Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and it had already been a month since Zhou Sichen arrived at Shrek Academy. In that short span, he had experienced more than what most students might not even encounter in a lifetime.
Not only had he gained Elder Mu as a mentor, but the academy's resources were also heavily tilted in his favor—he was granted access to the Golden Ancient Tree for cultivation once a week.
Under the nourishment of the Golden Ancient Tree's immense life force, even Elder Yi's frail divine sense had stabilized.
Within this month, Zhou Sichen felt that his soul power had increased by one full rank. Though it wasn't as explosive as his first breakthrough, the speed was still incredibly terrifying.
However, because he hadn't yet acquired his fourth soul ring, the improvement hadn't fully manifested.
It was a bit pitiful, actually—Elder Xuan and Elder Song, both towering figures at rank 98 and 97 respectively, had spent over half a month helping him search for a suitable soul ring, but to no avail.
Even so, Zhou Sichen wasn't in a hurry. Good things were worth waiting for.
After all, his third soul ring had taken three whole months of searching before he finally encountered a lone Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear.
Today, Zhou Sichen was at Fan Yu's lab, as usual. He was now attempting to inscribe a level-six core soul tool array.
When Fan Yu, Qian Duoduo, and Xian Lin'er heard the news, they all immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed to the lab.
Zhou Sichen had only become a level-five Soul Engineer less than half a month ago, and now he was already attempting to inscribe a level-six core soul tool array?
In truth, Zhou Sichen had more than enough spiritual power and ability to do so. What he had lacked until now was theoretical knowledge and precise formation blueprints.
Now that the Soul Tool Department was fully supporting him, that shortcoming had been temporarily covered.
Up until he reached level-eight Soul Engineer, he likely wouldn't face any major bottlenecks.
However, Shrek Academy currently didn't seem to have many blueprints for level-nine soul tools—nor did they even have any level-nine Soul Engineers. This was a common weakness among the three great empires of the former Douluo Continent.
Even after thousands of years of development, they had failed to acquire the truly top-tier soul tool technology.
The Sun Moon Empire's control over this field remained extremely tight. Unless one stormed into Mingde Hall by force or, as in the original story, went in as an exchange student, there really weren't many good options.
While the Sun Moon Empire's top-tier Titled Douluos weren't as numerous as those in the original Douluo Continent's empires, their combat power after merging with soul tools was nothing to scoff at.
In the original novel, even Poison Undying—the rank-98 Super Douluo and Sect Master of the Body Sect—gained nothing from leading a raid on Mingde Hall. The outcome wouldn't be any better for anyone else.
If Elder Mu were to infiltrate secretly, the results might be different. But his current body could no longer support such a feat. If discovered, a full-scale battle would be inevitable.
Every bit of energy Elder Mu used now shortened his remaining lifespan, so he didn't dare take the risk.
To put it harshly, the only reason Shrek Academy was still standing as Shrek was because Elder Mu was holding the fort. If Elder Mu were gone, Shrek might not even be able to compare to the Body Sect...
Although Xuanzi was also rank-98, he was considered one of the weakest among that level. Some even jokingly referred to him as the "Douluo Power Unit" of this generation—akin to Dugu Bo, the Poison Douluo from 10,000 years ago.
Under the watchful eyes and guidance of the two deans and Fan Yu, Zhou Sichen began inscribing the level-six core soul tool array onto a pre-forged Invincible Shield, wielding his Scorching Sun tool.
Because he wasn't using mental detection, the process required more energy and time. However, with instructors nearby to guide him, it more or less balanced out.
In just one hour, Zhou Sichen had completed half of the core inscription, and it was nearly flawless.
If he could maintain this level of performance, it meant that once he officially broke through to level-six Soul Engineer, he would immediately rank among the elite of that level.
After all, most newly advanced level-six Soul Engineers couldn't achieve this degree of precision.
However, misfortune often arrives sooner than expected.
Just as Zhou Sichen finished a day of cultivation and core inscription, he received some troubling news.
He was about to have a late-night snack in the cafeteria with his three mentors when Yan Shaozhe suddenly burst in, flustered.
Seeing the normally carefree Yan Shaozhe in such a state caught everyone off guard. Though he could be a bit unruly at times, he never showed such an expression.
Qian Duoduo couldn't help but joke, "Old Yan, what's got you so worked up? Don't tell me you skipped dinner and passed out from hunger?"
Yan Shaozhe shot him a glare and ignored the jab. He turned to Zhou Sichen and said gravely, "Ye Guyi's in trouble."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhou Sichen froze like he'd been struck by lightning. It took him half a second to react. "What did you say?"
He didn't even call him "senior brother" and instinctively stepped forward. He thought he'd misheard.
Yan Shaozhe explained, "We just received a distress signal from your junior sister. She was trapped while carrying out her rank-up assessment."
Hearing this, Zhou Sichen's pupils contracted as he fell into thought.
He already knew what mission his sister was undertaking in the Sunset Forest—it was her advancement test, which required her to slay the ten-thousand-year Medusa Snake Empress!
Even with her talent and strength, facing a ten-thousand-year Medusa Snake Empress meant there was still a real chance...
But since so much time had passed without news, Zhou Sichen hadn't been too worried. After all, his sister was the third disciple of their teacher. There was no way they would let her face serious danger alone.
But now... she'd sent a distress signal.
Zhou Sichen suddenly realized something was off. He'd let panic cloud his judgment.
If his sister had truly been in mortal danger, Yan Shaozhe—despite Zhou Sichen being his junior brother—wouldn't have come looking for him first. He would have already gone to rescue her.
Coming to him clearly had another purpose.
Ye Guyi was in danger, but her life likely wasn't in immediate jeopardy. Yan Shaozhe's real reason for coming to him was likely to get him involved in the rescue—maybe even as a test of his adaptability.
If he panicked or acted recklessly, it would mean he failed to meet their expectations.
After a moment of silence, Zhou Sichen nodded slightly. "Senior brother, do we know her exact location?"
Seeing Zhou Sichen suddenly calm down, Yan Shaozhe's expression grew a little complex, but he replied, "Roughly somewhere in the central region of the Sunset Forest."
Zhou Sichen thought for a moment, then glanced at Yan Shaozhe. The older man quickly composed himself again, maintaining just a hint of visible concern.
Zhou Sichen said calmly, "I'll bring her back."
"Bear One won't stay in the Soul Duel Arena for now—I'll be taking him with me. If inner court students need soul beast opponents for duels, they can go to Elder Gong and bring in the 20,000-year-old Blood Demon Tiger. Ah Da has already trained it well. As long as its life isn't endangered, it won't act out of line."
"Please also inform Xiaotao and Ruo Ruo that I won't be making it to the arena this weekend due to urgent matters."
"And if Sister Xianmeng finishes her seclusion, let her know she doesn't need to acquire her fifth soul ring just yet. If luck is on her side, she might end up with an optimal soul ring."
Zhou Sichen laid out all his post-departure arrangements in an orderly fashion, leaving Yan Shaozhe and the others inwardly impressed.
In just a few seconds, Zhou Sichen had not only calmed down but also accounted for people like Ma Xiaotao and the rest...
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