Douluo: Unlocking the Great Secrets of the Human Body, Becoming a Heavenly Demon — Section 27

In the end, Tang Wulin broke the silence.

"This is our first time working together, so I'll start."

He truly possessed leadership qualities and tried his best to keep the groups evenly balanced in strength. However, Bai Xu, an enormous outlier, created the final problem.

No matter which group Bai Xu was placed in, it felt excessively powerful. Moreover, he had no Battle Armor, no Mecha support, and had not even used his Martial Soul, yet he had already displayed such combat prowess. If he did use them, he would likely exceed everyone's expectations.

Thus, in order to ensure balance, Bai Xu was placed in a group by himself.

He said, "No problem. I'm happy with that."

After dividing all the students into groups, they left.

Night fell.

The Work-Study Student dormitory area was completely silent.

Xie Xie opened his eyes and glanced at Tang Wulin on the neighboring bed. Tang Wulin was cultivating. As his Soul Power circulated, a dense layer of Bloodline Power permeated his entire body, carrying equally intense vitality.

He floated out of bed without disturbing Tang Wulin or alerting Xu Xiaoyan on the other side of the curtain, then left the dormitory.

The night breeze was cool against his body, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort.

Xie Xie looked up at the sky, a peculiar light flickering in his eyes.

At Eastsea Academy, he had been an absolute genius. Yet after coming here, he was like a fish entering the sea, unable to stir even the slightest ripple. No matter the subject, he could not be the best, and he did not even have the slightest confidence that he could defeat Tang Wulin now.

He was already a three-ring Soul Master, while Tang Wulin only had two rings. Yet when competing for class monitor, Tang Wulin had defeated Xu Yucheng, a four-ring genius Soul Ancestor.

Even the Tang Sect's ultimate technique, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, had only allowed him to barely glimpse its entrance after Elder Cai's guidance. Most people truly could not accept such a sense of disparity and might become mediocre because of it.

He seemed unable to see the road ahead.

"Hmm? Is that Bai Xu?" Xie Xie spotted a figure within the woods. He sat quietly beneath nature, his aura merging with his surroundings, his entire body exuding transcendence.

Bai Xu also awoke and said, "Xie Xie, it's me."

He finished cultivating and stood up. "Why are you walking around outside at this hour? Can't sleep?"

"Yes. I can't calm down. I wanted to come out and take a look, but I didn't expect you to be cultivating outdoors. Sorry for disturbing you. You and Wulin are both working very hard, moving toward your own goals." Xie Xie felt somewhat melancholy. The Bai Xu before him was an even more unreachable mountain, one he could never cross no matter how hard he tried.

Bai Xu prepared to return to the dormitory. As the two passed each other, Xie Xie suddenly seemed to make up his mind. "Bai Xu. Can I talk to you?"

"Talk?" Bai Xu was somewhat surprised. Why did everyone suddenly want to talk?

Still, he did not refuse. "Sure."

"I want to ask you something. How can I become as strong as you?" Xie Xie finally voiced what he had long wanted to ask.

"I see. You're confused because you've been left behind by people your own age?" Bai Xu said.

Xie Xie smiled bitterly. "Yes. You and Wulin are both so strong, strong enough to make people despair. You still haven't shown your true strength, while Wulin, with only two rings, can already defeat a four-ring Soul Ancestor. This gap makes me feel powerless, as if I've fallen into a swamp. No matter how I struggle, I can't see any light."

"As for this situation, I can't give you an answer either. On Douluo Continent, Martial Souls determine everything. High-quality Martial Souls inevitably come with high-quality talent, and their futures are destined to reach Titled Douluo. Logically speaking, your talent truly is remarkable.

"Twin Martial Souls of the same type, Innate Full Soul Power—you are already outstanding among your peers. If you continue growing, you will inevitably become a Titled Douluo, perhaps even reach the Limit Douluo rank.

"But there will always be a few people in this world who are born with the fortune of the era. The so-called great fortune of an age begins because of people like them."

Bai Xu got up and left. He was helpless in the face of such a situation as well. But when he reached the end of the path, he called out, causing Xie Xie's eyes to brighten.

"Xie Xie, what truly confines a person's achievements is often not talent." Bai Xu then pointed to his head and said, "It's their way of thinking."

"But a person's way of thinking is not so easily changed, and there are no books here about such things. So just let nature take its course."

He understood Xie Xie's situation very well. Unable to keep up with those his own age, Xie Xie had developed a slight inferiority complex. He wanted to work hard but did not know in which direction to strive.

He possessed a noble moral bottom line and would not harm others by any means necessary just to become stronger. Though Xie Xie had some realizations, he could ultimately only drift with the current.

Still, staying beside Tang Wulin was not a bad thing. Aside from being unable to become a god, by the end, Xie Xie would possess almost everything.

The only regret was that Xie Xie was not one of the Shrek Seven Devils because of himself, but because Tang Wulin was one.

In the original story, Xie Xie's incident of peeping at Yuanen Yehui while she bathed never happened. He sat alone in the night, deep in thought. Though he saw a glimmer of light, he did not explore it. He returned to the dormitory and began cultivating.

Most of life was peaceful.

One month later

"This semester, each of you has one task: build a Mecha that belongs to you. I will now announce the practical group assignments. Group One: Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Luo Guixing, Wu Sido."

This was the result decided earlier.

"The final group: Bai Xu."

After Wu Changkong coldly announced the list, the entire class instantly erupted. Someone without a supporting profession had been placed in a group by himself. He definitely would not be able to complete it.

In an instant, Bai Xu seemed to become the center of attention for the entire class.

"The Mechas you build must be suitable for your own use. As for how to make them, that is something you must work out yourselves. You may look up materials in the library. I will only teach the basics. Building a Mecha requires every member of a practical group to help one another. It must be completed before the final exams. If any group has even one member who fails to complete it, the entire group will lose points. You all know very well what happens if you fail the final exams. If a single member fails to build a Mecha, the entire group will be eliminated and may leave the academy."

"Don't even think about muddling through it. In the second half of the semester, you will begin learning how to pilot ordinary Mechas. Shrek Academy cultivates well-rounded talents, and the final exam will be a classwide Mecha competition. At that time, the bottom ten students in the rankings will be eliminated."

What about Bai Xu?

He remained calm and composed, as though he did not care at all about being expelled.

No matter how strong one person was, without the cooperation of companions, it was impossible to build a Mecha. This was not something one person could control. To build a good Mecha, one needed to work wholeheartedly with companions.

"I'm giving you half an hour to discuss within your groups. Your time is limited. The final exams will also include a team competition. Each group may select its four strongest Mechas to participate. I will announce the specific rules then."

Gu Yue glanced at Bai Xu and quietly said, "What are you going to do? I'll help you."

However, he shook his head. "No need. I'm not far from breaking through. By then, it won't matter whether I stay at Shrek or not. Besides, I want to travel to the other continents more."

Gu Yue did not answer, her expression somewhat gloomy.

Yet when class ended, Bai Xu could vaguely sense that something was off with the atmosphere around him. More students were gossiping about an inner courtyard senior sister rather than discussing how to build Mechas.

It was said that the news had come from Sea God Island. A remarkably talented senior sister had once defeated an inner courtyard disciple across two major ranks and had been accepted as a personal disciple by the current Master of the Sea God Pavilion. But now, her Martial Soul had mutated, her talent had vanished, and she had become a laughingstock.

That was indeed the truth.

Na'er had not had an easy time this past month.

On the day after her wager with Gu Yue, Yun Ming noticed that something was strange about Na'er. After questioning her carefully, he discovered that an accident had indeed occurred.

The Silver Dragon Spear had lost its color and become an ordinary long spear. Na'er herself seemed to have lost her former talent as well. The power of her Soul Skills had greatly diminished, and even the Spear Dao Intent Yun Ming had imparted to her had begun to feel obscure and incomprehensible.

One stone stirred a thousand waves. Na'er's talent was now at the very bottom even within the inner courtyard.

Although she had once possessed aptitude comparable to Xie Xie's, she did not have a companion like Tang Wulin to guide her. Xie Xie's comprehension was also ordinary; he had needed Elder Cai's guidance just to enter the door of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Asking Na'er to comprehend the essence of Yun Ming's Sky-reaching Spear now was even more wishful thinking.

Thus, Na'er's status in the inner courtyard had become precarious. Over the past month, people had repeatedly come to challenge and test her. Some were former losers who wanted to reclaim their dignity, while others were lofty scions who had taken an interest in Na'er's beauty.

The deeply insulting term "pretty face" had even begun to spread.

Clearly, judging by her current level, it was uncertain whether she could even enter the inner courtyard through an honest examination.

Yun Ming was deeply troubled in the inner pavilion. For some reason, Na'er had lost all her talent overnight, and even he could not find the cause. If people had not feared her status as his personal disciple, they would likely have directly come to challenge her already.

But if this continued, people would inevitably gossip that the Master of the Sea God Pavilion had opened a back door to send a student into Shrek. The academy had never set such a precedent.

Nor could he set that precedent during his tenure.

"Ya Li, how is it?" Yun Ming asked the person beside him.

The Saint Spirit Douluo shook her head. "She has no hidden injuries. Her Martial Soul truly has mutated, but it is clearly a malignant mutation."

Yun Ming fell silent.

Ya Li said worriedly, "Na'er has been very sad lately. She often hides on Sea God Island and does not dare go out. She used to be too prominent and had almost never lost, so only after falling from grace would people provoke her like this. How do you plan to handle it?"

"After this disturbance passes, if Na'er still hasn't recovered, send her to the outer courtyard first. The inner courtyard is no longer suitable for her. Forcing her to remain here will only invite more criticism." Yun Ming gave the best answer he could think of.

"Dragon Spear Goddess! I challenge you!"

A loud roar resounded across Sea God Island. Someone had truly come to challenge Na'er without any regard for shame.

"Is that Huihuang?!" Someone recognized the newcomer. He was the one Na'er had sent flying with a single spear strike, humiliating him thoroughly in the arena.

"That makes sense. The goddess made him lose all face in the arena back then. Who among those who can enter the inner courtyard is not a genius among geniuses? After being humiliated like that without a shred of mercy, it is only natural that he would want to regain face now."

When Na'er had first entered the inner courtyard, she had stood so high above everyone else. She looked at everyone with disdain and kept people at a distance, causing many admirers who came seeking her to return empty-handed.

Now that she had fallen from grace, even a tiger on the plains could be bullied by dogs.

"Still too afraid to accept my challenge? I did not come because your Martial Soul mutated. I lost to you before, then returned to cultivate my Battle Armor diligently. I am now a six-ring Soul Master and a Two-word Battle Armor Master. I came specifically to seek your guidance!"

Perhaps Huihuang truly had not come to probe her, but the timing was far too perfect. Once Na'er's true condition was exposed, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Na'er had long been unable to suppress her anger. Her hand clenched tightly as she summoned her Martial Soul, grabbed her long spear, and rushed out of the room, charging straight toward Huihuang.

As an avatar of the Silver Dragon King, she was proud as well. Aside from Tang Wulin, her master, and her master's wife, she regarded no one else highly.

"If I hadn't lost most of my talent, how would it be your turn to strut around here!?" Na'er appeared, burning with fury.