"Gu Yue?"
Na'er's hand trembled.
The tapioca pearl she had just sucked into her mouth lodged in her throat, making her cough repeatedly.
Leng Yaozhu quickly reached out and gently patted Na'er's back.
"Drink slowly. Why are you so worked up? Do you know her?"
Na'er frantically waved her hands as she coughed.
Know her?
That hardly covered it!
Na'er's mind had turned into a pot of bubbling porridge.
Why was that woman Gu Yue coming here?!
Why couldn't she just stay put in the Star Dou Great Forest? What was she doing in Eastsea City?
Was something wrong with her brain?!
Na'er clutched her milk tea, her fingers picking at the cup until her nails nearly tore through the plastic.
Come to think of it, this was her own fault. She had probably taken too much of their intelligence when they first split, leaving Gu Yue a little lacking in the brains department.
Ah, stupid little Gu Yue.
But the problem was, while Na'er had taken most of their intelligence-or so she believed-Gu Yue had taken most of the Silver Dragon King's power!
I couldn't beat her!
Losing would be so humiliating!
What do I do? What do I do?!
Bang.
The office door swung open.
Lu Guan strolled inside at his leisure.
He had just left the Blacksmith Association and was in an excellent mood.
The Saint Craftsman Notes sat heavy in his pocket, filling him with a sense of security.
"What are you talking about?"
Lu Guan casually picked up an apple from the table and took a big bite.
Crunch.
The crisp sound rang especially loud in the quiet office.
Na'er turned her head, and the instant she saw Lu Guan, her eyes lit up.
My savior!
How had I forgotten about him?!
I couldn't beat Gu Yue, but wasn't there a ready-made super-enforcer standing right here?!
A nine-year-old, three-ring Soul Elder!
The War Lord Demon Body!
And that Nine Li War Fog thing!
With a lineup like that, even a violent maniac like Gu Yue would have a bitter cup to swallow!
Na'er abandoned her milk tea, sprang off the sofa, and rushed up to Lu Guan like a gust of wind.
She latched onto his arm.
"Big Brother Lu Guan~~!"
Her voice was so syrupy that goosebumps rose all over Lu Guan.
Still chewing his apple, he looked down at Na'er hanging off his arm.
"Stop."
Lu Guan shifted the apple to his other hand.
"When someone showers you with favors for no reason, they're either plotting mischief or planning theft."
"What trouble did you get into?"
Na'er shook her head desperately and tugged Lu Guan toward a corner.
Sitting on the sofa, Leng Yaozhu found the two little ones' whispering amusing. She couldn't be bothered to interfere and lowered her head to look through Gu Yue's information.
In the corner.
Na'er peeked around him, making sure Leng Yaozhu wasn't paying attention before lowering her voice.
"Big brother, save me!"
Lu Guan swallowed his mouthful of apple.
"Speak properly. Who's trying to kill you?"
Na'er had no choice but to explain that she was supposed to take Gu Yue's measure.
Lu Guan raised an eyebrow. Elemental Control? Wasn't that Gu Yue?
No wonder Na'er was so frightened.
Na'er looked pitifully at Lu Guan. "I only have two rings! That Gu Yue must be vicious. She'll beat me to death!"
Lu Guan looked Na'er up and down.
"Is that Silver Dragon Spear of yours just for show?"
"Besides, it's only a spar. With Teacher Leng watching, could anyone really get killed?"
Na'er grew frantic. There was no way to explain this!
Whatever happened, she simply couldn't show weakness in front of Gu Yue.
A woman's dignity was at stake!
"Oh, you don't understand!"
Na'er shook Lu Guan's arm frantically. "Anyway, I can't fight her!"
"You're Heaven Dou City's number-one genius!"
"Now some genius has popped up in Eastsea City and wants to lord it over your little sister. Can you really stand for that?"
Na'er's attempt to crown him with flattery was painfully clumsy.
Lu Guan finished the apple in a few bites. "Spare me that routine."
"But..."
Lu Guan changed tack. He had just broken through to rank thirty.
His newly acquired third Soul Skill, [Nightmare Lure], also needed an opponent tough enough to test it on.
He had been wondering where to find a suitable punching bag.
In all of Eastsea City, there wasn't a single person his age who could take one punch from him.
To think Gu Yue had actually shown up.
What perfect timing!
Lu Guan grinned.
"Don't panic, little sister."
"Your big brother will shoulder this for you."
Na'er let out a long sigh of relief and patted her chest with her little hand.
"That's wonderful!"
"Big brother, you're the best!"
"Whatever you do, don't hold back. Give her a good beating!"
Na'er clenched her little fists and swung them through the air twice.
Lu Guan found her teeth-gritting expression rather amusing.
"Do you have a grudge against her?"
Na'er froze and hurriedly lowered her hands.
"No, no! I just can't stand anyone acting more arrogant than you!"
Heh, Lu Guan scoffed inwardly. Let me take your measure!
Silver Dragon King.
Eastsea Academy.
Lu Guan strode inside, drawing plenty of attention.
His build was far too eye-catching among nine-year-old children. A little over 1.6 meters tall, with sleek muscles to match, he looked like a miniature adult.
The surrounding students all turned to look.
Lu Guan ignored their gazes and scanned the area, quickly finding his target.
Although he had never met Gu Yue, he recognized her at a glance.
Gu Yue's cool, aloof bearing was simply too far removed from the ordinary.
Lu Guan walked straight over, taking the opportunity to look Gu Yue over.
Black hair fell naturally around her, and her eyes shone brightly. She wore a dress that shaded from white to green, with over-the-knee white stockings on her legs. Her chest was also rather flat.
Blessings.
"You're Gu Yue?"
Gu Yue turned at his voice. "Who are you?"
Lu Guan grinned. "My name is Lu Guan. Someone entrusted me with a task, and I'm here to carry it out-to fight you."
"You want a fight?" Gu Yue's voice was quiet, but unmistakably proud.
"Yes." Lu Guan nodded and took three steps back, putting some distance between them.
Gu Yue frowned slightly. She hadn't been in the human world long and had barely interacted with humans.
If she had any connection at all, it was with the Spirit Pagoda. But this person's behavior hardly resembled that of someone from a respectable organization.
In that case...
With a flicker of thought, Gu Yue extended her senses.
A thousand meters overhead, an aura of the same origin suddenly revealed itself.
Just as I thought. She'd been away for so long that she'd forgotten which of us was the greater king.
Gu Yue lowered her eyes. "Then come."
As she finished speaking, azure light blazed beneath her feet.
Wind element!
Her body drifted lightly backward, putting a relatively safe distance between them.
Boom-
At the same time, violent Soul Power suddenly erupted from Lu Guan's body.
Three gleaming purple Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, pulsing up and down around his body.
The students who had been watching the show on the training grounds instantly erupted into an uproar.
"Holy shit! Three Soul Rings!"
"They're all thousand-year rings! Who is this guy?!"
Gu Yue's retreating figure abruptly halted as well, her eyes widening involuntarily.
Three rings?
Humans had geniuses like this too?
In that case, I'd have to unleash two-ring strength.
War Lord Demon Body, activate!
Dark red baleful energy surged from Lu Guan's pores like a volcanic eruption.
The muscles beneath his ribs writhed, and four thick arms burst out of his body.
At the center of his forehead, the Demon Eye snapped open.
That savage, bloodthirsty pressure instantly swept across the entire training ground.
The surrounding students stumbled backward in fright, and a few timid ones even dropped onto their backsides.
"War fog, rise!"
Before you continue