The Inner Court Genius, Is That You?

Early morning, Shrek Inner Court.

Six figures followed behind Yan Shaozhe, speeding toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

At the front was a broad-shouldered young man with long golden hair. He was Dai Yueheng, the eldest son of the White Tiger Duke. Beside him walked a blue-haired woman with a frosty expression—Ling Luochen, an ice-element control-type Soul King.

"Dean, why aren't we going to the Great Soul Arena for special training? What are we doing at the edge of this forest where not even birds bother to shit?"

Dai Yueheng frowned, a trace of doubt in his voice.

"And you said Senior Sister Xiaotao was here too? And we're supposed to play some... game?"

As Inner Court disciples, every second of their time was precious. They hardly had enough time to cultivate their Soul Power, so where would they find time for entertainment? If Yan Shaozhe had not personally led them here, Dai Yueheng would have turned around and left long ago.

"Cut the nonsense." Yan Shaozhe did not even turn his head, but a wicked smile curled across his lips. "Yueheng, do you think your cultivation as a level sixty-four Soul Emperor makes you very strong? Do you think no one your age can beat you anymore?"

"I wouldn't dare say that." Dai Yueheng sounded humble, but the pride in his eyes was impossible to hide. "Still, at this age, aside from Senior Sister Xiaotao, who has always stayed ahead of me, I'm confident I won't lose to anyone else."

"Very good. Keep that confidence."

Yan Shaozhe silently added in his heart, I hope you can still talk that tough after meeting Teacher Gundyr.

Ten minutes later, Origin Internet Cafe.

When this group of Inner Court geniuses pushed open the door, what they saw first was not some peerless master, but an utterly decadent scene.

In the lobby, Outer Court disciples wore helmets and shouted at the tops of their lungs.

"Xu Sanshi! You useless bastard! Raise your shield!"

"Wang Dong! Stop flying around! Get down here and spread the powder!"

"Yuhao, call out their positions! I'm about to use my ultimate!"

A trace of disdain flashed through Dai Yueheng's eyes as he watched the scene.

"Bei Bei? Xu Sanshi?" Dai Yueheng snorted. "The Outer Court's twin stars are wasting their lives playing around here? Looks like this year's Outer Court is pretty pathetic."

Bei Bei had been busy chopping at enemies' feet in the game. Hearing the voice, he removed his helmet and froze for a moment when he saw who had arrived. Then he politely greeted them, "Senior Dai, Senior Ling, you're here too?"

"Hmph." Dai Yueheng ignored him and looked toward Lu Yuan behind the counter. "Boss, Dean Yan brought us here. I heard you can provide special training?"

He looked Lu Yuan up and down and found no trace of Soul Power fluctuations from him. The contempt in his eyes deepened.

"Special training would be overstating it." Lu Yuan set down the sunflower seeds in his hand and pointed at the price list on the wall. "I merely provide a place for you to recognize yourselves. Two Gold Soul Coins per hour. No credit."

"Recognize ourselves?"

Dai Yueheng laughed in anger.

He was the eldest young master of the White Tiger Duke's Estate and a top student of Shrek Inner Court. Did he need to find himself in some shady internet cafe?

Just then, footsteps sounded from the staircase leading down from the second floor.

"What's all the noise? Never seen the world before?"

A lazy yet domineering voice rang out.

Everyone looked up to see Ma Xiaotao walking slowly downstairs in a casual red dress, a bottle of Sprite in her hand and her long legs carrying her down with ease.

Ma Xiaotao was in astonishingly good condition today. Her skin was fair with a rosy glow, and the violent aura of Evil Fire that had once surrounded her had completely vanished. She radiated a profound and dangerous calmness.

"Senior... Senior Sister Xiaotao?"

Dai Yueheng's pupils contracted.

He and Ma Xiaotao had been old rivals for years, so he naturally understood her condition best.

The Ma Xiaotao of the past had been like an active volcano that could erupt at any moment. Even approaching her had felt scorching.

But now, she was like a bottomless sea, so calm that it made one's heart tremble.

"Senior Sister, your Evil Fire..." Ling Luochen was equally stunned. As an elemental Soul Master herself, she was the most sensitive to auras.

"It's suppressed." Ma Xiaotao took a sip of Sprite and pointed at the gaming pods behind her. "Thanks to this place! Yueheng, since you're here, stop acting like some young master. In here, you can't even beat a minor monster."

"What?" Dai Yueheng felt insulted. "Senior Sister, I may not be able to beat you, but you don't have to belittle me like that, do you? I can't even beat a minor monster? You're underestimating the White Tiger martial soul too much!"

"Don't believe it?" Yan Shaozhe stepped forward at just the right moment. "Yueheng, go try it! That game is called Dark Souls 3. If you can defeat the beginner boss in one try, I'll personally reward you with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone."

"A Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone?!"

The entire place erupted.

Dai Yueheng's eyes instantly turned red.

"Dean, you said it!" Dai Yueheng's confidence soared. "Don't regret it later!"

He strode upstairs and dropped heavily into a chair.

Lu Yuan suppressed a laugh and turned on the machine for him.

Dai Yueheng entered the game and frowned at his set of battered junk gear, but he patiently fought his way to the boss arena.

"That's it? Those hollow corpses move as slowly as turtles."

Dai Yueheng disdainfully drew the Coiled Sword.

BOOM!

Iudex Gundyr awakened.

"Come on! Let me show you the White Tiger Meteor Shower's... huh?"

Dai Yueheng instinctively tried to release a soul skill, only to discover that there was nothing inside his body.

"Right, no Soul Power." Dai Yueheng snorted. "So what if I have no Soul Power? With my fighting skills, I can still crush you!"

He raised his shield and charged straight in, intending to clash head-on with Gundyr.

Deep down, he was an assault-type Soul Master with astonishing defense. He believed there was no need for him to dodge at all.

However, Teacher Gundyr specialized in curing every kind of stubborn fool.

The halberd swept sideways!

BANG!

Dai Yueheng, shield and all, was sent flying and smashed brutally into the ground. Half his health bar vanished.

"It's that heavy?!" Dai Yueheng was shocked.

Before he could get back up, Gundyr followed with a leaping slash.

YOU DIED!

The Screen went black. Time elapsed: 15 seconds.

In the real world, on the second floor of the internet cafe.

Dai Yueheng removed his helmet, completely dumbfounded.

"I... died?"

"Impossible! I was careless just now! I wasn't prepared!"

Dai Yueheng's face flushed crimson. Feeling the gazes directed at him from downstairs made his face burn even more.

"Again!"

This time, he had learned his lesson and began circling with his shield raised.

But he got greedy.

After slashing Gundyr twice, he tried to squeeze in a third hit.

Gundyr answered with an Iron Mountain Lean, followed by a grab that tossed him off the cliff like trash.

YOU DIED!

The third time... Gundyr transformed into Pus of Man and killed him instantly.

The fourth time... he was stabbed to death while drinking a potion.

Half an hour later.

The once high-spirited eldest young master of the White Tiger was now slumped in his chair, his eyes vacant and his hair a complete mess from all the grabbing. He muttered to himself.

"Impossible... why is his attack range so huge..."

"Why can't I move while drinking a potion..."

"Am I trash..."

Downstairs.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi exchanged a glance, both seeing the schadenfreude in the other's eyes.

"Tsk, tsk. So the Inner Court geniuses are nothing special after all." Xu Sanshi deliberately raised his voice. "At least we lasted half a minute yesterday."

"Exactly." Wang Dong twisted the knife further. "His mental fortitude is awful. He's shutting down after dying only a few times? This young master died more than ten times yesterday and still didn't give up!"

Those words were more painful to Dai Yueheng than killing him.

"Who's shutting down?!"

Dai Yueheng abruptly leaped to his feet, his eyes bloodshot like a gambler who had lost everything.

"Boss! Get me a bottle of that green stuff! I need to cool off! I don't believe it! If I don't kill this Gundyr today, I'm not going back to the Inner Court!"

Watching Dai Yueheng completely lose himself in it, Yan Shaozhe nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good. This is called setback education."

Yan Shaozhe looked at Lu Yuan and lowered his voice. "Boss, arrange something for the rest of them too. Don't go easy on them. Beat them half to death."

Lu Yuan gave him an "OK" gesture.

"No problem! Ling Luochen is ice-element? Send her into Monster Hunter to become Barioth's toy."

"Chen Zifeng has a sword martial soul? Send him into Sekiro so Isshin Ashina can teach him what a Sword Saint is."

An hour later.

Origin Internet Cafe was filled with miserable howls.

These Shrek Inner Court geniuses, who normally held their heads high above everyone else, were now being beaten to death and back in their respective game worlds, questioning their entire lives.

Yet strangely, not a single one of them gave up.

On the contrary, an unprecedented desire for victory burned in everyone's eyes.

This pure contest of skill, untainted by the suppression of Soul Power Levels, opened the door to a new world for them.

Just then.

Huo Yuhao, who had been quietly gaming in the corner, suddenly began glowing with a faint white light.

BZZZ!

Soul Power fluctuations spread outward.

Huo Yuhao removed his helmet, his face full of delight. "I broke through! I reached level twelve!"

The entire place fell silent. Everyone stared at Huo Yuhao as though he were a monster.

Playing a game... could make someone level up too?

"What are you looking at?" Lu Yuan calmly took a sip of cola. "Extreme mental concentration drives Soul Power to circulate on its own. At an internet cafe, isn't leveling up just basic operation?"

Hearing that.

Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, Ma Xiaotao... every Inner Court disciple's eyes instantly turned green.

They could hone their skills, suppress Evil Fire, and level up automatically?

"Boss! I want a membership card!"

"I want an annual card!"

"Don't crowd me! I got here first!"

Watching those Gold Soul Coin cards being waved around, Lu Yuan tilted his head toward the sky and let out a long sigh.

"Ah, this damned power of money!"

"Looks like the plan to expand to the third floor needs to be put on the schedule."