Chapter 32: The first day away from Aunt, I miss her! Obtaining the Bling-Bling

Hearing Xu Yan’s words, Yu Xiaogang felt as if his face had been slapped hard, stinging with pain.

Liu Erlong offered an awkward smile; it seemed this little one was slightly more friendly toward her.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, Xu Yan released his martial soul. Twenty golden spirit rings lit up, illuminating the entire room. The final golden spirit ring even manifested above Xu Yan's head. This must be what they call the "protagonist's halo."

Watching the dazzling, brilliant golden spirit rings appear, everyone present was stunned. It was as if they had just opened the door to a new world. Zhao Wuji’s mouth hung wide open, completely unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

Then, Xu Yan casually changed the colors of his spirit rings. They shifted into a kaleidoscope of hues, like colorful neon lights flashing incessantly under the night sky.

"What kind of spirit ring configuration is this? And it can change colors at will?" Looking at this scene, Yu Xiaogang felt his worldview collapsing; his brain simply couldn't process it.

Xu Yan retracted his spirit rings, appearing no different from an ordinary person, and smiled. "Well, you've seen what you wanted to see. Can you arrange my accommodation now?"

"Yes, yes. Erlong, take him to the student dormitory area," Flender quickly agreed.

Liu Erlong snapped out of her daze and quickly replied, "Oh, right."

"Yuhao, follow me," Liu Erlong said.

Xu Yan quickly added, "I want to live alone. I’m a bit of a germaphobe and don't like living with others."

Flender thought for a moment and readily agreed. "Fine, fine. There happens to be an empty cottage. Erlong, take him there."

Liu Erlong considered it and found it acceptable. After Xu Yan left with Liu Erlong, Flender looked at Yu Xiaogang and said, "Xiaogang, this kid really can't be explained by common logic anymore, can he?"

"Indeed. I have seen so many young spirit masters, but this Huo Yuhao is truly difficult to fathom," Yu Xiaogang sighed helplessly. The main thing was, why did this little guy harbor such deep hostility toward him?

"I suspect this kid lacks maternal love; otherwise, why would he only listen to Erlong?" Flender suggested. "You shouldn't provoke him for now. Let’s wait until he’s more familiar with this place before making any plans."

"Hmm, I will have Erlong soothe him properly," Yu Xiaogang said, his expression grave and pensive. Flender and Zhao Wuji then departed.

***

Walking through the Shrek Academy dormitory area, Liu Erlong walked in front and asked, "Yuhao, do you have some grievance against Xiaogang?"

Xu Yan thought to himself that the Liu Erlong of this world seemed to still love Yu Xiaogang, so he couldn't be too kind to her either.

"No," Xu Yan replied indifferently.

"Then why are you so hostile toward him?" Liu Erlong asked. As she spoke, they arrived outside a small, independent cottage. "We’re here."

"I don't have any, I just don't like him. There's no deep-seated hatred," Xu Yan said calmly. "Sister, don't overthink it."

Liu Erlong was left speechless, not knowing what to say. After all, not liking someone could just be a lack of chemistry. Sometimes, there is no reason to like someone, and there is no reason needed to dislike someone. At the very least, this was the attitude Xu Yan projected.

Liu Erlong thought that perhaps after they spent more time together and grew familiar, his attitude would change.

"This is it. Although no one has lived here, it’s ready for you to move in immediately," Liu Erlong said to Xu Yan.

Xu Yan looked at the facilities inside the room. While not dilapidated, it was a far cry from his living quarters at the Moon Pavilion. The psychological contrast between luxury and simplicity was indeed hard to bear.

He missed his days at the Moon Pavilion. It was the first day away from his aunt, and he missed her! However, Xu Yan reasoned that he wouldn't be staying at Shrek for long. Once he was done making Tang San feel disgusted, he would leave. Hu Liena was likely coming out of seclusion soon as well.

If he returned in a while and faced Bibi Dong, he could clearly demonstrate that he was qualified to be her disciple. First, become a disciple, and then... As for Ghost Douluo, after escaping from his clutches, the man would never imagine he had come to Shrek Academy.

"Many thanks, Sister Erlong. You are so kind," Xu Yan said quickly.

Hearing this, Liu Erlong beamed, unable to hide her smile. "You little one, you certainly have a way with words." Perhaps due to Xu Yan's unique charm, the way he called her "sister" made Liu Erlong's bones feel like they were melting.

"Alright, if you need anything, just ask me. Get yourself settled," Liu Erlong said before leaving.

Xu Yan kept smiling at her, but the moment she left, his expression turned instantly serious. The speed of his change in expression was worthy of an Oscar-winning actor.

***

He sat on the bed, feeling how hard and uncomfortable it was, and thought again: it was the first day away from his Aunt Yue'er, and he missed her!

Today's battle with Zhao Wuji had made Xu Yan realize that there was still a gap between him and a Spirit Saint-level master. Beyond Spirit Saint was the Spirit Douluo stage. At that level, the progress of spirit power cultivation becomes extremely slow; some might not even advance a single rank in years or even decades.

The system's limitation on him was that he could fight any spirit master below the Spirit Saint level. He could fight a powerful Spirit Saint, but he would end up in a sorry state.

He had used some of the Tenseigan's abilities today, but as expected of a powerful ocular jutsu, it consumed far too much spirit power. If this had been a life-or-death battle, he would have been in real danger.

In truth, being able to hold out against Zhao Wuji for so long was due to his "the stronger the opponent, the stronger he becomes" constitution. However, without the Golden Hoop Staff, this constitution could not be utilized to its full effect. Just like a monkey without its staff or Dong Ge without his Dragon Pattern Pot, his combat effectiveness was greatly reduced without his weapon.

Fortunately, relying on the Tenseigan’s ocular powers and the divine techniques of the Heart of the Saint, he had managed to fight for the duration of a stick of incense.

The Tenseigan's power was immense. When he first grasped it, he realized he could change the color of his ocular jutsu and possessed certain abilities of the Rinnegan, Sharingan, and Byakugan. But the only limitation was that these powers drained spirit power too rapidly. Once his spirit power was exhausted or overloaded, even his innate full spirit power wouldn't be enough.

Therefore, increasing his spirit power rank was currently his top priority.

[Ding! Detected that the host can check in. Would you like to check in?]

At that moment, the system's voice rang out.

"Check in," Xu Yan thought without hesitation.

[Ding! Check-in successful at Shrek Academy. Obtained: "Bling-Bling Fall-in-Love-with-You Fruit" x5.]

"..." Xu Yan was filled with confusion. What in the world was that?