With the future as his guide, Su Ming's actions this time proceeded very smoothly.
While calmly searching for target Spirit Beasts for Wei Na, the Shrek faction within the Star Dou Great Forest also performed... characteristically.
A thunderous boom came from the depths. A terrifying surge of Spirit Power swept through the entire forest.
"Xuan Zi, you dare to come hunting here again!"
Di Tian's indifferent yet angry voice spread out in all directions, making Wei Na and the others, who were hunting in the core area, feel dazed.
Su Ming, on the other hand, remained as usual, looking towards the direction of the explosion.
His gaze penetrated layers of trees, landing on the fleeing Xuan Zi.
"Indeed, flourishing fortune!"
Above Xuan Zi's head, fortune gathered, his face glowing with a sheen.
"This is a top-tier Evil Martial Soul."
Even Electrolux couldn't help but exclaim in exclamation.
"Feasting on fortune... If not from your perspective, I wouldn't have noticed it either."
This subtle swallowing ability was perhaps the key to Xuan Zi's ability to grow to this level.
Otherwise, with his temperament, no matter how strong his Martial Soul was, he wouldn't have managed his own safety properly.
To be fair, although Xuan Zi had repeatedly challenged Shrek's future head-on, among all the elders of Shrek Academy, he was the most diligent.
The ones truly devoted to Shrek's cause were Xuan Zi, Yan Shaozhe, and maybe Qian Duoduo.
The other elders were basically retired in the Sea God Pavilion, doing nothing, like trash.
Xuan Zi was always the one who showed up. In fact, if Mu En hadn't died so quickly, he, as the second strongest, would have had to lead the team for the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament.
Running around outside every day, with so many enemies of Shrek, and being so careless himself, the fact that he survived and cultivated to this point truly had a bit of a story to it.
An eighth ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring? That was truly top-tier on the continent.
Without sufficient fortune and opportunity, it would have been absolutely impossible.
From another angle, Zhang Lexuan being able to survive Xuan Zi devouring her fortune and even obtain a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring meant her life was truly tenacious.
Many thoughts flashed through Su Ming's mind.
But his movements didn't hesitate in the slightest.
"Stay here and don't move."
After admonishing Long Aotian and the others, Su Ming immediately took a step forward and vanished the next second.
Long Aotian still wanted to say he could help or something, but before he could speak, Su Ming had disappeared. He closed his mouth, which he had just opened.
With Martial Soul Second Awakening and seven-ring cultivation, in a state of harmony between man and nature, his strength ranked among the upper tier of Spirit Douluos.
Unfortunately, such strength was completely insufficient to intervene.
On the other side.
Xuan Zi fled frantically.
He looked back over his shoulder, his eyes wide open.
"Di Tian, you dare kill my Shrek elite!"
Di Tian's dragon claw tore through the space before him, directly shuttling through the spatial layers, intercepting Xuan Zi mid-escape.
"Xuan Zi, have you forgotten my warning back in Shrek City?"
Di Tian had personally come to Shrek City, coerced the academy, forcing Xuan Zi to bring Huo Yuhao to the Land of Extreme Danger to apologize.
The root of it all was the Auspicious Beast. Now the Auspicious Beast was gone, but this grudge hadn't been cleared.
In the end, she was the one he raised, no different from a daughter. To have her fortune broken for no reason by Xuan Zi, forcing her to sacrifice to Su Ming—Di Tian felt terrible about it.
He had watched the Auspicious Beast sacrifice to Su Ming!
The source of it all was Xuan Zi.
Di Tian stared at Xuan Zi, murderous intent bursting into his eyes.
Facing Di Tian's murderous golden eyes, Xuan Zi inwardly lamented his bitter fate.
This Di Tian was so petty.
Something that happened so long ago, and he still wouldn't let it go.
The key is, Di Tian had told him to make amends. Several years had passed without a word; who knew he was still thinking about it?
"Di Tian, you think I'm afraid of you?!"
Xuan Zi roared, entering his Martial Soul True Body.
His body swelled to over ten meters tall. The True Body of the Glutton revealed itself, with an earthy aura flowing around it.
"At worst, we fight to the death! Maybe, like Elder Mu, I can break through on the verge of death!"
A trace of madness flashed in Xuan Zi's eyes.
"Isn't this Xuan Zi?"
Su Ming's voice came through.
Xuan Zi turned around suddenly, seeing Su Ming stepping out from space.
"Su Ming!"
A flicker of fear passed through his eyes.
Why was Su Ming here?
Coincidence?
He looked behind Su Ming, alert for Du Busi's appearance at any moment.
"Stop looking. My teacher didn't come this time."
Su Ming glanced at Di Tian, nodding.
"Is your Body Sect colluding with Spirit Beasts?" Xuan Zi noticed Su Ming's small movements and cold scolding.
"I'm just here today to eliminate an Evil Spirit Master."
Su Ming looked at Xuan Zi and sneered.
"Xuan Zi, don't you have any self-awareness at all?"
Xuan Zi frowned.
"Who is an Evil Spirit Master?"
"Of course, it's you," Su Ming sighed. "You haven't noticed at all? Just how weak is your control over your own Martial Soul?"
A golden light flashed in Su Ming's eyes.
Xuan Zi instinctively took two steps back.
He felt as if Su Ming had seen right through him.
"Devour Fortune. A top-tier Evil Martial Soul. The geniuses around you have all had their fortune devoured by you. Your Martial Soul has long been sufficient for you to advance to the Limit Douluo level, but you're too incompetent."
A few sentences from Su Ming completely broke Xuan Zi's mental defense.
"Impossible!"
This old man is just a bit unfocused; he would never actively harm students!
Using the power of fate to observe Xuan Zi, Su Ming also solved his own doubts, understanding where this trip's influence on Di Rui's fate lay.
"This Martial Soul of yours really isn't picky. You swallow the fortune of Spirit Beasts, you swallow the fortune of students, and you've even swallowed a portion of Shrek Academy's own fortune."
Saying this, even Su Ming himself took a breath.
What a glutton.
All that fortune, nurturing this one Xuan Zi.
Did Tang San not know?
The Auspicious Beast's fortune wasn't taken by Huo Yuhao; it was swallowed by Xuan Zi, who performed the Attribute Connection. What Huo Yuhao obtained was only the Auspicious Beast's power of fate and its Spirit Ring.
Tang San personally participated in that scene; he couldn't have been unaware.
So, was he deliberately nurturing Xuan Zi?
Su Ming continued to look at the most core of the fortune within Xuan Zi's body.
There lay the most core, most massive portion of Xuan Zi's fortune—Shrek.
To be precise, this core fortune had an even more condensed core. Su Ming could recognize its aura; it came from A Yin within the Golden Ancient Tree.
So that was it.
Su Ming understood.
Every generation's Sea God Pavilion Master, after death, would integrate their power into the Golden Ancient Tree, which naturally included their fortune.
Undoubtedly, the more fortune Xuan Zi swallowed during his lifetime, the more A Yin benefited.
The Spirit Beast race's fortune was attached to Di Rui. Xuan Zi swallowing the Spirit Beast fortune from her body was a great tonic for A Yin.
Shrek Academy's insistence on moving out of Sky Dou City to build a city beside the Star Dou Great Forest wasn't necessarily just to guard against beast tides, as they could only block one side anyway.
The greatest significance of Shrek's location choice was to compete for fortune with the Star Dou Great Forest!
To compete for the Life Core!
Having realized this, Su Ming had his Douluo 1 self go to the Will Space to carefully experience it.
The Life Core...
Was the Golden Ancient Tree the Life Core from the start?
No.
The Star Dou Great Forest was!
***
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(Chapter End)