Zhu Zhuyun Makes the List

The imperial palace of the Star Luo Empire.

The White Tiger Emperor sat upright upon his dragon throne, his expression as gloomy as a storm-tossed sea.

"Heaven Dou Empire... Heaven Dou Empire..."

"A mere arena host from Soto City is an eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo... Is it possible that my Star Luo Empire cannot produce a single decent genius to make the list?"

As these words fell, the civil and military officials throughout the hall fell deathly silent, none daring to respond.

Crown Prince Dai Weisi stood below the dais, his own complexion far from pleasant.

His Star Luo Empire had always prided itself on martial strength, maintaining the upper hand in its centuries-long struggle for hegemony against Heaven Dou.

Yet now, the Genius Ranking in the sky was dominated by people from Heaven Dou. How could the proud Star Luo imperial family save face?

"Your Highness, do not fret."

A trusted aide standing beside Dai Weisi, sensing the heavy atmosphere, hurriedly stepped forward and lowered his voice to flatter him. "Those weak lands of Heaven Dou are merely lucky to produce a few geniuses. You, Your Highness, are the direct descendant of the White Tiger martial soul. Looking across the younger generation of the entire continent, who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you? This top spot on the Genius Ranking belongs to you alone!"

Another subordinate quickly chimed in, "Exactly! Your Highness possesses world-shaking might; those nameless nobodies from Heaven Dou aren't even fit to carry your shoes! Once you make the list, you will surely show those Heaven Dou people what a true genius is!"

Listening to these sycophantic words, the gloom on Dai Weisi's face lightened slightly.

Indeed, with his strength, securing a place on this Genius Ranking should be as easy as reaching out his hand.

However, at that very moment.

"BOOM!"

Golden light converged once more above the firmament! A brand-new piece of information emerged with a thunderous impact!

[Genius Ranking, 14th place: Zhu Zhuyun.]
[Identity: Eldest daughter of the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire.]
[Strength: 89th-level Soul Douluo.]
[Cultivation Technique: Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique.]
[Reward: Soul Ascension Pill; for those below Title Douluo, consumption grants an increase of one major rank.]

Hum!

The entire hall plunged into a deathly silence!

The arrogance on Dai Weisi's face froze solid in that instant.

He widened his eyes, staring in disbelief at the name on the sky: Zhu Zhuyun!

His fiancée!

The fiancée he had always assumed to be obedient, docile, and perhaps even a little fragile!

Eighty-ninth level? A Soul Douluo?

When did she become so strong? How could she possibly have become this powerful?

The subordinates who had been frantically fawning over Dai Weisi a moment ago now looked as if they had been throttled; their faces burned with embarrassment, and they wished they could crawl into a hole in the ground.

Meanwhile, on the dragon throne, the gloom that had shrouded the White Tiger Emperor's face vanished instantly, replaced by an unprecedented, explosive joy!

"Hahahaha! Good! Very good!"

The White Tiger Emperor slammed his hand against the armrest of the throne and stood up, his hearty laughter causing the very hall to tremble.

"Heaven blesses my Star Luo! My Star Luo Empire finally has someone on the list! And it is my future daughter-in-law! The eldest daughter of the Zhu family!"

He knew all too well what this ranking signified.

Fourteenth place! An eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo! And she was a daughter of the Zhu family!

This meant that the marriage alliance between the imperial family and the Zhu family would possess an unprecedentedly powerful pillar!

When Zhu Zhuyun and Dai Weisi eventually united, one a White Tiger and the other a Nether Civet, to what terrifying degree would the power of their martial soul fusion skill, "Nether White Tiger," reach?

The Zhu family estate, back courtyard.

Compared to the commotion in the imperial palace, the atmosphere here was entirely different.

The head of the Zhu family, Zhu Kun, stood outside the courtyard, his naturally imposing face filled with undisguised excitement and greed.

"Soul Ascension Pill... for those below Title Douluo, an increase of one major rank..." Zhu Kun muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming. "That girl Zhuyun, she hid her strength deep indeed! An eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo! And she even possesses such a divine medicine!"

He turned abruptly and strode toward the depths of the back courtyard, where Empress Zhu's maiden chambers were located.

He had to find his daughter, Zhu Zhuyun, immediately!

On one hand, his daughter making the list was a monumental event, meaning the Zhu family's status in the empire would be further solidified.

On the other hand, he was determined to get his hands on that Soul Ascension Pill!

With his current cultivation at the seventy-ninth level, consuming it would allow him to leap forward and become an eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo!

At that point, his influence within the empire would reach an unprecedented height!

"Sister! Your Majesty!" Zhu Kun's voice arrived before he did as he pushed open the door. "Where is Zhuyun? Where is she? She made the list! Fourteenth on the Genius Ranking! And there's a Soul Ascension Pill!"

Inside the bedchamber, Empress Zhu, who had just returned to her maiden home for a visit, sat upright on a soft couch.

At over thirty years of age, a hint of charm lingered at the corners of her eyes and brows, making her resemble a perfectly ripened peach—a sight that left one yearning for more.

Hearing her eldest brother's urgent voice, she merely lifted her eyes slightly, a flicker of complex helplessness passing through their depths.

Meanwhile, the slender figure shrouded in a pillar of golden light by the window slowly turned around.

Dressed in a long purple gown with jet-black hair cascading down like a waterfall, she possessed a delicate, stunning face and fair skin, paired with an incredibly voluptuous and fiery figure that belied her age.

Yet, at this moment, there was no joy in her typically gentle eyes over making the list; there was only a calmness born from the passage of time.

"Zhuyun!" Zhu Kun stepped forward quickly, his face wreathed in smiles. "My good daughter! You have brought great honor to our Zhu family! An eighty-ninth-level Spirit Douluo! Even the Crown Prince is not your equal! Your father is truly..."

"Father, are you asking about that Soul Ascension Pill?" Zhu Zhuyun interrupted him directly, her tone flat.

Zhu Kun's smile stiffened, and he laughed dryly, "This... this is your reward, so it is naturally yours. Your father is simply happy for you..."

"Happy?" Zhu Zhuyun shook her head slightly, and a trace of disappointment finally surfaced in her calm eyes.

"Father, from childhood to now, have you ever truly cared about me? Have you ever cared about what I like or what I want?"

Zhu Kun was stunned.

Zhu Zhuyun took a slow step forward, her voice remaining calm yet carrying an invisible sense of oppression.

"You only care about one thing: whether I can marry into the royal family, whether I can consolidate the Zhu family's position, and whether I can bring more power and profit to you and the Zhu family."

"How... how can you say that!" Zhu Kun's expression changed. "The Zhu family has intermarried with the royal family for generations; this is an honor! Your mother went through the same thing back then. Isn't this all for the sake of the family?"

"For the sake of the family?" Zhu Zhuyun smiled, but there was no warmth in it, only deep sorrow. "Then did you ask Mother if she was willing? Did you ask me if I was willing?"

"And that damn competition rule—my younger sister is still wandering out there to this day!"

She turned her head to look at Empress Zhu, who had been sitting silently on the couch. The graceful and luxurious woman now had tears shimmering in her eyes.

Her mother's reaction said everything.

She was someone who had walked this path; she knew better than anyone that from the moment a daughter of the Zhu family was born, her fate was already sealed.

For the family, for the marriage alliance, for that cage from which one could never break free.

"I will not walk this path anymore." Zhu Zhuyun's voice turned abruptly cold.

Zhu Kun's face changed drastically. "You... what did you say?!"

"I said," Zhu Zhuyun articulated each word clearly, "I will no longer let you manipulate me. My cultivation, my power, my life... from now on, they belong only to myself."