Chapter 45: A Direct Approach from Ling Luochen

Realizing what had happened, Ma Xiaotao rushed to Ye Xixuan's side immediately. To prevent any unexpected developments, she raised her right hand, and scorching phoenix flames burned the corpse of the Death Envoy into ashes.

"Before joining this operation, didn't you say you would only assist us from the sidelines?"

With that done, she put on a stern face and pinched one of Ye Xixuan's ears.

"If anything had happened to you, how could I have faced the Grand Senior Sister and the academy?"

Sensing that Ma Xiaotao was mostly concerned about his safety, Ye Xixuan replied with a sincere tone, "Elder Sister Xiaotao, I won't do this again."

"And what on earth was that bizarre, cackling laughter just now? It sounded atrocious. Don't you ever laugh like that again, do you hear me?" Ma Xiaotao let out a huff of annoyance.

Without a shred of psychological burden, Ye Xixuan shifted the blame for his own quirky humor onto Beibei, and let out a dry chuckle.

"Senior Brother Bei told me before that all those evil soul masters laugh that way. Since that guy who called himself the Death Envoy was so weak just now, it must have been because his laugh was off."

"You still dare to give your Elder Sister Xiaotao lip." Ma Xiaotao glared at Ye Xixuan, feeling both exasperated and amused.

Although the Death Envoy had been defeated because his abilities were countered by Ye Xixuan's martial soul, the sword strike Ye Xixuan used to finish him off clearly possessed power surpassing the Soul Ancestor level.

She looked Ye Xixuan up and down, pondering inwardly.

*Has this kid's strength really reached such a level already?*

Without needing instructions from Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng and the others had already finished the cleanup operations.

The three most powerful soul kings of the Hand of Death bandit group had perished one after another, and the remaining bandits were nothing more than a mob of rabble. Under their joint annihilation, not a single living soul remained inside the cavern.

Having finished this, Dai Yueheng and the others immediately gathered around Ye Xixuan and Ma Xiaotao, though most of their gazes remained fixed on Ye Xixuan.

Ye Xixuan's previous methods of suppressing the corpse explosion and slaying the Death Envoy had left them deeply shaken as well. People like Chen Zifeng, Xixi, Gongyang Mo, and Yao Haoxuan now looked at Ye Xixuan with entirely changed eyes.

Within Shrek Academy's Inner Court, which revered strength above all else, power was the ultimate proof of everything. After this incident, no one would ever consider Ye Xixuan merely as a talented junior; instead, they truly regarded him as an existence on par with themselves.

Dai Yueheng couldn't help but ask in a deep voice, "Xixuan, was that your martial soul's ability just now?"

"Senior Brother Dai, Elder Mu once said that my martial soul possesses the innate effect of countering evil soul masters." Ye Xixuan could naturally hear the subtext and hidden concerns in Dai Yueheng's words; perhaps every inner court disciple present harbored similar thoughts to some extent. Therefore, he directly played the ultimate card: Elder Mu.

You suspect I'm an evil soul master? Then go ahead and talk to Elder Mu about it!

Upon hearing Ye Xixuan's words, the group visibly heaved sighs of relief. The significance of Elder Mu to Shrek Academy was simply unimaginable, and absolutely no one would dare to question him.

Chen Zifeng, known for his straightforward personality, was the first to express his stance. He patted Ye Xixuan's shoulder affectionately and laughed heartily.

"Xixuan, I saw you using a sword earlier too! Once we return to the academy, how about hanging out with your Brother Chen? Putting everything else aside, no one in the inner court has a higher attainment in swordsmanship than me."

"Isn't there only one sword martial soul in the inner court—which is you?" Xixi showed Chen Zifeng no mercy at all, choosing to expose him on the spot.

Gongyang Mo pursed his lips and chimed in with a bewitching voice, "Little Sister Xixi is right. All men are cut from the same cloth; not a single one of them dislikes boasting."

"Shut up!" Gongyang Mo's demeanor caused instant physical discomfort among everyone present, causing Chen Zifeng and Xixi to temporarily unite against a common enemy.

Even Yao Haoxuan nearby had to admit that, given Ye Xixuan's talent and potential, he was indeed better qualified than him to protect Ling Luochen in the future.

He walked up to Ye Xixuan, putting on a profound facade. Standing at around one meter six, he even had to tilt his head upward to meet Ye Xixuan's gaze. Then, just like Ling Luochen had done earlier, he delivered a baffling remark that left everyone scratching their heads.

"In the future, use your shadow to protect the ice in her hands."

"Senior Brother Yao, are you trying to be awkwardly cringey?" The corners of Ye Xixuan's mouth twitched slightly. He found it hard to imagine that the usually reticent Yao Haoxuan would suddenly pull off such a stunt.

This felt precisely like the déjà vu when Tang Hao told Tang San to use the hammer in his left hand to protect the grass in his right.

Believing himself to be deeply philosophical, Yao Haoxuan saw the bizarre, stifled-laughter expressions on everyone's faces and instantly blushed crimson, unable to squeeze out another word for a long time.

Even Ling Luochen herself cast a sideways glance at Yao Haoxuan with slightly knitted brows. Although her facial expression rarely changed year-round, anyone could spot the trace of disgust in her eyes.

At that moment, Ma Xiaotao interrupted their conversation and said with a heavy tone.

"Alright, let's handle the aftermath here first."

Everyone immediately put away their smiles. They hadn't paid much attention during the battle, but looking out from deep within the cavern now, the ceilings were littered with the corpses of ordinary people brutally murdered by these bandits.

Finally, Ma Xiaotao unleashed her phoenix flames to burn the place down, allowing these innocent victims to finally rest in peace.

Having spent the night in the Mingdou Mountain Range, the group parted ways the next morning.

Dai Yueheng planned to return to Star Luo City, while everyone else besides him hailed from the Heavenly Soul Empire. Whether they intended to return to their respective families or stay in Shrek Academy to cultivate, they all needed to enter the territory of the Heavenly Soul Empire first.

Standing in an open clearing outside the Mingdou Mountain Range, Dai Yueheng nodded to the group.

"Xiaotao, lead everyone back to the academy to report on our mission. Once I return this time, I plan to break through the bottleneck of level sixty, preparing for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament two years from now. One of the reasons the academy sent us on this mission was probably to test our abilities. After all, our ages are the most suitable for participating in the next tournament."

"If you're unhappy with my position as captain, you're welcome to challenge me anytime over these next two years." Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow at Dai Yueheng. Such was her personality—she always laid her thoughts out directly in the open.

Dai Yueheng locked burning gazes with Ma Xiaotao.

"There will be a chance."

Having said that, he turned his attention to Ye Xixuan and smiled faintly.

"Xixuan, with your talent, you will surely become a member of our reserve team two years from now. By then, we can fight side by side again."

"Senior Brother Dai, I look forward to that day as well." Ye Xixuan replied politely, though inwardly, he felt a certain sense of detachment toward Dai Yueheng, whose actions were always driven by strong utilitarian motives. By comparison, he actually preferred dealing with someone as pure-hearted as Ma Xiaotao.

Dai Yueheng soon departed using a flight soul guide. Gongyang Mo asked Ma Xiaotao, "Xiaotao, how should we proceed from here?"

"With Dai Yueheng gone, cutting through the Star Luo Empire's military encampment is a bit troublesome. Let's head all the way north along the Mingdou Mountain Range until we reach Maple Leaf City in the Heavenly Soul Empire, and then take a detour back to the academy. Those of you who need to visit your families can also part ways there."

"Alright." No one raised any objections to Ma Xiaotao's plan.

However, traveling north along the terrain of the Mingdou Mountain Range was still most convenient by flying through the air. Just like when they first set off, Ye Xixuan carried Ling Luochen.

Flying rapidly through the air with Ling Luochen embraced in his arms, he finally voiced the doubt that had been puzzling him for a long time.

"Senior Sister Ling, is there something between our families that I don't know about?"

"There is." Ling Luochen tilted her head back to meet Ye Xixuan's gaze. A few strands of dyed deep-blue hair brushed against her fair, delicate cheeks as her red lips parted slightly.

Ye Xixuan immediately couldn't help asking, "What is it?"

"I am your fiancée."

"???"