"What?!"
Cai Yue'er was shocked.
She stared incredulously at Ye Zhaolu before her, stumbling back several steps.
Before her,
a massive Bright Phoenix manifested behind Ye Zhaolu, instantly filling her with divine radiance.
What Cai Yue'er found even more unthinkable was that,
her Martial Soul had actually been suppressed!
In other words,
the woman before her was not only at the same level as her, but her Martial Soul was even stronger than her Silver Moon Martial Soul!
Off to the side,
Long Xiaoyao stared at Ye Zhaolu, enveloped in pure white radiance, and was dumbstruck for a moment.
Ever since Ye Zhaolu appeared, she had called him War God Long at every turn. Long Xiaoyao had never imagined that she was the one playing the pig to eat the tiger!
Ye Zhaolu's strength had actually surpassed his long ago!
Most importantly,
bathed in the Bright Phoenix's light, Ye Zhaolu looked so beautiful, with a sense of holiness about her.
That made Long Xiaoyao like her even more!
Ye Zhaolu's immense strength shattered every pane of glass on the floor, sending the people nearby fleeing in alarm.
She quickly withdrew her Martial Soul as well, causing no casualties.
"Your Eminence Silver Moon, wouldn't it be better if we showed each other a little respect? Did you have to make things this ugly?"
Knowing she would gain nothing by fighting, Cai Yue'er simply withdrew her Martial Soul too.
"Who exactly are you?! Why have I never seen you before?"
"Hehe. I told you, I'm just a researcher at the Federal Research Institute. Research is my main occupation. Being a Soul Master is merely my hobby."
Li Chen was amused by what he heard.
This reincarnated Ye Xishui really did have a damn sharp tongue.
However,
what shocked Li Chen was,
wasn't this reincarnated Ye Xishui's talent as a Soul Master a little too astonishing?!
Li Chen had read Ye Zhaolu's file, and it showed that she was currently only twenty-eight.
A twenty-eight-year-old rank-96 Super Douluo!
That was fucking a cut above even Long Xiaoyao!
Honestly, that cultivation speed was already terrifying!
After all,
even Yun Ming had only broken through to rank 95 at twenty-six!
At that thought,
a question suddenly arose in Li Chen's mind.
He seemed to have noticed that these reincarnated people, such as Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui, possessed Soul Master talent far beyond what they had before reincarnation.
Was it a coincidence?
Or was it because of reincarnation?
There was another possible reason, though: Ye Xishui in the original story had been a monstrous genius to begin with.
Ye Xishui had Twin Martial Souls: the Blood Soul Demon Puppet and the Bright Phoenix.
Despite the conflict between those two Martial Souls, Ye Xishui had still managed to cultivate all the way to becoming a Limit Douluo.
In this life,
Ye Zhaolu only had the Bright Phoenix as her Martial Soul, making the source of her power relatively pure. Perhaps that was why she was so formidable in this life.
Towering waves surged through Cai Yue'er's heart.
"You-with talent like yours, how could you be content to work as a mere researcher for the Federation?"
"Why didn't you join our Shrek?!"
Ye Zhaolu said calmly, "Not everyone has to join Shrek. I told you, research really is all I like. I like unexplored fields."
Cai Yue'er frowned.
Yet she felt even more displeased.
Why?!
Back when Yun Ming was around, Ya Li had snatched him away.
Now that Long Xiaoyao had appeared,
another Ye Zhaolu had charged out of nowhere!
And they were both fucking from the Federation!
Ya Li was a genius healing Soul Master nurtured by the Federation, known as Holy Spirit Douluo.
Now this damned Ye Zhaolu was a Federation researcher, and she fucking claimed being a Soul Master was only her side job. She was even more arrogant than Long Xiaoyao!
At this moment, Cai Yue'er's anger toward the Federation reached its limit. Did this Sun Moon Federation have a grudge against her?
Why did it come after her for the kill every time?
"Fine! I'll remember this!"
"You're really something!"
"Long Xiaoyao, prepare well for your match. From now on, I won't appear in your life again!"
Cai Yue'er shut the door and left.
Once she had gone,
Long Xiaoyao looked at Ye Zhaolu.
"Well, if you're this strong, why didn't you say so from the start?"
Ye Zhaolu sat down and smiled. "I told you, being a Soul Master is just my side job. I'm not here to fight in the ring, so why bring it up?"
Long Xiaoyao felt dazed.
Remembering how he had just been showing off about his impressive career as a Soul Master, he suddenly felt like a clown.
It's over.
This woman is so capable, and she's educated too. How could she possibly take a fancy to an uncultured brute like me...
Long Xiaoyao's heart died at that moment too.
The gap was too great. What he had taken pride in had been shattered by something Ye Zhaolu treated as a side job. His confidence as a man was gone!
"Phew, I'm really sorry about what happened today. Um, Miss Ye, go get some rest. I'll pay for the damage here."
Long Xiaoyao spoke with his head lowered, then went to find the person in charge to pay compensation.
Ye Zhaolu watched him leave in puzzlement.
"What's wrong with him? I helped him drive Cai Yue'er away. Isn't he happy?"
Li Chen chuckled. "I guess Brother Long's confidence took a hit. Sister Ye, you're just too strong. Even I never imagined you'd be a Super Douluo."
Understanding dawned on Ye Zhaolu, and she patted Li Chen's head.
"Don't think like that. Everyone makes progress for their own sake, and every step forward brings its own joy. You're still young. You need to keep working hard."
"Hehe, you're right, Sister Ye."
"All right, let's go back and rest, then. I think today was a good thing for War God Long too. Otherwise, he was getting too full of himself, and that could easily cost him in the future. Like this, he's actually become a little more grounded."
Ye Zhaolu smiled as she spoke.
Then Li Chen went into the room to rest with her.
When Long Xiaoyao returned after paying compensation and saw that Ye Zhaolu and Li Chen had left, he went back to his own room.
"Ah, I'm really acting like a complete idiot. What the hell am I doing..."
Long Xiaoyao held his head, practically wanting to leave Douluo Star right then.
But just then,
Li Chen called.
"Brother Long, are you okay?"
Long Xiaoyao smiled. "I'm great. I'm actively preparing for a big fight with Zhuo Shi tomorrow!"
"Brother Long, there's no one around me."
Long Xiaoyao immediately let out a long sigh.
"Great, my ass. I'm not even as good as a woman, and Zhaolu keeps calling me War God Long. Now I fucking feel like an idiot whenever I hear the words 'War God.'"
"Hahahaha! Brother Long, you're hilarious."
Li Chen burst out laughing.
"Stop laughing, little brother. It's definitely over with this girl! You were a great wingman. It's my fault for being mud that won't stick to a wall."
Li Chen smiled. "Brother Long, don't think like that. I actually think you've probably got her."
"Huh?"
Long Xiaoyao suddenly sat up in bed. "What do you mean?"
Li Chen said with a smile,
"Think about it, Brother Long. Sister Ye is so strong, yet she's perfectly happy to listen to you brag in front of her. What do you think that means?
"Isn't that affection? What woman would listen to you brag with nothing better to do? Is there something wrong with her head?"
Long Xiaoyao's eyes lit up.
"Wait, are you saying...?!"
"Exactly. Sister Ye clearly has a good impression of you! Go ask at her research institute. The institute director's son pursued her for years without getting a single meal with her, but the very first time she met you, she was willing to listen to you talk so much."
The corners of Long Xiaoyao's mouth immediately lifted.
"You're right, little brother! That woman Cai Yue'er really led my thinking astray. Who says she can't like me just because she's stronger than me?"
"I'm going to get fired up! I'm going to beat the hell out of Zhuo Shi, then win Ye Zhaolu over!"
Li Chen smiled.
Yes, good. Very spirited!
That's the way. Brother Long, if you don't give it your all, how am I supposed to get my rewards?