New Goal

"Hello, everyone. My name is Firefly~"

The corners of her lips lifted slightly, revealing a heartwarming smile.

Her little hand continued to wave gently in the air, and her adorable appearance instantly set the boys' hearts aflutter.

"Guys! This one's a real bro!"

"Why is her smile so pretty?!"

"My heart's been pierced!"

Heh, with my acting skills combined with Firefly's appearance that practically radiates girlfriend vibes, how could I not have you completely smitten?

But unfortunately, this bro was straight, so they could only keep dreaming.

Yu Wuyi thought this to himself, though he wore an apologetic expression on the surface.

"Thank you all for your affection, but my heart already belongs to someone. I only appeared here today by accident, so..."

In an instant, brilliant flames erupted from the girl's body, transforming into a massive pillar of fire that illuminated the entire shore of Sea God Lake.

The two fairies standing nearby let out startled cries, caught completely off guard.

As the pillar of fire dispersed, water vapor drifted through the air, and a tall white figure gradually came into view.

A cold, emotionless voice came from within.

"We shall meet again if fate allows."

Only then did everyone see clearly that the adorable girl had transformed into a solemn humanoid machine.

Blazing flames erupted from the armor beneath its feet, and in the blink of an eye, it vanished into the night, leaving only lingering warmth behind.

Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward, Yan Shaozhe promptly stepped forward to smooth things over.

"I believe everyone has seen it as well. Miss Firefly is not from Shrek Academy, but from an extraordinarily powerful organization. This technology alone far exceeds anything you could imagine."

"However, they have already entered into a partnership with Shrek. So everyone—especially the boys—need not be too disappointed. As long as you become strong enough in the future, it may not be impossible for you to catch Miss Firefly's eye!"

Of course, the odds were practically zero, but that did not stop him from using it to inspire the students to cultivate.

"Now then, although there has been a small interruption, our Sea God Fate Matchmaking Convention must continue."

"Next is the second stage..."

Yan Shaozhe continued introducing the event's proceedings, but many of the students had already lost interest.

Even the fairies were the same. Their attention was not on Firefly, but on Sam after the transformation.

That handsome figure had left an indelible impression in their hearts.

If even a girl could be so cool, how outstanding must the boys in that powerful organization be?

Both the boys and the girls had been sent into flights of fancy by Yu Wuyi's rapid string of moves.

Even Zhang Lexuan's eyes glimmered faintly.

"I never expected her to possess such power..."

"Is it that surprising?"

Yan Shaozhe looked at her.

Zhang Lexuan nodded slightly. This truly fell into one of her blind spots of knowledge.

"Don't let her appearance fool you. She looks even younger than you, but in truth, her strength should be on par with mine."

Yan Shaozhe sighed. It was undoubtedly an unbelievable fact.

Zhang Lexuan's eyes widened!

Who was Yan Shaozhe? The dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, a level-95 Super Douluo!

Yet he had personally said that a girl around Zhang Lexuan's age possessed strength equal to his?!

"Shocking, isn't it? I wasn't any less shocked than you are now when I first found out."

"She comes from a powerful organization. Before she appeared, we did not even know such an organization existed."

"You still remember the Sea God Lake tide from a month ago, don't you?"

Zhang Lexuan nodded. Several outer courtyard students had been swept into the lake by that tide, so it had left a deep impression on her.

"That tide was caused when she fell into Sea God Lake while wearing that armor."

"At the time, many of our elders, including Elder Xuan, tried to intercept her before she fell, but all of them failed."

Yan Shaozhe's words once again struck at the limits of her understanding. She could no longer imagine what kind of methods would be required to achieve such a thing.

"These are secrets that Sea God's Pavilion has not yet announced to the public. Remember not to spread them around."

Since Zhang Lexuan had already met Firefly, it was only a matter of time before she learned these things. It was better to tell her in advance so she would have time to prepare.

Besides, she had been raised by Elder Mu since childhood, so Yan Shaozhe trusted her.

So she was that powerful...

Zhang Lexuan recalled the time she had spent with Yu Wuyi.

"You can call me Senior Sister!"

"What? You were thinking about me?"

"Little Firefly, you were so cool just now!"

"Little Firefly..."

"Little... Firefly?"

Thinking about how she had acted like a senior in front of a big shot at the Super Douluo level, her face instantly turned bright red.

This was way too embarrassing!

And what was that "Little Firefly"? Zhang Lexuan, what the hell were you doing, Zhang Lexuan?!

But when she thought of the cracks on Yu Wuyi's body, she suddenly looked at Yan Shaozhe and asked:

"Was her terminal illness fake?"

Yan Shaozhe was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected her to have told Zhang Lexuan even that.

"No, she really does suffer from a peculiar illness. Even Elder Zhuang is helpless against it."

"Perhaps that is the price of her immense power."

That last sentence was merely his guess. After all, she looked no older than twenty. Even if she had started cultivating in the womb, there was no way she could have reached such a level.

Yet when she spoke of it, she hadn't shown the slightest resentment. It was obvious that she had chosen this willingly.

Perhaps she had done it so she could contribute her own strength during that crisis. What a brave child...

"Is that so..."

Zhang Lexuan felt dejected. Though she had never expected Yu Wuyi to be such a powerful expert, there was no doubt that she cared about her. Deep down, she wished Yu Wuyi had been lying to her.

If only it were fake...

She murmured to herself inwardly.

"Achoo!"

Far away on the inner courtyard's streets, Yu Wuyi suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose, puzzled.

"By all rights, I shouldn't get sick. Could someone be thinking about me?"

But after pondering it for a long while without reaching any conclusion, he put the matter out of his mind.

The streetlights cast a warm glow, standing in stark contrast to the deserted streets. After all, most of the students had gone to the lakeside.

Still, he quite liked this peaceful atmosphere. It cleared his mind and kept his thoughts from being disturbed by all the surrounding noise.

It was the same familiar vending machine, but this time, he selected a cup of juice.

As the sweet flavor spread across his tongue, Yu Wuyi's mood brightened considerably.

Sitting on a bench, he began considering his next plans.

"Though it was an accident, I was lucky enough to establish a connection with Shrek Academy. With them around, the Odd Jobs House's future development will go much more smoothly."

"But things here are more or less settled. Next, I'll have to choose between going to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a soul ring or returning to the Odd Jobs House to take commissions."

"I can't believe it's already been a month since I sent little Ning Tian back to her sect, though I spent most of that time unconscious."

Yu Wuyi could not help but smile.

"But the Odd Jobs House still hasn't made a name for itself. If I go back now, I'll probably have to wait for someone destined to come along again."

"Since I'm already here, I might as well settle the soul ring matter before heading back. Shrek is close to the great forest anyway."