Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 187: Once the contract is signed, you're mine.

Xu Sanshi expressed his support for Bei Bei's choice because he knew it was useless to stop her. He was the same kind of person. If he were in Bei Bei's shoes and Jiang Nannan were in Tang Ya's shoes, he would make the same choice as Bei Bei.

Xiao Xiao and the others looked at each other, but still expressed their support. They suggested that Bei Bei should take Tang Ya back to Shrek City, as Tang Ya's cultivation level would make it very difficult for her to be alone outside without anyone's help.

But Ji Lin knew that Bei Bei was destined to make a wasted trip. Tang Ya never intended to come back alive; she was going to seek revenge. Although Ji Lin didn't understand Tang Ya's self-sacrificing actions, he wouldn't say much. He hadn't experienced the pain of Tang Ya's parents' tragic deaths and the forced occupation of her sect's territory, so he couldn't understand her feelings. Without experiencing it, one has no right to speak.

Although his arrival had changed many things, he didn't know if it would affect Tang Ya's fate. Would Tang Ya still become an evil soul master? When Tang Ya left, he was still in seclusion at the Sea God Pavilion and didn't have a chance to remind Bei Bei. Moreover, he couldn't directly tell Bei Bei that his little Ya had gone back to seek revenge, gone to her death, and would become an evil soul master. These were things he couldn't say. Even Bei Bei, Tang Ya's closest person, didn't know Tang Ya's true thoughts. How could Ji Lin know?

Ji Lin was also helpless. He and Bei Bei had a good relationship. After all, they were teammates in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament. Bei Bei also had a good personality, and Ji Lin didn't dislike him.

But he couldn't help with this. If Tang Ya didn't speak up, who could help her? If she told Bei Bei her true thoughts, would Bei Bei, given her status, really be unable to help Tang Ya get revenge?

Ji Lin guessed that Tang Ya probably didn't know Bei Bei's identity, which was why she was taking it all on herself and didn't want to implicate Bei Bei.

After all, Bei Bei is only a Soul Master now and hasn't grown up yet, and Tang Ya doesn't want to wait any longer.

Although the atmosphere at the meal was heavy for a while because of Tang Ya's matter, after Bei Bei made up his mind to find Tang Ya, he returned to the gentle and refined Bei Bei he used to be.

Since everyone was quite young, they were all drinking beverages. Although there are no national regulations in Douluo Continent prohibiting minors from drinking alcohol, there were many girls present, so it was not appropriate for them to drink alcohol.

After the dinner, Bei Bei and the other two, along with Huo Yuhao, left, leaving Ji Lin and the other eight people in the private room.

Ji Lin looked at Zhou Sichen and the other three and said, "I should have told you before that I have established a sect called the Free Sect. Xiao Xiao and the others have already joined, and I hope that you can join the Free Sect as well."

Zhou Sichen said with a grin, "Boss, I've been waiting for you to say that."

Cao Jinxuan also laughed and said, "I was discussing this with Lao Zhou before. If you don't invite us soon, we'll come to you and join us."

Lan Susu chimed in, "Luo Luo and I have been waiting for you, class monitor, for a long time. Xiao Xiao told us a long time ago that she had joined your sect, but you didn't say anything. Luo Luo and I thought you were looking down on us."

After speaking, the twin sisters simultaneously looked at Ji Lin with resentful eyes.

Ji Lin awkwardly touched his nose. He had been busy cultivating, then there was the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, and then he was in seclusion. He hadn't had a chance to invite them. Now that they mentioned it, he realized that he really hadn't taken them seriously.

Zhou Sichen continued, "Class monitor, Huang Chutian and Long Xiangyue from our class also want to join your sect."

Lan Luoluo nodded and said, "And Cui Yajie, she also wants to join the class monitor's sect."

Ji Lin was a little surprised to hear this. Was his sect that popular? He hadn't even invited anyone yet, and so many people wanted to join.

In fact, Ji Lin underestimated himself, as well as the vision of Zhou Sichen and others.

Those who can enter Shrek Academy all come from families with some influence. Moreover, Zhou Sichen and his friends have excellent martial souls. Martial souls in Douluo Continent are inherited through bloodlines, which means that no matter how bad Zhou Sichen's family is, they can't be that bad. A family that inherits a high-level martial soul is already considered to be in the middle to high tier of influence in Douluo Continent.

Although they weren't top-tier, that's precisely why they were better at betting. With Ji Lin's outstanding performance in the outer courtyard, his powerful talent, and the presence of Wang Qiu'er, Wang Dong'er, and Xiao Xiao by his side—each one a genius—and even Xiao Xiao and the others joining Ji Lin's Free Sect, how could they not be tempted?

With Ji Lin's talent, he will at least become a Title Douluo in the future. If he joins a sect that will have a Title Douluo in the future, and joins at the beginning of the sect's establishment, they will all become elders. Moreover, they know Ji Lin, and given his personality, he will definitely not treat them unfairly.

Therefore, it wasn't just Zhou Sichen and a few others; many students in the outer academy who knew that Ji Lin had founded a sect wanted to join the Zizai Sect and bet on Ji Lin.

In fact, Shrek Academy is a gathering place for talents. Many people are eager to enter Shrek Academy for its network of connections. Those with strong backgrounds can select outstanding disciples here and invite them to join their own forces, while those with weak backgrounds can also find a satisfactory backer here to join.

Just like Ning Tian of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, why did the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School have to come to Shrek Academy to learn when they couldn't teach their own young sect leader? They came for Shrek Academy's network of connections and resources. Ning Tian had already won over two core disciples, Nanmen Yun'er and Xie Huanyue, in the outer academy. Who knows how many more geniuses he could bring back to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School after entering the inner academy.

Ji Lin had Chi Yuan's guidance and didn't come to Shrek Academy specifically to study; he came for these talented classmates.

Ji Lin took out the Book of Contracts, and after Zhou Sichen and the other three signed the contracts, he passed on the Taixu Sword Qi to them.

As for Cui Yajie, Huang Chutian, and Long Xiangyue, whom they mentioned, Ji Lin would not let them go either.

After returning to the academy, Ji Lin asked Lan Luoluo and Zhou Sichen to invite the person out.

On an open space next to Poseidon Lake, Cui Yajie, Huang Chutian, and Long Xiangyue followed Lan Luoluo and Zhou Sichen to Ji Lin.

Huang Chutian and Long Xiangyue were filled with excitement, while Cui Yajie said to Ji Lin in a charming and seductive tone, "Class monitor, you finally remembered us! You invited Xiaoxiao and the others, but not me, which made me feel insecure."

Ji Lin said, "I'm sorry, I originally wanted to invite you to join as soon as possible, but I've been too busy lately and haven't had time to attend to sect matters. But it's not too late now, come on, once you sign the contract, you'll be members of my Zizai Sect."

"A contract?" The group looked at the magnificent book of contracts in Ji Lin's hand with puzzled expressions.

Ji Lin explained, "Just think of this as a soul tool. Its function is to sign contracts. Violating the contract will be punished, but don't worry, the contract is not strict. It only prohibits the transmission of sect techniques and other sect rules. We have all signed contracts."

After confirming that the contract was indeed not strict, but simply a set of rules common to all sects, the group signed their names and officially joined the Freedom Sect.

Ji Lin instructed Zhou Sichen and the others to teach Cui Yajie and the others how to cultivate the Taixu Sword Qi, while he took Wang Qiu'er and the others back to their dormitory.

Meanwhile, Ji Lin and his group were having a meal together.

A guest arrived outside Shrek City. The man had white hair and blue eyes, and looked very young. He wore a magnificent black robe embroidered with gold patterns. He stood with his hands behind his back, hovering in the air, his aura completely undisguised.

Inside the Sea God Pavilion, Moon, who was reclining on a deck chair, had a glint in his eyes and said, "A friend has come to visit. It seems today is a good day."

Elder Xuan, who was beside Mu En, also sensed the aura of a Title Douluo coming from outside Shrek City and was about to take action.

Mu En raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Guests are always welcome, and besides, he sent a visiting card in advance."

Moon took out a visiting card from his pocket, which was printed with the logo of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Elder Xuan exclaimed in surprise, "People from the Sun and Moon Empire!"

Moon said, "The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy has invited Shrek Academy for exchange and learning several times. I suppose they've come for this reason as well. Go and invite him in."

Elder Xuan asked in surprise, "Enter the Sea God Pavilion?"

Elder Mu smiled calmly and said, "Yes, enter the Sea God Pavilion."

Although Elder Xuan was surprised, he would not disobey Elder Mu's wishes. With a flash of light, Elder Xuan disappeared from his spot, and the next moment, he arrived outside Shrek City.

When Elder Xuan saw the figure in the air, he exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually you! Jing Hongchen!"

Indeed, the person who arrived was none other than Jing Hongchen, the dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and the head of the Mingde Hall.

Jing Hongchen smiled slightly and said, "Elder Xuan, I have long admired Shrek Academy. Taking advantage of this opportunity to discuss the exchange and learning between the two academies, I have come to pay my respects to Elder Xuan and Shrek Academy."

Elder Xuan said calmly, "Since that's the case, guests are welcome, please come in." As he spoke, he turned and walked towards the Sea God Pavilion.

Jing Hongchen followed behind Elder Xuan. Before arriving at the Sea God Pavilion, Jing Hongchen hesitated a bit. Shrek Academy had been famous for ten thousand years, and he had also heard of the Sea God Pavilion's reputation.

He had never heard of any outsiders ever entering the Sea God Pavilion.

Elder Xuan walked to the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion, turned around, and said mockingly, "What? The dignified Master of Mingde Hall doesn't dare to enter the gates of our Sea God Pavilion? If that's the case, then what are you doing here?"

Jing Hongchen raised an eyebrow; in terms of arrogance, he was far superior to his grandson, Xiao Hongchen.

Not wanting to diminish his reputation, he laughed heartily and strode towards the Sea God Pavilion.

A slight smile appeared on Elder Xuan's lips as he secretly admired Elder Mu's grasp of human nature. Simply inviting Jing Hongchen into the Sea God Pavilion had already significantly dampened his aura.

As Jing Hongchen entered the first floor of the Sea God Pavilion, his gaze swept around, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. Clearly, he had already discerned the extraordinary nature of the Sea God Pavilion.

Elder Xuan walked to the Golden Tree chair on one side of the first floor and sat down, gesturing for Jing Hongchen to enter.

Jing Hongchen didn't stand on ceremony and sat down opposite Elder Xuan with a smile on her face.

Neither of them spoke first; they just sat there looking at each other, and the air seemed to freeze instantly.

"It seems that soul tools can indeed help soul masters to some extent. You are only around level ninety-three, yet you can sit so steadily in front of me," Elder Xuan said calmly.

Jing Hongchen smiled slightly and said, "I have always believed that the research on soul tools has only just entered its initial stage. The future world will inevitably belong to soul tools. When one day, soul tools no longer rely on the soul power of soul masters as their power source, then the profession of soul master will inevitably be eliminated. I wonder if Elder Xuan believes this."

Elder Xuan said coldly, "Whether I believe it or not, you won't live to see that day."

Jing Hongchen casually said, "Whether I can see it or not is not important. As long as this inevitability will ultimately appear in my Sun Moon Empire, that's enough. And it will definitely appear in my Sun Moon Empire. Xingluo, Tianhun, Douling, and even your Shrek Academy are far too far behind in terms of soul tools."

Elder Xuan laughed, "Oh? Far from it? I don't think so. Let's talk about defeating Shrek Academy with the difference in soul tools first. In the recently concluded Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, we only sent half of our main force, but we still won the championship. This proves that, at least so far, your advantage in soul tools is not decisive."

To Elder Xuan's surprise, Jing Hongchen nodded in agreement after hearing his words, "You are absolutely right."

"I've heard about the process of this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament from our team leader. We do have a gap with Shrek Academy in terms of cultivating soul masters, but it's undeniable that soul tools have gradually narrowed the gap between us. When I received your academy's offer to discuss exchanges and learning with our Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, I was truly delighted. That's why I came here in person to demonstrate our sincerity," Jing Hongchen said earnestly.

Just then, Old Master Mu's voice rang out, "Bring him to the second floor."

Upon hearing this voice, Jing Hongchen's expression changed.

He hadn't sensed anything before the voice came out, and if the owner of the voice had intended to ambush him, he wouldn't have been able to react at all. This was something even Elder Xuan couldn't do.

Although Jing Hongchen's cultivation level hadn't reached that of a Super Douluo, he was still knowledgeable. He immediately realized that the outside world's perception of Shrek Academy had been wrong. The strongest person at Shrek Academy wasn't the Gluttonous Douluo Xuan Lao, but someone else entirely.

Jing Hongchen said in a deep voice, "Elder Xuan, may I ask who this senior is?"

Elder Xuan said calmly, "Just come up with me and you'll find out."

Led by Elder Xuan, he quickly arrived at the second floor.

Jing Hongchen's gaze was completely drawn to Elder Mu. Elder Mu's aged face looked frail and he did not exude any powerful aura.

(End of this chapter)