On the way back.
While in mid-air, Arthur's expression suddenly shifted, and his powerful aura rapidly plummeted.
"The price is still too great..."
Arthur whispered, his body falling straight down from the sky like a kite with a broken string.
Wu Zhangkong instantly appeared beside Arthur, scanning the surroundings alertly. His three-word battle armor manifested, and combined with his Spirit Douluo cultivation, his strength reached the level of a Titled Douluo.
It could only be said that Wu Zhangkong was also a cheater; after breaking through his Bottleneck, his cultivation speed had soared like a rocket.
The only explanation was perhaps that he had stayed at the Peak of Spirit Emperor for too long without ever stopping his cultivation, finally resulting in a massive burst after long accumulation.
However, this disrupted Arthur's plan.
Wearing his three-word battle armor, Wu Zhangkong clearly possessed the combat power of a Titled Douluo. Since they couldn't eliminate Arthur silently, the various powerhouses harboring hidden motives in the shadows would definitely not strike.
Arthur was thus unable to distinguish who was friend or foe.
"Sigh..."
Seeing Arthur sighing, Wu Zhangkong stepped forward to support him. Upon coming into close contact and sensing that the other party was perfectly fine, he suddenly froze.
"You?"
"Shh..."
Arthur quickly gave him a look and said performatively, "I am very weak right now, extremely weak. So weak that I can't even walk."
"Fortunately, you came, Teacher."
Wu Zhangkong: "..."
He could clearly sense the ridiculously thick Soul Power fluctuations within Arthur's body, which were even more stable than during the battle earlier.
"Are you sure?" Wu Zhangkong raised an eyebrow.
"Of course," Arthur said with a straight face. "Look, my face is pale, my lips are chapped, and my steps are unsteady. If this isn't weakness, what is?"
Wu Zhangkong silently glanced at his ruddy, almost glowing face, but ultimately chose to play along.
"Then hold onto me tightly."
He reached out to support Arthur, pretending to carefully lead him back toward the academy.
"By the way, Teacher, was I awesome just now?"
Wu Zhangkong remained silent.
"Aren't you curious why I'm so powerful?"
Finally, Wu Zhangkong asked, "Is there really no price to pay?"
Arthur's cultivation was only that of a Spirit King, after all. How could he crush two Evil Douluo?
"The price... it's very great."
Arthur said with a sigh, "My breathing rate becomes much faster than usual. It's very tiring."
This was the truth.
But neither Wu Zhangkong nor the powerhouses following in the shadows believed him.
"That's it?" Wu Zhangkong couldn't help but speak.
"Of course not just that," Arthur added solemnly. "My battle armor is completely scrapped."
"Wasn't that your own doing? It wouldn't have mattered whether you wore it or not."
Wu Zhangkong was completely speechless and could only speed up to bring this student, who was full of nonsense, back as soon as possible.
In the end, none of the powerhouses observing from the shadows made a move.
Arthur felt a slight pity... The match against the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was naturally a crushing victory under the leadership of Gu Yue and Na'er.
Afterward, it was time to return to Shrek Academy.
At Arthur's suggestion, the route passed through Tianding City.
He hadn't forgotten that he could use the Star Observation Platform of the Tianding Star Soul Master Academy to give Xu Xiaoyan a power-up. Her Absolute Establishment was extremely useful.
On the way to Tianding City.
The entire Douluo Continent was shaken by Arthur's strength.
Various factions held meetings overnight.
Inside the Sea Gods Pavilion of Shrek Academy, lights and shadows flickered.
"What do you all think?" An Elder dressed in a plain robe spoke slowly, his gaze fixed on the image of that spear strike that had pierced through heaven and earth.
"At the Spirit King realm, he directly obliterated two Titled Douluo, and ones that were quite troublesome within the Evil Soul Master system..." another Elder said with a complex tone. "This is no longer just a Genius, but a true powerhouse."
"Troublesome? Those two Evil Soul Masters didn't even have three-word battle armor; they can't be considered normal Titled Douluo."
"By that logic, Arthur didn't have three-word battle armor either, did he? The boost from his one-word battle armor was negligible to him."
"That's not important. What's more troublesome is that he has twin spirits," the Elder in charge of intelligence said deeply. "You've all seen the power of his sword strike from years ago. It certainly won't be weaker than this spear strike now."
"How should we view him?"
Everyone looked at the young man sitting in the head seat.
"How to view him?" Yun Ming leaned back in his chair with a relaxed expression. "Hasn't Ya Li been working hard to win him over?"
"I recall you all were often dissatisfied with that."
The Sea Gods Pavilion fell silent.
"Ya Li was right," an Elder chimed in. "But I think we should prepare for both possibilities."
"Arthur is involved with too many factions. The Spirit Conduction Tower, the Body Sect, the Sacred Angel Clan, and now our Shrek. Who knows which one he will ultimately choose?"
At the mention of the Body Sect, everyone turned to look at an Elder sitting in the corner, slacking off.
This Elder, who hailed from the Body Sect, was humming a song. Noticing everyone's gaze, he was momentarily stunned and cleared his throat: "What are you looking at me for?"
"The Body Sect is a thing of the past. I am now absolutely loyal to Shrek!"
Who would believe that?
Everyone was preoccupied.
"Then let's treat him as one of our own for now," Long Yeyue spoke up. "Focus on monitoring, focus on cultivating, and focus on restraining him."
"Restraining?" someone raised an eyebrow.
"Any power that exceeds the norm must have boundaries," Long Yeyue said calmly. "We won't break his wings, but we must ensure he doesn't fly in the wrong direction."
Ya Li frowned, but out of respect for the other's seniority, she didn't argue... Over at the Spirit Conduction Tower, Qiangu Dongfeng was also stunned.
After receiving the intelligence, he also remained silent for a long time.
After a mental brainstorm, his previous idea of protecting Arthur changed.
Arthur must die.
He would not allow such an awesome existence to persist.
The plan had to be accelerated... Over at the Holy Spirit Cult, the atmosphere was much gloomier.
"Where is the Underworld Emperor?"
A voice rang out.
"I don't know. We haven't been able to contact him for some time."
"We won't wait. What do you think of this variable, Arthur?"
"He is growing too fast. His power is even more terrifying than his parents'."
A figure spoke slowly, "Our previous judgment was completely wrong."
"He might be the greatest obstacle to our plan."
A long silence followed.
"Is he at Shrek Academy?"
"Yes."
"Then there's no need to worry for now. Let him stay there, hehe..."
...And in the far distance, a train was traveling toward Tianding City.
Arthur leaned against the window, watching the scenery flash by, when he suddenly sneezed for no reason.
"What's wrong?" Na'er asked with concern.
"Nothing," Arthur rubbed his nose. "Probably someone talking behind my back."
Gu Yue glanced at him: "With your current fame, who would dare say bad things about you?"
"Maybe," Arthur shrugged. "By the way, Gu Yue, my battle armor is scrapped. It's a good time to remake a set and upgrade it while I'm at it."
"Hmm..." Gu Yue pondered for a moment before replying, "I should be able to design Two-Word Battle Armor now, but it will take some time."
"No, no, no." Arthur waved his hand.
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