Chapter 33: Eldest Senior Sister Has Already Won It All

During their subsequent conversation, Ye Xixuan heard Elder Mu mention a unique evil soul master he had encountered in the past.

That soul master’s martial soul was named the Scorpion Tiger. Tracing its lineage, it could be considered a subspecies of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, requiring constant consumption of animal blood to evolve. However, compared to other evil soul masters, his nature was not excessively malevolent. Considering that the evil aura of his martial soul was not dense and he had never harmed anyone, Elder Mu ultimately spared his life.

Furthermore, in the memories of Ye Xixuan’s past life, there was a Super Douluo titled official in the Holy Spirit Cult whose martial soul was the Dark Crow. Because he was frequently mistaken for an evil soul master and hunted down, he had joined the Holy Spirit Cult in a fit of rage. This illustrated that there were far too many subjective biases involved in labeling a soul master as "evil."

The evil aura within Ye Xixuan’s own martial soul was not innate, nor did he need to harm others to increase his cultivation as those evil soul masters did; in fact, it was the bane of the evil martial souls found within the Holy Spirit Cult. Naturally, Elder Mu did not see any issue with it.

At Elder Mu’s signal, Ye Xixuan sat in the seat to the left of the long wooden table—the position previously occupied by Elder Xuan during Sea God Pavilion meetings.

"Now that you have broken through to the thirtieth rank, you should have begun to feel the difficulty of cultivating an ultimate martial soul, correct?"

"Yes, Elder Mu," Ye Xixuan replied in a deep voice. "My soul power is currently at the peak of the thirty-first rank. If any other soul master had absorbed that Dark Swan’s soul ring, they likely would have increased their soul power by at least two or three ranks."

"Your cultivation speed has slowed significantly, but it has not stagnated," Elder Mu said with a smile. "By laying a solid foundation in the early stages, you will truly be able to soar in the future. Your advantage lies in your physical strength and spiritual power, which far exceed those of soul masters at your level. This allows you to absorb soul rings beyond your grade every time you advance. A portion of the energy within the soul ring is used for your breakthrough, while the rest directly boosts your soul power, just as it did for you earlier. Do not underestimate that extra boost of nearly a full rank; it saves you a great deal of time in arduous cultivation. Use this time to stabilize your foundation, as the full effects of the soul ring have likely not yet manifested. If all goes well, you may be able to break through again in the near future and reach the thirty-second rank."

"Understood!" Ye Xixuan nodded solemnly, then asked with a hint of concern, "Elder Mu, how is Sister Lexuan doing?"

"The attributes of that hundred-thousand-year Blood Moon Wolf Emperor were a perfect match for Lexuan’s martial soul. However, she had exhausted too much soul power while absorbing the ring, and her physical state was too poor, which led to that backlash," Elder Mu sighed softly.

"Fortunately, there was no danger in the end; she successfully fused with the Blood Moon Wolf Emperor’s soul ring and soul bone. It can be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

"Blood Moon Wolf Emperor..." Hearing Elder Mu mention it, Ye Xixuan finally learned the identity of the hundred-thousand-year soul beast encountered by Zhang Lexuan and the fourteen other inner court disciples.

Elder Mu patiently explained, "The Blood Moon Wolf Emperor, strictly speaking, is a branch of the Silver Moon Wolf Emperor and has a relatively close connection to the Silver Dragon lineage. Legend has it that the Dragon God absorbed the essence of the sun and moon to create the Golden Dragon and the Silver Dragon. The Golden Dragon inherited the essence of the sun, eventually transforming into ultimate strength. The Silver Dragon absorbed the radiance of the moon, gradually transforming into multi-elemental control."

"In that case, your martial soul and Brother Bei’s belong to the Silver Dragon lineage, right?"

"The Bright Sacred Dragon is indeed a branch of the Silver Dragon, though no one is certain if the legendary Silver Dragon truly exists," Elder Mu nodded slightly.

Ye Xixuan lowered his head and remained silent. The Silver Dragon certainly existed—or more accurately, the Silver Dragon King, who was currently sleeping deep beneath the earth in the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Just as Ye Xixuan and Elder Mu were talking, a graceful figure appeared in the open space outside the Sea God Pavilion. Zhang Lexuan was dressed in a long white gown, her long black hair neglected and cascading loosely down to her waist. Her delicate face was noticeably pale, appearing far more haggard than usual.

"Sister Lexuan?" Ye Xixuan was stunned, and then he saw Zhang Lexuan kneel before the Sea God Pavilion. Her straight, slender waist and the form-fitting dress outlined her graceful curves, and her long hair trailed onto the ground around her. Bathed in the soft moonlight, her dark tresses fluttered in the breeze, dyed into a dreamlike silver. Typically gentle and composed, she showed a rare moment of vulnerability.

Ye Xixuan immediately rose from his chair; out of respect for his senior sister, he could not allow her to offer such a grand gesture.

Seeming to notice the confusion in Ye Xixuan’s heart, Elder Mu couldn't help but say softly, "Lexuan is likely here to persuade Elder Xuan to stay."

Ye Xixuan recalled his memories of the past life; it seemed such an event had indeed occurred. It was because Zhang Lexuan knelt there, refusing to rise, that Elder Xuan remained in the Sea God Pavilion. But this was clearly the responsibility of Elder Xuan, the team leader—why should his senior sister have to bear the burden?

"Elder Mu, if Sister Lexuan does this, the only purpose it serves is to give Elder Xuan a way to step down, isn't it?" Ye Xixuan took a deep breath, combining his memories with the current situation; it was not hard to see the truth behind these matters.

Elder Mu looked at Ye Xixuan, startled for a moment, before sighing in frank admission. "The academy truly needs Elder Xuan; he cannot leave. Lexuan saw this, which is why she acted this way."

"I understand the academy's difficulties, but isn't this too unfair to Sister Lexuan?" Watching her thin, lonely figure, Ye Xixuan felt an inexplicable sense of oppression in his heart, perhaps an empathy for her plight. "Elder Mu, from now on, I am willing to share this responsibility toward the academy with my senior sister."

With a firm tone, Ye Xixuan made a promise to Elder Mu and then walked out of the Sea God Pavilion. The golden light within the pavilion and the cold silver moonlight outside were like two completely different hues. He decisively crossed the boundary and arrived beside Zhang Lexuan.

Zhang Lexuan looked up subconsciously, calling out in slight confusion. "Xixuan?"

Ye Xixuan smiled with pity in his eyes. Amidst her gasp of surprise, he leaned down and scooped her up into his arms. Zhang Lexuan’s eyes widened in shock; she was completely caught off guard. In her past perception, it would have been unimaginable for the little boy who had always shown her such utmost respect to perform such an audacious act.

Ye Xixuan looked out at the vast Sea God Lake, then turned his gaze back to meet Zhang Lexuan’s eyes at close range. His sincerity was pure and moving. "Sister Lexuan, not everything needs to be borne by you alone. At the very least, from now on, I will share the weight of the burdens on your shoulders."

"Xixuan..." Zhang Lexuan’s red lips parted, but she fell silent, her gaze drifting into a daze. Since the day her family was destroyed, she could not remember how many years it had been since she felt this sense of being cared for and protected.

Even after Ye Xixuan carried her away from the Sea God Pavilion, she remained immersed in those distant memories from her childhood.

Elder Mu sat up from his lounge chair, his back hunched, and closed his eyes in pain and shame. "To think that the continent’s premier academy would actually resort to manipulating two juniors. Why is the academy’s style of conduct always lacking in vision? It is time for a change."