Chapter 67: Childish Words, Le Zhengyu; The Girl

Night fell, and moonlight pooled like a silver spring, casting a cold, clear glow over the open ground.

The evening breeze swept over the treetops, blending the rustle of leaves with the distant waves of the God of Sea Lake. Zhao Xuanzhen wore a plain white robe, its hem fluttering in the wind; one strand of black hair had turned white, and behind him hung a slowly rotating Taiji diagram, yin and yang merging as heavenly and earthly energies flowed into it like streams, condensing into mist that curled around his body.

Yuan En Yehui stood a hundred meters away, clad in a form-fitting black combat suit, her chestnut-red locks stirred by the night wind, her beautiful eyes solemn.

This impoverished girl who worked three jobs was in fact fiercely combative; three years ago, when Zhao Xuanzhen arrogantly challenged every member of the Young Genius Rankings on Spirit Ice Square, Yuan En Yehui had felt an urgent desire to fight him.

But at that time, she had just left the Titan Clan, penniless, and was a poor Shi Laike work-study student desperate to find work to survive, so she could only leave in regret.

After successfully being hired as a server at Xuan Long Coffee House, out of respect for her boss and to keep her job, Yuan En Yehui could not propose a fight—this fighting spirit had been suppressed until today.

Now, having joined the Spirit Communication Tower as a server and risen to become one of Zhao Xuanzhen’s closest subordinates, and with him needing to deeply understand her two martial souls to design a Doukai, Yuan En Yehui finally had her chance—to challenge the number one on the Young Genius Rankings!

“Boss, watch out!”

Habitually calling him boss, Yuan En Yehui growled low, her Titan Ape martial soul manifesting, the third soul ring igniting instantly.

Titan Ape’s third soul skill: Full Attribute Enhancement—Diamond Titan!

Amid crackling pops of bone, her smooth, rounded frame stretched upward, transforming in an instant into a giant over three meters tall, her fair skin covered in brownish fur, her corded muscles bursting through the stretchable undergarment.

Moonlight glinted off her bulging back, as if reflecting a metallic sheen; her first soul ring flared next, Titan Power amplifying the Ape’s terrifying strength once more, cracking the ground beneath her like a spiderweb.

Yuan En Yehui slammed her fists together—a thunderous boom echoed, visible shockwaves rippling outward in rings, shaking leaves from the trees.

With a powerful leap, her massive body surged forward; the Titan Ape’s strength, speed, and defense were nearly flawless, the gale of her charge tearing through air, her colossal fist leaving a black afterimage behind, radiating pressure like a mountain collapsing.

Zhao Xuanzhen bent his knees, lowered his waist, drew his left hand in an arc to embrace the moon, pushed his right palm against the wind—the Taiji diagram rapidly expanded, yin and yang energies enveloping the surrounding space.

In a blink, Yuan En Yehui descended like a mountain crushing down, her twin fists slamming toward him; their sizes were utterly disproportionate—one of the Titan Ape’s fists equaled three of Zhao Xuanzhen’s heads.

But combat was never about who looked taller or more imposing; her fist roared through the air, and Zhao Xuanzhen did not retreat—he advanced, pressing his palm against the Titan Ape’s fist at the moment of impact, his surrounding qi swirling into a vortex, redirecting that colossal force.

The full-force brute strength was pulled into empty air; Yuan En Yehui’s face twisted in shock.

Having dissipated the Titan Ape’s explosive power, Zhao Xuanzhen’s robe remained unruffled; he spun closer, using both palms to redirect her momentum, lightly pressing against Yuan En Yehui’s abdomen.

“Thud—”

Hidden force pierced through the Titan Ape’s outer defense; Yuan En Yehui’s massive body staggered backward, each heavy step shaking the earth.

A prickling pain spread through her abdomen where the double-palm strike landed; she clutched it, gasping sharply, her gaze toward Zhao Xuanzhen filled with wariness.

She had never fought Zhao Xuanzhen before; she assumed the Titan Ape could at least pose some threat—but he hadn’t even used a soul skill, relying solely on physical prowess and ancient martial arts to nearly kill her in an instant.

This wasn’t because Yuan En Yehui was weak—under a twenty-level cultivation gap, a power-type Soul Master attempting close combat with him would inevitably be suppressed by Tai Chi’s balance of hardness and softness, rendering her strength useless.

Yuan En Yehui’s soul power was at peak level thirty-nine—ten full levels below Zhao Xuanzhen’s—and she was suffering terribly.

Her second soul ring flared; the Titan Ape’s shadow roared as she struck the air repeatedly with both fists, compressing soul power into semi-transparent air cannons that tore through the night, shooting straight for Zhao Xuanzhen’s face.

Zhao Xuanzhen smiled lightly, his second soul ring blazing brightly; yin and yang reversed, enveloping his body—the air cannons struck and vanished like mud sinking into the sea, swirling endlessly around the black-and-white vortex until they faded completely.

He did not activate the second stage of Yin-Yang Reversal—the head-locking attack—since this was a battle to understand Yuan En Yehui’s abilities; if he returned the air cannons to her, she might be gravely injured by surprise.

“Switch to your second martial soul,” Zhao Xuanzhen called out clearly.

The process of designing a Doukai is called custom fitting; Zhao Xuanzhen needed to observe Yuan En Yehui’s fighting style firsthand and personally experience the soul skills of both her martial souls to design the perfect one-word Doukai for her.

Having preliminarily understood the Titan Ape, it was time for the Fallen Angel.

“Hmm.”

Yuan En Yehui nodded from afar; she had realized the Titan Ape was hopelessly outmatched, its strength now a liability.

Her swollen form slowly shrank back to normal, the powerful aura fading, replaced by dark, evil energy; three purple soul rings rose, a pair of purple-black wings piercing through her back, their feather tips dripping thick, shadowy fluid.

Compared to the Titan Ape’s crude violence, the Fallen Angel’s appearance was undeniably far more beautiful. Yuan En Yehui’s pupils turned a sinister crimson-purple, her exquisite face now radiating a seductive, soul-stealing allure—the unique charm of evil attributes.

Zhao Xuanzhen studied Yuan En Yehui with interest; he had encountered the Titan Ape at the Ascension Platform, but the Fallen Angel was a top-tier martial soul existing only in ancient texts. Even the Illusionary Brain Douluo Han Tianyi, whose illusions were so lifelike they deceived reality, could not fabricate a true Fallen Angel from mere fragments of records.

Her first and third thousand-year soul rings ignited simultaneously; having witnessed Zhao Xuanzhen’s strength, she unleashed her full power without reserve—under the enhancement of her third soul skill, Fallen Angel’s Descent, her aura surged, the space behind her twisting violently into darkness.

The Fallen Angel’s wings beat rhythmically, spreading thick black mist; her first soul skill, Fallen Sky Curtain, enveloped Zhao Xuanzhen in darkness, viscosity, and fear—multiple negative states.

The Fallen Sky Curtain swiftly swallowed the entire grove; the evil attribute corroded and devoured the vegetation, tender green leaves withering and curling as if their life force had been devoured.

Using the Fallen Sky Curtain as cover, she flared her wings violently, launching into the air; her second soul ring flashed, and her slender hand drew forth a dark magical sword from empty space.

The blade unleashed three feet of purple-black sword light; the Fallen Sky Curtain echoed with wails of ghosts and howls of wolves, violently assaulting the enemy’s spiritual sea, while the black mist grew thicker, stickier, muddier.

“Rip—”

A pair of black-and-white wings unfurled—his body’s secret technique, Wing Transformation; Zhao Xuanzhen soared upward, qi following his intent, clinging to his body; wherever he passed, the black mist recoiled, carving a clear black-and-white corridor through the Fallen Sky Curtain!

The silver moon hung high; two figures chased each other across the sky like meteors, the purple-black crescent slashes of the dark magical sword clashing repeatedly with the Taiji disc, soul power explosions scattering the clouds.

Yuan En Yehui remained at a disadvantage; the ten-level soul power gap was like a mountain blocking her path—neither her martial soul nor soul skills held advantage. Only because Zhao Xuanzhen had no intention of ending her did she still stand.

Sensing the vast gap between them, Yuan En Yehui bit her red lip, resolved to give everything—her Fallen Angel wings lifted her skyward, then plunged straight down; the dark magical sword condensed into a blade of endless abyssal blackness, gathering her remaining soul power for a final strike!

Zhao Xuanzhen crossed his wings, preparing to meet the killing blow—when a brilliant pillar of light suddenly pierced through the clouds!

“Daring evil soul master! How dare you commit violence at Shi Laike Academy under the guise of Black Sky Turning Night!”

“Third soul skill—Divine Judgment!”

Golden light blazed like the sun; a righteous voice rang out—it was the Holy Angel Le Zhengyu, flying at top speed!

The Holy Angel’s sensitivity to evil was nearly as acute as a dog’s to freshly excreted feces—Le Zhengyu smelled the evil soul master and charged over!

Never doubt the Holy Angel’s resolve to uphold justice; Divine Judgment carried half of Le Zhengyu’s soul power, its glorious column blasting toward Yuan En Yehui with the power to purify all things.

Yuan En Yehui’s pupils shrank; her soul power was exhausted—she had no strength left to block Divine Judgment!

“Qi moves mountains and rivers—Defend!”

In the next instant, the Taiji diagram hovered midair, yin and yang energies forming a grinding wheel that swallowed the light column; the yin-yang forces shredded the divine power, reducing Divine Judgment to a shower of scattered light.

The three hovered in midair; moonlight illuminated the girl’s pale face, the young man’s closed fingers, and the Holy Angel’s stunned golden eyes—the sky fell silent, save for the silent rotation of the Taiji diagram.

“Brother Zhao!?”

Seeing Zhao Xuanzhen blocking Divine Judgment, Le Zhengyu was heartbroken, as if witnessing a promising youth willingly succumbing to beauty; he earnestly urged: “Brother Zhao, even if an evil soul master is stunningly beautiful, she is still just a shell—beneath that shell beats a heart of pure evil!

Today she draws her sword on you, tomorrow she’ll blow up the Spirit Communication Tower!

You absolutely cannot let her run wild—listen to me, let’s two righteous enforcers team up, capture the Fallen Angel, and lock her in a secret room…”

“Kun character—Earth Bullet!”

The moment Le Zhengyu uttered “secret room,” Zhao Xuanzhen’s eyes instantly turned deep blue; a ball of earth shot forward with lightning speed and slammed into Le Zhengyu’s mouth, silencing his reckless words!

You idiot Le, are you trying to destroy Brother Zhao’s lifelong reputation?!

But “secret room” had already slipped out—no god could stuff it back; a shocked female voice rang through the sky, each word deliberate, tone rising then falling:

“S-E-C-R-E-T… R-O-O-M!?”

Zhao Xuanzhen covered his face and turned—Yuan En Yehui’s face blazed crimson, her beautiful eyes wide with utter disbelief…

The girl’s blush surpassed all curses!

…

The next day, early morning.

“Good morning, class leader.”

Before Zhao Xuanzhen reached the classroom, many classmates greeted him in the hallway.

At the door of First-Year Class One, Luo Guixing was chatting with Yang Nianxia; seeing Zhao Xuanzhen approach, they both flashed bright smiles and quickly stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter.

“Good morning, class leader.”

Zhao Xuanzhen nodded faintly in reply, passing them to his seat.

As long as you are strong enough, friends—and those who want to be your friends—are everywhere.

In another timeline, five members of the Young Genius Rankings refused to accept Tang Wulin as class leader simply because his cultivation was only two rings—they didn’t respect him.

But Zhao Xuanzhen was utterly different: his cultivation was unquestionably the class’s top, and yesterday he had crushed the entire first-year class alongside Gu Yue and Ye Xinglan.

Sometimes, a genius is no different from a masochist—crush their pride under your heel, and they’ll admire and worship you.

About fifteen minutes before class, three-quarters of the class had taken their seats; Zhao Xuanzhen’s desk partners, Gu Yue and Ye Xinglan, had arrived.

“Xuanzhen, you seem tired today.”

Gu Yue asked with concern; Ye Xinglan cast a furtive glance.

“Don’t even mention it…”

Zhao Xuanzhen sighed deeply; Le Zhengyu kept blabbering about “secret room,” and last night the three of them sat down to clear up the misunderstanding. Zhao Xuanzhen gave Le Zhengyu a severe warning: Yuan En Yehui had officially joined the Spirit Communication Tower, and the Spirit Communication Tower had never had a secret room!

It never had, and never will!

Tragically, Yuan En Yehui clearly didn’t believe him—he could tell the newly joined girl had grown wary of him, now wearing her school uniform over her white undershirt.

Le Zhengyu was entirely to blame—he’d definitely find a chance to beat him up later.

“Ding-ding-ding—”

The two homeroom teachers entered as the bell rang; Shen Yi smiled: “Today’s class is practical combat—your opponents will be either me or Teacher Wu. Class leader, lead your team to the external campus sparring platform.”

Hearing this, Zhao Xuanzhen gathered the new students and headed for the sparring platform, passing through the wide corridor into the circular area on the south side of the teaching building—a real, solid fighting platform.

The sparring platform was a full hundred meters in diameter; for student safety, numerous protective soul tools surrounded it.

The two teachers activated the soul tools; one hundred and four students lined up in three parallel rows, the leaders naturally being the three class leaders of Xuan Yue Xing.

Watching Wu Changkong’s cold back, Xie Xie clenched his fists, his gaze resolute: “Give everything—just shed the label of Class One’s menial, and become Teacher Wu’s flute-playing attendant!”

“Losing badly doesn’t matter,” said Xu Xiaoyan with a mournful expression beside him. “We’ll just be humiliated by Teacher Wu in front of over a hundred classmates until we’re trembling, useless wrecks!”

Tang Wulin nodded deeply in agreement.

“Were you guys really that bad?” Zhao Xuanzhen asked Gu Yue curiously.

“Not quite…” Gu Yue squinted. “Maybe after I dropped out and went into seclusion, Teacher Wu became stricter with them.”

A few minutes later, Shen Yi and Wu Changkong returned; the latter coldly stated: “Rules for practical combat: We will not suppress our cultivation. Use all seven soul skills, including martial soul true form. Groups of three. The three class leaders will demonstrate first.

First group: Zhao Xuanzhen, Gu Yue, Ye Xinglan—choose your opponent and strategize.

Five-minute countdown begins—fight!”

(End of Chapter)