"Junior Brother Lu Cheng, Jiujiu admires you greatly. I have delivered my brother's words. If you have time, why don't we chat at the hotel?" A soft smile appeared on Princess Xu Jiujiu's gorgeous and exquisite face, lively and playful like a young deer.
Her beautiful golden eyes rippled like water as she sized up Lu Cheng.
This scene stunned many members of the Star Luo Team behind her, and even the Shrek disciples had rather strange expressions on their faces.
Is the Star Luo Empire… using a honey trap?
Even becoming Princess Xu Jiujiu's consort would be more than well-deserved with Lu Cheng's talent, and he might even lead Star Luo to greatness once again.
Meanwhile, Yan Shaozhe's face turned ash-pale. Clenching his fists, he suppressed his anger and said to Princess Xu Jiujiu, "Princess Jiujiu, isn't this a bit too much? Lu Cheng is a core disciple of our Shrek Academy's Outer Academy, and he has long been branded with Shrek Academy's name. Poaching him so openly is rather inappropriate, don't you think?"
"Shrek Academy is not a sect," Princess Xu Jiujiu chuckled softly. "Those who withdraw or graduate are everywhere. Just being an Outer Academy disciple probably doesn't prove anything. If Dean Yan is willing to give Brother Lu Cheng the position of the alternate successor of the Sea God Pavilion, then Jiujiu probably wouldn't bother you so presumptuously."
Actually, she didn't want to offend Yan Shaozhe or Shrek.
But she had no choice; Lu Cheng was simply too enticing.
If they could really poach him…
Then for the next few decades, the Star Luo Empire would truly have no fear of Shrek and might even have the momentum to unify the entire continent.
"Lu Cheng…"
Yan Shaozhe looked coldly at Lu Cheng.
His sharp gaze seemed to say, "If you dare to go to the Star Luo Hotel with her today, just you wait and see."
"The conditions offered by Your Majesty are indeed generous. Please allow me to consider it for a moment," Lu Cheng said with a slight nod and a smile, completely ignoring Yan Shaozhe's murderous, angry expression.
"No matter. Junior Brother Lu Cheng, just remember that the gates of the Star Luo Empire are always open to you…" A gentle smile appeared on Princess Xu Jiujiu's exquisite and moving face. Her tone was casual, showing no sign of disappointment.
One must take things one step at a time.
Judging by Lu Cheng's appearance, he and Shrek were already estranged in spirit, just one step away from a complete break.
With that, she held her head high like a proud and elegant white swan, leading the Star Luo Team toward the center of the arena. Today was the quarter-finals, and they were up against another academy.
"Lu Cheng, I admit last night was my fault, but you must remember clearly that you are a disciple of our Shrek Academy…if you dare to defect, our Shrek Academy will absolutely fight you to the bitter end. I will issue a kill order, and even if some power dares to shelter you, Shrek will send people to tie you up and bring you back!"
Seeing this, Yan Shaozhe secretly let out a sigh of relief. Yet he still grit his teeth, staring coldly at Lu Cheng as he issued a subtle threat.
"Dean Yan, what big words. It would have been better if you hadn't said anything, because the more you speak, the more I want to defect," Lu Cheng said, raising his eyebrows with a smile.
"You… Humph! Starting from today, unless it's the finals, you are not allowed to step onto the stage again. Wherever you are, I must be there, otherwise…" Yan Shaozhe said with a gloomy face.
"Otherwise what?"
A calm female voice sounded from the side.
Zhang Lexuan stood with her arms crossed over her chest, a trace of indifferent coldness on her stunning face, quietly staring at Yan Shaozhe.
"Lexuan, have you gone mad?" Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly.
He really couldn't understand. At a time like this, Zhang Lexuan was actually still siding with this youth. She was the alternate successor of the Sea God Pavilion! The Eldest Senior Sister of the inner court and the number one talent of the younger generation today, excluding Lu Cheng.
In the face of such a major issue of right and wrong, she still spoke up for Lu Cheng.
Truly…
"I said Lu Cheng is my person. You have no right to criticize or threaten my person," Zhang Lexuan said calmly.
"You…" Yan Shaozhe clenched his fists, his face turning ash-pale.
The eldest senior sister of the inner court was taking the lead to oppose him in front of countless people. Wasn't this exposing the internal conflicts of Shrek Academy for everyone to see?
They say family scandals should not be aired in public, but Zhang Lexuan's move undoubtedly put him in a completely awkward position where he couldn't back down.
"Fine, fine, very well…"
Yan Shaozhe sneered, "Zhang Lexuan, once we return to the academy, I will definitely explain everything to Elder Mu. You can forget about inheriting the position of the Pavilion Master of the Sea Gods Pavilion."
A trace of ridicule flashed in Zhang Lexuan's eyes, but she remained indifferent and did not speak.
Yan Shaozhe uttered his harsh words but was utterly helpless. He could only stand to the side with an ash-pale face. Now, he couldn't even continue to threaten them.
After all, the current Zhang Lexuan was no longer the same as before. Her Silver Moon Spirit seemed to have undergone a mutation. When it advanced to the Blood Moon, her combat power was incredibly exaggerated. Although she only had the cultivation of a level ninety-two ordinary Titled Douluo, even he couldn't do anything to her in a short time.
Her wings have grown strong!
Damn it, if he had known, he shouldn't have let her leave the Academy.
Now, things had completely spiraled out of his control.
He just needed to finish the competition quickly and return to the academy. At that time, he would inform his teacher about this and then forcibly separate the two of them, hmph…
"Junior Brother Lu Cheng."
Another light and moving young girl appeared by Lu Cheng's side, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled and said, "Are you interested in coming to our Heavenly Soul Empire? We are exceptionally friendly to body martial soul here. For example, my martial soul is Spirit Brain."
The moment he saw Wei Na, the Heavenly Soul Princess, appear, Yan Shaozhe's face turned completely dark.
Everyone knew that although the Body Sect lived in seclusion, its headquarters was in the Heavenly Soul Empire. Now that the empire's princess possessed a body martial soul, what did that mean? It meant that the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family had likely allied with the Body Sect through marriage long ago, and the roots of the Body Martial Soul flowed within the Imperial Bloodline!
And what he feared the most was also the Body Sect.
Those guys were crude, savage, and acted willfully without restraint. If they noticed Lu Cheng's talent, they would definitely come to snatch him away by force. The harsh words he had previously said to Lu Cheng would not work on the Body Sect.
Those guys didn't care about Shrek Academy at all; they had always believed that as long as someone possessed a body martial soul, they were a disciple of their sect.
"A Body Martial Soul?"
Lu Cheng showed a "surprised" smile. "To think there is actually a faction dedicated to the Body Martial Soul?"
Seeing Lu Cheng's curious expression.
Wei Na also explained quite enthusiastically. She did not know that Lu Cheng had already colluded with Lang Ya, nor did she know that Sect Master Du Busi had personally come on this trip just for Lu Cheng. She only knew that this youth seemed to be interested.
It was easy to understand. A youth who was already all alone and even ostracized and neglected at Shrek Academy might indeed be poached now that he had met his true "family."
Meanwhile, Yan Shaozhe's face turned completely pale.
He broke out in a cold sweat.
Once Lu Cheng returned to the academy, the entire academy would have to be placed under martial law, and the youth would have to be grounded, forbidden from going out again. Otherwise, those old fogeys from the Body Sect were truly capable of lying in wait outside Shrek Academy to kidnap students…
"Wait! The match is about to start!" Yan Shaozhe interrupted Wei Na in a panic to stop her from speaking further. His expression when looking at Lu Cheng even softened a bit. "Child, let's watch the match first. With Shrek's profound foundation, once you win the championship this time, we will definitely not mistreat you. Ten-thousand-year soul bones, or even all your hundred-thousand-year spirit rings in the future…don't worry about them…"
With that, he glared fiercely at Wei Na.
How could the young girl have ever seen such a terrifying display? She was instantly frightened into silence.
"Junior, Junior Brother Lu, this is the city where Body… cough… is located. If you are willing to go, you can go there and… ask for information. He will guide you…"
Wei Na tremblingly handed Lu Cheng a business card and communicated secretly using mental force.
Then, not daring to look at Yan Shaozhe, who seemed ready to devour her, she turned and jogged away.
"Oh?"
Lu Cheng looked at the elegant handwriting on the slip of paper.
"Heaven Dou City…"
So the headquarters of the Body Sect were near Heaven Dou City. However, the vicinity of Heaven Dou City consisted of dense forests and continuous mountain ranges. Perhaps their main headquarters was stationed deep in the mountains, and they only had an agency set up in Heaven Dou City.
A smile appeared on his face. A flame leaped from his hand, consuming the paper in the blink of an eye, turning it into ashes that scattered with the wind.
"Lu Cheng, don't believe the nonsense of those guys," Yan Shaozhe said anxiously.
"Our Shrek Academy is the true Righteous Path. The crimes of those guys in history are too numerous to record…wantonly hunting Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beasts, causing beast tides, making the entire continent suffer, and acting completely without restraint."
"Being able to wantonly slaughter Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beasts only proves that their strength and foundation are powerful. Acting completely without restraint actually suits my taste quite well."
Lu Cheng nodded slightly, pretending to be deep in thought.
He looked at Yan Shaozhe with some curiosity. "And I heard that the Body Sect is extremely protective of its own. I wonder if that's true?"
Yan Shaozhe's eyelids twitched violently.
Why did it seem like a major disaster was about to happen?
Previously, he had dared to wantonly humiliate Lu Cheng purely because he felt that no matter how much of a monster this kid was, he was firmly in Shrek's grasp. His disciple Ma Xiaotao had a good relationship with him, with a trend of developing into a couple. By relying on Ma Xiaotao to tie him to the big tree of Shrek Academy, they could then brainwash and manipulate him at will. After all, love-struck fools were truly everywhere on this continent.
But now, he was truly afraid.
If Lu Cheng really left…
Then the blow to Shrek Academy would be extremely terrifying.
No matter how much he disliked Lu Cheng or how unwilling he was, he could not deny Lu Cheng's monstrous talent. It was absolutely an existence that ranked in the top three of the past ten thousand years. Becoming a Limit Douluo was a certainty, and he even had hope of reaching for the legendary… God.
As one falls, the other rises. If Lu Cheng really slipped away to another faction…
Then Shrek Academy would truly have no time left to cry.
"I wouldn't know about that." Yan Shaozhe swallowed hard and shook his head.
"But the reputation of the Body Sect on the continent is not very good. To put it bluntly, they are no different from Evil Soul Masters. If you join them, I can't guarantee you won't be skinned and cramped."
"That's still better than Shrek Academy letting me be wantonly humiliated by titled Douluo powerhouses, right?" Lu Cheng said with a smile.
"…"
Yan Shaozhe's face turned gloomy, and he shut his mouth completely.
With Zhang Lexuan watching him like a tiger watching its prey from the side, he couldn't make a move to teach this kid a lesson.
But the sense of unease in his heart grew stronger and stronger.
Lu Cheng really seemed to be slipping out of their grasp…
Notes:
Bonus for Cumulative Milestone (500 PS)
(1/3)