"Brother Lu Li."
Wu Changkong took a deep breath. He was, of course, familiar with the handsome face before him—one even more striking than his own.
The Spirit Pagoda's number-one genius, a peerless prodigy nearly ten years his junior, the Golden Holy Dragon King, Lu Li!
In the Soul Master World, strength came before seniority. The young man before him might not be as old, but his cultivation had advanced far beyond Wu Changkong's.
His Martial Soul was the Golden Holy Dragon King, a higher form of the Golden Dragon. There was no doubt he was the number-one talent of his generation.
Five years ago, when Wu Changkong had broken through to Soul Emperor, Lu Li's cultivation had already been hot on his heels. And now...
He was probably a Soul Douluo.
"It's been years, Brother Chang Kong. You still look as impressive as ever, though there's less of that youthful spirit between your brows."
Lu Li spoke with a hint of emotion. He had practically beaten every genius of his generation—and by that, he meant geniuses five to ten years older than himself.
Among them, Wu Changkong, one of Shrek's top talents and a candidate for Sea God Pavilion Master, was naturally no exception.
When Lu Li first made the Youth Genius Ranking, Wu Changkong had already been one of its top five, a Sky Ice. It was hard to imagine someone like him making no progress for years.
"You flatter me."
Wu Changkong shook his head. The person he'd once been had died the day Long Bing left. Now, at best, he was an empty shell wearing Wu Changkong's body.
His heart as a powerhouse had long since burned out.
"But what brings you to Eastsea Academy?"
A puzzled expression crossed his face.
"I recently hit a bottleneck in my cultivation. I came to Eastsea City intending to visit a little fellow while I was in the area, and by chance, I applied for a teaching position..."
"Looks like we'll be colleagues from now on."
Lu Li smiled at him and spoke honestly.
"With someone like you at Eastsea Academy..."
"The principal must be over the moon."
Wu Changkong said quietly. Having a prodigy like this come to teach at Eastsea Academy was practically a waste of his talent.
But this man had hit a bottleneck...?
"Are you about to break through to Soul Douluo?"
Wu Changkong couldn't help asking. It was probably about as he'd imagined: even if Lu Li wasn't a Soul Douluo yet, he couldn't be far off.
He wasn't even twenty! No wonder he was the Spirit Pagoda's future successor.
"Mm..."
"I'm not that weak."
"I've already broken through to Titled Douluo."
Lu Li rubbed his nose and said quietly. Brother Chang Kong, could you show a little respect for a cultivation maniac like me?
He'd been a Soul Saint at fifteen. Was more than three years not enough time to break through to Titled Douluo?
But then again, Wu Changkong was still a Soul Emperor...
That did make sense.
"You're already a Titled Douluo?"
Wu Changkong's face tightened. He looked at Lu Li's calm expression, his brows drawing together. He certainly didn't think Lu Li would lie, but...
Was this kid even human?
"Mm. I'm the genuine article."
Lu Li calmly released a trace of his pressure. The instant it touched Wu Changkong, his face froze. The aura was strong enough to kill him outright.
The might of a Titled Douluo was terrifying!
"If I remember right, you're only eighteen this year?"
He hesitated.
"That's right. I just turned eighteen."
"An eighteen-year-old Titled Douluo... Even the Pavilion Master can't match your potential."
Wu Changkong couldn't help sighing.
Even Yun Ming, the Pavilion Master, hadn't become a Titled Douluo at eighteen. In terms of sheer absurdity, Lu Li was still as astonishing as ever.
Of course. This was the Lu Li who had pinned him down and beaten him in the Youth Genius Exchange Tournament, despite having only three Soul Rings.
Wu Changkong was older, but he'd never beaten Lu Li—not once. In his memories, he'd always been the one getting crushed.
Seeing his old opponent reach such heights made him genuinely happy for him. That is, if he ignored the fact that the brat was ten years younger...
"Enough praise, Brother Chang Kong."
"Everyone knows you were named Shrek's number-one young talent by Qingtian Douluo. If you'd devoted yourself to cultivation, you might not have fallen far behind me."
Lu Li shook his head and said mildly.
Still, this genius had become...
A little weak.
"..."
Wu Changkong's face froze.
For the first time in years, he was too embarrassed to say a word. A flush appeared on his usually cool face.
That's right. He was red-faced.
His cultivation was only at level 69. Not only was he nowhere near Lu Li—he was getting completely crushed!
"Brother Lu Li, let's not talk about that."
"Since you'll be staying at Eastsea Academy for a while, I'll show you around."
Wu Changkong forced his expression back to calm and spoke.
As he spoke, he stood first, glanced at the young man, who was a little taller than him, and headed out of the office.
"Mm."
As soon as Lu Li stepped out of the office, a system notification rang cheerfully in his mind:
[Congratulations, host! On your first day at Eastsea Academy, you astonished Long Hengxu, the director of the junior division, and inspired Principal Yu Lian to recruit your talent. You also astonished Wu Changkong, completing the task with room to spare.]
[Task complete. Reward: Increase the age of all the host's Soul Rings by 20%, with a minimum increase of 100 years.]
The moment the notification ended, Lu Li felt a warm energy spread throughout his body. On the information panel visible only to him, his Soul Ring ages had already increased:
[Soul Ring Age Increased!]
[First Soul Spirit: 60000 years → 72000 years]
[Second Soul Spirit: 130000 years → 156000 years]
"The system's tasks are kind of ridiculous."
"But..."
"The rewards are really sweet."
A note of emotion showed in Lu Li's eyes. This was only the most insignificant of the countless growth tasks.
And yet, this first task alone had already increased all his Soul Ring ages by 20%. What about the future?
He had a feeling that his late-arriving system might not be an artificial idiot after all. Maybe it could help him reap twice the benefits.
"Thanks, system."
"..."
Eastsea Academy was quite large. Wu Changkong led him past every building, and the sight of the two of them naturally drew the attention of countless students.
"That's Teacher Wu, right? Still as handsome as ever..."
"Wait, who's the 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 got my heart!"
Wu Changkong was unquestionably Eastsea Academy's heartthrob. But at that moment, when the students looked at Lu Li, Wu Changkong seemed to fade into the background.
Without comparison, there was no way to tell the difference.
Wu Changkong was already strikingly handsome, but Lu Li had had a bewitching charm ever since he was a child. He was on another level entirely.
"Brother Lu Li, you came here because of a child. I wonder, is the child's talent..."
"Something extraordinary?"
Wu Changkong suddenly thought of something and looked at Lu Li beside him. He'd been at Eastsea Academy for many years, but he'd never seen a genius who could draw a Titled Douluo here to teach.
"More or less."
Lu Li gave a slight nod.
"Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, innate Soul Power of level three."
"..."
Wu Changkong fell silent. A Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and innate Soul Power of level three—did that really have anything to do with genius?
Even if he was Tang San's son...
Talent that poor was beyond saving!
Before you continue