Gu Yue had asked a lot of questions, and the more she learned, the worse the situation seemed.
"I didn't expect the person backing Shi Yu to be this complicated. This is far beyond what I anticipated," Gu Yue muttered, rubbing her temples as if her head was about to burst.
The failed attack on Shi Yu and the person behind him meant that her secret might soon be exposed.
She now had to think carefully about how to retreat once her identity was revealed.
Next, she was supposed to travel with Tang Wulin and the others to Shrek City for the Shrek Academy enrollment assessment.This meant she'd be spending some time in the city. If her identity were exposed there, escaping would be nearly impossible.
At the moment, she couldn't use her real power, and powerful soul beasts like Di Tian couldn't move freely within Shrek City either.
For her safety, going to Shrek City was a serious risk.
Gu Yue ended the call and returned to her seat, absentminded and distracted.
"What's wrong?" Tang Wulin, sitting next to her, asked with concern.
Though still weak, his condition had improved after a few days of rest. His voice, however, was still faint.
"It's nothing," Gu Yue replied, shaking her head and forcing a light smile.
She worried throughout the rest of the journey. Although reluctant and torn, she finally decided — she couldn't go to Shrek City.
She wanted to stay by Tang Wulin's side, but the risk was too great.
Now was not the right time. It would be better to wait and observe.
"Damn Shi Yu," she cursed inwardly, her resentment towards him growing.
Meanwhile, Shi Yu emerged from the space-time tunnel, panting heavily.As he caught his breath, time in this world resumed its normal flow.
Zhang Lexuan and Jiang Nannan, who were nearby, continued their actions naturally, completely unaware that anything had just happened.In fact, no one in this world noticed anything unusual.
"Why are you panting all of a sudden? Did something go wrong with the spirit ring absorption?" Jiang Nannan approached Shi Yu, concerned.
"It's fine. I just need a short break," Shi Yu replied calmly.
He subconsciously looked at his hands, relieved to see that the rings were still there.
He had indeed managed to bring items back to the current timeline.But oddly, his clothes had reverted to what he wore before traveling — something he didn't understand and couldn't explain.
This trip had taken him ten thousand years into the future.
What about next time? Twenty thousand years ahead? Or maybe twenty thousand years back?
This second time travel confirmed several of his theories but also introduced new uncertainties.
He had pondered these things before returning. The things he could understand, he had sorted out. The things he couldn't — there was no use wasting more time.
"You seem different from before," Zhang Lexuan said, eyeing him closely.
From one second to the next, the change shouldn't be this noticeable.
"I absorbed a new spirit ring and broke through, of course I'm different," Shi Yu joked, brushing it off.
"I mean, you've changed since absorbing the ring," Zhang Lexuan clarified.
"Changed how?" Shi Yu looked down at himself, confused.
Jiang Nannan examined him too but didn't notice anything strange.Zhang Lexuan couldn't pinpoint it either — it was just a subtle feeling.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking it," she said, shaking her head.
Shi Yu smiled, though inwardly surprised by her sharp intuition.
She noticed something… There must really be a change after I crossed over.
After all, he had acquired the Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear's right palm bone and a trace of the Dragon God's blood — a major boost in power.
Though this didn't affect his outward appearance, his aura had definitely become more intense — likely what Zhang Lexuan picked up on.
Plus, his spirit was stronger and livelier — a person's energy affects how others perceive them.
"We'll rest for an hour, then head out of the forest," Zhang Lexuan announced.
Shi Yu had no objection. He sat down and subtly slipped the storage rings from his fingers into his pocket.
In the distance, Beibei and Xu Sanshi rested separately.Because of Xu Sanshi's earlier actions, things between them had become awkward.
Jiang Nannan, curious, asked what soul skill Shi Yu had gained.
Zhang Lexuan hesitated — she thought it might be inappropriate — but still listened closely.
"Replacement," Shi Yu whispered, just for Jiang Nannan to hear.
She had shared her soul ring details with him before, so he didn't mind sharing in return.
"Is it like Void Ao's spatial swap skill?" Zhang Lexuan asked instinctively, then immediately regretted eavesdropping."Sorry," she said, apologizing.
"It's fine. You helped me get the spirit ring. You have every right to know." Shi Yu chuckled.
He briefly explained: the skill allowed position swapping, but unlike Xu Sanshi's Xuanming Replacement, he couldn't swap himself.
Instead, he could switch the positions of two other people — like Zhang Lexuan and Jiang Nannan.
This made his skill more versatile and capable of surprising tactical uses.
"Can it be used more than once?" Zhang Lexuan asked quietly, a spark of insight in her eyes.
She remembered Shi Yu's multi-use teleportation ability. This new one was similar — was it the same?
Shi Yu merely smiled without answering, and that smile told her everything.
Zhang Lexuan's heart trembled. She understood — without words — what that meant.
This talent is… truly unbelievable.
After an hour's rest, the five of them set out at high speed, eager to leave the Star Dou Forest as soon as possible.
The formation was messy — Shi Yu and Jiang Nannan traveled together, while Beibei and Xu Sanshi kept over ten meters apart.
Their earlier conflict made it hard for the team to cooperate or cover each other's backs.
Shi Yu, already showing great restraint by not confronting Xu Sanshi further, wasn't about to look out for him again.
Xu Sanshi was equally bitter, and even Zhang Lexuan found it hard to mediate.
This unresolved tension gave her a headache, as it increased the dangers they might face before getting out of the forest.