Show him!
Two figures stood atop a thick tree branch, their auras restrained to the utmost.
The young man on the left had a sturdy build and resolute features, looking no older than thirty. The person on the right was merely a teenager of around ten, with handsome, refined features. Dressed in black, he stood half a head taller than children his age, his shoulders level and back straight, every movement carrying a crisp, capable strength.
Before their eyes, a one-sided battle was unfolding.
Two Soul Ancestor-level Soul Masters had joined forces against a Blood Red Baboon. Their cultivation was clearly sufficient, but their offensive power fell short. They were suppressed by the Blood Red Baboon throughout the entire fight and likely would not last much longer.
"This Blood Red Baboon should be close to eight thousand years old. Is that enough to raise your Soul Ring age limit?"
Zhang Chen turned to the young man beside him, his tone carrying a trace of respect. One had to know that he was a Two-Word Battle Armor Master and a level-69 Soul Emperor. In certain parts of the East Sea Alliance, he would have held a position of considerable authority.
The young man chuckled and jumped directly from the branch. "Brother Zhang, don't make a move yet. Let me test it out."
He landed without a sound and slowly walked toward the battlefield. His right hand reached to one side, and a branch-like bolt of electricity leaped from his fingertips, transforming in an instant into a dark green long staff brimming with fierce power.
It was covered in dense, fine scales. As its owner walked, it seemed to breathe. Invisibly, Lightning Element continuously gathered wherever the young man passed, like a bomb on the verge of detonation.
At that moment, shockwaves constantly erupted across the battlefield. The surrounding trees had suffered devastating damage, and broken trunks filled the eye as far as one could see.
The two Soul Ancestor Soul Masters were miserably being toyed with by the Blood Red Baboon.
Known among Soul Beasts for their cruelty and love of tormenting prey, Blood Red Baboons were huge, resembling bear-type Soul Beasts. Their black fur was as hard as iron, yet their faces were pale and bloodless. Combined with their crimson eyes, they looked as though they had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
A piercing fluctuation swept through the air. The Blood Red Baboon's nose twitched. Under the horrified gazes of the two Soul Ancestors, its fist shot out like the wind, carrying a stench as it smashed down viciously.
The terrifying force instantly shattered both their bodies, turning them into streaks of light that vanished from the Spirit Ascension Platform World.
Having finished them off, the Blood Red Baboon shifted its gaze toward another human less than forty meters away.
Primate Soul Beasts were often more intelligent than other types. Noticing the long staff in the young man's hand, a trace of wariness flashed through the Blood Red Baboon's fierce eyes.
Lightning, whether in the human world or the Soul Beast world, represented destruction.
Buzz—
The air hummed softly as three Purple Soul Rings slowly rose beneath Nan Liujing's feet. Upon closer inspection, their color was incredibly deep, even tinged with a faint shade of black.
Clang!
When the Lightning Element absorbed by the Dragon Subduing Staff reached its limit, Nan Liujing's Third Soul Ring suddenly lit up with a profound glow. An impassioned dragon roar echoed around him, while nearly translucent Lightning Gang Qi coiled around the surface of his body.
Whoosh!
A dangerous strong wind brushed past, seemingly mixed with exploding electric currents. The Blood Red Baboon's pupils abruptly contracted.
The human who had been standing still flickered like lightning. With every step, he advanced several meters, leaving behind afterimages that had yet to fade.
"Roar."
The Blood Red Baboon immediately became alert. It fiercely pounded its chest with both arms, then charged forward in a single stride. Its right elbow bent slightly backward before its arm snapped forward like a spring, the blow powerful enough to seemingly shatter a ten-thousand-pound boulder.
Yet when its fist came down, it struck only a lightning afterimage. All the strength contained in its attack smashed into that phantom. The afterimage burst apart into spreading Lightning Ripples, instantly shredding the nearby grass blades.
A thunderous roar suddenly rang out overhead, and the Blood Red Baboon hurriedly looked up.
The vanished human was gripping his long staff with both hands. His black robes fluttered without wind, and it seemed as though a pair of dragon eyes behind him were looking down upon everything. Such sharp, overwhelming momentum made its blood and Soul Power freeze slightly.
There was no time to counterattack, so it could only endure the blow head-on. With its arms shielding its head, along with fur and muscles as hard as iron, the Blood Red Baboon had every reason not to fear strength-based attacks.
With a boom, Nan Liujing wielded the Dragon Subduing Staff and struck down expressionlessly upon the Blood Red Baboon's arms.
Terrifying force spread outward alongside Lightning Power. Every tree within dozens of meters was dyed with a charred layer from the electricity, while countless leaves shattered apart.
The Blood Red Baboon's feet sank into the ground on the spot. The surrounding grassland burst open, exposing deep trenches.
Dark blue currents dyed every strand of its fur a deep hue. The Soul Power defense attached to its body was gradually torn open, and then the electricity followed the scent of blood into the depths of its flesh. The sharp pain seemed intent on grinding apart its flesh and bones, continuously wearing down its will.
Feeling the abnormality in its body, the Blood Red Baboon let out a low roar of pain. Its already crimson eyes were suffused with a cold, dark red tint.
Just as it unleashed its Bloodthirst Soul Skill, electric light peeled away from Nan Liujing's body, splitting into two clones formed from Lightning Element. They shot out like lightning to the left and right, each wielding a long staff as they struck down simultaneously, like shocking thunder descending from the firmament.
The Blood Red Baboon only saw a flash before both sides of its head suffered heavy impacts. A cracking sound came from its skull, and the struck areas visibly caved in.
This time, it could not even scream. Its consciousness became completely dazed.
In midair, Nan Liujing recalled the Dragon Subduing Staff and stepped off the Blood Red Baboon's arm, flipping backward. Dragon scales intertwined with a fierce, domineering intent along the staff's body. The Dragon Subduing Staff pierced through the air like lightning and viciously jabbed into its brow.
In the distance, Zhang Chen wore a stunned expression as he watched the tip of the Dragon Subduing Staff spear into the Blood Red Baboon's forehead like a lance. Then a low dragon roar suddenly rang out, and the Lightning Power that had entered the Blood Red Baboon's body earlier erupted under its guidance.
With a boom, the Blood Red Baboon's head exploded like fireworks, spraying blood everywhere. Its massive body staggered backward repeatedly before finally collapsing to the ground.
Landing on the ground, Nan Liujing planted the Dragon Subduing Staff into the earth, folded his arms over his chest, and calmly watched the Blood Red Baboon.
The two lightning clones in the sky immediately turned into streaks of light and flew back into his body.
"Roar!"
A miserable scream tore through the silence of the forest, startling countless Soul Beasts into fleeing. The Blood Red Baboon rolled around on the ground continuously. Its eyes had been blown apart by the nearly viscous Lightning Power compressed within them, and it had completely lost its vision.
The worst part was that, because it had used its Bloodthirst Soul Skill, its life force had surged dramatically. But this also prolonged the time it had to endure the pain.
"That was enough to win?"
Zhang Chen hurried over and stared in astonishment at the miserable Soul Beast on the ground.
Nan Liujing decided to see it through. With a thought, the Dragon Subduing Staff shot into the sky before falling like lightning, forcibly shattering the Blood Red Baboon's head.
The Blood Red Baboon, which had still been struggling moments ago, burst apart with a bang and transformed into countless points of spiritual light.
Nan Liujing clenched his hand from afar, gathering the light particles and drawing them into his body.
"Brother Zhang, stand guard for me."
Sitting cross-legged, Nan Liujing immediately began guiding the spiritual energy into the Thunderclap Nether Vine Soul Spirit.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Zhang Chen summoned his Martial Soul, the Crimson Demon Halberd, and stood guard nearby in full readiness to prevent any Soul Beasts from appearing and disturbing him.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, Nan Liujing watched the Thunderclap Nether Vine accept the spiritual light particles. A layer of light membrane condensed over its surface, and as he sensed the trembling fluctuations of the Soul Spirit's evolution, his thoughts gradually drifted away.
Nearly two years had passed since he rejected Yun Ming's recruitment.
During that time, relying on the nourishment of the Golden Ancient Tree, he had gradually raised his Soul Ring age limits. By today, he could already challenge the Ten Thousand Year Level.
Aside from using his third soul skill, Indestructible Battle Intent, to strengthen himself against the Blood Red Baboon, the techniques he had relied on more heavily were Staff Intent and self-created Soul Skills developed with his Soul Bone as their foundation.
The Thunder Dragon Soul was fierce and domineering, giving his Staff Intent a similar presence. Every strike was mighty and forceful, easily causing opponents with weak wills to fall into fear and expose flaws.
Yet the difficulty of stepping into Staff Intent and advancing toward Staff Soul left Nan Liujing troubled. The difficulty of every future advancement was beyond his imagination, and this was something the Plane Imprint could not help with.
Having entered a bottleneck, he could only shift his focus toward mastering his Soul Bone.
The Thunder Beast Right Leg Soul Bone Yun Ming had given him was absolutely a perfect match for Nan Liujing, even better than many Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones that lacked the Lightning Attribute.
The reason was that this seventy-thousand-year Soul Bone retained a great deal of the Thunder Beast's memories of using lightning.
Taking advantage of that opportunity, Nan Liujing had worked through trial and error to develop a set of self-created Soul Skills.
Names were difficult to come up with, so he borrowed a battle technique from a certain story about breaking the firmament and called it Three Thousand Lightning Movement!
With the Thunder Dragon Soul and the special tribulation lightning baptism he had undergone, Nan Liujing's affinity for Lightning Element had already reached an inconceivable level. It was no exaggeration to say that if he improved one step further, he would become immune to the elemental attacks of ordinary Lightning Attribute Soul Masters.
With those two factors combined, creating an entirely new Soul Skill had been only natural.
His high affinity also made the consumption of this self-created Soul Skill frighteningly low. That was why the Blood Red Baboon had been able to see him shift in lightning flashes again and again.
However, he was currently only at the first stage of Three Thousand Lightning Movement: Lightning Flash. It allowed short-range movement and made his movements elusive, but he was not truly traceless. A trail could still be found.
The second stage, Lightning Instant, had yet to be developed. Long-range movement and even teleportation were simply too difficult.
Replacing the power of space with Lightning Power to achieve teleportation was a challenge enough to make countless people back away. He still needed much more research.
As for the two clones resembling Demon Bodies, they too were self-created Soul Skills based on the Thunder Beast's residual memories, which he had then refined.
When forming them, he injected a trace of Mental Power to maintain a connection. If the surrounding Lightning Element was abundant, they did not consume his own Soul Power. Otherwise, they consumed his Soul Power. However, their defensive strength was not particularly high and could not compare to a Demon Body.
The Soul Spirit's evolution did not last long. After advancing into a Ten Thousand Year Soul Spirit, the Thunderclap Nether Vine's overall color changed from deep purple to purple-black, while the number of vines increased from ten to fourteen.
Feeling the terrifyingly compressed lightning within the Soul Spirit, Nan Liujing's consciousness immediately returned to reality. Opening his eyes, he saw Zhang Chen, who had been standing guard, look over. "How did it go?"
Nan Liujing smiled faintly. "Everything went smoothly."
The air hummed as three pitch-black Soul Rings rose beneath him. The air around him visibly distorted, as though it could not withstand the oppressive aura of the Soul Rings.
A trace of envy and admiration appeared in Zhang Chen's eyes. Even now, he only had one Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
With the Soul Spirit's advancement successful, there was no need to remain in the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform. The two immediately pressed their Rescue Signal Devices.
Inside the spacious Spirit Ascension Chamber, they woke at the same time.
"Teacher." Upon waking, Nan Liujing immediately fixed his gaze upon Leng Yaozhu's gentle, breathtakingly beautiful face.
Nearly two years had passed, but the years had not diminished her beauty. On the contrary, she remained like a jar of fine wine that left one intoxicated.
"Vice Pagoda Master."
Zhang Chen did not dare look Leng Yaozhu in the eye as Nan Liujing did. After getting up by himself, he respectfully bowed.
A gentle smile appeared on Leng Yaozhu's face. "Councillor Qiangu is waiting for you at the mission office. Go quickly."
Zhang Chen's breathing tightened. He bowed once more, then happily left the Spirit Ascension Chamber.
Nan Liujing took the jade-like hand his teacher offered him and held it with practiced ease. It felt warm and soft in his grasp.
After leaving the Spirit Ascension Pod, teacher and student departed directly and returned to their residence on the Ninety-ninth floor.
"As a Soul Elder with nothing but Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, how does it feel?"
Once they arrived at the residence, Leng Yaozhu visibly relaxed. Backlit by the window, she stood before the floor-to-ceiling glass, her voluptuous silhouette edged in gold. Her dress could barely conceal the ripe, peach-like allure of her body.
Nan Liujing's breathing quickened for an instant.
But as an expert in shooting games, comparable to a professional player, he quickly calmed down.
"I was probably excited at first, but after that, it became boring." Nan Liujing answered honestly.
"I could tell." Leng Yaozhu chuckled. "Now that I think about it, you've been at the Heavenly Spirit Tower for quite a while. Aside from cultivating, all you do is cultivate. You've never even gone out. Teacher happens to have a mission for you, so consider it a chance to ease the exhaustion from your long-term training."
Nan Liujing became interested and sat on the sofa beside his teacher. "Teacher, what mission?"
Leng Yaozhu flicked her finger, and a light screen descended before him. Once it unfolded, it displayed an image profile of a girl.
Nan Liujing's gaze changed noticeably after only one look.
It was difficult for that stunning face, forty to fifty percent similar to Na'er's, not to draw his attention.
Gu Yue!
Leng Yaozhu did not notice the strange look in Nan Liujing's eyes and introduced her seriously.
"This girl is named Gu Yue. She studies at Eastsea Academy and is a genius recommended by the East Sea City Spirit Pagoda. Her Martial Soul is called Elemental Envoy, and she controls seven elements. Teacher is quite interested in her, which means she may become your junior sister."
Nan Liujing stared at the light screen and thought to himself, It seems that because of Na'er's changes, Gu Yue also chose to show herself with her original appearance. I just wonder whether she is currently planning to obtain Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King bloodline or something else.
After pausing briefly, he asked, "Teacher, do you want me to go assess her?"
Leng Yaozhu replied in a soft voice, "It's not really an assessment. I plan to have you enroll in Eastsea Academy. It will also let you get acquainted with her in advance. After all, the two of you will often be together at headquarters in the future, so it would be good to know each other sooner."
"Besides, the East Sea Alliance Competition will be held in a few months. To attract Soul Masters from across the continent to join them, they have spared no expense and invited Shrek Academy for an exhibition match. Since Shrek Academy will be participating, it will definitely attract plenty of media."
"Since you plan to enter Shrek Academy through the normal route, the East Sea Alliance Competition is an opportunity. I discussed it with your great-grandfather and great-grandmother. We'll contact the person in charge of the East Sea Alliance Competition and add a Three vs Three exhibition match."
"If you win, you'll go to Shrek Academy as a victor. I'll have the media controlled by the Spirit Pagoda promote you. You're going to Shrek to challenge it, not to worship there."
It was indeed a good idea, and Nan Liujing was tempted. "Then I'll follow your arrangement. I'll leave for East Sea City tomorrow."
"Mm." Leng Yaozhu nodded.
Nan Liujing was about to leave when he suddenly stopped and asked seriously, "Teacher, do you need me to prepare enough breakfast for you?"
These days, the teacher and student's breakfasts together were no longer limited to sandwiches.
Leng Yaozhu shook her head in refusal. "No need. If you're not there to eat breakfast with me, there's no point in eating it."
Nan Liujing laughed helplessly. "Then I'll be going."
After leaving, Nan Liujing hurried nonstop to Shrek Academy.
Since Na'er was about to undergo rank assessments for three major sub-professions and could not leave for the time being, Nan Liujing planned to send her a message later when he headed to East Sea City.
Ye Xinglan was different. She had plenty of free time, and one year ago, she had officially become a Reserved Student of the Shrek Inner Court.
Using the pass Na'er had given him, Nan Liujing smoothly entered the campus.
After scanning a code to rent a shared bicycle, he weaved among the various buildings of the inner city.
After riding for roughly ten minutes, he arrived early at the place where they had agreed to meet.
Looking up, a massive building entered his sight. It was not tall, but it covered a vast area.
The words Artifact Soul Master Mimic Training Ground hung above it.
Hardly anyone passed through the area, and the building's main door was closed.
After parking the shared bicycle, Nan Liujing checked the time and casually found a shaded spot to wait.
He would soon be going to Eastsea Academy and facing Tang San directly. With Sister Xia protecting him, he was not afraid. He was simply curious whether the Heavenly Tribulation Pearl could still seize the Golden Dragon King bloodline from Tang Wulin.
If it could, he would delay entering Shrek Academy. Every plan would have to prioritize obtaining the Golden Dragon King bloodline.
If Tang San resisted, that would be even better. He could take the opportunity to wipe out the divine consciousness energy Tang San had hidden within Tang Wulin's body, preventing Tang San from taking a cheap shot at him in the future.
As he was thinking, he heard the sound of shared bicycle tires rolling over the ground.
"Ding-dong."
His phone suddenly chimed with an incoming message.
He picked it up and looked.
Ye Xinglan: I'll be out soon.
He put the phone back into his pocket and looked up again. Nan Liujing froze for a moment when he saw a group of people riding Shared Bicycles stop at the entrance of the Mimic Training Ground.
The person leading them caught his attention.
There was not much difference from the appearance in his memories. Fat and round, it was none other than Xu Lizhi.
The interesting part was that the only female student in the group had a strange glow around her hand. She gestured a few times across Xu Lizhi's face, and Xu Lizhi immediately looked as though he had been beaten up, his face bruised and swollen.
After doing all that, Xu Lizhi conveniently fell to the ground. It looked as though the group of students had been bullying him.
Suddenly, the main door of the Mimic Training Ground opened automatically, and a graceful figure walked out.
"Pah, you got lucky this time, kid."
Right in front of Ye Xinglan, those students viciously spat at Xu Lizhi, who was lying on the ground, before quickly fleeing.
"Ahh..."
Xu Lizhi kept groaning on the ground, his entire body curled up as if he had truly been beaten.
Ye Xinglan frowned slightly and shifted her gaze from the fleeing group to Xu Lizhi.
From the shade, Nan Liujing was utterly dumbfounded. You could pull something like that?
He did not hesitate and walked straight out.
"Xinglan." The moment he spoke, he immediately drew the attention of Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi.
Xu Lizhi had been waiting for the goddess to show concern for him. To get those people to help, he had spent several ordinary Mysterious Water Pills. When he suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice, his expression changed slightly. After secretly taking a look, his breathing tightened even more.
When did he get here?
Then what I just...
Ye Xinglan's beautiful eyes lit up. Ignoring Xu Lizhi, she walked toward Nan Liujing with a soft laugh. "Why were you in such a hurry to find me?"
Nan Liujing did not rush to explain. Pretending to be casual, he asked, "Has your academy been planning to film a promotional video recently?"
On Douluo Continent today, filming promotional videos to advertise one's academy had become commonplace, in all sorts of styles.
"What promotional video?" Ye Xinglan froze.
Nan Liujing's words instantly made Xu Lizhi's plump body stiffen. He coughed several times to draw their attention, then stood up with an awkward smile even uglier than crying.
"Could you tell me where those people went? I need to report it to the teacher."
Ye Xinglan expressionlessly pointed in a direction.
Xu Lizhi immediately seemed to have been unsealed, sprinting away at full speed without the slightest sign of injury.
"Nan Liujing." Ye Xinglan suddenly called out.
"What is it?" Nan Liujing was still enjoying the show.
Ye Xinglan's voice carried Soul Power and drifted over like the wind. "Kiss my cheek."
Xu Lizhi, who was running away, stiffened mid-step and instinctively turned back, only to see Ye Xinglan exposing the side of her face to Nan Liujing.
Looking at that smooth, fair, tender cheek, Nan Liujing grew somewhat greedy.
Under Ye Xinglan's stunned gaze, a hand gripped her chin and turned her face toward him. Then her azure-blue pupils suddenly contracted.
Xu Lizhi stopped moving. He stared blankly at the scene before him, as though something inside his heart had cracked with a snap.
The tall and straight young man held the girl's chin as they faced each other.
Their breaths washed over each other's faces, making one instinctively lose themselves in it. For the first time, Ye Xinglan realized the dominance of the Thunder Dragon Soul extended beyond the Martial Soul itself to its owner as well.
A moment later, Nan Liujing released her.
Xu Lizhi stood there like a wooden chicken.
Beside Sea God Lake.
Ye Xinglan said irritably, "I told you to kiss my cheek! So that fatty would know better and stop bothering me in the future."
Nan Liujing apologized, "My fault. I misheard and thought you wanted me to kiss your lips."
Ye Xinglan's mouth twitched, and she turned away.
"I was wrong," Nan Liujing immediately apologized, though he knew the girl was not actually angry.
Ye Xinglan ignored him. Looking at the crystal-clear lake, a trace of cunning flashed through her beautiful eyes.
Senior Mo Jue's method really was effective. Using that fatty to draw out this idiot's feelings.
He already dared to kiss me on the lips, yet he still dared to say he had no feelings for me?
Hmph.
"How about... I let you kiss my lips too, so we'll be even?" Nan Liujing asked cautiously.
Ye Xinglan froze, then turned around and swung her fair little fist, punching Nan Liujing. "Screw you."
Before you continue