Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends.

Zhu Zhuqing's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. She raised her head, looked at the narrow night sky outside the corridor, which was divided into squares by high walls, and took a deep breath of the cool night air.

Live on. You must live on.

She clenched her small fists, her nails almost digging into her palms, and then took a firm step towards her room.

……

The Star Luo Royal Primary Soul Master Academy is not only an academy, but also a preview of the future power structure of the Star Luo Empire.

Here, talent, strength, background, and connections are all bargaining chips with clearly marked prices.

The innate full soul power is undoubtedly the most dazzling and coveted of all the chips.

Levin and Pinocchio, these two geniuses who appeared out of nowhere, naturally became the focus of attention for various forces within the academy, especially the children of noble families.

Approaching, testing, befriending... all sorts of dramas played out around the two of them almost every day.

In the rest area beside the training field, several richly dressed and distinguished teenagers were surrounding Pinocchio, with formulaic enthusiastic smiles on their faces.

"Brother Noca, you are truly a formidable young man! I heard that you used that peculiar soul skill to toy with your opponent again in yesterday's combat lesson?"

A count's son patted Pinocchio on the shoulder with a smile, speaking in a friendly tone.

Pinocchio, on the other hand, was in high spirits, beaming with joy.

He was born to love excitement and crave attention. When someone took the initiative to talk to him or showed him kindness, he was so happy he felt like he was floating on air.

“Of course!” Pinocchio’s nose twitched slightly with excitement.

"Let me tell you, when that big guy charged at me, hey, he was pretty fast! But I just casually said his shoelaces were untied, and he actually looked down! Haha, isn't that hilarious? Then I gave him a light push, and he jumped off the stage by himself! Actually, he was wearing Soul Guidance Boots, which don't have shoelaces at all! Hahaha!"

Pinocchio gesticulates wildly, speaks at lightning speed, and vividly recreates the scene, leaving no detail overlooked. He even adds a lot of exaggerated onomatopoeia and personal opinions.

The smiles on the faces of the surrounding noblemen remained, but a hint of impatience and embarrassment flickered in their eyes.

They approach geniuses hoping they will become their future asset or asset, not to listen to a chatterbox endlessly recounting battle details, especially in such a nonsensical way.

Another viscount's son coughed, trying to steer the conversation back on track: "Ahem, indeed brilliant. Brother Pinocchio is exceptionally gifted and will surely achieve great things. I wonder if you are free this weekend? I'm hosting a banquet at the Starry Night Restaurant in the city, and there will be a few guests..."

"Eat? Sure, sure!" Pinocchio's eyes lit up, and he immediately interrupted the other person.

"That restaurant's braised pork knuckle is absolutely amazing! And their mixed fruit wine, I hear it's sweet and delicious! Oh, and do you guys know that fat chef in their kitchen? Last time I peeked into the back kitchen... oh no, I mean, I was just observing, and I saw him secretly wiping away tears while cooking. Apparently, he had a fight with his wife because he said her new necklace looked like a worm. Hahaha, isn't that hilarious...?"

The smiles of the noblemen around Pinocchio froze completely. They had no interest in the chef's mundane chatter and could not stand the endless, pointless gossip.

The group exchanged glances, all seeing the same thought in each other's eyes: this guy is talented, but his personality is just too unbearable.

After exchanging a few more perfunctory replies, the group quickly made excuses and left.

Pinocchio watched their hurried departure, scratched his head, and looked puzzled. But he was quickly drawn to the new training equipment and skipped away, humming an off-key tune.

For him, having someone to talk to is a source of happiness, and he doesn't delve into why the other person leaves.

In stark contrast to the lively atmosphere at Pinocchio's place, Levin was in another corner of the training field.

He had just finished a set of high-intensity weighted swing training, his back drenched in sweat, his short, golden hair plastered to his forehead, but his dark golden pupils remained clear and calm, showing no signs of fatigue.

Soon, several other people approached him. The one in the lead was also a nobleman of considerable status, and his attitude was even more respectful than when he treated Pinocchio.

Because they could sense that this blond Levin was much harder to win over than the overly lively Pinocchio.

"Brother Levin, you are truly hardworking," the visitor said with a smile. "With your talent, your efforts are truly ashamed of us."

Levin put down the water bottle, wiped his sweat with a towel, looked calmly at the newcomer, and nodded slightly: "Cultivation is simply my duty."

His attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, neither impolite nor overly enthusiastic.

“Brother Levin is too modest,” another person interjected. “Geniuses like you and Pinocchio are the pillars of our Star Luo Empire’s future. His Highness the Crown Prince has also mentioned that he greatly admires you two. His Highness is eager for talent and values ​​young talents most highly. If you two are interested, perhaps…”

He didn't finish his sentence, but his intention to beckon was already obvious.

Levin's expression remained unchanged; he was completely unmoved by these attempts to win him over, and even found them somewhat boring.

He was well aware of his and Pinocchio's value; with their innate full soul power, they were destined to be the center of attention wherever they went.

Chapter 80 Deep Sea Demon Whale Blue Buddha

But Levin knew even better that his name and Pinocchio's name were probably already on the desk of Emperor Dai Tianfeng of the Star Luo Empire.

The actions of these noble scions were merely an extension of the will of their families or princes.

They were summoned from the fairy tale world by Lin Wan through the system.

Their very existence carries the mission of gaining prestige for their host, Lin Wan.

Although Lin Wan did not mandate specific behaviors, this objective naturally made Levin uninterested in integrating into the power system of this world.

He needs prestige, but the way to gain prestige does not necessarily require him to be attached to a prince or nobleman.

In his view, great strength itself is the greatest source of prestige.

Therefore, he maintained only a facade of peace and politeness, neither explicitly refusing nor making any promises.

……

Deep in the ocean, thousands of miles away, Ursula still remained in her fishbone cave, cultivating herself.

For a sea spirit beast with a long lifespan, a few years is but a blink of an eye.

But for Ursula, the deep-sea witch who runs the business here, these past few years have been a golden period in which her power and prestige have steadily increased.

Her strength has soared from 100,000 years when she first arrived in Douluo Continent to the level of a 280,000-year-old soul beast.

Only a small portion of this energy came from Ursula's own cultivation; the majority was energy she obtained through trading with other sea spirits.

"Hehehe..." Ursula looked at the newly made bottle of scale-colored potion that could temporarily make the scales glow with a rainbow of colors and let out a low, satisfied laugh.

These seemingly useless little gadgets can often be exchanged for unexpected good things from those simple-minded or novelty-seeking sea spirit beasts.

Her tentacles deftly manipulated various strange magical materials, categorizing them and placing them into a medicine cabinet made of giant coral and clams.

Today, Fishbone Cave is more prosperous than it was a few years ago. The number of luminous jellyfish imprisoned on the cave walls has increased several times over. The interweaving of eerie green, pale white, and light blue light makes Fishbone Cave appear bizarre and fantastical.

All sorts of strange and wonderful items were casually placed or hung: conch shells that could emit deadly infrasound, seaweed cloaks that could temporarily conceal one's form, bone fragments that recorded the dance of ancient sea beasts, and even some human artifacts salvaged from shipwrecks and imbued with faint magic by Ursula.

The two ancient electric eels, Hu Shan and Jia Shan, are now even larger, and the electric arcs wrapped around their bodies have become increasingly solid and terrifying.

They faithfully perform their duties of patrolling, guiding guests, and guarding the cave, serving as Ursula's doormen diligently, and Ursula occasionally rewards them.

Just then, a rapid and distinctive hissing sound of electricity came from outside the cave. This was a signal from Hu Shan and Jia Shan, indicating that they had brought back a special guest.

Ursula narrowed her long, dark green eyes slightly and put down the medicine bottle in her hand.

The fact that these two well-informed subordinates would send out a special signal suggests that this guest is indeed quite interesting.

Her enormous body lay languidly on the altar of the giant clam, her tentacles slightly retracted, striking a pose that was both mysterious and somewhat majestic.

Soon, Hu Shan and Jia Shan swam in first. Their movements seemed more cautious than usual, even carrying a hint of ingratiation.

Behind them, a huge figure slowly squeezed into the fishbone cave.

The newcomer was even larger than Ursula when her tentacles were fully extended, with a deep blue-black color and smooth, satin-like skin. Its streamlined body contained explosive power.

It possesses the typical characteristics of a whale-like soul beast, but its head is even more ferocious, its single eye emits a faint blue light, and its body naturally exudes a chilling aura.

Although the owner of this oppressive aura seemed to have no ill intentions, and even showed some curiosity, the sense of oppression originating from the level of life itself was undeniable.

Deep-sea manta ray!

Looking at this sea spirit beast, Ursula's heart was instantly stirred. She had been operating in this sea area for many years, and through countless transactions and information exchanges, she already had a clear understanding of the powerful beings in the deep sea.

The deep-sea demon whales, especially the Deep-Sea Demon Whale King who has dominated a vast ocean area for nearly a million years and can be called the overlord of the ocean, are absolutely not to be provoked in her intelligence network.

Although the deep-sea whale before us was far smaller and less imposing than the legendary Deep Sea Whale King, its appearance clearly indicated that it was a deep-sea whale with an extremely high concentration of blood.

What surprised Ursula even more was that the deep-sea whale looked very young.

Their eyes were filled with curiosity and scrutiny of the cave, rather than the despair, greed, or eagerness of other visitors.

This deep-sea whale is none other than Blue Buddha, the only daughter of the Deep-Sea Whale King and Queen.

Since birth, she has spent most of her time confined to the vast, deep-sea area of ​​the Mantis Whale.

That sea was her home, her kingdom, and also her vast prison.

Aside from occasional short excursions accompanied by her powerful parents, she was almost never allowed to leave that clearly defined territory alone.

Deep-sea whales are extremely rare, numbering only a handful in the entire vast ocean.

In her home, she only had her parents, both of the same kind. In the endless deep sea, she couldn't even find a single sea spirit beast friend of the same age with whom she could talk and play as an equal.

The powerful aura of her bloodline instilled awe and fear in the other sea spirit beasts, who kept their distance, leaving her feeling incredibly lonely and bored.

This time, Lan Fuzi took advantage of her parents' deep meditation to muster up the courage to sneak out of the Deep Sea Demon Whale Sea.

Not long after leaving the Demon Whale Sea, she heard the legend of Ursula, the Deep Sea Witch, from several trembling ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts. Ursula was a mysterious being who seemed to be able to trade anything and possessed countless novelties.

This rumor instantly ignited Lan Fuzi's interest. Following the vague guidance of those soul beasts, she inquired along the way and, after some twists and turns, finally found this sea area located on the edge of the abyss, where she encountered Hu Shan and Jia Shan patrolling the outer perimeter.

She fearlessly stated her purpose: she wanted to find the Deep Sea Witch and some fun things.

Lan Fuzi was not worried about her safety, because she knew clearly that the protective mark her father, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, had left deep in her soul was activated the moment she left the Demon Whale Sea.

Moreover, as long as she remains in the ocean, her father can easily find her by following her scent.

"The witch Ursula?" Lan Fuzi's clear voice rang out, contrasting sharply with its enormous body.

"So you're the deep-sea witch they call the one who can grant any wish?"

Chapter 81 The Cruel Reality

Ursula quickly suppressed her surprise and put on her alluring yet hypocritical smile.

"Whether your wish can be fulfilled depends on whether you are willing to pay the corresponding price. My dear guest, welcome to the Fishbone Cave of Ursula, where trade is paramount. May I ask your name, esteemed lady of the Deep Sea Whale Clan?"

"My name is Lan Fuzi." The young deep-sea whale was not cunning and gave her name directly. Her huge eyes curiously looked at the glittering things in the cave.

"They say you have lots of fun things here? I'm so bored at home. My father and mother only know how to cultivate all day long. The other creatures in the sea avoid me. It's so boring!"

Upon hearing this, Ursula felt her heart skip a beat.

Lan Fuzi, it seems she is a descendant of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, a truly great fish!

No, this is simply a moving treasure trove!

Ursula could almost feel the chill of life.

"So it is Princess Lan Fuzi who graces my humble abode with her presence. It truly brings honor to my humble abode." Ursula's voice became even sweeter and more alluring, and her countless tentacles swayed gently with pleasure.

"Bored? Oh, that is indeed one of the most unbearable sufferings in the world. Especially for a noble and vibrant being like yourself."

As she spoke, she thought quickly. She realized that she couldn't treat this kind of simple, playful, well-connected client, who desperately craved new experiences, like a desperado with nowhere else to turn.

Forcing a sale or setting a trap are the worst strategies. If she angers the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, her 280,000 years of cultivation might not be enough for him to swallow her whole.

The best strategy is to play the long game and catch the big fish. You need to become Lan Fuzi's good friend and build a good relationship with her so that she will willingly come here to trade more and more, and gradually bring her, and even the Deep Sea Demon Whale King behind her, into your sphere of influence.

"Fun things? Of course!" Ursula smiled like a blooming poisonous flower.

"The things here are unique in the entire deep sea!"

One of her tentacles curled up the bottle of hallucinogenic scaly potion, and with a gentle flick, the potion transformed into a seven-colored mist that enveloped a huge reef nearby.

Instantly, the dull gray rock became shimmering and colorful, as if inlaid with countless jewels, dazzling and beautiful.

"Wow!" Lan Fuzi's eyes widened even more instantly, and she exclaimed in surprise.

She had spent most of her time in the deep, dark waters of the Whale Sea and had never seen such dazzling colors.

Next, Ursula showed off a few gadgets, such as a conch shell that turns bubbles into various small sea creature shapes when blown.

A pearl that makes singing incredibly beautiful when held in the mouth; a seashell mirror that reflects the scene one most desires to see...

Everything perfectly captured Lan Fuzi's playful heart.

"I want them all! I want them all!" Lan Fuzi excitedly swung his huge tail fin, stirring up a dark current inside the cave.

She didn't care about the cost; she just wanted to bring all these interesting things back to her nest.

She opened her mouth and spat out a blue crystal the size of a fist.

The moment the crystals appeared, the energy concentration in the entire Fishbone Cave suddenly increased. Hu Shan and Jia Shan stared wide-eyed, greedily absorbing the dissipating energy.

Ocean energy crystals, and of extremely high quality!