Righteous Heaven Academy

Soto City—Auxiliary City—Peace Hotel

Gu Hengzhi slowly came to, feeling as though his eyelids were pinned beneath a thousand-pound weight, impossible to open. The fierce battle outside Shrek Academy had forced him to expend ten drops of vital blood to unleash his ultimate move—Day and Night: Samsara Tribulation. Now, his blood and vitality were utterly depleted, leaving him as though he had fallen into an abyss.

"Ah... ah!" He let out a sigh, as if every ounce of strength had been drained from his body.

Gu Hengzhi braced himself against the headboard and used all his strength to prop himself up. His face was pale as paper, utterly bloodless, as though a gust of wind could knock him over.

"My blood and vitality are depleted to such an extent! Looks like I'll have to use a thousand-year-old ginseng to replenish myself!" he muttered, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness and exhaustion.

Outside the room, Zhu Zhuqing was heartily enjoying the food spread across the table, eating with the speed of a whirlwind sweeping through fallen leaves. Her usual proud, icy expression had long vanished, replaced by a face full of satisfaction and bliss. There was not the slightest trace of the etiquette expected of the Star Luo Empire's second prince's fiancée. At that moment, she was like a little gluttonous cat conquered by delicious food, completely immersed in this world of flavor.

Hearing movement inside the room, Zhu Zhuqing froze slightly, the century-old pheasant leg she had not yet finished gnawing still hanging in midair. Then, undisguised delight blossomed across her face like a flower opening in spring. Still holding the chicken leg, she hurriedly lifted the bedroom curtain and ran inside as happily as a bird. "Gu Hengzhi, you're awake!"

Looking at Zhu Zhuqing, who had turned into a little gluttonous cat, Gu Hengzhi covered his eyes with his right hand, unable to stop a smile from curling across his lips. He teased, "Is this really the proud and icy Star Luo Empire prince's fiancée I know? How did you turn into a little gluttonous pig?"

"I came to see you out of kindness, and you actually dare call me a little gluttonous pig? Hmph!" Zhu Zhuqing's little face instantly flushed red like a ripe apple. Pretending to be angry, she turned to leave.

Seeing this, Gu Hengzhi quickly reached out to stop her. "My mistake. I shouldn't have called you a little gluttonous pig. You should be a cute little gluttonous cat. Zhuqing, enough joking around. How long was I unconscious? And... who changed my clothes...?"

"You were unconscious for one day and two nights. As for your clothes... who else could it have been but me?" Zhu Zhuqing's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, while the blush on her face was as radiant as the evening clouds, like a ripe cherry that made one want to take a bite.

"That long?" Gu Hengzhi frowned slightly and fell into thought. After a moment, he came back to himself and said softly, "Mm. Then, Zhuqing, have the inn staff prepare some food that replenishes blood and vitality for me. I lost a great deal of both and need to recover." There was a trace of anticipation in his eyes, as though such food were the very source of his life.

Before long, the great food-devouring battle shifted from the dining table to Gu Hengzhi's bedroom, with Gu Hengzhi joining the ranks of the combatants.

Pulling out a sheet of paper from the bedside cabinet, Gu Hengzhi wiped his mouth, then leaned back against the headboard with satisfaction. "Zhuqing, you've seen what kind of person your so-called fiancé is, and you also know how deplorable the Shrek Academy he attends is. What do you plan to do in the future?" His voice held a note of concern.

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes were lost and helpless. She tried hard to think, as though searching for a glimmer of hope amid her chaotic thoughts. "The future... the future?" she murmured, her voice like a dying candle in the wind, flickering precariously. "I'm now being hunted by assassins from the Star Luo Empire, with no path of retreat left to me. And that so-called fiancé of mine is such a morally corrupt person. I truly don't know where to go from here. Perhaps I can only take things one step at a time..." Her voice grew softer and softer, as though swallowed by some invisible force, until it vanished completely into the air.

A flash of delight passed through Gu Hengzhi's eyes, and he hurriedly said, "Since you don't have anywhere suitable to go, why not come with me to the advanced Soul Master academy beside Peace Hotel—Righteous Heaven Academy?" His tone was full of expectation, as though he were painting a beautiful future for Zhu Zhuqing. "Righteous Heaven Academy is, after all, an advanced academy. It has at least one Soul Sage in residence, so protecting us certainly won't be a problem. Besides, we'll be in the same city as your fiancé. When the time comes, we can use sparring as an excuse to slap Dai Mubai hard across the face!" His words were like a sharp sword, piercing straight into Zhu Zhuqing's heart.

A hint of hesitation flashed through Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, but it was swiftly replaced by resolve. She pondered for a moment, as though waging an intense battle with herself deep within her heart. In the end, she readily agreed to Gu Hengzhi's suggestion. "Alright!" The word exploded through the air like a clap of thunder, pointing the way toward her future.

Righteous Heaven Academy—an academy brought here from ten thousand years in the future by a spacetime current caused when the Asura God-King actively interfered with the Douluo Plane. Everything here seemed so mysterious, yet full of hope, as though fate itself had arranged for Zhu Zhuqing and Gu Hengzhi to meet here.

The academy's founder, Kong Ling, was like a dazzling pearl radiating brilliant light. Her martial soul—the Seven-Colored Peacock—was like a magnificent work of multicolored art, leaving people in awe. Her eighty-ninth-rank soul power was like a towering mountain, inspiring reverence from afar.

There were five Soul Masters above rank seventy in the academy. Like stars in the night sky, each shone with a distinctive light. One of them was the vice principal, Tie Hong, whose martial soul was the Blood Wolf. His sharp aura seemed capable of tearing apart the void. The others were outstanding instructors who used their wisdom and experience to light the students' path forward.

Ten thousand years later, Righteous Heaven Academy had become an advanced academy dedicated to cultivating powerful Soul Masters. It possessed abundant experience in training Soul Masters, like a treasure vault waiting for students to explore and uncover. Its most famous student was Ye Wuqing. His martial soul, the Golden Leaf, was like golden flames burning with boundless fighting spirit. As a fifty-second-rank battle Soul Master, he became the captain in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament three years later, bearing the heavy responsibility of leading his team to victory. Among the other students were several Soul Ancestors in their forties, who were also key members of the tournament team, like fierce warriors ready to charge into battle at any moment.

Perhaps it was fate, but Righteous Heaven Academy had actually relocated to Soto City, and specifically to Soto City's Auxiliary City. More coincidentally still, Righteous Heaven Academy was located not far from Peace Hotel.