Fake Ring Confounds the Crowd, Ripples Stir the Heart's Lake

Long Jinyu continued to act cute, pouting his lips: "Senior Sister~ You hit me without even asking what happened, and you hit so hard... Hmph~!"

That look in his eyes, that tone of voice—he was the spitting image of a spoiled, wheedling younger brother.

Ma Xiaotao: "..."

She felt goosebumps rising all over her skin. How could this brat change his expression faster than flipping a book?! And acting cute again—who was he trying to charm to death?

Du Weilun: "..."

Watching the scene before him, the corners of his mouth twitched imperceptibly.

When Ma Xiaotao came to apologize earlier, she had been "well-behaved" in front of Long Jinyu; now, the roles were reversed, and Long Jinyu had instantly transformed into a well-behaved baby in front of Ma Xiaotao.

These two... did they actually have "couple chemistry"?

Du Weilun hurriedly smoothed things over, smiling at Ma Xiaotao: "Xiaotao, you misunderstood Student Jinyu. In this incident, Student Jinyu was acting out of righteousness, pointing out the oversights in our teaching management in a timely manner. Far from being at fault, he actually deserves credit!"

How could Ma Xiaotao not know the truth? She was just making a mountain out of a molehill to put on a show. After all, Long Jinyu was under her "protection," and if she, as his "guardian," didn't ask about him causing such a stir right after arriving, wouldn't it make it seem like her "family discipline" was lax?

Seeing that Du Weilun had already said as much, she took the opportunity to step down. Unable to maintain her fierce expression, she let out a "pfft" of laughter, reached out to rub the spot where she had tapped Long Jinyu earlier, and softened her tone: "Alright, alright, stop acting. I didn't even use any force. Be more careful next time, don't be so impulsive."

"Hmph~"

Long Jinyu pushed his luck. Like a cat being stroked, he took the initiative to nuzzle his head against her palm, letting out a satisfied hum.

At this moment, Yan Shaozhe, who had been hiding outside the door watching the show for quite a while, finally walked in while suppressing a laugh.

"Dean Yan!" Long Jinyu and Du Weilun hurriedly saluted.

Yan Shaozhe waved his hand, looked at Long Jinyu, and asked the most critical question: "Yu'er, those four hundred-thousand-year soul rings of yours... what was that about?"

Long Jinyu had been prepared for this. A look of "small triumph" mixed with a touch of "mystery" appeared on his face as he spoke glibly: "Dean Yan, those were fake. It's a special simulation ability of my martial soul."

He didn't dare tell the truth, fearing he would be dragged away to be "sliced up for research."

As he spoke, he moved his mind, and the four blood-red soul rings appeared once more. However, they only lasted for an instant before their colors began to change rapidly—first turning into a deep black, then into a pure white, and finally stabilizing at the perfect ratio of purple, purple, black, and black.

This miraculous change in soul ring color left the three of them dumbfounded.

"A simulated soul ring? And it can even simulate the aura and pressure of a hundred-thousand-year one?!" Yan Shaozhe clicked his tongue in wonder. The shock in his heart hadn't completely faded, but at least he now had a reasonable explanation.

Ma Xiaotao was even more surprised; she used both hands to pinch Long Jinyu's cheeks and pull them gently to the sides: "Wow! You brat, you've hidden this well! Such an amazing ability, and you didn't let a single word slip before!"

Long Jinyu's speech was slurred from the pinching, and he giggled: "Hee hee hee~ Senior Sister, you guys didn't ask~"

Yan Shaozhe and Du Weilun exchanged a glance, both seeing relief and a "they're a match" smile in each other's eyes.

Yan Shaozhe gave a light cough to suppress his curiosity and suggested: "Jinyu, soul rings alone aren't enough; actual combat is the key. Come, I'll take you to the Inner Court Soul Fighting Arena to find a few opponents and properly test your true strength!"

Although Mu En had said there was no need for deliberate testing, he was dying to see the bottom line of this precious junior disciple with his own eyes; he was truly itching to know.

Du Weilun tactfully went to handle the follow-up matters regarding Zhou Yi and, following Long Jinyu's suggestion, arranged for the gentle and responsible Wang Yan to temporarily take over Class One.

Yan Shaozhe led Long Jinyu and Ma Xiaotao, and the three of them flew toward a dedicated soul fighting arena in the Inner Court.

During the flight, Long Jinyu was also calculating his own strength.

Lan Xuanyu could fight Titled Douluo or even Limit Douluo at level sixty-something. I'm at level forty-something, so fighting a Contra shouldn't be too much to ask, right?

But reason quickly made him dismiss this thought.

No, I can't compare like that. Even though Lan Xuanyu is a cheater, he's a "local." He grew up immersed in the martial soul environment and has a much deeper understanding and application of soul power and soul skills than I do.

He carefully analyzed his own shortcomings: Lan Xuanyu has Xiao Bao, Battle Armor, Divine Dragon Armor, Divine Dragon Spear, divine artifacts, and bug-tier skills like the Nirvana Divine Thunder taught personally by Tang Wulin. And me? Right now, I can only do basic attacks; I don't even have a soul skill! And this stupid system won't teach me, saying it's paid content!

Thinking of the system, he felt speechless.

Damn it, if you knew it was the Nine Luminaries Dragon God Codex System, you'd think it was a "scamming beggar" system. It can't do anything, but it's number one at asking for points! It still hasn't even told me what the Nine Dragon God Guards actually are!

Sigh... the plane level of Douluo Dalu IV is so high, and even Lan Xuanyu had a hard time leveling up. It was either wind or rain, he almost sucked the Sea God Lake dry, and later on, he was stationed on the Heaven Dragon Planet, gnawing on who knows how many heavenly treasures.

With this crappy plane of Douluo Dalu II, what can I rely on to level up? Eating the entire Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would probably only fill a gap in my teeth, and the Life Lake isn't enough either... Sigh, it seems... I really have to rely on this unreliable system for future upgrades. I hope it can be more useful later on.

While he was lost in thought, the three of them arrived at their destination.

Before they even entered, they heard familiar sharp shouts and the sound of violent energy collisions from inside.

"Golden Crow True Fire Ring!"

"Golden Crow True Fire Explosion!"

Long Jinyu paused, black lines appearing on his forehead: "..."

The names of these soul skills—I can tell just by hearing them that they belong to that young lady... Why is she here? Logically speaking, shouldn't she be hanging out with Sister Ruoruo and the senior sisters?

Immediately following that, a deep, resonant male voice rang out:

"White Tiger Demon God Transformation!"

"White Tiger Destruction Kill!"

Evil Eye White Tiger? Long Jinyu became a bit interested. Come to think of it, when he read the Douluo Dalu I manga as a child, he really liked Dai Mubai; he thought the Evil Eye White Tiger was incredibly cool.

In the manga's setting, it was nominally the number one beast martial soul, surpassing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon! Especially that original "Evil Eye Holy King"! It had fascinated him back then.

The only White Tiger soul master currently in the Inner Court should be Dai Yueheng.

Thinking of Dai Yueheng, Long Jinyu couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity for him.

Despite being the eldest son, he lost the chance to marry into the Zhu Family because he lacked the ability for a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. He tried desperately to prove himself, yet he could never truly gain the attention of the White Tiger Duke.

In the end, when the Dai Family regained control of Star Luo, the throne fell to his younger brother, Dai Luoli.

The three of them landed and walked into the Soul Fighting Arena. Inside, Wu Ming was wreathed in golden flames, while Dai Yueheng had transformed into the "White Tiger War God," his aura imposing as they engaged in an intense sparring match.

Yan Shaozhe glanced at Long Jinyu and Ma Xiaotao beside him. With a roll of his eyes, he calculated a way to create an opportunity for the two, smiling, "Jinyu, why don't you warm up? How about letting Xiaotao be your opponent?"

Long Jinyu was naturally happy to oblige. He looked at Ma Xiaotao and said, "Sure, sure! I'd love to! The last time doesn't count; I haven't had a proper spar with Senior Sister Xiaotao yet!"

"Bring it on! Who's afraid of who?" Ma Xiaotao was more stubborn than anyone, puffing out her chest. "It's the perfect chance for you to see my true strength!" Deep down, however, she knew this little monster Long Jinyu could easily handle her sixth soul skill, and with those four ultimate attributes, her chances of winning were slim. But even if she lost the fight, she wouldn't lose her spirit—her momentum absolutely could not crumble!

Watching her put on a brave front, Long Jinyu couldn't help but grin, staring at her intently. Ma Xiaotao felt a chill under his gaze, and to bolster her courage, she raised a hand and punched him. "What are you looking at! I'll show you how tough I am in a minute!"

Just then, Wu Ming and Dai Yueheng in the arena noticed Yan Shaozhe and the others, and they quickly stopped their sparring to step forward and salute.

"Dean Yan!"

"Xiaotao! Little Junior Brother! Why are you here? Didn't you say you had classes in the Outer Court?" Seeing Long Jinyu, Wu Ming's eyes lit up, and she greeted him happily.

"Hello, Senior Sister Wu Ming! Class in the Outer Court is over, yes! It's over!" Long Jinyu panicked the moment he saw Wu Ming: My dear lady, I beg you! Please don't stir up trouble... this kid is scared...

"Greetings! Not bad, you two are full of energy!" Yan Shaozhe patted Dai Yueheng on the shoulder, responding warmly.

Ma Xiaotao looked suspiciously at Wu Ming and Dai Yueheng. "How did you two end up together? Is there something going on?"

Dai Yueheng explained with a guilty conscience, "Ahem, we just ran into each other on the way and decided to spar." Wu Ming quickly nodded in agreement.

Ma Xiaotao gave a skeptical "Oh."

Her suspicions were correct; in truth, Dai Yueheng wanted to study how to defeat Ma Xiaotao to compete for the position of team captain.

Since Wu Ming shared similarities with Ma Xiaotao in terms of martial soul, fighting style, level, and even personality, he had "bribed" her to be his sparring partner.

Wu Ming was the type who loved to watch the chaos, enjoyed "pranking" Ma Xiaotao, and with a reward in hand, she had agreed readily.

If Ma Xiaotao ever found out the truth, she would be absolutely furious.

Long Jinyu saw through the entire scheme at a glance, but he chose to keep it to himself.

In his eyes, Dai Yueheng wasn't really trying to defeat Ma Xiaotao; he was clearly trying to use this clumsy method to get her attention.

In the original story, Dai Yueheng had some feelings for Ma Xiaotao; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent a fortune buying the "Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade" to please her, even blowing his entire marriage savings.

Many readers even thought they had some chemistry... didn't Mu Yao write a fanfic about them once?

To be honest, looking at their status and strength, they... really are a bit of a match...

[Host, why think this way? Are you not jealous?] the system suddenly chimed in.

Long Jinyu was startled by the question, his gaze subconsciously following the fiery figure in the arena.

Jealous?

The subtle bitterness in his heart was laid bare, but an even stronger sense of unreality took hold.

Dai Yueheng is a "local" here. His power, status, and even his affection for Ma Xiaotao are rooted in this world, real...

And mine...

A flash of the accidental hickey on Ma Xiaotao's neck crossed his mind, along with her face on the sofa—pouting, yet eventually softening. His heart skipped a beat, but it was immediately suppressed by a deeper emotion.

...I'm like a beggar who suddenly inherited a fortune, he thought self-deprecatingly, clutching treasures while fearing it's just a dream I might wake up from at any moment. How much of this power and so-called "destiny" truly belongs to "me"?

The more real this attraction felt, the clearer the unease from the depths of his otherworldly soul became.

It wasn't that he felt unworthy, but that he feared everything before him, including the affection she might feel, was built on a foundation of shifting sand.

It's too early to think about this now, he shook his head, pushing the chaotic thoughts aside. One step at a time.

[...]

"Hey kid! What are you daydreaming about?" Ma Xiaotao's shout interrupted his thoughts. "Aren't you getting on the stage?"

"Coming, coming!"

Long Jinyu called back, a sunny smile returning to his face. He sealed away the messy thoughts for the time being and strode toward the center of the arena.

"Senior Sister! Don't go crying if you lose later!"