Bluffing

Bluffing

After leaving the Soul Duel Zone, Ye Qingchen found that Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and Huo Yuhao had not left. Instead, they were waiting for him outside the Soul Duel Zone.

"Why haven't you all left?" Ye Qingchen asked in confusion.

Bei Bei smiled slightly. "We were waiting for you to come out, and also to thank you."

"Thank me?" Ye Qingchen asked blankly.

Bei Bei nodded. "In a chaotic melee like that, being strong does not necessarily mean one can stand out. The few of us are all four-ring Soul Masters, so we were bound to become targets of everyone else's combined attacks. The reason we were able to win so smoothly was all thanks to you and Yuhao. Huo Yuhao's Spirit Detection Sharing, as well as the Martial Soul Fusion Skill you and Huo Yuhao unleashed at the end, played decisive roles."

Ye Qingchen said somewhat awkwardly, "We're brothers. What's there to thank me for?"

Xu Sanshi said bluntly, "Alright, there's another reason we stayed behind. Since we've become the Shrek Reserve Team selected this time, we have to work hard. No one can fall behind. Five years from now, we'll represent the academy in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Jiang Nannan, who was standing not far away. Jiang Nannan, however, had her head lowered as she stared at the tips of her shoes.

"Ye Qingchen, we discussed it just now. Since we're the new generation of Shrek, there should be an order of seniority, just like the original first-generation Shrek. How old are you?"

"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" Ye Qingchen asked.

"..."

Bei Bei was the oldest. He, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan were only separated by a few months, much like Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao. After Bei Bei came He Caitou, then Xu Sanshi, Ye Qingchen, Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, and Huo Yuhao, while Wang Dong was the youngest. In truth, even Ye Qingchen himself did not know how to calculate his age. His physical body was only thirteen years old, but his soul was a ten-thousand-year-old monster...

What Ye Qingchen had not expected was for He Caitou to suddenly say in his simple, honest manner, "Qingchen, I want to join your sect. Is that alright?"

"Brother He, you already know?" Ye Qingchen asked doubtfully. His sect had only just emerged, yet someone already knew about it?

"Ye Qingchen, you actually established a sect?" Xu Sanshi stared at Ye Qingchen in shock.

"Mm. My sect is called the Cold Sect. It has been passed down for tens of thousands of years, dating back to the era of Spirit Hall—perhaps even earlier than Spirit Hall's founding. So I've always had a sect. Right now, the sect only has me, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao. Doesn't that sound like a fallen sect..." Ye Qingchen smiled.

"This... Its inheritance is actually so ancient? Is the Cold Sect a hidden sect?" Jiang Nannan asked with a shocked expression.

"That's right. Every generation of the sect has had fewer than a hundred members, but every single one was a genius capable of suppressing their era. As I recall, the lowest achievement was becoming a Titled Douluo, and there were even dozens who reached the Hundredth-Level God realm..." Ye Qingchen continued bluffing them without changing his expression.

"The first sect master of the Cold Sect became a god. For the sake of the Cold Sect's continued development, he planned for ten thousand years. His direct descendants would inherit their parents' cultivation, passed down from generation to generation. By the time it reached me, my cultivation was impossible to control. Thus, the elders of the Cold Sect and my parents exhausted all their cultivation and their lives to create a seal. It sealed away part of my memories. Only when I can break it on my own will I be free from mortal danger. I don't even know what level my cultivation will reach after I undo the seal..."

Titled Douluo at minimum, gods, an ancient inheritance, inheriting one's parents' cultivation—the words echoed in everyone's ears, leaving them unable to calm down for a long time...

"Ye-dage, hasn't the seal affected you?" Huo Yuhao asked the question everyone wanted answered.

"It has had some effect, but not much. There are benefits to it as well. Right now, I can use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with anyone. After each use, both parties gain certain benefits, and their cultivation becomes twice as effective with half the effort. Yuhao, I'm sure you've felt it yourself," Ye Qingchen said with a smile.

"That's true. In that instant alone, my Soul Power rank rose by one level. I'm currently at rank twenty-eight, and I can break through again at any time." Huo Yuhao confirmed Ye Qingchen's words, because they were true.

Wow—wow—wow—unbelievable, truly unbelievable...

"Moreover, Yuhao can now use the Martial Soul Fusion Skill without me. It's equivalent to borrowing a portion of my Soul Power when he uses it, allowing him to unleash it without the inconvenience of needing both of us to be present," Ye Qingchen continued.

"Wouldn't that mean everyone gets an extra skill? And your Soul Power consumption wouldn't be that great either. You already have abundant Soul Power, so the impact on you would be even smaller..." Xu Sanshi picked up the conversation.

"Being able to produce a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with anyone is an enormous temptation. We all need to keep this secret unless Ye Qingchen chooses to reveal it himself. Once this secret is exposed, Ye Qingchen will face endless pursuit," Bei Bei said gravely.

"Mm." Everyone present gave their word. Since Ye Qingchen had told them, he already regarded them as his own. If anyone leaked it, then...

"Brother He, why do you want to join the Cold Sect?" Ye Qingchen had to get to the bottom of it.

He Caitou chuckled. "Qingchen added many things I've never seen before when making Soul Tools. I want to learn as well. Although I'm a soul engineer, that doesn't prevent me from joining a sect."

"Good. The Cold Sect welcomes you, Brother He. I'll support your cultivation resources without conditions. The Cold Sect's foundation of tens of thousands of years can support our cultivation with practically no pressure at all. I'll do everything I can to push all of you to the peak," Ye Qingchen said as he looked at Huo Yuhao and the others.

"Brother Bei Bei, think about it yourself. Does the Tang Sect still have any motivation to continue? To be honest, the Clear Sky Sect, the Tang Sect, and the Cold Sect have all produced gods. But why has the Clear Sky Sect's inheritance continued and prospered, while the Tang Sect has declined? Even the ancestors of my Cold Sect knew to leave behind certain methods for its development. What about the Tang Sect? Why has it declined? Think about it carefully. In my view, Sister Xiaoya's persistence has no meaning at all. Even Ancestor Tang San did not leave behind a single plan ten thousand years ago. It's clear that he did not value the Tang Sect that highly, let alone you people. That is all I have to say..." Ye Qingchen communicated mentally with Bei Bei.

After hearing Ye Qingchen's words, Bei Bei fell into deep thought. Both were sects with ten-thousand-year inheritances. One still had the foundation to rise again, while the other was about to be eliminated by history. The difference was obvious...

He Caitou's application to join the Cold Sect was unquestionably a joyous event for the Cold Sect, which currently only had four members.

Joining the Cold Sect was kept simple. The ceremony for Ye Qingchen accepting He Caitou into the sect was not complicated. After the ceremony, everyone had a good meal together to celebrate. Jiang Nannan and Xu Sanshi joined them as well. During the meal, Jiang Nannan also joined the Cold Sect under Ye Qingchen's persuasion. After seeing Jiang Nannan join, Xu Sanshi hugged Ye Qingchen's leg and wept bitterly. Those who heard him were saddened, and those who saw him shed tears. Was this a buy-one-get-one deal or what...

Bei Bei and Tang Ya's resolve has wavered. The Tang Sect's inheritance is in danger. Host has obtained Enhancement Points ×2.

"Wavering is enough. When the time comes, I'll offer them a kindness and merge the Tang Sect's foundation into the Cold Sect. I'll treat everyone equally. System, enhance." An imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of Ye Qingchen's lips.

Ding! Host enhancement successful. Current enhancement level: 41+

After gaining the status of Shrek Reserve Team members, Ye Qingchen and the others' studies at the academy became even more varied and colorful. Beyond their regular daily classes, they seized every available moment to cultivate.

In the blink of an eye, two weeks passed. Xuan Zi guided their cultivation twice in succession. His teaching method could be described with only two words: simple and brutal. Actual combat. Actual combat without holding anything back.

Each time, the eight of them were divided into different combinations to battle one another. Xuan Zi's only requirement was that they were not allowed to hold back.

Under Xuan Zi's deliberate guidance, Ye Qingchen was always the one getting beaten up. Huo Yuhao followed his example, using the Martial Soul Fusion Skill to drain Ye Qingchen's Soul Power. After every battle, the three little ones' heads would have several bumps of varying sizes.

It was precisely amid this intense studying and cultivation that the three little ones could feel themselves improving every day. Only half a month had passed, yet Huo Yuhao already felt that he was nearing rank twenty-nine in Soul Power and seemed likely to break through again soon. Xiao Xiao only needed to advance one more step before she could become a rank-thirty Soul Elder by hunting a soul beast.

(End of Chapter)