Gene Interference and Plans

Shrek Academy, Outer Court

Elder Cai's voice dripped with anger as she questioned the Shrek instructors, "What do you mean you couldn't find the attacker?" One of the instructors stepped forward and replied, "Elder Cai, the woman who attacked those Evil Soul Masters and us vanished instantly using space movement. We didn't have the capabilities to track or investigate her whereabouts."

Understanding the difficulty of capturing Soul Masters with space capabilities, Elder Cai calmed down and further inquired, "Where is that brat and his girlfriend?" The Shrek instructor explained how Nero had escaped through a portal. Elder Cai nodded in acknowledgment and then dismissed them.

Shen Yi, who had been standing to the side, hesitated for a moment before addressing Elder Cai, "Elder Cai, shouldn't we send instructors to look for both of them?" Elder Cai shook her head and offered an explanation, "That brat is probably going to spend some time with his girlfriend and will likely return tomorrow. Besides, he managed to escape under such attacks, so there's no need to send Soul Sages to protect him." Elder looked out of the window, her thoughts focused on finding a way to deal with aftermath of the incident in Bright City.

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Silverpeak City

In a room on the top floor of a luxurious hotel, Nero sat on the bed, swiping through the news regarding the explosion in Bright City. Yuanen Yehui emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a bathrobe, and asked Nero while drying her hair, "Were there any casualties?" Nero shook his head and replied, "Aria made sure that passersby wouldn't get affected." He then glanced at her and continued, "Can you please put on some clothes and not stay in a bathrobe?"

Yuanen Yehui teased Nero with a playful tone, "Why? I feel comfortable." Nero sighed and gently admonished, "Please, stop tempting me; we have work to do." Yuanen Yehui responded with a mischievous smirk and replied in an innocent voice, "I don't understand what you're talking about; I'm just drying my hair."

Nero set aside his tablet and vanished from his spot. Before Yuanen Yehui could react, Nero reappeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and gently turning her around. The sudden proximity caught Yuanen Yehui off guard, and she felt her heart rate quicken, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

With his arms wrapped securely around her waist, Nero tightened his grip and whispered, "I warned you not to tempt me." Before Yuanen Yehui could respond, Nero silenced her with a kiss, his lips meeting hers in a moment of passion. Yuanen Yehui wanted to gain control but under Nero's touch, Yuanen Yehui's determination wavered, and she found herself succumbing to the gentle allure of the moment, her resolve melting away as if it were made of butter.

" LOCK THE DOOR, if you both are making out " Aria's sudden exclamation disrupted the intimate moment, prompting Yuanen Yehui to quickly release Nero. He turned towards Aria with a touch of annoyance in his voice and stated, "For your information, this is our room."

Aria retorted, "Well, idiot, I am also living here currently, and unlike our dorm room, I don't have a separate space." Realizing that an argument was brewing, Yuanen Yehui intervened to defuse the situation. 

Nero decided to change the topic and asked Aria, "So, what did you find after scanning those guys?"

Aria replied, "First, you both should take a look at Gungbang Li's Martial Soul." She sent a document to Nero's tablet. Although confused, Nero and Yuanen Yehui still opened the document to see what Aria had discovered.

As Nero's expression turned serious, Yuanen Yehui exclaimed, "Why is his Martial Soul an ice wolf in this document?" Aria then proceeded to explain the situation, "This Ice Wolf is Gungbang Li's Martial Soul. In fact, all of his companions had normal Martial Souls."

Confused, Yuanen Yehui asked, "Then why were their Martial Souls during our fight such high-grade beast spirits?"

Nero who was reading the document answered " Gene Interference ".

  Yuanen Yehui asked, "Gene Interference?"

Aria explained her doubts once more, saying, "Gene interference is the process of forcefully introducing foreign materials into a soul master's bloodline gene chain." Yuanen Yehui pondered, "Is it something like the evolution of Martial Souls?"

Nero shook his head, providing a clarification, "Evolution affects both our bloodline gene chain and the spiritual origin of our Martial Soul, while Gene Interference forcefully alters the Martial Soul by changing the gene chain." He then turned towards Aria and asked, "They must all be taking suppressors to mitigate the resistance of their Martial Soul's spiritual origin, right?"

Aria nodded and added more details, "They all had the suppressors, but the potion was unusual. Even after breaking it down to its individual components, I couldn't find any material that is available in mankind's known material list."

Observing Nero's knowledge on the subject, Yuanen Yehui asked with curiosity, "Is this a well-known field of study in Martial Soul research?"

Nero responded, "No, in fact, this is considered forbidden research. This theory was developed by a member of the Qiangu family whose innate soul power was very low. However, as far as we know, he disappeared the day before his research was discovered. Now, it seems like he joined this unknown organization."

Nero continued his inquiry, asking Aria, "What was the foreign object that was forcefully injected into their bodies?"

Aria replied, "I don't know, as the material, after absorbing their vitality, disappeared."

Nero decided to change the topic, saying, "Forget it, we've gathered enough information for now. Let's enjoy our time here; we can look into these matters later." He closed the tablet and tried to lighten the atmosphere.

Yuanen Yehui nodded in agreement as they both prepared to explore the city and make the most of their time together.

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Unknown city

A white-haired boy adorned in red and black theme outfit was eating a burger while scrolling though a tablet " Ren, ". The white-haired boy who was none other than Ren looked up upon hearing his name, the voice belonged to a beautiful girl with a bewitching figure. She had long black hair, gray eyes, and a beauty mark on her chin. Her attire was a skin-tight gray bodysuit with jagged patterns resembling thorns, a frilly collar, sharp shoulder pads, and a chest cloak made of hair. She wore triangular earrings, blue gloves with frills at the wrists, and her suit featured diamond-shaped openings and cutouts on her legs. She completed her look with glasses featuring a ribbon design near the lenses. { Picture in comments}

The girl reminded Ren, "Ren, what are you looking at? We need to collect the bounties on these evil soul masters."

Ren explained, "I was looking through something my idiot brother sent me," and he tossed the tablet to the girl. He added, "Take a look, it might jog that forgotten memory of yours."

As the girl reviewed the document, she sighed, "I can feel myself getting angry, but I can't remember a single thing other than what I told you."

Ren comfortingly put his arm around her shoulder and assured, "Don't worry, it will come back sooner or later." The girl nodded and smiled. Ren then excitedly suggested, "Now, let's go collect the bounties and have a feast to erase all this sadness."

The girl playfully knocked on Ren's head and said, "Why do you always mention parties and food?" Ren retorted, "As if you're one to talk. Have you seen yourself after one drink?"

They both laughed and continued their playful banter as they headed off to pursue the bounties.

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Sea God Pavilion, Shrek Academy

"Elder Cai, do you have any recording of the battle?" Yun Ming, seated at the pavilion master's seat, asked Elder Cai.

"Yes, Pavilion Master, but the footage of fifteen minutes is missing, as at that time a dome covered Bright City, isolating the city," Elder Cai replied. She then played the footage that recorded Nero's battle.

Yun Ming, Ya Li, and the other elders watched in astonishment as Nero and Yuanen Yehui fought the soul sage without any apparent pressure and then survived against fifteen evil soul masters. "That boy never ceases to amaze me," Ya Li commented as the footage came to an end. The other elders nodded in agreement.

"Elder Cai, were you able to find any information about the woman in armor?" Ya Li asked Elder Cai. Elder Cai shook her head and clarified, "It's like she disappeared out of thin air; we couldn't find anything."

Yun Ming turned toward Zhou Shi and asked, "I heard that Mr. Zhou killed an Evil Soul Master Titled Douluo in Bright City." Zhou Shi nodded and explained, "Upon hearing that his grandson was attacked, that old guy immediately went towards him. On his way, he encountered that evil soul master. As for the rest, the Pavilion Master already knows."

Yun Ming continued, "The operations of evil soul masters have been increasingly rampant lately. It has reached the point that they need to be taught a lesson. The federation has sent us a request, hoping that we could collaborate with them to combat this growing threat. The only way to counter the mysterious appearance of these evil soul masters is by strengthening each city's safety measures, as well as gathering more military forces to guard them at all times."

"We'll approve of the federation's application, while the academy's inner court disciples will aid in the siege on the evil soul masters. At the same time, contact the Tang Sect. Mobilize all our contacts and search for the evil masters' whereabouts. Report to us as soon as there's news."

"Yes," all the elders responded in unison.

"Pavilion Master, there is another matter. The Star Luo Continent representative expressed hope that we would send an exchange team to their academy, you see..." Elder Cai spoke.

Yun Ming gave a slight smile. "Accept their request. Send the top five teams of the exam and assign Wu Zhangkong to lead the team. The new students of both years aren't bad."

Zhou Shi spoke, "Pavilion Master, with their abilities, wouldn't it be..."

Yun Ming waved his hand. "The representative of the Star Luo Continent just arrived not long ago. They won't be leaving so soon. The academy should adjust the resources for the youngsters accordingly so that they can elevate as soon as possible. We are going for an exchange, not to show off our own prowess, and as far as I know, Nero is already at Rank 46. By the time the competition starts, he will easily break through Rank 50. At the soul ancestor level, he is easily fighting a soul sage. Do you really think that at the soul king rank, someone amongst his peers can defeat him?"

Elder Cai nodded and said, "Yes, the representatives will return to the Star Luo Continent around half a year later. It will be enough time for the students to break through, especially that brat."

The discussion proceeded with some countermeasures and overall planning on how to handle the evil soul masters and the upcoming exchange with the Star Luo Continent.

Meanwhile, in Silverpeak City, the individual under discussion at the Sea God Pavilion meeting was going about their day, unaware of the deliberations taking place concerning their actions.

Yuanen Yehui couldn't hide her astonishment as she asked Nero, "You've already broken through to Rank 47?" Nero simply nodded, and her curiosity got the better of her. She inquired, "How did you manage to break through so rapidly?" Nero took a moment to explain, "Devil Trigger represents a threshold that unlocks the true potential of the Sparda bloodline. Thanks to the inherent benefits of the Sparda bloodline, both my and Ren's physical, mental and soul power grow as we engage in battles."

"Your Sparda bloodline is truly incredible," Yuanen Yehui commented, admiration and slight envy in her voice. Nero rubbed her head and said, "You can also cultivate twenty-four hours if you improve your control over the earth attribute." Yuanen Yehui sighed and said helplessly, "I know, but the level of control that Aria said I should have for twenty-four-hour cultivation is still very far away. It will take me approximately half a year to achieve that level."

Nero intertwined his hands with hers and said, "Now, forget about that. Let's have fun while we're out of the academy." Yuanen Yehui nodded, and they carried on with their night stroll.

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