Everyone Has a First Time, Right? (Two Chapters in One)

"Haha, little Xuan Yu, here I am."

Ye Zhiqiu walked over to the ancient tree, crouched down, and met Lan Xuanyu's eyes.

Lan Xuanyu leaned against the trunk, his chest still heaving, though his complexion had improved considerably. Looking at Ye Zhiqiu's smiling face, he couldn't help rolling his eyes.

"What did you mean just now? What's this 'little Xuan Yu' business?"

"You're younger than me."

"By how much?"

"Three months older is still older." Ye Zhiqiu chuckled. He found teasing Lan Xuanyu particularly entertaining.

Lan Xuanyu opened his mouth to argue, only to realize he had nothing to argue with. He could only turn his face away and mutter under his breath.

Ye Zhiqiu laughed and fished a candy out of his pocket, offering it to him.

Lan Xuanyu paused, then took the candy and turned it over in his hands.

"Why do you have candy on you?"

"Habit," Ye Zhiqiu said casually.

It was a habit he had developed while writing novels in his previous life. He always kept a few candies in his pocket and ate one whenever he got stuck. A little sweetness in his mouth helped his thoughts flow more smoothly.

He had brought that habit with him after transmigrating, but this world didn't have any of the brands from his previous life, and the flavor was considerably worse.

Lan Xuanyu unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth. His cheek bulged slightly, and his expression visibly relaxed.

"When you first saw me just now, was that smile because you thought I looked especially miserable?" he asked around the candy.

"No, I just thought your hair looked like a bird's nest."

"Ye Zhiqiu!"

"What?"

"Believe me, if I ever get the chance, I'm definitely challenging you to a fight."

"You can't beat me."

"..."

Lan Xuanyu took a deep breath and decided not to stoop to his level.

He moved his right shoulder. The wound had stopped bleeding, and bodies recovered much faster in the virtual world than in reality, but his soul power was still far from restored.

"Seriously, how did you get here? Where's Qianqiu?" Lan Xuanyu asked.

"She was going to come, but I told her to stay." Ye Zhiqiu stood up and brushed the dirt off his hands. "She's pushing for level forty lately. Best not to interrupt her."

"Level forty?" Lan Xuanyu blinked. "She's almost a Soul Ancestor?"

"Yeah. She just needs to accumulate a bit more soul power."

"What about you?"

"Me?" Ye Zhiqiu gave him a smiling glance. "I'm level forty-seven."

Lan Xuanyu opened his mouth at that, then simply closed it again.

"...How old are you?"

"Eleven."

"Eleven years old and level forty-seven?"

"Is that so strange?"

"Obviously!" Lan Xuanyu nearly sprang up, but the movement tugged at the wound on his chest, making him bare his teeth in pain. He could only settle back down and glare at him. "How many eleven-year-old level forty-sevens have there been in Shrek Academy's history?"

"Hmm, when you put it that way, I suppose I really am rather impressive." Ye Zhiqiu nodded with a perfectly straight face.

Lan Xuanyu rolled his eyes.

He had known Ye Zhiqiu for several years. From the first time Qian Lei's Summoning Gate pulled him over until now, the two had fought together, explored the Douluo World, and even occasionally teamed up in the virtual world to fight soul beasts. All of it had made him realize that Ye Zhiqiu's personality truly was unlike anyone else's.

"I should head back. The summoning time is almost up," Ye Zhiqiu said.

Lan Xuanyu braced himself against the trunk and stood. His legs were still a little weak, but they held.

Looking at Ye Zhiqiu, he asked, "That condition of yours—what exactly is it?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"When will you decide?"

"We'll talk about it when the time comes." Ye Zhiqiu smiled, waved to him, and turned toward the portal.

After two steps, he stopped and glanced back.

"Oh, right. Once you get into Shrek Academy, I'll have you fulfill it then."

Lan Xuanyu watched his retreating figure and pressed his lips together. Finally, he called out, "Ye Zhiqiu!"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Ye Zhiqiu didn't turn around. He merely raised his right hand and waved, then stepped into the silvery-white gate of light.

The gate closed.

Lan Xuanyu remained where he was, watching the spot where the light had vanished. After a while, he muttered, "That guy. He's clearly dependable, but he just has to act like he's begging to be punched."

In the distance, the red glow around Liu Feng finally began to fade. He slowly opened his eyes and let out a breath.

"I absorbed it all."

"Good." Lan Xuanyu nodded, then looked in the direction where Bing Tianliang's group had disappeared. "Let's go find Qian Lei, then wait for the Selection Tournament to end."

"Yeah."

Heaven Dou Star, Heaven Dou Academy

When Ye Zhiqiu returned, Dong Qianqiu was still keeping watch beside him.

"You're back?"

"I'm back," Ye Zhiqiu said, rolling his neck.

"How did it go?"

"I helped them fight a battle. Someone on the other side was a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor. He was decent, but it wasn't much of a problem," Ye Zhiqiu said with a smile.

When they reached the dormitory entrance, Ye Zhiqiu's communicator vibrated.

He took it out and glanced at it. Ye Wenduo was calling.

Once he answered, Ye Wenduo's voice came through the communicator, carrying some urgency and a hint of confusion.

"Zhiqiu, Shrek Academy has sent word. They want you to take an individual supplementary assessment."

"A supplementary assessment?" Ye Zhiqiu paused, though this was within his expectations. After all, Dong Qianqiu had been given one in the original story for helping out. Naturally, he was no exception.

"Yes. They didn't give a reason, only that they wanted to assess you individually." Ye Wenduo paused before continuing, "What exactly did you do?"

Ye Zhiqiu fell silent for two and a half seconds, then cleared his throat. "Ahem, I just helped some friends over on Tianluo Star finish off their enemies."

"..."

The other end of the communicator went quiet for a moment before Ye Wenduo spoke again. "...All right. That does sound like something you'd do."

"What do we do now?"

"Get to the training grounds right away and take the supplementary assessment. They said that if you don't participate, your entire group will be disqualified."

"All right. I'm heading over now."

After the call ended, Dong Qianqiu looked at him from beside him and asked, "What happened?"

"Shrek wants me to take a supplementary assessment." Ye Zhiqiu slipped the communicator back into his pocket. "Go back to the dorm. I'll head to the training grounds."

"I'll go with you," Dong Qianqiu said.

"No need. It should just be a formality. I'll be back soon."

Dong Qianqiu looked at him, hesitated, then nodded.

They parted at the dormitory entrance. Ye Zhiqiu turned toward the training grounds, while Dong Qianqiu remained where she was, watching his figure disappear into the darkness beyond the streetlights before turning and entering the building.

Ye Wenduo was already waiting in the Simulation Chamber at the training grounds.

He stood beside a Simulation Pod, his hands clasped behind his back and a complicated expression on his face, both helpless and worried.

Seeing Ye Zhiqiu enter, he sighed. "You really never give anyone a moment's peace."

"I didn't want this either. Who knew helping someone out would earn me an extra assessment?" Ye Zhiqiu walked over and stood before the Simulation Pod. "What does the assessment involve?"

"I don't know the specifics. They didn't say." Ye Wenduo paused, then added, "My guess is that it'll be deeper in the Star Dou Great Forest, with soul beasts older than the ones you encountered before."

Ye Zhiqiu nodded, getting an idea of what to expect.

In the original story, Lan Xuanyu's supplementary assessment had involved surviving twenty-four hours in the Star Dou Great Forest. Most of the soul beasts there were around ten thousand years old, and some were even stronger.

More coincidentally still, that assessment had involved an encounter with a Dark Demon Tiger.

His mind raced through the possibilities, then he said, "All right. I'm going in."

He opened the Simulation Pod's hatch and sat inside.

The hatch closed, transparent gel enveloped his entire body, and a metal mask descended from above, fitting snugly over his face.

His vision went dark, then brightened.

He had arrived in the Star Dou Great Forest once again.

The trees were taller than before, their trunks all more than two meters across. Layer upon layer of crowns completely obscured the sky, with only scattered specks of light slipping through the gaps between leaves and branches.

"Survive twenty-four hours in the Star Dou Great Forest to pass the supplementary assessment."

A somewhat familiar voice sounded in his mind, then vanished without any further explanation.

Ye Zhiqiu stood still and listened quietly. Then he rolled his neck and muttered, "Survive twenty-four hours? Fine. Same old routine—kill some time."

He knew that Lan Xuanyu had also undergone this supplementary assessment in the original story. It likewise tested his ability to survive alone in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The difference was that Lan Xuanyu had possessed two rings, while he had four.

Ye Zhiqiu closed his eyes, and Gravity Wave spread outward without a sound.

The terrain, air currents, heat sources, and soul power fluctuations within several hundred meters all appeared clearly in his perception.

Interestingly, there weren't many soul power fluctuations from soul beasts nearby. Even the closest was several hundred meters away.

Ye Zhiqiu opened his eyes, picked a direction at random, and started walking.

He had no intention of hiding in one spot. That would be too boring.

Since he had to stay for twenty-four hours anyway, he might as well explore the forest and try his luck. Perhaps he would encounter some older soul beasts and get a little practice.

After walking for roughly half an hour, he encountered his first soul beast.

It was a huge, blue-gray wolf, roughly twice the size of an adult human and nearly a meter tall at the shoulder. Its fur gleamed like metal in the dim light, and it was gnawing on the remains of some unidentified soul beast.

Ye Zhiqiu scanned it with Gravity Wave and estimated its age at around fifteen hundred years.

He didn't even use Absolute Blade. Raising his left hand, he brought Absolute Gravity down upon it. The blue-gray wolf had no time to react before fifty times normal gravity pinned its entire body to the ground, limbs splayed and belly pressed against the soil. Its mouth hung open as it let out short, agonized cries.

Ye Zhiqiu walked over and turned his right hand. Absolute Blade appeared, its tip aimed at the center of the wolf's head. With a gentle thrust, the huge wolf dissolved into specks of light.

He didn't linger, continuing deeper into the forest.

Over the next few hours, he encountered several soul beasts ranging from one thousand to three thousand years old. Through Gravity Wave, he locked onto each the instant it appeared. Before he even reached it, Absolute Gravity had already restrained it, and Absolute Blade finished it off.

The entire process was uneventful, even a little boring.

That lasted until he reached a hollow beside a stream, where an unusual signal appeared within Gravity Wave's perception.

A large patch of flattened grass lay in the center of the hollow. A massive bear-type soul beast rested in its midst, pitch-black all over and more than two meters tall at the shoulder. The claws on its forepaws were half a foot long, and it was devouring the carcass of a deer-type soul beast.

Ye Zhiqiu checked its soul power fluctuations and estimated its age at roughly five thousand years.

A five-thousand-year-old bear-type soul beast.

He considered it, shook his head, and went around.

It wasn't that he couldn't beat it. There was simply no need. The assessment's objective was survival, not clearing the map. Whether he fought it made no difference.

Right now, he only wanted a little practice so he could fight that centaur later!

He continued deeper into the forest, and several more hours passed.

Along the way, he encountered a few soul beasts between three thousand and four thousand years old. He dealt with them the same way: restrain them with gravity, finish them with a single slash, absorb their spiritual energy, and move on.

Around the tenth hour, Ye Zhiqiu noticed a distinct change in his surroundings.

The trees began to thin out, but each individual tree grew larger. Some ancient trunks required four or five people holding hands to encircle them, and their crowns rose so high that their tops were out of sight.

The vegetation on the ground changed as well, giving way to patches of rocky ground covered in glowing moss.

The concentration of soul power in the air rose noticeably, and several powerful soul power fluctuations appeared within Ye Zhiqiu's Gravity Wave perception.

One stood out in particular, roughly three kilometers to the northwest.

Ye Zhiqiu closed his eyes and examined it carefully. The fluctuation was deep and steady, carrying a trace of biting menace. All the surrounding soul power fluctuations had been driven far away by its pressure. No other soul beast dared approach within several hundred meters.

He opened his eyes and looked in that direction.

Then, rather than taking a detour, he continued forward.

This time, he wanted to take a look.

After another ten-odd minutes of walking, the trees ahead suddenly thinned, giving way to an open stretch of land divided by a stream.

The stream wasn't wide, only three or four meters across. Its waters murmured softly and were clear enough to reveal the pebbles on the bottom.

Just then, his ears caught an extremely faint sound of something cutting through the air.

From above and to the left!

Without even turning his head, Ye Zhiqiu shifted his feet and slid half a step to the right.

A dark shape swept past above his left shoulder, bringing a gust of rank wind. It was astonishingly fast, its claws cutting sharply through the air and almost grazing his scalp.

The creature landed on all fours diagonally behind him, utterly silent.

Only then did Ye Zhiqiu turn around.

It was an enormous tiger-type soul beast, more than four meters long and nearly two meters tall at the shoulder. Black-and-white markings covered its body, and its thick limbs were powerfully built. Its claw tips were black as ink, sunk deep into the rocky ground.

A pair of wings grew from its back, their feathers likewise mingled black and white. They were slightly spread, poised to exert force at any moment.

Layers of black air currents swirled around its body. Deep within them, a faint purple glow could just be seen drifting.

The black-and-white markings on its body kept shifting as though they had come alive, rising and falling with its breathing. Every marking moved slowly.

A Dark Demon Tiger.

Markings meant a hundred years, black mist meant a thousand, and the faint appearance of purple light signified that its dark demon aspect had fully formed.

The four-meter-long tiger before him possessed a full ten thousand years of cultivation.

A ten-thousand-year-old Dark Demon Tiger.

Tigers were already kings among beasts. Among tiger-type soul beasts, the Dark Demon Tiger ranked below only a select few, such as the Golden Tiger King with its golden bloodline and the mutated Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.

It was one of the top-tier soul beasts.

Though it was not the strongest, it came close.

Ye Zhiqiu looked at it and smiled. "Interesting."

He had not expected to encounter the same soul beast Qianqiu had encountered in the original story.

The Dark Demon Tiger did not attack immediately.

It stood a dozen or so meters away, its amber slit pupils fixed on Ye Zhiqiu. The black mist around its body grew denser, with a purple glow churning within it.

Then it threw back its head and unleashed a deafening roar.

Visible sound waves spread in every direction. Within a hundred-meter radius, every chirping insect and singing bird fell silent in that instant. Only the tiger's roar echoed through the forest, shaking leaves loose in a rustling shower.

Fear Roar.

This was one of the Dark Demon Tiger's innate soul skills.

It was not merely a sound attack. Its sound waves carried mental pressure that could trigger fear, panic, and even a brief blankness of mind in its target.

Ye Zhiqiu felt that mental pressure bearing down on him like an invisible wall, trying to force his consciousness into submission.

But he merely closed his eyes, then opened them again.

That eye—the third eye on his forehead—opened.

A dark purple slit pupil parted into a narrow opening at the center of his forehead, and an eerie, cold light seeped through.

Phantom Eye!

The mental pressure was instantly repelled.

The Dark Demon Tiger's slit pupils abruptly contracted. It felt its opponent's counterattack; that mental power was far stronger than it had anticipated.

Ye Zhiqiu opened his eyes. Three purple soul rings and one black soul ring rose from beneath his feet, slowly revolving behind him.

The Absolute Blade emerged from his right palm, its long white blade gleaming coldly in the dim forest.

"A ten-thousand-year-old Dark Demon Tiger. I've never fought a tiger at this level before."

"But everyone has a first time."

"Right?"