Reunion with Xiao Wu

If Tang San were to inexplicably become Sovereign's Emissary or a reincarnator, it would undoubtedly be the worst possible scenario for You Chen.

This is even worse than Tang San becoming a god along the original story's trajectory.

Of course, if we consider this possibility, then there's no point in playing the game in the first place. Because no matter what, Tang San could always find a way out of a desperate situation and make a miraculous comeback.

Therefore, You Chen would not take this probability into account.

What he was considering was ultimately only the possibility of Tang San, as the protagonist, turning the tables within the Douluo Universe.

Therefore, keeping Tang San around for the time being, letting him develop within the Douluo system like a pig, is the situation that You Chen would be most happy to see.

The focus is on control and obstruction, rather than direct annihilation, and on defiantly confronting fate head-on.

Some people might think that You Chen out of a molehill, that he's completely out of his mind and doing something stupid, which is extremely ridiculous and laughable.

But fate is something that cannot be proven, nor can it be disproven.

Since it cannot be disproven, You Chen assumes its existence and takes various measures based on this premise.

Even though his response was part of fate, he still chose to do such a foolish thing.

While it's not possible to completely prevent it, it's definitely better than doing nothing.

If nothing unexpected happens in the end, and his so-called fate is just a paranoid delusion stemming from his previous setbacks, and he's just unlucky, then he won't suffer any loss by acting this way.

And if we ultimately lose...

At least he is internally consistent, so even if he ultimately loses, there is nothing to regret.

Because he has always been on the path of practicing his own truth.

Once You Chen possesses power at the upper limit of the universe, even Tang San's protagonist aura will not be able to turn the tide.

Even if Tang San inexplicably encounters various adventures and regains power equal to or even higher than that in the original story under unbelievable circumstances, it will be of no use.

If Tang San's protagonist aura is already unable to withstand the overwhelming force of history at this stage, then that would be even better...

Once Tang San reaches his peak strength, You Chen can chain him up and use him to complete missions, just like he did with Tang Hao.

Although we still don't understand where the system's resources came from, they can basically be considered as something created out of nothing.

No matter how much you extract, the extra resources you gain will never be exhausted.

Even when facing enemies of a higher level, it remains a huge trump card.

'Let me see, after all my influence and groundwork, which direction your future will take...'

You Chen was indeed very curious about what Tang San would become after his own distortion.

His deep gaze lingered on Tang San for a few more seconds before he left the Male Dormitory and went to the Female Dormitory.

At this moment, Xiao Wu is the only female student at the Shrek Academy, so naturally she is the only one here.

It has to be said that Tang San and Xiao Wu could really be considered an "anxious duo" now.

Tang San silently recited the "path to death" to Dai Mubai in his heart, relying on the gentleness of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and desperately cultivated every day.

Xiao Wu was much the same; she was completely different from her carefree and playful self in the past, and was still diligently cultivating at this hour.

Even You Chen was a little surprised to see Xiao Wu like this.

Three years ago, Xiao Wu was not Soul Elder, but three years later, she broke through two major realms and became a Soul Ancestor.

This cultivation speed is far superior to even that of Ignis, who was at the same stage.

However, after obtaining the Immortal Herb, Ignis's subsequent cultivation speed was far beyond Xiao Wu's reach.

The transformed Soul Beast stood with the energy it possessed before its transformation. Before becoming Soul Sage, it had no bottlenecks in its cultivation, and its first six Soul Rings were also perfectly matched.

However, correspondingly, the Soul Ring itself will not improve the Martial Soul Origin.

This was confirmed by You Chen after he used his Divine Sense to investigate.

In fact, he had made this speculation shortly after meeting Xiao Wu a few years ago, and now it has simply been confirmed.

This is to be expected, since after Soul Beast Transformation, the first six rings are still essentially the process of transforming from Soul Beast into a human, and the Martial Soul Origin will not change in any way.

In other words, compared to human Soul Master, transformed Soul Beast have fewer opportunities to improve their Martial Soul Origin in the first three rings when they rebuild their cultivation; they only have one sublimation at the Soul Sage stage.

Soul Beast Transformation can become Titled Douluo through normal cultivation after transforming into human form, but with Xiao Wu's Martial Soul quality, without any fortuitous encounters, an ordinary Title Douluo is her lower limit, and also roughly her upper limit.

"Xiao Wu".

In the almost enclosed room, a somewhat unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out beside her. Xiao Wu immediately jumped up with a start, her head hitting the ceiling with a soft thud.

"Ouch!"

Xiao Wu screamed and fell to the ground.

By this time, she had recognized the bespectacled man in front of her. No longer as tense and wary as before, she rubbed her head with a pained expression. "What? Oh, it's you, Uncle! You scared me so much—wait, what are you doing here!?"

Suddenly realizing what was happening, she froze on the spot with a blank expression. The next second, she quickly crossed her arms in front of her chest, her pretty face slightly flushed as she glared at You Chen.

You Chen adjusted his glasses and chuckled, "Little girl, it's been years, and you're getting shy now? Don't worry, no matter how desperate I am, I wouldn't go after a little girl like you who hasn't even fully developed yet."

Even with the ability to conceal his appearance anytime, anywhere using Stardust Phantom, You Chen still maintains the habit of wearing glasses to hide his good looks.

Unlike when he met with old friends like Di Wan, if he weren't wearing these glasses, Xiao Wu probably wouldn't have recognized him.

Xiao Wu lightly spat, but then quickly remembered something. Forgetting about arguing with You Chen any longer, she asked anxiously, yet somewhat trying to cover up her misunderstanding, "By the way, before you came here, did you encounter any strange people?"

No wonder Xiao Wu asked that question.

In Xiao Wu's eyes, she was probably Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring that Tang Hao was keeping for Tang San. If that was the case, Tang Hao would not easily let others come into contact with her.

"Oh? You mean this person, right?"

You Chen nodded calmly and casually retrieved the unconscious Tang Hao from the Storage Soul Tool.

Xiao Wu's eyes widened. "This, this, this—"

This scene must have been as unbelievable to Xiao Wu as it was to us.

With seven parts shock and three parts disbelief, she blurted out, "He's a Titled Douluo!?"

"Titled Douluo?"

You Chen tilted his head and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "So what if I'm Titled Douluo?"

From these words, it is not difficult to confirm that Tang Hao was captured alive by You Chen himself.

Xiao Wu felt like she was still dreaming, but before she could even feel happy, a terrifying prediction snapped her back to reality.

She looked at You Chen with obvious unease and a hint of ingratiation, forcing a smile as she asked, "Uncle, you wouldn't happen to be Titled Douluo too, would you?"

You Chen maintained his enigmatic smile and said, "Isn't it just Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? Xiao Wu, I've known your true identity for years."

Boom!

Xiao Wu felt a buzzing in her head.

"Wh-when?" Xiao Wu asked, somewhat bewildered.

"Not long after."

Of course, You Chen couldn't admit that he knew from the beginning. He simply recited his prepared statement. "During my time in Notting City, didn't I go out with You Xing for a while? At that time, I also acquired a Soul Ring, which led to a significant breakthrough in my strength..."

You Chen didn't continue speaking, but Xiao Wu already understood what he meant.

It must have been around that time that You Chen broke through to the Titled Douluo realm... No, he hadn't noticed it before, so he must have only broken through to the Soul Douluo realm at that time. Then he realized the abnormality in his body.

Xiao Wu felt as if her body had suddenly lost all its strength.

Just when you thought you'd escaped one wolf's den, you've fallen into another?

"What's with that look? You don't think I'm going to kill you to take your Soul Ring, do you?"

Just then, Xiao Wu heard You Chen's speechless voice. She looked up and saw You Chen's disgusted expression.

Even amidst her complex emotions, Xiao Wu couldn't help but feel a little confused. Wait, what's with that disgusted look on your face?

Then You Chen continued rambling on.

"Although I don't know how a Soft Bone Rabbit like you cultivated to 100,000 years, you don't actually think I'd be interested in a trash Soul Ring like yours, do you? Soft Bone Rabbit Soul Ring, I'd rather it pollute my perfect Soul Ring Configuration than give it to you!"

Xiao Wu was somewhat bewildered upon hearing You Chen's astonishing words.

What happened next shocked Xiao Wu so much that she felt dizzy and almost fainted on the spot.

It turned out that You Chen had directly revealed the fourth, fifth, and sixth rings of his Second Incarnation.

Without exception, they were all blood-red Soul Ring, especially the last Soul Ring, which had six mysterious and profound golden patterns. With just one glance, Xiao Wu felt a powerful sense of oppression from it—that was no ordinary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!

With You Chen's current abilities, it would be an easy task for him to display a single Soul Ring or to deliberately display several Soul Rings.

If it were an ordinary Soul Master, witnessing this breathtaking scene, they would probably only feel shock and admiration.

But...

"No way, bro, how thick-skinned are you? Showing off your Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring in front of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast like me?"

More than being horrified that You Chen was able to hunt so many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, Xiao Wu found herself feeling frantic and speechless at this moment.

But inexplicably, after this brief period of frustration and speechlessness, Xiao Wu felt her mood relax.

Because... if You Chen could find and hunt so many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, there would be absolutely no need for him to lie to her.

Considering You Chen's previous remarks and his indifferent and even disdainful attitude, Xiao Wu couldn't help but feel that You Chen might genuinely just look down on her Soul Ring.

Thinking about this, she even felt inexplicably exhausted...

"Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring is something that most Soul Master can only dream of, but for me, it's just so-so."

As if seeing through Xiao Wu's worries, You Chen glanced at Xiao Wu sideways and said indifferently, "Of course, it's the same for my disciple. If he needs Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, I will naturally take him hunting. After all, I wouldn't go so far as to use a weakling like you as a scapegoat. Soul Beast or Soul Beast don't matter. To me, you're just a little girl I picked up on the roadside."

"Gurgle."

Xiao Wu let out a soft sob, feeling a little embarrassed. To cover her shame, she grabbed her scorpion-tail braid and covered her face.

One thing is that my thoughts were completely read, but more importantly...

"Whether you're Soul Beast or Soul Beast doesn't matter. To me, you're just a little girl I picked up on the roadside."

These words echoed in Xiao Wu's mind, Xiao Wu felt as if the softest part of her heart had been struck. While feeling inexplicably restless, she couldn't help but feel a little warm.

A smile naturally appeared on her face, which is why, in her panic, she couldn't think of any other way and simply covered her cheeks with her scorpion braid.

Even she herself didn't know why, but she just didn't want You Chen to see her current expression. Just imagining it made her feel inexplicably embarrassed.

Despite his outward retort, he stubbornly replied, "What do you mean, 'little brat'? Don't you know I'm Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? In terms of age, I'm the elder of your elders... You... you should have respect for your elders! Respect, you understand?!"

You Chen simply smiled and remained silent.

After venting her emotions, Xiao Wu finally calmed down.

Naturally, this leads to curiosity.

Xiao Wu, who was ignorant and had only heard of Ferocious Beast but had never seen Ferocious Beast, let alone possessed Ferocious Beast Soul Ring, couldn't help but look at You Chen's Sea Princess Soul Ring.

'What kind of Soul Ring is that? Could it be the Soul Ring of a legendary Ferocious Beast?'

Strangely enough, even though You Chen had killed at least three Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, Xiao Wu found that she didn't seem to care as much as she had expected, or rather, she didn't care at all.

Even this thought only flashed through my mind, leaving no ripple in my heart.

"Are you curious?"

You Chen pointed to his Sixth Soul Ring and laughed, "This is the Soul Beast ring of the Sea Princess, Soul Ring beast from the North Sea."

As he spoke, You Chen snapped his fingers, and a stunningly beautiful woman with a fish tail appeared from his Soul Ring.

Xiao Wu's eyes widened; this scene was completely beyond her comprehension. "What... what's going on here?"

"Owner?"

Li Na groggily opened her eyes and found a cute and innocent girl staring at her.

"Oh, let me introduce you."

You Chen pointed at Xiao Wu and introduced her to Li Na, saying, "This little girl, oh, no—"

You Chen's eyes darted around, and he said, "Since it's Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, then it must be an old woman. This old woman is someone I know, Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit named Xiao Wu."

Then he planned to introduce Li Na to Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, this is mine—"

Who are you calling an old woman?!

Xiao Wu lunged at You Chen her claws outstretched, attempting to attack him wildly, but You Chen held her head down with one hand, preventing her from getting any closer.

You Chen, like a ruthless announcement machine, continued, "This is my female slave, the former Sea Princess Li Na, and also the original owner of this Soul Ring. As fellow Soul Beast, you can get to know each other better."

"You Chen, I'm asking you, what is an old woman? Huh?"

"Hello, Xiao Wu."

Xiao Wu was still glaring angrily, while Li Na, somewhat confused, had already smiled and expressed her friendliness.

The superiority or inferiority of one is evident from this.

You Chen looked at Xiao Wu, who seemed determined to get an explanation from him, and sighed silently in his heart.

'That Rogue Rabbit is really heartless.'

Although his goal was to win Xiao Wu's favor, it went so smoothly that it felt a little unfulfilling.

Even though the person in front of her was an incredibly powerful Soul Master who had easily killed several Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and even Ferocious Beast, Xiao Wu was more concerned about how he addressed her than about fear and wariness...

You Chen didn't know what to say.

It's safe to say that she truly lives up to her character Xiao Wu from the original story, who harbors a deep-seated hatred yet falls in love.

"What? So you actually Soul Sacrifice to You Chen? And you can even be resurrected through your original body?"

After making a fuss for a while, and having completed her initial conversation with Li Na, Xiao Wu was still somewhat incredulous upon learning the truth. She couldn't help but complain, "Isn't this Soul Sacrifice a bit too unfair?"

You Chen shrugged. "This is a miracle that requires Soul Beast to willingly offer everything to create. Isn't it only natural that it's stronger than a normal sacrifice?"

Xiao Wu couldn't help but spit on You Chen, saying, "What do you mean by 'willingly'? You clearly forced Sister Li Na to sacrifice herself for you, didn't you? How dare you say that?! I never knew you were such a bad old man before!"

As she spoke, Xiao Wu couldn't help but move closer to Li Na, who had temporarily recovered after re-entering the body, and took Li Na's hands in hers, saying with a look of pity, "Sister Li Na, you've really suffered, having to follow such a bad person all the time. If You Chen treats you badly in any way, you must tell me, and I will definitely teach him a lesson for you!"

After saying that, she waved her small fist fiercely and said to You Chen, "And you, you're not allowed to call Sister Li Na a slave anymore! I've wanted to say this for a long time, your personality is just too awful!"

You Chen remained calm and collected, but Li Na couldn't help but try to dissuade Xiao Wu: "Well... actually, I don't think being a slave is so bad... so, Xiao Wu, you don't need to worry about it."

As Li Na spoke, she inexplicably blushed, cupped her face in her hands, and looked completely immersed in happiness, shaking her head and swaying her body.

"Ah?"

Xiao Wu stared blankly at Li Na, who was infatuated with him, feeling inexplicably shocked.

You Chen silently put down the teacup he had taken out of his Storage Soul Tool at some point, and said calmly, "You can think of this as a special kind of play between us."

His tone was calm, yet he was determined to make a striking statement.

Xiao Wu was completely confused.

She glanced at Li Na, who was still infatuated with Lina, and a sudden surge of annoyance rose in her heart.

Although Xiao Wu was inexperienced in such matters, she was theoretically a seasoned pro, so how could she not understand the implied meaning in those words?

Looking at You Chen, who remained calm, Xiao Wu felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.

It even inexplicably had a thought that a Soul Beast should never have.

'If only I could Soul Sacrifice to him.'

Xiao Wu was suddenly startled: 'What am I thinking?!'

Xiao Wu felt bewildered and uneasy about her own thoughts. Before she could even say a few words to You Chen to vent her emotions, she lowered her head.

"Seeing that you're still alive and kicking, I'm relieved."

But at that moment, You Chen suddenly spoke up.

These words, implying departure, forcibly pulled Xiao Wu out of her previous entanglement, and she suddenly looked up. "You're leaving again?"

She longed to say "Take me away" to You Chen again, just like last time.

The sudden shock left her with incredibly complex emotions.

Before I could sort out my own feelings, I couldn't bring myself to say those words as decisively as I had last time.

Because she herself vaguely realized that even if the words were exactly the same, the meaning of her words this time would be very different.

Some words, once spoken, cannot be taken back.

Especially when... there are already other people around the other person.

"You should know who my real enemy and rival is now, right? Pope Bibi Dong. Unlike me, who is still on the path to godhood, she is someone who has already been chosen by God."

In Li Na's conversation with Xiao Wu, it was inevitable that You Chen would reveal his ambition to become a god.

To be honest, while this is shocking, it's not so surprising considering You Chen's age and his ability to easily defeat Ferocious Beast and subdue Titled Douluo.

Therefore, although these words involve the concept of gods, they are merely an extension of the previous topic and will not be incomprehensible to Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu felt the presence of "fate" more and more when she confirmed that You Chen's enemy and her own enemy were the same person.

At this moment, Xiao Wu's gaze hardened.

Fate has bound us together, so...

So what if the opponent is someone who could become a god?

Just as Xiao Wu was about to speak, You Chen forcibly linked his mental energy with hers.

"Xiao Wu, it's likely we'll never see each other again. This is my last gift to you. If you learn it, you can conceal your Soul Beast aura even in front of Titled Douluo. Farewell."

"Wait, wait a minute..."

Xiao Wu's pupils contracted, and her small mouth opened slightly, as if she wanted to stop You Chen from leaving.

The massive influx of information caused her to experience a situation similar to CPU overload, resulting in a mental block.

When she came to her senses and tried to persuade him to stay, the figure in front of her disappeared again.

"I told you to wait! Why won't you listen to me, you bastard!"

This time, however, Xiao Wu wasn't just heartbroken; she couldn't help but go berserk and lose her temper.

You Chen, who had been keeping his aura under control, watched Xiao Wu's exasperated expression silently. He looked at her with a satisfied expression, as if he had eaten three bowls of rice in one go, before finally leaving quietly.

What he gave Xiao Wu was a simplified version of the "Aura Concealment Art," a specialized secret technique that only had the ability to conceal the aura of Soul Beast.

Xiao Wu never mentioned that Tang Hao was Tang San's father, thus making him spare his life, his plan went very smoothly.