Gu Yuena

Liuying had always been interested in the ninth-level customized soul guide cannonball and had once expressed her desire to fire one just to witness its power.

Her enthusiasm made Luan Yu wary, prompting him to subconsciously hide the high-risk soul guide, fearing that Liuying might lose control and accidentally blow up her villa.

However, Liuying wasn't interested in crafting soul guides, only in using them.

She had no intention of becoming a soul master. In her own words, she was simply a warrior.

Her role was to fight with weapons, while the responsibility of researching and developing them belonged to scientists.

Liuxing had a similar mindset. Though he enjoyed reading, he had no desire to immerse himself in research.

What truly excited him was the thrill of battle, the rush of freely unleashing his extraordinary power.

Having spent much of his past confined to a hospital bed, watching enviously as others ran and jumped, he now cherished every opportunity to push his limits.

To him, fighting wasn't just about physical confrontation, it was a test of mind and strategy.

The clash of power and speed, the rapid acceleration of his heartbeat, the ethereal state his mind entered mid-battle, and the exhilarating challenge of dodging soul skills, all of it fueled his adrenaline and gave him an unparalleled sense of excitement.

Though he wasn't a battle maniac, he undeniably enjoyed combat. So when Ye Guyi and Xu Tianzhen challenged him, he never refused.

After obtaining their soul rings and returning to Mingdu, Ye Guyi and Xu Tianzhen engaged in a sparring match before Shangguan Wei'er and Xu Tianran. Despite Xu Tianzhen's powerful Sun Martial Soul and the impressive attack power of her first soul skill, its long casting time left her vulnerable. Ye Guyi easily interrupted her technique with her Dispel ability.

Both of them had only just obtained their soul rings, and their levels, physical fitness, and martial souls were fairly equal.

However, Ye Guyi benefited from her Divine Praise amplification, while Xu Tianzhen lost the enhancement from her sun power. The result was predictable, Ye Guyi emerged victorious.

Frustrated, Xu Tianzhen sulked beside Xu Tianran, but before leaving, she vowed to get revenge on Ye Guyi in their next fight.

Buoyed by her win, Ye Guyi became slightly overconfident and immediately challenged Liuying, only to be defeated with a single punch.

Over the following month, Xu Tianzhen repeatedly challenged Ye Guyi, suffering more losses than victories.

Meanwhile, Ye Guyi, realizing she couldn't match Liuying, set her sights on Liuxing instead.

Unfortunately for her, despite Liuxing's lack of combat experience compared to Liuying, his physical fitness was on par with hers.

Without any direct attack soul skills, Ye Guyi found herself unable to suppress Liuxing with just her Divine Praise amplification.

The result? A humiliating 0-7 losing streak over the course of a month.

Of course, compared to the complete one-sided defeat she suffered against Liuying, her fights with the newly rising Liuxing were at least competitive.

Even though she still lost, she managed to put up a fight, exchanging several rounds before being defeated.

Against Liuying, however, she was usually taken down in seconds.

Interestingly, Liuxing found Xu Tianzhen to be a greater challenge than Ye Guyi.

Unlike Ye Guyi, she didn't have a soul bone skill to counteract her abilities.

Although the sunlight emitted by Xu Tianzhen was slow and difficult to land, it was still a powerful attack, and getting hit by it was a painful experience.

One notable event during this time was Meng Hongchen's unexpected arrival.

Somehow, she managed to locate Luan Yu's villa and visited him, eventually joining their small group.

Liuying, watching her with a mix of wariness and amusement, allowed it.

Liuxing welcomed Meng Hongchen's addition to the group.

In his opinion, having more friends was always a good thing.

Moreover, Meng Hongchen's grandfather was the Master of Illustrious Virtue Hall, a high-ranking figure in the Sun Moon Empire, holding a position even above Liuxing's Aunt Feng.

Building a good relationship with her certainly had no downsides.

That said, Liuxing's acceptance wasn't just about connections, he didn't dislike Meng Hongchen.

If he had, no amount of status would have made him tolerate her.

After all, in terms of identity, both he and Liuying had the backing of God Kings.

In the grand scheme of things, was there anyone in Douluo Continent with a more powerful background than them?

…Well, perhaps.

Liuxing recalled the heroine frequently discussed by netizens, the daughter of the former protagonist and current God King, the little princess of the God Realm.

Compared to her, even he and Liuying were overshadowed. Now that was a true background.

...

Under Luan Yu's watchful eyes, Liuxing and Liuying walked into Mingdu Junior Soul Master Academy, chatting and smiling as they followed the street signs toward the teaching building.

"Bang!"

Just as Liuxing was mid-conversation with Liuying, a figure suddenly appeared around the corner. Before he could react, he collided head-on with the person.

Liuxing felt as if he had been struck in the chest by a hammer.

With a muffled grunt, he staggered back a few steps, while the other person tumbled to the ground.

The sudden collision left Liuying momentarily stunned, but she quickly snapped back to her senses. She turned to Liuxing with concern.

"Liuxing, are you okay?"

Liuxing rubbed his chest, shook his head, and reassured her. "I'm fine."

Shifting their attention to the other person, they saw a silver-haired, purple-eyed girl sitting on the ground, covering her forehead as she tried to regain her balance.

Liuxing exchanged a glance with Liuying, who quickly stepped forward to help the girl up.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay? I didn't expect you to appear out of nowhere. Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?"

Liuxing noticed her academy uniform, it was the same as theirs, indicating that she was also a student at Mingdu Junior Soul Master Academy.

Judging by her age, she was likely a freshman, just like them.

The silver-haired girl shook her head to clear her dizziness before responding. Her voice was crisp and melodious, like a lark's.

"I'm fine, thanks. It's my fault too, I was running too fast."

"It's alright," Liuxing said. "My name is Liuxing, and she's Liuying. We're both freshmen. You're a freshman too, right?"

His gaze fell on the badge pinned to her chest, it was identical to his own.

The girl nodded. "Yes. My name is Gu Yuena, and I'm in the Actual Control Soul Tool Department."

Liuxing's eyes lit up. "What a coincidence! We're in the same department. I wonder if we'll be in the same class."

Gu Yuena smiled. "There's only one class for the Actual Control Soul Tool Department in Mingdu Junior Academy."

"That means we'll be classmates," Liuxing said with a grin.

Gu Yuena's bright purple eyes sparkled as she looked at the two of them. "That's right. Liuxing, Liuying, it's almost time for class. Let's go together."

Neither of them had any reason to refuse. With that, the three of them followed the campus signs, making their way to their classroom.