Douluo Continent
Shrek City
Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
After absorbing the Emerald Swan Spirit soul, the Spirit Soul tower disappeared and Fan Lin appeared in a room.
Half naked.
He didn't get the chance to wear proper clothing since he was ejected out of the Spirit Soul tower the moment he absorbed his spirit soul.
The whole room was silently looking at him. Not because he was nearly naked, definitely not that.
But because a Spirit Ancestor under 15 years old had reached the hundred thousand year old floors by himself!
He even defeated two hundred thousand year old soul beasts by himself!
And he was a Three Word Battle Armorer!
Under 15 years!
Most of the staff in the room didn't even have two word Battle Armor!
While everyone was looking at him in awe and surprise, Fan Lin, perturbed by the gazes of everyone, wrapped his lower body in Blue Silver Grass to hide what should be hidden.
He might be a killer and ruthless person but he wasn't an exhibitionist, and neither did he planned to become one.
'How did a life threatening situation a few hours ago became like this?'
He asked himself, not knowing what to do. There were things that even he had no answers to.
Ignore the gazes and act like their gazes doesn't faze him.
Act shy.
Show it to the world.
Fan Lin thought hard.
The surrounding people also seem to realise the state of Fan Lin and the atmosphere became awkward. Not because Fan Lin was half naked but because three-fourths of his body was severely burned and none of them went out to help him in their awe and surprise.
Now that they took another look at his body, it was disfigured to the life-threatening degree, fully signifying the danger he just faced.
They all knew that they would not even able to stand properly at his condition much less be he stared at by everyone.
But what can they do? The water has been spilled and they were all looking for someone to take the step forward to mend the situation.
Seeing the hesitant looks of her subordinates, Leng Yaozhu decided to break the ice and started the first conversation with Fan Lin while handing him his storage soul guide. Her face adorned by a warm smile that felt like the coming of spring.
"Sorry, we have to take the storage guides to prevent any kind of external help."
It was the truth and she didn't lie on that. She was amused that even though Fan Lin was a strong kid, he was a shy kid as well, although a little clueless.
'I will ask someone to send the healing panacea to heal the burns on his body.'
The strength that he had shown her was enough to put every genius that she knew to shame, herself included.
Fan Lin got the storage soul guide from her and took out a trench coat to cover the rest of his body.
He decided to change his lower clothes at a secluded place later on.
"Would you like to join Spirit Pagoda? You are an exceptional talent and I promise that we will provide you with the utmost of resources that you may need."
Leng Yaozhu invited him to join the Spirit Pagoda in a warm manner. Fan Lin looked at her and then thought about her offer.
He had been excited and worked his hardest to join Shrek; but after joining it, it was one disappointment after another for him.
The students were weak, it was going to be destroyed and the exams and various activities doesn't made that much sense considering the status of the Spirit Masters in the Douluo Continent.
Fan Lin knew that the resources and money that he wasted to get his admission to Shrek would have helped him more than his life at Shrek Academy till now.
It was true that Shrek Academy broadened his horizons and finally gave him a resolute and final goal but... that was due to the books in the Shrek's Library.
'So Shrek did help me a little.'
What if joining the Spirit Pagoda become the same?
A disappointing shackle that inhibits his freedom and choices. Fan Lin didn't know.
'I will ask Gu Yue about it.'
'I need some time to consider it. I will send my answer through Gu Yue." [Fan Lin]
"I see~."
Leng Yaozhu smiled at his statement and showed him the way to the exit. She remained silent throughout the way.
Her thoughts unknown to him.
He didn't know if she was silent because she knew that Fan Lin didn't want to chat or that she had nothing to talk about with him.
He didn't know, neither did he care. His goal wasn't her but the one above her.
[This sounds wrong as well.]
Fan Lin gave a polite bow to her for her help to him and left the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters after paying for the Emerald Swan Spirit soul.
*Sigh*
'The top 9 Spirit souls huh?'
'I couldn't even last two floors.'
'Got my Three world Battle Armor thrashed and almost destroyed.'
'Nearly died even though I fought a virtual soul beast.'
'Did things that I don't even want to remember.'
'And I planned to do this four more times...'
'I hate my life.'
"I seriously need to increase my cultivation since I nearly died from a hundred thousand year old soul beast."
"With my current strength, how can I far against humanity's strongest?"
He took a cab and ate some fruits to recover some of his strength and soul power but not enough to fully heal him. He know his current condition as his body was too battered to the point of final cell destruction and if he ate more than what he could contain, he might just die, along with the cab driver since the power of an energy burst was never to be underestimated.
'This world is really weird. How can everyone treat me normally even when three-fourths of my face had been burnt severely?'
'And then they perform witch hunts to kill children who awakened a darkness/evil attribute related martial soul.'
Fan Lin thought while recalling the calm attitude of the soul cab driver, Leng Yaozhu and the Spirit Pagoda staff after seeing his face.
Two hours later.
'Why is the Spirit Pagoda at the outskirts of Shrek City. Why Huo Yuhao? Why?'
Fan Lin blamed the distance of the spirit Pagoda for the mistake that he caused.
The cab dropped him at Shrek and after flashing his student ID, Fan Lin was allowed entry.
Fan Lin sped past the students and teachers and reached his cultivation area.
A figure was waiting for him there.
"Let me change into new clothes first."
Fan Lin said to her and went into the bushes to change his clothes.
A few seconds later, he came out of the bushes draping some loose clothes. They were going to be stain with blood later on anyways.
"I don't care what you wear."
Gu Yue calmly said after seeing his actions.
"I never said I cared about your opinions either."
He calmly spoke while giving her a small basket of plum like sweet fruits. She looked at him and took the fruit basket. This was their common conversation pattern.
Fan Lin also ate the oran berries as much as he could to recover from his burn status. He doesn't have to fear of triggering energy burst since he was quite far away from people and Gu Yue will back away the moment she sense his rampaging soul power inside his body.
"Why don't you just eat some spiritual fruits? They would be more beneficial to you."
Gu Yue asked him but got no reply. That was his way of saying I don't want to talk about this particular topic.
So she silently ate while waiting for him to tell her about his gains. She could have just asked her master but refrained to do so as it may cause some teasing from her later on.
A few minutes later.
"Thirty seventh floor."
Fan Lin said and lowered his head to continue eating. The fruits were turning to nutrition and speed healing his body as the burnt flesh and skin disintegrated in the smaller energy explosions that were followed by bigger energy combustion and energy burst.
Gu Yue sensed all that and kept a suitable distance from him while silently waiting for the energy rampage of his body to calm down.
Some minutes later, Fan Lin once again went into the bushes, and bathed, and changed into a new pair of Shrek's outer court student uniform.
He came to sit beside her and sighed while looking her.
"Better than I thought. Far better than it actually." [Gu Yue]
She said in her usual tone.
"Are you trying to console me because if you knew then why didn't you tell me?'' [Fan Lin]
"I kept asking you how you were going to do the tower attack over and over, I thought you might have gotten the hint already. Not my fault that you are too stupid to even take a hint." [Gu Yue]
Gu Yue curtly replied while ruthlessly chomping down on her food. This kid really made her angry sometimes.
"Emerald Swan. 110,000 years old Spirit soul." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin said after she finished the fruit.
"Hmm, Emerald Swan is a healing type Soul beast and also had great affinity towards life. Not the best but still a good soul beasts for the Blue Silver Grass. What skills did you get?" [Gu Yue]
Her anger seem to disappear as surprise took its place when she heard about the Emerald Swan. The Emerald Swan spirit soul reminded her of someone.
[Foreshadowing.]
"Boundless Vitality and Blue Silver Energy Spear." [Fan Lin]
[Boundless Vitality: This skill directly increases all the factors of the plant related soul skill by 425%. ]
[Blue Silver Energy Spear : Chargeable, Single Target, Plant type soul skill.]
"Boundless Vitality?" [Gu Yue]
She asked him as this wasn't a skill that she knew of. Fan Lin explained her about it.
"That's good." [Gu Yue]
"Well, I just have a single plant type soul skill for now and that is the Blue Silver Spear. Well, 4.25 times the force increase isn't that bad~" [Fan Lin]
"Say it. What are you trying to say for all this time?" [Gu Yue]
She finally became impatient as Fan Lin was dragging the subject too much. He came to her for a reason or he would have just called and informed her through the soul communicator.
Knowing him, that was the norm.
"Ahh, I wanted to ask you about this." [Fan Lin]
A Spirit Ring that was adorned by multiple virtual plants rose from his body. [See the comments]
????
"The cab ride was really long so I decided to check the new skills that I gained and see if I can combine all of my soul rings."
Fan Lin started with a memory that happened an hour ago.
After knowing the skills that he got, he regretted not taking the Burning Panther as his Spirit Soul.
He didn't want to waste time since he already done the deed. So he combined all his spirit rings into one in the hopes of getting either a multi enhancement or a self fusion soul skill, and he got it, a newly created ring that he really liked, because of its looks.
It was full of different plants and was to his liking. He named it Boundless Ring on the account of the Boundless Vitality.
Then he tried to disperse it and nothing happened.
"I can't disperse the combined ring." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin said with another sigh.
"Huh?" [Gu Yue]
She looked at him and then at the plant ring floating beside him, clearly taken aback by his words.
"What do mean you can't disperse it?" [Gu Yue]
She asked while observing the plant ring.
"It's what I said, I can't disperse it." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin said.
"Why did you combine it then?" [Gu Yue]
Gu Yue argued.
"I wanted to check if I can combine it or not?" [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin argued back.
"Does it hurt or feel weird?" [Gu Yue]
She asked in a probing tone.
"Nope." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin asked while showing his hands to her. She took his hands in her hands and began to feel the soul power flow in his body. It was calm and serene.
"Did you see any changes in the Emerald Swan?" [Gu Yue]
She asked again while taking her hands and looking around if anyone saw them like this.
"There are no changes in her." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin calmly said while showing the Emerald Swan Spirit soul to her. He was a little unsure about the situation himself but since none of his abilities were lost and they were even strengthened, Fan Lin didn't feel that emotional or distressed.
It was most likely a 'blessing' of the Punishment God. Fan Lin had already stopped thinking about what he would get. There was no meaning in him thinking about it.
"You should let some elder check your condition just in case." [Gu Yue]
She suggested him. Seeing his calm face, Gu Yue had realised that Fan Lin must knew something about his condition but wasn't telling her. She decided to trust his decision.
He wouldn't play with his life.
Just when she thought that, she remembered the night where half his body burst into nothingness, or today's situation where most of his face was burnt till the skull could be roughly seen and then the blood play just a few minutes ago.
'He doesn't care about his life, does he?'
"Your Master asked if I could join the Spirit Pagoda. What should I do?" [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin's voice took her out of her trance as she thought of his words and answered.
"What do you want?" [Gu Yue]
"There is a difference in a staff person inviting me to join and the Vice President of the Spirit Pagoda asking me to join." [Fan Lin]
"What could I get from it?" [Fan Lin]
He ambiguously asked her while not revealing his actual thoughts.
"Can you achieve your goal alone? If you can't, then join me, maybe we can achieve what you want." [Gu Yue]
"Someone once proposed to me like that." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin said while looking at the skies.
"Pardon?" [Gu Yue]
Gu Yue said in a befuddled manner. There were times where she couldn't understand what was going on in his mind at all.
"Wait, you think someone would propose to you?" [Gu Yue]
She continued but Fan Lin seem to ignore her words and said again.
"Later she kidnapped me." [Fan Lin]
"Tell your master that I don't want to join you..." [Fan Lin]
"No wait, tell her, I will join. Yup I will join the Spirit Pagoda." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin refused to join the Pagoda at first but changed his mind suddenly while looking her in the eyes with a gaze that could be easily misunderstood for many things.
"What are you planning now?" [Gu Yue]
She asked because suddenly she didn't like his gaze even a bit. His gaze was weird, it had emotions. Fan Lin didn't show emotions. Even if he laughed or smile, it didn't mean he was actually happy or cheerful, on the inside, not a single fluctuations of emotions were to be felt. She knew that.
"Nothing. Nothing at all. The Western area has a lot of land that's empty. Well it's a desert." [Fan Lin]
He said and turned to look at the training area around him. His training area.
"What are you planning?" [Gu Yue]
She asked again. Something felt different about him, something sinister.
"My desire hasn't changed. I just..." [Fan Lin]
"A person should be given a second chance to change his life, right?" [Fan Lin]
He once again stopped mid-sentence and asked a question.
"I don't know. It depends on the person and his actions. Why are you asking?" [Gu Yue]
"Nothing. It's just that after coming this far, I don't feel like the Spirit Master's life suits me. As time passes, my desires and my conscience have been clashing." [Fan Lin]
"I want to hurry up and end the clash." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin told her.
"What after that?" [Gu Yue]
"I will think about it then(death)" [Fan Lin]
He said and glanced at his plant ring.
"I wonder what would happen if I succeed." [Fan Lin]
He whispered as a smile formed on his face. His whole plan changed again but it still remained the same.
'Just the characters are going to change.'
He looked at Gu Yue again. She threw a fireball at his face.
"Stop looking at me like that." [Gu Yue]
He calmly looked at her, his voice filled with coldness.
"What do you think about becoming the Next Pagoda Head of the Spirit Pagoda?" [Fan Lin]
"You can give your reply to me later. I need to go." [Fan Lin]
Fan Lin to her and ran towards his dormitory room.
"Yuanen, can you give me my storage box?"
He gently knocked at his door and asked Yuanen Yehui.
"O, ay, I mean okay." Yuanen, now in her male disguise, fell chills by the presence of Fan Lin.
Everything about him felt the same to her but something was telling her to leave as far away from him as she could. He was dangerous.
She hurriedly gave him the box and he fiddled with the storage box and took out a specific storage soul guide.
"Thanks."
He took the box with him and left for the Spirit Pagoda.
On that day, Fan Lin quit the Shrek Academy causing a stir among the higher ups.
His reason was that he was getting married.
.....
Extras --
After Fan Lin Left Gu Yue.
"Does he like me that way?"
Gu Yue asked herself after witnessing his intense gaze that were filled with various emotions.
"I have to properly decline him the next time I meet."
A day later.
Dining Hall.
"Did you hear that Fan Lin quit Shrek saying he is getting married?" [Grade 2 random student]
"Huh!!" [Gu Yue]
... Continued on Next chapter...
....
Douluo Continent
Shrek Academy
The day of the spirit soul acquisition of Fan Lin.
In a small meeting place in the Inner Shrek City, a small meeting of three people were happening where only a single person was talking.
"Has that brat gone to do the tower attack?"
Elder Cai asked the Lecturer about Fan Lin. They all waited for Fan Lin to inquire about other ways for the tower attack token for a long time but he didn't ask anything about the tower attack token after his first rejection.
The Lecturer nodded his head at Elder Cai and looked at the former Headmaster of the outer court.
"How the heck did he progressed his relationship that fast with Gu Yue? Why did she help him get a tower attack chance?" [Elder Cai]
Elder Cai mumbled to herself. She didn't know the answer to that. She indeed had been spying on the regular meetings but she couldn't understand anything that was happening when she saw them.
Because whenever Gu Yue was with Fan Lin, the space seemed to become sealed and they can't properly see and hear anything that the two talked about.
The former Headmaster nodded his head at her statement. He had been 'observing' Fan Lin for a long time and he was sure that Fan Lin was incapable of doing this.
It all happened when Both Elder Cai and the former Headmaster were watching the first meeting of Fan Lin and Gu Yue in anticipation of the future.
At that moment, the space and time seemed to constrict and bundle up, making those two unable to sense Fan Lin and Gu Yue.
Some time later, they went and brought some things from the academy and returned to the cultivation area of Fan Lin.
After that, the space-time wasn't that messed up and they saw the figures of the two children but they still couldn't make up anything Gu Yue and Fan Lin were talking about.
"Also isn't he sitting to close to her... He moved away... Half of him turned to ashes... that's an upgrade... why is he not hiding this from her, that's weird... did they know each other... also why did he gave her some fruits... what the heck did they talk about."
This were the incessant mumblings of the former Headmaster as he saw a brand new side of Fan Lin for the first time, he nearly went a few metres away from them but then a tragedy happened.
That night the former Headmaster was taken to the Seagod Pavillion and was put on house arrest in the inner Shrek City.
After that, Elder Cai was the only one who regularly watched over Fan Lin and Gu Yue because Fan Lin's sudden interest in Gu Yue seemed wrong and suspicious on so many points that she couldn't see anything but red flags.
She, as a high ranking official of Shrek, knew about the antics of Fan Lin and his loner nature. Fan Lin never took the first step in establishing a conversation until he wanted something from the other party. That's how he always operated.
The same was happening with the current situation as well and Elder Cai wanted to protect Gu Yue from Fan Lin because except his strength and money, his likable points were hard to see.
He was rude, impolite, looked at others as if they were tools, and he definitely wasn't a person with a stable state of mind. Elder Cai was sure that she had seen three year olds with more mental stability than Fan Lin.
What Fan Lin had was dead calmness, an emotionless void.
Whereas Gu Yue was a peerless talent with a boundless future ahead of her and it wasn't a secret to anyone. Fan Lin, maybe, wanted her for that as well.
Because if not for that, then his sudden interest in her can't be interpreted.
If not for the fact that Fan Lin hasn't done anything wrong in his days at Shrek, Elder Cai might have expelled him. She was one of the few people who agreed with the former Headmaster that raising Fan Lin was the same as raising a snake who can bite the owner without any qualms, but as usual, their plea was rejected by the other members of the Seagod Pavillion on the basis of one simple sentence.
Has Fan Lin done anything wrong till now?
They haven't seen him do anything sus or wrong. They really haven't or he might not have been alive till now.
To the law, he was innocent.
"Haah." [Elder Cai.]
She sighed.
"What in the world do they talk to each other everyday for? Gu Yue still likes Wulin and is around him all the time except for when she was talking with Fan Lin." [Elder Cai]
"What do they talk about everyday?" [Elder Cai]
She whispered to herself, ignoring the two other people that were in the room.
What Fan Lin and Gu Yue talked about everyday, she wanted to know but couldn't.
That was because Gu Yue always sealed the space and time around them whenever they talk.
She had a reason for it as well, Fan Lin never talked in a sequence. Often time, he will be saying things like a certain fruit taste better than the others and the next sentence would be how he wanted the humans to die. There was no proper sequence or way of speech that he followed when talking and any sentence could come after every sentence from his mouth.
During her conversations with him, she had realised that he had no tact or care about the things that the other people in the Douluo Continent termed as taboo.
He openly talked about creating a forest that was better that the Starduo forest and replenishing the soul beasts. It may seem normal to him and her because she understood him to a point but to the whole world, it wasn't.
The current time and populace didn't know the fear of the soul beasts that their predecessors experienced.
Now that all the soul beasts had nearly disappeared or locked up in cages, humans have become the apex predator and were living however they want but that wasn't always the case.
Thousands of years ago, the whole of humanity had to live in fear of the soul beasts. The places that they could go, the freedom to roam wherever they wanted and the life expectancy of theirs; all of them depended on the mercy of the soul beasts around them.
If there were strong soul beasts, human had to leave the area and go somewhere else. If the soul beasts destroyed their homes, crops and loved ones, they had to suck it up and move on.
They could only live in small towns and places, hoping to survive, praying that they don't encounter a strong soul beast; until it all changed when the humans had their first Limit Douluo.
After that humans had slowly and steadily declined the soul beasts population over the years, now to the point of extinction in the present.
Humans had became strong and had achieved freedom. Now they fear other humans and not soul beasts.
And then there's Fan Lin, someone who wanted to recreate another Starduo forest, the heart of the previous soul beast population, and restore the soul beasts population little by little until it surpassed the previous Starduo forest.
How?
He was planning to do the same thing that the humans did to the soul beasts, to slowly kill them and take away their land while increasing the soul beasts population.
Gu Yue was sure that if anyone listened to him, he might be branded as an Evil Soul Master in disguise and immediately dealt with.
It was a matter of taboo as Fan Lin was planning on upturning the human civilization by using their own methods. What they did to the animals will be done to them. A scary thought that could make their spines tingle in horror.
It wouldn't have mattered that much if a normal child or a normal soul master had said that, they would just brand them as heretics or mentally unstable.
Fan Lin's case was different though.
Fan Lin was Fan Lin. A three word Battle Armorer under the age of 15, he possessed the threat of his words.
His desire could potentially end humanity.
Hence, Gu Yue always kept their conversation in wraps by wrapping the space-time around them.
Due to this, no one can know their conversation or properly make head or tails of it.
It also became the reason why Elder Cai and the others couldn't pry into their conversations or had taken any actions.
And if they tried to force their way through, a certain force would gently cut out their strength. Elder Cai still remembered the feeling of dread she faced when she and the former Headmaster first watched Gu Yue and Fan Lin.
On their first meeting, Gu Yue had sealed the space around her and Fan Lin because, one, she wanted to injure Fan Lin till near death as a revenge for her past disgrace, and two, because she was going to use all seven of her elements.
(Elder Cai doesn't know it)
To the outside world, Gu Yue can only use six elements(air, water, earth, fire, light, space) because showing her seventh element (darkness) could potentially brand her as an Dark Spirit Master.
(That's what was written in the dd3.)
So she sealed the space around them and asked Di Tian, who was hiding above the Shrek Academy's Titled Douluos and watching the situation, to watch over the seal so that no one can enter or leave the premise.
Although she never planned to kill Fan Lin, and by her understanding of his nature and his words, she knew that he would probably remain silent is she threatened him about the night when he tried to drug her.
But this all didn't mean that the guardian of Shrek would allow her to suddenly and seriously attack a student of theirs just because she wanted to vent her anger and can heal. She might even face expulsion for it.
She had joined the academy with Wulin after so many trials and she didn't want to part away.
So Gu Yue made sure to seal the space and attacked Fan Lin but he survived and even showed her some of the things that he thought was her secrets to her.
Meanwhile the people spying on Fan Lin were befuddled on the fact that they couldn't spy on Fan Lin, and in his impatience, the former Headmaster decided to scoot a little closer to the target location
And by a little closer, it meant ten feet away from the place where Fan Lin and Gu Yue supposedly sat.
Seeing his actions, the guardians of Shrek immediately took actions and went to detain him as they were ordered to detain him if he ever tried to get to close to Fan Lin during situation like this but...
There was a force faster than them all. It was Di Tian hovering above them and hiding his presence while carrying out the orders of Gu Yue.
He stopped all of them from entering the sealed space.
The situation remained constant until the voice of the Seagod Pavillion Master, Yun Ming came and they were all freed.
"I am sorry if my officials angered you, Senior."
Di Tian didn't replied and chose to stay hidden while the rest took the former Headmaster to the inner Shrek City and detained him in a small house.
The same house that the three of them were now using as a meeting place while recalling the past.
After this incident, Elder Cai never dared to forcefully pry into the conversation of Gu Yue and Fan Lin, and just watched the situation from far away.
Di Tian also didn't act after this situation since no one tried to enter the premise.
"Why did I agree to your plan?" [Elder Cai]
She angrily said while staring at the former Headmaster who averted his gaze and looked at the floral design patterns on the wall.
"Useless old man!" [Elder Cai]
"Hmph!" [Elder Cai]
"He must be doing his tower attack by now. Wonder what he will get." [Elder Cai]
"Yeah. I wonder that as well." [Former Headmaster]
The former Headmaster spoke and then they all talked about how they were going to handle Fan Lin in the future.
He was becoming strong and they couldn't keep him in the outer court for too long but he was too much of an uncertainty to be allowed in the inner court.
They discussed for an hour before going their separate ways after they got the news that Fan Lin had left the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
The former Headmaster went to pick him up from the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters while disguising as a cab driver.
The previous inner court spies welcomed him in one of the Shrek Academy's gates while Elder Cai watched over him throughout the way.
The Lecturer on the other hand went to the grade 2s Lecture theatre to prepare the curriculum of his class. He was just dragged on by the two superiors of his and had no actual consensus of his in the meeting.
"How do I do this, Teacher?"
One of the class representatives asked. The class representatives except Yuanen Yehui were helping him in the preparation of the new curriculum as Yuanen had went to do her tower attack today.
The Lecturer of course didn't tell them about it.
Half an hour later.
Lecture theater.
Fan Lin came running to the Lecturer.
"I am quitting Shrek. Here is my uniform and student ID."
He stated while placing a storage ring on the lecture podium.
The Lecturer and the class representatives were left blank by his statement and stared at him in shock.
They saw his eyes, not lifeless and apathetic but determined and with myriads of emotions in them. Something felt off about him. They instinctively knew that.
The Lecturer calmed himself and directed his gaze at the representatives and signalled them to leave the lecture podium. He wanted to be alone.
"Ignore her and look at me."
Fan Lin said to the Lecturer and continued.
"I have transferred my contribution points to all the students among the grade 2 and I have paid the rest to the Dining Hall. Hereby from now on, I am not a student of Shrek."
He began to leave after saying that.
The Lecturer immediately sped past him and appeared at the gates of the Lecture theatre, directly in front of Fan Lin.
"A proper reason. Give me a valid reason for quitting."
He said, knowing full well that Fan Lin wouldn't joke on things like that.
Fan Lin glanced at the Lecturer and resolutely stated.
"I am getting married."
The Lecturer and the students tilted their heads in even more confusion.
'''HE IS GETTING MARRIED!!!'''
Their couldn't fathom Fan Lin ever looking at another person with adoration and just the thought of him saying sweet things to someone made them nearly puke their stomachs. How can a person like him get married?
'''Who the heck even agreed to marry him?'''
In the meantime, Fan Lin tried to leave again but the lecturer got in his way yet again.
"Who? Last question."
He asked while staring at Fan Lin, trying to see if he was lying or not. He failed.
"The Vice President of the Spirit Pagoda. I fell in love with her at first sight and want to devote my life to her. To pursue my love and to show her that I am worthy of her, I am quitting Shrek. Bye."
Fan Lin seriously spoke and left the confused and shell shocked Lecturer who couldn't even fathom the situation much less stop him.
Some seconds later.
"Huh!!!"
....
Inner Shrek City.
Pavillion Master Yun Ming looked at the calm figure of Fan Lin who was taking a cab for the Spirit Pagoda.
Beside him, Elder Cai was silently staring at him with hatred in his eyes. Around them, many people were hovering in the air, hidden from the sight of the people on the ground.
"Why did you stop me? That vixen has obviously done something to the brat or else how could he? We have to stop him." [Elder Cai]
Elder Cai angrily said towards Yun Ming, taking no heed of their positions. Yun Ming ignored her and looked at the former Headmaster. So did the other people.
"Didn't you always consider him to be a problem? It's better for him to leave on his own than his teachers always plotting things behind his back." [Yun Ming]
Yun Ming commented. He was the one who put the former Headmaster to house arrest and also the one who stopped Di Tian from trapping them.
He had already warned the former Headmaster to not do any kinds of stalking or interference with Fan Lin and yet he did.
"Well said, Pavillion Master." [Elder Shi]
Elder Shi, the teacher of Wu Zhangkong and grand-teacher of protagonist group chimed in.
"I always advised them to not interfere too much in the lives of the students. They should have the right to decide their future by their own hands and their own independent choices. We are teaches, we teach them, not plot and decide their life." [Elder Shi]
Elder Shi took the side of the Pavillion Master. He had always been on the direct opposite of the former Headmaster in the matters of Fan Lin.
"He had suddenly decided to change to Spirit Pagoda, surely something is incredibly wrong with it." [Former Headmaster of the outer court]
The former Headmaster tried to argue about the situation. He was the one who understood Fan Lin the most and he knew that Fan Lin hated compromises. He would not suddenly change to the Spirit Pagoda that he hated, until he had something with such a worth that he had no choice but to compromise.
He tried to continue but was stopped by the Pavillion Master.
"He is a problem of the Spirit Pagoda now. Let them handle it. He hadn't broken any rules of the Shrek City and hence the Seagod Pavillion had no right to interfere in his personal choices. The choice to choose where he wants to study falls under that." [Feng Wuyu]
"But who would have thought that he would use this excuse? Leng Yaozhu is indeed beautiful but isn't the age gap too much. Do the kids nowadays go that high?" [Yun Ming]
Atlas Douluo Yun Ming shook his head with a small smile at the thought of Fan Lin's reason for quitting the Shrek Academy.
"This is a new one." [Yun Ming]
He said but suddenly turned around as he felt a chill down his spine. Holy Douluo Yali stood behind him.
She was his wife.
[Nothing more needs to be added here]
"I see." [Yali]
She spoke just two words with a bright smile.
"I have work. I... need to go." [Feng Wuyu]
Feng Wuyu understood the situation and escaped the fastest. The others followed suit and at last, only three people remained.
Yun Ming looked at Elder Cai who in turn looked at Yun Ming whereas Yali was looking at both of them.
"You know you are the most beautiful in my heart." [Yun Ming]
Yun Ming changed his target and said to his wife while ignoring Elder Cai.
Yali flatly looked at him and silently disappeared.
"You felt the unconscious killing intent that was releasing from his body didn't you? Why didn't you act?" [Elder Cai]
"I also observed him in my free time. He has a goal and his goal will definitely clash with the Abyssal plane. You know his strength, maybe he can become a god, something that none of us could achieve." [Yun Ming]
"What if he destroyed humanity after his advent?" [Elder]
"You also think quite highly of him as well. He won't. He wants to die after completing his goal. He(former Headmaster) must have realised that as well, that's why he was trying his best to change the goal of Fan Lin. He wanted to change Fan Lin, or at the very least, give him a reason to live."
"He(former Headmaster) isn't a bad person at heart, he just really wants to change the end, although I don't know how that fear of the future transpired into nearly criminal stalking and voyeurism." [Yun Ming]
"So you knew everything but chose to stay silent." [Angry Elder Cai]
"I don't know everything. I just guessed based on what he was reading and his behaviour towards others. I could be wrong as well. Maybe he will cause something unforgivable..." [Yun Ming]
"But he can become the change as well. I don't know, I truly don't. Leng Yaozhu is a good teacher, she will help him just like us." [Yun Ming]
"And if his excuse has even a bit of truth then maybe she had already changed him along with his future. Who knows." [Yun Ming]
Yun Ming completed his sentence and left. Elder Cai looked at the cab that was speeding towards the Spirit Pagoda and disappeared.
'I hope you are right.'
.....
Spirit Pagoda
Fan Lin reached Spirit Pagoda and was taken in by the receptionist to the previous room.
The receptionist left and the door opened to the warm smile of Leng Yaozhu as she looked at Fan Lin with curiosity in her eyes.
"I didn't know you love me so much that you left Shrek. I truly didn't know."
She said with a cheerful teasing tone and Fan Lin silently looked at her.
"That's an excuse. I needed an over the top but solid excuse that fitted my character."
Fan Lin apathetically muttered. His voice devoid of feelings and respect. She looked at him and felt the changes of his tone. It was as if he was talking to a stranger that he saw for the first time but without any respect or care for their standing.
"I like it. So I take that as an approval of yours to join the Spirit Pagoda?"
She asked and he nodded.
"Why the sudden interest?"
"I just wanted to become the eye of the storm. There are some things that I can do and the events today just made my heart clear on what it wanted."
"Me?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"... Nope."
"I wanted to save MY world and I realised that the Spirit Pagoda is the best way to do that."
"Hmm? You... Now I want to see what you want to do."
"Oh no, you don't."
A big smile formed on his face as his green eyes seemed to light up.
She laughed a little at his antics and showed him his room.
"I have a hunch, but we'll forget it for now. Hope you like your stay in here.
....
The same day.
After Fan Lin Left Gu Yue.
"Does he like me that way?"
Gu Yue asked herself after witnessing his intense gaze that was filled with various emotions. This was definitely the first time she saw him like that and it even perturbed her. His gaze that seemed to look at her like a tool had changed into a much more complicated one and she couldn't understand what. Fan Lin once again landed outside her expertise range.
She recalled the situation of Fan Lin telling her everything, giving her fruits and saying some cheesy lines and trying to act nicely with her.
[He did?]
'Was he trying to woo me by giving fruits?'
'Does love at first sight really works?'
She thought and began to walk around in circles while deep in thought about what she would do when she faced him the next time.
"I have to properly decline him and draw a clear line about our relation. It is a pure Blackmailer and it's victim, scenario. Just because I showed some kindness and taught him some things doesn't mean I have feelings for him. Yeah, I have to properly discuss the situation with him and if he forcefully insist, let's kill him."
Even her massive amount of soul beasts information couldn't help that much in this situation. She knew that humans were fickle in nature and could change in a flash like the melting of the snow.
It was also the reason why she had decided to integrate into the world of humans to properly understand them.
She needed Fan Lin but it wasn't to the point where she would listen to every demand of his.
A day later.
Dining Hall.
Gu Yue was eating in the Dining Hall along with Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan. Yuanen Yehui was late because her grade Lecturer had asked for an urgent meeting of the class representatives.
Gu Yue was slowly eating her noddles when her hands stopped in the air and her whole attention went towards the words of the person near her. she wasn't the only one that it happened to as well. Everyone except Ye Xinglan had paused their eating to looked towards the source of the words.
"Did you hear that Fan Lin quit Shrek saying he is getting married?" [Grade 2 random student]
The members of the Anti Lin group were discussing about Fan Lin and the protagonist group heard them.
"Huh!!" [Gu Yue]
The chopsticks in Gu Yue's hands nearly broke when she heard the news while her mind felt stupefied.
'What the heck did he do after he left me?' She thought in the weir eyes of her friends. They looked at each other and then at Gu Yue who reacted weirdly at that statement.
They all knew Fan Lin to some extent but the reaction of Gu Yue was clearly unnatural. She was the type of person who wouldn't bait an eye even if the whole class were to die.
Only Wulin should not be harmed in it and she will sit there quietly.
""Whom to? Who can even like him? Oh yeah, I nearly forgot that he is rich? So, who is she?" [Another grade 2 student]
"I heard that he fell in love with the Vice President of the Spirit Pagoda and proposed marriage and she agreed. They are getting married the next week." [Grade 2 student]
""Eh!"" [Gu Yue and others]
The chopsticks in Gu Yue's hand dropped drop from her hands as she turned around to look at the person who said that. She observed them and asked in a cold voice. The rest of her friends saw her weird actions but considering that it was related to her Master, the reaction felt more natural.
"Whom did you hear it?" [Gu Yue]
The grade 2 student got a little scared by her gaze and looked at the people around them. Some courage was gained and an answer 2as given.
"I heard from my classmates who, along with some other saw him say that to Lecturer Long and leave. I am not spreading any malicious rumours, you can ask the others or Lecture Long." [Grade 2 student]
When they heard his statement, the protagonist group felt as if the land beneath them had disappeared and Gu Yue was the one most affected by that. She couldn't fathom how things reached this point in a single day.
'Fan Lin quit Shrek. Joined Spirit Pagoda. He was going to marry her teacher.'
It all felt like nonsense to her but knowing Fan Lin, she knew that he might just do that. She had seen his eyes filled with craze, who knows if he actually proposed and/or blackmailed/persuade her master into following his bidding.
He was trying to find the weaknesses of the head of the Spirit Pagoda, who was the say he never eyed the Vice President as well.
Maybe he got his hands on something that made her master unable to disobey him. Knowing Fan Lin, if he got a tool, he will use it to the fullest.
He was using her as much as he liked and Gu Yue knew that as well.
[This sounds wrong as well.]
She immediately left the Dining Hall and called Fan Lin after dashing towards the cultivation are of his. Tang Wulin followed right behind her and so did Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan.
Only Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi stayed and asked a few more questions from the other grade 2 seniors to perfectly verify his words. They were roughly the same.
They then went to find the others as well. Even if they didn't know Fan Lin that well, it seemed like a fun situation.
..
Extras.
"Ignore her and look at me."
Fan Lin said to the Lecturer.
'Wording student Fan. Wording. Don't make the situation a plot from a shady adult romcom.'
The Lecturer reprimanded Fan Lin in his mind at that statement of his.
What if someone was to pass by the lecture theater and heard him say that. Wouldn't it cause rumours of all kind to float the world.
.....
Extras part two.
"Did you hear?"
"What?"
"Fan Lin's family fixed his wedding with the Vice President of the Spirit Pagoda. I heard they are getting married by the year."
"Huh? Is that true?"
"Yeah, my friend saw him say that to the Lecturer himself. He even gave the invitation card to the Lecturer."
"Ohh!"
...
"Listen to the inside story that I heard, a student had an affair with the teacher and they fought in the Lecture theatre. My friend saw it with her own eyes."
"Haah?"
...
"You know that Fan Lin? The one who designed your Battle Armor. Yeah him, he left the academy because he is expecting a child in the upcoming months. No one knows about the mother of the child but someone who had heard it from her own ears said that it was related to his recent visiting to the hostess bar and cafes."
"Is that why a girl that I regularly saw at my usual cafe left a month ago. She had red hair and a beautiful face. No, not that... What a beast he is to be thinking about these things instead of cultivation. Shame on him."
...
"Where did you hear it?"
"From my friend at grade 2. I heard that a grade 2 senior had an affair with the Vice President of the Spirit Pagoda and they are now consummating their relationship by marriage."
And the rumours grew and grew until it spread in the whole students body.
By the end of the, the rumour has become, Fan Lin was the illegitimate child of the President of Spirit Pagoda and is now marrying into the family of Leng Yaozhu to avenge his father and usurp the Spirit Pagoda head position. A true beast who will go to any lengths to get his revenge, even marry a woman nearl 200+ his age.
What a beast!
.....
Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
Fan Lin was gently polishing his vials while some people stood in a corner of the room, their eyes dazed, ten in total.
They were wearing the informs of the Spirit Pagoda and looked to be under their thirties.
They all were looking at Fan Lin who was slowly mumbling a chain of order to the dazed people.
He was currently in the private room that was provided to him. After checking the place and getting rid of the listening devices and hidden cameras, he drugged some of the Spirit Pagoda staff that came to deliver his stuff and check the devices.
Now they were his men, eternally loyal to him.
Tot toot toot toot toot toot toot toot.
His soul communicator rang and he picked it up after checking the person who called him.
{What's the meaning of all this? Didn't you love me?}
"..."
He silently checked the number again. It was indeed Gu Yue's.
"Did you hit your head Gu Yue?"
He apathetically said while signalling the people in his room to leave. They all began to leave and the moment they got out of his door, their eyes seemed lively.
They nodded at each other and dispersed to do the things that Fan Lin asked them to.
{...}
There was a few seconds of silence on the other side before a calm voice came.
{What happened after you left me?}
"I quit Shrek and joined Spirit Pagoda. That's it."
{That's it?}
The voice asked with uncertainty.
"Yeah, that's it."
He answered with certainty.
{Then what's with the thing your classmates are saying? That you proposed to my master, and, and she agreed.}
"Huh? I don't like Shen Yi. I also never looked at Wu Zhangkong like that. I am not that open."
{I said my master Leng Yaozhu.}
"I understood that the first time, I thought you might have taken a hint from my words. Not my fault that you can't take a hint."
{You! Okay so it was all wrong. Good.}
"I did use her name as an excuse but I thought that no one would dare to spread rumours against the Vice President of the Spirit Pagoda. Looks like the children nowadays are tactless in stuff like this."
{... What's your plan now? Don't give me those stupid answers of yours or I will blow your head off.}
"I want to be the centre of the storm watching the things around me getting swallowed and teared apart in the ravaging winds."
"Your Spirit Pagoda will be my storm."
{I said no stupid answers. Did you not understand that?}
"That's the first time that I have heard you angry. I am planning on using the Spirit Pagoda to form a new forest in the western front."
"I have gained quite a lot of money to buy some hundreds of kilometres in the western front but the federation will get in the way, it's officials asking for bribes and other regulations as well."
"I haven't even told them about my purpose for the land. Wonder how much opposition will I face."
"You are the one who said to join you to complete my desires, that you will fulfill my desires."
"The Federation is a lapdog of the President of the Spirit Pagoda, wagging it's tail and following whatever the Spirit Pagoda wants."
"WE will use this unbelievable opportunity of a moment and lay the foundation of the future."
"I have talked about this with your Master and she thinks so too, saying stuff like 'till when we have to rely on the Starduo forest for our needs'. She is hiding a lot of things as well."
Fan Lin slowly recounted his plans to her, telling her when he started, how much he had progressed and what needed to be done... with some twists of his own.
{What are you going to do with the opposition and those people who will realise what you are going to do?}
"Salvation. I will grant them salvation. I will gather them at a place and end it in one fell swoop, the last entourage of mine."
{You can't face everyone by yourself. It's a foolish plan. Think of something more wise.}
"Didn't you say you will help me? I thought you will always be my side on this. Am I wrong?"
{I would only help you if what you are planning to do is achievable. Is it now? I don't think so.}
{You are a person who can think of other ideas. Safer, more reliable ideas. I know that so why aren't you? The matter now isn't just about your desire but all the soul beasts whose life you are endangering due to it. Please think otherwise.}
"This is the first time I have heard you plead. Haah, will you stay with me if I can show you the proof of its possibility."
{I will try my best to aid you at that time. How are you going to succeed in it?}
"You are the possibility. I need you to be with me for this to become a possibility. What are your thoughts, my future President of the Spirit Pagoda? If you became the next President, everything will be possible."
{The current President has a grandson that he plans to pass on the reins of the Spirit Pagoda. The elders and various elites also are in favour of this decision.}
"That's why I joined the Spirit Pagoda. With my support, no one will get in your way. I promise that on my name title as the member to the... I promise on my name Fan Lin."
{How?}
"Come to the Spirit Pagoda and see it with your own eyes."
{... I can't just put the future of the soul beasts into your hands. It's too much of a risk and if the humans are agitated by it, the soul beasts in the Starduo forest and the remaining area will bear the brunt of the humans.}
{No human will allow the rise of the soul beasts. No one.}
"Hahaha haha hahaha hahahahaha hahahahahahahahaha. Just them?"
"Don't worry, the humans won't have the guts to cross the line. If they did, even as much as a single movement that was targeted with the thoughts of the hunting the remaining soul beasts, I will personally wipe them out."
{You were also PERSONALLY going to get the Top 9 spirit souls? Which one did you get? Ahh, I forgot, you couldn't even survive two floors. Now does your statement fill me with confidence? It doesn't!}
"That is different and yeah, I was a little overconfident but I can assure you that if it comes to humans, I am a nightmare. "
"Your lack of confidence on me derives from the fact that you don't know the things I am capable off. I am not just Fan Lin, I am something more than that."
"If I want, I can wipe out every single human being on this whole planet under a day and I am not talking big. Come to the Spirit Pagoda and I will show you the proof, although I won't be taking out the planet."
{Did you hit your head Fan Lin? If you are going to talk nonsense then don't waste my time.}
Toot toot.
"..."
Fan Lin blankly stared at the soul communicator and thought, why doesn't anyone take my threat seriously?
Am I the only one who knows about my danger level?
Well not anymore then. The world will soon know about me.
But before that, before all that, I need to get at least a third of the Western front.
Since it's a desert area and the population density is low, getting the land at cheap prices would be possible but the federation is going to interfere for sure.
I have already started to slowly kill my way in the western front, forcing the citizens to slowly move towards the central area of the Federation.
By the end of the year, I would be able to empty that whole area.
Hmmm. Time to be a saint then.