Yan Shaozhe and the others had accumulated a full day's worth of unresolved matters. After leaving the Sea God's Pavilion, they quickly bid farewell to Zhou Sichen.
Zhou Sichen glanced at the sky—it was already mid-morning the next day. His stomach grumbled in protest.
After some thought, he headed straight to Duguxianmeng's villa to find her, planning to invite her to the cafeteria for a meal.
Duguxianmeng was just about to leave when she saw Zhou Sichen arrive, looking somewhat surprised. Being taken away by Elder Xuan and the others for so long... It seemed Zhou Sichen was following in the footsteps of their senior sister.
However, Zhou Sichen was far more terrifying than their senior sister. While Ye Guyi's Holy Angel martial soul restrained Duguxianmeng's poison, it was nothing compared to the absolute dominance of Zhou Sichen's Ultimate Ice.
Moreover, when Ye Guyi first entered the academy, she hadn't caused such a stir among the high-ranking officials. Zhou Sichen was truly a prodigy.
Seeing that Zhou Sichen had come to find her first upon his return, Duguxianmeng felt delighted. This only strengthened her resolve—to win over this little rascal before their senior sister came back.
Handsome, wealthy, and possessing extraordinary talent and strength... He was practically the ideal partner.
As Zhou Sichen looked at her in confusion, Duguxianmeng intimately wrapped her arm around his.
Feeling his arm sink into the softness of Duguxianmeng's ample chest, Zhou Sichen smiled faintly.
Duguxianmeng seemed to be doing this on purpose. She grinned mischievously and said, "Don't be shy. Your senior sister and I are best friends. Taking care of you is only natural."
Zhou Sichen didn't refuse. Putting aside her beauty and figure, her talent and strength alone were enough to pique his interest.
Keeping her by his side would definitely be beneficial in the future. Once she had fully matured, Duguxianmeng would become one of his greatest assets.
Smiling, Zhou Sichen replied, "Then I'll have to thank Sister Xianmeng."
Duguxianmeng tightened her grip around his arm. "No need to be so polite."
The two walked closely together along the small paths of Sea God's Island. The inner court disciples passing by couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
Aside from the obvious curiosity about their relationship, the most talked-about topic was the fact that Zhou Sichen had been taken away by Elder Xuan and the academy's top figures the day before.
For so many high-ranking officials to personally summon a student—this was unprecedented in the academy's history.
Moreover, many students had witnessed Zhou Sichen's terrifying soul rings the day before, as well as the overwhelming power that had left Ma Xiaotao at a disadvantage. Overnight, Zhou Sichen had become the most talked-about figure in the inner court.
No matter where he went, people whispered about him. He had become the center of attention.
The academy's higher-ups did nothing to suppress these discussions. On the contrary, they believed that this environment would serve as a test of Zhou Sichen's inner strength.
Through his future actions, they would also be able to assess whether he was a suitable candidate to inherit Elder Mu's position.
Yes, despite having been at Shrek Academy for less than three days, Zhou Sichen's status had already risen to such a level.
The position of Elder Mu's successor was something that only top figures like Xuanzi and Yan Shaozhe had ever been considered for. And yet, now, it was being discussed in relation to a twelve-year-old child...
Zhou Sichen, however, showed no reaction to this. Having grown up in such an environment, he was already accustomed to it.
His family had done an excellent job of keeping his true abilities a secret. Very few people knew about his talent, and those who did were all core members of his family.
After all, a genius who had yet to fully mature was not truly a genius.
Throughout history, countless prodigies had risen to fame in their youth, only to perish before reaching their potential. Zhou Sichen had no intention of becoming one of them.
Upon arriving at the cafeteria, Zhou Sichen and Duguxianmeng went to the third floor and indulged in a lavish meal.
Duguxianmeng kept up a constant stream of chatter, like a little chatterbox who always had something to say.
Fortunately, Zhou Sichen found her topics interesting—particularly the one about their senior sister's whereabouts.
Ye Guyi had left the academy a month ago to complete a temporary assessment mission.
This mission had reportedly been assigned to her personally by Elder Mu, which spoke volumes about its importance.
However, given her current strength, ordinary missions shouldn't pose much of a challenge to her.
Ye Guyi was three years older than Zhou Sichen. At fifteen years old, her soul power had already reached Rank 53—that was two months ago when she last wrote to Zhou Sichen.
The reason for her terrifying advancement wasn't just the training path Zhou Sichen had planned for her or her own exceptional talent. The key factor was Shrek Academy's Golden Tree.
The Golden Tree provided Ye Guyi with the perfect simulated training environment. While cultivating in the hidden chamber beneath the tree, her training speed had increased exponentially.
Even just being on Sea God's Island, where she could absorb the light energy radiating from the Golden Tree, significantly boosted her cultivation speed.
All these factors combined had led to her current astonishing progress.
At eighteen years old, Ma Xiaotao was Rank 63, only ten levels higher than Ye Guyi.
At Ye Guyi's current rate of advancement, she had a high chance of surpassing Ma Xiaotao in the future.
This was precisely why Ye Guyi's entry into the inner court had caused such a sensation and why Elder Mu had chosen to take her as his final disciple.
Some might assume that Ye Guyi, with her Holy Angel martial soul, would face hostility at Shrek Academy—after all, their ancestor, Tang San, had once defeated the Angel God.
However, this wasn't the case. That was an event from ten thousand years ago. Even if Ye Guyi were a direct descendant of Qian Renxue, time had changed everything. The past had long since faded into history.
Besides, it was Zhou Sichen who had suggested that Ye Guyi enroll in Shrek Academy. Initially, she had been reluctant.
She had her reservations, but after Zhou Sichen analyzed the benefits for her, she set aside her concerns and made the decision.
Upon entering Shrek Academy, she quickly made a name for herself. Elder Mu had secretly observed her multiple times before ultimately accepting her as his personal disciple.
Elder Mu's decision to take her in was not only because of her talent but also due to the Holy Angel martial soul's absolute suppression of evil soul masters.
Before Zhou Sichen appeared, Ye Guyi had been the most promising candidate to reach Elder Mu's level. With the guidance of a Rank 99 Limit Douluo, the Bright Holy Dragon, her future achievements were bound to be extraordinary.
Moreover, with Elder Mu's protection, the evil soul masters wouldn't be able to eliminate Ye Guyi before she could reach her full potential. In a way, his mentorship was also a form of safeguard for her.
Overall, joining Shrek Academy had been a wise choice—it allowed Zhou Sichen to maximize his access to resources while being under the protection of powerful figures.
After their meal, Zhou Sichen and Duguxianmeng went to collect his uniform and the necessary supplies for the inner court.
By the time they finished, it was already afternoon. Dressed in his new uniform, Zhou Sichen and Duguxianmeng headed toward the Soul Dueling Arena together.
After all, Zhou Sichen had made a bet with Duguxianmeng—he would get her a top-tier red-class meal from the cafeteria within a year.
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