Chen Yan, the Passive Punching Bag

After returning from the Dragon Realm, the relationship between the two of them had become strangely awkward.

For example:

Chen Yan: "Um... Gu Yue..." There was a trace of hesitation in his voice, as though he had something to say.

Gu Yuena: "What is it?" Her tone was calm, but beneath it lay a faint hint of anticipation.

Chen Yan: "Uh... nothing." In the end, he chose silence.

Gu Yuena looked at Chen Yan, a complicated glint flashing through her eyes—both confusion and faint disappointment.

Gu Yuena: "Are you sure it's nothing?" she asked again, her voice carrying a few more traces of gentle gritted teeth.

Chen Yan: "Really, it's nothing." He suddenly became utterly serious, his eyes full of sincerity.

The moment Chen Yan finished speaking, Gu Yuena's expression changed instantly. Her pretty face became blank and emotionless, revealing the beginnings of a cool, imperious queen. "Fine, then let's go to the Battle Room."

Wait, Chotto Matte!

Gu Yuena's abrupt change nearly made Chen Yan twist his back. He froze for a moment before following in her footsteps. The two walked one after the other toward the Battle Room in silence. Chen Yan was deeply uneasy inside. He... couldn't beat her! Gu Yuena, meanwhile, was a little angry. Just say it. Say it already!

Along the way, Chen Yan's feelings were a mess. Ever since they had returned from the Dragon Realm, their relationship had indeed become somewhat subtle. Gu Yuena seemed to want their relationship to go a step further, but because of that shift in their relationship, he instead had no idea how to interact with her.

Before revealing their identities.

Gu Yuena: A wealthy young lady, someone his own age.

Chen Yan: A shota, a fake young master, a real orphan.

After revealing their identities.

Gu Yuena: A cold and aloof big BOSS, the Soul Beast Master, humanity's enemy, a woman who was who knew how many years older than Chen Yan, a truly top-tier rich woman, a former God King.

Chen Yan: A fake shota, the soul of a loser, a Soul Master trainee with plenty of potential.

After careful comparison against the database, Chen Yan was truly swimming in dirt—so uncultured he was practically crumbling into dust!

The door to the Battle Room slowly opened before them, mechanical sounds echoing through the spacious chamber. Gu Yuena walked inside without looking back, but Chen Yan could sense that she seemed to be waiting for something—perhaps a word from him, an explanation.

Chen Yan took a deep breath and followed her inside. Men were just like that. Others clearly only wanted a single sentence, but the longer they dragged it out, the harder it became for them to speak.

"Do you really have nothing to say?" Gu Yuena asked with a dark expression, issuing her final ultimatum.

Chen Yan actually wanted to speak, but for some reason, he simply could not open his mouth.

So Gu Yuena opened with a Great Fireball powerful enough to knock down a Soul Emperor. The angle of this fireball was incredibly tricky, because... just because Gu Yuena fired one fireball at the start did not mean she had fired only one.

Several fireballs came hurtling at Chen Yan from every direction through Gu Yuena's nimble spatial jumps. Every angle appeared sealed off, leaving him nowhere to dodge and nowhere to evade.

Would Chen Yan simply give up? Would Gu Yuena hit the bullseye?

The answer was...

Golden light flashed in Chen Yan's eyes, and a Golden Shield appeared directly in his right hand.

He decided to put it to use right away!

Chen Yan swung the Golden Shield in his hand, precisely blocking Gu Yuena's fireball attacks. The fireballs crashed against the shield with violent explosions, flames spreading along its surface as the air filled with scorching heat. Yet Chen Yan stood as steady as a mountain, advancing rather than retreating.

He moved nimbly, blocking left and right as he stepped out of the concentrated barrage. But Gu Yuena would not let him off so easily.

Dual Heavens of Ice and Fire was already prepared. The moment Chen Yan's front foot stepped out, the attack arrived before his back foot could follow.

Seeing the energy sphere radiating the power of Song of Ice and Fire, Chen Yan's pupils constricted. He was all too familiar with this thing. It truly was a reunion with an old friend.

But he did not want to see it at all. He immediately raised the shield across his chest. With a thunderous bang, the ball of light slammed fiercely into the shield. Blue and red flames flashed, and in the next instant, a chain reaction occurred. An even greater explosion rang out, blasting Chen Yan sideways through the air.

A trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and the shield was covered in frost. He wiped away the blood, his expression grave.

The shield was hard enough, but it could not absorb damage, nor did it have any damage-reflection ability. He was afraid he would lose this match miserably.

Chen Yan estimated that Gu Yuena was at least as strong as a Soul Douluo right now. At present, he could only fight ordinary Soul Sages. The gap between them was simply too great.

And reality was exactly as Chen Yan had expected: he was beaten terribly. When it was over, Gu Yuena helped him off the platform as he trembled unsteadily, his face swollen and bruised. Half his hair had been scorched, while the other half was frosted over.

"Are you okay?"

Gu Yuena asked with concern as she used a hair dryer to dry Chen Yan's hair.

"I'm fine."

Wrapped in a bath towel, Chen Yan was clearly shivering, yet he still forced a smile. This was simply too hard for him!

A trace of guilt flashed through Gu Yuena's eyes. She had failed to control her emotions just now. For some reason, she had wanted to teach him a lesson, and it had ended up like this.

She set down the hair dryer and gently wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"I'm sorry." She rested her head on his shoulder, her voice audibly low.

Feeling the warmth coming from behind him, Chen Yan immediately jolted. In that moment, he even forgot the pain in his body.

What was this? Chen Yan felt a little flustered. He had not expected Gu Yuena to hug him so intimately, and it caught him completely off guard.

No need, absolutely no need! Chen Yan's body stiffened slightly. He tried to sort through his thoughts, but Gu Yuena's closeness made this thirty-year single dog's heart race, even throwing his mind into chaos. He slowly raised his hand, wanting to hold the small hand around his waist, but unconsciously stopped halfway. The conflict in his heart made him feel both warm and at a loss. Beast! A person cannot fall this far. I have to stay rational!

Gu Yuena seemed to sense Chen Yan's inner conflict and hesitation. She gently released him, then stood up to face him. Her eyes were filled with complicated emotions: guilt, anticipation, and a feeling Chen Yan had never seen in anyone else's eyes. That gaze was so scorching that after only an instant, he turned his head away.

"Chen Yan, I know the relationship between us has become a little complicated." Gu Yuena's voice was gentle yet firm. "You are human, and I am a soul beast. But I hope that won't affect the relationship between us."

"If possible... I hope we can still be friends."

Chen Yan's heart trembled. He looked at Gu Yuena, trying to find even a trace of jest in her expression, but her eyes told him that she was completely serious. He took a deep breath and finally gathered the courage to break the long silence.

"Then what about the soul beasts? As the Soul Beast Master, where should you place them?"

In truth, he was only reminding Gu Yuena of her position.

Because he did not believe in closeness that came out of nowhere. Everything had its signs; whatever you gained, you would naturally have to pay for.

He could be emotional, but he would always remain rational.

So although his emotions had yielded, the rationality that held the upper hand kept reminding him—

Stay clear-headed!