Dual Focus

Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

A man and a woman strolled through the beautiful academy grounds just like that. Many passersby could not help secretly sizing them up, inwardly admiring what a perfect pair of Golden Boy and Jade Girl they made.

The man appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, with an extraordinarily handsome face and a unique air about him. The woman looked a little younger, about sixteen or seventeen, with a delicate, beautiful face and a figure already beginning to take shape. It was not hard to imagine how captivating she would become in the future.

These two were naturally Li Chang'an and the newly arrived "junior," Dugu Yan.

Under Dugu Yan's "active invitation,"

Li Chang'an, as her "senior," naturally took it upon himself to show her around the academy scenery without hesitation.

Dugu Yan was fourteen this year, but she looked about sixteen or seventeen. She had likewise absorbed two Soul Rings, and on top of being seven years older, she still appeared even younger than Li Chang'an, who was only seven this year. It seemed unreasonable, but in fact, it was simply because the way Soul Rings promoted a Soul Master's physical growth differed from person to person.

Absorbing Soul Rings did have the effect of promoting growth, but not everyone's growth state was the same. Differences in each person's Martial Soul, physical constitution, and even genetics could all lead to different appearances.

After most people obtained Soul Rings, their physical appearance would mature. Someone like Li Chang'an, whose appearance shot straight up to that of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old after absorbing two Soul Rings, was not rare. Someone like Dugu Yan, who had only appeared to grow by two or three years, was not strange either.

There was no fixed standard of measurement for any of this, because everyone's condition was different. Some people grew faster after absorbing Soul Rings, some grew slower. Some people's bodies and appearances did not change at all.

Different individuals produced different effects. It really was not something worth digging into.

"...The academy's main campus area is halfway up the mountain. The Mimicry Zones are distributed on the mountain, at various places below the mountain, and there are some by the lake as well..." At this moment, Li Chang'an was leading Dugu Yan along the mountainside. The climbing stone steps beneath their feet were carved from White Marble, and every step bore a different Soul Beast pattern, the craftsmanship exquisite.

Warm sunlight fell on the stone steps, leaving uneven, swaying shadows of trees and adding a touch more serenity and uniqueness. As they walked, breathing in the fresh air, it felt as if they had stepped into a world of plants.

"Right, senior, we've been chatting for so long, but I still don't know your name." Dugu Yan pretended to have just casually thought of it and asked.

"Me? My name is Li Chang'an." He casually gave his name, then asked in return, "What about you, junior?"

"Me..." The girl walked ahead, her hands clasped behind her back. She turned around and looked at him with a smile, saying in a playful tone, "My name is Dugu Yan. Senior, you have to remember my name properly, okay~"

It had to be said, the girl before him, looking pure yet faintly alluring, was damnably sweet and captivating. Even though Li Chang'an had seen plenty of beauty-filtered internet celebrities and black-stockinged young models in his previous life, at this moment, his gaze was still drawn in. He secretly thought, What a little enchantress!

"Dugu Yan... I'll remember it."

On the surface, however, Li Chang'an nodded with a serious expression, as if he had not noticed the girl's charm in the slightest, fully demonstrating what it meant to be a straight man.

This made Dugu Yan, who had finally mustered the courage to take the initiative and flirt with him, feel somewhat deflated. She even began to doubt her own charm. Could it be... she was not the kind of girl senior liked? Or perhaps... she actually was not pretty?

A little girl in love could never quite avoid worrying over gains and losses.

Li Chang'an naturally saw that the girl before him was interested in him, but he knew well that what one could not obtain was always the best. If he wanted to hold the initiative in their future interactions, then he had to make Dugu Yan pursue him first, rather than taking the initiative to chase after her.

What was more, his current identity was the emperor's son-in-law, the Imperial Son-in-Law of the current dynasty... This identity meant he was destined to be unable to openly flirt with girls. Otherwise, where would that leave the emperor's and the Princess's dignity?

Right now, he still needed to rely on the Heaven Dou Empire as a great tree under whose shade he could rest. He did not yet have the qualifications to resist imperial authority. When he one day became a Soul Douluo, or even a Titled Douluo, only then would he possess the right to speak and the freedom to make his own choices. Forget flirting with girls; even if he opened a harem, probably no one would dare interfere.

Even if he openly took wives, the emperor would have to say yes, yes, yes. He might even have to send a wedding gift when Li Chang'an got married.

Having strength and not having strength were just that different.

The main campus area of Heaven Dou Royal Academy was entirely built from single-story buildings. It felt rather like a fortress. The outer courtyard walls were five meters high and entirely bright yellow, looking extremely beautiful. Even the tops of the walls were covered with glazed tiles, which appeared especially dazzling under the setting sun.

After Li Chang'an led Dugu Yan around all the main parts of the academy, it was time to part. Dugu Yan had only come today to complete her enrollment procedures. For her to officially start school, she would still have to wait two more days.

After waving goodbye to the reluctant girl,

He returned to his dormitory.

He sat cross-legged in the place where he practiced and meditated, closed his eyes, and transferred all his consciousness to the Soul Beast Clone...

In a spacious underground cave.

An Emerald Green great snake over ten meters long was slowly twisting its body. Its skin looked extremely dry, and its entire body was covered in a layer of white, as if wrapped in a transparent thin film.

Along with its constant twisting.

Suddenly, fine cracks appeared on the surface of its body. In particular, the skin on its head split open, revealing newly grown scales beneath, emerald and crystalline. As it continued to writhe and struggle,

This great snake actually began gradually shedding a layer of white skin from its head.

By the time its entire body had crawled out,

The Emerald Green great snake, originally only over ten meters long, had actually surged in size to nearly twenty meters.

Clearly, it was growing through shedding its skin.

"It's finally reached a thousand years."

Li Chang'an examined his body, which felt as if it had been reborn. Through this period of constantly devouring Soul Beasts to increase its Soul Power, this Soul Beast Clone of his had taken only a very short time to go from a hundred years to a thousand years.

And he also keenly sensed that after becoming a Thousand-Year Soul Beast this time, this clone and his human main body had gained an even closer connection.

In the past, although they were one soul with two bodies,

The two did not interfere with each other.

Now, as the Soul Beast Clone reached a thousand years,

Li Chang'an instantly felt that a qualitative change had occurred between his main body and his clone.

First was in controlling the two bodies.

In the past, when he controlled both his main body and his clone, he could only focus on one of them. It was like how people found it difficult to split their mind between two tasks. The other body would inevitably seem sluggish, even feeling a little dull and stupid.

But now, things were different.

He could truly focus on two things at once. Even if he controlled two bodies simultaneously, there would no longer be a situation where he could not manage them both.

In terms of application, this was nothing short of a qualitative change.