The West Mountain district of Mingdu.
The War God Temple.
Long Xiaoyao frowned. "Who are you? Do we know each other?"
Li Chen smiled and introduced himself.
Long Xiaoyao was surprised to hear that the person calling him was actually the federal speaker's son.
He left the training room and returned to his room.
"So it's Young Master Li. Still, we don't seem to know each other very well, do we?"
Long Xiaoyao's tone grew a little more polite, but that was as far as it went.
On the Douluo Continent, the strong had always reigned supreme.
As one of the War God Temple's Eighteen War Gods, he was only below the speaker in rank. His actual combat strength had long since surpassed that of Li Chen's father.
"War God Long, aren't we getting to know each other now?"
"Heh."
Long Xiaoyao chuckled. He was twenty-nine now, not much older than Li Chen, and he found Li Chen rather interesting.
"Young Master Li, I'd certainly be happy to make friends. I've only just arrived at the War God Temple and don't know the people or the place. Another friend means another road open to me."
Long Xiaoyao spoke sincerely.
"If you want to have a drink and hang out, you're welcome anytime. As it happens, I haven't paid my respects to the speaker yet."
"But..."
Long Xiaoyao changed tack. "Forget about finding me a woman. I'm not interested in women."
Long Xiaoyao clenched his fists.
As a twenty-nine-year-old Super Douluo, Long Xiaoyao had missed breaking Yun Ming's record by three years.
At that moment,
he only wanted to bury himself in arduous cultivation and see whether he could break Yun Ming's subsequent records or reach Yun Ming's level as the strongest on the continent.
Women would only slow his cultivation down.
Even his challenge to Zhuo Shi had been arranged by the War God Temple, solely to build momentum for him as a new War God.
After all, the organization valued Long Xiaoyao highly as such a young War God.
He might even replace Chen Xinjie in the future.
"Come on, Brother Long, you can't put it that way. It's not as though you practice a virgin cultivation technique. Women and cultivation don't conflict."
Li Chen laughed, then sent him a photograph of Ye Zhaolu.
"Look, you haven't broken through to Titled Douluo yet, so you don't understand. I don't want a wo-"
Long Xiaoyao tried to turn him down, only to freeze with his eyes fixed on the picture that arrived.
In the photograph, Ye Zhaolu wore a pristine white research coat and glasses, her glossy, smooth black hair tied into a ponytail behind her shoulders.
She held a test tube of medicine and studied it intently. Her radiant, oval face was fair and flawless, so beautiful that Long Xiaoyao's heart skipped a beat!
"Wh-who is this?"
Long Xiaoyao asked in a daze.
Even his mind felt a little hazy.
At the sight of that face, his heart seemed to be gripped tightly by a pair of large hands, yet he felt utterly relaxed.
It was clearly his first time seeing her, yet it felt like a reunion after a long separation.
A tear suddenly slid from the corner of Long Xiaoyao's eye.
How strange. Why did I want to see this woman the instant I saw her picture?
It was as though I'd lived twenty-nine years just to wait for this moment today.
"Brother Long, didn't you say you didn't want a woman?"
"I..."
Long Xiaoyao hurriedly asked, "I'm just asking. Who is she?"
"Hehe, I knew you'd like her, Brother Long. Her name is Ye Zhaolu, deputy director of the Federal Research Institute. What do you think? On the day you go to Shrek for your challenge, shall I bring her to meet you?"
Long Xiaoyao's eyes widened with excitement. "Absolutely! That'd be perfect! I love meeting intellectuals."
Li Chen chuckled.
Ye Xishui's beauty had always been heaven-defying. Because her Second Martial Soul was the Bright Phoenix, her younger self in the original story could even rival Tang Wutong.
In this life, Ye Zhaolu had likewise retained the trait of extraordinary beauty.
"Then-then it's settled! Li Chen, you absolutely have to bring her! Be my wingman while you're at it!"
Long Xiaoyao spoke bluntly.
"You got it, Brother Long!"
"Good. Since you've called me your brother, I, Long Xiaoyao, will have your back from now on! If anyone dares mess with you, your Brother Long will beat him up for you!"
Long Xiaoyao ended the call, brimming with excitement.
This girl was just too beautiful!
The reincarnated Long Xiaoyao clearly had a different personality in this life.
Long Xiaoyao of the Peerless era had endured in silence for love.
What he felt for Ye Xishui had been more a deep love mingled with guilt, a love born of feeling indebted to her.
But in this life,
Long Xiaoyao was the War God Temple's youngest War God, an unparalleled genius who could catch up with Yun Ming!
His love for Ye Zhaolu carried none of that previous sense of indebtedness, only sincere adoration.
Of course, it could also be called lust.
Bare-chested, Long Xiaoyao flexed hard in front of the mirror, turning his head from side to side to admire his perfectly muscled physique.
Originally, he had held little interest in challenging some Crimson Sky Douluo, but now he could hardly wait.
Passing Long Xiaoyao's door, Chen Xinjie frowned in puzzlement.
"What's gotten into Little Long? He's like a peacock spreading its tail."
Beside him, Deputy Temple Master Yu Guanzhi laughed. "The kid's done for. He's fallen in love!"
"Him? In love?"
The corner of Chen Xinjie's mouth twitched.
"The kid challenged every last one of us as soon as he joined the War God Temple. He can fall in love? Now I'm really curious. What sort of woman could catch Little Long's eye?"
Yu Guanzhi was curious too. "True enough. He was perfectly fine before. Someone he met recently? Surely she isn't from Shrek?"
Yu Guanzhi felt a little worried.
Little Long had joined the War God Temple now. He was already someone who had taken a side.
If he fell for a woman from Shrek or the Spirit Pagoda, that would really leave him stuck.
Chen Xinjie, standing beside him, was displeased by those words.
"What's wrong with Shrek? I've told you not to harbor prejudice and misunderstandings toward Shrek! You really ought to learn from Guan Yue in that regard."
Divine Brush Douluo Yu Guanzhi nodded helplessly.
Oh, yes, yes, yes.
You damned Chen Xinjie. As the War God Temple's master, you ate from the Federation's bowl while eyeing Shrek's pot.
Others might not know,
but Yu Guanzhi knew perfectly well about Chen Xinjie's past with Long Yeyue, the current deputy master of Shrek's Sea God Pavilion!
Because of one woman, Comrade Chen Xinjie had suffered a serious loss of ideals and convictions, repeatedly violated organizational principles, and always spoken up for Shrek.
As a result, the entire War God Temple now sat with its backside tilted to one side.
Then there was the deputy temple master, Yue Tian Douluo, Guan Yue.
Guan Yue was a bona fide Shrek graduate. Despite having graduated so many years ago, he still considered himself one of Shrek's people.
His backside was tilted too.
Divine Brush Douluo Yu Guanzhi had long been dissatisfied with this.
After all,
the War God Temple was an institution established by the Federation to counter Shrek's top-tier combat power.
Yet Chen Xinjie and Guan Yue, those two with their crooked backsides, had led it astray!
If Yu Guanzhi weren't still there representing the Federation's will, the War God Temple would really fucking belong to Shrek.
That was also why
Yu Guanzhi very much hoped that the person Long Xiaoyao liked wasn't from Shrek.
If she really was, wouldn't Long Xiaoyao become the next Chen Xinjie?
Yu Guanzhi followed Chen Xinjie upstairs, silently glancing at Long Xiaoyao before leaving.
Kid, you'd better not pick up bad habits, or I won't give you the temple master's position in the future.
Yu Guanzhi thought silently.
The speaker's residence.
Having arranged everything, Li Chen returned to his room, unable to keep a smile off his face.
Now Li Chen understood that fond, auntie-like smile people wore when shipping a couple.
It really did feel like playing matchmaker.
The next moment,
his Tree of Sorrow Martial Soul activated on its own. Puzzled, Li Chen sensed its condition, then suddenly discovered to his shock that his Soul Power had automatically risen by one rank!
Moreover,
when Li Chen examined his third Soul Skill, [Reincarnation and Renewal of Fate], he discovered that its cooldown had actually shortened by one month!
And that wasn't all.
Looking at himself again, Li Chen found that the Dark Holy Dragon bloodline he had obtained from Long Xiaoyao was actually evolving too!
A Dark Holy Dragon appeared on Li Chen's back, its pair of draconic eyes gleaming gold!
His bloodline had indeed evolved, transforming from an ordinary Dark Holy Dragon into the Darkness Holy Dragon King!
The Golden-Eyed Black Dragon!
That was the bloodline level of Beast God Di Tian!
Li Chen examined his Second Martial Soul, the Bright Phoenix, and found that the scorching presence of light surrounding it had also instantly grown much stronger.
"Holy crap! What's going on?"
"Could it be-is it because I helped Long Xiaoyao and Ye Zhaolu get acquainted?"
Li Chen's eyes widened as he suddenly seemed to understand something.
"Does that mean that as long as I help bring reincarnated people together in marriage, my Soul Power and Soul Skill cooldown can improve?!"
"And not only that, but my bloodline and the quality of my Second Martial Soul can improve along with them?"
"Well, damn! So this is how the Tree of Sorrow Martial Soul is supposed to be used?"
Li Chen laughed excitedly.
So he was the Red Thread Immortal of the Dragon King era!