three of them remembered those two clearly; The Star Luo Empire''s princess and the Monster Academy''s Dragon King Long Yue were both celebrities in their own right, yet both of them had come to Shrek Academy as... students?

    Huang Jialong didn''t seem to be bothered by this at all despite originally being from the Star Luo Continent. "They have nothing to do with us, though. Moreover, didn''t the Shrek students do the same before? Travelling to the Star Luo Contient to study there."

    Sheng Feilong could only nod his head. "You''re right. Well, they do indeed have anything to do with us.... And honestly, I''m not interested in meeting them..." Huang Jialong shrugged again, while Yuanen Yehui frowned, agreeing with the two of them. She only remembers the two of them as enemies from the tournament and also had no interest to meet with them after what happened back then.

    However, as fate wills it, a surprised and angry voice sounded out from behind them mere seconds after they finished their conversation. "She Feilong?!" Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong were taken aback, while Sheng Feilong closed his eyes, trying not to lose his cool for a moment before turning around with an annoyed expression. "Speak of the devil..."

    Two people were walking towards their group of three; A young maiden dressed in white with fair skin and a delicate face, and a huge, brawny man with tanned skin and a bald head. The former had a haughty, yet angry expression, while the latter looked grave; Fitting for someone of his stature.

    Sheng Feilong glanced at Dai Yun''er and Long Yue for a moment before instantly losing interest and turning back to the Sea God''s lake in the hopes of them just going on their way. Seeing his reaction, Dai Yun''er gnashed her teeth, trying to hold back from jumping at him. "You! She Feilong, you dare to ignore me?!"

    Her outburst finally gained the attention of the people around them, most of which looked on with interested expression as they recognized the Star Luo Empire''s Princess, but failed to recognize the three people she was confronting. Sighing in annoyance once more, Sheng Feilong glanced at her before dismissively speaking a few words. "There''s nothing for us to talk about; Why shouldn''t I ignore you?"

    Long Yue stepped forward to stop Dai Yun''er, knowing that she would cause a scene if he didn''t. He looked at Sheng Feilong, with the latter glancing back at him with an expressionless face. Though hidden quite well, Long Yue could clearly feel the animosity in that single look of Sheng Feilong. Frowning, Long Yue opened his mouth. "She Feilong, I''m aware that what happened on the Star Luo Continent was my fault, but that is no reason for us to become enemies; We merely intended to greet you, as you''re the first person from Shrek Academy that we recognize."

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui frowned, not pleased with all the gazes on them, while Sheng Feilong frowned. His expression turned from one of annoyance and indifference to a cold one as he looked at Long Yue, pointing at the guest card at his chest. "First of all, we''re not ''people from Shrek Academy'' and we have no interest in greeting you as old acquaintances. Secondly; Enemies?"

    He paused for a moment, the look in his eyes becoming even colder as he remembered what had happened not only during the tournament but also after Long Yue''s eventual defeat and how the Emperor and En Ci reacted, before opening his mouth again. "Long Yue, you do not qualify to become my enemy. Just grab that annoying little princess and leave."

 219 A Stand-Off With The Dragon King

    The people watching the scene between Sheng Feilong''s group and Long Yue and Dai Yun''er unfold gasped slightly in surprise. The two guests from the Star Luo Empire hadn''t been at Shrek Academy for long, but most people of the Inner Court already knew of them; One being the princess of the Star Luo Empire and a 18 years old Soul King with extremely high Spirit Power.

    As for Long Yue, there was no need to mention his strength; His feats of defeating Shrek Academy''s representatives during their visit to the Star Luo Empire were already known to all. At first, people thought he merely won because those representatives were only Outer Court students, but that thought soon changed; The representatives of old were now the current generation''s Shrek Seven Monsters.

    Meanwhile, since Long Yue came here, people found out about his true strength and Spirit Essence, spreading the information far and wide; He was already a celebrity in Shrek Academy as well, yet these three unknown Soul Masters dared to provoke him like that?

    However, unlike what people believed would happen, Long Yue remained rather calm. Dai Yun''er was about to explode and charge at Sheng Feilong; Her bad temper was also something most people were aware of, yet even she held back despite the insults.

    Of course, among the Inner Court students, there weren''t just those who''d never seen the three Soul Masters who provoked Long Yue. In fact, one of them had a disbelieving expression on his face, lowly muttering a few things to himself and the people next to him. Soon, the name ''Sheng Feilong'' was mumbled about among the masses.

    With the growing recognition of Sheng Feilong among the crowd, Long Yue''s expression was growing increasingly unsightly to behold. If it was only Sheng Feilong, a single person, who had already proven his strength to him, insulting him, he could deal with that, but adding the mutters of the crowd to that? There was a limit to how much he could endure.

    "She Feilong, do you think this is still the time of the Star Luo Empire''s Genius Youth Competition?" Long Yue''s voice caused the crowd to fall into silence, his anger nearly tangable for them. Yet, the one this anger was directed at, Sheng Feilong, didn''t even flinch in the slightest, instead sarcastically replying in turn. "Do you still think this is the Genius Youth Competition, Long Yue? Back then, you were a Sou Emperor while I was a Soul King... I really wonder how long you would be able to last now, without En Ci or your Emperor, even."

    Before the crowd could even process what Sheng Feilong was implying, their attention was drawn to Long Yue in unison. None of them dared to say a single word as the Star Luo Empire''s Dragon King''s Soul Power started to surge, fiercely spreading through the plaza. However, Sheng Feilong once again remained unimpressed. "Take Dai Yun''er and leave us alone. I will not repeat myself again."

    Unsurprisingly, Long Yue had already become a Soul Saint after three years. Additionally, his aura was incredibly powerful, not inferior to a Soul Douluo in the slightest. Sheng Feilong finished his words, then slowly started letting his own Soul Power surge. The Soul Scholar rank, Soul Master, Grandmaster, Elder, Ancestor.

    Soon, his own aura was that of a Soul Emperor, shocking many people as they could clearly tell how young he was, yet it didn''t stop there. Slowly, but surely, it rose to be equal to a Soul Saint, causing Dai Yun''er''s mind was already shaken; She herself was known as a genius, yet not only did she fail to catch up to Sheng Feilong, who was the same age as her, the latter was already on the same level as a Soul Saint.

    Her, as well as the crowd''s, shock didn''t stop their; Sheng Feilong''s power surged further, soon being equally matched with Long Yue, causing the latter eyes to shake ever so slightly. His aura clashed with Sheng Feilong''s, not losing out in the slightlest, yet that was what bothered Long Yue this much; The last time, his cultivation was much superior toSheng Feilong and he still lost, yet now they were equally matched.

    What did that imply for him? When Sheng Feilong used his terrifying, evil Spirit Essence, he was able to play Long Yue like a fiddle, beating him black and blue even though his cultivation lacked more than ten levels behind. How strong would he be now that their cultivation was on the same level?

    However, before it could come to this extreme clash of top masters, a light-hearted, female laughter broke the stifling silence in front of the Sea God''s Lake. Accompanying this laughter was a similarly light-hearted, male voice. "My, my, it seems our dear guests from the Star Luo Empire and Daedalus can''t wait for the Fated Date Festival to start. Dear friends, if I may ask, for what maiden''s hand are you two fighting?"

    The voices caused the various Inner Court students in the crowd to gasp aloud. All of them turned to the source of the voices ¨C the middle of the Sae God''s Lake ¨C only to gasp in surprise again; The people laughing and joking so casually with those two monstrous Soul Saints were Tang Yingmeng and Lan Muzi ¨C The chief students of Shrek''s Inner Court and personal disciple''s of the Light Dark Douluo Long Yeyue!

    Tang Yingmeng was a beautiful young lady in her twenties, clad in Shrek Academy''s Inner Court student''s robes; The unadorned clothing accentuating her beauty even further. Next to her was her martial brother and fianc¨¦, Lan Muzi; A tall and handsome man in his twenties as well, with sharp features and a warm smile on his lips.

    Both of them were calmly flying the air above the Sea God''s Lake, floating over to the shore where the crowd, Sheng Feilong''s group and Long Yue and Dai Yun''er were. Although they didn''t precisely let their aura radiate off of them, people with sharp senses could clearly tell that those two were Soul Douluo''s already despite their young ages; Their presences even overshadowing Long Yue and Sheng Feilong.

    Truth be told, Sheng Feilong didn''t know who these two were, but knowing their strength and the fact that they came from the direction of the Sea God''s Pavilion was enough for him to tell that they were important people. Adding the fact that both of them knew that he, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui came from Daedalus caused Sheng Feilong to retract his aura.

    Long Yue did the same, though more reluctantly, only thinking of doing so after Sheng Feilong''s aura had already vanished; He wanted Sheng Feilong to know that he would never willingly admit defeat. Unfortunately, the latter didn''t even look at him any longer, instead facing the two Soul Douluo''s floating above the Sea God''s Lake with a smile.

    "Seniors, I apologize for the disturbance. It wasn''t our intention to cause a scene during Shrek Academy''s festivities." Sheng Feilong replied with a passive smile; Clearly, he didn''t really care about the commotion he caused, nor the festivities, but he was currently representing Daedalus during their visit and had to act the way now that his identity was made clear.

    Lan Muzi kept his warm smile the whole time, seemingly not bothered by the way Sheng Feilong spoke to him and looked at him and Long Yue. "Ha, ha, there is no need to apologize, Brother Sheng, Brother Long; It makes me glad to welcome two talented young friends as you to Shrek Academy''s fated Date Festival. I wonder if the five of you, including your respected companions, wish to join today''s festivities?"

    Lan Muzi''s words caused the crowd to perk up immediately. If those two monstrously powerful Soul Saints joined in on the competition for the hearts of their beloved maidens... Most of the males'' faces turned a bit sour and many of them shot nasty looks into Sheng Feilong''s and Long Yue''s direction, yet neither of them cared.

    Sheng Feilong smiled, returning to Yuanen Yehui''s and Huang Jialong''s side before lightly shaking his head and grabbing Yuanen Yehui''s hand. "I thank Senior Brother for the kind invitation, but I will have to decline. I have already found the maiden deserving all of my heart."

    A surprised expression flashed on Lan Muzi''s face while Yuanen Yehui''s face turned bright red as she lowered her head. Next to Lan Muzi in the air, Tang Yingmeng startling giggling in a lovely manner again. "Oh my. Little Brother Sheng, you really know how to flatter a maiden. I''m jealous."

    Lan Muzi laughed a bit awkwardly while Tang Yingmeng only continued to giggle. She glanced at Huang Jialong, who already shook his head before she could say anything, then turned towards Long Yue and Dai Yun''er. "What about Little Brother Long and Princess Dai? Will the two of you graze our little festival with your participation?"

    Surprisingly, Dai Yun''er accepted the invitation immediately, dragging Long Yue with her. She had seemingly already forgotten about the conflict with Sheng Feilong just now and was much more interested in the Fated Date Festival.

    Following Lan Muzi''s lead, the male students, plus Long Yue, went away for a few minutes before returning wearing costumes and masks. The only difference now were their physiques, making it hard to tell the different students apart. Lan Muzi returned to the air above the Sea God''s Lake, announcing the beginning of the Fated Date Festival''s first phase, the Match Made In Heaven, as the female students appeared on lotus leaves floating on the water, one by one.

 220 Sea Gods Fated Date Festival

    Shrek Academy''s Sea God''s Fated Date Festival was a sight to behold. After all of the Inner Court students made their way onto the Sea God''s Lake, the first phase began. In total, there were over 50 male students standing on lotus leaves at one side, and over 30 female students on the other side, also standing on similar lotus leaves.

    During the first phase, Lan Muzi and Tang Tingmeng gave the male students the option to reveal their faces directly, which many them did, but the real point of the first phase was for the male students to try and snatch away the bamboo hats that obscured the female students'' faces.

    Sheng Feilong wasn''t too interested in this, but still chose to watch together with Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong. Huang Jialong seemed to have a similarly low interest in the festival, but Yuanen Yehui was oddly entranced; It didn''t feel weird, though, they came her too come and see Tang Wulin and Yuanen Yehui''s other former teammates, after all.

    There was a surprising outcome, though; Male Student Number Two was actually Yue Zhengyu, an aquaintance of Sheng Feilong''s and Yuanen Yehui''s and one of the current generation''s Shrek Seven Monsters. This shocked the surrounding students and participants more than Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui though; Sheng Feilong simply didn''t care enough to be surprised, while Yuanen Yehui wasn''t too fond of Yue Zhengyu to begin with.

    Although both of them were members of Shrek Academy before, they had cut all ties with the academy by now. Yuanen Yehui still thought of Tang Wulin and the rest of their team that went to the Star Luo Continent as friends, though. As for Sheng Feilong, the only ones he still somewhat cared about here were Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan; The two of them were the first people he got acquainted with and spent the most time with, after all. Other than them, the only other person who Sheng Feilong really remembered was Jiang Wang, who had originally come to Shrek Academy together with him.

    The first phase continued and by the end of it, only two of the 31 female students were able to keep their bamboo hats; All of the others had been exposed, willingly or unwillingly, including Ye Xinglan and Xu Xiaoyan. Most notably there were definitely Yue Zhengyu, Xie Xie, who was number 16, as well as Number 41, who didn''t expose his own face, Number 50 Long Yue and Number 51, who also didn''t remove his own hat.

    Still, Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but frown at both, Number 41 and Number 51. Both of them seemed oddly familiar to him, but he couldn''t pinpoint it as neither of them exposed their Spirit Essence or any Soul Skills; Number 41 used raw phyiscal strength to force more than 10 of the females to remove their bamboo hats by causing a miniature flood wave on the lake, while Number 51 used techniques unique to the Tang Sect.

    Soon after that, the second round began and Lan Muzi started drawing lots to determine which male student went first. The second phase, Love At First Sight, allowed for the male students to introduce themselves to the females, who could than light a lantern to show their general interest in the male student. If a male student didn''t get a single lantern to light up, they would be disqualified.

    Unsurprisingly, Yue Zhengyu managed to shock the crowd; A total of 16 lights lit up for him, meaning over half of the females were interested in him. With his handsome looks, his background as a member of the Holy Angel Clan and his position as a member of the Shrek Seven Monster, tough, this was to be expected.

    The second phase was a lot shorter than the first phase, though, and quite a few students were disqualified, meaning the next phase would be even faster. All members of Shrek''s Seven Monsters got people to light up their lanterns for them. Eventually, the enigmatic Number 41, as well as Long Yue, also got lanterns to light up for them; Surprisingly, the one who lit up their lantern for Long Yue was Dai Yun''er, though.

    Student Number 41 still chose to not expose his identity, thus resulting in him only getting three lantern to light up, as not many of the female students dared to take the risk, especially so as Number 41''s style was quite brutish during the first phase.

    During the end of the second phase, another storm was kicked up as Number 51 chose to reveal his identity. At first, not many students recognized him, but those that did were more than simply shocked, including Sheng Feilong, who rose an eyebrow, and Yuanen Yehui who blurted out the name of the student with a smile on her face. "Tang Wulin!"

    Lan Muzi and Tang Tingmeng didn''t recognize Tang Wulin and asked him to identify himself, which he gladly did. By then, everyone knew who he was, causing many of the female students to light up their lantern as soon as Tang Tingmeng asked for their votes. In total, Tang Wulin got 18 lantern to light up, breaking even Yue Zhengyu''s record.

    Yuanen Yehui continued to smile as she watched from the sidelines with Sheng Feilong and Huang Jialong. She confirmed with her own eyes that Tag Wulin was back and he was doing particularly well at that; He had grown over the past three years, his face loosing what remained of his former childishness, now showing a handsome face with sharp features.

    She didn''t particularly care about his appearance, but the change after not seeing him for three years was truly to noticeable. Instead of admiring his appearance, though, Sheng Feilong checked the latter''s cultivation and strength in general; As She Meixiao had told them, his cultivation didn''t increase and he was still at the middle ranks of the Soul Ancestor level, but Sheng Feilong could tellthat something was totally different by now.

    ''...It seems he was able to train, wherever he went after this so-called Dragon Valley was destroyed. His cultivation didn''t increase, but the intensity of his aura is on another level altogether compared to three years ago... His Spirit Power also seems incredibly strong; Is he at the Spirit Abyss Realm yet?'' Sheng Feilong''s gaze lingered on Tang Wulin for a while as he quietly assessed the latters strength.

    As he had thought, Tang Wulin''s Spirit Power had increased by leaps and bounds, enough for him to notice Sheng Feilong''s gaze. He turned around, facing Sheng Feilong before first showing a surprised, then unpleasant and frowning expression. Quite a few of the more perspective students noticed Tang Wulin''s change in expression and, following his gaze, also noticed that he was staring at Sheng Feilong.

    The latter didn''t say anything and only continued to stare at Sheng Feilong with an indifferent expression. ''He''s definitely at the Spirit Abyss Realm... Just hat kind of training did he do, though? He was barely at the Spirit Sea realm three years ago. Did he get something similar to Ancestor Wuyong''s inheritance? His bloodline seems even more powerful than before, as well.''

    Tang Wulin didn''t look at Sheng Feilong too long, but quickly noticed the smiling Yuanen Yehui standing next to him. He was surprised, especially after seeing that Yuanen Yehui was holding Sheng Feilong''s hand. The two of them nodded at each other in greeting before Tang Wulin glanced at Xie Xie.

    As most of the students around did by now, Xie Xie had also followed Tang Wulin''s gaze to see Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui. He wasn''t present before, as e was one of the students that came from the Sea God''s Island to participate at the Fated Date Festival, thus he didn''t know that Sheng Feilong was present, nor what happened between him and Long Yue.

    His gaze was filled with malice, clearly still angry that Yuanen Yehui left Shrek Academy because of him and everything else that happened during their visit to the Star Luo Empire. He got even more frustrated when he noticed that Sheng Feilong didn''t even spare him a single glance, though all he could do was clench his fists and gnash his teeth.

    The third phase began after Tang Wulin returned to his place. By now, only Number 41 was still obscured by a bamboo hat among the male students. On the female''s side, there were still the same two as before; Among those three cloaked figures, no one had guessed who they were yet.

    Once again, the male students were called into action by Lan Muzi and Tang Tingmeng. This time, the third phase called, Love At Second Sight, was meant for the female students to make their final choice. They could once again light up their lanterns, but they only had one chance; As did the male students, who could ask the female students to light their lantern for them.

    This time, the first student to step up was the enigmatic Number 41. Lan Muzi looked down at him from his position in the sky and smiled. "Student Number 41, this will be your last chance to remove your bamboo hat. I''m afraid our dear junior sister wouldn''t be willing to choose you if you remain unknown."

    "Ha, ha... In that case, I better listen to Senior Lan." Number 41 laughed casually while grabbing towards his bamboo hat. By this point, Sheng Feilong stared t him with wide eyes; He definitely recognized the voice, but how could that be? Number 41''s bamboo hat fell, revealing a handsome face with comparatively soft features. In addition to his sleek, muscular frame, he gave off the aura of a sweat younger brother, causing the older female students to perk up. "Senior and Junior sister, hello. My name Is Jiang Wang; A member of the current Shrek''s Seven Monsters."

 221 Redemption

    Sheng Feilong couldn''t believe his own eyes. The mysterious Number 41, this handsome, muscular young man was supposed to be Jiang Wang? ''He couldn''t just have the same name, right...?'' This thought came to him naturally as he stared at the stage with a sluggish expression.

    However, Jiang wang''s next actions killed that thought in a second; He turned slightly, glancing at Sheng Feilong before shooting his hand up into Sheng Feilong''s direction, two fingers up in a V-shape, with a huge grin on his face. Being struck unprepared, Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but burst out laughing slightly; This really was the same Jiang Wang he knew!

    Still, this was Shrek Academy''s Fated Date Festival; They couldn''t talk right now and would have to postpone that to later. Jiang Wang turned back to the female students, starting the speech that he prepared beforehand. With his handsome, slightly cute, little-brother-like looks, and his status as a member of the current generation''s Shrek Seven Monsters, there were a total of three female students that lit their lanterns fr him; Two about the same age as him and one senior sister, who looked a few years older than him.

    Lan Muzi and Tang Tingmeng stood in the air, slightly shocked that so many of the females would be willing to light their lanterns for the first students. All of them only had a single chance at this, after all. The two of them quickly composed themselves, congratulating Jiang Wang and asking him and the three female students to leave the stage for now; The final decision would be made during the fourth phase of the festival.

    After that, the mood of most of the male students took a slight hit, many of them becoming discouraged as the next few students also each got a female student to light up their lanterns for them. Soon, it was Yue Zhengyu''s turn. Many of the female students had their eyes on him, but his prepared speech turned all of them down.

    Instead of asking who was willing to light their lantern for him, he started his speech as a confession of love for, surprisingly, Xu Xiaoyan. His speech was pasionate, but it struck Sheng Feilong as odd for some reason. Xu Xiaoyan must have thought the same; With tears in her eyes, she vehemently rejected Yue Zhengyu''s proposal, leaving the premise, unwilling to remain any longer.

    Huang Jialong sighed and shook his head, while Yuanen Yehui was more direct, cursing under her breath. "What an idiot... how could he say something like that." Sheng Feilong remained silent; While Yue Zhengyu''s speech struck him as slightly odd, he still didn''t understand why ¨C the latter only accentuated his own good points, saying that he would do anything to take good care of Xu Xiaoyan.

    A few more students tried their luck in the third phase, some successful, others leaving with their heads hanging down. Finally, the 27th student was once again someone Sheng Feilong and the others knew; Xie Xie. He made his way up to the front of the stage, looking at the female students.

    The bright smile on his face slowly vanished the longer he looked through them, all the while not saying a single word. After a few seconds, he had a conflicted, pained expression on his face, causing Lan Muzi to reach out to him. "Junior Xie, what''s wrong? There is nothing to hide here; Speak freely your hearts desire. No need to be discouraged."

    He remained silent for a few more moments, looking at Lan Muzi before nodding, then took a deep breath and bowed to the female students. "I am really sorry." He remained in that position for a few moments, the straightened his back. "This whole time, I thought I would be able to come here and fight for the heart of one of you senior sisters, but... I can''t."

    Surprised expressions and low mumbling came from the crowd and the female students before Xie Xie continued. "Truth be told, before the Fated Date Festival started, there was already someone in my heart. When I first came to Shrek Academy, she was the first girl I ever fell in love with; I was ready to do anything for her, just for her to look at me. Yet, fate didn''t allow for it to work out and she was stolen away from my reach. Believing that I would never see her again, I convinced myself to take part in the Fated Date Festival, but... I simply can''t suppress my feelings any longer."

    His passionate speech caused silence in all of the premise, people staring at him with pity in their eyes, while also feeling surprised by the strong feelings Xie Xie seemed to had. At another part of the shore, though, Sheng Feilong''s and Yuanen Yehui''s expressions changed; The former''s becoming cold, while the latter looked displeased.

    Before Lan Muzi could say something, Xie Xie turned to the side, determination and anger clear in his look and voice as he stared straight at Sheng Feilong. "During the exchange program at the Star Luo Empire, you and your Master used deceit and forceful ways to steal Yuanen Yehui away, pulling her over to your side, manipulating her so she would join Daedalus. Sheng Feilong, do you dare to fight me for her heart?!"

    All of the people turned around, looking in Sheng Feilong''s direction with shocked expressions, some even with ones of anger or pure disgust. The man in question, Sheng Feilong, continued to stare at Xie Xie with cold eyes and an expressionless face. He slowly stepped forward, moving towards the stage atop the lake.

    Yuanen Yehui stepped forward at the same moment, ready to chastise Xie Xie for what he said, but before she could even make one step, Huang Jialong grabbed her arm. Turning around, she only saw him lightly shaking his head, whispering a few words in a low voice. "Don''t say anything. I know you''re displeased with the situation, but that''s between the two of them. Let Feilong handle this."

    "Xie Xie has gone to far, why should I-" Yuanen Yehui argued through gnashed teeth, but Huang Jialong didn''t let go of her, cutting off her words before she was even finished. "I know. But if you go now, Feilong won''t forgive you. The last time I''ve seen him like that, he nearly killed a prodigy, got into an argument with an emperor and insulted the strongest person on the continent in his face."

    Yuanen Yehui paused; How could she not know what Huang Jialong was talking about? She was upset over what Xie Xie had said, thinking that he had gone too far, but Sheng Feilong become as incensed about this as when Tang Wulin was nearly killed by Long Yue..?

    Sheng Feilong didn''t say a single word on his way towards the stage and only stared at Xie Xie. Lan Muzi and Tang Tingmeng glanced at each other, frowning; This wasn''t what the Fated Date Festival was supposed to be, but before they could say something, an emphereous voice sounded out in their heads. "Let them be. Don''t interfere."

    Cloaked in the clouds above the Sea God''s Lake, Yun Ming and the other Elder''s of the Sea God''s Pavilion looked down at what was happening. The former glanced to the side, facing the ever smiling She Meixiao. "You will take responsibility for this."

    "Don''t worry, I won''t let him go overboard. For now, let him vent a bit. That Xie Xie struck a nerve this time... Moreover, being humbled shouldn''t be too bad for your Seven Monsters, right?" She Meixiao''s voice was as sickly sweet as always, though she had a solid point, which was also why Yun Ming agreed to this farce to begin with. He hated to admit it, but Shrek''s Seven Monsters didn''t stand a chance against Sheng Feilong at this moment. ''Only if they worked together and those two used their Soul Fusion Skill...''

    Sheng Feilong stood on the stage opposite from Xie Xie, with hostile gazes surrounding him from all directions. His face still showed no expression and he only stared at Xie Xie with a cold, arrogant glint in his eyes. "This time, you''ve really gone to far. I''ve stolen Yehui away from you? Sure, that''s your opinion, but I did so by using deceit and forceful means? And you accuse my Master of the same? There''s a limit to how much of your insolence I can tolerate."

    His voice was completely indifferent as if he didn''t care at all, yet his words made it clear what he felt. Xie Xie got riled up even more by his attitude, about to get into a shouting match with Sheng Feilong before the latter coldly cut him off before he could even start. "Cut your crap. You want to fight me? Sure, come at me. I''m standing right here. What use is there to waste any more words."

    His Soul Power didn''t raise, neither did he leak any bloodlust or intent to fight, only the same stone cold arrogance apparent in his gaze as he waited for Xie Xie to start the fight. The latter gnashed his teeth, once more incited by Sheng Feilong''s arrogance.

    Xie Xie''s Soul Power exploded out of him; Four purple and a single black Soul Ring shooting into the air behind him as two crooked dagger''s appeared in his hands; One of a bright golden colour, the other blackish, but near transparent ¨C So well hidden, that one wouldn''t be able to see it with too low of a Spirit Power to begin with.

    His momentum exploded outwards as he shot towards Sheng Feilong at an incredible speed; Fast enough to get most people in the crowd shudder. Xie Xie of Shrek''s Seven Monsters being an Agility type Soul Master was common knowledge, but only the fewest among them knew his strength; His speed and explosive strength didn''t lose out to any high ranking Soul Emperor at this point!

    Sheng Feilong still didn''t react, only staring at Xie Xie. He had to admit that the latter''s strength was impressive, but in his eyes, he was still moving in slow motion; There was no way he would be able to hit Sheng Feilong with such shallow strength; The disparity in their cultivation level and strength was simply to cast.

    With seemingly no effort whatsoever, Sheng Feilong dodged every single of Xie Xie''s attacks at a hair''s breadth, getting the crowd riled up as they couldn''t tell that he was intentionally doing so. For a while, Xie Xie was similarly riled up, but he soon got more and more serious as it became apparent for him that Sheng Feilong wasn''t dodging him just barely, but actually just didn''t bother to make any greater movements.

    Dodging an expert Agility type soul Master at point blank range repeatedly without bothering to disengage; This was the greatest insult and humiliation he could offer an opponent like Xie Xie. Xie Xie looked up a bit, his gaze meeting Sheng Feilong''s, who had only been staring at Xie Xie at eye level for the whole time. His pale golden eyes radiating an ice cold feeling of annoyance, arrogance and, even worse, clear disappointment.

    Xie Xie gnashed his teeth, one of the Soul Rings behind him lighting up in a bright purple, his speed instantly turning up another few notches. By now, they were jumping around the whole arena as blurry images; Their sheer speed leaving the crowd aghast. Xie Xie''s dagger''s left streaks of golden and blackish light in their wanes, cutting through the air, each and every strike deadly to any normal Soul King or even Soul Emperor.

    Time passed and Sheng Feilong only ever dodged each and every attack at point blank range, leaving Xie Xie to hack at the air again and again. The latter was using one Soul Skill after the other, sometimes in tandem, while Sheng Feilong was keeping up with him by purely relying on his own physical prowess and passively using his Spirit Power to see through all of Xie Xie''s movements.

    By one point, Sheng Feilong dodged unexpectedly to the side, distancing himself from Xie Xie. The latter hurriedly turned around, only to see Sheng Feilong standing at the spot he positioned himself at the start. The latter was completely calm, still showing the same expression as befre, while Xie Xie was sweating bullets from exhaustion, his breathing forceful and raggard, still, his daggers where place by his side, ready to pounce at Sheng Feilong at any second.

    The air around them turned even more heavy until Sheng Feilong suddenly spoke, breaking Xie Xie''s concentration for the slightest amount of time. "Is that it?" His daggers lowered slightly, he saw Sheng Feilong stare at him with an even more disappointed look. "This is the extent of your strength? What a joke."

    Xie Xie once again gnashed his teeth, about to pounce forward. "How dare- You?!" Before he could even finish his sentence, Sheng Feilong had vanished from his spot. He could barely even feel the ridiculous explosion of Soul Power in front of him before Sheng Feilong''s fist dug deeply into his stomach, causing him to bend over, with his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

    Sheng Feilong took a step back while Xie Xie toppled over, but before the latter''s knees could even touch the ground, Sheng Feilong viciously axe-kicked him into the neck, fiercely embedding his head into the ground. The stage''s floor cracked, the dull, explosive sound of the impact finally pulling the crowd out fo their daze and causing them to go completely pale; None of them had seen when Sheng Feilong moved; Even the Soul Emperor and Soul saint ranked students among them shuddering with colourless expressions.

    Without even waiting for anyone to say anything, Sheng Feilong picked up Xie Xie from the ground, pulling him roughly by his hair, his bloodied nose and face now in front of him, Sheng Feilong still with the same cold look in his eyes. He sneered, simply throwing the unconscious Xie Xie towards the other male students taking part in the Fated Date Festival without any concern.

    He was caught by a few people who had snapped out of their daze, while Sheng Feilong started speaking in an indifferent tone. "When Tang Wulin vanished after the Genius Youth Competition on the Star Luo Continent, Shrek Academy was ready to abandon him and return to the Douluo Continent, despite the protests of the other students, including Xie Xie and Yuanen Yehui. Desperate and out of their wits, Yuanen Yehui called me, asking me and my Master for help. Later, Th Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue''er was unable to accept the truth, lashing out towards me, a junior, after Yuanen Yehui decided to leave Shrek Academy and join Daedalus, all of that in front of my Master, who then put Cai Yue''er into her palce."

    He turned around, proceeding to leave the stage. "That is the so called ''deceit and forceful ways'' of my Master and I." His Soul Power had long since calmed down again and he looked no different from an ordinary person, yet no one dared to say anything as he walked back towards his place. However, just as he was about to leave, a powerful killing intent and an even louder, more angry shout reached his ear. "Sheng Feilong!"

    Sheng Feilong stopped, slowly turning around, facing the person now standing on the stage with their Soul Power frenziedly blasting about and spoke in a cold, emotionless manner. "What, your want to fight me now? To defend you friend''s honour? To defend Shrek''s honour? Is that what you want to do, Tang Wulin?"

 222 Fall Out With Shreks Seven Monsters 1/2

    Tang Wulin stood in the middle of the stage atop the Sea God''s Lake, fury blazing in his eyes as he stared at Sheng Feilong. The latter was facing Tang Wulin with an indifferent gaze, his eyes cold and seemingly not putting the leader of the current generation''s Shrek Seven Monsters in his eyes.

    Sheng Feilong''s question still echoed in the ears of the surrounding crowd, many of them gnashing their teeth or clenching their fists, angered that Sheng Feilong dared to insult Shrek''s honour ¨C their own honour ¨C so brazenly.

    Without even replying to the questions, Tang Wulin''s Soul Power slowly rose and his gaze was becoming colder. The blazing anger was reigned in; Clearly showing how much control Tang Wulin had over his own emotions. He wouldn''t let them affect him in a battle where he was put in a situation as dire as when facing Sheng Feilong.

    Although he didn''t fear the latter, he also couldn''t gauge his strength. Still, the explosive force of Sheng Feilong''s Soul Power when he attacked Xie Xie at the end was enough to make him cautious.Tang Wulin''s Soul Power continued to rise, finally exploding out of him as thick vines of the Bluesilver Emperor started sprouting around him.

    Sheng Feilong looked at Tang Wulin and let him prepare himself without making any move. Clearly, Tang Wulin wouldn''t back down now and was completely serious in his want to fight, yet Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but shake his head with a sneer when he saw his ''opponents'' preparations, then turned around again.

    Before he could take a step forward, Tang Wulin''s angry shout echoed through the area again. "You think you can just leave after injuring Xie Xie and insulting Shrek?!" Sheng Feilong sighed in annoyance, then faced Tang Wulin again with a displeased frown, yet mocking expression at the same time on his face. "You think you can stop me?"

    Tang Wulin''s Soul Power as a low ranked Soul Ancestor wasn''t enough to make Sheng Feilong break even the slightest sweat, yet he couldn''t help but want to fight Tang Wulin as well; The latter''s self-righteous attitude and utter fearlessness were what captured Sheng Feilong''s interest.

    Without even thinking much, Sheng Feilong''s sneer turned into a low chuckle and he began moving towards Tang Wulin. "I''m really curious now, Tang Wulin. You, a measly Soul Ancestor, want to fight me after seeing how effortlessly I defeated Xie Xie? Fight me, to defend Shrek''s honour? Didn''t you listen to me before? They abandoned you at the Star Luo Continent. If it wasn''t for Yehui and the others pleading to continue their stay, they would have returned without even looking for you at all."

    His frown deepened, only now realizing how displeased he was with Tang Wulin as a person rather than just by the situation. "Heck, if it wasn''t for me confronting Cai Yue''er before, she wouldn''t have even let the others take revenge for you after Long Yue nearly killed you. From start to finish, they lost every ounce of interest in you and anyone else as soon as they showed even the slightest weakness or lost the slightest worth, yet you wag your tail for them as if they were some grand and holy beacon."

    Again, Tang Wulin didn''t answer, but the anger suppressed in his heart slowly surfaced in his eyes again. Sheng Feilong didn''t miss that, his expression turning into an even more mocking smirk while his eyes remained cold. "Struck a nerve now, did I? Very well, it seems you won''t talk it out. But at least tell me this: Are you truly that delusional, or do you simply hate me for whatever Gu Yue told you ''really'' happened after the tournament?"

    Under the constant provocation, Tang Wulin lost his cool after all, refuting Sheng Feilong with another angry shout. "Shut your damned mouth!" His fists were clenched tightly and the killing intent radiating off of him was growing by the second, to which Sheng Feilong only sneered again. "I see. Then, there''s nothing more to talk about. I really wonder how long you''ll be able to last..."

    He took a step forward, his Soul Power exploding out of his body and continuously rising with each consecutive step. Tang Wulin, who took the brunt of the pressure felt his heart tighten, but he didn''t back down, much to the surprise of Sheng Feilong, who once again sneered. "Still so courageous? Then, how about we take this a bit more serious?"

    The Soul Power around Sheng Feilong once again rose and with the next step and black Soul Ring started swirling around his body, nearly doubling the pressure on Tang Wulin and the surroundings. With each new step, another pitch black Soul Ring appeared around his body, increasing the pressure further and further.

    Before, Gu Yue, Yue Zhengyu and the others were still confident in Tang Wulin''s strength, yet now, their confidence wavered; All of Sheng Feilong''s were black. Only one at first, then two, three, four, leading up to a total of six pitch black, 10.000-years-old Soul Rings, shocking them to their cores.

    Sheng Feilong continued walking forwards, the pressure around him ever increasing, yet no more Soul Rings appeared, causing the surrounding crowd to have a slither of hope left. Sheng Feilong looked at Tang Wulin''s stone cold, hardened expression and sneered. "Still not scared? Admirably, really, but..."

    He took another step forward, stomping onto the ground and causing the ever increasing pressure surrounding him suddenly chaotically exploding as the arena was bathed in a blood-red light. Above Sheng Feilong''s other Soul Rings, another one appeared, illuminating the whole area while the pressure suddenly multiplied many-fold. "We''re still only getting started!"

    It was as if time stopped at that moment. The crowd of people surrounding the Sea God''s Lake and even Lan Muzi and Tang Tingmeng, two powerful Soul Douluo''s suddenly froze when Sheng Feilong''s red Soul Ring appeared. Many people knew he was a Soul saint before as he went into a stand-off with Long Yue, yet how could they expect something like this?

    Long Yue was already considered a monster; He displayed his Soul Rings during the first round of the Fated Date Festival ¨C A total of three purple, 1.000-years-old Soul Rings and four 10.000-years-old ones. Yet, Sheng Feilong, who was many years younger, didn''t have a single purple Soul Ring, but instead six black, 10.000-years-old ones and even a blood-red, 100.000-years-old one; Was this even humanly possible any more?!

    Tang Wulin''s face was similarly ashed. The suppressive force of Sheng Feilong''s Soul Rings was enough to make him unable to control his own Bluesilver Emperor well enough to fight. He gnashed his teeth, staring into Sheng Feilong''s cold eyes as bright golden dragon scales started appearing on his arms, chest and neck.

    The four Soul Rings behind Tang Wulin''s back vanished and a golden light exploded out of him as another pair of four Soul Rings appeared; All of them of a bright golden colour and much bigger than his previous ones. The pressure Sheng Feilong radiated was forced back a bit, giving Tang Wulin enough room to breath and once again take control of his own strength.

    Sheng Feilong could feel Tang Wulin''s bloodline power rising to resist the pressure of his Soul Power; Compared to three years ago, it had become much more powerful ¨C So much so, that Sheng Feilong guessed that Tang Wulin would be able to beat the current Long Yue, despite his vastly inferior cultivation level. Moreover, there are now four of the strange, golden Soul Rings as opposed to the two from when he fought Long Yue.

    Still, Sheng Feilong didn''t bother with these thought for long. He stared Tang Wulin down, who was now stoically staring back at him, his confidence in his strength renewed. Sheng Feilong''s expression didn''t change, yet the pressure radiating off of him multiplied again, causing Tang Wulin''s body to shake. "I told you, didn''t I? That things are just getting started."

    With these words, his eyes'' pale golden colour turned to a much darker shade of gold and a red runic symbol appeared on his forehead. A golden haze seems to surround his eyes, while a massive figure emerged behind him; Clad in loose golden robes, with long, similarly golden hair flowing behind its back.

    The same runic symbols that appeared on Sheng Feilong''s forehead appeared on its arms and chest; It''s eyes being of the same golden colour as Sheng Feilong''s as well. Both, Sheng Feilong and the golden giant, coldly stared down at Tang Wulin, their gazes alone causing the latter''s mind to shake.

    Golden light radiating from the floating giant bathed the whole area, including the skies above the Sea God''s Lake; The crowd was in awe and shock alike, all of them staring at the stage with wide eyes. Lan Muzi and Tang Tingmeng, who still floated in the air, were shocked even more; They were unable to draw in any origin energy from the surroundings, causing them to suddenly fall a few metres out of the sky before they stabilized themselves using their own Soul Power.

    Even further up, Yun Ming and the Sea God''s Pavilion''s Elders stared at the scene below in shock, before turning their gazes to the ever smiling She Meixiao, who refused to say a single word. Before Yun Ming could question her, though, Sheng Feilong''s voice rumbled through Shrek Academy''s Inner Court.

    Staring at Tang Wulin, Sheng Feilong didn''t even bother to sneer anymore; He spoke, though his voice sounding utterly apathetic, the biting cold within bare for anyone to feel. "I''ve had enough of your silly games, Tang Wulin." The latter snapped out of his daze, staring up in shock, before being hit with in insane pressure after Sheng Feilong mumbled another, single word. "Kneel."

    The eyes of the Radiant Emperor True Avatar flashed in response to the command Sheng Feilong uttered. Although it was only aimed at Tang Wulin, everyone in the crowd felt their knees go weak; Their faces paled from just the residue power of the command.

    Tang Wulin''s eyes constricted; His fast ghastly white as he body shook. His powerful Dragon bloodline was reacting to the sudden increase of pressure and furiously trying to resist it, yet this only brought Tang Wulin more anguish.

    He gnashed his teeth and his whole body started screaming and shaking from the pain. Sheng Feilong continued to stare at him, as did the Radiant Emperor True Avatar ¨C True to its name; Staring down like an Emperor and suppressing any and all resistance. Without even having to lift an arm as he did when he tried against Song Weihan, the command that Sheng Feilong gave alone was already enough to deal with Tang Wulin.

    The ground beneath the latter cracked from the sheer force before his knees finally gave in, forcing him to kneel on the ground. With a thunderous crash, Tang Wulin became embedded into the ground for a few centimetres, still bitterly trying to resist the crushing pressure.

    Yet, it didn''t end there; After his knees gave in, the pressure didn''t lessen in the slightest, instead forcing him to bow at the waist, now kneeling on the ground on all fours. The muscles on his scaled arms bloated, the veins visible from the sheer force he brought up to resist Sheng Feilong, yet it still wasn''t enough.

    Tang Wulin released and incredibly angry, dragon-like roar filled with desperation and anguish alike before his forehead finally crashed onto the ground; He had been forced to kneel on all fours, doing a full kowtow towards Sheng Feilong with a single word!

    His body was shaking in anger and unwillingness and he was still roaring like a maddened beast, yet Sheng Feilong didn''t care; The pressure and command he gave through his Radiant Emperor True Avatar were absolute. Sheng Feilong once again started walking towards Tang Wulin with an indifferent expression.

    Stopping in front of the Tang Wulin, he slowly lifted his right foot, lightly placing it on the back of Tang Wulin''s head before speaking down to the latter in a casual voice. "Do you see now? This is where you belong; This is where your blind faith in Shrek Academy and your ridiculous self-righteousness lead you."

    Before he could do anything else, four powerful auras exploded out from the sides of the stage and a massive fireball, fuelled by Soul Power, flew towards Sheng Feilong. Glancing to the side, he blocked it by using his own Soul Power as a shield. The exploding fireball slowly vanished, revealing Sheng Feilong fully unharmed, yet he jumped back the next second.

    Not even a moment later, two powerful sword slashes cut through the air where he just stood. The rest of the exploding fireball''s smoke vanished, revealing five more people; Yue Zhengyu and Ye Xinglan ¨C with their Holy Angel Sword and Stargod Sword drawn and vicious expressions on their faces - at the front and Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan ¨C One half kneeling next to Tang Wulin and the other standing with her Starwheel Staff on the other side ¨C both with similarly angered expressions.

    Sheng Feilong''s expression didn''t change. He saw Gu Yue helping Tang Wulin up, not bothering to keep the command for the Radiant Emperor True Avatar active, before being fed a steamed bun from Xu Lizhi by Gu Yue; With that, five of Shrek''s Seven Monsters stood on the stage opposite of him, with the sixth, Xie Xie, still unconscious, that left only one more.

    The same apathetic expression grazing his face, Sheng Feilong turned to the side from which the jumped towards him, looking and Jiang Wang, who, upon meeting his gaze, showed a conflicted expression before ascending the stage as well. Now, Sheng Feilong stood opposite of six of the Seven Monsters, all of which came together this time to defeat him.

    After eating the steamed bun, Tang Wulin stood up again, staring at Sheng Feilong as well. His expression was ice cold, but all prior emotions are gone; Replaced by pure resentment against Sheng Feilong. All six of them radiated an intense battle lust and killing intent, while their Soul Powers surged, ready to jump into action at any moment.

    Sheng Feilong''s face remained expressionless, yet his aura calmed down. The Radiant Emperor True Avatar turned translucent before completely vanishing, allowing everyone control over the surrounding origin energy again. However, before they could become accustomed to the change, Sheng Feilong started speaking again. "Six versus one? Now that''s a bit of a precarious situation. Should we wait for Xie Xie to wake up; I don''t want anyone running their mouths about this being unfair, after all."

 223 Fall Out With Shreks Seven Monsters 2/2

    Want to have the same feeling as I when I wrote this? Listen to Lu Bu''s Theme from Dynasty Warriors 9 on YouTube. It''s really good.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncjGWTbuEhw

    ------------------------------------------------------------

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui stopped in their tracks, stunned. The two of them were about to jump onto the stage to assist Sheng Feilong after they saw Gu Yue and the other members of the Seven Monsters come to Tang Wulin''s aid, but Sheng Feilong''s words forced them to stand down.

    Yuanen Yehui in particular stared at Sheng Feilong''s back in confusion, not sure whether his words were meant to taunt his opponents or to stop her and Huang Jialong. Still, Sheng Feilong didn''t look back towards them, only keeping his head turned to the front.

    Compared to when Sheng Feilong used his True Avatar''s powers against Song Weihan, he had already become much stronger; His control over the True Avatar had increased so significantly that there was barely any basis to compare it to before. Moreover, his overall strength and prowess to utilize his Soul Core had also reached new heights, enabling him to use the True Avatar with relative ease.

    Sheng Feilong was patiently waiting for Tang Wulin and his team to take their formations, not bothering to prepare. The Seven Monsters didn''t react to his prior provocation, but instead seemed to calm down even more, causing Sheng Feilong to steel his mindset; This wouldn''t be as easy of a fight as before.

    Xu Lizhi''s steamed buns really worked their wonders; After eating a single one, Tang Wulin stood up again, his eyes still blazing with anger, though he seemed much more focused than before. He stared at Sheng Feilong for a moment, then put his finger to his forehead, causing a bright golden light to shoot out and manifest as a long, golden spear in his hand. "Prepare yourselves. He''s strong."

    With the appearance of the spear, tang Wulin''s blood started surging wildly again; Even without paying direct attention to it, Sheng Feilong was able to feel the power behind it ¨C The draconic blood in Tang Wulin''s veins was raging even more than he himself.

    ''His bloodline really is ridiculously powerful...'' Sheng Feilong thought to himself as he prompted his own bloodline to jump into action. His eyes took on a slightly different tinge than before and the image in front of him changed slightly; Colourful lines flew past his from all directions, while similar lines coursed all over and through the bodies of his opponents ¨C This was the energy they utilized.

    Tang Wulin''s energy was split into two parts, just like Sheng Feilong''s; One for his Soul Power and one for his bloodline energy, though they were completely out of balance in Tang Wulin''s case. While his Soul Power was still stuck at the Soul Ancestor level, his bloodline''s power looked even stronger than Sheng Feilong''s Three-Eyed Golden Lion bloodline.

    Moments after Sheng Feilong''s vision changed, Gu Yue flinched. She was the first to notice the change in Sheng Feilong''s eyes, quickly taking the responsibility to inform her teammates. "His eyes changed. Be careful; We might already be in his strange illusions..."

    Tang Wulin and the others visibly tensed, to which Sheng Feilong only smiled lightly. "You think too highly of yourselves. I wouldn''t use such methods against you. If you fall into an illusion, you will naturally know it."

    ''Still, what''s up with that golden spear? I can''t see through it at all.'' Despite his calm, cold and confident voice, Sheng Feilong was worried. The spear Tang Wulin took out was one that he was familiar with; He saw the latter use it against Long Yue, after all, but even with his energy vision, he couldn''t made heads and tails of it. ''It''s dangerous, that much is certain.''

    As if to signal the beginning of the fight, Sheng Feilong''s Soul Power flared up again, his seven Soul Rings springing into existence behind his back. The biggest black Soul Ring lit up as Sheng Feilong used his sixth Soul Skill. He pulled his two old shortswords out of his Spacial Ring while two identical copies of himself appeared next to him on all sides ¨C All of them equipped with a pair of shortswords as well.

    Again, the Seven Monsters tensed up; Among them, Gu Yue had the strongest Spirit power, yet even she couldn''t differentiate between the now six Sheng Feilong''s at all; All of them were the exact same, down to even the aura of the Soul Rings behind their backs. All of them readied their weapons before one of the Sheng Feilong''s ¨C most likely the original one ¨C suddenly spoke up. "Let''s get this over with already."

    All three of them charged forward; Two down the middle towards Yue Zhengyu and Ye Xinglan, as well as Tang Wulin and Jiang Wang, while the third one dashed around the sides, aiming for Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan.

    The one aiming for Yue Zhengyu and Ye Xinglan was the first to arrive, their speed shocking the Seven Monsters, causing Yue Zhengyu to barely be able to dodge out of the way, while Ye Xinglan managed to bring her sword up to her chest to black the assault.

    With the two of them occupied, the second Sheng Feilong didn''t even bother to glance at them and instead dashed past them, focusing Jiang Wang, who stood slightly off to the side. Ducking beneath a sweep from Tang Wulin, That Sheng Feilong slashed out towards Jiang Wang with both swords, causing the latter to be blown away despite blocking the attack with his Mountain Splitting Axe Spirit Essence.

    Tang Wulin instantly went after Sheng Feilong and Jiang Wang while gritting his teeth; One of them alone couldn''t possibly defeat Sheng Feilong, even if it was just a clone! Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan were in a similar situation; The two of them were actually facing the original Sheng Feilong!

    With their strong Spirit Powers and long ranged attacks and controlling powers, Sheng Feilong identified them as the greatest threat and wants to deal with them first. He engaged the two of them in melee combat, not allowing them to leave, while harassing them with mental attacks, tightly binding them down in the fight, disabling them from being able to help any of the other members of their team.

    Meanwhile, the clone fighting Yue Zhengyu and Ye Xinglan was having a hard time. The two of them were adept at melee fights, especially sword fights, and with the two of them working together, they were able to force Sheng Feilong''s clone into the defensive. The clones had a limited amount of Soul Power at their disposal, making Ye Xinglan, who''s sword intent could cut away at their Soul Power, extremely dangerous.

    Her Stargod Sword Spirit Essence was a top-grade Spirit essence and one of the strongest sword type Spirits at all; With each strike against the clone, the shortswords in his hands became more battered. Yue Zhengyu''s Holy Angel Sword was a Soul Skill of his and similarly strong. Moreover, with his wings, his mobility and manoeuvrability were outmatching the clone''s by a large margin; He was perfectly assisting Ye Xinglan in slowly destroying the clone.

    The second clone was in a much better position and was putting a lot of pressure on Jiang Wang and Tang Wulin. The clones strength was much superior to Jiang Wang''s, despite the latter being a power attack type Soul Master, while Tang Wulin''s physical strength outclassed the clone. That, however, wasn''t a problem, as Tang Wulin was much, much than Xie Xie, not to mention Sheng Feilong''s clone; The clone was effortlessly dodging his every attack while constantly forcing Jiang Wang back.

    Tang Wulin could only gnash his teeth; He was already using two of his bloodline Soul Skills, yet he couldn''t match up to Sheng Feilong''s clone ¨C the latter was simply too fast. Jiang Wang was barely able to hold on through Sheng Feilong''s assault, unable to get a single window to attack; His Soul Skills would be perfect to deal with the clone''s speed, yet he was rendered unable to use them.

    In the middle of the stage, Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue were in an even worse situation; Xu Xiaoyan was pale faced and breathing heavily, while Gu Yue was unable to protect her properly. Among the Seven Monsters, Xu Xiaoyan was the weakest, physically, but that usually wasn''t a problem as there were enough melee fighters to protect her.

    In this situation, though, all she do was try to flee and somehow be able to use her Soul Skills to restrain the opponent, but every time she was about to use one, a perfectly timed mental attack of Sheng Feilong stopped her from doing anything. Frankly speaking, in terms of pure control, her abilities were superior to Sheng Feilong''s, who mostly used illusions; Her Starwheel Staff had the same element of Absolute Control as Sheng Feilong''s True Avatar, yet she couldn''t unleash any of her prowess due to Sheng Feilong''s superior Spirit Power.

    Meanwhile, Gu Yue was trying her hardest to concentrate and fight Sheng Feilong; She wasn''t as adept at melee combat at Ye Xinglan, Tang Wulin or the others, but her nimbleness and spacial elemental powers allowed for her to barely keep up with Sheng Feilong. Her Spirit Power was the strongest out of all of the Seven Monsters and she was able to keep up with Sheng Feilong''s mental attacks as the latter''s capabilities were divided between the whole battlefield.

    Sheng Feilong frowned as he continued to dominate Gu Yue, though; He had a clear grasp over the battlefield and thus knew that the clone fighting Yue Zhengyu and Ye Xinglan was about to lose; Ye Xinglan''s sword intent was simply to powerful for the clone to withstand over a long time. He had to do something, before Ye Xinglan and Yue Zhengyu were able to assist the other two fights.

    After breaking Xu Xiaoyan''s concentration with another mental attack, causing the girl to groan in pain, he ignored her for a second, focusing all of his available Spirit power into a mental attack against Gu Yue. With the condensed strength, Gu Yue couldn''t ignore it like before and her movements turned sluggish for a moment; Long enough for Sheng Feilong to disengage her and instead attack Xu Xiaoyan head-on!

    Xu Xiaoyan had just recovered from the shock of Sheng Feilong''s mental attack when she saw his sword about to pierce her neck. She panicked, but was unable to get away. However, just as she was sure she would die, the shortsword stopped, only cutting some of the skin on his throat, causing some blood to flow out. Confused, she didn''t realize the brutal kick connecting with her neck and was flung off the competition stage in a mere second, unconscious!

    Gu Yue gnashed her teeth seeing this, but Sheng Feilong didn''t pay her any mind. Ye Xinglan and Yue Zhengyu had completely forced the clone into a corner; its defence had just been broken by Yue Zhengyu and Ye Xinglan was already at its throat, ready to strike the killing blow. However, before her sword could connect, the clone suddenly vanished out of existence, causing her to miss.

    Stumped for a moment, she and Yue Zhengyu hurriedly turned around, only to see another Sheng Feilong stare at them from across the stage, with Gu Yue behind him and Xu Xiaoyan nowhere to be seen. The two of them glance at each other and Yue Zhengyu looked towards the direction of Tang Wulin and Jiang Wang.

    The real Sheng Feilong instantly dashed forward, not allowing them to come to the other''s help. Gu Yue shot a fireball after him, which was instantly cut in half by a newly spawned clone that was now charging towards her; With only Gu Yue there and Xu Xiaoyan out of the picture, a clone was enough and the real Sheng Feilong could focus on Yue Zhengyu and Ye Xinglan.

    The two of them understood what was happening and frowned, but still kept together; They understood that neither of them could deal with Sheng Feilong alone. For a while, the three fights entered another deadlock; Tang Wulin was still unable to hit the clone, while Jiang Wang was barely blocking the attacks, his face ghastly white by now as his Soul Power was nearly all used up. Gu Yue couldn''t deal with a clone on her own and was hanging on by dodging and teleporting around; She couldn''t fight normally as the clone till had formidable Spirit Power, that stopped her from doing any risky moves.

    The real Sheng Feilong was firmly suppressing Ye Xinglan and Yue Zhengyu now. His power was about the same as the clone, but he was much harder to deal with for them as he wasn''t made up of Soul Power; The effectiveness of Ye Xinglan''s sword intent was reduced tremendously. Still, Sheng Feilong also couldn''t end the fight quickly; Ye Xinglan was still able to cut away at his Soul Power, while his shortswords slowly reached their limits ¨C They weren''t as sturdy, nor as sharp as his opponents Stargod Sword and Holy Angel Sword.

    Some time passed as the fight continued, only for Sheng Feilong to suddenly smile; Jiang Wang was finally unable to hold on any longer and his Mountain Splitting Axe Spirit Essence was broken. Tang Wulin tried his best to help him, but was once again to slow; Sheng Feilong''s clone actually used him as a foothold to jump at Jiang Wang, kicking the latter in the guts before knocking him out with a second kick to the head.

    The clone turned around, brightly smiling at Tang Wulin, while the other clone and Sheng Feilong had similar expressions; All three of them speaking at the same time. "That makes two now!" Thoroughly enraged, Tang Wulin suddenly used his right arms Soul Bone instead of his spear to attack and jumped at the clone, causing it to smile once more, prepared to counter his attack and knock him out as well.

    However, just as the clone was about to attack Tang Wulin, the latter, with his claw perfectly outstretched and about to tear into the clone''s chest, vanished. At the same moment, from the other side of the stage, a pained groan with Sheng Feilong''s voice suddenly sounded out. Tang Wulin blinked unexpectedly; Instead of the clone he was supped to attack, his claw had now pierced through the whole back of another clone; He could actually see a pale faced, but happily smirking Gu Yue behind the dissolving clone.

    She stretched her arms out to the still surprised Tang Wulin, grabbed his hands and fell into his embrace. "Let''s do that." Tang Wulin quickly glanced to where he was before and saw the clone that had engaged him before charge at them with a cold, but angered expression, while the real Sheng Feilong was still fighting Yue Zhengyu and Ye Xinglan, who, by now, both looked battered and bruised.

    "Alright." The two hugged more tightly and Tang Wulin''s bloodline aura suddenly exploded over the whole arena, accompanied by a similar aura coming from Gu Yue. The Soul Power around them started rioting wildly, shooting up massive waves around the whole Sea God''s Lake, much to the awe of the surrounding people.

    The fight between Yue Zhengyu, Ye Xinglan and Sheng Feilong suddenly stopped, all of their heads turning to Gu Yue and Tang Wulin, while the clone at the other side of the arena stopped as well. Ye Xinglan and Yue Zhengyu jumped back, disengaging Sheng Feilong, who didn''t try to stop them and instead stared towards Tang Wulin and Gu Yue with a grave expression.

    The Soul Ring behind his back ceased its light, causing the clone to dissipate, while Sheng Feilong turned his whole body around towards the last remaining members of Shrek''s Seven Monsters. Yue Zhengyu and Ye Xinglan were breathing heavily, both of them having barely enough strength and Soul Power left to stand, though now smiling victoriously after seeing what Gu Yue and Tang Wulin were up to.

    "Oh... Now that looks dangerous indeed." Sheng Feilong said, still keeping a cool head as he stared at the slowly forming image of a massive, multicoloured dragon being formed from energy. His eyes returned to normal as he deactivated his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes; Its abilities wouldn''t be able to do much against this Soul Fusion Skill.

    "You guys seem to have forgotten something, though." His Soul Power started surging once more, his skin taking on a greyish tone, while green markings started appearing all over his body. His energy rose and rose, becoming more terrifying and gut wrenching by the second. His arms and hands turned into long, armoured claws, while two horns sprouted out from the sides of his head, turning upwards.

    His whole body started growing in size as he slowly transformed into the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. To top it all of, his Soul Power exploded out of him once again as two humongous, ash-grey coloured Soul Rings appeared behind him. Yue Zhengyu and ye Xinglan turned as pale as paper while Sheng Feilong''s voice oozed out from his skull like form, gruesome and icy cold. "I also possess a Second Spirit Essence; One much more powerful than the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes."

    His energy clashed with the power released by Gu Yue''s and Tang Wulin''s Soul Fusion Skill, causing a storm to kick up atop the stage and the Sea God''s Lake. Lan Muzi''s and Tang Tingmeng''s expressions turned grave; The energy released by Sheng Feilong and the Soul Fusion Skill was so intense that even the two of them didn''t dare to interfere anymore, yet this wasn''t the end.

    Sheng Feilong put his hands together in front of his chest, his aura rising even more and only moments later, the second grey Soul Ring behind him lit up, coating the whole stage in an ominous light. Between Sheng Feilong''s hands, a massive amount of energy started gathering, forming into the shape of a pitch black sphere before slowly elongating into a spear following Sheng Feilong''s movements of pulling his hands outwards.

    At the end, at nearly three metres long, pitch black spear crackling with energy was created. Sheng Feilong grabbed the spear with one hand, taking a stance and readying himself to throw the black spear at Tang Wulin and Gu Yue''s Sol Fusion Skill. By now, the two of them had already opened their eyes; The Soul Fusion Skill had finished forming and the two of them were staring at Sheng Feilong, who looked back at them with a similar expression. "Try your best not to die, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue."

 224 Demon Vanquishing Spear

    "Try your best not to die, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue." These were words that Sheng Feilong spoke with utmost sincerity. The Soul Fusion Skill Tang Wulin and Gu Yue are using was too powerful for him to block and even with the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s strength, he wasn''t certain to be able to survive it.

    This is why he was relying on the second Soul Skill, one he had never used before, nor did he know how powerful it truly was. After he obtained it and got back control over his own body back then, he understood how the Soul Skill worked as was normal when one obtained a new Soul Skill, but he couldn''t be sure of its power.

    The only thing he knew was what he had heard and seen from Song Weihan; The latter used his own memories to let Sheng Feilong experience what he experienced when fighting the berserk Netherworld Putrefaction Demon together with She Meixiao and the others Elders of Daedalus.

    Back then, the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon killed a Hyper Douluo of Daedalus, Elder Li, and devoured him whole to create this Soul Ring. This wasn''t any normal Soul Ring, thus it was impossible to gauge its strength from the Soul Ring itself.

    However, after Elder Li lost his life, She Meixiao came up with a plan to trick the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon; She used Yuanen Yehui''s ability to summon a demon through the Gates of Hell, used it as bait to draw the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s attention to it and have the other Titled Douluo''s kill it.

    Her plan worked; The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon in its berserk state, instantly ignored everything else and only focused on destroying the summoned demon as soon as it noticed the latter. During that time, it didn''t attack normally however; It used the second Soul Skill, the one made from Elder Li''s power and the same Sheng Feilong was using right now to attack the demon.

    If even the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon with all of its power and rage made use of this Soul Skill to annihilate another demon instead of attacking it directly, just how powerful does the Soul Skill have to be?

    Sheng Feilong took a deep breath and clenched his fists. The sheer amount of compressed energy inside this pitch black spear was causing him to feel fear; If he failed to control it, the amount of destruction could cause wasn''t some Sheng Feilong could or even wanted to imagine. Yet, it was the only method he could think of to block Tang Wulin''s and Gu Yue''s Soul Fusion Skill.

    The energy around the stage was growing more and more rigid, to the point where Ye Xinglan and Yue Zhengyu could barely resist it. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were staring down at Sheng Feilong from amidst the gigantic dragon phantom. Both of them stretched their hands out towards him, causing the dragon to open its maw, with all of their amassed energy being condensed into it.

    Moments later, a massive beam of seven coloured light bathed the stage in its light, shooting directly at Sheng Feilong. There was no room for him to dodge, no room to even think. He could only take a deep breath a throw the spear in his hand towards the incoming beam of light. ''Second Soul Skill; Demon Vanquishing Spear.''

    A pitch black flash of light shot through the stage, piercing through the seven coloured beam without any resistance, causing it to implode upon itself, dissipating into the air in a split second. The crowd beneath them was shocked into silence, yet before they could react in any way to what just happened, the black spear impacted with the head of the giant dragon.

    At that moment, it was as if time itself had stopped for a split second; As if all light in this world had suddenly vanished. Without any sound, amidst the pitch black darkness, an ash-grey explosion suddenly encased the whole stage, rapidly spreading outwards and threatening to wash over the whole Sea God''s Lake.

    The crowd was unable to react as the shockwaves hit them, casting through Shrek Academy''s Inner Court like a storm, yet the explosion didn''t engulf them. The first to come back to their senses, Lan Muzi and Tang Tingmeng, grew ghastly pale for a moment before spotting a few figures at the edge of the stage, casting a barrier around it and stopping the explosion from growing outwards.

    "Elder Zhou!" Lan Muzi couldn''t help but cry out in shock; At the edge of the area best visible from their position stood the Scarlet Dragon Douluo Zhou Shi, one of Shrek Academy''s Sea God Pavilion''s Elders. Moments later, the two of them also notice other Elders at various positions around the stage, all damming in the ash-grey explosion of energy, stopping it from laying waste to the Inner Court.

    About ten seconds later, the explosion finally vanished, slowly revealing the carnage that was taking place within. The whole stage had vanished, obliterated in its entirety, leaving behind not even ashes. Flying on the same spot where he stood before was Sheng Feilong, still transformed into the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    Opposite of him, shielding Gu Yue and Tang Wulin stood the Sea God Pavilion''s Master, Atlas Douluo Yun Ming; His clothes were ripped, his outstretched arm slightly bloodied while his hand showed scorched wounds. His hair was ever so slightly dishevelled, while his expression showed utter shock. Behind him were Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, both of them having lost consciousness with ghastly pale expressions, behind held up into the air by Yun Ming''s Soul Power, that was also shielding them.

    Next to him, on one side, floated another Elder of the Sea God Pavilion, shielding Ye Xinglan, who''s face was similarly ghastly pale as she stared at Sheng Feilong in terror. On the other side stood Yue Zhengyu, his expression the same as Ye Xinglan''s, also being shielded by another Elder of Shrek Academy.

    All of them, including the Elders that had created the barrier around the stage before, were staring at Sheng Feilong with shocked expression, some more grave than the others. Before Sheng Feilong could say something, a light laughter was heard from besides him, revealing She Meixiao with a calm smile on her face. "I guess that marks six for you now, no? That should be enough."

    Although she was smiling and her voice was gentle, Sheng Feilong could notice the urgency in her voice; If he were to go further now, be it in combat or with the insults, She Meixiao wouldn''t be able to keep Shrek''s Elders in check.

    Seeing his master like this, Sheng Feilong nodded, reverting back to his normal self while breathing out with a long sigh. Thankfully, his clothes were still intact; The uniforms of Daedalus members were made to be able to bear the strain of much more extreme transformations.

    During all of this, Yun Ming didn''t say a word. He only lightly waved his hand, causing new clothing to appear over his arm, then turned his attention to Gu Yue and Tang Wulin. He knew about their ridiculously powerful Soul Fusion Skill and expected them to win the moment they used it, yet they were crushed to an extent where he himself had to intervene to safe them.

    "Senior, are the two of them alright?" Sheng Feilong suddenly asked loud enough for Yun Ming and the other Elders to hear, causing the former to glance at Sheng Feilong. His expression was somewhat tense, obviously not wanting for Tang Wulin and Gu Yue to be seriously hurt. Yun Mind only shook his head with a indifferent expression. "They''re only severely exhausted; Nothing to fret about."

    He didn''t say anything else and lifted his hand, slowly nurturing tang Wulin''s and Gu Yue''s bodies with his Soul Power to help them recover. All of them returned to the shore, Yun Ming and the Elders bringing Tang Wulin and the rest of the Seven Monsters to the Holy Spirit Douluo, Yali, was already awaiting them.

    Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao reunited with Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui, both of which were still slightly pale from being exposed to the uncontrolled aura of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon; While Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Essence usually wasn''t a problem when they worked together, if Sheng Feilong didn''t control it to not affect them, they were barely able to stand its aura.

    The Holy Spirit Douluo was giving each of the Seven Monsters a quick check-up to make sure they were really alright, but could only smile slightly in relief; Among them, Xie Xie was injured the worst, and even he would be completely fine in about a week without any help from her. Xu Xiaoyan and Jiang Wang were only knocked out and exhausted from using up their Soul power, while Ye Xinglan and Yue Zhengyu were faring even better.

    The same went for Tang Wulin and Gu Yue; The two were only utterly exhausted from overdrawing their Soul Power, Spirit Power and, in Tang Wulin''s case, bloodline energy. Nothing serious, as they would only need to rest for a while before being able to fight normally.

    Surprisingly, though, there was another person by the Holy Spirit Douluo''s side, a beautiful young woman with silver hair and an anxious expression, who was holding Tang Wulin''s hand. No one stopped her from getting into contact with Tang Wulin, yet Yun Ming showed a displeased expression, while the Holy Spirit Douluo smiled.

    She Meixiao waited for the Holy Spirit Douluo to finish her examination before smiling at Yun Ming. "If there is nothing else, we will take our leave today. I''m sure Your Highness Atlas Douluo won''t make things difficult for us in regards to the destroyed stage, considering that it was your Seven Monsters who first challenged my disciple..."

    Yun Ming''s expression turned soured and he replied in a cold voice. "No, of course not. It was Shrek Academy''s students who showed such disrespect towards an honoured guest of the academy. How could I make things difficult for you."

    After his words, She Meixiao''s smile grew wider; She was pleased ¨C Although Yun Ming agreed to her plan of using Sheng Feilong''s strength to humble Tang Wulin and the others, things had gone far beyond that point. She Meixiao bowed towards Yun Ming, still smiling brightly. "Then, we will excuse ourselves here. Best of luck for everyone participating in the Fated Date Festival."

 225 Leaving Shrek Behind

    Without further ado, Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong, Yuanen Yehui and She Meixiao made their way towards the exit of Shrek Academy, leaving Yun Ming and the Sea God Pavilion''s Elders standing by the crowds and around Tang Wulin''s group.

    Many of them were staring at Sheng Feilong and She Meixiao with angry, or at least disapproving looks. They couldn''t fully blame Sheng Feilong for the fights that ensued, but he constantly insulted them and the academy. As if that hadn''t been enough, She Meixiao, someone who none of them could do anything against, had to push it even further, making it so that even their Headmaster was forced to take it laying down.

    Ye Xinglan, Yue Zhengyu and Xu Lizhi were amongst those; They were the last of their group that were still conscious and also the ones with the best relationship to Sheng Feilong, safe for Jiang Wang. Yet, even they couldn''t hide their anger about a former teammate defeating all of them.

    For a long while at first, She Meixiao didn''t say anything and only kept a small smile on her face. Only after they left the confines of Shrek Academy did she tell Sheng Feilong and the others that she had been watching from start to finish.

    Sheng Feilong flinched, thinking he had made things difficult for her, but She Meixiao only laughed seeing his conflicted expression. "There''s no need to worry. Originally, I thought that the three of you would join the date festival and thus went to watch it together with Yun Ming and the others. Us Titled Douluos were meant to make a grand entrance, but we waited, hidden in the clouds after Xie Xie challenged you."

    "...He had it coming for himself." Sheng Feilong said mumbled after a while, his expression turning sour. Yuanen Yehui also showed a displeased expression when remembering Xie Xie, but couldn''t help but smile as she glanced at Sheng Feilong.

    She Meixiao noticed this and showed a slick smile, one to which Huang Jialong could only sigh, before she started teasing Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui. "You did really well in protecting you little wife; Not every woman is as lucky. Hah, your Master, I, might get jealous..." She could barely contain herself from giggling while Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui turned beet red.

    Coughing to try to hide his embarrassment, Sheng Feilong replied in a forcefully calm tone. "He- He simply went to far with what he said. Spouting nonsense about... stealing Yehui away despite knowing what happened and even insulting me, and Master."

    "Oh, so you were also thinking about me? Why, thank you." She Meixiao continued to giggle, allowing Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui to calm down somewhat. After a few seconds, Sheng Feilong tried to change the subject to make it easier on himself. "Right, Master, you said you wanted to go to Shrek Academy for some kind of business. Did everything go well?"

    She Meixiao''s expression fell somewhat and she sighed lightly before shaking her head. "Well, not quite. Shrek Academy refused, but I guess it doesn''t matter if I tell you in this case. Have you heard about the Demon Island that is under Shrek Academy''s jurisdiction?"

    All three of them, including Huang Jialong, shook their heads; None of them had heard about such an island before. She Meixiao quickly made sure that there was no one listening in as this wasn''t something everyone should know of, then continued to speak. "A 1.000 years ago, a weird island suddenly appeared in the ocean with powerful destructive energy on it. Shrek Academy sent people there to investigate, but none of them returned. Afterwards, they sent the then-current Shrek''s Seven Monsters there, but even they vanished without a trace."

    She paused for a moment, looking at the others; They were surprised, but still keeping calm. While the Shrek''s Seven Monsters were strong, Sheng Feilong had just proven that they weren''t unbeatable, so they weren''t too shocked. "Somehow, over the course of many years, Shrek Academy turned that island into a training place for their best students. Every generation of their Seven Monsters is sent there to train. And I tried to get spots there for the three of you, as well."

    "A place for the strongest of Shrek to train at, despite the enormous amounts of negative and destructive energy there. ''If they can become much stronger through this training, what about us, who possess Spirit Essences with similar elements?'' That was what I was thinking." She Meixiao said while they were boarding a Soul Train to return to the Daedalus headquarters.

    "...I can understand why they refused." Huang Jialong frowned, but couldn''t help but agree with Shrek''s decision. Nodding at his words, She Meiciao agreed as well. "I did try to tempt them with quite a few offers, but considering Shrek''s resources as well as what happened at the Star Luo Continent, I was doubtful whether they would accept in the first place. Though it was certainly worth a try."

    Sheng Feilong looked at She Meixiao with slight discomfort; The latter noticed his look and simply smiled again. "It''s not your fault. Our talks were already over before we came to see the date festival. Honestly, it was really refreshing to see the faces of those arrogant Elders fall while you easily beat up their precious Seven Monsters..."

    An awkward lauhg was all Sheng Feilong forced out, dropping the matter. The four of them talked for a while longer before Sheng Feilong, Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui started to use the time to cultivate while She Meixiao watched over them, making sure no one disturbed them.

    They returned to the Daedalus headquarters a few hours later where Sheng Feilong reported what happened to Song Weihan. Yuanen Yehui came with him while Huang Jialong and She Meixiao returned to She Meixiao''s office for the time being.

    Song Weihan laughed heartily at the story Sheng Feilong told him; He wasn''t a fan of Shrek Academy, regardless of whether they were responsible for the Sheng Clan''s demise or not ¨C It was already bad enough that they failed to protect Sheng Feilong during the terrorist attack on the Soul Train.

    At the end of the story, Sheng Feilong sighed with a frown on his face. "Still, I can''t help but think that I''ve gone a bit too far... I mean, I don''t pity Xie Xie in the slightest; He deserved it and I probably would''ve beat him up a bit more if I wasn''t so annoyed about being pulled into that date festival, but I don''t think it had to escalate so much with the rest of them, especially Jiang Wang..."

    "Well, forcing Tang Wulin to kowtow beneath your feet does sound a bit excessive. It provoked the others to act, to begin with. Though I don''t think teaching him a lesson was wrong." Song Weihan said, understanding that Sheng Feilong didn''t want things to end like they did.

    Yuanen Yehui looked at Sheng Feilong, sharing Song weihan''s opinion. "Tang Wulin... got what he deserved. He didn''t know what really happened, didn''t listen to you and only got mad because of Xie Xie. I don''t know what happened to him, but his arrogance and blind faith in Shrek are what brought this upon him."

    Seeing Sheng Feilong still frowning, Song Weihan spoke up again. "Well, he is the leader of Shrek''s Seven Monsters; He''ll get over it. If anything, the beating you gave him will incite all of them to train more and become even stronger. I don''t think that what you did was bad at all."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head, not saying anything else about the topic. Talking with Song Weihan for a while longer, the latter threw them out of his office a in the evening. "You two return to your quarters for now. Tomorrow will be your day off and we''ll continue to train normally the day after."

    Walking down the halls with Yuanen Yehui, Sheng Feilong was surprisingly silent. Although both she and Song Weihan had already told him that they thought he did the right thing, he still wasn''t too sure himself.

    "Alright, see you tomorrow." The two of them stopped in front of Sheng Feilong''s room, where Yuanen Yehui smiled saying her goodbyes. Sheng Feilong only nodded his head in response, causing her to frown lightly. "Are you okay?"

    "...Are you really okay with what happened at Shrek?" He looked Yuanen Yehui in the eyes, surprising her. "Back when we asked you to join Daedalus, you were searching for Tang Wulin. The others... They were your closest friends, right? Today, you finally got to see them again after years and it... it ended like that because of me."

 226 A Silent Nigh

    Yuanen Yehui remained silent for a while. She knew Sheng Feilong was only worried about her, but she couldn''t find the right words for a long time. After a while, she thought the matter through, then took a deep breath. "I never joined Daedalus only to find Tang Wulin."

    "When I was still at Shrek Academy, I always thought of my Fallen Angel Spirit Essence as bad. I was always apprehensive of training it because I knew what would happen if it got too strong. The Elders of Shrek Academy always kept their eyes on me and whenever someone found out about it, they would be shocked at least; Yue Zhengyu, someone from the same class as me, even wanted to kill me the moment he saw my Spirit Essence..." She spoke in a quiet, but calm voice.

    Sheng Feilong''s gaze was fixed on her, while Yuanen Yehui continued. "You and Madam She... you were the first ones to really want to help me. Even when it came to my fourth Soul Skill, the Gates of Hell, Elder Cai and others only ever thought of how to suppress it, never to help me control it. When you used the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon to suppress the demon into following my commands, I was so happy that I couldn''t put it into words..."

    Her voice lost the calm from before, getting more emotional, though Yuanen Yehui never stopped staring at Sheng Feilong. "For the first time in my life, I thought that, maybe, someone could really help me ¨C That I wouldn''t have to live as a cripple for the rest of my life if I ever reached the Titled Douluo. I could finally cultivate without fear."

    After saying all of that, she paused for a moment. Sheng Feilong remained silent, waiting for her to continue, still not sure if he did the right thing. "...Tang Wulin and the others... the never really felt like ''friends'' to me. It was like Tang Wulin was everything that held us together as a group. Zhengyu and I followed him because of his strength and because he was the one that was forging the metals for out Battle Armour."

    By this point, Yuanen Yehui frowned slightly. "Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan were similar; They had met Tang Wulin when they represented Shrek a few years ago when they were children. Xu Lizhi and Tang Wulin really were friends, but Ye Xinglan was only interested in his strength. I don''t know what happened between Xu Xiaoyan, Xie Xie, Gu Yue and Tang Wulin; They were already a group when they came to Shrek and those three always followed behind him without any doubt, often to the point that it felt simply surreal; If it was something Tang Wulin said, then it was undeniable."

    "It became even worse the better I got to know them; All of them seemed to have all kinds of secrets that they never talked about. I know I''m one to talk when it comes to that, but still, it struck me as odd. Even Tang Wulin didn''t seem to know everything, much less care about it. After Tang Wulin got injured by Long Yue, all of us lost our... purpose. We simply stopped to function as a team. If it wasn''t for you taking the lead and Gu Yue wanting revenge so badly... I think we would''ve really just thrown the towel." She felt bad about saying all this, especially as she didn''t do anything to stop all that from happening.

    Sighing lightly, Yuanen Yehui became more emotional once again. "After he vanished in the Dragon Valley, everything simply broke down; Elder Cai didn''t care, Teacher Wu couldn''t do anything and us students were left alone to deal with it. But we couldn''t do anything as well; We had no idea what to do and could only wait, getting more and more anxious the whole time. Then, Elder Cai announced that we''d return to the Douluo Continent without waiting for Tang Wulin any longer. I... I simply didn''t know what to do anymore, then, you and Madam She came... and you resolved everything to the best of your abilities."

    "Shrek Academy left the continent soon after, but you took me in. I could cultivate however I liked, I knew Daedalus was looking for Tang Wulin as best as they could and.... and you were... always there for me... If anything was wrong I could simply rely on you..." Yuanen Yehui spoke without any restraint, though noticing what she was saying, her voice got more and more quiet and she started blushing with her head hanging low. "I- hyah?!"

    Before she could continue to speak, Sheng Feilong suddenly hugged her tightly, his head buried in her shoulder. Yuanen Yehui instantly turned bright red, trying to squirmish away, but was powerless against Sheng Feilong''s strength. "F-Feilong, stop this, I-"

    "Yehui. Thank you. For everything; For trusting me like that, for saying everything you did." Sheng Feilong spoke in a low voice, his head still buried in her shoulder. Yuanen Yehui was more than flustered by this point and tried to somehow wrestle his arms away. "I-I get it. Come on, let, let go of me already-"

    "I love you." Three simple words, yet Yuanen Yehui froze as if the whole world simply stopped. Her hands stopped moving, unable to wrestle Sheng Feilong''s arms away, while her flustered expression froze on her face, and she just stared at the back of Sheng Feilong''s head, still buried in her shoulder. For a good ten seconds, she couldn''t move, nor say anything, before finally being able to squeeze out a tone. "I, wha..."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t move and continued to hug her tightly, not raising his head from her shoulder. If Yuanen Yehui could see his current face, she would probably start laughing loudly; Sheng Feilong''s face was actually more red than her own ¨C He was even more embarrassed than her, yet kept his voice straight. "I said I love you. I''ll say it as many times as you want."

    Yuanen Yehui starting shaking slightly, her heart racing. She didn''t know what to do and stopped struggling. She buried her head in Sheng Feilong''s shoulder, just as he did, and put her hands around his waist, lightly hugging him. "You''re such a bully..."

    Sheng Feilong started giggling like an idiot. He had staked everything on this moment, confessing his feelings for the first time. The two of them had together for a long time by now, but he had never openly stated his feelings for her like this before.

    Embracing each other in a hug, they continued to stand in the hallway in silence for a long time, before Sheng Feilong retreated half a step. His face had returned to normal, the red flush gone, and pulled Yuanen Yehui with him into his room, closing the door behind them.

    Yuanen Yehui took a moment before realizing what he had just done, then blushed even more furiously than before. Without even waiting for her to say anything, Sheng Feilong pulled her towards the bed and forced her to lay besides him. Yuanen Yehui''s whole body shook, her voice incredibly faint, but filled with dread. "Feilong, th-this is- I-"

    Before she could say anything, Sheng Feilong hugged her again, pulling her head against his chest. His heartbeat was completely calm and a huge smile was plastered all over his face. Her held Yuanen Yehui in his embrace, tight, but not strong enough to force her to stay if she wished to leave, before whispering lightly into her ear. "Don''t worry. I''d never do anything you don''t want. I just want you to stay with me. Please?"

    Yuanen Yehui''s heart beat didn''t calm down in the slightest, but the dread in her mind vanished like a lie. She buried her head in his chest again, grabbing the sides of his clothes while speaking in a shy voice. "You''re really a bully... you''re taking advantage of me; So shameless..."

    "Then I''ll be shameless..." Sheng Feilong said, the smile on his face widening as he closed his eyes, still holding Yuanen Yehui in in his embrace.

    --------------------

    At another place, She Meixiao was giggling constantly, a mischievous smile on her face, while Song Weihan next to her sighed, keeping a straight face. After a moment, She Meixiao retracted her spiritual senses, turning to Song Weihan with a smile "Who would''ve thought that those two would be so brazen..."

    The latter sighed again, a slightly annoyed expression in his eyes. "They''re both of age, so whatever happens happens, but I can''t believe they''d be that unaware of their surroundings... Both of them should know that we''re watching over everything happening inside the base."

    "You say that, yet you still sealed up his room..." She Meixiao spoke, tilting her head at Song Weihan with an interested expression. The latter still kept a straight face, making it impossible to read his mood. "Would you rather have half the base know what''s going on?"

    Giggling some more, She Meixiao quickly waved her hand, the smile on her face growing wider and wider. "No, no of course not! Brother Song, you''re always so thoughtful when it comes to little Feilong..." Song Weihan waved her off with one hand. "Stop it with that voice. You''re giving me the creeps."

    She Meixiao only giggled some more, while Song Weihan looked at her with suspicion. "...Don''t tease the two of them too much tomorrow." She Meixiao looked shocked for a moment, a indignant expression on her face in the next. "Brother Song, please, how could you say something like that... I would never even think of that!"

    Massaging the bridge of his nose, Song Weihan only sighed one more, his eyes closed as he thought about Yuanen Yehui and Sheng Feilong in slight pity.

 227 Seething Undercurrents

    Within the dark room, far beneath the surface of the earth, only two people were present; A man and a woman. Both of them were beautiful people, exuding a youthful vigour. The woman sighed lightly, looking at what was displayed in front of her. "It''s... much bigger than I expected."

    The man rose an eyebrow, speaking with an annoyed tone. "You say that as if you were disappointed? Did you expect something else?" The woman laughed awkwardly, touching the humongous thing in front of her. "No, that''s not it. I''m just wondering... if it will fit?"

    "Well, that is for you to figure out." The man sneered, folding his arms in front of his chest. The woman side-eyed him with an displeased expression, giving him another snide remark. "A weapon''s worth isn''t determined by its size, but its power. You should be aware of that, right?"

    The man frowned, looking at the woman with a cold expression before speaking in a low voice. "Are you doubting me?" His arms unfolded and he looked at the woman like a predator looking at its prey. The woman flinched back, trying to defuse the situation with a forced smile. "No, no of course not. How would I dare to doubt the respected Master of the Spirit Pagoda. I was truly just surprised."

    The man didn''t seem impressed, only sneering at the woman once more. "You better be careful with what you say. I have no need to be so civil with you; I only need your Blood Refinement Arts, not you ¨C I can take whatever knowledge I need from your corpse."

    "Of-of course, Sir. I am more than aware of that. I apologize. We will make sure that Lord Pagoda Master''s effort will not go to waste." The woman said, hurriedly bowing with a pale expression; The Spirit Pagoda''s Pagoda Master, a Limit Douluo and one of the strongest people in the whole world, wasn''t someone she could offend.

    She glanced to her side, at the two enormous rocket-like objects, gulping down a mouthful of saliva. She clearly remembered the day the Pagoda Master came to their Holy Spirit Cult''s hideout ¨C without warning, he blasted his way into their main hall, killing hundreds of their subordinates that dared to stand in his way, not bothering to even introduce himself...

    Standing before one of the most powerful Soul Masters in this world, the nerves of her and her colleagues went taunt, while the Pagoda Master spoke of their meticulous plans as if they were nothing special, even going as far as offering his assistance under two circumstances; The Holy Spirit Cult was to remove the Spirit Pagoda from their list of targets and hand him their best Blood Refinement Arts after the plan succeeded.

    In return, the Pagoda Master would solve their greatest problem; He would personally make sure that they got their hands on two of the three strongest weapons in this world; The Rank-12 Fixed Soul Ammunition created by the Douluo Federation''s Government ¨C The God Slayer Weapons. Once activated, they were said to be able to kill even Gods, hence their name.

    Thousands of years ago, the Douluo Federation created three of these God Slayer Weapons; None of which have ever been used in history, nor have they ever been recreated. In the current age, even Rank-11 Fixed Soul Ammunitions didn''t exist any more. They had been used in wars before, creating carnage and inducing mass genocides wherever they were used. Yet, the much, much stronger God Slayer Weapons have never been used.

    They were, without a doubt, the most powerful weapons in the history of mankind, closely guarded by the Douluo Federation and the greatest deterrent that stopped other continent''s governments from attacking the Douluo Continent, other than the powerful Soul Masters lie Shrek Academy''s Yun Ming or the Spirit Pagoda''s Pagoda Master.

    Yet, with the use of unknown methods, the Pagoda Master had managed to bring two of these weapons her, smuggling them out of the most secure, most secret hidden warehouses of the Douluo Federation.

    The Pagoda Master looked at the evil Hyper Douluo kneeling in front of him and simply sneered again, turning around, ready to leave. "Do whatever you must. Our cooperation ends here for the time being. I will come to your hideout once more after you are done. Don''t even think about playing any tricks on me."

    The woman clenched her teeth, yet she couldn''t refute the Pagoda Master in the slightest and thus, nodded her head. "Of course, Lord Pagoda Master. With these two God Slayers, we''re sure to succeed. Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect''s headquarters will be wiped off of the surface of this world."

    "Do not disappoint me." The voice of the Pagoda Master echoed through the underground shelter once more, his body having long since vanished from the place. The woman continued to kneel down on the ground for nearly a minute before finally rising up. She took a deep breath, her eyes colder than any ice. "That damned bastard... Hoe could the Master''s agree to work together with such a scheming piece of trash. Righteous Soul Master, my ass."

    She pulled out a strange, blood-red gem with a myriad of runes inscribed into it, carefully bringing it to the surface of the first Rank-12 Fixed Soul Ammunition before inserting her Soul Power into it. The gem lit up in a crimson hue, engulfing the whole weapon before vanishing; It was a special Spacial Treasure!

    With an indifferent face, she did the same with the second Rank-12 Fixed Soul Ammunition, then turned around and started wandering through the shelter. They had chosen this place to conduct their meeting for a reason; It was a private shelter belonging to an relatively unknown businessman. The only reason the woman walked through all of the shelter once again was to make sure that absolutely no one survived to tell anyone of this meeting, or even the businessman''s death.

    An hour later, she came out of the shelter, walking through the basement of a luxurious mansion. Ignoring the bloodied corpses and pools of blood that lay by her feet, she walked out of the front door, closing it behind her before vanishing from her place, not to be seen by a single soul.

    -------------

    A long time later, at the hideout of the Holy Spirit Cult located at an undisclosed location, the woman kneeled in front of a dozen men clad in black robes, her expression respectful, nearly worshipping. "Great Masters, I have finished the task you have given me."

    From one of the hooded figures, a cackling laughter erupted with a disgusting sound as if bones were scratching over stone. Moments later, the same cloaked figure spoke with a raspy voice. "You did well, child. Now, give me the Blood Jades."

    Without hesitation, the woman respectfully presented the two blood-red Spacial Treasures to the cloaked figure. A simple wave of his hand was enough for the cloaked figure to bring the treasures to his hands. He brought them close his his face, inspecting them with his eyes before breaking into a cackling laughter again. "Yes... Perfect. With this, the fate of Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect are sealed... you did well, child."

    The last part was addressing the woman still kneeling on the ground. She lowered her head ever more, not daring to meet the cloaked man''s gaze. The cackling laughter once again echoed through the hall as he threw a small token to the woman. "Show this token to the treasury. For your amicable services, you shall be rewarded... Go, take a 80.000-years-old Soul Beast''s corpse for your cultivation."

    The woman caught the token, bowing once more. "Thank you, Masters, for your grace." She turned around walking out of the hall at a normal human''s speed, not daring to disrespect the cloaked figures by flashing out of the hall.

    The raspy voiced cloaked figure didn''t pay any attention to her anymore. He had turned around to the other cloaked figures, placing the two blood-red Spacial Treasures on the table in the room. "The time is nigh, my dear brothers."

    The two massive steel doors slowly closed behind the woman. The cackling laughter of the first cloaked figure being the only thing she heard. Moments before the doors closed shut, another deep voice sounded out, rumbling like a landslide on a mountain top. "Within two months, all preparations will be completed. The days of that abominable Shrek Academy and Tang Sect, are numbered now."

    The woman continued to stand with her back to the closed door for a moment, lost in her own thoughts before lokoing at the command token in her hand. Shaking her head, she sighed lightly while starting to walk away. "Is cooperating with the Spirit Pagoda really worth it? The Masters... I hope they see through that bastard''s schemes... I can''t help but feel that we''re only being used..."

 228 Misunderstandings In The Morning

    There were no sounds to disturb the quiet within Daedalus'' underground headquarters. Yet, out of habit, Sheng Feilong woke up early in the morning. The moment he sleepily opened his eyes, he could help but break into a wide smile. Not only has it been years since he last slept this well, the first thing he saw in the morning was the adorable sleeping face of the woman he loves, Yuanen Yehui, snuggled into his embrace.

    The night before, she had been wincing around, trying to somehow get out of his embrace out of embarrassment, yet she was unable to do so as she couldn''t muster any strength at all. Sheng Feilong kept his eyes closed during her efforts, leaving her in the believe that he was already sleeping.

    After minutes of fruitless efforts, Yuanen Yehui finally seemed to put up with it; She stopped struggling, letting herself be held by Sheng Feilong, yet her body was still slightly shaking. Sheng Feilong pulled her closer into his chest, letting her hear his calm heartbeat.

    The steady, calm rhythm finally getting her to calm down as well, allowing her to fall asleep, to which Sheng Feilong only smiled before drifting to sleep as well. He hadn''t looked at her sleeping face before, this morning marking the first time he saw her fully defenceless.

    Her long, red hair laying loosely and slightly dishevelled on the bed. Her whole body and face relaxed, calmly snuggling into Sheng Feilong''s embrace, while her hands held on to the sides of his clothes.

    Seeing her like this, Sheng Feilong pushed a few strands of her hair out of her face with a smile, continuing to lay in bed unmoving, waiting for her to wake up, simply enjoying the moment of holding her in his arms.

    ----------------

    A while later, Yuanen Yehui slowly opened her eyes. Still drowsy, she didn''t realize what was going on. Without much concern, she tried to sit up in bed, only to find her self be held down. She froze, finally realizing that she was pressed against something, yet before she could react, a calm voice entered her ears. "Good morning."

    Suddenly, her face turned bright red again; Falling into a panic, Yuanen Yehui struggled to get away from Sheng Feilong, completely flustered, yet the latter didn''t let her move, only tightly holding her in place while once again speaking in a calm, loving voice. "Calm down... Nothing happened."

    Freezing at his words, Yuanen Yehui stopped struggling, her body shaking like a scared, small animal''s. Sheng Feilong kept his calm, loosing his grip lightly, to let her have some room to breath. While speaking in the same calm, loving tone as before. "I''ll let you go if you want. I told you, right? That I''d never do anything you don''t want. Calm down."

    His words seemed to finally reach her; She stopped shaking, pressing her head into Sheng Feilong''s chest to hide her face. She remained like that for a short while, listening to his calm heartbeat before speaking in a quiet, shy tone. "Le-Let me stand up..."

    Sheng Feilong smiled, loosening his embrace. Yuanen Yehui stepped off the bed, her face still bright red; She stopped in the middle of the room, remembering that this isn''t her own, suddenly not knowing what to do. Sheng Feilong sat up, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her with a smile on his face. "Did you sleep well?"

    Yuanen Yehui shook slightly at his question, letting her head hang down, though not answering. Sheng Feilong chuckled lightly, not minding her silence. He pointed at a door, then spoke up again. "The door on the left leads to the bathroom. There''s a shower as well."

    Yuanen Yehui remained silent again, but looked at the door he mentioned to, before glancing at him. Seeing her bright red face, Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but smile even wider, causing her to flee into the bathroom, complaining in a low voice. "You''re taking advantage of me again..."

    --------------------

    Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui walked down the hallways towards the dining room, the former not letting go of the latter''s hand the whole time. They found Sheng Lingtian sitting at a table, eating breakfast by himself while reading a few papers. The two of them got their breakfast as well, then sat down on Sheng Lingtian''s table. "Good morning, father."

    Sheng Lingtian looked up, smiling at Sheng Feilong and nodding. Noticing Yuanen Yehui with his son, his eyebrows rose ever so slightly. "Good morning. You two are already together this early in the morning?" Yuanen Yehui turned somewhat red again, while Sheng Feilong only replied with a nod, not elaborating any further.

    It didn''t take long before the three of them weren''t the only ones at the table any more; Song Weihan came to their table; Not with breakfast, but only a cup of coffee and a newspaper in his hands, though. He quickly glanced at them, nodding his head before wordlessly sitting down. The others were already accustomed to his antics and didn''t say anything; They already knew that Song Weihan wasn''t a morning person.

    "Oh, there you are!" A familiar, cheerful voice greeted the people at the table after a while as She Meixiao slowly walked over to them. A smile was plastered over her face, as always, and she made a beeline to Yuanen Yehui. "I''ve been looking for you the whole morning! I didn''t find you in your room at all; Have you been here the whole time?"

    Yuanen Yehui flinched, turning around to She Meixiao with a lost expression. Sheng Feilong turned around as well, greeting She Meixiao with a light bow. "Good morning, Master." She Meixiao nodded at him before turning back to Yuanen Yehui, still with a smile on her face. Sheng Lingtian was oblivious to what was going on, so he didn''t pay it too much attention, while Song Weihan side-eyed She Meixiao with a grumpy expression.

    "I was at your room earlier, but you were already gone. Where have you been?" She Meixiao pressed for an answer once again, still with a bright smile on her face. Yuanen Yehui got flustered once again, stammering a few words out, while her face got redder by the moment. Of course, She Meixiao didn''t let that slide, putting on a worried expression. "Are you alright, Yehui? Your face is all red."

    "I- uh, I mean- ah, we-" Yuanen Yehui got more flustered, stammering a bit more before hanging her head low again. She Meixiao''s smile got wider the more Yuanen Yehui struggled, while Song Weihan tried to ignore it to the best of his abilities. Sheng Feilong frowned before putting on a deadpan expression, answering She Meixiao instead of Yuanen Yehui. "Yehui has been with me since last night."

    She Meixiao was a bit taken aback, not expecting such a straightforward answer, while Sheng Lingtian started violently coughing, nearly chocking on his food, startling everyone else. He stared back and forth between Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui with a terrified expression. "You two, you- The whole night? To-together?"

    Yuanen Yehui couldn''t take it anymore; Her face was bright red, while her body shook once more. She hid her face not daring to meet anyone''s eyes, while Sheng Feilong also started to blush slightly. He cleared his throat lightly, to give himself time to calm down, before looking at Sheng Lingtian. "Father, calm down. We-We''ve been together the whole night, but we didn''t do anything."

    "You two... really now? I- Hah..." Sheng Lingtian couldn''t form a sentence right now, while She Meixiao looked incredibly surprised. "Oh my... You two have already progressed this far..?" She put a hand on her cheek, looking at Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui with a concerned expression. "I mean, the two of you are already of age, but still..."

    For a moment, Sheng Lingtian seemed to have lost his Soul, while Sheng Feilong also got more flustered. He looked at She Meixiao, then back at Sheng Lingtian. "Father, really, nothing happened. We just slept together..."

    "No, no, it''s alright. Like Madam She said, you''re already of age... There''s nothing reprehensible about it..." Sheng Lingtian stammered to himself, sighing again and again. He wasn''t listening to Sheng Feilong at all at this point, causing the latter to sigh as well before speaking to himself. "He''ll calm down eventually..."

    Turning around, he found She Meixiao staring at him with a wide smile an interested expression. He hesitated for a moment, glancing at Yuanen Yehui in the meantime, and trying to pacify She Meixiao. "Master, nothing happened, really... We only slept in the same room."

    She Meixiao only smiled, nodding with a knowing expression, while Song Weihan drank the rest of his coffee before standing up. He moved past the table, moving towards his office. "Next time, pay more attention to your surroundings, Feilong. If you don''t seal up your room yourself next time, about half of the people in the headquarters will know what''s going on, even without even trying to spy on you."

    Sheng Feilong froze on the spot, staring at Song Weihan''s back; He couldn''t say anything without it sounding like he was making excuses at this point, especially with his face being flushed red as well. She Meixiao once again smiled widely with a hand on her cheek before leaving as well. "Well, you''re free to do as you like today; We''ll only start training tomorrow again. But don''t overexert yourself..."

 229 The Spirit Domain Realm

    Sheng Feilong and the others continued to cultivate normally during the next few weeks. Under Song Weihan''s supervision, everything went smoothly; Yuanen Yehui was mostly focusing on increasing her Soul Power, while Huang Jialong did the same. After his breakthrough to the Soul Saint realm, She Meixiao told him to train together with the others as she didn''t feel the need to supervise him.

    Sheng Feilong''s training mostly consisted of cultivating his Spirit Power with Song Weihan. He had already been at the peak of the Spirit Abyss Realm before they went to Shrek Academy. The next step was for him to advance to the Spirit Domain Realm; A fabled level of spiritual strength that only the best of the best could reach.

    According to old stories, reaching the Spirit Domain rank in Spirit Power was the first step to achieving Godhood; Without sufficiently strong Spirit Power, one wouldn''t be able to breach the final burden, even if they remained a rank 99 Limit Douluo for hundreds of years. Yet, Sheng Feilong was about to reach this level at the young age of 18; Even for Song Weihan, this was unprecedented ¨C He himself only reached it in his thirties, when he was at the peak of the Soul Douluo boundary.

    For every person, reaching the Spirit Domain level was a hurdle they had to overcome by themselves. Although Song Weihan specifically trained Sheng Feilong in his Spirit Power even now, when it came to the actual breakthrough into the Spirit Domain Realm, all he could do was tell Sheng Feilong of his own experiences as reference.

    A week into the training, Song Weihan already had extremely high hopes for Sheng Feilong; He had reached the absolute peak of the Spirit Abyss realm ¨C A Spirit Power of 19.999 points ¨C and was actually already able to see through the elements in the air and differentiate them from the compound origin power.

    "You''re doing really well. I didn''t expect you to increase your Spirit Power by this much within a week. Before you went to Shrek, you were still a few tens of points short..." Song Weihan mused, an interested expression on his face. "The hurdle is for you to make the breakthrough and truly reach the Spirit Domain Realm."

    Nodding towards Song Weihan, Sheng Feilong one again returned to meditation. Day after day with minimal interruptions, he meditated, trying to comprehend his own spiritual Domain. One day, the old lion king asked for his attention.

    Inside his spiritual consciousness, the old lion king laid in the grass, with the Purple Forest Witch sleeping on the lion''s back. Sheng Feilong had conversed with the lion king regularly throughout the last few weeks, especially since reaching the Spirit Domain Realm would most likely mean awakening his third eye as well.

    Yet, the lion king hadn''t asked for his attention like this before. It nodded at Sheng Feilong, greeting him with a calm expression before cutting straight to the point. "In the last few weeks, I have been watching you closely. And I have seen something interesting; Whenever you try to comprehend the meaning behind the Spirit Domain, the Soul Bone of my dear sister seems to tremble."

    Without hesitation, Sheng Feilong pulled the Artificial Skull type Soul Bone over to them, inspecting it, but there was no apparent change ever since he awakened his bloodline; It looked totally normal. "...What do think is wrong with it, Senior? It looks perfectly fine."

    "I don''t think there is anything wrong with it, rather, it seems like it is reacting to your attempts to reach the Spirit Domain Realm." The lion king replied lazily, yet its eyes were focused on the Soul Bone with a slight tinge of sadness within them. Sheng Feilong nodded, noticing its expression; It still didn''t like Artificial Soul Bones in the slightest, it seems.

    "...Then, could that mean that I can use it to help me?" Sheng Feilong muttered a bit before looking back at the lion king. "If I utilize the Soul Bone while trying to comprehend my Domain, I might be able to get it to react. Maybe that could help me break through, or even better ¨C Help me open the third eye directly."

    "I do no know if that can help you, but it may certainly be worth a try. My dear sister was, after all, the strongest of our tribe and the one who had opened her third eye in our generation. Maybe... You truly need to open the third eye in order to break through ¨C Maybe the third eye will become your ''Domain''." The old lion king agreed with Sheng Feilong''s idea, musing about the possibilities.

    "Thank you for telling me this, Senior." Sheng Feilong nodded with a smile on his face before looking back and forth between the lion king and the Artificial Soul Bone once. "Is there any other advice you have for me, Senior?" The old lion king only shook its head lightly, to which Sheng Feilong nodded once again.

    Returning to the real world, Sheng Feilong once again calmed his mind before starting to cultivate his Spirit Power. Yet, before attempting to make his breakthrough, he instead activated the Artificial Skull type Soul Bone.

    A profound golden aura shot out of Sheng Feilong''s body, starting from his forehead, slowly forming the phantom of a brilliant Three-Eyed Golden Lion; It''s head and eyes superimposing with Sheng Feilong''s. Yet, While Sheng Feilong was seated with his eyes closed, the lion lazily laid on the ground, its eyes closed as well.

    The energy surrounding Sheng Feilong build up more and more, the profound golden aura radiating off of him becoming more and more dense and heavy. Soon, Song Weihan noticed the change inside Sheng Feilong''s training area and came to take a look. He was surprised to see the lion laying on the ground in Sheng Feilong''s stead, as he couldn''t see the latter through the golden sheen. Yet, with the signature of the aura clearly being Sheng Feilong''s, he didn''t interfere and only observed the situation with a frown.

    The spiritual power in the area built up further and further, the pressure quickly reaching the absolute peak of the Spirit Abyss Realm. However, it didn''t stop building up there; Slowly, but surely, the pressure rose even further. Minutes passed by with this going on, then half an hour, a full hour...

    Song Weihan observed the whole matter with hawk like eyes, making sure not to miss even the slightest change. Although the breakthrough to reach the Spirit Domain Realm was different for everyone, the procedure Sheng Feilong was going through was simply too weird for him to ignore.

    A few moments later, Song Weihan could feel a wave of spiritual power wash over him, past the walls and out of the room. ''He''s spreading his senses out? Why? ...Is it happening unconsciously?'' Song Weihan didn''t resist and let Sheng Feilong''s Spirit power push into him as to not disturb him; If he repelled it now, it could harm Sheng Feilong.

    Meanwhile, Sheng Feilong himself found himself in an truly empty space. It was a weird feeling; There was no light, no darkness, just... nothing. However, moments later, this empty space filled up with a familiar scenery; The training room he was sitting in. At first, he could only see himself, then the lion silhouette around himself before it spread out further, revealing the structure of the room as well as Song Weihan''s figure.

    Surprisingly, Sheng Feilong could even read the latter''s energy flow and power. His Spirit Power spread out further, filling up the whole headquarters of Daedalus and he saw a three dimensional model of the whole headquarters'' layout, as well as everyone within. A few people resisted his senses, creating weird, empty spots within the map at different points of the map, yet these empty spots were slowly filling out.

    The more time passed, the more complete Sheng Feilong''s ''vision'' became; After a few minutes, the empty spots were completely gone, while he could also ''see'' masses of origin energy coagulating here and there, clearly indicating where the highest concentration of origin energy were as well as where people were cultivating.

    This miraculous feeling kept holding on for a long while, while everything around him became more distinct; After a long time, he could even see different shades of colour on the map ¨C These were spots where different elements were more concentrated.

    Sheng Feilong could clearly feel that this wasn''t all; The scenery in this formerly empty world was filling out even more. His vision of things changed once again, this time, however, it only affected people and other living things; Thin, very subtle black lines were coursing through everyone''s body, some thicker than others, some having more of these lines to begin with. However, all of them had in common, that the black lines formed a kind of net that connected every part of their body.

    This clearly wasn''t the same energy vision Sheng Feilong had before and he had never seen anything similar before. Still, while thinking about this, he ''saw'' that Song Weihan was getting flustered; The latter stepped back with a shocked expression, the energy in his body in slight disarray as if he was unable to fully control it, despite his Spirit Power.

 230 Changes To The Spiritual Consciousness

    With his spiritual senses still spread out, Sheng Feilong looked at Song Weihan. He didn''t look to be hurt, physically, yet he stepped back when the black lines started criss-crossing through his body. Sheng Feilong couldn''t stop cultivating here; The Artificial Soul Soul was still active and continuously improving his Spirit Power.

    His vision had been changing again and again since he started cultivating like this and while he didn''t immediately feel the increase in strength, it was clear to him that this was the process of his breakthrough, moreover, Song Weihan regained his calm just seconds later, so there was no reason for Sheng Feilong to interfere at all.

    Another while later, Sheng Feilong felt as if he had stepped into another world; His mind became clear and he felt refreshed despite only cultivating, which should tire him out. His awareness of his surroundings didn''t change again; He could see the whole headquarters of Daedalus and everyone within, as well as the density of the elements in the areas and the flow of origin energy.

    The black lines that criss-crossed through all living beings with the headquarters where still there, and Sheng Feilong could clearly see them, but he wasn''t sure what they were. From within his spiritual consciousness, the old lion king spoke to him, its voice surprised. "You really managed to do it."

    Sheng Feilong concentrated for a moment, entering his spiritual consciousness and appearing in front of the lion king. The latter looked at him with wide eyes, while a certain pride flickered in its eyes. "Congratulations, Sheng Feilong."

    The latter tilted his head; He didn''t understand what the old lion king was talking about. However, he noticed that, despite his vision not having changed, the old lion king didn''t have the black lines running through its body. "What are you talking about, Senior?"

    "Are you not aware of what happened to yourself?" The lion king''s expression didn''t change, but its voice became more respectful. "Not only did you manage to break through to the Spirit Domain Realm, you also opened your third eye."

    "I felt my Spirit Power getting stronger, but... Reaching the Spirit Domain Realm? Did I really do that?" Sheng Feilong questioned; He didn''t feel different from before ¨C Compared to when he broke through to the Spirit Abyss Realm, it felt as if nothing changed at all.

    The old lion king laughed lightly, then turned around, looking at the vast plains around it. "Can you not see it? Not feel it? How vast this inner world of yours has become. Could someone at the Spirit Abyss Realm do something like that?"

    Sheng Feilong followed its gaze, finally realizing how much the surroundings had changed; While it still looked exactly like the lush, silvery plains bathed in golden light, he himself couldn''t see, nor feel its boundaries, as if it was expanding endlessly in every direction.

    Even weirder was the layout of the place; While the lion king still laid some distance away from his Spirit Essence and Soul Bones, it was now much closer to them. Moreover, there was a ruined castle not far from them; The ground beneath it withered and covered in cracks.

    His eyes widening, Sheng Feilong realized what this castle was; The place where the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon resided. Now that he wasn''t distracted, he could even clearly feel it and the 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly''s Soul Bone near them.

    The boundary between the silvery white world and the desolate wasteland had vanished; The two of them now seamlessly transitioning into one another. The were no more clashes between the two opposing energy, just two sides of the same place, in perfect balance.

    Towards the horizon, this seamless border stretched out for all eternity in both directions, in the other two, the silvery white world and desolate wasteland did have their own endlessly outstretching realms. By now, even Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Essence, other Soul Bones and Spirit Souls seemed perfectly fine with being near the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, despite being so fearful and wary of it before.

    After a short while, Sheng Feilong noticed that the air in his spiritual consciousness had changed as well. The former fresh aroma filling the silvery white world was gone and replaced by a natural, yet refreshing aroma, seemingly enriched with spiritual energy. It was the same for the desolate wasteland; The putrid stench was gone, and its stead, there was now the same neutral, rich spiritual air filling the area.

    Sheng Feilong took a while to process all these changes, but accepted that he really seemed to have made his breakthrough. There was simply no other way to explain all the changes in his spiritual consciousness. He looked up, back at the old lion king, suddenly remembering its prior words. "Right, Senior, you said I also opened my third eye?"

    The old lion king looked back at him with a confused expression; First into his eyes, than rising its gaze slightly before matching Sheng Feilong''s gaze again. "Of course. Don''t tell me, you are unaware of that as well? Even while it is still opened on your very own head?"

    "Huh?" Sheng Feilong was taken aback. Using his Spirit Power, he created a small mirror in his hand. In it was his reflection, though a bit weirder than usual; Not only could he see his own energy flow though his head in the reflection, he could also see the weird, black lines again.

    Moreover, that wasn''t all; Just like the old lion king said, in the middle of his forehead, a third eye had opened up; Not a physical one, but one made of runic symbols, yet looking extremely lifelike. Sheng Feilong didn''t say anything for a moment, only looking at the third eye before tilting his head from one side to the other. "...It''s truly the third eye... It''s gaze is even following my own. Is that was master saw before? The reason he staggered back...? It looks so lifelike, so maybe he was surprised?"

    He dismissed the mirror, looking back at the old lion king and excused himself. Withdrawing from his spiritual consciousness, he stopped his spiritual senses from spreading out, then slowly opened his eyes once everything had stopped. In front of him, Song Weihan already stood with his hands behind his back and a calm smile on his lips.

    His eyes where flashing with curiosity and amazement as he stared at Sheng Feilong, while the latter frowned lightly as he could see the black lines running through Song Weihan''s body even without using his spiritual senses. "Incredible, Feilong... You really did break through. And that''s not all..."

    Song Weihan''s gaze rose lightly, just like the lion king''s before him and he looked at Sheng Feilong''s forehead for a moment before meeting the latter''s gaze again. "You actually opened the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s signature third eye in the same breath... This is too incredible."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t answer and instead observed the black lines for a moment longer. They didn''t move and instead seemed to be fixed in position all over Song Weihan''s body, only moving depending on Song Weihan''s movements.

    "Feilong?" Song Weihan said after Sheng Feilong didn''t answer his prior words, pulling the latter out of his thoughts. "Huh? Ah, I''m sorry, Master. I wasdistracted by the black lines." Song Weihan frowned lightly, questioning a bit further. "What black lines?"

    "Since a while ago, probably since I broke through or opened the third eye, I can see black lines running through all of your body. It''s the same for myself when I see my reflection in a mirror or something. When I spread out my senses, I could see those lines on every living being." Sheng Feilong replied truthfully, hoping that Song Weihan might have an explanation.

    The latter thought about it for a moment. Song Weihan''s first thought was that those lines would represent evil or darkness attributed energy, but then he himself should have those black lines. A few moments later, he looked back at Sheng Feilong. "Can you show me where those black lines are running along?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded. Stepping in front of Song Weihan, Sheng Feilong pointed at the lower parts of Song Weihan''s sides. "It''s starts here. Then, goes up to just below the ribs, all at surface level. There, it takes a sharp turn inwards and winds through all of your body before coming to a stop at your heart, Master. The heart seems to be the connecting point for all of the lines."

    Song Weihan nodded, then started asking a few more questions about the black lines, mostly where else they were winding through and how the interacted and connected with each other, then he fell into silence for a moment. "I think I get it... Those lines, they''re all weak spots of mine."

    "Weak spots?" Sheng Feilong tilted his head, while Song Weihan nodded. "The the first one for example; The one at my sides. That''s an old wound were only a scar remains by now. But it was a deep wound back then and never fully healed to perfection. By default, for a Titled Douluo, something like that is already considered a weak spot; If you were to attack it hard enough, it might have catastrophic consequences for me. All of the others are the same. And if we take the connection to the heart into consideration... then these black lines might show you... how to kill an opponent with the least amount of effort."

 231 The Power Of The Third Eye

    "So it''s something like this..." Sheng Feilong muttered after listening to Song Weihan''s explanation. "Putting aside the matter of wanting to kill an opponent or not, just being able to know where to attack them would give me a huge advantage in combat. Moreover, it''s an extension to the abilities I already have, like the energy vision; I can use the latter without a problem, but the black lines only appear if I really use the third eye, meaning all other abilities are activated at the same time."

    Song Weihan nodded his head to Sheng Feilong''s conclusion; There wasn''t much he could say when it came to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s third eye as there wasn''t much known about it. In the first place, Sheng Feilong was probably the person with the most knowledge about it in the world.

    Breathing out with a long sigh, Sheng Feilong deactivated the third eye; It was a power born from his bloodline and he instinctively understood how to use it. It felt so natural that, he didn''t even notice it at first, but as soon as he did, he knew how to utilize it well.

    However, as the third eye vanished, Song Weihan frowned lightly. He probed Sheng Feilong with his spiritual senses again, but didn''t say anything. Sheng Feilong didn''t resist him as he knew Song Weihan didn''t mean any harm, but was still perplexed about the sudden action. "Master, is everything alright?"

    "...Your Spirit Power seemed to drop significantly as soon as you deactivated your third eye... You''re clearly in the Spirit Domain Realm, yet I can barely even feel your strength despite standing right next to you, even while probing you with my own spiritual senses." Song Weihan said after a moment. His retracted his senses and looked at Sheng Feilong, awaiting an answer.

    However, the person in question only tilted his head with a confused expression. "I don''t feel different, though? And I can still feel everything that''s going on, just like before. Only the energy vision and the black lines vanished."

    Both of them remained silent for another moment before Sheng Feilong spoke up again. "Maybe the pressure automatically restrains itself?" Song Weihan nodded his head once more with a thoughtful expression on his face. "The Three-Eyed Golden Lions are known for the incredible Spirit Power, yet they don''t disturb the Soul Beasts around them and their power only becomes apparent in combat. It would make sense for their spiritual pressure to be sealed in their third eye."

    Sheng Feilong couldn''t explain himself well in this regard; Everything felt natural for him and he himself could still clearly feel his own Spirit Power; It was only Song Weihan for whom the power suddenly vanished without a trace. "That reminds me-!"

    Sheng Feilong suddenly called out loud, causing Song Weihan to stare at him. He calmed down again, smiling apologetically. "Sorry. I was just think that, since I broke through to the Spirit Domain Realm and opened the third eye, would my Spirit Essence have changed?"

    "Oh, I see... A good thought. Well, there''s only one way to find out." Song Weihan smiled, now understanding why Sheng Feilong reacted like that. He took two steps back, leaving Sheng Feilong some space while motioning with his hand for the latter to do as he pleases.

    Sheng Feilong nodded, his Soul Power surging; His eyes changed into a darker shade of gold, while the familiar red runic symbol appeared on his forehead. His Spirit Power also abruptly rose in the same breath, though Song Weihan didn''t seem to be able to feel that. He had a thoughtful expression on his face again while looking at Sheng Feilong. "Nothing seems to have changed. The symbol on your forehead is also still the same as before. Can you use the third eye and your Spirit Essence together?"

    Inspecting Song Weihan for a moment, Sheng Feilong hesitated. The former hadn''t reacted in the slightest despite Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power surging massively all of a sudden, giving Sheng Feilong an idea of what was happening. "Master, you didn''t feel my Spirit power rising just now?"

    "Your Spirit Power?" Song Weihan frowned, once again checking Sheng Feilong with his spiritual senses. "...I don''t sense it. Your Spirit Power seems to be on the same level as before." This time, Sheng Feilong was somewhat taken aback. He could understand the third eye sealing his Spirit power when he didn''t do anything, but it even blocked the Spirit Power from his Spirit Essence?

    "I have another idea." He took another few steps back, his Soul Power surging once more. Seven Soul Rings appeared circling behind him, with the third one lighting up; The third ability he got from the Ancient Hypnotic Toad activating ¨C Mental Amplification.

    Song Weihan knew this Soul Skill well; How its effects worked and that Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power would be amplified by a huge margin, yet he could only frown more deeply ¨C He still couldn''t feel the slightest change in Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power!

    Telling Sheng Feilong this, both of them frowned. Sheng Feilong deactivated his Soul Skill, leaving only the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes activated. "It''s a peculiar power... As I''ve asked before; can you activate the third eye together with your Spirit Essence?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded at the question, opening the third eye without any complications. The red runic symbol on his forehead got wider, making space for the real third eye to appear there, outlined by the runic symbols. As soon as he released it, Song Weihan frowned and had to use his own Spirit Power to resist the pressure actively; Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power had risen to a level where even he couldn''t just ignore it anymore.

    "Now I get what you meant; Your Spirit power is much higher than when you didn''t have your Spirit Essence active. Moreover, the third eye seems to amplify it even further, right? This is really interesting." His expression showed his curiosity, while Sheng Feilong nodded before frowning a bit. "But it really tires me out... Using my Spirit Essence and the third eye at the same time is tough; I can feel my reserves plummet even while only keeping them active and doing nothing else."

    Song Weihan thought about it for a moment, then replied. "I''ve never seen a similar case, but I''d assume that to be normal; You''re using three different kinds of powers at the same time; You bloodline power, that''s fuelling the third eye, your Soul Power to keep your Spirit Essence active, while both of them mix together to increase your Spirit Power, which you also have to keep under control."

    "Honestly... I''m getting excited; In this state, your Spirit Power can already match mine, while you still have a lot of room to grow. Your body is stronger than mine, enabling you to push your Spirit power even further without a problem. Add your Mental Amplification to that you should be superior to." Song Weihan with a smile, then put on a nostalgic look. "Do you remember what I toldyou when I gave you the Ancient Hypnotic Toad all those years ago?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head, not quite understanding where Song Weihan was going. "You told me that it''s a powerful Soul Beast from ancient times that has been extinct for 300.000 years now. It''s much more powerful than most of the Ten Ferocious Beasts that we know today."

    With a light laugh, Song Weihan shook his head. "That''s also true, but it''s not what I meant; Back then, I intended to fuse with it myself once I nurtured it into a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul and draw my ninth Soul Ring from it. It''s powerful, yes, but that''s not why I wanted to absorb it."

    "Back then, my research came to the conclusion that the Ancient Hypnotic Toad had limited Spirit Power; It''s abilities were ridiculously strong, especially its illusions, yet the beast itself was too weak to make the most of its abilities. They were inherently too weak, physically, to strengthen their Spirit Power to the heights I had reached back then; The same heights that you have already surpassed."

    "Do you understand now? Why I was so thrilled about this Spirit Soul? Just imagining how powerful it could be gave me the chills. With its limited Spirit Power, the toad''s illusory abilities were already strong enough to trick the predators of that time; How powerful would it become if used by us humans, who can have twice its Spirit Power, possibly much more?" Song Weihan finished speaking with a smile.

    Sheng Feilong looked at him with an astonished expression, then showed regret in his eyes. "I''m sorry, Master... You were so eager about it, yet you gifted me the Spirit Soul, just like that..." Song Weihan suddenly started laughing again. "There''s no need to apologize. I said it back then, and I''ll say it again; It''s much more suitable for you to have it. Back then, I was a peak Soul Douluo, yet you already surpassed the me from then in Spirit Power. I can''t wait for the day you turn the toad into a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul."

 232 Incidents

    Sheng Feilong stared at Song Weihan with shaking eyes; He had never expected for Song Weihan to have put so much thought behind the decision to give him the Ancient Hypnotic Toad back then. Moreover, he made that very decision on the fist day they met, without even really knowing Sheng Feilong.

    While Sheng Feilong''s emotions swayed back and forth, Song Weihan smiled with a genuinely carefree expression; Obtaining the Ancient Hypnotic Toad back then was the first step for Sheng Feilong to become the strong Soul Master he is today, yet for Song Weihan, it was only one more option; It would have taken him years to nurture it into a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul, even with the Spirit Pagoda''s resources he had available to him at the time.

    With an age of just above 400 years, it was perfect for Sheng Feilong to fuse with it and he had never once regretted the decision. In fact, the stronger Sheng Feilong got, the more glad he became. Especially so with the many special circumstances pertaining his disciple; By now, Song Weihan couldn''t even estimate where Sheng Feilong''s limits lay.

    "Well, that should be enough for today." Song Weihan spoke up after a while, waving his hand dismissively. "You should solidify your current cultivation for the time being; We won''t do any training anymore."

    He turned around and started to walk away, leaving Sheng Feilong alone in the training hall. Yet, before he could step out of the room, Sheng Feilong called out to him. "Master! I won''t disappoint you. I''ll cultivate the Ancient Hypnotic Toad into a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul, no matter what."

    His stern, dead-serious look and the fiery glint in his eyes caused Song Weihan to start laughing again. "Of course you will. I never once doubted that. But you need to concentrate on the pressing matters for now. The stronger you get now, the easier it will be for you to strengthen it later. There is no place for needless hurry."

    Staring at Song Weihan''s back, Sheng Feilong remained standing for a while longer. While still laughing, his Master left the training room in a good mood, yet Sheng Feilong didn''t immediately return to cultivating; Only after processing everything that Song Weihan told him did he quietly sit down again.

    During the same time, at another place within the Daedalus headquarters, She Meixiao sat across a deeply frowning Ye Wanxing ¨C the other Vice-Leader of Daedalus and the only Soul Master in the organisations who''s Soul Power exceeds She Meixiao''s. "...That was your disciple?"

    "Yes, I''m pretty sure of it. He was training with Song Weihan this whole last month to break into the Spirit Domain Realm." She Meixiao slightly smiled while drinking from a cup of tea. She didn''t lose her calm bearing despite the surreal spiritual pressure that washed over the whole headquarters a while back.

    Ye Wanxing''s frown eased somewhat, but he wasn''t quite pleased with what She Meixiao said. "That doesn''t explain why he would scan the whole base. What is Song Weihan teaching him?"

    She Meixiao hesitated for a moment before answering. "I''m not too sure why he scanned the whole base, but it was definitely his spiritual signature, though quite a bit more powerful than the last time I checked it; I couldn''t see through it at all this time, so I assume he managed to break through and tested his new senses out without thinking."

    She smiled a bit wider, though a bit more embarrassedly then usual as scanning the whole base like this was truly not something anyone should do, much less her own disciple. "He has already stopped, no? I will make sure to chastise him for this misconduct, but he definitely didn''t have any ill intent."

    Ye Wanxing nodded his head, dropping the matter while his eyes wandered back to the documents on the desk. "Let us return to what we met to discuss in the first place, then." The smile on She Meixiao''s face vanished and she also put on a solemn look. "There''s a total of 83 incidents that occurred during the last month; Much more than what we usually see."

    "I agree; I don''t know why, but those evil scum are clearly more active. Moreover, they become more an more brazen, even attacking cities near our bases, not to mention the cities with powerhouses from the Tang Sect or Federal Government ¨C There was even an incident in Shrek City a few days ago." Ye Wanxing''s voice was cold, yet filled with a certain degree of incredulity.

    She Meixiao remained silent for a few moments before speaking up. "The timing of the increase of incidents matches up with the time I went to Shrek with Feilong, Jialong and Yehui..." Ye Wanxing glanced at her, his facial expression neutral. "Do you think there''s a connection?"

    "It might be possible." She Meixiao nodded without hesitation. "You know the gist of what happened, right? Feilong beating all seven of their new Seven Monsters alone was a heavy hit to Shrek''s reputation. Even more so during the Fated Date Festival, which was broadcasted through the whole Shrek City."

    "So you think Shrek''s loss encouraged those scum to become more brazen? Then what do they take us for`? Allies? Do they truly have that much of a death wish?" Ye Wanxing clenched his fists, though he couldn''t help but admit that She Meixiao had a point.

    Still, for evil Soul Master around the Douluo Continent, Shrek Academy shouldn''t be their greatest concern; While the latter didn''t openly tolerate them, they also didn''t take any extreme measures to hunt them down, only ever acting when one was reported to have committed evil deeds.

    Daedalus, on the other hand, should be much more of a threat to them than Shrek Academy; While members of Daedalus possessed evil or dark attributes Spirit Essences, every single of their members was still a righteous individual. Moreover, unlike Shrek Academy, the members of Daedalus hated evil Soul masters to the core, actively hunting them down and killing on sight once their evil has been confirmed.

    "It could also be tied to the rumours of the Holy Spirit Cult reappearing in this world." She Meixiao added with a heavy expression. Ye Wanxing calmed down, but still sneered with a sour expression. "The Holy Spirit Cult has been eliminated thousands of years ago; Even if there was a new one, they wouldn''t be enough to become the leaders of the evil Soul Masters again. Moreover, none of that has been confirmed yet."

    She Meixiao once again nodded her head and sighed lightly. "Correct, our sources haven''t confirmed their involvement yet, but what if the Holy Spirit Cult reached out to the other minor groups and rallied them up? That would at least explain the many different kinds of incidents as well as their brazen behaviour; They think themselves save as the Tang Sect and Shrek were already unable to erase the Holy Spirit Cult 20.000 years ago."

    "Still, all of that is only speculation; We can''t rely on that alone to make any decisions." Ye Wanxing added, still with a sour expression. She Meixiao frowned, looking at him with a lost expression. "Then, what can we do? Do we only wait for new information until everything has become clear?"

    "...Of course not. We can''t just leave them be. Especially since over 70 percent of the incidents were robberies; It''s blatantly obvious that they''re planning something big." Another silence descended into the office after Ye Wanxing spoke.

    A few minutes passed while both of them were going through the documents again before She Meixiao said something. "You were right, we have to wait for more information. For now, all we can do is heighten the alarm levels of the other bases and have them patrol the cities more frequently. They are to investigate more thoroughly, even if it only seems to be a minor issue."

    Ye Wanxing nodded after thinking about it for a moment. "We should also inform the Tang Sect, Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy of this; They need to heighten their alarm as well. We should also suggest a sharing of information; The more we get out of them, the better."

    "Then, I''ll head to the Tang Sect headquarters while you inform Shrek Academy. I think me going back there already would only lead to more complications at the moment." She Meixiao said, her face not changing in the slightest even during the second part of the statement. Ye Wanxing''s lip twitched, but he still agreed to her plan. "Then, I will be heading out tomorrow. Once I return, you will head to the Tang Sect; One of us should remain in the base, just to make sure."

 233 No chapter today.

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 233 *Spoiler - Title At The End*

    Four days had passed since Ye Wanxing and She Meixiao had decided on their course of action. The former had left for Shrek Academy the next and started talks with the Sea God Pavilion''s upper echelons, keeping contact with She Meixiao.

    She Mexiao had resumed supervision of Huang Jialong''s, Yuanen Yehui''s and Sheng Feilong''s training together with Song Weihan. So far, she and Ye Wanxing haven''t told anyone about their plans other than their own upper echelons, including Song Weihan.

    Sheng Feilong and the others still didn''t know what was going on and were focused on their training. In these four days Song Weihan had dedicated all of his attention to Sheng Feilong, training with him and helping him to familiarize himself with the Spirit Domain Realm of Spirit Power and how to properly use it.

    Other than that, Sheng Feilong and the others would regularly spar against each other ¨C sometimes two against one against Sheng Feilong. Huang Jialong''s and Yuanen Yehui''s combat standards had long since reached heights far beyond their peers, yet they still couldn''t defeat Sheng Feilong, even while working together; This was the disparity created by absolute strength.

    Sheng Feilong''s strength was superior to Yuanen Yehui''s while she used her Titan Giant Ape Spirit Essence, his combat techniques superior to Huang Jialong, despite the latter fully utilizing all abilities of his Seven-Headed Black Hydra Spirit Essence. There was no need to even mention his Spirit Power; Sheng Feilong surpassed both of them by far, to the point where he could fight them with his eyes closed, only using his Spirit Power to predict their every move.

    For the first few matches, the two of them were unconvinced, even accusing him of cheating in frustration. There were no hard feelings between them, yet the disparity caused Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui to feel incredibly pressured.

    The day before, Song Weihan invited them to join his and Sheng Feilong''s private training with Song Weihan giving them pointers on how to utilize their Spirit Power and how to train it more effectively. At the end of these sessions, Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan would spar against each other.

    Just months ago, this match-up would have been impossible; With Song Weihan''s strength, the whole thing wouldn''t even be a sparring match ¨C It would be a one sided beating with Sheng Feilong on the losing end. Yet, with Sheng Feilong having reached the Spirit Domain Realm and opening the third, he could evenly match Song Weihan for as long as he could keep his Spirit Essence and the third eye active at the same time.

    Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui didn''t even dare to breath during their fight; With Song Weihan, a Titled Douluo, fighting Sheng Feilong seriously, the two of them would be injured by just a single attack going astray, yet Sheng Feilong was keeping up with him and not loosing out in the slightest.

    Two two of them didn''t even know that what they saw was just a small part of the actual battle; Song Wiehan and Sheng Feilong were both Soul Masters that focused on their Spirit Power, after all; Their main battlefield was the mental plane.

    After their match, Song Weihan smiled lightly, satisfied with being able to spar as excessively like that with someone who''s Spirit Power could match his own, yet didn''t outclass him by a large margin in physical strength. Meanwhile, Sheng Feilong toppled over as soon as the match ended; Utterly exhausted and unable to even stand straight.

    Remembering what they saw the day before, Yuanen Yehui and Huang Jialong were even more eager to improve during the next days training, something that She Meixiao and Song Weihan heavily favoured. Yet, they had to cut the training short after She Meixiao got a message from a subordinate.

    She and Song Weihan vanished for some time, telling Sheng Feilong and the others to do as they pleased. The three of them didn''t mind the sudden change and continued to train alone, though were curious what lead to She Meixiao and Song Weihan leaving in a hurry like that.

    Still, they wouldn''t receive an answer until the next day, when She Meixiao asked them to come to her office. Song Weihan was there with her and the expressions of both of them were grave. Sheng Feilong and the other two frowned, feeling that something was wrong. "Master, what''s wrong? Did something happen?"

    Song Weihan and She Meixiao glanced at each other before the former nodded, causing She Meixiao to look back at Sheng Feilong. "Shrek Academy has been attacked by evil Soul Master yesterday."

    This shocked Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui especially, while Huang Jialong was more composed, though the anger in his eyes couldn''t be hidden. "Evil Soul Masters? They dare attack powers like Shrek Academy by now? What happened?"

    "They got annihilated, right? With the Sea God Pavilion''s strength, especially Senior Yun Ming, there shouldn''t have happened anything. Though I''m shocked to hear they got so brazen in their actions." Yuanen Yehui calmed down quickly, speaking up after hearing what Huang Jialong said.

    Song Weihan hesitated a moment to answer, glancing at Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui befre opening his mouth with a solemn voice. "...Shrek Academy was... destroyed." A heavy silence engulfed the room, with Sheng Feilong and the others staring at Song Weihan in disbelief. "Destroyed? Did the people in the Outer Court get hurt?"

    "That''s not what I meant; It wasn''t just the Outer Court that''s been destroyed. The whole academy, including the Inner Court, Sea God Lake and Pavilion and... all of the students and teacher, as well as Shrek City, have been annihilated as a whole, leaving only a gigantic crater behind." Song Weihan spoke, his tone grave, continuously eyeing Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui.

    Before they could respond, She Meixiao spoke up as well, hitting them with another few harsh truths. "Thus far, we haven''t confirmed a single survivor. Moreover, other than Shrek Academy, there were simultaneous attacks on the Tang Sect headquarters in Heaven Dou City, the Blacksmith Association''s headquarters where Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua was residing and the Federal Government''s Congress building."

    "We haven''t yet confirmed the severity of the attacks on the Congress building and the Blacksmith association, but Shrek Academy and the tang Sect headquarters have been completely destroyed with no survivors." She said while putting her arms on the desk, her eyes cold and voice shaking with anger.

    Another long silence ensued; Huang Jialong was staring at She Meixiao and Song Weihan in disbelief, while Yuanen Yehui was shaking with a pale face, having trouble to stay on her feet. Sheng Feilong''s expression was completely cold with notsingle trace of emotion in sight. "How? They defeated some of the strongest people in the world, razed the most powerful institutions to the ground within a single day and left no survivors? How?!"

    No one answered him for a moment before the door behind them opened, with an anger filled, old voice inside the room. "With Fixed Soul Ammunition. And now just any, but two of the three God Slayers'', Rank-12 Fixed Soul Ammunition that should have been safeguarded by the Federal Government."

    "Ye Wanxing! You''re back?" She Meixiao''s eyes widened slightly, surprised to see Ye Wanxing return with no one informing her of his arrival. The latter only nodded, understanding her surprise. "I just returned minutes ago. I didn''t inform anyone and came her directly."

    "What happened?" She Meixiao didn''t question his methods, but instead cut right to the chase; Ye Wanxing, who was supposed to be at Shrek Academy and had most likely seen the whole thing with his own eyes, stood in front of her, after all.

    The latter closed the door behind himself, walking past Sheng Feilong and the others to stand next to She Meixiao and Song Weihan before speaking up. "They attacked early in the morning, when I was still at my hotel at the edge of Shrek City, far enough away from the academy. Everything happened within a short few minutes; Hundreds of Fixed Soul Ammunitionsof Rank-7 and above burned the whole sky - Yun Ming sacrificed his own Godhood tablet, as well as his life to stop the Godslayer Armageddon, yet his efforts were fruitless; The God Slayers are not something a mortal can stop, no matter their strength..."

    "Godslayer Armageddon... They got their hands on the most powerful of the Godslayers?" She Meixiao spoke, her brows furrowing. Ye Wanxing nodded his head. "From what I know, the one used at the Tang Sect should''ve been the Godslayer Devours the World; They used two of the three in the same city to make sure Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect perish."

    He frowned as well, his hands clenched into fists. "Yun Ming managed to injure the evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult, but he couldn''t resist the Godslaying powers and perished along with Shrek Academy."

    "I killed the fleeing members of the Holy Spirit Cult when they retreated after they used the Godslayer Armageddon; All of them were Titled Douluos, riding a giant, purple skull."

    She Meixiao was about to answer when her personal Soul Communicator suddenly rung. She looked at it quickly; There weren''t many people who had her personal number ¨C Only the likes of Sheng Feilong, Ye Wanxing and Song Weihan knew her personal number. "...Mu Ye?"

    -------

    Title: Apocalype Of Shrek City

 234 Evil Spirit Threatening The Divine

    She Meixiao''s words caused all the people present to be surprised; Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui knew Mu Ye as an acquaintance of She Meixiao''s as well as the Sect Master of the Body Sect and Tang Wulin''s Master, respectively.

    Song Weihan and Ye Wanxing where also aware of the identity of the Body Sect''s Sect Master, while Huang Jialong had also heard the names of most of the powerful people living on the Douluo Continent in his time following She Meixiao to succeed her.

    After a moment of surprise, She Meixiao took the call, bringing her Soul Communicator to her ear. "Sir Mu, it has been a while... Are you alright?" Mu Ye was regularly residing in Heaven Dou City with Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua; Considering what happened in Heaven Dou City recently, she couldn''t help but worry, especially since most of the information pertaining the Blacksmith Association are kept under a tight lock.

    "She Meixiao... Are you at Daedalus..?" Mu Ye''s voice sounded out from She Meixiao''s Soul Communicator after a moment of silence, though shocking the receiver due to the powerlessness of the voice. "I am. Sir Mu, is everything alright?"

    Mu Ye ignored the question, asking another one of his own instead, his voice becoming somewhat more agitated. "You guys are the most knowledgeable when it comes to evil and dark attributed energy, right?" She Meixiao replied in acknowledgement with a low grunt, which caused Mu Ye to speak up again, his voice carrying a pleading tone. "Please, I need your help..."

    --------------

    A few hours had passed since Mu Ye had called She Meixiao. After hearing what the former had to say, She Meixiao, Song Weihan, Sheng Feilong and and a Soul Douluo ranked Soul Master of Daedalus immediately made their ways to the location Mu Ye told them.

    They were flying through the sky at a high speed flying past villages and smaller cities on their way towards the mountains north of Heaven Dou City. She Meixiao turned her head back to Sheng Feilong and the Soul Douluo flying behind her. "We''ll be there soon! Make haste!"

    Soon, they arrived at a small valley surrounded by mountains. Only upon landing did they see a house made from stone in the middle of the valley; From the air above, this house blended in with the surroundings perfectly and even satellites would be unable to spot anything amiss.

    Arriving in front of the house, the one to open the door was Mu Ye himself. His large, bulking build stood opposite of them, glancing at each of them with a piercing gaze through tired eyes before inviting them in.

    The stone house seamlessly connected to the mountain behind it and Mu Ye lead them through the corridors towards a specific room. On the way there, Sheng Feilong could feel a number of powerful auras in the surroundings, some Soul Douluos, others even Titled Douluos, while they also passed quite a number of those powerful people in person.

    From their builds and powerful vital energy, Sheng Feilong deducted that these people train in the same techniques as Mu Ye himself, thus making them the disciples of the Body Sect. Judging from their strength, the Body Sect seems to have about the same power as the Daedalus headquarters, yet Sheng Feilong and the others knew that this was only the case because the Body Sect had been in decline for a long time.

    Over 10.000 years ago, the Body Sect was a direct competitor for Shrek Academy and even 20.000 years ago, at a time where Shrek Academy was but one of many small academies, the Body Sect was already an apex power. Yet now, they fell short of Shrek Academy by far, mostly due to the fact that their demands for disciples were much stricter than even Shrek Academy.

    The Body Sect didn''t take in any talented Soul Master; Their disciples needed an innately powerful body and an equally powerful bloodline to be able to learn the Body Sects secret techniques. Moreover, even with those prerequisites met, not everyone could stand to cultivate their cruel techniques to forge their own bodies to unimaginable degrees.

    Walking through the hallways for a long time, the group arrived at a at a secluded room with no people around. Mu Ye opened the door, beckoning for everyone to follow him inside. The room was simple; Carved from he mountain it was located in with not much decorations and only a thick stone bed.

    On this bed laid an old man with his eyes shut tightly. His face was pale and on the surface of his skin, a faint greenish aura could be seen; The glow of that aura alone giving the whole rock room a gloomy vibe. Song Weihan frowned, taking a deep breath before he spoke with a solemn voice. "It really is Lord Divine Craftsman, Zhen Hua..."

    Sheng Feilong gulped down a mouthful of saliva. That fragile old man who seemed to be on the verge of death was supposed to be the illustrious Divine Craftsmen of this generation? The only Blacksmith who reached the pinnacle of rank 10 an was able to forge Divine Alloys, which were needed for Four Word battle Armour, that Zhen Hua?

    She Meixiao remained relatively calm; She glanced at the Soul Douluo by her side, motioning for him to check on Zhen Hua while she kept an eye on the whole situation. The Soul Power of the member of Daedalus surged a a dark glow surrounded his hand as he hovered it above Zhen Hua''s body, checking his condition with a stern look on his face.

    Leaving the Soul Douluo to his own devices, She Meixiao turned to Mu Ye again, frowning due to concern and speaking with a heavy tone. "Sir Mu, what happened? How did Sir Zhen get affected with such a vile Evil Spirit?"

    Mu Ye''s expression turned gloomy as he recalled what had happened and looked at Zhen Hua laying on the stone bed. "We were inside the Blacksmith association when the evil Soul Masters attacked; It wasn''t too bad at first and with many Soul Masters being present, we fought them off well for a while. But Blacksmiths aren''t fighters; We got overwhelmed within minutes, especially after they started using Fixed Soul Ammunition. Dozens of decent Blacksmiths died during the attack and the Association was destroyed."

    "Zhen Hua and I were fighting against a dozen Titled Douluos; All of them more powerful than I would have ever expected from evil Soul Masters. At one point, they used sinister methods to have inflict Zhen Hua with serious wounds and attached that Evil Spirit to his body. Eventually, we managed to kill all of the attackers, but Zhen Hua collapsed soon after. If it wasn''t for his Four Word battle Armour protecting his vital organs and fighting off the Evil Spirit, he would''ve long since died..." Mu Ye''s tone was grave and it was clear that he was blaming himself for what had happened to his friend.

    She Meixiao nodded, telling him to remain calm, reassuring him that Daedalus would do anything they could to help. Song Weihan was observing Zhen Hua with his Spirit Power while the Soul Douluo checked his condition thoroughly, both of them frowning deeply.

    After a few more moments of silence, Song Weihan spoke up. "The situation is grave..." She Meixiao, Mu Ye and Sheng Feilong turned to him, waiting for an explanation, while the Soul Douluo nodded his head with a frightened look in his eyes. "The Evil Spirit Has already invaded into Lord Zhen Hua''s bones, corroding his marrow and draining out his life. His Battle Armour is protecting his vital organs, but that won''t be enough."

    She Meixiao''s expression also became more solemn. "Can you save him?" Her words carried a lot of weight; The Soul Douluo she brought along with Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong was the best healing type Soul Master Daedalus had to offer. While he was no doctor, his Spirit Essence was extreme powerful and equally unique in that it used the power of the ailment afflicting the patient to turn it into pure energy to heal them.

    The most gruesome of poisons could be turned into a divine medicine by him, as long as his Soul Power was strong enough to change its properties. When She Meixiao brought Sheng Feilong to Daedalus for the first time, this Soul Douluo was also the first person she contacted, yet his Soul Power was always corroded away by the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s powers, making his aid useless. Only after that did She Meixiao leave Sheng Feilong in the hands of a wise, certified doctor.

    Yet, that Soul Douluo had to shake his head at She Meixiao''s question with difficulty. "Whatever I try, the Evil Spirit manages to hide away from my advances, seeping into Lord Zhen Hua''s bones, minor organs or even meridians. If I tried to purge it like that, I would instead mortally wound Lord Zhen Hua instead..." He stood up, looking at She Meixiao with a heavily concerned expression. "I dare not take such a risk, Vice-Leader."

    Mu Ye''s body shook slightly and his eyes mirrored his desperation as he looked at She Meixiao and the Soul Douluo, who bowed his head. "Is there nothing you can do..?" She Meixiao remained silent, biting her lower lip while trying to think of a way to help Zhen Hua. While she didn''t have any personal attachment to the latter, he was, after all, the Divine Craftsman of the Douluo Continent and the one who helped her forge her own Four Word Battle Armour.

    His status was exalted, maybe even more so than the status of the late Yun Ming and it was uncertain if another Divine Craftsman wound be born within the next few hundreds of years at all; If possible, Zhen Hua''s life must be preserved with all methods.

    Sheng Feilong stared at Zhen Hua, or more precisely, the nefarious green aura radiating off of him. Just looking at this strange aura, it reminded him of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s powers, yet there was an incredible anger for the aura coming from the depths of his heart. ''The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon... Does it hate this Evil Spirit as well? It only reacted to demons before...''

    Thinking for a long time, he finally looked at She Meixiao and Mu Ye. "Master... Can you let me try?"

 235 Fighting The Evil Spiri

    "Let you try?" She Meixiao was taken aback; The best healer type Soul Master just said that it was impossible for him to help, yet Sheng Feilong now wanted to ''try it''? She paused for a moment, frowning lightly at Sheng Feilong''s serious expression. "You''re serious..? Why do you want to try?"

    "You seriously want to let him play with Zhen Hua''s life?!" Mu Ye turned towards She Meixiao, interrupting the conversation before Sheng Feilong could answer her. Mu Ye frowned deeply, yet She Meixiao remained calm this time. "Calm down. Let him speak first."

    She motioned for Sheng Feilong to explain himself, while Mu Ye looked at him with a deep frown. Sheng Feilong nodded, then told them what he felt before. "It''s because of that green aura. When I focused on it, I felt an incredible anger rise from within me. You called it an Evil Spirit, right? I think... the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is reacting to it."

    His words made She Meixiao frown as well. If there was one thing she understood of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, then it was its uncontrollable rage, after all, Sheng Feilong had lost control over it a few times already. Still, he had become so much stronger since then... "Do you think you can control it?"

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head without hesitation. "The hatred is present, but it''s far from being on the same level as when I''m close to Demons, much less to the level where I would lose control."

    Despite Sheng Feilong''s confidence, She Meixiao hesitated; Would he really be able to change anything without any medicinal knowledge at all? Moreover, the patient wasn''t just anyone, but Zhen Hua.

    "Let him try." Song Weihan spoke up while everyone was still considering. "I will take responsibility, and observe the whole matter closely; If I feel even the slightest thing being off, I''ll stop him immediately myself. For now, it''s our best shot. If you do nothing, Zhen Hua will only die."

    Of all of them, Song Weihan was the most calm; He didn''t have any personal attachments to Zhen Hua, nor any feelings of gratitude towards the latter. Of course, he would feel regret to see the continents sole Divine Craftsman pass away, but giving Sheng Feilong the chance to turn this certain death into a life-saving favour was well worth a shot. Moreover, he truly trusted Sheng Feilong''s judgement; If he wasn''t certain that he could help, he wouldn''t speak up so brazenly.

    She Meixiao remained silent still, but lightly nodded her head and glanced at Mu Ye. He had requested Daedalus'' help, yet they had already admitted that they couldn''t do anything and now wanted to allow a junior to try something else; This was truly a lot to ask and She Meixiao didn''t dare make a decision without Mu Ye''s agreement.

    "Boy, are you really sure you can help him?" Mu Ye''s voice was heavy, his eyes sharp as those of a hawk as he stared at Sheng Feilong. However, the latter actually shook his head at the question, with a solemn look in his eyes. "I''m not. But I know that my Spirit Essence is the bane of all demons ¨C of all evil ¨C and it is reacting to that Evil Spirit. I''m certain I can exterminate it, but I can''t be sure of what happens to Senior Zhen."

    Mu Ye continued to stare at Sheng Feilong in silence, while the latter also paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, then spoke with a determined expression. "If it is an injury caused by my Spirit Essence, I can heal it. I can''t heal anything the Evil Spirit did, but I''m certain that I can destroy it; Once that spirit is gone, Senior Zhen''s life is as good as saved, especially with Senior Mu''s help."

    Again, Mu Ye stared at Sheng Feilong in silence. He glanced at Song Weihan for a moment befre taking a deep breath to calm himself down as well. His eyes suddenly turned ice cold and his stare intensified. "If anything happens to him, you will be responsible for it. You better pray that your idea works."

    His words were unreasonable, especially since he himself didn''t have a method to change the outcome, yet no one chastised him for saying it; Only like that could he convince himself to put his trust in Sheng Feilong.

    Sheng Feilong stepped over to Zhen Hua''s bed. With every step he drew closer, he could feel the anger in his own heart well up, but it was still far from being unbearable; His Soul Power surged, while the whole room plummeted into a dreadful abyss.

    A terrifying aura seeped out of his body as he slowly transformed into the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. Mu Ye''s eyes widened at the display of strength; He had only once seen Sheng Feilong''s second Spirit Essence during the Star Luo Empire''s Youth Competition, yet its intensity had increased by tens of times since then.

    Sheng Feilong kept his concentration, focusing his mind to carefully circulate his bloodline''s power, opening the Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s third eye. Thus far, he had only ever tried to activate it together with the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes, but since it drew its power from another source than his Spirit Essence, he thought that it might work.

    And indeed, while not working out as smoothly as with the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes, the eye opened, drawing power from his bloodline''s energy reserves instead of his Soul Power. His energy vision activated and he could clearly see the energy lines running through Zhen Hua and the air inside the room.

    Yet, he didn''t pay attention to that, instead frowning at the sight of thousands upon thousands of black lines twirling around inside of Zhen Hua''s body. From what he and Song Weihan worked out, these black lines were not only weak spots ¨C They were connected to a person''s life force, revealing how to kill them or even how close they were to death.

    Taking this into account, it was clear to Sheng Feilong just how severe Zhen Hua''s situation truly was; More than 70 percent of his body was already filled with the black lines ¨C So much so that the lines already coagulated into spots of black mist.

    Sheng Feilong breathed out sharply, once again increasing hs concentration as he tried to unravel the source of the black lines. If he could find the source, he would find the Evil Spirit. And with it laying bare in front of his eyes, he could exterminate it using the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s powers.

    Time passed quietly as he traced down the lines. As the Soul Douluo had already said, the Evil Spirit''s energy had already seeped deep into Zhen Hua''s bones and only his major organs were safe, protected by his Four Word Battle Armour. Yet, that actually helped Sheng Feilong; The Evil Spirit was hiding at the hardest to reach spots, constantly trying to escape his eyes.

    Finally able to lock on to it after a few minutes, Sheng Feilong raised his hands, prompting the two grey Soul Rings to appear behind his back with the first one lighting up immediately. A greyish-green gas appeared on his hands, which Sheng Feilong focused around one finger of his claw.

    He then coated the gas with his Soul Power, making it so the corrosive properties of the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon.

    His finger came to a stop just beneath Zhen Hua''s ribcage, in the middle of his body. Sheng Feilong pierced into Zhen Hua''s flesh, carefully following along the black lines left behind by the Evil Spirit. His plan was simple; He wanted to force the Evil Spirit to go into hiding at a place where he could attack it.

    He started stabbing Zhen Hua''s body multiple times at different angles, slowly driving the Evil Spirit into a corner, while the onlookers started to get more agitated as the bloody wounds on Zhen Hua''s body started to accumulate.

    Just when Mu Ye was about to interfere, Sheng Feilong stopped. A smile crept onto his face, while he spoke in a raspy voice. "Got you..." He pulled his claw out of Zhen Hua''s body, aiming at one of the bones to Zhen Hua''s shoulder.

    The Soul Power surrounding his claw vanished and he thrust down, piercing through Zhen Hua''s flesh before hitting the bone, ramming the tip of his claw into it. With the corrosive powers of the Putrefying Devil Claw still active, Zhen Hua''s flesh started sizzling soon, pieces of it beginning to erode away, yet Sheng Feilong smiled brightly; He had hit the Evil Spirit directly and most of the corrosive powers were burning it away.

 236 A Lifesaving Favour

    A gut wrenching sizzling sounded out from Zhen Hua''s shoulder while Sheng Feilong''s pushed his claw deeper into it. In addition to the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s usual greyish-green gas, the green aura created by the Evil Spirit was rising up into the air as well.

    She Meixiao and the others continued to look on with tense expressions as Zhen Hua''s body began shaking, though the expressions of Sheng Feilong and Song Weihan, who could clearly tell what was happening thanks to their Spirit Power, eased up.

    Still, Sheng Feilong didn''t dare to lose his concentration and continued to keep close watch over whatever the Evil Spirit was doing. Currently, it was unable to escape Sheng Feilong''s grasp; It was driven into a corner and was constantly being corroded by the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon''s powers, completely locked down by Sheng Feilong.

    Even though it was caught like that, the Evil Spirit was extremely powerful; The speed at which it was being eradicated was really slow, while the fact that it could bring Zhen Hua, a Hyper Douluo, to the verge of death spoke volumes of its strength.

    After a while, Song Weihan started helping Sheng Feilong out with his own Soul Power, fuelling it into Sheng Feilong''s body so his reserves wouldn''t run dry. With the help of Song Weihan, Sheng Feilong wouldn''t have any problems for a long while and She Meixiao also eased up after seeing that his technique was effective.

    Mu Ye didn''t avert his eyes from Sheng Feilong and Zhen Hua for a single moment, though he had also calmed down considerably and was now trying to understand how Sheng Feilong was able to help Zhen Hua. ''His Spirit Essence is ridiculously strong, but how can he pinpoint that Evil Spirit every time?''

    He stared at Sheng Feilong, his gaze focusing some more. ''ˇ­ Is it because of his bloodline? His bloodline power has been surging this whole time, but I can''t say what its doing, much less what bloodline it is. Still, it''s also incredibly powerful... His might even be superior to Ruheng''s... Maybe even superior to... Tang Wulin...''

    Thinking about Tang Wulin and what happened to Shrek Academy, Mu Ye couldn''t help but sigh. While the Body Sect and Shrek Academy were rivals, it didn''t sit well with him to see them annihilated. Especially since he himself invested quite a bit into Tang Wulin due to the latter''s unusual bloodline.

    The treatment Sheng Feilong administered for Zhen Hua continued to go on for another hour before he breathed out a long sigh. He carefully retracted his his claw and cancelled the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon transformation. Mu Ye stepped forward, looking at Zhen Hua with a concerned expression. "Did you manage to help him?"

    Zhen Hua''s body was more mutilated than before, but with the resources of the Body Sect and the Blacksmith Association, a few superficial flesh wounds weren''t an issue; As long as the Evil Spirit was gone, Mu Ye was confident in healing Zhen Hua within a weeks time.

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head, thoguh still with a serious expression. "I''ve eradicated the Evil Spirit fully; There''s not a trace of it left. But Senior Zhen is still greatly weakened. The damage done by the Evil Spirit as well as the fight and the wounds I''ve giving him, he''ll need medicinal treatment immediately."

    Mu Ye scooped Zhen Hua up and left through a door at the side with him. He had already prepared a lot of resources for Zhen Hua including a medicinal bath in the next room. Sheng Feilong and the others left him to his own devices, waiting for him to return after a few minutes. Mu Ye returned to them with an expression that showed that he was at ease now. "I truly don''t know how to thank you, boy... With the Evil Spirit gone, he''ll be back in top shape in less than a week; The rest of the wounds can easily be healed."

    Sheng Feilong was taken aback, but still acknowledged Mu Ye''s words; He thought the wounds on Zhen Hua''s body to be quite a problem, especially with all the clumps of black lines he was able to see with his third eye''s abilities, yet it seemed he had underestimated the Body Sect and Mu Ye.

    Before he could think of anything else to say, She Meixiao stepped up next to him, smiling at Mu Ye. "I''m glad Sir Zhen Hua will be alright, Sir Mu." She glanced at Sheng Feilong and the Soul Douluo she brought with them before her expression turned somewhat embarrassed. "Originally, I brought Feilong and Yuanen here to profit from Daedalus helping you, but I didn''t expect that he would be that help."

    The Soul Douluo laughed awkwardly, not daring to meet her gaze, while She Meixiao continued to speak. "I''ll be frank with you, Sir Mu; As repayment for Daedalus helping you in this matter, I wish to ask for two things: First, I would like for you to allow for Feilong to learn your Body Sect''s techniques to strengthen his bloodline and for Yehui to be allowed to learn your body forging and fighting techniques."

    Mu Ye''s eyes narrowed at her words, while Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui were surprised. The Body Sect''s bloodline techniques and body forging methods were some of their core secrets, some of which were the reason they could even compete with other powerful organisations on the continent.

    She Meixiao naturally understood that point just as well and continued to explain herself. "I''m sure you''ve already noticed Feilong''s powerful bloodline all those years ago when we travelled to the Star Luo Continent together; You''ve seen how powerful it truly is today and how peculiar its abilities are. I want for him to push that bloodline to the peak."

    "Yuanen Yehui is in a different situation; She doesn''t have any special bloodline, yet her Spirit Essence, or Essences to be precise, are just as extravagant. The reason I want you to allow her to learn the Body Sect''s techniques is her first Spirit Essence, the Titan Giant Ape." She spoke openly, causing Mu Ye to fall into silence.

    He looked back and forth between Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui with a complicated expression. It took him roughly a minute to finally make a decision and open his mouth again. "I can teach both of them a few body forging and fighting techniques. As for the bloodline strengthening techniques..." He looked at She Meixiao with a complicated expression before continuing. "All of them are considered core secrets of our Body Sect. As long as he isn''t a member, I can''t teach them to him..."

    She Meixiao continued to smile, as if she had expected that response, though still pushed the matter. "I understand your difficulties, but can''t you turn a blind eye to the rules just this once? Feilong''s bloodline is truly special and not pushing it to its peak would be a huge loss." Her voice became somewhat lower, and she directed at only at Mu Ye. "I remember there being an exception not too long ago... Will it truly be impossible for Feilong to get the same treatment?"

    Mu Ye''s pupils constricted once again and his frown deepened; He knew exactly what She Meixiao was talking about, but didn''t expect her to know about it, much less bring it up now. "...I''ve underestimated Daedalus a bit, it seems... I didn''t expect you to know of me training Tang Wulin..."

    "Tang Wulin?" Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui were taken aback, while She Meixiao only continued to smile. Mu Ye nodded, his arms crossed in fornt of his chest. "During the journey to the Star Luo Continent; You remember him being so tired every morning? He was training with me; That''s how he managed to go through his Second Awakening."

    He sighed, then stared at Sheng Feilong. "Fine, I''ll teach that boy for a while and help him push his bloodline further. But before that, I need to know what bloodline it is." Sheng Feilong hesitated, glancing at She Meixiao for advice. The latter nodded, signalling him that it was alright to tell Mu Ye. "My bloodline is that of a 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who took human form and created my Sheng Clan. I''ve already awakened it and even opened the legendary third eye."

    Mu Ye''s annoyed expression froze instantly. His eyes widened slightly and his head shot around, looking at She Meixiao, who simply nodded with a smile. His expression turned somewhat sluggish and he was unable to reply for a long time, only capable of staring at Sheng Feilong.

 237 Bloodline Manipulation Technique

    An hour had passed since Sheng Feilong revealed his bloodline to Mu Ye. The latter lead Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui to another part of the Body Sect''s headquarters. Soon, they entered a spacious hall carved out of the mountain.

    The ground, ceiling and walls of the room were further fortified with all kinds of materials, making for an odd combination of colours; Everything seemed to be patched up to try and stop it from collapsing rather than being an effective design.

    Mu Ye turned around to the two of them while they still eyed the surrounding hall. "Alright, listen up. This is one of the training areas of my Body Sect. This particular one is my private training area, to be precise. I''ll teach you a few things first and we''ll see how well you do."

    He glanced at Sheng Feilong, hesitating a moment before focusing his eyes on Yuanen Yehui. "Sheng Feilong, you sit this one out; I''ll test your girlfriend first." He walked into the middle of the training hall while Sheng Feilong walked off to the side.

    Mu Ye motioned for Yuanen Yehui to attack him with a calm expression. "Attack me first; Show me what you can do and I''ll choose the most suitable technique to teach you." Yuanen Yehui nodded her head and got into a fighting position, while Mu Ye stood opposite of her.

    She shot forward, attacking Mu Ye head on before using a set of footwork to get to his side and kick out at him. Moments later, her eyes constricted as Mu Ye effortlessly caught her foot, sneering at her while throwing her back to her original position with a single hand. "What do you think you''re doing? Use your Spirit Essence. I''m not here to play house with you. Don''t waste my time."

    Sheng Feilong chuckled, while Yuanen Yehui caught her footing again, stabilizing herself with a slight blush. Her Soul Power surged and her body swelled up, growing into a over four metres tall Titan Giant Ape, while her six black Soul Rings appeared behind her back.

    Seeing this transformation, Mu Ye showed an interested expression at first, which quickly turned into surprise when he saw her Soul Ring constellation. ''Only 10.000-years-old Soul Rings at her age? And a total of six? No wonder She Meixiao wanted me to train her... She''s a monster. Moreover, there''s still her other Spirit Essence. What was it... Fallen Angel? Incredible...''

    While Mu Ye was lost in his thoughts, Yuanen Yehui got into another fighting position and prepared herself for the fight. Her second Soul Ring lit up and the muscles on her right arm swelled up further before she punched out in Mu Ye''s direction.

    A highly compressed shot of air blasted towards Mu Ye, but he still blocked it easily with one hand. Yuanen Yehui shot forwards directly after the attack, closing the distance in an instant before engaging Mu Ye in a fierce brawl.

    The two fought for a short while with Mu Ye blocking every one of her attacks and occasionally countering. His expression was exceedingly calm while Yuanen Yehui was in high focus. ''No need to mention her strength, it''s incredible. Her reflexes are good, too. Her Spirit Power must be quite good. She knows how to make use of any opening very well, but her movements are sometimes a bit awkward... She''s lacking the experience to fight other humans in her transformed state.''

    Yuanen Yehui took a step back while Mu Ye analysed her fighting style and pulled out two giant hammers from her Spacial Ring. Mu Ye''s brows twitched slightly, but he still blocked the attack, though using his Soul Power to reinforce his body. ''She''s using weapons now?''

    Their fight continued for a while, with Mu Ye dodging and blocking her attacks the whole time. After another few minutes, Mu Ye had seen enough and distanced himself from Yuanen Yehui. "Alright, that''s enough."

    Yuanen Yehui was about to jump after him, but stopped upon hearing his words and nodded her head. She put the giant hammers away and transformed back into her normal form, after which Mu Ye spoke up with a frown. "What''s with the hammers? Why do you bother using them? They''re useless for you; You Titan Giant Ape''s strength and range are already good enough, why bother with heavy weapons that limit your means so much?"

    Yuanen Yehui tried to explain her reasons, but Mu Ye''s logic was solid; With a Spirit Essence as powerful as the Titan Giant Ape, all weapons were redundant as her best weapons were her own two fists. He fidgeted with his Spacial Ring for a while and pulled out a few booklets. "Take these. The techniques should fit you quite well. I''ll demonstrate for the time being."

    He continued their training session for about an hour, explaining the techniques to Yuanen Yehui and demonstrating them a few times as well as giving her pointers with her form and the likes. Mu Ye glanced at Sheng Feilong at the side before clicking his tongue and shooing him off with his hand. "There''s no need for you to watch; Go meditate or something."

    Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but smirk lightly. Mu Ye had quite the rough mannerism to him, but he was actually spot on; The techniques he was teaching Yuanen Yehui were completely useless to Sheng Feilong, as they focused purely on physical strength and how to make use of ones own momentum ¨C Perfect for a Power Attack type Soul Master like Yuanen Yehui, but useless for him.

    Heading Mu Ye''s advice, Sheng Feilong bowed lightly before leaving the training hall and returned to She Meixiao and Song Weihan. Yuanen Yehui returned in the evening before everyone went to sleep.

    Sheng Feilong and Yuanen Yehui went to meet Mu Ye in the training hall again the next morning, where Yuanen Yehui showed what she had learned the day before and asked a few questions, which Mu Ye answered.

    After a while, Mu Ye was satisfied with Yuanen Yehui''s progress for now and told her to train on her own while he turned to Sheng Feilong after she left. "So, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion bloodline, huh. Tell me a bit about it."

    He tried to hide it, but Mu Ye was excited beyond belief to be able to work with Sheng Feilong. A Three-Eyed Golden Lion bloodline appearing in a human is unheard of ever since the Body Sect had been created. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion itself was already known as one of the apex Soul Beasts in the world, even before they opened their legendary third eye.

    A bloodline of such a beast is invaluable for the Body Sect, much less one like Sheng Feilong''s that allowed him to actually open the third eye. Sheng Feilong nodded his head and started explaining about his bloodline from the beginning. "The ancestor of my Clan''s bloodline is Sheng Wuyong, a 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who absorbed the power of the sun for over 30.000 years on a mountain in the Great Star Dou Forest."

    "I first awakened my bloodline after I graduated from the Intermediate Academy; My Master, Song Weihan, gave me one of the first Artificial Soul Bones as a gift. That Soul Bone was made from the Soul Bone of an actual 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion. The residue power of the Soul Bone reacted with my bloodline and awakened it." Sheng Feilong spoke in a calm tone, to which Mu Ye simply nodded.

    He was about to say something when Sheng Feilong continued his story. "About one and a half years ago, I ventured into the Great Star Dou Forest together with Yehui and another friend, where we found the mountain my Ancestor had been residing on. I obtained his whole inheritance there, including his blood, which allowed me to fully awaken my bloodline. When I broke through the Spirit Domain Realm some time ago, my third eye opened."

    He left a few crucial details concerning the pride of Golden Lions and his new Spirit Soul out, as he didn''t want to reveal too much to Mu Ye. Still, what he said already caused Mu Ye''s eyes to widen slightly. He took a moment to compose himself before falling into thoughts, trying to decide which technique to teach Sheng Feilong.

    "Well, first of all, I want you to release your bloodline at full power. I need to know how strong it is exactly to give you the best suited technique." Mu Ye said after a while, to which Sheng Feilong nodded. He took a few steps back, releasing the full strength of his bloodline, including opening the third eye.

    Mu Ye was quite composed at first, but the intensity of Sheng Feilong''s bloodline shocked him deeply. He remained silent for a while, then pulled out another booklet from his Spacial Ring, similar to how he did when giving Yuanen Yehui her techniques. "This one should be most suitable for you. You don''t need to awaken your bloodline, but instead refine and strengthen it. Honestly, it''s already ridiculously strong, but a promise is a promise."

    Sheng Feilong simply smiled and started reading the booklet. Mu Ye explained a few of the more complicated things as soon as Sheng Feilong read of them and he soon understood how the technique worked.

    He sat down on the ground and started meditating, then tried to manipulate his bloodline''s energy how the technique said. It took a while to get a grasp of it, but Sheng Feilong could quickly feel his own bloodline getting more agitated.

    However, when he started manipulating his bloodline to strengthen it, an aged voice sounded out within his spiritual consciousness, clearly upset about what was happening. "What are you doing, Sheng Feilong? Why are you meddling with my dear brother''s bloodline?"

 238 Another Bloodline Manipulation Method?

    Surprised by the sudden voice of the old lion king sounding out, Sheng Feilong was pulled into his own spiritual consciousness without much resistance. His body still instinctively circulated the technique Mu Ye just thought him while he appeared standing in the silvery white world.

    Sheng Feilong appeared in front of the old lion king, standing about ten metres away from it. Usually, the lion would lazily lay in the grass and enjoy the light breeze, yet today it stood on all fours, its posture vigilant while it stared at Sheng Feilong with a stern expression.

    "Senior? Is something the matter?" Sheng Feilong was still surprised, not understanding why the old lion king would suddenly call out to him. It stood at attention, its brows scrunched downwards, still staring at Sheng Feilong. "What is that energy in your body? What are you trying to do to my brother''s bloodline?"

    Only now understanding why the old lion king was so vigilant, Sheng Feilong gave a gasp of understanding before trying to explain the situation. "What I''m practising is a special cultivation technique to change and strengthen ones bloodline. With it, my bloodline will become even stronger."

    "Why must you change your bloodline? What is it that my brethren''s bloodline is lacking in?" The old lion king didn''t back down and continued to stare down at Sheng Feilong, speaking in an accusing tone.

    Sheng Feilong was taken aback by the amount of hostility within the old lion king. This was new to him as he only remembered the old lion king''s magnanimous and calm temperament. "Senior, please calm down. There''s nothing wrong with my bloodline... What I''m practising is a technique to make it even stronger, nothing more."

    The old lion king huffed, sneering at his explanation. "Then what use is there to it? Our bloodline will naturally become stronger with time. What use is there to force the process to become faster."

    Sheng Feilong understood why the lion king became so agitated now; As the former king of its race, the old lion took great pride in its Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s bloodline ¨C It''s bloodline stood at the top of the world, superior to even most Dragon type bloodlines, yet Sheng Feilong attempted to fiddle with it in a way the old lion king didn''t know.

    Realizing that he would have to change his approach to pacify the old lion king, Sheng Feilong started to calm down, trying to think of a way to rationally explain the matter to the old lion. After a few moments of silence, he took a deep breath, looking at the lion king with a serious expression. "Senior, I understand you concerns ¨C The Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s bloodline is powerful and, usually, it wouldn''t need any change."

    The old lion''s attention perked up and it wordless stared at Sheng Feilong as the latter looked past it, towards the other side of his spiritual consciousness. "...But with the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon... our situation is far from ''usual''." His gaze returned to the lion king, more serious than before. "I''ve already reached the Spirit Domain Realm in Spirit Power, one of the highest realms for humans, and we''ve only just managed to get the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon under control."

    "However... That is as long as the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon only has two Soul Rings; I simply don''t know what would happen if it were to obtain any more. When I first came to find the pride of golden lions, it was to awaken my bloodline and have another strong measure to contend with the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon." Sheng Feilong spoke in a stern voice, waiting for the old lion king to answer him.

    The old lion turned around, staring into the distance towards the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. From the first time it laid its eyes on the demon when it first became Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Soul, the demon always gave it a bad feeling.

    It knew that the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was somehow in a sealed state and that what it felt form it wasn''t even its full strength, yet just that fragment of its power was enough to cause an immense amount of pressure and even some resemblance of dread within the old lion king.

    "Senior. Do you think we can keep in under control the way things are at the moment?" While the old lion king was still lost in thought, Sheng Feilong spoke up once again. Following his question, the old lion king fell silent for a long time. Sheng Feilong didn''t say anything else and let it come to a decision by itself.

    "...That technique you used before. Throw it away. It won''t be of help to us; It''s trying to change our pride bloodline into something that I don''t recognize, forcing it to become stronger that way. That''s not the kind of strength you should seek." Finally opening its mouth again, the old turned to Sheng Feilong. "I want to meet the one who gave you that technique. It may not be what we need, but it''s ingenuity is undeniable; If that person has such a technique, they might have what we need as well."

    Sheng Feilong hesitated for a moment, thinking about it before nodding his head. "...I''ll bring him here. I''ll show him what the problem is, and you''ll be able to meet him like this." After seeing the old lion king nod its head and lay back down, Sheng Feilong left his own spiritual consciousness, opening his eyes in the real world.

    Mu Ye stood in front of him, just a few steps away with a frown on his face; Everything had been going well, from his perspective, before Sheng Feilong suddenly stopped circulating the technique he was taught and continued to keep seated with his eyes closed. "What happened? Why did you stop cultivating?"

    Sheng Feilong took a short moment to orientate himself, then looked at Mu Ye for a moment. "I''m sorry, Senior... Can I talk to my Masters for a while? I''ll explain everything after that." His words caused Mu Ye to frown even more, but he didn''t stop Sheng Feilong from leaving, though he himself remained in the training hall.

    About 15 minutes later, Sheng Feilong returned with Song Weihan and She Meixiao by his side, both of which had solemn expressions on their faces. This caused Mu Ye''s frown to deepen even more as he didn''t understand why Sheng Feilong would get the two of them, much less why they seemed so stern about it. "What''s going on?"

    Sheng Feilong remained silent, while Song Weihan and She Meixiao stepped forward, the former speaking up first. "Sir Mu, it''s about the technique you taught Feilong. There''s isn''t a problem with the technique, don''t worry; Rather, there''s a few special circumstances of which you don''t know yet, which require a different technique."

    Mu Ye stared at Song Weihan, not understanding what the latter meant, while She Meixiao spoke up to clear the matter. "Sir Mu, Feilong came to us to ask for our opinion before. He told us about what happened when he cultivated the technique you showed him first and told us what he was planning. That''s why we both came here."

    "I don''t want to talk around the bush; Feilong would like for you to enter his spiritual consciousness and asked us whether we would approve of that." Song Weihan said, catching Mu Ye off guard and causing him to turn to Sheng Feilong, who nodded his head.

    "Senior, there''s a few things I didn''t mention before when I told you about the inheritance I received from my Ancestor..." Sheng Feilong stepped forward, standing next to Song Weihan and She Meixiao and began telling Mu ye about what transpired at the mountain in the great Star Dou Forest, as well as the pride of golden lions and the old lion king becoming his Spirit Soul.

    After he finished, Mu Ye was overcome with shock ¨C Not only did Sheng Feilong have a Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s bloodline and awakened the third eye, he also possessed two Soul Bones, one made artificially from a 100.000-years-old golden lion, who had opened the third eye as well, and the other from a real, 177.000-years-old lion king, who also became his Spirit Soul...

    Moreover, Sheng Feilong wasn''t finished yet; With the approval of Song Weihan and She Meixiao, he told Mu Ye about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, how it awakened, its powers and the demon spirit that had been sealed away by the so called Chains of Heaven. He told Mu Ye of his and the old lion king''s plan to find a suitable technique to evolve his bloodline into something that could deal with the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon more reliably. "...That''s why I wish for Senior to take a look himself. The old lion king would also like to meet you personally; It retained its intelligence from when it was still a live Soul Beast, so even others than I can have a conversation with it."

    Mu Ye entering Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness was also the reason both, Song Weihan and She Meixiao, insisted on coming with Sheng Feilong to the training area; Opening up their own spiritual consciousness for another Soul Master to enter it, was incredibly dangerous, for it left the Soul Master in their most vulnerable state; This is also why neither Song Weihan nor She Meixiao truly knew what Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness looked like ¨C They had never entered it out of respect for Sheng Feilong.

 239 Venturing Through The Spiritual Consciousness

    With Song Weihan, She Meixiao and Mu Ye all gathered up around him, Sheng Feilong sat down with his legs crossed. After entering a meditative state, he started to remove the protective measures around his own spiritual consciousness so to allow Song Weihan and the other''s to enter it.

    As the one with the highest Spirit Power among them, Song Weihan observed the process, waiting for Sheng Feilong to remove all protections before telling the other two to release their Spirit Power. All of them sat down as well, then drifted off into Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness.

    Soon, they all appeared within the silvery white world near Sheng Feilong, who was already waiting for them. Song Weihan''s eyes didn''t leave Mu Ye''s figure, while the latter, as well as She Meixiao, were looking around in awe; Unlike Song Weihan and Sheng Feilong, the two of them hadn''t reached the Spirit Domain Realm yet, the seemingly infinite size of it thoroughly shocking them.

    "...This is what it looks like once someone reached the Spirit Domain Realm?" She Meixiao muttered while looking around. She took a deep breath, inhaling the refreshing fragrance, her mind calming down within seconds after which a smile crept up on her face. "It really is completely different from the Spirit Abyss Realm."

    Mu Ye was in an even worse situation; While he had heard of the Spirit Domain Realm, he had never met someone who had actually reached that level. He himself, as the Master of the Body Sect, was only at the early stages of the Spirit Abyss Realm. "At the Spirit Abyss Realm, one becomes able to evolve all of their Spirit Souls and Soul Rings to the 100.000-years-old boundary and beyond; Yet, at the Spirit Domain Realm, one creates their own domain ¨C Their own world..."

    Song Weihan smiled at him after hearing that, his eyes showing a cheerfully nostalgic expression. "Ones own world, yes... An infinite expanse within ones own spiritual consciousness, enough for one to understand the truths of the real world, yet we stay as mortals; Our own world ¨C A world for only one themselves."

    "Beyond that, lies the Divine Origin, where one starts to pry beyond what mortals can comprehend, prying into the realm of Gods." He suddenly started chuckling and shook his head. "How far are we, the Titled Douluos, who pride themselves as the top of humanity, from real Gods? With but a single thought, they create a new world in their mind, a second thought to have that world become a reality, with a myriad of creatures, maybe even more humans, within. Considering that, which is our ultimate goal, how impressive is the Spirit Domain Realm, really?"

    Sheng Feilong looked at Song Weihan in silence, as did She Meixiao and Mu Ye. The latter two couldn''t quite understand what he meant ¨C The Spirit Domain Realm was already this incredible, yet Song Weihan wasn''t satisfied? He wants to compare himself to the Gods?

    While the two of them didn''t understand, Sheng Feilong did. After reaching the Spirit Domain Realm, ones perception of the world changes at a fundamental level and only then would one truly understand how mysterious the world truly is, yet the Gods could create such a world on a whim ¨C How could Soul Masters who understood that truth not want to reach that level?

    For every Soul Master, becoming as powerful as possible was their ultimate goal; Understanding how great the rift between the Gods and humans truly was could be devastating, but haven''t others already proven that it is not impossible to surmount that rift? 20.000 years ago, it was the Tang Sect''s founder, Thousand Hands Douluo Tang San, and 10.000 years ago, the Spirit Pagoda''s founder, Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao.

    They were icons widely recognized by everyone in the world, prodigies of their generations that had changed the world, shaking it at its very core and bringing about a new era mainly by themselves. How could one not aspire to do what they did?

    "You humans truly are amusing. You live such short lives, yet you still aspire to surpass all and compare yourselves to the Gods." Shortly after Song Weihan finished his speech, a sonorous voice came from the side of the group. Song Weihan, She Meiixao and Mu Ye were caught off guard, immediately turning into the direction of the voice with wary expressions.

    A few hundreds metres away from them stood a towering, golden lion, slowly walking towards them with an indifferent gaze. Song Weihan stiffened for only a moment before calming down again; He recognized the old lion king from when he saw it before, but was still slightly wary of it.

    She Meixiao had a similar reaction, though she took a moment longer to calm down, more shocked by the old lion king''s sheer size as opposed to it appearing here. Mu Ye, on the other hand, froze when he saw it, his eyes widening, while his pupils constricted.

    Sheng Feilong had told him about the lion king being his Spirit Soul before, that it was a 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul derived from an actual Soul Beast, yet the pressure he felt from it was entirely different from what he had expected; The old lion king was, at the very least, as strong as Mu Ye himself at his strongest, but he was only in a spirit form at the moment ¨C Far, far too weak to compare himself to his prime, much less the old lion king.

    The lion king walked closer to them, moving the few hundreds metres within a few seconds and coming to a halt just about ten metres away from the group. Sheng Feilong smiled, while the lion king''s gaze skimmed over them. It''s gaze halted on Song Weihan for a moment, lightly frowning as it recognized Song Weihan, then continued to She Meixiao before coming to a halt on Mu Ye. "You must be the one who gave Sheng Feilong that strange technique?"

    Its voice was quite calm, but its gaze was fixed on Mu Ye like it was staring at prey, causing the latter to tense up with cold sweat running down his back. ''What is that thing? It''s just a Spirit Soul, how can it give off such a terrifying feeling? Is that what the kid meant by retaining its intelligence? It''s a wild beast! A hunter out to find prey!''

    Mu Ye forced himself to remain calm, forcefully nodding his head to answer the old lion king''s question. "The kid- I mean, Sheng Feilong, told me that there was a problem with it? That it was changing his bloodline in a way that wasn''t beneficial and that he needs a different one. And that you wanted to talk to me and show me something, so that I would better understand his and your needs."

    The old lion king glanced at Sheng Feilong, not expecting for him to have already explained everything to Mu Ye. It nodded its head loftily, remaining silent, while Sheng Feilong spoke up with a smile. "Well, now that Senior I here as well, I''ll show you where the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is... It''s, well, the cause of the problem, so to say."

    Song Weihan and the others nodded, motioning for Sheng Feilong to lead the way. The old lion king was following directly behind Sheng Feilong, its back turned to the Titled Douluos. All three of them noticed a weird spot on the old lion king''s back, only to recognize it as a small, sleeping child in a purple dress, that was grabbing on to its fur, riding the lion king''s back.

    She Meixiao and Song Weihan were taken aback, their lips twitching at the weird sight, while Mu Ye stared at the sleeping Purple Forest Witch with a frown. Although its aura was vastly overshadowed by the over 100.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lion, upon closer inspection, he could feel that its aura was also incredibly terrifying. Just staring at it, Mu Ye felt like having a sharp spear pointed at his throat. ''What''s with that child? Is that another one of his Spirit Souls? It''s a notch lower that the golden lion, but still terrifying. It can''t be another 100.000-years-old Spirit Soul...''

    Despite his doubts, Mu Ye didn''t say anything, nor did he question anyone about the Purple Forest Witch and followed the group. Under Sheng Feilong''s lead, the soon reached the border between the silvery white world and the desolate wasteland. They didn''t pass te spot where the Ancient Hypnotic Toad, the Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes and Sheng Feilong''s Soul Bones usually were, but took another route.

    The border had calmed down, both of the parts of Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness seamlessly flowing into another without conflict, but She Meixiao and Song Weihan were frowning deeply; They knew that Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness was split in two and that it was currently quiet, but the desolate wasteland still felt strange to them.

    That was especially true for Song Weihan, as his Spirit Power was the highest and he could tell what was going on there more clearly. Mu Ye didn''t say anything, but his expression was as solemn as Song Wiehan''s and She Meixiao''s.

    Sheng Feilong turned to them, but didn''t stop walking. "We''re about halfway there. There''s a ruined castle in the middle of the desolate wasteland; that''s where the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is chained to its throne."

 240 The Gravity Of The Situation

    Song Weihan and the other''s looked at each other for a moment before following behind Sheng Feilong and the old lion king. While Sheng Feilong didn''t mind the change in the air too much, the old lion king became more wary, raising its aura, though mainly to shield the still sleeping Purple Forest Witch.

    The old lion king wasn''t too affected by the strange air, but it was different for Song Weihan, She Meixiao and Mu Ye. The three of them frowned and actually needed to use their strength to withstand the strange properties of the desolate wasteland.

    Sheng Feilong lead them through the wasteland for a while until the ruined castle came into view. After seeing it, Sheng Feilong began to speak about Gu Yue had told him about the netherworld Putrefaction Demon back then. "...A weapon used by the Gods to destroy the Demons and Devils of the Abyss... Twisted and turned into a Demon itself by the energy it absorbed."

    They drew closer to the throne room, entering the castle''s perimeter while Sheng Feilong continued to speak. "Bound to the Demon God''s throne for all eternity after waging war against Gods and losing; Indestructible, yet incapable of ever living a free life. But, somehow, it became my Spirit Essence."

    Song Weihan and She Meixiao already knew the story; She Meixiao had even been with Sheng Feilong when he first heard of these stories, later telling everything to Song Weihan. Both of them frowned as they came closer, their bodies tensing up once they stood in front of the throne room; The aura radiated by the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon was just that terrifying.

    Mu Ye hadn''t said a word on the whole way. His expression was stiff, yet without much emotion in it; It was hard to tell what he was thinking of all of this, yet his body language showed his tension even better than She Meixiao''s and Song Weihan''s.

    Sheng Feilong stepped into the room, walking up to the front of the throne. The old lion king followed him half-heartedly, but stayed outside the throne room, looking over the remains of the walls as the room itself was too small for its humongous size.

    For a while, everyone remained silent, sizing up the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon with hardened expressions. She Meixiao and Song Weihan took note of the chains; The same ones they had seen to bind Sheng Feilong after the Demon took over his body at the Daedalus headquarters.

    The Demon sat on its throne, bound by the thick black chains, motionless and with no fire burning in its skull, yet it radiated a stifling pressure that caused Mu Ye''s eyes to shake. It''s body was riddled with thin cracks, glowing with a faint green light, while the whole in the middle of its torso was pulsing calmly, as if the Demon was sleeping.

    "...That''s the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon...? And you want to use your bloodline to suppress that... thing?" Mu Ye asked, his brows arched into a deep frown. She Meixiao and Song Weihan were both quite calm seeing the black chains still in place, while Sheng Feilong simply nodded. "Un. It might not seem too much to suppress it, but that''s because it''s still sealed. And its spirit is still somehow dormant. The problems begin when it wakes up and I don''t know when that will be."

    Mu Ye took another deep breath, not quite believing his ears. "...That''s its dormant state? That thing is terrifying..." He turned to Sheng Feilong, glancing at the old lion king as well. "How do you plan on suppressing it? Even with a stronger bloodline, what will you do? What can you even do?"

    The old lion king remained silent, so Sheng Feilong spoke of his thoughts first. "The Netherworld Putrefaction Demon is terrifying, yes, but it''s not invincible. At least the one who became my Spirit Essence isn''t. First, there''s the Chains of Heavens, and I''ve already proven that increasing my Spirit Power helps keeping it in control. You''ve noticed the border between the silvery white part and this waste land, right? They used to clash for the whole time, corroding and trying to influence each other and push the other side back. Now, with my Spirit Power strong enough, my spiritual consciousness has evolved to the point where they''re in balance."

    The old lion king nodded its head at that point, continuing where Sheng Feilong left off. "It certainly is powerful, but so is my brethren''s blood; My dear brother has always been strong and Sheng Feilong is not only his descendant, but also obtained his inheritance and, in fact, has already surpassed my dear brother; He has opened his third eye."

    "The Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s don''t just have strong bodies ¨C Their greatest strength, after they open their third eye, is their Spirit Power. As a Spirit attributed Soul Beast, if I were to further strengthen my bloodline, the effects would be immeasurable. Especially considering that there is virtually no upper limit to how strong the third eye''s mental capabilities can grow." Sheng Feilong finished the explanation up, looking at Mu Ye with a determined expression.

    He paused for a moment to take a breath, then continued with a solemn look in his eyes. "That is why I asked you to come here, Senior Mu. I wanted you too see the state of my spiritual consciousness and the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon for yourself. Word can explain a lot, but seeing it with ones own eyes is still much more effective. What I need, is a technique than can allow my to strengthen my bloodline on a fundamental level without changing its properties."

    "I understand that this is a lot to ask for, even if we did help Senior Zhen Hua." He paused for another moment and lightly bowed towards Mu Ye. "The Body Sect is the only place where I could possibly get a technique such as that. This is why, Senior Mu; Please help me."

    Mu Ye remained silent for a long while and looked at the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, then turned to the old lion king, who was looking back at him with a stoic expression. "For now, let''s return to the real world... I have to think about this for a while."

    Sheng Feilong nodded and glanced at the old lion king, who got back up and departed back towards the silvery white world without waiting any longer. One by one, Mu Ye, She Meixiao and Song Weihan left Sheng Feilong''s spiritual consciousness, leaving Sheng Feilong alone as he continued to look at the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon for a short while.

    He sighed and shook his head, undecided what to think of the Demon at all; While it did indeed seem to be evil at its core, it had helped him multiple times in his life so far. In fact, he would long since be dead if it wasn''t for the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon. He would''ve never met She Meixiao, either.

    Yet, despite all this, Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but be wary of it. Other than what Gu Yue said, everything about the Demon remained unknown and it has proven to be a double edged sword more than once by now. ''No, it doesn''t matter... As long as I keep it under control ¨C As long as I get strong enough ¨C Nothing of all this will matter... Whether it is evil, a misused weapon of the Gods, or something entirely different... It all won''t matter.''

    ---------------

    After Sheng Feilong returned to the real world as well, Mu Ye excused himself for a long while, telling them that he would come to a decision by tomorrow. Utilizing the time, Song Weihan called for Yuanen Yehui to join them as he took Sheng Feilong and her for a bit of extra training.

    Having nothing better to do, She Meixiao also helped out with the training. As this was Mu Ye''s private training area, they didn''t have to worry about and of the Body Sect''s disciple''s watching them; None of them would step into a restricted area like this without permission, anyways.

    As promised, Mu Ye asked for Sheng Feilong, Song Weihan and She Meixiao to meet him the next morning. They didn''t go to the training hall this time, but to a private room, where Mu Ye usually invited guests to. He was seated at a table with his arms crossed in front of his chest, another booklet laying in front him.

    He offered a seat to Sheng Feilong and the others, then proceeded to speak up as soon as they sat down. "I''ve been thinking of what technique to give you this whole time. Honestly, after seeing that Netherworld Demon or whatever, I''ve come to understand how dire the situation is for you. With the criteria you have, I could only think of a single technique within the whole Body Sect to give you."

    Sheng Feilong nodded as his gaze unconsciously wandered down to the booklet on the table. Mu Ye noticed this and continued to speak. "However. This technique isn''t any normal one. Even among the bloodline techniques of the Body Sect, this one is special; It''s the foundation on which all of the Body Sect has been built on ¨C The reason why we were able to once stand at the peak of the world ¨C The Innate Secret Technique."

 241 The Innate Secret Technique

    Sheng Feilong hadn''t heard of the Body Sect''s Innate Secret Technique, but he noticed She Meixiao''s and Song Weihan''s reactions; Their eyes widened in shock before their expressions turned solemn - cold even. Mu Ye''s expression remained calm, but he was solemn as well.

    Not sure what to think of his Masters'' reactions, he looked at Mu Ye with a doubtful expression. "What is that Innate Secret Technique...? And why do you wish to teach it to an outsider like me if it''s the Body Sect''s foundation?"

    She Meixiao and Song Weihan looked at Mu Ye as well, wanting to ask the same question; They knew what kind of technique Mu Ye was talking about, so teaching it to an outsider struck them as weird, as well.

    Mu Ye also understood, though didn''t seem to mind; Instead, he smirked and started to boast about the technique. "Like I said, the Innate Secret Technique is the foundation of the Body Sect and the reason why we once stood at the peak of this world; It is the ultimate technique when it comes to forging ones body and strengthening ones blood. I dare to say that it is the best cultivation technique in this world, surpassing the Tang Sect''s Mysterious Heaven Method and whatever the Spirit Pagoda or Shrek have to offer by far."

    Sheng Feilong didn''t say anything, but the doubt in his eyes was speaking for itself: If the Body Sect had such a technique, how come they weren''t standing at the top of the world any more? Mu Ye looked at him, understanding his expression and huffed. "It''s true, the Innate Secret Technique is the best in the world; It''s the people who are lacking. Honestly, even I am unable to master it fully, yet, with how much of it I cultivated, I''m already the Body Sect''s Sect Master. My body is incredibly strong, but my own bloodline is lacking."

    He paused for a moment, hesitating whether to speak of the Body Sect''s private matters, but continued after a moment. "...I have a personal disciple, who''s suited much better to cultivating the technique; His body is powerful, his Spirit Essence ideal to cultivate the Innate Secret Technique and his blood is also extraordinary. He will surpass me in due time, yet he will also soon reach his limit."

    "He''s much better suited to cultivate it, yet even he will soon reach his limit?" Sheng Feilong frowned, not understanding Mu Ye''s logic; If his disciple is so well suited for the technique and the technique is oh-so powerful, how can he reach his limit? Mu Ye nodded his head with an annoyed expression. "To forge ones body, you have to push it to its limit. My disciple will soon reach the point where there''s nothing left that could push him to his limit; He won''t be able to continue to cultivate the technique. That''s why I said he''ll reach ''his'' limit."

    Now Sheng Feilong understood; If there''s no one left to help Mu Ye''s disciple to continue to forge his body, he will be unable to continue to get stronger, however, what if Sheng Feilong, who already had a powerful body and an incredible bloodline managed to cultivate the technique? "So, you want me to train with him once he reaches this ''limit''?"

    Contrary to Sheng Feilong''s expectations, though, Mu Ye sneered. "Train with you? You''re too weak to train with him. With your current physical strength, don''t even mention him, you would barely be able to spar with our Body Sect''s Soul Sages."

    "To be fair, that''s already incredible. Our members are usually much, much stronger than anyone on the same level when it comes to physical strength. For you to be able to match them without any of our techniques, is really surprising." An appreciative glint flashed through Mu Ye''s eyes as he once again crossed his arms in front of his chest.

    Sheng Feilong''s gaze fell upon the booklet in front of Mu Ye, but before he could say something, Song Weihan spoke up in a sharp tone. "That is all? You are willing to teach the Innate Secret Technique to someone just for those reasons?"

    "For that, yes, and to help him get that Demon under control. That''s also in your interest, so where''s the problem?" Mu Ye spoke in a carefree tone, while Song Weihan''s eyes narrowed. However, before he could answer, Mu Ye spoke up again. "Daedalus are not the only people with informants around the continent. I''m pretty sure almost all of the major powers know of what happened at your headquarters a few years ago. At least, I do. I don''t have details, but after seeing that Demon today, and the black chains, I can guess most of it."

    Song Weihan didn''t answer, but his expression turned darker. Mu Ye still remained calm, he sighed and glanced at She Meixiao for a short moment before speaking up again. "I don''t have any ulterior motives. If Sheng Feilong is able to cultivate the Innate Secret Technique, that''s good; I really hope it''ll be of help to gain control over that Demon. Whether he helps my disciple to train later down the road is his decision. I''m not expecting anything in return. I''m giving you the technique to repay a favour, to begin with."

    He averted his eyes from Song Weihan and looked over to Sheng Feilong before picking up the booklet on the table and throwing it to the latter. "This is the first level of the Innate Secret Technique. Go to the training hall and read it. See if you can comprehend anything already. Also, don''t even think about any of the higher levels before you''ve perfected what the first one teaches; It''s the basis and most important part of the whole technique."

    Sheng Feilong took the booklet and glanced at She Meixiao and Song Weihan, who nodded to him. He excused himself and went to the training hall as Mu Ye had said, leaving the three Titled Douluo''s among themselves.

    Song Weihan still looked sceptical about the whole issue, but She Meixiao and Mu Ye relaxed somewhat. The former of the two speaking up again. "The first level of the Innate Secret Technique is the most important step. I''ll personally watch over and instruct him, as well as that Yuanen girl."

    Nodding her head, She Meixiao looked at Mu Ye with a unreadable expression before speaking up. "Are you sure it''s okay to teach him the Innate Secret Technique?" Mu Ye only sneered in response. "I''m the Sect Master of the Body Sect. If I say it''s alright, who dares to say otherwise?"

    She Meixiao''s expression didn''t change and she stared at Mu Ye in silence. The latter sighed once more before speaking in a more serious tone. "He''s your disciple, She Meixiao. And I''ve heard about what happened at your headquarters. If he manages to cultivate the Innate Secret Technique and gain control over that kind of power... I can''t imagine how strong he would become. Moreover, he is already a genius; With a boost from my Body Sect, he''ll easily be recognized to be at the same level as those legendary figures like the Tang Sect''s founder."

    He had just finished speaking when someone knocked on the door. Mu Ye''s head turned around, asking the person outside to enter. The attendant bowed towards Mu Ye in a respectful manner. "Sect Master, I''ve been asked by Elder Wu to inform you that Sir Zhen Hua has woken up. Elder Wu asks you to come quickly."

    ----------------

    Sheng Feilong sat in the middle of the training hall with his legs crossed. On his knees laid the small booklet containing the instructions for the Innate Secret Technique; He had already read through it and his arms were crossed as he thought abut it. ''Condensing a core from my blood essence inside my Dantian... How is that supposed to work? One is a physical force, the other of a spiritual nature. How am I supposed to connect the two?''

    He pondered about it for a long while, his thoughts trailing off from one idea to the other before he suddenly had a kind of epiphany. ''Soul Beasts do exactly that, don''t they? ...It sounds like a Soul Bone; A physical object that manifests inside their bodies... Moreover, Soul Beasts usually have much stronger bodies than humans. Could that be the trick? Am I supposed to form my own Soul Bone?''

    He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. ''If it''s that, then...'' He entered his own spiritual consciousness again, returning to the silvery white world and looking around for the old lion king. ''There isn''t a better person to tell me how to form a pseudo-Soul Bone than Senior...''

    "You want to create a Soul Bone...?" Sheng Feilong told the old lion king about his plan and the Innate Secret Technique as well after which it''s initial shock subsided. It listened for a while as Sheng Feilong described what the first level of the technique instructed, to which the old lion king nodded its head. "It does sound like creating a Soul Bone... I never thought humans would be able to do it, though..."

    "Senior, you said you already created two Soul Bones; One initial one, which you later destroyed to recreate into a second one. So I thought you might be the best person to ask." Sheng Feilong argued his opinion, to which the old lion king nodded once more; Put in a good mood, it became rather talk active and started narrating how Soul Beasts created their Soul Bones...

 242 Blood Energy Vortex

    Mu Ye, She Meixiao and Song Weihan hurried to the quiet room where Zhen Hua had been resting after an attendant informed them that the latter had woken up. His injuries were rather heavy, yet with the resources of the Body Sect, he had woken up after just two days.

    Seeing his friend calmly sitting on a chair, Mu Ye was overjoyed. He ordered the people who had been watching over Zhen Hua to leave, including the attendant who brought them here, leaving only She Meixiao and Song Weihan in the room with him.

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    "How are your injuries?" Mu Ye walked up to Zhen Hua, inquiring as soon as everyone else had left. Zhen Hua frowned, though his mood didn''t seem to be too bad. "Worse than I expected..." He pressed a hand on his shoulder, which was clad in bandages and looked at Mu Ye. "What happened after the Evil Spirit attacked me? Did they continue to strike at me?"

    Mu Ye shook his head and started to explain how he had brought Zhen Hua to the Body Sect and that he asked Daedalus for help. He also introduced Song Weihan and She Meixiao to Zhen Hua, who the latter hadn''t paid attention to until now. Zhen Hua nodded at them with a smile, recognizing She Meixiao. "It has been a while, Miss She."

    She returned the greeting with a smile and asked if there was anything else she could help him with. Zhen Hua shook his head, still smiling at her. "No, no, you have already helped me enough by expelling that Evil Spirit. If there is ever a problem with your Battle Armour, please don''t be reserved and come to me directly, I''ll gladly help."

    Unconditional help in regards to her Battle Armour, promised by the continents sole Divine Blacksmith; One could imagine how thankful Zhen Hua was for the timely help, yet She Meixiao shook her head lightly. "It wasn''t me who helped you, Sir Zhen. In fact, the healer I had brought failed to help you in any way. Fortunately, though, I had brought Song Weihan''s and my disciple with me; He was the one who managed to exterminate the Evil Spirit."

    She smiled somewhat wryly, looking at the wounds on Zhen Hua''s body. "Though I also have to apologize for his... crude methods." Zhen Hua was somewhat taken aback, not having thought that She Meixiao''s disciple had helped him; He didn''t even know who that disciple was supposed to be! Glancing at Mu Ye for confirmation, he saw the latter nod his head and turned back to She Meixiao. "Then, it seems I owe your disciple some thanks. Where might he be?"

    "He is currently training here at the Body Sect; We''ve just sent him off minutes ago, before we were informed that you had woken up. Though, there is no need to personally thank him..." She Meixiao smiled, though her last words hinted at something rather than being just some formal words. Zhen Hua laughed lightly, understanding her meaning in an instant. "I see you haven''t lost your shrewdness at all, Miss She; Do not worry, though, saving this old life is definitely worth getting me to work a bit."

    "Then, I will gladly accept Sir Zhen''s generous offer in my disciple''s name." Her smile turned a bit sweeter, to which Zhen Hua only nodded again. ""Once I''m all healed up and things at the association have calmed down, you may come to look at me whenever you wish. Speaking of which; What did you say your disciple''s name was?"

    "It''s Sheng Feilong. Though Sir Zhen might have heard of him under the alias of ''She Feilong'' before." Her words caused Zhen Hua''s brows to rise a bit. "The young lad that crushed the Star Luo Empire''s pride some years ago? He is your disciple? I thought he belonged to Shrek."

    She Meixiao nodded her head. "He was a student there before I met him. A few things happened and he left the academy." She glanced at Song Weihan when she mention ''a few things happening'', which Zhen Hua also noticed. He rose a brow once again. "Right, I remember... The Spirit Pagoda''s Spirit Flamingo Douluo was waging war against Shrek all be himself for his disciple''s sake... So that disciple is the same Sheng Feilong, how interesting, ha, ha."

    Song Weihan nodded in response, answering with a wry smile as well. "Yes, it was indeed the same Sheng Feilong. Though, I it would be more fitting to call me Daedalus'' Spirit Flamingo Douluo by now; Not that I''m a huge fan of such formalities."

    Zhen Hua laughed laughed a bit, then shook his head. "That is good to hear! I''ve heard what happened back then, roughly. I still can''t quite belief that the Spirit pagoda would abandon someone like you, who did so much for them..."

    "Well, let us not talk about that any longer. Rather, I''m curious as to what Feilong is doing... You never know what happens when he''s left on his own... Especially when it comes to cultivation." Song Weihan voiced his concerns with a light frown, mostly so as he didn''t know the Body Sect''s Innate Secret Technique; He had only heard bits and pieces of what it''s supposed to be, but also didn''t wish to pry into the sect''s matter, thus refraining from asking.

    Surprisingly, the first to agree with him was Mu Ye, who nodded his head. "I''d also rather watch over him. The Innate Secret Technique''s is rather peculiar and it''s better to watch that he doesn''t try to force it''s success."

    "You taught him the Innate Secret Technique?" Zhen Hua was surprised and stared at Mu Ye, who waved his hand at him as if to say he shouldn''t ask. Zhen Hua held his curiosity back, but was now even more intrigued with meeting Sheng Feilong.

    ----------------

    "Continue like this; You''re doing well." The old lion king supervised Sheng Feilong''s attempts at creating a pseudo-Soul Bone for himself; The latter projected himself into his spiritual consciousness while still manipulating his physical body. He had spent a while until he managed to do that, but with the old lion king''s instructions on how to connect his physical body with his spirit, it wasn''t too hard.

    The concept was similar to how he fused his Spirit Power and physical strength together to fight, though the concepts were applied backwards; Using physical strength to fuse it into his spirit, or Dantian in this case.

    After a few tries, Sheng Feilong had established a connection between his Dantian and his blood''s natural flow, slowly condensing his bloodlines power into a core inside the Dantian. While his goal was to form a Soul Bone, he had to get the required energy into his Dantian first and was using the concept behind a Soul Power Vortex to draw the energy from his blood in.

    While that all looked just somewhat strange for the old lion king, who didn''t know too much about human cultivation, f an outsider who knew both sides were to see Sheng Feilong now, they would probably shudder at the abomination Sheng Feilong was creating; The result might work, who knows, but the methods Sheng Feilong used were truly too weird.

    "That strange vortex you''re creating; The idea behind it is marvellous... That way, you can form your energy into a core much faster." The old lion king watched Sheng Feilong excitedly, not imagining to see him use such an interesting technique.

    Even for Soul Beasts, the base from which they created their Soul Bones was a ball shaped mass of energy, which they would then model into whatever shape they wanted the Soul Bone to be, before then infusing it with their spirit and life force over a long period of time. Usually, Soul Beasts would start to form their cores once they pass the 1.000 years boundary, but would need years if not decades or even centuries to create the core shaped base.

    Yet, Sheng Feilong was using an incredible technique to form the core at a speed visible to the naked eye; If he continued like this, he would finish the formation of the core within a single day! However, after a while, the old lion king noticed something strange: ''The energy... is not condensing into a core? What is Sheng Feilong doing?''

    The vortex Sheng Feilong had created was spinning faster and faster, drawing more energy from his bloodline into his Dantian, yet it didn''t form into a core, but was contained into the vortex. Once the speed the vortex was spinning at stopped increasing, Sheng Feilong breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew... Finally! The vortex stabilized!"

    "Sheng Feilong, what have you done? Why isn''t the energy forming a core?" The old lion king questioned out loud as soon as Sheng Feilong stopped meditating. He turned around, somewhat surprised, but answered the question nonetheless. "I''ve used a method us humans usually use to control our Soul Power. Once a human becomes a Soul Emperor, they start created a so-called Soul Power Vortex to condense and gather their Soul Power and the Origin Energy from the air. I''ve done the same with my blood''s energy."

    "...Why? You need to form it into a core to create your Soul Bone, not a vortex." Flabbergasted, the old lion king questioned him further; It simply didn''t understand why Sheng Feilong thought the spinning vortex in his Dantian was a success. "It''s still spinning, see? I''m not doing anything, yet the blood energy is continuously drawn into it and condensed. Like this, it''ll be much easier to form the core. Moreover, as long as I regularly fill the energy in my body up again, the vortex can draw in a virtually unlimited amount of energy."

    Understanding dawned on the old lion king and its eyes widened slightly while Sheng Feilong smiled at it. "The more energy it draws in, the stronger the core I create will become... Human''s don''t live as long as Soul Beasts, so I can''t slowly form my core over the course of many years; I''ll gather the required energy and will then form a perfect core all at once!"

 243 A Sumptuous Meal

    Sheng Feilong talked about the concept behind a Soul Power Vortex and a few other things with the old lion king for a while longer, the latter slowly understanding the ingenuity of human cultivation and how they could stand on equal footing with Soul Beasts despite the short lives.

    The Blood Energy Vortex Sheng Feilong had created inside his Dantian was working passively this whole time, drawing the energy from his blood into itself, growing bigger ever so slowly. Sheng Feilong excused himself at some point as he grew hungry from the constant energy consumption and exited his spiritual consciousness.

    In the real world, She Meixiao, Song Weihan, Mu Ye and even Zhen Hua were already standing in the training hall, all of them observing Sheng Feilong; The former two were surprised by the changes to his blood and the energy consumption, but didn''t quite understand what was going on.

    Zhen Hua knew a bit more about the Body Sect''s cultivation techniques than the other two and understood that Sheng Feilong seems to be progressing quite well, though even he wasn''t too sure about the details.

    Among them, Mu Ye was the only one who didn''t voice his thoughts, nor showed any apparent reaction other than staring at Sheng Feilong ever since they entered the training hall. Mu Ye had told them that the Innate Secret Technique was quite hard to cultivate and that he wanted to observe Sheng Feilong to make sure he didn''t do anything wrong, so they didn''t disturb him.

    Yet, none of them noticed that he was staring at Sheng Feilong with a blank expression this whole time; He was thoroughly shocked at how Sheng Feilong was able to already be at the stage in cultivating the Innate Secret Technique where he had formed a complete Blood Energy Vortex.

    Usually, the hardest part in cultivating the Innate Secret Technique was drawing ones blood''s energy into their Dantian; A process that would take most people weeks, and even that only thanks to a multitude of Heavenly and Earthy Treasures to aid them, yet Sheng Feilong had done just that in a single afternoon.

    Truth be told, the first layer of the Innate Secret Technique didn''t describe how one should start cultivating the technique too much; It only gave a vague idea on how it worked, loosely referencing the workings of Soul Cores. That layer was actually only introducing the cultivator to the idea of connecting the energy of their blood to their Dantian, leaving the rest for them to figure out.

    Usually, a Master like Mu Ye or someone else who cultivated the technique would be needed to explain how it worked and that the goal was to form a kind of Soul Core from their blood''s energy. Mu Ye himself was actually working on improving the technique''s first layer to make it more intuitional.

    ''A single afternoon... Moreover, he figured it all out on his own? How in the world did he do it? Even if he understood the concept, how did he draw the energy into his Dantian just like that. And without any Heavenly and Earthly Treasures at that! This is ridiculous!'' Mu Ye''s thoughts were spinning as he was trying to come up with a way to somehow explain what he was seeing.

    He ignored She Meixiao and the others, only focusing on Sheng Feilong. ''...Is it because it''s the Three-Eyed Golden Lion bloodline? I''ve never seen a member of the Body Sect with a mental attributed bloodline, much less anyone at the Spirit Domain Realm trying to create a Blood Core.''

    Sheng Feilong opened his eyes while Mu Ye was still thinking about him and was the first to notice Sheng Feilong''s awakening. He didn''t even bother to greet Sheng Feilong before speaking up in a sharp voice. "How did you connect your bloodline to your Dantian this fast?"

    He spoke up without any warning, surprising She Meixiao and the others, who only then noticed that Sheng Feilong had opened his eyes. The latter was taken aback by seeing everyone stand around him and Mu Ye suddenly talking to him, but still replied. "After reading through the booklet, I thought the process sounded similar to how Soul Beasts create their Soul Bones. So I asked the old lion king about it and figured it out."

    Mu Ye stared at him for a while before averting his gaze and muttering under his breath. "Like a Soul Bone...?" His brows furrowed for a moment before he nodded at Sheng Feilong, understanding his reasoning.

    He looked Sheng Feilong up and down before speaking again, not giving anyone else to butt in into the conversation. "You brought the vortex to a level where it continuously absorbs energy?" Sheng Feilong nodded sharply after which Mu Ye turned around and left the training area. "Come to the dining area when you get hungry."

    She Meixiao and Song Weihan glanced at each other, not understanding what Mu Ye was on about, but didn''t question it. Besides them, Zhen Hua burst out laughing gleefully. "Ha, ha! Little fellow, you''re lucky; Mu Ye plans to personally cook something up for you, huh! He''s sure to use some of the good stuff! You won''t mind this old man accompanying you, would you?"

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    "Personally cook for me..?" Sheng Feilong was confused by what Zhen Hua was saying and stared at him for a moment, only then realizing who the old man in front of him was. He jumped to his feet and bowed with his hands cupped. "Junior Sheng Feilong greets the Divine Craftsman, Senior Zhen."

    "Ha, ha, there''s no need for formalities; I owe you a huge debt, after all." Zhen Hua waved his hand, still smiling quite brightly. Sheng Feilong relaxed as he saw his casual attitude, but asked about Mu Ye again, still with a confused expression. "Senior, when did you mean, saying Senior Mu would cook for me...?"

    Zhen Hua smiled again, his laughter calming down, though he still chuckled. "Don''t you know? Mu Ye is our Douluo Continent''s greatest star chef. Though he''s also notoriously stingy and always keeps the best stuff for himself; He wouldn''t invite you to the dining hall if he didn''t plan on cooking himself. You must have impressed him quite a bit."

    "I see..." Sheng Feilong replied, quite sceptical as he couldn''t imagine Mu Ye standing in a kitchen. She Meixiao and Song Weihan came to his side as well, both of them looking at him calmly, the latter speaking while still scanning Sheng Feilong with his eyes. "How are you doing?"

    "There''s nothing wrong, Master. I''m just feeling a bit hungry since I''ve used up quite a bit of energy." Sheng Feilong replied, not going into too much detail as he understood that the Innate Secret Technique wasn''t something he should tell anyone about.

    Song Weihan nodded his head, accepting the explanation without prying further. "Shall we head to the dining hall, then?" Sheng Feilong and the others agreed with him. On the way there, Sheng Feilong talked a bit more with Zhen Hua, the latter thanking him for his help, obviously in a good mood.

    As Zhen Hua had guessed, Mu Ye prepared food for them to consume, though they still had to wait some time until it was ready. Sheng Feilong used the time to talk with Zhen Hua for a while longer, eventually coming to talk about Battle Armour and Mechas.

    She Meixiao and Song Weihan mostly kept out of the discussion, leaving Sheng Feilong to tie his own connections. Though, the whole time, Sheng Feilong refrained from asking anything about Four Word Battle Armour; Their discussion was kept on a completely casual level.

    Later, Mu Ye brought the food over, serving them one top class dish after the other, always just introducing it with a few words, as well as naming one or two main ingredients. She Meixiao''s and Song Weihan''s eyes widened when they heard what Mu Ye was serving them every time, while Zhen Hua smiled more and more.

    After serving them desert, Mu Ye sat down on the table with them, initiating a conversation with Sheng Feilong again. "Did that old lion tell you anything else? Just because the Innate Secret Technique''s similar to creating a Soul Bone, you managed to create a perfect Blood Energy Vortex in a few hours?"

 244 Bloodline Essence

    Mu Ye''s question caught Sheng Feilong off guard and he was a bit taken aback. Looking at Mu Ye, it was clear for all to see that he was quite relaxed after having finished to cook for them, which was further emphasized by his casual manner of speech, still he was really curious about the matter.

    After a moment, Sheng Feilong ordered his thoughts and answered Mu Ye''s question in a calm manner. "There isn''t really much we''ve been talking about. I thought the Innate Secret Technique''s explanations sounded similar to how a Soul Bone would be described, so I asked about it, then changed a few things up so that I thought it would be possible for me to do."

    Sheng Feilong shrugged slightly, pausing for a moment in between sentences. "I got the hang of it after a while when I realized how similar it is to applying ones Spirit Power to physical attacks. I basically did that, but backwards and it somehow worked. The old lion king said that Soul Beasts would condense their Soul Bones over the course of many years and, not having that time, I opted for trying to replicate a Soul Power Vortex using my blood''s energy."

    She Meixiao and Song Weihan glanced at each other, having a knowing look in their eyes as they could somehow understand where Sheng Feilong was coming from. Moreover, with the many unusual things and secrets he had, replicating what members of the Body Sect could do didn''t surprise them too much.

    Zhen Hua, on the other hand, stared at Sheng Feilong with a dumbfounded expression; He just couldn''t put his head around how any human could get the idea that they''d just try and create a Soul Bone like Soul Beasts do... Even with the body-obsessed weirdos he knew thanks to Mu Ye, he''d never seen someone speak about something like that.

    Mu Ye didn''t show as much of a reaction as the others; He nodded in a casual manner as if what Sheng Feilong did was to be expected, then stood up and stretched his shoulders. "I''ll watch over your training with the Innate Secret Technique the next few days. Once your Blood Core has fully formed, we''ll continue with the second layer of the technique. Oh right, get over here every evening; I''ll make sure you have all the nutrients you need."

    Sheng Feilong nodded his head, after which Mu Ye immediately turned around to leave, not waiting for anyone else to say something in those regards. Sheng Feilong also went back to eating the dessert Mu Ye made, ignoring the stupefied look on Zhen Hua''s face and his Masters'' wry looks.

    The dinner concluded in a peaceful manner, as Song Weihan and the others didn''t question Sheng Feilong any further; They didn''t cultivate the Innate Secret Technique and, despite his ideas about Soul Bones sounding interesting, wouldn''t ask him too much about his cultivation methods.

    In the evening, Sheng Feilong sparred a bit with Yuanen Yehui; The latter had spent the afternoon with training, further familiarizing herself with the new technique''s Mu Ye taught her. It has only been a few days, yet her combat prowess had soared considerably; Her every move became sharper and filled to the brim with concentrated power ¨C Mu Ye was spot on in his analysis of her needs and the fighting techniques suited her perfectly, to the point where even Yuanen Yehui herself couldn''t quite belief how miraculous it was.

    The next few days, Sheng Feilong spent nearly exclusively with training the Innate Secret Technique; His Blood Energy Vortex was continuously drawing the power from his blood and was growing bigger by the minute, while Sheng Feilong used his training time to actively speed the process up and condensing the vortex.

    He would keep this up until he felt worn out and hungry, which was when he would follow Mu Ye to the dining area, lavishing himself in the most wondrous delicacies made by one of the best cooks of this words using the most wondrous ingredients.

    After about half a week of this lifestyle, the Blood Energy Vortex in Sheng Feilong''s Dantian had become so condensed that it seemed to be glowing like a galaxy from after due to the highly concentrated energy. It''s size wasn''t that different compared to the first day, but it was on a completely different level.

    At one point, the old lion king mused that the vortex reminded it of the time when its own Soul Bone was already a few thousand years old; For the old lion king, this kind of speed of growth was simply mind boggling, yet it resigned itself to blaming humans for being too different from Soul Beasts as to not having to think about this too much.

    Anther few days later, Sheng Feilong started feeling weird during the training session; His Blood Energy Vortex had become so oversaturated with energy, that he was unable to draw any more energy from his blood into it without destabilizing the structure.

    He exited meditation and looked at Mu Ye, who was sitting on the ground cross legged with his head resting in his palm as he stared at Sheng Feilong, just a few feet away from the latter. He rose an eyebrow, speaking in a surprised tone. "You''re already done? That''s early."

    Sheng Feilong shook his head lightly, looking at Mu Ye with a calm gaze. He had become quite accustomed to Mu Ye''s antics and personality, so he wasn''t as stiff in dealing with him as before. "No, that''s not quite it. I seem to have a critical point; The vortex has reached the maximum of energy it can handle and I can''t infuse any more into it without destabilizing the whole thing."

    "Oh, that sounds promising. With the strength of your bloodline and the amount of nutrients you''ve consumed these past few days, it''s not surprising that you''re at that stage already. The next part''s forming your Blood Core." Mu Ye spoke in an more interested tone with an expectant look on his face.

    Sheng Feilong nodded this time, but fell into thoughts, speaking of them out loud. "But, how do I form the Blood Core now? Soul Beasts infuse their spirit into their Soul Bones, but I already have a Soul Core that''s connected to my Spirit Essence..."

    Mu Ye''s lips twitched, while his tone got a bit more aggressive. "Why are you comparing everything to Soul Bones? Just think for yourself ¨C What other powerful could you use to form your Blood Core from your Blood Energy Vortex, which uses your blood''s energy as its base..."

    Sheng Feilong tilted his head to the side, looking at Mu Ye with a questioning expression. The latter sighed, remembering that he never explained things properly. "It''s a special property of the Innate Secret Technique. I told you it''s the best technique for you considering your powerful bloodline, right? Well, in fact, the Innate Secret Technique cannot be cultivated by anyone without a special bloodline, be it hereditary or artificial."

    His speech became more passionate and he started motioning with his hands while explaining. "At it''s very core, every bloodline, no matter how weak or powerful, has something that we call a Bloodline Essence. That name is, of course, not a coincidence; The Innate Secret Technique''s Blood Core is similar to a Soul Core ¨C So of course it would need something similar to a Spirit Essence to become complete. That''s where the Bloodline Essence comes into play."

    "...It takes the place of the of the Spirit Essence in the middle of the ''Blood Core'' and finalizes its creation? Like that, it becomes the literal core of my bloodline, making its manipulation even easier and more controlled..." Sheng Feilong started talking where Mu Ye left off, slowly drifting off into his own thoughts. Mu Ye was about to add something more, but seeing Sheng Feilong''s reaction, he decided to remain silent.

    ''The essence of my bloodline, it is... The Three-Eyed Golden Lion''s are most renown for their namesake, the third eye which some of them are able to open. Only those with the most powerful and most pure bloodlines among them awaken it, and there is only ever one golden lion that actually manages to open its third eye.'' Sheng Feilong''s thoughts spun, while he unconsciously entered a state of meditation again.

    ''Most of them create a Skull type Soul Bone; Could that also be because of the third eye? Because it''s the essence of the bloodline and thus offers the most or greatest benefits to them. Even the old lion king once had a Skull type Soul bone before getting heavily injured and needing a Torso type to insure its survival. But... How do I make use of that? How do I... take a part of the third eye and infuse it into the Blood Core?'' Inspecting his own body, Sheng Feilong mused about his next step of action.

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    While thinking about how to use the third eye, his his bloodline''s energy started stirring up on its own, unbeknownst to Sheng Feilong, who was still in deep thoughts. The third eye on his forehead opened up, his Soul Power and Spirit Power being unleashed as they weren''t kept under control together with it.

    Only when he felt his own Spirit Power blasting forth did Sheng Feilong notice the changes. Near instantly, he reigned his Soul Power and Spirit Power back in, noticing his bloodline''s power acting on its own. He tried to stop it and tried to deactivate the third eye, yet the moment he came into contact with it, the energy within his blood exploded out of his control, all of it madly rushing towards his Dantian!

 245 Three-Eyed Golden Lion Blood Core!

    Sorry for the late upload!

    Some real-life stuff came up, urgently.

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    Enjoy the chapter!

    -----------------------

    The moment he felt his blood''s energy rush towards his Dantian, Sheng Feilong''s face changed. In that split second, he had already guessed that this was exactly what he wanted; The third eye had split off a part of itself and become his Bloodline Essence, which would now fuse into his Blood Core.

    However, there is a problem; Sheng Feilong hadn''t even started condensing his Blood Core yet ¨C It was all still just a Blood Energy Vortex! It was oversaturated with energy and just a bit more would destabilize it, yet all of the energy remaining in his blood was rushing for his Dantian to fuse into his Blood Energy Vortex.

    ''This is bad!'' Sheng Feilong''s body shook, his skin becoming pale from the sudden loss of energy in his blood while his thoughts spun crazily. ''What do I do?! If all that energy enters my Dantian ¨C enters the vortex now, then-! I have to stop it-No, I have to create the Blood Core right now!''

    His spirit entered his Dantian, focusing on the Blood Energy Vortex and forcing it to rotate faster with al his might, while he condensed it further and further. With all of the energy fusing into it, Sheng Feilong didn''t have the chance to pay attention to anything else as he needed to somehow stop the vortex from collapsing. ''Fast! Spin faster! If its fast enough, it''ll stabilize itself...!''

    In the training hall, Mu Ye frowned when he saw Sheng Feilong''s energy reacting to something, yet before he could do or say anything, the third eye on Sheng Feilong''s forehead opened, the spiritual pressure bursting out and pressing down on Mu Ye.

    His pupils constricted, his face turning pale while his body shook slightly. His own Spirit Power was too weak to resist Sheng Feilong''s uncontrolled outburst and he had to focus on himself to not get overwhelmed.

    Just a few moments, the pressure suddenly vanished and Mu Ye heaven a strained sigh of relief, staring at Sheng Feilong in shock. "What''s going on? The third eye- No, his energy is out f control?!"

    Mu Ye jumped to his feet; He cultivated the Innate Secret Technique himself and, as the Body Sect''s Sect Master, he was highly sensitive to the energy contained within other people. He could clearly tell tat Sheng Feilong lost control over his own energy, which caused the outburst, yet that wasn''t all; The next moment, his face suddenly lost all colour, while his blood''s energy was still rioting.

    "It''s.. rushing for his Dantian? That third eye is the Bloodline Essence!" Mu Ye''s face changed again and he flashed behind Sheng Feilong, his hand pressing on the latter''s back. His energy pushed into Sheng Feilong''s body, forcefully slowing the flow of energy within the latter down. ''The backlash will be even worse if I fully stop it now. Brat, you better get your core formed quick!''

    ------------

    Sheng Feilong was still fully focused on his Blood Energy Vortex. The influx of energy was immense and he could barely keep the vortex from collapsing. However, after a short time, the energy rushing into his Dantian was lowered, its flow becoming more steady. He felt an unknown power enter his body, but ignored it for now, as he could feel that it wasn''t harmful.

    The Blood Energy Vortex was condensing more and more, becoming smaller due to that, yet it spun faster than ever before. Sheng Feilong continuously forced both of these factors to increase to form a Blood Core; The whole process was much more violent than when he formed his Soul Core.

    The berserk energy within the vortex was continuously lashing out towards him, making Sheng Feilong feel as it his spirit was being torn apart, his Dantian, being forced to hold this berserk energy, was even worse of and trembling with every lash. If it wasn''t for the flow of energy having slowed down, his Dantian would probably already be injured!

    Sheng Feilong couldn''t do anything but clench his teeth and endure it; If he relaxed even slightly and the energy got out of control again, the vortex would burst. In the best case, he would have to form it again; In the worst case, he could possibly cripple his own Dantian from the damage!

    ''It''s coagulating! Just a bit longer...'' In the middle of the vortex, Sheng Feilong saw a small, blood-red bead being formed, spinning at an ever higher speed than the vortex itself; This was the Blood Core, which was slowly assimilating more and more mass from the vortex!

    The more of the energy the small bead absorbed, the easier it became for Sheng Feilong, yet there was still energy rushing into his Dantian at a speed lightly faster than the Blood Core was being formed; overall, it was only becoming harder for Sheng Feilong, at least until all the energy had entered his Dantian.

    He once again focused his mind, concentrating solely on the Blood Core while ignoring the pain.

    --------------

    Mu Ye had been infusing his power into Sheng Feilong''s body for nearly an hour by now, yet Sheng Feilong was still not done. The energy in his blood had greatly diminished and there wasn''t much left, yet it all surged into Sheng Feilong''s Dantian without stopping.

    Moreover, Mu Ye had no idea how Sheng Feilong was faring with the formation of his Blood Core. The latter was definitely still conscious and working on it, but Mu Ye had no chance to pry into Sheng Feilong''s Dantian to see for himself.

    He could only wait, continuing to channel his energy into Sheng Feilong''s body until everything had entered the latter''s Dantian, which would take at least another few minutes. "What''s going on with this fellow..."

    Sheng Feilong''s body hadn''t changed in the slightest thorough the whole hour; His face was still ghastly pale from the lack of energy, occasionally trembling for a few moments, but nothing more. Mu Ye couldn''t made heads or tail of what was happening.

    "Feilong? Mu Ye, what''s going on?!" While Mu Ye was still trying out to figure out how Sheng Feilong is doing, Song Weihan entered the room. He frowned when his eyes fell on Sheng Feilong and immediately pressed Mu Ye for answers.

    Mu Ye glanced at him for but a moment, not wanting to avert his attention as the berserk energy within Sheng Feilong was still madly rushing at his Dantian. "He''s currently forming his Blood Core. His bloodline reacted a lot stronger than he or I anticipated. I''m helping him slow the process down, but... it''s been going on for an hour."

    Song Weihan''s frown deepened, but he remained calm. Walked up to Mu Ye and Sheng Feilong, he looked at the former, before speaking up. "How can I help?" Mu Ye grunted, then spoke after a short pause. "You can''t. He has to manage this alone. It''s the same how one can''t help another creating their Soul Core."

    Song Weihan understood what Mu Ye meant, but couldn''t help but worry about his disciple, when Mu Ye spoke up again. "...Your Spirit Power is stronger than his, right? Try to pry into his Dantian; Even I am not sure what''s going on at the moment. Forming his Blood Core shouldn''t take so long."

    Nodding at Mu Ye, Song Weihan dropped down on the ground in front of Sheng Feilong, closed his eyes and started scanning with his Spirit Power. His body seemed to be alright, other for the lack of energy in his blood, which Mu Ye was controlling, so Song Weihan directly went to take a look into Sheng Feilong''s Dantian as Mu Ye had said.

    What greeted him there, was the sight of a world painted in blood red. A Dantian is a formless realm inside a Soul Masters body, which was normally crystal clear, yet Sheng Feilong''s was bathed in a bloody glow. Looking around, Song Weihan noticed the source of the blood red light; A pulsating, blood red orb the size of a human''s head, floating quietly between Sheng Feilong''s hands.

    The latter was floating in the air with his legs crossed and eyes closed, while in between his hands was said blood red orb, pulsating every time it absorbed the energy that flowed into Sheng Feilong''s Dantian.

    A few moments passed before Sheng Feilong noticed Song Weihan''s arrival. He opened his eyes, staring directly at his Master in a slight daze before suddenly smiling. "Master." Song Weihan nodded his head, his eyes focused on the blood red orb. "Are you alright?"

    "Un. I''m perfectly fine by now... Though I can''t leave yet, lest the Blood Core loses control. Can you tell Senior Mu to stop slowing the flow of energy down? I can handle what is left to rush into my Dantian without problem. I''ll awake as soon as the core is fully stabilized."

    Song Weihan nodded his head again, not questioning Sheng Feilong''s decision and left the latter''s Dantian. Opening his eyes in the training hall, he looked towards Mu Ye. "Feilong is alright. His Blood Core has formed, but not fully stabilized yet. He only needs a bit more time. You can let his energy flow naturally again, he said he''ll be able to handle it without a problem."

    Surprise washed over Mu Ye''s face, though it was quickly exchanged for relief. He pulled his own energy back, letting the energy within Sheng Feilong''s body accelerate slowly before stepping back from the latter. The energy got absorbed into Sheng Feilong''s Dantian nearly instantly, but nothing else happened.

    Mu Ye and Song Weihan exchanged a glance, then waited for Sheng Feilong to awaken. About 15 minutes passed before they heard a long sigh from Sheng Feilong. Their heads shot around, staring at Sheng Feilong as the latter slowly opened his eyes. Yet, before anyone could say something, a loud, deep rumble echoed out from Sheng Feilong''s abdomen.

    This took all three of them by surprise, Sheng Feilong reacting first, putting a hand on his stomach with a blush on his face. Song Weihan unceremoniously burst out laughing, while Mu Ye simply turned around and walked towards the exit. "...Come to the dining hall in about 10 minutes."

 246 Fully Formed Blood Core

    After following Mu Ye to the dining hall, the latter began filling the table with meals for Sheng Feilong and the others. Sheng Feilong''s stomachs was growling like a wild beast and he immediately started gorging down on the food.

    As if possessed by a starving ghost, Sheng Feilong cleaned up one plate after the other, not stopping for more than half an hour. She Meixiao and Song Weihan threw him a few weird looks, though Mu Ye didn''t seem to mind in the slightest; He put out one dish after the other, refilling the table as soon as Sheng Feilong was done with his plate.

    Sheng Feilong ate to his hearts content, leaning back into his seat with a satisfied expression as the last plate was cleaned of all food. By this point, Song Weihan and She Meixiao were staring at him, while Mu Ye lazily walked out of the kitchen and took a seat. "You''re done now?"

    He had seen Sheng Feilong''s pale face before and knew better than anyone else what had been going on with Sheng Feilong. The latter nodded his head with a smile and Mu Ye glanced at She Meixiao and Song Weihan. "It''s normal for him to eat this much now. Forming his Blood Core drained him of every last bit of energy. Eating heaps of nutritious food is the best way to regain all that energy."

    He turned his attention back to Sheng Feilong, continuing to speak in the same bland tone. "So, what happened there? Why did all of your energy suddenly rush towards our Dantian before you even started forming your Blood Core?"

    "I''ve been meditating to find out what my Bloodline Essence could be. After a while, my bloodline started acting up on its own, a part of the third eye ''splitting off'' from the rest and rushing towards my Dantian. It''s my Bloodline Essence, I guess, and it didn''t want to wait any longer..." Sheng Feilong shook his head with a wry expression, to which Mu Ye only nodded.

    Mu Ye looked Sheng Feilong up and down for a moment, then spoke up again. "Is your Dantian okay? The rush of energy was pretty ferocious." Sheng Feilong put a hand on his lower stomach and smiled at Mu Ye. "Don''t worry, Senior Mu. I''ve managed to keep most of the energy within the vortex, so I wasn''t injured. My Dantian and Soul Core are perfectly fine."

    "Let things calm down for the rest of the day, No need to cultivate, just grant your Dantian some peace and quiet. You can start experimenting with your Blood Core tomorrow; Trying to control it and getting more familiar with it takes a while, same as with a Soul Core." Mu Ye stood up again and walked towards the exit after Sheng Feilong nodded.

    Song Weihan turned to Sheng Feilong after Mu Ye left, his eyes showing his concern. "Are you sure everything''s alright? What''s with that blood red light?" Sheng Feilong smiled at Song Weihan in response. "There''s nothing wrong, Master. That red light was illuminating my Dantian because the Blood Core wasn''t fully under my control. It''s calmed down now, so there''s no need to worry."

    "...In that case, just do as Mu Ye said; Take it easy for the rest of the day. If there''s anything you need or you feel anything wrong, tell me immediately." Song Weihan said with a stern look, then motioned for Sheng Feilong to do as he wished. The latter nodded again, still smiling. "Then, I''ll return to my room for now."

    Sheng Feilong left the dining hall as well, leaving only She Meixiao and Song Weihan behind in the room. She Meixiao turned to Song Weihan with a concerned expression. "What were you talking about before? That red light you mentioned. What happened to Feilong?" She knew Song Weihan took a look at Sheng Feilong''s Dantian while the latter was cultivating, but she herself didn''t know the details.

    Moreover, after coming back out, Song Weihan only told Mu Ye that he could stop slowing down the flow of Sheng Feilong''s energy, but didn''t say anything else. Song Weihan sighed, the tension from before vanishing. "That red light was his bloodline''s strength. Honestly, the Body Sect''s Innate Secret Technique is... incredible. Feilong formed a kind of Soul Core from his blood''s energy. I''ve heard him and Mu Ye speak about it, but seeing it for myself, I never thought something like that to be possible."

    "There''s a reason they''ve once been at the top of the Soul Master''s world in terms of power. If it wasn''t for The Tang Sect''s founder, Tang San, appearing 20.000 years ago, it would''ve most like stayed that way. The ancient Spirit Hall stood above the Body Sect in terms of reputation, but strength wise, they couldn''t compare." She Meixiao spoke with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

    Most information about the ties of legendary figures like Tang San and the founding of the Tang Sect have been lost to the tides of time, but the myths and legends themselves still existed; The Body Sect had been in existence for even longer than Shrek Academy or the Tang Sect and, although they''ve always kept a rather low profile, they weren''t and secretive as other organisations.

    Song Weihan looked at She Meixiao with a nonchalant expression. "That reminds me, how did you meet Mu Ye? He even knew your Soul Communicator''s number and called you directly to ask for help."

    She Meixiao raised her eyebrows, speaking in a surprised tone. "Ah, I never told you, did I? I met him when I asked Sir Zhen Hua to upgrade my Battle Armour. It struck me as odd as to why a Titled Douluo would act as Zhen Hua''s personal cook and we got into a conversation. I only found out about him being the Body Sect''s Sect Leader later. Back then, he contacted me through Zhen Hua, asking for help with a member of his Sect; That poor member went through a Second Awakening, but her Spirit Essence deteriorated into an evil one. We kept in contact after I took that girl to join Daedalus."

    Song Weihan remained silent for a moment and rubbed his chin. "...I''ve heard rumours about the Body Sect having a method to let someone go through a Second Awakening before. So it''s actually true, huh." She Meixiao nodded her head. "Un. Though a Second Awakening isn''t always positive and not everyone has the chance to go through one, to begin with; It''s a huge risk."

    "Well, I''ll return to my room for now." Song Weihan said, to which She Meixiao stood up as well. "I''ll look after Yehui for a bit." Thus, the two of them parted ways for now as well.

    ----------------

    A few days had passed since then. As per Mu Ye''s advice, Sheng Feilong had taken things easy for now; He spent the first day without cultivating, letting his Dantian rest before he carefully tested the Blood Core the next day.

    At first, he didn''t feel all that different save for seeming having better control over his own blood''s energy. And he could also not find anything strange with the Blood Core itself.

    It was a blood red core in the midst of his Dantian, looking exactly like his Soul Core with the exception of the colour. However, Sheng Feilong could also not find any trace of the Bloodline Essence in the midst of the Blood Core.

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    For the Soul Core, he only had to glance at it to see a miniature form of his Radiant Emperor''s Phantasmagoric Eyes Spirit Essence floating inside it, but there was nothing inside the Blood Core. He didn''t too much of it, though; Even Mu Ye had only ever said the Blood Core was similar to a Soul Core, not that they were the same, so it wasn''t too strange for there to be differences.

    Sheng Feilong spent most of his time getting familiar with the Blood Core and how it worked, while Mu Ye gave him advice whenever he had any questions. However, Mu Ye never spoke to him about the second layer of the Innate Secret Technique yet, so Sheng Feilong guessed that he wasn''t satisfied yet.

    On this day, five days after initially forming the Blood Core, Sheng Feilong entered his own spiritual consciousness to talk to the old lion king. He bowed slightly to the latter, then started speaking. "Senior, what do you think of my Blood Core?"

    The old lion king observed him for a while before finally opening his mouth with an uncertain voice. "It''s... similar to a Soul Bone, but still different. It certainly looks the part, but its weird to see a Soul Bone without any spirit in it."

    Usually, a Soul Bone created by a Soul Beast had a part of their spirit infused into it to give it its unique form and to perfectly fuse with the Soul Beast''s body. Sheng Feilong knew that from his prior talks with the old lion king, so he didn''t need to ask about it. "Then, do you think I can form it into a true Soul Bone, despite the lack of Spirit?"

    "...I''m not sure." The old lion king spoke, his head tilted to the side. "The weirdest part really is that your Soul Bone is infused with you blood''s energy, which contains the power of our linage, yet also contains the properties of a human. You''ve also fused... your third eye into it? It''s truly strange."

 247 Artficial Soul Bone Researcher

    Phew, I''m back... Though I''ve got bad news for you.

    I''m sure all of you have noticed the irregular updates recently and are wondering what''s going on.

    First of all, don''t worry; I myself am perfectly fine and I will definitely NOT drop this Novel.

    However, there''s a lot of things going on: I''ve recently had some talks with my boss and I''ve got a new position at another Location of our company. But that new job is a lot more complicated than my old position.

    Previously, I''ve always been working from home, but I''ve had to go to the company a lot because of paperwork, to get the required knowledge for my new position, etc., which is why I''ve had less time to write.

    I''ll formally start my position at the other location on Wednesday this week, but that also means that it''s the end of my life working from home. I''ll have to commute there for work as there''s a lot of things I won''t be able to do from home.

    I won''t bore you with that stuff, so I''ll just say that time is getting tighter. And that means I''ll have to compromise writing with everythign else that comes up in daily life.

    For now, I''ll turn down the uploads to one chapter every other day and see if I can keep that up once work starts for real. If not, I''ll have to cut it down even further, but I will not drop this Novel.

    There''ll also be a 1 week hiatus from July, 15th to July, 21st for work reasons, but uploads will start again at July, 22nd.

    Oof. that was a lot of text. I hopy you''ll enjoy today''s chapter!

    ---------------------------

    "So, does that mean that I can''t create a Soul Bone from the Blood Core?" Sheng Feilong questioned. He understood the old lion king''s concerns and that it wasn''t familiar with human cultivation like Soul Cores and the Blood Core, which was derived from the former, yet what Sheng Feilong wanted was a clear answer.

    The old lion king didn''t speak as it was still thinking of an answer, however, he shook his head, ultimately giving a negative answer. "Creating a Soul Bone is a process that needs perfect precision. With your strange ''Blood Core'', I don''t think it would work, at least not the way I would expect for a Soul Bone to be formed. If something went wrong, you could heavily injure, cripple of even kill yourself."

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    The Body Sect''s Innate Secret Technique and the Blood Core were incredible inventions, thus it wasn''t weird for the old lion king to not being able to see through them; They were meant for humans to cultivate, not Soul Beasts, and, while they did have similarities to Soul Bones, weren''t the same.

    Sheng Feilong folded his arms in front of his chest, falling into silence as well. ''I still no too little of the Innate Secret Technique and of Soul Bones... Senior Mu said it''s the strongest technique of the Body Sect and that he would teach it to me, so maybe I should focus on that for now. Honestly, I don''t even know what would happen if I, a human, were to create a Soul Bone for myself...''

    He looked up, facing the old lion king again. "That reminds me- Senior!" The old lion looked down on him, waiting for him to continue. Sheng Feilong jumped to his feet, looking at the old lion with a serious expression and took a deep breath. "Senior, I wish to ask you something... You know that my Master, Song Weihan, creates Artificial Soul Bones, right?"

    The old lion king frowned; Clearly, it remembered Song Weihan, though definitely not fondly. "I remember the human called Song Weihan, yes. What about him?" Sheng Feilong hesitated for a moment before speaking to the old lion king again. "Senior... I wish to study Soul Bones together with my Master. But I also know how opposed you are to Artificial Soul Bones."

    As soon as Sheng Feilong spoke about Artificial Soul Bones, the old lion king''s expression darkened. Sheng Feilong spoke up quickly when he saw that. "Before you say something, please calm down, Senior. I know you despise the process of creating Artificial Soul Bones, but for me, it''s really important; It''s by far the best way to learn of Soul Bones of all kinds. Moreover, with my Master working on it, I know for sure that no Soul Beasts will be harmed throughout the process."

    "...I understand that a Soul Bone is kind of a legacy of a Soul Beast and that tempering with them is highly disrespectful, but... If they''re not artificially created, more Soul Beasts will have to suffer because of human greed." Sheng Feilong tried to reason with the old lion king, but its expression didn''t change.

    Still, it remained silent and listened to Sheng Feilong, which prompted him to continue speaking. "The Soul Bone that I currently have, the one created for your respected sister, it''s a special case; It''s created from a real Soul Bone, however, that doesn''t have to be the case. My Master has already managed to create other Artificial Soul Bones from scratch using only Heavenly and Earthly Treasure. No Soul Beasts had to suffer to create those Soul Bones, which lead to the humans, who obtained those Soul Bones, having no reason to hunt any Soul Beast to satiate their greed."

    "Ultimately, the goal of my Master is to create perfect imitations of Soul Bones without the involvement of any Soul Beasts. He certainly doesn''t wish t harm any Soul Beasts. And the reason only he and a few selected people work on the Artificial Soul Bones is to protect the Soul Beasts. Others might have killed to obtain better samples to create Soul Bones from, but my Master didn''t." Sheng Feilong continued to speak, his words clearly showing the high respect he had for Song Weihan.

    And his words seemed to be effective; The old lion king''s expression eased slightly, though it was still clear that it wasn''t convinced, but that was fine! Sheng Feilong only needed it to tolerate him working on Artificial Soul Bones, not support him in his research. "Senior, learning about Soul Bones is the best way for me to get stronger ¨C The best option to find a way to create a Soul Bone of my own from the Blood Core..."

    He ended his words at there, nt saying anything more. The old lion king remained silent for a long time before sighing deeply after a while. "Very well. I won''t stop you from learning about Soul Bones and these Artificial Soul Bones. But I will not stand by idly if you ever try to meddle with normal Soul Bones in the name of your research."

    This was the old lion king''s bottom line, something that Sheng Feilong clearly understood and exactly what he wanted to hear. Sheng Feilong nodded his head in a grave manner afterwards. "I understand, Senior. I won''t experiment with any real Soul Bones. Then, I''ll leave for the time being..."

    The old lion king nodded its head, laying back down on the grass, while Sheng Feilong took a few steps back before leaving his spiritual consciousness. He was still meditating and took a quick look at his Dantian, making sure everything was okay with his Soul Core and Blood Core, after which he opened his eyes again.

    Sheng Feilong was surprised for a moment and looked around the training hall, only to see it empty, with Mu Ye nowhere in sight. "Strange... Senior Mu always waited for me and never left before I awoke from my meditation... Did something happen?" Despite his confusion, Sheng Feilong took out his Soul Communicator to confirm the time; Ho spent quite a while with the old lion king, so he would understand Mu Ye leaving if it was already late at night.

    Alas, it was only just past dinner time, which wasn''t too unusual considering Sheng Feilong''s cultivation habits; He usually cultivated until the sun went down before getting hungry and Mu Ye never seemed bothered. "That''s not it, so did something happen for real?"

    Sheng Feilong jumped to his feet, still fiddling with his Soul Communicator, pondering whether or not to call Song Weihan, She Meixiao or Mu Ye, though shook his head after a moment of hesitation. He left the training hall, walking through the corridors towards the dining hall, with the Soul Communicator already stored away in his pocket.

    Again, there was no one there, the whole dining hall devoid of any people. Sheng Feilong started to get a bad feeling, but shook it off before walking towards the next place he knew at the Body Sect; Mu Ye''s office. "It''s already past dinner time; Of course there wouldn''t be anyone here."

    On his way back through the core area of the Body Sect, Sheng Feilong heaven a slight sigh of relieve; He walked past a few more core personnel of the Body Sect, who seemed perfectly fine and calm, so it was unlikely that anything had happened.

    The door to Mu Ye''s office was closed, so Sheng Feilong knocked on it before entering. As expected, he saw Mu Ye, as well as She Meixiao, Song Weihan and Zhen Hua. He froze, though, as he noticed that were more people inside the office as he anticipated. "Senior... Holy Spirit Douluo..? Tang Wulin, Jiang Wang and you guys... You''re all alive?!"

    Tang Wulin''s expression was a mix of relief, anger and wariness and it was hard to read his emotions. The others were still shaken up by what happened at Shrek Academy and clearly quite affected as they clung near Tang Wulin, who was the most level headed. That was especially true for Gu Yue; She didn''t pay Sheng Feilong any mind and looked happy, while she held Tang Wulin''s arm. ''She feels like a completely different person...''

    Sheng Feilong couldn''t help but feel estranged by what he saw, but the most worrisome was still the state of the Holy Spirit Douluo Yali; Her youthful looks were gone and she looks like a frail lady, having aged decades since Sheng Feilong last saw her during the Sea God''s Fated Date Festival, with even her hair having turned a witherly grey.

    Her aura was incredibly weak, nothing like it was ever before and with Sheng Feilong''s Spirit Power, he could tell that all of them were in disarray and devastated, still Mu Ye and the others must have been talking to them for a while now, as all of them were calm.

    Mu Ye and Zhen Hua nodded at Sheng Feilong, while Song Weihan waved him to come over to his side. He walked past Tang Wulin and the others, though couldn''t help but glance back at them, where he met Tang Wulin''s faintly hostile gaze.

    Song Weihan mentioned that he''d tell Sheng Feilong about what had happened later, while the attention of Mu Ye and Zhen Hua went back to Tang Wulin, with the former speaking in a calm tone. "So, what do you intend to do now, Wulin?"

    Tang Wulin hesitated for a moment before replying in a low voice. "I''ll observe how things progress for now. We''ll keep a low profile until things have calmed down, then we''ll slowly rebuild Shrek... Before anything else, we have to grow stronger; Strong enough to protect Shrek once we''ve rebuild it and strong enough to take revenge!"

    His hands balled into fists and he looked at Zhen Hua and Mu Ye, wanting to ask them somehting, but before he could speak, a shaky voice came from his side. "I... I don''t want to... I just want to return home, to Heaven Dou City and life quietly..."

    The ones that had survived the happenings at Shrek Academy were the Holy Spirit Douluo Yali and them, the Shrek''s Seven Monsters, yet one of them wanted to quit? Tang Wulin turned to the side, shocked at what he heard. "Jiang Wang, you...?"

 248 The End. Dropped

    @@Hey guys, it''s been... a while, hasn''t it?

    Over the past couple months, quite a few things happened. Really, really unpleasant things that I wouldn''t want to talk about, actually.

    I''ve been pretty much off the internet all of this time and won''t be returning anytime soon, so I want to give this novel a conclusion. Honestly, you guys deserve to at least know that I won''t be returning to writing this novel.

    I guess you''ve pretty much already anticipated this after half a year.

    So... Thank all of you for reading my fan-fiction. THank you for staying for so long despite not hearing anything from me. And thank all of you who still regularly vote, all of your comments and well wishes and your dedication to my work.

    From this point onwards, this novel is officially dropped.

    I''m sorry that it had to end this way.