Sea God Island — inside a secluded wooden cabin.
"How are you feeling, Sister Xiaotao?"
Zhu Ziyang sat cross-legged on the bed, directly facing Ma Xiaotao, their palms pressed together, fingers interlocked. Ma Xiaotao's lovely face was flushed with a sickly red, her lips pressed tightly as she struggled between pain and pleasure. Zhu Ziyang, on the other hand, had a solemn expression as he channeled his ultimate ice soul power through their joined hands and into her body.
"Much better," Ma Xiaotao said, her voice tinged with flirtation, but mostly weak and strained.
"That's good."
Ziyang opened his eyes with a faint sigh, glancing away unnaturally. He withdrew his hands and stepped down from the bed.
Each time he helped Xiaotao suppress her Evil Fire, it was a tremendous test of his willpower. Her revealing clothing and seductive figure always seemed to find a way to expose themselves to his eyes, challenging both his discipline and self-control.
"Sister Xiaotao, don't cultivate for a few days. Get some rest," Ziyang said as he turned his back. "I'll be heading back now."
"Mm."
Ma Xiaotao responded lazily, halfheartedly. She lounged across the bed, her flame-colored hair cascading over her bare shoulders, jade-like legs crossed gracefully, one hand under her cheek, the other resting on her thigh. Her eyes followed Zhu Ziyang's back, dreamy and unreadable, her chest rising gently as though lost in thought.
"Hu~"
Ziyang let out a long breath as he stepped outside.
If he could help it, he didn't want to keep doing this. He could clearly feel Ma Xiaotao's feelings for him growing stronger. At first, she had maintained the pride of an older sister, but now she flirted with increasing boldness.
"I have to solve her Evil Fire problem soon," he thought.
"If not, I'm afraid even I might lose control one day…"
Her strength had grown so much that the Evil Fire within her had become harder and harder to contain. Even without cultivating, her internal flame continued to gather and threaten to overwhelm her. Ziyang now had to cleanse it every ten to fifteen days just to keep her stable.
Three months after Jiang Nannan joined the Inner Court, she received her first field mission.
Naturally, she was accompanied by Zhu Ziyang, Dai Yueheng, and three other official team members. This would be their first real-world team operation—a trial run for Shrek Academy's main team.
Elder Song and Cai Mei'er personally led the mission.
Their destination was a remote town in the Heaven Soul Empire, where they were to eliminate a group of evil soul masters who had been terrorizing the area. According to Shrek's intelligence, the group consisted of ten people—one Soul Douluo and several Soul Kings and Soul Ancestors. Ziyang and the others would handle the underlings, while Cai Mei'er would face the Soul Douluo directly.
Speed was critical.
Under Elder Song and Cai Mei'er's leadership, they launched a surprise assault and cornered the enemy inside a deep mountain valley—like trapping rats in a jar.
"These bastards…"
One of the students muttered with clenched teeth, looking at the piles of bones strewn across the valley. The sight was chilling. No one could guess how many innocent lives had been taken.
"Yueheng, Ziyang—your targets are the underlings," Cai Mei'er instructed coldly.
"Leave the Soul Douluo to me."
"Yes, ma'am!" the six team members responded in unison.
The evil soul masters had already discovered their presence. The two groups met in a broad mountain corridor.
Zhu Ziyang finally saw the infamous leader of the massacre—and was stunned.
Contrary to their expectations, the man looked nothing like the deranged murderers they'd imagined. He wore luxurious robes and carried himself like a noble scholar. Were it not for the white skeletal remains of a bride in his arms, one might have mistaken him for a gentleman of high society.
This contradiction only made their hearts sink.
Even Cai Mei'er grew serious, putting away her usual condescension. She could sense something was wrong. Their intelligence said the target was a Soul Douluo—but standing before them was clearly a Titled Douluo.
She scowled. Someone in the intel division was going to get a serious reprimand.
"Well, well—Shrek Academy?" the man said with a genteel smile.
"Are you here to attend my ascension ceremony to Titled Douluo? I'm honored."
"No need to play games, Wei Changgong," Cai Mei'er replied coldly.
"You know why we're here."
So this was Wei Changgong, the infamous evil soul master.
According to the reports, he had once been a humble merchant. On the day of his wedding, his wife had been violated and killed by a noble's son. His entire family was slaughtered. He disappeared—driven mad by grief.
He resurfaced five years later at that same noble's wedding. By then, he had gone from powerless commoner to a Soul Sage. He exacted a cruel revenge—violated the bride, slaughtered the entire household of over three hundred, and vanished again.
From then on, he wandered the empire, murdering nobility and massacring civilians. His death toll exceeded one million before the royal family dispatched two Soul Douluo and a Titled Douluo to pursue him. Though he was gravely injured, he escaped again.
Now, he had returned.
"Heheheh... If you're not here to celebrate—then you'll die!"
Wei Changgong's polite mask vanished. He erupted into action.
Nine black soul rings exploded behind him—all black. The skeletal bride in his arms grew flesh, transforming into a terrifying zombie woman.
This was his martial soul: his wife's corpse.
Cai Mei'er didn't hesitate. She summoned her Holy Dragon Soul-Slaying Spear, soul rings flaring as she launched herself forward.
Ziyang, Yueheng, and the others engaged the underlings—six of them against nine evil soul masters.
These underlings weren't simply criminals—they were fallen soul masters, people who had willingly submitted to darkness in exchange for power. Their abilities might have been ordinary, but their hearts were soaked in blood and sin. There would be no mercy.
High above, Elder Song appeared in a streak of green light. Without a word, she joined Cai Mei'er against Wei Changgong—two Super Douluo against one.
Zhu Ziyang faced two enemies alone: a Blood-Eyed Wolf Soul Ancestor and a Bronze Hammer Soul Ancestor.
He was unfazed.
Wielding his Judgment Scythe of Eternal Rest, Ziyang radiated the brilliance of ultimate light—a natural nemesis of evil. And beside him was the support-type Soul King, Gongyang Mo.
Gongyang Mo's Rainbow Dragon was a legendary support-type dragon martial soul, said to rival even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. He immediately boosted the entire team with his full strength.
Meanwhile, Ling Luocheng used her control skills to aid Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng, who faced five enemies together—including two Soul Kings and three Soul Ancestors.
Jiang Nannan, using her superior speed, toyed with a near-Soul King level enemy and even neutralized another attacker aiming for the support duo.
Shrek's team held firm—and even gained the upper hand.
Ziyang's scythe crashed against the bronze hammer with a clang that echoed through the valley.
The enemy recoiled in terror.
Both his and the Blood-Eyed Wolf's faces were twisted with fear. They didn't dare attack again—each trying to push the other forward instead.
Ziyang gave them no time to regroup. His second and third soul rings glowed.
Holy radiance surged from his body as he darted forward, scythe raised high. With one clean arc, the blade came down.
In desperation, the Blood-Eyed Wolf shoved his comrade into the attack. The Bronze Hammer Soul Ancestor's eyes filled with horror—but he couldn't even cry out.
The judgment-infused blade split him in half.
His soul dissolved in the light.
The Blood-Eyed Wolf tried to flee.
But Ziyang's first soul ring shone. One swing. One flash.
A head flew through the air.
Now free, Ziyang turned to assess the battle.
Yueheng and Zifeng had crushed three enemies—only two Soul Kings remained.
Nannan had downed one opponent and was dominating another.
In the sky, Elder Song and Cai Mei'er overwhelmed Wei Changgong. Wounded and panicked, he tried to flee—but they gave him no chance.
A burst of green light shot from Elder Song, tearing through his arm. As he staggered, the zombie bride leapt to shield him—but in doing so, she exposed his back.
Cai Mei'er's eyes glowed gold.
Her spear pierced the zombie and then his heart in one thrust.
Wei Changgong stared down at the weapon through his chest, his face frozen in disbelief—and relief.
And then, he fell.
Wei Changgong: Deceased.
Shrek Academy's main team had completed their extermination mission flawlessly, with zero casualties.
This—was the power and efficiency that Shrek Academy was known for.