Spring passes and autumn comes, and it's late autumn again.
One year is enough for many things to change drastically.
Teamfight Tactics is no longer a new thing on this continent, but has become an indispensable second growth path parallel to the cultivation of Spirit Master.
The total number of registered players officially exceeded 20 million a few months ago, and continues to grow at a rate of nearly one million per month.
Golden Spatula Association's branch library network covers almost all major cities on the mainland, from Spirit City to Heaven Dou City, from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's territory to the Star Luo Empire's frontiers, and even in some remote towns, you can see the Golden Spatula Pavilion signboard.
S1 Season has been implemented for a full year, the rank system is operating stably, season rewards are distributed on time, and more and more Spirit Master have obtained real strength improvements through Golden Spatula.
Some people obtained Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring through rank rewards, some people obtained the rare Soul Bone, and some people made a breakthrough in the Soul Power bottleneck.
These real cases are more convincing than any propaganda, attracting more and more people to join the ranks of Golden Spatula.
Yi Chen has almost never left the route between the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit City this year.
He spends most of his time at the Golden Spatula Association's headquarters handling affairs. He goes to Shrek's back hill every few days to guide the training of several girls. He occasionally goes to Heaven Dou City's Crown Prince's Mansion to discuss cooperation matters with Qian Renxue.
The rhythm of his life is stable and regular, but beneath the surface of this stability, the relationship between him and the five girls is quietly undergoing profound changes.
Needless to say, Xiao Wu and Rongrong. Over the past year, the relationship between them and Yi Chen has evolved from the initial vague goodwill to a deep and stable intimate relationship.
They will still have some small frictions competing for Yi Chen's attention, but that friction is no longer out of uneasiness and competition, but more like a habitual fight.
They all clearly know their place in Yi Chen's heart, and they have accepted each other's existence. It has become a fixed daily routine for the three of them to train together, eat together, watch the fallen leaves in the back mountains in autumn, and drink tea by the fire in winter.
Zhu Zhuqing returned to the Shrek Academy from the Star Luo Empire in half a year.
The operation of the Star Luo Empire branch is on the right track. Zhu Zhuyun is fully capable of independent management. She can finally get away and return to Yi Chen.
The day she came back, she didn't notify anyone in advance. She just appeared alone in the back mountain with her luggage on her back. She stood under the old tree, looked at Yi Chen, was silent for a long time, and then said, "I'm back."
Yi Chen looked at her tired appearance and didn't say anything. He just walked over, reached out and took the bag on her shoulder, and then said, "It'll be good to come back."
That night, Yi Chen used the ninth Soul Skill to make a dress for Zhu Zhuqing - a black tight-fitting battle skirt, supplemented by silver dark patterns, which fit her temperament, cold and elegant.
It can also resist attacks below the God-King level. Zhu Zhuqing said nothing when she took the dress, but that night she wore that dress and stood under the moonlight for a long time.
During this year, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling also became closer and closer to Yi Chen. Dugu Yan has a straightforward and generous personality. She never concealed her affection for Yi Chen, but she never forced him to express his opinion.
She would come from Heaven Dou City to the back of Shrek every once in a while, nominally to "train with Lingling", but in fact, every time she came, she would bring some new things from Heaven Dou City to Yi Chen - sometimes it was a pack of time-honored snacks, sometimes it was a bottle of good wine, sometimes it was an ancient book that she found at an old bookstall.
She put these things on Yi Chen's table and said, "I saw them on the way and thought you might be interested", then turned around and went to Ye Lingling for training, never staying any longer and never showing any deliberate closeness.
Ye Lingling is as quiet as ever. She still doesn't speak much, but her way of accompanying her is more delicate - she will remember what kind of tea Yi Chen likes to drink, and will silently add more tea in his office when the weather gets cooler. A pot of charcoal fire, when Yi Chen stayed up late to deal with files, would put a bowl of white fungus soup she had cooked on the corner of his desk, and then turn around and leave without saying a word. She would never talk about her concern, but she would do every little thing appropriately and warmly.
Yi Chen is not stupid, of course he can feel the feelings of these five girls towards him. He has gradually accepted the existence of each of them in his heart. But he has never found a suitable time to formally respond to this heavy heart.
But in the hidden valley hundreds of miles away from the Shrek Academy, another scene was taking place.
One year is enough for Tang San to complete a complete transformation.
He stood in the middle of the valley, surrounded by rich dark red light, which was like a living mist, rolling and surging around his body. His eyes had completely turned dark red, and two eternal flames seemed to be burning in the depths of his pupils. His aura was countless times stronger than a year ago - that sense of oppression had far exceeded the level of Titled Douluo, touching the threshold of another dimension.
Level ninety-nine.
The realm of demigods.
Under the full guidance of Asura God's divine mind, Tang San completed the journey in one year that would have taken the normally gifted Spirit Master decades to complete. His Clear Sky Hammer has completely merged with Asura Divine Power, turning into a single body. Dark red, Entanglement artifact with bloody thunder. His Blue Silver Grass also mutated under the nourishment of Asura Divine Power, turning into a dark red Soul-Devouring Blue Silver Grass. Each vine is covered with fine barbs, capable of swallowing the opponent's Soul Power.
But the price he paid was not small. The erosion of Asura Divine Power was subtly changing his temperament - he became more cold-blooded, more utilitarian, and more unscrupulous. The Tang San who once valued friendship and adhered to the bottom line is gradually being assimilated by the power of Asura God.
But he doesn't care about these changes. In his opinion, this is the price that must be paid to reach the top.
He turned around and walked towards the newly built stone palace in the valley. The internal space of the stone palace was several times larger than before, enough to accommodate dozens of people. At this moment, more than a dozen people had gathered in the stone palace - there were nobles in gorgeous clothes, Spirit Master with a calm aura, and mysterious figures in black robes. These people were all chess pieces that Tang San had collected through various means in the past year.
They are uneasy about the expansion of Golden Spatula, anxious about the decline of the traditional cultivation system, and afraid of the rise of the emerging order. Tang San has given them a common enemy and a common goal.
He stood at the highest point of the stone hall, looking down at the dozens of faces below, and spoke slowly, his voice low and majestic, echoing in the stone hall. "I know your reasons for coming. I understand your dissatisfaction with Golden Spatula, your fear of Yi Chen, and your worries about the future."
He paused and glanced at everyone present. "But mere dissatisfaction and worry cannot change anything. We need to take action."
The stone hall was quiet for a moment, and then someone asked, "Mr. Tang, what are you going to do?"
The corner of Tang San's mouth slowly raised a cold arc. "Yi Chen's biggest advantage is that he controls the core of Golden Spatula System. But his biggest weakness is also this system."
He took out a roll of blueprints from his arms and slowly unfolded them. On the blueprints were drawn complex formation patterns and schematic diagrams of energy flow. It was a set of Interference Array design drawings that he spent several months drawing based on his knowledge of Asura God and his own observations of Golden Spatula System.
"This formation can interfere with Golden Spatula System's energy transmission within a certain range, preventing it from issuing rewards normally."
Tang San's voice was not high-pitched, but it carried a chilling certainty.
"You don't need to destroy the entire system, you just need to make it 'failure'. One failure is enough to shake players' trust in it."
In the stone hall, more than a dozen eyes focused on the scroll of drawings at the same time, shining with different lights.
On the mountain behind the Shrek Academy, Yi Chen was leaning on a wicker chair under the ancient tree, holding a cup of hot tea, watching Xiao Wu and Rongrong play the last game of the day on the chessboard.
The autumn sunlight shines through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadow on him.
He suddenly raised his eyes, glanced at the distant sky vaguely, then withdrew his gaze and took a sip of tea, as if he didn't notice anything.
But he held the teacup with his finger and gently rubbed it around the rim.
What is supposed to come will always come.