The Forty-Fourth Day of the Rich Second-Gen

Ming Sui watched Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing come in and immediately start eating. Without needing them to explain, she knew something must have happened. So she and Tang San thoughtfully accompanied their companions through a hearty meal, then returned home together afterward.

Once he was full and satisfied, Dai Mubai finally had time to voice his question. "Xiao San, why do you look different? I didn't even dare recognize you at first. If your aura hadn't been so familiar, I really wouldn't have dared call out to you."

Zhu Zhuqing, who had been speaking quietly with Ming Sui, also looked at Tang San with concern.

"My martial soul underwent a Second Awakening and became stronger. You'll know once school starts. As for my face, it awakened along with my martial soul." Hearing Tang San's self-deprecating tone, Ming Sui pressed her lips together and smiled.

Becoming prettier was a good thing. Being pretty and strong was even better. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing only needed to make sure Tang San had not been harmed; they did not dwell on the awakening.

Feeling that their safety was assured, they were no longer in a rush to see Ming Zhen. They simply slept like the dead in the rooms Ming Sui had arranged for them. When Ming Zhen and Tang Yunhua came home for dinner that evening, the two of them still had not woken up. Although everyone was curious about what had happened, they let them continue resting.

There was no match the next day, so they finally had a chance to talk.

"You're saying you stole soul bones from the Star Luo Empire?" Ming Zhen was dumbfounded. How could these two kids be so reckless? Ah, he had forgotten—one of them was a tiger, while the other was a cat even fiercer than a tiger.

Ming Sui, the mood-setter, was already in position. "As expected of Shrek Academy's Dai Laoda and Sister Zhuqing! You do it the moment you decide to, and you actually pull it off! Who else can do that?"

Even Tang San nodded in agreement. "That was immensely satisfying. Well done!"

Ming Zhen and Tang Yunhua had already started looking through recent intelligence from Star Luo. Given the importance of soul bones, if Star Luo had discovered they were missing, there would definitely have been some unusual movement. Yet they could not recall any particularly notable news from that side.

There really was none.

According to the time the two children had stolen the soul bones, all intelligence from Star Luo had remained completely calm until now.

Either there was a problem with Star Luo's intelligence network, but they had only just conducted an internal check recently.

Or Star Luo had not discovered it yet.

Eliminate the impossible, and whatever remained, no matter how absurd, had to be the truth.

So Star Luo really had not discovered it.

"That's not right. We even ran into Dai Weisi when we left the city. Although we concealed our auras, Mu Bai and he share the same roots. How could he not recognize him?" Zhu Zhuqing asked in confusion.

Dai Mubai nodded as well. Dai Weisi had not disguised himself, so there was no way he could mistake his own brother.

Tang Yunhua shook her head. "Isn't it better that they didn't notice? But if you encounter something like this again, don't act rashly. How many people do you have in Star Luo? What if you were discovered? What would happen to them?"

Dai Mubai was frightened in retrospect as well. "Exactly. If it had been a trap, Zhuqing and I, along with all our subordinates, would have been finished."

Competing with Dai Weisi was one thing, but he could not cross his father's bottom line. If he and Zhuqing were caught stealing soul bones, Dai Weisi would not show mercy. Beating them while they were down would already count as leniency.

Seeing that Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were willing to listen, Ming Zhen was even more satisfied. His desire to poach from the Star Luo Emperor rose again.

Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a glance before speaking. "Uncle Ming, Aunt Tang, Zhuqing and I have an impertinent request. Keeping the soul bones on us invites trouble. We'd like to absorb them here, if that's all right..."

Tang Yunhua looked at him disapprovingly. "What is there to discuss? If you're willing, we'll stand guard for you. Just absorb them. Didn't you say the boxes containing the soul bones have mechanisms? Auntie will open them for you."

Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, who had not had a female elder make decisions for them in a long time, were blankly arranged into place. The mechanism box that had originally been meant for Tang San to practice on was snapped apart by Tang Yunhua, leaving Tang San with nothing but wreckage.

The Right Palm Bone, radiating faint flashes of lightning, and the Left Arm Bone, brimming with violent golden power, appeared before everyone.

"Not bad. They suit you very well, especially Zhuqing's Right Palm Bone. Lightning Power will make your attacks more destructive. Very good." Ming Zhen nodded in satisfaction before looking at Ming Sui and Tang San. "You should remember this too. Soul bones may be precious, but that does not mean every soul bone should be absorbed. The right one is the best one."

Ming Sui and Tang San did not stay to accompany Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing as they absorbed the soul bones. They had been dismissed for getting in the way. Knowing that Tang San also possessed a soul bone, Ming Sui asked him with sparkling eyes, "Third Brother, you have a soul bone too. Why don't you use it?"

Tang San circulated his Soul Power and poured it into his left hand. A powerful aura burst forth. His originally slender, fair hand turned black and thick, while sharp energy gathered at his fingertips, as though they could tear through space.

"Because the soul bone's power is too strong, while my current Soul Power is too weak. I can't sustain using it for long, just like during Xue Ling's team's match last time."

Ming Sui nodded in understanding.

"Part of the reason is also that I don't want to expose it. External Soul Bones are precious. If someone powerful but ill-intentioned discovers it, they may kill me to take the soul bone," Tang San said calmly. In truth, he had always been troubled by his inability to protect himself.

The Asura Void-Breaking Claw vanished. Ming Sui touched Tang San's hand, feeling that the black claw and the white claw seemed about the same size. Sensing his slightly low mood, she remembered that she seemed to have a piece of black material capable of withstanding a Titled Douluo's Soul Power. It would be perfect for making Third Brother a glove. Then, whether or not he activated the soul bone, his left hand would be black, providing at least a little disguise.

Tang San's ears quietly reddened as Ming Sui touched his hand. Yet he could not bear to interrupt her, so he could only endure the sweet torment by himself.

The residence where Ming Zhen had hosted the Shrek teachers and students last time welcomed guests again. Flender, Zhao Wuji, and Grandmaster had brought Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Xiao Wu to Heaven Dou Imperial City to watch the competition as well. They had come for the match between Blue Tyrant Academy and Fire Element Academy.

They had not expected Ming Zhen's family to be in Heaven Dou Imperial City as well. In the end, Ming Zhen's match-watching group grew even larger.

Inside the private room, everyone naturally began discussing Tang San's changes after so long apart, so he explained the reason once more.

"Third Brother looks much better like this than before," Xiao Wu whispered into Ming Sui's ear. Zhu Zhuqing, seated right beside them, nodded in agreement.

Ming Sui's eyes sparkled. "Right? That's what I thought when I first saw him too. Third Brother had just awakened then, and he was still injured. His face was pale, making him even more striking."

"He's a wounded beauty!" Xiao Wu whispered in surprise.

"It would be even more heart-piercing if he had a little wound on his face," Zhu Zhuqing added before she could stop herself.

"Ahem. We don't want Third Brother to be uncomfortable, of course. We're just discussing beauty, right?" Ming Sui said slyly. The other two nodded in unison.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Wu asked Ming Sui, "Has Rongrong not returned yet?"

Ming Sui unconsciously pouted. "I asked Father. He said Rongrong went into secluded cultivation and probably won't come out for the next few days."

"It would be nice if Rongrong were here."

The boys on the other side were also exchanging meaningful looks, mostly trying to figure out what the girls were talking about. No one knew what Ma Hongjun and Oscar said, but Tang San's ears turned red again. Dai Mubai burst into laughter, and the private room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Fortunately, the match was about to begin, preventing the flush on Tang San's ears from spreading to his face. Thank heaven for that.

The Blue Tyrant Academy lineup had not changed, so Ming Sui focused on Fire Element Academy's members.

As their martial souls were released, Fire Element Academy's side became a blazing field of red heat, and even the air around them warped.

At the front, their captain had the same Fire Dragon martial soul as the opposing captain. Beside him stood a Fire Lion martial soul user. On the flanks were two Fire Crane Spirit Masters. In the middle, a dashing girl held a Flame Scepter, while two Mars Spirit Masters stood at the rear.

"It's a double-support lineup," Ming Sui murmured.

Fire Dragons could differ from one another. Blue Tyrant Academy's Fire Dragon emphasized the dragon, while Fire Element Academy's Fire Dragon emphasized fire. The clash between fire and dragon played the opening note of the match.

The two Mars Spirit Masters held flames in their palms. The fire elements they released resembled red ribbons, connecting every member of Fire Element Academy. The Fire Lion roared, and its fireball attack caught Blue Tyrant Academy off guard. The two Agile Attack Spirit Masters were not about to fall behind either. Crane cries accompanied streams of fire, swiftly restricting Blue Tyrant Academy's range of movement.

Tang San's eyes lit up. "The crane cries contain spiritual attacks! What an impressive combination."

Blue Tyrant Academy was no pushover either.

The Ice Dragon Spirit Master responsible for battlefield control raised an ice wall, halting the spread of the fire elements. The Wind Dragon Spirit Master also began to show his power, and the battle shifted once again.

They said fire grew with the wind, while wind fueled the fire. Elements that should have complemented each other had now turned against one another, making for a truly grand spectacle.

Fire Element Academy's Control System Spirit Master swung her scepter, intensifying the flames once more. The ice wall gradually melted into water. Meanwhile, the Water Dragon Spirit Master on the other side took the chance to add more water where the ice wall was melting. Together with the melted ice, it spread across the ground.

Fire Element Academy's scorching air was evaporating the water on the ground. Seizing the opening, the Thunder Dragon Spirit Master fired a lightning blast at the floor.

The Flame Scepter Spirit Master suddenly understood. The other side wanted to use the water to conduct electricity and attack them. She hurriedly shouted, "Increase the flames and evaporate the water on the ground!" Before she could finish, lightning had already spread through every member of Fire Element Academy. The pain made the Flame Scepter Spirit Master's voice tremble.

The advantage Fire Element Academy had gained by striking first vanished completely.

However, this attack could only be used once. Fire Element Academy would not allow water or ice to remain on the ground again. Still, evaporating all that water consumed a considerable amount of Soul Power, especially after they had just been struck by lightning.

The Fire Lion's left claw had been injured, making it unsuitable for charging into battle again. It remained beside the Flame Scepter Spirit Master as a turret, spitting out fireballs one after another, which the Flame Scepter then batted out with a swing.

Ming Sui and Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up. They had used this move before too. At first, Ming Sui had used it to knock away enemy attacks, but later they discovered that batting away Phoenix Flame was just as exhilarating.

The two Fire Dragon Spirit Masters were still locked in a one-on-one duel, while the Fire Crane Spirit Masters had rallied and supported them from the side. Fire Element Academy once again organized an attack against Blue Tyrant Academy.