Just a single glance from him was enough to give off a menacing impression.
His eyes were strange—one blue, one red. The blue eye seemed capable of freezing one's soul, while the red eye appeared to burn with an inner flame.
It really was him!
Xu Yuan's heart trembled.
Confirming that this was a soul master and that he was being suppressed, Xu Yuan could almost certainly identify the person before them.
Mu Ye's expression grew grave.
"This is bad. This guy's soul power level is extremely high—probably close to the Limit."
He stared at Tong Yu, who was imprisoned at the bottom of the lake, feeling an overwhelming pressure.
Even Mu Ye felt a trace of apprehension. In response, he immediately fused with his four-word battle armor, which allowed him to relax slightly.
Tong Yu was currently bound by massive chains, which connected his limbs and waist, firmly locking his body to the lakebed. The chains emitted a dark, dull glow. Upon closer inspection, Xu Yuan realized they were forged from spirit-forged metals, with what appeared to be large amounts of meteoric iron mixed in.
These chains, combined with the surrounding environment, were indeed capable of restraining someone at the Limit Douluo level.
Even someone as powerful as Tong Yu, trapped at the bottom of the lake for years and relying on the Five Elements to sustain his life, couldn't possibly maintain the ability to unleash his full strength at any moment.
Under Tong Yu's fierce glare, even Xu Yuan felt a bit uneasy.
Nevertheless, he swam out from behind Mu Ye without hesitation.
"Who are you?" Tong Yu's gaze locked onto Mu Ye, and his spiritual power fluctuated, causing the surrounding water to vibrate and carry his voice.
At the same time, Tong Yu unleashed his aura to intimidate Mu Ye and Xu Yuan.
"I'm from the Douluo Continent. Who might you be? Why are you imprisoned here?"
Mu Ye asked curiously in return.
Tong Yu fell silent, his piercing gaze fixed on Mu Ye.
"Has the Federation made a move against the Empire?"
"You misunderstand," Mu Ye replied. "This is an exchange event between the Federation and the Star Luo Empire. My disciple is part of the exchange group, so I accompanied him here." As he spoke, Mu Ye continued observing Tong Yu, carefully sensing the fluctuations of his bloodline.
He couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Such pure Qilin bloodline, such powerful bloodline fluctuations.
Following Mu Ye's words, Tong Yu shifted his gaze to Xu Yuan.
"Respectful greetings, Senior."
Xu Yuan politely bowed in the water.
Tong Yu's expression remained cold, betraying no change in attitude.
Mu Ye glanced at Xu Yuan in surprise.
Why was he being so polite?
Mu Ye himself had maintained a certain distance from Tong Yu, speaking with a tone of detachment.
Even though Tong Yu was powerful, Mu Ye wasn't afraid.
The reason for his detachment stemmed from his realization after discovering this imprisoned powerful soul master. The preservation of this mountain range likely wasn't just due to the reasons he had mentioned earlier—it also had something to do with the individual who had imprisoned this Qilin-blooded soul master.
To imprison someone this powerful, it was clear that the individual responsible was at least a Limit Douluo. On the Star Luo Continent, the only Limit Douluo was En Ci.
En Ci indeed had the influence to shape the empire's planning, preserving the primal nature of this region and preventing it from being occupied by other factions.
Thus, Mu Ye had stumbled upon this place during his travels, where he was subtly guided to rapidly complete his breakthrough.
In light of this logic, Mu Ye felt he owed En Ci a favor. Since En Ci had imprisoned this Qilin-blooded soul master, Mu Ye naturally aligned himself with En Ci and stood in opposition to this soul master.
Mu Ye had assumed Xu Yuan would follow his lead and maintain a similar sense of detachment.
Never did he expect Xu Yuan to directly approach the Qilin-blooded individual with such politeness and strike up a conversation.
"If I'm not mistaken, Senior should be the Qilin Douluo, Tong Yu."
"I didn't expect an outsider to still know my name." Tong Yu's tone was cold.
"Because I was invited to participate in the Young Soul Master Competition, I learned about the reputation of Monster Academy in the Star Luo Empire and investigated further. I discovered that your academy once produced a powerhouse like you." Xu Yuan explained.
Mu Ye shot a surprised glance at Xu Yuan.
This disciple truly excelled in gathering intelligence.
His methods were comprehensive.
How could an outsider even learn about a legendary powerhouse who had been imprisoned here for at least twenty years?
Such ancient history—why would anyone bother mentioning it to you?
Mu Ye couldn't help but admire the breadth of Xu Yuan's investigative skills.
"Hmph, since you know my background, aren't you afraid I'll go berserk?" Tong Yu sneered.
Xu Yuan responded calmly, "Senior Tong Yu's strength is indeed intimidating, but I believe that if Holy Dragon His Majesty chose such a suitable place to confine you, it shows that he doesn't view this as punishment."
The surrounding environment was indeed perfectly suited for Tong Yu, whose martial soul was the Five Elements Qilin. Being imprisoned at the bottom of the lake also served as a form of mental cultivation, helping calm his mind and perhaps even aiding him in reaching the Limit Douluo level.
This might very well be En Ci's intention.
Xu Yuan's explanation was reasonable.
Tong Yu fell silent.
Deep down, he understood his teacher's intentions all too well.
However, his actions back then had brought significant damage to the academy's reputation.
As for whether he was right or wrong in those events, no one could definitively judge.
From Tong Yu's perspective, he hadn't done anything wrong.
From the perspective of Tang Ziran's mother, she hadn't done anything wrong either.
It could only be said that the tragedy was caused by a gap in information.
Unfortunately, a Limit Douluo of his caliber had become fixated on his past actions due to public pressure, to the point of abandoning hope for life itself.
"I've also looked into the events of that time. Though I don't know how close my understanding is to the truth, I at least have a general idea. Given that Holy Dragon His Majesty was willing to provide you with this environment after ostensibly punishing you, it seems that in his eyes, you didn't do anything wrong."
Xu Yuan spoke calmly.
"All people have selfishness. After all, he is my teacher, and I am his student." Tong Yu said.
"On the contrary, I don't think he acted entirely out of selfishness. If it were purely out of their teacher-student relationship, he would at most ensure you lived comfortably. He wouldn't go to such lengths to help you advance further."
"Then are you saying that a powerful individual who kills someone in broad daylight, in front of a child, and personally murders the child's mother—isn't wrong?" Tong Yu's voice grew hysterical.
His mental state was already unstable.
Clearly, he hadn't fully come to terms with things—his heart still harbored unresolved knots, leaving him in a state where even slight provocation could trigger intense emotions.
He had always been prone to extremes, and after his martial soul mutated into the Five Elements Qilin, his powerful bloodline made him similar to Long Yue—prone to losing control.
The fact that he became agitated from verbal provocation showed that he was still tormented by these issues. His spiritual power hadn't yet broken through to the Spirit Domain realm, meaning he was still far from reaching the Limit Douluo stage.
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