Wu Zhangkong spoke up, "This... gentleman."
His voice was unhurried, polite yet maintaining a sense of distance, and he carefully chose his words—after all, the person standing opposite him was probably no less powerful than himself.
"Excuse me, shouldn't it be Shenxiu's elders who are coming to meet us today?"
He paused, his gaze lingering on Badi Holy Dragon's face for a moment.
"Was something the matter that caused this delay?"
This is a reasonable question. Yesterday, Zhong Shenxiu referred to an "elder," but today a person who calls himself a "guard" has come. Although this guard's aura is indeed incredibly strong, there is still a significant difference in relationship between an elder and a guard.
Badi Holy Dragon looked at Wu Zhangkong. His gaze was calm, and his crimson pupils showed little emotion. However, Badi Holy Dragon was somewhat displeased that Wu Zhangkong addressed his the Master by his given name, but he did not react. Instead, he responded calmly:
"I cannot comment on that."
Wu Zhangkong nodded, his expression unchanged, but his fingers lingered on the rim of the teacup for a moment before he nodded again. "I understand."
The teacup was set down, making a soft sound on the table.
Wu Zhangkong did not withdraw his hand; his fingertips rested on the rim of the cup, and his gaze remained fixed on Badi Holy Dragon.
The atmosphere in the private room was quiet for a few seconds.
Wu Zhangkong pursed his lips.
"If there's a chance--"
His voice was lower than before, and there was a... how to put it... that wasn't the kind of persistence he usually displayed.
"As Shenxiu's teacher, I still hope to meet Shenxiu's elders."
That's a polite way of putting it, but the meaning is very clear.
I am his teacher. Meeting his parents is a normal thing.
Badi Holy Dragon looked at Wu Zhangkong, his brows furrowing slightly.
"There will be that opportunity."
Badi Holy Dragon's voice remained deep and steady, as if stating a fact.
But the statement itself actually says nothing.
"It will happen"—when? Tomorrow? Next month? Next year? Or will it happen after Zhong Shenxiu graduates from Class Zero?
have no idea.
Wu Zhangkong looked at Badi Holy Dragon's angular face and his crimson eyes, which showed no evasion or hesitation, and sighed inwardly.
He nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
Wu Zhangkong put down his teacup, removed his fingers from the rim, placed his hands on his knees, and kept his back straight.
His expression had returned to its usual coldness, but if you looked closely, you would notice something extra in his eyes.
That layer reminded Tang Wulin of a word—give up.
No, it's not entirely about giving up.
More accurately, it's "the sense of relief that comes after confirming a fact you didn't want to confirm."
Wu Zhangkong shifted his gaze from Badi Holy Dragon to Zhong Shenxiu.
Zhong Shenxiu was sipping tea from his cup, his movements unhurried and deliberate. His light golden vertical pupils were half-closed, and he looked no different from usual.
It's as if that conversation just now had nothing to do with him.
Looking at his expression, Wu Zhangkong became even more certain of his guess.
A reclusive family.
That's the only explanation.
Wu Zhangkong mentally reviewed the information about the reclusive families.
With the development of Soul Guidance Technology and the launch of satellites, many families that were once hidden in famous mountains and rivers were found by the Sun-Moon Federation and meticulously recorded.
These reclusive families generally possess powerful bloodlines and talents, but they remain secluded from the world for various reasons. They also abide by the laws of the Sun-Moon Federation, but most of the time, these families are closed off.
They have little contact with the outside world, do not participate in Federation politics, and do not join any organization.
Their children occasionally appear at various universities in the Federation, but they usually return to their families after completing their studies and are never heard from again.
Wu Zhangkong tapped his knee lightly with his fingers.
Zhong Shenxiu's situation is too similar to that of the scions of those reclusive families.
A powerful Martial Soul, talent far surpassing that of his peers, the sudden appearance of a "family" and "guards," and a cautious attitude towards joining an external organization—
All clues point to the same conclusion.
Wu Zhangkong sighed inwardly.
Now, Shenxiu's joining the Tang Sect is probably in jeopardy.
He picked up his teacup and drank the now-cold tea in one gulp.
Tea is bitter.
He was well aware of the rules of the reclusive family.
Those families do not join any external organizations; that's the bottom line.
Zhong Shenxiu's statement that he needed to "discuss it with his elders" was actually a polite way of refusing.
The child probably felt that directly refusing would make the teacher lose face, so he used this method.
Thinking about this, Wu Zhangkong felt a little more at ease.
At least, it's not Spirit Pagoda.
Thinking about this, Wu Zhangkong felt a little more at ease.
The tea was gone, the cooled liquid gleaming dully in the cup. He put down the cup, making no move to refill it. He had asked what needed to be asked, and confirmed what needed to be confirmed. The rest was beyond his control.
The group got up and left the teahouse, dispersing at the street corner.
Zhong Shenxiu and Badi Holy Dragon walked at the back, their two figures turning the corner and disappearing into the pre-noon sunlight.
The idea of tracing one's ancestry is, of course, nonexistent. After all, the so-called family has been a lie from the very beginning.
Zhong Shenxiu has never forgotten this.
His initial motivation for fabricating this lie was simple—to buy time.
Neither the Tang Sect nor the Spirit Pagoda are things he should be involved with at this stage. Those organizations have many rules and deep entanglements; once he gets involved, he knows with his toes how much his cultivation time will be compressed.
What he lacks most right now is time.
Level 40.
In the eyes of the people of this world, a ten-year-old Four-Ring Soul Ancestor is already a genius among geniuses, a prodigy among prodigies.
Even Wu Zhangkong, an outstanding student from the Shrek Academy, couldn't help but be shocked.
There was pride, expectation, and even a hint of apprehension in his eyes when he looked at Zhong Shenxiu.
But Zhong Shenxiu himself knew that level 40 was not enough.
That's far from enough.
This world is not a place where talent alone can guarantee success.
Later in the story, when the conflict involves interdimensional battles, both the Douluo Continent and the Abyss Plane have god-level combatants on both sides. Ordinary Titled Douluo are cannon fodder at that level, let alone a mere Soul Ancestor like him.
He has to be faster.
Improve yourself faster, revive the Dragon Fighting Plane more quickly, and awaken more Doulong.
The Dragon Fighting Plane is his trump card, and also his only way out.
The shattered demiplane is slowly recovering, but at a far from fast enough pace. The Badi Holy Dragon is currently the only Doulong capable of consistently maintaining its battle form; the others are still dormant and require further nourishment from the Plane Origin energy to awaken.
The speed at which the Plane Origin recovers is closely related to his cultivation level.
The stronger he becomes, the faster he absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and the faster the Dragon Fighting Plane recovers.
The faster the Dragon Fighting Plane recovers, the more Doulong he can awaken.
More Doulong mean greater combat power reserves, and greater combat power reserves mean --
He is qualified to survive the future interdimensional war.
Cultivation, cultivation, and more damn cultivation.
This is the only vacation plan that Zhong Shenxiu has set for herself.