The present is theirs, but the future is mine!

Zhang Lexuan took two steps forward and placed a wooden box in Su Yuan's hands.

"Xuan Zi is usually busy with his duties and rarely carries valuables with him. I accompanied him to this banquet as his assistant." She wore a gracious, composed smile, a stark contrast to Xuan Zi's embarrassing display.

"There is a thousand-year medicinal herb, a Dragon Blood Fruit, inside this box. I heard that your Martial Soul is the Frost Dragon, so this fruit is perfectly suited to you. Please accept it as a welcoming gift from Xuan Zi on behalf of Shrek."

Zhang Lexuan was not Xuan Zi. After arriving in Star Luo City, she had done her homework.

Not many people knew anything about Su Yuan, but there were still some who did. As a disciple of the Shrek Inner Court and a Soul Douluo herself, she had little trouble making a few inquiries.

Especially with so many die-hard Shrek devotees within the Star Luo Empire, it had been even easier for Zhang Lexuan to gather information from her graduated seniors.

That was how she had learned about Su Yuan's identity and Martial Soul.

As for this Dragon Blood Fruit, there was a story behind it, too.

Zhang Lexuan's own Martial Soul had absolutely nothing to do with dragons, and her speech had been nothing more than polite pleasantries. Xuan Zi had come to this banquet for a free meal. How could he possibly have prepared a gift?

The Dragon Blood Fruit could only have been hers.

Then who had she intended to give it to?

Oh, what a difficult mystery...

Su Yuan accepted the box with a broad smile. Seeing the complicated emotions in Zhang Lexuan's eyes delighted him even more, and he instinctively pitched his voice higher. "Thank you, Sister Lexuan!"

Zhang Lexuan: ...?!

Wang Xian'er involuntarily narrowed her eyes and looked over.

Xuan Zi raised an eyebrow. "Boy, you know Lexuan?"

"Of course. I'm planning to attend Shrek Academy this year, so I looked into Shrek a little." Su Yuan nodded naturally.

"The reason I know Sister Lexuan is simple, too. When I was asking about the Shrek Inner Court, I heard that the White Tiger Duke's son, Dai Yueheng, was studying there and greatly admired its senior sister, Zhang Lexuan. So I remembered her."

"Oh! So it was that boy Dai Yueheng." Xuan Zi nodded in understanding, accepting the explanation.

Right now, Xuan Zi cared about nothing except getting past the gift-giving as quickly as possible, so he heartily approved of Su Yuan taking the initiative to change the subject.

The less anyone mentioned his inability to produce even a welcoming gift, the better.

Zhang Lexuan, however, was another matter.

A similar age, a similar Martial Soul, even a similar air about him. Then there was that "Sister Lexuan," and the Dragon Blood Fruit that had ended up in his pocket...

(A vision flashed before her eyes.) Sorry, Bei Bei. There's no going back for me now...

[Ding-]

[Host has triggered a keyword...]

"Later."

That made two iconic scenes. Coming to this banquet had definitely been the right choice. As usual, Su Yuan closed the system for now, leaving it until after the banquet.

After all... the prize pool was still growing!

After offering the customary thanks to Xuan Zi and Zhang Lexuan, they stopped standing there facing one another and headed deeper into the estate together.

Throughout the walk, Zhang Lexuan seemed slightly dazed and distracted.

Seeing her expression, and considering the iconic scene the system had just responded to along with his own mindset, Su Yuan more or less understood what she was thinking. Once again, he could not help letting out a villainous heh-heh-heh in his heart at the entertainment unfolding before him.

Sure enough, to bring iconic scenes to life, he had to step into the action himself and enjoy the show. Choosing to go to Shrek had absolutely been the right decision!

A strategist enters the game himself and sweeps up every trait beneath heaven!

Xu Jiujiu, who had remained beside him, noticed the strange smile at the corner of his mouth. That wicked little grin gave his feigned obedient demeanor a roguishly handsome, slightly devilish edge.

That sort of charm was especially lethal to a prim, well-behaved girl like Xu Jiujiu.

Already favorably disposed toward Su Yuan because of his trait, she felt her heartbeat quicken.

This was a case of him watching her, while she was watching him.

Once they reached the banquet venue, everyone split into several groups.

One group consisted of supreme experts with nine or more rings, along with figures on the level of sect masters. Their seats were in the central main hall.

Another consisted of the younger and middle-aged generation over thirty whose cultivation had yet to reach Title Douluo. They headed to the left side hall.

The younger generation under thirty, such as Su Yuan and Xu Jiujiu, were assigned to the right side hall.

Naturally, nobody objected to this arrangement. A circle suited to them was the easiest one to fit into.

The juniors had no interest in the older generation's conversations. The juniors liked to mingle and horse around, while their elders no longer had that kind of energy.

The best solution was for everyone to enjoy themselves separately.

In the right side hall where Su Yuan and the others were seated, for instance, a group of young sect disciples started boasting and shooting the breeze almost as soon as they sat down, before they had even drunk more than a few cups.

Opportunities to gather so many sect disciples together were rare. Every youngster who thought he had some ability wanted to flex in front of his peers.

Even Long Aotian of the Body Sect was among them.

The bastard was only a few years older than Su Yuan, yet his aura was already firmly at the Soul King level. Truly terrifying-he had not disgraced that name in the slightest.

As expected of a cheat who would reach Soul Saint before turning twenty, his cultivation speed was so absurd that even Su Yuan, who had cheats of his own, could not help cursing it.

Still, his reaching Soul King at this age was most likely thanks to his Body Martial Soul's Second Awakening.

Aside from him, Vina, princess of the Heaven Dou Empire, had also come. Still a shy little girl at this point, she raised her glass of juice toward Xu Jiujiu from a distance, then retreated to the back to watch the show.

She had no intention of stealing the spotlight.

"Aren't you going to join them?" After exchanging a distant greeting with Vina, Xu Jiujiu sat back down, leaned toward Su Yuan, and asked quietly.

"You haven't joined them either, have you?" Su Yuan replied casually.

"I'm different. My position doesn't lend itself to that sort of thing." Xu Jiujiu merely shook her head.

"Is that so? Well, my reason is different from yours." Su Yuan sipped his juice and narrowed his eyes, concealing the sharpness hidden in his gaze.

"The present is theirs. I won't fight them for it. But the future is mine! Nobody should even think of fighting me for that!"

Xu Jiujiu paused slightly with her teacup raised, then turned to look at him in surprise.

Such confidence?

Such arrogance?

Did he really have that ability, or did he simply not know how high the heavens were or how deep the earth ran?

Yet for some reason, she instinctively felt that Su Yuan was serious-and that he really could accomplish all of it.

The future... was his!

"Then I'll have something to look forward to. I look forward to seeing you stand at the summit of the continent, reigning supreme beneath heaven." Xu Jiujiu smiled faintly and raised her cup toward Su Yuan.

"You'll see it!" Su Yuan raised his own cup and lightly clinked it against hers, the sharpness in his eyes vanishing completely.

Once again, he became that seemingly harmless, sneaky bastard.