Chapter 179: Crossroads of Allegiance
At the Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy, Xiao Xiao, Ling Luochen, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo sat together in quiet discussion. They had all received personal invitations from Xiao Qiang—an acknowledgment of their talent and potential. Now, gathered in the room shared by the Lan sisters, the group debated whether to accept the Sun Moon Royal Academy's invitation and find out what benefits might await them.
"There are only four of us," Ling Luochen was the first to speak, a trace of contemplation in her tone. "The Sun Moon Academy didn't invite Ning Tian. That's surprising, but… understandable."
As a twenty-year-old Soul Emperor with six soul rings, Ling Luochen had seen enough of the world to grasp the underlying political ties among the great factions. The others might be unaware of the deeper relationship between Shrek Academy and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, but she wasn't.
Ning Rongrong, the legendary ancestor of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, had once been one of the original Shrek Seven Devils. Shrek Academy's early foundation was heavily supported by the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, especially under the encouragement of the Heaven Dou Royal Family. The sect had contributed both funding and manpower in those formative days.
As part of the founding generation and a major benefactor, the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect was essentially Shrek's partner. Despite the sect's current decline, the historical bond meant that the sect's disciples would naturally side with Shrek Academy unless something truly monumental occurred.
Nowadays, most core disciples of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect still trained at Shrek. The academy and the sect were deeply entwined. For Xiao Qiang to attempt to poach Ning Tian would have required massive benefits—and frankly, the current state of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect didn't justify such an investment.
Ten thousand years ago, the sect had been one of the richest and most powerful on the continent, protected by multiple Super Douluo and ranked among the top three forces. But now, it lacked both financial strength and top-tier experts. Compared to the Mingde Hall, the sect was a shadow of its former self—just a second-rate power at best. It was no surprise, then, that Xiao Qiang had decided not to pursue an alliance with them.
The situation was different with the four of them, however. Aside from Ling Luochen, who had spent more time at Shrek, the others had only stayed at the academy for two years. That wasn't just a general timeframe—those two years were exact. They had joined Shrek one year before the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament and transferred as exchange students to the Sun Moon Academy a year later. Two years. Not even two and a half.
Their time at Shrek was brief, and their ties to the academy shallow. Naturally, they didn't feel particularly loyal.
As for Ling Luochen, her loyalty had once been firm—but that was before the incident. The explosion that had claimed the lives of four of the Shrek Seven Devils had deeply shaken her. Her desire for an invincible shield, one that could protect her in any situation, now outweighed any vague sense of allegiance.
She recalled clearly how Elder Xuan had nearly gotten her killed during that mission to hunt down evil soul masters. The way things were handled afterward—how Dai Yueheng, Ma Xiaotao, and herself had almost been forced to kneel and apologize—left a bitter taste in her mouth. The memory of her senior sister's fate still haunted her.
What if, in the future, Elder Xuan—who was now likely in charge of the Sea God Pavilion—interfered with her advancement when she reached Rank 80? Who could stop him?
She needed options.
That was why, when someone from the Sun Moon Academy had slipped her an invitation letter, she hadn't rejected it outright. She needed to keep her choices open.
Although Moon En's offer was tempting, Ling Luochen had become cautious. After being betrayed once, she wasn't about to trust empty promises—especially not from those who had once been her allies.
However, accepting the invitation outright without a clear reason was risky. She needed a justifiable pretext to go.
"Senior Sister Ling, what do you think we should do?" Lan Susu asked, breaking the silence. "Why don't you come with us to take a look? Maybe the letter is just an invitation to see their soul tools—or to do a little business?"
Shrek had made them promises too, but they were underwhelming. Soul Douluo escorts for seventh-ring hunts and Title Douluo protection for eighth-ring ones—nice on paper, but ultimately meaningless if they weren't treated seriously.
The benefits weren't impressive enough to earn their loyalty. They weren't thrilled by Shrek's offers, but had accepted them simply because there seemed to be no better options. Their martial soul fusion abilities made them unsuited to soul tool development, and Shrek had clearly calculated that the Sun Moon Empire couldn't provide better benefits.
So why not take a look?
When Lan Susu mentioned the possibility of doing some business, especially in acquiring soul tools, Ling Luochen's eyes brightened. She was desperate for an invincible shield. That could be her excuse.
"If we can buy an invincible shield… then doing a little business isn't a bad idea."
A small smile appeared on her face as she stood up. "Let's go. We're still Shrek students, but if the Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy wants to give us some benefits, it'd be foolish to refuse. Besides, I really do need an invincible shield."
Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo immediately rose to follow her. But just as the three of them were about to leave, they noticed that Xiao Xiao remained seated quietly on a nearby stool, making no move to join them.
"Xiao Xiao, aren't you coming? Maybe they have some soul tools that suit us. Even martial soul cultivators can make use of certain types of gear."
But Xiao Xiao shook her head gently. "No, Senior Sister Ling. You go ahead. I'm not interested in soul tools."
Unlike Ling Luochen—who had been burned by betrayal—Xiao Xiao still believed in Shrek Academy. She didn't know what had really happened with Elder Xuan, nor the behind-the-scenes manipulations. To her, Shrek remained trustworthy.
Besides, the academy had promised her something even more valuable than what had been offered to the others.
Xiao Xiao would not be swayed.
In truth, if the invitation hadn't been addressed to all four of them, she wouldn't even have participated in this discussion. Her mind was already made up. Her future was at Shrek Academy—and one day, she would rise to a position of influence there.
As the three others departed, Xiao Xiao remained behind, calm and resolute.
Her path was different.