Chapter 155: First Meeting and Conversation, Han Ruoruo

Shu Yan had barely slept all night. He sat quietly at the peak of a pavilion in the Princess's Mansion, watching the night fade away until the first light of dawn broke, at which point he finally snapped back to his senses.

In his spiritual sea, Electrolux sighed softly. He understood exactly what Shu Yan was pondering and struggling with. After a long silence, Electrolux spoke softly:

"Little one, you are overthinking things. Since you care, why struggle? Many things must be done before you know the outcome. Thinking cannot solve every problem. I have said all I can; you are so clever, surely you won't let yourself suffer like this."

Shu Yan exhaled a turbid breath. He looked up at the breaking dawn in the distance and then chuckled, "There is nothing I can't let go of or struggle with. I was just feeling a bit conflicted and wanted to be alone for a while. I still have family alive, I still have a home—this is good news. There is nothing worth struggling or suffering over."

Electrolux also chuckled lightly and said, "It is good that you can understand this principle..."

Shu Yan stood up slowly, glanced back into the Princess's Mansion, and then leaped directly off the pavilion, his figure disappearing shortly after...

Near noon, Shu Yan went to the Star Emperor Hotel and met Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo, who had been waiting for some time.

It had to be said that both were rare beauties, each with their own unique temperament. Coupled with their powerful talents and martial souls, if no accidents occurred, both would surely advance to become Super Douluo and Sea God Pavilion Elders, becoming the next generation of hidden power for Shrek Academy.

Zhang Lexuan bowed to Shu Yan very earnestly. Her attitude was impeccable, even though Shu Yan clearly looked younger than her.

Shu Yan couldn't help but sigh; Zhang Lexuan was a very charming woman. Her charm was not just in her outstanding appearance, but more so in the unique temperament and aura she possessed.

This was his first meeting with Zhang Lexuan, but his ability to read people was not bad, and combined with his formidable spiritual power, he had almost completely "seen through" the two women before him in an instant—of course, "seen through" here was not a verb of action.

In the quiet reception room, Shu Yan sat alone on one side, while Zhang Lexuan and the other sat opposite him. Shu Yan took that strange soul bone out of his soul tool and then used his soul power to send it before Zhang Lexuan.

Zhang Lexuan's hands were trembling slightly. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Her slender, fair fingers touched the crown-like soul bone, and a gentle wave of soul power immediately erupted.

"This soul bone, and that piece of jade, were obtained after we killed the Duke of Frost Star of the Heavenly Soul Empire. I had some understanding of your family in my early years, and through a stroke of luck, I thought to let Luochen investigate. I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence."

Shu Yan briefly recounted the origin of the soul bone and also directly clarified what kind of existence the person who destroyed Zhang Lexuan's family back then was.

"Duke of Frost Star..."

Zhang Lexuan gripped the Moon Crown tightly. Bloodshot eyes appeared in her gaze—that was pure killing intent. If the Duke of Frost Star hadn't already been tortured to death by the Ice Snow Dual Emperors, the moment Zhang Lexuan broke through to Title Douluo would have been the Duke's death day.

"My father once had dealings with him, and we even had brief business interactions. We never had any conflicts. I don't understand why he would strike such a cruel blow..."

Zhang Lexuan's voice was trembling slightly. Han Ruoruo patted Zhang Lexuan's back with a pained expression, but in the end, she could only sigh helplessly.

Shu Yan did not disturb Zhang Lexuan. Only after seeing her emotions stabilize did he continue, "He slaughtered many families and forces in the Heavenly Soul Empire over the years using his power and status; your Zhang family was just one of them. He had great ambition. He had previously hooked up with a Level 9 Soul Tool Master from the Sun Moon Empire and even snatched a 100,000-year soul beast from the Extreme North Land. He is already dead; it is impossible to verify what exactly he wanted to do."

"But the only thing that is certain is that the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family must have known something about Frost Star's actions over the years. Unfortunately, they seem to have been on the same side."

Zhang Lexuan slowly closed her eyes. Her breathing became heavy due to the intense emotional fluctuation. After a long while, until she slowly stabilized her intense emotions, she opened her eyes and looked at Shu Yan, saying with a sincere gaze, "Mr. Shu Yan, I am very grateful to you and your sister for avenging this blood feud for me. This has been my greatest obsession for over twenty years. Although I could not kill the enemy with my own hands, I am still very grateful to you."

"For this, you can make any request of me. No matter what, I must repay this kindness."

Shu Yan just chuckled and said, "No need to call me 'Mr.' Honestly, you are both much older than me; just call me by my name. I'm not really used to being called 'Mr.'"

"As for conditions... I don't really need anything in the short term. Let's talk about it in the future."

Zhang Lexuan nodded with a soft gaze. She stroked the Moon Crown in her hand and then suddenly asked, "That... I have a very presumptuous question. I wonder if..."

Shu Yan raised an eyebrow. The coldness around him completely faded, becoming gentle and warm.

"Feel free to ask. As long as it doesn't touch on anything too deep, I am very happy to chat with two great beauties like you."

Zhang Lexuan pursed her lips and smiled, while Han Ruoruo was somewhat dazed watching the gentle smile on Shu Yan's face. She admitted that this version of Shu Yan completely hit every requirement she had for a partner; it made her heart race wildly.

Shu Yan naturally noticed Han Ruoruo's infatuated look. He was a bit surprised and didn't understand why Han Ruoruo, whom he had only met once, would have such strong feelings for him. Of course, this wasn't a bad thing for Shu Yan; on the contrary, it was a pleasant surprise.

Under the table, Zhang Lexuan pinched Han Ruoruo's thigh hard, which finally snapped the infatuated Han Ruoruo back to reality.

Looking at the faint smile on Shu Yan's face opposite her, her pretty face suddenly flushed red. She turned her head away in embarrassment, not daring to meet Shu Yan's gaze.

Zhang Lexuan sighed secretly at her best friend's lack of composure. The usually gentle and humble Han Ruoruo had suddenly become like those ignorant juniors in the outer courtyard. In a trance, Zhang Lexuan recalled a sentence from a friend.

Liking and affection will subtly change a person. Humans are emotional animals after all. When encountering someone or something they like for the first time, the role that reason can play is often very small. At this time, a person's thoughts and actions will be dominated by the desires born in their heart, leading them to do things they wouldn't normally do.

Zhang Lexuan looked at Shu Yan and smiled helplessly, "Ruoruo... she hasn't been in a relationship before... so she is a bit... um, you know what I mean..."

Shu Yan nodded with a smile. He certainly understood this feeling. After all, when his relationship with Xu Jiujiu had just begun to change, Xu Jiujiu was surprisingly similar to Han Ruoruo right now. Honestly, having lived two lives, Xu Jiujiu was his true first love. When he first started dating, he had made quite a few jokes himself.

Zhang Lexuan slightly restrained the smile on her face. She looked at Shu Yan and then asked softly, "If possible, I would like to ask about Mr. Shu Yan's background."

But quickly, Zhang Lexuan added, "Of course, I don't mean anything else, just purely curious."

Shu Yan leaned back in the soft chair. He didn't think much of it and just said softly:

"My lineage has existed since long, long before the birth of Shrek Academy. When I was still in swaddling clothes, I was lost in Star Luo City due to an accident. I grew up in Star Luo City, joined the Empire after awakening my martial soul, and could be said to be childhood sweethearts with Jiujiu."

"Yesterday... that person was my own sister. Speaking of which, her being able to find me also had your contribution." Zhang Lexuan was stunned. The information revealed in Shu Yan's few words was too much. She didn't have enough time to think, so she simply followed Shu Yan's lead.

"How so?"

Shu Yan chuckled and said, "Previously, my other sister had descended upon Shrek City as a phantom. The aura she emitted attracted my sister. Later, you took Ling Luochen to Star Luo City, and Ling Luochen's martial soul still had traces of my sister's aura. Your cultivation was too weak to feel this lingering aura, so they followed you all the way to Star Luo City."

"That Limit Douluo senior?"

Zhang Lexuan asked subconsciously.

Shu Yan nodded and continued:

"That Limit Douluo senior you speak of has some ancient origins with our family, but she is not of our lineage. Our meeting was a matter of fate, and combined with the resonance of our martial souls, I recognized her as my sister."

Well, he didn't even have a ripple in his state of mind while lying.

Zhang Lexuan smiled upon hearing this and said:

"Then I must congratulate you on returning to your family and having relatives by your side in the future."

Han Ruoruo also gathered the courage to speak at the right time:

"Being separated from family for over a decade is a pain and a helplessness of reality. But now that you can meet again, you must cherish the opportunity, lest you regret it."

Shu Yan nodded. Wasn't his fundamental thought exactly the same?

"Don't worry, I will handle this well. Family is family; no matter how long the separation, there is always an innate closeness. What's more, my parents have already developed heart disease over the years because of my loss. No matter what, they are my parents."

"We have been preparing for the past two days, and it just so happened that we had to come see you. Once things are handled, we will set off in these two days."

Shu Yan said softly.

The conversation had opened up. Han Ruoruo was stunned for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Speaking of which, have Lexuan and I affected your plans to return to your family..."

Zhang Lexuan twitched the corner of her mouth on the side. For some reason, she felt that Han Ruoruo had already leaned toward the other party, and even she, her best friend of many years, had been left behind.

Shu Yan shook his head, reached out to take the juice handed over by a maid, and then poured a glass for each of the two women.

"No impact. We needed to make some preparations to go back anyway. Don't overthink it."

Han Ruoruo nodded. Her gaze remained fixed on Shu Yan's face. Shu Yan felt somewhat helpless being watched by her and spoke again: "Is there a flower on my face that allows you, a great beauty, to keep staring at me..."

Han Ruoruo blushed again in defeat. She moved her gaze away in embarrassment but felt a bit of secret joy because of Shu Yan's remark about her being a "great beauty."

Although her status was clearly not as high as Xu Jiujiu's, and she was even much older than Xu Jiujiu, she was still very confident in her face. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been hailed as one of the most outstanding beauties in the inner courtyard.

Zhang Lexuan sighed softly in her heart. She felt Han Ruoruo falling in little by little. If there wasn't such a deep relationship between Shu Yan and Xu Jiujiu, she would definitely support this relationship 100%, but the problem was exactly there...

Xu Jiujiu's status was too special. Although Han Ruoruo's talent was excellent, she was ultimately just a Soul Sage now. Even if she broke through to Title Douluo, she still wouldn't count for much in front of a vast empire.

In yesterday's interaction with Xu Jiujiu, she clearly realized how terrifying this Princess Jiujiu was. Her clear, rational mind and words that left no room for criticism made even her feel pressure. Not to mention, she had clearly sensed yesterday that this Imperial Princess's cultivation was definitely above level 55, yet her age was definitely under eighteen. What did this mean? It meant Xu Jiujiu would definitely be able to break through to the Soul Emperor realm before the age of twenty.

At Shrek Academy, if one could break through to the Soul Emperor realm before the age of twenty, they would be cultivated as a seed of the academy. In the future, if nothing went wrong, their achievement would be at least the Super Douluo realm. And she was one of the only four seed students of Shrek Academy and had already been confirmed by Elder Mu as the successor to the Sea God Pavilion.

Xu Jiujiu's Star Crown martial soul was no weaker than her Moon martial soul. And yet, such a powerful and excellent Xu Jiujiu still subconsciously took Shu Yan as the lead, and even the Nebula Douluo who appeared yesterday was the same.

Zhang Lexuan was suddenly very curious. She looked at Shu Yan and Han Ruoruo, who were chatting happily, and found the right time to speak: "Speaking of which, Mr. Shu Yan, can you reveal what your martial soul is? Why do I feel a faint pressure from you..."

Zhang Lexuan said in a soft voice.

Shu Yan thought for a moment, then said softly:

"My martial soul is named Ice Sky Snow Maiden. I think you should have some understanding of this kind of soul beast..."

Upon hearing this, the faces of Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo, which still carried smiles, suddenly paused. Immediately, their eyes widened, and their eyes flashed with shock and disbelief.

As students of Shrek's inner courtyard, their theoretical knowledge was undoubtedly top-notch.

What kind of existence was the Ice Sky Snow Maiden? Number one in the Extreme North Land, third on the Continental Top Ten Fierce Beasts list, the only one in the world, undoubtedly an Extreme Attribute soul beast, and even more rarely, a humanoid soul beast. In a sense, the Ice Sky Snow Maiden couldn't even be considered a soul beast, but the embodiment of the ice and snow of the Extreme North Land. For humans today, the Ice Sky Snow Maiden was a super soul beast second only to the Beast God Di Tian and the Evil Emperor, the greatest threat that humans could not explore and needed to remain vigilant against.

"Don't make such expressions. Perhaps in your cognition, a super soul beast like the Ice Sky Snow Maiden cannot become a human martial soul, but the facts are different. In this world, anything can happen. This is the true situation of this world."

Shu Yan just said with a chuckle, his expression calm, yet it made the hearts of Zhang Lexuan and even Han Ruoruo unable to calm down...

(End of Chapter)