On the Douluo Continent, in a village outside Suotuo City.
"Boss Su, are you feeling any better?"
"Our academy is recruiting new students again. Looks like quite a few people came today! A lot more than in previous years."
Oscar pushed the door open as he spoke. The moment it opened, a strong medicinal smell hit him in the face, making him cough twice. He stood in the doorway, looking at Su Ling inside, without taking another step forward.
"You go ahead. I'll come take a look in a bit," Su Ling replied.
"All right, then I'll get ready. I should be able to sell a few sausages today. Boss Su, want one?"
"No need. Your sausages don't do much for my recovery."
Su Ling waved his hand, turning down Oscar's sausage.
As he watched Oscar hurry away, a hint of helplessness appeared in Su Ling's eyes.
Over a month ago, this body's original owner had died after failing to absorb his fourth soul ring.
Although Su Ling had transmigrated into the body, seamlessly inheriting its memories and surviving through sheer tenacity, he had also inherited the painful consequences of the failed soul ring absorption.
"Fuck, the original owner failed to absorb his soul ring, so why am I the one stuck with all the pain?"
That was what left Su Ling most speechless. Worse still, a month and a half had passed, yet he had received none of the perks of transmigration-not even a cheat or a daddy system.
Slowly getting dressed, Su Ling decided to go see Tang San and the others arrive.
After all, in his previous life, Su Ling had been a Douluo fan who had watched the anime and read the novel several times.
He was still interested in seeing the characters from the original story.
By a curious coincidence, this body's original owner had also had some grudges involving the Clear Sky Sect and even Spirit Hall.
But just as Su Ling took his first step out of the room, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded in his mind. To him at that moment, it was heavenly music.
[Ding... A goddess with an overall rating above 90 has been detected within five hundred meters of the host! System officially activated!] [Goddess: Ning Rongrong] [Goddess overall rating: 93] [Binding requirement: Affection above 60] [Current affection: Unknown]
What was this?
Su Ling stopped where he stood, because a screen of light that only he could see had appeared before his eyes.
"System, you... why didn't you show up sooner?"
[Goddess: Xiao Wu] [Goddess overall rating: 94] [Binding requirement: Affection above 60] [Current affection: Unknown]
[Goddess: Zhu Zhuqing] [Goddess overall rating: 94] [Binding requirement: Affection above 60] [Current affection: Unknown]
"Have all three Shrek beauties arrived? What's this goddess overall rating? What happens after I bind a goddess?"
[Ding... Congratulations, host, on unlocking the System Storage Space. Capacity: 10,000 cubic meters. Can hold living beings.] [Ding... Congratulations, host, on receiving a system gift package: 1. Hundred Thousand Year Healing Soul Skill Card ×1; 2. Forced goddess binding ×1 (forcibly raises affection to 60 and directly binds the goddess. Note: The host must complete the binding within two hours, or it will expire); 3. Overall physical attributes enhancement ×1 times (only takes effect when the host is healthy).]
"Good, very good!"
[The goddess overall rating is determined through a comprehensive assessment of the goddess's looks, talent, potential, and other factors. A rating of 90 or higher and affection above 60 satisfy the binding requirements! The host will learn its effects after binding!]
Reading the messages on the screen, Su Ling's excited heart pounded, but that immediately aggravated his internal injuries, leaving him in agony.
Su Ling worked to calm himself, returned to his room, and shut the door tightly.
"System, use the Hundred Thousand Year Healing Soul Skill Card on me!"
[Ding... Using the Hundred Thousand Year Healing Soul Skill Card...]
A gentle stream of life energy poured into Su Ling's body and rapidly spread throughout it.
Under that powerful life energy, his injured meridians and internal organs steadily repaired themselves. Even the hidden ailments left by his past cultivation were healed along with them.
In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, Su Ling's injuries had completely healed.
Although his injuries had been severe, they were insignificant under the healing of a hundred thousand year soul skill.
After all, across the present-day Douluo Continent, a hundred thousand year healing soul skill was utterly unique.
Feeling his body recover, Su Ling was in high spirits, but the next second nearly made him cry.
A wave of excruciating pain swept through his entire body.
Had even that failed to heal my injuries?
Fortunately, the system screen displayed the words, [Enhancing the host's body...]
So it was strengthening my body!
Then there was nothing to worry about. Bring it on!
The pain of strengthening his body was nowhere near as bad as the suffering his earlier injuries had caused. To Su Ling, it was nothing.
A little over half an hour later, Su Ling pushed open the door and walked out.
Breathing the fresh air outside, he swept away the gloom of the past month and more.
Now that his body had been strengthened, he wanted to find the goddesses and raise their affection, so he had still spent some time tidying himself up, washing, and changing his clothes.
Su Ling was good-looking, a few notches above even Dai Mubai and Oscar.
Over 1.9 meters tall, with a well-proportioned, athletic physique to match, he was a handsome young man through and through.
Su Ling was only nineteen years and three months old. Back in his previous life, wealthy women would have fought tooth and nail over him.
Whew...
Su Ling clenched his fists, feeling the strength in his body.
The enhancement had doubled not only his body's toughness, but also his strength, agility, and other physical attributes.
Leaving soul power aside, in terms of physical strength alone, his level-forty self was now no weaker than a Soul King.
"Douluo, here I come!"
Su Ling murmured under his breath, then passed through the dormitory area and reached the edge of the academy square.
Just then, he happened to see Dai Mubai leading a young man and three young women toward him.
For a moment, Su Ling felt as though he were reliving a scene from the anime he had watched in his previous life. No, this scene was even more wonderful than the anime.
Tang San, with his short hair and ordinary looks, was nothing remarkable.
The remarkable ones were the three girls before him. The system's designation of them as goddesses was entirely justified.
The one right beside Tang San had to be Xiao Wu, just as she appeared in the anime.
Her scorpion braid hung down to her calves, and she wore a close-fitting pink outfit. Her lively eyes held a distinctly playful air.
On Xiao Wu's other side stood a girl a little over 1.6 meters tall in a long white dress, with neat, ear-length hair, delicate features, and skin as fresh and tender as lychee flesh.
Most striking was her noble, ethereal bearing. She looked like a well-educated young noblewoman.
There was no need to guess. This was Ning Rongrong.
Finally, the girl standing slightly farther from the others had to be Zhu Zhuqing. She gave off an icy air, with long black hair draped over her shoulders, a beautiful face, fair skin, and an exceptionally voluptuous, scorching figure that belied her age.
These were the three Shrek beauties. In reality, they were far more beautiful than they had been in the anime.
While Su Ling was looking at them, Dai Mubai also noticed him ahead.
"Su Ling, why are you out here? Have your injuries healed?" Unlike Oscar, Dai Mubai did not call him Boss Su, instead addressing him directly by name. There even seemed to be a hint of reproach in his voice.
Su Ling said, "I heard the academy was recruiting today, so I came to take a look."
Dai Mubai pointed at the four behind him and told Su Ling, "These are the ones taking the fourth round of the assessment today. Teacher Zhao Wuji will assess them personally."
"I know."
Su Ling looked over with a smile and said, "Good luck, everyone! I hope you all pass the assessment and join the academy."
"Thank you!" all four replied at once.
Since Su Ling had greeted them with a smile, the three girls and Tang San all had a favorable impression of him. More importantly, his good looks earned him a decent score for first impressions.
After the four walked past, Su Ling looked at the system screen again. The three girls' information had changed, and their affection was no longer unknown.
Ning Rongrong's affection: 3 Xiao Wu's affection: 2 Zhu Zhuqing's affection: 1
Damn, it only went up that little?
Was this the haughty coyness unique to goddesses?
But on reflection, it was normal. They had only just met. How much affection could a single sentence earn?
Before you continue