"Proof? Hehe..."
Fei Yan, who had been standing quietly by Castorice's side like an exquisite doll, finally let out a disdainful chuckle upon hearing the word 'proof'.
The laughter was crisp and pleasant, yet filled with mockery and arrogance.
"A group of craftsmen who only know how to hide behind iron shells... are they even worthy of testing our Holy Cult's Holy Maiden?"
A dangerous and gleeful light flickered in Fei Yan's crimson pupils.
"Do they think they can contend with true power using those clanking toys? It's laughably foolish."
She took a step forward, leaned down to Castorice's ear, and whispered with a light laugh in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Never mind you, little Castorice, even that boy Yan Feng would probably have the ability to suppress the entire Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's peers. It would be quite interesting to let those Soul Engineers, who are like frogs at the bottom of a well, see what true despair looks like."
"It's just the right time to show them the strength of my Holy Spirit Cult."
"I'll leave it to you, my Holy Maiden Highness."
Castorice's fingertips stopped on the tabletop.
She nodded and said, "Very well."
"Strength is needed to fight for it anyway. It's already decent of Hall Master Jing Hongchen to be willing to give us a spot at a time like this."
Upon hearing this, the heavy stone hanging in Elder Lin's heart finally fell halfway.
What he feared most was that the Holy Maiden Highness would feel offended and lash out on the spot.
However, there were no ripples in Castorice's heart.
She understood the profound meaning and risks behind Jing Hongchen's move better than anyone.
The cooperation between the Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult was an undercurrent hidden beneath the surface and could not be easily exposed.
Letting an Evil Soul Master, especially a high-status Death Saintess, represent the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy in the high-profile Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament was no different from dancing on a wire.
One mistake, one leaked clue, could trigger a massive wave, plunging the Empire into a whirlpool of extremely passive public opinion.
Jing Hongchen, as the Hall Master of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, couldn't possibly fail to understand this.
He agreed because of the pressure from the Imperial Family, but his condition to prove her strength was a clever move.
If Castorice lacked strength, he would have a sufficient reason to exclude her and an explanation for the Imperial Family.
If Castorice's strength was exceptional and could bring honor to the academy, then he could suppress all doubts.
After all, in the Douluo Continent, how to define an Evil Soul Master was very vague.
The most direct method of identification was nothing more than looking at the type of Martial Soul, the method of cultivation, and whether the Soul Master themselves would lose control.
The Holy Spirit Cult's Sixth Enshrinement, Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng, was the most typical example.
His Martial Soul cultivation required the assistance of animal blood. In the eyes of the mainstream Spirit Master's world, this method was undoubtedly an Evil Path.
Therefore, he was branded as an Evil Soul Master.
But he was lucky; the person he met back then was the somewhat reasonable Dragon God Douluo Mu En, who spared his life.
Had it been someone else, he would likely have been slain as a merit for ridding the people of a pest.
Castorice told herself that her "Ruler of Death" Martial Soul was not considered an Evil Spirit.
She didn't need any crooked cultivation methods.
She had never lost control.
From this perspective, she had nothing to do with the word "evil."
But... that terrifying characteristic of death upon touch, that authority over the end of all things, would similarly trigger panic.
Without a powerful background to endorse her, the attribute of death alone would be enough for countless Soul Masters who considered themselves righteous to classify her as an Evil Soul Master.
So, she needed an identity—one that could stand in the sunlight.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was the best choice at this stage.
Shrek Academy's Ma Xiaotao, her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul was extremely prone to losing control, sending her into a frenzy. Wasn't that "evil"?
But because of Shrek Academy's gold-lettered signboard and the protection of Dean Yan Shaozhe, who would dare to publicly call her an Evil Soul Master?
Ultimately, this World was just that realistic.
Power determines the right to speak; background defines black and white.
If the Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng had a teacher at the Titled Douluo level behind him or came from a powerful Sect, his cultivation method might have been called a "Secret Technique" instead of an "Evil Path."
Precisely because he was a mere Loose Cultivator with no one to rely on, he was easily defined and forced into a dead end, eventually having no choice but to throw himself into the embrace of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Castorice looked at Fei Yan; this powerful guardian still had unabashed disdain for Soul Engineers on her face.
"However, Senior Fei Yan, you are slightly underestimating Soul Engineers and spirit tools."
Castorice's voice wasn't loud, but it made Fei Yan's playful expression stiffen slightly.
"Don't forget, Teacher is also a Soul Engineer."
Hearing this, Fei Yan's crimson pupils flickered, and she immediately retorted:
"Can that be compared? The Supreme Cult Master is a Limit Douluo first and foremost, who also happens to be a Soul Engineer."
In her view, Ye Xishui's strength was rooted in her terrifying level ninety-nine cultivation.
spirit tools were merely toys she researched in her spare time that had a bit more power—an embellishment for the strong, not the Foundation.
Castorice shook her head gently in her heart.
She didn't argue further.
Because she knew that this kind of arrogance and prejudice, rooted in the bones of traditional Soul Master powerhouses, could not be changed through words.
Before the Sun Moon Empire's invincible Soul Tool Legions swept across the continent, the vast majority of Soul Masters in the Original Three Douluo Nations could not truly imagine what kind of subversive power would erupt when soul technology reached its peak.
Individual bravery would ultimately seem insignificant in the face of a true torrent of war.
But Castorice knew.
She didn't need to personally research those complex spirit tool core formations; her path was to wield death and move toward the ultimate of individual power.
But this didn't stop her from making plans and cultivating her own Soul Engineer forces.
Just like the group of Soul Engineers she secretly supported and nurtured through Simultaneous Engraving and Fate Exchange.
She possessed an advantage that no one else in this World could match.
She had the power to change fate.
In the Holy Spirit Cult, there were too many high-level Evil Soul Masters who had committed many evils. Their Luck appeared murky and massive due to slaughter and plunder.
In Castorice's eyes, these were all fruits that could be harvested.
She could concentrate and transfer the Luck from these Evil Soul Masters onto someone she chose through Simultaneous Engraving and Fate Exchange.
This almost "god-like" method was enough to forcibly give birth to a miracle that an ordinary person could not achieve in a lifetime, in a short period.
A Class 9 Soul Engineer was her return to the Star Luo Imperial Family.
This was a good start.
spirit tools were, in the end, just tools.
And she only needed to keep growing stronger—strong enough to become the supreme master who wielded all tools—and then take those sharpest tools into her own hands one by one, for her own use.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"