Zhang Lexuan

Jiang Yue had never expected to encounter someone with such complicated emotions in Shrek City. Of course, he had never denied that such people existed; he simply had not expected to run into one himself.

Even if the person before him had always lived in Shrek City, the city was enormous and densely populated. As a major commercial city with a highly mobile population, unless it was by chance or deliberate intent, encountering someone like this was as difficult as finding a Mental Attribute soul beast with a decent bloodline.

"Hello, may I ask what brings you here?"

Seeing that the person had been standing outside his shop without any intention of leaving, Jiang Yue spoke up. Behind him was a group of hungry friends, and even his own stomach was growling. Naturally, he wanted to hurry inside and cook.

Hearing him, the person slowly turned around. Only then did Jiang Yue and the others clearly see her appearance, as well as the Shrek Academy emblem embroidered on her red uniform.

During the era of Douluo II, Shrek Academy's uniforms were not all green. Outer Court students wore white, yellow, purple, and black uniforms according to their grade level, while only Inner Court students wore red uniforms representing a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

The Inner Court was the true Shrek Academy. No matter how talented an Outer Court student was, they could only be considered to have truly joined Shrek Academy after entering the Inner Court.

Because of the Shrek Inspector Corps, most Inner Court disciples did not remain on Sea God Island. Instead, they carried out all sorts of Inspector Corps missions outside.

For that reason, the Inner Court had very few disciples. The Inner Court students who survived were not merely outstanding in talent; their experience in handling all kinds of sudden and unexpected situations placed them among the best of their generation across the continent.

Although Shrek Academy had all sorts of problems, one point could not be denied: Inner Court disciples were unquestionably geniuses, every one of them possessing the potential to become a Titled Douluo.

Although Jiang Yue and the others had spent several months at Shrek Academy, they had not seen even one Inner Court disciple. Now, one had suddenly appeared before them. How could these Outer Court freshmen not be surprised?

More importantly, this Inner Court disciple had a lovely figure and a calm, gentle face. Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, she seemed covered in a warm radiance. Especially when she looked at Jiang Yue and the others, her gaze carried the affection of an elder toward juniors, making her seem exceptionally approachable and comforting.

Naturally, Jiang Yue and the others could not have silently approached someone whose cultivation was clearly far above theirs. The woman looked over at the sound, saw a group of little Outer Court students from Shrek Academy, and smiled as she slowly walked closer.

"Hello, little juniors. I heard someone say that a... Psychological Counseling Room had opened here in Shrek City? I think that was the name. I heard it was established by one of the academy's students and could help people relax, so I came to take a look."

"This should be the address, but it seems the place is not open. Do you know this shop? Do you know roughly when it opens?"

As soon as the senior's words fell, everyone else turned to look at Jiang Yue. Their emotions were much the same as his own—slightly stunned.

This Psychological Counseling Room had only been open for a little over three months. They had thought it would already be impressive if it gained some fame in the Shrek Outer Court, yet even Inner Court students knew of its existence.

Jiang Yue was a little excited. Judging by the situation, once the Freshman Assessment ended and normal business resumed, would his revenue reach a new high? Just thinking about it made him a little thrilled.

Seeing that the little students dressed in the white uniforms of first-year Outer Court students had all turned to look at one person, she bent slightly so that her line of sight was level with Jiang Yue's.

Even on Douluo Continent, where bodies grew quickly under the influence of martial souls, Soul Power, Soul Rings, and other external factors, there was still quite a height difference between Jiang Yue's group and this Inner Court senior.

Startled by her sudden movement, Jiang Yue instinctively took two steps back. He did not know who this Inner Court senior was, whether she had appeared in the original story or was merely an unseen background character. Without knowing anything about her, rash contact only made him uncomfortable.

What Jiang Yue could determine was that this senior was neither Ma Xiaotao nor Wu Ming, those two living volcanoes, nor was she Ling Luocheng, who was like a block of ice.

"Little junior, if you know anything, could you tell me? Please?"

"Um, actually, I own this shop. I'm the owner."

"Huh? Junior, shouldn't you be taking the Freshman Assessment right now? You still found time to open a shop? That's impressive. I wonder if I might have the chance to visit the shop you run?"

"The Freshman Assessment is pretty easy. As for you wanting to visit my shop, I'm busy with the assessment these next two days and don't have much free time. If you're really in a hurry, you can wait until after we finish eating."

"Mm, then thank you, Junior."

How should he put it? Jiang Yue was genuinely afraid that this seemingly normal senior might suffer an emotional breakdown from some trigger the very next second.

This was Douluo Continent. While there was no such thing as inner demons, an emotional breakdown was still an extremely serious matter.

If an emotional collapse caused psychological problems, this Inner Court senior might very well become an Evil Soul Master.

As for Evil Soul Masters, Jiang Yue did not have many thoughts about them for now. If he encountered one, he would kill them; if he did not, then so be it. At least, he had no grand ambition of exterminating every Evil Soul Master. After all, the Evil Soul Master who had slaughtered his entire village had long since been personally killed by him.

At this moment, Jiang Yue had no one or nothing he particularly cared about, nor did he feel much attachment to the whole of Douluo Continent.

The reason he agreed to take a look at this senior's condition was entirely because she was beautiful and had a very good personality. Besides, Jiang Yue truly wanted to know why an Inner Court disciple could possess such complicated emotions.

As long as something interested Jiang Yue, he was willing to investigate it.

"Alright, everyone, go inside. Senior, please wait a moment."

"Mm, go ahead and do what you need to do. I'm not in a hurry. Oh, right, my name is Zhang Lexuan. What are your names, Juniors?"

"My name is Jiang Yue. The fuller-built one is Xie Huanyue. They're Lu Bei and Zuo Fan, and the two who look alike over there are Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba."

Upon hearing the name Zhang Lexuan, Jiang Yue was somewhat surprised, though he showed no reaction on the surface and did not reveal even the slightest sign that he knew her.

Now that he knew this Inner Court senior was Zhang Lexuan, Jiang Yue understood why her emotions were so complicated.

How should he put it? Her clan had been exterminated, and she alone had escaped. To get Mu En to avenge her, she agreed to his condition and became Bei Bei's child bride. She placed all her emotional support in Bei Bei and Shrek Academy. She had likely spent a long time in bed as a vegetative patient, then raised Bei Bei as both an older sister and a mother, only for Bei Bei to regard her as family.

It was like the pillar that had sustained her through all those years had collapsed by more than half, leaving her unable to find the meaning of her own existence. That was why she had become a collection of complicated emotions.

After entering the Psychological Counseling Room, Zhang Lexuan curiously examined the decor. Seeing the others sit down while Jiang Yue carried the ingredients alone into the open kitchen, and noticing the almost undisguised gleam in Xie Huanyue's eyes, Zhang Lexuan could not help feeling surprised.

He was just cooking a meal. Was that really necessary?

In the kitchen, Jiang Yue skillfully handled all kinds of ingredients. Ordinary ingredients posed no difficulty at all for a Soul Master.

His entire process of preparing the ingredients flowed smoothly, and he was thoroughly familiar with the placement of everything in the kitchen. One glance was enough to tell that he cooked often.

After quickly preparing the ingredients and heating the iron wok, Jiang Yue closed his eyes tightly. His aura soon became ethereal. After waiting a moment, he abruptly opened his eyes and added the ingredients to the wok in order, while crisp collisions rang out between the kitchen utensils.

This Psychological Counseling Room had been specially treated. There was no choking smoke in the space, only an aroma that stirred one's taste buds.

Moreover, along with the waves of fragrance, everyone felt their moods improve considerably. The emotions Xie Huanyue and the others had felt after losing to Jiang Yue were also soothed.

Zhang Lexuan was surprised to discover that merely smelling the aroma improved her mood somewhat. Yet it was clearly just an ordinary cooking process. Why did it have such an effect?

Tempted by both the fragrance and her improved emotions, the dignified and gentle Zhang Lexuan could not help swallowing the saliva that had formed in her mouth.

Before long, the aroma gradually faded. They noticed the covered plates Jiang Yue held in his hands and immediately went over to help him carry them.

"Dinner's ready too. Senior, do you want to try some? Maybe eating something will improve your mood, and then you won't need any other treatment methods. I'm quite confident in my cooking. If it doesn't work, you don't pay."

"This..."

"Grrr—"

She wanted to say something else, but her stomach protested. In the end, she still sat down at the dining table.

Snap!

As he snapped his fingers and lifted the covers, blinding golden light burst from the food beneath, illuminating the entire Psychological Counseling Room brighter than daylight.

The sudden scene was too much for everyone's eyes, and they instinctively raised their hands to block the dazzling light.

That was right, a flash bomb. This time, Jiang Yue had added a flash bomb to the dishes, which was why they emitted such an eye-searing brilliance.

As the saying went, a dish that did not glow could not be a delicious dish. One look was enough to tell that Jiang Yue's cooking was exceptionally delicious.

Once the light faded, what came into view was merely a few simple homestyle dishes. Yet these homestyle dishes made from ordinary ingredients caused even Zhang Lexuan, the Inner Court's senior sister who regularly ate delicacies from land and sea, to feast heartily.

Joy. That was the emotion currently filling Zhang Lexuan's mind. These few dishes alone had greatly improved her mood, and for the moment, she had cast all her worries beyond the clouds.

After Jiang Yue finished clearing the mess from the table, Zhang Lexuan finally emerged from her relaxed state. Feeling how much lighter her mood had become, her smile grew even brighter.

"Food can actually have such an effect? That's truly amazing!"

"Diet therapy is also a form of treatment. Besides replenishing the nutrients the body needs, eating is meant to bring spiritual satisfaction during the process. Making food more delicious so diners can enjoy it to the fullest is a chef's basic skill and also a form of respect for the ingredients."

"Eating itself is something that should be enjoyed. If something does not taste good, then no matter how beneficial it is to the body, I believe not many people would want to eat it."

"Senior, do you think what I said makes sense?"

"Mm, it does make some sense. However, your views conflict with those of the Inner Court cafeteria's nutritionist. Come to think of it, if everyone in the Inner Court heard what you said, they would probably all take your side."

"I hope you enter the Inner Court soon. Then perhaps the Inner Court students will be able to eat better."

Thinking of the nutritionist at the Inner Court cafeteria, Zhang Lexuan felt that she preferred the food made by this little junior before her, and she agreed with what he had just said even more.

No matter how high the nutritional value was, it was useless if people had no desire to eat it.

Suddenly, Zhang Lexuan shot to her feet and stared at her hands in disbelief. Soul Power continuously circulated through her body, striking against the barrier within her, and in the blink of an eye, the energy of heaven and earth began gathering around her.

"This is?!"

Zhang Lexuan knew perfectly well what this feeling was. A breakthrough—her Soul Power, which had shown no movement for a long time, was actually showing signs of breaking through!

Was it because her emotions were no longer as low as before?

Zhang Lexuan did not know, but she knew that the signs of a breakthrough had appeared only after she ate the food Jiang Yue had made.

Opportunities for breakthrough were exceedingly rare, and Zhang Lexuan naturally could not let one slip away. After giving Jiang Yue a deep look, she took a Gold Soul Card from her Storage Soul Tool, placed it on the table, and vanished.

"Sorry, I suddenly gained some insight and need to return quickly. Thank you for the food. It was delicious, even better than what the Inner Court chefs make. We'll meet again if there's a chance."

"You must work hard. I hope you can enter the Inner Court soon. When you do, Senior will definitely show you around properly."

With Zhang Lexuan's departure, the energy of heaven and earth that had faintly been drawn over returned to normal. Jiang Yue picked up the Gold Soul Card on the table and put it away.

Come to think of it, Jiang Yue was rather surprised that Zhang Lexuan showed signs of a Soul Power breakthrough after eating his food. Was his cooking really that impressive? Could it even make a Soul Douluo suddenly break through? It seemed that becoming a full-time chef in the future would also offer excellent prospects.

The next day, the morning and afternoon would hold the semifinals, reducing four teams to two, followed by the final. That was right, the quarterfinals had already ended yesterday afternoon.

Last night's meal had not only been to comfort Xie Huanyue's team after Jiang Yue's group defeated them, but also to celebrate Jiang Yue's team successfully entering the final four.

Of the teams that entered the final four, one was entirely composed of Soul Grandmasters, while the other three, as expected, were led by Soul Elders. That meant Xie Huanyue had become the only one among the four freshman Soul Elders who had failed to reach the final four.

Since it was the final day of the Freshman Assessment, Du Weilun was no longer the one overseeing the drawing of lots. Instead, it was an elderly man wearing a white robe.

And who else could be standing respectfully behind that old man but Du Weilun?

Bright Phoenix Douluo Yan Shaozhe, disciple of Dragon God Douluo Mu En, Ma Xiaotao's master, and dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department. He stood among the very top tier of the current continent.

The drawing for the Freshman Assessment finals was personally handled by this dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department.

Yan Shaozhe's personality flaws were indeed obvious. His pettiness had kept him stuck at Rank 95 for many years. Yet whether it was Ning Tian or Dai Huabin, their faces were filled with solemn respect before Yan Shaozhe.

Dai Huabin in particular had never been seen looking so respectful by any of the academy's many students. When Du Weilun had overseen the drawing before, Dai Huabin had always made Zhu Lu do it in his place.

After stepping onto the stage and respectfully bowing like the other two, Jiang Yue drew out a numbered token.

"First match of the semifinals: Jiang Yue's team versus Ning Tian's team!"

Ning Tian and Jiang Yue looked at the numbers in each other's hands. After confirming there had been no mistake, they both lamented that they truly had no fate with Dai Huabin.

The two teams entered the assessment area. There was no need to introduce themselves; they already knew one another, so no extra formalities were necessary.

All six people on the field released their martial souls and Soul Rings at once, waiting only for the proctor's command to begin the match.