Xu Jiujiu refused to believe that Zhang Lexuan could achieve this on her own.
In just over half a year, from an eighty-eighth-level Soul Douluo to directly reaching Super Douluo?
What kind of international joke was this?
Zhang Lexuan absolutely couldn't have achieved this herself.
The facts were obvious: Su Yu must have stepped in to help her.
With the resources of the Ice God Palace, if Su Yu brought out some world-class treasures, it wouldn't have been impossible to achieve this.
It was precisely because of this that Xu Jiujiu found it even harder to accept.
Why?
Was it because of those assets of hers?
Xu Jiujiu had them too!
Every time she thought about how Su Yu had rejected her but treated Zhang Lexuan so well, Xu Jiujiu couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy.
She didn't dare to blame Su Yu but felt a strong sense of dissatisfaction toward Zhang Lexuan.
Xu Jiujiu, a noble princess by birth, wasn't inferior to Zhang Lexuan in any way, was she?
The more Xu Jiujiu thought about it, the angrier she became. Jealousy twisted her expression.
"Jiujiu, are you saying… all of this is Su Yu's doing?"
Xu Jiawei glanced at Xu Jiujiu beside him with a probing look in his eyes.
Xu Jiujiu nodded without hesitation and said, "It must be Su Yu. It has to be him."
"Zhang Lexuan's talent is decent, but there's no way she could reach Super Douluo before turning thirty. Only Su Yu can make this happen."
Xu Jiawei nodded slightly and said, "That does make sense. After all, the Ice God Palace has a heritage spanning tens of thousands of years. Its depth is unfathomable, so being able to accomplish something like this isn't surprising."
"However, for such a significant boost, I'm afraid what Su Yu brought out wasn't any ordinary item."
"What on earth did Zhang Lexuan do to deserve Su Yu's favor?"
Xu Jiujiu bit her lip in frustration and said bitterly, "I don't know either. I can't figure out what kind of spell Zhang Lexuan used to make Su Yu dote on her like this."
"He's a man who doesn't even react to beauty. I… I just don't understand."
Xu Jiujiu truly couldn't understand.
What advantage did Zhang Lexuan have over her?
In terms of looks, she considered herself no worse than Zhang Lexuan.
In terms of talent, she might be slightly behind, but her martial soul was special—Star Crown Martial Soul. Wasn't that better than the Moon Martial Soul?
She could even provide support for Su Yu. Could Zhang Lexuan do that?
In terms of status, Zhang Lexuan might now hold the position of Sea God Pavilion's Master, but Xu Jiujiu was a princess of the Star Luo Empire, backed by the entire empire.
Could mere Shrek Academy compare to the Star Luo Empire?
Shrek Academy might have had some standing in the past, but now? What was Shrek Academy worth?
Most importantly, could Zhang Lexuan be as proactive as she was?
She had even offered herself willingly, pledging to serve Su Yu for life. Could Zhang Lexuan do that?
Xu Jiujiu still didn't know where she had lost.
She was baffled.
Her conditions were better than Zhang Lexuan's in every way, yet Su Yu had rejected her.
If it were because Su Yu disliked her or had a grudge against the Star Luo Empire, that might make sense.
But no—Su Yu didn't dislike her. Even when he turned her down, he had done so gently, without harsh words.
He simply didn't like her.
And that was the biggest blow to Xu Jiujiu.
After all, even after offering herself, Su Yu remained unmoved. That was the most devastating part.
It meant that Xu Jiujiu truly held little attraction for Su Yu.
But if she didn't attract Su Yu, how could Zhang Lexuan?
Could Zhang Lexuan possibly be more appealing than she was?
Xu Jiujiu couldn't make sense of it, but she refused to accept it.
Seeing the unwilling expression on Xu Jiujiu's face, Xu Jiawei shook his head silently.
The idea of marrying Xu Jiujiu off had been his suggestion.
He had already heard from Man Yi about everything Xu Jiujiu had done in the Ice God Palace. To be fair, Xu Jiujiu had gone above and beyond, practically throwing caution to the wind.
Even her brother, Xu Jiawei admired her courage.
Logically, any man would have accepted Xu Jiujiu by this point. It would have been the natural thing to do.
But Su Yu was an anomaly. He had refused.
Didn't Xu Jiujiu's beauty and charm appeal to him?
Wouldn't it be enjoyable to hold her in his arms?
Having a princess by his side to serve him—what man wouldn't want that?
If Su Yu didn't have more than one woman around him, Xu Jiawei might have started to suspect that Su Yu simply wasn't interested in women.
Rejecting something so tempting when it was offered on a silver platter?
But the absurdity of the situation was undeniable. A dignified princess of the Star Luo Empire had practically thrown herself at him, only to be treated like trash.
Frankly, it was an insult to the Star Luo Empire. Xu Jiawei wanted to be angry, but he didn't dare.
He truly didn't dare.
Based on what Xu Jiujiu had seen and experienced at the Ice God Palace, Xu Jiawei understood that the Ice God Palace could easily crush the entire Star Luo Empire.
Most sects only had a few powerful individuals at the top, which was enough to make empires wary.
But the Ice God Palace had no weaknesses.
Its top-tier strength was suffocating, and its lower-tier strength was equally terrifying.
Leaving everything else aside, the fact that the Ice God Palace had tens of thousands of soul masters alone was enough to make Xu Jiawei's blood run cold.
Even if the Star Luo Empire's entire military were mobilized, they wouldn't stand a chance against tens of thousands of soul masters.
After all, the empire's million-strong army consisted of ordinary, albeit well-trained, soldiers. How could they possibly contend with tens of thousands of soul masters?
Not to mention, the Ice God Palace wasn't without its military forces.
According to Xu Jiujiu, the Ice God Palace's troops were elite forces that could easily crush the Star Luo Empire's White Tiger Guard.
At that point, what was the point of even trying to fight?
The disparity in power was simply too great.
Xu Jiawei didn't even dare to show dissatisfaction. If word got out, they might face even more dire consequences.
He had already suffered losses once and had no desire to go through it a second time.
If he could endure the Clear Sky Sect's provocations, why couldn't he endure the Ice God Palace?
It was a joke. Xu Jiawei prided himself on his patience.
Besides, this matter hadn't caused a major uproar. Su Yu hadn't gone around flaunting it either, which left them with some dignity.
Xu Jiawei could only chalk it up as a non-issue and pretend it never happened.
He felt grateful that Su Yu had shown restraint, unlike the brash and unreasonable Clear Sky Sect members.
As he mulled over the situation, Xu Jiawei looked at Xu Jiujiu, whose beautiful eyes were still filled with resentment, and said comfortingly, "Jiujiu, don't take it too hard. It's not like we have to form an alliance with the Ice God Palace through marriage."
"After some time, I'll find some talented young men for you to meet. You can choose whoever you like, and I'll make sure you're happy."
Xu Jiujiu shook her head and said, "Brother, there's no need. I'm no longer interested in romantic matters. I only want to help the Star Luo Empire grow stronger. Everything else, I don't want to think about anymore."
Xu Jiawei: "…"
Do you think I believe you?
I can tell you're still not over it.
Or maybe it's not that you're not over it but that you're unwilling to accept defeat.
This damn competitive streak.
Xu Jiawei could see right through Xu Jiujiu's thoughts. She was simply dissatisfied with Zhang Lexuan and was venting her frustrations.
Did Xu Jiujiu truly love Su Yu that much? Probably not.
Her brother, Xu Jiawei understood her well. In Xu Jiujiu's mind, the royal family always came first.
Wait…
Xu Jiawei suddenly had a realization. Could this be the very reason she was rejected?
Damn, that was highly likely. Otherwise, it didn't make sense.
Slapping his forehead, Xu Jiawei felt as though he'd discovered the blind spot.
He had overlooked Su Yu's age. Su Yu wasn't like them—seasoned political players in their thirties or forties.
Su Yu was still young—barely sixteen years old.
Xu Jiujiu often said that Su Yu was deeply calculating and difficult to deal with.
But no matter how cunning he was, he couldn't change the fact that he was just a teenager.
Teenagers in their early teens—who wouldn't love a pure and innocent romance?
Even he longed for it back in the day.
At this age, once emotions take over, it's not surprising for them to act impulsively.
As for Su Yu, coming from such a noble background, he likely scoffed at the idea of arranged marriages.
After all, the Ice God Palace was too powerful—so powerful that they didn't even need to consider such alliances.
Case solved.
That must be it.
Jiujiu's intentions weren't pure, which is why Jiujiu couldn't succeed. That had to be the reason.
But then, why was Zhang Lexuan able to do it?
Could it be that Zhang Lexuan's intentions were purer?
Could Zhang Lexuan and Su Yu truly be in love?
Xu Jiawei shook his head, finding it hard to believe.
Given Yan Shaozhe's petty nature, whatever he did would likely be similar to what Xu himself would've done.
So, it must have something to do with Zhang Lexuan herself.
It seems Zhang Lexuan isn't simple.
Xu Jiawei narrowed his eyes. His imperial instincts kicked in, and he decided to investigate Zhang Lexuan thoroughly.
If he could uncover the secret, perhaps their Star Luo Empire might stand a chance after all.
...
Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Jing Hongchen stared at the message in his hand, his fingers lightly tapping on the table as he fell into deep thought.
"Zhang Lexuan… under 30 years old and already a Super Douluo. The new Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion… she's something else."
"A Super Douluo under 30—this must have broken records spanning thousands of years."
Jing Hongchen murmured to himself.
Even he, at this point in his life, was only a Rank 94 Titled Douluo. Yet this young girl, not even 30, had already reached Super Douluo.
It was undeniably astonishing.
"Zhang Lexuan… I've heard of her before. She's said to be the most talented individual in Shrek Academy's thousands of years of history and the senior leader of Shrek's inner court."
"I just didn't expect her to become a Super Douluo at such a young age. I suspect there's something fishy about this," said Lin Jiayi, the teaching director, who stood nearby.
Jing Hongchen snorted. "Remove 'suspect.' There's something fishy. And let's not forget who Zhang Lexuan's man is."
"That brat Su Yu knows how to invest. He's poured resources into Zhang Lexuan, pushing her straight to Super Douluo. Hmph! He never treated Meng this well."
Jing Hongchen's tone carried a hint of bitterness. After all, he wasn't ignorant of the happenings at Shrek Academy.
At the very least, he was well aware that Su Yu and Zhang Lexuan had gotten together.
Hearing this, Lin Jiayi immediately shut his mouth. He dared not meddle in the personal affairs of his Hall Master, especially when they involved Su Yu, who was practically a living legend.
Everyone in Illustrious Virtue Hall knew of Su Yu's special status.
As a mere teaching director, Lin Jiayi wouldn't dare to overstep.
"Why so silent?"
Seeing Lin Jiayi remain quiet, Jing Hongchen grew displeased.
Lin Jiayi's lips twitched. Hall Master, what do you want me to say? If I say the wrong thing, won't you hold it against me later?
"You're such a coward. Are you really that scared?"
"Can't you say a few words? What, are you afraid Su Yu will come after you?" Jing Hongchen grumbled.
Lin Jiayi nodded honestly. "Hall Master, I am afraid. If Young Master Su decides to deal with me, could you protect me then?"
Jing Hongchen's face darkened, and he became a bit flustered and exasperated. "What nonsense! Are you looking down on your Hall Master?"
"No matter what, he's my grandson-in-law. Does he dare defy me?"
"If I speak, would he disobey me?"
Lin Jiayi silently thought to himself: He probably would. Su Yu has even beaten up members of the imperial family. What wouldn't he dare to do?
But Lin Jiayi didn't dare voice this thought. If he did, Jing Hongchen would take it out on him.
And that would be pure suffering.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Lin Jiayi remain silent, Jing Hongchen snorted. "This time, Yan Shaozhe got lucky. Zhang Lexuan managed to connect with Su Yu, and her future is boundless."
"Shrek Academy, once in decline, now has a chance at revival. Truly infuriating."
Shrek Academy's decline was undoubtedly in the best interests of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
But now, Shrek Academy had an opportunity to rise again, which Jing Hongchen was naturally displeased about.
"If Shrek Academy regains its former glory, many won't be happy. Within the Empire, someone might act against Zhang Lexuan, trying to eliminate the threat before it fully manifests."
"After all, a Super Douluo under 30 is truly a terrifying prospect. No one would want Shrek Academy to produce another Ultimate Douluo," Lin Jiayi said.
His speculation wasn't without merit. After all, Shrek Academy had always been at odds with the Sun Moon Empire.
While sects like the Body Sect might tolerate Shrek producing a Zhang Lexuan, the Sun Moon Empire certainly wouldn't.
Jing Hongchen's expression darkened. In a stern tone, he declared, "Regardless of what others in the Empire think, not a single soul engineer from Illustrious Virtue Hall is allowed to interfere in this matter."
"If anyone dares disobey, I will wipe out their entire clan."
Zhang Lexuan herself wasn't the issue—it was the fact that she had Su Yu backing her.
That was Su Yu's woman. If anyone touched her, Su Yu would undoubtedly go berserk.
Although Jing Hongchen felt a little bitter about how well Su Yu treated Zhang Lexuan, his grievances were nothing more than complaints.
He would never target Zhang Lexuan, nor would he allow anyone from Illustrious Virtue Hall, to do so.
The Hongchen family had an excellent relationship with Su Yu, and Jing Hongchen would not allow it to break over this matter.
When it came to major issues, Jing Hongchen remained clear-headed.
Lin Jiayi nodded. He understood Jing Hongchen's intent.
Zhang Lexuan was, after all, Su Yu's woman. To act against her would be to tread on Su Yu's bottom line.
If Su Yu became displeased, the Ice God Palace behind him would undoubtedly act.
Even just the Ice Emperor Haibodong, who could defeat two Ultimate Douluos, was already invincible.
To provoke Su Yu was nothing short of courting death.
At that point, the entire Empire might suffer the consequences. The lunatics in the Ice God Palace likely had no boundaries for what they'd dare to do.