The lunch shared between Hu Liena and Li Changan could only be described as delightfully enjoyable. The charming senior sister, Hu Liena, even picked out a chicken drumstick for Li Changan, while he put on an act of relishing the food, all while smoothly flirting with her.
As someone who had traveled from an modern era, Li Changan's flirting skills were practically off the charts. No matter what Hu Liena said, he could pick up the conversation and keep it going effortlessly, all while keeping the flirtation alive and lighthearted.
"Junior brother, do you really have twin martial souls?"
"Yup. What's your martial soul, Senior Sister?"
"Mine? It's a beast-type soul—a fox."
"Wow, a fox? I've always loved foxes since I was little. I'd love to see what you look like when you're in martial soul possession mode."
"Haha, well, you'll get to see it sooner or later. With how handsome and talented you are, I'm sure our teacher will grow to like you very much."
"Oh no, Senior Sister, you've always been the most beautiful senior sister in my eyes. Besides, our teacher is our teacher—I'll always respect both her and you."
...
There was nothing particularly grand or poetic in his words—Li Changan simply highlighted Hu Liena's charm in a casual way, and even managed to tease her about her martial soul while he was at it.
Once lunch was over, Hu Liena had other matters to attend to. She reminded Li Changan to wait for her after school so they could go to the Hall of the Pontiff together, then left him at the restaurant entrance.
Just as Li Changan was about to continue exploring the academy, he spotted a slim figure strolling aimlessly in the distance. That figure—walking alone with no clear destination—could only be Qian Renxue.
"Qian Renxue, what brings you here?" Li Changan jogged a few steps and caught up to her, greeting her with a tone of easy familiarity.
Qian Renxue shot him a cold glance but didn't say a word. She simply turned her face forward and kept walking, showing no interest in engaging with him at all.
Her identity had always been kept secret within the academy, and her frigid demeanor was the result of a harsh upbringing. She had no intention of interacting with anyone. Only when she was with her grandfather did she ever show her true self.
Moreover, she was currently undergoing training in disguise. Rumor had it that a certain woman was planning to send her to replace Xue Qinghe, the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. Qian Renxue didn't object to this plan. Leaving this place might actually be a good thing.
"Hey now, Qian Renxue, you shouldn't be like this. Life's better when you smile!" Li Changan shamelessly stepped in front of her, hands behind his back, striking the pose of a adult.
Of course, he understood the reason behind her cold nature. Still, he persisted in talking to her anyway. If she ignored him today, he'd talk to her tomorrow. One day, she'd talk back—he was sure of it.
"Hmph, boring!"
Qian Renxue's cool and crisp voice rang out, and she made a pushing motion with her hand. Though she didn't use much force, her spirit power was still far beyond what Li Changan could currently match!
But what happened next was downright shameless.
Without even activating his martial soul, Li Changan raised his right hand to block her push—but instead, he "accidentally" grabbed her left hand!
Rather than being shoved away, Li Changan stood his ground, solid as an old tree with deep roots. His right hand held onto Qian Renxue's left, unmoving in the air.
After all, his body had been assessed by the system to be strong enough to absorb a 900-year spirit ring. A gentle push from Qian Renxue was nowhere near enough to move him. So he took the opportunity… to feel her delicate hand. And it really was smooth. Soft, too.
"You—you let go!" Qian Renxue's cheeks flushed a bright red as she glared furiously at him. It was the first time a boy had ever touched her hand, and she clearly didn't know how to deal with it.
But when she tried to pull her hand back, she realized that without activating her martial soul, she couldn't match his strength. Left with no other choice, she had to give in.
"Alright, I'll let go. But from now on, when I talk to you, you have to answer me, okay?"
Li Changan generously released her hand, flashing a mischievous grin.
Different women required different approaches—that was one of the essential skills if you want to flirt with girls.
With Bibi Dong, he opted for gentle subtlety. With Hu Liena, he used praise and playful teasing. As for someone like Qian Renxue, this was the right method.
"We're never seeing each other again!" Qian Renxue snapped. Her face was still red, but her temper hadn't cooled in the slightest. She glared at him and stormed off.
She made a firm decision—she would never take walks around here again!
...
That afternoon's lesson was held outside the classroom. What surprised Li Changan most was that there were eleven instructors present, and every single one of them gave off an impressive aura.
This was the elite treatment at the Spirit Hall Academy's honors class—training was always one-on-one, and instructors were all Spirit Emperors at minimum!
The instructor assigned to Li Changan today was none other than his homeroom teacher, Cui Yongqin.
"Changan, come on, sit down." Cui Yongqin gestured to the grass patch in front of her, speaking to Li Changan in a gentle voice.
Li Changan smiled and politely thanked her, sitting cross-legged with a face full of innocence and charm.
This pure expression just so happened to be seen by Qian Renxue in the distance. She silently scoffed—who would've guessed that just minutes ago this same kid had been acting like a cheeky little punk?
"Changan, you have twin martial souls—one is an axe, and the other is a bell. The axe is for offense, and the bell is for defense. Did I get that right?" Cui Yongqin sat casually on the grass, her eyes fixed on him as she asked.
Li Changan nodded. He had no reason to deny it. His martial souls had both appeared during his awakening; it wasn't something he could hide even if he wanted to.
"The advice from the academy—and from the pope herself—is for you to focus on cultivating your axe first. As for your bell, we recommend holding off on training with it for now."
"You see, if you ever become a Titled Douluo in the future, then when the time comes to add spirit rings to your bell, you can start with ten-thousand-year rings. That will be a tremendous advantage in the long run."
Cui Yongqin's suggestion was both sincere and practical—it was the optimal path for any twin martial soul wielder. She truly meant what she said.
Hearing this, Li Changan first acted like he'd had a sudden epiphany, showing a look of astonishment before nodding earnestly and thanking her for the advice.
He had no choice. He couldn't exactly say, "Well, I can just upgrade my spirit rings later anyway," now could he?
So all he could do was nod along and play the obedient student.