Predator

Douluo Mainland.

Shrek City.

Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.

"He has absorbed the Spirit Soul, President."

The Titled Douluo that gave Fan Lin his Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear Spirit Soul said to a middle-aged man.

"What's his status?"

The person that was denoted as President questioned.

"Spirit Power - 596."

"Physique - Rank 43 Soul Ancestor."

"Soul Power Density - Normal."

"Currently at Rank 25 Soul Grandmaster due to the absorption of the five thousand year old spirit soul."

The Titled Douluo calmly recited. For a person of his strength, calming his emotions was easy.

"Will your plan work?"

The President asked.

"It has an 86% chance of success. We have given him the crossbreed Spirit Soul and it will slowly evolve his Martial Soul to reach new heights."

"The kid has an unusually high Spirit Power for his age and the Spirit attribute of the Spirit Soul will make it even stronger. He will be a true monster when we have finally concluded his nourishment."

The Titled Douluo finished his words and waited for the President's next words.

"And how did you know that the crossbreed Blue Silver Tulip was the perfect spirit soul for him?"

The President asked in interest.

"He was the one who told the receptionist about it two weeks ago. I feel like he might not be that simple."

The Titled Douluo said.

"Strong physique, superior cultivation speed and high Spirit Power. If trained well, this boy can become the best tool for me. If..."

"That's true President and I will make sure that he will have all the things that you will need, be it the cultivation resources, spirit bones and even the Battle Armor. I will arm him to the teeth but for that I need funds to further my research on his Martial Soul and his background."

"Granted but your head will be next thing to be adorned to my walls if you failed in it."

The President coldly remarked.

"I would not disappoint you President."

The Titled Douluo left the office leaving the President alone in the room.

"Fool."

The President of the Spirit Pagoda whispered while looking at the entirety of the Shrek City and even beyond that from his office.

....

Teacher's area

Wu Zhangkong's Room.

"So you suddenly felt refreshed and the circuit design that you previously found tough become easier to inscribe."

Wu Zhangkong said to the Soul receiver on his desk.

{Yeah. After coming from the Pagoda, that's the first thing that I did.}

"Hmm. When a person faces a situation that causes mental strain or tragedy, there is a chance of rapid increase in Spirit Power. Did you had any major mentally straining issue or something?"

Wu Zhangkong said after some thinking.

{Nope. The previous month was really calm, there was nothing mentally straining as well. I have already been accepted to the Spirit Pagoda, am studying at a proper school and has a proper chance to join the Shrek Academy, most of what I desired had been fulfilled.}

"Then it must be the life and death battle situation of the Spirit Ascension plane that might have simulated your mind space or your Blue Silver Energy Grass and cause the sudden increase of Spirit Power."

After listening to the explanation of Fan Lin, this was the only answer that Wu Zhangkong could think of.

'If he is telling me everything that is.'

Wu Zhangkong thought of Fan Lin and could guess that he was hiding quite a lot of things. Things that even the Tang Sect couldn't find.

{Must be.}

"What are your plans now?"

He asked. Fan Lin had rejected his offer to join the Class Zero due to some reason but he did require help.

{To raise my ranks in the Spirit Pagoda. Join Shrek. Change things. Kill humans... in the Spirit Ascension plane, find different ways for the spirit soul absorption and world peace.}

"... Are you fine?"

{I am. Just something I wrote in the meantime, ignore it.}

{By the way, can you tell me more about Gu Yue.}

"... Are you interested in her?"

Wu Zhangkong asked after a slight pause.

'Is that why he didn't join the Class Zero? No. Knowing him, it's not this.'

{No, not her but, well how do I say this, I am interested in her background, I meant family. Her family, they are connected to the top brass of Spirit Pagoda somehow.}

{No nevermind, I could be wrong as well.}

Toot toot toot.

The call was ended by Fan Lin.

Wu Zhangkong straightened his back while deep in thought.

He has two students, both of which had hidden secrets.

Tang Wulin with his Bloodline.

Gu Yuena with her relationship with the Spirit Pagoda.

And now he had a third person with secrets.

Fan Lin was just as mysterious as Gu Yue. He also had a weird obsession with the Spirit Pagoda.

And the fact that he was following his students in the beginning.

Now he wanted to know about Gu Yue's secret.

'He is from the Glorybound Town. The same place as Wulin. He is of the same age as well.'

'But his records suddenly ended in the Glorybound Town and then resurfaced five years later in the same place.'

'What happened in those five years remains unknown.'

'Am I doing the right thing in helping him?'

A question came to Wu Zhangkong's mind. However no answer was found.

....

Shrek City

In an office in Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.

"How's the current chances of him reaching the Soul Douluo if we were to give him the best of our resources?"

The Titled Douluo asked his team.

"From the updated reports, it's 6 years and 9 months but he needs to cultivate everyday in the enhanced training area."

"Good, what about the other aspects of his?"

"We have currently found three of the Spirit bones for his physique."

"The second team is also done with the designs of his Battle Armor and we have established connections with the trusted Saint Craftsmen of the Spirit Pagoda and Association."

"And we have acquired the Fantasia Tulip from the Tang Sect through our men."

His subordinates reported the various tasks that were appointed with.

"Good. Good. Good. I also got the extra funds needed for 'our' research. Use it wisely."

"Contact that Receptionist woman and ask her to be in a regular contact with the kid. She is trusted by him enough to tell his needs and could be a viable source of information on him."

"Lastly, we still couldn't find anything on him?"

The Titled Douluo gave a flurry of orders to his men and settled on the question that has been gnawing on him since the beginning.

"No Sir, there is still nothing on him. The only things we can theorize are that he might have been living with a different identity and switched now or his Martial Soul mutation changed his face to a different one."

"Or that he might not be the person who had his awakening ceremony at Glorybound Town all those years ago and the current Fan Lin may be an impostor with a mysterious background."

"That's not far from what I and the President thought as well, if only we knew about his past then we could have taken him directly in here, that would have made it far easier to observe and experiment with his body."

"Continue for now and notify me the moment you get anything noteworthy or suspicious."

"Yes Sir!"

'If I could somehow tap into his body, I might be able to find something interesting but can't offend the unknown.'

....

Near the Eastsea Academy.

In a small house.

"Xing Mo, what are you doing now?"

A woman asked her friend.

"Just checking the old data. Have the others woken up?"

Xing Mo replied while typing on the virtual screen.

"Nope. I will wake them up later when the food is ready."

The friend said while typing on her own virtual screen.

"What are you doing?"

Xing Mo asked her friend when she saw her checking the security feeds of the last month.

"Trying to find the mfs who spread that horrible 'poison' at the Red light district. Once I got them, I will frame them for the multiple crimes around the empire and send their data to the Federation."

Her friend said in anger.

They used to live in the Redlight district's Black market, which also housed the Soul beasts gladiator.

It was both their workplace and living place. Since it was in the Redlight district, it had a good vantage point for them as it could be used to easily hide from the others. They were living their lives peacefully in there.

[But it all changed when the fire nation attacked.]

But a catastrophe happened a month ago that they couldn't even bear to remember. It was so horrible that they couldn't even use their legs for a week.

None of the four were spared.

When Xing Mo heard about it, even her heart was filled with anger.

"But you have been doing it for a month, if you could find them, you would have already. From the official reports, this was a pre-planned attack and the people behind it could also be involved in the Skysea incident."

Xing Mo said to her. She also wanted to rip apart the person who did this but she couldn't find anything on them.

"Yeah, by the way, I found your prey sitting at the restaurant near the place. Weirdly he didn't order anything his whole time. It was as if he was there for something else."

Her friend said while showing the picture of Fan Lin eating tomatoes on the small empty resturant near the district.

"He isn't my prey, watch your words."

Xing Mo icily said.

"Yeah, yeah."

Her friend nonchalantly nodded but her attitude tells what she was implying.

"And he also came to join the Mecha Maker Association one time, I thought he might have found us snooping on him so I hid from his sight."

Her friend commented while searching the traffic routes.

"I know."

Xing Mo said casually before realising her mistake.

"Hm hmm hmmm. 'Not my prey!"

Her friend chirped.

The room was silent for a few minutes.

"Don't do anything you might regret."

Her friend said.

"It's not what you are thinking. It's something else. The current him needs my help, if I won't, he might lose himself and does something bad later on (Our future might be in danger)"

"Yeah, yeah every criminal says he is innocent."

Her friend said and went to check the food.

She later woke her other friends and they all are in peace.

"This small house isn't that bad, you know."

The senior woman said.

"The previous owner was a little kid who ran a medical shop here but moved out due to the trouble with the Mecha Corps Captain last year. His name was Fang Lin something. That's why we got it cheaply."

The youngest woman said while taking a bite of the wontons on her plate.

"Quite a lot of little Lin's we have encountered. There was that foolish kid who wanted to join the Shrek last year, then the prey of Xing Mo and this house owner."

"Maybe they are all one."

"Ah nah. I saw the previous owner, he looked weak and sickly and he has been staying here for the past four years."

"..."

"...huh?"

Her friend suddenly stopped eating when she suddenly found some dots connecting to each other.

'Fan Lin, Glorybound Town, disappeared when he was six. There was a Fang Lin who stayed here for four years. The person who asked for help has a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul kid with rank 2 Soul power.'

'The kid that disappeared had the same specifications.'

'The kid Xing Mo helped had his Soul power decreased and was named Fan Lin who disappeared 5 years ago.'

'The house owner was a medical shop owner. The Fan Lin kid was sighted near the Redlight district.'

'The mecha corps captain died last year. The young owner disappeared at that time as well. The mecha corps captain had a little brother that died around three months ago.

'The Fan Lin kid came to the Eastsea City around four months ago.'

'His Martial Soul mutation gave him the weird physique.'

'...duck!'

Her friend's mind wandered around all the data she had had read from Xing Mo's search list and the current affairs of the past years and a sudden picture formed into her mind.

"What happened? Why are you not eating?"

Xing Mo asked her friend who had suddenly stopped eating. Her friend looked at her and then remembered the last conversation of her friend with the May Lin kid who wanted to get into Shrek with his poor qualifications.

She clearly recalled Xing Mo telling him about the Tang Sect and Spirit Pagoda quotas.

How could she forget the night where they laughed for hours at his call, thinking that it was a delusion kid. But how did a delusion kid got their number?

'No academic records and no cultivation history with the trash martial soul and he wants to join Shrek.'

It was her words after she had laughed till her stomach hurt.

When remembering all this, her mouth seemed to dry up. She was still looking at Xing Mo.

'Does she know?'

"Nothing, I just bit my tongue."

Her friend said to Xing Mo and began to eat.

'I need to find out. The previous Mecha Corps Captain died, so did his brother. This kid could be dangerous.'

'Save the kid my foot, you should save yourself from him, you fool girl! He isn't the prey, he is the Predator!'

Her friend looked at Xing Mo from the corner of her eyes and decided to take things on her own hands.