If it weren't for Zhang Lexuan holding back, she might have been defeated even faster.
Originally, they thought Zhang Lexuan had just broken through and might not have fully adapted to her new Super Douluo strength.
However, the combat power Zhang Lexuan displayed shocked her deeply.
This wasn't the sign of someone who hadn't adapted to their strength. Even a level 96 Super Douluo of the same rank might not be this girl's match.
Xian Lin'er even thought that even her mother, at her peak, might not have been stronger than Zhang Lexuan.
This girl has truly grown up.
Xian Lin'er coughed again, her delicate face pale, but her eyes full of gratification.
"Lexuan, I'm fine. You're amazing."
"Our Shrek Academy finally has someone to carry on the legacy."
With Zhang Lexuan's current age and strength, her future breakthrough to Ultimate Douluo was almost certain.
For Shrek Academy, the future was bright.
Seeing that Xian Lin'er was fine, Yan Shaozhe also relaxed. He looked at Zhang Lexuan with a smile on his face and said:
"Lin'er is right. Lexuan, you are already capable of standing on your own."
"According to our teacher's instructions before his passing, once you break through to Super Douluo, you should take over the position of Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion."
"Now, I think the time has come."
Yan Shaozhe felt genuinely happy in his heart.
He originally thought it would take another two years, but who would have expected Zhang Lexuan to directly leap to level 96 Super Douluo?
And her strength was so formidable. Yan Shaozhe wasn't foolish; he understood that Zhang Lexuan's martial soul had undergone a transformation.
It had likely advanced to the category of a super martial soul—one of the best among them.
Without a doubt, this should be Su Yu's doing, as Zhang Lexuan herself didn't have this ability.
But regardless of who was behind it, Zhang Lexuan belonged to Shrek Academy. Either way, Shrek Academy had gained immensely this time.
With Zhang Lexuan's current strength, she was fully qualified to take on the role of Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion.
Yan Shaozhe was about to be relieved of his burden.
Once Zhang Lexuan became the Pavilion Master, Su Yu wouldn't just stand by idly, would he?
Although no one knew exactly how Zhang Lexuan had managed to win over Su Yu, making him so devoted to her and treating her like a treasure, the very fact that there was a connection meant Zhang Lexuan could rely on Su Yu as her backing.
And that was the best possible outcome.
With Su Yu's help, the things Yan Shaozhe couldn't accomplish before should be easily resolved by Zhang Lexuan.
Just as Xian Lin'er said, Shrek Academy finally had someone to carry on the legacy.
And that person was Zhang Lexuan.
"Dean Yan, this… this won't do. Lexuan is inexperienced and unworthy of such a great responsibility."
Zhang Lexuan didn't agree immediately. Instead, she showed a hint of hesitation, as if afraid of making a mess of things.
Su Yu had once told her that at times like this, she should refuse three times before accepting.
She couldn't show that she was eager for the position but should instead let others elevate her to it.
That was the professional way to go about it.
Sure enough, as soon as Zhang Lexuan finished speaking, Yan Shaozhe began persuading her again, and even Xian Lin'er joined in to help.
After much polite refusal, Zhang Lexuan finally agreed to take on the position of Pavilion Master, making Yan Shaozhe laugh heartily in excitement.
Haibo Dong, watching from the side, found it amusing. He didn't need to guess to know who Zhang Lexuan had learned this act from.
Zhang Lexuan wasn't someone with such schemes. It had to be their young master's handiwork.
She had been influenced by being around him for too long.
"Hahaha, excellent! With you, Lexuan, taking over the Sea God Pavilion, our Shrek Academy will once again rise to prosperity!"
Yan Shaozhe laughed heartily, clearly in a great mood. This trip not only earned Zhang Lexuan a great soul ring but also brought Shrek Academy a new Pavilion Master.
It was a double blessing.
Although they had spent over a month drifting on the sea, it all seemed worth it now.
Amidst the laughter, Yan Shaozhe waved his sleeve and prepared to set sail for home.
As for the original route, Yan Shaozhe no longer remembered it, but he could still distinguish between east, west, north, and south.
As long as they headed in the direction of the Star Luo Empire, they would eventually reach the shore.
The return journey would be much faster than the journey there since they no longer needed to search for soul beasts and could focus on traveling.
Zhang Lexuan stood at the bow of the ship, the sea breeze gently blowing her hair.
Her flowing hair made her already beautiful face appear even more radiant.
Looking out at the vast ocean, Zhang Lexuan's eyes sparkled.
She had finally broken through to Super Douluo and was about to take charge of the Sea God Pavilion.
In the future, she would finally have the ability to help Su Yu, and this gave her a sense of satisfaction.
The direction she had always worked toward was to ease Su Yu's burdens and become his capable partner.
With how much Su Yu doted on her, she could have easily followed the example of Meng Hongchen and the others, becoming a beautiful vase. But she wasn't willing to settle for that.
Rather than being a little woman hiding behind Su Yu, she wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with him and face challenges together.
"This girl is daydreaming again."
Haibo Dong chuckled softly, glancing at Zhang Lexuan.
These days, Zhang Lexuan had been zoning out often.
He didn't need to think hard to know that she was probably thinking about their young master again.
He couldn't deny it—his young master certainly had charm, enough to captivate countless young women.
With a quiet sigh, Haibo Dong looked at the endless blue ocean stretching to the horizon, letting his mind drift.
Days passed, and their group gradually entered an unknown sea region.
Over these days, they had encountered several waves of soul beast attacks. This ocean still seemed as chaotic as ever.
On the deck, Haibo Dong was chatting with Zhang Lexuan when he suddenly froze, his expression tensing as he looked to the horizon.
Zhang Lexuan's beautiful eyes narrowed. "What is it, Senior Ice Emperor?"
Haibo Dong frowned slightly, staring ahead. Through his senses, he could tell that a huge entity was approaching.
What shocked him was that this soul beast had managed to avoid detection by the spiritual field he had spread out, penetrating directly into his domain.
Just from this single feat, it was clear that the approaching creature was no ordinary presence.
"Notify Yan Shaozhe and the others to stay alert. We've been targeted by that thing."
Following the trail of its energy, Haibo Dong knew they were already being watched.
At this point, it was too late to escape. They could only face it head-on.
"What?"
Zhang Lexuan was startled. "We've been targeted by a soul beast?"
Haibo Dong nodded. "And a very powerful one at that. Even I feel a bit of pressure."
"Ice Emperor, this…"
Zhang Lexuan couldn't believe it. If even Haibo Dong felt pressured, then what kind of sea soul beast were they dealing with?
Could it be one of the ocean's overlords?
"Don't panic, Lexuan. With me here, you'll be fine."
Haibo Dong gazed ahead, speaking calmly.
Zhang Lexuan nodded and quickly went to inform Yan Shaozhe and the others. When they heard the news, they were all alarmed and gathered beside Haibo Dong.
Haibo Dong stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the sea ahead. After a moment, he said, "It's here."
Everyone looked in the direction he indicated and saw what appeared to be an island rising from the calm sea in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that it wasn't an island—it was the back of a soul beast.
The exposed back looked like a towering mountain, revealing just how enormous this creature was.
"What… what kind of soul beast is this?"
Yan Shaozhe exclaimed in shock. He had never seen such a colossal soul beast before.
The part above the water alone was like a mountain. What kind of immense size must the part below the surface be?
He had thought the Nine Nether Frost Shark was massive, but in front of this beast, it seemed pathetically small.
Just the length of the exposed back was several times that of the Nine Nether Frost Shark.
This was truly an unprecedented prehistoric behemoth.
Facing such a terrifying giant, even Yan Shaozhe felt a chill of fear in his heart.
This was no friendly encounter.
As everyone stared at the soul beast, a high-pitched whale song suddenly echoed across the sea.
The previously calm waters instantly erupted into chaos, with towering waves surging one after another in a relentless assault.
In the face of the massive waves, their small ship was like a helpless leaf in the water, threatening to capsize at any moment.
It didn't take a genius to know that this tsunami was caused by the soul beast.
For it to casually create such a catastrophe, the power of this soul beast was unimaginable.
Haibo Dong snorted coldly, raised his hand, and unleashed a wave of frost.
The raging waves were instantly frozen solid, transforming into towering icebergs over a hundred meters high.
Under the sunlight, the frozen scene shimmered brilliantly.
"Protect yourselves, I'll be right back."
Suddenly attacked without provocation, Hai Bodong's personality wouldn't allow him to sit idly by.
With a flash of his figure, he was already in mid-air. Forming hand seals with both hands, the entire surface of the sea began to freeze.
In no time, the ice spread to envelop the surrounding area of the soul beast, attempting to freeze it as well.
Faced with the encroaching ice, the soul beast finally reacted. With a fierce struggle, an invisible ripple burst forth, shattering the frozen sea around it in one sweep.
Immediately afterward, the creature's body, which had been hidden beneath the sea, finally emerged.
First came its incomparably massive head, resembling a small mountain. Its deep blue eyes carried an air of majesty, captivating and intimidating.
Then, its immense body followed, stretching out for several hundred meters from head to tail.
On its back, there was an obvious breathing vent that spewed out jets of water, while its powerful and muscular tail lightly slapped the water. The sheer force gave an illusion as if it could shatter the sky itself.
Seeing the true form of this soul beast, Hai Bodong was momentarily stunned.
"Deep Sea Demon Whale?"
Before coming here, Su Yu had specially briefed him on this realm, which was why he could recognize the Nine Nether Frost Shark.
But compared to the Nine Nether Frost Shark, the Deep Sea Demon Whale was on a completely different level.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale clan was the true overlord of the ocean, one of the most powerful species in the vast seas.
Though their numbers were few, their strength was universally formidable.
He recalled Su Yu mentioning that there was a Deep Sea Demon Whale in the clan whose cultivation was nearly on par with Di Tian, perhaps even surpassing it.
Hai Bodong guessed that the one before him was likely that very creature; otherwise, it wouldn't be able to exert such pressure on him.
It must be noted that his strength was already at the pinnacle on the continent. Even among Ultimate Douluos, there were few he deemed worthy of attention.
Yet this Deep Sea Demon Whale was much stronger than the average Ultimate Douluo.
Recognizing its identity, the coldness in Hai Bodong's eyes subsided slightly. After all, this was one of the few sea creatures that Su Yu mentioned was not a lackey of the Sea God.
If it had been one of those lackeys, Hai Bodong would have already made his move.
"Deep Sea Demon Whale, attacking me without reason—do you truly think my blade is dull?"
Hovering in the sky, Hai Bodong looked down at the Deep Sea Demon Whale below him with a commanding gaze.
Though he recognized its identity, that didn't mean Hai Bodong wasn't angry.
Being locked onto and attacked without reason, Hai Bodong was not someone who would tolerate such treatment.
However, the Deep Sea Demon Whale showed no intention of responding. Instead, it opened its mouth and spat out a massive column of water, which shot up from the surface of the sea.
The power contained within the water column was enough to tear an ordinary Super Douluo to pieces.
But Hai Bodong merely snorted coldly, and with a light flick of his finger, the water column froze solid.
Without wasting words, Hai Bodong formed hand seals again. Snow and ice in the sky condensed into a massive mountain, which he hurled mercilessly at the Deep Sea Demon Whale.
The hundred-meter-tall ice mountain descended from the heavens, carrying a violent yet elegant sense of beauty.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale's eyes glinted coldly. Just before the ice mountain landed, it lashed out with its tail, striking the massive ice structure directly.
The mountain of ice, formed from the purest extreme cold, was shattered by its raw strength.
Hai Bodong's gaze turned icy. Forming seals again, he summoned countless ice blades that filled the sky.
In response, the Deep Sea Demon Whale controlled the surrounding seawater, sending one massive water column after another shooting skyward.
Man and beast clashed fiercely, their battle overturning the heavens and churning the seas.
Yan Shaozhe and the others, steering a small boat, retreated dozens of nautical miles away. Even from that distance, they were stunned by the ferocity of the battle.
The distant sky was dominated by shades of icy blue and deep blue. The energy unleashed in the surrounding area alone was enough to demonstrate the intensity of the fight.
Compared to the chaos caused by these two, their strength felt like child's play.
"What kind of soul beast is this, to be so powerful?"
Xian Lin'er was still shaken.
For a soul beast to fight Hai Bodong to this extent, it was clearly at the Ultimate Douluo level—perhaps even far beyond an average Ultimate Douluo.
After all, Hai Bodong was a powerhouse with a record of defeating two Ultimate Douluos at once.
Even with the sea granting an advantage to sea soul beasts, the terrifying power of this creature was evident.
How had they encountered such a monstrous soul beast?
"This must be the Deep Sea Demon Whale recorded in ancient texts. Who would've thought that, after the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was slain by Ancestor Tang San, there would still be such a formidable Deep Sea Demon Whale in existence?"
"If it weren't for Ice Emperor accompanying us on this journey, we'd all be doomed."
Yan Shaozhe remarked with lingering fear. The sea was just too dangerous.
To think they had encountered a Deep Sea Demon Whale—it was truly terrifying.
"Deep Sea Demon Whale?"
"Isn't that the evil soul beast that defies the Sea God's orders?"
Xian Lin'er's eyes widened.
She had heard of the Deep Sea Demon Whale before—it was a well-known evil sea soul beast.
It was said that Ancestor Tang San had gone to great lengths to kill the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Yet now, another Deep Sea Demon Whale had appeared.
"The Deep Sea Demon Whale clan is steeped in sin. I truly hope Lord Ice Emperor can slay it and bring peace to the sea soul beasts."