Rivals Become Family?

"Leng Yaozhu!"

The scene fell silent. The rising fury in Zhuo Shi's heart was suppressed once again.

"If you are inferior, and she can truly teach you, then cherish the opportunity." Zhuo Shi's gaze turned murky again. He truly had not expected the Spirit Pagoda to act so quickly. Still, he was curious. Gu You belonged to the Federation's side, and Sun Moon had already made it clear: the three major organizations ostensibly served the Federation, but behind the scenes, they were constantly making moves. At first, he had even found it strange. Why had the Federation sent a genius like Gu You to Shrek Academy? What were they thinking? Now that Gu You was taking Leng Yaozhu as his master, did the Federation truly not care?

Gu You seemed to understand something. "My master knows about my current situation. I am becoming her disciple in her personal capacity."

Zhuo Shi remained silent for a long time. That was for the best.

Just then, the surrounding space rippled. Shen Yi instantly became alert, releasing her Martial Soul as six Soul Rings rose around her. At the same time, tiny mimosas continuously grew around them.

"Girl, this is Shrek," Zhuo Shi reminded her, while his gaze became respectful.

"Pavilion Master, what brings you here today? And why have you brought Ya Li to see me?"

Space tore open, and two figures entered Gu You's sight.

The man at the front was exceptionally heroic. His white shirt accentuated his extraordinary bearing. The woman beside him was elegant and noble, her pale green gown and long hair carrying an air of proud vitality that made people feel at ease.

Ya Li curiously examined Gu You. Yun Ming smiled when he saw this. "Ya Li was curious about this child. When she heard your disciple had brought him back, she insisted on seeing him."

Zhuo Shi said nothing. Gu You already had a master, which left him especially frustrated. Although a Soul Master could have more than one master, there was still a clear distinction between primary and secondary masters. A second profession was somewhat better, though the same principle applied.

Shen Yi watched enviously from the side. The continent's strongest man, Shrek's Pavilion Master, and the continent's greatest healer, the Holy Spirit Douluo, had actually set aside their status to visit a child they did not know. If this happened outside, the entire Federation network would explode.

"Child, are you Gu You?" Ya Li seemed very pleased with the boy before her, and her eyes shone. In her youth, a plague had struck. She had used her own Martial Soul to save countless lives, but at the time, she had merely been a Soul Sage. She had exhausted herself until she fell unconscious and entered a deep sleep. During that sleep, she continuously absorbed the Power of Faith, and her Martial Soul evolved into the Wish Angel. When she awoke, she had already reached the Titled Douluo realm. At the time, she had been hailed as the greatest realm-leaping genius in history. Yet because of that plague, she had still been left with an irreversible injury—a reproductive defect.

For many years, she had felt guilty toward Yun Ming. After pondering it for a long time, Ya Li had wanted to adopt a child. Unexpectedly, a secret Federation letter a few days ago had cemented that idea. The Gu You described in the letter had come from an orphanage and had endured so much hardship since childhood. Some of the stories had made her cry for a long time. On top of that, his talent was so outstanding. He was practically the perfect child in her heart. So she and Yun Ming had already discussed adopting him.

"Mm." Gu You greatly enjoyed the life aura around Ya Li, while that special Power of Faith also indirectly drew him in.

Ya Li took Gu You's hand. Under everyone's stunned gazes, a seat filled with life aura appeared before her. Gu You could not figure out what Ya Li intended. He had been deeply impressed by this character in the original work, though her final ending had been difficult to put into words.

Ya Li sat upon the Ladder of Life, then lifted Gu You into her arms and held him tightly.

Huh?!

Gu You did not know whether his eyes were deceiving him, but he saw a deep maternal radiance in Ya Li's eyes. She was actually treating him as her own child!

He knew that Ya Li could not bear children in the original work, so she had taken in Na'er, making her both disciple and adopted daughter. Yet he had never expected that because of his appearance, Ya Li would want to take him as her adopted son. What even was this? Besides, his master had a history of love and hatred with Ya Li. If he became her adopted son, would these relationships not become an absolute mess? And he could not guarantee that Leng Yaozhu would not beat him to death once she found out.

"Gu'er... may I call you that?" Ya Li asked softly.

Gu You did not know what to do at this moment and could only give a quiet affirmative hum.

"I heard that you are an orphan and that life has not been easy for you since childhood. If you do not mind, I would like to take you as my adopted son. Would you accept?" Ya Li looked at Gu You gently, her eyes brimming with maternal love.

Even though he had known this was coming, Gu You still froze. Zhuo Shi, standing nearby, nearly wanted to vomit. Just as he was about to tell Gu You that he was Leng Yaozhu's disciple, Yun Ming shot him a cold look. The words that had reached his lips were forcibly swallowed back down.

Shen Yi felt as though the sky had collapsed. She had originally mocked Gu You for relying on the power behind him to enter Shrek Academy, but she had not expected the truly shocking part to come afterward. The Holy Spirit Douluo intended to take him as her adopted son. The thought alone made her feel as if her mind had exploded, and she hurriedly flew away.

"I..."

"What is it? You are unwilling?" Ya Li asked in disappointment when she saw Gu You hesitate.

"No... it is not that." Even with Gu You's vast experience, the events of the past few days had frightened him. First came an invincible Martial Soul, then an invincible master, and now invincible parents as well. On top of that, there was friction between his master and his parents. This was utterly absurd beyond belief.

"So you agree?" Ya Li happily hugged Gu You even tighter.

Zhuo Shi's heart exploded.

Even now, Gu You was still dazed. The things that had happened recently were simply too unreal.

"Hehe!" A strange sound came from Ya Li's mouth. She did not resemble a mother at all, but rather a playful young girl.

"Pavilion Master Yun Ming, I know it is not good to interrupt you, but I still have to say this: Leng Yaozhu is this child's master," Zhuo Shi said, gathering his courage.

Yun Ming frowned, but Ya Li did not take it seriously. Was she not merely a love rival? In any case, Ya Li had already won, and won brilliantly at that. She had even turned Leng Yaozhu's disciple into her own adopted son. Thinking of Leng Yaozhu's expression when she showed off her adopted son, Gu You, in front of her later, Ya Li could not help feeling delighted.

"That is even better. We were already sisters, and now we are even closer family. In a few days, I will definitely pay her a personal visit and see how my dear sister has been doing lately." Ya Li did not care in the slightest.

Seeing this, Zhuo Shi said nothing further. Faced with this entire family showering affection on one another, it was better for him to leave early.

"Gu You, show me your Martial Soul. Let me take a look," Yun Ming suddenly said.

Gu You nodded. He climbed down from Ya Li's lap, possessed his Martial Soul, and lit up his Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Feeling the Dragon Might emanating from Gu You, even Yun Ming was rather surprised. At the same time, sensing his Soul Power at the peak of Level 13, Yun Ming could only sigh that heroes truly emerged from the young.