Dong Yi'an's face darkened as he reined in his emotions and refocused, facing Na'er a short distance away.
The area was abuzz with discussion, most of it about Shen Nanxun and his abilities. Some people were also mocking Dong Yi'an for overestimating himself.
He had to prove himself!
Even if he could first beat Shen Nanxun's younger sister, it would still help him regain some face.
Besides, the girl in front of him looked so delicate and weak. She probably... wasn't very strong.
At the very least, she didn't look like someone who was good at fighting.
Demon Pill Na merely yawned, looking lazy and utterly unconcerned. She was the complete opposite of Dong Yi'an, who was about to fight a battle to prove himself.
"I won't lose!"
Dong Yi'an abruptly raised his hand. Soul Power gathered, and a gray spear appeared in his grasp. Its head bore a distinctive wolf-head design. This was his Martial Soul, the Sky Wolf Spear.
There was another reason his older brother received more attention than he did: his Martial Soul hadn't inherited Dong Zi'an's Beast Martial Soul. Instead, it was a mutated combination of his parents' Martial Souls.
With only Level Five innate Soul Power, it didn't look like a particularly beneficial mutation.
"Take this!"
Dong Yi'an's Soul Power had only just reached Level Eight. He had no Soul Spirit, let alone a First Soul Ring. So he could only thrust forward with brute force.
Na'er chewed on a piece of toffee and casually waved her hand. The Silver Dragon Spear leaped into her grasp. She gave it a graceful flourish, then thrust it forward.
Both of them wielded spears, but just from the force behind Na'er's thrust, there was a hint of a dragon surging forth. A faint dragon's roar seemed to race along the length of her spear.
If Na'er's spear thrust forth like a dragon, then Dong Yi'an's was more like a bug. It wasn't that he was all that bad; in fact, the boy had a decent foundation.
But next to the Silver Dragon Spear, his was no different from Luo Sanpao.
The winner was clear after the first exchange.
Na'er turned her wrist. The Silver Dragon Spear flashed like silver lightning, and with a light tap, she deflected Dong Yi'an's heavy thrust to the side.
The moment the spear shafts touched, Dong Yi'an felt immense force surge through his weapon. His hand went numb, and he nearly lost all feeling in the hand gripping his spear.
Refusing to believe it, he roared and whirled the Sky Wolf Spear into a storm of afterimages, hoping to overwhelm her with sheer numbers. But Na'er's spearwork was nimble. Her seemingly casual movements always struck precisely at the weak points in his attacks. Every thrust of the Silver Dragon Spear carried a fierce dragon's aura, and its wind howled.
In just three moves, Dong Yi'an's assault was already spent.
He panted heavily and looked at his Sky Wolf Spear. Its glow had dimmed, and it seemed on the verge of shattering.
"This..." A trace of panic flashed in Dong Yi'an's eyes. Ever since his Martial Soul Awakening, he had practiced with this Martial Soul every day. He hadn't expected it to become his greatest source of humiliation.
Dong Yi'an gritted his teeth, a desperate madness flashing in his eyes. His mind was a complete muddle, leaving only his unwillingness to lose. Like Don Quixote, he charged straight at Na'er, clutching the Sky Wolf Spear that had long since lost its former sharpness.
There was no skill to it, only a reckless charge!
At last, some of the laziness vanished from Na'er's eyes. She looked at the boy charging about like a headless fly and raised an eyebrow.
Dong Yi'an was only three steps away from Na'er. He unleashed all his Soul Power, pouring the last of his strength into the Sky Wolf Spear before thrusting with all his might!
Unfortunately for him, Na'er wasn't Hua Xiong, and he wasn't Guan Yu.
Na'er turned slightly and easily dodged the thrust, which carried the last of his desperation. Then the Silver Dragon Spear rose high before crashing down with irresistible force.
"Clang!"
A sharp ring rang out.
Dong Yi'an was forced to one knee, the Silver Dragon Spear pressing down on his shoulder and pinning him in place. Gritting his teeth, he gripped the Sky Wolf Spear and tried to lift it so he could thrust it forward. But a vast torrent of Soul Power poured from the Silver Dragon Spear, bearing down on him with crushing force.
Soul Power suppression.
He managed to raise his spear a few inches, but couldn't thrust it even a fraction farther. Just as he had silently wished for Ye Xi to use Soul Power suppression against Shen Nanxun, those words had now come back to haunt him.
He struggled to lift his head. Na'er stood before him, backlit by the morning sun. Her short silver hair stirred gently in the wind. Her face was still breathtakingly beautiful, but now it looked all the more cold and aloof.
At some point, her silver eyes had turned into slitted pupils.
The instant their eyes met, Dong Yi'an's Martial Soul vanished. He slumped to the ground, drenched in cold sweat, all the sharpness he had once possessed gone.
Na'er put away the Silver Dragon Spear and clapped her hands. "Remember this: from now on, you call me Boss!"
At North Sea Academy, Na'er was the toughest of them all; when it came to ham, she only ate Wangzhongwang.
Na'er's reign as big sister had officially begun.
After settling things with ease, Na'er skipped back to Shen Nanxun's side and stopped. She clasped her hands behind her back, lifted her chin slightly, and looked up at him through silver eyes brimming with pride.
"Shen Nanxun, how was that?"
"Not bad." Shen Nanxun was stingy with his praise, not giving Na'er the slightest chance to get carried away.
Na'er's cheeks puffed up at a visible speed. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't suppress the upward curve of her lips, leaving her with a comically divided expression.
The top half of her face tried its best to look angry, while the bottom half honestly curved into a smile she couldn't hide.
"Just not bad?"
"No, I helped you get even. You have to reward me!"
"Would a big slap from Xizhilang work?"
"Get lost!"
The two bickered back and forth, but once Na'er brought out her ultimate two-character trump card—"I'll tell"—she won with ease.
"Okay, okay." Shen Nanxun could only give in helplessly. "Tell me, what reward do you want?"
Na'er's silver eyes lit up in an instant. She leaned half a step closer and tipped her head back. Then she stuck out her tongue and gave her lips the quickest, lightest lick.
"Let me bite you once!"
"Are you a puppy? Why are you so obsessed with biting people?" Shen Nanxun's forehead creased. He knew this was pretty much the only thing this girl ever wanted.
But this time, Na'er didn't bristle. Instead, she softened and pleaded, "Just once. I promise it won't hurt."
When it came to her thousand different faces, Shen Nanxun had plenty of ways to deal with her.
He shook his head slightly and sighed with feigned regret. "I would've said yes, but last night I dreamed someone bit me. She even said Na'er wasn't worthy of biting me, and that only she was. Now I'm traumatized."
"Huh?"
Na'er's little face puffed up with anger. "Who was she?"
"I don't know." Shen Nanxun paused, as if trying to remember. "I only remember she seemed to have a silver dragon..."
Na'er's little face flushed completely red. Two flames burned in her silver eyes as she clenched her fists at her sides. She was like a kettle about to boil over, white steam nearly rising from the top of her head.
She lowered her head, her lips moving as she muttered in a voice only she could hear.
"It had to be stinky Gu Yue! That girl did this. She's like a ghost that won't go away—even after we split up, she still has to fight me for him. I found him first. I bit him first. What right does she have to say I'm not worthy? Who does she think she is? Stinky Gu Yue, rotten Gu Yue, stealing my food and trying to steal... steal..."
Watching Na'er from the side, Shen Nanxun curled his lips and chuckled.
A little trick was all it took to lure Na'er into the trap.
After practical class, Teacher Adolf called the two of them aside.
"Shen Nanxun, Na'er, you both did very well. It looks like you'll have no trouble keeping up with the lessons from now on."
"It's just that we've already introduced elective career courses to the class. You'll receive specialized instruction based on whichever secondary profession you choose. So, tell me which one you're planning to study, and I can submit the information."
In this era, Soul Guidance Technology had developed and given rise to four secondary professions. The Mecha Designer was responsible for overall planning and drafting blueprints for mecha and Battle Armor; the Mecha Manufacturer focused on physical construction and inscribing magic arrays; the Mecha Repairer handled troubleshooting, damage repair, and routine maintenance; and the Blacksmith forged metal.
Shen Nanxun had thought carefully about the four secondary professions. He could rule out the Mecha Repairer and Mecha Manufacturer right away; he was only hesitating between the other two.
One reason he was considering the Blacksmith profession was that there was only one Divine Craftsman in this era, leaving him too much at the mercy of others. As for becoming a Mecha Designer, the reason was that his Battle Armor was extremely unusual. The reason every Battle Armor Master's armor differed was not only the difference in their Martial Souls, but also their distinct paths of development.
Battle Armor for someone with Twin Martial Souls would be a little harder to design, but it wasn't impossible. Shen Nanxun, however, had five Martial Souls. That meant his Battle Armor would need to accommodate the power of five different attributes. There was a great deal to consider, and he still didn't know what his other four Soul Spirits would be. But he couldn't wait until he had awakened all his Soul Spirits before making his Battle Armor; by then, it would be far too late.
So becoming an outstanding Mecha Designer was essential.
Adolf didn't ask them to make a decision right away.
"You can go back and think it over. Just tell me later."
Even after class, on the ride back, Shen Nanxun was still mulling over the question.
Blacksmith or Mecha Designer?
As a Blacksmith, he could craft his own Battle Armor with his own hands, without relying on anyone else or being at their mercy. But there was only one Divine Craftsman in this era, and the path to reaching that level was long—very, very long.
As a Mecha Designer, he would have to confront the deepest secrets of his Martial Souls: five Soul Spirits, five kinds of power, and five entirely different combat systems. How could he unite them all in one suit of Battle Armor? How could he make it bear all those utterly different forces at once?
These weren't ordinary Twin Martial Souls. They were the manifestation of five Deities. Across the entire continent, he probably wouldn't find another Mecha Designer capable of designing Battle Armor like this. He could only walk this path alone.
As he was lost in thought, a warm breath suddenly brushed across his cheek.
Shen Nanxun abruptly came to his senses. At some point, Na'er had leaned right in front of him, so close that the tips of their noses nearly touched. Her silver hair fell forward, a few strands brushing his forehead and making it itch.
"Shen Nanxun, you should choose Blacksmithing." The girl's voice was natural, without any coyness, and sounded utterly earnest.
"I'll design your Battle Armor for you in the future."
Her silver eyes curved into two bright, crescent-shaped moons. "I'll choose Mecha Design."
After saying that, she blinked expectantly and waited for his response.
But to her surprise, Shen Nanxun didn't look excited or grateful as she had imagined. Instead, after a brief moment of surprise, he immediately put some distance between them, looking thoroughly wary.
"Don't think you can trick me into letting you bite me."
Na'er: "..."
Sure enough, when you're unloved, anything you do is wrong.
So this was all Gu Yue's fault!
Meanwhile, the chief, who had been insulted for no apparent reason, was inside a special edition super-prison for Soul Beasts belonging to the Spirit Pagoda.
The black-haired, black-eyed girl stood in front of the Lake of Life and sneezed for no apparent reason. She frowned slightly, raised a hand to rub the tip of her nose, and a trace of bewilderment flickered through her black eyes.
She found it strange. How could the famous Silver Dragon King, Master of Soul Beasts, a worthless fragment of the Dragon God, and the embodiment of supreme wisdom, sneeze?
Could some people in the Divine Realm still be coveting her?
"Damn Asura God. Damn human Deities."
Whatever the reason, she might as well curse them first. There was no harm in it.
Just then, a low, respectful voice came from behind her.
"My Lord."
The black-haired, golden-eyed man stood several yards behind her.
"Regarding your other half..."
"There's no need to mention it again. Leave things as they are for now. I'll make my own decisions about her." The black-haired girl simply waved a hand, cutting him off.
"Have you figured out what that aura to the east is?"
The Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, Di Tian, didn't dare say more and could only continue answering. "I've sent King of Ten Thousand Monsters to investigate. We still don't know for certain, but we should be able to confirm that it's probably his bloodline."
The black-haired girl's expression turned cold. "Then he has fallen, too."
The people in the Divine Realm would never let him out alive. That left only one possibility: after he died, his bloodline had scattered across the mortal world.
"Damn human Deities!" Di Tian's eyes were filled with fury and sorrow, as if he had thought of the Dragon Clan's former glory and its present ruin.
"It isn't necessarily a bad thing." A glimmer of purple shone in the black-haired girl's cool eyes. "If I devour this bloodline, I might at least recover some of my power..."
"Enough. You may leave. These matters require careful consideration."
After Di Tian left, the black-haired girl looked up at the sky and loosely clenched one hand. "Na'er, do you really think you can beat me? You only have thirty percent of your power, and yet you dare dream of surpassing me with the help of humans. Truly, a fool's dream."
In her other hand, she held a Soul Guidance communication phone, something only found in the human world. She'd gone out of her way to get it, claiming that to defeat humans, she first had to understand them.
On the phone's screen was a recent hit on Douhun: a heartwarming family video. The silver-haired, silver-eyed girl starred in it alongside three other unfamiliar faces.
Before you continue