Aftermath and Daily Life

The next morning, Shrek's back mountain.

The morning mist had yet to dissipate, dew clung to the blades of grass, and the air was filled with the damp scent of earth.

Yi Chen was still sitting in the rattan chair beneath that ancient tree, a cup of hot tea in his hand. There was no chessboard set up before him, nor had he activated any projection screen.

He sat there quietly, as if waiting for someone, or perhaps simply enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.

The first to arrive was Ye Lingling.

She wasn't wearing her signature white dress today, having swapped it for plain-colored, form-fitting attire better suited for movement. Her long, silver-white hair was tied into a low ponytail, revealing the clean lines of her neck and ears.

She walked up to the ancient tree and stood still. Without rushing to speak, she waited quietly for a few breaths before softly calling out, "Senior."

Yi Chen lifted his eyes to look at her, his gaze lingering for half a second before he nodded. "How is the adaptation to your martial soul?"

Ye Lingling lowered her lashes, as if sensing the flow of that brand-new power within her. A moment later, she replied, "I spent the whole night fusing, and the origin of the Sacred Heart Begonia has stabilized. The newly added ability, 'Begonia Flower Seed,' can increase the elemental resistance of the attached target by about twenty percent. It doesn't affect the healing volume, nor does it occupy the healing priority."

She paused, then added, "The curse is indeed broken. I wrote a letter home last night to have someone inform my grandmother of this news."

Yi Chen didn't pick up on that topic; he simply raised his teacup for a sip and asked casually, "So, you came so early today—are you looking for extra practice, or is there something you want to say?"

Ye Lingling was silent for a moment before speaking. "I wanted to know, Senior, when you chose me to participate in this demonstration match, was it because of the scarcity of the Nine Heart Begonia, or for some other reason?"

Yi Chen set down his cup, his gaze resting on the mist-shrouded mountain ridge in the distance. His tone was indifferent. "Because in the first draft, you chose the Commoner synergy instead of snatching a five-cost god."

Ye Lingling was slightly stunned.

"In that round of drafting, you had the lowest health and the highest priority. On the display stand, there was the Twin God Tang San, the Rakshasa God Bibi Dong, and the Angel God Qian Renxue. Any one of those five-cost god cards could have given your lineup an overwhelming advantage in the mid-game."

Yi Chen turned his head to look at her. "But you chose the Bai Chenxiang embryo and a Recurve Bow, continuing to supplement your Commoner system. At that moment, I thought to myself: this girl's temperament is even rarer than her operations."

Ye Lingling lowered her eyelashes and didn't respond.

Yi Chen withdrew his gaze, his tone returning to its usual relaxed state. "Alright, don't overthink it. Go warm up. We'll start today's training once those lazybones arrive."

Ye Lingling nodded gently, turned, and walked toward the edge of the clearing to begin her basic stretches.

The second to arrive was Dugu Yan. She was carrying two paper bags, and the charred fragrance of roasted chestnuts could be smelled from far away. She placed one of the bags on the stone table beside Yi Chen, saying, "From that old shop at the North Gate of Heaven Dou City, I picked them up on the way," before squatting down next to Ye Lingling to loosen her wrists and ankles.

Yi Chen glanced at the bag of chestnuts, neither thanking her nor refusing.

The third to arrive was Ning Rongrong. She was full of energy, wearing that excited expression of someone who hadn't slept well but whose adrenaline hadn't yet faded. The moment she landed, she began chattering away, reporting her soul bone fusion progress: "Master, Master! I've already fused seventy percent of that hundred-thousand-year head bone. My mental power range has more than doubled! I can sense that wild rabbit gnawing on grass roots at the foot of the mountain even with my eyes closed!"

Yi Chen didn't open his eyes, only replying, "Come back to brag to me when you can calculate the economy and health of seven opponents simultaneously in an eight-player match."

Ning Rongrong chuckled, not annoyed in the slightest, and ran off to the clearing to start warming up.

Xiao Wu was the last to arrive. She came yawning, her hair a bit messy and her scorpion braid askew, clearly having not slept well either. However, her mental state was good, and there was a sense of solid grounding in her eyes—the stability that came from having her foundation solidified after her soul power increased by two levels.

With everyone present, Yi Chen set down his teacup and stood up.

"Today's training content is simple: no eight-player matches, no ranked play. You will pair up and play in duo mode." He held up two fingers. "The rules: share health, operate individually, verbal communication is allowed, but no playing for each other. The losing pair skips dinner tonight."

The four girls exchanged glances, and the spirit of battle ignited in the air.

Ning Rongrong immediately grabbed Xiao Wu's arm. "Xiao Wu, we're a team!"

Dugu Yan looked at Ye Lingling. Ye Lingling didn't speak, but she silently stood by her side.

With the teams set, the duo mode began.

Yi Chen didn't interfere much during the matches. He only occasionally interjected at critical moments to remind them to pay attention to the smoothness of their economic curves or to prompt them on which key equipment to prioritize during the draft rounds. Most of the time, he leaned back in his rattan chair, sipping tea and watching the real-time footage of the four-grid chessboard on the screen. Occasionally, the corners of his mouth would twitch slightly, though it was unclear if he was satisfied or simply amused.

The rhythm of duo mode was faster than an eight-player match because the two teams shared health; any failure by one side would be directly reflected on the total health bar. The combination of Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu didn't mesh well in the early stages—Rongrong was used to steady operations, while Xiao Wu liked to take risks to grab cards. During the second draft round, they had a disagreement over whether to grab a four-cost card, wasting several seconds of communication time and causing their total health to drop significantly.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's coordination was much more tacit. Dugu Yan was responsible for front-line combat power and building the control chain, while Ye Lingling handled back-line healing and economic management. With their duties clearly defined, they barely needed any extra communication. By the mid-game, their total health was once leading Rongrong and Xiao Wu by nearly thirty points.

But the advantage of Rongrong and Xiao Wu lay in how well they knew each other. This familiarity wasn't a tactical synergy, but a deeper level of trust—Rongrong knew when Xiao Wu would be impulsive, and Xiao Wu knew when Rongrong would hesitate. After the initial period of adjustment, the two gradually found their rhythm. Rongrong began to take the initiative to hand over part of the economic decision-making power to Xiao Wu, and Xiao Wu began to seek Rongrong's opinion during critical turns.

In the end, during the overtime phase, Rongrong and Xiao Wu used a precise equipment synthesis and positioning adjustment to reverse the situation with a narrow lead.

Dugu Yan looked at her grayed-out chessboard, was silent for two seconds, and then said, "Same time tomorrow."

Ye Lingling didn't speak, but she silently saved the data records of the match.

Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu high-fived, then turned to look at Yi Chen, waiting for his critique.

Yi Chen set down his teacup, stood up, and brushed the non-existent dust from his hem. "Your coordination is better than yesterday, but there is still room to improve communication efficiency. The core of duo mode isn't fighting your own battles; it's finding a synchronized frequency with your teammate while maintaining your individual rhythm."

He paused, then added, "Dinner will be served as usual."

Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu cheered in unison.

The sun slanted westward, and the clearing on the back mountain was bathed in golden twilight. The four girls packed up their chessboards and equipment, walking toward the cafeteria in small groups. Ning Rongrong was still reviewing the key decisions of that reversal with Xiao Wu, while Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling walked side-by-side behind them, occasionally exchanging low-voiced ideas about alternative equipment synthesis plans.

Yi Chen didn't follow them immediately. He stood under the ancient tree, watching the four silhouettes elongated by the sunset as they moved along the mountain path, until they turned a corner and vanished from sight.

He withdrew his gaze, looked down at the unopened bag of roasted chestnuts on the stone table, reached out to pick it up, peeled one, and tossed it into his mouth.

The old shop at the North Gate of Heaven Dou City—it was indeed quite good.