In other words, although he had once loved Cui Furong, she was now a complete stranger to him.
"First round, passed."
The bubbles closed around the middle-aged man again.
That left only two children who were the same age as Zheng Li.
At least that was normal.
One loved his childhood friend.
The other loved his own older sister...
When asked whether he was willing to die for her, the one who loved his childhood friend said no, adding that she could always find someone else... Then the calm voice lashed him several times.
The one who loved his older sister immediately grew wary when he heard the question. He challenged the Valley of Love and Emotion, "What are you trying to do? If you've got a problem, come after me! Lay a hand on my sister and I'll fight you to the death!"
The calm voice was speechless again.
Fortunately, they passed without a hitch.
"First round, over. Second round, the adventure begins."
As the voice fell, the surrounding environment changed. The floor of the circular platform became a wheel, divided evenly into six sectors, each bearing a different image.
Chapter 47: A Little Jealous...
The rules of the second round were simple. When the golden light shaped like a clock hand selected someone, the wheel would spin. Each image represented a rule: fulfill it and pass; fail, and enter a deep adventure.
The chance of dying during a deep adventure was fifty percent!
After the calm voice explained the rules, the clock-hand-shaped golden light began to spin, and the wheel turned along with it.
Zheng Li frowned at the six images on the wheel. He couldn't make out what two of them represented.
Everyone in this round could hear the voice and see the wheel and one another.
After spinning, the golden light landed on the middle-aged man, and the wheel stopped. The image in the selected sector showed two swords crossed against another sword.
"Combat! Two people will be selected at random to fight. The winner passes; the loser enters a deep adventure. If the selected person wins, the difficulty of the next adventure will decrease; if they lose, it will increase."
As the calm voice spoke, two more beams of golden light appeared. In the end, they selected Zheng Li and Xiao Nai.
The middle-aged man glanced at Zheng Li and Xiao Nai, his expression calm. As a Soul Grandmaster at level twenty-eight, he had nothing to fear from two children!
The second round was in the bag!
Zheng Li and Xiao Nai exchanged a glance, and they understood each other without a word.
He really wanted to ask the Valley of Love and Emotion: Was this really a good choice?
It wasn't arrogance. He was simply confident.
The three bubbles burst, and the wheel and clock-hand-shaped golden light vanished. The three of them landed on the circular platform.
At that moment, the calm voice announced:
"Begin!"
The middle-aged man looked at Zheng Li and Xiao Nai apologetically. "Sorry, kids. Big brother wants to live, too!"
As he spoke, he released his Martial Soul. His body immediately swelled, and hair sprouted all over him! His hands turned into bear paws, sharp, blade-like claws extending from his fingertips beneath the fur. Two Soul Rings, one white and one yellow, appeared.
This really was a mysterious place! It had even cured the poison in his body, the middle-aged man thought with a sigh.
He had no idea the cure was only temporary.
Zheng Li and Xiao Nai immediately recognized the Long-haired Bear. It was an extremely ordinary Spirit Beast.
But what was with him calling himself "big brother"?
Did the middle-aged man hate being called old that much?
Zheng Li blinked. "Mister, does that mean you're sure you'll win?"
"Call me big brother!"
The middle-aged man corrected him, then swung his bear paws at Zheng Li and Xiao Nai.
Inside her bubble, Wang Xin'er's eyes widened. She was curious about Zheng Li's Martial Soul. In the carriage, she had told him what her own Martial Soul was, but he had kept his under wraps and refused to tell her about it.
In fact, Zheng Li had told her it was the Spirit of Light. But the little girl wanted to see it for herself, and Zheng Li hadn't wanted Xiao Nai to come out in the cramped carriage. So Wang Xin'er had assumed he still hadn't told her.
Now...
A Yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath Zheng Li's feet and glowed.
"Hm? How did his Soul Ring appear without him releasing his Martial Soul?"
Wang Xin'er was astonished.
Then the golden ring behind Xiao Nai floated up, and streaks of Light Sword shot out toward the middle-aged man.
"Who's that?"
Only then did Wang Xin'er notice Xiao Nai. Her eyes widened. Had that girl been there before? And wow, she was beautiful!
Well, not quite as beautiful as her.
After she had answered the questions in the first round, a bubble had immediately enclosed her. She hadn't seen Xiao Nai appear; people inside the bubbles couldn't see outside, or even hear what was being said.
The Light Swords surrounded the middle-aged man, shocking him. What kind of Soul Skill was this? With no time to think, he lit up his Second Soul Ring: Fur Shield! His fur instantly turned bronze and wrapped around him, leaving him like a ball of fur with something inside.
Pfft!
The gap between their Martial Souls and Soul Skills was simply too great. The Light Swords pierced straight through the Fur Shield and stabbed toward the man inside.
"Sorry, mister."
They could have held back. If Xiao Nai and Zheng Li entered a deep adventure, their odds of survival might be higher than the middle-aged man's. But when their lives were on the line, they weren't going to give up out of misplaced compassion.
The middle-aged man: "..."
"Who are you people?"
As he asked, the golden light extinguished the Light Sword Soul Skill.
What ordinary young Soul Master could be that powerful?
"We're students of Shrek Academy," Zheng Li replied calmly.
"Shrek..." The middle-aged man's pupils contracted. After a moment of silence, he accepted it. "No wonder. The continent's top academy... I lost, but I'm not convinced..."
Zheng Li: "??"
What did he mean, he wasn't convinced?
Was he some kind of master of trash talk?
"Defeat. Entering a deep adventure."
Golden and silver light fell over the middle-aged man, and he vanished in an instant.
Wang Xin'er had heard the announcement too. Surprised, she said, "I can't believe they're from Shrek Academy. No, when I get out, I'm going to tell my great-grandmother I want to study at Shrek, too..."
Only she knew her real reason.
The other two children of her age also looked shaken, though they had a defiant gleam in their eyes. They had been on their way to apply to Star Luo National Academy.
More than anything, though, they hoped they wouldn't be chosen for a fight like the middle-aged man's. Their lives were at stake, after all.
After the match, bubbles enclosed Zheng Li and Xiao Nai again, and the golden light and wheel started spinning.
"Hm? Me?" When the golden light stopped, it had landed on Wang Xin'er's bubble. The image on the wheel was...
Zheng Li: "..."
He'd guessed it.
"Rule: The golden light will select another person. You must kiss that person for one minute. Succeed and you pass; fail and you enter a deep adventure." The calm voice announced, "Selection begins..."
Wang Xin'er: "..."
After a moment of stunned silence, the little girl exploded!
"No, no, no!" Wang Xin'er shook her head and protested. "That would be my first kiss! What kind of valley are you, anyway? Don't you have any shame?"
The calm voice refused. "Objection denied! You may choose to enter a deep adventure directly!"
She had no shame? Seriously! She'd thought Wang Xin'er was cute and had given her an easy challenge, and she still wasn't satisfied! Should she pick a boy instead?
"I don't want that either!"
There was a fifty-percent chance of dying!
She'd never won a bet in her life. Her luck was terrible; if she really entered a deep adventure, she'd probably die...
She refused, but the little girl was nearly in tears. She could accept Xiao Nai, and Zheng Li... maybe.
The other two? She didn't even know who they were! No way!
The two she'd just mentioned, meanwhile, looked quite hopeful.
The golden light fell and selected Xiao Nai.
"I knew it..." Zheng Li muttered with a shake of his head.
The wheel vanished, and Wang Xin'er and Xiao Nai landed on the floor.
Wang Xin'er's cheeks flushed when she saw Xiao Nai. She was adorable as she said, "Um, hello, big sister. About this... Mmph?"
The little girl's eyes went wide. Xiao Nai was right in front of her, and Wang Xin'er froze... Her mind went completely blank!
After giving her a calm glance, Xiao Nai had simply leaned in and kissed her!
It felt kind of cool?
So fragrant, so soft... And up close, big sister seemed even prettier...
Sigh... Had she just discovered something she shouldn't have?
Zheng Li: "I'm a little jealous..."
Before they knew it, a minute had passed. The calm voice promptly announced, "Wang Xin'er, you have passed the second adventure."
Xiao Nai calmly pulled away.
"Mmph..." When Xiao Nai suddenly left her embrace, Wang Xin'er swayed in her dazed state and nearly fell. "I feel kind of disappointed..."
After she murmured this, bubbles enclosed her and Xiao Nai.
Wang Xin'er was still in a daze.
The golden light spun again and landed on one of the children their age. The rule was to defeat the other person, who would be the other child their age.
The loser would be selected for the next adventure.
That loser was selected for the next adventure, whose challenge was... to withstand three lashes from the calm voice. He failed.
When the golden light landed again, it fell on Zheng Li. The image in the wheel's sector showed two identical little figures.
Zheng Li: "??"
What did that mean?
That was one of the images he hadn't understood.
Chapter 48: Zheng Li Picks Xiao Nai
"Rule: Do you deeply love your beloved? If you do, you should be able to pick out the real her from a hundred identical copies!"
After the calm voice finished speaking, Xiao Nai's bubble burst and she landed on the floor. At the same time, Zheng Li's bubble stopped being transparent and turned blurry.
A few seconds later, Zheng Li's bubble burst.
But the sight before him made Zheng Li's eyes widen and his mouth fall open.
A huge crowd of... Meng Xiaonais had appeared across the floor of the circular platform.
After his surprise, Zheng Li's mouth twitched.
What the heck?
Before you continue