Chapter 257 – Du Bu Si's Awakening: Shrek's Hidden Scars
Shrek Academy, Inner Courtyard – Sea God Pavilion.
In the deepest part of the Sea God Pavilion, within a specially reinforced cultivation room, intense energy surged madly into the body of an old man. As this torrent of energy was absorbed and condensed, it formed a new crystalline structure within him. This crystal was no ordinary formation—it was the second soul core, the hallmark of a Limit Douluo.
With the successful condensation of his second soul core, Du Bu Si had officially reached the pinnacle of Titled Douluo—he had become an Ultimate Douluo.
"Finally… I've broken through." Du Bu Si exhaled deeply. "Jin Peng, if only you were still alive. If I had possessed this strength during the beast tide, you wouldn't have died to those ferocious soul beasts."
Du Bu Si—Sect Master of the Body Sect and current master of the Sea God Pavilion—smiled bitterly. It was the life-and-death battle during the beast tide that had spurred his breakthrough, yet the price was steep. Several high-level Body Sect members had perished in that battle. A sect that once boasted double-digit Titled Douluo now had fewer than twenty, even after including Shrek's own Titled Douluo.
This reality dulled the euphoria of his achievement.
"Still, it's no use lingering on the past. Now that I've become a Limit Douluo, the future remains hopeful. The younger generation, led by Long Aotian, has great potential. With Shrek's own prodigies alongside him, as long as no major mishaps occur, the Body Sect and Shrek will continue to thrive."
Du Bu Si didn't even count Xiao Qiang and Mu Qingxue in his plans—they were unique outliers. But Long Aotian, he believed, was a first-class genius. If Aotian could acquire two hundred-thousand-year soul rings, there was a real chance he would one day inherit Du Bu Si's mantle and become the next pillar of strength for Shrek and the Body Sect.
"I wonder if Aotian has reached Soul Saint by now?" the old man muttered as he exited his retreat chamber, eager to share the good news and reassure the sects with his newfound power. "Shrek still has a Limit Douluo—we are not without protection."
He searched through Shrek's inner courtyard, but there was no sign of Long Aotian. With growing curiosity, he found the Body Sect's Titled Douluo assigned to oversee Long Aotian's soul ring hunt.
"Old Zhao, where is Aotian? I've scoured the inner courtyard and can't find him."
"Sect Master, Aotian reached level 70 and went to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain his seventh soul ring," the elder replied.
"He went to the forest? Why didn't you accompany him?" Du Bu Si asked, frowning, though he didn't yet feel alarmed. Any soul ring hunt, especially for one so important, would surely be conducted with top-tier protection.
"That's just it," Old Zhao explained. "Initially, I was supposed to go. But before we departed, Elder Xuan arrived. He believed that I wouldn't be able to manage the hunt properly given the level of talent in this group. So he insisted on leading them himself."
Du Bu Si's face relaxed a little. "Ah, if Xuanzi's handling it, I suppose I can rest easy."
But just as he finished speaking, he noticed Yan Shaozhe nearby—mouth agape, staring.
"What's wrong, Shaozhe?" Du Bu Si asked.
"Elder Zhao… what did you just tell the Pavilion Master? Who's leading Aotian's team again?" Yan Shaozhe asked, tension rising in his voice.
"Master Xuan. What's the matter?" Zhao replied innocently.
Yan Shaozhe turned to Du Bu Si, his expression grim. "Pavilion Master, if you want Shrek's and the Body Sect's future talents to survive, please… go to the Star Dou Great Forest immediately and find Long Aotian."
Du Bu Si's expression darkened. "What do you mean by that?"
Shaozhe hesitated. Revealing Shrek's dirty laundry wasn't something he wanted to do—but the pressure of Du Bu Si's piercing gaze, amplified by the mental weight of an Ultimate Douluo's aura, made refusal impossible.
"Years ago, Master Xuan led a soul ring hunting trip. He was a level 98 Titled Douluo at the time. Twelve of our most elite students went with him. All of them were there to obtain seventh, eighth, or even ninth soul rings. He should have been the ideal guardian… but somehow, they got separated. Then they encountered a hundred-thousand-year soul beast."
Du Bu Si's pupils narrowed.
"In the end," Yan Shaozhe continued, "only four of them came back alive. And of those, only Zhang Lexuan returned uninjured."
Du Bu Si's voice lowered ominously. "A level 98 warrior lost track of his own group? With casualties like that? And no punishment?"
"You know our former Pavilion Master, Elder Mu," Shaozhe said carefully. "He didn't have long left. The Pavilion Master position was already expected to go to Elder Xuan… so the matter was quietly swept under the rug."
"How could something like that just end?"
"In the end, Zhang Lexuan knelt and begged Elder Xuan not to leave. She said Shrek couldn't lose him. So… he stayed."
Du Bu Si was silent.
A level 98 Titled Douluo loses eight of Shrek's top talents, and the only whole survivor kneels to keep him? Suddenly, the Body Sect didn't seem quite as arrogant in comparison.
"…He made a terrible mistake that one time," Yan Shaozhe attempted to defend, "but that doesn't erase Elder Xuan's many contributions."
Du Bu Si's tone chilled. "One mistake is excusable. But I get the feeling this wasn't just 'one mistake.' What else?"
Yan Shaozhe sighed. "You remember the last All-Continent High-Level Soul Master Tournament? One of our representatives was killed by an evil soul master. The attacker was only a Soul King—with three yellow and two purple rings. We figured a Shrek elite team could handle it… especially with Elder Xuan watching from behind the scenes."
Du Bu Si's eyes sharpened. "He failed again?"
"Worse," Shaozhe said quietly. "Not only did several students die… the evil soul master escaped."
"…He's level 98, and he couldn't stop a level 50? Is he secretly the Supreme Elder of the evil soul masters?!"