Zhong Shenxiu got on the bus, glanced at the seat next to Xu Xiaoyan, then at the empty seat next to Gu Yue, and then walked straight to Xu Xiaoyan and sat down.
Xu Xiaoyan's eyes immediately lit up, and she looked like a cat that had just received a dried fish, her eyes curving into crescent moons with a smile.
Gu Yue's expression remained unchanged, but she tapped her knee lightly twice with her fingers, a small gesture she made when she was in a bad mood.
Long Hengxu sat in the front row, glanced back at the seating arrangement in the car, shook his head, and remained silent.
Wu Zhangkong sat next to Long Hengxu, his eyes closed, as if he were resting.
The bus started and slowly drove out of East Sea Square, heading towards the outskirts of the city.
The scenery outside the car window kept changing, from the bustling city to the quiet suburbs, from the high-rise commercial streets to the tree-lined country lanes.
Xu Xiaoyan leaned on Zhong Shenxiu's shoulder, her face full of happiness. Her eyes were half-open, a faint smile on her lips, and she exuded a lazy and contented aura.
Zhong Shenxiu neither pushed her away nor responded to her. He simply leaned back in his chair, his pale golden vertical pupils gazing out the window, lost in thought.
Gu Yue sat in the back row, his dark eyes staring at the back of Zhong Shenxiu's head, his gaze carrying an indescribable meaning.
Her mind was racing.
This Skysea Alliance Grand Competition is a great opportunity. She wants to show Zhong Shenxiu her value in this competition—not as a teammate, but as... a woman.
But first, she has to deal with Xu Xiaoyan, this troublesome person.
Gu Yue's lips curled up slightly.
What is Xu Xiaoyan's greatest advantage? It's that her Martial Soul can resonate with Zhong Shenxiu. But Gu Yue knows that the so-called resonance is actually a situation that only occurs when Zhong Shenxiu Simulation starlight. In other words, it's not Xu Xiaoyan's Martial Soul that's attracting Zhong Shenxiu, but rather Zhong Shenxiu that's accommodating Xu Xiaoyan.
What does this tell us?
This shows that Zhong Shenxiu didn't have any special feelings for Xu Xiaoyan. He was just habitually taking care of a teammate who was weaker than him.
Thinking about this, Gu Yue felt much better.
Seeing Xu Xiaoyan still shamelessly clinging to Zhong Shenxiu, Gu Yue chuckled and thought to herself: Keep having fun, but you won't be able to have fun for long!
Meanwhile, on the Soul Guidance Train from Shrek City to Skysea City.
The entire business class carriage was booked by the Shrek Academy group. As the invited guests, they were going to the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition for an exhibition match, and they exuded an innate arrogance from head to toe.
The team leader, Shen Yi, sat in the front of the carriage, holding a copy of the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition booklet. She casually flipped through a few pages before closing it. Her expression was calm, but her eyes held a hint of disdain.
It wasn't that she deliberately looked down on people; it was just that Shrek Academy's status was undeniable.
The strongest Soul Master Academy on the entire continent, and even the entire planet, without exception.
Although the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition is the largest in scale in the East Sea region, Shrek Academy considers it nothing more than a small local competition.
Being invited to play in an exhibition match was already a great honor for Shen Yi.
Several second- and third-year students from the Outer Court sat in the middle of the carriage. They were between twelve and fourteen years old, and their Soul Power cultivation was all above the third ring.
Several people sat together, talking in hushed tones.
"I heard that in the last Skysea Alliance Grand Competition, the strongest team in the adult division was just a few teams led by players with only three rings?"
"Not only that, there was one fourth-ranked player in the last year, but he wasn't anything special."
"The Fourth Ring Road? What's the Fourth Ring Road to us at Shrek?"
"Exactly, any one of us could easily defeat them."
Several people laughed, their laughter filled with undisguised contempt.
In a corner of the carriage, Ye Xinglan sat by the window.
Her golden hair shimmered softly in the sunlight, and her large, azure eyes stared unfocused at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window, clearly distracted.
Xu Lizhi sat next to her, his chubby hands holding a plate of freshly cut fruit, which he carefully handed to her.
"Sister Xinglan, have some fruit. Skysea City is famous for its tropical fruits, I heard they're especially sweet. I'll go buy some for you when we get there."
Ye Xinglan did not move.
Her gaze remained fixed on the view outside the window, as if she hadn't heard Xu Lizhi's words at all.
Xu Lizhi's hand froze in mid-air, his smile somewhat awkward. He waited a few seconds, and seeing that Ye Xinglan didn't react, he could only sheepishly put the fruit plate back on the small table.
A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
This scene has been repeated several times since the train departed.
Every time Xu Lizhi tried to strike up a conversation with Ye Xinglan, Ye Xinglan either didn't respond or just gave a faint "hmm" before continuing to look out the window.
Xu Lizhi didn't know what he had done wrong. He and Ye Xinglan had grown up together since childhood. As Support System Soul Master, he had relied on this heroic and strong girl all his life. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were childhood sweethearts.
Even in Xu Lizhi's insecure heart, there was a bold idea: to become the closest person to Ye Xinglan when he grew up!
However, they were only ten years old, and Ye Xinglan was so radiant that Xu Lizhi could only keep his deep crush hidden in his heart and dared not delve into it.
But ever since Ye Xinglan came out of the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform not long ago, she has been like this.
Although Xu Lizhi could sense that Ye Xinglan's attitude towards him had never changed, and she had always regarded him as a younger brother who needed to be taken care of, from childhood to adulthood, because of Ye Xinglan's talent and personality, he had always been the one by her side.
But now, Ye Xinglan is intentionally or unintentionally rejecting Xu Lizhi's overly intimate actions.
Xu Lizhi lowered his head, looking at his chubby fingers, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welling up inside him.
He wanted to ask, but he didn't dare.
He was afraid that if he asked, they wouldn't even be able to maintain their current relationship.
The carriage fell silent.
The only sounds were the faint hum of the Soul Guidance Train as it moved and the occasional whistling of the wind outside the window.
Ye Xinglan's gaze remained fixed on the view outside the window, but her thoughts had already drifted far, far away.
She could never forget the boy who saved her at the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform.
Those radiant eyes were deeply imprinted in her mind.
That day, in the forest of the Spirit Ascension Platform, she saw him for the first time. He stood at the boundary between sunlight and shadow, his pale golden vertical pupils looking at her with a predator-like focus and aloofness.
She had never seen that look in any of her peers.
It wasn't deliberate indifference, nor was it feigned aloofness; rather, it was a kind of pride that emanated from the very core of his being.
Just like the sun...