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Among those who reach the rank of advanced soul masters, there are few fools.
Even the most fanatical evil soul masters became much more cautious after learning that the Tianhun Empire now had Ye Wen—a fully capable Supreme Douluo at the peak of his power.
Moreover, it seemed someone had leaked information. After Ye Wen dismantled just three evil soul master hideouts, their activities became increasingly covert. For over a month afterward, Ye Wen couldn't find a single trace of them.
At this moment, Ye Wen was staying in an obscure small city. He sat in a residence prepared for him by the local city lord, sipping fine wine as he admired the distant sunset.
"Heh, it seems no matter what world you're in, there's no absolute good or absolute evil.
The formidable strength of evil soul masters can serve as dirty gloves for some nobles, while those same nobles can act as sanctuaries for these evil soul masters."
After finishing the last drop of wine, Ye Wen set the cup down and left without expression.
This world was already terminally ill, but it wasn't yet time for Ye Wen to intervene.
In a short while, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament would begin again.
However, since the Tian Xing Academy had only just been established, they didn't have many competitive candidates to field.
Including his disciples and Electrolux, Ye Wen only had six students in total.
Du Busi had considered recommending Long Aotian—the top talent of the younger generation from the Body Hall—as a disciple for Ye Wen.
But…
Though his name sounded like that of a protagonist, his martial soul was merely skin, and he could only achieve a Silver Tier second awakening. Quite underwhelming, honestly.
Still, the person himself wasn't bad. Ye Wen didn't mind if he ended up engaged to Wei Na, as in the original timeline—provided Wei Na was still willing at this point.
However, due to Ye Wen's interference, it seemed unlikely this marriage would come to fruition anytime soon.
Additionally, under the pressure of Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, most academies on the Douluo Continent were somewhat lacking in strength. As a result, some would recruit graduates from Shrek's outer court, rebrand them as their own students, and send them to compete.
Tsk, no matter which world you're in, prestigious institutions are all the same when it comes to saving face.
But none of this mattered to Ye Wen. What he wanted to see was whether Shrek's team, now without Huo Yuhao, would suffer a devastating blow from the evil soul masters.
Hmm… "Devastating blow" might not even be the right term. In the original storyline, without Electrolux's intervention, Shrek's team would have been completely annihilated.
Heh, it seems Xuan Zi is leading the team again. You really deserve to die.
If this batch of Shrek's promising talents were wiped out here, even without Ye Wen's intervention, Shrek's future would be bleak.
In no time, Ye Wen arrived in the Star Luo Empire.
Unlike the Tianhun Empire, which was safely tucked away in the rear, the Star Luo Empire appeared somewhat dilapidated, with an atmosphere of militarization permeating the air. After all, this region was close to the main battlefield.
Everyone knew the Sun Moon Empire would return, so how could anyone feel at ease?
Ye Wen didn't seek out Shrek's people. Instead, he waited patiently near the military camps of the Star Luo Empire.
After all, among the participants this time was Dai Yueheng.
Though Dai Huabing had caused a major disaster, Dai Yueheng was now a member of Shrek's inner court, with considerable cultivation and strength. Add to that his hypocritical sense of self-sacrifice, and Shrek couldn't possibly expel him—it wasn't his fault, after all.
While wandering around the Star Luo military camp, Ye Wen also spotted Dai Huabing here.
Compared to his once delicate appearance, his skin now had a bronze hue. His formerly haughty gaze had become sharper due to military life, and he seemed like a completely different person.
But Ye Wen's opinion of him hadn't changed. "Mistakes cannot be forgiven simply because one repents. You may still have the chance to repent, but Huo Yu'er's mother is truly dead."
"Though she can be resurrected, that's my doing. Prepare to face Huo Yu'er's revenge.
Hehehe."
After a cursory glance, Ye Wen lost interest in this man who had harmed the protagonist and was courting his own doom.
"Come on, come on, let me watch a good show." Concealing himself within the camp, Ye Wen settled in to observe.
Finally, after several days, Ye Wen encountered the person he had been waiting for.
A group entered the tent of Commander Dai Hao.
This was the tent of the highest-ranking commander of an entire legion! How could they just waltz in so casually? Though it was Shrek, Shrek was ultimately just an academy. Their self-righteous meddling in everything was already annoying, and sometimes they acted without restraint. This was precisely why Shrek was isolated and resented.
Dai Yueheng whispered something into Duke Baihu's ear, and the White Tiger Duke immediately stood up respectfully from his commander's seat.
Ye Wen watched the scene with a hint of exasperation.
Having lurked in the shadows for days, Ye Wen had long seen through Dai Hao's two-faced nature.
As for Dai Hao, Ye Wen had a five-word evaluation:
A born drama king.
On the surface, he appeared to love his soldiers like his own children, sharing meals and living quarters with them, exuding great affability. But behind the scenes, he was a cold-blooded executioner, issuing one inhumane order after another.
Of course, this wasn't unprecedented. Orange's father had met a tragic end because of him.
But having witnessed countless deaths, Ye Wen felt no pity.
Survival of the fittest was the way of heaven, and Ye Wen had no intention of going against it.
Besides, Ye Wen knew he could save someone temporarily, but not forever. Compared to the mundane struggles of this mortal realm, the true problem of the Douluo Continent lay in the shining gods of the God Realm above.
As for whether Dai Hao would later be killed by the destined child, what did that have to do with Ye Wen? He was just a teacher, after all >3<
This time, the ostensible leader of Shrek's inspection team was Wang Yan, one of the few teachers at Shrek who genuinely contributed to education.
Wang Yan smiled faintly and spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Your Grace need not be so courteous. We're here to carry out our mission. Just provide us with sufficient leads, and we won't trouble you further. You're busy enough as it is."
Despite the apparent rudeness of a mere teacher, the White Tiger Duke didn't show any displeasure. On the contrary, he warmly arranged accommodations for the students of Shrek Academy.
After obtaining the intelligence they needed, Shrek's group briefly meditated to recover before departing.
Ye Wen didn't rush to follow them. Instead, he watched Dai Hao's reaction with great interest.
Sure enough, the previously gentlemanly Dai Hao's eyes turned icy cold.
"Yueheng failed. He didn't secure command of this team. Sigh, neither of these brothers is reliable. I thought he'd be doing well in the inner court, gaining allies to help the family."
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