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"I am Su Yu."
Su Yu's calm, respectful tone made Qian Duoduo view him in a new light.
"You're not afraid I might just kill you right here?"
"Senior, don't joke around. This world still needs order," Su Yu replied, unfazed.
Qian Duoduo snorted, shifting the topic.
"I hear you're from the Star Luo Empire."
"That's right. Seems like senior has well-connected sources," Su Yu responded, unsurprised by his knowledge.
"Then why join the Sun Moon Empire?" Qian Duoduo asked directly, his gaze intense.
"No particular reason—just a simple belief that the Sun Moon Empire's unification of the continent is inevitable. Why resist the flow of history?"
"'Inevitable,' my foot!" Qian Duoduo retorted angrily, visibly upset.
Su Yu hadn't expected such an intense reaction, surprised by Qian Duoduo's rejection of the idea.
"'Flow of history,' huh? It's nonsense! For this so-called 'inevitable path,' you're willing to abandon your family and friends?"
"When I was six, my village was slaughtered by evil soul masters. From that point on, I was alone. Surviving is enough for me," Su Yu replied calmly.
Qian Duoduo fell silent.
Evil soul masters—they were unforgivable.
"Your village was massacred. Don't you hate evil soul masters? Don't you want to eradicate their organizations? Shrek Academy has always been committed to wiping out evil soul masters, sacrificing countless students every year in the effort—"
"Pretending to care, are we?" Su Yu interrupted coldly. "Cleaning up the very mess you created and giving yourselves a pat on the back for it?"
"What are you implying?" Qian Duoduo demanded, his face darkening.
"A thousand years ago, were there no evil soul masters?
"As far as I know, back then, the Spirit Hall drove all the evil soul masters into the City of Slaughter, where they tore each other apart.
"And any remaining evil soul masters were relentlessly hunted by Spirit Hall branches spread across the continent.
"Then your Shrek ancestor, Tang San, destroyed the City of Slaughter and toppled the Spirit Hall.
"Now Shrek enjoys the same honor and influence Spirit Hall once had, so isn't it only right that you take on their responsibility?
"What's the matter? Enjoy the adoration of the people but refuse to shoulder the duty that comes with it?
"And the source of this duty lies in the choices your people made."
In fact, Su Yu held back a few thoughts.
He suspected the rise of evil soul masters was not only due to the destruction of the City of Slaughter.
That was just part of it.
Another, possibly deeper reason involved the God of Asura.
The entire divine position of the God of Asura had been destroyed by a certain god-king.
The God of Asura had once wielded the power of malevolence, controlling vengeance and slaughter, overseeing all the world's darkness.
Could it really be unrelated?
With the rules of darkness and evil no longer under control, the power of evil martial souls seemed to know no bounds, each one growing terrifyingly strong.
Qian Duoduo frowned.
Su Yu's interpretation of history was grounded in real events, yet no one had ever explained it like this.
But when he thought about it, this perspective wasn't unreasonable.
In the waiting room.
Su Yu left with Qian Duoduo, while Fan Yu stayed behind.
Soon, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Huo Yuhao entered the room.
"Yuhao!"
Fan Yu was stunned to see Huo Yuhao there, dressed in an unfamiliar academy uniform.
"Yuhao, why are you here?"
"Teacher Fan Yu."
On the way, Huo Yuhao had heard from Xiao Hongchen that Fan Yu was present.
Despite everything, he had come anyway.
Since they could meet, he naturally wanted to see his teacher.
Fan Yu had treated him well in the past.
When the Martial Soul Department was unwilling to grant him the status of a core disciple, Fan Yu had vouched for him, securing him a spot as a core disciple in the Soul Engineering Department.
But now, Huo Yuhao no longer wished to return to Shrek.
Life in Sun-Moon Hall was pretty good.
With Jing Hongchen, a Rank 94 Titled Douluo, personally guiding him, along with medicinal baths, nourishing meals, and potent elixirs accelerating his progress, and access to the most advanced soul engineering techniques, Huo Yuhao found his cultivation improving rapidly. Most importantly, no one here would prevent him from seeking revenge.
"Yuhao, do you have any idea how worried I and Teacher Zhou Yi have been about you? Your friends, too—they're all so concerned!" Fan Yu's first reaction to seeing Huo Yuhao was one of joy, but upon noticing the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy uniform, a flicker of anger surged.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Fan Yu," Huo Yuhao said apologetically. "I deceived you. No one helped me hunt my soul rings—I went alone.
"Shrek simply couldn't offer what I need. Sun-Moon Hall can."
"Yuhao, what lies have they filled your head with?" Fan Yu's disbelief was clear.
"How could Shrek not give you what you need? Shrek is the continent's top academy, with the best environment and cultivation resources."
"Excuse me," Jing Hongchen interjected, cutting off Fan Yu's impassioned speech.
"For the record, the top academy on the continent is now the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy."
"If I'm not mistaken, Yuhao's treatment in Shrek's outer court was far from ideal.
"And as for Shrek's environment and resources, they're inferior to ours at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
"Oh, and Yuhao's unique Martial Soul of ultimate life went unnoticed by your second most powerful soul master.
"Clearly, you're not suited to cultivate someone of Yuhao's potential."
Meanwhile, Su Yu missed out on the unfolding drama: old and new teachers quarreling, slinging insults in a clash of egos.
Leading Qian Duoduo to the cell holding Qian Buduo, Su Yu found himself in several heated debates along the way, until Qian Duoduo eventually stopped talking to him altogether.
To Qian Duoduo, everything Su Yu said was mere sophistry.
Su Yu shrugged and decided to give him some breathing room.
"Qian Buduo, your family is here to visit," said the guard, opening the cell door and addressing Qian Buduo, who was fast asleep.
Qian Buduo sat up, rubbed his eyes, glanced at Qian Duoduo, then lay back down, muttering, "Must've been dreaming again."
"Buduo!"
Qian Duoduo scanned the cell's layout.
It wasn't a dark, damp cell as he'd expected.
Instead, it was brightly lit by soul-powered lamps, clean and orderly, complete with a bed, desk, and chair.
Qian Duoduo almost thought Sun-Moon Hall was putting on a show for him.
"Buduo!" he called again, his tone stern, his voice amplified with soul power, making it resound like thunder in Qian Buduo's ears.
Qian Buduo jolted upright in surprise.
"Uncle?" he stammered.
"It's really you!"
"You've come to rescue me?"
"No… you're just here to visit." Qian Buduo's words tumbled out, his mind racing.
He never would have guessed his uncle would travel such a great distance to see him.
Qian Buduo pulled Qian Duoduo to sit beside him on the bed, eager to catch up.
Su Yu did not follow them into the cell.
"Uncle, Su Yu—the one who came with you just now—he has a Martial Soul of ultimate life, and he's from the Star Luo Empire," Qian Buduo whispered, lowering his voice to confide in his uncle.
Qian Duoduo's eyes misted over, his heart heavy with emotion.
He didn't need further explanation; he now understood why his nephew had been captured.
Once again, it was all because of Su Yu's ultimate life Martial Soul.
Qian Duoduo was overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions.
(End of chapter)