Yan Shaozhe's lips twitched slightly, feeling a deep sense of malice.
This wasn't praising Fan Yu—this was rubbing salt into Yan Shaozhe's wounds.
Jing Hongchen, as the master of Illustrious Virtue Hall, how could he have not seen his fair share of soul tool geniuses? Fan Yu might be the most valued soul tool master at Shrek Academy, but in Illustrious Virtue Hall, he was at best average—far from extraordinary.
Yan Shaozhe was at least self-aware enough to know this.
The more Jing Hongchen praised Fan Yu, the more Yan Shaozhe felt pain stabbing at his heart.
This old fox was doing it on purpose.
Suppressing his rising anger, Yan Shaozhe interrupted unhappily, "Hall Master Hongchen, you still haven't explained why Fan Yu had an accident."
"Our Teacher Fan Yu from Shrek Academy had an incident in your Illustrious Virtue Hall. Don't you think you owe us an explanation?"
Jing Hongchen sighed faintly and said, "Regarding Teacher Fan Yu's matter, I, too, feel deep sorrow."
"This incident is a long story."
"Then please, Hall Master Hongchen, make it short," Zhang Lexuan interjected.
Jing Hongchen glanced at Zhang Lexuan, a fleeting wave of emotion flashing in his eyes before vanishing.
Putting on a sorrowful expression, he said accusingly, "The reason Teacher Fan Yu met his end—the true culprit—is the Body Sect!"
"The Body Sect?" Yan Shaozhe frowned deeply. "What does this have to do with the Body Sect?"
Jing Hongchen explained, "Dean Yan, you may not know, but the Body Sect once attacked Illustrious Virtue Hall."
"They wreaked havoc throughout the hall, carried out bombings, and even stole our 100,000-year soul beast embryo."
"Illustrious Virtue Hall was half-destroyed in the assault. Nearly half of our senior soul engineers were sacrificed—it was a devastating loss."
Jing Hongchen exaggerated shamelessly. While Illustrious Virtue Hall had indeed sustained damage, it hadn't been crippled. Claiming that half of their senior soul engineers had been lost was outright hyperbole, a ploy to paint Illustrious Virtue Hall as a victim.
To be fair, Illustrious Virtue Hall was indeed a victim, but the Body Sect hadn't escaped unscathed either. Illustrious Virtue Hall might not have lost any Rank 9 soul engineers, but the Body Sect had lost two Titled Douluo.
One could say it was a mutual loss.
But Yan Shaozhe didn't know this. Looking at Jing Hongchen's indignant expression, he believed part of what he was hearing.
"And… Fan Yu…"
Jing Hongchen shook his head, sighed, and said, "On that day, Teacher Fan Yu was participating in an academic exchange with a group of our Rank 7 and 8 soul engineers."
"Unfortunately, the explosion came too suddenly."
"The Body Sect launched a surprise attack, setting off explosions amidst the crowd."
"Over a hundred senior soul engineers from Illustrious Virtue Hall were killed instantly, reduced to ashes, and Teacher Fan Yu was caught in the blast. Most of his body was destroyed, and he succumbed to his injuries."
Jing Hongchen gritted his teeth, his face filled with anger, regret, and sorrow. His emotional display was almost flawless.
The most crucial part was that Jing Hongchen's emotions were genuine.
But he wasn't mourning Fan Yu—he was lamenting the loss of those senior soul engineers.
Mixing truth with lies made it difficult to discern fact from fiction. And since most of what Jing Hongchen said was true, Yan Shaozhe couldn't detect any deception.
Even Zhang Lexuan believed Jing Hongchen wasn't lying. After all, his expression was too sincere.
Still, Yan Shaozhe glanced at the people beside him, and the two other teachers accompanying him nodded, confirming that Jing Hongchen's account was accurate.
Fan Yu had indeed died in this manner, and Illustrious Virtue Hall had indeed been attacked.
However, the battlefield had been chaotic, filled with smoke and destruction. Other than Jing Hongchen himself, who could truly account for Illustrious Virtue Hall's actual losses?
Even though Shrek Academy's people had been present in the hall that day, they couldn't find any discrepancies in Jing Hongchen's story.
With the confirmation, Yan Shaozhe became more convinced, his gaze sharpening with a cold glint.
"The Body Sect!"
It was the Body Sect again.
Yan Shaozhe had no goodwill toward the Body Sect.
If not for the Body Sect, Elder Mu wouldn't have burned out his life force so early.
If not for the Body Sect, Elder Xuan wouldn't have been provoked into losing control and succumbing to madness.
The Sea God Pavilion had privately investigated Elder Xuan's situation and concluded that it was the Body Sect's Du Busi who had humiliated him, driving him into a state of madness.
This led to the later tragedy at Shrek Academy.
Now, Fan Yu's death was also tied to the Body Sect.
Yan Shaozhe's hatred for the Body Sect had reached its peak.
If the Body Sect weren't so powerful, and if Shrek Academy hadn't been severely weakened and forced into temporary seclusion, Yan Shaozhe would have long since led a team to attack them.
But it didn't matter. Zhang Lexuan had grown stronger now, and with her current talent, breaking through to the rank of an Ultimate Douluo was only a matter of time.
Yan Shaozhe had patience and was willing to wait.
Once Zhang Lexuan reached the rank of Ultimate Douluo, it would be time to settle accounts with the Body Sect.
No matter how strong Du Busi was, he couldn't possibly compete with an Ultimate Douluo.
What's more, Yan Shaozhe wasn't some idle bystander. The two of them working together—could the Body Sect withstand them?
Yan Shaozhe's resolve hardened, his eyes growing colder.
Jing Hongchen noticed this, his expression unchanged, but he felt a trace of satisfaction in his heart.
The worse the relationship between Shrek Academy and the Body Sect became, the happier he was.
After all, Illustrious Virtue Hall was a force of the Sun Moon Empire.
Though Jing Hongchen had long since prepared an escape route for the Hongchen family, that was for the future.
For now, he was still the master of Illustrious Virtue Hall and the dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
While his grandchildren, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, could act independently of the empire's interests, he could not.
Jing Hongchen was loyal not to the royal family but to the empire. The empire could belong to anyone, but all he wanted was for the Sun Moon Empire to hold an advantage in the future.
When it came to potential enemies like Shrek Academy and the Body Sect, he didn't mind using some strategies to sow discord between them.
He knew Yan Shaozhe and the others might suspect him, but so what?
He hadn't lied.
This was an open conspiracy.
Hatred this deep wasn't something that could be easily resolved.
Zhang Lexuan frowned slightly, sensing that Jing Hongchen had ulterior motives.
She looked at him and said in a calm tone, "Hall Master Hongchen, if I'm not mistaken, the Body Sect's attack on Illustrious Virtue Hall happened nearly two years ago."
"Such a significant event as Teacher Fan Yu's death—why did you keep it hidden from us all this time?"
"Or perhaps… there's more to this story?"
"I hope Hall Master Hongchen can provide an explanation."
Yan Shaozhe's eyes lit up, quickly catching on as he pressed, "Lexuan is right, Hall Master Hongchen. Don't you think we deserve an explanation?"
If Jing Hongchen hadn't deliberately concealed this, how could they only be learning about it now?
If there was nothing suspicious, why hadn't he informed them earlier?
Jing Hongchen sighed deeply and said, "Dean Yan, I did it for your sake."
"Your academy had just suffered one tragedy after another. I was worried you wouldn't be able to handle the blow."
"You should understand my good intentions."
Yan Shaozhe's face darkened. This chubby old fox was stabbing him right in the heart again.
"Doing it for their sake?
This old scoundrel's conscience had to be thoroughly rotten.
Jing Hongchen's face was full of sincerity as if every word he spoke came from the depths of his heart.
But the truth was simple.
He was afraid that if Shrek Academy learned of this, it would impact Illustrious Virtue Hall's exchange students.
Sure, with Su Yu's connections, nothing might happen to Meng Hongchen or Xiao Hongchen.
But what about the others?
And who could guarantee that there weren't any reckless fools in such a large academy?
Jing Hongchen's caution was commendable.
If we don't mention anyone else, if the news of Fan Yu's death were to spread back, that old lady Zhou Yi might do anything.
Although Zhou Yi's strength isn't much to speak of, open spears are easy to block, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against.
If she were to plot something in secret, it might still be a threat.
We can only say that Jing Hongchen's worries are quite reasonable, but for Shrek Academy, it's a bit difficult to accept.
"Hall Master Hongchen, does this mean we should thank you too?"
Yan Shaozhe's face was ashen, and he squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth.
"Hehe, no need to be so polite, Dean Yan. This Hall Master does good deeds without leaving a name, no need for thanks."
Jing Hongchen chuckled and gave a signal to someone beside him.
An elder from the Illustrious Virtue Hall took out a gray urn from a soul tool and handed it over.
"Inside here are Teacher Fan Yu's ashes. Now, I'm returning them intact."
Jing Hongchen said with a smile.
Yan Shaozhe's facial muscles twitched violently, barely managing to keep his composure.
"Returning them intact?"
He went out as a living person, and now he's just a jar of ashes. Do you call this returning intact?
If not for a shred of reason left, Yan Shaozhe wanted to explode and give Jing Hongchen two slaps.
But he couldn't.
At the moment, Shrek Academy couldn't afford to make enemies with any other forces.
Endure!
He had to endure.
Endure until Zhang Lexuan broke through to the Ultimate Douluo level—then everything would be resolved.
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Yan Shaozhe took the urn containing Fan Yu's ashes.
Jing Hongchen looked at Yan Shaozhe with surprise, probably not expecting Yan Shaozhe to endure so much.
Shrek has gone too soft.
He mocked silently in his heart, then cupped his hands and said, "Alright, everything that needed to be addressed has been addressed. It's getting late. Pavilion Master Zhang, Dean Yan, I'll take my leave."
Jing Hongchen didn't want to linger any longer; at this moment, taking his people back was the proper thing to do.
Yan Shaozhe remained silent, so Zhang Lexuan had no choice but to say, "Hall Master Hongchen, take care and have a safe journey."
Jing Hongchen smiled and said, "Pavilion Master Zhang, young and beautiful, with extraordinary talent—no wonder Su Yu has taken a liking to you. Farewell."
As he finished speaking, a pair of golden-red metallic wings extended from Jing Hongchen's back.
A golden-red light enveloped the students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, and the group quickly soared into the sky.
Yan Shaozhe stared intently at Jing Hongchen's retreating figure, clenching his teeth and muttering, "How dare he insult us like this!"
Zhang Lexuan's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, and she said softly, "Jing Hongchen has a special status. Besides, the academy is not in a position to make enemies with others right now."
Yan Shaozhe replied bitterly, "I know. Otherwise, I would never have let him leave today."
"Lexuan, you've seen it too. Right now, Shrek is being bullied everywhere."
"Lexuan, the burden on your shoulders is heavy. We're counting on you."
Zhang Lexuan nodded slightly and said softly, "I understand. I will protect Shrek."
Hearing this, a trace of relief flashed in Yan Shaozhe's eyes. At such a critical moment, Zhang Lexuan was the one they could rely on.
"And as for the Body Sect, we'll settle the score with them sooner or later."
Yan Shaozhe's eyes were filled with hatred as he spoke angrily.
Zhang Lexuan didn't reply, only nodding lightly.
...
Heaven Dou City.
On the wide streets, three figures appeared.
One man and two women.
The man was dressed in white, with white hair draped over his shoulders. His face was handsome, his demeanor cold, and a blue-gold mark between his brows added a touch of nobility.
To the man's left was a woman in an ice-blue dress.
Her face was stunningly beautiful, cold, and pure. Her tall and slender figure, combined with her perfect proportions, made her look like an ice fairy untouched by the mundane world.
On the man's right was a young girl around fifteen years old.
The girl wore a sapphire-blue dress, with long deep-blue hair flowing down to her waist.
Her delicate and lovely face still carried a hint of baby fat, making her appear adorable and sweet.
Unlike the breathtaking elegance of the woman on the left, this girl had an ethereal and innocent aura, like a sprite untouched by the world—pure and transparent.
These three were none other than Su Yu and his companions.
For the past two days, the trio had been exploring Heaven Dou City, visiting historical sites, and tasting local delicacies. It had been a rather pleasant time.
As they moved forward, a large gate gradually came into view ahead.
The gate towered about two zhang high and spanned five zhang wide. A wall one zhang tall extended twenty meters outward on either side of the gate, painted a striking crimson that gave it a solemn air.
The roof was covered with orderly gray tiles, and on the gate tower were three large characters: Iron Blood Sect.
On either side of the gate were two upright plaques. The one on the left read, "Iron-Blooded Loyalty," and the one on the right, "Unyielding Bones."
"Young Master, is this the old site of the Tang Sect?"
Looking at the large characters at the gate, Shui Lingguang asked softly.
Su Yu nodded and said, "This is indeed the old site of the Tang Sect, bearing over three thousand years of history."
"But with the rise of soul tools and the Tang Sect's inaction and complacency, the sect gradually declined—eventually losing even their ancestral grounds."
"I've said it before: sticking to old ways and refusing to innovate will inevitably lead to falling behind. And those who fall behind are destined to be eliminated."
"Tang Sect's current state is entirely their fault."
The Tang Sect's decline was closely tied to the foolish decisions of its past leaders.
Obsessing over the Blue Silver Grass to a fanatical degree, despite it being a trash-grade martial soul.
Generations clung stubbornly to it—if they didn't fall behind, who would?
Add to that their blind pride in their so-called glory of hidden weapons, refusing to adapt in the face of the soul tool revolution.
Caught between these two forces, how could they not decline?
The Tang Sect's downfall didn't deserve sympathy. It was nothing more than a defective product cast aside by history.
Reality is merciless—those who fail to keep up with the times are destined to be left behind.