From Zhou Sichen's composed demeanor, it was clear he had already seen through Yan Shaozhe's intentions.
Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er also understood with just a glance from Yan Shaozhe—after working together for decades, they shared that level of tacit understanding.
Faced with Zhou Sichen's calm and orderly handling of the situation...
To be honest, they were all quite surprised. After all, no matter how mature he acted, Zhou Sichen was still only a twelve-year-old child.
As they spoke, a crystalline cube appeared in Zhou Sichen's hand. He casually broke off a small piece from one of its faces and handed it to Yan Shaozhe.
Zhou Sichen said, "Senior Brother, if this piece of the Adaptive Core shatters, it means my life is in immediate danger."
With those words, Zhou Sichen raised his right hand. The Book of Contract, appearing as if forged from gold, slowly materialized. Three black soul rings rhythmically pulsed around his body.
As his martial soul manifested, the massive Bear One, who had been peacefully napping in a private rest chamber tailored for the Soul Duel Arena, instantly turned into a mass of dark-golden light and returned to the Book of Contract as if it had torn through space itself.
At the same time, Zhou Sichen's second black soul ring lit up. A dark-red halo surged into his body.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a majestic Phoenix—fiery wings unfurled behind him. He also activated a level-five soul tool propulsion system strapped to his back.
With a burst of force, Zhou Sichen launched into the sky, soaring out of Shrek Academy, heading straight for the Sunset Forest.
As he took off, he said one last thing: "Barring any unexpected complications, we'll be back within half a month."
Zhou Sichen shot off like a blazing meteor, attracting the attention of countless onlookers in both Shrek Academy and even Shrek City.
Some unaware powerhouses of Shrek City initially moved to intercept him—after all, flying at high altitudes was forbidden within city limits.
But the moment they saw it was Zhou Sichen, they quietly backed off.
While high-altitude flight was restricted, that applied to ordinary people. Zhou Sichen was anything but ordinary.
Yan Shaozhe glanced at the tiny shard of the Adaptive Core in his hand, then looked back toward Zhou Sichen's now-distant figure, a small smile curling on his lips.
Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er couldn't help but ask, "Did Ye Guyi really run into trouble?"
Yan Shaozhe nodded. "Junior Sister did encounter some complications, but nothing too serious. Junior Brother can handle it."
By now, Yan Shaozhe had fully acknowledged Zhou Sichen as his junior brother—and spoke of him with true warmth.
Fan Yu stood silently off to the side, unsure whether or not to chime in...
Qian Duoduo asked again, "Shouldn't we protect him from the shadows, just in case?"
Yan Shaozhe held up the fragment of the Adaptive Core. "Didn't he already say? As long as this thing is intact, he's fine."
He paused for a moment, his gaze turning sharp. "Besides, Teacher also said that if a young eagle wants to soar, it has to leave the safety of the nest. Zhou Sichen is someone Teacher values. We need to learn to trust him too."
Qian Duoduo still seemed a little uneasy. "But what if..."
Yan Shaozhe fell silent for a moment, then said firmly, "There is no 'what if.'"
With the Phoenix wings and level-five soul tool propulsion system boosting him, Zhou Sichen's speed rivaled that of a Soul Sage-level flying-type soul master at full speed. He tore through the skies, heading swiftly toward the Sunset Forest.
At this point, he wasn't particularly nervous. After all, the very fact that Yan Shaozhe staged this whole thing as a test meant that his sister's life wasn't in immediate danger.
As long as he reached the forest quickly, everything should be manageable.
Besides worrying about Ye Guyi, Zhou Sichen's mind was on something else—something very important.
Since his destination was the Sunset Forest, how could he not think of that chosen-one-tier treasure trove—the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?
According to the original story, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was located at the heart of the Sunset Forest. Zhou Sichen had originally planned to head there after obtaining his fourth soul ring.
But now, it might just be the perfect opportunity.
He wasn't sure what the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was like in this timeline, but based on the novel, he believed he was strong enough to handle the sentient immortal herbs growing there.
And unlike others, he knew how to bypass the Jade Phosphor Seven-Absolute Flower's poisonous formation. Others might not know its weakness, but he did.
After leaving Shrek City, Zhou Sichen flew eastward nonstop. The Sunset Forest lay within the territory of the Heaven Soul Empire.
From Shrek City, one had to first reach the empire's capital, Heaven Dou City, then travel another 50 kilometers or so northeast to reach the Sunset Forest.
Thanks to his flame acceleration and soul tool propulsion, Zhou Sichen reached Heaven Dou City in just three hours.
Unlike Huo Yuhao in the original story, Zhou Sichen didn't recklessly invade restricted airspace. That had been cringeworthy to watch. Worst of all, when the capital's airspace was breached, only Mu Xue showed up to investigate?
If someone with malicious intent did that, wouldn't the entire city be gone in seconds?
Upon reaching Heaven Dou City, Zhou Sichen deactivated his Infernal Flame fusion and propulsion gear. He paid the entry fee, found a nice place to eat, and restored his soul power through meditation before setting off again.
Once outside the bustling city, in a secluded area, he reactivated his Infernal Flame fusion and flew northeast.
With speed rivaling a flying Soul Sage, he reached the Sunset Forest in just one more hour.
To be honest, the Sunset Forest had deteriorated greatly compared to ten thousand years ago. Soul beasts were scarce, and most of the lush plant life had vanished.
At least, that was true for the outer regions.
Zhou Sichen didn't stop at all, slicing through the sky toward the forest's center.
Along the way, he didn't encounter any powerful soul beasts—mostly ten-year or hundred-year types. Anything at the thousand-year level was already considered elite.
But these soul beasts, sensing the terrifying presence on Zhou Sichen—comparable to a ten-thousand-year beast—fled before he even got close.
With nothing slowing him down, Zhou Sichen reached the forest's interior in just another hour. Dawn was already beginning to break.
He had spent the previous day crafting soul tools, then traveled all night. Thankfully, he had meditated to recover during his stop in Heaven Dou City—otherwise, he might not have been able to hold up.
He was still full of energy now. The only issue was that the Infernal Flame consumed a massive amount of soul power and needed time to recover.
Once he reached the central region of the forest, the number of soul beasts finally began to increase—but still, not a single ten-thousand-year beast in sight.
Zhou Sichen withdrew the Infernal Flame, letting it return to the Book of Contract to recover, and summoned Ah Da for fusion instead.
With Ah Da's power, Zhou Sichen formed a pair of ice blades under his feet. Two icy paths materialized before him—just thick enough for the blades to skate across.
Not only did this consume far less soul power, but it also let him reach maximum ground speed.
It was a practical little trick he'd learned.
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