Over the past few days, Chen Yuan had been either traveling, absorbing immortal herbs, or assimilating soul rings. While his body could still handle the strain, his mind was beginning to feel the fatigue.
Now that he had returned to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Chen Yuan enjoyed a hearty dinner, took a relaxing bath, and got into bed. However, he didn't fall asleep immediately. As usual, he entered a meditative state.
As soon as he began meditating, he noticed something different. His consciousness seemed to enter a black hole—a black hole that was, in fact, the Dragon Pearl. After refining it, the Dragon Pearl had become his soul core.
This Dragon Pearl, originating from a special soul beast like the Black Dragon, still retained the energy absorption and refinement capabilities of a ten-thousand-year soul beast. With his consciousness immersed in it, Chen Yuan's cultivation speed doubled once again.
The Dragon Pearl also seemed stimulated. As it absorbed and refined the energy of heaven and earth, it grew slowly on its own. Perhaps, like an external soul bone, the Dragon Pearl could continue to grow after being refined. In that case, the Dragon Pearl could be considered a unique type of external soul bone.
At this moment, Chen Yuan thought to himself:
'With this Dragon Pearl, my soul power grows slowly even when I'm not actively cultivating. During meditation, the growth rate doubles, saving me a lot of time. It seems my luck is quite good.'
'This Dragon Pearl has a dark attribute—erosion, expansion, and devouring are its innate abilities. If I can comprehend the dark attribute and actively use it in battle, it will greatly enhance my strength.'
With this in mind, Chen Yuan immersed his consciousness into the Dragon Pearl while meditating, trying to comprehend its dark attribute.
Meanwhile, in the room, Chen Yuan, sitting on his bed, seemed to transform into a black hole. The surrounding energy of heaven and earth, even the light, was directly absorbed by his body. His soul power steadily progressed toward level 46.
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The next day!
Neither Ning Rongrong nor Zhu Zhuqing attended classes. Chen Yuan took them directly to the three deans to request leave.
The three deans exchanged glances. They had just enrolled, and now they were asking for leave? They sternly demanded a legitimate reason.
Chen Yuan thought that after hunting soul beasts and their soul power increasing, it would be impossible to hide. So he said:
"I'm taking them to hunt soul beasts. They've both reached level 30 soul power."
Upon hearing this, the three deans were petrified, their expressions as if they had seen a ghost. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had been at level 27 and level 28 soul power, respectively. How had they both reached level 30 now?
The speed of their improvement was far too abnormal.
Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin were all reasonable people. They didn't press further and eventually granted the three of them leave. As long as it benefited the academy, they wouldn't interfere.
With that, Chen Yuan smoothly left the Heaven Dou Royal Academy with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. As they were about to part ways, Chen Yuan said to Ning Rongrong:
"Rongrong, after you return, if you plan to approach Tang San for his hidden weapons, make sure to report Tang San's situation truthfully to Sect Leader Ning. Tang San is a blacksmith, and he crafted those hidden weapons himself. Among the three legendary divine blacksmiths on the continent—Lou Gao, Titan, and Tang Hao—it's possible that Tang San is connected to one of them. Knowing your enemy is the key to staying undefeated."
Ning Rongrong nodded thoughtfully:
"Brother Chen Yuan, I understand. You're right. Tang San's blacksmithing skills most likely come from one of the continent's renowned divine blacksmiths."
Seeing her reaction, Chen Yuan didn't say more. This was enough for Ning Fengzhi to deduce Tang San's identity. For someone as intelligent as Ning Fengzhi, it was best not to try to teach him what to do. Providing clues and letting him figure things out himself would both please him and put him in your debt.
With that, Ning Rongrong skipped away, heading toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect's headquarters.
Chen Yuan wasn't worried about Ning Rongrong's safety. There would undoubtedly be people protecting her, and she also carried a set of hidden weapons capable of killing a Soul Ancestor.
A moment later, Chen Yuan turned to Zhu Zhuqing:
"Let's set off too. If we want to hunt thousand-year soul beasts, ordinary soul hunting forests won't suffice. We'll head to the Sunset Forest first. It's the premier wild soul beast forest in the Heaven Dou Empire."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. Now that it was just the two of them, she wanted to say something but felt too nervous to speak.
She followed behind Chen Yuan, walking at a steady pace, which made the atmosphere somewhat awkward.
At this moment, Chen Yuan took the initiative:
"Third Soul Skill, Sword Wings Like Flight!"
Zhu Zhuqing looked up and saw Chen Yuan standing on a flying sword, extending his hand to her:
"Come on up. Walking is too slow."
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated in her heart, but her body acted honestly. She reached out her hand, placing it in Chen Yuan's. With a slight pull, she was lifted into the air and landed on the flying sword.
In an instant, a streak of sword light shot toward the sky...
This was Zhu Zhuqing's first time experiencing flight. The sensation of weightlessness made her lose her balance momentarily. Chen Yuan, being "considerate," wrapped his arm around her slender waist, pulling her into his embrace. The warmth of his body made her feel dizzy.
After a long while, Zhu Zhuqing, her face flushed, whispered softly:
"Chen Yuan, this... we're really letting Rongrong down."
Chen Yuan nodded sincerely:
"Yes, we're truly letting Rongrong down."
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily stunned, thinking to herself:
'He knows he's letting Rongrong down, yet he's still taking advantage of me.'
Chen Yuan sighed slightly:
"Perhaps I'm no different from other men—greedy, never satisfied with what I have, always eyeing what's in the pot..."
At this, Zhu Zhuqing turned her head to look at Chen Yuan, her gaze firm and her voice gentle:
"No, you're different from other men. You're strong, gentle, considerate, and attentive. To a woman, if you can stand up for her in times of danger instead of cowering, you've already surpassed all the men on the continent in her eyes."
Chen Yuan's lips curved into a smile. He knew that winning Zhu Zhuqing over was no longer an issue. Indeed, as long as one was exceptional enough, everything else would fall into place.
After all, this was the Douluo Continent. In the original story, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had not only kissed Tang San but had done so while Oscar and Dai Mubai—the two "green-haired turtles"—watched on with encouraging expressions.
It was absurd and melodramatic, but it had truly happened in the original story. If Tang San had ever wanted to establish a harem, Oscar and Dai Mubai would have been out of the picture.
Moreover, Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was sometimes effective and sometimes not. It never failed when men attacked him, but it always failed when women kissed him.
At this moment, Chen Yuan said directly:
"Give me a chance to protect you?"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lowered, her cheeks tinged with a blush, as she softly replied:
"Mm..."
(End of Chapter)
Word Count : 1,253
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