In the gladiator arena, what was happening seemed like child's play to Xu Cheng.
Even though most of these people would become pillars of power within their respective forces in a couple of decades, to Xu Cheng, their emotional outbursts now appeared childish and naive.
It was clear that many of the Shrek Inner Court students felt sorry for Chen Zifeng.
Some of the male students who scolded him harshly were actually doing so out of concern. Their goal was simple—by rebuking him, they hoped Chen Zifeng would come to his senses and return to the warm embrace of the Shrek family.
But not everyone spoke up.
Because some of them knew… there was no going back.
On Sea God Island.
The Inner Court students were laughing and enjoying themselves, a scene of joy and harmony.
Then, like a stage curtain being slashed open by a sharp sword, that scene shattered and revealed the harsh truth underneath.
A lone figure walked away, heavy-hearted.
The once lively Shrek Inner Court students stood in silence, expressions complex and varied, eventually fading into the background, disappearing completely behind the large gate.
"You don't suspect him?" Ma Xiaotao appeared at Xu Cheng's side at some point, casually downing a glass of orange juice before setting it on the table. Her beautiful eyes were slightly hazy as she stared fixedly at Xu Cheng, like a woman drinking her sorrows away at a bar.
"Don't use someone you don't trust, don't doubt someone you use," Xu Cheng said plainly.
He didn't care whether Chen Zifeng's surrender was real or fake. If the boy could be used well, he was a sharp blade in Xu Cheng's hands—aimed straight at the heart of Shrek.
His strategic value far outweighed his combat strength.
The Sun Moon Empire had no shortage of geniuses, especially in this generation. One more or one less Chen Zifeng didn't make a difference.
"You're quite the carefree type…" Ma Xiaotao sipped her lips.
"You've been drinking?" Xu Cheng glanced at her with a raised brow.
Even though the beauty wore a black cloak, her graceful figure was still hard to hide. A faint blush colored her delicate face, and her red eyes were misty as she leaned in slightly, resting her cheek on her hand as she gazed at Xu Cheng's profile. The scent of orange juice mixed with a hint of alcohol drifted between them.
Hiccup "Just a little… it's orange juice cocktails. A new item from the Mingde Hall cafeteria. Only one silver soul coin for a cup… and just three copper soul coins for a refill." Ma Xiaotao pointed at the now-empty glass on the table.
"I've had like… ten refills. Pretty good, right? My alcohol tolerance?" she said.
Xu Cheng looked at her speechlessly.
Her tongue was already slurring, and she still claimed she wasn't drunk.
As expected, the only part of a drunk person that stays strong—is their mouth.
"This kind of fruit-based brew isn't even real alcohol—its concentration is ridiculously low. You actually managed to get drunk with this mixed with orange juice? And still boasting about your tolerance? Go sit at the kids' table during banquets," Xu Cheng retorted.
"I have a high tolerance! The cafeteria auntie even praised me!" Ma Xiaotao's blush deepened, and her eyes looked at Xu Cheng in protest.
"That's because she earns commission from every cup sold," Xu Cheng said flatly.
Ma Xiaotao: "..."
"I don't care, I don't care! I am good with alcohol!" The beauty clung to Xu Cheng's arm, pressing it to her chest and shaking it like a child throwing a tantrum. Her cloak slipped slightly, revealing her wine-red hair and a tipsy, stunning profile.
So childish… just to act cute.
Xu Cheng sighed inwardly.
Ma Xiaotao had always been known for her fiery temper in the Inner Court, but her looks and figure were undeniably top-notch. If only she had a better attitude, the number of people trying to court her could form a line from Sea God's Pavilion all the way to Shrek City.
Even he had to admit, this scene made his heart flutter.
"Being gentle suits you," Xu Cheng said with a chuckle.
Ma Xiaotao slumped forward, her body soft as she lay on the table. Barely conscious, she clung to Xu Cheng's arm like her life depended on it.
"Xiao Tao-senpai!!!"
Suddenly, a surprised voice rang out.
Xu Cheng turned his head, puzzled. A Shrek Inner Court student stood frozen, staring in shock.
Apparently, Ma Xiaotao's cloak had slipped due to her drunkenness, revealing her identity.
Xu Cheng sighed helplessly. Guess he'd have to clean up the mess.
"Where? Where's Sister Xiao Tao?" Other Inner Court students quickly followed the line of sight, but found nothing there.
"Are you hallucinating?" someone asked suspiciously.
"Maybe…" The student scratched his head, the vivid image from a moment ago already growing fuzzy in his mind.
"Be honest, are you secretly crushing on Sister Xiao Tao?" someone teased.
"No, really, I'm not…"
"..."
In a warmly lit bedroom—
Ma Xiaotao lay on the bed, her crimson phoenix eyes shimmering with the intoxicated gleam of desire. Her long lashes fluttered, brows gently furrowed, revealing skin as flawless as fine jade.
She traced a fingertip across the boy's tense chest, crimson nail polish reflecting the totem-like shadow of the Evil Fire Phoenix in Xu Cheng's pupils.
"Losing control of your Evil Fire again?" Xu Cheng's throat tightened. He was about to pull away after settling her in bed, but her wine-scented hair curled around his neck, stopping him.
Her nose brushed his ear. A sultry breath mixed with the scent of alcohol wafted through the air.
"This time… it's heart fire."
Ma Xiaotao clung tightly to his arm, her eyes still hazy. "Last time, we were interrupted by Senior Sister. I've been holding it in for so long. If you ignore me now, the Evil Fire might… backfire."
Xu Cheng pressed his lips together.
Ever since her martial soul mutated, Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire had become… truly evil.
Though she no longer needed to suppress it with soul power and had ways to vent it, those were only temporary solutions. Only true yin-yang union could fully release it…
"Ugh…"
The girl winced in pain.
Dark flames of the Evil Fire Phoenix spread across the room. Black fire flickered in her misty eyes.
She couldn't hold it back anymore.
Xu Cheng sighed softly.
Red lines appeared from the corners of her eyes—markings that looked like dark makeup, symbols of the Evil Fire Phoenix awakening.
"Mm…"
Their lips met.
She struggled briefly, but the black in her eyes began to fade.
As they separated, her "makeup" faded too, leaving only a rosy blush and the traces of embarrassment.
"Don't snap out of it so fast—I like this form," Xu Cheng whispered teasingly into her ear.
Ma Xiaotao raised her arm to cover her face, turning her head away.
Soft, fragmented sounds echoed.
The bed trembled.
"Mm…"
Her fingers ignited with translucent phoenix tailfire. As it trailed down the smooth lines of the boy's back, it left fiery red marks. The door slammed shut from the rising soul power pressure. Beads of hot, glistening tears rolled down onto the bedding.
Ssshhh—
Like the instant when ice and fire collide.
A steamy mist rose, making the soul lamp flicker in and out.
Mingdu.
Behind a hidden door, a secret lay concealed.
A dark, winding tunnel led to a greater, more mysterious underground world.
Xu Cheng looked around with interest.
Beside him, Shangguan Wei'er guided the way.
Everyone on either side of the tunnel avoided them in a hurry—probably because they saw Shangguan Wei'er. She might act like a docile lamb around Xu Cheng, but here in the underworld, she was a true overlord.
"This is your first time here, isn't it, Your Highness?" Shangguan Wei'er said with a sweet smile.
"It is," Xu Cheng nodded slightly.
This was the real underground world.
Hidden beneath the bustling city of Mingdu, it stood in opposition to the city's brightness. It symbolized darkness, filth, and violence.
To be honest, only after seeing it for himself did Xu Cheng fully understand this underground realm.
In the soul tool-dominated society, "construction crews" were not made up of ordinary people. Mingdu had a complete architectural system—from tunneling tools to metal structures and defensive linkages—all tightly connected.
This underground world was vast. Everywhere, cheap lighting soul tools flickered—outdated models that resembled Mingdu's street lamps from centuries ago. Occasionally, the lights would crackle and flicker.
Mountains of discarded soul devices piled high like junk hills. Many were so old that even Xu Cheng had to take a moment to identify them.
Ruined buildings lined the streets, worn by time and barely recognizable.
"Don't underestimate these structures, Your Highness. They may look messy, but for many, they are shelters of survival. When I fled the Star Luo Empire at age eleven and first arrived in Mingdu, I wandered here, taking odd jobs to barely survive. Every night, I'd come back hurt or exhausted, patch myself up in one of these buildings, and sleep with one eye open," Shangguan Wei'er said with emotion.
Xu Cheng nodded silently.
Just a few sentences were enough for him to picture a wounded girl stumbling through the night, bandaging her wounds alone, and drifting into light sleep while staying alert…
"We've arrived. It's just ahead."
Soon, Shangguan Wei'er stopped.
In front of them stood a row of buildings in the distinctive "modern" Mingdu style, each about four or five stories tall. This entire street seemed to be the territory of the "Pingfan Alliance."
Several black-robed guards stood in front, bowing respectfully to Shangguan Wei'er.
"Alliance Master!"
"Please, Your Highness…" Shangguan Wei'er didn't respond to them. Instead, she smiled sweetly at Xu Cheng and gave him a small curtsy.
Seeing their leader bow like that, many of the surrounding black-robed figures instantly tensed up, holding their breath in silence.
Even though they had already heard in advance that an important guest would be visiting, none of them expected their leader to be this deferential…
"Leader, what's going on with the Pingfan Alliance?"
Inside a certain building, a shadowy figure spoke with some confusion.
"For them to put on such a show, they must be entertaining an important guest. But this guest… can't possibly be that prince behind her. He's just not qualified," Nan Gongwan said with furrowed brows, voice contemplative.
The Pingfan Alliance, usually the most low-key of the three major powers in the underground world, had suddenly changed its tune—blocking off several kilometers of its territory, forbidding entry, and not even giving face to the other two alliances.
"She's latched onto some big shot?" the shadowy figure asked gravely.
"Could be, but only two possibilities come to mind. One, as you said, she's clinging to a powerful backer and this display is a warning to deter us, possibly as preparation for the competition four years from now. Two, it's all just a bluff to scare us…" Nan Gongwan shook his head.
"But in today's Sun Moon Empire, anyone with higher status than a prince must be either from the military or the royal family. And His Holiness the Holy Son… or His Majesty the current emperor himself… these two possibilities are incredibly unlikely."
He frowned deeply, thinking hard, but couldn't make sense of it.
Could she really be bluffing?
"Pingfan Alliance. Shangguan Weier."
In a resplendent, palace-like building elsewhere…
A middle-aged man in luxurious robes puffed on a cigarette holder, watching the scene with interest.
The underground city was mostly shrouded in dim lighting, except for three brightly illuminated areas. The distribution of power here formed a triangular layout, and from his vantage point on higher ground, the entire underground city was visible to him.
"Among the three of us, she has the weakest background. Now she's putting on such a grand spectacle… what's she playing at?" he said softly, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke as he placed his hands behind his back and stared out through the glass.
"Master, our backer is the military—the commander of the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment. Surely we don't need to fear a mere prince?" a servant beside him asked in a hushed voice.
"It's not about fear," the middle-aged man replied with a furrowed brow. "I just worry there's more to this than meets the eye."
"Although the Royal Dragon Regiment chose the wrong side politically, the emperor hasn't punished them. While it's slightly weaker than the Phoenix Soul Engineer Regiment, it's still one of the four great beast regiments. Even in the imperial capital, few dare to provoke them."
"Besides…" his voice dropped, "to put it bluntly, we're just his dogs."
The man let out a long sigh.
His gaze fell once more on that brightly lit area where black-robed guards, equipped with flying soul devices, patrolled the skies in coordination with those on the ground—it was an over-the-top level of security.
He murmured, "We don't have a choice."
"Your Highness, these three are dragon maidens. Don't be fooled by the scales covering them—for when they enter heat, those scales will vanish, making them perfect vessels. After Your Highness has enjoyed them, the bloodline within them may trigger a martial soul evolution. Most importantly, that evolution will contain a trace of dragon aura."
In an extravagant, ornate hall.
Shangguan Weier clapped her hands.
Three dragon maidens entered from the rear corridor, standing silently in a row, their gazes expressionless.
"Dragon aura?" Xu Cheng raised an eyebrow.
In the world of Douluo, dragons symbolized supreme martial souls. Even a trace of dragon bloodline guaranteed excellence.
But…
"My martial soul doesn't need dragon blood to adorn it," Xu Cheng said flatly, taking a light sip of tea.
"And didn't I already say—"
"Please don't be angry, Your Highness!" Shangguan Weier instantly stepped to his side, bowing low in a flustered panic. "These dragon maidens are not human—they're half-human, half-beast creatures that grew up deep in the mountains. I personally purchased and trained them since I was a child."
Many of the attendants swallowed nervously, stunned by what they were witnessing.
This woman—one of the three overlords of the underground world—was bowing before a teenage boy.
And she'd gone through all this effort to impress him.
The maids around them were all now burning with curiosity about the young man's identity.
(End of Chapter)