Cao Longyan's Frustration

Time flies like an arrow; four years have passed since the trip to the Heaven Dou Empire.

The six-year-old red-haired boy from back then is now ten. His frame has grown increasingly tall and sturdy, reaching 1.7 meters—far surpassing his peers and nearly catching up to Bei Bei, who is four years his senior.

Although Cao Longyan has grown up, only those fiery eyes still harbor the same ambition and edge as they did back then.

Over these four years, Cao Longyan never wasted the high-quality ten-thousand-year whale glue he had scavenged from the auction house.

He carefully divided the energy-dense whale glue into four portions, ensuring every bit was used where it mattered most.

One portion was kept for himself, used in conjunction with the cultivation of his Martial God Body to achieve a dual transformation of both soul power and physique.

One portion was gifted to Zhang Lexuan to help stabilize her Soul Emperor cultivation and refine her soul power and physical strength.

She was quite surprised; even though the item was meant for him, he had still thought of her.

Little brother Longyan... the more she looks at him, the more she likes him...

One portion was respectfully presented to Mu En, both to express gratitude for the Great Ancestor's guidance and to secure more support for the development of Rakshasa Street.

The final portion was handed to Tang Tian and his wife as core resources for the early development of Rakshasa Street, supporting the steady growth of this nascent force.

In those four years, the most significant changes occurred in Bei Bei and Tang Ya.

The two have now successfully enrolled in Shrek Academy, becoming second-year students in the Outer Court.

As they spent their days together, the affections of the youth and maiden quietly blossomed. Just as Cao Longyan had expected, they grew to like each other, much like in the original story.

However, the difference was that the current Tang Ya was no longer shackled by family vengeance. Her temperament had become bright and pure, and she accepted Bei Bei's feelings without reservation. The two became inseparable, a couple envied by everyone in the Outer Court.

What satisfied Cao Longyan even more was that while he was still pondering how to recruit Bei Bei, Tang Ya had already used a "honey trap" to pull him into Rakshasa Street.

Brother Bei Bei, truly, even a hero cannot pass the trial of beauty... all brotherly bonds must be cast aside...

Yet, Bei Bei remained completely oblivious, always believing he had joined a new faction Tang Ya wished to establish. He happily helped her manage affairs, never realizing he had long since become an important piece in Cao Longyan's grand design.

Watching Bei Bei's dazed expression every time he finished a sweet moment with Tang Ya, Cao Longyan rolled his eyes countless times in his heart, sighed repeatedly, and shook his head helplessly.

Brother Bei Bei, is this all the ambition you have? We are meant to be Sigma males, alright? We should be like me, cultivating without limits, loving cultivation every day, alright...

However, Cao Longyan finally felt a sense of relief.

His Sister Lexuan and Brother Bei Bei no longer had any entanglements; they were just like ordinary people.

Yet, a trace of doubt always lingered in Cao Longyan's heart.

He didn't know when it started, but the way Sister Lexuan looked at him had changed... the things contained in that gaze made him feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

At first, he would repeatedly ponder what kind of thoughts were hidden behind that strange look.

But before long, he gave up entirely and even muttered a complaint to himself.

Truly, a woman's heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea...

Cao Longyan's cultivation over these four years could be described as heaven-defying.

His soul power surged forward without a single stagnation, reaching the peak of the twenty-ninth rank Soul Master, just one step away from the thirtieth rank Soul Grandmaster.

What was even more astonishing was that, thanks to the innate advantages of the Martial God Body and the qualitative boost from the ten-thousand-year whale glue, his second soul ring was a full eight thousand years old!

He had rewritten history! Once again, he shocked everyone!

Yet, this heaven-defying growth came to an abrupt halt half a year ago.

For the past six months, no matter how hard Cao Longyan cultivated, his soul power remained stuck at the peak of the twenty-ninth rank. No matter how much he racked his brains, tried every cultivation method, or consumed various rare treasures, he could not break through that bottleneck. It was as if an invisible barrier was trapping him firmly in place.

He didn't want to end up like Yu Xiaogang, a waste whose soul power remained stuck at the twenty-ninth rank forever!

He didn't want to be like the late emperor who died before his cause was half-accomplished!

He was a man who aspired to become a God King and open up his own God Realm!

At this rate, let alone confronting Tang San, even the grown-up Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong could kick him to death like a stray dog on the side of the road.

What made him even more depressed was that even Bei Bei, whose soul power cultivation speed was slower than his, had broken through to the thirtieth rank first, successfully advancing to a Soul Grandmaster.

Shrek Outer Court, by the Sea God Lake.

Cao Longyan was taking a walk by the lake to clear his mind—a habit he had developed. He looked at his right hand, but his eyes grew increasingly hollow; he seemed to have lost his sense of direction...

Just then, Bei Bei ran up from behind him, patted his back, and teased him with a smug smile on his face.

"Little Brother Yan, didn't expect this, did you? I finally caught up to your exhaust fumes and broke through to the thirtieth rank Soul Grandmaster first!"

As he spoke, Bei Bei deliberately released his thirtieth-rank Soul Grandmaster aura. Though not particularly thick, it was enough to irritate Cao Longyan's nerves.

For once, it was his turn to hold his head high in front of Cao Longyan.

Cao Longyan's face fell instantly, his lips curled, and he was filled with frustration, yet he had no way to retort.

What Bei Bei said was the truth; he had indeed been surpassed.

Originally, he would have said that he was four years younger than Bei Bei and would definitely be stronger than him in four years, but now he had no confidence, and the words died on his lips.

The bottleneck of the past six months had already left him filled with suppressed anger, and Bei Bei's teasing was undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire, making him even more depressed.

Just as Cao Longyan was too frustrated to speak, a crisp voice rang out immediately, carrying a hint of coquettishness and anger.

"Bei Bei! What nonsense are you spouting! Street... Little Brother Longyan is only temporarily stuck; his talent is far greater than yours. It won't be long before he surely surpasses you by a wide margin!"

Tang Ya hurried over and grabbed Bei Bei's arm, frowning as she lectured him. Her small face was full of protectiveness, and she was so anxious she nearly let something slip.

After all, Cao Longyan had requested that they not reveal his identity to others just yet.

In her heart, Cao Longyan was the idol who had saved her family and given her hope; he was the core of Rakshasa Street, and she would never allow anyone to tease or mock him.

Bei Bei, who had always been famously "henpecked," lost his earlier smugness the moment Tang Ya scolded him, and could only scratch his head and offer a grievance-filled defense.

"Xiao Ya, don't be angry. I was just joking with Brother Yan, I didn't mean anything else by it..."

Watching Tang Ya stand up for him and seeing Bei Bei's aggrieved, punished expression, Cao Longyan felt the gloom in his heart dissipate slightly as their figures gradually drifted away.

Where had things gone wrong?

Was it a limitation of his martial soul's characteristics?

Or was it a hidden danger in his bloodline?

Or perhaps, was Tang San pulling strings from the shadows?

He absolutely did not want to end up like Yu Xiaogang, stuck at level twenty-nine for his entire life, possessing talent but unable to break through, becoming a "has-been" in the eyes of the world. Even more, he did not want this to delay his plan to overturn Tang San's chessboard.

After deep contemplation, a flash of determination crossed Cao Longyan's eyes; he had finally figured it out.

He could not just sit and wait for death. The harder the bottleneck was to break, the more he had to actively seek an opportunity.

Perhaps only by facing a life-or-death crisis, when all his potential was pushed to the limit, could he gain the insight to shatter this bottleneck and find a way to advance.

Then, he would go to the Star Dou Great Forest!

Having made up his mind, Cao Longyan immediately set off for the Sea God Pavilion to explain to his great-grandfather his desire to head to the Star Dou Great Forest alone for training.

Upon hearing this, Mu En's expression turned grave, and he shook his head repeatedly.

"No, the Star Dou Great Forest is too dangerous. You are only at level twenty-nine, Xiao Yan. Even with two guardian spirits at the peak of the Soul Ancestor realm, going alone is far too perilous."

Cao Longyan patiently persuaded him.

"Great-grandfather, I must go. I cannot remain trapped at level twenty-nine forever. Please rest assured, I will act with caution and will not take unnecessary risks."

Seeing Cao Longyan's resolute attitude, Mu En knew he couldn't dissuade the stubborn boy and had no choice but to compromise. Still, he remained uneasy and decided to ask Xuan Zi to protect him from the shadows.

Xuan Zi agreed without a second thought; he certainly didn't want his long-term meal ticket—the future of Shrek—to die in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Ever since he first tasted the whale glue roasted by Cao Longyan, Xuan Zi had been hooked; he felt weak all over if he didn't eat a meal prepared by him.

Cao Longyan did not know if this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest would allow him to break his bottleneck, nor did he know if what awaited him was the chance to advance, a new crisis, or a new opportunity.

But he knew he had to keep moving forward. To break his bottleneck, for the sake of his future, and especially to overturn the grand game of chess set by Tang San, he had no path of retreat.

Within the fireball, the corner of a blurry, heroic figure's mouth curled slightly.

"Kid, you've finally woken up and stopped being so gloomy and lost. That's the descendant of my Cao family!"