Invitation

As Ye Guyi thought, after Gu Yuena's anger had mostly subsided and she calmed down, Liuxing decisively dragged Xu Tianzhen onto the arena and gave her a good beating.

Xu Tianzhen was quite stubborn. Even though she knew she couldn't win, she still resolutely stepped onto the Dueling Platform.

"Wuwu ┭┮﹏┭┮, Liuxing, you actually dared to hit me! I am a princess!"

Xu Tianzhen lay in Ye Guyi's arms, her face covered in panda eyes, teary-eyed and pitiful.

Liuxing curled his lips.

Every time Xu Tianzhen got beaten, she would threaten him with her princess status, but she never actually tattled to her father or her crown prince brother.

Everyone knew that Xu Tianzhen was just all talk.

Ignoring the crying Xu Tianzhen, Liuxing glanced guiltily at Gu Yuena, who was carefully tidying her hair.

He noticed that the burnt part of her silver hair near her ear had already been cut off, making her hairstyle asymmetrical.

As if sensing Liuxing's gaze, Gu Yuena's eyes swept over him like a sharp blade.

Liuxing's body stiffened instantly, and he subconsciously pulled Liuying over, using her as a shield.

Liuying spread her hands helplessly at Gu Yuena, who simply said indifferently, "Just keep spoiling him."

With that, she ignored Liuxing and focused on fixing her hair.

After more than a year of interaction, Liuying had gradually lowered her initial wariness toward Gu Yuena.

Over time, she realized that while Gu Yuena was proud and aloof, she treated those she acknowledged quite well.

At the very least, in the past year, Gu Yuena had gotten along well with them.

Even toward the weakest member of their little circle, Nana, she showed a gentle side and never looked down on her.

Thinking of Nana, Liuxing turned to the girl sitting nearby, who was being comforted by Ye Guyi and Xu Tianzhen, and asked, "Nana, how is your family doing lately?"

Hearing this, Nana's face lit up with joy, and she said happily, "Everything is fine now. My mother is back, those people haven't come to trouble her anymore, and my father's health has improved a lot."

After saying that, Nana stood up and earnestly said to Liuxing and the others, "Thank you, everyone. I know you helped my mother. If you ever need anything, I will do whatever I can to repay you."

Although Nana was young, she was smart. Her parents had already told her that someone had been helping their family from the shadows.

Given their family's status, her parents couldn't possibly have such powerful allies.

The only logical explanation was that someone close to her had intervened.

Among her friends at the academy, Liuxing and the others were the most likely candidates, especially since they had been subtly inquiring about her situation.

It wasn't hard for her to figure out who had been secretly helping her.

Liuxing waved his hand with a smile. "As long as everything is okay now, that's what matters. No need to be so formal. We're not just classmates, we're friends. If we can help, of course we won't stand idly by."

Xu Tianzhen, still sniffling with her panda eyes, lifted her head from Ye Guyi's embrace and said, "That's right! Anyone I, Xu Tianzhen, consider a friend isn't someone just any random person can bully. If my brother hadn't stopped me, I would have already taken people to deal with those guys!"

Hearing this, Nana felt warmth in her heart. Tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

Liuying took out a tissue and gently wiped away Nana's tears, saying softly, "It's okay now. Don't cry, or you won't look pretty."

"I-I'm not crying! I just got sand in my eyes."

Nana's little face turned red as she hurriedly explained.

"Hahaha ^_^."

Liuxing and the others exchanged glances and laughed together. Even Gu Yuena's lips curled into a faint smile.

Students passing by saw their harmonious interaction and couldn't help but look at them with envy.

Liuxing and his friends were all prominent figures at Mingdu Advanced Soul Engineer Academy.

Even the weakest among them, Nana, was still ranked among the top students.

Calling her weak only made sense when compared to Liuxing, Gu Yuena, and the others.

Compared to the rest of the students, she was still an outstanding talent.

Liuxing knew very well that the people who had threatened Nana's mother were likely backed by a powerful force.

He had already been prepared to drag Luan Yu along to confront them in person and use a Title Douluo's power to force them to back down.

Even though such an approach would have consequences, waiting any longer would have put Nana's parents in even greater danger.

Based on Nana's descriptions, Liuxing had some guesses about who those people were.

If his guess was correct, then the longer they delayed, the worse the situation would become for Nana's family.

However, Crown Prince Xu Tianran acted even faster than him.

Not long after the new emperor ascended the throne, Xu Tianran had already sent people to warn those troublemakers and reached some sort of agreement with their backers.

To them, a mere Soul Ancestor was nothing more than a tool.

Would they really refuse to give face to the new Crown Prince of the Sun-Moon Empire?

Xu Tianran's intervention wasn't just because he doted on Xu Tianzhen.

It also had to do with Ye Guyi, Liuxing, and Liuying.

It was a gesture of goodwill toward the powerful figures behind them.

At the same time, it was an investment in Liuxing and his friends, potential rising stars.

While they had yet to fully mature, their talent and achievements at the academy had not gone unnoticed by those with keen eyes.

"Alright, let's head to my place for training after school. The thing I mentioned last time is ready now, I asked my aunt to make it."

Liuxing glanced at the sky and invited Ye Guyi and the others.

"You mean the soul device that can help us train our physical strength more efficiently?"

Ye Guyi's eyes lit up. She was very interested in this.

Liuxing and Liuying's ability to absorb high-level soul rings beyond their limits was due to their exceptionally strong bodies.

Their rapid soul power advancement far outpaced hers and Xu Tianzhen's.

If she could also strengthen her body, wouldn't she be able to absorb stronger soul rings as well?

"Yeah, it's ready. But don't get your hopes up too much. Training the body takes time, it can only speed up the process a little."

"That's still great! It's better than just running around like an idiot."

Xu Tianzhen curled her lips.

She preferred taking body-strengthening pills and consuming rare treasures over simple physical training.

Liuxing shook his head helplessly. Running was indeed an effective training method, just not as efficient.

"Gu Yue, are you coming?"

Liuxing turned to Gu Yuena and asked.

"What? Am I not allowed to go?"

Gu Yuena narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice cold.

"Of course not! You're more than welcome."

Liuxing shook his head with a wry smile. She was still holding a grudge. Girls really shouldn't be offended, especially beautiful ones.

But what could he do? Most of the people he could really befriend were girls.

There were boys too, but the gap between them was too great, making their interactions a little awkward.