Dou II timeline.
At night, Shrek Academy was shrouded in quiet serenity.
But in the office of Qian Duoduo, vice dean of the Soul Guidance Department, the atmosphere was tense and hostile.
Qian Duoduo looked as if he'd just heard an unbelievable joke. He slammed his palm down on the desk, rattling the teacups.
"What? Five million Gold Soul Coins? Why not just rob me outright!"
"I'm warning you, don't think you can ask for the moon just because the academy values you!"
The young man across from him didn't care in the slightest. He lazily picked at his ear with one fingertip.
"You've put on enough of a show. You know perfectly well whether my price is outrageous."
Ye Guchen nudged the four or five large boxes on the floor with his foot, looking at Qian Duoduo with amusement.
"Dean, you put on that sour face every time we meet. Don't you ever get tired of acting?"
As he spoke, he fished a fist-sized piece of refined iron out of one of the boxes and tossed it in his hand.
"Don't try to fool me. This is Cold Heart Iron Essence, used to forge the cores of Level 8 Soul Tools. Just this little piece in my hand is worth more than a hundred and fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins on the market. I've got at least a hundred pieces here. Asking you for five million is already a bargain—because we're both at Shrek Academy, I've practically given you the price of a broken bone."
Qian Duoduo was left speechless, but not a flicker of change crossed his face.
He just didn't know what to do with his hands, so he picked up his teacup and took a sip, pretending to be calm.
But inside, he couldn't help muttering, This is uncanny. There's no way this kid should recognize rare metal of this grade!
Seeing Qian Duoduo about to use the same old trick and play dumb, Ye Guchen couldn't be bothered to humor him. He casually shut one of the boxes and started to leave.
Sure enough, Qian Duoduo cracked first. He hurriedly stood up, pasted on a smile, and blocked his way.
"All right, all right! Five million it is!"
Only then did Ye Guchen stop. He smoothly took the Gold Soul Coin card Qian Duoduo handed him and pushed the boxes over in exchange.
"Now that's more like it, Dean. Come to me again next time you've got business!"
Once he left the Soul Guidance Department building, the smile on Ye Guchen's face gradually faded.
This batch of Cold Heart Iron Essence had been bought by his body on the Dou I side in Gengjin City.
The cost? Not even five hundred Gold Soul Coins.
He'd flipped it for five million.
A full ten thousand times his cost.
"This deal could make a gambler weep and a drug dealer's heart break..."
He let out a slow breath.
The miserable days in his previous life, hunched over a cubicle and working until three in the morning for just three hundred yuan in overtime pay, felt like they belonged to another lifetime.
Just then, a fierce sense of danger surged through the connection between their two bodies.
"Grr...? There's a tail behind you..."
Dou I timeline, Gengjin City.
Ye Guchen had just sold a batch of low-grade Soul Tools to the auction house. He was already wondering where he could stock up on more rare metals, ready to send them to Dou II when the Bead Space had accumulated enough energy to open another transfer.
He turned into a secluded alley. A cold voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Finally caught you, boy. If you know what's good for you, come with me."
Ye Guchen's back went cold. "When did he start following me? I didn't notice him at all!"
But it took only a moment for him to suppress his panic. He kept his guarded expression in place.
He spun around and took up a defensive stance, probing, "Senior, I don't think we have any grudge between us, do we?"
In the blink of an eye, he ran through all the things he might have done to make enemies since arriving in Douluo Continent. He couldn't think of any connection to this man.
If he's not here for revenge, is he after my money?
The Shark Tooth Sword appeared in his hand, and the yellow, purple, purple, and black Soul Rings at his feet lit up one by one.
An old man strolled out of the shadows.
The visitor was Zhao Ming, an eight-ring Soul Douluo and the hidden master of this auction house.
Seeing Ye Guchen on guard, Zhao Ming tilted his head and smiled.
"Don't be nervous, kid. I'm not here to cause you trouble. On the contrary, I'm sincerely hoping to work with you..."
Ye Guchen wasn't fooled by his words. He took another half-step back.
"Heh... I'm just a Soul Ancestor. What makes you think I'm qualified to work with you?"
Zhao Ming glanced at the outrageous colors of the Soul Rings at Ye Guchen's feet, and his eyes narrowed slightly. But when Ye Guchen rejected him again and again, his patience began to wear thin.
"A genius, as expected. But it's not up to you to decide whether you're qualified! I'll be the judge of that!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two yellow, two purple, and four black Soul Rings burst into view. A crushing pressure slammed down on Ye Guchen from all sides.
"With talent like that, could he be the core disciple of some major power?"
A brief moment of clear-headedness didn't quench Zhao Ming's greed. After only a moment's hesitation, he pressed down on Ye Guchen with even stronger Soul Power.
"I can't worry about that now! Since I've already made my move, I might as well finish the job!"
The pressure of an eight-ring Soul Douluo was almost tangible. Ye Guchen's bones creaked all over, and the Shark Tooth Sword nearly slipped from his hand.
Grinding his teeth, he forced his Soul Power into motion and held back the pressure. This isn't the time to strike recklessly. I've only got one Level 7 Soul Guidance Shell on me. With his Soul Douluo speed, he'll definitely dodge it. I'd better go with him for now, then look for a chance to kill him.
Ye Guchen squeezed the words through his teeth. "All right... I'll go with you!"
Only then did Zhao Ming withdraw his aura. A faint smile appeared on his face. "See? Wouldn't it have been easier to agree from the start?"
Before long, Ye Guchen followed him into a secret chamber deep inside the auction house. The heavy metal gate slowly shut behind them.
So I really did lure in a hungry wolf after all.
Ye Guchen sneered inwardly. He'd long guessed that the offensive Soul Tools that had no place in this era would eventually attract covetous wolves. The one in front of him had an especially big appetite.
Zhao Ming swaggered over to the main seat and sat down, looking down at Ye Guchen as he cut straight to the point.
"I won't beat around the bush. From now on, I'll take all the Soul Tools you make. Your sources, your forging techniques—spit out every last bit."
Ye Guchen showed no surprise. He knew there was little chance he'd leave here in one piece tonight, so he asked outright, "And what are you planning to pay me?"
Greed showed on Zhao Ming's face as he wagged a finger.
"No, no, you've got it wrong. I want your source of goods—or, more precisely, I want you to make Soul Tools for me from now on."
"Of course, I'll provide all the materials you need."
As he spoke, he released another wave of pressure, as if warning Ye Guchen to think carefully before answering.
The shamelessness of his words made Ye Guchen laugh in disbelief.
"You've got a nice dream going there. What if I refuse?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Soul Power pressing down on him surged to a whole new level.
Zhao Ming stood up and advanced step by step. His eight Soul Rings revolved steadily around him, each turn carrying a weight that made it hard to breathe.
"You're just a Soul Ancestor. What gives you the right to say 'no'?" He grabbed Ye Guchen by the chin and forced his face up. "You've got two choices—agree on your own, or... I make you agree."
The Soul Power pressure instantly multiplied. No matter how Ye Guchen circulated his Soul Power to resist, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
The tremendous pressure bent his back. Even breathing became impossibly difficult, and his bones groaned under the strain.
Thoughts raced through Ye Guchen's mind. A note of grim resolve flickered in his eyes.
"Fine! I agree!"
Zhao Ming burst into laughter and let go of him. "Excellent. Then you'll be living here from now on."
He pointed to a small room inside the secret chamber.
He's planning to lock me up for good?
Enough is enough!
Ye Guchen lowered his head, but the corner of his mouth lifted in a quiet smile.
He's too stupid to hide what he's thinking. He's not even fit to keep me prisoner.
Then he pulled a fist-sized spherical metal device out of his Storage Soul Tool.
This was his last resort, sent over from Dou II earlier—a Level 7 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell.
There wasn't another one like it anywhere on the entire Dou I Continent.
Then Ye Guchen looked at Zhao Ming and smiled, as if he really had accepted his fate.
"Hahaha... Since we're going to work together, let me show you my sincerity first."
Zhao Ming beamed. He hadn't expected the kid to come around so quickly.
He took the metal sphere and weighed it in his palm, nodding with satisfaction.
"You're a smart kid. Work hard and do a good job, and I might even reward you with a few women to keep you entertained..."
Zhao Ming played with the spherical Soul Tool he'd never seen before, looking puzzled. "But how do you use this thing? What can it do?"
Ye Guchen stepped forward and gently laid his palm on the surface of the metal sphere, beginning to pour Soul Power into it.
"This is a Level 7 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell." Ye Guchen stared into Zhao Ming's eyes, his gaze turning cold. "As for how to use it—you'll find out soon enough."
Zhao Ming sensed something was wrong.
He looked down at his palm. The metal sphere was swelling rapidly, its surface blazing with a dazzling crimson light. A terrifying force capable of shattering everything churned wildly inside it.
A chill of death seized Zhao Ming. Cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of his clothes, and his pupils shrank to pinpricks.
"Brat, you dare—!"
He didn't get to finish.
BOOM!!!
The Level 7 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell exploded in Zhao Ming's arms.
A chaotic storm of Soul Power swallowed the entire secret chamber in an instant. The walls, ceiling, floor... everything was reduced to dust in the blast.
Zhao Ming didn't even get the chance to scream. His protective Soul Power was as fragile as paper pasted over a window. It shattered in an instant, and his body was vaporized by the immense heat and pressure.
And Ye Guchen, too, was torn to pieces at the very center of the explosion.
Billowing smoke soared into the air. The entire auction house shook violently, then split apart and collapsed.
And Ye Guchen's body began to take shape anew in another space.
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