West Sea Port.
The bustling markets of old had been driven empty. Countless soul-guided battleships stood in neat formation, spreading forward in an encirclement for dozens of kilometers. Two navy soul-guided corps, two numbered soul-guided corps, over two thousand elite soul engineers, and untold numbers of low-tier soul-engineer soldiers formed a magnificent, sweeping scene.
On one battleship, several black-robed figures stood in a line.
"Are you sure they'll come here? And won't a show of force like this scare that kid away?"
The leader lazily filed her purple, alluring nails, speaking calmly—yet the person beside her was already sweating.
A battleship captain bowed slightly. "Reporting to my lord, they likely won't… the encirclement covers nearly a hundred square kilometers. Even if he notices something, it'll be too late—unless he's a Super Douluo–level spiritual-type soul master, otherwise…"
"And what if he really is?" Ye Xishui asked, giving the captain a flat glance while still filing her nails.
"Uh…" The captain frowned.
Now that was just picking a fight.
Against a mere Soul Emperor brat, the Sun Moon Empire pulling out this kind of formation was already more than generous. Plenty of corps commanders were baffled—someone who didn't know would think they were preparing to fight the original continent…
"Hmph." Ye Xishui didn't explain. She only gave a lazy, mocking chuckle.
Of course, as an Ultimate Douluo and a soul engineer, her spiritual power was abnormally strong. She would certainly be the first to sense Su Wen. So even if these wastes did some useless things, she didn't mind—she never expected them to matter anyway.
She was confident that once she acted, she could suppress and kill Su Wen.
"Eh~"
Ye Xishui let out a small sound. Her black hood lifted slowly, revealing purple eyes as she looked toward the sea horizon. Her fingers paused.
Softly: "He's here…"
"Raise alert!!!"
The entire port seemed to come alive.
Fleets deployed, crews rushed, checked gear, waited for the enemy.
"Elder, we…" a black-robed man stepped forward, low voice.
"Let's go. This opportunity delivered by the Sun Moon Empire—we absolutely cannot let them escape again." Ye Xishui smiled and rose. The black-robed figures behind followed.
"Buzz—!"
At the captain's command, the sea seemed to gain an invisible net that began to contract and cover the waters. Ye Xishui looked slightly surprised.
"I didn't expect them to have pushed linked soul-guided formations to this level. I take back what I said—they're useful. No wonder Kong Deming sent them."
As a soul engineer herself, she saw the mechanics immediately. A linked formation of this grade used so smoothly reflected the Sun Moon Empire's deep foundation in soul tools.
Then in the future—against her, against Long Xiaoyao, Ultimate Douluo—could it be used too…?
But now wasn't the time for suspicion.
Ye Xishui lifted her chin and flashed off the deck. Several black-robed figures erupted with powerful aura, rose into the air, and chased after her.
…
"So refreshing, hahaha! Teacher Xuan, any other sea missions? Three months is nothing—I haven't had enough fun!" Ke Ke complained.
She poked Zi Mu.
He nodded slightly. The lab atmosphere really was nice—especially with Wang Shaojie gone.
No fighting for credit, fewer conflicts.
Not bad.
"Ju Zi, say something." Ke Ke shook Ju Zi's hand, but the closer they got to West Sea Port, the calmer Ju Zi's face became, silent.
"No fuel," Xuan Ziwen shook his head.
"This time we were riding Su Wen's luck. The battleship's energy is down to a tiny bit. If we stay longer, we'll end up pushing the Abyss Stealth Ship back."
"So next time we either use the old antique Mingde hall gave us, or rent another model."
"Ah…" Ke Ke opened her mouth.
"And you can't buy this thing with money," Su Wen said with a gentle smile.
"Ah…" Ke Ke deflated.
"Too bad I'm not valuable either, or I'd sell myself for a stealth ship."
"Not necessarily. A Level 5 soul engineer—sell her to a black soul-tool factory, force her to build day and night until her body's squeezed to the limit, then resell on the black market, cough cough… scraping together several hundred thousand gold soul coins is doable," Su Wen said with a smile.
"Ah!!!" Ke Ke's face went pale.
"Eh, did a battle break out here?" Xuan Ziwen suddenly frowned.
"Just now a linked formation's soul-power wave spread past us. Did something happen at West Sea Port that warrants this level of formation?" He hesitated while steering the Abyss Stealth Ship.
But soon, the horizon filled with massive fleets moving toward them.
"Su Wen, we meet again."
Several black-robed figures appeared overhead without warning.
The leader removed her hood, appraising the stealth ship with interest. Then she casually waved a hand. The sea surged, instantly flipping the unprepared Zi Mu, Ke Ke, and the others inside.
"What's happening?!!" Xuan Ziwen clutched the console, grim-faced.
"This is… a Title Douluo–level powerhouse!"
"No—these people… they're here for us!!!"
In seconds, Xuan Ziwen understood. More precisely: they were here for Su Wen. And they had been dragged into disaster—a dead end…
And if they dared to strike Su Wen, then it meant even Mingde hall's hall master might already be under control…
Maybe this wasn't just some faction inside the empire acting—it was the Sun Moon Empire's tacit approval.
And they would have to die at sea…
so that fewer handles would be left for Shrek Academy to grab.
"Don't worry, Teacher Xuan. It'll be fine…"
Su Wen stepped forward with a smile.
Especially toward Ju Zi, who covered her mouth, torn and frightened.
…