Chapter 48: How Bold! Poaching Talent from Our Body Sect?
On the cracked dirt road outside the ruined manor, Liu Yuan slowly straightened his posture. The terrifying crimson glow radiating from his Double Pupils gradually receded, leaving behind a cold, abyssal stillness.
At his feet lay the remains of the once-arrogant five-ring Evil Soul Master. There was no blood, no gore—only a pile of charred, smoking ash scattering into the night wind.
A short distance away, concealed behind the twisted trunks of a withered forest, Ling Luochen crouched in absolute silence. Beneath her cold silver mask, her beautiful eyes were locked onto Liu Yuan's back.
Her chest heaved. Her heart hammered against her ribs in a frantic, irregular rhythm—a physical reaction to the sheer, unadulterated shock coursing through her veins.
'This time, I must invite him to Shrek!' she vowed inwardly, her fists clenching in the shadows.
She had always maintained a cold, aloof disposition, but she was far from foolish. A twelve or thirteen-year-old youth crossing two entire major cultivation realms to obliterate a five-ring Evil Soul Master? If she had not witnessed the slaughter with her own eyes, she would have dismissed it as the ravings of a lunatic.
Such talent could no longer be contained by a flimsy word like genius. This was a monstrous anomaly, a freak of nature that had not appeared once in the ten thousand years since Shrek Academy's founding.
She understood exactly what this meant. If this youth joined Shrek, the power dynamic of the academy's younger generation would shift entirely.
A wild, almost crazy thought took root in her mind. Given the ruthless decisiveness and apocalyptic combat power this boy had just displayed, he wouldn't even need a few years of cultivation at the academy to mature. He was already a finished blade. If he joined now, he would absolutely be qualified to serve as a main team member in this year's Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament.
'I absolutely cannot miss this opportunity again.'
Ling Luochen pushed off the ground. Her figure blurred into a streak of icy blue light as she dashed out of the withered forest, heading straight toward the youth.
"Who?!"
Liu Yuan barked. Having just concluded a life-and-death battle, his combat instincts were honed to a razor's edge. The instant he detected the rapid approach of foreign spirit power fluctuations, he did not hesitate. He spun around, his Double Pupils snapping wide open.
A terrifying crimson light flared.
Sizzle!
A scorching Laser Eye beam tore through the night air. Carrying a concentrated, apocalyptic heat sufficient to melt solid steel, the crimson laser shot with pinpoint accuracy toward the approaching blue afterimage.
A suffocating wave of heat washed over Ling Luochen, causing her pupils to shrink. She did not dare hold anything back. Her spirit rings flared to life, and a burst of extreme, bone-chilling air erupted from her body, instantly condensing into a massive ice wall several feet thick to block her path.
Yet, the moment the crimson beam made contact with her defense, Ling Luochen finally understood the true horror of Liu Yuan's attack.
Her seemingly indestructible ice wall offered no resistance. Like a red-hot blade sinking into soft butter, the beam pierced straight through, instantly vaporizing the frozen barrier into a cloud of hissing steam.
A cold sweat drenched Ling Luochen's back. Relying entirely on her rich combat experience, she forcefully twisted her waist in mid-air, contorting her body at an unnatural angle to evade the strike.
Boom!
The Laser Eye beam grazed past her shoulder and slammed into a massive dead tree behind her, instantly detonating it into a shower of burning splinters.
Ling Luochen landed heavily on the dirt, her chest heaving as she stared at the burning crater. Fear gripped her throat. She rapidly recalibrated her assessment of the youth's strength. Could a mere Spirit Elder truly unleash such catastrophic destructive power?
"Do not attack! I mean you no harm!" Ling Luochen shouted, completely abandoning her usual aloof persona in the face of imminent danger.
Liu Yuan halted his offensive, though the crimson light in his Double Pupils continued to simmer. He coldly sized up the masked woman standing in the clearing. Between the familiar design of her silver mask and the lingering aura of extreme ice in the air, he quickly pieced together her identity.
"It is you," Liu Yuan said, his voice low and flat. He remembered crossing paths with this ice-attribute Spirit Master during his previous mission to rescue the villagers in Yaluo City.
Before the conversation could continue, a series of rapid footsteps echoed from the darkness. Long Aotian, Chen Lu, Vina, and the rest of the Body Sect disciples arrived at full speed, their spirit power surging.
Spotting the silver mask, Long Aotian's brow furrowed in immediate recognition. "You? The ice-attribute Spirit Master from last time?"
The Body Sect disciples did not relax their guard. Moving with practiced efficiency, they fanned out into a loose, semi-encircling formation, firmly shielding Liu Yuan in the center.
Seeing their hostile stance, Ling Luochen slowly raised her hands. She reached up and unfastened her silver mask, pulling it away to reveal a stunning, albeit slightly weary, face.
"I am a student of the inner court of Shrek Academy, Ling Luochen," she announced. Taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart, she offered a polite bow to Liu Yuan and his companions. "I was operating under the direct orders of the academy's Elders to track down and execute this Evil Soul Master. I simply did not expect you to be faster, nor did I expect you to eliminate him so thoroughly."
Hearing that she was an inner court disciple of Shrek Academy on a parallel mission, the tension in Long Aotian's shoulders eased a fraction.
However, before he could press her for details, Ling Luochen discarded all formalities. She took two eager steps forward, her beautiful eyes burning with intense fervor as she locked her gaze entirely on Liu Yuan.
"I still do not know your name," she said, her voice tight with anticipation. "After our brief encounter in Yaluo City, I returned to the academy and reported your existence to the higher-ups. The academy places immense value on the terrifying talent you displayed. They dispatched me to search for you, and I have been tracking your trail for a long time."
Ling Luochen's tone grew incredibly sincere, laced with a desperate urgency. "I represent Shrek Academy in formally issuing an invitation to you. As long as you are willing to join Shrek, the academy will guarantee you the absolute best resources and top-tier training on the continent. Tell me, are you willing to return with us?"
Liu Yuan's expression instantly turned incredibly strange.
Shrek Academy... was inviting him to join?
A surge of dark, absurd amusement welled up in his chest, threatening to spill over into laughter. Back at Shrek Academy, it was none other than Elder Xuan who had personally expelled him, tossing him aside like worthless trash.
Liu Yuan had never held any naive expectations for the so-called number one academy, nor did he waste his energy harboring petty grudges over their blind arrogance. He was far too pragmatic for that.
Yet, hearing Ling Luochen stand here, desperately begging him to join the very institution that had kicked him out, felt utterly surreal. He couldn't help but wonder: if Elder Xuan found out that the peerless genius he had sent his inner court disciples to desperately recruit was the exact same boy he had expelled, what kind of pathetic, twisted expression would appear on that old man's face?
Before Liu Yuan could even open his mouth to reply, Long Aotian exploded.
Taking a heavy step forward, Long Aotian planted himself firmly between Liu Yuan and the Shrek disciple. Dark golden fluctuations of spirit power rolled off his body like a waking dragon. He glared at Ling Luochen, his voice dripping with open hostility.
"What kind of absolute nonsense are you spouting?" Long Aotian sneered, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Poaching talent right in front of our faces? And trying to poach from our Body Sect, no less? Does your precious Shrek Academy honestly believe that every single genius on this continent belongs in your kennels? Don't you think your hands are reaching a bit too far?"
Chen Lu crossed his arms and let out a harsh, mocking snort. "Exactly. Our junior brother is the personal disciple of our Sect Master. Who do you people at Shrek think you are, trying to offer him your scraps?"
Ling Luochen froze, her eyes widening in disbelief. She had no idea this youth already held such a terrifyingly high status within one of the continent's most reclusive and powerful factions. For a moment, her lips parted, but no words came out.
Right at that moment, the shadows beneath the withered trees seemed to warp. Elder Chen, who had been silently observing from the dark, finally made his move.
His figure materialized beside Long Aotian like a ghost. He didn't actively release the crushing pressure of a top-tier powerhouse, but his mere presence warped the surrounding air, making Ling Luochen feel as though an invisible hand was gripping her throat. Her breathing hitched.
"Well said, Aotian!"
Elder Chen's voice boomed, his sharp eyes burning like torches as they locked onto Ling Luochen. As a high-ranking Elder of the Body Sect, he harbored nothing but sheer disdain for Shrek Academy's arrogant habit of monopolizing the continent's youth.
"Shrek's hands have indeed stretched far too long. You think you can just snatch up anyone you please?" Elder Chen's voice echoed through the desolate forest, carrying a heavy, unquestionable authority. "Young girl, considering you are ignorant of the truth behind this matter, this old man will not lower himself to punish you."
He waved his sleeve dismissively. "Leave! And when you return, tell those arrogant higher-ups at Shrek to immediately discard these foolish thoughts. This child is the absolute future of our Body Sect. He will never, in this lifetime, join Shrek!"
Looking at the imposing figure of Elder Chen, and then shifting her gaze to the cold, resolute expressions of Liu Yuan and Long Aotian, a deep wave of bitterness washed over Ling Luochen's heart.
Her shoulders slumped slightly in the cold night wind. She understood all too well. This desperate recruitment attempt had failed before it even began.
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