King Na'er's Seafood Porridge, Gu Yue's Arrival, the Silver Dragon King

King Na'er's Seafood Porridge, Gu Yue's Arrival, the Silver Dragon King's Two Halves Clash (4K)

Noon, Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda.

His eyelashes trembled slightly, and a grayish-white haze filled his vision, like the moon veiled by thick fog. A faint fragrance drifted into his nasal cavity. In his daze, Zhao Xuanzhen thought he was immersed in a hazy dream. He raised a finger and touched something warm and soft.

"Idiot Zhao Xuanzhen, you poked me the moment you woke up!"

A pleasant voice brushed past his ear. Zhao Xuanzhen steadied himself as the blurry outline gradually came together into the breathtaking Silver-Haired Girl. A beam of sunlight poured in, scattering fragments of golden light through her hair. Beneath her hanging bangs, silver eyes reflected his somewhat pale image.

Na'er had no idea how long she had been there. She had moved over a small stool and sat beside Zhao Xuanzhen's bed, propping her cheeks up with both hands and baring her small white teeth. "I sent you messages all morning, but you didn't reply to a single one. I was worried something happened to you, so I came in to check on you!

"You actually slept until noon. What happened? Did last night's spicy stir-fried crab one-shot you?"

Silently withdrawing the fingertip that had poked Na'er's cheek, Zhao Xuanzhen said speechlessly, "I really don't like spicy food, but getting one-shot by a ten-year Green Armor Crab is too absurd. A Green Armor Crab would have to level up enough to sit at the same table as a Wind Baboon..."

"Isn't it just a crab?"

Na'er furrowed her brows like a kitten and said seriously, "Your complexion looks awful. Do you need Aunt Leng or a Healing System Soul Master to come examine you?"

"It's nothing. I'll recover after resting for a while. Don't tell Teacher, or she'll worry." Zhao Xuanzhen waved a hand, concealing the truth.

The truth was that it was a side effect of fusing with the Soaring Serpent. As a quasi-god-level spirit of heaven and earth, one of the Eight Deceitful Gods, the Soaring Serpent had been forcibly fused by Zhao Xuanzhen with the body of a Soul Elder. Such a massive leap in soul power naturally came with a price.

The Soaring Serpent was deceitful and cunning, treacherous and vicious. The backlash it brought was false alarm, strangeness, and illusion. During this period, Zhao Xuanzhen would occasionally become mentally dazed and confused. The first week was the worst, and it would take about a month for him to fully recover.

As Zhao Xuanzhen's strength gradually increased, the backlash would grow weaker and weaker until it vanished entirely, allowing him to wield the Divine Plate's Eight Divine Powers without any side effects.

Now that the threats of Tang San and Tang Hao had temporarily subsided, the Soaring Serpent alone was already among the world's top combat forces. At this stage of the Douluo Continent, there were not many enemies who required Zhao Xuanzhen, the Master of Qimen, to fuse with the Eight Divine Powers. Besides, more Eight Deceitful Gods would awaken in the future.

Looking at the one-month limited-edition sickly person, Na'er rubbed her jade hand along her chin and suddenly said, "The way you are now, am I stronger than you?"

"The things you focus on are so weird!" Zhao Xuanzhen glared at her irritably.

He was weak, not useless!

Even after taking a slash from a Trisolarian, he was still above the limit!

"It's fine, I'm super loyal. Even if I'm stronger than you, I'll still take care of you! Zhao Xuanzhen, you haven't eaten all morning. Wait here!"

Na'er skipped away, her silver long hair bouncing up and down. Zhao Xuanzhen watched the young girl's lively retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.

A month would fly by in the blink of an eye. Compared to dealing with the Tang father and son and obtaining the Golden Dragon King God Core, being a sickly person for a month was hardly worth mentioning.

Zhao Xuanzhen fell into thought. Tang San had only lost a wisp of divine consciousness, while his true body was currently playing games with other God Kings of the God Realm, preparing to establish the Great God Circle.

With Tang San's vindictive nature, Zhao Xuanzhen would never believe that he would not drag the Twelve God Kings of the Great God Circle into this.

Even Emperor Xuanzhen would get a headache facing twelve God Kings fighting side by side. Moreover, in the Legend of the Dragon King Era, one could only become a god by condensing one's own God Position. There were almost no shortcuts like inheriting the God Position of a predecessor.

"The Golden Dragon King God Core is far from enough..."

The peak Golden Dragon King was weaker than the combined forces of the Five God Kings of the Douluo God Realm. Even if Zhao Xuanzhen absorbed every last drop of energy from the God Core, the gap would still be immense.

Zhao Xuanzhen did not want to follow Tang Wulin's old path and ultimately become the next Golden Dragon King. Thus, the Golden Dragon King God Core suppressed by the Human Plate Eight Gates could only be one of the foundations beneath his future God Position!

"I'm back!"

Her voice arrived before she did. When Na'er burst through the door in a fierce and fiery manner, Zhao Xuanzhen was still considering how to acquire the endless energy needed to establish a God Position that surpassed the Golden Dragon King.

Hearing the commotion, Zhao Xuanzhen had only just propped up half his body when the young girl expertly hurried to the bedside, dragging an enormous insulated container in her hands.

The container slowly twisted open, releasing billowing white steam. Curled squid tentacles glistened with amber broth. Above the sea of porridge, Red Jade Shrimp were like crescent boats at anchor. Shredded dried scallops formed golden gauze, dyed sunset-colored by crab roe. It was irresistibly appetizing at a glance.

The rising heat washed over his chin. Zhao Xuanzhen said in surprise, "Not bad. It looks pretty appetizing. You made it?"

"Of course! King Na'er can wield both pen and sword, grace the hall and rule the kitchen!" the young girl said proudly.

"Pop quiz. You aren't allowed to taste it. How do you tell salt from sugar?"

"Uh... ⊙⊙!"

Na'er instantly froze. Only after a long while did she mutter, "Fine, I confess. The spirit transmission tower chef made the seafood porridge. I thought it looked delicious, so I brought it over."

"But!" The young girl abruptly changed her tone and emphasized, "I participated in the process of bringing it in front of you. Even if I get no credit, I still deserve credit for the effort!"

"All right, you worked hard."

Zhao Xuanzhen smiled and praised her. In four years, Na'er had never once entered a kitchen. She did not produce food; she was merely the food's transporter!

"Hehe!"

Na'er was delighted. She ladled a heaping bowl of seafood porridge into a celadon bowl, dodged Zhao Xuanzhen's hand as he reached for it, and volunteered, "Seeing how seriously injured you are, hanging on by a thread, I'll feed you out of pity!"

"Seriously injured, hanging on by a thread... Am I really that miserable?"

Zhao Xuanzhen protested with narrowed eyes, but his body honestly opened his mouth.

Na'er sat beside the bed and scooped up a spoonful of thick porridge. Crab meat was wrapped in translucent rice broth, while tender pink shrimp poked their heads out from among chopped green celery. Her rosy lips curled into a triumphant arc as she said in the gentle tone used to coax a child:

"Little Zhen, mom will feed you. Ah—"

"You..."

Zhao Xuanzhen's eyes instantly went wide. He knew Na'er had no good intentions!

However, Na'er moved swiftly and stuffed the porcelain spoon into Zhao Xuanzhen's mouth, physically interrupting his complaint.

"Don't let it get cold. Eat, eat!"

After Na'er force-fed him three huge mouthfuls in a row, Zhao Xuanzhen seriously suspected that she wanted to choke him to death.

After the initial laughter and horseplay, Na'er became serious and slowly fed Zhao Xuanzhen spoonful by spoonful. Her smile was as clear as frost and snow as she chattered on:

"The chef said the crabs and shrimp were hauled ashore this morning and still carried the scent of seawater. They're unbelievably fresh. The porridge was simmered with lots of Eastsea City's specialty seafood, so it smells especially good. It's perfect for an injured patient like you!"

While drinking the porridge, Zhao Xuanzhen glanced at Na'er from the corner of his eye. The beam of light cast her into a semi-transparent girl. As Na'er lowered her eyes and blew on the porridge, the tip of her nose trembled slightly, as though she were smelling the seafood's fragrance.

He could clearly see the craving on Na'er's face, as well as her tongue reaching toward the spoon several times, only for her to restrain herself with all her might at the last moment.

"Na'er, you don't have to endure it so painfully. If you want some, we can eat together. I can do it myself..."

Zhao Xuanzhen's expression was complicated. He was afraid she might start drooling.

"I'm not eating it. It's for you, idiot!" Na'er held firm to her bottom line.

"Helping oneself is no match for helping everyone. Enjoying alone is no match for enjoying together."

"Mm... I'll taste it after I finish feeding you!"

Na'er's bottom line existed to be broken!

"Hiss... The main problem is that your spoon keeps hitting my teeth..." Zhao Xuanzhen finally could not hold back and told the truth.

"No talking while eating!"

Na'er glared at him fiercely, but her ear tips had turned as soft red as the shrimp.

His objection was invalid, so Zhao Xuanzhen could only continue accepting Na'er's feeding. Amid the clinking of the porcelain spoon, the tiny beads of sweat on the girl's nose were clearer than the glistening rice grains in the bowl.

"It's my first time taking care of someone, so I don't have enough experience. You can't treat me like some servant girl..." Na'er protested quietly.

Zhao Xuanzhen smiled silently. He had never truly blamed her; he was only teasing her.

To be honest, Zhao Xuanzhen had always been grateful that, on that night four years ago, he had made the right choice and invited Na'er to join the Spirit Pagoda.

She was like a flame, making his life bright and colorful.

After two bowls, Zhao Xuanzhen called for a stop, indicating that he was full. Na'er held the insulated container with more than half a bucket of seafood porridge left and eagerly began stuffing herself.

Na'er had been eyeing the supreme quality seafood porridge loaded with ingredients in the kitchen since early that morning. It was only because Zhao Xuanzhen had suddenly fallen ill that she brought over all the porridge, hoping to help him recover as soon as possible.

"Ring ring ring—"

The ringtone suddenly sounded, and the Soul Guide Communicator's screen displayed the word Teacher.

"Xuanzhen."

After pressing the answer button, Leng Yaozhu's gentle and soft voice came through from the other side.

"Na'er said you slept until noon. Is something wrong with your body, or did you go to the beach... and overwork yourself a little?"

"I'm fine. I was tired yesterday, so I'm taking a day off." Zhao Xuanzhen answered calmly.

"Mm, it's good to rest for a day during the holiday."

Leng Yaozhu held her Soul Guide Communicator to her ear. Zhao Xuanzhen had always been diligent and never delayed his cultivation. Scenes from the beach chair suddenly surfaced in her mind. Could his exhaustion be because...

With a quiet sigh over how the child had grown up, Leng Yaozhu brought up the main matter. "Gu Yue has come to the Spirit Pagoda to receive her assessment results. I'll leave this task to you, according to the position we discussed yesterday."

"All right, Teacher."

Zhao Xuanzhen had no objections. He got up, washed, dressed neatly, and casually asked Na'er. She shouted that Gu Yue was less important than eating and kept wolfing down seafood porridge.

At the main entrance of the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda, the black-haired young girl's outline was gilded by the noon light. Her eyebrows and eyes were like a work of art meticulously traced in fine brushwork. The collar of her white shirt puffed slightly in the wind, while the fabric outlined the supple curve of her shoulder and neck. Beneath her hanging black skirt hem, the lines of her calves resembled the curved gleam of jade carving.

"Hopefully the Spirit Pagoda scheme goes smoothly..."

Gu Yue sighed softly. Ever since enrolling at Eastsea Academy, nothing seemed to have gone smoothly.

Half a year ago, she had lured Tang Wulin outside Eastsea Academy, intending to forcibly strip away his Golden Dragon King Bloodline. Then Tang Wulin's father suddenly showed up on the spot, and a single great halberd made the Xingdou Fierce Beasts howl. Di Tian, Bear Monarch, and the other fierce beasts were heavily wounded and were still receiving Biji's treatment in the Star Dou Great Forest.

She had intended to lie low and observe Tang Wulin, waiting until the fierce beasts recovered before plotting against the Golden Dragon King Bloodline again. Yet an unexpected accident occurred: the Golden Dragon King Bloodline within Tang Wulin's body vanished into thin air overnight!

This morning, the five-person group of Zero Class fought Wu Changkong. Tang Wulin's Martial Soul had suddenly evolved into Golden Patterned Blue Silver Grass, yet the level of his bloodline had dropped drastically. Before, it had been the Golden Dragon King; now, it could at most be considered a Golden Dragon!

The Golden Dragon King and the Golden Dragon were worlds apart. That tiny amount of Golden Dragon bloodline could not possibly support Gu Yue's transformation into the Dragon God!

Gu Yue clenched her fists. After taking human form, she had set two goals for herself. First, devour the Golden Dragon King God Core and become the Dragon God. Second, join the Spirit Pagoda and use its monopoly over Soul Spirits to destroy humanity from its roots!

Now that the Golden Dragon King had vanished into thin air, Gu Yue needed to spend time investigating the reason. There could be no more problems with infiltrating the Spirit Pagoda's core!

Guided by a staff member, Gu Yue arrived before a meeting room, knocked lightly, and then pushed the door open.

One person sat inside the meeting room. Brilliant sunlight coated his long hair, fingertips, and pitch-black pupils with a faint layer of gold, making him look gentle and beautiful.

"It's you..."

Gu Yue paused slightly, recognizing Zhao Xuanzhen.

Zhao Xuanzhen's gaze fell instead on Gu Yue's empty hands. She came empty-handed!

I told you to go home and wait for news. At least bring a fruit basket!

Soul beasts really were simple-minded and knew nothing about social etiquette!

"Sit."

Zhao Xuanzhen pointed across from him. Gu Yue sat down as instructed, her quiet black eyes filled half with anticipation and half with nervousness.

"Next, I will announce your assessment results on behalf of the Spirit Pagoda."

After clearing his throat, Zhao Xuanzhen put on a proper air and said, "Gu Yue, ten years old, soul power rank twenty-one, Martial Soul: Elementalist. You control the Seven Elements: earth, water, wind, fire, light, darkness, and space.

"After discussion by the Spirit Pagoda's high-level officials, Gu Yue's talent is exceptional, and her Martial Soul possesses enormous potential for development. However, when facing the examiner in the Spirit Ascension Platform, her combat performance was lacking. Therefore, she is granted the status of a Spirit Pagoda Quasi-Core Disciple."

"A Quasi-Core Disciple?" Gu Yue asked doubtfully.

"It is equivalent to being a Core Disciple candidate. You receive the same benefits but do not have the corresponding authority. Once the examiner considers your ability sufficient, you will officially become a Spirit Pagoda Core Disciple.

"Oh, and I am your only examiner."

Though Zhao Xuanzhen was smiling warmly, Gu Yue somehow felt that his handsome face carried the scent of a scheme. Her eyebrows knit tightly as she said:

"If there is only one examiner, doesn't that mean I can never become a Core Disciple as long as you refuse to approve?"

"You can understand it that way." Zhao Xuanzhen nodded. "So you need to do your best to earn my approval."

The Quasi-Core Disciple status was right at Gu Yue's bottom line, and she could reluctantly accept it. The Golden Dragon King God Core had gone missing, making entry into the Spirit Pagoda's core level even more important. In that case...

When facing someone who held the power of life and death, should she perhaps offer him a little incentive?

"If you have no objections, you may go to the first floor of the Eastsea Spirit Pagoda to collect your identification and register your information."

"Mm."

Zhao Xuanzhen watched Gu Yue leave. Mental exhaustion swept over him, and he yawned wearily. The first week was the hardest to endure. He propped up his chin as his eyelids slowly grew heavy.

"I'll take a short nap..."

Gu Yue completed her registration step by step and collected her Spirit Pagoda identification. Suddenly, she saw a figure leaning against a metal wall. One slender, fair long leg was slightly bent, its toes braced against the wall. Her silver long hair was smooth as silk, its hair tips curled with sunlight like scattered gold.

"Gu Yue, there are some things that aren't convenient to say with Zhao Xuanzhen around." Na'er spoke softly.

"Shall we talk?"