"Haha, I didn't expect you to be such an innocent little boy." Watching Xia Yi's embarrassed expression, Yali laughed happily.
It was rare to see Xia Yi flustered, so she was going to enjoy it while it lasted.
"Innocent?" Xia Yi's eyelids twitched wildly. That word felt completely out of place when used to describe him.
"Looks like Sister Yaozhu's training of you hasn't been thorough enough." Yali giggled and turned to leave, not bringing up the matter of Leng Yulai's medical skills again.
She understood that this was something that had to be done gradually. She needed to slowly build Xia Yi's trust and affection toward her before she could truly broach the subject.
At the very least, she had to wait until Xia Yi, deep down, could separate what Long Yeyue had done from her before making a move.
As for the issue of Shrek Academy students' battle armor, she had never worried about that from the beginning.
Xia Yi wasn't that stingy.
Xia Yi's mouth twitched slightly. The reason he hadn't reacted immediately just now was simply because he hadn't expected Yali to joke with him in such a way.
After all, this kind of joke was usually only exchanged between husbands and wives or lovers.
Xia Yi glanced at Yali's departing figure.
He knew that Yali had deliberately made such a risqué joke with him in order to close the distance between them.
That way, they would appear more intimate.
Perhaps, over time, his guard against her would lessen.
Perhaps, a few sets of second-grade battle armor weren't worth such efforts from her.
But the medical section of The Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon definitely was.
For the sake of the first part of The Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon, she was willing to lower her status and make such jokes with Xia Yi.
She wanted to shorten the distance between them.
But unfortunately, Xia Yi would never give it to her.
The medical section of the Supreme Human Dao Technique wasn't something that could be handed over so casually.
The subsequent matches went smoothly for Xia Yi.
He didn't encounter any more particularly strong opponents.
His identity was too significant—although the Star Luo Empire might want to arrange challenges for him, they wouldn't dare to do so too blatantly.
Throughout the tournament, Xia Yi never truly exposed his full strength. Even when he encountered one or two strong opponents, he managed to fool them with various tricks.
One such opponent was Sima Xian, whom he used the same tactics as when he fought Tang Wulin—eye gouging, throat lock, and a low kick to the groin. As a result, Sima Xian was still bedridden.
So, although Xia Yi won match after match, there were no cheers or flowers for him, only increasing boos and curses.
Because of this, every time he went out now, he had to be extremely cautious.
Yet, Xia Yi still wouldn't learn his lesson, sticking to the principle of tricking as many people as he could.
The only matches he fought seriously were in the mecha competition.
Whether he faced yellow, purple, or black mechas, each fight lasted for at least half an hour.
However, he wasn't the one fighting.
It was Heart of the Ice God.
Xia Yi only needed to sit back in the cockpit with a small stool, watching the show while munching on snacks.
Everything else, Heart of the Ice God handled on her own.
She wanted to refine her combat experience to determine her future mecha upgrade path.
Xia Yi could only let her be.
Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament was drawing to a close.
Despite the Star Luo Empire's alliance with the Spirit Pagoda and Tang Sect to implement strict security measures, more than a hundred talented individuals had still been assassinated.
Although they had captured two culprits, they weren't members of the Green Skull Organization or the Holy Spirit Cult.
This infuriated Dai Tianling, making him grit his teeth in anger.
With no other options, Dai Tianling even secretly deployed Monster Academy's Kirin Douluo, Tong Yu.
However, Tong Yu remained in the shadows, serving as a deterrent rather than taking overt action.
Xia Yi continued his daily routine of eating and drinking as usual.
Even Shrek Academy's team, protected by Yali, had been attacked multiple times, yet Xia Yi remained completely unscathed.
Firstly, he had never revealed his true strength.
Secondly, Leng Yulai was too mysterious—no one could track her movements.
Some even speculated that she, like Leng Yaozhu, might also be an Ultimate Douluo.
This speculation wasn't baseless. Before Leng Yulai disappeared, her cultivation wasn't any weaker than the currently renowned Ultimate Douluos. It was only natural for her to have broken through.
No one dared to make a move on Xia Yi without knowing her whereabouts.
And no one dared to be the first to test her limits.
Today, after finishing another round of the two-on-two matches, Xia Yi immediately returned to the Star Luo Hotel.
He was thrilled because Gu Yue had finally finished her closed-door cultivation.
"What's your current strength?" Xia Yi asked curiously as he looked at Gu Yue.
The Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon that Xia Yi cultivated only covered the second part—internal energy techniques. The true supreme human technique, the third part—Immortal Dao techniques—was something he had yet to learn.
But Gu Yue had learned a genuine Immortal Dao technique.
In fact, it was so profound that it couldn't even be used on the Douluo Continent.
"Are you asking about my strength on the Douluo Continent or in your spiritual world?" Gu Yue giggled as she asked.
The technique she practiced was called Orchestrating Creation, possessing the ability to manipulate creation and destruction, to bring forth something from nothing, to resurrect the dead—an immensely powerful force.
Under the guidance of Xia Yi's past-life memories, she had grasped some fundamentals. Now, she had a clear plan on how to create a divine realm for soul beasts.
"What do you think?" Xia Yi asked.
"On the Douluo Continent, I should be about the same as you. But in your spiritual world, I could probably suppress you with one hand." Gu Yue looked at Xia Yi mischievously and asked, "Want to spar?"
She rarely had the chance to dominate Xia Yi. Now that she had the opportunity, she wasn't going to let it slip away.
Although she couldn't use Orchestrating Creation on the Douluo Continent, it had given her a brand-new understanding of the world's laws, deepening her comprehension of martial souls and soul power.
Her control over her power had also become more refined.
Now, her soul power was stronger than ever.
"Spar? Sure." Xia Yi agreed with a grin.
He didn't hesitate at all.
"Alright, you choose the place." Gu Yue raised an eyebrow and smirked. She had been suppressed by Xia Yi for so long—this was her chance to turn the tables.
"As you wish." Xia Yi smirked and suddenly picked her up in his arms.
As Gu Yue let out a surprised squeal, he carried her straight to the bedroom.
A while later, Gu Yue lay panting on Xia Yi's shoulder, her previous arrogance completely gone. Now, she didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.
"Let's see if you dare try to dominate your man again," Xia Yi said smugly.
"I won't dare anymore…" Gu Yue shrank her neck, admitting defeat. The Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon was too much of a cheat in this area—even ten of her wouldn't be a match for Xia Yi.
Then, with a hint of jealousy, she pinched his waist and asked angrily, "Your Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon has improved so much… I bet you've been 'training' with Leng Yulai a lot, haven't you?"
"I was just trying to grow stronger to protect you!" Xia Yi grinned.
"Hmph!" Gu Yue snorted, clearly not buying his excuse. She leaned against him and said seriously, "There's something I need to discuss with you. I've figured out how to forge a 'Destiny Cauldron' to suppress the soul beasts' fate, but it requires a little sacrifice from you."
She had consulted Xia Yi's past-life knowledge on this matter.
"What kind of sacrifice?" Xia Yi asked curiously.
He wasn't afraid of sacrifice—he was simply interested.
If it meant creating a cauldron powerful enough to suppress the fate of soul beasts, any sacrifice would be worth it.
After all, forging such a heaven-defying artifact couldn't possibly come without a cost.
(End of Chapter)