Strengthening the Body, the Eve

[After this battle, your name spread across half the continent. Many academy students regarded you as their idol. Having earned such renown before even entering an academy, you made your parents exceptionally happy, and they held a grand banquet to celebrate. You alone locked yourself in your room, bitterness in your eyes, because even now, Shrek Academy had yet to show itself.]

[Knowing what Zhang Lexuan had experienced, you naturally understood that Shrek Academy wanted to nurture a disciple with a "clean" family background. Neither Zhang Lexuan nor you qualified, because your families occupied a very awkward position: they could not reach the heights of the Black Tortoise Sect, yet stood far above ordinary minor nobles.]

[Thus, if Shrek Academy wanted to gain an heir to the Sea God Pavilion, its best choice was to engineer an accident and make both your backgrounds "clean."]

[After turning it over in your mind, you tried to approach the Body Sect for protection. But because of your Martial Soul, although Lang Ya wished to befriend you, he had no intention of taking you in. With your family situated in Heavenly Soul, you dared not rashly throw your lot in with the Star Luo Empire, let alone the distant Sun Moon Empire. The Dou Ling Empire was too weak to serve as a protective umbrella at all. With no way to break out of this predicament, you could only return to devoted, arduous cultivation after having dust rubbed in your face.]

[Two years later, at eleven, you broke through to become a rank-thirty-seven Soul Elder. Zhang Lexuan also often came to interrupt your cultivation and cling to you. Yet every time you looked at the girl's gradually maturing face, an inexplicable sense of guilt lingered.]

[Zhang Lexuan also broke through to Soul Elder and often sparred with you. Whenever a spar ended, you merely smiled gently and lightly tapped the girl's head. She was displeased at first, but gradually grew accustomed to it.]

[Second chapter]

"Hah!"

The backyard.

Deep within a grove planted thick with bamboo, a clear female voice suddenly rang out, setting countless green bamboo stalks trembling and scattering the birds and beasts upon them.

"Brother, you'd better be careful!" Zhang Lexuan stood proudly in midair, her pretty face full of smugness. She swept one hand out. "First Soul Skill, Silver Moon Amplification!"

The next instant.

A silver crescent moon appeared in midair.

Even in daylight, it cast a strange silver light.

For Lu Cheng, there was a faint, intermittent weakening effect, while for Zhang Lexuan, it provided amplification...

"Second Soul Skill, Moon Blade!"

As the girl's silver-bell-like cry rang out, several silvery-white Moon Blades split from the silver moon and shot toward Lu Cheng.

"Not bad."

A trace of satisfaction showed in Lu Cheng's eyes.

With a casual wave of his hand, a Golden Crow surged out from behind him and circled beside him, raising its head in a clear cry. Its scorching flames dissolved the silvery-white Moon Blades into white mist, which vanished with a hiss.

"Damn it..." Seeing her move so easily dispelled, Zhang Lexuan gave a soft huff, then a hint of excitement welled up in her eyes. "Take another strike! Third Soul Skill, Silver Moon Wheel!"

With the enhancement of her first amplification Soul Skill, the girl's movement speed, defense, and attack all increased greatly.

The next instant, a deep-purple Soul Ring rippled beneath her feet.

The silver moon in the sky grew even more dazzling.

"Hah!"

Moonlight spilled down.

A bright full moon, like a spinning disc, expanded severalfold in an instant and crashed down toward Lu Cheng.

"Hiss..."

Mist rose.

It was like a clash between moon and sun, but the silver haze was soon dispersed. A searing flame rose from below and engulfed it completely, its might terrifying...

"Tch, I lost again..."

Zhang Lexuan felt a little dejected and pouted.

This gulf, like a heavenly chasm, was what left the girl faintly uneasy. In the future... would she really not be left far behind by her brother?

If that happened, would he come to disdain her?

Would she no longer be able to stand beside him and stake her claim in the future?

"Oww~"

Amid the spreading mist, a figure emerged, reached out with two fingers, and lightly tapped the center of her forehead, smiling. "Heh, not bad. You really are different after advancing to Soul Elder."

Lu Cheng studied the girl.

At eleven, she was already beginning to look slender and graceful. Her features hinted at a budding beauty; though still young, she had gained a touch of gentle composure.

But the girl soon shattered that impression...

"You tapped my forehead again. It hurts so much..." Zhang Lexuan muttered, her head drooping, yet a blush colored her fair cheeks.

She plainly said one thing and meant another.

"Have you eaten today's Whale Rubber?"

With his hands behind his back, Lu Cheng asked with a smile.

"No... it's so bitter." Zhang Lexuan stuck out her tongue while stealing a glance at Lu Cheng. Usually, only this would make him feed it to her himself.

"Sigh."

Lu Cheng shook his head, somewhat helpless.

"Let's go."

The girl curled her lips into a smile and followed close on his heels.

Inside the bamboo house.

Mist hung in the air.

The girl soaked in a medicinal bath inside. Beyond a layer of gauze, Lu Cheng sat quietly cross-legged, gazing out at the bamboo grove with complicated eyes. Rank thirty-seven, the Sun-Shooting Bow, and a third Soul Ring likewise from a nine-thousand-year fire-attribute Soul Beast-with his strength, he had been able to defeat a rank-fifty-two Soul King household guard a few days earlier.

Across all the ages, such talent would undoubtedly rank among the top three in the entire history of Douluo Star, but...

Before the colossus that was Shrek Academy, he was still a grain in the vast sea.

Lay his cards on the table with Shrek Academy?

When determined to condemn someone, why worry about finding a pretext?

And for him and Zhang Lexuan, possessing such talent without a sufficiently powerful force behind them was their original sin.

The situation was growing increasingly murky. From beginning to end, Shrek had never sent anyone to contact them, as though it were preparing some scheme...

In the distance, rolling black clouds slowly pressed closer.

"Brother!"

A coy call came from behind the curtain.

Drawing closer, the girl lifted the pale-blue curtain and approached, gathering her dripping hair with one hand. "A towel! Help me dry it..."

Lu Cheng came back to his senses. "All right."

He gently dried the girl's long, lustrous black hair. Amid the drifting mist, she leaned into his arms, somewhat greedily breathing in his scent, a trace of shyness flashing through her beautiful eyes.

In truth, she had always felt she had long had enough medicinal baths and Whale Rubber. The former was troublesome, and the latter bitter and astringent. But every medicinal bath meant she could have him dry her hair for her, so although she felt it unnecessary, she had never resisted this monthly moment of tenderness...

Lu Cheng picked up a piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber. A wisp of crimson heat rose from his palm as he carefully roasted it until it melted, then dripped it into the girl's mouth.

"Hold your breath, focus your mind, and circulate your cultivation method..."

Lu Cheng mercilessly straightened the girl, who still wanted to nestle in his arms. They sat cross-legged facing each other, his gaze gentle. "I'll help you refine it. Don't think about slacking off."

"Oh..." Zhang Lexuan was somewhat reluctant.

But under the pressure of Lu Cheng's gaze, she still began circulating her cultivation method. Hissing sounds rang out, and a cloud of mist spread from her body.

A wave of heat darted wildly through the girl's body like a headless fly.

Zhang Lexuan raised her head, her beautiful eyes full of innocence.

"Brother, I can't handle it..."

"Sigh."

Lu Cheng sighed softly and shook his head.

Fire Qi surged around him. He placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, and a rich, supremely pure and refined presence flowed in, devouring the energy released by the Whale Rubber wherever it went, before finally adhering to her meridians and bones, nourishing her body...