"Haaa... I finally shook her off." Huo Yuhao sighed in relief, loosening his tie and taking off his blazer and put it over his right arm.
'It's only been a few days and her condition seems to be worsening... Do we really have to go "that" far in order to completely help her?' he thought to himself as he made his way through the bustling streets of the city.
Following him from behind were Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao, all three of them had finished their purchases so they left; Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Bei Bei and Tang Ya were still looking around to buy something, so they decided to head back to the academy first.
"Yuhao, just what was with senior Ma Xiaotao earlier? Why did she act all... weird with you?" Wang Dong'er asked, looking at him with squinted eyes.
"Don't me that she fell in love with you! Scandalous!" Xiao Xiao teasingly added. Her eyes flickering a hint of jealousy.
Wang Dong'er's eyes widened and she grabbed Huo Yuhao's arm. "Yuhao, is that true?! Are you two... ow!"
"Calm down." Huo Yuhao said, flicking her forehead. "It's not like that at all."
"Oh? Then what is it then?" Wang Dong'er asked.
"It's... very complicated and a long story."
"No biggie, we got a lot of time going back to the academy." Xiao Xiao interjected. "You can tell us on the way."
Hearing that, Huo Yuhao's expression turned serious.
'Eh? It can't be that complicated, right?' Both girls thought, looking at his expression.
At that moment, they left Shrek City and started walking through the forest to the academy.
Huo Yuhao's eyes narrowed, feeling murderous gazes directed at them from behind.
'So you're finally going to move...'
"Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao." Huo Yuhao's voice rang in the girls minds. "Tell me, do you want to get stronger?"
They were confused for a moment, and the first one to reply without any hesitation was Xiao Xiao. "Of course!"
She knew that within their circle of friends, she was the one who lagged behind in terms of cultivation and combat or control abilities. She harbored a strong desire to improve herself and contribute more effectively to their group.
She didn't want to be left behind.
Wang Dong'er nodded in agreement. "Yes, absolutely. We all want to become stronger and more capable."
Huo Yuhao's tone became serious as he continued. "Okay. Then, what if I tell you that there's a great opportunity for you two to get stronger right now, but it's going to be extremely dangerous."
Wang Dong'er straightened her back, her eyes resolute. "How dangerous?"
"...You only have a 40% chance of surviving."
'40%?!' Both their eyes widened in shock, just what kind opportunity was Huo Yuhao talking about that carried such a high risk of danger?
Expectedly, their resolves momentarily wavered. After all, all living beings naturally recoil from the prospect of risking their lives.
Yet, deep down, they knew the allure of becoming stronger was too great to ignore.
Huo Yuhao's voice rang out in their minds once more.
"You have ten seconds to decide. If you do not accept it, then I will be apologizing to you two in advance and that this sort of opportunity would come a few years later into the future. Ten..."
He had barely started counting down when Wang Dong'er interrupted, her voice firm and resolute. "We accept."
Xiao Xiao's eyes gleamed with determination as she nodded in agreement. "We trust you, Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao's expression softened, and sighed. "You two... Remember, once we start this, there's no turning back."
The girls merely smiled in response, their determination unwavering. They understood the gravity of their decision and were prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
Huo Yuhao's eyes turned cold and indifferent, and his whole demeanor changed.
"There are several assassins hiding in the forest, they're planning to kill all of us. I can deal with them myself, but since this is a great opportunity to improve your combat abilities, I want you two to handle them."
Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao exchanged a glance, their faces pale as they processed the sudden shift in circumstances. Facing assassins was not what they had expected when they agreed to get stronger. However, they knew they couldn't back down now.
"We'll do our best," Wang Dong'er said, her voice determined despite the fear lurking in her eyes.
Xiao Xiao nodded in agreement, swallowing hard to steady her nerves. "We won't let you down, Yuhao."
A small smile tugged at the corners of Huo Yuhao's lips as he observed their resolve. "I know you won't," he said softly, wind drifted over and hundreds of leaves whirled around him, creating a mesmerizing dance in the air.
As the leaves swirled, Huo Yuhao's voice resounded in their minds for the last time for tonight.
"Remember, not only are you soul masters, but also Shinobis. We fight without mercy to our enemies and strike from the darkness. There is no honor in this battle, only survival. Embrace the shadows and let them guide your actions," he whispered, his voice carrying the weight of their impending challenge.
As they nodded in understanding, Huo Yuhao smiled at them before he disappeared into the swirl of leaves, leaving Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao to face the looming threat of the assassins on their own.
It was at that moment, five shadowy figures emerged from the depths of the forest, their presence shrouded in darkness. Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao tensed, their senses on high alert as they prepared to confront their assailants.
One of them, covered by a dark cloak and with a sinister aura, stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. "Where did he go?"
"What's it to you?" Wang Dong'er asked, curling her right hand as she flowed soul power into her storage ring, and small black balls appeared in her hand.
"Vice captain, the boy couldn't have gone far. Let's just kill them and be done with it," another assassin said.
Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao exchanged a quick glance, silently communicating their strategy.
Without any hesitation, Wang Dong'er threw the small balls, Smoke Bombs, into the air, creating a thick cover of smoke that enveloped the area, obscuring the assassins' vision and disorienting them.
The assassin that stepped forward, coldly snorted and stomped on the ground, soul power surged from his body and created a shockwave that dispersed the smoke, revealing both of them(Wang Dong'er is still disguised as a boy) had disappeared into thin air.
The sudden disappearance of Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao surprised the assassins, their confusion evident as they scanned the area, trying to locate their targets.
The vice captain of the group narrowed his eyes and released his martial soul; five soul rings: one white, two yellow, and three purple. An exquisite knife that was 14 inches long, with a dark-green edge.
He looked around the tall trees around them and clicked his tongue. "They're gone? No, they should still be around. Young master had said that they're friends with the Tang Sect's master, they probably have a camouflage skill. Scatter and find them before Shrek Academy comes!"
"Yes, sir!"
"What about our main target?"
The vice leader smirked. "The leader should easily take care of him."
They all nodded in agreement, dispersing into the forest with trained stealth and precision. Three of them released their wings, fifteen soul rings(five of each) arose under their feet, and they ascended into the sky.
In the darkness on top of a tree, two pairs of eyes glinted with determination as Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao watched the assassins disperse. They remained hidden, their camouflage skills rendering them virtually invisible as they waited for the opportune moment to strike.
"They're all Soul Kings..." Xiao Xiao whispered, wryly smiling. A cold bead of sweat trailed down her face. "Does Yuhao know?"
"Knowing him? Probably." Wang Dong'er replied, transforming her clothes into black and changing her face into a random stranger she saw on the street. Xiao Xiao did the same. "No wonder he said this was dangerous. 40%? It feels like we only have 10% of surviving."
With the assassins now scattered, Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao communicated quietly, coordinating their movements and planning their next course of action. They knew that they had to act quickly and decisively to overcome their adversaries and ensure their own survival.
As the assassins fanned out in search of them, Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao remained calm and focused, using their heightened senses to track the movements of their enemies.
They shared a glance at each other and nodded, and sprinted through the trees, going on the offensive.
'Good. Retreating back, removing almost all their presence, changing their clothes and faces,' Huo Yuhao smiled, looking at them from atop a tree, his entire figure enveloped almost entirely in darkness. 'They've done the basics of stealth and camouflage well. Now, let's see how they handle the next phase: assassinating their enemies.'
There was no doubt that both Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao had great potential and talent, in just a few decades they would most likely become Titled Douluos. However, they weren't just soul masters, they were also Shinobis.
They didn't require constant meditation and mastering secret techniques, they needed live combat training that put them in a life or death situation.
In other words, bloodshed.
"Rid of your moral constraints, fight with your life on the line, and strike without hesitation..." Huo Yuhao whispered to himself, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he watched Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao prepare to confront their enemies.
He exhaled. "But while they're busy with their cat and mouse game," he turned around, his eyes gleaming with an icy cold glare. "I'll play with you for the mean time."
Bounded by several tight metal wires, even a Soul Emperor would have a hard time snapping at their full strength, was similarly clothed in a dark cloak, his bruised face is revealed to be a middle aged man with an average face and black beard. Blood trailed down to his forehead, having been hanged upside-down.
'Monster!' The beaten up assassin thought as he struggled against the metal wires, his eyes wide with fear as he realized he had underestimated his opponent.
Just an ordinary core disciple of the outer courtyard? He was more like someone part of the Seven Shrek Monsters!?
He hadn't even notice him approaching until it was too late. He saw him disappear for a moment and then he felt an excruciating pain from his head, and then he blacked out.
The next thing he knew, he was bounded by metal wires in mid air, his soul power almost completely depleted, and the space around him had been locked; making so that no sound could escape.
The assassin's heart pounded with fear as he realized the gravity of his situation. He had crossed paths with someone far more dangerous than he had anticipated.
Huo Yuhao's eyes bore into the assassin's, cold and merciless.
The leader assassin gritted his teeth. "I-I'm not telling you nothing!"
'Tch, he took out the the cyanide in my tooth. No matter, considering he's just a student, he couldn't be that well-versed in torture. As long as I make up some sobbing story, he'll spare me.'
As the captain of the 3rd division of the Shadow Cat Army, he had no family or loved ones, that goes the same to the rest of his group. They were created for the sake of reconnaissance of enemy information and sometimes assassinations.
And since the war with the Sun Moon Empire is put to a temporary truce, since the annual continental competition was coming up, they were sent back to the White Tiger Mansion, and in which was ordered to help out the second young master.
"I think you've got the wrong idea here." Huo Yuhao said, squatting in front of the leader. He then raises his hands and held the leader's exposed head. "I'm not gonna torture you for information."
"Huh? W-What are you-"
Huo Yuhao calmly stared into his eyes.
"For a while now, I haven't gotten a guinea pig to properly test out my spiritual-type techniques. I hope you last long enough," his eyes then changed into red irises and three golden tomoes around his pupils.
"No, no, no, no, nonononononono!! NO! AAAAAHHHH!!"
.....
AN: I got Archon and Neuvillette, I just need their light cone and weapon respectively. Especially for the latter, like, what the heck is with the Crit Dmg?!
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