This time, only three people set out for Morey City to carry out the inspection mission of eliminating Evil Soul Masters: Zhou Sicheng, Ye Guyi, and Ma Xiaotao.
The rest of the Inner Court students, without any inspection assignments, were now fully focused on preparing for the upcoming Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. After all, this was a major event that upheld Shrek Academy's millennia-long glory.
Morey City was a medium-sized city in the Heavenly Soul Empire, with a resident population of nearly one million. When Evil Soul Masters led by a Soul Sage wreak havoc, it usually requires a response team composed of multiple Soul Sages or even Soul Douluo-level inspectors.
This time, among the trio, the one with the highest soul power was Ma Xiaotao, who was only at Rank 67.
However, a Soul Master's strength was never solely determined by soul power level. Both Ye Guyi at Rank 65 and Ma Xiaotao at Rank 67 were not yet Soul Sages, but their actual combat power could rival that of an average one.
Most importantly, one of them wielded an attribute close to Ultimate Fire, and the other was a natural nemesis of Evil Soul Masters. Their abilities gave them overwhelming suppressive power against such enemies.
On top of that, both far surpassed their peers in terms of combat strength. So even if they had to face a Soul Sage-level Evil Soul Master, they might not necessarily be at a disadvantage.
As for Zhou Sicheng, there was no need to even mention it. Although his soul power was only at Rank 44, his actual strength was comparable to a Titled Douluo. He had even slain a Soul Douluo-level Evil Soul Master single-handedly—so what was a mere Soul Sage to him?
The real challenge of this mission lay in eliminating the group of Evil Soul Masters while minimizing harm to civilians.
All three possessed the ability to fly, and it took them only a day to reach Morey City. After changing out of their academy uniforms, they entered the city posing as ordinary travelers, paying the regular entry fee.
Elder Mu had not given them much information—only the approximate number and location of the Evil Soul Masters. The rest, they had to uncover on their own.
They were unaware that Elder Xuan was secretly following them to ensure their safety.
Normally, once a Shrek Inner Court student accepts an inspection mission, there would be no one secretly watching over them. After all, the academy wouldn't assign missions beyond the students' capabilities.
But Zhou Sicheng and his companions were different—they were top-tier prodigies and represented Shrek's future. Elder Xuan would rather risk his own life than allow any harm to come to them.
After all, he had made mistakes before, and he was doing everything possible to ensure such things never happened again…
Once inside Morey City, the three casually found a hotel to stay in. Inside their room, they began discussing their next steps.
Now that they knew the Evil Soul Masters' base of operations and approximate numbers, their goal was to neutralize the group with as little collateral damage as possible.
If Zhou Sicheng were acting alone, he could have simply donned his Variable Core, which had been upgraded to the point of functioning like a true invisibility cloak. With its ability to suppress soul fluctuations—enough to avoid detection even by a Titled Douluo—he could silently eliminate the group with minimal risk.
Even if one of the Evil Soul Masters was at the Soul Sage level, they wouldn't survive a strike combining his Ultimate Ice and Darkgolden Terrorclaws.
Not to mention, the Phoenix Hellfire, which burned the soul, was a nightmare for Evil Soul Masters.
After several upgrades, his Variable Core was essentially a stealth suit now. As long as he didn't release any soul power fluctuations, the Evil Soul Masters wouldn't notice him at all.
But since he wasn't alone this time—accompanied by Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao—he naturally wasn't going to handle it solo.
While Evil Soul Masters didn't deserve mercy, and he could have eliminated them quickly on his own, the presence of the other two meant this was also an opportunity for training.
Otherwise, there would have been no reason for them to come along.
Most importantly, Ye Guyi's Holy Angel martial soul had a unique trait unlike any other.
When she personally slew Evil Soul Masters, she could purify a portion of their refined soul power and absorb it, enhancing her own strength.
This was something Zhou Sicheng had to consider. The reason Ye Guyi had reached her current strength at such a young age, aside from her innate talent, was precisely due to this trait.
Though she hadn't killed many Evil Soul Masters so far, the few she had dispatched brought her substantial gains.
As her strength continued to grow, she would inevitably hunt down Evil Soul Masters more aggressively—not only to protect others but also as a way to boost her own power like a cheat ability.
The three of them sat around a circular table. Zhou Sicheng looked at Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao and said, "If it were just me, I'd have a seventy percent chance of eliminating these Evil Soul Masters without a sound. But since you two are here, you'll naturally be involved."
Both women nodded slightly. Ye Guyi asked, "Do you have a plan?"
Zhou Sicheng took a sip of tea and replied, "The Evil Soul Masters are currently operating in the western district, hiding in places frequented by civilians. According to the information Elder Mu gave us, their base is inside a casino called Try Again Tomorrow."
This was already known to both Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao.
Zhou Sicheng continued, "There are thirteen of them in total: one Soul Sage, two Soul Emperors, and the remaining ten are either Soul Kings or Soul Ancestors. Every single one is an elite Evil Soul Master."
"A group of this level would be considered top-tier in any Evil Soul Master organization. The fact that there are no weak subordinates suggests they're here on an important mission."
"Our primary goal is to find out what that mission is. Only then do we eliminate them."
Hearing this, both women nodded again. Ma Xiaotao couldn't help but ask, "Then don't we have to stake them out?"
Zhou Sicheng chuckled. "That's the usual approach, yes. But since I'm here, we can take a shortcut."
"We just need to kill them all and leave one alive for me. I have my ways of making them talk."
Although neither Ye Guyi nor Ma Xiaotao knew what method he was referring to, they had absolute trust in him.
Zhou Sicheng added, "So all we need to do is blend in as gamblers. Once inside, I'll identify all the Evil Soul Masters and use my Ultimate Ice to create a frozen domain, cutting off their escape routes."
Ma Xiaotao clapped her hands. "Once you trap them, I'll go in with Little Martial Aunt and we'll wipe them out like fish in a barrel!"
Zhou Sicheng glanced at her. "You're right—but not entirely."
Ma Xiaotao blinked. "You're going in alone? Then why are we even here?"
Ye Guyi smiled gently and patted her hand. "That's not it. I think his plan is for you to go in with him while I remain disguised in the crowd inside the casino."
Ma Xiaotao quickly caught on. "You'll stay behind just in case they've hidden someone among the gamblers too, disguised like us."
Her eyes lit up. "That makes sense! Your Holy Angel is sensitive to Evil Soul Master auras. Even if they're disguised as normal people, unless they're using some special concealment method, they won't escape your notice. You can guard the exit and protect the innocent inside."
Zhou Sicheng nodded approvingly and gave her a thumbs-up. "Looks like you've grasped the full plan. While those gamblers might not be saints, they likely aren't villains either. We should save as many as we can."
He paused, his tone turning serious. "But above all else, prioritize your own safety. Evil Soul Masters are unpredictable and extremely dangerous. Once they act, it'll be with overwhelming force. We can't afford to give them even a second to react."
Hearing this, both Ma Xiaotao and Ye Guyi nodded solemnly.
Indeed, the abilities of Evil Soul Masters were vastly different from those of normal Soul Masters. Even a Titled Douluo had to exercise caution when facing them.
One misstep could spell disaster.
A single Soul Sage-level Evil Soul Master could potentially unleash a trump card capable of threatening a Titled Douluo.
In the original story, during the tournament led by Elder Xuan, even a five-ring Death God Envoy used a secret technique to trigger a corpse explosion on par with a Soul Sage-level strike, resulting in the deaths and serious injuries of Shrek's elite team members...
So even Zhou Sicheng had to be cautious.
When acting alone, he never feared, because he understood exactly how terrifying and cunning Evil Soul Masters could be. Whenever he encountered one, he always struck first with overwhelming force, giving no chance to retaliate.
After all, he wasn't some naïve "Chicken Drumstick Douluo"...
At that thought, Zhou Sicheng found himself thinking again about Xuan…
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