Past Events

"Where did your teacher tell us to find her?"

Shen Nanxun and his two companions walked out of the hotel, and as they did, he asked Gu Yue about Leng Yaozhu's whereabouts.

"Just go straight to the Tianhai Spirit Pagoda." Gu Yue was concise, taking the lead as she stepped toward the hotel entrance. Shen Nanxun and Na'er followed behind her. The three of them crossed the hotel lobby and pushed open the revolving glass doors.

The morning sun of Tianhai City greeted them, carrying the salty, moist scent unique to the sea breeze.

They hadn't walked far along the coastal boulevard when a figure suddenly stepped out from the side, blocking their path with unerring precision.

It was an old woman with her silver hair combed meticulously. Her face was lean and refined, her back held perfectly straight, and she was draped in a plain, dark cyan robe.

People bustled back and forth on the street, yet the hem of her robe seemed shrouded by an invisible aura. Several fallen paulownia leaves slid away of their own accord when they came within a yard of her, landing silently on the bluestone pavement. She stood there quietly, yet an aura instantly locked onto the three of them.

Na'er blinked her large silver eyes, poking half her head out from behind Shen Nanxun, her cowlick swaying. "Grandma, you're blocking the way."

Cai Yue'er looked at the little silver-haired girl peeking out from behind Shen Nanxun. The corners of her mouth curled slightly, but she did not move aside, her gaze shifting back to Shen Nanxun. "You must be Shen Nanxun."

"And who might you be?" Shen Nanxun ignored her powerful aura, asking back with neither servility nor arrogance.

"I am Cai Yue'er, titled Silver Moon, an elder of the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy."

Cai Yue'er then turned her gaze to the black-haired, black-eyed girl beside him. "A direct disciple of the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo from the Spirit Pagoda. No wonder you could suppress Yu Chen single-handedly. Your mastery of the four elements is second to none among the juniors I have seen. It seems the Spirit Pagoda and the Shen Family have developed quite a deep friendship?"

Gu Yue's expression remained unchanged, her reply airtight. "My teacher and the Shen Family indeed have old ties. I am merely following orders to accompany them."

"A fine 'following orders'." Cai Yue'er shifted her gaze back to Shen Nanxun. "Shen Nanxun, I have only one purpose in coming here today: to invite you to join Shrek Academy."

"I refuse."

Shen Nanxun was decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

"You only have one choice today." Cai Yue'er said indifferently, "Even the Shen Family of Ming Capital is nothing more than an ant the size of a palm before my Shrek. If you do not wish to implicate your family, you will join Shrek obediently. When that time comes, I will bring you to the Inner Court for cultivation, and you will surely become one of the strongest beings on the continent. That is the smart thing to do, rather than refusing me to my face."

"I think the honorable Silver Moon Douluo has had too much to drink." Shen Nanxun sneered. "I don't know if my Shen Family is an ant the size of a palm, but even the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, the Sky-Piercing Douluo, shows my father a measure of respect when they meet. Does the Silver Moon Douluo really have such great standing?"

"Insolent junior!" Cai Yue'er's eyes narrowed, and her aura suddenly turned volatile.

But just then, a voice, cold yet laced with languor, rang out in everyone's ears.

"I'd like to see who dares to touch my people today."

Cai Yue'er's pupils contracted slightly as the pressure she released was shattered three feet from Shen Nanxun by another, more overbearing soul power.

The pressure of two Title Douluo-level powerhouses clashed silently on the bluestone road of the coastal boulevard. The air suddenly stagnated; the fallen paulownia leaves hung suspended in mid-air, motionless. The sounds of the street—the people, the vehicles, the crashing waves—seemed to have been stripped from the world.

Leng Yaozhu stood at the end of the long street. She wore a wine-red gown today, the hem fluttering slightly in the sea breeze. Her fiery red hair was not tied up, cascading loosely over her shoulders and back. A few strands were lifted by the wind, dancing gently against her slightly raised chin.

Her amber eyes swept past the passersby who had been forced back by the pressure. She walked forward with long strides, her wine-red gown swaying behind her like flowing wine.

"Cai Yue'er, what did you just say? Tell Shen Nanxun to join Shrek obediently, or else threaten him with the Shen Family?"

Leng Yaozhu stopped before Cai Yue'er, her amber eyes looking down at the old woman who was half a head shorter than her. "Since when did Shrek learn to threaten a child with his family? Cai Yue'er, as an elder of the Sea God Pavilion, don't you feel ashamed saying such things?"

As the last word fell, a pure and intense Title Douluo pressure erupted from her without restraint. Wine-red soul power surged around her like flames, and her fiery red hair whipped upward in the storm of soul power.

The pressure of a level-99 Limit Douluo, a demigod-level powerhouse, poured down upon them.

The scene looked somewhat like a fiery, assertive woman bullying a sharp-tongued old lady in the street.

Cai Yue'er's expression changed drastically. The phantom of her Silver Moon Martial Soul appeared behind her, using her level-96 Title Douluo soul power to forcefully withstand the pressure.

Even so, she was still forced back several steps. Every level in the Title Douluo realm was a massive gap, let alone a difference of this magnitude.

"Heavenly Phoenix!" Cai Yue'er gritted her teeth, saying resentfully, "You dare to make a move here? Do you want to declare war on Shrek Academy?"

"Then by threatening the Shen Family, are you trying to declare war on the military!?"

Leng Yaozhu sneered. "Do you have the guts?"

Shen Nanxun stepped forward half a step at the right moment and bowed slightly. "Aunt Leng, the Silver Moon Douluo meant well."

Cai Yue'er's expression softened slightly, and she nodded faintly. This kid was at least sensible enough to know how to provide an exit.

Leng Yaozhu, however, raised an eyebrow. She knew this little rascal too well; there was no way he would be this easygoing.

"However, the Silver Moon Douluo is getting on in years, and perhaps her mind isn't as sharp as it used to be, so her words were inevitably a bit thoughtless. When I go back, I'll have my father prepare some supplements to send to Shrek another day, to help the Silver Moon Douluo nourish her health."

The corners of Leng Yaozhu's mouth curled slightly. Na'er buried her face behind Shen Nanxun's sleeve, trembling as she stifled her laughter. Gu Yue remained expressionless, though her fingers, hanging at her sides, twitched ever so slightly.

Cai Yue'er's face turned livid. Beyond the veiled insults, Shen Nanxun's words were a threat.

He was using his father to pressure her.

Unable to stay any longer, she could only flee in defeat, transforming into a streak of light that vanished into the distance.

"Hmph." Leng Yaozhu let out a disdainful snort. She had never thought much of Cai Yue'er, and that wasn't a matter of just a day or two.

Seeing her opponent suffer a setback now naturally put her in a very good mood.

Shen Nanxun looked up at the woman with fiery red hair and asked, "Aunt Leng, the task you gave me is complete. Can you tell me about my origins now?"

Leng Yaozhu looked at him for a long moment, her red lips parting.

"Follow me."

Tianhai Spirit Pagoda.

Shen Nanxun and Leng Yaozhu stepped into a spacious, enclosed quiet room. As they entered, the soul-guided lights automatically detected them and turned on, casting a warm glow upon their faces.

Leng Yaozhu sat down on the sofa with natural grace, her gaze fixed on Shen Nanxun, who stood before her.

"I will ask you one last time: are you certain you want to know the truth about your origins? If you learn it, you must shoulder the corresponding responsibilities. But if you walk away, you can continue being the young master of the Shen Family and need not trouble yourself with this matter at all."

"Of course."

Shen Nanxun did not hesitate.

Things had reached this point; the arrow was already on the string, and it had to be released. Since he had chosen to meet with Leng Yaozhu and accept her two tasks, he had already made up his mind about everything.

"You really are just as stubborn as him." Leng Yaozhu chuckled softly. She produced a glass of red wine from somewhere, took a light sip, and began to recount:

"The story begins more than thirty years ago..."