"Zhu Zhuqing, shut your mouth!"
From the moment Zhu Zhuqing appeared, Dai Mubai had been forcing himself to endure it, suppressing everything and tolerating her presence. But now, with his deepest wounds exposed in front of everyone, the prideful and arrogant young man could no longer restrain the fury boiling in his heart.
He abruptly raised his right hand. A dazzling white light surged and flickered within his palm, and a hoarse, distorted breath—neither quite ape nor quite tiger—escaped from his throat as he swung toward Zhu Zhuqing.
"Mubai, calm down!"
Flander reacted instantly. His fingers snapped shut around Dai Mubai's wrist, dispersing the white light in his palm with a sharp motion. He had noticed long ago that Xiao Se was standing behind them, watching Dai Mubai with an icy, indifferent gaze. If Dai Mubai dared to actually strike, the consequences would be unimaginable.
A cold smile appeared on Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful face as she mocked him.
"What? Did I hit a sore spot? You want to attack me now?" Her eyes were filled with disdain. "Dai Mubai, you're only fifteen, and you already disgust me. Since that's the case, let's settle this the way soul masters do."
As she spoke, she deliberately tilted her head and glanced at Xiao Se, shooting him a sideways look. This bad guy wasn't exactly innocent either—he often bullied her and Little Medical Fairy—but at least he knew where the line was. He understood that they were still young and never crossed the final boundary.
"Fine! Let's do it!" Dai Mubai roared. "Today I'll show you that even if my martial soul mutated and I indulged myself in brothels, I, Dai Mubai, am still invincible in this world! A king cannot be humiliated!"
With Zhu Zhuqing openly challenging him, the anger he had bottled up finally erupted.
"This…"
Hearing that the two were about to duel, Flander hesitated, then subconsciously looked toward Xiao Se, silently asking for his opinion.
In the past, he would have encouraged his students to fight—it was part of growth. But now, Zhu Zhuqing was backed by Xiao Se, a terrifying existence. If anything went wrong and Xiao Se was angered, Shrek Academy would be finished.
"Dean Flander," Xiao Se said calmly, "since this is Douluo Continent, let it be resolved in the way of soul masters. As long as none of you play dirty, I won't interfere."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted pointedly toward Tang San.
Now that Zhu Zhuqing had broken through to Great Dou Shi and condensed a Dou Crystal, combined with her cultivation of a low-tier Earth-grade technique, the quality of her Dou Qi alone far surpassed that of soul masters of the same level on Douluo Continent.
On top of that, she had mastered several Xuan-grade Dou techniques, combining movement and offense into one. Among them was even the Black Fiend Blood Poison Hand that Xiao Se had seized from Hei Ku Mu in the Black Corner Region.
With Zhu Zhuqing's exceptionally pure dark-attribute Dou Qi physique, unleashing the Black Fiend Blood Poison Hand was powerful enough to rival a mid-tier Earth-grade technique. Against ordinary Soul Kings or even Soul Emperors, she would have no trouble at all.
As for dealing with a mere thirty-something-level Evil-Eyed White Tiger? That would be effortless.
"Of course. Of course."
Hearing Xiao Se's words, Flander finally relaxed. He glanced around—this was a main street in Heaven Dou City. Fighting here would only cause unnecessary trouble. He then suggested, "This isn't a suitable place for battle. How about we change locations?"
"Do as you like," Xiao Se replied indifferently.
After agreeing to meet at Blue Tyrant Academy in the evening, Xiao Se led Zhu Zhuqing and Little Medical Fairy toward the Heaven Dou Crown Prince's Palace.
The last time he left, Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue had each given him a token—the Pope's Decree and the Crown Prince's Decree—so that when he returned to Douluo Continent, he could easily find them.
With the help of the system's Map of the Myriad Worlds, Xiao Se quickly located the Crown Prince's Palace. It seemed Qian Renxue had already made arrangements—when Xiao Se presented the token, the guards didn't even bother reporting his arrival and immediately let them pass.
The Crown Prince's Palace was vast, no smaller than a village of a hundred households.
Led by a maid, the three walked through the palace grounds. From time to time, Zhu Zhuqing glanced sideways at Xiao Se, a trace of melancholy flickering in her beautiful eyes, as if she wanted to say something but held back.
"What's wrong, Zhuqing?" Xiao Se asked with a light smile. "Still bothered by that Dai Mubai? Don't worry. With your strength, dealing with Soul Kings or Soul Emperors is easy. Even a Soul Saint might not be able to beat you. And if anyone dares to pull any tricks, I'll make sure they regret it."
"Exactly," Little Medical Fairy chimed in angrily. "That disgusting fatty actually dared to set his sights on you again. If Xiao Se hadn't stopped me with soul transmission just now, I would've poisoned him to death on the spot."
Little Medical Fairy was genuinely furious over Zhu Zhuqing's experiences.
Born into a cold, aristocratic family, Zhu Zhuqing had been forced into an engagement with Dai Mubai from a young age. Her sister, Zhu Zhuyun, driven by that same nauseating engagement, constantly tried to kill her. After Dai Mubai fled, Zhu Zhuyun became even more ruthless, and Zhu Zhuqing had narrowly escaped death more than once.
Men as irresponsibly vile as Dai Mubai were exactly the type Little Medical Fairy despised most.
If Dai Mubai had simply left, then so be it—Zhu Zhuqing had already begun a new life. But now, after meeting again, he still dared to lash out at her with an attitude of "I gave up a whole forest for you, and if you don't accept it, you're ungrateful." That disgusted her to the core.
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head gently. She reached out and held Xiao Se's warm hand, smiling softly.
"No. What Dai Mubai is like no longer matters to me. I was just worried you might misunderstand… but now it seems my worry was unnecessary."
"Nonsense." Xiao Se snorted, pinching the tip of her nose with mock annoyance. "You're my little kitten. From the day you chose to follow me, you were never getting away. How could I ever doubt you?"
"Even if you tried to drive me away, I wouldn't leave," Zhu Zhuqing said with a tender smile. She hugged Xiao Se's arm, resting her head against his shoulder, her face full of happiness and contentment.
This scene immediately made Little Medical Fairy bristle with jealousy. But she couldn't bring herself to imitate Zhu Zhuqing's actions. Instead, she puffed out her cheeks, reached out, and viciously twisted the flesh at Xiao Se's waist.
"Hiss—!" Xiao Se sucked in a sharp breath.
A short while later, the three arrived at a small lake in the rear courtyard of the Crown Prince's Palace.
Beside the lake stood a pavilion. Inside it, a young man in his early twenties was sipping tea with a rather ordinary-looking middle-aged man, seemingly deep in conversation.
Standing atop the pavilion was an elderly man dressed in white, his aura profound and restrained. The breeze blew his white hair and long robes, giving him an air of cold arrogance—as if he alone stood above all others.
"Xiao Se," Little Medical Fairy whispered, frowning slightly. "That old man standing on top of the pavilion has a very strong presence. He's probably the Titled Douluo you told me about. Be careful later."
"I felt it too." Xiao Se nodded lightly.
From the old man, he sensed a sharp, cutting sword aura—as if the man himself were a divine blade. He was already extremely close to true sword intent. Unfortunately, in this world where everything revolved around martial souls, no one was willing to devote time to pure sword cultivation. Trapped by his environment and self-study, the old man was destined to never cross that final threshold.
"What a pity…"
Xiao Se sighed inwardly.
To someone who already possessed sword intent, watching a fellow swordsman be forever shackled by his world—unable to take that last step—was both tragic and lamentable.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters on - P@tr3on "RinBlaze"]
[Every 15 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]