Chapter 185: Divided Paths and Bitter Fruit
"Susu, Luoluo, don't be fooled!"
"That's enough, Xiao Xiao." Lan Susu's tone was firm. "Luoluo and I have already made our decision. We won't change it. But you—do you want to stay in Shrek, or come to our side? If you join us, your talent will be respected, and you'll get the best treatment. But if you insist on staying in Shrek… then our paths will part here. We truly don't want to meet you on the battlefield one day."
Lan Susu's words were a clear ultimatum. Unlike Ling Luochen, a core student of the inner courtyard and one of the Shrek Seven Devils, they had only been in the outer courtyard for a little over two years. Their loyalty to Shrek had long been shaken.
Especially after the tragic incident in the Star Dou Great Forest—when Master Xuan killed their classmates and nearly killed them as well—only to force them to kneel and apologize, they had grown deeply disillusioned with the academy. There had been no justice, no compensation, only humiliation.
They had remained in Shrek not out of loyalty, but because of its reputation as the continent's top soul master academy. Now, with the exchange program offering an escape, they saw the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy as a chance to take control of their futures.
Xiao Xiao was visibly shaken. "You… you're deluded!"
But Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo had already turned away with cold expressions.
They were not Xiao Xiao. They never had a sense of belonging in Shrek, nor had they ever received special treatment. They had no reason to remain loyal.
Later that day, still distressed, Xiao Xiao sought out Ling Luochen for confirmation. Once she verified everything, she rushed to Du Weilun—now the acting head of the exchange program, replacing Fan Yu—and reported the incident.
"Director Du, you have to talk to Senior Sister Ling and the Lan sisters! Don't let them be fooled by the Sun Moon people!"
"I'll try," Du Weilun replied with a pained expression as he rubbed his forehead.
Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo weren't a major concern; Shrek had never considered their talents particularly outstanding. That was why they had received no compensation or support after nearly dying. But Ling Luochen… she was another matter entirely.
As one of the Shrek Seven Devils and a candidate for future Titled Douluo status, her defection would be a significant blow to the academy's prestige.
The moment Xiao Xiao left, Du Weilun activated the soul communicator and contacted Yan Shaozhe.
"What's the matter, Lao Du?"
"Dean, something serious has happened. Ling Luochen has been drawn in by Xiao Qiang—she's planning to join his faction."
There was a long silence on the other end.
"Anyone else?"
"The Lan twins—Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo. But as you know, Dean, their talent is mediocre at best. Their martial spirits won't carry them far. They likely won't even reach Soul Douluo level."
"Forget the Lan sisters. Focus on Ling Luochen. Tell her Shrek also has invincible shields, and if she still wants to grow as a soul master, Shrek is her best path. She should understand that much."
Yan Shaozhe paused before continuing, his tone turning colder.
"If she insists on leaving… then let her suffer the consequences of her own decision."
Du Weilun frowned. "Dean, by 'consequences' you mean…?"
"Hmph. What more is there? My Shrek Academy is the top soul master academy in the entire continent. If she gives that up, she's the one who will suffer. When she hits a bottleneck and can't reach Titled Douluo level, she'll realize what she threw away. By then, we won't need her. A traitor has no place in Shrek."
"There's plenty of time. Let her taste regret slowly."
"I understand, Dean."
…
In the office of the Hall Master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen opened his eyes after finishing his healing meditation—and saw Xiao Qiang waiting silently beside him.
"Teacher, how is your recovery?" Xiao Qiang asked.
Jing Hongchen stood up, rolling his shoulders with a slight smile. "Much better. The water of life you gave me worked wonders. What should've taken months only took days. And with this newfound vitality, I feel confident enough to challenge the threshold of Super Douluo."
Thanks to the 100,000-year soul bone Xiao Qiang had provided earlier, Jing Hongchen had advanced from level 93 to level 94. Now, he stood at the edge of the fabled level 95—Super Douluo.
It was a peak no one in the Sun Moon Empire had reached for thousands of years. Despite boasting hundreds of Level 9 soul engineers, not one had ever broken into Level 10, the domain of the Super Douluo.
Jing Hongchen had confidence—but that alone wasn't enough.
"Teacher, take this."
Xiao Qiang took out a jade box from his storage soul guide and placed it in Jing Hongchen's hands. Inside was a precious treasure plucked from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
"What's this?"
Xiao Qiang's gaze was calm. "Something to turn your confidence… into reality."