"Is Su Wen here?"
Ding-dong—
The villa doorbell rang.
Su Wen, bare-chested, towel over his shoulder, gently laid the limp, boneless Ma Xiaotao onto the bed and went to the door.
"Sister Luochen?" Su Wen blinked.
Inner-court disciples each had a private little courtyard dorm.
They clustered near Sea God Lake in the inner court. Luochen lived right across from Ma Xiaotao. But showing up in the evening after fighting together earlier—odd.
"So you are here." Ling Luochen's icy-crystal eyes flicked over Su Wen, then inside. "Where's Ma Xiaotao?"
"Sister Xiaotao, she…"
Su Wen was about to say she'd just vented the fire and was going to sleep when a gust swept in. Face taut, Ma Xiaotao rushed out in a thin gauzy robe. Her crimson pupils drilled into Ling Luochen, teeth clenched.
Su Wen: "…"
Weren't you just dead-tired?
How are you bouncing again in a second?
In Ma Xiaotao's eyes, Luochen's visit was a declaration of war. Who shows up late at night to seek out a junior? She had been "baiting" earlier—high-level hunters appear as prey—but now the enemy appeared! Even if her legs felt weak, she'd force herself up to prevent Su Wen, in her weakness, from being taken by the evil Ling Luochen.
Otherwise it'd be like "husband dead drunk aside, wife taken advantage of by a colleague."
She would never allow it!
"Ling Luochen! What are you doing here for Xiao Wen? We're going to rest—don't disturb us…" Ma Xiaotao hugged Su Wen's arm, eyes locked on Ling Luochen.
But the ice-queen senpai smiled faintly; her ice-blue eyes didn't yield an inch, sparks seeming to fly between them.
"No one said Xiao Wen is anyone's property."
She stepped closer.
At 1.76 meters, she was a bit shorter than the bombshell Ma Xiaotao, but her presence was strong. She stepped up and hooked Su Wen's other arm, not yielding.
"…"
Su Wen felt one arm burning hot, the other cool—true ice and fire.
"Ling Luochen!" Ma Xiaotao ground her teeth.
This little witch had to show up now and spoil her moment.
"I won't back off!" Ling Luochen raised her swan-like neck, pure and aloof.
"Fine, then together!"
Ma Xiaotao snapped.
"Together, then!" Ling Luochen huffed.
…
Half an hour later.
Su Wen lay between them like a protected treasure, face blankly staring at the ceiling. Both senpais lay on their sides, claiming a half. If he could be ripped in two and live, they'd each take a side.
"Closer to sis—sis smells nicer." Ling Luochen coaxed.
"Ha! I don't smell nice? Say it—who smells better!" Ma Xiaotao grabbed Su Wen's head over, annoyed.
Ling Luochen's face flushed with urgency. She couldn't match Ma Xiaotao in stamina—the latter was a strong-attack Soul Emperor. Watching Su Wen look weak and helpless like a little white rabbit made her fume. "Shameless! So what if they're bigger? I… I just haven't fully grown!"
"Lol, you're nineteen and 'haven't fully grown'?" Ma Xiaotao smirked.
"Can't pick who smells better—different charm. Sister Luochen is like winter plum; Sister Xiaotao like a passionate rose. I like both."
Su Wen, terrified of being drowned again, maxed his survival instincts.
"Hmph~" Ma Xiaotao snorted, but her anger eased.
Ling Luochen's fair face reddened. He said she's a proud winter plum~
Silence settled.
As Su Wen dozed off, proud of his cleverness, thinking he'd finally sleep—
A jolt.
He turned to Ma Xiaotao.
Her crimson eyes glowed in the dark. Seeing him look, she smirked with triumph.
Su Wen was doomed.
He couldn't move, trapped in the middle, and didn't dare wake Ling Luochen.
Ma Xiaotao pressed closer, turned his head, and sealed his lips, smothering his heavy breath.
He sucked in a cold breath, pupils shrinking.
Unlike Ma Xiaotao's heat, a chill sensation came from the other side.
Su Wen shut his eyes in despair.
True ice and fire.
…
"That's the situation."
In the freshman dorm.
Wang Dong'er drooped.
She'd just discovered that recently—storage-type soul tools were fine, but attack or defense soul tools made her sick on contact—natural rejection. She tried to acclimate, but failed… She triggered a ranged soul tool once, then puked on the spot. Xiao Xiao patted her back the whole time and carried her back after she went limp.
Su Wen frowned slightly.
In the original, Tang San's control fetish was scary. Early on he dangled bait—allowing touchy-feely. Later the stitched "god-king" locked it all down—no touching. The dog-training was top-tier.
By comparison, this wasn't even that bad.
In his eyes, Tang San was like a feudal relic hogging the latrine—useless, yet blocking descendants' paths. From the God-King's perch, he probably saw soul tools' terrifying potential—so he sneered while suppressing them, forbidding his daughter from any contact.
In the original, Huo Yuhao was snubbed after ascending—partly because Huo was their Tang-family dog; partly likely due to fear the Emotion God would keep advancing soul tools…
"I get it. Not hard to fix," Su Wen mused, ruffling the girl's hair with a smile.
"Elder Yi, can you take a look?"
Su Wen said inwardly.
"I just did…" Electrolux's voice was grave and odd. "It really is divine sense. Unlike my remnant soul, though, this feels like a god of this world left a sliver of mindless interdiction. If the interdiction's conditions are met, it triggers…"
"Can you resolve it now?"
"Hard!" Electrolux shook his head.
"The life force you fed me keeps me awake so I don't need to sleep to conserve power. But to lift a ban of this caliber—very difficult…"
"Mm."
Su Wen nodded.
Waiting for Elder Yi to solve it would require absorbing that piece of Life Gold first. That left one hidden great deity among the freshmen.
…
Milk tea shop.
Gu Yuena, in little leather shoes, sipped ice lemon milk tea. Her silver eyes flashed with surprise.
"You're saying… there's divine sense inside her?"
"That's right." Su Wen nodded solemnly.
Wang Dong was stunned.
What?
I'm just "allergic" to soul tools—why say I have "divine sense" in me?!!
Gods are like mirages to her—even the mighty Clear Sky Sect regards them as myth. Why would a god be inside her?
She was utterly dumbfounded.
"Mm… let me see."
Gu Yuena's silver eyes narrowed. Her white hand pressed to Wang Dong'er's forehead, and her divine sense dove into the spiritual sea.
Sensing a formidable intruder, a faint blue light cluster in Wang Dong'er's spiritual sea flared. A Sea God phantom descended, crushing pressure falling on Gu Yuena.
The girl's silver eyes narrowed slightly. She kept slurping her straw, one hand in her pocket, dissolving the Sea God's pressure.
At the same time—
A silver dragon slowly slid from a rift behind her. A vertical pupil opened. With true dragon might, it pressed the Sea God's aura down. Perhaps because Tang San was confident, he only left the Sea God's sense, not the Asura God's.
The silver dragon's titanic form stretched across the spiritual sea, making the blue figure look tiny—like a little fish-man with a trident.
"Who dares!"
The figure suddenly brightened—as if an AFK bot got taken over by the player and "came alive."
"Silver Dragon King?!!"
In the next instant, the little blue fish-man cried out in shock.
Clearly, in his plan, it wasn't time for the Silver Dragon King to appear—this was saved for his son. The Tang family wanted to control the entire God Realm; one man wasn't enough—they needed… a marriage alliance!
So he prepared a "fated one" for his daughter, and the Silver Dragon King for his son.
Why… did this figure show up early?!!
What happened in the mortal world while he wasn't watching?
"So you know me," Gu Yuena's face cooled.
Her brother was suppressed in the God Realm; this guy recognized her at a glance.
Obvious enough—
He's likely one of today's God Realm top few.
But probably a newcomer—she hadn't seen him in the previous calamity.
"Who are you? Sea God? No… there's more than the Sea God in you. There's that disgusting familiar scent. You're dual seats in one body?" Gu Yuena was surprised.
She loathed his aura—but his exposed strength was annoyingly tough.
At least, she couldn't beat him as a mortal.
And… she'd exposed herself.
She'd been lying low on Douluo, rarely showing, to avoid the God Realm's notice. Now… trouble.
She bit her straw flat, expression solemn.
But as she braced—
The other side wavered.
Like lagging connection—an angry voice came through, the owner's poise gone.
"So what if I look!"
"Is Xiaoqi your daughter? You've got a lot of nerve!"
"Fine, I won't look!"
"Damn you, Destruction, I'll remember this!"
"…"
The little blue fish-man flickered a few times, then went back to bot mode, vacant.
Gu Yuena: "…"
She thought briefly.
She looked at the lingering phantom in Wang Dong'er's spiritual sea.
A bold idea flashed.
Her eyes narrowed. The vast silver dragon lunged. A viscous Elemental Tide stormed. The blue figure sensed danger—blue water elements surged to attack the Silver Dragon—but the torrent was swept up, wrapped, converted—this is the Silver Dragon King's strength.
"I am the Sea God, Tang San! Mortal, begone!"
The figure fell behind, but kept spouting preset NPC lines.
"I am the Sea God, Tang—"
"Heh. Just a sliver." Gu Yuena smiled. The silver dragon opened its maw; a terrifying suction drew that divine sense in.
It seemed her guess was right…
…
In the dorm.
Listening to Gu Yuena's cool explanation, Su Wen's pupils shrank.
Good news!
This means Destruction has Tang San pinned!
Their conflict is early. With him held in the God Realm, Su Wen could relax a little.
Since Wang Dong switched dorms, Su Wen knew trouble—Tang God-King had his eye on him. No escape.
So he had to accept the Clear Sky Clan's "olive branch."
Make them relax—think he took the bait. Otherwise, if Tang God-King pulled more stunts, Su Wen's small body couldn't take it.
With the Silver Dragon King's arrival, he could finally exhale.
With this big gun present, Tang San wouldn't meddle quietly. If it escalated, even if Gu Yuena couldn't beat him, Destruction would keep him busy.
Just didn't expect Destruction to act early…
"There really are gods?" Wang Dong's mouth hung open.
No wonder she had no memories before seven—maybe related?!
What's her connection to gods?
"Here—"
Gu Yuena opened her palm, casually revealing a sealed light cluster.
"I am the Sea God Tang San, mortal—ah!!!"
The light spoke, then screamed.
Gu Yuena glanced at the dumbstruck Su Wen and Wang Dong. "He's like a looped recorder. Too noisy. Same line over and over."
Su Wen narrowed his eyes at the screaming divine sense.
He remembered in the original, this sliver wasn't a bot…
He blinked.
"Actually, Xiao Dong, I suspect you're the child of someone Tang San hates. Your real parents were killed by him. He raised you at Clear Sky to brainwash you—seemed to pamper you in luxury, but it was control. In his eyes, you're just a chess piece, a tool."
"After all, the name Tang San resounds across the continent. You've heard it. He's from Clear Sky and likely secretly controls them."
"Forcing you to disguise as a boy, stuffing you into the boys' dorm, ignoring your identity as a girl—like a rag tossed around. And planting a ban to keep you from soul tools—though I can't deduce why yet, it's certainly malicious."
"More specifically," Su Wen leaned in and whispered poison.
"Why was your first roommate Huo Yuhao and the second me? Look at our talent. No need to mention me—top three in human history, arguably. As for Huo Yuhao… I heard his first soul ring was a million years."
"A million?!!" Wang Dong gaped.
"I can confirm that," Gu Yuena sipped. "That kid had deep fortune. Looked weak in talent but a late bloomer. Yet somehow the vast luck on him… is dissipating…" She arched a brow.
By now, the implication was clear.
Wang Dong'er trembled.
Her breath quickened.
A tool! To be crude—a bait tool to fish for a catch!
That Sea God first targeted Huo Yuhao, using her as bait to hook the chosen one. Midway, something happened; he shifted sights to Su Wen…
"So my parents were—by Tang San…" Wang Dong'er burst into tears.
"Most likely. Imprisonment's also possible," Su Wen shrugged.
"Who uses their own daughter as bait otherwise?"
"Right, Gu Yuena?" He looked her way.
She slurped, thoughtful, and nodded.
"Indeed. And so casually…"
"Waaah…"
Wang Dong'er sobbed.
"How could I ever use my own daughter as bait!" an exasperated voice snapped nearby. "Xiao Dong, don't listen to them! I love you most!"
The "loop" remnant finally shouted.
Then—
A chill down his back.
His true body was tied up by Destruction—unlikely to come. No support. Otherwise he wouldn't have played dumb. Now… exposed.
"Hehehe… knew it," Su Wen grinned.
"Didn't expect you'd hide so well. If not for Su Wen, even I might be fooled," Gu Yuena's silver eyes narrowed.
"How do we handle it?" she asked Su Wen.
"Keep it for now. Cut all links to the God Realm. I still need it," Su Wen smiled broadly.
This is a sliver of Tang San's divine sense!
A drop in the ocean to the true body, but whether to devour its power, refuel, or other uses—it's a huge haul…