Shocking Wu Changkong, Spirit Ring Upgrade! [Seeking Favorites]

"Brother Lu Li."

Wu Changkong took a deep breath. He was certainly no stranger to the face before him, which was even more handsome than his own:

The number one genius of the Spirit Pagoda, a top-tier prodigy nearly ten years his junior, the Golden Holy Dragon King, Lu Li!

In the world of soul masters, the capable come first. Though the man before him might be younger, his cultivation was far more advanced than his own.

The other's martial soul was the Golden Holy Dragon King, a superior form of the Golden Dragon, making him the undisputed number one of his generation.

Five years ago, when he had broken through to become a Soul Emperor, the other had been hot on his heels, and now...

He was likely already a Soul Douluo.

"It has been many years, Brother Changkong. You still possess your old flair, though your brow seems to lack the heroic spirit of the past."

Lu Li said with a sigh. He had spent his life suppressing every genius of his generation—and by his generation, he meant those five to ten years his senior.

Among them, Wu Changkong, a top talent of Shrek and a candidate for the Sea God Pavilion Master, was naturally one of them.

When he first entered the Youth Genius Ranking, the other was already ranked in the top five as Sky Ice. It was hard to imagine such a person making no progress for so many years.

"You flatter me."

Wu Changkong shook his head. The man he once was had died the day Long Bing left; the current him was, at best, an empty shell wearing the body of Wu Changkong.

His heart of a powerhouse had long since burned out.

"But what brings you to Donghai Academy?"

A look of confusion crossed his face.

"I hit a bottleneck in my cultivation recently. I came to Eastsea City intending to visit a little guy, and by sheer coincidence, I ended up applying for a teaching position..."

"Come to think of it, we'll be colleagues from now on."

Lu Li looked at him with a smile and spoke the truth.

"For Donghai Academy to have a big Buddha like you..."

"The dean must be laughing his head off."

Wu Changkong said quietly. For such a prodigy to come to Donghai Academy to teach was, to put it mildly, a waste of talent.

However, the man before him had hit a bottleneck...?

"Are you preparing to break through to Soul Douluo?"

Wu Changkong couldn't help but ask. It was likely as he imagined; even if the other wasn't a Soul Douluo yet, he couldn't be far off.

The man wasn't even twenty yet! He was truly worthy of being the future successor of the Spirit Pagoda.

"Hmm..."

"It's not that weak."

"I've already broken through to Titled Douluo."

Lu Li rubbed his nose and said silently. Brother Changkong, can you show some respect for a cultivation maniac like me?

He had been a Soul Saint at fifteen; surely three-plus years were enough to break through to Titled Douluo.

But considering the other was still a Soul Emperor...

It seemed there was no problem after all.

"You're already a Titled Douluo?"

Wu Changkong's expression tightened. Seeing the other's calm demeanor, he couldn't help but frown. He certainly didn't think the other was lying, but...

Was this kid even human?

"Yes, genuine and authentic."

Lu Li calmly released a sliver of his pressure. The moment it touched him, Wu Changkong's face stiffened; it was an aura capable of killing him in an instant.

The might of a Titled Douluo was truly terrifying!

"I recall you are only eighteen this year, right?"

He said, stopping mid-sentence.

"That's right, just turned eighteen."

"An eighteen-year-old Titled Douluo. Your potential is something even the Pavilion Master might find unreachable..."

Wu Changkong couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

An eighteen-year-old Titled Douluo—even Pavilion Master Yun Ming hadn't achieved that. In terms of being outrageous, Lu Li never failed to disappoint.

Then again, this was the same Lu Li who had pinned him down and beaten him when he only had three rings during the Youth Genius Exchange Tournament.

He was older than the other, yet he had never won a single time. In his memory, he was always the one being suppressed.

Seeing his former rival reach such heights, he couldn't help but feel happy for him—provided, of course, he ignored the fact that this brat was ten years younger than him...

"Brother Changkong, please stop praising me."

"Who doesn't know that the Qingtian Douluo once named you the number one of the younger generation at Shrek? If you had focused on your cultivation, you likely wouldn't be any worse than me."

Lu Li shook his head and said indifferently.

However, this genius is currently...

Indeed a little bit weak.

"..."

Wu Changkong's face froze instantly.

At this moment, having never felt awkward once in all his years, he was speechless with shame for the first time, a flush appearing on his cold, aloof face.

That's right, he was blushing.

One had to know, his level 69 cultivation wasn't just close to the other party; it was completely crushed!

"Brother Lu Li, let's not talk about this."

"Since you will be staying at Donghai Academy for a while, I shall take you around the academy."

Wu Changkong managed to calm his expression and spoke up.

As he spoke, he stood up first, glanced at the young man who was slightly taller than himself, and walked toward the office door.

"Mm."

Just as Lu Li stepped out of the office, a system chime rang out happily in his mind:

[Congratulations to the host for arriving at Donghai Academy, shocking the Primary Department Director Long Hengxu, inciting a desire to recruit talent in Dean Yu Lian, and even shocking Wu Changkong. The mission has been exceeded.]

[Mission complete. Reward: All soul ring ages increased by 20%, with a minimum increase of 100 years.]

The moment the voice faded, Lu Li felt a wave of warm energy surge through his entire body, and on the data panel that only he could see, the soul ring age progression had already updated:

[Soul ring age increased!]

[First Soul Spirit: 60,000 years → 72,000 years]

[Second Soul Spirit: 130,000 years → 156,000 years]

"Although the system missions are a bit brain-dead."

"However..."

"The rewards are truly sweet."

A hint of emotion flickered in Lu Li's eyes. One had to know, this was merely the most insignificant first mission among thousands of growth tasks.

Yet, this first one alone had already helped increase all his soul ring ages by 20%. What about the future?

He had a premonition that his late-arriving system might not be an artificial idiot, but something that could allow him to gain even more benefits exponentially.

"Thank you, system."

"..."

The grounds of Donghai Academy were not small. Wu Changkong led him past every building, and the figures of the two naturally attracted the gazes of countless students.

"Is that Teacher Wu? He's still so handsome..."

"No, wait, who is that handsome guy next to him?"

"He's more handsome than Teacher Wu, taller than Teacher Wu, and he even smiles. Holy crap, he's so handsome he's struck right at my heart!"

Wu Changkong was already the undisputed heartthrob of Donghai Academy, but at this moment, as the students looked at Lu Li, they felt as though the former had suddenly been eclipsed.

There is no harm without comparison.

Wu Changkong was already devastatingly handsome, but Lu Li had possessed a charm-like constitution since he was young; he was simply not someone the former could compare to.

"Brother Lu Li, you came this time because of a child. I wonder if that child's talent..."

"Is it monstrous?"

Wu Changkong suddenly thought of something and looked at the man beside him. He had been at Donghai Academy for so many years and had never seen a genius capable of attracting a Title Douluo to teach.

"More or less."

Lu Li nodded slightly.

"Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass, innate soul power level three."

"..."

Wu Changkong was silent for a moment. A Blue Silver Grass martial soul with innate level three soul power—did that really have anything to do with being a genius?

Even if it were Tang San's son...

With talent this poor, there was simply no saving it!