Ye Liuyun and Ning Rongrong's Date

On the bustling streets of Suotuo City.

Ning Rongrong held an expensive fruit drink in her hands as she walked side by side with Ye Liuyun.

She secretly turned her head to look at the indifferent yet ethereal young man beside her. The little theater in her mind was already running wild.

Does this count as a date...?

He may not talk much, and he's not very good at coaxing people, but he's handsome and strong. Even Zhao Wuji couldn't do anything to him.

If I brought him back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Father and my two grandfathers would definitely be satisfied, right?

If we got married, our children would definitely be incredibly talented too...

Ah!

Ning Rongrong, what are you thinking?! You've only known him for two days, and you're already thinking about having children!

The more Ning Rongrong thought about it, the redder her face became. In the end, she looked like a thoroughly cooked shrimp, her brain completely shutting down. She nearly tripped over her own feet as she walked.

As Ye Liuyun bit down on his straw and enjoyed the cool fruit juice, he glanced sideways at the strange young miss beside him.

Why is her face so red?

Does she have a fever?

Forget it. None of my business.

As long as I maintain this ambiguous relationship, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's name can shield me from plenty of trouble in Shrek Academy—and even when facing pressure from Spirit Hall.

Making use of every available resource—that was the way to survive.

Just as the two were lost in their own thoughts.

The crowd ahead suddenly stirred.

"Get lost! Are you blind? That firewood scraped against my armor."

"Can you afford to compensate me if it leaves a scratch?"

Along with an angry curse, a burly man in leather armor suddenly lashed out with a kick.

Bang!

An ordinary old man carrying firewood was kicked several meters away. He crashed heavily onto the ground and could not get up for a long while.

Soul Power surged from the burly man's body, while two yellow hundred-year Spirit Rings beneath his feet stood out glaringly.

A Soul Grandmaster.

"What are you looking at? A bunch of lowly commoners! Is the road of a great Spirit Master something you people can block?"

The burly man swept his gaze around. Though the surrounding passersby looked angry, they lowered their heads upon seeing the two Spirit Rings. They dared not speak, silently making way for him.

In this world, Spirit Masters stood above ordinary people.

Before Spirit Masters, commoners were like ants. They had no dignity and no right to speak.

Ye Liuyun stopped walking.

He looked at the old man lying on the ground, then at the arrogant burly man.

It was not because his sense of justice had flared up. He simply... found it irritating.

Ye Liuyun stepped forward, preparing to intervene.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Ning Rongrong grabbed his arm.

She had only just snapped out of her fantasy of marriage and children.

When she saw what was happening, she was not angry at all. Instead, she said as if it were only natural.

"Don't meddle in this kind of business."

"As long as that old man apologizes properly, that Spirit Master should forgive him."

Ning Rongrong had also noticed that Ye Liuyun liked food. She pointed toward a snack stall ahead and smiled as she changed the subject.

"I see snacks being sold over there. They look pretty good. Let's go buy some."

In her eyes, this was simply the truth of the world.

The strong devoured the weak. It was only natural.

If an ordinary person offended a Spirit Master, then there was nothing to be done if they were taught a lesson.

Ye Liuyun stopped.

He slowly turned his head and looked at Ning Rongrong's exquisite, beautiful face, which nevertheless carried an air of self-righteous arrogance.

All of a sudden, the fruit juice in his hand no longer tasted sweet.

It even made him feel a little sick.

Ye Liuyun took out a Gold Soul Coin from his pocket.

"Here."

Ye Liuyun stuffed the Gold Soul Coin back into Ning Rongrong's hand.

Ning Rongrong froze.

"What do you mean? I treated you. You don't need to pay me back..."

"Let go of me."

Ye Liuyun pulled his arm free, his voice as cold as ten-thousand-year black ice as he said mockingly.

"You really do take that lofty superiority for granted."

"Trash."

Those two words were clear and piercing.

Ning Rongrong's smile froze on her face as she stared at Ye Liuyun in disbelief.

"You... what did you call me? Trash?!"

She was the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! She had been pampered since childhood. Who had ever dared speak harshly to her?

"You actually insulted me for the sake of an ordinary person you don't even know?"

Ning Rongrong's temper flared as well. Her eyes reddened as she shouted furiously.

Ye Liuyun patted the sleeve she had been clinging to, as though it had been tainted by something dirty.

Such obvious disgust made Ning Rongrong tremble with rage.

"What are you acting so high and mighty for?! This world has been like this for tens of thousands of years! Can you possibly manage it all? Can you change the world?"

Ye Liuyun looked at her, his gaze deep and resolute.

"Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together."

"Stay away from me."

Ning Rongrong was stunned.

Looking at the young man before her, she felt that he was talking nonsense.

"I'll never speak to you again!"

Ning Rongrong stomped her foot fiercely, hurled the Gold Soul Coin in her hand to the ground, and ran off crying.

Ye Liuyun did not look back.

He looked at the burly Spirit Master who was still shouting abuse and walked straight toward him.

The burly man was still cursing as he prepared to leave when he suddenly felt someone slam hard into his shoulder.

"Who the hell was that? Can't you watch where you're going..."

The burly man turned around in fury. When he discovered that it was merely a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy, his anger surged even further.

"You little bastard! Are you looking to die? Didn't you see that I'm a Soul Grandmaster?!"

Ye Liuyun stood before him expressionlessly.

"A Soul Grandmaster?"

Buzz!

Yellow, yellow, purple.

Three Spirit Rings rose beneath Ye Liuyun's feet. The pressure of a level thirty-four Soul Elder descended like a mountain in an instant.

The burly man's face turned deathly pale. His legs went weak, and he nearly fell to his knees.

"Lord... Lord Soul Elder..."

Ye Liuyun looked at him, a cold smile curling over his lips as he returned the man's own words to him unchanged.

"Are you blind?"

"You blocked my path."

Bang!

Without another word, Ye Liuyun threw a punch.

There was nothing flashy about this punch—only absolute power.

The burly man did not even have time to scream. He tumbled backward, crashing viciously into a wall before passing out on the spot.

The surrounding commoners watched the scene in terror.

Their fearful gazes shifted to Ye Liuyun as they retreated in fright.

All Spirit Masters were beings they could not afford to offend, superior people who could toy with their lives.

Ye Liuyun casually tossed a ball of green light onto the old man.

Endless Surging.

Soul Power was converted into vitality, helping him recover from his injuries.

Ignoring the fearful looks around him, Ye Liuyun left alone.

The streets of Suotuo City remained as noisy as ever.

The old man shakily climbed to his feet. He touched his chest and discovered in astonishment that the place that had been in agonizing pain no longer hurt.

Even the congested blood in his throat had cleared.

He looked at the young man's departing back, his clouded old eyes filled with gratitude.

"Benefactor, thank you, Benefactor."

The old man wanted to kneel and kowtow, only to find that the young man had already vanished into the crowd.

Ye Liuyun walked through the crowd with his hands in his pockets, his expression as calm as ever.

Change the world?

That was something only saints did.

He was merely an ordinary man who wanted to survive.

But he did not want to become trash that even he himself despised.

Right and wrong existed in people's hearts.

Even in this twisted world, some things still had to be upheld.

At the very least, he could sleep with a clear conscience at night.

He casually bought two flatbreads from a roadside stall, gnawing on them as he leisurely wandered back to the academy.

As for Ning Rongrong?

Since their values differed, they could each go their own way.

Besides, that old ghost Flender had been following them in secret all along. She would not get lost.