[Doulou I Period]
Meanwhile, in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ma Hongjun stared at the grass chicken, his expression turning incredibly strange.
"Fatty, laugh! Why did you stop?"
Oscar nudged him.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were also struggling to hold back their laughter.
"Didn't the Sky Screen say that Yan Shaozhe's Martial Soul was passed down from yours? That means your Martial Soul's source is grass, too."
"Shut up!"
Ma Hongjun flew into a rage, flames bursting from his body.
"This young master is a phoenix! A phoenix! Not a grass chicken!"
[Douluo II Period]
Sun Moon Empire, Mingde Hall.
Xiao Hongchen watched the Sky Screen, laughing so hard he doubled over, tears nearly spilling from his eyes.
He threw an arm around his younger sister's shoulders and said, gasping for breath, "Meng—Meng, look! The Martial Soul Department dean at Shrek has a chicken for a Martial Soul! Hahahaha! From now on, whenever we see anyone from Shrek, let's cluck like chickens and drive them crazy!"
On the high platform at Shrek, Yan Shaozhe felt the frail, pitiful Martial Soul inside him, and heard the unrestrained laughter all around. His vision went black, and he spat out a mouthful of blood!
"No!"
He let out a scream of utter despair!
But that wasn't the end.
Cold words appeared once more across the Sky Screen.
[Reward Two: Still Heart Like Water!]
[Reward description: The recipient is granted a Daoist heart as calm as an ancient well, free of distracting thoughts and able to see through illusions. From this day on, the seven emotions and six desires will struggle to sway the recipient's heart. This will aid cultivation and effectively prevent cultivation deviation.]
The moment this reward appeared, the noisy continent fell silent once more.
"Still Heart Like Water? Th-this is the supreme state of mind that countless Soul Masters dream of!"
"Exactly! With a state of mind like that, cultivation speed is sure to soar. And you'll never have to worry about inner demons taking hold! Th-this is a truly incredible opportunity!"
"Why? Why give Yan Shaozhe a reward like this? Does the Sky Screen really think his merits outweigh his faults?"
First, it had turned his Martial Soul into a grass chicken, humiliating him to the utmost.
Then it bestowed this heaven-defying state of mind upon him—what was the Sky Screen trying to do? Slap him, then offer him a sweet date?
Slumped on the ground, Yan Shaozhe watched a faint spark of hope rekindle in his dull, lifeless eyes.
Still Heart Like Water?
That was right!
With this state of mind, he could ignore all the mockery and humiliation!
He could devote himself to cultivation and reach the Limit Douluo level faster!
As long as he became a Limit Douluo, so what if his Martial Soul was a chicken? Who would dare laugh at him then?!
[Reward issued!]
This time, what descended from the heavens wasn't golden light, but a cool, silver radiance like moonlight. It gently enveloped Yan Shaozhe, and an indescribable sense of calm and serenity flooded into his heart.
The fury, despair, resentment, and venomous hatred that had raged within him—
Every negative emotion seemed to be washed away in an instant.
His heart truly became like an ancient well without a ripple, more peaceful than ever before.
He even felt that the laughter around him no longer grated on his ears.
"S-so powerful a state of mind!"
Yan Shaozhe felt a surge of joy.
But in the next moment, he sensed something was wrong.
This feeling of "Still Heart Like Water" seemed... overly concentrated.
Yan Shaozhe's expression froze.
To his horror, as that feeling poured into him—
Only one part of his body had achieved "Still Heart Like Water" in the truest sense!
There, every thought had been extinguished, every worldly tie severed.
There, the ancient well was undisturbed, not a ripple in sight.
There, he had fully entered a state of seeing through the mortal world and attaining enlightenment on the spot—a sage-like state!
"No, no, no—!"
A terror and despair a hundred times stronger than when his Martial Soul had turned into a grass chicken swept over him!
He wanted to rage, but his heart was terrifyingly calm.
He wanted to scream, but all his emotions seemed blocked, impossible to release!
This felt worse than death!
"Pfft!"
Overcome by a fit of rage, he spat out another mouthful of blood. Yan Shaozhe's eyes rolled back, and he fainted from sheer fury.
After a brief moment of confusion, the "clever ones" across the continent finally caught on.
"I—I think I get it... Still Heart Like Water... Holy crap!"
"Yikes—that's ruthless! The Sky Screen really isn't giving him a way out!"
"Hahahaha! A Beast in Human Clothing, of course he'd have to become a beast who can't do the deed! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
Golden light flared across the Sky Screen for the third time!
[Final Reward: Meeting with a Comrade-in-Arms!]
Meeting with a comrade-in-arms?
What kind of reward was that?
While everyone was still baffled, a line of explanation slowly appeared.
[Comrades-in-arms: You once shouldered the same spear and crossed the same trench. Since you are all kindred spirits, this meeting has been specially arranged to ease the pain of longing.]
"Shouldered the same spear? Crossed the same trench?"
People mulled over those eight words. Their expressions shifted from confusion to understanding, then to barely contained laughter, and finally to unrestrained guffaws!
What kind of comrades-in-arms were these?
It was clearly a "cousins" reunion!
[Meeting attendees: Yan Shaozhe, Zhongli Wu!]
[Given the tragic nature of the affair, Qian Duoduo has been specially added!]
Qian Duoduo's laughter cut off abruptly.
His face turned a deep liver-red, and he pointed at the sky and cursed, "Who the hell is tragic?! Sky Screen, explain yourself!"
Holy Spirit Cult headquarters.
Zhongli Wu, who had already been utterly heartbroken, saw his name and instantly found boundless venom and killing intent flaring in his hollow eyes!
"Yan Shaozhe!"
"Good nephew, your uncle's coming to see you!"
He was going to tear his fine nephew limb from limb!
[Reward issued!]
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Three enormous pillars of golden light pierced through every barrier and crossed all spatial boundaries, descending with pinpoint accuracy!
One enveloped Yan Shaozhe, who had fainted on the high platform at Shrek.
Another enveloped Qian Duoduo, who was raging inside the Sea God Pavilion.
The last crossed thousands of miles and descended directly upon the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters, enveloping Zhongli Wu, who looked like a demon from hell.
The next second, all three men vanished from where they stood.
The image on the Sky Screen shifted with them.
It showed an immense arena, filled with an atmosphere of iron-blooded brutality and murderous tension!
Three figures appeared out of thin air in the center of the arena.
Yan Shaozhe slowly came to and stared around in confusion.
Qian Duoduo seethed with rage, gripping the Wulong Shield as Soul Power surged around him.
Zhongli Wu, meanwhile, looked like an Asura returned from hell, visible black evil aura swirling around him.
Three men, three tangled grudges, three "comrades-in-arms"—the Sky Screen had transported them to the same stage, where they appeared before everyone across the continent in both eras!
They stared at one another. The air was thick with hatred, awkwardness, and humiliation—and with the bloodlust that was about to erupt into a fight to the death!
At that moment, the entire Douluo Continent was in an uproar!
Before you continue