Chapter 95

"Xiao Du's current situation is indeed quite troublesome." Mu En stroked his beard. "Are you saying that his condition was caused by a Martial Soul Fusion Technique performed by two first-year freshmen?"

"Yes." Yan Shaozhe nodded and briefly described the Martial Soul Fusion Technique executed by Wang Rui and Huo Yuqing. "…The temperature of that sea of fire was extremely high. The ground of the examination field even showed signs of crystallization. Those crystalline layers contained residual fire-attributed energy that dissipated very slowly, causing the temperature to decrease at an extremely sluggish rate. Therefore, I suspect that this little guy, Wang Rui, has achieved an ultimate level of fire affinity..."

"Not just that." Mu En interrupted him thoughtfully. "In our academy's records of the previous Ultimate Fire powerhouse, there were no such descriptions. Clearly, he was incapable of this."

"You mean this Fusion Technique surpasses Ultimate Fire?" Yan Shaozhe's eyes widened. "But how is that possible? Ultimate attributes are the pinnacle and limit of elemental attributes—

"Mu En waved his hand dismissively. "Your perspective is too narrow. I once discussed this with an old friend. So-called 'ultimate' is just a designation. What people call an ultimate attribute is merely a threshold. Once that threshold is crossed, the attribute undergoes a qualitative change. It absolutely suppresses all other possessors of the same attribute below that threshold. But beyond the threshold, there are still distinctions in strength."

"Apologies, teacher, I…" Yan Shaozhe showed a trace of guilt, like a student who failed to answer a teacher's question correctly.

"This isn't your fault." A faint smile appeared on Mu En's face, and his gaze seemed to travel through time, falling on the past. "How rare are Ultimate Attribute users? In the vast river of time, only a handful of people have ever reached that threshold... If it weren't for my old friend, I might not know as much about Ultimate Attributes as you do."

"My old friend once told me that for a human to touch the threshold of the Ultimate Attribute is already quite an achievement. But if one wishes to go even further and refine the attribute to an even purer level, a human body simply cannot withstand it."

"The old friend you're referring to—is it Dragon Emperor Douluo, Long Xiaoyao?" Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but ask.

"Naturally." Mu En chuckled. "Who else in this world possesses an Ultimate Attribute? When it comes to research on Ultimate Attributes, our academy's knowledge is still lacking."

"To progress beyond the Ultimate level requires an extremely long time and an incomparably strong physique."

"Only soul beasts can meet those conditions..." Yan Shaozhe muttered, then suddenly turned to Mu En, his eyes seemingly shining. "Are you saying that this Wang Rui kid is actually a hundred-thousand-year soul beast who has reincarnated as a human?"

Mu En: "..."

He immediately smacked Yan Shaozhe on the back of the head. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? You're a Titled Douluo yourself—if he were a reincarnated hundred-thousand-year soul beast, wouldn't you be able to tell?"

"Ow! What if there are methods to conceal one's aura?"

"You dare question my eyesight?" Mu En snorted coldly. "That kid is obviously a normal human."

"Then why was their Martial Soul Fusion Technique able to surpass the threshold of an Ultimate Attribute? According to what you said, humans shouldn't be able to do that." Yan Shaozhe was unconvinced.

"You already said it yourself—it's a Martial Soul Fusion Technique." Mu En said irritably. "Martial Soul Fusion Techniques can elevate attributes, so naturally, they can also push an already Ultimate-level attribute even further."

"And this is precisely what seems odd to me. If their Fusion Technique simply boosted Wang Rui's Ultimate Fire beyond the Ultimate threshold, then why is Xiao Du in this state? He has suffered purely mental damage. A Fusion Technique shouldn't have two completely unrelated effects." Mu En said calmly, "Was the skill that affected Xiao Du truly a product of their Martial Soul Fusion Technique?"Yan Shaozhe was momentarily stunned.

"Xiao Du's condition clearly indicates that he has been influenced by emotions embedded within a spiritual attack. When I examined him earlier, I found an unusually active and tenacious foreign spiritual power in his sea of consciousness. This spiritual power carries a strong emotion of rage, continuously affecting his soul."

"With this foreign spiritual power as a catalyst, all of the anger he normally suppresses has been completely triggered. Under normal circumstances, emotions are partially controlled by reason, preventing them from being fully expressed. However, right now, his rage is no longer being restrained by reason—it will simply be unleashed based on his mood."

"This technique of embedding emotions into a spiritual attack—should be a type of combat skill..."

"A self-created soul skill?" Yan Shaozhe asked in surprise.

"Perhaps just a lucky accident." Mu En shook his head. "In fact, when using spiritual attacks, if one's emotions are intense enough, a bit of that emotion can sometimes be infused into the attack...

So this might just be an accidental discovery. Whether it counts as a self-created soul skill will depend on whether it can be replicated in the future."

"If you have time, investigate whether Wang Rui and Huo Yuqing had any grudges with their opponents.

"Yan Shaozhe nodded in agreement.Mu En continued, "This is why I said Xiao Du's situation is tricky. Spiritual-type soul masters are incredibly rare, and our academy's research on spiritual power and the soul is not very deep. Right now, I can't think of a way to heal him immediately. He can only recover gradually by maintaining a calm and peaceful mind, assisted by some meditation and concentration-enhancing medicines to get through this period."

"How long will it take for him to recover?"

"Best case scenario—several months." Mu En did not mention the worst case. "Also, keep an eye on that Huo Yuhao kid. I suspect he has another Martial Soul."

Yan Shaozhe was incredulous. "Another Twin Martial Soul? Are you saying his second Martial Soul is also an Ultimate Martial Soul? That's impossible! Since when did Ultimate Martial Souls become so common?"

Mu En did not answer immediately. After a while, he slowly spoke, "Something major might be about to happen. Long Xiaoyao's descendants have entered Shrek Academy, and Wang Rui and Huo Yuhao's backgrounds are very likely connected to the Beast Sect."

"The Beast Sect is preparing to emerge?" Yan Shaozhe frowned deeply. He had no fondness for the Beast Sect.

If the Beast Sect surfaced, it would not be good news. That sect was too mysterious and too powerful—even Shrek Academy, which had stood for thousands of years, had to show them respect.

They were like the Body Sect—both difficult to deal with. But while the Body Sect was merely eccentric and unpredictable, the Beast Sect always had a clear goal.

Worse yet, their stance was ambiguous. The Body Sect at least firmly supported the Heavenly Soul Empire. Shrek Academy, despite its neutrality, still stood with the three original nations of the Douluo Continent. But the Beast Sect? If the Sun-Moon Empire agreed to outlaw soul masters from hunting soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest, the Beast Sect would immediately side with them and lead an army of beasts against the three nations.

The Beast Sect was filled with madmen who cared only for soul beasts and disregarded soul masters. And yet, they were ridiculously powerful, incredibly united, and extremely vengeful.

When Yan Shaozhe was young, there was once an ignorant fool who, within the city of Shrek, lured and killed a wolf-type soul beast that belonged to a Moonshadow disciple of the Beast God Sect. The Beast God Sect responded by sending six Titled Douluo, who brutally slaughtered the person who had absorbed the soul ring—right on the spot—without showing Shrek Academy even a shred of respect.

It was just a soul beast! Was that really necessary?!

Yan Shaozhe never believed in the Beast God Sect's talk of soul masters and soul beasts coexisting as equals. Pretty words, nothing more. The soul beasts they raised were nothing more than tools—no different from soul devices.

Shrek Academy had the responsibility of ensuring the city's safety! What the Beast God Sect had done was a blatant slap to Shrek's face. Yet, due to their prior contract with Jadeite City, Shrek had no grounds for retaliation.

Every time Yan Shaozhe recalled the times Shrek Academy had been humiliated by the Beast God Sect, he seethed with rage.

Due to the contract, the Academy was forbidden from openly hunting soul beasts for profit. This resulted in a severe financial loss, and even the teachers and students had to deal with strict restrictions when acquiring soul rings.

"Not long ago, an old friend of mine came to chat with me." Mu En cast a warning glance at his rather useless grandson. "The Beast God Sect does seem to have the intention of revealing themselves to the world. According to him, they've achieved something quite extraordinary and plan to spread it across the entire continent."

"They can't possibly have found an alternative to soul rings, can they?" Yan Shaozhe sneered.

"Who knows?" Mu En's gaze drifted off into the void. "Just as the Tang Sect's hidden weapons faded into history… no one knows when the next great breakthrough will occur. These things are unpredictable. Inform Gong Changlong to temporarily halt all soul beast domestication experiments. Have him keep a close watch on the experimental zone's soul beasts—make sure they remain silent and hidden. Also, stop capturing new soul beasts for now. Long Xiaoyao has been staying in Shrek City recently, and it's better to be cautious than regretful."

"Then… should we confine Jiang Lan for the time being? She's been wandering around Shrek City quite often lately." Yan Shaozhe asked hesitantly.

"Jiang Lan? Let her do as she pleases." Mu En chuckled, revealing his somewhat dry teeth. "Such a beautiful young lady. Isn't she human? Watch your words."

"Understood." Yan Shaozhe replied with a wry smile.

"How are things between you and that girl?" The old man's tone was strange, as if he were asking whether a new pet had settled into their home. "Didn't I tell you to treat her like family?"

"I… sigh." Yan Shaozhe shook his head. "I still can't get over it, but Xiao Tao really likes her and treats her as a younger sister."

"Looks like Xiao Tao has a higher level of awareness than you." Mu En nodded approvingly.

"But Xiao Tao doesn't know Jiang Lan's true identity. In the future…"

"What true identity?" Mu En interrupted him. "Isn't Jiang Lan the rising star of Shrek Academy? After Ultimate Wind, Ultimate Fire, and Ultimate Wood, Shrek has finally welcomed an Ultimate Lightning user. This marks the beginning of a brand-new era for the Academy, doesn't it?"

Yan Shaozhe fell silent.

"Teacher, if you and Long Xiaoyao were to fight…" After a while, he couldn't help but ask.

"It's uncertain." Mu En said. "If the battle takes place near Shrek City, then Long Xiaoyao has no chance of winning. But if we're too far from the Academy…"

The old man smiled bitterly. "Ultimate attributes being undefeated at the same level isn't just an empty phrase."

"Even if I could find a way to defeat Long Xiaoyao, I would undoubtedly pay a great price. But the Beast Sect… I fear that Long Xiaoyao isn't their only powerhouse. I have no interest in fighting them."

Placing his hands behind his back, he lightly pounded his waist. "At the upcoming Sea God Pavilion meeting, inform everyone to remain cautious for now… but don't reveal too much yet."

"Understood."

At the bottom of Sea God Island, deep within Shrek Academy…

Shrek Academy, at the center of Sea God Lake, beneath Sea God Island.

In the dark space, silence reigned, broken only by long, drawn-out breaths.

Each breath was deep and slow, indicating that the unseen creature lurking in the darkness was either massive in size or possessed an extraordinarily large pair of lungs.

Suddenly, the steady breathing stopped. Following that, the hum of a soul tool activating echoed, accompanied by irregular clanging sounds as a heavy gate was lifted.

Pa! The soul tool lamps on the ceiling flickered to life, casting an unfeeling, cold white glow.

At the center of the room stood a cage, composed of three layers. The outermost layer was a transparent yet incomparably sturdy crystal glass barrier, with several circular openings.

Inside, two layers of reinforced alloy bars formed an unyielding enclosure. Faint runes flickered on the middle layer, with invisible energy flowing ceaselessly—it was, in fact, a soul tool cage.

Given that Shrek's milk bottle technology was still underdeveloped, maintaining such a soul tool cage required a constant supply of soul power from a cultivator.

The prisoner inside was certainly receiving "luxurious" treatment.

In the corner of the cage lay a pile of white wings, filthy and yellowed with grime. The feathers were in complete disarray, with some patches bald, exposing the grayish-pink flesh underneath. Beneath the wings, a scrawny, short-furred tail could barely be seen, its surface adorned with black ring-like patterns—a tiger's tail!

The creature inside the cage was actually a Light-attribute Four-Winged Demon Tiger!

It was emaciated beyond recognition, and one of its front legs was entirely missing. Yet, from its skeletal structure, it was clear that this demon tiger had nearly reached the legendary hundred-thousand-year soul beast level!

"You worthless old thing, when exactly are you going to break through to a hundred thousand years?" A voice rang out as a red-haired elder stepped into the room. In one hand, he carried a bucket filled with meat; with the other, he grabbed a chunk and rudely tossed it into the cage.

This was none other than Gong Changlong, the man whom Mu En had mentioned.

"The Academy estimated that you were already at ninety-nine thousand nine hundred years back then—just one step away. My grandfather's generation has been waiting on you, yet to this day, you still haven't reached a hundred thousand years. Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Gong Changlong clicked his tongue. "I wonder who will claim your soul ring in the end… and who will be lucky enough to get your soul bone… But personally, I can't wait to deal with your corpse."

"Think about it—your life is so comfortable. No need to hunt for food, and every day, someone delivers you such exquisite delicacies." He smirked maliciously. "Here, today's meal is a Green Storm Bear. Enjoy."

The bloody chunk of meat landed beside the filthy white tiger, rolling a few times on the ground.

"Oh? Not hungry?" The red-haired elder chuckled kindly. "No worries, the Martial Soul Department sent over a whole litter of little tiger cubs the other day. They even have tiny wings. I wonder if you'd like to try them."

The white tiger slowly raised its head, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes brimming with hatred.

Life and death on the edge!!!

(End of Chapter)