Chapter 66: Elder Mu's Anger! Elder Xuan Really Deserves a Beating!
Deep within the Sea God Pavilion, the ambient life aura radiating from the ancient Golden Tree remained as dense and nourishing as ever. Yet, the atmosphere inside the grand hall felt suffocatingly heavy, as if the very air had frozen solid.
Elder Mu gripped the wooden armrests of his recliner, his knuckles turning white under the strain. He leaned forward, abandoning his usual relaxed posture. Those ancient eyes, normally as placid as an undisturbed well, now swirled with a turbulent mix of gravity and deep-seated restlessness.
His entire demeanor had undergone an devastating shift.
Just hours ago, before he learned the name of the Body Sect's newly surfaced genius, Elder Mu had viewed the situation with the detached appreciation of a supreme powerhouse. To a Limit Douluo of his standing, the rise of a peerless prodigy on the continent was certainly an event to note. However, since this youth had already been claimed by the Body Sect, Elder Mu had simply chalked it up to Shrek Academy's poor luck. They had been one step too late.
To gain is fortune; to lose is fate. He had felt a twinge of regret, naturally, but he had accepted it with the calm grace expected of the Sea God Pavilion Master.
But the name "Liu Yuan" changed everything. It shattered that calm grace into a million jagged pieces.
Because Liu Yuan was not some random prodigy snatched up by a rival faction. Liu Yuan was originally a child of Shrek.
Elder Mu knew the boy's background intimately. Liu Yuan's parents had been official, dedicated members of the Shrek Supervisory Team. They had spilled their blood for the academy, tragically dying in the line of duty during a brutal mission to purge a den of Evil Soul Masters. To repay that blood debt, Shrek Academy had taken the orphaned boy in, sheltering and providing for him for six entire years.
While the resources spent over those six years were a drop in the ocean for an institution as massive as Shrek, it meant that Liu Yuan had been thoroughly branded as one of their own. He was a child of martyrs, raised within their walls.
Yet, every single one of those deep-rooted ties had been ruthlessly severed by a single, callous decision from Elder Xuan.
When Elder Mu first learned of the expulsion, he had merely sighed. He had thought Elder Xuan lacked a human touch, that his handling of a martyr's orphan was too blunt, too narrow-minded.
But now? If the youth who had just been confirmed as a world-shaking genius was truly that Liu Yuan, Elder Mu felt as though his very soul might crack. This was no longer a simple matter of poor bedside manner or rigid rules. It meant that a peerless foundation, a future pillar that rightfully belonged to Shrek, had been thrown into the mud and handed to their rivals for absolutely nothing!
The more he thought about it, the darker Elder Mu's expression became. His wrinkled face grew so gloomy it looked as though black water might drip from his chin. He locked his piercing gaze onto the reporting teacher kneeling before him, his voice dropping to a grave, terrifying rumble.
"Tell me the absolute truth. Is that youth with the Double Pupils truly the exact same Liu Yuan our academy expelled?"
The staff member flinched, physically shrinking back under the crushing weight of the Limit Douluo's aura. He swallowed hard, his voice trembling with uncertainty. "Pavilion Master... there is currently no conclusive evidence to prove they are the same person."
"After all, the gap in their cultivation levels is simply too vast. When the boy left us, his soul power was practically nonexistent. But this genius from the Body Sect is already at Level 39. Perhaps... perhaps it is merely a coincidence that they share the same name?"
"The same name. Twelve years old. Both possessing an exceedingly rare eye-type Body Martial Soul." Elder Mu let out a cold, sharp snort, his chest heaving as his breathing grew rapid. "How can there be so many perfect coincidences in this world?"
He closed his eyes, taking a long, deep breath to forcibly suppress the churning unease in his chest. When he opened them again, his gaze was razor-sharp. He waved a withered hand. "No matter the cost, mobilize every single intelligence network Shrek has on the outside. Even if you have to burn favors with our insiders within the Star Luo Empire, I want absolute confirmation. Find out if they are the same person, and do it in the shortest time possible."
"Yes, Pavilion Master! This subordinate will handle it immediately!" The staff member bowed deeply, retreating from the grand hall in fear and trepidation, eager to escape the suffocating pressure.
Left alone in the vast, empty expanse of the Sea God Pavilion, Elder Mu sat in silence. His withered fingers tapped rhythmically against the wooden armrest—tap, tap, tap—an unconscious betrayal of his inner turmoil. A rare, gnawing anxiety flickered in his ancient eyes, an emotion he had not felt in decades.
"If it were merely a shared name, that would be fine..." Elder Mu muttered to the empty room, his raspy voice laced with a heavy, metallic bitterness.
"But if it truly is our Liu Yuan... Elder Xuan. Oh, Elder Xuan. You truly deserve a severe beating for this."
"Do you have any idea what kind of leading figure you might have thrown away? What kind of peerless talent you handed to our greatest rivals on a silver platter?" He gripped the armrest tighter, the wood groaning under his fingers. "You are destroying the very foundation of Shrek."
The longer he dwelled on it, the more a sickening discomfort twisted in his gut. It felt as though a jagged stone was lodged in his throat, choking him. Even as a Limit Douluo, a being who stood at the absolute pinnacle of the mortal realm, his heart palpitated with a sense of impending loss.
Yet, without concrete proof, he could not simply storm out and hold Elder Xuan accountable. He needed facts.
However, that extremely ominous premonition had already taken root deep within his heart, spreading its dark vines. For the first time in years, the Master of the Sea God Pavilion found it completely impossible to enter his usual peaceful meditation.
...
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away.
Under the personal, suffocatingly powerful escort of Du Busi, Liu Yuan, Vina, and their party finally crossed the towering mountain gates, returning safely to the Body Sect.
The news of their arrival swept through the sect like wildfire. As the most prominent genius the Body Sect had seen in generations, Liu Yuan's safe return instantly caused a massive sensation among the disciples and elders alike.
The moment the news broke, Long Aotian, Chen Lu, and a large group of Core Disciples abandoned their training and rushed straight to Liu Yuan's courtyard to offer their regards.
The courtyard was buzzing with energy until Vina began recounting the details of their deadly interception by the Evil Soul Masters. When she revealed that Liu Yuan had single-handedly slaughtered a five-ring Soul King in direct combat, and had even orchestrated a lethal trap to annihilate a seven-ring Soul Sage, a dead silence fell over the crowd. These proud, arrogant geniuses of the Body Sect stood frozen, their jaws slack, completely too shocked to speak.
"You... you killed a Soul Sage?" Chen Lu finally gasped, his eyes wide as he stared at Liu Yuan as if looking at a terrifying monster. "Senior Brother, isn't that a bit too exaggerated? That's a Soul Sage! A powerhouse who can use their Martial Soul Avatar!"
Long Aotian stepped forward, clapping a heavy hand onto Liu Yuan's shoulder. His face was full of complex emotion, his tone carrying nothing but sincere, unadulterated admiration. "You truly live up to your reputation. Before this, I only thought your innate talent was monstrous. But now it seems your absolute ruthlessness and your ability to remain perfectly calm in the face of death are your most terrifying traits. If it were me..." Long Aotian shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. "I'm afraid I wouldn't have even been able to escape a Soul Sage, let alone kill one."
Facing the exclamations, awe, and fervent praises of his fellow disciples, Liu Yuan's expression remained calm and understated. He didn't boast, nor did he let the adulation inflate his ego. After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, he politely but firmly declined all invitations to celebratory banquets and gatherings, citing physical fatigue from the journey.
He knew better than anyone that fleeting fame and empty praises were utterly worthless. In that bloody battle where he had danced on the edge of death, he had deeply, viscerally realized the suffocating oppression that came with insufficient soul power. Tactics and traps could only bridge the gap so far. True, absolute power was the only guarantee of survival.
He was currently at Level 39. He was merely one paper-thin step away from breaking through to Level 40.
After thoroughly cleaning his wounds and consuming a top-grade medicinal pill personally delivered by Du Busi, Liu Yuan sealed the doors to his courtyard. He entered a state of absolute, deep seclusion. Sitting cross-legged on the cold stone floor of his quiet room, he closed his eyes, guiding the surging soul power to circulate endlessly through his meridians.
...
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed in absolute silence.
Early one morning, as the first rays of dawn breached the horizon, a violent, tyrannical fluctuation of soul power suddenly erupted in the sky directly above Liu Yuan's residence.
The originally peaceful morning air distorted, pulled by an invisible, magnetic force. Ambient worldly energy crazily gathered into a vortex, funneling directly toward the center of the quiet room where the youth sat.
Inside the darkened room, Liu Yuan's eyes snapped open. Within his crimson Double Pupils, two piercing rays of golden, substantial essence burst forth, illuminating the shadows like striking lightning. His entire being exuded a deep, heavy aura—as vast as an endless abyss and as deep as the primordial sea.
He could feel it clearly. The solid, stubborn bottleneck within his meridians, which had hindered his progress for weeks, completely shattered under the overwhelming tide of his accumulated energy.
"Hoo—"
Liu Yuan slowly exhaled a long, white stream of turbid air. Feeling the exponentially increased volume and density of the soul power roaring through his veins, a rare, sharp smile of genuine excitement finally broke through his usual stoicism.
"Level 40."
He slowly clenched his fists. The air popped within his grip. He could feel yet another complete, terrifying leap in his physical vitality and muscular density.
Reaching Level 40 did not merely mean he had officially crossed the threshold to become a quasi-Soul Ancestor. It meant he was now ready to absorb his fourth soul ring—a ring that would trigger a true, qualitative evolution of his Martial Soul.
For a monster possessing the Double Pupils Body Martial Soul, the choice of every single soul ring was a matter of absolute, critical importance.
'I've reached a critical juncture once again,'Liu Yuan thought, his golden-crimson eyes narrowing with calculated ambition.'I must choose carefully.'
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