After finishing his talk with Mu En, Zhu Ziyang left the Sea God's Pavilion.
In the inner court's dining hall, he ran into Jiang Nannan—and unexpectedly, another familiar face: Xu Jiujou.
"Your Highness, I didn't expect to see you at Shrek Academy. You're not here to stir up trouble, are you?" Zhu Ziyang said with a teasing smile.
"Hmph! This princess isn't that petty!" Xu Jiujou retorted, hands on her hips, her tone proud yet playful, unfazed by his jab.
"Brother, Sister Jiujou is here for an exchange program—it'll last five years!" Jiang Nannan explained happily. Xu Jiujou had traveled with them from Star Luo City to Shrek Academy, and during those three days on the road, she and Nannan had become fast friends.
To Jiang Nannan, Xu Jiujou—though a princess who sometimes displayed her swan-like pride—was far from the overbearing type. On the contrary, she was approachable and easy to get along with. Nannan had no idea, however, that the princess's visit carried a hidden mission.
"I see," Zhu Ziyang replied, narrowing his eyes slightly as he studied Xu Jiujou, his expression unreadable.
If Xu Jiawei was willing to send Xu Jiujou to Shrek Academy for such an exchange, it meant the Star Luo royal family had already made a decision. Good—clearly, not everyone was as foolish as the people buried in that plain days ago.
"Nannan, Aunt Bai is here—you know that, right?" Zhu Ziyang said suddenly.
"Huh? Mother's here at the Academy?" Jiang Nannan exclaimed in surprise, her pretty face lighting up with excitement. "Really? Brother, take me to her!"
"Mm, I'll take you." Zhu Ziyang smiled, taking her small hand in his, before glancing at Xu Jiujou. "Your Highness, we have something to attend to. Feel free to explore the Academy on your own."
"See you later, Sister Jiujou!" Jiang Nannan waved in parting.
Hand in hand, the two left the dining hall, their bodies close. Xu Jiujou watched them go, a hint of frustration and helplessness flickering across her face.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed since the end of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament.
The tournament's events and impact had spread to every corner of the Douluo Continent. Everyone in the soul master world knew that Shrek Academy now boasted a prodigy named Zhu Ziyang—a youth who had already reached the Soul Emperor realm and possessed 100,000-year spirit rings.
Outside of major powers, however, most people knew only his name. His appearance, height, or build remained a mystery.
Regardless, his fame was undeniable.
Not that it meant much to Zhu Ziyang. In the past six months, he hadn't left Shrek Academy or Shrek City once. Instead, he had devoted the time to strengthening his skills, tempering his mind, and solidifying his foundation.
Naturally, his spirit power had risen to level 66.
Much had happened in the Academy during this time. The first major event was that Zhu Ziyang gained three junior disciples.
After Huo Yuhao and his companions completed their closed-door training, Mu En took them in as disciples. Everyone in the Sea God's Pavilion understood what that meant—and welcomed it. Though many elders coveted twin martial soul geniuses, none dared contest Mu En's choice.
Afterward, Zhu Ziyang began teaching in Mu En's stead. For six months, when he wasn't cultivating or spending time with family, he was instructing his three new juniors in Mu En's ultimate technique: the fusion of spirit power and spiritual power—Sovereign's Dominion.
The second major event was the Sea God's Pavilion's formal approval of the Extreme Soul Tool Soldier Program, proposed by Xian Lin'er, Qian Duoduo, and Fan Yu. Its goal: to train one or more soul engineers capable of developing large-scale and super-large-scale strategic soul weapons.
So far, only two students had been selected: Huo Yuhao and He Caitou. The latter was already a fourth-rank soul engineer at fifteen—a rare genius even in the Sun Moon Empire—while Huo Yuhao's talent was no less. Twin martial souls and Ultimate Ice had earned him a place in the program on Mu En's personal order.
The third event was the departure of some and the addition of others. After the tournament, Dai Yueheng and Gongyang Mo graduated and became instructors. Meanwhile, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, and Tang Ya passed the inner court's entrance trials to officially join its ranks.
The fourth event was one that had yet to occur—Zhu Ziyang's decision to formally introduce the concept of soul spirits to Mu En and the Sea God's Pavilion.
He didn't want to delay any longer. Before completing the remaining God Tests, he wanted Shrek Academy to begin preparations for the soul spirit system.
God Realm – Sea God's Palace
"…No, something's wrong. Why is this happening?" The Sea God, Tang San, sat on his throne, manipulating threads in the void with a frown. "Why is Huo Yuhao's fate line still so flat? By now, he should have gained Shrek Academy's full recognition, maybe even met the Star Dou Forest's auspicious beast. So why hasn't it happened?"
His frown deepened, fingers moving faster. At last, he slammed a hand on the throne's armrest. "Who is this Zhu Ziyang? He was supposed to be a secondary character benefiting from the child of destiny, yet now he's stealing the spotlight. Such a disobedient pawn deserves to be removed!"
"Da Ming, Er Ming—go find everything you can about this Zhu Ziyang and report back," Tang San ordered, sending his divine sense to two burly figures in the mortal realm.
The two—Clear Sky Sect's guardians—shared a helpless look before setting out. Zhu Ziyang's fame made their task easy; soon, they returned with the information.
Tang San's expression grew darker as he read. His initial judgment had been completely wrong—Zhu Ziyang wasn't riding the child of destiny's coattails. He was the Douluo Star's countermeasure against Tang San himself.
"Twin Ultimate martial souls… six 100,000-year spirit rings! He's a threat—to my plans, and to Huo Yuhao. He must not be allowed to live!" Tang San concluded coldly. "A pity I've already invested so much in Huo Yuhao—otherwise, I might have considered switching targets."
"Yes… you are the Evil God's successor," Tang San said with a cruel gleam. "And when faced with the Evil God and its successor, Shrek Academy has the duty to uphold justice, don't they?
"If someone from Shrek kills you, that's not me meddling in mortal affairs, is it, Douluo Star's Will?
"I'll just… make sure they know the truth.
"Hahahaha…"
Somewhere in the Void
In a place unknown, an indescribable, eerie presence shuddered—as though an exquisite beauty had been touched by something filthy—its very being filled with revulsion.
"Who's thinking about me again? Don't tell me it's that ungrateful wretch…"
Its voice was strange and incomprehensible, laced with both confusion and venom.
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