Inside the classroom, the previously heavy atmosphere seemed to be injected with a surge of restless spiritual qi the moment the name "Wang Qiuer" was spoken.
Liu Yuan's hand froze midair as he held his teacup. In his dark, unfathomable eyes, a storm began to churn—one imperceptible to anyone else.
"Wang Qiuer… it's actually Wang Qiuer?"
As a transmigrator, Liu Yuan understood the weight of this name all too well.
In the original trajectory of fate, this Auspicious Beast of the Star Dou Great Forest was supposed to transform into human form sometime in the future and enter Shrek Academy, beginning a poignant and inescapable destiny.
Yet now, not only had she transformed ahead of time, she had crossed most of the Douluo Continent and appeared directly at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy—right in front of him.
"Is this… because of me?"
Liu Yuan's fingers unconsciously rubbed the rim of his teacup. A memory surfaced in his mind—of him casually saving a Three-Eyed Golden Lion in the Star Dou Great Forest.
At the time, it had been nothing more than an act done in passing. He never expected it to cause such an immense butterfly effect, pulling this so-called "Soul of Destiny" straight out of Shrek Academy's script and into his own life.
"But why did she come here? To repay a debt? Or for some other reason…?"
As Liu Yuan pondered, a light breeze carrying a faint fragrance reached his side.
Wang Qiuer stood with her hands clasped behind her back. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her brilliant golden hair, each strand seeming to flow with the radiance of destiny itself.
She stopped openly beside the empty seat next to Liu Yuan, tilted her head, and smiled slyly. Her heterochromatic eyes sparkled with lively intelligence.
"Excuse me, classmate… may I sit here?"
Her voice was crisp and pleasant, brimming with a vitality that was difficult to refuse.
Before Liu Yuan could respond, she had already pulled out the chair and seated herself. Turning sideways, she rested her chin on her hands, elbows on the desk, and stared unabashedly at Liu Yuan's sharply defined profile.
"I heard Teacher Xuan say your name is Liu Yuan? You're the Duke here?"
"I suppose so." Liu Yuan set down his teacup, somewhat helpless. He could clearly feel the nearly murderous gazes from the surrounding male students.
"A Duke, huh? That sounds amazing." Wang Qiuer seemed utterly oblivious to the reactions around her, chatting cheerfully with a natural sense of closeness.
"When you came in earlier, your brows were knit so tightly. Did you run into some trouble? Want to tell me about it?"
While Liu Yuan responded absentmindedly to her stream of questions, he remained secretly vigilant.
Despite his cultivation already reaching Rank Seventy-Three and his mental force far surpassing that of ordinary people, he felt a faint, hazy obstruction when facing this girl—as though something obscured his perception.
This only confirmed his suspicion further.
The golden-haired girl before him was indeed the incarnation of that Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
…
Across the classroom, Ju Zi observed the overly intimate interaction between Liu Yuan and Wang Qiuer, a playful smile curling at the corner of her lips.
She nudged Meng Hongchen with her elbow and whispered teasingly, "Meng, look at that. This new junior sister isn't simple at all."
"The moment she walked in, she locked onto our Duke. That kind of initiative… tsk, tsk. Looks like your 'love rival' has arrived."
Meng Hongchen had been staring blankly in Liu Yuan's direction. At Ju Zi's words, a flash of barely concealed panic crossed her eyes, and a blush spread across her fair cheeks.
"Ju Zi! What nonsense are you talking about!" she retorted hurriedly, her voice soft but urgent.
"Liu Yuan and I are just good friends. He's helped me so much—I'm just worried about him. Besides, Wang Qiuer just arrived and seems a bit outgoing. Calling her a love rival is going too far."
Even as she said this, her tightly clenched hands around her teacup betrayed her inner turmoil.
She pressed her lips together, then finally stood up, unable to sit still any longer. Straightening herself, she walked over with the air of a "Class Navigator."
"Wang Qiuer, welcome to the High-level Class. If there's anything you're not used to, you can ask me anytime. I'm Meng Hongchen." She smoothly inserted herself into the conversation, her smile polite—yet faintly territorial.
Liu Yuan looked at the invisible sparks flying between the two girls and rubbed his forehead, a headache coming on.
…
Soon, the class bell rang.
Xuan Ziwen began explaining the core architecture of the High-level Soul Tool Position Defense System from the podium.
Such knowledge would be considered top secret anywhere else on the continent, yet in the High-level Class, it was merely a compulsory daily course.
Liu Yuan forced himself to calm down and focus.
Although Soul Engineer knowledge couldn't directly resolve his Soul Core issue, the precise structural logic behind it offered valuable reference for stabilizing the condensed soul power within his body.
However, as time passed, that terrifying sense of blockage surged up once more from deep within his dantian.
"Damn it… of all times."
Liu Yuan's expression changed abruptly. The healthy color drained from his face, turning it pale within seconds.
He could clearly feel the solidified soul power crystals crashing violently within his already narrow meridians, triggered by the slightest lapse in mental control as they attempted to forcibly form an unstable circulation loop.
A suppressed yet ferocious aura leaked uncontrollably from his body.
Crack!
The wooden desk beneath him developed a visible fracture, unable to withstand the oppressive pressure of his spirit power.
Xuan Ziwen noticed immediately. He stopped lecturing and appeared beside Liu Yuan in an instant. Pressing a palm against Liu Yuan's shoulder, his expression turned grave.
"Liu Yuan! Why is your aura in complete chaos? Spirit power leakage? No… why has your spirit power become so heavy?"
The surrounding students stared in shock.
Liu Yuan clenched his teeth, forcibly suppressing the urge to erupt. His voice was distorted by pain.
"It's nothing… Teacher Xuan. Just a minor issue in cultivation. I can handle it."
Xuan Ziwen was clearly worried, but lacking the strength of a Titled Douluo, he couldn't discern the true situation inside Liu Yuan's body. He could only caution him.
"Don't rush your cultivation. If you feel unwell, go back to the Duke's Mansion and rest."
At that moment, an unprecedented gravity flashed through Wang Qiuer's heterochromatic eyes.
When no one was paying attention, the red vertical mark on her forehead quietly split open.
The Eye of Destiny.
Under its gaze, all the secrets within Liu Yuan's body were laid bare.
She saw the gem-like yet perilous solidified crystals—and the meridians already scarred by excessive strain.
"He's actually attempting Soul Sage Core Condensation… with such a life-threatening method. Did no one tell him how dangerous this is?"
Unease surged within her.
She looked at Liu Yuan's stubborn, pain-filled profile, memories of those warm hands pulling her back from the brink of death in the forest echoing vividly in her mind.
As an Auspicious Beast, she valued karma above all else.
"Liu Yuan… you saved me. I absolutely can't let you be destroyed by something like this."
…
The day's class ended under an oppressive, uneasy atmosphere.
After declining Meng Hongchen's offer to accompany him, Liu Yuan left the academy alone, his steps unsteady.
His condition was terrible. Every step demanded immense effort to suppress the rampaging solidified soul power within him.
Wang Qiuer did not follow immediately.
She stood at the academy gates, watching Liu Yuan's retreating figure, her gaze gradually firming.
"For something like this, relying on Jing Hongchen is useless. Human knowledge is too shallow. The only thing that can save him… is that one method."
As night fell, Wang Qiuer's petite form transformed into a streak of golden light. Avoiding the Sun Moon Empire's patrols with extreme stealth, she left Bright Capital and arrived at a deserted valley outside the city.
She took a deep breath and produced a black dragon-shaped object shimmering with dark-golden divine light.
Biting her fingertip, she let a drop of golden Auspicious Beast true blood fall upon it.
"Di Tian… I need you urgently!"
Black light shot into the sky, tearing open the void itself.
From the distorted spatial rift, a voice like muffled thunder—heavy with boundless majesty—resounded.
"Auspicious Beast, why such an urgent summons? Have you encountered danger?"
The void shattered.
A black-robed man stepped forth, black hair and eyes radiating overwhelming dominance.
The King of the Star Dou Great Forest—Beast God Di Tian.
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