> "Ye Qiu~"
Xiao Wu grumbled in her heart.
---
Ye Qiu, using his exceptional insight and precision, quickly reset Zhu Zhuqing's dislocated arm.
---
> Blue Silver Emperor – First Soul Skill: Endless Vitality!
Just as Zhu Zhuqing was about to faint, she felt a wave of warmth wrap around her.
Her pale face began to regain some color.
---
Dai Mubai, who was about to step forward, paused—
Seeing the improved Zhu Zhuqing, his expression grew strange.
---
> "You brat! What did you just do?!"
Zhao Wuji barked, clutching his right arm, sweat beading on his forehead.
Before Zhu Zhuqing could respond, Ye Qiu gently set her down.
---
(Soft... Just like a cat. Definitely worth the money.)
---
> "Ye Qiu~!"
Xiao Wu fumed.
But Ye Qiu didn't have time to deal with her jealousy.
His voice turned hoarse as he answered Zhao Wuji's question.
---
> "Nothing much—just a little trick."
> "You little punk!"
Zhao Wuji bared his teeth, thoroughly irritated.
---
> "Teacher Zhao, isn't this enough already?
Earlier you said we've already passed the admission test."
Ye Qiu replied calmly.
He had no intention of wasting more energy on meaningless fights.
---
Hearing that, Zhao Wuji froze slightly, his facial muscles twitching.
Even his glowing fifth soul ring almost dimmed on the spot.
He had just been humiliated—and was about to get a little payback...
Now this kid was saying he wanted to quit?!
Zhao Wuji was beyond annoyed.
---
> "Aiyaya~"
Qiu Wu casually waved her hand.
Just as Ye Qiu nonchalantly complained, Xiao Wu stole his line again.
She crossed her arms and let out a cold "Hmph!"
---
> "Hmph!"
"What? Can't handle losing?"
Ye Qiu internally rolled his eyes hard.
> Why is this rabbit always provoking people? And always stealing my lines...
---
> "Of course not."
Zhao Wuji refused to admit defeat.
He straightened his face and replied formally:
> "There's still a third of the incense left.
As the examiner, I naturally have to follow the rules!"
---
Zhao Wuji endured the searing pain from his arms—
Sweating, trembling.
> He'd hunted wild geese all his life, and now a goose pecked him in the eye...
---
After a moment of silence—
Ye Qiu spoke with calm confidence:
---
> "How about this:
Xiao Wu and I will take one full-power attack from Teacher Zhao, head-on.
If we can withstand it, then this test ends here."
---
Ye Qiu understood clearly—
Judging by Zhao Wuji's look earlier, he wouldn't let him off without a pounding.
Though Ye Qiu could transform into venom and not get injured...
> He still feared pain—and didn't want Xiao Wu to get hurt either.
Thankfully, he still had one use left of his Invincible Body.
Three seconds of absolute defense was enough to withstand Zhao Wuji's attack.
---
> "Hmm?"
Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow at Ye Qiu's words,
Glancing curiously at the slim, dark-skinned girl in heavy armor.
> "You serious?"
---
Around them, Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong all stared in shock.
> So bold? Does she have a death wish?!
---
> "Xiao Wu, Ye Qiu... I think it's better if we just hang in there together a bit longer."
Tang San quickly tried to dissuade them.
If things got out of hand, he wouldn't hesitate to use his precious hidden weapons to pepper Zhao Wuji.
---
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, agreeing.
---
> "No need!
We're serious. Taking one full hit from him? Totally fine."
Xiao Wu lifted her chin proudly.
She flicked the scorpion-chain behind her head, radiating pure arrogance.
---
> "Alright, San-ge. You guys back off."
"Teacher Zhao is only here to test us—not to kill us. He'll know his limits."
Ye Qiu stayed confident as he waved them away.
---
Hearing that, Tang San thought it over.
> Makes sense.
He relaxed and nodded.
Together with Zhu Zhuqing, they retreated toward Dai Mubai's side.
---
Qiu Wu raised her hand in invitation:
> "Teacher Zhao, please."
---
> "Kid, you've got guts."
Zhao Wuji stretched his sore limbs.
He needed to vent—
Otherwise, if this incident reached Flender and the other teachers, his Immovable King reputation would crumble at Shrek.
He temporarily shoved down the pain and licked the blood at the corner of his mouth.
---
With a low, gravelly voice:
> "Brat, I won't use any soul skills.
If you can take my full-powered punch head-on—
This test is over. You pass."
---
Zhao Wuji's soul rings all boosted power and defense.
He was confident:
One punch, and he'd flatten Qiu Wu.
---
Qiu Wu nodded coolly—then cockily curled her finger at Zhao Wuji:
> "Come on then~"
---
Clearly—
That was Xiao Wu's infuriating tone.
Zhao Wuji's forehead darkened. His irritation grew.
---
Tang San and the others were all sweating.
---
Inner voice chat:
> Ye Qiu, helpless: "Can you tone it down a little?"
Xiao Wu, aggrieved: "Hmph~ I'm just helping you, okay?"
> Ye Qiu chuckled: "He's coming!"
---
The moment Xiao Wu lowered her taunting hand—
Zhao Wuji snapped.
---
His left fist burst into golden light—
The ground under his feet exploded as he launched forward, speed surging!
He moved so fast, even Ye Qiu's Insight Eye barely tracked him.
---
To everyone's shock—
Qiu Wu charged straight in, raising her fist.
---
Black liquid spiraled around it, solidifying into a shield.
She lunged at Zhao Wuji.
---
At the center of the arena, Qiu Wu's body suddenly twisted unnaturally, then unleashed a brilliant golden light.
---
Under Martial Soul Fusion, enhanced by Waist Bow and Invincible Body,
Qiu Wu's strength more than doubled.
Her figure snapped from its bent form like a power bar, unleashing a fierce, crushing punch.
---
A spiked shield wrapped around her fist as she struck directly at Zhao Wuji's massive bear palm.
---
It looked like an overwhelming mismatch.
But Qiu Wu's eyes flashed with seductive crimson light—Charm!
---
Zhao Wuji sneered, having expected this.
He shut his eyes, immune to her charm.
---
With brute bear strength, his golden fist roared down.
---
Swoosh!
Qiu Wu's body suddenly shifted sideways—
The swirling shield in her hand transformed into a sharp, halted drill.
---
Then—
Both attacks collided head-on!
---
> "He's insane!?"
Dai Mubai's eyes went wide—
They were really trading blows with a Soul Saint?!
---
> "Xiao Wu..."
Tang San, using his Purple Demon Eye, looked anxious.
---
BOOM!
A heavy, dull explosion rang out.
---
> "Ah!"
Ning Rongrong screamed and shut her eyes.
A black-and-white figure was blasted through the air, almost crashing into nearby buildings.
---
Suddenly, the figure shuddered midair—
And reappeared beside Ning Rongrong, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
---
Ye Qiu, with a teasing tone:
> "What's this, Miss Ning? Were you worried about me?"
---
> "Ah!"
Ning Rongrong shrieked and smacked away his cold iron hand.
She turned with hands on her hips and cursed:
> "Y-You bastard! Why don't you just die?!"
> "I was just afraid you'd look too miserable and dirty my eyes!"
---
> "Hmph!
We're not dying anytime soon!"
Xiao Wu's sweet voice rang out as she scolded Ye Qiu internally:
> You just threw your warm face at a cold butt!
> "Xiao Wu, are you okay?"
Seeing Qiu Wu (Xiao Wu in armor) suddenly reappear,
Tang San rushed forward, face full of concern.
He still didn't know what Xiao Wu's fourth soul skill did, so naturally, he was worried.
---
> "Big Sis Xiao Wu would never be hurt!"
Xiao Wu proudly patted her armored chest plate.
Clang clang—echoed from the metal.
Then she pointed toward Zhao Wuji at the center of the field.
> "If anyone's hurt, it's gotta be him! Heehee~"
---
> "Teacher Zhao!"
Dai Mubai, too shocked to speak at first, quickly ran over.
He had seen it clearly:
After taking that punch, Zhao Wuji had screamed, stumbling backward,
leaving shallow pits in the ground with each step.
His face turned from red to pale and back again, blood on his body—
He clearly wasn't doing well.
---
> "Back off! I'm fine!"
Zhao Wuji barked, face dark, pushing Dai Mubai aside and glaring at Qiu Wu.
His internal organs were aching.
He'd lost, and badly.
No way he could stick around any longer.
---
> "Fine. You've passed the test.
Xiao Bai will take you to your dorms."
He turned to leave.
---
But then—
> "Teacher Zhao, wait a moment."
Ye Qiu called out.
---
Whoosh!
A strange wave surged—
Xiao Wu's iron armor melted into black liquid, then like a black tornado,
peeled off her body and swirled into the distance.
It landed right in front of Zhao Wuji.
It was retrieving the Dragon Beard Needles from inside him.
---
Having just been held and praised by Ye Qiu, Xiao Wu was still blushing deeply,
her flushed little face radiating charm, like something you just wanted to bite.
---
Tang San's eyes were glued to her.
He didn't even notice what Ye Qiu was doing.
---
As for Zhao Wuji's injury—
Ye Qiu felt no guilt at all.
> If anything, I saved his life.
He wasn't black-and-blue or poisoned.
Tang San only coughed up a bit of blood—no serious harm.
> Even Tang Hao shouldn't be mad enough to come after me with a big sword.
---
With the help of Purple Demon Eye,
combined with some rudimentary skills in Mysterious Jade Hand,
Dragon Control, and Crane Grasp, Ye Qiu easily extracted the golden needles.
---
He didn't bother treating Zhao Wuji further.
He watched him leave.
---
Then turned to Oscar, bluntly demanding:
> "Give me your big sausage."
---
Ye Qiu turned back again—
Only to find Zhu Zhuqing had silently appeared behind him.
---
> "Ye Qiu~!"
Xiao Wu rushed over and tightly clung to his arm, rubbing her face against him—
Clearly claiming him as hers, her scarlet eyes staring warily at the big cat—Zhu Zhuqing.
---
> "Thank you… just now."
Zhu Zhuqing said coldly, face expressionless. She was only here to show gratitude.
---
Ye Qiu smiled and shook his head.
> "Don't mention it."
---
Xiao Wu pouted, tugging Ye Qiu's clothes—
a bit jealous and sour inside.
---
Dai Mubai approached with a smile.
> "Alright, I'll take you to your dorms now."
---
He stepped forward to help the more injured Zhu Zhuqing.
But she rejected him with a cold glare.
Dai Mubai frowned, pulled back, and silently led the group onward.
---
On the way—
Xiao Wu kept a close eye on both Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.
After their fusion earlier, she realized:
> Ye Qiu definitely has other feelings about these two…
She made eye contact with Ye Qiu.
---
Blush blossomed on her cheeks.
Time to make her move.
---
> "I wanna room with Ye Qiu!"
She suddenly declared to Dai Mubai.
---
Ye Qiu was surprised, but chuckled and said nothing.
---
Tang San's face stiffened.
Even the places he had been injured no longer seemed to hurt.
He felt awful inside.
---
Dai Mubai glanced at Xiao Wu and Ye Qiu, then calmly shook his head.
> "No. If you lose control, it'll affect cultivation."
---
> "Y-You pervert!"
Xiao Wu's face turned red, her scarlet eyes wide in anger.
---
She snapped:
> "You think everyone's like you—playing with twins?!"
---
> "You—!"
Dai Mubai stopped in his tracks and glared at her.
But seeing Ye Qiu and Xiao Wu's cold stares, he swallowed his words.
---
> Not scared—just not worth the trouble.
---
> "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Xiao Wu hugged Ye Qiu's arm tighter and taunted Dai Mubai again.
Then looked up and smiled sweetly at Ye Qiu.
---
The way Ye Qiu had stood in front of her earlier, shielding her—
It was just too cool!
She started rubbing up against his arm again.
---
Ye Qiu rolled his eyes.
But secretly—he was enjoying it.
> Soft. Warm. Not bad.
---
Dai Mubai looked frustrated.
He clenched his fists and subtly glanced at Zhu Zhuqing behind him.
---
Tang San, meanwhile, sighed in relief.
Ning Rongrong looked amused.
Zhu Zhuqing? She acted as if nothing had happened.
She'd seen it all.
> No time to be angry.
> Rotten oranges are still rotten oranges.
Not worth it.
---
Soon—
Under Dai Mubai's guidance, everyone was assigned their dorms.
---
Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu shared a room.
Tang San and Oscar shared a room.
Ye Qiu and Zhu Zhuqing got their own single rooms.
---
Xiao Wu stood at the door, watching Ye Qiu walk away—
Clearly unhappy.
---
She really wanted to live with Ye Qiu.
But—
He had a single room.
> Well, I can always sneak in sometimes to warm his bed!
He definitely wouldn't say no~
Thinking of that—
Xiao Wu began giggling foolishly.
---
> "Tch. What's so great about that lying jerk anyway?"
Ning Rongrong scoffed.
> "Aside from being good at cultivation and kinda handsome...
There's really nothing special about him."
---
> "Hmph!
Ye Qiu's not a liar!
You're just suffering the consequences of your own choices."
Xiao Wu snapped coldly.
She knew exactly what had happened.
---
Ning Rongrong's face flushed with embarrassment.
> "W-Well, I don't care!
He still owes me money!
If he doesn't pay me back, I'll just stick to him forever!"
---
> "No!
You're not allowed to cling to him!"
Xiao Wu scolded.
> "I will!
You can't stop me!"
> "..."
---
——
Meanwhile, Ye Qiu had no idea what drama was unfolding outside.
He had already arrived at his dorm.
---
It wasn't much—
Just a small wooden hut rented from a local villager.
The dorms were far apart, and his single room was about 10 square meters.
Not big, but had its own private bathroom.
Plenty of personal space—he was pretty satisfied.
---
First thing Ye Qiu did—
He took Ayin out of the Treasure Pouch and placed her beside the bed.
She helped freshen the air.
---
After tidying up his things—
Ye Qiu grew bored.
He reached out and grabbed Ayin's leaves—
They turned into black waves, engulfing her instantly.
He dressed her in a tight black jacket, like leather.
---
The dark room lit up—green light filled every corner.
But still—no sign of Ayin herself.
---
Suddenly—
The mature, beautiful woman Ayin sat up, wary of her surroundings.
Her willow-leaf brows creased slightly.
---
She could sense Ye Qiu's fluctuating thoughts:
> One moment he wanted to spank her.
The next, rip out her heart.
The next… do both.
---
Her face flushed red, her eyes filled with killing intent.
She glanced around—
> Not sure if he's going to grope the front… or rub the back
Not only did they fail to obtain any useful information about Teacher Wu, they also learned that their friend Liu Ying was terminally ill. For a while, the atmosphere was even heavier than before.
They were so distraught that they forgot to even say goodbye to Heita when leaving. Only Liu Ying gave a respectful bow before following the others back to the hotel.
Heita stood alone on the streets of Shrek City, silently watching the figures of Liu Ying and the others as they left... More precisely, she watched the back of Tang Wulin as he walked away.
Come to think of it, didn't Tang Wulin have quite a number of mysterious identities?
A transmigrator's son, a human-beast hybrid, descendant of the Sea God, someone blessed by a goddess... If you tried to count them all, you probably couldn't finish.
Any one of these identities should've allowed Tang Wulin to dominate the world of Douluo. Just one would've been enough to grant him cheat-level powers.
But instead, the opposite happened. Tang Wulin seemed more like an ordinary person toyed by fate, unable to resist any of it…
And all of this was manipulated from the shadows by Yaolan.
Ever since Yaolan removed the Golden Dragon King's power from within Tang Wulin, he believed the boy would fade into obscurity. After all, the era of Legend of the Dragon King was filled with too many geniuses. A Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, even one with the bloodline of the Blue Silver Emperor, wasn't enough to stir any waves.
But not long after, Yaolan noticed signs of divine power awakening from the Goddess of Life within Tang Wulin's body. That immediately put Yaolan on alert. To think the boy could still manifest cheats even after being stripped? Wouldn't that make his future even more terrifying?
So while fulfilling Liu Ying's wish, Yaolan decided to also monitor Tang Wulin. He wanted to see if this so-called "Child of the Plane" would reveal any other unexpected variables.
Sure enough, during Tang Wulin's time at East Sea Academy, the life energy within his body had become increasingly potent. Even if the Goddess of Life had given him a tenth of her divine power, that blessing shouldn't have lasted this long. It had already been more than ten years since Tang Wulin's birth!
The only possible explanation Yaolan could think of… was Ah Yin, the very life core of the Douluo Star!
It had to be the Blue Silver Emperor secretly absorbing the planet's energy and channeling it into her grandson, Tang Wulin!
Back when Heita first went to Shrek Academy, she had already found it strange: the Golden Ancient Tree had absorbed so much energy—so why had the area around it become the weakest point on the entire Douluo Star?
Even if it couldn't match the Divine Tree planted by Yaolan, as long as the Golden Tree had used the energy on itself, the dimensional barriers surrounding Shrek Academy would have been exceptionally fortified.
But now, the answer was finally clear… It had used that energy on Tang Wulin! No doubt about it, Ah Yin!
The Douluo Continent—The Romance Continent—really lived up to its name!
Once Yaolan noticed this development, he immediately had Liu Ying make her move. While observing the life energy within Tang Wulin, she also began collecting the excess energy from his body.
With the help of this energy, Tang Wulin's strength improved noticeably. His soul power increased, and under the influence of that vitality, his physical condition also became significantly better.
But ultimately, the amount he received was still limited. Most of the energy had been taken by Yaolan. What remained in Tang Wulin's body was just leftovers.
Tang Wulin could still be considered a genius on this continent—but just a minor genius. Nowhere near the cheat-level protagonist from the original story.
He had truly fallen into the category of the exceptional "ordinary" people. No matter how hard he worked, he could only become a slightly better-than-average person. There was no way he could break the boundaries of the plane like Yun Ming or Chen Xinjie had.
"Of course, I still have to take precautions. He is the Child of the Plane, after all. If he starts changing again, I'll be able to follow the clues and uncover some of the hidden forces…"
Having suffered setbacks once before, Yaolan wouldn't repeat the same mistake. Because of Tang Wulin's unique identity, opportunities and fortuitous encounters would naturally gravitate toward him.
So long as he kept a close eye on Tang Wulin, Yaolan could use his position to intercept every opportunity coming his way. That would not only prevent unexpected changes but also strengthen himself further.
As for Tang Wulin? Let him remain an ordinary person forever. Let him fully experience the helplessness of being a mortal in the world of Douluo…
"I've already gone this far. There's no way anything unexpected can still happen now, right?"
It wasn't until the group had completely disappeared from view that Heita finally returned to Shrek Academy. This puppet body needed to remain within the academy at all times so she could monitor that person's movements…
---
Meanwhile…
Once Liu Ying and the others made it back to the hotel, the heavy silence that had accompanied them on the way finally began to break.
Tang Wulin leaned his head against the wall and began slamming it repeatedly. Xie Xie lowered his head, completely silent. Xu Xiaoyan even fell to her knees, crying loudly.
"Liu Ying-jie… sob sob sob…"
Out on the streets, they had tried to hold back their emotions. But now that they were back at the hotel, they could no longer hold it in—they all burst into tears.
Anyone could feel the cruelty of the world at that moment. It was like a set of shackles firmly locking each of them down—especially Tang Wulin!
Before leaving East Sea City, he had lost his parents and didn't know when he would see them again.
After arriving in Shrek City, he discovered that he was about to lose his beloved teacher Wu Zhangkong, and learned that the Tang Sect was saddled with crushing debt.
And now… he had found out that his dear friend had an incurable disease and would die before long…
All of it—all of it—was too cruel for a child just over ten years old to bear. He couldn't hold back his tears at all.
"Everyone… just get some good rest tonight…" Liu Ying looked at the devastated group. She didn't say anything more that might upset them—she simply returned quietly to her room.
As for the others, they moved like walking corpses, sluggishly going through the motions. All of them were still completely immersed in grief.
Back in his room, Tang Wulin went straight to the washbasin and splashed water on his face. But when he looked into the mirror and saw his reflection… he only felt ridiculous.
He had always been helped by others, yet at the most crucial moment—he couldn't help anyone…
"I really am useless…"
A wave of sleepiness suddenly overwhelmed him. Tang Wulin felt wide awake, yet he couldn't stop his body from wanting to fall asleep…
Soon after, he lay quietly on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling until his eyes slowly closed.
Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes, soaking into the pillow. Though his eyes were shut, his brows were tightly furrowed.
In the haze, he seemed to hear a voice calling to him…
"Wake up, Wulin!"
"Someone is invading our world!"