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

"Ma Xiaotao, are you trying to kill someone? Come here, I'm right here!" Xu Sanshi summoned the Xuanming Shield, trying to attract Ma Xiaotao's attention by using the aura that usually helped suppress the evil fire.

Bei Bei didn't say anything, but instead used her martial spirit to run desperately towards Huo Yuhao and the other two.

Chen Cheng then ate a handful of bamboo pills. During the battle just now, he had been using soul tools and soul skills, which caused his soul power to no longer support the use of the flying soul tool again. Now he could only try his best to recover so that he could use it again as soon as possible.

"This shouldn't be happening!" Chen Cheng thought to himself. "Doesn't the inner courtyard have an ice-type soul master who regularly helps suppress Ma Xiaotao's evil fire? How could she be so corrupted by the evil fire! Or perhaps..."

"Wouldn't the original thing have happened anyway?!"

Chen Cheng was startled by this thought. His series of actions—such as helping the three kids switch classes, improving Huo Yuhao's qualifications, and preventing Huo Yuhao from selling grilled fish at his stall—had all failed to establish a connection between Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao. But if fate were to somehow force this to happen, it would be terrifying! Just like the "Extraordinary Characteristic Convergence Law" next door, various events and coincidences were constantly occurring…

"No, Ma Xiaotao's outburst this time was definitely an accident. Around this time in the original story, Ma Xiaotao went mad once, and she usually relies on Xu Sanshi to suppress her evil fire. However, due to her influence lately, Xu Sanshi has become more restrained, and he even went to obtain a spirit ring last night and only returned this morning. So it's very likely that Ma Xiaotao hasn't had anyone help her suppress her evil fire for a long time. Although the Douluo Continent world also emphasizes 'fate,' as a lower plane, its 'luck' can even be materialized, transmitted, and stolen! The Douluo plane gives the so-called 'chosen ones' all sorts of opportunities, so some things seem too coincidental, to the point that Huo Yuhao seems to be cheating. My previous thought was just scaring myself!"

After recovering some of his soul power, Chen Cheng quickly got up and witnessed Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei, who were like exhausted arrows, being repelled by Ma Xiaotao. Then, Ma Xiaotao grabbed Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao in each hand, like carrying chicks, and flew towards Sea God Lake.

Chen Cheng hurriedly came to Bei Bei and the others and used his fourth soul skill to heal them. Afterwards, he checked the injuries of the three people on the shore and found that they were not seriously injured. He then asked Xiao Xiao to go to the teacher to ask Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong for leave. He also gave Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi some bamboo pills. Afterwards, he used his flying soul tool to fly back to the direction where Ma Xiaotao had come from. While flying, he kept stuffing bamboo pills into his mouth to recover his soul power.

"Well, theoretically, if Ma Xiaotao captures Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, there shouldn't be any problems. Even though Ma Xiaotao seems intimidating this time, it shouldn't be a problem. After all, Huo Yuhao's physique is stronger than in the original story thanks to my help, and the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm should also be able to use stronger abilities than in the original story. They might be exhausted, but protecting the two shouldn't be a problem. However, we still need to chase after them to ensure their safety." Chen Cheng thought as he flew. "Later, some inner court teachers will probably be rushing over in a hurry. They'll probably make verbal threats, but they won't dare to actually take action. After all, the young sect leader of the Xuanming Sect and the great-grandson of the top leader are still on the shore. If something happens to the three of us, the top leader will probably really make Shrek Academy undergo some 'reforms'!"

"Also, as my level and physique continue to improve, the effects of the Bamboo Elixir on me are gradually decreasing. Perhaps I should put the production of the 'Baby Bottle' on my agenda..."

Just then, a loud phoenix cry rang out from ahead, flames spread, and then vast swathes of Sea God Lake froze instantly, transforming that small area into a world of ice and snow. Then, after a deafening roar, dense steam rose from the area, and then all was calm again; both ice and fire vanished…

Seeing Huo Yuhao and Huo Yuhao embracing each other and falling to the shore, Chen Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. Then he heard a commotion of voices; it was the teachers from the inner courtyard coming to find him.

"An outer academy student has been injured! Over here!"

The next moment, the old man who had been speaking came over to Chen Cheng and saw him using his fourth soul skill to heal the two of them. Without saying much, he used his soul power to lift the two of them up and examined them.

"Teacher Li, come here for a moment! There are two students here who have fainted, but they are not seriously injured. Yes, please treat them."

Teacher Li quickly stepped forward and released his Tree of Life Martial Soul, which had seven spirit rings. A rich life force radiated outwards from its center, instantly restoring the vegetation around Seagod Lake damaged in the earlier fight to its original state, even making it more vibrant. Immediately afterward, the green light emanating from the vegetation surged towards the three of them.

"The healing abilities of this healing-type Soul Master are indeed beyond my reach, even though I'm only a half-baked one. After all, the original function of my first Soul Ring was just to generate bamboo, and it was only after development that I got the Bamboo Pill. My fourth Soul Skill is a Soul Skill that combines healing, debuff removal, and Soul Power recovery, but it will never be as effective as this kind of dedicated healing..." Chen Cheng silently compared the two in his mind as he felt his body recovering rapidly and his Soul Power becoming more abundant.

Subsequently, several teachers found Ma Xiaotao in Haishen Lake. At the old man's suggestion, Teacher Li ended the treatment.

Chen Cheng frowned and looked at the old man.

"You've been conscious the whole time, haven't you? Tell me what happened." The old man's tone was indifferent yet left no room for argument.

"There are two of my friends on the shore, named Xu Sanshi and Beibei. There's also a freshman named Xiao Xiao from Class 2 of the first year. The six of us were attacked by Ma Xiaotao, an inner court disciple. Is that clear enough?" Chen Cheng remained calm, unfazed by the subtle pressure emanating from the old man.

Upon hearing this, the old man's expression changed slightly. He suddenly felt that things were a bit troublesome. The names he had just heard seemed somewhat familiar, and they all seemed to be key targets of the academy's observation, and there were quite a few of them. It would be difficult to brush this matter off.

  

"I believe you are all intelligent people. Don't tell anyone about what happened today..."

"Oh? Then this humble student would like to dare guess your meaning—if Ma Xiaotao really went mad and killed someone today—not just one person, but all of us! Would you still suppress it like this?" Chen Cheng completely disregarded the rising pressure around him. He was disgusted by this kind of behavior that treated human life like dirt. Although he didn't say it explicitly, he couldn't help but guess: if someone died today because of Ma Xiaotao's madness, the academy would probably just package it up, give some random reason, say that the student "gloriously" died, distort the truth, give some compensation, and then suppress the matter. This thought made Chen Cheng act rashly, and he blurted out these words!

"What do you mean? When did I say that!" The old man revealed his spirit rings, yellow, purple, and black—each ring adding to the pressure around him. When the last spirit ring appeared, sand and stones flew everywhere, trees and grass snapped in half, and sap was crushed into pulp. Chen Cheng felt the scenery before him swaying constantly, his spirit power squeezed to the point of stagnation, and he was drenched in sweat. Slowly, even lifting his eyelids became a luxury.

Chen Cheng clenched his fists with difficulty, summoning his martial soul, and all four soul rings shone brightly at the same time! He then desperately spread the bamboo towards Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. He was now somewhat regretful; why did he have to say that one extra word, putting the two of them in danger along with him!

A hint of surprise flashed in the old man's eyes, but the pressure did not lessen in the slightest. On the contrary, he wanted to see how far this student from the outer academy, who dared to confront his authority, could go.

Seeing that no matter how hard and thick he made the bamboo, he couldn't make it survive the pressure any longer, Chen Cheng suddenly felt powerless. At this moment, he thought of many things: he thought of the officials in his previous life who dared to speak out against injustice and were not afraid of powerful figures; he thought of the heroes in countless films and literature who faced death with equanimity; he thought of the bits and pieces that had happened in this life; he thought of his unfulfilled wishes; and what he couldn't let go of and felt most guilty about was those two young men in the distance who had been implicated because of his impulsiveness, and who should have had great potential and bright futures.

Perhaps I could just die silently and be hidden by Shrek, or perhaps I could just disappear from the world along with all my traces, and that would be the best way to protect them?

Chen Cheng felt his already meager soul power rapidly diminishing like water being released from a floodgate, a deep sense of powerlessness washing over him. Suddenly, he desperately tried to open his eyes, to see clearly the bamboo not far away—a bamboo that had always existed and hadn't been affected by Ma Xiaotao, or perhaps one that Teacher Li had just repaired. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that, despite the suffocating pressure, it still appeared intact! Even though it looked fragile, as if it had just sprouted, even though it seemed to tremble under the pressure, bending and swaying, as if it would break at any moment, even turn to dust… it remained perfectly intact! Why? Why was the bamboo he had painstakingly crafted with all his soul power, ten times thicker and stronger, inferior to this seemingly weak and slender bamboo?!

The old man narrowed his eyes. He saw the change in Chen Cheng, but still didn't move. It was clear that Chen Cheng seemed to be showing signs of enlightenment under pressure! The only thing that could help him now was to maintain the previous environment. After all, the opportunity for enlightenment was extremely important for a Soul Master!

Chen Cheng activated his Purple Demon Eye to its limit. A layer of purple light seemed to shatter and then recede inward. His mind suddenly felt cool, and this coolness then flowed throughout his body, nourishing Chen Cheng's meridians and soul power. Everything seemed to be changing for the better...

But Chen Cheng paid no attention to that; he was only delighted to see the bamboo clearly—slender and small. Yet, it possessed the characteristics common to all bamboo: supple yet not weak, hollow yet not empty, resilient yet powerful!

Yes, that's why it can withstand the wind, endure the pressure, and stand tall!

This time, Chen Cheng raised his hand again, and bamboo sprouted beside Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong once more. But unlike before, he no longer worried about how to strengthen the bamboo to prevent it from bending and crushing. Instead, he carefully and meticulously started growing it from a single section of the bamboo.

"It has joints even before it is unearthed, and it remains humble even when it reaches the clouds."

Yes, once the bamboo joints are formed, no matter how they are modified, they remain hollow. Their resistance to pressure and bending stems from the fact that each bamboo joint moves with the wind and adapts to force. It doesn't resist force, but rather absorbs, dissipates, and even ultimately uses the force against itself, like a technique called "wielding a cloak in a chaotic wind"!

Finally, the bamboo stalks, now intact, covered Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. Then, Chen Cheng straightened his back, calmly looked at the old man, and smiled—a very happy smile.

The old man smiled and helped Chen Cheng, who was falling straight down.

Before losing consciousness, Chen Cheng saw the old man's smile, a look of satisfaction, like the look in his grandparents' eyes when he was admitted to university in his previous life. Like the look in the eyes of the villagers when he awakened his martial spirit and was told he could begin cultivation in this life…

"It's heartwarming, not just physically, but also emotionally!"

These were Chen Cheng's last thoughts before he closed his eyes and lost consciousness!