Douluo: Betrothing Ning Rongrong, Reward: Heaven Shading Method

"Stop joking around. Do I look like I'm in any state to joke with you?"

Unfazed, Oscar shook his head. With a casual wave, he conjured a sausage and tossed it to Tang San with a grin.

"Be honest, did you and Xiao Wu have a falling-out?"

Tang San ate the sausage and shook his head slightly. He glanced at Oscar, then walked forward without looking back.

To his surprise, the guy followed him and kept pestering him.

"Good brother, tell me if there's a problem. If you two don't want to be together, don't forget about me!"

Hearing this, Tang San's steps paused slightly. He turned to look at the grinning fellow and said coldly,

"Oscar, some jokes can be made, and some cannot. I advise you to know your place!"

After leaving those words behind, Tang San stormed off angrily.

Oscar shook his head indifferently. Looking at Tang San's departing back, he found it somewhat dull.

He turned and saw Ye Xingchen and the others coming out, then hurried after them with a playful grin.

"Brother Ye, you were so awesome just now! Tang San's Soul Power had clearly surged by a lot, yet he still couldn't beat you. Looks like you went easy on me back then!"

Ma Hongjun looked at Ye Xingchen with worshipful eyes and stepped forward, flattering him with a smile.

"Of course. If my husband went all out, a little runt like you wouldn't last three moves!"

Ning Rongrong smiled smugly, folded her arms, and teased,

"He's just too low-key. He can't be bothered to lower himself to the level of someone like you. Now you know how amazing he is, right?"

Dai Mubai smiled from the side. Hearing Ning Rongrong say that, he scratched his head and chimed in,

"That's right, sister-in-law is right. Brother Ye is incredible. All I can say is that Tang San doesn't know what's good for him. He actually got serious!"

"From now on, we absolutely can't take training fights with him too seriously. If he gets angry, he might even injure all of us!"

Ye Xingchen shook his head nonchalantly. Listening to these guys chime in one after another, he found it a little amusing.

He glanced at the bustling street in the distance and was about to say something when he saw Oscar running over.

"Brother Ye, do you need my sausages? You used up so much stamina just now. Let me support you a little!"

Oscar arrived with a broad grin and conjured two sausages, holding them out to Ye Xingchen as he said with a smile,

"My sausages work wonders on internal injuries!"

Ye Xingchen folded his arms and shook his head slightly. As he glanced at Oscar, he suddenly noticed that Oscar's Soul Power seemed to be steadily rising.

According to the original plot, this guy should be about to break through to Soul Elder.

"You should save those sausages for yourself. Once you become a Soul Elder, they might be of some use to me!"

Soul Elder?

Oscar's face filled with astonishment at Ye Xingchen's words.

He scratched his head and said in amazement,

"Brother Ye, how could you tell I'm about to break through to Soul Elder? That's incredible!"

Ye Xingchen smiled calmly, glanced at Oscar, and answered dismissively,

"I'm also a level 29 Soul Grandmaster. Your aura is similar to mine, so I guessed it!"

Hearing this, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, who were standing nearby, froze for a moment.

They looked at Ye Xingchen as though he were a monster, then cried out in alarm.

"Brother Ye, you're not joking, are you? How long has it been since your last breakthrough? You're about to become a Soul Elder already? My god!"

"Exactly! How strong will you be once you reach the Soul Elder Level? I'm really curious what your third Soul Ring will be!"

Ning Rongrong smiled from the side. She linked her arm through Ye Xingchen's and teased,

"Don't be so surprised. My husband levels up as easily as drinking water. You'll get used to it eventually!"

Ye Xingchen smiled unconcernedly. He looked at the others before turning his gaze to Xiao Wu.

"Don't worry about that. Once we go to the Star Dou Great Forest, you'll find out what my third Soul Ring is!"

"Judging from my Soul Rings, a thousand-year Soul Beast would be the most suitable target this time if we can catch one!"

Hearing that, Xiao Wu lowered her head slightly. Looking into Ye Xingchen's eyes, she felt as though he had seen right through her.

That indescribable feeling made her feel awkward.

An hour later, at Shrek Academy, after listening to Dai Mubai's report, Dean Flender nodded in satisfaction. He glanced at the river of stars in the Sky Dome and said with a smile,

"I've seen all your progress. Ye Xingchen and Oscar breaking through to Soul Elder is also only a matter of time!"

"I'll have Teacher Zhao Wuji take you there. As for those other matters you mentioned, forget it. I don't want to bring them up again!"

Dai Mubai was slightly stunned by this. Looking at Dean Flender before him, he sighed and said nothing more.

After all, he had no right to interfere in or deal with Tang San's changes.

As Dai Mubai's footsteps faded away, the gloomy Dean Flender slowly turned around. Looking at Dai Mubai's departing figure, he could not help sighing.

He casually picked up the wine cup beside him, took a small sip, and said,

"Grandmaster, Grandmaster... if you came to Shrek Academy and saw your disciple become like this, what expression would you have?"

"Would what you wanted to verify through him still succeed? How strange..."

In the indoor training grounds, Zhu Zhuqing, dressed in black, slowly walked in with her arms folded. Seeing Ye Xingchen already waiting in the arena, the corners of her lips curled upward.

Somewhat shy, she gave a light cough and said,

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Brother Ye. I was talking with Xiao Wu and the others, so I came a little late!"

Ye Xingchen, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, nodded slightly. Looking at Zhu Zhuqing as she approached, he slowly rose to his feet.

"Go ahead. Whatever you want to learn, I can teach you!"

Zhu Zhuqing nodded calmly, immediately assumed an attacking stance, and said with a smile,

"I want to fight you once with everything I have. That way, I can clearly see where my flaws are. After all, fighting someone with defenses as formidable as yours is truly challenging!"

Ye Xingchen nodded slightly. Looking at Zhu Zhuqing as she bent slightly, outlining her perfect curves, he smiled.

"Come on. I won't attack!"

Hearing that, Zhu Zhuqing wasted no more words. She immediately transformed into an Afterimage and vanished from where she stood.

The next second, after releasing her Martial Soul, she gave a soft snort and appeared behind Ye Xingchen.

Looking at the white-robed figure before her, she did not hesitate to unleash a Soul Skill attack.

"Your Martial Soul may be fast enough, but in my eyes, it's still too slow. After all, I'm standing here like a living target without moving at all!"

"If you want to launch an attack, you don't necessarily need to close in and attack personally. That's simply not worth the risk!"

With his hands behind his back, Ye Xingchen sensed the movement behind him and smiled faintly as he teased her.

Sure enough, as a muffled groan sounded, his Heavenly Emperor Cauldron Martial Soul emerged on its own.

Zhu Zhuqing was sent flying back by the powerful defensive rebound. Her face turned pale as she gritted her teeth and said,

"Though what you said makes sense, there aren't many people with defenses like yours! Speed is what I'm best at. If you expect me to attack from a distance, isn't that too unrealistic?"

Ye Xingchen smiled unconcernedly. Looking at Zhu Zhuqing's flushed face, he withdrew the Heavenly Emperor Cauldron Martial Soul's defense.

With a casual wave, the Cloud Pattern Long Sword appeared in his hand.

"Do you understand what I mean now? Soul Power isn't necessarily the strongest thing. Sometimes, using external objects can also send your combat strength soaring!"

Zhu Zhuqing, still in an attacking stance, was momentarily stunned by his words. Looking at the longsword in Ye Xingchen's hand, she immediately understood.

She had always pursued speed and powerful offense, utterly dismissing the need for external objects.

Yet despite that, her speed and attack power had remained neither high nor low, stuck in the middle, leaving her in an awkward position.

"I think I understand a little now. Before, I was always wavering between speed and attack, never able to find the right balance!"

"Now that Brother Ye has put it this way, I understand what you mean!"

Ye Xingchen smiled calmly. Looking at Zhu Zhuqing before him, he tossed the Cloud Pattern Long Sword in his hand toward her.

At the same time, his whole body turned into an Afterimage as he slowly pressed forward.

Zhu Zhuqing froze slightly. Catching the Cloud Pattern Long Sword, she immediately retreated ten meters.

"Use the sword I gave you to attack me now. I'll help you break free from your previous restraints and gain a new method of attack!"

Hearing Ye Xingchen say that, Zhu Zhuqing nodded. Looking at the Cloud Pattern Long Sword in her hand, her pretty face flushed slightly.

She glanced at the white-robed figure closing in, then thrust the longsword forward without hesitation.

However, Ye Xingchen was incredibly fast and his movements were elusive, so he paid no mind to such slow swordsmanship.

The instant he drew close, he even pinched the blade's tip between two fingers and teased with a light laugh,

"You're still too slow. It's completely out of proportion to your leg techniques and speed!"

Zhu Zhuqing's pretty face reddened at his words. She clenched her pearly teeth and raised her long leg, kicking toward Ye Xingchen.

Before she could get anywhere near him, however, Ye Xingchen caught her long leg and held it in his arms.

"I told you, your leg techniques may be strong, but they're still far too lacking if you want to deal with me. Your focus should be on the weapon in your hand..."

Ye Xingchen smiled faintly as he held her long leg. He then released her ankle and retreated ten meters.

Looking at Zhu Zhuqing's flushed face, he found it somewhat amusing.

"It's my first time using a sword. I really don't know how to use this thing, so I made a fool of myself in front of you, Brother Ye. I instinctively fell back on my old methods!"

Zhu Zhuqing looked helplessly at the Cloud Pattern Long Sword in her hand and sighed.

"Teaching you new combat skills doesn't mean making you abandon your old ones!" Ye Xingchen said.

"Only by complementing each other can they become strongest. Tang San, aside from his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, also possesses Hidden Weapons!"

"If you fight him at close range like this, you probably won't even know how you died..."

Zhu Zhuqing's expression shifted slightly at those words. She sighed, then sat on a raised platform nearby and lamented,

"It seems I've been too impatient. These things can't possibly be learned in such a short time!"

Ye Xingchen smiled unconcernedly. Looking at Zhu Zhuqing sitting on the raised platform, her perfect curves exposed, he slowly walked over.

"Just sitting there won't do you any good. Come on, keep fighting me!"

"Only through constant battle can you comprehend true skills. This is the first lesson I'm teaching you!"

After saying that, Ye Xingchen waved his right hand, and the Cloud Pattern Long Sword immediately returned to his hand.

Zhu Zhuqing was somewhat confused. Looking at the white-robed figure before her, she felt a faint warmth and immediately nodded as she rose to her feet.

"I understand. Thank you, Brother Ye!"

Meanwhile, somewhere hidden near the training grounds, Dai Mubai happened to be passing by. Hearing the sounds coming from within, he walked over curiously.

The moment he approached, he saw Zhu Zhuqing fiercely battling Ye Xingchen.

Feeling somewhat envious, he could not help sighing.

She acts so proud in front of me, yet she seems so gentle and dependent before Brother Ye. The difference is unbearable.

"Zhu Zhuqing, could it be that we truly have no fate together?"

Dai Mubai sighed in self-pity. Just as he was about to leave, a blue figure suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

Looking carefully, he could not help wondering why this guy was out in the middle of the night instead of sleeping.

Curious, Dai Mubai shook his head and hurried after him. After circling around several buildings, the figure ahead slowly came to a stop.

"Stop following me. Come out!"