From childhood, Xu Zihuang had been raised in luxury and had never done things like making his own bed. But once he actually tried, it turned out not to be difficult at all.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the wooden bed was covered with a full set of fluffy, clean, golden-red bedding. The pelt of the Flame Lion King had long been wrapped in fire, able to subtly drive away moisture, leaving the dormitory's air much drier.
At this moment the sun was shifting toward the center of the sky. A beam of golden light slipped in through the wooden window, mingling with the golden-red bedding to scatter dazzling halos of color.
The glow reflected in a pair of clear deep-violet eyes. Sitting on the bed, Xu Zihuang gazed thoughtfully at Tuoba Yu, who had entered cultivation across from him without the slightest guard.
For a soul master, the greatest taboo during cultivation was disturbance. Even a small slip could cause soul power to clash and damage the meridians.
It was their first time meeting, and he hadn't expected Tuoba Yu to trust him so easily.
"About rank twenty-three soul power, seems to be an earth-attribute martial soul." Extending his spiritual power outward, Xu Zihuang clearly sensed the fluctuations and aura of Tuoba Yu's soul power.
Such cultivation already made him one of the standouts among new students.
In the original story, the strongest among Class One's new students, Wang Dong, had only about rank twenty-three as well.
But what caught Xu Zihuang's attention most was Tuoba Yu's surname. On the Douluo Continent, the surname Tuoba was unusual. It reminded him of a powerful soul master sect from ten thousand years ago—the Holy Dragon Sect.
Back then, Douluo Continent had seven most powerful sects, divided into the Upper Three and the Lower Four.
The Holy Dragon Sect was one of the Lower Four. But later, after the Upper Three collapsed—the Clear Sky Sect retreating, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan exterminated, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect heavily damaged—the Spirit Hall reorganized the seven sects. With a Title Douluo overseeing it, the Holy Dragon Sect naturally rose into the new Upper Three.
The direct descendants of the Holy Dragon Sect all bore the surname Tuoba, and their inherited martial soul was a sub-dragon type: the White Armored Earth Dragon, precisely an earth-attribute martial soul.
Just then, the Skydream Iceworm's voice suddenly rang out in Xu Zihuang's spiritual sea.
"Huh? Why does this little fellow's martial soul aura feel so familiar? I think I've sensed it somewhere before."
Xu Zihuang, long accustomed to the Iceworm's constant exclamations, reflexively asked back:
"Didn't you spend your whole time in the Ice Caverns of the Extreme North either eating or sleeping? Later you went to the Star Dou Forest, but did you ever even deal with human soul masters?"
Hearing this, the Skydream Iceworm flushed in embarrassment.
It had always wanted to maintain a lofty image before Xu Zihuang and had never explained clearly why it ended up in the Star Dou Forest.
It hadn't gone there by choice—it had been captured and taken there.
But Xu Zihuang already knew, only he couldn't be bothered to press the issue.
"Ahem." The Skydream Iceworm gave an awkward cough, then suddenly remembered something, reacting sharply.
"Right, Zihuang. Didn't I tell you before about that unlucky fellow I blew apart? His martial soul aura was the same as your roommate's. Only, that unlucky guy was way stronger—one of your human Title Douluo."
The Iceworm, residing in Xu Zihuang's spiritual sea and partly merged with his spirit, could easily see all Xu Zihuang's experiences these days.
Naturally, it also knew Tuoba Yu's identity.
"What was that man's martial soul?" Xu Zihuang asked with interest.
"Let me think." The Skydream Iceworm mused for a moment.
"I think it was called the White Armored Earth Dragon, a sub-dragon martial soul. But compared to your second martial soul, its quality is way inferior."
As expected.
Xu Zihuang now understood. His gaze at Tuoba Yu grew stranger.
Ten thousand years ago, the Holy Dragon Sect had been one of the culprits behind the extermination of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, fully submitting to Spirit Hall back then.
Their ancestors could be said to share a blood-deep enmity. Yet now, by twist of fate, they had become roommates.
But Xu Zihuang did not harbor resentment toward Tuoba Yu because of old grudges.
One reason was that he felt little attachment to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Another was that, raised from childhood in the imperial palace, he sincerely considered himself a Sun Moon Empire man.
To put it bluntly, what did grudges from ten thousand years ago have to do with him?
"By the way, Zihuang, I plan to unseal more of my origin power. With your current body, raising your first three spirit rings to the ten-thousand-year level shouldn't be a problem at all." The Skydream Iceworm, unaware of Xu Zihuang's thoughts, continued excitedly.
The stronger Xu Zihuang became, the greater its own hope.
But Xu Zihuang refused.
"Forget it for now. My first three spirit rings are thousand-year already—that's not too outrageous. But if they turned into black ten-thousand-year rings, the moment I revealed them, the powerhouses of Shrek Academy would treat me like a monster and dissect me."
It wasn't quite as exaggerated as he said, but suspicion and investigation would certainly follow.
"Uh, I didn't think of that. Fine, I'll nap first." The Skydream Iceworm lazily agreed and fell silent.
After this brief exchange, Xu Zihuang also sank into cultivation.
The dormitory was well soundproofed, and earlier Tuoba Yu had already hung a wooden plaque on the door indicating cultivation in progress. Unless something urgent arose, no one would disturb them.
Day turned to night. Time passed quietly.
Drawn by a subtle aura, Xu Zihuang slowly opened his dazzling violet eyes.
On the opposite bed, Tuoba Yu was watching him, face conflicted as though he wanted to speak but dared not interrupt his cultivation.
Now that Xu Zihuang had finished, his hesitation vanished. Smiling, he suggested:
"I know a noodle shop outside the East Gate with great flavor. Want to come with me?"
Only then did Xu Zihuang notice the sky outside had gone completely dark. Without realizing, he had cultivated for most of the day.
"Perfect, I was just about to get dinner. Let's go." Rising, he gave Tuoba Yu a faint smile.
While each cultivated, both had been careful to restrain sound and movement. This unspoken understanding left a good impression on both sides.
With Shrek Academy's new student admissions ending today, the academy was bustling with life.
Mostly, it was the thousand new students of this intake.
Crossing past the freshmen teaching building, they arrived at the broad Shrek Plaza. All around, groups of new students mingled.
Xu Zihuang's outstanding looks drew constant attention.
As they walked across the plaza, several girls—whether urged on by companions or their own desire—approached him to introduce themselves.
"I feel walking with you is a mistake." Tuoba Yu cast him a resentful glance.
"I always thought I was handsome enough, but now I'm starting to doubt myself."
Xu Zihuang chuckled softly without replying.
The truth was often the harshest.
As they chatted, both suddenly looked ahead.
The gentle glow of soul lamps reflected off the calm waters of Sea God Lake, stretching the shadows of trees along the lakeside path into long lines, evoking peace and serenity.
Two girls, about their age, walked toward them along the path.
The one on the left was a black-haired girl with an aloof expression. Her eyes were unique—heterochromatic, the left a pale blue, the right a pale yellow. When she looked at them, her pupils narrowed slightly, making her gaze strange and striking.
The girl on the right had a figure far beyond her age, tall and proud. Her long pink hair spilled down her back. She smiled sweetly at Xu Zihuang, her charm sinking deep, as though into the very bones.
"Hello, my name is Cui Yajie, from Class Five. May I get to know you?"
The two girls' looks weren't quite at Jiang Nannan's level, but compared to Tang Ya, they were on par—each with their own charm.
Xu Zihuang, wearing a gentle smile, extended his right hand and shook the girl's pale jade-like hand briefly, without lingering.
"Hello, my name is Yu Tianhuang, from Class Nine."
Cui Yajie's face flushed slightly. As a girl with a taste for looks, this was the first time she had met a boy so perfectly aligned with her aesthetics.
It wasn't until Xu Zihuang and Tuoba Yu had left that she lowered her head to look at her right hand, still warm from the touch.
"Hmph." A mocking laugh sounded beside her, making her frown in displeasure. But she kept her seductive smile as she glanced at her companion.
"Zhu Lu, aren't you going to introduce yourself to him?"
"No need. In my heart, no man can compare to Huabin." Zhu Lu sneered coldly, her eyes flashing with unconcealed pride.
Dai Huabin—again Dai Huabin. Cui Yajie's ears felt callused from hearing the name.
So what if Dai Huabin was talented? What did that have to do with Zhu Lu? What was she so smug about? Always putting on that look of disdain—who was she pretending for?
Inwardly, Cui Yajie cursed, but outwardly she only nodded perfunctorily, feigning agreement with Zhu Lu's words.
Compared to the camaraderie of most boys' dorms, the relationships among the girls were never as simple as they appeared.