Jing Hongchen paused for a moment after speaking.
Yan Shaozhe replied without hesitation.
"That's right, Hall Master Hongchen."
At that, Jing Hongchen snorted coldly.
"You treat my treasured disciple as some kind of tool for your Shrek Academy?"
"Preventing a powerful evil soul master from being born and wreaking havoc is beneficial for both sides, isn't it?"
Yan Shaozhe smiled faintly as he spoke.
He wasn't wrong. If Ma Xiaotao truly fell and became an evil soul master, joining the Holy Spirit Cult, it would be disastrous for the entire Sun Moon Empire. They couldn't allow the cult to continue thriving after already having two Ultimate Douluo elders and a 98th-rank Super Douluo as their leader.
But Jing Hongchen simply found Yan Shaozhe's noble tone laughable.
"Dean Yan speaks the truth. Evil soul masters are the enemies of all righteous forces in this world. But speaking only of ideals while ignoring practicality—don't you think that's a bit hypocritical, Dean Yan?"
Yan Shaozhe narrowed his eyes. 'This old fox... as expected, he won't budge for the sake of justice alone.'
"In that case, I won't waste more words. Hall Master Hongchen, why don't you state your terms. Let's call this what it is—a transaction."
Hearing this, Jing Hongchen was satisfied. Everything was progressing exactly according to Kong Deming's plan.
The terms of this deal had long been prepared, with the intent of extracting a heavy price from Shrek. Still, Jing Hongchen put on a show of thoughtful silence.
After a while, he smiled slightly.
"I've heard that your Sea God Pavilion has a Tree of Life?"
Yan Shaozhe immediately became wary.
"...That's correct."
"Three pieces of 100,000-year soul bones, plus one seed from the Tree of Life. In exchange, we'll provide the opportunity to purge your student's evil fire. How about that?"
These terms had been discussed between Kong Deming and Huo Yuhao. That Tree of Life, said to have been grown from the divine power of the Goddess of Life in the God Realm, bore one Life Fruit every thousand years. Each Life Fruit had a chance to contain a seed that could sprout into a new Tree of Life.
After consulting relevant records, Huo Yuhao—wielder of the power of life—had long set his sights on acquiring one such seed.
As soon as Jing Hongchen spoke, veins bulged on Yan Shaozhe's forehead. He slapped the table and stood up, roaring,
"Jing Hongchen, don't you go too far! Do you even hear the nonsense you're spewing? Three 100,000-year soul bones, and a Tree of Life seed?? What kind of joke is this?!"
Ever since the so-called "escort" from the Third Soul Engineer Regiment—clearly a veiled threat—Yan had been holding in his anger. Now, he couldn't bear it any longer.
The pressure from a 95th-ranked Super Douluo erupted. All the attendants in the room fainted instantly. Even Fan Yu, seated nearby, turned pale.
But Jing Hongchen remained calm and smiling. He simply tapped the tea table before him.
In the blink of an eye, countless black soul tool barrels extended from the ceiling, all aimed at Yan Shaozhe and Fan Yu—each one brimming with terrifying power.
"Dean Yan, there's no need to be angry. Can't we discuss this like civilized people? By the way, these are my latest research project—Ultra High-Energy Converging Soul Ray Launchers. They lack mobility, but once properly set up, they can obliterate any Titled Douluo below the Ultimate level. A decent security measure, wouldn't you say?"
Feeling the lethal threat from above, Yan Shaozhe's expression darkened. His spiritual sense confirmed Jing Hongchen wasn't bluffing. Whether these things could kill a 98th-ranked Super Douluo was uncertain—but for a 95th-ranked like himself, and for Fan Yu, a mere Soul Douluo, it was more than enough.
Reluctantly, Yan Shaozhe withdrew his pressure and forced himself to sit back down.
"That's more like it. Let's talk things through properly."
Though he said that, the soul ray cannons above didn't retract in the slightest. They remained locked, poised to fire.
Yan Shaozhe and Fan Yu realized they had been played from the start. They hadn't expected Jing Hongchen to be this ruthless.
But if Huo Yuhao were watching this unfold, he might just find it ironic—wasn't this the same tactic Shrek once used against Jing Hongchen in the original story? Invited into the Sea God Pavilion only to be forced into concessions?
Jing Hongchen leaned back into the couch, his tone calm.
"I'm not unreasonable. If you feel my terms are too steep, I can make some concessions."
"The Tree of Life seed is non-negotiable. But the three soul bones? We'll change it to one 100,000-year soul bone, and two ten-thousand-year ice-element spirit treasures."
Yan Shaozhe frowned deeply. This, no doubt, was Jing Hongchen's true offer. One 100,000-year soul bone was steep, but acceptable. And two ten-thousand-year ice-type treasures—those were easy enough.
But the Tree of Life seed... In the past ten thousand years, the Tree had borne ten Life Fruits. All were used. Only two viable seeds remained. They were unimaginably rare. Yan Shaozhe had no authority to make that decision alone.
"...We agree to the soul bone and spirit treasure terms. But as for the Tree of Life seed, I cannot make that decision. I'll need to return and discuss it with the elders of the Sea God Pavilion."
Jing Hongchen frowned. Kong Deming had stressed that the seed was essential.
Seeing his expression, Yan Shaozhe quickly added,
"Hall Master Hongchen, it's only a matter of consultation. The seed has little use to us, and it's very likely we can give it to you. If not, Shrek Academy will offer something of equivalent value to your satisfaction."
Jing Hongchen thought for a moment, then his frown eased.
"...Since Dean Yan is so sincere, I won't push further. But if the seed isn't provided, we can't guarantee the complete removal of your student's evil fire. Please emphasize that to your Pavilion elders."
Yan Shaozhe and Fan Yu quietly wiped the cold sweat from their brows. At least the negotiation was complete. Maybe now they could finally leave this place?
"Well then, Hall Master Hongchen, we'll be—"
But as they began to rise, Jing Hongchen let out a cold laugh, cutting Yan Shaozhe off.
"Gentlemen, no need to rush off."
Their coordinated movement froze awkwardly.
"Hall Master Hongchen... Is there something else?"
Jing Hongchen smiled.
"You were invited to Mingdu, yes. But to enter the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy—don't you think you should pay the entry fee?"
Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe and Fan Yu nearly spat blood. 'This old fox is too cunning!'
But a glance at the still-aimed soul rays above quickly convinced them to sit back down obediently.
(End of Chapter)
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