After parting with Tang Ya, Xu Zihuang crossed Shrek Plaza in front of the freshmen's teaching building, then followed the lakeside path toward the East Gate.
The shimmering Sea God Lake stretched perfectly before his eyes.
A soft mist mixed with fresh air wafted over. Though the Sea God Lake was man-made, its waters were astonishingly clear—the pure, deep, gentle blue of silk satin. Faint ripples danced across the surface, like the watery gaze of a young maiden. Reflections of blue sky, white clouds, and the tree-lined shore shimmered in its depths.
Gazing far with the sharp vision granted by his Golden Eyes, Xu Zihuang could just make out the island at the lake's center and the vague outlines of the buildings upon it.
That was where the inner court disciples lived—Sea God Island.
Prejudice aside, Shrek Academy truly was the number one power on the continent. To grow under its protection until one's strength was sufficient—this was not a bad path.
If not for his need to complete the second awakening of his true martial spirit, he wouldn't even have found it necessary to approach the Body Sect.
Within Shrek Academy, the only thing that truly drew his attention was the dragon pill in Elder Mu's possession. He wasn't sure if Elder Mu would choose to leave it to him, but he had to try, didn't he?
A dragon pill condensed the full essence of a dragon's body. Its value was beyond words.
For a twin martial spirit soul master like him, one who needed to strengthen his physique, it was all the more vital.
Lost in thought, he had already crossed the lakeside path and arrived outside Shrek Academy's East Gate.
Because all grades had the afternoon free from classes today, the East Gate was livelier than ever. The air was filled with clamor, with shouts and conversations tumbling over one another.
Xu Zihuang squeezed his way through the throng until he finally spotted Tuoba Yu.
The moment their eyes met, Tuoba Yu came over, complaining.
"Damn, why's it so crowded today? I was nearly crushed."
"My fault for not thinking ahead." Xu Zihuang patted his shoulder.
After seven days together, their relationship had grown more comfortable. Tuoba Yu's personality was straightforward—he got right to the point:
"It's not your fault. So, what did you want to meet here for?"
"How much gold soul coins do you still have? Can you lend me some?"
Tuoba Yu stared at him in surprise. He had never imagined the usually extravagant Yu Tianhuang would ever need to borrow money.
But he quickly pulled a pouch from his soul tool and weighed it in his hand.
"Besides what's in this bag, I've got about three hundred gold soul coins left in odds and ends. Take them if you need. But with the way you eat, spending over fifty gold soul coins a day, this won't last you more than a few days."
Xu Zihuang didn't take the pouch. Instead, he smiled.
"Of course that's not enough. But in a while, it'll be plenty. Come with me."
"Where to?"
"North City."
Though Shrek Academy was inside Shrek City, it wasn't connected to the city itself. In other words, the academy had no rear gate leading directly into town.
So if Xu Zihuang and Tuoba Yu wanted to enter Shrek City, they had to circle around and go in through either the south or north gates.
Since they were headed for North City, the nearest route was naturally through the north gate.
Shrek City was vast. Even traveling at soul power speed, it took them nearly half an hour from the academy to the city's north gate.
As one of the most prosperous cities in central Douluo Continent, it was busiest from afternoon to evening.
Streams of people came and went, a packed tide of humanity. Compared to this, the bustle outside Shrek Academy's East Gate earlier was nothing at all.
Xu Zihuang had already been inside Shrek City before, so he remained calm. But Tuoba Yu was curious, glancing everywhere. Because of certain family circumstances, he had rarely visited large cities, let alone one that rivaled the ancient capitals of Heaven Dou and Star Luo.
He licked his lips dryly.
"What exactly are you planning?"
Xu Zihuang didn't answer. He led Tuoba Yu straight to a towering building six stories high, more than thirty meters tall.
The building sprawled wide, its golden exterior lavish and resplendent.
Two neat rows of young women in long skirts stood on either side of the entrance. They looked seventeen or eighteen, with sweet faces and slender figures. Though their long skirts hid their legs, their bare shoulders and tightly wrapped chests revealed full, pale cleavage, made all the more striking against the glittering backdrop.
Tuoba Yu, having never seen such a scene, darted glances while trying to look away, comical in his awkwardness.
"Please exchange all this money for purple chips."
Xu Zihuang spoke to one of the reception girls nearby, then gave Tuoba Yu a helpless pat.
"What are you staring at? Hand over the money."
Startled, Tuoba Yu passed the gold soul coins from his soul tool to the girl, still staring at Xu Zihuang.
"This place is… a casino?"
Xu Zihuang nodded and led the way inside. The girl quickly returned with three round purple chips.
In the continent's large casinos, chip colors were standardized—matching the colors of soul rings.
One purple chip equaled one hundred gold soul coins.
The casino had six floors, each offering similar games. The higher the floor, the larger the stakes.
Xu Zihuang calmly sat at an empty spot at a red-black roulette table. Tuoba Yu stood silently behind him, saying nothing.
After these days together, he knew Yu Tianhuang wasn't reckless.
The dealer, in formal attire, cast a surprised glance at their white freshmen uniforms, but smiled professionally. The other players were also friendly—after all, in Shrek City, Shrek Academy was a golden nameplate.
"Whirr—" The iron ball spun rapidly around the roulette. The dealer smiled warmly.
"Place your bets."
The wheel held thirty-eight numbers: two blank whites, the rest thirty-six scattered in red and black.
The red-black roulette had many betting options—odd or even, red or black. These offered only double payout, but betting a single number gave thirty-six times the return, though with near-impossible odds.
Everyone's eyes were locked on the wheel and their chips. None noticed that Xu Zihuang's deep-blue eyes had quietly turned brilliant gold.
He placed all three purple chips on the red five.
The crowd froze. To them, this was just some rich young master throwing money away.
Wild! Absolutely wild!
But to their disbelief, the iron ball landed squarely on red five.
Even after leaving the casino, when Xu Zihuang handed five purple-gold cards worth a thousand gold soul coins each to Tuoba Yu, the latter still hadn't recovered.
"How in the world did you do that?"
"It's my martial spirit's ability," Xu Zihuang said with a smile.
"You provided the capital. It's only right you take half."
Tuoba Yu gave him a long, searching look, then broke into a smile.
What pleased him wasn't the more than five thousand gold soul coins, but the sincerity Yu Tianhuang had shown him.
Afterward, the two enjoyed a lavish meal in North City.
Xu Zihuang also bought several books on soul tool crafting in Tuoba Yu's presence, preparing for his future contact with He Caitou.