Arrival at the Heaven Soul Empire, the Strange Zhang Lexuan

Liu Lin couldn't help but laugh out loud upon hearing Xu Jiujiu's words. He felt that what she said made perfect sense; after all, reaching the rank of Spirit Elder before the age of ten was a unique feat in the entire history of the Star Luo Empire.

Afterward, having finished giving Liu Lin these instructions, Xu Jiujiu left his residence because the Star Luo Royal Academy had a training session scheduled shortly.

Three days later, at the North Gate of Star Luo City.

A caravan stood outside the gate. Once Elder Lin saw that everyone had arrived, he prepared to lead the group toward the Heaven Soul Empire.

To ensure the safety of Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu, Xu Jiawei had dispatched two Titled Douluo to accompany them. In addition to Elder Lin, who had gone with them last time, there was also a middle-aged man.

That man's surname was Meng, his given name was Tao. He was a middle-aged man, a level 91 Power Attack System Titled Douluo, whose martial soul was an Iron-Armored Giant Bear.

Interestingly, despite Meng Tao's massive physique, his facial features made him appear quite kind-hearted.

Furthermore, in addition to the main and reserve team members of the Star Luo Royal Academy, several instructors were also accompanying them to lead the way.

Xu Jiujiu, as the captain of the reserve team, stood at the very front, briefing the other members on precautions for the journey.

Liu Lin stood beside a carriage, watching with boredom as Xu Jiujiu explained things to her team members.

Once Xu Jiujiu finished speaking, the group waited for Elder Lin's command. Seeing everyone's eyes fixed on him, Elder Lin announced to the group, "Depart!"

Following Elder Lin's order, the carriages slowly rolled out of the North Gate, leaving Star Luo City behind.

The journey from Star Luo City to Tiantou City would take the caravan half a month.

By the evening of the fourteenth day, the group arrived at Tiantou City.

As they entered the city, Liu Lin looked at Tiantou City from outside the carriage, feeling that compared to the towering solemnity of Star Luo City, Tiantou City felt more ancient and prosperous.

The caravan then drove straight into Tiantou City and checked into the hotel arranged for them by the Heaven Soul Empire.

Two days later, the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament officially opened at the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

Since the Star Luo Royal Academy had no matches that day and the others had no interest in watching, only Liu Lin and Xu Jiujiu, accompanied by Elder Lin, came to the Great Spirit Arena.

In the VIP viewing area, Xu Jiujiu nudged Liu Lin, who was sitting next to her, with her elbow.

"Liu Lin, we're here to watch Shrek's match today, so don't let yourself get discouraged," Xu Jiujiu said, half-jokingly.

"How could that be? I still have plenty of confidence in myself," Liu Lin replied, shaking his head at Xu Jiujiu's words.

Hearing Liu Lin's confident tone, Xu Jiujiu nodded with a smile.

"Mm, then you must work hard on your cultivation."

No sooner had Xu Jiujiu finished speaking than she saw the people from Shrek Academy arrive. She poked Liu Lin and pointed toward the west side of the Great Spirit Arena.

"Hey, Liu Lin, look, the people from Shrek Academy are here."

Hearing Xu Jiujiu, Liu Lin looked in the direction she was pointing.

As he looked over, he discovered that sitting at the very front of the Shrek team was a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties.

Her long black hair draped over her shoulders, her features were exquisite, and her temperament was cold and ethereal.

When he looked at the woman, he found that she was also looking at him. This made Liu Lin feel extremely awkward, and he quickly withdrew his gaze.

"Is she pretty?" A resentful voice sounded right after Liu Lin looked away.

"Mm... no, wait, she's not pretty." Liu Lin blurted out upon hearing Xu Jiujiu, and once he realized what he had said, he quickly corrected himself.

"Really? Then why were you staring for so long?" Xu Jiujiu said, pinching Liu Lin's hand.

"I'm serious, Jiujiu. The match below is about to start, let's watch the game first."

Hearing Liu Lin, Xu Jiujiu let go of him and looked toward the match below.

The referee standing on the competition stage shouted through a spirit amplification device, "The first match: Shrek Academy versus Di'ao Academy. The format is a team battle. Will the participating members from both sides please take the stage."

The people in the Di'ao Academy rest area turned pale when they heard the matchup announced by the referee.

Nevertheless, they were the first to walk onto the stage. The seven members were dressed in sky-blue uniforms with the Di'ao Academy emblem pinned to their chests.

Walking at the front was a tall youth, his body radiating the thick aura of a five-ring Spirit King.

As for Shrek Academy, only one person walked up—the very woman who had just locked eyes with Liu Lin.

The woman walked onto the stage alone, dressed in black with black hair, her expression cold. She showed no ripples of emotion when facing seven opponents.

Her gaze swept calmly across the Di'ao Team, as if she were looking at a group of ants.

The seven members of Di'ao Academy were filled with anger when they saw that Shrek Academy had only sent one person, feeling that Shrek was not taking them seriously at all.

The seven of them still followed the competition rules and stated their names.

"Shrek Academy, Zhang Lexuan." After hearing the introductions from the opposite side, the woman spoke slowly, stating her own name.

Seeing that both sides had finished their introductions, the referee announced, "Introductions complete. The match begins."

The seven members of the Di'ao Team released their martial souls simultaneously, then formed a siege formation and charged toward Zhang Lexuan.

Zhang Lexuan raised her right hand, and a touch of silver moonlight emerged behind her back as seven spirit rings rose beneath her feet. The heaven-defying spirit ring configuration of one yellow, two purple, and four black caused the entire arena to fall instantly silent.

A Soul Saint—no one had expected Shrek Academy to send out a Soul Saint.

The seven members of Di'ao Team, who had been in the middle of attacking Zhang Lexuan, saw those seven soul rings and immediately lost their offensive rhythm.

The ensuing battle held no suspense. The Di'ao Team's formation was as fragile as paper before her; in less time than it takes for an incense stick to burn, all seven members were on the ground.

Zhang Lexuan had defeated the seven members of Di'ao Academy with overwhelming force.

The audience erupted into thunderous, wave-like cheers at the sight.

In the VIP box, Xu Jiujiu watched Zhang Lexuan on the stage, her deep blue eyes filled with shock.

"So strong. Shrek Academy truly lives up to its reputation," Xu Jiujiu couldn't help but exclaim.

Liu Lin nodded in agreement. According to the novel he had read in his past life, this Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament was completely suppressed by Zhang Lexuan.

However, what puzzled him was whether Zhang Lexuan's soul ring configuration had changed. He remembered that in the original work, her configuration should have been the optimal one.

After the match ended, the spectators left one after another. Once Xu Jiujiu and Liu Lin returned to the Tiandu Grand Hotel, they parted ways, as Xu Jiujiu needed to discuss tomorrow's tactics with the rest of the Star Luo Royal Academy team.

Liu Lin nodded and decided to go buy some food. Thinking this, he headed downstairs, only to run into Zhang Lexuan, who had just returned from the Great Soul Arena.

She had already changed out of her black competition gear and was wearing a moon-white long dress, her black hair draped casually over her shoulders.

Seeing Liu Lin walking down from upstairs, Zhang Lexuan stopped in her tracks, her gaze involuntarily landing on him.

Feeling her eyes on him, Liu Lin couldn't help but feel nervous.

Could it be that she is also one? Seeing the emotion in her eyes, Liu Lin felt that the Zhang Lexuan before him was just like the Three-Eyed Golden Ni.

After all, he didn't know her; why would she look at him like that?

Zhang Lexuan didn't respond immediately. She simply watched him, her lips moving slightly as if confirming something, or perhaps struggling to restrain herself.

"Pardon me, Miss, but is there a reason you keep staring at me?" Liu Lin, feeling awkward under her gaze, spoke up to divert her attention.

"Hm? Wasn't it you who stared at me first at the Great Soul Arena?" Zhang Lexuan replied slowly.

"Oh?" Hearing this, Liu Lin breathed a sigh of relief. So she wasn't like the Three-Eyed Golden Ni after all; it was just because he had been watching her during the match.

"My apologies, Miss Zhang. That was indeed my fault. May I ask why you were looking for me?" Liu Lin bowed slightly to express his regret.

Zhang Lexuan shook her head gently at his words.

"It's nothing. I just happened to see you and mentioned it. I don't believe I know your name yet."

"My name is Liu Lin," he replied.

Zhang Lexuan nodded at his answer, then turned and walked away.

Liu Lin stood where he was, watching her back disappear at the end of the corridor, his brow furrowing involuntarily. He still didn't understand why she had acted that way.

He had clearly sensed a possessiveness in her eyes earlier, but it had vanished as quickly as it appeared, as if she were a completely different person.

He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. After all, one must face whatever comes. He would just have to see what the future held.

Taking a deep breath to steady his mind, Liu Lin headed out.

Tiandu Grand Hotel, Zhang Lexuan's room.

Zhang Lexuan sat alone in her room, the moonlight from outside filtering through the curtains and casting a layer of silvery starlight across the floor.

She kept her eyes closed, her consciousness sinking deep into her Sea of Consciousness.

Once inside, she saw a woman standing in the distance.

Another woman stood there. She had the exact same features and the same black hair, but her eyes held the maturity of years gone by.

"What are you trying to do today?" Zhang Lexuan asked the woman in the distance.

"I obviously want to get to know him, my past self. Is that so hard to understand?" The woman's voice reached her ears.

"You stared at him for too long. He doesn't know you yet. If you look at him like that, he'll think you're some kind of pervert who likes kids."

"Fine, I'm a pervert who likes kids. Happy now?"

Zhang Lexuan was rendered speechless by the woman's retort.

"You... how could you? How did I end up becoming someone like you in the future?"

The future Zhang Lexuan chuckled softly at this.

"I already missed him once. This time, I won't miss him again. So, you can say whatever you want about me."

Hearing her future self's words, Zhang Lexuan withdrew from her Sea of Consciousness. She gazed at the full moon outside the window, thinking of her first meeting with her future self.

On the night her family was wiped out, the jade pendant she wore around her neck had shattered the moment she was on the verge of death. A streak of silver moonlight emerged from the pendant, possessed her body, and slaughtered every one of the enemies who had destroyed her home.

When the moonlight faded, the young Zhang Lexuan fell into a deep sleep. Later, Mu En arrived and found her unconscious.

Through his investigation, Mu En realized she possessed immense talent and brought her back to Shrek Academy.

When she finally woke up, Mu En told her what had happened, claiming that her enemies had been killed by a powerful expert.

He told her that he had saved her because of her talent and wanted her to join Shrek Academy.

Upon hearing that her enemies had been killed and having nowhere else to go, Zhang Lexuan joined Shrek Academy.

Several years after Zhang Lexuan entered Shrek Academy, that soul finally awakened.

Zhang Lexuan was meditating at the time when a faint silver halo appeared within her Sea of Consciousness, slowly coalescing before her into a woman who looked exactly like her.

"Who are you?" the young Zhang Lexuan asked, watching the woman who was identical to her with wariness.

"I am you," the future Zhang Lexuan said, "the you from the future."

The answer was too absurd, yet it carried a certain undeniable sense of reality.

After all, in the ensuing conversation, her future self accurately recounted all of Zhang Lexuan's secrets and hobbies.

Even now, Zhang Lexuan still remembered asking her future self how her life would turn out without her help.

Her future self fell silent and did not answer, but through her eyes, Zhang Lexuan understood that her future self had not lived a good life.

In the dead of night, a faint figure moved silently through the corridor and pushed open a door.

Liu Lin was fast asleep in his room when, in a daze, he felt something warm and soft press against his lips.

The sensation was incredibly light and gentle, carrying a hint of cautious probing and a longing that had been suppressed for far too long.

Immediately after, a soft body pressed down onto his chest, and several strands of hair fell across his cheek, carrying a cool, faint fragrance.

Feeling the softness of the body, Liu Lin snapped his eyes open.

In the darkness, he could vaguely see someone leaning over him, her long hair cascading from her shoulders and shimmering faintly in the moonlight. Her hands were braced on either side of his pillow, her body pinning his chest, and her lips had just pulled away from his.

This scene caused Liu Lin's brain to short-circuit instantly; he instinctively tried to push the person off him, but his arms were gently held down by the other party.

"Don't move." The woman's voice was low and hoarse, carrying an emotion so profound it bordered on obsession. "Let me look at you."

The voice fell upon Liu Lin's ears, causing him to freeze in place. He recognized that voice—wasn't this Zhang Lexuan, whom he had just met today?

Liu Lin's mind raced, and he quickly forced himself to calm down, his gaze fixed intently on this "Zhang Lexuan" before him.

At this moment, Zhang Lexuan's expression was deeply unsettling; her eyes were churning with overly complex emotions. Attachment, joy, and a certain longing that had been suppressed for far too long.

"You aren't Zhang Lexuan. Who exactly are you?" Liu Lin stared at her, voicing the doubt in his heart.