"You!"
Yan glared furiously at Wang Sheng, but he really could not beat him and could only lower his head. "I'll defeat you sooner or later!"
Whether he could win was another matter, but he had to keep talking tough.
"Why did that guy Yan have to pick on you, Xiao Chen? He's so annoying."
Hu Liena was Luo Chen's number-one fangirl. As far as she was concerned, anyone who opposed Luo Chen was her enemy.
Yan?
Who was he supposed to be?
Yan.
Luo Chen recalled Spirit Hall's Golden Generation from the original story, then looked at the red-haired boy and immediately realized who he was. So it's him.
"You know him, Nana?"
"Mm."
"We were at the same orphanage before," Hu Liena said, "but we weren't very close."
Hu Liena was telling the truth.
Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena had come from the same orphanage, but before awakening their martial souls, they had had little contact.
Yan had a fiery temper and liked fighting. He was the orphanage's troublemaker.
Xie Yue had devoted himself to protecting his sister and had fought Yan a few times, but that was the extent of their relationship. They could hardly be called close.
After entering the academy, however, Hu Liena had displayed her exceptional talent.
From then on, the little fox was no longer the one her brother protected.
Her powerful spiritual power and naturally alluring physique had easily earned Hu Liena an extremely high standing.
So although the little fox acted soft and delicate around Luo Chen, that was not the whole picture.
In class, she was a little queen whom no one dared provoke. Even a delinquent like Yan had been taught a lesson by her.
"So Nana is the class's big sister."
Luo Chen smiled. "Looks like I'm pretty lucky. Both the big brother and big sister in class are willing to look out for me."
"Pfft!"
Hu Liena knew Luo Chen was joking, but she still declared proudly, "With your big sister here, let's see who dares bully you!"
Bibi Dong's disciple, with level 9.5 innate soul power and the top-level beast martial soul, Demon Fox.
On top of that, she had an equally talented brother, Xie Yue.
That stack of buffs had truly dealt an enormous psychological blow to their classmates.
Among the boys in the elite class, Wang Sheng now led the pack, with Xie Yue and Yan qualified to challenge him for the top spot.
As for the girls...
Hu Liena declared them all trash. A bunch of simpering little things. Stay away from Xiao Chen!
"All right, class."
Andrew resumed his earlier lesson, explaining the relationship between soul ring configuration and the power of soul skills.
During the lesson, Andrew glanced at Luo Chen repeatedly and found that the child had not displayed any impatience on account of his special relationship with Bibi Dong.
On the contrary, Luo Chen listened very attentively, looking even more like a model student than the class's actual model students.
A little unexpected.
Even when class ended, Andrew still found it somewhat hard to believe. I thought we'd gotten a little lord to wait on. Who knew he'd be so well-behaved?
"That's all for today's lesson."
Andrew dismissed the class and asked everyone to review what they had learned today after returning, committing it firmly to memory as soon as possible.
Before leaving, Andrew glanced at Luo Chen again, then nodded with a smile and departed.
What Andrew did not know, however, was that Luo Chen was not particularly satisfied with his teaching.
"That's it?"
Luo Chen had listened very attentively to the latter half of Andrew's lesson.
How should he put it? It was passable.
Although he had joined halfway through, his solid theoretical foundation was there.
As such, Luo Chen had known the material covered today for a long time.
"Still, I suppose there's nothing strange about that."
"Among soul masters, strength reigns supreme. Theoretical knowledge is only really useful when hunting soul rings."
By comparison, soul fighting, the application of soul skills, and soul power cultivation received much more attention from soul masters.
"Xiao Chen, let's go eat together."
Hu Liena gently shook Luo Chen, interrupting his thoughts. "The academy cafeteria's food is delicious. It's every bit as good as the hotels in Nuoding City."
And so, supported by Hu Liena, Luo Chen headed to the cafeteria with Xie Yue and Wang Sheng.
Spirit Hall Academy's meals were sumptuous, with no regard whatsoever for austere living.
On that point, Luo Chen could only say Spirit Hall had done well.
In fact, the practice of frugality was limited to Spirit Hall's upper ranks.
They did this not merely for the world to see.
It was more to temper their minds, seeking to break through to the Titled Douluo realm or advance farther along the path of a Titled Douluo.
Soul masters below Soul Saint had no requirements concerning their state of mind.
Besides, many people joined Spirit Hall in pursuit of wealth and glory, so there was no need to be too demanding.
As long as they did not prey on the common people or violate Spirit Hall's taboos, everyone generally turned a blind eye.
But now...
Unfortunately, Qian Xunji's era was over.
With that woman's rise to power, the pursuit of grandiose achievements and extravagant displays had ceased to exist.
Bibi Dong was the sort who could not tolerate a single grain of sand in her eyes.
This also meant that Spirit Hall was destined to face a brutal storm of blood.
Embezzlement, exploitation, deceiving superiors and concealing things from subordinates.
Once Bibi Dong learned of such conduct, there was only one outcome-death!
It was no exaggeration to say that unless your name was Luo Chen, Bibi Dong would not be helpless against you.
Otherwise, if you dared stir up trouble before the coldly beautiful Supreme Pontiff, she would scatter even your ashes!
Because Luo Chen had appeared, Bibi Dong was no longer the Rakshasa God from the original story who wanted to destroy the world.
She had hope now, and her future was filled with all sorts of expectations.
This also meant that Bibi Dong no longer loathed Spirit Hall as she once had.
If the slaughter Bibi Dong carried out after taking the papal throne in the original story had been to consolidate her power and strip the Qian Family of theirs,
then now, Bibi Dong was truly striving for her own cause.
Luo Chen's debate with Yu Xiaogang had shown Bibi Dong many things. She had discovered that Spirit Hall's existence truly had brought benefits to the Douluo Continent.
If the two great empires didn't exist...
For no apparent reason, this thought arose in Bibi Dong's mind. Would this world become a better place?
"When I get back today, I'll hear what Xiao Chen thinks."
Bibi Dong did not stubbornly make the decision alone, instead planning to discuss it with Luo Chen.
Without realizing it, deep in her subconscious, Bibi Dong was no longer the one who called the shots.
On major matters concerning the future, Bibi Dong cared deeply about Luo Chen's stance.
If Luo Chen did not allow it, she would not insist.
Compared with her career or anything of the sort, Bibi Dong feared Luo Chen disliking her more.
"Sigh."
At that moment, inside the Papal Palace, Bibi Dong looked at the mountain of documents before her and felt an overwhelming headache.
"I wish this would end sooner."
As the time she had spent with Luo Chen last night surfaced in her mind, Bibi Dong brimmed with anticipation for tonight's mother-and-son time.
She had wanted to return early and cook for Luo Chen herself.
Unfortunately, the workload was simply too great.
Bibi Dong was beginning to regret becoming Supreme Pontiff. What good is power? It can't compare to my Xiao Chen at all.
But who had asked her to choose this path herself?
"I really wish Nana would grow up sooner."
At that moment, Bibi Dong had the idea of grooming Hu Liena to handle her work in her place.
When she checked the time again, it was already mealtime.
Bibi Dong's cultivation was profound, and she had little need for food. Even if she went a month without eating or drinking, she could sustain herself with soul power.
The reason she cared about the time was that she had thought of Luo Chen.
"I wonder if Xiao Chen can get used to the academy cafeteria's food."
Bibi Dong had eaten there herself, and the food actually tasted quite good, but she simply felt that Luo Chen ought to eat something better.
"Should I go take a look?"
As soon as the thought arose, Bibi Dong suppressed it. "No, I can't keep watching Xiao Chen all the time."
Work!
That's right. As long as she focused on work, she could divert her attention from Luo Chen's pull!
Bibi Dong: With no man in my heart, I review documents like a god.
"C-can I sit here?"
In the academy cafeteria, Luo Chen and Hu Liena had not lined up for food. Instead, they had claimed seats together and were waiting for Xie Yue and Wang Sheng to return.
Just then, a boy with fiery-red hair timidly approached Luo Chen.
"Hey, Yan, what are you trying to do now?"
Hu Liena rose swiftly and appeared in front of Luo Chen in an instant, blocking Yan.
"Ah, I..."
Yan instinctively lowered his head, his face slightly flushed. He did not dare meet Hu Liena's eyes at all.
"Uh..."
Seeing this, Luo Chen could not help marveling at how precocious the children of the Douluo Continent were.
They were only a few years old, yet they were already falling in love.
Little did he know that Hu Liena's charm had already been very high. After Luo Chen's Ascension Ritual, her super martial soul, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, complemented the little fox's naturally alluring physique.
The combination had brought yet another qualitative transformation to her already fantastical charm.
Xie Yue was Hu Liena's biological older brother.
He did indeed feel that his sister had become cuter.
Beyond that, however, Xie Yue, who had no incestuous inclinations, completely failed to get Hu Liena's appeal.
As for Wang Sheng, Luo Chen was the only one in his heart.
Wang Sheng: Women will only slow down the speed at which I kill and set fires for Xiao Chen!
And finally, Luo Chen...
Just look at how the little fox behaved around him-a thoroughly bashful little loli.
Never mind displaying her charms before Luo Chen; even saying a few extra words made Hu Liena feel shy.
So what aloof goddess was there?
She was just a hopeless romantic.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said earlier."
Yan did indeed have feelings for Hu Liena, but he had not yet reached the level of the simp he was in the original story.
Besides, Luo Chen actually bore no ill feelings toward Xie Yue and Yan from the original story.
To put it bluntly, the two had been utterly loyal to Spirit Hall and fought its battles, making them far better than the original story's Hu Liena, who was known as a little ingrate.
At least after bringing those two into the fold, he would not have to worry about them betraying him.
"All right, Nana."
Luo Chen pulled Hu Liena down to sit, then said to Yan, "We're classmates. No need to be so polite. I'm Luo Chen. Your name is Yan, right?"
"Mm."
Finding Luo Chen easy to talk to, Yan felt guilty about mocking him earlier. "I'm Yan. I'm six years old, a level-twelve Battle Soul Master. My martial soul is the Flame Lord."
"You again? Why'd you come over here?"
Just then, Wang Sheng and Xie Yue returned, having ordered quite a few dishes.
"What business is it of yours where I sit?"
"Hah?"
Wang Sheng and Yan seemed to be natural enemies, starting to trade barbs the moment they met.
Yan had lost to Wang Sheng, but his pride had not faded. He still found Wang Sheng extremely displeasing.
Xie Yue had known Yan a little longer.
But unlike the close comrades-in-arms they were in the original story, they were only acquaintances now. At most, they respected each other and regarded one another as rivals.
Both had level-nine innate soul power, and both possessed top-level martial souls.
Before Wang Sheng arrived, the two of them had been the strongest in class.
But now...
Wang Sheng had overpowered Yan and, relying on his formidable first soul skill, had also gained the upper hand in his clash with Xie Yue.
Hu Liena, the only one capable of defeating Wang Sheng, was now wholly focused on Luo Chen and had no interest whatsoever in the boys' competitive struggles.
She, Hu Liena, only wanted to be Luo Chen's obedient little fox.
Xie Yue simply stood to one side, watching Wang Sheng and Yan go at each other, showing no intention of stepping in to help.
"All right, stop arguing."
"The table's so big. With just the four of us sitting here, it really does feel a little empty."
"Yan, sit beside Xie Yue."
There was nothing wrong with Luo Chen's arrangement, except that Yan switched places with Xie Yue and once again found himself staring at Wang Sheng.
This time, Luo Chen did not stop them.
Instead, he smiled as he watched the two stare each other down, inexplicably getting the impression that these two were the real pair.
Children really do build friendships by bickering.
Watching Yan and Wang Sheng start competing over who could eat faster, neither willing to yield, Luo Chen found the scene very heartwarming.
Of the four before him, Xie Yue and Yan were both outstanding Soul Masters with considerable potential.
Had the Shrek Seven Devils not gotten a cheat through the immortal herbs, only Oscar and Tang San could have compared with those two.
If Ma Hongjun could not solve his Evil Fire problem, only death awaited him.
Dai Mubai lacked the right temperament. Without Tang San's help, he could not even beat his own elder brother, Dai Weisi.
Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong.
In the later stages, Shrek's three beauties all became accessories to men, completely losing the spark they should have had.
Across the era of Douluo 1, how many of the younger generation could measure up to Xie Yue and Yan?
Feng Xiaotian might have managed it if he had not squandered his potential.
But that was about it.
Without Tang San, the future would surely belong to Spirit Hall.
Luo Chen felt regret over this, and he also wanted to properly nurture Xie Yue and Yan, making them two great sources of support for him in the future.
Add Wang Sheng, Hu Liena, and Little Angel to the mix.
With this lineup, it was dragons to the face. Luo Chen did not even know how he could lose.
"Luo Chen, you know so much."
As they enjoyed the food, Yan and Xie Yue both marveled at Luo Chen's extensive knowledge.
They even felt that the boy before them knew more than their teachers.
"Oh, not really..."
Luo Chen had wanted to be modest, but how could Wang Sheng, his fanboy, allow that? He immediately said, "This is nothing! Xiao Chen knew the little bit our teachers teach when he was three."
"..."
The corner of Luo Chen's mouth twitched slightly. Fortunately, Wang Sheng knew where to draw the line and understood his intentions. Everything he mentioned was something Luo Chen had been prepared to reveal.
Despite his burly build, this fellow was very perceptive.
So Wang Sheng had not revealed the slightest bit about the secret of Luo Chen's Martial Soul.
"Mm-hmm!"
"Good job, you stupid tiger!"
In a rare departure, Hu Liena did not snap at Wang Sheng, instead watching him with an approving expression.
Her eyes shone, and she kept murmuring under her breath, hoping this stupid tiger would praise him some more.
Little fox: as long as you sing my Xiao Chen's praises, we're friends!
(End of chapter)