The mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest was eerily quiet.
Chen Junting and his team had been searching for several days. Though their supplies held steady, the relentless tension of being surrounded by powerful soul beasts, even under the protection of a Soul Douluo and a Soul Saint, was taking a toll.
Everyone was exhausted.
He Caitou had successfully obtained a soul ring that suited him. But the true goal—Chen Junting's—was proving elusive.
There was still no sign of the Golden Demon Bird.
"It's not a good idea to keep searching like this," Zhao Gang finally said, his brows furrowed. "The Golden Demon Bird is extremely rare. The fact that a previous dean spotted one here might've just been luck. If we keep this up, we'll be searching past the academy holiday."
The group fell silent. All eyes turned to Chen Junting.
He frowned, deep in thought. He didn't want to give up. If a Golden Demon Bird had been sighted here a century ago, that meant it could now be around ten thousand years old. Perfect for his fourth ring.
But the longer they searched, the more unrealistic it seemed.
"I suggest we hunt the rings for Yuhao and Senior Xu first," Chen Junting finally said. "Once we're done, we can swing back and try our luck. If we still don't find it, I'll go with the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear instead."
Zhao Gang nodded. "Agreed."
As they continued through the dense forest, Huo Yuhao, walking beside Chen Junting, asked curiously, "Brother Junting… what exactly is an evil soul master?"
That caught the others' attention. Even Du Weilun, walking ahead, paused.
"Evil soul masters," Chen Junting explained, "are soul masters who use cruel, twisted methods to cultivate. They harm others—or soul beasts—for power. They don't just rely on training. They steal, they devour, they destroy."
"They deserve to die," Xu Sanshi cut in coldly.
"Not so fast," Beibei interjected. "It's not always that simple. There are soul masters with so-called 'evil' martial spirits—like variants of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. But should we label them evil before they've done anything wrong?"
Xu Sanshi hesitated. "But the academy classifies those types as evil…"
"No," Beibei said firmly. "The academy says: There is no good or evil in martial spirits—only in the choices people make with them. You're flipping that logic."
"That's just wordplay."
"Not at all. It's a key difference. One blames the spirit. The other blames the person."
"Let me give you an example," Chen Junting added, glancing at Wu Feng. "Bone Douluo Gu Rong—ancestor of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect—his martial spirit was the Bone Dragon. These days, many would call that an evil martial spirit."
Wu Feng's eyes sharpened at the mention of her sect's ancestor.
"But he wasn't an evil soul master," Chen Junting continued. "So what now? Are we rewriting history?"
Xu Sanshi scratched his head. "Okay, okay, I get your point. Kind of."
Beibei smirked. "And what if I told you that some soul masters advance by devouring the souls and blood of soul beasts?"
Everyone froze.
Zhao Gang's expression darkened. "You mean…"
"Yes," Beibei said quietly. "That's the cultivation method of at least one person in our academy's records. And he was released. By a senior official."
That revelation hit hard. Even Du Weilun looked back over his shoulder, his expression unreadable.
"Of course," Chen Junting added, "that doesn't mean it was the right decision. The one who released him didn't monitor him afterward. That's what I disagree with most."
Suddenly, Wu Feng stiffened.
Her hand moved to her weapon. "There's something ahead."
Cold air.
The forest's temperature dropped unnaturally. It wasn't just the wind. It was wrong.
They moved slowly now, weapons in hand.
A few paces later, the group stumbled upon several corpses scattered across a grassy clearing.
Their faces were twisted in agony, as if they had died in unimaginable pain.
"Evil soul masters," Du Weilun said grimly. "No doubt about it."
He crouched beside one of the corpses, examining the wounds. The residual aura in the air was faint, but unmistakable. Cold, corrosive… and evil.
Everyone kept silent.
The atmosphere had shifted. Whatever jokes or debates they had before, now it was real.
"This area hasn't gone cold yet," Du Weilun muttered. "Whoever did this isn't far."
"I'll scout ahead," he said abruptly, standing up. "Zhao Gang, guard the students."
"Understood."
Du Weilun vanished in a blur.
Only the wind remained, whispering through the trees.
"Brother Junting…" Huo Yuhao said softly, still processing everything.
Chen Junting turned to him.
"Remember this," he said. "The power of a martial spirit doesn't define the person. Their choices do. But once they cross the line… they don't get to come back."
Huo Yuhao nodded slowly.
He understood now.
Evil wasn't something that always looked evil. Sometimes, it smiled.
And sometimes, it waited in the shadows.
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(End of Chapter 76)
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Gimme your stones~