Chang Li's Teasing

"I've successfully established contact with the Peaceful Alliance in the Sun Moon Empire. Once they learned that we could sell Soul Tools made by The Great Black Tower, they were extremely excited and eagerly got in touch with us."

As she spoke, Chang Li rescued Little Fox from Lu Jingming's hands and began patiently grooming its pink fur, which he had ruffled into a mess. Her movements were gentle and meticulous.

"Mm, it seems The Great Black Tower's reputation has already drawn the Sun Moon Empire's attention. That was to be expected. The Soul Tool world of the Original Three Douluo Kingdoms has long been neither thriving nor declining, with the strongest practitioners being no more than Rank 8 Soul Engineers. Now that a Rank 9 Soul Engineer has suddenly appeared, it would be strange if the Sun Moon Empire didn't take notice."

Lu Jingming furrowed his brow slightly and fell into thought, muttering to himself.

"Still, the Peaceful Alliance is one of the Sun Moon Empire's two major underground powers. Being able to establish contact with them is indeed excellent news for us. At the very least, in the short term, The Great Black Tower won't need to worry about a shortage of Soul Guiding Metal."

Lu Jingming knew a fair bit about the Peaceful Alliance.

In the original story, the Peaceful Alliance was the faction to which Ye Guyi, the Divine Angel, belonged. It controlled Mingdu's dining and entertainment industries and had the support of the Sun Moon Empire's noble circles behind it.

The Aodu Merchant Association was its rival.

The Aodu Merchant Association mainly controlled dark criminal forces such as assassins and thieves, with the Sun Moon Empire's military backing it.

Lu Jingming also clearly remembered that, in the future plot, Xu Tianran would support the Xishui Alliance founded by the Holy Spirit Cult and bring it into this contest among underground factions, where it would struggle against the Peaceful Alliance and the Aodu Merchant Association.

At that point, the Sun Moon Empire's underground power structure would shift from a standoff between two major factions to a three-way balance.

The imperial family, the nobility, and the military checked and balanced one another, forming a subtle yet stable competitive relationship.

At this stage, however, He Caitou's father was still on the throne, and the military's power had been suppressed to a certain extent.

Therefore, under the current circumstances, the Peaceful Alliance was stronger than the Aodu Merchant Association.

"Chang Li, you need to be extra careful. The Peaceful Alliance's leader, that woman named Shangguan Wei'er, isn't someone easy to deal with. She's incredibly scheming." Recalling the relevant information from the original story, Lu Jingming could not help looking worried as he hurriedly warned Chang Li, afraid that she might accidentally be plotted against by the Peaceful Alliance's leader.

"Oh! What, do you think your big sister is that easy to bully?" Chang Li raised an eyebrow slightly, a teasing glint in her eyes.

At the same time, she slowly lowered her head. As she did, her proud figure came into close view before Lu Jingming, making his breath catch as his heartbeat involuntarily quickened.

"All right, I'm done teasing you. I know what I'm doing, and I'll handle her carefully." Chang Li could not help letting out a soft laugh, her smile as bright and captivating as flowers blooming in spring.

Little Fox in her arms also kept chirping, "Ying, ying, ying," while waving its fluffy little paws, looking as though it were mocking Lu Jingming.

Lu Jingming looked helpless, grumbling inwardly that these older sisters always loved making fun of him, a little boy.

Hmph, once he grew up, came of age, and gained enough strength, would they still dare act like this? Then they would see whether he dared to punish them right on the spot.

At that thought, he wished more urgently than ever for time to pass faster, so he could escape this childish body sooner.

Shrek Academy, Sea God Island, within the tranquil Sea God Pavilion.

Yan Shaozhe, who had returned to the academy ahead of the others, stood respectfully before a white-haired old man.

The old man reclined comfortably in a lounge chair, radiating the composed aura of someone tempered by the years.

Yan Shaozhe's face was filled with reverence. He stood straight, yet leaned forward slightly, displaying his utmost respect for the old man before him.

"That is the situation, Teacher. From my observations, Snow Moon Douluo has most likely broken through successfully and reached the Limit Douluo realm. As for Lady Black Tower, although I was unable to meet her in person, I was fortunate enough to bring back one of her creations. To be honest, it completely exceeded my expectations. I boldly speculate that Lady Black Tower's attainments in Soul Tools may surpass those of the Sun Moon Empire's Three Great Soul Engineers."

Yan Shaozhe spoke sincerely, his eyes revealing astonishment and admiration for what he had witnessed.

Upon hearing this, the old man on the lounge chair slowly opened his eyes.

In an instant, a sharp gleam flashed through them like a meteor streaking across the night sky, making one keenly aware of the old man's hidden strength.

The old man nodded faintly and sighed softly. "Is that so? For you to make such a firm judgment, what you say must be true. I only wonder which reclusive sect this mysterious Snow Moon Douluo came from."

After a brief pause, the old man continued, "However, in the long run, the appearance of her and The Great Black Tower is not necessarily a bad thing for us. The Sun Moon Empire is now far ahead of our Original Douluo Continent in Soul Tools. The Great Black Tower's existence may help us narrow that gap and bring a new opportunity for the development of Soul Tools on the continent."

Then the old man frowned slightly, confusion flickering in his eyes. "There is just one thing I cannot understand. Why are they both willing to remain in that tiny Haiyuan City and wholeheartedly assist an eight-year-old boy? What is so special about him?"

After considering for a moment, Yan Shaozhe answered respectfully, "Other than his astonishing talent, he is also relatively mature and somewhat precocious for his age. But beyond that, I have yet to discover anything else unusual about him."

"So be it. Haiyuan City is also under the Star Luo Empire's influence. That is far better than having ties to the Sun Moon Empire."

This white-haired old man was none other than the current Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion and Yan Shaozhe's teacher—Dragon God Douluo Mu En.

He was one of the few remaining Limit Douluo on Douluo Continent. On this continent, his name represented supreme authority and power.

"By the way, how is that girl Xiaotao doing now?" Compared with those complicated struggles among factions, Mu En was clearly more concerned with the growth of the academy's younger generation.

After all, Shrek Academy's current generation faced a shortage of rising talent, with very few outstanding students.

Other than Ma Xiaotao, who had long been plagued by her evil fire, only Han Ruoruo, the leader of this generation's Shrek Seven Devils, could be considered somewhat promising. Yet compared with truly top-tier geniuses, Han Ruoruo still fell short in the end.

Now that Ma Xiaotao's evil fire problem had actually been resolved, Mu En saw a glimmer of hope.