"What's wrong?" Tang Ya, with a bath towel wrapped around her smooth long hair, walked out with soft slapping sounds of her slippers. While fiddling with her hair, she looked at Xu Cheng, who was about to turn red with agitation. Her beautiful eyes momentarily froze, and then a hint of surprise flashed across them.
Turned red with agitation? I didn't see wrong, did I?
This guy actually has moments like this?
Her body stood still in place. Her slender jade finger gently twirled the diamond ring, and a dim luster appeared. It was a crystal the size of a fingernail – a memory crystal.
Then, she secretly aimed it at Xu Cheng and recorded the scene.
"What's wrong?"
Tang Ya stealthily tucked the memory crystal into her storage diamond ring and lightly stepped towards him in her slippers. It was a letter. Judging by the handwriting, it was from Nana. That Tang San... seeing this, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed. He really is annoying. And the Star Luo Railway, and... Xu Tianzhen and Huo Yuhao?!
The young woman gently covered her mouth, her eyes full of gossip.
She glanced again at the silent Xu Cheng, and the corners of her lips slightly curved up. "What is it? I thought something big happened. Turns out it's just your sister falling in love. You were talking about free love with A Xiao during the day. What, now you want to interfere with a young couple?"
"It's nothing definite yet, don't talk nonsense." Xu Cheng rubbed his fingers, and the envelope turned into dust and fell.
"Oh oh, I know, I know..." Tang Ya lightly licked her red lips and suddenly took a step forward, pressing her whole body against Xu Cheng's back, tightly embracing him.
"Such a beautiful spring night, are you really going to let me go?"
"You mean, in front of this huge French window... hiss, wouldn't it be a bit too embarrassing? What if an unmanned soul guidance device detects us and takes pictures?" Xu Cheng touched his chin, a thoughtful look on his face.
Tang Ya: !!!!=(òó)
"I mean..."
"Delete the photos you just took!" Xu Cheng glanced at the girl.
"What are you talking about, really? Photos? I don't know anything about photos..." Tang Ya put her hands behind her back, looking left and right, feigning innocence.
"Since that's the case, I must resort to some measures..." Xu Cheng grinned.
Several minutes later.
In front of the huge French window.
Two figures intertwined.
Their clothes were shed, revealing their most primal colors. The dim light inside the room and the pitch-black night scene outside made some of the scenes inside reflect on the translucent glass.
"Mmm... let me down quickly!" Tang Ya's pretty face was flushed with embarrassment as she struggled vigorously, but to no avail.
Her delicate skin pressed against the transparent glass, forced to look at the clear glass in front. Outside was the night scene of Shrek City, with twinkling lights and bustling traffic, symbolizing the city's prosperity. But the girl had no mood to appreciate it at this moment.
"Delete them or not?" Xu Cheng's light laughter came from behind.
"No way!" Tang Ya's pretty face was as red as dripping blood, but she still stubbornly refused.
"Then don't blame me."
"No, I'll delete them!" Feeling another wave of attack coming, Tang Ya panicked slightly.
"Too late."
Several tens of minutes later.
The corners of Xu Cheng's mouth curled up as he looked at the girl in the mirror in front. Her eyes were rolled back, and her expression was somewhat lifeless. Only then did he raise his eyebrows.
"Are you alright?"
Tang Ya: "..."
"Forget it, the Dark Blue Silver Grass has strong recovery abilities. A good night's sleep will do." Xu Cheng touched his chin.
Tang Ya: "..."
Xu Cheng: Continue!
...
Next door.
Gu Yuena listened to the faint sounds coming from the other side, and her expression gradually turned strange.
Her silver teeth lightly bit her lip. "How can it be so long! They've been at it for two hours already! Isn't it over yet?!"
Soul beasts also mate. As the Sovereign of Soul Beasts, she was naturally not ignorant of such things.
But for some reason, that delicate and mournful voice stirred a ripple in her heart, which had been calm for tens of thousands of years...
"Damn it!"
A blush spread across Gu Yuena's face. Her fair fist clenched, then she helplessly let out a breath. "This child is the hope of our soul beast race. I must endure. Gu Yuena, you can do it..."
As she spoke, her jade hand waved, and the wall was instantly covered by a silver-white light, as if soundproofing had been added. The sounds from before instantly disappeared.
The girl sat cross-legged on the bed and meditated for a while.
Then she gritted her teeth and, with a flushed face, removed the soundproofing wall.
"Phew, it's finally gone..." Gu Yuena muttered to herself, but a hint of disappointment flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"No, it's not over yet!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the melodious cries from next door started again.
Gu Yuena's throat moved, and she lightly licked her red lips. Xu Cheng's appearance surfaced in her mind. "Is it really that long?"
...
The next day.
When sunlight streamed into the room.
Xu Cheng yawned and slowly sat up.
Beside him was a beautiful woman. The quilt covered her in a way that accentuated her curves, and a part of her was exposed to the air – her slender and straight beautiful legs, and skin as smooth as mutton-fat jade, were captivating.
Tang Ya clung to his side like a sloth, sleeping soundly on her side, a smile on her lips, indicating a sweet dream.
Xu Cheng straightened up without waking Tang Ya.
The auction was tonight.
While there was still time, he needed to sort out his current plans.
Because he had recently signed a contract with the Silver Dragon King, his soul power cultivation had soared, reaching level sixty-five. It was important to note that this was only within half a month, and he had already advanced two levels, which was terrifying...
According to Xu Cheng's estimation, even if this extremely asymmetrical growth spurt might be corrected by the world soon, he could reach the Soul Sage realm in just two months. At most a year, he could reach the Soul Douluo level, and even break through to the Title Douluo level before the next Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament.
After all, his main focus was not soul power, but mental power.
The Ice Jade Scorpion Spirit and the Sun Spirit were also powerful, but with the existence of Tianmeng, this super-sized mental power charging station, his Twin Pupils Spirit was advancing by leaps and bounds.
And the mental系 (mental type/psychic) was also one of his main combat strengths.
When bombing fish in the pond, he would use the Sun Spirit, but when real trouble arose, he still had to rely on the mental power of his Twin Pupils.
Xu Cheng touched his storage ring.
There were three in total.
The jade-colored diamond ring worn on his middle finger was specially set aside to hold the meritorious individual who helped him break through the Star Luo Empire.
The Heavenly Court's Arceus.
Nourished by the essence of Brother Tianmeng's main body, even relying solely on Xu Cheng's own spiritual sea, he could now raise it to the ninety-fifth level Super Douluo realm. And with the addition of Brother Tianmeng's spiritual origin, it was even comparable to a ninety-ninth level Limit Douluo.
This was a gift given to him by his teacher. Although the teacher had not appeared since, it had always been Xu Cheng's pillar of support.
Secondly, there was the world of the undead, a gift from Old Yi.
Including undead magic and summoning the undead of that world, all were linked to his own mental power, which was extremely suitable for his situation.
The enormous bone dragon that bewildered Yan Feng when he bombed the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters earlier was summoned from there. Even now, the bone dragon he could summon could rival the strength of an ordinary Title Douluo.
This was using mental power as leverage, forcibly prying his own strength to a height that did not originally belong to him.
After all, wanting to reach this level with pure soul power would probably take at least several years...
Then...
Xu Cheng flicked a finger, and ice crystals danced at his fingertip, pulsating like life.
Ultimate Ice, this spirit was strong, but the reason it ranked high among his skills was because of a divine skill – Ice Burst Technique.
It was the existence that made a certain Soul King famous, and it was even more powerful and abnormal because that Soul King still needed corpses to detonate, but he directly froze thousands of miles on the spot and then created a grand explosion, all in one go.
Previously, even the poisonous miasma that troubled Title Douluos was broken by the Ice Burst, making it a god of area-of-effect damage. And when the quantity was stacked to a terrifying number – for example, in the far north – he believed that after becoming a Title Douluo, he would even dare to try against Di Tian, although it would most likely end in mutual destruction...
But it was enough to illustrate its abnormality.
As for the subsequent skills given by the system, [I Bet There Are No Bullets in Your Gun] and [Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push)], they both belonged to conceptual skills. The former might only be used in times of crisis, while the latter was quite useful, belonging to a type of invincible defense...
"And the Blood Moon Illusion... a domain-type skill." Xu Cheng pondered, "With the expansion of the spiritual sea, it seems to have become even more powerful. It can already pull someone directly into the illusion without them touching me."
Finally... there was the head bone.
A look of joy appeared on Xu Cheng's face.
It had already reached the hundred-thousand-year soul beast realm.
Tianmeng's spiritual origin could not only increase the age of soul rings but also the age of soul bones. It had previously increased it to eighty or ninety thousand years, but Xu Cheng didn't expect crossing the hundred-thousand-year threshold to be so effortless.
"The Evil Eye Tyrant at the beginning has now grown to this point... and it hasn't even reached its limit yet." Xu Cheng clicked his tongue.
To be honest, he could already imagine that one in the Evil Spirit Forest.
But life doesn't allow you to have everything. Making the right choice at the right time was crucial. If not for this hundred-thousand-year head bone helping him expand his spiritual sea and accommodate mental power, even with Tianmeng as a charging station, he wouldn't have reached his current level.
"Subordinate forces..."
Xu Cheng pondered.
"The Sun Moon Empire serves as the foundation, with Mingde Hall and the Fire Phoenix Soul Tool Battalion as the core, expanding outward. After all, my old man is still around, so strictly speaking, the Sun Moon Empire isn't truly mine yet. That's why I haven't counted the Royal Soul Tool Legion or Evil Lord among my assets..."
"The enemies we face are not just the former three empires of the original continent and Shrek Academy, but also the Holy Spirit Church," Xu Cheng's eyes flickered.
Fortunately, within the Holy Spirit Church, after he suppressed Yan Feng and gravely injured Ye Yeshui, forcing her into seclusion, that group had become significantly more restrained.
Otherwise, with Zhongli Wu constantly clamoring to unleash the evil soul masters upon the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Cheng would've had a real headache deciding whether to immediately turn against them.
And then… there's that demigod from Shrek Academy.
Ah Yin.
Xu Cheng's gaze passed through the floor-to-ceiling window.
Looking toward Shrek Academy's direction.
A demigod... not someone easy to deal with.
Although Gu Yuena was also strong, her injuries were severe. Even if she could defeat Ah Yin, it would undoubtedly alert higher forces from above, drawing unnecessary attention — that would be troublesome.
"Mm… ah, so sleepy."
A soft, childlike voice interrupted his thoughts.
A young girl stretched lazily, the blanket slipping slightly, revealing a glimpse of her smooth, fair skin.
"It's your fault! You kept going so late last night — I told you it was my first time, and you didn't even go easy…" Tang Ya lay in Xu Cheng's arms, lightly pounding his chest, feigning anger.
"Still hurting?"
"Not really feeling anything anymore," Tang Ya stilled herself, surprised after checking.
"Dark Blue Silver Grass has extremely potent vitality and an astonishing healing factor," Xu Cheng shrugged.
"Ugh, you're so annoying!" Tang Ya bit her lip and glared at Xu Cheng like a little kitten.
Then she suddenly bit him hard on the chest.
"Alright, let's go check on Ah Xiao. Tonight's auction is crucial — I've brought my entire fortune," Xu Cheng said with a grin.
"You brought everything? Aren't you afraid they'll notice something?" Tang Ya asked curiously.
"What's there to be afraid of? The Sun Moon Empire only sees the deposit. Doesn't buying and selling soul tools take time? All the funds are in time deposits — they require five full days before principal and profit can be withdrawn. I've calculated it: Douling, Star Luo, and Sun Moon's next redemption dates are beyond the next two days. They'll have to sell other assets to compete today," Xu Cheng snapped his fingers lightly. A gold soul coin flipped and spun agilely on his fingertip.
He flashed a sly smile.
"You swindler!" Tang Ya rolled her eyes.
Sea God Pavilion.
Inside the conference hall.
Mu En sat at the head seat as always, looking solemn.
Now that he had regained his peak strength, he had become more decisive and vigorous, launching a series of reforms to address the chronic issues within Shrek Academy.
Especially with Zhou Yi — though he spared her for Fan Yu's sake and didn't expel her directly, he essentially placed her under soft confinement, stripping her of academy status. Although Zhou Yi was unhappy, under Mu En's strict orders — "If you're not satisfied, leave the academy" — she finally fell in line.
"Tonight's auction items are treasures that the academy has preserved for many years — enough to shake the entire continent. Of course, rest assured, elders. I've kept some as a fallback. We're not selling everything," Elder Lin spoke first.
"Heh, Shrek City sure is lively today," Elder Song snorted.
"Old Song!" Elder Zhuang said gravely.
"Hmph, I have no fondness for those wolves lured in by the scent of profit…" Elder Song said with disdain.
The mere announcement that the Sea God Pavilion would auction treasures had drawn such a crowd — yet they still carried an arrogant attitude. That alone showed the Pavilion's status on the continent.
"Everyone acts out of self-interest. It's mutual benefit," Mu En shook his head.
"Comrades, developing soul tools has been Shrek's long-term mission for centuries. But right now, we cannot stagnate. For example — four years from now, the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament — Shrek must not lose again," Mu En said gravely.
He had initially believed Shrek needed to lose once, to humble the current academy's arrogant and shortsighted mindset. But that one crushing defeat nearly wiped Shrek out — severely damaging its core, leading to the departure of the hidden sects.
Next time, Shrek must win. And it has to be a glorious victory.
"Shaozhe, pick out a few students who meet the standards and nurture them with all we have. Before I die, I will pass my bloodline onto Beibei…"
As he spoke, he turned to the inconspicuous youth nearby.
Feeling the gazes of dozens of elders, Beibei immediately panicked. "Ancestor Xuan, I…"
"Enough. I also hereby announce the appointments: After my death, Xuanzi will become the new Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, and Beibei will be the heir to succeed in the following generation," Mu En said with a warm smile.
"This… Elder Mu… What about Lexuan?" Yan Shaozhe was stunned. He was a Super Douluo after all. If he was excluded, fine — but even Zhang Lexuan?
"Ahem… Lexuan isn't suitable," Mu En hesitated, then revealed a bit more. "If she were willing to marry Beibei, everything could be considered. But clearly, judging from the current trend, she'd rather stay in the Sun Moon Empire."
"This…"
The elders were stunned.
Their supposedly well-groomed successor had been sent to the Sun Moon Empire and seemingly severed ties. Now she was being completely cast aside by Elder Mu.
What was the secret behind all this?
"..." Yan Shaozhe gritted his teeth.
He felt Elder Mu was deliberately targeting him.
But now that the elder had regained his peak power and was the only one who could still communicate with the progenitor Ah Yin, even if he felt aggrieved, he could only endure it and wait patiently for his opportunity.
He glanced sideways at the confused Beibei, his expression darkening.
He knew Elder Mu was pushing Beibei into the spotlight to gain approval from Elders Song, Lin, and others. Once they gave their nod, Beibei's status as successor would be cemented…
But he remembered, years ago, in front of the academy gates…
That pitiful figure kneeling, begging him to forgive Tang Ya, completely devoid of dignity or manliness.
He had always looked down on such bootlickers. And now, this same bootlicker was about to stand above him, hold higher status, and eventually even give him orders?
That was something he could not accept.
"Hehe, we will remember Elder Mu's wishes," Elder Lin said with a warm glance.
"Kid, don't shame Elder Mu!" Elder Song grumbled.
"I think this kid is something special…" Elder Zhuang said with a chuckle.
Elder Mu was essentially burning out the last of his life force. And Beibei, born from the consumption of Mu En's blood and flesh, would naturally have an exceptional talent — well-suited as the heir to the Pavilion.
Even if there were others with similar talent — Yan Shaozhe, Xian Lin'er, and others — they were still willing to give Elder Mu this favor.
The elders were all smiles.
Only Yan Shaozhe's face was dark.
Just when Shrek Academy seemed to be "flourishing" again…
Qian Duoduo suddenly asked hesitantly, "If I recall correctly, Xu Cheng is only fifteen this year, right? That means… four years from now, he'll still qualify to compete in the All-Continent Tournament?"
The elders: "…"
"Also, the Sun Moon Empire's golden generation — Ji Juechen, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, Nana… they're all still within the age limit. Four years from now will probably be their real breakout moment."
"Damn, that monster's so strong I kept forgetting he's just a substitute! Ma Rulong, Lin Xi and the others are the actual starters!" Xian Lin'er swore.
"He's probably the first in history where the sub is stronger than the main team." She grumbled.
"If we want to win, never mind whether our other members can match Ji Juechen's group — Beibei, as captain, will have to withstand the pressure of facing Xu Cheng…"
Everyone froze and looked toward Beibei.
The latter widened his eyes and pointed at himself.
Me? Defeat Xu Cheng?!!