Douluo Continent: Ink Bamboo as a Cauldron to Break Through Ten Thousand Heavens

Chen Cheng followed Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi back to the dormitory. He had some things he wanted to say to these two guys.

"It's rare to see you come back at night, Chen Cheng," Bei Bei remarked. Xu Sanshi also came over and put his arm around Chen Cheng's shoulder, somewhat curious about what he was doing there.

"I'm telling you, you two should be able to break through level 40 by now, why are you suppressing your cultivation?" Chen Cheng said, pursing his lips. "After the freshman assessment, the competition will be coming up in a while, aren't you going to start preparing?"

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't use that excuse anymore. After Xiaoya awakened her Devouring Talent, her cultivation will only advance by leaps and bounds. In the next six months, we can have her find a teacher with higher cultivation to guide her and prevent her from going astray. But aren't you two really going to put in some effort? This year's freshmen are different from before. Some of them are Soul Masters right from the start. The competition for the reserve team spots is extremely fierce." Chen Cheng was quite helpless. These two brothers were more talented than him, but when it came to the Romance Continent, they couldn't help but fall into the trap of being love-struck. The two of them were always acting without a care in the world, which allowed Chen Cheng's soul power level to break through to the fourth ring before them.

"My buddy is also studying the Soul Guidance Department and always doing missions. He's already level 42. If you two don't step up your game, it'll be a joke if you can't even participate in the final competition." Chen Cheng put on a sorrowful look.

Beibei waved her hand to indicate that she would do her best, while Xu Sanshi hesitated and said, "Hey Chen Cheng, the main thing is, I'm afraid I'll pull Jiang Nannan too far behind. You know my situation..."

"I'm telling you, you're so stubborn! If you want to pursue Jiang Nannan, put in the effort, improve yourself, lead her into the preliminaries, and then go through the ups and downs of the competition. Isn't that a great opportunity?" Chen Cheng patted Xu Sanshi on the shoulder. "You know Nannan comes from a modest background, and it'll be difficult for her on her own. If you don't step up your game, how can you two be safe?"

Xu Sanshi nodded vigorously after hearing this, so excited he almost lifted the roof off. Then, patting his chest, he pledged his loyalty, saying that he would definitely work hard and lead Jiang Nannan into the preliminary team, shine brightly in the competition, and leave her with the most beautiful memories.

"Chen Cheng, you're my brother, you're my real brother! If you ever need anything from me, just say the word. I, Xu Sanshi, will go through fire and water for you..." Chen Cheng interrupted his nonsensical rambling. To be honest, he didn't really like Xu Sanshi. Although he was straightforward, he was different from Bei Bei, who was love-struck. Bei Bei was reasonable and logical; Xu Sanshi was just being unreasonable and irrational. To others, Xu Sanshi had just gone home for a holiday and suddenly became like a leech, clinging to Jiang Nannan, impossible to shake off. He also often acted like a "domineering CEO," wanting the whole world to know that Jiang Nannan was his possession.

"Alright, alright, I just wanted to tell you two that it's time to work harder. I still want to fight alongside you on the battlefield. By the way, do you still have any of those Mystic Water Pills?"

"Mysterious Water Pills? No problem, Brother Chen, I'll give you five or six directly..." Xu Sanshi said, and was about to get them.

  

"One is enough. I gave Xiaoyuhao one before, but his aptitude was too poor, so he needs another one." Chen Cheng waved his hand. "Also, I can tell there's a story between you two. I didn't want to say much, but you know, I can't just ignore my good friend when he needs something, right?"

Xu Sanshi's eyes lit up as he listened. He not only pulled out a Xuan Shui Pill but also a bunch of top-quality resources, eagerly stuffing them into Chen Cheng's hands. Bei Bei, watching from the side, wanted to laugh out loud, but unfortunately, she didn't have a photography soul tool on hand, otherwise she would definitely have taken a picture as a souvenir, to use as a tool to mock Chen Cheng's corpse from time to time.

Chen Cheng took the Xuan Shui Pill, but pushed the other items back, and said in a serious tone, "San Shi, I guess you did something to wrong Jiang Nannan, right? That's why you've been looking for opportunities to make it up to her, and out of guilt, you want to pursue her."

Xu Sanshi paused for a moment, pondered for a long time, and then nodded seriously.

"Jiang Nannan is a very strong and principled person. She's just an ordinary person, unlike you, who comes from the Xuanming Sect and has talent, background, and status. You've never lacked money, your martial soul family was able to awaken, and your aptitude could be refined with medicine... You can't even imagine the effort she's put in to get to where she is today. Oh, and you also can't understand her lifestyle. You should have noticed that she's very frugal. She might even try to bargain for a snack that costs five copper soul coins. You've never experienced something like that, have you?" Chen Cheng said, pulling over two chairs and gesturing for Bei Bei to watch the door, leaving the two of them some space.

Xu Sanshi remained silent, slowly sitting down with a furrowed brow. He had genuinely calmed down and thought things through. After all, he had tried for a year and had wondered why Jiang Nannan was unwilling to talk to him properly, even wanting to escape as soon as she was slightly close to him. He was only able to have this meal with her tonight because of her best friend Tang Ya, and Xu Sanshi had thanked Bei Bei and Tang Ya profusely. Hearing this, he began to reflect more deeply.

"So, from her perspective, you're like a powerful, precise hand. You find her firmly in the crowd, grab her, and leave no room for escape. Does she really not feel your feelings? Of course she does! But the gap between you two is too big. Many times, even I feel you've gone a bit too far, like you're showing her off like a commodity you've bought. Putting aside Jiang Nannan, any strong girl would probably feel bad, right? Especially since there seems to be some unspeakable secret between you two..."

Chen Cheng stared into Xu Sanshi's eyes, making him feel a little lost. He lowered his head, unsure of what to do with his hands.

"To put it bluntly, the current situation is that you've crossed a line. You've launched a very aggressive offensive into her territory, and she's being pushed back step by step, so you feel like she's getting further and further away from you..."

"Then what should I do?" Xu Sanshi suddenly raised his head, his eyes were a little red, and his voice sounded slightly hoarse, but firm.

"It's simple. First, you need to take care of yourself; only then are you qualified to take care of others." Chen Cheng pressed his hands together, summoning his martial spirit to conjure a gentle breeze to soothe Xu Sanshi. He didn't want this guy to go crazy and smash up the dormitory again. "Love yourself before loving others. In your current state, you're completely a self-destructive playboy! Aside from women who approach you with ulterior motives, who do you think would truly love you? In other words, do you want Jiang Nannan to like you as you are now?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water being poured over Xu Sanshi's head. Bei Bei frowned at the door, also surprised that Chen Cheng would be so direct tonight.

"But don't worry, you still have a good chance." Chen Cheng pressed Xu Sanshi's shoulder, making him sit down and listen. "Jiang Nannan hasn't accepted you yet, but she's also rejected others. This means she dislikes you, not because she fundamentally rejects you, but because, as I just said, you crossed the line. She's willing to give you a chance, but you're too domineering, making it hard for her to breathe. In this situation, her impression of you will probably be negatively affected every day."

Upon hearing this, a look of joy flashed in Xu Sanshi's eyes. In his view, he would seize any opportunity, even if it meant going through fire and water.

Chen Cheng was speechless. This wasn't the first time he'd been shocked by the love-obsessed people of the Love Continent, but every time they appeared, he still wanted to complain. At the same time, he made up his mind to find a way to lock up Wang Dong'er and Huo Yuhao as a couple. If they came up with someone like Ju Zi or Wang Qiu'er, he really wouldn't be able to continue playing the game.

"What you need to do now is maintain some distance. Be a man, a gentleman, and have some backbone. Start by respecting Jiang Nannan. Before you repeatedly act impulsively, trying to 'stand up for her,' think about her perspective. Does she want this? Does she want her man to treat her like his possession, causing trouble over trivial matters? Start as friends, get to know her little by little, and slowly get closer to her. Love isn't all about vows and promises, nor does it necessarily require life-or-death friendships. It's the accumulation of small things that makes love precious..." Chen Cheng felt like he had used all the energy he had for writing his college entrance exam essay, and his brain was about to shut down after saying all this on the spot.

"I understand!" Xu Sanshi stood up abruptly and gave Chen Cheng a big hug. "Thank you, Brother Chen Cheng! I've been neglecting Nannan's feelings all this time. Sigh, I once thought that as long as I made enough compensation, she would forget her pain. Now it seems that my deliberate entanglement has only caused her greater harm!"

Chen Cheng patted him on the back and said, "It's never too late to mend your ways. Right now, your priority is to strengthen your training and become better and more charming. The short-term goal is for us brothers to make it into the competition preliminaries together. In the long term, you need to learn to put away your carefree attitude and not let girls think you're frivolous or that falling in love with you means becoming their plaything. Learn to respect Jiang Nannan, understand her, and gradually win her heart."

"I will!" Xu Sanshi said decisively, gave Bei Bei a high five, indicating that he was going back to the dormitory to cultivate immediately, and then left.

"Um, Chen Cheng, is he alright?" Bei Bei was a little unsure what to say. Chen Cheng gave a "no problem" gesture and said, "Sigh, as his friends, we can't just ignore him as he gets more and more depressed, can we? I believe that if he can gradually change, the two of them will definitely end up together."

After saying that, Chen Cheng went to bed and sat cross-legged. Seeing this, Bei Bei didn't say anything more and went to bed to meditate.

The old man on the recliner outside the dormitory smiled and nodded.

"Sigh, it's been so long since I meditated in bed, it's gotten a bit dusty. I'll go practice my soul power in the woods again tomorrow morning. After breakfast, I still need to drag Xiao Xiao to find Dean Yan. Hmm, I definitely have to ask that tightwad for some resources. Sigh, I also need to think about Huo Yuhao..."

As Chen Cheng pondered how to guide Huo Yuhao, he entered a meditative state...