On this day, Chen Xuan used the Shadow Clone Technique, transferring over 90% of his spirit power to his clone, leaving him in a weakened state, nearly exhausted of his spirit energy.
His shadow clone, cloaked in a robe to conceal its face, headed out of the city of Heaven Dou. The clone didn't head toward the city gate, instead using the Flying Thunder God technique to move undetected along the border.
Meanwhile, Chen Xuan, with his spirit power nearly depleted, staggered back toward the academy.
"That much spirit power should sustain it for two days," he thought to himself. For the next three days, he planned to stay at Shrek Academy, not for any special reason but to maintain his presence.
A regular shadow clone could only carry half of the user's spirit power and would typically last a few hours or at most half a day. However, water clones and wood clones were different, with their duration depending on the amount of spirit power, giving them a higher upper limit.
Chen Xuan had no master to guide him, and it had taken him quite a long time to grasp the secrets of the water clone.
"What's wrong with you?" Zhu Zhuqing, still strolling around the academy, happened to bump into Chen Xuan, who looked extremely weak and exhausted.
He hadn't been gone long—less than ten minutes—and yet he returned in such a state.
Zhu Zhuqing walked over, her expression concerned as she helped him to a nearby bench.
"It's nothing, don't make a fuss," Chen Xuan waved her off, not knowing how to explain.
"Don't you trust me?" Zhu Zhuqing asked quietly, her eyes reflecting disappointment.
Chen Xuan froze, realizing something was off. Why was this usually cold goddess acting so strange today?
He explained, "It's not what you think. I just overexerted my spirit power."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't press further but also didn't say anything else. An awkward silence followed.
"Did you absorb that spirit bone?" Chen Xuan changed the subject.
Zhu Zhuqing, regaining her cool demeanor, replied calmly, "I absorbed it two days ago. My spirit power increased by six levels. I'm now at level 47."
"That's great, congratulations! You'll stand a better chance against those two now," Chen Xuan smiled, happy for her.
Zhu Zhuqing's bright eyes locked onto his, and she suddenly asked, "Why do you know so much about me?"
She recalled their first meeting when, under the master's arrangement, Chen Xuan had sat beside her. She vaguely remembered how strange it was—he kept staring at her and sighed deeply, his gaze filled with sympathy, which felt incredibly odd.
Back then, Zhu Zhuqing had felt disgusted, thinking he was just like other men with their invasive stares.
Now, looking back, it seemed Chen Xuan had known her, her identity, and her past all along.
"Answer me honestly, are you from the Star Luo Empire?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, her face cold and stern, her eyes searching his for any signs of deception.
She didn't want to believe that everything between them had been calculated. She wanted to believe it was pure and free from any schemes.
"Uh…" Chen Xuan was dumbfounded. He was just a guy from a small town—how could he be from the Star Luo Empire?
Waving his hand helplessly, he said, "You're overthinking it. I was born in the Heaven Dou Empire, and I've never been to Star Luo."
"Don't lie to me!" Zhu Zhuqing's expression softened slightly, but she still stared at him intensely, as though trying to see through him.
"I swear I'm not lying to you," Chen Xuan said earnestly, feeling today's version of Zhu Zhuqing was far too unusual, asking all these strange questions.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flickered, and she quickly turned away, her ears tinged with red. She didn't ask anything further, and silence settled over them once again.
Chen Xuan was baffled. They hadn't seen each other in ten days, and Zhu Zhuqing, usually so cold and distant, was acting so differently.
He broke the silence by asking a pressing question, "By the way, after you absorbed the spirit bone, did the dean or Dai Mubai ask you anything?"
"They did," Zhu Zhuqing nodded. She was always quick-witted, so she had prepared a good explanation.
Flender and the other masters had taken the matter seriously, as spirit bones were no trivial matter. Zhu Zhuqing had told them that during her time in the Star Dou Forest with Chen Xuan, they had followed a team led by a Soul Saint.
Unfortunately, they encountered a beast tide, and many people perished. The Soul Saint leader fought a ten-thousand-year beast king, resulting in mutual destruction.
Zhu Zhuqing explained that it had been a perilous experience, a near-death situation, and if not for Chen Xuan's spatial abilities, she might not have survived the Star Dou Forest at all.
After the beast tide subsided, they searched for survivors but found most of the team dead, including the Soul Saint, who had perished along with the ten-thousand-year soul beast.
She mentioned that she had found the ten-thousand-year spirit bone from that very soul beast.
The Shrek members sighed with relief, believing that she had survived such a dangerous event by sheer luck. Though they found the story hard to believe, they trusted her, knowing she wouldn't lie to her fellow Seven Devils.
Knowing this, several people looked at Chen Xuan with newfound respect. Spirit bones were rare and worth tens of thousands of gold soul coins. Few would be able to resist the temptation, but Chen Xuan had given it up to Zhu Zhuqing without hesitation.
When Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong learned about this, they were astonished. It was hard for them to believe someone would be so selfless. Their impression of Chen Xuan changed, and they admired him even more.
"That's good. Spirit bones are too valuable, and revealing it could lead to trouble. It's best for both of us to keep this quiet," Chen Xuan said, satisfied with how things had turned out.
"I don't mind, but if you were harmed because of me, I'd never forgive myself," Chen Xuan said earnestly, his words sincere.
"Would you only feel guilty?" Zhu Zhuqing asked softly, her eyes reflecting a hint of pain. She didn't know why, but she felt an emptiness inside.
Chen Xuan was taken aback. What was going on today? Why was Zhu Zhuqing acting so different, so unlike herself?
"Of course, there's more," he responded, gazing into her eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me. I want you to live a safe, happy, and brilliant life."
"You don't understand. A person's life is determined at birth. Many things can't be changed. Being forced to marry someone you don't love, living in a place you don't like—how can there be happiness?" Zhu Zhuqing gazed up at the sky, her heart heavy despite the warmth of the sun and the peacefulness around her.
Chen Xuan was taken aback. What was this about? Was she implying that she didn't love Dai Mubai? Did she have someone else in mind?
"Birth does determine a lot, and hard work doesn't always lead to change. But I believe you should at least try to resist, to do everything you can. Even if you can't change things, you'll know you tried," Chen Xuan said thoughtfully.
"Just like me—before joining Shrek's battle team, I only wanted to be a teacher after graduation. As a reserve team member, my goal was simply to join a sect. But now, things are different. I'm being pushed to grow stronger, faster."
One of those pushing him was Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, another was Tang San, and the last was that woman who had poisoned him.
Reflecting on the past two months, Chen Xuan realized how rapidly he had progressed. Just a couple of months ago, he had been a mere level 38 Soul Master. Now, his spirit power had broken through to level 48, and he had mastered several new techniques.
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