"Come up and have a cup of tea."
Chen Xuan turned and walked back inside, toward the tea table.
Gu Rong froze.
Tea?
He looked at the wound on his chest, still bleeding, then at the figure upstairs, so calm and unruffled. For a moment, his mind couldn't keep up.
What kind of move was this?
Beat someone half to death, then invite him for tea?
He didn't dare refuse.
The pressure bearing down on him quietly faded. Gu Rong struggled to his feet and, dragging his grievously wounded body, made his way into the little building one step at a time.
The second floor was simply furnished, with only a tea table and a few chairs.
Chen Xuan was already seated. With elegant poise, he lifted the teapot, filled a cup with steaming tea, and slid it across to the seat opposite him.
Gu Rong approached carefully and sat down across from Chen Xuan, his body stiff, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Chen Xuan glanced at him.
"Sit up straight."
At his words, Gu Rong's body instinctively trembled.
Chen Xuan continued.
"I still liked you better when you were so arrogant and defiant."
Gu Rong's heart gave a violent twitch. He hurriedly straightened his back, sitting as properly as a student listening to a lesson in class.
Chen Xuan nodded in satisfaction and tipped his chin toward the cup of tea.
"Drink up. It won't taste as good once it gets cold."
Gu Rong looked at the clear, emerald-green tea before him, his mind locked in a fierce struggle.
Could there... be poison in it?
The moment the thought arose, he stamped it out himself.
What nonsense.
With the other man's unfathomable strength, killing him would take no more than a thought. Why resort to such underhanded methods?
That would be an insult to his strength.
With that in mind, Gu Rong hesitated no longer. He picked up the cup, closed his eyes, and drained it in one gulp.
So be it. Fortune or disaster, he'd accept it.
The tea went down without the bitterness he'd expected. Instead, a warm, sweet current slid down his throat and into his stomach.
The next moment!
Boom!
A vast, boundless vitality, pure to the extreme, erupted inside him like a river bursting its banks!
Gu Rong's eyes flew open, shock filling them.
He could clearly "see" the green life energy sweeping through every part of his body. His meridians, grievously damaged by the force of the rebound, were being repaired and widened at a speed visible to the naked eye.
And the gaping wound in his chest, pierced through by the Purple Gold Spear, was rapidly regenerating flesh and blood. The wound was closing at an astonishing rate!
In just a few breaths.
His injuries were healed!
Not only had his internal and external wounds healed, but the Soul Power he'd completely depleted had also returned to its peak in an instant. It was even... even purer than before!
Gu Rong lowered his head and stared at his unharmed chest, then raised a hand to touch it. His skin was smooth, without even a scar.
He was utterly stunned.
What kind of heaven-defying treasure was this!
His hand trembling, he set the cup back on the table. His voice shook with barely contained excitement.
"Th-this... what kind of immortal tea is this?"
Chen Xuan poured himself another cup and took a leisurely sip.
"Just ordinary tea."
He replied with offhand ease.
After a pause, he added,
"There's something better, but the time isn't right yet."
Gu Rong's mind crashed all over again.
Th-this treasure, capable of instantly healing a Titled Douluo's piercing wound, was just ordinary tea?
And there was something better?
What could that better thing do...? Grant eternal life?
For a moment, Gu Rong's gaze toward Chen Xuan changed completely.
Awe, curiosity, and a hint of... fervor.
No longer able to contain the storm raging in his heart, he rose and bowed deeply to Chen Xuan.
"May I ask... where exactly are you from?"
Chen Xuan set down his teacup. His gaze seemed to pierce through the roof and look toward the distant horizon.
"I'm from another world."
Another world!
Those five words struck Gu Rong's heart like a divine decree.
Countless accounts in ancient texts about that place flashed through his mind.
Another world... could it be... the Divine Realm?!
Once the thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed!
That had to be it!
Who but the true gods of legend could wield such world-shaking power?
Who else could regard Blue Silver Grass, a Trash Martial Soul, as a divine treasure?
Who else could casually produce immortal tea that healed a Titled Douluo?
It all made sense now!
The person before him wasn't mortal at all, but a true god who had descended from the Divine Realm into the human world!
Realizing this, Gu Rong began to tremble uncontrollably. It was the ultimate terror, and the ultimate excitement.
He... had actually attacked a god!
With a thud, he fell to his knees again, this time prostrating himself in devout worship.
"G-God above, I was blind to your greatness and offended your divine might. I beg you to forgive me!"
"I only came to investigate the cause of the strange phenomenon in this area on the Sect Master's orders. I meant no harm at all!"
Seeing him like this, Chen Xuan found it somewhat amusing.
"All right, get up."
He said mildly, "I don't care about that."
"Just introduce some talented students to my academy in the future."
At his words, Gu Rong felt as if a great burden had been lifted from him, and his heart surged with delight.
The god above didn't hold it against him! He'd even given him a chance to make amends!
This was a heaven-sent opportunity!
He hurried to his feet and stood respectfully to one side, fully convinced.
"Rest assured, God above! The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will follow Blue Silver Academy's lead!"
At that moment, Gu Rong felt no trace of hostility toward Chen Xuan. All that remained was a reverence as profound as gazing up at a towering mountain.
Meanwhile, outside Blue Silver Academy.
Seven young men and women stood gazing up at the academy's imposing gates, their expressions varied.
"My goodness, is this Blue Silver Academy?"
Ma Hongjun gaped, murmuring to himself.
"This place is way too impressive! That gate is even more imposing than Heaven Dou City's city gate! And the spiritual energy... I feel like one breath here is better than half a day of cultivation back at our place."
"Yeah," Oscar said enviously. "If only our Shrek Academy could be this impressive."
Dai Mubai stared silently at the four gilded characters, "Blue Silver Academy," his eyes complicated.
They had traveled all the way from that dilapidated village to this academy that looked like a paradise. The stark contrast left the proud geniuses feeling deeply unsettled.
Watching everyone's reactions, the corner of Tang San's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
He stepped forward and said gravely, "There's no need to sell ourselves short."
"What matters in an academy isn't how it looks, but what lies within."
"As long as we can defeat Blue Silver Academy at this Soul Master Tournament, we'll prove that we, Shrek, are the strongest!"
He paused, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"Maybe once we defeat them, Blue Silver Academy will recognize our potential and be willing to merge with our Shrek Academy."
Before you continue