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

"Yes, that's him!" Chen Cheng said sincerely. "I guarantee that the winning team in this year's freshman assessment will be led by him!"

Du Weilun's face was already quite ugly. He slammed his hand on the table and said, "You've come here to joke around with me, haven't you?"

Seeing that he was already consumed by anger, Chen Cheng quickly dropped his joking attitude, took out three sets of prepared defensive soul tools from his storage soul tool, and respectfully placed them on the table and pushed them over.

"Oh, Director Du, please calm down. The main reason I came here is to deliver the soul tool I promised before, and then take over the task of visiting the new students for the assessment that was just issued. Since you asked, I thought I'd recommend Huo Yuhao to you." Chen Cheng smiled broadly, looking like an employee who had made a mistake and was begging for forgiveness.

"I remember there were three invincible shields and defensive soul tools, right? How come there are only three defensive soul tools? Where are the invincible shields?" Du Weilun's tone was icy, and his eyes were like those of a venomous snake that had been killing people for 100,000 years. He stared intently at Chen Cheng, making Chen Cheng feel that if he couldn't give a reasonable explanation, he would be swallowed up by him in the next moment!

"Director Du, this is all the effort I've put in over the past three months. Please listen to my introduction first. If you're not satisfied, I can replace it with the defensive soul tool and invincible shield I mentioned before!" Chen Cheng said confidently, patting his chest. He then picked up one and began to explain, "These soul tools represent the culmination of my three months of hard work. The overall design incorporates insights I gained during my deep meditation. Through my unique structural design, they achieve stronger defensive capabilities than traditional defensive soul tools and invincible shields, greatly increasing your chances of survival in critical moments!"

As he spoke, Chen Cheng skillfully opened the defensive soul tool manually. The entire defensive soul tool looked like a large football, composed of a large number of structures arranged and connected in a regular manner.

"You can try attacking it yourself, and you'll understand its wonders," Chen Cheng said to Du Weilun with a smile.

Du Weilun was already furious, and upon hearing this, he immediately mobilized his soul power and threw a punch. The entire room resounded with a fierce whooshing sound, and the papers that had just been arranged on the table were once again sent flying by the force of the punch.

The next moment, the fist landed on the defensive soul tool. Contrary to expectations of its hardness, the area struck swelled up like a balloon, causing a large surrounding area to cave inwards. The entire soul tool tilted slightly. After the force was completely absorbed, the caved-in area miraculously recovered, and the entire soul tool appeared perfectly intact.

"This is a bit strange. I admit it's somewhat useful, but it can't add the value of three more invincible shields, can it?" Du Weilun's tone was somewhat surprised, but he was still dissatisfied with Chen Cheng's unauthorized price reduction. After all, compared to defensive soul tools, invincible shields are actually more expensive, and most of them are disposable items, one less per use. Although many martial soul students and teachers are more or less resistant to soul tools, they can hardly refuse something like an invincible shield that might save their lives in a critical moment. If Chen Cheng makes it, it will be a level four invincible shield, which can at least defend against the strongest attack of a six-ring soul emperor, part of the attack of a five-ring soul king, and all the attacks of a four-ring soul master! Moreover, Shrek City is not like the Sun Moon Continent. Here, if you want to get an invincible shield, you either have to bid high at an auction, or you have to swallow your pride and ask the soul tool department to make it for you.

"Director Du, I haven't finished explaining yet, have you? Please listen patiently a little longer. Look, in this defensive soul tool structure that's been extended, aren't there other extra components at these support points?" Guided by Chen Cheng, Du Weilun indeed saw that there were many additional structures at the support points of the defensive soul tool, which didn't seem to be used to strengthen the defense. "What if I told you these parts are for activating the invincible shield? Now I'll put the defensive soul tool away, please attack me with the power of the Five Soul Kings, it will trigger automatically."

With a skeptical attitude, Du Weilun threw another punch. But this time, before the fist even arrived, Chen Cheng's clothes and hair were already blown by the force of the punch. Just as the powerful punch was about to strike Chen Cheng, a golden light appeared. The next moment, a clang and the golden light appeared together, blocking the attack. The golden light rippled, looking like paper pasted on a defensive soul tool, and like last time, it dented inward, then absorbed the force. However, the invincible shield's defensive power was real. This time, it was the force of a five-ring Soul King! But Du Weilun, who threw the punch, could feel that when he attacked it, it was like hitting a flexible bamboo, bending and deforming, dissipating the force. Once the force was absorbed, it immediately returned to its original shape.

Du Weilun nodded. This design would definitely enhance the invincible shield's capabilities. Combined with a defensive soul tool, it would likely take even a Soul Emperor to break through it. It was indeed great value for money!

With a softened expression, Du Weilun inquired about its limitations and usage methods, which Chen Cheng patiently explained. Du Weilun then insisted on settling the accounts, adding that if there were any more of these soul tools available in the future, he could offer a premium over the market price.

After the two shook hands and discussed the matter, and their cooperation was pleasant, Chen Cheng asked many questions about the details of the mission before accepting the task.

Everything was finished, and Chen Cheng was about to leave when he suddenly seemed to remember something and turned back to the table. Du Weilun put down his teacup; he sensed that Chen Cheng's return meant he probably had something on his mind!

Chen Cheng said earnestly, "Director Du, are you really not going to consider Huo Yuhao? Huo Yuhao's team will definitely be the champion of this year's freshman assessment, and Huo Yuhao plays an irreplaceable role in it. Moreover, I guarantee that in the next assessment, the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Guidance Department will fight tooth and nail for him, and might even need a high-level meeting to decide his future!"

"I knew you were up to no good when you came back, joking about this again. A level 12 Soul Master who got into the academy through connections, with a white first Soul Ring, took the Profound Water Pill you gave him, and even received a Soul Ascension Pill as compensation, and he's only barely caught up with the main group. Frankly, for a student like that, pouring resources into him is a waste! So what if he's the freshman assessment champion? Frankly, either Xiao Xiao or Wang Dong has the talent to compete for the championship! If your Soul Guidance Department wants him, they should leave. Why talk about arguing until they're red in the face and holding a high-level meeting? Do you think the Sea God Pavilion meetings are held whenever they want? I remember the last one was at least three years ago..."

Seeing Du Weilun's incessant chatter, Chen Cheng didn't say anything more. After saying goodbye, he left the office, closing the door as Du Weilun's roaring subsided.

"How old are you? Your judgment is so poor! I warned you! You'll be begging us for money and we'll just rip you off! In the original story, Huo Yuhao was a complete novice. Yan Shaozhe, that tightwad, only offered two Soul-Up Pills as hush money. He believed any empty promises. Look at the soul bone and the 100,000-year soul ring he talked about—did he deliver on any of them? Huo Yuhao earned both his soul bone and the 100,000-year soul ring himself! He was bound by a few worthless promises. How cunning! Yuhao, you'd better work hard and give these old fogies a good beating..."

Before I knew it, I had arrived at Poseidon Lake again. I originally wanted to go back to the Soul Guidance Department to continue working on the remaining Soul Guidance devices, but since I was already here, I might as well rest for a while and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Poseidon Lake.

Sitting quietly by the lake, Poseidon Lake, vast and beautiful, its azure surface reflecting the light filtering through the clouds, resembles a giant, translucent piece of jade, exuding a gentle tranquility. A gentle breeze stirs, and the willows along the shore sway their branches first. Then, the wind, carrying the fragrance of willow leaves, ripples across the lake, bringing a touch of life to the still water. The air is filled with the moisture of the water vapor and the fragrance of grass and trees. Simply sitting on the grass by the lake, one feels as if their soul has been cleansed by millennia of accumulated spiritual energy, and their mind calms down, freeing them from restlessness.

"It's nice to stop and admire the scenery occasionally. However, as a modern person, it's hard to ignore the tragedy that's about to happen. That's four lives! The future of four families, the hopes of so many people. So, even if this action will completely rob me of the opportunity to shine in the competition, I still can't go against my conscience. I even specially improved a whole set of soul tools. That way, if I persuade them to wear them before carrying out the mission, they should at least be able to save their lives. I also need to remind that bastard Xuanzi. If it weren't for Huo Yuhao supporting Shrek Academy later, I really feel that this thing would destroy Shrek Academy's millennia of accumulation. Whenever he leads a team out, nothing good ever comes of it."

"And then there's Huo Yuhao's romantic relationship, which is even more troublesome. In the previous life, I simply thought that Huo Yuhao just needed to lock up with Wang Dong'er, and they would live happily ever after, envied by everyone. But now that I'm actually here, I've found it's not that simple. Putting aside whether the God King above is truly kind-hearted—after all, everyone's just heard rumors and nitpicking at some clues, without actually seeing him, they can't really say what kind of person he is—it's quite obvious that if this relationship isn't handled properly, the God King will lose his temper! As for the connection between Wang Dong'er, Tang Wutong, and Wang Qiu'er, I'll have to ask Ilex to pay attention to that when I have the chance to talk to him. If Tang San is really as heinous as everyone says, then Ilex is probably the only variable who can stand against him! This time, we must find a way to protect Ilex!"

He sighed, picked up a smooth stone, a stone that had been his favorite in his previous life, especially by the water. Finding such a stone would surely add another 1000 points to his score! Unfortunately, Chen Cheng was deep in thought and had no desire to skip stones. He casually tossed it straight into the water, creating ripples that mirrored the tangled mess in his mind.

"Actually, when I was a child, I really liked Wang Qiu'er. She was a girl who dared to love and hate, dared to speak and act, domineering but gentle to her lover, and had an ultimate romantic feeling of destiny. Especially in the last scene, when she sacrificed herself for Huo Yuhao, I cried my eyes out when I was a child in my previous life."

"But now, thinking about it carefully, it seems absurd. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er had already established a romantic relationship at this point, so no matter how much you loved him, you were essentially a third party. The original partner, Wang Dong'er, didn't hold a grudge because she had a good temper. And then, you, the third party, started taking advantage of her, saying things like men are meant to be competed for, and then there was all sorts of open and covert jealousy and rivalry. You could say she was a soul beast and didn't understand these human intricacies, plus Wang Dong'er hadn't yet revealed her female form when she transformed. But, after growing up and becoming more sensible, looking back at this part of the story, it still feels increasingly bizarre. It's like a random woman seeing a young couple strolling down the street, finding the man very attractive, and then throwing a tantrum, refusing to let them leave, saying: 'Men are meant to compete with each other! Even if he's your boyfriend, he has to compete with me before I can acknowledge him as yours!' That's incredibly unreasonable and makes you feel nauseous!"

"And then there's Ju Zi's side. It's because Wang Dong'er didn't reveal her true gender. Huo Yuhao has feelings for you, that's true, but no matter how much emotional foundation there is, it can only be brotherly affection, right? 'The affection of peeling garlic!' And then what? Are you going to use this brotherly affection to bind the feelings between brothers? Why should he give up pursuing his own feelings for a brother who may or may not be a girl? To put it bluntly, are you going to expect the person in your dorm who eats, lives, sleeps, and studies with you to suddenly put on a skirt, pull you into the marriage hall, and say to you: 'Actually, I'm a girl?' Even if she really is a girl, it still feels very strange! So, regarding liking Ju Zi, I'm on Huo Yuhao's side."

"What should we do? The more I think about it, the more I feel that this God King is a real pervert. Sending his daughter to the boys' dormitory must be due to the God King's influence!"

  

As he watched the lake become calm again, Chen Cheng's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.