Douluo Continent: Starting with the Tiger Emperor Template

Chapter 92 Everyone's Eyeing Lu Ren

When this topic was brought up, Zhang Peng's expression immediately became even more unpleasant.

His martial spirit needs to constantly devour animal blood to evolve.

This is an innate ability, as natural as a soul beast eating people.

So he cultivated himself step by step by consuming the blood of animals, and never took a single human life.

The results of it?

As his cultivation level increased, he was inexplicably labeled as an "evil soul master"!

He clearly did nothing wrong; his martial soul simply needed to absorb the blood of soul beasts. How did that make him an evil soul master?

Does this mean we're allowing soul beasts to eat people, but not allowing humans to drink their blood?

The other spirit beasts didn't say anything, but it was the humans of the same race who dealt him a blow and tarnished his reputation.

Those self-proclaimed righteous Soul Masters, while protecting the Soul Beasts that eat humans, also angrily denounced his act of sucking animal blood as wrong.

That's ridiculous.

His martial soul needs to absorb animal blood to rapidly improve his cultivation. If he doesn't, his cultivation speed is as slow as a snail, making him incomparable to other normal soul masters, and his combat power will decrease countless times!

However, this was interpreted by others as self-degradation and a path to certain death.

He simply wanted to avoid being bullied in the dog-eat-dog world of Douluo Continent.

In a world where might makes right, isn't it right to increase our strength?

Because of this incident, Zhang Peng was so angry that he finally agreed to Zhong Liwu's offer and joined the Holy Spirit Cult.

Only here is his behavior accepted and no one rejects him.

It's utterly absurd.

Throughout the entire continent, only evil spirit masters recognized Zhang Peng.

Even though they had once encouraged him to try drinking the blood of a Soul Master, he has never done so.

He had his own bottom line. He could drink the blood of soul beasts, but using his own kind to refine his own cultivation was something Zhang Peng still minded.

Recalling the past, Zhang Peng took a deep breath and suppressed his surging emotions.

"Why are you looking for me?"

Zhongli Wu ignored his emotional fluctuations and answered directly: "First, I'm afraid that others might not be able to resist the urge to kill. This Lu Ren is a talent that Jing Hongchen has only recently brought in. Someone who can be favored by the Mingde Hall Master must have good talent."

"If someone else accidentally becomes greedy and kills him, then refines him to enhance their own strength, how am I supposed to explain this to Xu Tianran regarding Jing Hongchen?"

He paused, then continued, "Secondly, your abilities are more suitable. If you personally take the lead, there will be no chance of failure."

"I understand." Zhang Peng paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Is it just to probe Lu Ren's background, to see if he has a divine attribute martial soul, nothing more?"

Zhongli Wu nodded: "Yes, according to the intelligence we have gathered, during Xuanzi's rampage in Mingdu, there were quite a few eyewitnesses who saw Xuanzi chasing a young junior, so we have found a few candidates who fit the description."

He picked up a thin file and tossed it to Zhang Peng.

"Furthermore, Lu Ren only recently joined the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, and his information does not specify what his martial soul is."

Zhongli Wu's gaze swept over coldly.

"This makes me suspicious."

"You suspect that the Sun Moon Empire is cultivating Soul Masters with Divine Attribute Martial Souls?" Zhang Peng frowned deeply.

"That's right, otherwise why would the people of the Sun Moon Empire hide Lu Ren's martial soul information? Do they have nothing better to do?"

""

Zhongli Wu raised his chin.

"That's why I asked you to investigate him. If he's not him, then forget it, we'll continue our investigation."

Zhang Peng said in a deep voice, "What if he is?"

Zhongli Wu glanced at him, his tone casual yet filled with undisguised killing intent: "Then kill him. Remember, kill him at all costs. Even if he is one of Jing Hongchen's people, as long as we can produce evidence that he is a possessor of a divine attribute martial soul, even Xu Tianran can't say anything."

"I said I promised Elder Mu that if he were alive, I would not be born, much less kill anyone." Zhang Peng's tone was equally solemn, but he changed the subject, "However, I will inform you of the intelligence I have gathered, and let you make the decision."

Zhongli Wu glanced at him, but instead of getting angry, he nodded slightly: "That's enough."

Zhang Peng paused for a moment, then clasped his hands in a salute to Zhongli Wu.

With a flash, he disappeared into the stone chamber.

Zhongli Wu stood alone, the dim light of the soul-guiding lamp casting a long, thin shadow. His deep purple eyes narrowed slightly as he muttered coldly to himself, "Mu En—you old bastard, when are you finally going to die peacefully?"

As long as Mu En is alive, he will always have to be wary of the existence of a Limit Douluo.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Outside the main gate of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, the group had already assembled.

Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan were the first to arrive.

Ji Juechen held his silver-white longsword, leaning against a stone pillar on one side of the academy gate, his eyes slightly closed, as if he were resting.

Jing Ziyan squatted on a stone stool to the side, fiddling with a palm-sized soul tool in her hand, muttering incantations.

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen followed closely behind. Meng Hongchen was dressed in a fitted white outfit, her long silver ponytail swaying gently in the morning breeze. Her large, light blue eyes were fixed on the direction of the academy gate, as if she were waiting for someone.

Xiao Hongchen stood next to his younger sister, arms crossed, pacing impatiently.

"Why isn't that guy here yet? So many people are waiting for him, doesn't he have any shame?"

Xiao Hongchen's brows furrowed into a knot.

Then Lu Ren strolled over leisurely.

Their pace was leisurely, their posture relaxed, as if they were on a picnic.

His handsome face wore its usual half-smile, and seeing that everyone was waiting for him, he even raised his hand and yawned.

Just as Xiao Hongchen was about to lash out, Meng Hongchen secretly tugged at his sleeve.

The silver-haired girl shook her head slightly, her eyes clearly saying: Brother, don't cause trouble.

"There are two more people." Lu Ren counted the number of people. "I heard they're here to test their soul tools—"

As soon as the words were spoken, two hurried footsteps came from behind, followed by an apologetic female voice: "I'm so sorry! We were delayed because of the soul tool—we're not late, are we?"

Everyone turned around.

Two girls came running up in a hurry. The girl in front was petite, but had a pretty face. She had a thin layer of sweat on her forehead and was panting, but she was still apologizing profusely.

The girl running behind had long, flowing hair and delicate features. Although she was also running, she was much more composed than the petite girl in front.

The petite girl ran up to the group, put her hands on her knees and took a few breaths, then straightened up and gave a bright smile: "You must be the students who are responsible for escorting us, right? Let me introduce myself, my name is Keke, and this is Ju Zi."

She pointed to the long-haired girl behind her.

Lu Ren's gaze passed over Ke Ke and landed on Ju Zi.

Ju Zi was gently wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief when she noticed Lu Ren's gaze. She looked up and gave him a polite smile.

Lu Ren withdrew his gaze, thinking to himself:

What a small world.

What a coincidence to run into you here.

Orange has long hair that gleams warmly in the morning light, and her bright, expressive eyes seem to speak volumes, with a touch of natural languor in their gaze.

Her skin was incredibly good; her fair skin had no visible pores, and it looked as if you could squeeze water out of it with just a gentle pinch.

The school uniform she wore perfectly accentuated her beautiful figure, highlighting all her curves without being overly ostentatious.

She stood there, exuding a lazy charm, like a cat that had just woken up, making people want to take a second look.

At this moment, the lazy cat was secretly observing Lu Ren with curious eyes.

"Alright, everyone's here, let's go."

Lu Ren clapped his hands, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone, as if he were announcing something perfectly normal.

For this operation, Jing Hongchen granted him the authority of a temporary team leader.

This hastily assembled team was nominally under his full command.

The others naturally had no objections.

Ji Juechen always did whatever Lu Ren said. Jing Ziyan was fine as long as there was a fight and a soul tool test. Meng Hongchen couldn't wait for Lu Ren to give her more orders so she would have a chance to perform. Ke Ke and Ju Zi, the two soul masters, had absolutely no interest in leading a team.

Except for one person.

Laughing at the mortal world.

Ever since this guy came out of seclusion, all he talks about is "I'm going to challenge you again," "I'm sure I can win this time," and "Don't underestimate me."

But now, when Lu Ren's gaze inadvertently swept over him, Xiao Hongchen swallowed back all the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Because he noticed it.

The aura emanating from Lu Ren was completely different from the Lu Ren he knew before his seclusion.

If the previous Lu Ren was a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, its edge fully revealed yet still within a perceptible range, then the current Lu Ren is a bottomless pool of dark spring, calm on the surface but harboring chilling undercurrents beneath.

Although Xiao Hongchen is arrogant, he is not foolish.

At this point, taking on a challenge is no different from feeding the enemy kills.

"cut."

He put his hands behind his head and turned his head away in feigned disdain, but he obediently followed the group.

Lu Ren took in the whole scene, chuckled, and shook his head.

This guy is still the same as always.

"So, you're Lu Ren, the most talked-about person in the academy lately, right?"

Keke somehow found her way to Lu Ren's side, her starry eyes fixed on him, as if she had seen some rare treasure.

"Hehe, I personally witnessed you achieve a seventy-seven-game winning streak when you first came to the academy!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, gesturing wildly: "I was in the stands that day, and when you punched Xiao Hongchen and sent him flying, the whole place went wild! That was the most sensational match in the history of our college. Do you know how much of a buzz you're generating in the girls' dorms right now?"

"You rascal, you always bring up the things you don't want to talk about!"

A low growl, filled with gritted teeth, came from behind Xiao Hongchen.

"Hahaha, I didn't say anything!"

Keke stuck out her tongue and quickly shrank back to Ju Zi's side, but her starry eyes couldn't help but glance at Lu Ren.

"Honestly, this is a big shot in our academy. I never expected to be on a mission with you!"

Orange's gaze also fell on Lu Ren.

Unlike Keke's pure adoration, there was something more complex in her eyes.

Her thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the scene when Xu Tianran summoned her.

In the study of the side hall, Crown Prince Xu Tianran was flipping through a file, asking without looking up, "Hmm—this young man named Lu Ren seems quite promising. Is he the talent that Hall Master Jing recently recruited?"

Orange stood respectfully before the desk, bowing slightly: "Yes, Your Highness, the headmaster has already made a great effort for him since he first enrolled."

"But he did not disappoint. On the first day alone, he achieved a seventy-seven-game winning streak in the arena, and even easily defeated the Soul Emperor with his Soul Master cultivation."

"It has been confirmed that he will be one of the team members representing the Sun Moon Empire in the All-Continent Tournament in a few months."

Xu Tianran put down the file, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes: "Hmm, not bad talent. By the way, you and he are in the same college, right? If you have time or an opportunity, please help me find out what his plans are after graduation."

"If it's suitable, I'll have him work for me."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Oranges! Oranges!"

Keke's voice abruptly pulled Ju Zi back from her memories.

"Why are you spacing out? Are you swooning over a handsome guy?"

Keke looked at the orange with suspicion, then smiled and looked at Lu Ren.

"But seriously, he is indeed very handsome, but you don't have to stare at him like that, your eyes are about to pop out."

"I wasn't staring at him the whole time!"

Orange's cheeks flushed red, and she reached out to tickle Keke's waist.

Keke giggled as she was tickled, begging for mercy repeatedly, and the two girls immediately started playing around.

The silvery laughter drifted in the morning breeze, adding a touch of vibrancy to this hastily assembled team.

However, while dealing with Coco's counterattacks, Orange was secretly pondering to herself.

It seems His Highness the Crown Prince is truly short-handed.

Cooperating with the Holy Spirit Church is tantamount to seeking help from a tiger.

Those evil spirit masters are no pushovers. Although Xu Tianran is highly skilled, he needs to have enough power to maintain the initiative against those ruthless people.

Lu Ren was clearly a potential target for him to win over.

To be chosen by Jing Hongchen and to subdue the entire academy on the first day of enrollment, such a genius would be a hot commodity in any power.

It's quite reasonable for His Highness the Crown Prince to make arrangements in advance.

Meng Hongchen had been silently observing everything from the sidelines. Her gaze swept back and forth between Keke and Ju Zi before landing on Lu Ren, and her thin lips pursed slightly.

Then she subtly moved closer to Lu Ren, her steps natural and light, as if she had unintentionally adjusted her position.

But after the adjustment, the distance between her and Lu Ren was much closer than before.

"I was very worried about you these past few days while you were in seclusion." Meng Hongchen's voice was very soft, and only Lu Ren could hear it.

Lu Ren turned his head and looked into her beautiful eyes: "It's nothing, I'm just going into seclusion, it's not like I'm going to fight someone."

"But when you came back from Mingdu, you were covered in blood."

"—How did you know?"

"Ji Juechen said it." Meng Hongchen lowered her eyelashes slightly. "He said you faced off against a powerful expert. After hearing that, I couldn't cultivate properly all night."

Lu Ren remained silent for a moment.

He never expected that Ji Juechen, that taciturn man, would say these things to Meng Hongchen.

However, this is not something that needs to be hidden. In any case, in a few days, the whole continent will probably know what happened in Mingdu.

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine." He smiled and casually changed the subject, "By the way, how's your cultivation progress? Have you encountered any bottlenecks after level fifty?"

Meng Hongchen's eyes lit up at the mention of cultivation.

She gave a detailed report on her recent situation and raised several questions she had encountered in her cultivation practice.

As Lu Ren walked, he patiently answered questions, occasionally gesturing with his hands to show the key points of soul power circulation.

Meng Hongchen listened attentively, nodding occasionally. Her silver ponytail swayed gently with her movements, reflecting shimmering light in the sunlight.

The two walked side by side in the middle of the group, the morning light filtering through the gaps in the roadside trees, casting a pale golden glow on them, creating a strangely harmonious scene.

Xiao Hongchen followed behind, his hands behind his head, letting out a disdainful snort from his nose.

He felt extremely unhappy!

As an older brother, do you understand the feeling of someone flirting with your sister right in front of you, and you feel powerless to do anything about it?

But in the end, he didn't say anything, he just quickened his pace and obediently followed behind the group.

The group walked through the main road of Mingdu and headed towards the city gate.

However, not long after, everyone except Lu Ren and Ji Juechen was surprised at the same time.

Because a certain figure had quietly joined the team at some point.

It was a young girl.

Her long, golden hair cascaded down like molten gold in the morning light, her fair skin was almost translucent, and her exquisite features looked as if they had been meticulously sculpted by a deity.

She wore a simple dress that showcased her stunning figure, with a long sword hanging at her waist, exuding an innate sense of purity.

The girl's beauty even surpassed that of Ju Zi and Meng Hongchen.

"Who is she? Why is she here?"

Meng Hongchen became alert almost instantly.

She looked at the blonde girl, a hint of crisis that only women could understand flashing in her light blue eyes.

As the saying goes, the enemy of a beautiful woman is another beautiful woman.

Upon seeing that the other party's beauty and stats were no less than his own, Meng Hongchen's instincts were instantly activated.

"Oh, she's my friend," Lu Ren casually made up an excuse. "Besides, she's quite familiar with the Jingyang Mountains, so it'll be easier for us to get things done with her guidance."

This statement was half true and half false. Ye Guyi did have some knowledge of the Jingyang Mountains, but more importantly, Ye Guyi also needed her fifth spirit ring.

How could this journey of hunting soul beasts be complete without her?

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