Chapter 45: Little Snow Empress: Ready to Call Me Mommy Yet?
Eastsea City—Eastsea Airport.
A small, exquisite girl with flowing white hair stepped off the terminal ramp, instantly drawing every passerby's gaze.
It was Little Snow Empress, freshly arrived from the Extreme North to find Jiang Chen.
Just imagining his reaction when he saw her sent a rare spark of amusement across her pale, icy face.
Her lips curled upward slightly—like the thaw of early spring across a frozen field.
Feeling the flow of her spirit power, now at Rank 39, she nodded to herself.
That should be enough.
Even if she lowered her level to match his, what could a mere soul beast—fattened by devouring ten thousand others—possibly do against her, the ancient ruler of seventy-hundred-thousand years of cultivation?
This time, she would make him kneel on the ground, begging for mercy—and call her "mom."
To enter Eastsea City, she claimed to be the apprentice of Leng Yulai.
No one dared question it. So what if the titled Dark Phoenix Douluo suddenly had an apprentice with an Ice Heaven Snow Maiden martial soul?
Better that than arrive without any identity at all.
"Take me to the Spirit Transmission Tower in Eastsea City."
When she reached Jiang Chen's residence using information from the Tower, an elegant frost-etched sword had already formed in her delicate hand.
A longsword of pure crystal ice shimmered within her grip—
The Emperor Sword, her signature divine weapon.
Tapping politely on the door, she waited. When it opened, she found herself face-to-face with a young girl.
Politely, she asked, "Excuse me. Does Jiang Chen live here?"
Huo Yun'er: ?
…
Meanwhile, in the Blacksmith Association, Mu Chen was in an unusually good mood.
After all, he'd recently taken in an apprentice named Tang Wulin—a boy barely nine years old who could already forge thousand-refined metal.
Born with divine strength and extraordinary perception, this was a future Divine Craftsman in the making.
His martial soul might be pathetic—Blue Silver Grass—but with the Spirit Transmission Tower's support, such limitations could be bypassed.
All it took was money—securing high-grade soul spirits to evolve that humble Blue Silver Grass.
If that produced a Divine Craftsman, it would all be worth it.
Breaking the forging records of the Association was proof enough of his potential.
Most importantly—he was a commoner.
Though linked to the Spirit Transmission Tower through some coincidences, it hardly mattered.
Mu Chen still marveled at the strange events that had followed his disciple's fateful spirit awakening.
How had a supposedly disposable, low-tier process yielded a top-tier dragon spirit? The Tower's random selections were usually defective castoffs.
And yet, somehow, Tang Wulin had drawn an exceptional Dragon Soul Spirit, perfectly synchronized with him.
"Coincidence? Impossible," Mu Chen muttered to himself.
But since it had worked in their favor, he wasn't about to complain.
The Tower wouldn't harm people, least of all someone of such promise.
And now that Tang Wulin, his student, was the direct disciple of a Saint Blacksmith—a future Divine Craftsman—the Tower wouldn't dare endanger him either.
Recruit him, maybe. But endanger him? Never.
If Tang Wulin joined the Spirit Transmission Tower formally, all the better—it would reduce their costs on obtaining premium soul spirits, especially the rarest ones reserved for Tower members only.
It wasn't uncommon for someone to belong to multiple organizations anyway.
Didn't members of Shrek Academy also join the Tang Sect?
Even he himself—the Forging Association's president—was also a Sea God Pavilion elder at Shrek Academy.
Proudly considering his student's bright future, Mu Chen turned just in time to see his daughter sneaking down the hall again.
It wasn't even midnight yet—and she was already creeping toward Tang Wulin's room.
His expression darkened instantly.
"Mu Xi! How many times have I told you not to disturb Wulin while he's working?!"
Caught, the girl pouted. "Dad~ You can't improve by working all the time! He needs balance. I just wanted to take him out and show him around!"
Mu Xi truly believed that Tang Wulin was far too naïve—simple, trusting, and poor.
She wanted to broaden his horizons, to show him what life looked like from the position of a Saint Craftsman's daughter—to help him resist temptation later.
Mu Chen's frown deepened.
Once, he had been proud of her forging talent—passing the second-rank exam at just thirteen.
But once Tang Wulin appeared—a ten-year-old producing thousand-refined metals—all comparisons became meaningless.
And now she was trying to lure him out? His expression grew even darker.
"Mu Xi," he warned, "if you dare lead that boy astray, I'll break your legs myself!"
Mu Xi: …
…
Elsewhere, in Heaven Dou City, the former Shrek elders continued their efforts.
"Chang Kong, Shrek needs you now more than ever," pleaded Zhuo Shi, one of Shrek's Twin Holy Dragons, Title: Red Dragon Douluo, Martial Soul: Scarlet Armored Dragon.
Though Wu Zhangkong had left Shrek years ago, part of him still carried a quiet reverence for the academy.
The news of the Tang Sect's destruction and Shrek's bombardment had left him stunned.
He had once been a shining prospect for the Sea God Pavilion—a future Pavilion Master.
Now, Shrek's main body had relocated to the Star Luo Federation, following the Sea God Pavilion and the inner court teachers.
The Shrek Outer Court, composed mostly of students sponsored by various Federal powers, had been forced to remain behind—retained under Federal jurisdiction.
Officially, the Federation had offered land for rebuilding within its territories.
Unofficially, it was a leash.
The Pavilion refused immediately.
A "new campus" signed with the same hands that had dropped a Level-12 Fixed-Mount Soul Guidance Cannon on their island? What a farce.
Thus Shrek Academy fractured in two:
The Inner Court, led by the Pavilion and its extremest teachers, journeyed to Star Luo to rebuild.
The Outer Court, heading by Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er, remained within the Federation—maintaining presence and continuity.
After all, separating completely would have been a fatal blow.
Once the Outer Court students matured, witnessing Shrek's true strength and heritage, they would naturally gravitate inward—joining the Inner Court through rigorous exams, drawn by the academy's millennia of glory.
To become a true Shrek disciple and bask in its undying prestige.
Now, more than ever, Shrek needed strength—and needed Wu Zhangkong.
"Zhangkong," Zhuo Shi urged, "come home."
No one would challenge his reinstatement; the Sea God Pavilion had far greater concerns.
But when the words "Shrek Academy" reached Wu Zhangkong's ears, his heart clenched painfully.
That place still haunted him.
Though it hadn't been Shrek's fault that Long Bing died, he couldn't forget—or forgive—that they had cast her out.
If not for that mistake, if not for the bias against who she was…
She might still be alive.
Tears pricked the corners of his eyes. He clenched his fist tightly.
"I'm sorry, Teacher," he whispered. "But I cannot return."
(END CHAPTER)
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