Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy.
Inside a certain office.
Zhang Lexuan sat on the sofa, her expression calm, occasionally glancing at Xu Cheng sitting opposite her.
After a long while, she hesitated, her rosy lips slightly parted, "You called me here..."
"Do you know why I call you Little Aunt?" Xu Cheng took a gentle sip of his tea, his expression complex.
Zhang Lexuan's whole body trembled, her throat bobbed, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xu Cheng.
If Xu Cheng had simply called her Little Aunt, it could still be interpreted as a similarity in appearance. However, martial soul fusion couldn't be faked. Generally, only blood relatives, or a truly heaven-made pair of lovers, could perform it.
Then the answer became somewhat clear.
These days, she had consciously avoided thinking in that direction, but today, it seemed she couldn't escape it anymore...
"..."
Zhang Lexuan seemed to use silence as resistance.
But Xu Cheng didn't mind and gently said, "I call you Little Aunt because your appearance is exactly the same as my Little Aunt. Her martial soul is also the moon..."
"Can I meet her?" Zhang Lexuan pondered for a moment.
"She's already dead," Xu Cheng put down his teacup, appraising the gentle and beautiful woman.
The little aunt he spoke of was not a direct blood relative, but a daughter of a royal prince. Although not from Xu Baili's lineage, his own father's side, but a collateral branch, he had seen her once at a palace gathering when he was a child. Coincidentally, her eyes and eyebrows bore a six or seven-point resemblance to Zhang Lexuan.
His relationship with that so-called little aunt was ordinary; they hadn't even exchanged a few words. But that didn't prevent him from using this to get closer to Zhang Lexuan.
"Sorry..." Zhang Lexuan hurriedly waved her hand in apology, feeling somewhat flustered. "But... isn't the bloodline martial soul of your Sun Moon Empire's royal family the sun?"
"Our royal bloodline has both sun and moon lineages. For example, Pillar of the Empire Elder Kong has the moon martial soul," Xu Cheng said.
Zhang Lexuan's beautiful eyes widened, and she froze in place.
In the records of Shrek Academy, the royal martial soul of the Sun Moon Empire was the sun. Many martial souls had mutated, but they still had some connection to the sun. But a moon martial soul...
"Give me your hand."
Xu Cheng stretched out his hand, palm facing Zhang Lexuan.
"Ah..." Zhang Lexuan subconsciously placed her hand on his. When she felt the unusual sensation, a blush instantly flashed across her delicate face, and she struggled slightly before turning her head away.
"..."
Her soft, boneless hand, with slender and white fingers like scallions, each long and fair, interlocked with Xu Cheng's large hand. He didn't take the opportunity to take advantage of her but instead began to circulate his cultivation technique.
Zhang Lexuan felt the soul power within her slowly boiling, as if cheering and anticipating the entry of Xu Cheng's soul power. The fusion of the two was perfectly seamless. After a cycle of soul power circulated within both of them, it subtly grew stronger...
Xu Cheng gently released the beauty's soft hand. "I went to check the family records last night. Just thirty years ago, there was a prince named Xu Baili who had a son late in life at the age of sixty. But when that baby girl was one year old, for some unknown reason, she was lost. Prince Baili searched for more than two months, turning Mingdu upside down, but still couldn't find her."
Zhang Lexuan felt her hand being released and the soul power connection breaking. A sense of emptiness arose in her heart for a moment.
But upon hearing what Xu Cheng said, she was stunned.
She raised her head, her beautiful eyes frantically staring at Xu Cheng, as if trying to find a trace of falsehood, but Xu Cheng only looked at her sincerely, his expression calm.
"But I..."
Zhang Lexuan said somewhat慌乱, "Although I wasn't raised in Shrek Academy, I was born into a noble family in the Heaven Dou Empire. I was persecuted by another great noble, which led to the massacre of my family, leaving only me..."
"Then, do you have any memories before the age of one?" Xu Cheng said softly.
"I..." Zhang Lexuan froze in place, muttering to herself.
"I will keep this a secret," Xu Cheng said silently, looking at Zhang Lexuan with a complex expression. "The relationship between Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Empire is tense. I won't put you in a difficult position."
Zhang Lexuan: "..."
Although her expression remained gentle and elegant, her heart was churning like a stormy sea, boiling endlessly.
The two of them should have belonged to opposing forces, facing each other with weapons. Before coming to the Sun Moon Empire, she had maintained a considerable degree of vigilance towards this place. But now...
"Can we cultivate together?" Xu Cheng regained his previous indifference.
But Zhang Lexuan noticed that his voice was slightly trembling.
Zhang Lexuan, who had originally intended to refuse, suddenly felt a softening in her heart.
A mysterious, powerful, and terrifyingly influential top genius, feared by countless others, someone Elder Mu had described as capable of crushing an entire era, was now revealing a hint of "true feelings" in front of her. This was incredibly impactful.
"Then, can I sit over there?"
"...Mm," Zhang Lexuan bit her red lip lightly.
The chairs in the office weren't very spacious, barely accommodating two people.
Even if Zhang Lexuan moved further to the right, she could still clearly feel the warmth emanating from Xu Cheng's body beside her, like a furnace.
Her gentle face flushed red, the color spreading all the way to her earlobes.
Damn it, how did she agree to him so impulsively...?
"But, I, aren't we too crowded like this? The soul power can't circulate properly."
Xu Cheng gazed at Zhang Lexuan's stunningly beautiful face. The usually ice-cold beauty of a senior sister was now so nervous that she was even stuttering. He chuckled softly, his hand somewhat restlessly placed on her soft and slender waist. "Crowded? Then let's go to the bed. It's spacious there."
Zhang Lexuan instantly overheated, her brain going completely blank like a steam-powered machine.
She even forgot to refute Xu Cheng.
Xu Cheng shifted his waist, one hand gently around the beauty's slender waist, while the other swiftly went underneath, lifting the stunned and blushing Zhang Lexuan into a princess carry.
"You... don't."
The moment the villain Xu Cheng wrapped his arm around the beauty's waist, he circulated the soul power within his body, causing Zhang Lexuan's already weak resistance to crumble even further.
Her delicate face flushed with crimson, her slender hands gently pushing against Xu Cheng's chest, but the strength was as good as none.
"Don't go out..."
Zhang Lexuan's delicate face was tinged with a blush, her eyes mistily fixed on Xu Cheng.
"There's a bed over there." Xu Cheng hadn't taken two steps before reaching the corner of the office. There was a small bed there, usually used for resting. He had specifically asked Lin Jiayi to prepare it before the Shrek exchange students arrived, naturally for today...
Xu Cheng gently placed Zhang Lexuan on the bed.
He removed her shoes and socks, revealing her jade feet. Slender arches, perfectly curved lines, long and rounded toes, without any nail polish, yet they appeared crystal clear.
Slurp...
"Cultivation, do we need to take off our shoes?" Zhang Lexuan's jade hands gripped the bed sheet, her face flushed with shame and anger as she stared at Xu Cheng.
But Xu Cheng knew that Zhang Lexuan was clearly already affected.
If the usually stern senior sister was truly angry, she would have directly used her martial soul true form and blasted her way out of here.
Zhang Lexuan had a very gentle yet firm nature. The gentleness was for her own people; she always had a warm and amiable demeanor, like a kind older sister. The firmness was for enemies and outsiders, where she would appear as an ice-cold, authoritative woman.
Melt away that iceberg, and inside would be a sweet and sticky candy...
Almost there...
Xu Cheng said softly, "My mother passed away when I was young. Because I had no maternal family backing, many princes bullied me. Even the palace staff were used to looking at the higher-ups' faces and wouldn't give me food. At that time, I was helpless. I would lie on the leaky wooden planks, always thinking, 'Just sleep, and I won't be hungry anymore.'"
Zhang Lexuan: "..."
Her anger instantly subsided, and she weakly asked, "So, what does that have to do with taking off shoes?"
Looking into Xu Cheng's eyes, she sighed after a long while, "Fine, take them off then..."
Xu Cheng also took off his shoes and socks, sitting cross-legged in front of Zhang Lexuan.
"Is it finally starting?" Zhang Lexuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that this kid would do something out of line. Should she refuse, or...
But just as she reached out her hands, ready to cultivate,
She was suddenly pulled into an embrace.
Zhang Lexuan: ???
"You... um..."
"This way, the cultivation speed is faster..."
"But..."
"Little Aunt..."
"..."
The words "Little Aunt" instantly struck Zhang Lexuan's heart like lightning. Her body stiffened, and after a long while, once the soul power within both of them completed a cycle, she slowly softened.
"You rascal..."
She gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, sighing helplessly.
Although both were sitting cross-legged, they were tightly embracing each other. The room slowly lit up with a mixture of gold and silver light, enveloping them like a cocoon...
A long while later.
Xu Cheng slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at Zhang Lexuan, who was sleeping soundly in his arms.
Although nothing had happened, and their clothes were still neat, they had shifted from sitting cross-legged to lying on their sides. Zhang Lexuan was nestled obediently in his embrace, the gentle sound of her breathing reaching his lips, making the scene even more beautiful.
"You... quickly let go of me." After admiring her for a while, Zhang Lexuan suddenly opened her eyes. She was first taken aback, looked around, and then a blush spread across her delicate face.
Xu Cheng held her tightly, and a hint of resentment appeared in her eyes.
"I'm afraid that if I let go of you, I'll never see you again..." Xu Cheng said, looking into Zhang Lexuan's eyes.
"How could that be? I'll be here tomorrow..." Zhang Lexuan said half-angrily before realizing she had fallen into Xu Cheng's trap. "I can't possibly come again tomorrow! Never!"
Saying this, she flipped over and got out of bed, quickly put on her shoes and socks, and strode straight towards the door with her long legs.
But as she reached the door, she glanced back.
In her sight, Xu Cheng was facing away from her, looking like an abandoned puppy.
"Damn it! Don't be soft-hearted, Zhang Lexuan!" "He's already so pitiful, he just wants to receive genuine care, what did he do wrong?"
Two voices argued in her heart.
After a long while, Zhang Lexuan still sighed softly and turned to leave.
...
The next day.
Qian Duoduo's face was rosy, as if carrying a hint of joy.
Dozens of teachers and students from the Soul Tool Department Academy were also excitedly gathered around the experimental area.
Here, they were about to witness the soul tool technology of the academy turn a new page. Most people didn't know where that design blueprint came from, so they were all encouraged and believed that it must be Dean Qian's own research.
Our Shrek's ten-thousand-year honor!
"Begin!" Qian Duoduo stood at the forefront and announced.
At the same time, a teacher from the Soul Tool Department pressed a button.
The huge metal object surrounded by the crowd rose with a rumble and quickly disappeared from their sight.
"So, what now, Old Qian..." Yan Shaozhe put his arm around Qian Duoduo's shoulder, a hint of joy on his face.
"Just wait and see, look at how ignorant you are," Qian Duoduo said proudly.
But his joy didn't last long.
The metal object in the sky suddenly plummeted. Fortunately, Yan Shaozhe acted in time to stop it, otherwise there would have been another big hole in the ground.
"How could this..." Qian Duoduo's face showed surprise and doubt.
"I built it exactly according to his design blueprint! All the core formations, large and small, inside are replicated exactly the same. I..."
"Old Qian, what kind of contraption did you build?" Yan Shaozhe complained.
"The Sun Moon Empire's metal shells can travel nearly ten thousand kilometers and appear above Shrek Academy without us noticing any soul power fluctuations. Yours, on the other hand, is only equipped with a level seven fixed soul tool cannon, and the soul power fluctuations are already almost impossible to conceal, let alone a level nine fixed soul tool shell. Most importantly, what does it mean to fall halfway down?"
"I..." Qian Duoduo wanted to cry but had no tears. "If you put it that way, our Shrek Academy's highest-level fixed soul tool is only level eight. Even if it's fully loaded, its deterrent power is far from comparable to the Sun Moon Empire's. Are you suggesting we stuff you inside and use you as a deterrent?"
"Stuff Elder Xuan in there, I'm too weak..." Yan Shaozhe mumbled softly.
"What did you say?" Xuan Zi, munching on a chicken leg, had just appeared and saw the two of them whispering something.
"Cough cough, we were summarizing the reasons for the failure," Yan Shaozhe coughed awkwardly.
"Alright, Elder Mu wants to see you," Xuan Zi glanced at the two suspiciously before taking another bite of his chicken leg, his figure slowly disappearing.
"Let's go," Yan Shaozhe said with a hint of schadenfreude.
For this project, Shrek had allocated more than two hundred million gold soul coins to Qian Duoduo. The materials mentioned in the design blueprint were almost all exceptionally precious. Qian Duoduo, after careful calculation, had barely managed to build it. But this first attempt was a complete and utter failure...
The blow to Shrek Academy, not to mention the Soul Tool Department, would be indescribable.
...
"I suspect Lexuan stole a fake one," Qian Duoduo slammed the table and said angrily.
"Sit down!"
Before he could finish speaking, he was slapped hard on the back of the head by Xuan Zi, who had swung around. He covered his head with tears in his eyes and sat back down.
"Duoduo, the academy invested over two hundred million gold soul coins in this project. This cost is comparable to the academy's annual income. Are we not even going to see a ripple?" Elder Lin, hunching over, asked with a slight frown.
She was the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Pavilion, controlling Shrek's economic lifeline. It was with her support that Qian Duoduo had gained confidence.
"It's difficult, Elder Lin," Qian Duoduo said, wanting to cry but having no tears. "I swear, I haven't touched a single copper soul coin from this. I meticulously calculated every gold soul coin in that design blueprint, spending it all wisely. Even the various so-called connecting core formations were personally polished and forged by me one by one. But when they were assembled, how could they..."
As an eighth-level soul tool master, he was already the highest-level in the entire academy. Xian Lin'er was purely a hands-off manager, only showing talent in snatching people from Yan Shaozhe, but having no aptitude in the Soul Tool Department. The other teachers in the Soul Tool Department were mostly temporary transfers, with only a few sixth and seventh-level soul tool masters.
The only person he truly trusted was Fan Yu, but unfortunately, Fan Yu had been exchanged to the Sun Moon Empire...
And in reality, he didn't quite understand that design blueprint either. After all, asking a "graduate student" to understand the most cutting-edge research in the world, even with a blueprint and everything labeled, copying it was one thing, but researching the underlying principles... that was purely nonsense.
Besides, graduate students could still look up information; where could he look it up?
He had already done quite well to create those connecting formations...
"Alright, don't make things difficult for Duoduo," Mu En coughed softly and said.
Compared to before, his voice was much lower.
"He can't be blamed for this."
"Elder Mu!" Qian Duoduo almost burst into tears, "I suspect the blueprint Lexuan got is fake."
Mu En pondered for a moment, "It might not necessarily be fake. It could also be... the initial draft of the Sun Moon Empire's blueprint, but we happened to get our hands on it. After all, they wouldn't be so careless with the final version..."
"Initial draft?!?" Yan Shaozhe's lips twitched.
Didn't that mean all their money had been wasted?
Although he didn't understand it well, he knew that the research of soul tools required updating through generations of versions, optimizing each generation. The final result was the finished product, while the initial result... probably wasn't even worth garbage.
"After all, Duoduo can't understand it either..." Mu En said faintly.
Qian Duoduo: "..."
"You can't understand it and you still dared to build it!" Yan Shaozhe wouldn't miss any opportunity to belittle the Soul Tool Department.
"..." Qian Duoduo lowered his head, clearly quite disheartened.
"Alright, alright, isn't this a very normal thing? When you don't have absolute certainty, taking too big a step can easily tear your pants. I think these two hundred million are still quite worth it..." Mu En gently tapped his fingers, his voice gentle.
Sun Moon Empire's accumulation of soul tool technology over thousands of years, did you think it was a joke? I bet that the number of ninth-level soul tool masters they publicly display might only be three or four, but in reality, there are definitely more than ten! Just in terms of pure research-oriented ninth-level soul tool masters, they have at least three or four, while we only have Duoduo and Fan Yu who are eighth-level soul tool masters, and only Fan Yu is a pure research-oriented eighth-level master. So, do you think we can overtake them in soul tools by taking a shortcut?"
"Then Elder Mu..." Qian Duoduo hesitated.
"So, we need to start cultivating from the students. Soon, in less than fifty years, they will grow from saplings into towering trees. This is also why I sent our Martial Soul Department students to the Sun Moon Empire. What if, just what if, some of them develop an interest in this?"
"Those children are our true foundation..."
Mu En's voice was deep, as if he was about to fall asleep, then he suddenly woke up and looked at Yan Shaozhe, "And because of this, those exchange students who come to Shrek Academy must be treated with caution. Teach them what should be taught, don't be stingy and petty, sending someone like Zhou Yi..."
"Yes..." Yan Shaozhe's expression was somewhat unnatural.
...
"The so-called core formation of a level one soul tool..."
"Mobilize your spiritual power, don't be distracted, engrave with focus..."
"Not bad, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Ning Tian's level one soul guiding ray core formations are all very well done. I estimate that in another half a year, they will be able to fully meet the standards of a level one soul tool master."
"Half a year?" Wang Dong was taken aback.
"The standards for soul tool masters in the Sun Moon Empire are generally higher than in other empires. If you can become a level one soul tool master here, you will be comparable to a level two soul tool master in Shrek Academy..." Xu Cheng smiled.
"Mo Xuan's progress is also good. Support-type soul masters are actually more suitable for soul tool research and manufacturing. Like the He Caitou next door, he has compensated for a large part of his lack of combat power through soul tools. On the battlefield, not only can he provide soft support to his teammates, but he can also provide a certain amount of hard support (soul tool firepower), which is equivalent to having the combat power of another soul master of the same level."
Mo Xuan nodded excitedly. In Shrek Inner Court, he always had to hide at the back. Apart from throwing out two soul skills and waiting for them to cool down, he could only watch his teammates fight helplessly.
So this deeply resonated with him.
And apart from them.
Only Zhang Lexuan remained in the entire classroom.
The others had all run to the practical control soul tool department next door, having a great time.
"Your core formation..." Xu Cheng placed the formation in front of Zhang Lexuan. That gentle yet cold face finally showed a hint of embarrassed blush.
"Sigh..." Xu Cheng shook his head helplessly and turned to leave.
The sound of that sigh made Zhang Lexuan's face burn even hotter.
Everyone else could do it, why couldn't she, Zhang Lexuan?
So, after class ended.
She followed Xu Cheng all the way to his office.
...
"You this is..."
Seeing the beauty who rushed in and hurriedly closed the door, Xu Cheng was somewhat surprised.
Seeing Zhang Lexuan walk straight over, bend slightly, and press both hands on the armrests of his chair, pinning him down, she lightly bit her silver teeth and said, "Give me tutoring!"
Xu Cheng: "..."
...
"Do you understand now?"
Xu Cheng and Zhang Lexuan were squeezed together on a small sofa, with him holding the beauty in his arms and teaching her hand-in-hand.
"Understood..." Zhang Lexuan's delicate face was slightly flushed. She had said yesterday that she would never enter this office again, but today she had slipped in again as if possessed, and even asked for tutoring...
On the table was a level one core formation. Although it was a bit rough, it could barely be considered a success. However, its explosion rate was a bit high. Generally, it would be considered a defective product in the Sun Moon military and would be destroyed at once, not allowed to circulate.
But for Zhang Lexuan, it was a big step forward.
Sure enough, learning was fast when Xu Cheng taught her hand-in-hand.
"Alright, I'll go now," Zhang Lexuan said, about to stand up.
But Xu Cheng pulled her delicate body into his arms. "Want to leave? Have you paid the tutoring fee?"
"Tu-tu-tutoring fee?" Zhang Lexuan widened her beautiful eyes, stuttering slightly, staring at Xu Cheng incredulously. You hadn't asked about this before.
"Seeing that you probably don't have much money, how about you pay with yourself?" Xu Cheng looked at Zhang Lexuan seriously.
"Give myself to you?" Zhang Lexuan said in disbelief.
"Mm..."
Xu Cheng circulated his soul power, and Zhang Lexuan's body instantly disobeyed her command, going limp in Xu Cheng's arms. She could only watch helplessly as he placed her on the bed, her heart thumping wildly, unsure of what to do.
"Um..."
The beauty gently closed her eyes.
Xu Cheng only felt a warm and moist sensation between his lips and teeth. His blood vessels gradually boiled. The fragrant and soft beauty in his arms, who was now his for the taking, had been the ice-cold beauty senior sister of Shrek Academy just a few hours ago.
This contrast...
Unable to restrain himself any longer, he pounced on her like a hungry tiger seizing its prey.
One piece of clothing after another was shed.
The atmosphere became increasingly heated.
After a long while.
Zhang Lexuan's beautiful eyes mistily stared at the diligently working Xu Cheng.
Why did it turn out like this?
She just got some tutoring, how did she end up giving herself away...
(End of this chapter)