Mixed Zone, Star Dou Forest
In this ancient woodland, the Shrek Academy group had been searching for four or five days straight.
Though food and water weren't an issue—thanks to soul engineering storage devices and purification tools—the constant tension of being deep in a soul beast stronghold wore on them. Even with a Soul Douluo and a Soul Saint accompanying them, Chen Junting's team remained in a state of high alert, their nerves frayed and exhaustion creeping in.
Over these days, He Caitou had successfully obtained a suitable soul ring. But the Golden Demon Bird—the very soul beast Chen Junting sought—remained elusive. Despite scouring the area where it had been sighted a century ago, not a single trace had appeared.
Zhao Gang finally halted, frowning. "This isn't working. The Golden Demon Bird is notoriously hard to track. The previous headmaster seeing it here might've been pure luck. If we keep this up, we'll be here until the academy's holiday break."
All eyes turned to Chen Junting.
He furrowed his brow, weighing his options.
He couldn't abandon the Golden Demon Bird—not when its estimated 10,000-year cultivation would be perfect for his fourth soul ring. By the time he needed his fifth, that same age would be too low.
But endless searching was futile.
"Let's shift focus," Chen Junting proposed. "First, we'll find the Void Spirit Turtle for Senior Xu and the Spirit Illusion Butterfly for Yuhao. Once they've secured their soul rings, we'll return for the Golden Demon Bird. If it still doesn't appear… I'll settle for the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear."
The others agreed without hesitation—except Chen Junting himself, who remained inwardly reluctant.
Just then, Huo Yuhao, who'd been listening intently, asked, "Senior Junting… what exactly is an evil soul master?"
Chen Junting, recognizing his curiosity, explained plainly:
"Evil soul masters are those who cultivate their martial souls through wicked, inhumane methods. Most are monsters without conscience—deserving of death."
Huo Yuhao nodded, enlightened.
But Xu Sanshi, overhearing, chimed in with a puzzled frown. "Wait—but doesn't that depend on the martial soul itself? I thought if your martial soul is 'evil,' you're automatically an evil soul master."
Chen Junting smiled faintly. "Actually, the academy's official stance is that martial souls themselves aren't inherently good or evil. It's the practitioner's actions that define them."
To illustrate, Bei Bei added, "For example, I know of a high-ranking academy figure who once encountered a soul master whose martial soul was the Scorpion-Tiger—a variant of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. Would you call him evil just for that?"
Xu Sanshi blinked, confused. "Well… if his cultivation method requires devouring souls and blood—"
"Ah," Bei Bei cut in, "but what if he only consumes soul beasts' souls and blood?"
Xu Sanshi threw up his hands. "Ugh—now I'm more confused!"
Chen Junting seized the moment. "Take my sect's ancestor, Elder Gu Rong—the Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect ten thousand years ago. His martial soul was the Bone Dragon. Today, most of the continent labels it an 'evil martial soul.' By that logic, would our ancestor be an evil soul master?"
Wu Feng, standing nearby, immediately bristled—her expression fierce with clan pride.
"Exactly," Chen Junting continued. "People assume those with so-called 'evil' martial souls can't resist the temptation of easy power, so they 'cut it off at the root.' That's how we got to Xu Senior's misunderstanding."
Bei Bei nodded. "The real issue isn't the martial soul—it's the person. As the saying goes: 'A hair's breadth of error leads to a thousand miles of deviation.'"
"So what happened to that Senior who encountered the Scorpion-Tiger martial soul? Did he still kill him?" Xu Sanshi asked, curious about the answer.
"Actually… that high-ranking figure let him go." The answer Bei Bei gave stunned everyone—even Zhao Gang.
Chen Junting didn't comment. He knew exactly who Bei Bei meant: Headmaster Mu En.
He agreed with part of Mu En's choice—but not the part where he released Zhang Peng without supervision, allowing a potential evil soul master to roam free.
Just then, Du Weilun—who'd been silently scanning the surroundings—suddenly appeared before them. His speed was so great, it felt like a blink—and a figure stood where none had been.
His expression was ice-cold. "Stay here. Zhao Gang, protect them. I'll investigate."
"Understood," Zhao Gang replied, stepping forward and shielding the five students behind him. With a low growl, his Mighty Vajra Bear martial soul manifested—towering, primal, radiating raw power.
Du Weilun's eight soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—flared to life. His Crimson Winged Golden Eagle martial soul erupted, wings spanning twice a man's height.
The group waited tensely.
After a short while, Du Weilun returned—his face grim. He led them forward another ten li, deeper into the forest, where the air grew unnaturally dim and cold.
Then—they saw it.
Scattered across the forest floor lay several corpses—faces twisted in agony, as if their final moments were filled with unbearable torment.
"Evil soul masters," Du Weilun confirmed, kneeling to examine the bodies. His gaze held no pity. To him, such scum deserved no mercy.
But Huo Yuhao frowned. "Wait… if they're evil soul masters, why are there only their soul skill marks here? No signs of a fight with others?"
A faint, lingering chill hung in the air—nearly dissipated, but unmistakable.
Evil soul masters had been here recently.
Du Weilun's eyes narrowed. "Someone else was hunting them."
Silence fell.
In that shadowed grove, the line between hunter and hunted blurred—and the true danger of the Great Star Dou Forest revealed itself.
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