Chapter 12: Xuanzi: Could he even kill this old man? (1/1)
Du Weilun practically stumbled out of the courtyard.
The moment he stepped out of the gate, his tightly strained nerves snapped. His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
He leaned against the cold wall, gasping for air. Cold sweat slid down his forehead, soaking his teacher's uniform and clinging to his skin with an icy chill.
The scene of Jiang Li's fingertip hovering in front of his brow was burned into his mind.
That invisible yet lethal pressure made him, a Soul Douluo-level expert, feel his hair stand on end. Even now, he still felt lingering fear.
He could clearly sense that if Jiang Li had wanted to kill him, it would have been no harder than crushing an ant. Soul rings and soul skills would have meant nothing before that absolute power.
"A madman… he's a madman!"
Du Weilun muttered, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
The Shrek identity he had always been proud of, and his Soul Douluo strength, suddenly felt laughably insignificant in front of Jiang Li.
Only now did he understand why Dean Yan Shaozhe had not explained Jiang Li's situation in detail.
That was not "someone who can compete with some soul masters."
That was a terrifying existence capable of suppressing high-level soul masters.
After a long moment, Du Weilun finally steadied himself.
He immediately activated his soul power and turned into a streak of light, rushing toward the dean's office.
He had to report this immediately. Jiang Li's danger level far exceeded everyone's imagination.
—
Shrek Academy, Dean's Office.
Yan Shaozhe stood by the window, calmly holding a jade token in his hand.
Hearing hurried footsteps, he slowly turned around and looked at Du Weilun, whose face was pale and aura unstable. His brow slightly furrowed.
"Director Du, any results?" Yan Shaozhe's voice was calm yet authoritative.
Du Weilun bowed.
"Dean… I… I failed to remain composed."
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, then reported everything in detail.
From initial contempt, to the shock of finding no soul power, to the moment of fingertip pressure at the brow—every detail was reported without omission.
"He told me to relay a message: do not try to speculate about him, or you will regret it," Du Weilun finished, lowering his head, not daring to breathe loudly.
Yan Shaozhe did not show much surprise.
He walked to his chair and sat down, tapping the desk lightly as he fell into thought.
The office fell silent, only the rhythmic tapping echoing faintly.
After a moment, Yan Shaozhe spoke slowly.
"It seems… I underestimated him."
His tone was calm, but his eyes were grave.
Du Weilun looked up.
"Dean, you already knew his full situation? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"If I had told you, would you still have gone to test him?" Yan Shaozhe replied flatly.
He continued, "Jiang Li is unpredictable in both mind and strength. Sending you there was meant to observe his attitude, not to provoke him.
As it stands, he holds little goodwill toward Shrek, and his deterrence is extremely high."
He paused, then added:
"He is either Shrek's greatest ally… or its most dangerous enemy. Either way, we must take him seriously."
With that, he dismissed Du Weilun.
After Du Weilun left, another figure appeared in the office shortly after.
—
"Shaozhe, is that Jiang Li really as mysterious as you say?"
The newcomer was a ragged old man—Xuanzi, the Devourer Douluo, rumored to be the supreme elder of the Holy Spirit Sect.
Seeing him, Yan Shaozhe quickly stood and smiled.
"Elder Xuan, why are you here?"
Xuanzi glanced at him, chewing on a chicken leg.
"Just passing by. Heard you talking about that Jiang Li kid."
Yan Shaozhe did not waste words and personally poured him tea.
"Elder Xuan, everything Du Weilun reported is true. The most unusual thing about Jiang Li is that he has no soul power fluctuation at all."
"No soul power?" Xuanzi paused mid-bite, his cloudy eyes flashing with surprise.
Then curiosity replaced it.
"Impossible. How can someone without soul power threaten a Soul Douluo? Soul power is the foundation of all soul masters."
"This is exactly what makes him terrifying," Yan Shaozhe said seriously.
Du Weilun confirmed that his dantian was completely empty. No soul rings, no soul cores, not even a trace of soul power.
Yet such a person, relying purely on physical strength, made a Soul Douluo feel death itself.
Xuanzi stroked his beard.
"I've seen body cultivators before. Even they rely on soul power to push their physical limits.
But someone completely outside the system… unheard of."
He paced slowly.
"If that's true, then his physical body has reached an unimaginable level."
Yan Shaozhe nodded.
"Soul power depletes, soul skills have cooldowns. But physical strength continues as long as stamina remains.
And worse—we cannot measure his limits."
Xuanzi suddenly laughed.
"Interesting! I've seen countless geniuses, but this Jiang Li is the first of his kind!"
He looked at Yan Shaozhe.
"Since we can't test him normally, we'll use the most direct method."
Yan Shaozhe's expression changed slightly.
"You mean…"
"I'll meet him myself," Xuanzi said confidently, slapping his chest.
"Absolutely not!" Yan Shaozhe immediately objected. "You are the academy's pillar. Any accident would be disastrous."
Xuanzi waved his hand and laughed loudly.
"Shaozhe, I am a Level 98 Super Douluo. No matter how strong his body is, he has no soul power. Could he even hurt me?"