"Ahem." Toji, who was usually as cold and aloof as an iceberg, coughed very lightly, a rare occurrence. His eyes seemed to flicker for a moment, avoiding the Du Busi, gossipy gaze of Du Bu Si.
"Don't overthink it. We gave her the seed, but we didn't touch her." He paused, then continued, "If she weren't a virgin, Xu Tianran would have suspected and killed her immediately, and the plan would have been ruined."
"Oh." Du Busi suddenly realized, letting out a long "Oh," his face showing a complex expression of understanding mixed with a hint of having almost missed a shocking scoop. He slapped his thigh hard:
"You scared the hell out of me! I thought you really cuckolded the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire. That would be fucking explosive, hahaha!"
He couldn't help but burst into laughter, and just imagining Xu Tianran with a huge green field on his head made him feel incredibly relieved.
However, just as Du Busi's laughter subsided...
Toji then said:
It's only a matter of time.
The three words, spoken in a deep and resolute tone, echoed clearly in the passageway like ice beads falling to the ground.
Du Busi's laughter stopped abruptly, as if someone had grabbed his throat.
He stared at Toji in astonishment, his mouth opened and closed, but he could only manage to utter one sentence:
"Damn, you're ruthless, kid. I like it!"
He seemed to already see the future, when Ju Zi truly held power, and that child became the heir...
Xu Tianran's green hat will eventually be firmly placed on his head by Toji himself, in the most humiliating way.
That scene... just thinking about it makes my blood boil!
Du Busi grinned, revealing a rugged smile brimming with anticipation and a wicked sense of humor.
Meanwhile, far away at the site of Shrek City.
The magnificent architectural complex, once a symbol of the continent's premier academy, has been reborn on its new site after surviving that devastating catastrophe. While it may have lost some of its historical weight, it now exudes an indomitable spirit.
The rebuilt academy is grand in scale, with rigid lines, and subtly exudes a calm and steadfast aura, unlike anything before, like a mountain.
All of this was thanks to the two towering pillars who led the reconstruction of the Shrek Academy.
The two sect leaders of the Clear Sky Sect are Niu Tian and Tai Tan.
The Clear Sky Sect has now taken over all affairs of the Shrek Academy, leading the surviving students.
Huo Yuhao, in particular, received special attention.
Deep within the academy, in a meditation room.
Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged, his aura as deep and profound as the ocean.
His Soul Power fluctuations have already reached a terrifying level that is beyond the reach of his peers, and it is still steadily increasing at an alarming speed.
Outside the meditation room, Niu Tian and Tai Tan stood silently like two ancient and unchanging guardian statues.
Their gazes pierced through the thick stone wall and landed on Huo Yuhao, their eyes filled with undisguised admiration and anticipation.
"This kid's progress is even faster than we expected." Tai Tan's rugged face was adorned with a satisfied smile, his voice booming like thunder.
Niu Tian nodded steadily, a glint of shrewdness hidden in his deep eyes:
"A combination of exceptional good fortune and deep-seated hatred can sometimes be the most powerful fuel. The brighter the fire in his heart burns, the faster and farther he goes."
They looked at each other and saw the same burning passion in each other's eyes.
They poured their hearts and souls into personally guiding Huo Yuhao, imparting to him the secret techniques of the Clear Sky Sect, the essence of combat, and even their understanding of the nature of power without reservation.
Of course, it wasn't just them; even Tang San in the heavens was doing his best to nurture Huo Yuhao.
All of this is not just for the reconstruction of Shrek, but for an ultimate goal.
To cultivate a sharp sword capable of severing the terrifying dark cloud called Toji that hangs over everyone's heads!
"Almost there." Tai Tan clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit. "Give him some more time, until he's fully digested what he's gained, until he truly stands at the peak. I really want to see him personally smash that monster into the ground, utterly defeat him."
Niu Tian remained silent, standing with his hands behind his back. His gaze, looking towards the southern horizon, seemed to pierce through countless mountains and rivers, landing on the figure that even he felt immense fear towards.
Huo Yuhao is their only hope in the fight against Toji.
They were looking forward to it, eagerly anticipating that moment.
Time slips away quietly.
All the forces on the Douluo Continent are racing to develop their strength.
Meanwhile, deep within the Body Sect of the Heaven Dou Empire.
In the quiet room, Toji slowly opened his eyes.
A rare hint of irritation flickered in the depths of those deep eyes.
It's been three years.
After leaving the Body Sect, he took Zhang Lexuan and Di Qiu'er with him and traveled almost all over the Douluo Continent.
He has tried countless extreme training methods that are unimaginable to ordinary people and even considered suicidal:
He once dived alone to the bottom of the endless ocean tens of thousands of meters below, enduring terrifying water pressure that could crush fine steel into a thin pancake, tempering his body in absolute darkness and silence, and fighting against Sea Soul Beast. Every time he surfaced, it was as if he had walked through the gates of hell.
He once carried a specially made soul-guided metal block as heavy as a mountain, and underwent the most primitive and violent physical weight training in dangerous places with flowing volcanic lava, on the Ten-Thousand-Year Mystic Ice of the Far North, and on the mountain peaks ravaged by thunder. Every step he took shook the earth and the sweat steamed like mist.
He even tried to draw upon heavenly lightning to temper himself with the raging power of heaven and earth...
His almost self-destructive, insane training meant that each time he walked on the edge of death!
But what was the result?
He felt the surging Bloodline Power and qi within his body, like that of an ancient Ferocious Beast, and the barrier of his realm that had long surpassed the limits of the mortal world, yet seemed to be tightly bound by an invisible shackle.
For three years, he used every means at his disposal, teetering on the brink of life and death countless times, before he barely managed to... advance one level!
Level 1!
This was Toji slow for Shen, who was about to become a god.
It's like being stuck in a sticky swamp; no matter how much you struggle and roar, your progress is so slow it's almost hopeless.
"A bottleneck, God Level barrier..." Toji muttered to himself, his voice tinged with helplessness.
The power of the mortal realm seems to have truly reached its end.
Conventional life-or-death trials have little effect on his already tempered body.
They're already at the Divine Body, how can they possibly improve?
He needs an opponent.
An opponent who can truly make him feel threatened by death, who can drive him to the brink of despair, and who can break that invisible shackle.
The only threats to him now are the two Limit Douluo of the Holy Spirit Cult, Niu Tian and Tai Tan of the Clear Sky Sect, and Di Tian of the Star Dou Great Forest.
And then there's... the future Huo Yuhao.