In the evening, Zhu Ziyang sat leisurely on the sofa in his room, savoring a cup of tea in his hand.
It was dinnertime, and everyone else had gone to eat. So the spacious suite was empty except for him—making it the perfect opportunity, an excellent time to receive guests.
"Two Seniors, since you're already here, don't linger outside. Come in and have some tea. This junior has been waiting a long time." Zhu Ziyang gently sipped his tea without even raising his head, his tone light as a drifting cloud.
"Hmph!" Perhaps it was surprise at being detected, or perhaps it stemmed from a strong one's pride, but a cold snort rang from outside. In the next moment, a terrifying pressure swept in from the window like a sudden storm, surging straight at Zhu Ziyang—yet no figure could be seen.
"Heh." Zhu Ziyang chuckled, shaking his head with mild exasperation. "How cliché."
As he spoke, he put down the teacup. It sat firmly on the table, like a stabilizing pillar in a storm. Instantly, the pressure filling the room was suppressed, as if the very peak of a mountain had been forced down by the weight of that cup, unable to rise again.
"Impressive technique!" A deep but vigorous voice rang out—clearly different from the earlier cold snort. "No wonder Xuanzi dared to pass the Pavilion Master position to you."
As the voice faded, two figures appeared in the room. One was a kindly white-haired old man. The other, however, drew more attention: though also elderly, he was tall and burly, his body bulging with exaggerated muscles, and the bristle of short hair on his head stood upright like steel needles, giving him a truly intimidating presence. Unlike the kindly elder, this man wore a face full of displeasure—clearly the source of the earlier pressure and cold snort.
Zhu Ziyang smiled. Though this was their first meeting, he immediately recognized the gruff old man as none other than the current Sect Master of the Body Sect, the Body Douluo, Du Busi, a rank 98 Super Douluo. So, the Body Sect really had aligned itself with the Heaven Soul Empire—it seemed the intelligence Shrek had received was accurate.
As for the other elder, he was naturally Starlight Douluo Xu Luo, the chief consecrated elder of the Star Luo Empire's Worship Hall, also a rank 98 Super Douluo. He had only recently reached rank 98, breaking through after receiving guidance from Elder Mu during a visit to Shrek five years ago. Since returning to the Star Luo Empire, he had gone into seclusion, and had only emerged within the past year.
"Long time no see, Elder Xu." Zhu Ziyang greeted Xu Luo first, then turned to Du Busi with a polite smile. "And you must be the renowned Body Douluo. It's an honor to meet you!"
"Elder Mu truly raised a fine disciple," Xu Luo said with genuine admiration. "You're what—twenty? Tsk, a ninety-fourth-rank Title Douluo at just twenty years old… it puts us old men to shame."
"Hmph! Kid, you sure know how to put on airs—actually made the two of us come personally. No respect for your seniors at all." Du Busi snorted coldly, displeasure written all over his face.
"Du Busi, have you got it backwards?" Before Zhu Ziyang could respond, Xuanzi appeared and countered with a cold look. "It's your side that needs something from Shrek—not the other way around!"
Xuanzi gave a nod of acknowledgment to Zhu Ziyang, then glared at Du Busi. "Ziyang is the Pavilion Master of Shrek's Tianyuan Pavilion. To disrespect him is to challenge Shrek Academy itself!"
"You—!" Du Busi hadn't expected Xuanzi to speak so bluntly, and his face turned red with fury.
"Alright, alright! Everyone calm down. We're here for cooperation, not to start a fight," Xu Luo said quickly, stepping forward to act as a peacemaker. He pulled Du Busi back a step, plastering on a smiling face.
"Elder Xuanzi, have a seat first. Elder Xu is right—we're allies here, not enemies," Zhu Ziyang said with a calm smile.
Xuanzi said no more and sat down.
Zhu Ziyang then turned to the other two. "Elder Xu, Senior Du Busi, please sit as well. Let's talk business."
"Thank you." Xu Luo sighed with relief and released Du Busi's arm before sitting down. He was genuinely afraid that a fight might break out between Du Busi and Xuanzi. As a freshly advanced rank 98, he was no match for either of the older veterans—and if they did fight, their entire plan would go up in smoke.
Fortunately, both Du Busi and Xuanzi had a sense of restraint. With Xu Luo seated, Du Busi gave another cold snort before also sitting down.
"Heh. Thank you both for your cooperation," Zhu Ziyang said with satisfaction. His tone was composed and serene. "Now, let's keep it brief. You both represent the Star Luo Empire and Heaven Soul Empire. Regarding the planned assassination of Xu Tianran, what forces have your nations prepared for the operation?"
"I'll speak first," Xu Luo said, glancing at Du Busi, who had closed his eyes and remained silent. "The Star Luo Empire is sending seven Title Douluo. That includes myself and the Medicine Immortal Douluo—both Super Douluo—as well as five ordinary Title Douluo."
"Seems your empire is determined to succeed in this operation," Zhu Ziyang remarked with a trace of surprise. The Star Luo Empire had fewer than ten Title Douluo total, yet it was deploying seven of them, led by a Super Douluo—clear evidence of how much pressure the Sun Moon Empire had placed on them.
Du Busi opened his eyes in shock and gave Xu Luo a questioning look.
Xu Luo let out a bitter smile. "At this point, there's nothing else we can do. We failed to value technological advancement in the past. You know as well as I do—our border with the Sun Moon Empire has never been quiet, and it's always us who end up on the losing side.
The Sun Moon Empire's soul tools come in endless varieties, all extremely powerful. Our commanders estimate that if war truly breaks out, just two of their soul engineer legions would be enough to steamroll our empire.
That's why we need time—time to research soul tools, to modernize our army. The longer we can delay a full-scale war, the better!"
Neither Zhu Ziyang nor Xuanzi showed any reaction, but Du Busi's face darkened. The Body Sect had always opposed soul tool development, so hearing Xu Luo praise them so highly felt like a slap in the face. More than embarrassment, however, he felt fear—if even the strongest of the three former great empires couldn't withstand two legions, what chance did the Heaven Soul Empire stand?
Unsettled, Du Busi finally spoke. "The Heaven Soul Empire is sending five Title Douluo—though all of them are Super Douluo: one at rank 98, one at 97, one at 96, and two at 95."
His statement surprised all three present. If five Super Douluo were being deployed, then the Heaven Soul Empire clearly had more in reserve. Even factoring in the Body Sect's support, this still posed a genuine threat—and that raised concern in both Zhu Ziyang and Xuanzi.
"Excellent. I truly appreciate both of your cooperation," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile. "Shrek Academy is only sending Elder Xuanzi and myself. However…"
Seeing Xu Luo and Du Busi's expressions darken, Zhu Ziyang raised a hand in reassurance. "Don't be alarmed. I believe Elder Xuanzi and I are more than enough. In both strength and status, we fully represent Shrek Academy."
The two Super Douluo visibly relaxed. As infuriating as Zhu Ziyang's words might be, they couldn't argue—he was right.
"Since there are no objections, let's move on to the operation schedule," Zhu Ziyang continued. "We've tentatively set the plan for the day before the finals of the Soul Master Tournament. Here's how we'll proceed…"
The rest of the evening was spent in detailed discussion of the assassination plan's logistics and deployment.
(End of Chapter)
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