Half a year had passed since Cao Longyan's talent for Soul Tools had stunned the Soul Guidance Department.
Now, just eleven years old, Cao Longyan had reached the peak of Soul Ancestor at level 49. He was only one step away from becoming a Soul King, and it was time for him to hunt for a Soul Ring.
His Soul Tool skills had risen just as rapidly. He had successfully advanced to Level 4 Soul Engineer, leaving all his peers far behind and making history as the youngest Level 4 Soul Engineer.
As his strength grew, Cao Longyan had not forgotten to expand the power of Rakshasa Street.
He had created a cultivation method for the members of Rakshasa Street.
The Rakshasa Cultivation Method!
The Evil Spirit Art drew baleful energy into the body to temper the soul and flesh.
The Prison Shadow Step was so fast it left afterimages. It radiated a murderous aura and unleashed mental attacks.
The Soul Suppressing Palm sent out a wave of pressure, allowing it to control and suppress its target.
The Soul Burning Explosion was a sacrificial technique that burned the soul and life force to temporarily increase one's strength.
The Yama Eye increased one's soul power and spiritual power through cultivation, and unleashed soul and spiritual attacks imbued with baleful energy. It had six stages, from lowest to highest: Spirit Communion, Soul Judgment, Sin Severance, Yama, Reincarnation, and Nine Nether.
Cao Longyan's Yama Eye had already reached the Yama stage.
As the reforms Cao Longyan had proposed were gradually implemented, the Shrek Soul Guidance Department was reborn.
With ideas that aligned with Cao Longyan's and the academy's support, Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo successfully recruited several highly talented Soul Tool disciples. The Soul Guidance Department finally escaped the dreary "one teacher, one disciple" arrangement and grew livelier by the day.
Meanwhile, Shrek City's defenses were steadily upgraded. Rows of basic Soul Tool defenses designed by Cao Longyan rose from the ground, perfectly combining Soul Tools with Soul Master defenses. They formed the beginnings of a robust Soul Tool defense system, completely transforming the old approach, which relied far too heavily on Soul Masters' personal strength.
Recently, a seemingly ordinary Level 4 Soul Cannon had set off a buying frenzy across the market.
This Soul Cannon had come from Rakshasa Street—or, more precisely, it was Cao Longyan's creation. It was called the Purgatory Cannon!
Despite being a Level 4 Soul Cannon, its power far surpassed that of any Soul Tool of the same rank. It even rivaled Level 5 or 6 Soul Tools.
With just a wisp of Soul Power, it could easily pierce through Defensive Soul Tools of Level 5 or lower.
More astonishing still, it could switch firing modes based on the user's Soul Power attribute, and its firing strength could be freely adjusted according to how much Soul Power was fed into it.
Even ordinary people without Soul Power could just barely use it to pierce through Defensive Soul Tools of Level 4 or lower.
More remarkable still, the Purgatory Cannon cost very little to produce, and its price was far lower than that of other Soul Cannons of the same rank.
Its power was almost on par with higher-ranked Soul Tools, yet its price was several times lower. In no time, it took the entire market by storm.
Commoners, nobles, and clan forces alike were interested. Even the Heaven Dou Empire and the Dou Ling Empire reached out with offers,
and thanks to the Purgatory Cannon's popularity, the name Rakshasa Street had spread far and wide. It had become a rising new force on the Douluo Continent.
Yet amid all the bustle and prosperity, Cao Longyan never appeared in public.
He remained behind the scenes, providing only the Purgatory Cannon's production techniques and making decisions about Rakshasa Street's development. Its day-to-day production, sales, and operations were all left in Tang Ya's parents' hands.
Tang Ya's parents had always been shrewd and capable. Under Cao Longyan's guidance, they managed Rakshasa Street's businesses with admirable order. They not only amassed great wealth but also built up a vast network of connections, laying a solid foundation for Rakshasa Street's further expansion.
Tang Ya had not been idle either. She had brought in her best friend, Jiang Nannan.
Jiang Nannan had been deeply drawn to Rakshasa Street after Tang Ya introduced it to her. Its founding purpose, in particular, had reminded her of someone—the boy who had once made a promise to her.
On top of that, after learning about her family's circumstances, Tang Ya's family had helped her and her mother move to Shrek and settle there. This had only strengthened her resolve to join Rakshasa Street.
It was worth mentioning that in this life, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi had not become the close friends who were sworn enemies, as they had in the original story.
Cao Longyan's influence from behind the scenes had certainly played a part. After all, he had told Bei Bei plenty about the Mysterious Underworld Sect.
On the first day of the holiday, Tang Ya brought Bei Bei and Jiang Nannan back to Rakshasa Street, chatting and laughing all the way.
At that moment, Cao Longyan was seated in Rakshasa Street's council hall, discussing the Purgatory Cannon's production schedule and future sales plans with Tang Ya's parents, along with Rakshasa Street's plans for future growth. He spoke steadily and logically, showing none of the awkwardness one might expect from an eleven-year-old boy.
Tang Ya pushed open the gates of Rakshasa Street. Through a crack in the council hall door, she caught sight of Cao Longyan in the distance. Her smile froze for an instant, and she instinctively took Bei Bei and Jiang Nannan in the opposite direction.
She knew Cao Longyan did not want anyone else to learn about this side of his identity, even though she knew about his connection to Bei Bei.
Bei Bei did not notice anything amiss with Tang Ya. He continued with a smile,
"Xiao Ya, Rakshasa Street is thriving more and more. I barely did anything, while Uncle and Auntie—and you—have done an amazing job!"
Tang Ya merely gave Bei Bei an awkward smile, her eyes darting again and again toward the council hall.
"Bei Bei, it's... it's not as amazing as you make it sound..."
But Jiang Nannan keenly sensed that something was off. She furrowed her brow, a trace of confusion rising in her heart.
While Tang Ya was busy talking to Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan instinctively looked back toward the direction Tang Ya had kept glancing at.
But the moment she looked, her whole body went rigid. Her heart pounded wildly, and a flash of disbelief shone in her eyes.
In the distance, someone who looked strikingly like the person who had saved her five years ago was stepping out of the council hall.
Though five years had passed and he had grown older, his appearance might have changed a little, but she could never mistake him!
Jiang Nannan's breathing turned ragged, and she froze in place.
She instinctively rubbed her eyes and looked again, but the familiar figure had already vanished.
Her heart lurched, and doubt began to creep in...
That figure had definitely been there just a moment ago... Had she imagined it?
Little did she know, she had not imagined it at all. Cao Longyan had simply slipped out through the back gate of the sect with practiced speed. He also had something important to do, so he had moved faster than usual.
"Nannan, what's wrong? Why are you standing there in a daze? Hurry up and catch up with us!"
Tang Ya's call came from ahead, bringing Jiang Nannan back to her senses.
She took a deep breath, suppressed the disappointment and confusion in her heart, shook her head, and managed a bitter smile.
Maybe she really had imagined it. How could the person she had searched for over the past three years appear here so easily?
But she had no idea that this was already the third time she and Cao Longyan had passed each other by.
Three years earlier, after entering Shrek, she had begun searching everywhere for Cao Longyan. But he spent most of his time on Sea God Island and rarely appeared in the outer court.
And aside from Bei Bei and Tang Ya, almost no one in the outer court even knew him.
Besides, how could Bei Bei and Tang Ya have known that the person she had been searching for so desperately was Cao Longyan?
They would never have imagined that Cao Longyan had anything to do with Jiang Nannan!
The first time they passed each other by was when Bei Bei and Tang Ya encountered Cao Longyan by the lake while he was feeling down. Jiang Nannan had just gone home for the holiday to fetch her mother, bringing her to Tang Ya's place in Shrek. She had missed her chance to see him.
The second time was when Cao Longyan stepped in to stop Ma Xiaotao after she lost control. Tang Ya and Bei Bei had taken Jiang Nannan to Rakshasa Street, and she had missed him again.
The third time was this one.
Jiang Nannan caught up with Tang Ya and Bei Bei, her heart full of disappointment and unwillingness to give up. A moment later, her resolve returned.
She would not give up. This was the promise between them. Maybe he was in the Inner Court. She would have to work even harder so she could tell him in person that she had kept her promise and had not let him or Zhang Lexuan down!
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