Chapter 177: Yan Shaozhe: Fan Yu Left? No Need to Worry!
Heavenly Soul Empire Imperial Palace, Warm Pavilion.
The Emperor of Heavenly Soul stood before the tall, arched windows with his hands clasped firmly behind his back. His fingers gripped a crumpled secret report, freshly transmitted by an undercover agent planted deep within enemy territory. Outside, the midday sunlight spilled across the glazed tiles of the palace roof, refracting a dazzling, golden glow that perfectly mirrored the soaring triumph in his chest.
"Good. What a good Fan Yu. What a pure, loyal heart!"
The Emperor could not help but let out a soft, breathless exclamation of praise. He smoothed out the parchment, his eyes scanning the ink once more. The secret report clearly detailed the events of the previous night. After receiving the fabricated emergency missive claiming his 'hometown was in crisis,' Fan Yu, the esteemed Vice Dean of Shrek Academy's Soul Engineering Department, had barely hesitated. He had abandoned his post, slipped out of Shrek City under the cover of darkness, and was currently galloping alone toward the Heavenly Soul Imperial City at breakneck speed.
Such ruthless efficiency proved one thing: the angle of 'righteous duty to one's motherland' had struck Fan Yu's Achilles' heel with lethal precision.
The Emperor turned around, his royal robes sweeping across the polished floor, and looked down at the attendant kneeling in the shadows. "Immediately send someone to Qingfeng Courtyard. Deliver this news to Liu Yuan. Tell him that the first big fish has taken the bait and swam right into the net he cast. He has been living quietly during this period, but his mind has surely been lingering on this exact matter. Let him share in the joy."
The attendant bowed low, accepted the verbal decree, and swiftly retreated from the pavilion.
Sitting back onto the carved dragon throne, the Emperor of Heavenly Soul began tapping his index finger lightly against the armrest. A slow, predatory smile crept onto his face. He could already picture the spectacular storm of shock and internal struggle that would consume Fan Yu the moment he stepped foot into the Imperial City and laid eyes on those Class 9 materials—treasures deep enough to drive any Soul Engineer to the brink of madness.
And every single piece of this grand, continent-shifting chessboard had been set up by the hands of that young man.
Inside the tranquil grounds of Qingfeng Courtyard, Liu Yuan sat perfectly still beneath the shade of a stone pavilion. His eyes were closed, his breathing slow and rhythmic. Deep within his Spiritual Sea, he could faintly sense the ancient, divine presence of Electrolux carefully guiding the volatile Origin of the Snow Empress, making microscopic adjustments to stabilize the immense icy power.
Footsteps approached the pavilion. When the royal attendant finally delivered the news that Fan Yu was rapidly approaching the capital, Liu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
There was no shock in those deep, purple-gold Double Pupils. Instead, a chilling, absolute calmness radiated from his gaze, the quiet satisfaction of a hunter watching a trap snap shut exactly on schedule.
"As expected. He is still the exact same Fan Yu."
A cold, playful arc tugged at the corner of Liu Yuan's mouth. He stood up, smoothing out the folds of his robes, and gave the attendant a slight nod. "Thank His Majesty on my behalf. Since the fish has taken the bait, the next act of this play depends entirely on whether the 'chum' we prepared is heavy enough to keep him here."
After the attendant bowed and scurried away, Princess Weina stepped out from the adjacent corridor. Having caught the tail end of the conversation, she tilted her head, studying Liu Yuan's relaxed posture. "You don't seem worried at all that he might suddenly come to his senses and turn back halfway?"
"He won't." Liu Yuan turned his gaze toward the koi swimming lazily in the lotus pond, his tone carrying an unshakable certainty. "People like Fan Yu are burdened by a suffocating sense of responsibility. Since he genuinely believes his country is facing a catastrophe, he will never stand idly by. And when he truly steps into this Imperial City, the trap will close. He will discover that not only does he have his noble obligations as a Viscount waiting for him, but he will also be presented with the ultimate 'truth'—a truth that he, as a devoted Soul Engineer, cannot refuse even if it costs him his life. From the exact second he lays eyes on those Class 9 core arrays, Shrek's magnetic hold over his soul will begin to crumble."
Liu Yuan slowly turned his head, looking out toward the distant southern horizon where Shrek Academy lay. A deep, abyssal light flashed within his purple-gold eyes. "I am truly looking forward to seeing the expressions on those old, wrinkled faces. I want to see what Yan Shaozhe and Elder Xuan look like when they finally realize that the absolute pillar of their Soul Engineering Department, the man they paraded around with such arrogant pride, has packed up all his secrets and handed them over to the Heavenly Soul Empire. Shrek... this time, I will teach you the true meaning of pulling the firewood from beneath the boiling cauldron."
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, within the inner sanctum of Shrek Academy.
In the dimly lit side hall of the legendary Sea God Pavilion, Yan Shaozhe was hunched over a massive, dark-wood desk. The towering mountains of official documents, diplomatic notes, and logistics reports threatened to bury him alive.
Ever since Elder Mu passed away, leaving a gaping void in the continent's balance of power, and Elder Xuan went into deep seclusion to assault the world of a Level 99 Limit Douluo, the crushing weight of running the entire academy had crashed squarely onto Yan Shaozhe's shoulders. As the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, he was drowning in administrative hell.
Compounding his misery was the volatile political climate following the terrorist attack on Mingde Hall. The undercurrents across the continent were surging violently. Spies were moving in the shadows, and endless stacks of diplomatic inquiries from various empires flooded his desk daily, keeping him so relentlessly occupied that his tea had gone completely cold hours ago.
"Dean, this is the latest logistics report from the outer city. Please take a look." A senior staff member carefully approached the desk, offering a thick file with both hands.
Yan Shaozhe pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his sore, throbbing temples. His voice carried the raw, unmistakable gravel of extreme fatigue. "Just leave it on the pile for now. By the way, what is the situation with Elder Xuan? Is his aura still stable?"
The staff member lowered his voice, speaking with quiet reverence. "The inner disciples guarding the pavilion reported that everything remains normal in the secret chamber. However, the energy fluctuations radiating from the Golden Tree have become extremely intense over the past twelve hours. The pavilion masters believe Elder Xuan has reached the absolute critical juncture of his breakthrough. It is strictly advised that no one disturbs him under any circumstances."
Yan Shaozhe let out a long, heavy sigh. A complicated mixture of deep worry and desperate expectation flashed across his bloodshot eyes. "We can only wait silently and pray to the ancestors. As long as Elder Xuan can successfully take that final step, the suffocating pressure on our Shrek will be reduced by more than half. What about Huo Yuhao? Is his situation over at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy still secure?"
"Huo Yuhao's status is completely normal. A short encrypted safety report comes through the secret channels every three days without fail." The staff member paused, shifting his weight slightly as a minor detail crossed his mind. "However... there is a small matter regarding the Soul Engineering Department that occurred recently. Vice Dean Fan Yu left the academy in a tremendous hurry late at night a few days ago. The gate guards reported that he received an emergency communication from his hometown in the Heavenly Soul Empire and departed in a dead sprint. He didn't even have time to speak with Vice Dean Xian Lin'er in person. He merely left a hasty note on her desk claiming he had to handle an urgent family crisis. He has not returned yet."
Yan Shaozhe's hand, which had just picked up a new diplomatic file, paused mid-air.
For a fraction of a second, the room was silent. Then, he casually flipped the file open, his expression smoothing out into a mask of total indifference.
"Fan Yu is originally from the Heavenly Soul Empire. It is perfectly normal for a man to rush back if there is a sudden emergency at home," Yan Shaozhe said, his tone relaxed and utterly unbothered. "Although the special projects in the Soul Engineering Department are running on a tight schedule these days, the entire division won't spontaneously combust just because he stepped away for a week. He has dedicated his blood and sweat to this academy for years, barely taking a single day off to visit his roots. Let him go and handle his business."
The staff member hesitated, his fingers nervously gripping the edge of his clipboard. "But Dean... he left far too hastily. And there has been absolutely no new information transmitted back from him since he crossed the border. Should we dispatch an intelligence team to the Heavenly Soul Empire to check on his status?"
Yan Shaozhe let out a dry, dumbfounded laugh. He tossed his pen onto the desk, leaned back in his large chair, and looked up at the staff member. His eyes, though tired, burned with a deeply ingrained, blinding sense of superiority—the absolute, unshakable confidence born from a lifetime at Shrek.
"Check on what? Ask him when he plans to come back?" Yan Shaozhe shook his head, a condescending smirk playing on his lips. "He grew up inside the walls of our Shrek. Here, he has his lover, his lifelong career, and the highest prestige available on the entire continent. Are you seriously worried that he might betray Shrek? Don't be ridiculous."
Yan Shaozhe reached for his cup, taking a slow sip of the bitter, cold tea before setting it back down with a sharp clack. "Shrek is the Holy Land in the hearts of all Soul Masters and Soul Engineers. Fan Yu is a brilliant man. He knows better than anyone breathing that without Shrek's vast resources and backing, he is nothing. What could he possibly gain by staying in the Heavenly Soul Empire? A pile of outdated scrap metal? A pat on the back from a weak king? No. He simply went back to handle some trivial family drama. When the dust settles, he will naturally come walking right back through our front gates, obedient and ready to work. Such insignificant matters do not need to be reported to me in the future. It is a complete waste of my time."
Deep within Yan Shaozhe's subconscious, the brand of Shrek Academy was an all-powerful, invincible religion. He could not even begin to fathom that anywhere in this vast world, someone could offer a price that a Level 8 Soul Engineer could not refuse. He believed even less that the Heavenly Soul Empire—a place the Sea God Pavilion universally dismissed as a pathetic gathering ground for mediocre talents—was currently pulling the strings of a massive, inescapable net.
"Go get back to your duties," Yan Shaozhe commanded, waving his hand dismissively toward the door. "And keep your eyes focused where they belong. Watch the movements of the Sun Moon Empire."
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