Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

"Shao Zhe, you watched Xiao Tao grow up. To recruit a gifted exchange student, Shrek Academy would resort to such despicable means, even scheming against its own people, just to bind a mere sixth-ring kid?"

Yan Shaozhe's face was full of embarrassment, but even more so, helplessness. He sighed:

"Old Lin, it's not that I'm unwilling to be fair and square. It's just that his talent is so high that we have to consider some... unconventional methods, just to increase the possibility of keeping him or at least eliminating future troubles. That thing itself is harmless, and is even a great opportunity, just an extra layer of insurance. For the future of Shrek Academy, and to leave Xiao Tao a glimmer of hope and support for her to truly take off, even if it dirtys my hands, it's worth a try."

Lin Huiqun remained silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh, falling silent again. Her gaze returned to the ground, a complex worry flickering deep in her eyes.

……

In the hall below, Kong Tianxu and Zhang Lexuan had arrived at the most central area. There were few exhibits here, but each one was placed in an independent display case, radiating energy fluctuations that were either awe-inspiring or inducing greed.

Zhang Lexuan suddenly tugged at Kong Tianxu and pointed to a booth. Their eyes, like everyone else's, were almost simultaneously drawn to the treasure carefully protected by its independent crystal cover.

It was a pill the size of a longan, perfectly round and deep blue-green in color. On the surface of the pill, there seemed to be natural wooden dragon patterns flowing around it. Even more strangely, it seemed to have its own life, with faint wisps of vibrant green energy slowly moving within it, exuding a pure life aura as vast as the sea.

Simply gazing at it through the crystal dome is enough to bring a sense of peace to the mind and a subtle stirring of one's soul power. The invisible value and oppressive aura it exudes make it almost impossible for anyone within several feet to approach easily.

Its price was not explicitly stated, but everyone knew that this treasure would be worth tens of millions of gold soul coins in the outside world, and it was a priceless gem with no market available!

Beyond these feelings, Kong Tianxu also vaguely sensed a hint of...desire emanating from his Silver Dragon Martial Soul.

Compared to the other exhibits that lavishly and extravagantly describe their numerous advantages, the description of this elixir is very simple, even pitifully brief, consisting of only a few words:

The Jiamu Divine Pill is made primarily from the heartwood of the ten-thousand-year-old Azure Dragon Wood, combined with the essence of thirty-six different attributes. It was left behind by the Heavenly Vine Douluo and is a unique item.

Many onlookers whispered among themselves about the contents of the tablet. They knew about the Azure Dragon Wood, which was ranked alongside the Golden Tree as one of the top-tier plants, but the name of the Heavenly Vine Douluo was unfamiliar to most people. Only a small group of onlookers knew the significance of this Armor Wood Divine Pill.

When it comes to elixirs, most Soul Masters from the Three Kingdoms period believed that Shrek Academy was number one, but this number one ranking was not unshakeable.

In the refining of some conventional pills that enhance soul power and strengthen the foundation, such as the Soul Ascension Pill, there are still some similar or even more distinctive results on the continent, such as the Xuanming Family's Xuanshui Pill.

However, the Jiamu Divine Pill was developed by the only Super Douluo in Shrek Academy's history who possessed the ultimate wood martial soul. As one of the greatest achievements of Shrek Academy's millennia-long inheritance and continuous research, its value is far beyond what some sects or even the major empires can match.

The Xuanwu Divine Pill that Cain once took has three major effects: cleansing the soul, washing the marrow, and healing. Although its effect on a genius like Kong Tianxu is negligible, it can still be considered a top-grade elixir.

This Jiamu Divine Pill held considerable appeal for Kong Tianxu, the possessor of both the Three Lives Martial Soul and the Silver Dragon Martial Soul.

Because the only characteristic of Jiamu Shendan is growth.

It's not just about increasing cultivation level, but also about the growth of the martial soul's essence. It can subtly improve the quality of the user's martial soul, and more importantly, it can provide the martial soul with an extremely precious possibility of evolution.

The most famous example in the history of soul masters on the mainland is the legendary powerhouse who led Shrek Academy and the Three Kingdoms Alliance to win the Holy War against the Sun Moon Empire more than four thousand years ago. He was a level ninety-nine ultimate fire spirit master, Phoenix Fighting Roman Three-way.

His initial awakened martial soul wasn't even the powerful, top-tier martial soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix, inherited from his family. Instead, it was a much weaker, mutated martial soul, the Fire Cloud Swallow. Although he had considerable talent, his future achievements might not be very high due to the limitations of the martial soul itself.

However, by sheer chance, just as he was breaking through to the seventh-ring Soul Saint realm, he underwent a tremendous transformation thanks to the primordial energy of the Wood element contained in a Wood Divine Pill. He achieved the ultimate Fire Phoenix Martial Soul and soared into the sky.

This demonstrates just how irresistibly attractive this pill is to Soul Masters with powerful bloodlines and top-tier Martial Souls.

Even if the hope of evolution is as faint as a spark, it still elevates the fundamental foundation and future potential of a martial soul, making it an irresistible temptation for any soul master aspiring to reach the pinnacle.

Kong Tianxu's lips finally curved into a barely perceptible smile.

It seems that the "gift" that Dean Yan carefully prepared has been delivered to us.

Chapter 189 Beibei: Catch another one…

Looking at the Jiamu Divine Pill, a hint of shock and longing flashed in Zhang Lexuan's beautiful eyes, but she quickly concealed it. She knew that such a thing was probably beyond her current reach.

She whispered:

"The refining of the Jia Wood Divine Pill is incredibly difficult. Not only does it require dozens of rare and precious natural treasures and the essence blood of specific soul beasts as a catalyst, but even more demanding is that it must be done by a plant-type soul master with a cultivation level of Title Douluo or above, who, with the help of the special environment on Seagod Island of Shrek Academy, expends their own essence to condense a trace of the purest Jia Wood innate energy in order to complete the pill."

"In the world of Soul Masters, this pill, along with the legendary Dragon Maiden and celestial herbs, is known as one of the three great steps to ascending to the heavens for Martial Souls, enough to create a genius Soul Master. I never expected that the academy would be willing to put such a precious treasure at the treasure appreciation event."

Her words, besides expressing amazement, also subtly contained a hint of warning.

Shrek Academy so easily displayed its most prized treasure, and had even given him the right to purchase it for free beforehand; the intentions behind this are quite intriguing.

Kong Tianxu listened, feeling a warmth in his heart. He naturally understood Zhang Lexuan's unspoken meaning.

However, improving the quality and potential of his Silver Dragon Martial Soul is a path he must take. Otherwise, the pressure that Xuanzi might bring from burning his bloodline to ignite the Taotie, or the Silver Dragon King's natural restraint on him, would be obstacles he cannot accept.

Therefore, any possible opportunity, even if it comes with risks, is worth trying.

Moreover, this risk seems insignificant.

Kong Tianxu's gaze shifted to the Jiamu Divine Pill, and a faint silver-purple light flashed in the depths of his eyes.

"I'm afraid Shrek will end up losing more than he gains," Kong Tianxu thought to himself with a cold laugh, but his face remained impassive.

Without further hesitation, he raised his hand and gestured to the girl from the Treasure Pavilion standing to the side: "I'll take this Jiamu Divine Pill. And that piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue next to it, settle the bill together."

He lightly tapped his fingertip onto a piece of dark yellow, crystalline gelatinous substance beside him.

He had seen this piece of ancient whale glue from the very beginning; it was one of the few things in this treasure pavilion that he had never enjoyed.

The vast ocean, its expanse and mystery surpassing even the Star Dou Great Forest, is said to contain more than ten times the number of spirit beasts found on land. In the deep sea, whale-like spirit beasts are undoubtedly the true overlords.

Once humans reach the sea, they are like meat on a chopping board; almost no human dares to venture deep into the ocean. Therefore, hunting thousand-year-old demonic whales might be possible with the help of powerful Soul Masters, but those demonic whales that are over ten thousand years old not only live in the deep sea, but are also extremely powerful; even a Title Douluo might perish among them.

In the original novel, Huo Yuhao, who was at level 89, and Tang Wutong, who was at the title Douluo level, almost capsized in an ambush by a group of ten-thousand-year-old sea spirit beasts, which shows how dangerous and rare the situation was.

To find a product like Huo Yuhao, which is only superficially spoiled, is already extremely lucky. It's simply impossible to buy one from any random roadside vendor.

The girl paused for a moment, then her face broke into an even more respectful smile:

"Honorable Red-level VIP, the Jiamu Divine Pill is priced at 33 million Gold Soul Coins, and the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue is priced at 500,000 Gold Soul Coins. You are entitled to two free selections. Confirm that you wish to use this to offset the cost?"

"Confirmed." Kong Tianxu replied crisply.

The exchange process went even more smoothly than expected. The black card with dark red patterns slid across the special soul tool, flashed slightly, and the transaction was completed instantly.

The Divine Elixir of Wood and the Glue of Ten Thousand Years Whale were placed in two simple and elegant jade boxes and delivered to him.

Zhang Lexuan herself didn't have any particular needs. She was already at the Soul Douluo level, and most rare and precious treasures had little effect on her. In the end, she only chose a Golden Mountain Fruit, which was a pure natural amplification of a Soul Master's physique, on Kong Tianxu's advice.

“This box is heavy, let me carry it.” Kong Tianxu naturally took the jade box containing the Golden Mountain Fruit.

“Okay,” Zhang Lexuan nodded, and picked up the box containing the ten-thousand-year whale glue. “I’ll hold this for you.”

Having seen most of what interested them, the two were about to leave when a slightly deep voice came from behind them:

"Sister Lexuan, Kong... classmate."

The two paused slightly and turned around. They saw that Beibei had also arrived near this top-tier exhibition area at some point, standing a few meters away, looking at them with a complicated expression.

More accurately, he was looking at Zhang Lexuan.

He was dressed in a simple dark blue outfit, with one hand behind his back. His temperament remained gentle and refined, but a lingering weariness and melancholy shrouded his brows, and there seemed to be bloodshot eyes, indicating that he had not been resting well recently.

The upheaval in the Xuanming Sect had devastated Xu Sanshi. The pressure of Tang Sect affairs, the search for Tang Ya, and certain deeper emotions were clearly draining his mental energy.

"Beibei." Zhang Lexuan nodded when she saw him, her tone was normal, but it lacked the unique intimacy and gentleness of the past, and she appeared calm and polite.

Kong Tianxu nodded slightly, as if to say hello. He could tell that Zhang Lexuan's tone still contained some concern and eagerness, but it was so subtle that Beibei, with her preconceived notions, didn't even notice it.

Beibei's gaze lingered on Zhang Lexuan's bright and beautiful makeup for a moment, a deep, indescribable sadness and bewilderment flashing in the depths of her eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but her somewhat unfocused gaze swept over the jade box that Kong Tianxu had handed to Zhang Lexuan, as well as the label that had not yet been removed from the empty display case behind him.

What held his gaze even longer than the Divine Wood Pill was the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue.

Despite the dramatic price difference, the Jiamu Divine Pill is something specially created by the Sea God Pavilion and would never normally appear on the market.

In fact, the value of the ten-thousand-year whale glue at this treasure appreciation event is already quite high, with a price of 500,000, which is in no way inferior to some excellent ten-thousand-year soul bones.

Times have changed, and the purchasing power of Gold Soul Coins has actually been increasing year by year. The annual expenses of a family of three are only a few dozen Gold Soul Coins.

What does 500,000 gold soul coins mean? It's enough to arm a 500-strong elite heavy cavalry force, men and horses alike, to the teeth.

Has Sister Lexuan already accepted his precious gift of the ancient whale glue? Then…

In comparison, what he wanted to give away was rather unpresentable.

As the great-grandson of the former Sea God Pavilion Master and Limit Douluo, the usually confident and composed Bei Bei felt a rare sense of embarrassment at this moment. Mu En did have some savings, but hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins were not a number he could easily come up with.

After all, unlike soul bones, whale glue is relatively useless for most soul masters.

For the first time, he clearly felt a sense of loss and self-doubt.

Beibei's already sensitive self-esteem was instantly stung. The movement of putting her hands down behind her back suddenly stopped. Unconsciously, she squeezed the jade box, which was very similar to Zhang Lexuan's but obviously smaller, and cracked it.

Why does this look like a confession of love?

Kong Tianxu looked at him with some doubt, his eyes sparkling, and then he understood.

It turns out it was also whale glue.

But it's not as big as his, nor as good.

"Beibei?" Seeing him standing there in a daze, the warmth in Zhang Lexuan's eyes gradually faded, and she asked with a hint of urgency.

Beibei felt a thousand words stuck in her chest, but in the end, she could only say, "Sister Lexuan, are you... leaving?"

"Yes, I've almost finished reading it," Zhang Lexuan replied. After a pause, she still asked, "Did you find the materials you needed? Any progress on Tang Ya's matter?"

Mentioning Tang Ya, Bei Bei's eyes dimmed, and she shook her head with a wry smile: "Still looking. I've seen some of the rare metals I need, but we're still short of funds. Let's think of another way."

A moment of silence fell. The intimacy of the past seemed to have been replaced by an invisible barrier.

"Well... I won't bother you any longer." Bei Bei forced a smile and stepped aside to make way. "Classmate Kong, if you're free tomorrow, would you allow me to visit you in person to apologize for what happened with San Shi?"

He eventually found a relatively legitimate reason.

"We'll see," Kong Tianxu said noncommittally.

Zhang Lexuan glanced at Bei Bei, her gaze shifting several times before turning into a silent sigh. In the end, she said nothing more and walked side by side with Kong Tianxu toward the exit.

Beibei stood there, watching the two perfectly matched figures walk further and further away, disappearing among the dazzling display cases. The surroundings were still filled with the faint sounds of people and the glittering lights, but he felt as if he were in another silent world.

He remembered when he was a child, his older sister Lexuan would hold his hand and stroll through the market, gently asking him what he wanted; he remembered how he had vowed to become strong and protect her; he remembered the time they spent together.

Now, she stands beside another person, a powerful, mysterious man with resources he can hardly match, and... the attention she once had, which seems to be slipping away.

"Senior Brother?" Wang Dong's voice rang out from not far away, "Hey, how did you manage to ruin the Millennium Whale Glue you just bought? Wasn't it supposed to be a gift for Senior Sister Le Xuan?"

Beibei suddenly came to her senses and realized that she had unconsciously used too much force and completely destroyed the box containing the whale glue.

However, when he saw the whale glue, which he had just kneaded into a mess, quickly return to its original shape after he let go, he seemed to have suddenly figured something out and revealed a magnanimous smile.

Honestly, what am I thinking? Although Sister Lexuan is my childhood sweetheart, I already have Xiaoya. How can I be greedy?

To be honest, if we disregard Kong Tianxu's identity as a member of the Sun Moon Empire, he might actually be a suitable match for Sister Lexuan.

Besides, it's small and cute, at least Xiaoya will definitely like it.

Beibei carefully put away the small, exquisite piece of millennium whale glue, quickly concealing all the vulnerability and confusion on her face, and putting on that gentle and calm smile again.