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

Chen Cheng, who had been speeding all the way, finally arrived back at the academy in the afternoon. However, the students and teachers who were doing recruitment tasks simply greeted each other and continued with their respective duties.

Although Chen Cheng always considers himself ordinary, everyone has seen his hard work. There aren't many fourth-ring Soul Masters in the third year, so the academy has given him some attention. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be one of the reserve team candidates for this year's "All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament".

Chen Cheng sat calmly at the table, sorting and classifying a stack of freshman information. He focused on picking out those "talented" students whose abilities could be directly observed from their grades; these students would receive more attention from the academy. Among them were many familiar names like "Dai Huabin," "Zhu Lu," and "Ning Tian," proving that such talent could only be cultivated by powerful families.

However, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and the other two had not arrived yet, and with the afternoon registration period nearing its end, Chen Cheng leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest, and thought about how to push the plot forward.

Suddenly, Chen Cheng sensed someone running towards him. Upon closer inspection, he saw a petite little girl. In fact, it was normal for someone eleven or twelve years old to be only 1.5 meters tall, but in the world of Douluo Continent, most people matured early, which made her appear shorter.

"She looks just like Sang Qi from King of Glory, could she be Xiao Xiao? Running so fast means she knows the registration deadline is this afternoon, and if she registers again, it'll be tomorrow. In the original story, Huo Yuhao and the others arrive tomorrow, as does Wang Dong. Huo Yuhao spent ages tidying up his room before arriving, so it's reasonable for Xiao Xiao to arrive now. Wait a minute, she looks like she's going to bump into my table!"

Chen Cheng was lost in thought when he saw that this young lady was about to suddenly rush forward and make him "fly away" from the data he had spent half a day organizing. Chen Cheng quickly jumped up from the stool and used his gentle soul power combined with a little bit of the Crane Control and Dragon Capture technique to steady the little girl.

"Yes, yes... I'm sorry, I was a little too hasty and couldn't stop. Thank you, teacher." The little girl's face was flushed. After handing over the documents, she bent over and panted because she had run too fast.

"Teacher? Am I that old? But according to the information, it is indeed Xiao Xiao, hmm, a little over eleven years old, but taller than some of my classmates from my previous life. Of course, in Douluo Continent, they're all bean sprouts. Level 19? That shouldn't be the case. I remember she already had two spirit rings during the freshman assessment, right? She should have been over level 20? Could it be that she added spirit rings to both of her martial souls before the freshman assessment, which is why her level went up, trying to attract the academy's attention?" Chen Cheng thought to himself, a mischievous smile creeping onto his lips.

"Little sister, where is the older sister who asked you to help submit the documents? Why are you all alone?" Chen Cheng asked with a sincere expression, though he was actually about to lose his composure.

Xiao Xiao, who had just recovered, blushed immediately: "What 'sister'? I'm Xiao Xiao! I passed the test just now, and I'm here to hand in my documents!"

Chen Cheng leaned back in his chair and said lazily, "Then you should have passed the previous tests. From now on, you will be a fourth-year student in the academy. You should call me 'senior.' I am handsome, dashing, and debonair, yet I am mistaken for a teacher by a little girl. Sigh, what a tragedy."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiao blushed as red as a ripe apple and lowered her head to apologize softly. She carefully examined Chen Cheng. While he wasn't the most eye-catching person in the crowd, his Purple Demon Eyes and the training he had undergone in his spiritual power made his eyes stand out. Years of training had also given him a strong and well-proportioned physique, and coupled with his unique aura as a second-generation human, he certainly had a captivating presence after a while.

Chen Cheng didn't pay much attention, simply categorizing Xiao Xiao's information. He suddenly realized that Xiao Xiao was only level 19, and her second spirit soul probably hadn't been equipped with spirit rings yet. The original story said Xiao Xiao was only around level 20 during the freshman assessment, meaning she likely broke through after entering school and then had her family help her acquire two spirit rings, wanting to shine. It would be foolish of her to reveal her second spirit soul so directly; she would definitely be the most eye-catching among the freshmen. After all, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong each had their second spirit soul either passively active or hidden. If she was willing to show it, she would be the only freshman with twin spirit souls. No one in the academy knew about this yet; if he pointed it out to her, perhaps she wouldn't go astray. Moreover, if he could report a hidden talent, the academy would likely continue to offer her considerable rewards.

Thinking of this, Chen Cheng had an idea. He smiled at Xiao Xiao and said, "Alright, alright, it's nothing. We'll all be classmates from now on. If you need any help, feel free to ask me. My name is Chen Cheng. Oh, by the way, since registration is over today, there aren't many people coming anymore. Would you like to try my somewhat famous 'divination' at school? It can give you a certain degree of insight into other people's future and talents! If they have good talent, I can even help report them to the academy for special attention." Chen Cheng decided to use this method to trick Xiao Xiao into revealing her second martial soul, so that she wouldn't waste her talent like in the original story.

"Divination? It can reveal talents?" Xiao Xiao was, after all, a little girl, and was immediately intrigued by this novel thing, strongly expressing her desire to play it.

Chen Cheng pretended to release his martial soul, using his first soul skill to conjure a Bagua formation to intimidate people. Then he took two or three thin bamboo sticks and lit them with great seriousness, muttering something like "Blessed Immortal Venerable Xuanhuang." Once he saw that Xiao Xiao's curiosity was completely piqued, he began his performance:

"Holy crap, how come your talent is so dazzling? It's the kind of brilliance only a once-in-a-century genius possesses! But your soul power is only level 19, it doesn't look like it at all..."

"Light? Where is the light? I can't see it." Xiao Xiao came over curiously, circling the table to find what Chen Cheng was talking about.

Interrupted by Xiao Xiao's seemingly innocent actions from his exaggerated deception, Chen Cheng found it all quite precious. In this world where every Soul Master is born to constantly level up, cultivate, and seize resources, the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, seems to be the dominant theme. Everyone has a story, and everyone carries a heavy burden of responsibility. For over a decade, Chen Cheng seemed to have spent his time scheming and performing, encountering mostly people who had endured hardship yet forced smiles, or who were calculating for personal gain and feigning affection. Suddenly witnessing Xiao Xiao's innocence was like a psychological shock, like a villain suddenly hearing a soothing children's version of "Riding the Waves," stirring Chen Cheng's heart. He couldn't help but think of the villagers in Chenzhuanggou who raised him, his confidante Chenchen, his roommates in his previous life who called him "godfather" so he would bring them food, and his relatives in another world—were they alright? ...

"Luckily, Douluo Continent is all low-level fantasy and doesn't have anything like inner demons. Otherwise, if I were alive in my second life, I'd probably be controlled to death as soon as the inner demon started singing 'la la la la la la~'..." Chen Cheng couldn't help but laugh.

"Senior, what are you laughing at?" Xiao Xiao asked, puzzled. She wondered if her senior was teasing her. But seeing Chen Cheng's burning gaze, she blushed again. She'd just seen him summon a four-ring Soul Master, which was quite a genius. Was he looking at her like that...?

"Cough cough cough," seeing Xiao Xiao's reaction, Chen Cheng knew he was thinking too far ahead and should return to reality.

"So, based on my deduction," she said, leaning closer to Xiao Xiao's face and lowering her voice, "you possess twin martial souls!"