The Reborn Alliance

Zhu Zhuyun looked at her little sister, who could do nothing but stare blankly, and couldn't help laughing.

"Interesting."

Was this the legendary saying: only children make choices; I want them all?

Her little sister really was easygoing, letting someone else steal the man she loved.

At this rate, by the time someone else had won him over, their child would already be old enough to awaken a martial soul.

What she didn't know, however, was that Zhu Zhuqing was the one thinking on a whole other stratosphere. Of course, that was a story for later.

Elsewhere, at Shrek Academy.

Strictly speaking, it could no longer be called Shrek Academy.

After four Titled Douluos had "sparred" last night, nothing remained but rubble.

Flender sat on a broken door panel, his eyes lifeless.

"It's over... it's all over..."

Zhao Wuji crawled out of a pile of rubble, covered in dust.

"Headmaster, we can rebuild the buildings. Pull yourself together."

"Rebuild? With what? Are you paying?"

Just then, a pulse of soul power came from a corner of the ruins.

Flender and Zhao Wuji both froze.

"Is that... rank thirty?"

Zhao Wuji followed the fluctuation and found Tang San sitting cross-legged on a rock, soul power surging through his body.

"This kid broke through to rank thirty?!"

Flender sprang to his feet, the light returning to his eyes.

"Really? Rank thirty?"

Tang San opened his eyes and let out a long, stale breath.

Twelve years old, rank thirty.

He couldn't compare to Shi Meng, but it was still a decent achievement.

He clenched his fists, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes.

Last night, he had seen four Titled Douluos fighting above Shrek with his own eyes.

Three of them were from Spirit Hall.

Spirit Hall. He, Tang San, had held a grudge against Spirit Hall in his previous life, and even more so in this one.

"With twin martial souls, I have to cultivate both."

"Shi Meng, I'll use my twin martial souls to defeat you with my own hands."

No sooner had he spoken than another pulse of soul power came from a different part of the ruins.

"Holy shit, another breakthrough?"

Zhao Wuji ran over.

Oscar was sitting in a corner with a face full of stubble, clutching half of the bushy beard Sword Douluo had sliced off.

"My beard... the beard I spent three months growing..."

But perhaps because his grief had been so overwhelming, his soul power had actually broken through.

"Good! Wonderful!"

Flender slapped his thigh in excitement.

"Two blessings at once! Both of them broke through!"

Zhao Wuji leaned over.

"Headmaster, about the buildings..."

"Forget the buildings for now. I'll take care of them later."

Flender swept his hand through the air.

"Now that they're rank thirty, they need to go soul hunting right away! Zhao Wuji, take Tang San and Oscar to the Star Dou Great Forest and hunt for suitable soul rings!"

"Now?"

"Now!"

Zhao Wuji nodded and accepted the order.

Tang San stood to one side, his gaze sweeping over the ruins.

His fists tightened further.

The Star Dou Great Forest.

Xiao Wu should be going to the Star Dou Great Forest too, right?

After all, she'd reached rank thirty too.

The thought of Xiao Wu sent a pang through Tang San's heart.

In his previous life, Xiao Wu had been his little sister, the person he loved most. They had been through so much together.

Yet in this life, Xiao Wu had turned around and gone to another academy.

"Xiao Wu..."

No.

He had to grow stronger.

Strong enough.

Strong enough to bring Xiao Wu back, strong enough to crush Shi Meng beneath his feet.

Shi Meng, I'll surpass you, whatever the cost.

That night, at Dream Academy.

Ning Rongrong crept over and knocked on Xiao Wu's door.

The door opened, and Xiao Wu peeked her head out.

"Rongrong?"

"Let's talk inside."

Ning Rongrong slipped into the room and closed the door behind her.

The two sat facing each other beside the bed.

Ning Rongrong spoke first.

"Xiao Wu, let's not beat around the bush. You were reborn, weren't you?"

"Yes."

Xiao Wu nodded.

"I already liked Brother Shi Meng in my last life, but in this life, I found out he'd been reborn too. And he doesn't remember what happened before."

"Me too."

The two girls exchanged a heartfelt look.

They were both lost souls adrift at the ends of the earth.

At last, they had found their people.

"In our last life, you were even willing to sacrifice yourself for Brother Shi Meng. I saw it all."

"What about you? In your last life..."

"I was the same."

Ning Rongrong sighed.

"I'd planned to tell him how I felt once the tournament was over, but unfortunately..."

Xiao Wu paused, then offered her some comfort.

"That was all in our last life."

"Right. We get to start over in this one."

Ning Rongrong suddenly smiled.

"But our biggest problem right now isn't between the two of us. It's Qian Renxue."

Xiao Wu's rabbit ears began twitching again.

Yes, Qian Renxue had actually joined the fray too. She hadn't even been around in their previous life, and she was so strong.

"She's too powerful. A rank sixty-one Soul Emperor with the six-winged angel martial soul, and she confessed her feelings right in front of everyone."

Ning Rongrong counted the points off on her fingers. The more she counted, the more absurd it seemed.

"Even together, the two of us couldn't beat her."

Xiao Wu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

"Rongrong, have you noticed something off about Zhu Zhuqing too?"

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment.

"You noticed too?"

"The way she looks at Brother Shi Meng is exactly the same as in our previous life."

Ning Rongrong thought it over and nodded.

The way Zhu Zhuqing looked at Shi Meng now really was the same as in their previous life. She had even brought Zhu Zhuyun to her Dream Academy. It was hard to believe she hadn't been reborn.

"Then let's bring her in too. Three are better than two."

Xiao Wu nodded.

The two left the room and made their way to Zhu Zhuqing's door.

Ning Rongrong knocked.

"Zhu Zhuqing, it's me, Rongrong."

The door soon opened.

Zhu Zhuqing stood in the doorway in white pajamas, her expression calm.

"I knew you would come."

Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance.

Just as we'd thought.

The three entered the room and sat around the table.

Zhu Zhuqing poured each of them a glass of water, then sat down herself.

"Speak plainly."

"I'll go first."

Ning Rongrong jumped in ahead of the others.

"I was reborn. I liked Brother Shi Meng in my last life, and I still do in this one."

"I was reborn too. In our previous life, Brother Shi Meng, for my sake..."

Zhu Zhuqing listened quietly.

Only after both of them had finished did she speak.

"Same here."

Two simple words, but they were enough.

Ning Rongrong let out a long breath.

"Good. Then I'll get straight to the point. Right now, Qian Renxue is our biggest threat. She's strong, and she goes straight for the heart, openly saying she likes Brother Shi Meng without hiding anything."

"Hu Liena likes Brother Shi Meng too, but she..."

As Ning Rongrong spoke, the corners of her lips curled slightly.

"She doesn't qualify to compete with us or Qian Renxue yet."

Xiao Wu nodded in agreement.

At rank forty-seven, Hu Liena really didn't carry much weight against the rank sixty-one Qian Renxue.

Besides, from what they had observed, Hu Liena clearly hadn't been reborn.

"So," Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, "the three of us should join forces first and present a united front against outsiders."

"As for which of us Brother Shi Meng chooses in the future, we'll each rely on our own abilities."

The three exchanged looks, and with that single glance, their pact was sealed.

The Reborn Alliance was formed!

None of them wanted to lose, but they also had to eliminate the outside threats.

What they didn't know, however, was that someone was standing outside the door at that very moment.

"Reborn? Interesting."