Douluo Continent: I possess astonishing wisdom as I control energy!

Looking down, she saw Kong Ming'an place a small, silver metal piece engraved with complex spatial runes in her palm.

“This is a directional spatial beacon,” he explained in a low voice. “If you encounter an emergency or want to come find me, activate it in the demiplane and you can be teleported directly to my side.”

Meng Hongchen blinked, then narrowed her eyes slightly and teased:

"You can't bear to part with me?"

"generally."

"Tsk, so stubborn."

Meng Hongchen clicked her tongue lightly, but a slight smile appeared on her lips.

She carefully put away the metal piece Kong Ming'an had given her, and the emotions in her icy blue eyes settled, condensing into a short sentence:

"Await your return."

"Ah."

Xu Tianzhen watched quietly from the side, her gaze shifting between Kong Ming'an, Meng Hongchen, and Xue Di, and she sighed inexplicably in her heart.

Miss Meng's initial advantage seems to be even greater than she imagined. If this continues, it feels like she'll have to play a minor role in the future, and maybe when they run out of strength, she'll have to help push from behind.

Tonics! For this kind of future, there are countless tonics!

No, even if it's just to avoid that future, she has to find a way to surpass the old guard!

Xu Tianzhen was immediately filled with fighting spirit.

Xue Di silently observed the subtle changes in the emotions among the group, a hint of confusion flashing in her pure ice-blue eyes.

She couldn't quite understand the relationships between the group; the strange atmosphere woven together by these interpersonal connections was something she simply couldn't comprehend.

Human emotions... I really can't understand them.

Xue Di shook her head slightly. Kong Ming'an had already finished giving instructions, so without further delay, the two of them stepped into the quietly opened gray door and disappeared into the spatial fluctuations.

Chapter 46 Family Matters

Heavenly Soul Empire, Heavenly Dou City, Heavenly Soul Royal Hotel.

Inside a top-tier suite, the gray doors opened silently.

Kong Ming'an and Xue Di stepped out one after the other, and Ju Zi, who had been waiting there, immediately came to greet them.

"President, you've arrived." Orange said gently, bowing respectfully.

As Kong Ming'an's nominal vice president and actual secretary, Ju Zi has always been conscientious and responsible.

To ensure timely handling of matters, she temporarily moved her office from Shrek City to Heaven Dou City.

Using the space jump of the half-plane, this is not difficult.

Ju Zi's gaze lingered briefly on Xue Di before quickly returning to Kong Ming An. She didn't ask any further questions and maintained her respectful demeanor.

"Well, how's it going?"

Kong Ming'an walked towards the sofa in the living room, while Xue Di quietly followed behind him, her eyes subtly surveying the surrounding environment.

There are many advantages to serving as a bodyguard for Kong Ming'an. For example, he can freely enter and leave the human world without having to be as wary as before.

It felt like a month had passed, and she had followed Kong Ming'an to visit many places in Mingdu, finding them all quite novel.

"The schedule for the Soul Master Competition has been set, and the opening ceremony will be held the day after tomorrow."

"Currently, almost all participating teams have checked into their hotels," Orange reported calmly.

"The team from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, led by Elder Ma, arrived three days ago and is currently undergoing acclimatization training. Since you have not yet arrived, Lin Yi, a student of Dean Jing Hongchen, will temporarily serve as the team leader."

Kong Ming understood, but because he was somewhat engrossed in his research and attempts at elementalization, he arrived a few days later than planned.

"Where are the people from Shrek Academy?" he asked, one of his key objectives for this trip.

Orange, clearly prepared, immediately replied, "According to our reports, the Shrek team went to wipe out a group of wandering evil spirit masters on their way here."

"According to the information, they finished the clearing operation three days ago and rested for a night in the Tianhun Empire's border military camp. According to the calculation, they should arrive at the hotel around this evening."

Kong Ming'an nodded. He had plenty of time and could make arrangements.

He stood up, intending to check on his "teammates" first. To ensure his plan went smoothly, reaching a consensus internally was essential.

However, given his age, it's too much trouble to talk him out of it; let's just beat him up.

……

Time passed slowly, and as evening fell, more than a dozen students and teachers, dressed in Shrek Academy uniforms and looking travel-worn, entered the Heavenly Soul Royal Hotel.

Leading the group was Shrek Academy's team leader, whose expression showed a hint of fatigue but remained sharp, followed by numerous students.

"Finally here! I'm exhausted!"

Wu Ming stretched her shoulders, her fiery red hair seeming to have dimmed a bit. "If it weren't for those damned evil spirit masters being so fast, we would have been in bed resting long ago!"

As she spoke, she glanced at the figures beside her, her tone light and cheerful.

"Xiao Tao, you guys did a great job this time too. If you hadn't held back that group of evil spirit masters who were trying to escape, who knows how many more people would have been hurt by them."

"This is what we should do, Senior Wu!" Ma Xiaotao, who looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, said earnestly, and Ling Luochen and the others beside her nodded in agreement.

As the next generation of Shrek Seven Devils, it was inevitable that they would participate in the hunt for evil soul masters. Although they were all injured in the battle, it was all worth it for them.

Wu Ming smiled with satisfaction and started chatting with the group of younger students, creating a lively atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Han Ruoruo was beside Zhang Lexuan, looking slightly worried: "Lexuan, are you still thinking about things at the academy?"

“…” Zhang Lexuan was silent for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m fine, don’t worry. I still have to play in the next match, I won’t let these things affect me.”

Han Ruoruo was still a little worried. After all, her best friend hadn't been doing well lately; the subtle fatigue she exuded was quite noticeable, making it hard not to worry.

Seeing Zhang Lexuan's expression, Han Ruoruo pursed her lips and ultimately did not speak again.

The group slowly entered the hotel lobby. Zhang Lexuan's eyes, revealing her weariness, looked ahead, her gaze casually sweeping over the hotel's magnificent lobby.

Suddenly, her gaze settled on the rest area not far away.

There sat seven or eight boys and girls dressed in the uniforms of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, each with a different expression.

Interestingly, several of them had bruises of varying degrees on their faces, as if they had just been severely punished.

Of course, this wasn't what caught her attention.

What truly caught her attention was a handsome young man sitting in the very center of the group, in that central position, calmly flipping through a document in his hand.

It's him?

Zhang Lexuan recognized Kong Ming'an immediately; after all, he was good-looking and had a high degree of recognizability.

But why is this boy here? If she remembers correctly, she saw him in Shrek City, right?

But this boy seems to be a member of the Sun and Moon Team?

The people from the Sun Moon Empire have come to Shrek City?!

A sense of absurdity rose in Zhang Lexuan's mind, but the thought had barely formed when she saw the black-haired boy close the documents and stand up.

As he moved, the Sun Moon team members, their faces bearing injuries, stood up in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized and displaying an indescribable discipline.

Then, under the watchful eyes of Zhang Lexuan and the Shrek Academy members who gradually noticed the anomaly, Kong Ming'an led the Sun and Moon Team straight toward them.

The Shrek team fell silent instantly, all eyes filled with wariness. The instructor leading the team frowned slightly, stepped forward, and stood in front of the students, asking in a deep voice:

"Sun and Moon Team? What's up?"

Kong Ming'an stopped a few meters away from them, and the Sun and Moon team members behind him stopped at the same time.

Then, Kong Ming'an revealed a polite and gentle smile. Combined with his naturally mild temperament, it made it difficult for the Shrek members to feel any ill will towards him.

"I'm sorry to bother you all." Kong Ming'an's voice was clear and calm, with a touch of soothing warmth.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Kong Ming'an, and I come from the Kong family of the Sun Moon Empire. Kong Deming is my grandfather."

Kong Deming's grandson?

The teacher leading the group's eyes narrowed slightly at the name Kong Deming. His name was known to everyone in the upper echelons of mainland China.

Not to mention the recent rumors of his cultivation breaking through and reaching the ranks of top experts, which has made Douluo Three Kingdoms take the matter even more seriously.

And the person in front of him is Kong Deming's grandson?

What brings you here?

"I don't mean to make things difficult for you all. I'm just here because of a personal matter, or rather, a family matter."

"Family matters?" the teacher in charge asked, puzzled, but then noticed Kong Ming'an's gaze passing over him and then over several Shrek Academy regulars.

Ultimately, the blame fell on Zhang Lexuan, who was at the center of everyone's attention.

Chapter 47 Xuanzi, treated like a passerby on the street

Wu Ming unconsciously glanced at Han Ruoruo beside her, exchanged a glance, and almost simultaneously confirmed their thoughts from each other's eyes.

This boy was the same handsome boy she had used to tease Zhang Lexuan several months ago.

But... family matters?

What's going on? Could it be that Sister Lexuan really made a move on this young man, took advantage of him, and now he's come looking for her?

Wu Ming's thoughts jumped around wildly, but she quickly dismissed this unrealistic answer. Her gaze fell, and Wu Ming tentatively spoke...

"Sister Lexuan?"

"..."

Zhang Lexuan was momentarily dazed, then looked at Wu Ming, shook her head slightly, and indicated that she was alright.

After composing herself, Zhang Lexuan looked at the young man in front of her with a more serious and cautious expression.

Putting aside other issues, when the boy took the initiative to reveal his identity and talk about "family matters," she had already guessed why he had come.

Although she had expected it, she never imagined it would be in this kind of setting.

Zhang Lexuan looked at Kong Ming'an, her tone calm and without the slightest ripple: "You came to see me?"

"Ah."

Kong Ming'an smiled and nodded, saying nothing more. Under the questioning or wary gazes of the Shrek Academy members, he took out an old-fashioned, thread-bound book from his storage soul tool and handed it to Zhang Lexuan.

"Zhang Lexuan, um, sister?" he addressed her tentatively.

This caused a slight change in the expressions of everyone present, who seemed somewhat puzzled.

Although the boy in front of them was clearly young, even younger than the reserve members of their team, it seemed perfectly acceptable for him to call Zhang Lexuan "sister."

But... why does the word "older sister" sound a little strange?

"I don't want to explain too much, but after reading this, you'll understand what I mean."

Kong Ming'an maintained his smile.

The Shrek students immediately became more alert, their eyes all turning to the book, then to Zhang Lexuan. The teacher in charge hesitated, unsure whether to stop them.

Ah, being a team leader is never a good thing. Where's Elder Xuan? Come out and intervene! I feel like I can't make this decision!

Everyone fell silent, except for Zhang Lexuan, who looked at the ancient book and had some guesses in her mind.

Zhang Lexuan looked at Kong Ming'an, but without much hesitation, she reached out and took the book.

Kong Ming'an's smile remained unchanged as he said, "If you want to talk to me after you've finished reading, you can come to the Sun and Moon Team's rest area anytime."

"Of course, I suggest you bring a few more people to avoid any misunderstandings later."

“Okay,” Zhang Lexuan replied calmly.

"Alright, everyone, see you on the field."

Kong Ming'an gave another polite smile. After speaking, he turned around decisively without waiting for the Shrek team to react, and left with the members of the Sun and Moon team, leaving the Shrek team full of doubts and vigilance.

"What does this guy mean? I don't quite understand?"

"Why would Kong Deming's grandson participate in the competition?"

"Sister Lexuan, this book."

The Shrek students immediately gathered around Zhang Lexuan, chattering amongst themselves, their eyes frequently glancing at the mysterious ancient book in her hand.