"Lu Cheng, you have crossed the line."
Mu En's expression was indifferent.
His tone was calm, yet it was laced with a hint of anger. Clearly, by this point, he could no longer tolerate it.
Especially after Lu Cheng, with a crushing momentum, led the Shrek Academy team to claim the championship, the entire Inner Court had a faint trend of regarding him as the supreme leader. His prestige was so terrifying that one might not find another Shrek Inner Academy disciple like him even if they searched back several thousand years.
He realized that he had to let this boy leave. Otherwise, in a few more years, the price required to eliminate Lu Cheng would likely be extremely exaggerated...
If that night... he hadn't exposed any abnormality and allowed Zhang Lexuan to be killed, perhaps none of this would have happened. He would have been like a kind master, accepting Lu Cheng as his direct successor and teaching him patiently. But such an ending would be that, upon becoming old and frail, he would have raised a ferocious wolf that would devour both himself and Shrek Academy in one bite.
Quietly observing Lu Cheng, Mu En sighed inwardly.
Back then, deciding to kill Zhang Lexuan was definitely the most correct choice he had made yet… By a stroke of luck, it had pierced through the secret hidden deep within the youth's heart...
"..."
Yan Shaozhe looked down at Lu Cheng silently and shook his head.
Perhaps there was regret, but more than that, there was a hint of resentment. His own foolish Disciple had somehow fallen for this boy, and she had a head full of love that even eight oxen couldn't pull back...
But it was for the best. Now that Teacher had finally decided to let this boy defect, that girl would surely be able to see clearly and sever ties from then on.
Since ancient times, good and evil have been irreconcilable. This youth should also return to the position where he belongs.
However, with his talent, wouldn't such a fall into evil be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains?
Lu Cheng remained expressionless, standing quietly in place.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally nodded slightly: "Fine."
...
"Senior Brother, Xiaotao's Evil Fire is acting up again. It's really troublesome..."
Just as he walked out of Sea God Island, a fiery red figure lunged out from the side, sticking to Lu Cheng like a piece of plaster.
The young girl circled around Lu Cheng. Between her eyebrows was a blooming fire lotus. Her skin was as white as snow, her lips red and teeth white, and her figure was beginning to show its curves. Her pretty little face wore a flattering expression.
"Where is Lexuan?" Lu Cheng glanced at the girl and asked indifferently.
"Hehe, Senior Sister Lexuan and the others have all gone out on a mission. When I'm a bit older and join the Inner Court Supervisory Group, I'll go on missions with you guys to hunt down Evil Soul Masters!!"
Ma Xiaotao shook Lu Cheng's arm, acting spoiled.
"Aren't you afraid of Evil Soul Masters?" Lu Cheng raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not!" Ma Xiaotao's phoenix eyes instantly widened. "If I encounter those beasts, I'll burn them all to death with my Phoenix Fire! Besides, isn't Senior Brother here? I'll just hide behind you and watch, heehee..."
The girl was as lively as a fire sparrow.
"..."
Lu Cheng was silent for a long time, his eyes quietly fixed on Ma Xiaotao: "Then, what if I am also an Evil Soul Master?"
"Hahahaha, how is that possible? What a cold joke. Senior Brother, if you were an Evil Soul Master, wouldn't we have become an Evil Soul Master's nest?" Ma Xiaotao laughed so hard she clutched her stomach and bent over.
"What if?"
Lu Cheng's expression was calm. He watched as the girl gradually straightened her back and looked at him with a somewhat surprised expression, yet he still asked quietly.
"Senior Brother, don't scare me..."
Ma Xiaotao's laughter gradually faded, but even though she was somewhat dazed, her hand never let go of Lu Cheng's arm.
"Hehe, just a joke."
Seeing the girl's face turn slightly off, Lu Cheng finally showed a smile and rubbed her head: "How could I be an Evil Soul Master..."
"You're always like this, startling people!" Ma Xiaotao's beautiful eyes rounded, and she puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Lu Cheng.
"..."
"Senior Brother!"
"Senior Brother Lu Cheng!"
"..."
Shrek Inner Court.
The cultivation atmosphere was quite good. Many disciples encountered Lu Cheng and Ma Xiaotao as they returned, speaking with quite respectful expressions.
The titles of Senior Brother and Senior Sister were not calculated by age but by cultivation level and the age at which they entered the Inner Court.
For example, in the original story, Zhang Lexuan was only twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, yet many Inner Court Disciples older than her had to respectfully call her "Eldest Senior Sister." For no other reason than her strength, which made her the undisputed number one person in the Inner Court; even Han Ruoruo was slightly inferior.
"How was the mission this time?" Ma Xiaotao greeted them boisterously. Speaking of which, her seniority wasn't low; she had grown up in the Inner Court since she was a child, and many Inner Court disciples knew her. "How many Evil Soul Masters did you kill?"
"Several beasts have been causing trouble in Heaven Dou City recently, slaughtering commoners and extracting souls everywhere. It seems they are collecting them for the higher-ups of the Holy Spirit Cult to practice their skills. Unfortunately, several of them got away..." an inner court disciple lamented.
"Xiaotao, pestering Senior Brother again? Be careful; if Senior Sister Lexuan sees you, she'll smack your bottom," another female disciple named Ruo Mu teased with a smile.
"Senior Brother is the Inner Court's Senior Brother, not Sister Lexuan's alone! Besides, I'm just pestering him while she's away, so what?" Ma Xiaotao glared at Ruo Mu with her beautiful eyes.
"And even if I'm a concubine, it's not like it's impossible..."
"I'll respect Sister Lexuan as the primary wife; just give me a position."
Lu Cheng's lip twitched, unable to hold back.
The surrounding Inner Court Disciples also burst into laughter.
"Brother."
Until a moving and melodious female voice sounded.
The expressions of all the Inner Court Disciples froze.
They all found excuses to leave. Even Ma Xiaotao pursed her lips, glanced at Zhang Lexuan with some envy, and was pulled away while grumbling.
A stunningly beautiful figure walked over gracefully, accompanied by a series of crisp and pleasant bell sounds. With a lithe and moving body and a peerlessly beautiful and gentle face, even though she was dressed in the monotonous red and white attire of the Inner Court, it could not hide her charm...
Dignified, elegant, and perfectly poised.
She's really grown up...
Lu Cheng's eyes dazed for a moment.
"What are you staring at? Do you not recognize me after just one mission?" Zhang Lexuan's originally cold, light blue eyes now held a hint of warmth.
"You've grown up and become even more beautiful..." Lu Cheng chuckled and rubbed the girl's head.
Looking at her brow, there was a pure white stamen blooming, which perfectly complemented the beauty's elegant and cold temperament.
Ma Xiaotao originally didn't have a stamen on her brow either, but when that girl saw Zhang Lexuan had one, she begged Lu Cheng to mark one for her as well. It was said that many in the Inner Court mocked her for blindly imitating others, but she enjoyed it nonetheless, boasting to everyone she met that Lu Cheng had personally marked it for her, and even saying things like she was Lu Cheng's little wife...
"Level sixty-two Spirit Emperor?"
Lu Cheng chuckled, observing Zhang Lexuan.
Over these years, the young girl hadn't fallen behind much in her cultivation. Three months ago, she went on a long trip to Heaven Dou City for a mission and also stopped by the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain her sixth Soul Ring.
Notes:
Surprise bomb!!! (Also to get to 15k words)
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