The aftermath of Mu En's fall was still rippling across the entire Douluo Continent. Yet on the surface, Shrek Academy seemed to have already stepped out from grief—at least, that was the appearance.
Within three days, under Xuanzi's lead, the newly renamed Tianyuan Pavilion had taken up the power and responsibilities Mu En left behind, and began formally executing the three great plans he had established during his life.
The "Empress Descends" Plan, the Soul Tool Plan, and the Cloud Sky Plan!
Of the three, only the "Empress Plan" had its preparations ready. The other two still required time, so the Empress Plan was the first to launch.
But before it could begin, its executor—Zhang Yuexuan—had one final duty as a Shrek student: to lead a team into the forest to hunt spirit rings.
Thanks to Mu En's final gift, many students of the inner court had gained breakthroughs. Among them were Jiang Nan Nan, who advanced to Soul Emperor; Bei Bei, who broke through to Soul King; Xu Sanshi, who also reached Soul King; and even Huo Yuhao, who rose to the realm of Soul Ancestor.
All of them had ties to Zhu Ziyang. Naturally, he would accompany them in this ring hunt. But before they set off, Xian Lin'er stopped him.
"Senior Sister, what is it?" Zhu Ziyang asked, puzzled.
"We caught a girl who trespassed into the Academy," Xian Lin'er replied coldly. "She claims to be your friend. Come confirm if she's telling the truth."
"Huh?" Zhu Ziyang blinked, then immediately thought of someone. His face turned strange. "Let's go then. I want to see which foolish girl this is."
Xian Lin'er led him to an outer court classroom, where the intruder was being held.
The moment Zhu Ziyang saw her, he pressed a hand to his forehead in exasperation. "So it really is you…"
"Ah! Zhu Ziyang, you're finally here!" The girl was none other than Qian Lingyi. After sneaking into the Academy and receiving Mu En's lingering gift, she had fallen into meditation. When she awoke, before she could even celebrate her gains, she was dragged here by a very angry Xian Lin'er.
Had she not immediately spoken Zhu Ziyang's name, she might already have been crushed under Xian Lin'er's wrath.
"So, she truly is your friend?" Xian Lin'er asked, her anger fading as she scrutinized Lingyi.
Only now, with a proper look, did she notice Qian Lingyi's beauty—on par with Jiang Nan Nan or Xu Jiujin. A sigh welled in Xian Lin'er's heart: This Zhu Ziyang really attracts girls far too easily. Poor Nan Nan will have her hands full in the future…
"Yes, Senior Sister," Zhu Ziyang explained with a smile. "Her name is Qian Lingyi. Sixteen years old, fifty-seventh rank Soul King, martial soul: Holy Angel."
"Qian Lingyi… Holy Angel?!" A flicker of surprise crossed Xian Lin'er's face. As Dean of Shrek Academy, she understood very well what the surname Qian and the Angel Spirit represented.
But surprise was all. The feud between the Angel Clan and the Sea God belonged to millennia past—irrelevant to Shrek. Besides, Mu En's dying words still echoed in her mind.
"Correction—I'm already fifty-ninth rank!" Qian Lingyi puffed out her chest proudly, speaking with a smug smile.
"Fifty-ninth?" Zhu Ziyang was stunned.
"She barged into the Academy at the moment of Teacher's fall," Xian Lin'er said with a bitter smile. "She, too, received his light's gift."
Zhu Ziyang's face darkened. He had thought Lingyi was simply caught trying to sneak in. Who would have guessed she succeeded, even taking advantage of Mu En's passing blessing? No wonder Xian Lin'er had been so furious earlier.
"Senior Sister, how do you plan to deal with her?" he asked.
"Eh? Deal with me? Why? Zhu Ziyang, aren't we friends?" Qian Lingyi cried in panic.
"Hmph." Xian Lin'er raised her hand, sealing Lingyi's mouth. "She's not of Shrek, yet she received our Teacher's final gift. There are only two solutions—strip her of her spirit power, or have her join the Academy."
"Mm. That seems the only way," Zhu Ziyang agreed with a nod.
"I—I'll join Shrek Academy! Just don't abolish my spirit power!" Qian Lingyi shouted the instant the seal vanished, fear flashing on her pretty face as though she truly believed Xian Lin'er might cripple her.
So much for her grandmother's warnings to avoid Shrek at all costs. Instead, she—Qian Lingyi—was not only refusing to avoid it, she was about to join it! A rebellious streak if there ever was one.
"Very well. Since you'll become a student of Shrek, I won't make things hard for you," Xian Lin'er smiled at last. "Come, I'll take you to register. In a few days, you'll face a special inner court assessment."
"Mm-hmm!" Qian Lingyi nodded eagerly, like a well-behaved child.
"Ziyang, I'll take her with me. You go prepare for the spirit hunt," Xian Lin'er said, pulling Lingyi along.
Zhu Ziyang could only shake his head with a wry smile and return to the inner court.
At that moment, in the Tianyuan Square—the place once called Sea God Square—the spirit-hunting party had already assembled.
Seven members in total: Zhang Yuexuan as leader, Zhu Ziyang as rear guard, and five who needed spirit rings—Jiang Nan Nan, Xu Jiujin, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Huo Yuhao.
Jiang Nan Nan had long been at fifty-nine. With Mu En's light's baptism, she naturally reached sixty. Xu Jiujin, after more than a year in Shrek, was likewise blessed and also advanced to sixty.
Bei Bei had already been forty-eight. Mu En's bloodline strengthening pushed him directly to fifty, transforming his martial soul completely into the Bright Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—permanently inheriting the light attribute without needing to awaken it. With two of Mu En's Dragon Emperor soul skills in hand, Bei Bei's future as a new Dragon God Douluo was assured.
Xu Sanshi had been forty-nine, the highest of the preparatory team. Mu En's blessing lifted him to fifty, keeping him even with Bei Bei.
And then there was Huo Yuhao. At the end of the tournament, he had just broken through to thirty. After a year of training, he'd reached thirty-five. But Mu En had washed his meridians in his final act, pushing him straight to the threshold of forty.
A thirteen-year-old Soul Ancestor might be unremarkable in Shrek, but in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, he would shine as an absolute prodigy.
"Everyone, let's depart!" Zhang Yuexuan announced.
The seven set out toward the Star Dou Great Forest. Following behind were Elder Song and Cai Mei'er. Though the hunting team was small, every member was crucial to Shrek Academy's future—no accidents could be allowed.
Soon, they reached the forest's edge. Zhang Yuexuan raised her hand. "Form up! We have exactly seven, the perfect composition for a standard team. This will be simple.
"I'll take the front, Ziyang will guard the rear. Bei Bei, cover the flanks. Yuhao, you're on control. Jiujin, support. Sanshi, protect Yuhao and Jiujin. Nan Nan, you scout ahead and handle mobile support. Understand?"
"Understood!" everyone replied in unison.
"Good. Move out!" Zhang Yuexuan commanded.
With formation set, the seven charged into the Star Dou Great Forest.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 early chapters available on Patreon: [email protected]/facficmax10