Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1903 Star Crown! So stingy!

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In the shadows of the corner, Devouring Spirit, the owner of the Devil Ray Martial Soul, let out a low, eerie, and magnetic hum, his tongue unconsciously licking the corner of his lips: "Heh... I can smell that... chilling life force even through the barrier."

"Soul Devourer!" Leodani's voice lashed out like a cold javelin, his bronze face turning to the shadows. "Watch your words! Keep your thoughts to yourself. She is His Highness's closest confidante, and also an opponent we must fight with all our might."

The Nanuk family held the Chen family in high regard because of the Chen family's sincere compensation back then.

“The stronger the opponent, the more interesting it is.” The slender young man Loki (Void Serpent), whose figure was blurred, leaned back elegantly in a soft chair, toying with a mesmerizing crystal ball between his fingers, and said lazily in a magnetic voice, “Injuries? Nonsense. Her appearance itself is the most powerful announcement. Her condition… is probably more perfect than expected.”

“Loki is right,” Arthur (Hailong) chimed in, his imposing figure and profound aura exuding a natural leadership quality. “It was expected. How could someone comparable to His Highness be hampered by hidden injuries? The variables and obstacles in the finals largely depend on the talents of our ally, the Chen family.”

Proteus (starfish), with his striking features and tall stature, slowly chimed in: "Yes, yes, but even the strongest player has their limits in a competition within the rules."

The silent, rock-solid Neptune (the seahorse) merely nodded slightly.

Poseidon's gaze never left the cool white figure below the stage.

She nodded almost imperceptibly, her cool voice echoing in the quiet private room: "Her injury is healed."

"The mainland finals are being held here, which is both an opportunity and a challenge. Remember, you represent the glory of Poseidon and the will of Poseidon Island. No matter who your opponent is, give it your all and prove your worth."

"We will obey Your Highness's command!" The crowd inside the private room responded in unison.

Poseidon's gaze returned to the Soul Arena, watching Emperor Xue Yingtao begin awarding medals to the top eight, and watching Xiao Yi stand calmly between Chen Xiaojun and Chen Yanwu.

The gazes from Poseidon Island and the white figure below, receiving the baptism of a hundred thousand gazes, seemed to have a silent exchange across space.

……

The carriages of Chang'an Academy rolled along the stone-paved road of Tiandou City as the evening hustle and bustle gradually subsided.

"Tsk," Zhu Wuneng, his body crammed into the spacious seat, clutched the badge symbolizing his status as an Imperial Baron, pursed his lips, and broke the silence of the carriage with a muffled voice, "This Emperor of Tiandou is too stingy. He gave Young Master and Sister Xiaoyi two empty Baron titles, without even giving them any real ones. What's the use of just having a title without even a village?"

Sitting opposite him, Dugu Fu was carefully opening the box and looking at the ten-thousand-year-old soul bone being awarded—a left arm bone shimmering with a dark luster. Upon hearing this, he didn't even look up and scoffed, "Come on, Bajie. Don't you even think about it? Their Heavenly Dou Empire has been established for two thousand years. How much territory does the royal family still have to grant?"

"Giving someone a nominal title looks good on the surface, doesn't require any real financial sacrifice, and allows them to receive a long-term pension and enjoy some nominal privileges—that's already quite good. Besides,"

He looked up and shook the soul bone box in his hand. "Our runner-up team actually got three ten-thousand-year soul bones, plus a bonus of 50,000 gold soul coins per person. Eight teams, each team spent one million gold soul coins in cash alone, eight million for eight teams, plus a total of fourteen ten-thousand-year soul bones, that's no small amount."

Zhu Wuneng's eyes widened immediately, and he retorted, "A ten-thousand-year-old soul bone? You want to absorb it?! Fifty thousand in cash? That's nothing special! Our annual cultivation expenses are more than that, aren't they? Young Master, don't you agree?"

Fifty thousand is quite a lot. Back when Gao Cuilan was in the Gao family, she only had fifty thousand in resources every year.

As for the ten-thousand-year-old soul bone, it can sell for at least 100,000.

Chen Xiaojun was lounging lazily next to Xiaoyi, a sly smile playing on his lips, and said slowly, "Oh? So you don't care about this 50,000 gold soul coins as pocket money? That's perfect, saves me the trouble of thinking about it."

"Hey Wuneng, how about this? Take out this money and buy some good food and fun things for the brothers, as a way of celebrating our runner-up finish. What do you guys think?"

On the other side of the carriage, the eyes of several young team members, including Chen Shurui, Chen Bin, and Ma Liang, lit up instantly, and they immediately started cheering:

"Excellent! Young Master is brilliant!" "Bajie is so generous! Treat us!"

"I want to eat the most expensive 'Golden Jade Abundance' pastries in Tiandou City!"

"And there's also 'Drunken Immortal Pavilion's' signature roasted soul beast meat!"

"Pocket money?" Zhu Wuneng's eyes lit up. "To give us pocket money?"

Immediately, his face fell. In his entire life, he had never had more than a thousand gold soul coins in his pocket!

He frantically waved his hands, his chubby face trembling with anxiety: "No, no, no! Young master, young master, I was wrong, I was wrong, okay? This money... this money... it smells so good, it smells so good! How can it be pocket money! This is hard-earned money, the hard-earned money we fought for on stage, I have to save it... save it to get married!"

His anxious, possessive manner, coupled with his exaggerated expressions, immediately drew gasps of "Oh...getting married, huh?" from one person to another in the carriage.

Gao Cuilan blushed instantly.

Even Xiao Yi, who is usually aloof, seemed to have a very slight curve at the corners of her mouth beneath her veil.

Chen Mu cleared his throat. "Speaking of which, the biggest surprise today, besides Wu Neng's enlightenment, is of course our Xiao Yi."

He paused deliberately before continuing, "At the ceremony just now, in addition to awarding medals to the top eight, His Majesty Xue Yingtao also presented a special grand prize—'Chief Student of the National Competition of the Tiandou Region'!"

"This is the highest honor that comprehensively evaluates an individual's strength, contribution, and influence. Without a doubt, it was awarded to our Xiaoyi! She was the top student in both the provincial and national competitions, winning two awards in a row."

Chen Mu looked at Xiao Yi with a smile: "His Majesty specifically said that if it weren't for the regulations, he would have made an exception and given you an even higher title. However, this title of 'Chief Student' is much more substantial than an empty title, at least,"

He winked mischievously, "From now on, I'll enjoy the highest level of privileges and treatment at all official Soul Master facilities in the Heaven Dou Empire. I might even get discounts when I buy things!"

Xiao Yi faced everyone's gaze, but still didn't make any big movements, only nodding very slightly, as if this great honor was just a trivial matter to her.

Chen Xiaojun turned his gaze to Xiao Yi, who was sitting quietly beside him, his eyes filled with pride and a hint of barely perceptible doting.

Xiao Yi's gaze also lingered on Chen Xiaojun's smiling face for a moment. In the depths of his cold eyes, there seemed to be a faint warmth, like a ripple in a cold pool, fleeting and too fast to be caught.

Then, her gaze shifted back to the flowing street scene outside the car window, regaining its secluded tranquility.

However, she heard Chen Xiaojun's clear voice say, "Fifth brother, be careful. If it weren't for Xiaoyi's repeated heroic efforts, even taking on seven opponents at once twice with incredible results, the chief student should have been from the champion team, according to the usual practice. Who do you think it would be?"

Chen Mu trembled: "Big sister..."

Chen Xiaojun smiled and nodded, "The Yuehua team won the championship with a perfect record. Their contributions along the way are obvious to all. Their leadership is strong, and their final battle was also amazing. So, in previous years, according to normal standards, the eldest sister should have been the original choice."

Chen Mu's face darkened, and he spat out a mouthful of water: "Sixth Brother, you've gotten me into trouble again!"

Chen Shurui chuckled repeatedly.

Chen Mu felt as if he had seen the tail of a tattletale.

(End of this chapter)