Xuan Zi Arrives

Meng Hongchen's heart sank a little.

She knew Lu Ren was no creature meant to remain in a pond, but knowing was one thing. Hearing him say it himself still left her feeling as though something had blocked her chest, stifling her, leaving her unable to breathe.

Every little moment she had spent with him lately had fallen into her heart like seeds, taking root before she knew it.

His patience when guiding her cultivation, how he grew impatient with her chatter over meals yet never sent her away, how he told her to stand aside during fights-every scene was etched into her mind, replaying over and over.

"Then..." She bit her lower lip, her fingers clenching her skirt until her knuckles turned white. "If you go somewhere else someday, could you... could you take me with you?"

The moment she finished speaking, her cheeks flushed crimson, as though scorched by fire.

Meng Hongchen abruptly lowered her head until her forehead nearly touched her knees. Her ears burned, and even her breathing became quick and shallow.

Her heart drummed inside her chest, thump, thump, thump, thump, as though it might leap out at any moment.

She knew the request was presumptuous.

She was the granddaughter of the Hall Master of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, a favored daughter of the Sun Moon Empire, with responsibilities to her family and a path of her own.

But she could not help herself. The thought that she might never see him again left her feeling a little disappointed.

Meng Hongchen wanted a deeper bond with him.

Not merely a relationship between students of the same academy, but something closer, a connection that would not easily break.

Lu Ren froze.

The girl's reddened ear tips, her faintly trembling shoulders, and that request filled with apprehension and hope were all too plain-so plain that he could not pretend he had failed to understand.

Lu Ren remained silent for a long time, his gaze resting on her head buried against her knees. She was like a kitten that had done something wrong and was awaiting judgment, curling herself into a tiny ball.

His path was destined to be covered in thorns.

In the future, he might have to stand against the entire continent, face the oppressive might of the Divine Realm head-on, and carve a bloody path through the cracks between the various powers.

Taking her along meant dragging a pure heart into the mire, sweeping her into a storm that did not belong to her. Was that truly appropriate?

Yet when he opened his mouth, the refusal he had prepared changed before it left his lips.

"With your current strength, you can't keep up with me yet."

Lu Ren's voice softened, losing some of its usual perfunctoriness and gaining a gentleness even he did not notice.

"We'll talk about it when you can stand on your own."

He made no promise. Rather than offering verbal assurances, he was more accustomed to speaking through his actions.

Yet when those words reached Meng Hongchen's ears, she suddenly raised her head, her eyes slightly reddened and brimming with incredulous delight.

That delight was so intense that it seemed about to spill from her watery blue eyes.

"Really? You'll keep your word?"

"Mm." Lu Ren nodded lightly, a faint smile curving his lips, clear and bright. "As long as you're strong enough to protect yourself, I'll take you wherever you want to go."

He paused, then added:

"If there's anything you don't understand about cultivation, come find me anytime. With my help, your cultivation should advance a little faster."

Looking at the smile on his lips, Meng Hongchen's heart abruptly skipped a beat.

The blush on her cheeks spread down her neck, and even her breathing seemed tinged with sweetness. She nodded firmly, determination shining in her eyes like a star set alight.

"All right, I'll work hard at cultivating and catch up to you!"

To stay by his side, to avoid being left behind, she was willing, no matter how bitter or difficult it became.

Lu Ren did not reply. He turned his head toward the streetlights gradually coming on outside the Trial Grounds and remained silent for a moment before speaking:

"All right, let's work hard together, then. Hopefully, you can break through to Soul King before your brother comes out of seclusion and give him a surprise."

"All right!"

The girl's voice was clear and bright, like silver bells ringing in the twilight.

A month later.

The affair with the Imperial Family Inspection Team was gradually forgotten, and the academy returned to its former peace.

Lu Ren kept a very low profile.

During the day, he cultivated Soul Power and helped Xuan Ziwen test Soul Tools. In the afternoon, he sparred with Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan. At night, he returned to his dorm room and honed the precision of his Cursed Energy control under Electrolux's guidance.

Life was comfortable, like soaking in warm water, leaving even his bones a little pleasantly softened.

Under his guidance, Meng Hongchen progressed at an astonishing pace.

A week earlier, she had already broken through the level-fifty threshold and was only waiting for the academy to arrange an outing to hunt a Soul Beast and obtain her fifth Soul Ring.

Xiao Hongchen was still in seclusion. When he emerged and saw his sister's cultivation, he would probably be stunned for quite some time.

Lu Ren's own Soul Power had also climbed from level forty-five to level forty-seven.

Two levels in a month was not particularly fast, but his progress was solid.

The fusion of Cursed Energy and Soul Power grew increasingly seamless, and he wielded the two Cursed Techniques, Blood Manipulation and Malevolent Shrine, with ever greater ease.

That afternoon, he had just left Xuan Ziwen's laboratory.

The results of his Spiritual Power test had surprised him. The strength of his Spiritual Power had already reached the Soul King level.

Holding the data sheet, Xuan Ziwen's eyes shone like two light bulbs as he muttered words such as "unbelievable" and "unprecedented." He nearly pressed Lu Ren back into the chair for another test.

Xuan Ziwen also kept muttering that Lu Ren should properly study Soul Tools, saying that combining Spiritual Power with Soul Tools was a bright road forward and other such things.

Naturally, Lu Ren hurriedly refused. How could he possibly set foot in the Soul Tool field?

At most, he would simply learn a little about how to use them.

Thus, after finally managing to extricate himself from Xuan Ziwen, Lu Ren prepared to return to his dorm room to rest.

He walked toward his dorm room along the Academy's Main Road, the setting sun stretching his shadow long and thin. His footsteps echoed through the empty corridor, once, twice, three times.

Rounding the final corner, he stopped.

An old man sat outside his dorm room.

The old man was greasy all over, his disheveled hair tangled together like a clump of withered grass scattered by the wind.

His robe, which should originally have been white, had long since turned grayish brown. The cuffs and hem were damaged in several places, with loose threads even dangling from the edges.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, gnawing on a chicken drumstick in one hand until grease covered his mouth, while holding a wine flask in the other and occasionally tipping his head back for a swig.

Wine trickled from the corner of his mouth and dripped onto the front of his robe, but he paid it no mind.

Lu Ren stood a few steps away, his expression unchanged, though a barely perceptible flicker passed through his eyes.

Taotie Douluo, Xuan Zi.

A Level 98 Super Douluo, one of Shrek Academy's sea-steadying pillars.

Countless times, he had wondered whom Shrek would send. He had considered the Inspection Corps, other elders, and even Mu En coming personally.

But the one he had looked forward to most was this utterly slovenly-looking old man before him.

So he really did come.

Just what I wanted.

The old man gnawed the last scrap of meat from the drumstick, casually tossed the bone onto the ground, and took another swig of wine before slowly raising his head.

His cloudy eyes swept over Lu Ren like a dull knife scraping across skin-not sharp, yet enough to send a chill down one's spine.

"You don't seem surprised to see me at all?"

His voice was hoarse and carried the smell of wine, sounding like a broken bellows leaking air.

Lu Ren neither stepped back nor approached. He simply stood a few steps away, calmly meeting Xuan Zi's gaze.

"This old man's name is Xuan Zi, titled Taotie." The old man took another swig of wine and wiped his mouth. "I imagine you've heard of me."