As Chen Zhou thought about it, his expression grew exceedingly strange.
But he didn't dwell on it. Once he lay down on the bed, he took the three Dragon Blood Fruits and slowly drifted off to sleep.
In the Dream World, Neuvillette stood there and casually accepted the three Dragon Blood Fruits Chen Zhou handed him.
He raised his palm slightly, and streams of pure dragon power slowly gathered.
Then, above the Primordial Sea, streams of water wrapped around the three fruits and slowly sank them beneath the surface.
Watching the three fruits sink, Chen Zhou's face brimmed with excitement.
Once the fruits had fully absorbed the power of the Primordial Sea, he would be able to absorb them quickly. They might even help his Martial Soul evolve.
"You only need to wait. How much has your combat strength improved lately? I heard you're going into a secret realm the day after tomorrow to compete with others. Would you like to do some actual combat training?"
Neuvillette looked at Chen Zhou. Though he was asking, a mass of water had already appeared in his hand.
This time, Chen Zhou didn't object. Instead, he drew a deep breath and met Neuvillette's gaze, his fighting spirit blazing.
"Then please give me your guidance, Teacher. I want to see where my limits are right now."
After speaking, Chen Zhou took another deep breath. Only here could he show off the full extent of his current strength.
As two purple Soul Rings appeared behind him, his Water Dragon King Martial Soul manifested as well.
He stepped forward, and his First Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
The Water Dragon King Martial Soul opened its jaws wide. A stream gathered in its mouth, and the surrounding Primordial Sea surged under its control.
A stream of pure water from the Primordial Sea suddenly poured forth.
Clear Stream Dragon Breath was Chen Zhou's only direct attack skill at present. Its power was indeed formidable, and its effect was outstanding.
This kind of dragon's breath was a signature attack of dragon-type Martial Souls, so there was nothing unusual about Chen Zhou using it.
The attack flowed seamlessly, and its force was truly terrifying.
As the dragon's breath came pouring down—especially now that it was channeled through the true Primordial Sea—Neuvillette's gaze remained calm.
He raised his hand, and a shield appeared in an instant. The dragon's breath struck it, leaving not a single mark.
In the next moment, however, the breath abruptly split apart, dividing into more than ten streams that stabbed toward different points on the shield.
This was a variation Chen Zhou had developed for his Soul Skill. It was only because Neuvillette's shield was so absolute that it could withstand it.
Against a weaker opponent, the intersecting streams could pierce straight through their shield and inflict serious damage on them.
Chen Zhou kept moving, taking another step forward.
The Water Dragon King Martial Soul let out a dragon's roar. From beneath Chen Zhou's feet, a dark blue serpent more than three meters long shot out.
Neuvillette looked at Chen Zhou, his expression still calm. He raised his hand as water gathered around it.
He controlled the terrifying power of water without using the power of the Primordial Sea.
But as his control over the water descended, Chen Zhou's charging body was completely restrained.
Then, in the next instant, Chen Zhou's position suddenly shifted. Neuvillette's water pierced straight through his body.
But in the very next moment, Chen Zhou's entire body turned into a mass of water. It swiftly skimmed along the ground to one side, then re-formed there.
"Not bad. Your combat strength has improved a great deal. Compared with before, you've made tremendous progress in both your combat awareness and your strength."
After speaking, Neuvillette turned slightly and met Chen Zhou's gaze.
He was very pleased with his disciple's progress.
Especially after mastering a second authority, combined with his absolute control over the water element, Chen Zhou had become much more adept at wielding it.
Chen Zhou's expression remained calm. He raised his hands sharply, and both his left and right hands instantly turned into long blades of water.
He surged forward, propelled by Pneuma.
Water gathered across the open ground around them, and he instantly unleashed his second Soul Skill, Twilight Rain Cage.
As water from the Primordial Sea crashed onto the ground, another Chen Zhou appeared where the original had stood.
Then came a third Chen Zhou, followed by a fourth.
Every Chen Zhou looked exactly like the original. Or rather, they were all in a state of being made of water.
In this state, it was impossible to tell which one was real.
Of course, even if someone could tell, it wouldn't matter. Every one of them could be the real one, since Chen Zhou could teleport at will among them.
Watching five Chen Zhous charge at him with ten water swords, Neuvillette raised his hand and lightly pointed a finger upward.
Terrifying ripples spread out. As blue waves descended, all five Chen Zhous were sliced in half at the waist.
But in the next instant, all five quickly recovered. The sight seemed to surprise Neuvillette a little.
Even so, in close-quarters combat, Neuvillette fought all five at once without falling behind in the slightest.
In fact, every punch and kick he threw could shatter one of Chen Zhou's bodies.
And because he had a profound understanding of authority, he could shatter Chen Zhou's authority itself—even kill him outright.
But Chen Zhou didn't mind in the Dream World. He kept dying and coming back to life, testing his techniques over and over.
This testing went on for a long time.
But during this time, Chen Zhou was no longer simply being wiped out. Instead, he steadily improved his combat skills.
What he gained that day outweighed all the experience he had earned from taking beatings over the previous few days combined.
Morning came, and the sky brightened.
Chen Zhou sat up in bed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. A rare excitement gleamed in his eyes.
Neuvillette hadn't commented on his strength, but he'd said Chen Zhou was already stronger than an ordinary Oceanid.
Chen Zhou didn't know how strong an Oceanid was, but in this world, it should be stronger than most three- or four-ring Soul Masters.
It might even be on the level of a Five-Ring Soul King.
Even so, Chen Zhou was satisfied just to be stronger than an ordinary Oceanid. After all, he wasn't a native of Teyvat.
The beings over there were suppressed by the Heavenly Principles, so the Rules here had no effect on them.
Otherwise, some of the powerful beings over there could destroy the universe they lived in, along with its other Rules.
Compared with beings like those, Chen Zhou was exceedingly weak. But for who he was now, his strength was more than enough.
As Chen Zhou thought about this, he opened the door.
A table stood outside his door, with an invitation on top.
The message was simple: Qiangu Qingzhou invited them to attend today's banquet.
As branch-family members—or rather, members of a branch of a branch—they could only sit in the lowest-ranked seats.
But when he saw the emblem on the invitation, Chen Zhou's expression remained calm.
"I may not even get to see your face at today's banquet. But tomorrow, in front of everyone, I'll kill you outright."