"You also know, that old fool Xuanzi is the vice leader of Shrek's so-called Inspection Corps, responsible for actual operations. That Mu En, the so-called corps leader, is just a symbolic mascot who doesn't handle anything.
Over these years, Shrek's inner court has been losing students to death almost every year. Just recently, he managed to get eight peerless geniuses killed all at once—each one practically guaranteed to become a Title Douluo. The remaining four were seriously injured too...
It's terrifying to think about. If he really is one of your spies from the Holy Spirit Sect, I must immediately have all members of my Xuanming Sect withdraw from Shrek."
"Don't worry. If it's true, I swear on my martial soul, I absolutely won't leak a word of it."
Xu Xiaoyun looked solemn and serious as he recounted all the vile deeds Xuanzi had committed during his tenure—it was clearly not something he was saying on a whim.
Long Xiaoyao's eyes twitched involuntarily as he listened. Even his hand holding the drink froze mid-air, and a flicker of confusion crossed his sharp, bright eyes.
Judging by Xu Xiaoyun's account, that old fool Xuanzi had done what many in the Holy Spirit Sect could only dream of—personally wiping out a large number of Shrek's top young talents. And not just any talents: those with a nearly guaranteed path to becoming Title Douluo. This drastically weakened the legitimate soul masters' next generation of elites.
By contribution alone, this guy was no less deserving than Long Xiaoyao himself, who was the Grand Elder of the Holy Spirit Sect. He'd easily qualify for a position like Second Supreme Elder.
If he were a mole, then with a century's worth of espionage achievements and his status as Mu En's heir, he'd be more than qualified to succeed Long Xiaoyao's current post.
But the problem was... Long Xiaoyao really didn't remember anyone by that name in the Holy Spirit Sect.
He fell into silence, running through every powerhouse in the sect in his mind, and after a moment of deep frowning, shook his head and said:
"Probably not. I swear on my martial soul as well—I've never seen him in the Holy Spirit Sect."
"That's a relief. Looks like the disciples of my Xuanming Sect can stay at Shrek a bit longer."
Xu Xiaoyun let out a long sigh of relief. That was good—at least it meant he could still send that little brat Sanshi back to Shrek.
According to his intel, that Sanshi kid had recently become good friends with Mu En's great-grandson. With that connection, Mu En should keep an eye out. He wouldn't just hand his own descendant over to Xuanzi to be ruined, right?
"Grandpa Long, Grandpa Xu, the grilled meat is here!"
The server brought over skewers of lamb glistening with butter and emitting a fragrant aroma, alongside juicy beef skewers and large cuts of roasted beef ribs. The smell and steam wafted through the air, catching the attention of the two powerful elders, who instinctively turned toward the food and swallowed.
No more words were needed—they each picked up their knife and fork and began feasting heartily. As they ate, they continued chatting.
"This second matter... I want my little great-grandson to go train in the Sun Moon Empire in a few years. I'm not worried about anything else—just afraid your Holy Spirit Sect might target him. Since I've treated you to this meal, could you rein in your people a bit?"
Xu Xiaoyun was chewing on roast beef, slicing meat as the delicious flavor filled his mouth. He sighed as he said:
"At my age, my only concern is the safety of my descendants. Back when I brought his mother to Shrek, I personally asked Mu En to look after her... and what did I get back? A cold, lifeless corpse. I still regret misjudging people...
Your Black Evil Dragon still has arms and legs—I bet you'll still be kicking for another hundred years. Just don't turn out like that crippled waste."
Long Xiaoyao chewed on his meat with a satisfied look and replied:
"Don't worry. For this meal alone, if someone from the Holy Spirit Sect even dares touch your great-grandson, I'll personally break them out for you."
"Heh, then I can rest easy. Back in the day, you were a man of your word. You wouldn't lie to an old man like me."
"What are you talking about? You're the strongest defense-type soul master alive. That Golden Xuanwu Martial Soul of yours is damn near invincible. Even I don't have full confidence in keeping you pinned down—I'm more worried about you going berserk."
"I'm old now. If I had broken through to Limit Douluo, I wouldn't be afraid of you and Mu En teaming up against me. But since I didn't... sigh... I figure out of our generation, Mu En will be the first to go, then it'll be either Poison Immortal or me. No one will outlive you."
"Doesn't your Xuanming Sect have that turtle-breathing technique? Maybe if you try hard enough, you'll live another hundred years."
"Burying myself and holding my breath underground doesn't sound fun. And honestly, the longer you live, the more lonely it gets. Watching your own children and grandchildren die before you—it's not a good feeling...
Meeting an old friend today... this has been the happiest day I've had in years... Heh, if only you weren't in the Holy Spirit Sect, I wouldn't need to send my descendants off to the Sun Moon Empire."
Xu Xiaoyun chuckled as he spoke from the heart, his eyes filled with a deep sense of melancholy.
Long Xiaoyao's face froze slightly, a trace of pain flashing through his eyes. He closed his eyes and took a long breath, then forced a smile and said:
"Your little great-grandson is a spiritual-type soul master. He's well-suited to study soul tools. With you personally nurturing him, he's bound to become a Title Douluo someday. And with his spirit type, a Spirit-Type Title Douluo is sure to reach Super Douluo level eventually. That would make him an unparalleled figure among the Sun Moon Empire's soul engineers."
"If he also has talent in soul tool crafting, and one day becomes a top-tier Rank 9 soul engineer, he might grow strong enough to challenge even me. Your Xu family's legacy would be secure for generations."
Xu Xiaoyun thought to himself: Forget challenging you—he could beat you into the dirt. But on the surface, he gave a somewhat dismissive snort and said:
"I'm not some useless trash like Xuanzi. Aside from that Kong Deming you mentioned, is there anyone in the Sun Moon Empire who can fight me one-on-one?"
Long Xiaoyao thought for a moment, then pointed to a vast campus in the distance—larger than a medium-sized city—and said:
"There is. The principal of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, and current head of the Mingde Hall—Jing Hongchen. He can't beat you in a prolonged fight, but if it's a short tactical battle, he might stand a chance."
"If it were Xuanzi facing him from a distance, the outcome would be hard to predict."
"Of course, there aren't many people like him in the Sun-Moon Empire. Aside from him, that Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin is one as well. Beyond that, there's pretty much no one else."
"Oh? That impressive?" A gleam of sharp interest flashed through Xu Xiaoyun's eyes, his curiosity thoroughly piqued.
If Tian Xi was to come train in the Sun-Moon Empire, she'd naturally enter the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. If this Hall Master of Mingde had the ability to deal with Xuanzi, then he was definitely someone worth watching.
"Why would I lie to you?" Long Xiaoyao said with a grin, popping the last bite of grilled meat into his mouth with a fork. "The Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy just started its new term. If you don't believe me, go check it out for yourself."
"Fair enough, sounds like a good idea. I'll go take a look—consider it a walk to help digest this meal." Xu Xiaoyun stood, leaving behind a gold soul card and striding out of the barbecue restaurant.
"Hey! You're leaving your gold soul card behind?"
"Don't need it. Take it as me treating you to this barbecue. I've always been generous to my brothers," Xu Xiaoyun replied without looking back.
Sitting at the table, Long Xiaoyao's eyes, still bright with vitality, flickered with a hint of surprise before he sighed deeply. In a low, pained murmur, he said:
"Even you are sending your descendants to the Sun-Moon Empire… It seems my decision truly did bring catastrophe upon the Three Kingdoms…
But… I had no choice. The sins I committed back then were too grave—so heavy that all I can do is sink forever into this abyss with Xishui…"
…
At the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, a group of young students strolled and chatted across the training field, gossiping excitedly.
"Hey, hey, have you heard? Two absolute geniuses just joined our academy! They're only eight years old and have already broken through level 20! They're siblings too—super good-looking, with flowing silver hair! Way better than those dark-skinned guys!"
"Who hasn't heard? I got the scoop from Senior Li Sanshui, our academy's best gossip source. He said those two geniuses have some serious background—supposedly, they're the grandchildren of the headmaster!"
"Huh? But isn't the headmaster… kind of goofy-looking? Could he really have such beautiful grandkids?"
One female student, who had seen Headmaster Jing Hongchen in person, racked her brain to find a kinder phrase, finally settling on "endearingly rotund" instead of "short and chubby."
Another student leaned in with a mysterious smile. "Don't forget their names—Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen. Sounds like they're definitely from the Hongchen family. How could they not be related to the headmaster?"
"And besides, would you doubt Senior Li Sanshui? I heard he already suggested replacing the top spot on the 'Campus Hunk Ranking'—which used to belong to the Thousand-Year Blue Silver Grass—with Young Master Xiao Hongchen. As for the 'Campus Belle Ranking,' he's made room for Miss Meng Hongchen in place of the Thousand-Year Silver Wolf!"
"Ohhh, in that case, I believe it." The girl nodded seriously.
Normally, some of the more idle students would vote for the campus hunk and belle rankings. The winners were usually bizarre—like Cat Senior and Dog Senior. The top-ranked "Campus Hunk" was literally a stalk of Blue Silver Grass—too weak for anyone to bother hunting for a soul ring. The reigning "Campus Belle" was a silver-furred she-wolf who had witnessed countless students coming and going, rumored to be a pet left behind by a former headmaster.
Among those gossiping students, the most enthusiastic was Li Sanshui, whose unique martial soul allowed him to foresee good or bad fortune. He was often seen bouncing between different labs, spreading gossip wherever he went.
If even the gossip crew was treating this matter seriously, then this Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen really might be the headmaster's descendants.
"I heard the talent they showed during the entrance assessment was terrifying. Their readings on the soul power scanner and strength tester were off the charts—comparable to a Soul Elder!"
"That's insane. They might become the Sun-Moon Empire's once-in-a-millennium Super Douluo in the future…"
In a quiet corner of the training field, Xu Xiaoyun's ears perked up, eyes lighting up with keen interest.
"A soul power scanner and strength tester, huh? Good stuff. Just what Tian Xi could use."
"Breaking level 20 at age eight—such talent is impressive, even if aided by pills. And Changfeng mentioned the Hongchen family is one of the Sun-Moon Empire's top noble clans. Could be a promising partner…"
…
Half an hour later, the office of Headmaster Jing Hongchen was flung open by a panicked Director of Education, Lin Jiayi.
"Headmaster! Bad news! Our academy's been robbed!"
Pfffft—!
Sipping tea calmly while reviewing his grandchildren's lesson plans, Headmaster Jing Hongchen promptly spat a mouthful of tea all over Lin Jiayi's face, then sprang to his feet in fury.
"What did you say!? The audacity of that thief!"
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