Douluo Continent II: The Dragon King Suppresses the World!

Chapter 39 Shrek Inspection

After the chaotic battle ended, Elder Xuan, though exhausted, still maintained his authority and ordered everyone to go back to rest. Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena returned to their dormitory side by side.

"Qi An, why did you refuse their exercise?" Gu Yuena frowned slightly and asked in a low voice.

Ye Qi'an shook his head slightly and said slowly, "Participating in the competition is fine, but I can't let the glory of the competition become a shackle that binds me."

Gu Yuena nodded thoughtfully, her eyes showing understanding, and said, "I understand your thoughts, but sometimes appropriate competition can help you grow faster. Just like a sapling that is growing strong, it needs the baptism of wind and rain and the competition of sunshine to become more upright and resilient."

Ye Qi'an smiled slightly, a smile radiating confidence and composure, and said, "There are many ways to grow, and it doesn't necessarily have to be through these deliberately arranged exercises. I prefer to accumulate experience in real combat rather than in these pre-set scenarios. Exercises are just exercises after all; they lack the unknown and thrill of real combat and cannot truly temper my will and abilities."

Gu Yuena sighed softly, a sigh that seemed to carry a hint of helplessness and worry, and said, "Perhaps you are right, but they may not understand your persistence. After all, in most people's eyes, exercises are a common way to improve strength and gain glory."

Ye Qi'an gazed resolutely out the window, the view stretching out before him like a vast world waiting to be conquered. He said firmly, "I don't care whether they understand or not. I only follow the voice of my heart. I know what I want, and I know how to pursue it. Others' opinions cannot sway my decisions."

.........

Poseidon Lakeside.

"Big brother, how's it going? Is there a chance to make a move?" Dai Huabin asked hatefully, his eyes bloodshot and his teeth grinding together, like an angry wild beast.

Dai Yueheng snorted coldly: "No way. Not to mention me, even if another group of people came, they might not be able to outlast him. You'd better give up that idea. Mother is very angry about this incident. Fortunately, Father isn't home, otherwise you would be in big trouble." His expression was serious, and his eyes were full of reproach.

"My mother asked me to tell you that if this happens again, no one will help you. Do you know how much pressure my mother endured to suppress this matter? Even the imperial family wouldn't dare offend the academy. How could you act so impulsively?" Dai Yueheng's voice was low and stern, filled with deep dissatisfaction.

With bloodshot eyes, Dai Huabin said, "Are we just going to let it go like this? Did our people die in vain?" His voice was almost a roar, his hands were clenched into fists, and his body trembled slightly.

"Bastard." Dai Yueheng suddenly flung his hand and slapped Dai Huabin across the face. The crisp sound was particularly clear on the quiet lakeside.

"How old are you this year?" Dai Yueheng said sternly, veins bulging on his forehead. "Don't you understand which is more important, family interests or personal grudges? If this were just a high-level soul master academy in our country, you could cause as much trouble as you wanted. But this is Shrek Academy. Don't you know what the name Shrek means? If you want to stay here, you'd better keep your head down. Is this a place where you can run wild?"

Dai Huabin fell silent. Although his eyes still held resentment, he had at least calmed down. He lowered his head, his hair obscuring his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.

Dai Yueheng's expression softened a bit: "Alright, go back now, don't think too much about it." His tone was no longer so stern, but it still carried a hint of undeniable authority.

"Hmm." Dai Huabin nodded in agreement, turned and left, secretly sneering to himself. His steps were heavy, each one seemingly carrying endless resentment.

.........

At dawn, a group of people slowly emerged from the main gate of Shrek Academy, shrouded in a layer of morning mist. Judging from their age, they should be students of Shrek Academy, but they were not wearing school uniforms. Some wore simple cloth clothes, while others wore gorgeous attire, each with their own unique style. The morning mist, like a thin veil, gently enveloped them, adding a touch of mystery to their appearance.

The sun had just risen, and golden sunlight shone through the thin mist onto them. Those who left the academy so early were naturally the members participating in this Soul Master Competition, and the team was led not only by Elder Xuan, but also by Wang Yan.

A dozen or so people walked together in twos and threes, creating a unique scene. Old Master Xuan was still dressed the same as before, his hair disheveled and messy, as if he had never combed it; his wine gourd hung casually at his waist, which he would occasionally pick up and take a sip; he also held a chicken leg in his hand, eating it with relish. His food always seemed to hover between chicken legs and chicken wings, yet he never seemed to get tired of it.

"Let's cultivate," Ye Qian suggested in a low voice to Gu Yuena beside him, never wasting a moment. His eyes were filled with a desire to improve his strength.

Gu Yuena glanced at Ye Qi'an and nodded, "Okay." Her eyes were gentle yet firm, showing no objection to Ye Qi'an's suggestion.

As they spoke, the two openly took hands, and a golden halo appeared where their hands met, a halo that was dreamlike, dazzling, and ethereal. The power of their bloodlines began to flow within each other's bodies, like two rushing rivers merging and radiating powerful energy fluctuations.

Ye Qi'an's idea was that since both of them could possess a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they could complement each other. Why not try giving half of their bloodline to the other and then fusing their bloodline power? Even if their strength was far inferior to that of the Dragon God in the end, it would probably be close. Moreover, since they both possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, one plus one might equal three.

However, before he had walked far, Ye Qi'an suddenly looked up because he suddenly heard Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi having a very intimate conversation.

Xu Sanshi immediately lowered his hand and angrily said, "Are we brothers or not? You only know how to gloat and kick someone when they're down. As soon as Xiaoya is gone, your true nature is revealed." His face was full of anger, and his eyes were wide open.

Beibei looked surprised and said, "Now you're thinking of talking about brotherhood with me? I seem to remember you saying that you'd go to great lengths for your brothers, but would betray them for a woman!" His expression was somewhat teasing, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

Xu Sanshi was not ashamed at all. He raised his head and said, "Women can give birth to my children, can you? Women can sleep in the same bed with me, can you?" His voice was loud and arrogant.

With a warm smile, Beibei said, "If the front doesn't work, the back does." His smile was as warm as a spring breeze, yet it also carried a hint of cunning.

Suddenly, Elder Xuan, who was walking at the front, stumbled inexplicably and spat out the mouthful of wine he had just taken a sip of.

Old Master Xuan turned around and glared fiercely at Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi. His gaze was like a sharp sword, which made the two of them straighten their faces and immediately dare not say anything more.

"Alright, all of you, come here." Old Master Xuan spat, wiped his mouth with his dirty, greasy sleeve, and shouted irritably. His voice was rough and loud, carrying an undeniable authority.

Everyone hurriedly stepped forward and stood in a circle around him. Then, Elder Xuan gave a passionate speech that left everyone stunned. Others might not know what the Shrek Supervisory Group was all about, but Ye Qi'an did. It was simply to monitor those evil people, such as the Holy Spirit Cult.

But then again, if the City of Slaughter still existed, how much could the Holy Spirit Cult have grown? The City of Slaughter was a prison for evil people, and it was destroyed by Little Turtle Three for some reason. A large part of the evil soul masters of that era were created by him.

After a passionate speech and the reunion of Dai Yueheng among the Shrek Seven Devils, the prospective members of the Shrek Seven Devils all nodded to indicate their intention to join. Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena didn't really care; joining or not joining didn't really make a difference, since there were basically no more monitoring tasks in the later stages.

"Now, let's talk about the mission. Our mission this time is to go to a mountainous region bordering the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire to find and kill a group of bandits." Elder Xuan's voice was serious and heavy.

"This band of bandits calls themselves the Messengers of Death, and their leader is said to be a rather powerful evil spirit master. Therefore, we must not be careless. Most of you have never killed anyone before, right? This time you're going to have a completely new experience. I want to emphasize that our objective for this surveillance mission is to leave no one alive, to annihilate them all, because there are no elderly, weak, women, or children among these bandits, and not a single kind person among them." Elder Xuan's gaze swept over the crowd, his eyes filled with determination.

Murder? This word was indeed completely foreign to Huo Yuhao and his companions, especially Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao. Shock and fear were evident on their faces.

Ma Xiaotao smiled brightly and said, "What? Scared? Don't wet your pants in fear. No one will clean up your mess then." There was a hint of provocation in her smile.

Huo Yuhao's face immediately turned bright red. "I'm not afraid at all," he retorted loudly, his eyes filled with stubbornness.

Ma Xiaotao chuckled and said, "It's good that you're not afraid. The main force this time is the seven of us. Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena, along with the seven of you, will assist from the sidelines, but you must also protect yourselves as much as possible."

Ye Qi'an looked at the confident expressions of Ma Xiaotao and the other six, and shook his head with regret. Their fate was truly lamentable; a single corpse explosion had cost nearly half of them their lives.

After that corpse explosion, Chen Zifeng lost a leg, Gongyang Mo was critically injured with the poison penetrating his internal organs, Xi Xi suffered internal organ injuries and mild poisoning, Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, and Dai Yueheng all suffered internal organ injuries, and the worst off was Yao Haoxuan, who died without a complete corpse...

Is it reasonable that the people known as the Shrek Seven Devils would get into trouble right under the nose of a Super Douluo? Sometimes Ye Qi'an even wondered if Elder Xuan was the Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult. At least when others led a team, their lives could be protected, but if Elder Xuan led a team, it would be a disservice to his status as the Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult if not a few people died.

Ma Xiaotao said, "Those of you with lower cultivation levels will slow us down, and we can't accommodate you. Here's the arrangement: I'll take Huo Yuhao and Dai Yueheng, you take Wang Dong, Ling Luochen, and you take Xiao Xiao. Let's go." Her voice was decisive and resolute.

"I want Senior Ma to take me under her wing," Wang Dong suddenly said, then rushed to Ma Xiaotao's side with an admiring smile. "Senior Ma, I admire you the most. Will you take me under your wing?" His eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Ma Xiaotao paused for a moment, then laughed, "Okay, then I'll take you, Dai Yueheng, you take Huo Yuhao. Let's go." As she spoke, she lifted Wang Dong up under her arm with her right hand, and they sped off. Her movements were as agile as a nimble bird.

Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen did the same, each taking Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao with them as they sped forward. Their figures drew graceful arcs in the air.

Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena could fly on their own. When they spread their dragon wings, everyone around them looked on with envy and amazement. Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena flew side by side, their speed in no way inferior to Ma Xiaotao and the others leading the way. Their dragon wings were broad and powerful, creating gusts of wind when they flapped.

This comprehensive acceleration demonstrates the formidable strength of the inner court disciples.

Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan were all giving it their all, but keeping up was still incredibly difficult. Bei Bei's forehead was covered in sweat, which streamed down her face; Xu Sanshi was panting heavily, as if he were about to suffocate; Jiang Nannan's face was pale, and her steps had become heavy. He Caitou, on the other hand, was doing better. With the aid of his soul-guided accelerator, a level four device that allowed him to control the acceleration at will, and coupled with his strong physique, keeping up wasn't as strenuous. His expression was relatively relaxed as he continuously adjusted the speed of his soul-guided accelerator.

They traveled at a brisk pace until noon before stopping to rest. The inner court students all appeared normal, with only slightly rapid breathing at most. Their breathing was steady, and their expressions were calm, as if the arduous journey had been nothing more than a leisurely stroll.

Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena were almost completely unharmed; if one had to pinpoint anything, it would probably just be a slight soreness. Their stamina and endurance were clearly far beyond that of ordinary people.

Of the four Soul Masters from the outer courtyard who had been giving it their all, only He Caitou, who had the assistance of a Soul Guidance Device, was somewhat better off; the other three were drenched in sweat.

Jiang Nannan, being an agility-type Soul Master, with her slender and graceful figure, was slightly better off. Bei Bei, a power-type Soul Master, and Xu Sanshi, a defense-type Soul Master, fared much worse. Xu Sanshi, in particular, being the heaviest, left watermarks on the ground when he stopped. His clothes were soaked through, as if he had just been pulled from the water.

"Huo Yuhao, show us what you've got," Ma Xiaotao said to Huo Yuhao as she put Wang Dong down.

"Huh? Reveal what?" Huo Yuhao asked in surprise.

Ma Xiaotao laughed and said, "What else could it be? Of course, it's cooking."

"Okay, okay, I agree. Yuhao's cooking is the best." Xu Sanshi, who was sitting on the ground panting heavily, raised his hands and feet at the same time. The sight was quite comical.

Beibei laughed heartily, "You really are like a turtle that's flipped over. No wonder you're a Xuanming Turtle Soul Master!"

"Pfft..." Jiang Nannan, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh when she heard this.

Xu Sanshi was about to lash out, but his expression changed immediately when he saw Jiang Nannan smile. At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Huo Yuhao, even Elder Xuan.

.........

(End of this chapter)