Future Development (Two Updates Today)

Hearing Master's well-reasoned analysis, Tang San, who had still been hesitating over whether to cultivate the Clear Sky Hammer, immediately brightened. Master was right. Once his Soul Power reached level ninety, he could then add soul rings to his second martial soul. At the very least, they would be ten-thousand-year soul rings.

Cheng Xiao suppressing him now did not mean he would be able to suppress him in the future. Once he completed the cultivation of his second martial soul and possessed nine ten-thousand-year soul rings, would he still need to fear a single-martial-soul soul master like Cheng Xiao?

At that moment, Tang San felt as though he had been enlightened. A sense of sudden clarity rose from the depths of his heart. After Master's logical explanation, he finally understood the painstaking intentions behind why Master and his father had not allowed him to cultivate his second martial soul. Master's earlier words had likely also expressed regret that he could not cultivate his second martial soul first.

Seeing Tang San's enlightened expression, a smile appeared on Master's stiff face. "Xiao San, don't worry. With your teacher here, you will certainly become one of the continent's strongest."

"Mm-hm." Tang San nodded obediently. "I understand, Teacher."

Master gently patted Tang San on the head and suggested, "Let's go eat something in the cafeteria. You're still growing, so you can't neglect nutrition. Besides, I have a few other things to tell you."

The moon hung like a silver disk, and the sky was filled with stars.

A bright full moon hung high in the sky, its cold light spilling over the land and dyeing the entire world a faint silvery white.

On the roof of the work-study student dormitory, two petite figures sat side by side. They wore the same clothes and simply sat there in silence.

The lingering moonlight cast a faint silver sheen over them, as though it had branded a ring of silver-gray upon their bodies.

The girl on the left tilted her head to look at the boy, propping her chin up with both hands. She seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she held it back.

"Xiao Wu, there's something I want to tell you." The boy spoke as he gazed at the full moon overhead, his tone earnest.

"What is it?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

"After graduation, you should return to the Star Dou Great Forest." Cheng Xiao continued looking at the moon. His tone was calm, yet faint ripples stirred within it. His gaze was tranquil, as though nothing could move him.

Xiao Wu froze. Looking at Cheng Xiao's expressionless face, she suddenly felt abandoned. Lightly biting her teeth, she said, "Why? Didn't you promise Da Ming and Er Ming that you would take good care of me?"

Cheng Xiao turned to look at Xiao Wu's somewhat flustered face and replied calmly, "Xiao Wu, have you ever considered what would happen to you if you stayed in the human world and one day encountered a Titled Douluo?"

"Perhaps you'll say it can't be that much of a coincidence. The human world is so vast—how could you casually run into a Titled Douluo? But everything has its unforeseen risks. If you truly encountered one, do you know what the consequences would be?"

Hearing this, Xiao Wu fell silent. Cheng Xiao was right. She had indeed been clinging to wishful thinking, believing that the human world was so vast that she could not possibly run into someone strong enough to see through her identity so easily. Yet Cheng Xiao's words pierced her heart like a sharp thorn.

Seeing that Xiao Wu remained silent, Cheng Xiao sighed softly and rubbed her little head. "Xiao Wu, I don't covet your soul ring or soul bone, but other soul masters may not feel the same. For your safety, I think you should return to the Star Dou Great Forest. Once you cultivate to level seventy and completely transform into a human, your circumstances will be different from what they are now. Do you understand?"

"But I don't want to be separated from you," Xiao Wu said dejectedly.

"You're treating your life like a joke." Cheng Xiao shook his head slightly. "You know how alluring the soul rings and soul bones of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are to soul masters. Right now, both of us are merely two-ring Soul Grand Masters. If we encounter a high-level soul master, we will have no way to deal with them. Do you understand?"

"I know, but I..." Xiao Wu's eyes gradually reddened. She bit her lip, seemingly suppressing some emotion. She stared at Cheng Xiao's face, which still revealed no emotion, but in the end, she did not say those words. She merely nodded silently and said in a trembling voice, "I understand. After graduation, I'll return to the Star Dou Great Forest."

After hearing Xiao Wu's words, Cheng Xiao did not speak again. He knew in his heart that only by returning to the Star Dou Great Forest could Xiao Wu's safety be guaranteed. Otherwise, joining Shrek Academy would be no different from marching straight to her death.

He would not go to Shrek Academy. For an academy that had neither qualifications nor anything else worth having, it was clearly not the first choice. If possible, he wanted to establish an academy or a force of his own. In any case, given the traits of his martial soul, as long as he had enough time to grow, one man would become an army. No one would be able to stop him.

"Cheng Xiao." Just as Cheng Xiao was considering how to develop in the future, Xiao Wu suddenly spoke, breaking the quiet between them.

"What is it?" Cheng Xiao turned to look at Xiao Wu beside him.

"There are still four years until graduation, right?" A faint blush appeared on Xiao Wu's face as she lightly bit her red lips and asked.

Cheng Xiao paused, then replied instinctively, "Yeah, four more years. Why do you ask?"

Xiao Wu gave a soft huff. "Not telling you. I'm sleepy. I'm going back to sleep, and you're coming with me."

"Uh..." Cheng Xiao rubbed his nose. For some reason, Xiao Wu's invitation gave him a bad feeling.

"Hehe, scared now, aren't you? Tonight, I'll let you see what Sister Xiao Wu is capable of." Xiao Wu grabbed Cheng Xiao's hand without giving him a chance to object, then leaped down from the roof and returned to the dormitory.

At that moment, everyone in the dormitory was diligently cultivating, and no one noticed the two entering hand in hand.

Pulling Cheng Xiao to their bed, Xiao Wu darted beneath the covers, then pointed at the empty space beside her. "Hurry up and sleep. I'm exhausted today, so you're not allowed to disturb me."

After saying that, she ignored Cheng Xiao, who stood there stunned, and buried her little head directly beneath the covers.

Cheng Xiao was somewhat dumbfounded as well. However, after looking at his roommates cultivating diligently around them, he sighed inwardly. Better not disturb everyone's cultivation. He was rather tired after sparring today anyway, so he might as well rest early.

Thus, Cheng Xiao lay down naturally on the bed. However, he did not pull up the covers, because Xiao Wu had claimed the entire blanket. He had no intention of fighting her for it. He simply closed his eyes, relaxed, and prepared to have a good sleep.

However, just as Cheng Xiao was about to fall asleep, his chest suddenly sank. Then, a faint breath brushed across his neck, and then...