Douluo Continent: The Ruler of Time, Reigning Supreme

Chapter 84 Ling Luochen and Xixi
"I heard that there are a few monsters among this year's freshmen. If nothing unexpected happens, they will become our teammates in the future."

The black-haired girl's tone remained calm.

"Just a reserve team, just like we were back then."

The white-haired girl remained noncommittal.

Just then, a gentle voice sounded from behind them: "Luo Chen, Xi Xi, what are you doing here?"

The two women turned around and saw Han Ruoruo smiling as she walked towards them.

"Sister Ruoruo."

The white-haired girl, Ling Luochen, showed a slight melting of the frost on her face.

"I heard you came to teach at the Foreign Languages ​​Institute. It's true."

"Yes, it's the college's arrangement, and I've already graduated, so I need to find something to do."

Han Ruoruo smiled and then asked with concern.

"Let's not talk about that. How did your mission go?"

Mentioning the mission, Ling Luochen's brows immediately furrowed, his tone clearly displeased:
"It didn't go well. That guy got away. According to the academy's follow-up information, he fled to the direction of Dragon City in the north of the Heavenly Soul Empire. And there's been something strange there recently. We've discovered a lot of traces of Nirvana Corpses. They all seem to be gathering in the far north."

"The mission target disappeared in Dragon City. When we were tracking him, we were also obstructed by other unidentified Nirvana Corpses, which caused us to fail at the last minute."

Xixi, whose presence was barely noticeable, added, her tone carrying a hint of seriousness.

Upon hearing this, Han Ruoruo's expression also turned serious: "A large number of Nirvana Corpses are gathering in the far north? This is indeed unusual."

Xixi continued:

"Yes, Sister Ruoruo, the academy has reassigned us a mission. This time, we not only need to continue hunting down the target and his accomplices, but also investigate why the Nirvana Corpses are gathering in the far north. Moreover... the mission requires us to bring along a few core disciples from the outer academy so they can experience and adapt to the inner academy's mission mode in advance. Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

This new requirement did not surprise Han Ruoruo.

After all, she came to the Foreign Languages ​​Department to prepare for this.

With undercurrents surging on the mainland and a shortage of manpower in the inner academy, the academy wants to accelerate the cultivation of core talents.

Her gaze involuntarily fell once again on the large group of freshmen heading to the cafeteria, and several figures instantly flashed through her mind.

Perhaps this is a perfect opportunity to observe and hone those "little monsters".

"As for the candidates... I do have a few preliminary ideas in mind."

Han Ruoruo's gaze deepened.

"However, we need to see what their wishes are; we cannot force them."

Meanwhile, Yin Chen, walking at the front of the group, was smiling and responding to the laughter and chatter of his classmates, but in his heart he was calmly planning how to use this dinner to further solidify his position in this elite group of freshmen.

The next morning, as soon as the school bell rang, Wang Yan and Han Ruoruo walked into the classroom of Class 1 of the freshmen.

However, to the surprise of all the students, following behind the two teachers were two figures wearing eye-catching red inner school uniforms.

A slight commotion suddenly arose in the classroom.

Inner court disciples are legendary figures to outer court students. Their sudden appearance in a freshman class undoubtedly brings immense questions and curiosity. Wang Yan looked at the students in the classroom, his brows furrowing slightly, and whispered to Han Ruoruo beside him:
"Teacher Han, isn't this too fast? They've only just started school..."

He was not against hands-on experience, but he believed that it was too risky to let freshmen directly engage in high-difficulty tasks.

Han Ruoruo understood Wang Yan's concerns and calmly responded:
“I understand your concerns, Teacher Wang, but we cannot confine true geniuses to ordinary growth trajectories. A towering tree that can withstand storms cannot be grown in a greenhouse. Moreover, this mission is mainly undertaken by the inner court disciples. It is not about sending them to confront powerful enemies head-on, but more about observation and learning.”

After calming Wang Yan down, Han Ruoruo turned to the students who were full of doubts. She first introduced the two senior students from the inner academy who had different temperaments beside her—Ling Luochen, the ice-type control battle spirit king, and Xixi, the agility-type attack battle spirit king.

Then, she loudly explained the purpose of their visit:
"In order to accelerate the growth of core disciples, the academy has decided to select some outstanding outer disciples to participate in a practical mission led by the inner academy. Participation is entirely voluntary. After the mission is completed, the academy will give generous rewards based on contributions, including cultivation resources and the credits required to enter the inner academy in the future."

Her gaze swept over several core disciples, and her tone turned serious.

"However, there is a strict prerequisite for registration: one's soul power must reach the Soul Master level. Core disciples below the Soul Master level will not be considered for the time being."

The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the classroom instantly became awkward.

Most of the students realized that this matter had nothing to do with them, and their gazes turned to the few Soul Masters in the classroom—Yin Chen, Gu Yuena, Ye Guyi, and Dai Huabin.

Yin Chen spoke first, his voice calm and clear, as soon as Han Ruoruo finished speaking:
"Teacher Han, Senior Ling, could you please tell us the threat level of the target for this mission? We need to have a basic assessment of the potential risks."

Although he was confident, he was by no means a reckless fool. Before he had fully matured, necessary caution was the rule of survival.

Of course, he also knew that since Shrek Academy dared to let freshmen participate, it must have a backup plan. As for whether the backup plan was reliable, that was a matter of opinion.

Yin Chen's question echoed the sentiments of all those who met the criteria.

Before Han Ruoruo could answer, Ling Luochen spoke in her uniquely clear and cold voice:

"The target's cultivation level is at the Soul King level. If you're afraid of dying, don't participate."

Her words were not meant to provoke, but rather to discourage.

In her view, leading a group of new students on a mission to track dangerous targets undoubtedly increases uncertainty and burden.

"Soul King?!"

A collective gasp filled the classroom.

For the vast majority of students who are still at the Great Soul Master level, the Soul King is an unattainable existence. If they were to encounter him head-on, they might not even be able to withstand a single move.

Upon hearing this, Dai Huabin's expression instantly turned serious.

If it were a Soul Master, he might be able to hold his own with the strength of his White Tiger Martial Soul, but a Soul King, especially one specifically targeted by the academy, would inevitably present a difficult challenge, and a slight misstep could lead to his death.

As one of the heirs to the White Tiger Duke's mansion, he had no need to take this risk.

More importantly, Zhu Lu's cultivation level had not reached the Soul Master level, so she could not accompany him. Lacking the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, his biggest trump card, he immediately gave up the idea of ​​participating.

"and."

Ling Luochen seemed to think it wasn't enough, and added another sentence, a hint of seriousness flashing in his icy blue eyes.

“This target is extremely difficult to deal with. Although he is only a Soul King, he possesses a certain degree of ‘immortality’ and is very difficult to kill completely. You’d better think it over carefully.”

(End of this chapter)