"Why haven't you left yet?"
Jing Hongchen raised his eyebrows, noticing that Su Yu was still standing there, motionless, despite having been ordered to leave.
"Hall Master, your tea is pretty good."
Even from a distance, Su Yu could smell the refreshing fragrance. It was clear this was no ordinary tea.
Jing Hongchen's mouth twitched. This cheeky brat was trying to take advantage of him. After glaring at Su Yu for a long moment, Jing Hongchen slowly took out a small jar of tea leaves from his soul tool.
Tap!
He placed the jar on the table and pushed it towards Su Yu. Su Yu reached out to grab it, but Jing Hongchen caught his hand.
Su Yu looked up, confused.
Jing Hongchen gave him a meaningful look, patted his hand, and said, "You brat, planning to cause more trouble for me, huh!"
With that, he released Su Yu's hand.
Su Yu smiled awkwardly and, with lightning speed, stored the tea leaves in his soul tool.
"Goodbye, Hall Master."
As soon as the words fell, Su Yu vanished without a trace.
Jing Hongchen's mouth dropped open, seemingly not expecting Su Yu to leave so quickly after getting what he wanted. After a moment, he shook his head, laughing and muttering, "This cheeky brat…"
He took a sip of tea and tapped the table. Outside the office, Lin Jiayi walked in.
"Gather the team. I have something to discuss with them."
Regarding the incident where Su Yu had hit a member of the royal family, Jing Hongchen was preparing to handle it personally. Not only would he avoid apologizing, but he'd also use the opportunity to straighten out the academy. It was time those deadweight nobles realized who truly called the shots at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy!
...
Meanwhile, Su Yu quickly left the office, dashing toward the dormitory. After meeting with Jing Hongchen, he knew the incident was no longer his concern. It was just an ordinary royal member, and nobody had died, so it wouldn't cause much of a stir—at least, not for Jing Hongchen.
Though Jing Hongchen had made the situation seem troublesome, the real issue wasn't the incident itself—it was what it represented. Handling this one incident was easy for him, but if he wanted to use it as leverage to discipline all the royal members, that would indeed be a bit tricky. After all, the royal family still wielded considerable influence. Perhaps Jing Hongchen would use this as a turning point. After all, Su Yu's identity was a powerful deterrent.
Letting the royal members run rampant for too long could damage the academy's environment and lead to a loss of talent. But none of this was Su Yu's problem. He and Jing Hongchen had an unspoken understanding. Silently, they had cooperated—and Su Yu had already received his reward.
Before long, Su Yu returned to the dormitory, where Wang Dong'er was anxiously waiting. It was clear she'd heard something, and Meng Hongchen was there too, likely having brought the news.
"Su Yu, are you alright?"
Wang Dong'er was overjoyed to see him back and quickly stepped forward to ask. After hearing from Meng Hongchen about Su Yu's altercation with a royal family member and Su Yu being taken away, she became extremely worried.
"I'm fine. I was just defending myself. What could happen? The Hall Master is a reasonable person," Su Yu replied with a smile.
"I knew it would be fine. This whole thing wasn't Su Yu's fault. Grandfather would protect him," Meng Hongchen said, appearing much calmer than Wang Dong'er. She understood Jing Hongchen and the weight of Su Yu's identity. There was no way this matter would harm Su Yu.
"Sister Meng, you're here too."
Su Yu greeted her with a smile.
"Yes, I heard you hit someone, so I came to check on you."
Meng Hongchen's voice was soft, but her concern was evident.
Su Yu felt warmth in his heart. Whether it was Wang Dong'er or Meng Hongchen, both had rushed to check on him. Honestly, it felt nice to have a woman who cared for him.
Su Yu smiled and broke the heavy atmosphere.
"Come on, don't just stand at the door—come in! I just got my hands on something good. Let's share it."
After entering the dormitory, Su Yu took out a small jar—the tea leaves he had just received from Jing Hongchen. From the pained look on Jing Hongchen's face when he handed over the tea, it was clear these were quite precious.
"Huh? Isn't this Grandfather's tea? He treasures this stuff. Even my brother rarely gets to drink it," Meng Hongchen said in surprise, immediately recognizing the packaging and fragrance.
"The Hall Master is too kind. He insisted on giving it to me, and I couldn't refuse such generosity," Su Yu sighed as if accepting the tea had been a burden.
Meng Hongchen was left dumbfounded. Was that really what happened? Could her grandfather be that generous? But Su Yu said so—could it be true? Was Grandfather really that fond of Su Yu? Could her brother's words be true—that Grandfather saw Su Yu as one of his own?
As her thoughts spiraled, Meng Hongchen's face gradually turned red.
Su Yu looked at her in confusion, wondering what strange ideas she was coming up with this time.
"Sister Meng, have some tea," Su Yu called out.
"Huh? Oh!"
Meng Hongchen snapped out of her thoughts. Remembering what she had just been imagining, her face flushed even more. She accepted the tea Su Yu handed her, sipping it absentmindedly. The taste was bland to her—she was too flustered to notice any flavor. The strong sense of embarrassment overwhelmed her, making it impossible to focus on anything else.
Wang Dong'er, on the other hand, took a sip and immediately felt her mouth fill with a refreshing fragrance. Her spirit was instantly lifted as if her entire body had been cleansed.
"This is truly excellent tea!" she couldn't help but exclaim.
Su Yu's lips curled into a smile. He took a small sip himself, tasting a slight bitterness at first, followed by a sweet aftertaste. A surge of energy seemed to rush to his head, leaving him invigorated. His eyes lit up, and he took another small sip, savoring it.
...
Meanwhile, in the northern part of the Heaven Dou Empire, in a desolate, snow-covered region...
This was a land of ice and snow, where blizzards blanketed the sky and ground. Snowflakes as large as goose feathers fell, and the snow lay several meters deep. The cold wind was so frigid that water would freeze instantly, and anyone without cultivation would freeze to death within minutes. Though this wasn't the Extreme North, the freezing temperatures made it a forbidden land for humans.
Without substantial cultivation, coming to this place was akin to seeking death.
Yet, in this desolate land, two figures suddenly appeared.
One was a man, the other a woman. The man wore a white robe, exuding a refined and scholarly air, appearing to be in his fifties. The woman wore a bright red robe—the uniform of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard. Her figure was strikingly curvaceous and fiery.
These two were Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao, who had ventured north.
"Teacher, are you sure the Ice God Palace is here?"
Ma Xiaotao asked uneasily. As a fire-attribute soul master, the icy environment greatly restricted her abilities. Moreover, with the evil fire within her body surging, the cold outside and the heat within made for an extremely uncomfortable experience.
"The Ice God Palace is indeed here. However, it is an ancient force that worships the Ice God, protected by a barrier, making it impossible for ordinary people to find."
"Xiaotao, step back!"
Yan Shaozhe motioned for her to retreat. She quickly moved back as Yan Shaozhe's body began to emit a radiant glow. A pillar of light shot into the sky, and behind him, a golden phoenix appeared, radiating a sacred brilliance.
This was his martial soul—the Bright Phoenix.
Yan Shaozhe's title came from this; he was known as the Bright Phoenix Douluo.
As the Bright Phoenix merged with him, dazzling golden light swept across the sky. Yan Shaozhe was a Super Douluo, a title placing him among the top powerhouses of the Douluo Continent.
As the golden light spread, the snowstorm was driven away by its power, revealing the true world before them. Gradually, a massive ice-blue barrier appeared before Ma Xiaotao's eyes, though they could only see a part of it—it was incredibly vast.
Just as Yan Shaozhe prepared to extend his light further, an intense fluctuation came from within the barrier. Yan Shaozhe's expression changed, and he quickly moved to shield Ma Xiaotao. The invisible force struck him, pushing him back over a thousand meters, taking Ma Xiaotao with him.
"Who dares cause trouble outside my Ice God Palace?"
A domineering voice roared across the sky as an overwhelming, frigid force descended, halting the wind and snow. The snow on the ground sank by a meter under its oppressive weight. Yan Shaozhe felt as if a mountain were pressing down on him and quickly circulated his soul power to protect himself.
Looking towards the voice, he saw a massive figure outside the barrier—a man nearly three meters tall, resembling a small giant. Behind him stood a giant, snow-white ape roaring at the sky. The ape's enormous body exuded a prehistoric beast's aura.
Yan Shaozhe's face changed dramatically when he recognized the ape.
"Titan Snow Demon!"
Yes, this snow-white ape was a Titan Snow Demon Ape, a soul beast with both Titan and Ice God bloodlines. In terms of power, it was even stronger than the Titan Giant Ape.
Though the Titan Snow Demon Ape wasn't an Ultimate Ice creature, its frost power combined with its terrifyingly strong physique made it a formidable presence. Even in the Extreme North, Titan Snow Demon Apes were a top species.
Their leader, the Titan Snow Demon King, was one of the three kings of the Extreme North, a being of immense power. Yan Shaozhe hadn't expected to encounter a soul master with the Titan Snow Demon Ape martial soul outside the Ice God Palace. His respect for the Ice God Palace only grew.
What shocked him even more was the man's soul ring configuration: six black and three red rings—a terrifying combination.
This man was Lu Yuan.
Since Haibodong had appeared, Su Yu no longer needed extensive protection, so Lu Yuan returned to guard the Ice God Palace.
Incredibly powerful, Lu Yuan possessed a full set of soul bones and the Titan Snow Demon Ape as his martial soul. His soul power had reached rank 97, a step away from rank 98. He was currently the Ice God Palace's third strongest expert, after Haibodong and Mu Wu.
Yan Shaozhe was indeed fortunate—or unfortunate—to encounter the strongest person currently guarding the Ice God Palace.
Despite being rank 97, even someone like Xuan Zi, at full strength, might not be able to defeat him.
Gazing at Lu Yuan's intimidating physique, Yan Shaozhe felt unprecedented pressure, knowing this man's strength surpassed his own.
Not daring to be careless, Yan Shaozhe quickly cupped his fists and said, "I am Yan Shaozhe, dean of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard. I apologize for the disturbance. Please forgive my rudeness."
"Shrek Academy?"
Lu Yuan's figure flickered, and in an instant, he crossed a thousand meters, appearing just a few meters in front of Yan Shaozhe. His fierce aura was fully unleashed, causing Ma Xiaotao to pale. Normally hot-tempered, she didn't dare act in front of such a terrifying figure.
"As the dean of Shrek Academy, what business do you have at Ice God Palace?"
"Not only that, but you were causing a ruckus at the entrance of the Ice God Palace. Do you think we won't punish you for this?"
Lu Yuan showed no leniency despite Yan Shaozhe revealing his identity. While Shrek Academy's reputation carried weight elsewhere, it meant nothing here.
"You misunderstand, friend. I did not mean to offend. The Ice God Palace is hidden within the snowstorm and protected by a barrier. I had no choice but to temporarily dispel the snow and was not intentionally causing trouble."
"I came here to humbly request the aid of the Ice God Palace."
Yan Shaozhe maintained a respectful posture; Shrek's tradition was to remain courteous in dealings with the powerful.
"Shrek Academy, the so-called number one academy on the continent, actually needs the Ice God Palace's help?"
Yan Shaozhe remained calm and explained, "Every field has its experts. Even Shrek Academy has its limits."
"My disciple has been plagued by evil fire, like a parasitic worm that is difficult to remove."
"The Ice God Palace is renowned as the holy land of ice. I believe you have the means to cure this evil fire."
Yan Shaozhe subtly flattered them, but Lu Yuan wasn't buying it.
"So, just because you ask, we should help you?"
Lu Yuan scoffed.
"Who do you think you are?"