"It's fine. You've improved a lot in terms of soul power lately. There's no rush to cultivate right now. Just focus on stabilizing it." Zhu Ziyang smiled gently, completely unaware of Jiang Nannan's small hidden thoughts.
The senior sister she mentioned was Xian Lin'er — Elder Song's daughter. Since Jiang Nannan was Elder Song's disciple, calling her senior sister was perfectly reasonable.
"Hehe!" The girl giggled sweetly at his response.
"By the way, did Elder Song ask you to go to the inner court?" Zhu Ziyang asked.
"She did, but I turned it down," Jiang Nannan replied playfully. "I want to wait until I reach the Soul Ancestor level before going to the inner court."
"That's actually a good idea." Zhu Ziyang chuckled. "I'm planning to go after I reach four soul rings too. We really are like-minded."
"Hehehe!" The girl laughed so hard she nearly swayed with joy.
"Where did second senior sister arrange your dorm room?" Zhu Ziyang asked again.
"Right next door to Sister Lexuan," Jiang Nannan said. "But I don't plan to move in. First, because you're still in the outer court. And second, I don't want to part with Xiaoya just yet."
"Alright. Do whatever you want." Zhu Ziyang smiled. "Speaking of Tang Ya, did you tell her what happened these past few days?"
"Of course!" Jiang Nannan's pretty face lit up. "When I came back, she kept pestering me. You know how curious she is. My changes were too obvious to ignore."
She raised a hand, twirling a lock of her silver hair.
"That's true. With her personality, there's no way she wouldn't be curious," Zhu Ziyang laughed.
"Exactly. So I told her everything," Jiang Nannan continued with a grin, "except for the part about becoming a disciple."
"Elder Song's request?" Zhu Ziyang guessed immediately.
"Mm." She nodded softly.
Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. So, in the eyes of the inner court elders, outer court students still weren't considered true Shrek disciples. But thinking about it, it made sense. Each year, only a handful from the outer court made it into the inner court. Most graduates returned to their own countries or families. Only a few stayed and truly served Shrek Academy.
They arrived at their classroom.
"Hey! The class monitor's back!" A sharp-eyed student immediately noticed the two and exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention.
"Welcome back, Monitor!"
"Long time no see, Monitor!"
"Monitor, you're finally back — we missed you so much!"
...
The reactions varied, but the sentiment was the same — respect and admiration for Zhu Ziyang, their outstanding class monitor.
After the division of classes, Class One of Year One — the Strength and Control class — had eighty-seven students, the largest of the four classes. The position of class monitor had naturally gone to Zhu Ziyang. No one dared object.
After all, the title of Year One's strongest wasn't just for show.
Zhu Ziyang greeted each of his classmates politely, then returned to his seat.
"Hey, Zhu Ziyang! Where have you been for the past month?" Tang Ya leaned over Jiang Nannan, her face full of curiosity.
"I was in seclusion, of course. What else?" he replied matter-of-factly.
"You're amazing, though — more than a whole month! Even your aura's changed a bit!" Tang Ya said in wonder.
"It's nothing." Zhu Ziyang chuckled casually.
Tang Ya wasn't wrong. His appearance had only changed slightly, but his entire temperament was different.
After closing up inside the Golden Tree, his aura had undergone a transformation. If he was once bright and aloof, now he radiated a dignified calm. The pride he once wore like armor had become a quiet confidence. His presence was now graceful and composed, exuding warmth and trust — making it difficult for anyone to oppose or feel distant from him.
"Hey! Now that you mention it, Xiaoya, I think you're right! He really does feel different!" Jiang Nannan suddenly realized it too, eyes sparkling like she'd found treasure. Her small hands started poking and patting Zhu Ziyang curiously.
"Alright, Nannan!" Zhu Ziyang caught her hand to stop her playful mischief.
"Hehe~" She blushed and laughed shyly.
—
Day passed, and night fell.
In the Year One dormitory building of the outer court, Zhu Ziyang sat alone in his room after sending Jiang Nannan off. At last, he had some time to himself.
Without hesitation, he sat on his bed and entered his spiritual sea.
"Ahahaha! My dear disciple, long time no see!"
As soon as Zhu Ziyang entered his spiritual sea, a hearty laugh echoed in his mind, followed by a powerful and authoritative voice. His heart leapt with joy — he instantly recognized the voice.
Sure enough, when he turned to look, he saw an energetic old man floating above the sea of his consciousness. The elder wore a grey robe, with long silver-gray hair and a face full of vitality despite his age. He stood with hands clasped behind his back, his eyes exuding authority and brilliance. Even as a soul remnant, his aura could not be concealed.
"Teacher, is that you?" Zhu Ziyang asked uncertainly, staring at the unfamiliar but familiar figure.
"Hahaha! Of course, it's me!" the old man laughed loudly.
He was none other than Electrolux.
"That's wonderful, Teacher! You're finally awake!" Zhu Ziyang said excitedly. "So this is your real appearance?"
"More or less," Electrolux said with a sigh. "It's all thanks to you, Ziyang. When your spiritual power broke through, it rebounded and nourished my soul fragment — I wouldn't have awakened so soon otherwise."
From the day he had fallen asleep to now, exactly half a year had passed.
"Does that mean your strength is back, Teacher?" Zhu Ziyang asked.
"How could that be?" Electrolux replied with a bitter smile. "At most, my soul is a bit more stable now, and I can recall more of my memories. I'm still far from regaining my real power."
"Then that gift you gave me earlier...?" Zhu Ziyang trailed off.
"Hehe. As your teacher, I had to give you a proper gift when you took me as your master." Electrolux chuckled. "I couldn't let that teacher of yours outshine me, after all."
"You knew I became Elder Mu's disciple?" Zhu Ziyang was surprised.
"Of course. Even in my slumber, I maintained a sliver of awareness and kept an eye on your world's rules and developments. I'd say I now understand about seventy to eighty percent of your Douluo Continent." Electrolux explained with a smile.
"I see." Zhu Ziyang nodded.
"Your teacher, Elder Mu — his strength is impressive. If we used my world's system, his power would be equivalent to around five hundred thousand spirit units." Electrolux said thoughtfully.
"Five hundred thousand spirit units? That's your world's cultivation system?" Zhu Ziyang was intrigued.
"Exactly." Electrolux nodded. "Your world has real gods, but too many restrictions — especially those soul rings. They're... limiting. In my world, while we couldn't become gods through the physical body, there weren't as many restraints. Both systems have their merits and flaws."
"Then what was your real power level, Teacher?" Zhu Ziyang asked curiously.
"Ah... that's a bit embarrassing. Due to special laws, my power always stopped at nine hundred ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine spirit units." Electrolux said, looking a little sheepish.
Zhu Ziyang didn't quite understand, but still asked, "So a million spirit units means godhood?"
"That's right." Electrolux nodded. "The details are very complicated, so let's talk about it another time — once your own strength is greater."
"Alright then." Zhu Ziyang agreed helplessly.
(End of Chapter)
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