According to Elder Yi's judgment, these special ores were required for the creation of a ritualistic blood sacrifice formation.
Zhou Sicheng had his own suspicions as well. After all, the Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Spirit Cult, Ye Xishui, was not only a Rank 99 Limit Douluo but also an immensely powerful Soul Engineer.
To go as far as mobilizing a large number of Evil Soul Masters across the entire continent to collect such a vast quantity of rare minerals—it was clear that something big was in motion.
Whether it was Elder Yi's deduction or Zhou Sicheng's hypothesis, as long as they acted against the Holy Spirit Cult's operations, it would undoubtedly hinder their plans.
It was no wonder that the Evil Soul Masters had become increasingly active across the continent recently, yet there had been few large-scale massacres.
When incidents like the one in Morey City did occur, they were likely due to certain Evil Soul Masters growing restless. Most operations were conducted in secrecy, leaving no clues behind.
Zhou Sicheng quickly made up his mind—this was a golden opportunity.
However, the Holy Spirit Cult's power was immense—far greater than that of even top-tier sects like the Body Sect.
Relying solely on Shrek Academy's strength would not be enough to launch a large-scale assault.
Furthermore, the Sun Moon Empire was off-limits to the former three great empires.
The most effective strategy would be to unite the forces of the three former empires and conduct a continent-wide purge of Evil Soul Masters native to the Douluo Continent. They could even seize a valuable cache of rare minerals in the process—killing two birds with one stone.
If all the powers on the original Douluo Continent joined forces, they wouldn't have to fear the Holy Spirit Cult's retaliation.
Though the cult was strong, they dared not act in the open—primarily because they were universally condemned and hunted.
If faced with a unified purge by the native powers of the continent, the cult might stage a desperate counterattack, but it would only result in their retreat and once again vanishing into the shadows.
At least for now, neither the Sun Moon Empire nor the Holy Spirit Cult possessed the strength to face all the forces of the original Douluo Continent head-on.
Zhou Sicheng made a prompt decision to return to Shrek and report the entire matter to Elder Mu to see how they would proceed.
Even though Zhou Sicheng had a solid plan in mind, it was not something he could decide alone.
After eating and meditating for an hour to recover their strength, the three of them departed and made their way back to Shrek.
Before their return, Xuan Zi had already arrived at the Sea God's Pavilion and reported the group's experience to Elder Mu.
Although he also found the group of Evil Soul Masters suspicious, he lacked the clarity Zhou Sicheng had gained through his Soul Searching technique.
Even without all the details, the mere fact that Evil Soul Masters across the continent were collecting rare minerals was enough for Elder Mu to make a decision.
It took Zhou Sicheng's group only one day to return to Shrek. In total, the operation against the Evil Soul Masters had only taken three days, two of which were spent traveling.
Given that the enemy group had a Soul Sage-level leader, their efficiency this time was commendable.
Zhou Sicheng shared both his hypothesis and the information he obtained through Soul Searching with Elder Mu, who fell into deep thought.
As for Zhou Sicheng's unusual Soul Searching method, he explained it using the Hell Phoenix's special ability, combined with a fortunate encounter he'd had at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The Hell Phoenix's natural ability allowed it to burn souls with its Phoenix Hellfire. Due to his unique encounter, Zhou Sicheng had developed a special variation—while burning the target's soul, he could glimpse fragmented pieces of their memories.
Because Zhou Sicheng had intentionally probed the Evil Soul Masters' motives, he was able to use this ability to great effect, resulting in a Soul Searching-like outcome.
He had explained it this way to Ma Xiaotao the day before. She hadn't questioned it much and trusted Zhou Sicheng completely.
Although Elder Mu had some doubts about it, he didn't press further. As long as Zhou Sicheng used this power for righteous purposes, there was nothing to be concerned about.
Zhou Sicheng said to him, "Teacher, I believe this is a rare opportunity to strike against the Evil Soul Masters. Now that we know they're collecting rare minerals across the continent, we have a general direction. We're no longer blindly chasing shadows and missing our targets."
Standing beside him, Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao both nodded and shared their thoughts.
Ye Guyi said, "Teacher, we only took a day to return. Since they're acting in groups, there's likely communication between them. We have to act quickly, before they realize something's wrong."
Elder Mu remained silent for a moment, then slowly opened his weathered eyes. "This plan is viable. The various powers and sects of the original Douluo Continent despise Evil Soul Masters. If Shrek leads the operation, it can be done."
"However, coordinating all these factions will take time."
As he spoke, Elder Mu called for a meeting of the Sea God's Pavilion. The elders, led by Xuan Zi, and the four deans soon arrived.
Zhou Sicheng, as the academy's unofficially designated successor, now had a seat in the Sea God's Pavilion.
Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao, being key participants in this mission, were also allowed to stay for the meeting, since the topic at hand revolved around their recent operation.
Aside from the elders, one more person had joined the meeting—a stunningly beautiful woman, even more mature and refined than Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao.
She was the senior sister of the inner court: Zhang Lexuan.
Though Zhou Sicheng had been at Shrek Academy for nearly six months, this was his first time seeing the legendary senior sister.
Stories of her were widespread throughout the inner court. If not for Zhou Sicheng's own monstrous talent, she would have remained unmatched among the younger generation of Shrek.
After all, Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao had yet to reach their peak, whereas Zhang Lexuan was already capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the academy's deans.
A Soul Douluo under thirty, she was certain to become a Super Douluo in the future—and even had the potential to challenge the ranks of Limit Douluo. She was a true prodigy, far beyond the reach of most.
Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao knew Zhang Lexuan. After greeting the elders and deans, they respectfully addressed her: "Senior Sister."
Technically, given Ye Guyi's background, she didn't need to be so formal. But Zhang Lexuan was the only person at Shrek, aside from her teacher Elder Mu En, whom she truly admired. So the title came naturally.
Zhou Sicheng's seat was right below Zhang Lexuan's. After Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao greeted her, he offered her a warm smile. "Zhou Sicheng. Pleased to meet you, Senior Sister."
Zhang Lexuan glanced at him, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes before she quickly masked it.
Having only recently returned to the academy, she had already heard of the rising star known as the "Little Martial Uncle" of the inner court—Zhou Sicheng. Now seeing him in person, she was indeed struck by his appearance and presence.
Though it was their first meeting and only a brief exchange, he left a good impression on her.
A person's gaze and aura could reveal much, and she felt that working with Zhou Sicheng in the future might lead to a fruitful collaboration.
Among her peers, Zhang Lexuan stood alone at the top. Most of her professional interactions were with older faculty members, making her relationships more formal and less relaxed than those among contemporaries.
She was also aware that Zhou Sicheng had already been designated as Elder Mu's successor. It was said that despite having only four soul rings, he possessed power on par with a Titled Douluo.
Even she found that astonishing. So when Zhou Sicheng smiled at her, Zhang Lexuan returned a gentle smile of her own. "Zhang Lexuan."
To the outside world, she was the senior sister and Elder Mu's adopted daughter. But in truth, she was the betrothed of Elder Mu's great-grandson, Bei Bei, a childhood engagement arranged years ago.
In that sense, her actual seniority was rather low.
But very few people knew that. Publicly, she was both the senior sister of the inner court and Elder Mu's adopted daughter. Thus, she graciously accepted Zhou Sicheng's greeting.
With their simple introductions done, everyone took their seats. Elder Mu then called out, "Sicheng, summarize what happened and share your thoughts."
Clearly, Elder Mu had already begun nurturing Zhou Sicheng. Allowing him to open the Sea God's Pavilion meeting—the highest-level assembly in all of Shrek Academy—was proof enough of his intentions.
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