Shea's concerns weren't unfounded. If Chen Rui really did side with Prince Heiyao, not only would the truth about today's challenge come to light, but the power of the Grandmaster Inheritance would also make Heiyao even more formidable, leaving Dark Moon even less able to stand against him.
She had originally meant to sound a warning to Chen Rui, but as she spoke, even she began to feel uncertain. Her killing intent gradually intensified. Judging by Sandru's appearance on Heiyao's behalf, the situation was already quite dire. There was no room for even the slightest mistake. Just as her father had once taught her: if someone couldn't be made to serve us, we couldn't let them serve the enemy!
Chen Rui never would have dreamed things could develop like this. He shouted, "Wait! If I were going to betray you, why didn't I leave with those people from the Imperial Capital?"
"Perhaps you were given some sort of promise and wanted to stay behind as a spy."
That was some leap in logic. Were all these sisters this ruthless? Seeing the killing intent around her grow ever sharper, Chen Rui hurriedly defended himself. "With my status as a Grandmaster Inheritor, Prince Heiyao would surely put me to good use if I went to the Imperial Capital! Why would I stay behind as a spy?"
Shea sneered. "Exactly. If that's the case, why did you stay?"
Chen Rui was at a loss for words. By that logic, if he'd seen how things stood and still stayed, what did that make him if not a fool?
Should he really reveal the whole truth? That could make his death even worse. Everyone would be done for, Pagliu included.
"That's right. Why did I stay in this situation?" Chen Rui stalled for time, desperately trying to come up with an excuse. "Eldest Princess, don't you find it strange?"
His nervousness couldn't escape the icy queen's piercing gaze. Shea became even more convinced that something was wrong. The water in the pond rose higher and higher, as if a giant beast were taking shape within it. The pressure Chen Rui felt grew stronger by the moment. If she struck, it would be a devastating attack. He didn't actually have the protection of the Grandmaster Inheritance's power, and even if he did, he'd probably still end up dead.
Super System, you damn thing! What's with this delay? You worthless Space-Time Administration!
"Eldest Princess! Don't push me!" Chen Rui knew this was a matter of life and death. He bellowed with all his might, "There's something I never wanted to tell you, but now I have no choice but to lay it all out!"
After thinking it over, he could only use Alice's "poisoning" as leverage. But that would expose the Poison Dragon, and with the dragon currently sealed, things might turn out even worse. Still, if he said nothing, he'd die right now.
Sure enough, the giant beast halted in midair, poised but not yet attacking. Chen Rui took out the small leather pouch and shouted, "First, let me make one thing clear. Master Kamp really did try to recruit me today. He even invited me to return to the Imperial Capital with him. He wanted the formula for the poison that killed Sandru. The formula was fake, but the Grandmaster Inheritance is real. I could have gone, but I didn't!"
"I swear, I never betrayed you, Eldest Princess! And I'll never leave Dark Moon!"
The firmness in his voice moved Shea, and she began to seriously consider the matter. If that was the case, why had this human stayed? Given the intelligence he'd displayed during the Master Challenge Tournament, why would he do something so foolish?
"What I'm about to tell you might make you hate me with all your heart if I say it outright." Chen Rui felt the pressure around him ease, though he guessed it would soon intensify again. He smiled bitterly to himself and tried to put things as tactfully as he could. "It's the sort of thing that... that's like certain feelings. They come over you, and you can't control them... It all goes back to when I..."
Shea seemed to have realized something. Her gaze grew stranger and stranger. Just as Chen Rui gritted his teeth and prepared to tell her about what had happened at Blue Wave Lake, she suddenly cut in. "Wait! Don't say it!"
The bone-chilling killing intent around them vanished in an instant, and the water gradually settled. The moonlight returned to its cool, pale violet hue.
Shea's sudden change of attitude took Chen Rui completely by surprise. "Eldest Princess..."
Shea looked somewhat irritated. "Don't say it! Don't entertain that delusion again."
A delusion? He'd been trying to threaten her, and the strange thing was, he hadn't even managed to get the threat out.
The sudden turn of events left Chen Rui momentarily confused. "What..."
"Chen Rui, listen to me." Shea's breathing gradually steadied, and she spoke calmly. "I was wrong to misunderstand you today. I sincerely apologize. I promised that once you achieved a certain level of success, I would grant Jia to you. As for me... you and I are impossible. If you stayed for that reason, I'm truly sorry."
At her last words, Chen Rui remembered how he'd lost his composure the first time he met Shea, as well as the Dark Elf's pointed advice when he left the palace. At last, he understood what Shea had misunderstood.
What a wonderful misunderstanding!
And just in time!
Thank goodness for the Lucifer Family's powerful deductive skills! Otherwise, he'd have been done for!
Since that was the case, of course he couldn't do something stupid like tell her about the threat. The best thing to do now was let the misunderstanding stand and reinforce the impression that he admired her, so she wouldn't grow suspicious again.
Chen Rui inwardly thanked his lucky stars, then put on a grave expression. "I should be the one apologizing. I'm just a human, a powerless weakling, yet I've caused you this kind of trouble, Your Highness. I wasn't sure I could pull off the Soul-Eater Poison on Sandru today. The Grandmaster's divine sense isn't omnipotent. I'd even thought that I might die... But in that moment, I suddenly realized that the greatest distance in the world isn't the distance between life and death. It's when I stand before you, and you don't know that I..."
"Don't say another word!" A chill filled Shea's eyes. "I'll say this only once. If you dare say something like that again, you'll die! If you dare entertain that thought again, you'll die! If a word of what you said today gets out, you'll die!"
Shea's words were murderous, but compared to the genuine killing intent she'd shown earlier, this was just an empty threat. Chen Rui could tell that she was flustered. He'd achieved his aim, so he wouldn't test Shea's limits any further.
The icy look in Shea's eyes gradually faded into desolation. Her voice was cool as she said, "Go. Before I change my mind."
Chen Rui, who had been watching her expression all along, breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he'd finally made it through, but inwardly cursed the designer of the Super System from head to toe: the greatest distance in the world wasn't when I stood before an ice queen and she didn't know I liked her. It was being seven or eight hours away from that damned Super System starting up!
Once he got past that distance, heh heh, when the Super System finally kicked in, he'd wear his underwear on the outside, fly through the skies and burrow through the earth. No matter how powerful the ice queen was, she'd have to kneel and sing a song of surrender.
"Whether you stay in Darkmoon City or leave is up to you. I won't stop you again."
Shea's voice made Chen Rui pause. When he looked back, she had already turned away to face the pond. Her back was still graceful, but she looked more alone than ever. Chen Rui was suddenly struck by a strange feeling. So deep beneath that strength was a profound loneliness.
"Stay." Chen Rui drew a deep breath and said softly. He didn't know whether he was answering her or reminding himself. Then he walked out.
Shea gazed motionlessly at the water, just as she had when he first arrived, still desolate, still alone.
As soon as Chen Rui returned to the laboratory, the Dark Elf master, who had stolen the limelight today, gave him a thorough tongue-lashing. Remembering how he'd performed his poison-gas technique under the gaze of tens of thousands, Aldas wanted to poison the fool who'd come up with such a lousy idea. The problem was, even Sandru's poison had been useless against Chen Rui, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger.
Still, an embarrassed and furious Dark Elf was much easier to handle than Shea. Chen Rui didn't have to work too hard to explain what had caused Sandru's death. Aldas was outraged at the human's terrible suggestion, but he was even more grateful to him for killing Sandru. His only regret was that not a drop of the Soul-Eater Poison remained, leaving him nothing to study.
Night fell, but Chen Rui still couldn't sleep. He kept waiting for the Super System to start up.
Time ticked by, and just as Chen Rui's eyelids grew heavy and he could barely keep from dozing off, a "Ding!" finally sounded in his mind.
(Refine the spirit and return to the void! Nascent Soul perfected! Draw the immortal sword, and let ten thousand swords return to the source! Prince Heiyao, dead. Bloodshade and the Shadow Empire, wiped out. Ice queens, lolis, enchantresses, violent girls—all added to the harem! Unite the Demon Realm, with none daring to disobey. The above is pure fantasy. Any resemblance to reality is absolutely impossible.)
In reality, the scene went like this—"Super System activated. Enter?"
Chen Rui was instantly wide awake and immediately confirmed. "Yes."
As soon as he spoke, a "boom" sounded in Chen Rui's mind, and a strange scene appeared.
There was no sky and no ground. Gray mist stretched in every direction. Chen Rui's consciousness floated there for a while, sensing an endless three-dimensional space. There was no life, no vitality—only an uncanny stillness.
So this was the long-awaited Super System?
A prompt sounded: Initial Spiritual Energy acquired: 100. Requirements to activate the Star God Temple met. Activate?
Star God Temple? The name sounded decent enough. Chen Rui confirmed, full of hope. "Yes!"
The scene around him changed again. Chen Rui now stood before a grand hall. The building had an ancient, simple style, and starlike lights shimmered through the hazy mist around it, giving it an ethereal, fantastical air.
The hall seemed to float in that space. Looking down from the steps gave him the strange sensation of overlooking the entire realm.
Chen Rui had only just thought of going inside the Star God Temple when he instantly found himself within it. It seemed the Super System was incredibly user-friendly. No keyboard, mouse, or headset needed—he only had to think.
The hall's interior was unimaginably vast. Massive carved pillars and neat rows of square floor tiles gave it a magnificent air. But the whole place was empty, with nothing but an archaic throne in the center.
Chen Rui walked over and sat on the throne. The hall seemed almost transparent, allowing him to clearly survey the space outside.
Just then, light flashed, and two glowing, ultra-thin screens appeared before him.
Before you continue