The day after their triumphant debut in the Great Spirit Arena was one of quiet recuperation and focused reflection. The adrenaline of the fight had faded, leaving behind the dull, throbbing ache of bruises and the satisfying soreness of muscles pushed to their limits.
Zhang Tian gathered Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing in their secluded clearing, not for another grueling physical session, but for a calm, analytical debrief.
"You both performed exceptionally well last night," he began, his voice a calm note of praise that immediately put them at ease. "But victory is the good time to analyze our weaknesses. We can't afford to become complacent."
He turned first to Zhu Zhuqing, who stood with her arms crossed, her expression serious and attentive. "Zhuqing, your speed and power were decisive. You executed the plan perfectly, neutralizing their control type before he could become a factor. However," he added, his tone becoming more critical, "you relied entirely on your spirit ring abilities. The self-created skills we have been developing, the 'Phantom Pounce,' the 'Reaping Claw Dance'… you didn't use a single one."
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze dropped slightly, a flicker of acknowledgement in her eyes. "I… in the heat of the moment, I fell back on what was familiar, which was to just use my Spirit Ring abilities."
"That's understandable," Zhang Tian nodded. "But it's a habit we need to break. Your spirit ring abilities are powerful, but they are predictable and consume significant spirit power. Your self-created skills are more versatile, more efficient, and far more unpredictable to an opponent who has never seen them. They are your true trump cards. We will focus on drilling them until they are as natural to you as breathing."
He then looked at Ning Rongrong, who was listening intently. "Rongrong, your performance was very good. Your evasive movements saved you from being eliminated in the first ten seconds even when targeted by their agility type spirit master. For a support master to do that against a dedicated agility type is quite difficult…Especially in a battle on the stage without showing any nervousness. I am proud of you."
A genuine, happy blush spread across Ning Rongrong's cheeks at his sincere praise.
"However," he continued, his expression turning serious again, "your movements, while effective, were still a bit clumsy. A little desperate. We need to refine them, make them smoother, more efficient. And while perpetual dodging is a good survival skill, it's not an ideal strategy. It keeps you alive, but it also keeps you from doing your primary job: supporting the team."
He paused, letting his words sink in. "The next step in your training will be to learn how to guide your opponent. To use your evasive movements not just to create distance, but to subtly lead your pursuer into a disadvantageous position—into Zhuqing's attack range, or into a trap I've prepared. You must become a lure that guides the enemy's flow on the battlefield."
The two girls listened, their expressions solemn. They absorbed his words, not as criticism, but as a clear, logical path to greater power. They nodded in unison, their resolve hardening.
The rest of the day was spent in light, focused practice, drilling the fundamentals of their new training goals, allowing their bodies to heal while their minds worked.
Meanwhile, within Zhang Tian's own body, a quiet revolution was taking place.
The torrent of pure, refined energy he absorbed every night from his Blood Silver Domain, supercharged by the incredible efficiency of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, had reached a critical mass.
In the dead of night, while the rest of the academy slept, he felt it. A new pathway opening within him, a river of power forging a new course. He had broken through to the third level of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
With this breakthrough came a profound change. He felt two of the legendary eight Extraordinary Meridians, channels that were dormant in most people, crackle to life. The flow of his internal strength and spirit power surged, his cultivation speed taking another qualitative leap.
'At this rate,' he calculated, a deep sense of satisfaction settling over him, 'I should be able to break through to Level 28 within a month. Perhaps even sooner.'
His thoughts then turned to his two companions. 'This power… I need to share it with them. But how?'
He considered teaching them the Mysterious Heaven Skill directly. The thought was tempting. It would revolutionize their cultivation, setting them on a path far beyond their peers. But he immediately dismissed it.
'It's too risky,' he reasoned, his mind a cold chessboard of possibilities. 'I can use the Blood Silver Domain to completely conceal the fluctuations of my own internal strength. It's a perfect cloak. But they have no such ability. The moment they begin to cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill, the unique energy signature it produces would be like a beacon in the night to someone as familiar with it as Tang San.'
He pictured the scenario with chilling clarity. 'He would sense it immediately. And his reaction would not be one of curious inquiry. This is a core secret of his past life, his precious Tang Sect. He would see them as thieves, as threats. He would fly into a rage, interrogate them, perhaps even try to kill them to protect his secrets. I cannot expose them to that danger. Not yet.'
There was another path, however. A safer, more immediate one. 'I don't need to teach them the entire skill right now. I just need to give them a boost. If I can reach the sixth stage of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, I will be able to manifest the Big Protective Dipper Qi, allowing me to project my internal strength externally with perfect control. With that, I can directly open their Extraordinary Meridians myself, without them ever needing to learn the technique. It would supercharge their own cultivation methods.'
The plan was set. He would keep the Mysterious Heaven Skill a secret, for now. But there was another technique from the Tang Sect's arsenal that he could share. A technique that would be just as revolutionary, but far more subtle.
The Purple Demon Eye.
'It's a good thing that I've been gathering the Purple Qi From The East every morning,' he mused. 'Storing it within the Blue Silver Grass nearby through the domain, a vast reservoir of pure mental energy. It's more than enough.'
He planned to use the majority of this stored energy for himself. He could feel he was on the cusp of a breakthrough. The second stage of the Purple Demon Eye, the 'Detailed' level. It would not only improve his vision to a microscopic degree but would grant him a mental state where time itself seemed to slow down, allowing for impossibly rapid reactions. More importantly, it would allow him to perceive the spirit power levels of others, a crucial tool for assessing threats.
For Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, the remaining energy would be more than enough to push them to the first stage, the 'Survey' level. Their vision would become preternaturally sharp, a fundamental advantage for both a support master who needed to see the entire battlefield and an agility attacker who needed to spot the smallest opening.
'I will have to warn them, though,' he thought, a serious note entering his internal monologue. 'This technique must be our secret. They cannot use it openly at the academy. A sudden, inexplicable leap in their visual acuity would be too suspicious, especially with Tang San around.'
The plan was perfect. All that remained was the execution.
The next morning, the world was shrouded in a thick, pre-dawn mist. The air was cool and damp, and the grass was jeweled with a million tiny droplets of dew. In their secluded clearing, two figures waited, their breath pluming in the chilly air.
Ning Rongrong was shivering slightly, wrapped in a fluffy, pale pink pajama set adorned with cute, cartoonish rabbits. Her hair was a bit messy, her eyes still heavy with sleep. She looked less like a princess and more like an adorable, sleepy kitten.
Zhu Zhuqing, in stark contrast, seemed completely unaffected by the cold. She stood with her arms crossed, her posture perfect even at this early hour. She wore a set of form-fitting, black silk pajamas. The material clung to every curve of her stunning figure, and the low-cut neckline offered a generous, tantalizing glimpse of the deep cleavage between her large, full breasts. She was a vision of lethal, nocturnal sensuality, a panther awakened before the dawn.
"Zhuqing," Ning Rongrong mumbled, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Are you really comfortable in that? It looks… tight."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't answer immediately. Her gaze flickered subtly to the side, where Zhang Tian had just arrived. She saw his eyes, for a brief, unguarded moment, sweep over her figure, a flicker of genuine appreciation in their blue depths. A tiny, almost imperceptible smirk touched her lips. She had chosen her attire very deliberately and the result was quite good.
She turned back to Ning Rongrong, her expression once again cool and composed. "I'm perfectly comfortable," she said, her voice a low, smooth melody.
"You're both here. Good," Zhang Tian's voice cut through the morning chill. He walked towards them, his own presence a calm, steadying force. "I apologize for waking you so early, but what I am about to teach you can only be done at this specific time."
The two girls, their sleepiness evaporating, immediately turned their full attention to him.
"I am going to teach you a special technique to cultivate your mental power," he explained, his voice low and serious. "It will dramatically enhance your vision and your perception. It is called the Purple Demon Eye. But this technique is a secret. Our secret. You are not to use it openly or speak of it to anyone at the academy. Do you understand?"
They both nodded, their expressions solemn.
"Good," he said. "Now, sit. Face the east. Close your eyes and follow my instructions."
The two girls sat cross-legged on the damp grass, their pajama-clad forms a strange, captivating sight in the misty woods. Zhang Tian began to explain the complex circulation method of the Purple Demon Eye, guiding them through the specific meridian pathways around the eyes, the precise breathing technique required to draw in the mystical energy of the dawn.
He watched them for a moment as they closed their eyes and began to meditate, their faces serene in the growing light. Ning Rongrong, with her cute, pouting lips and rabbit-adorned pajamas, looked incredibly endearing. Zhu Zhuqing, her stunning figure and breathtaking cleavage on full display, was a portrait of pure, unadulterated sexiness.
He was momentarily dazed, his analytical mind replaced by the simple, appreciative thoughts of a young man.
A soft, teasing giggle echoed in his Spiritual Sea. 'You truly are a rascal, Zhang Tian,' Ah Yin's voice was filled with amusement. 'First, you declare your intention to make me your woman, and now you are eyeing your two beautiful little friends with such… appreciation.'
A faint, sheepish warmth spread through Zhang Tian's spiritual form. 'Can you blame me?' he projected back. 'They are beautiful. And after spending so much time with them, training them, protecting them… I've come to care for them deeply. My feelings are genuine.'
He paused, then asked the question that had been lingering in the back of his mind. "Would you… oppose me, Ah Yin? If I were to accept them as my women in the future?"
There was a moment of thoughtful silence from the empress. 'I will not,' she finally replied, her voice soft. 'I have seen how you treat them. With respect, with kindness, with genuine affection. You are a good man, Zhang Tian. You deserve to be happy.' Then, a hint of her teasing nature returned. 'However, I do not think the two of them will be so open to the idea of sharing. That will be your battle to fight.'
'It is a battle I am willing to undertake,' he replied with a quiet confidence.
His internal conversation finished, he turned his focus back to the task at hand. The eastern sky was beginning to glow, a deep, vibrant purple hue painting the horizon. The window of opportunity was opening.
He sat down behind the two meditating girls and activated his Blood Silver Domain. The vast reservoir of Purple Qi he had stored for weeks within the tens of thousands of Blue Silver Grass near the Shrek Academy was unleashed. But it did not flood the area. It flowed through the invisible network of his domain, a thousand tiny, controlled streams of pure mental energy, directly into the bodies of the two girls.
The movement was so subtle, so perfectly controlled, that even a Titled Douluo like Tang Hao, had he been watching, would have noticed nothing amiss. He would have simply seen three students meditating at dawn, a common enough practice for diligent cultivators.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing felt it at the same time. A cool, refreshing energy, like a mountain spring, began to flow into them, guided by Zhang Tian's instructions, circulating through the pathways of the Purple Demon Eye. It was a gentle, nourishing stream that bathed their minds in a profound clarity.
As they absorbed the energy, Zhang Tian opened his own floodgates. The majority of the stored Purple Qi, a veritable river of power, surged into him. He channeled it into his own cultivation of the Purple Demon Eye.
He felt the barriers in his mind shatter. His perception exploded. The world, which had already been sharp, now came into focus with a terrifying, microscopic clarity. He could see the individual cells on a blade of grass, the intricate patterns of dust motes dancing in the air. Time itself seemed to stretch, to slow down, the frantic beating of a distant bird's wings becoming a slow, graceful ballet. He could feel the faint, almost imperceptible fluctuations of spirit power from the other students, still sleeping in their dorms.
He had reached the second stage. The Detailed level.
For the two girls, the breakthrough was less dramatic, but no less profound. They felt a 'click' in their own perception. They opened their eyes. The misty, pre-dawn world was gone. In its place was a world of breathtaking detail. They could see the delicate, intricate veins on every leaf, the way the dewdrops magnified the texture of the grass, the individual strands of each other's hair.
They had reached the Survey level.
They looked at each other, then at Zhang Tian, their eyes wide with a shared, silent awe. They had been given a new way of seeing the world. A secret, powerful gift that set them even further apart from their peers. The dawn had broken, and with it, a new level of power had awakened.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels like "Harem Master: Seduction System" and the "Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist" and I hope you like this story and those stories as well.
Check out more chapters on my P.atreon. The P.atreon will have 20+ Chapters ahead for this story. I hope you like it.
The link of p.atreon is: bit.ly/evildragon