"A hundred-year Spirit Ring? Tang Xiaosan actually managed to create one?"
Gu An had just walked into the classroom when he heard a chorus of startled exclamations from the back.
Several boys were gathered around a holographic screen floating above a desk, talking animatedly as they stared at it.
"What's so unusual about that? He has the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. I heard he even paid to have his first Spirit Ring specially cultivated."
"But he only created his world a few days ago! He already has a hundred-year Spirit Ring. Give him some more resources, and couldn't he even cultivate a thousand-year soul beast?"
"No wonder Tang Xiaosan dared to say he'd place in the top three at the grade rankings in ten days."
Gu An hadn't paid much attention at first.
He had barely rested last night.
That morning, he had asked the doctor about Gu Xi's condition. Only after the doctor confirmed there were no new abnormalities for the time being did he hurry back to school.
Now, hearing several familiar terms, he couldn't help stopping in his tracks.
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?
A hundred-year Spirit Ring? Why did that name sound a little off?
"Gu An, you finally made it!"
A boy in the back noticed him and waved with a smile.
His name was Cheng Ye, and he was also a student in their class.
On the day of their first world creation, Gu An had gained his first glimpse of the future and, while he was at it, helped Cheng Ye steady a thermos that had nearly tipped over.
"The group chat's been buzzing these past two days, but you didn't even reply to a single message."
"Something happened at home."
Gu An walked over and asked casually, "What are you looking at?"
"Tang Xiaosan's lifebound world."
Cheng Ye turned the screen toward him, a hint of envy still on his face.
"He posted this just yesterday. I heard his world has already cultivated its first batch of soul masters, and he's even received a power feedback from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul himself."
Gu An looked up.
The screen showed a lush forest.
Mountains rose and fell in the distance, and faint beastly roars came from among the towering ancient trees.
At the forest's edge, a youth dressed in combat clothes was locked in battle with a huge black soul beast.
With a low shout from the youth, blue-violet lightning suddenly erupted!
A fearsome dragon arm rapidly took shape.
At the same time, a yellow Spirit Ring slowly rose from beneath his feet.
Thunderclap Dragon Claw!
Boom!
Dazzling lightning crashed down, blasting the soul beast backward.
Gu An watched the video, his expression gradually turning strange.
"Wait."
He pointed at the youth on the screen.
"What kind of world did Tang Xiaosan create, exactly?"
"The Dou Soul Continent. Why?"
Gu An didn't answer.
The Dou Soul Continent.
Martial souls, Spirit Rings, soul beasts...
There was even that Thunderclap Dragon Arm, which immediately brought a certain top-tier beast martial soul to mind.
Well, damn.
Wasn't this the whole Douluo Continent setup from my past life?
He couldn't resist taking another look at the video.
He had to admit, in this age when everyone created worlds, turning such a familiar cultivation system into a real world was rather interesting.
And from the look of it, Tang Xiaosan clearly hadn't just thrown together a few soul masters and called it a day.
Even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and the Soul Beast Forest had already appeared.
If it continued to evolve, there would be the Clear Sky Hammer, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Twin Martial Souls, and even the legendary hundred-thousand-year soul beasts and Title Douluo...
He had spent plenty of time studying this system when he read novels in his past life.
He hadn't expected that one day he would see it in a classmate's lifebound world.
As they were talking, a stir suddenly arose at the front of the classroom.
Tang Xiaosan had arrived.
As the star of yesterday's video, he was surrounded by several boys he knew as soon as he walked through the door.
"Tang Xiaosan, just how old was that soul beast yesterday? In the video, that claw strike even split rocks apart."
"A little over a hundred years, I'd say. We'll have to wait until the Soul Beast Forest's evolution stabilizes to know its exact age."
Tang Xiaosan spoke casually, but the pride on his face was hard to hide. "Still, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is a top-tier beast martial soul to begin with, so there's no need to aim too high with the first Spirit Ring's age. Once I've cultivated thousand-year soul beasts, I'll think about how to arrange the rest of my Spirit Rings."
"Whoa, you're already making plans for thousand-year Spirit Rings? You're aiming for the top three in the grade, aren't you?"
"Top three? Why stop there?" someone nearby chimed in with a laugh. "Maybe he can even give Lorina a run for her money!"
Tang Xiaosan shook his head at that.
"Lorina's Silvermoon Elf World isn't that simple."
"She's always ranked first in the grade in simulations, and she completed her first world creation without a hitch. If we're really comparing world potential, I'm not confident I can beat her right now."
"Even you aren't confident? Doesn't that mean nobody in our grade can compete with her?"
"Who says that? Don't we still have the number one in theory?"
No one knew who had added that, but several people immediately burst out laughing.
"You mean Gu An? Hahaha! That Chaos World of his, or whatever it's called, hasn't produced so much as a patch of land. What can he possibly use to compete with the Silver Moon Elves?"
"Don't say that. He's the man who dared to make Lorina call him daddy if she loses!"
Another wave of laughter swept through the classroom.
Gu An was sitting in the back row. Hearing his name, he couldn't help looking up.
News really did travel fast these days.
He had only been away from school for a few days, and even this was almost a regular feature in the class.
Tang Xiaosan had been laughing too, but when he heard that last remark, his gaze involuntarily swept toward where Gu An was sitting.
He deliberately raised his voice.
"Speaking of which, I really do admire certain people."
"They don't have any other skills, but they sure talk big."
"What level is Lorina at? And what level is Gu An at? A useless Chaos World that's even lost its initial origin—and he still has the nerve to compete with her for first place?"
The boys around him exchanged glances.
Some of them caught the smell of gunpowder in his words, but no one rushed to respond.
They all knew Tang Xiaosan liked Lorina.
Now that he had that hundred-year Spirit Ring or whatever it was, there would be a good show to watch if an argument broke out.
"Tang Xiaosan, that's a bit much, isn't it?"
Cheng Ye set down his thermos and frowned. "His world is still being cultivated. It's not up to you to decide whether it'll succeed."
"Besides, Gu An wasn't the only one who proposed the bet."
"What did I say that was wrong?"
Tang Xiaosan smiled disdainfully.
"Lorina's Silvermoon Elf World has already given birth to extraordinary beings. What about Gu An?"
"He doesn't even have a decent patch of land! Does trash like that deserve to make Lorina call him daddy?"
"What's so impressive about coming first on a theory exam? A piece of trash who only knows how to fight battles on paper—where did he get the nerve to bet against Lorina?"
As the school's ice-queen beauty, Lorina was undoubtedly outstanding in both grades and looks.
She had no shortage of admirers at school.
Tang Xiaosan might not have stood out before, but now and in the future, he believed he was worthy of flying wing to wing with her.
And that Gu An had actually dared to make his future woman call him daddy.
Several of the boys who had joined in the teasing quieted down.
His words were extremely nasty, an all-out attack right to Gu An's face.
Everyone couldn't help looking at Gu An, wanting to see how he would react.
Gu An set down the terminal he had been using to chat with his younger sister and leaned back in his chair.
"The master hasn't even spoken yet, but the dog's already barking."
The classroom fell silent at once.
Cheng Ye froze for two seconds, then couldn't hold back a snort of laughter.
The boys beside him all turned to look at Tang Xiaosan, their expressions indescribably strange.
They had thought Gu An was rather old-fashioned, but ever since the day of world creation, he seemed like a different person.
Even his insults had become this sly and cutting.
The mocking smile on Tang Xiaosan's face froze instantly. "Gu An," he said coldly, "who the fuck are you calling a dog?!"