"But..."
Li Yu suddenly spoke again, causing Qian Renxue to become tense, her palms starting to sweat.
"This is irreversible. What do you want me to choose?" Li Yu looked into Qian Renxue eyes, smiling.
"Well, of course..." Qian Renxue subconsciously started speaking, but then her cheeks suddenly turned red.
"Alright, I understand," Li Yu smiled.
Then, in front of Qian Renxue eyes, Li Yu, who was originally slightly shorter than her, slowly grew taller. The level of their gaze shifted from a horizontal alignment to an upward one.
Li Yu's smooth and fair neck also showed a hint of "order."
"Really... really changed..." Qian Renxue looked at the transformation in front of her and felt it was hard to believe.
The "hills" disappear, and the smoothness gives way to small "bumps," while the strong and alluring feminine scent transforms into a seductive aura of a man.
A long head of hair began retracting, transforming into a neat short haircut.
Qian Renxue instinctively raised her hand and touched Li Yu Adam's apple, her face flushed.
"Mm?" Li Yu looked at Qian Renxue, smiling, "Are you going to take responsibility for me?"
"Huh? Mm! Mm~" Qian Renxue was momentarily stunned but still obediently nodded.
Their eyes met again, and Qian Renxue could feel her heartbeat racing.
The hand that was resting on Li Yu Adam's apple slowly moved, while the other hand also rose.
Then, she hooked her arms around Li Yu neck, her soft body, accompanied by a fragrance, fully entered Li Yu perception at that moment.
Li Yu wrapped both arms around Qian Renxue waist, lowering his head to meet her passionate, affectionate gaze.
Their breaths became heavier, and their breath hit each other's faces, creating an increasingly ambiguous atmosphere.
If the sun is looking...
One can see two overlapping shadows under the sunlight.
One person tiptoed, while the other bent down.
Then, the shadow of the trees passed by, and the autumn wind carried leaves, which fluttered down. The trunks of the trees were bare, yet they felt no loneliness.
Because the trees also had companions, and under the autumn wind, they shared the same trait.
Thus, the autumn wind grew intense, and even if they fell, they did not feel desolate.
If the sun and the stars alternated...
One could still see the trees that were companions, even after falling, revealing their shadows in the light.
Those were not just shadows, they were their souls, rising and falling with the sun and the moon.
Like two flames quietly burning, even the long-settled dust would rise again, eventually turning into the whispers of fate.
...
The distance between Spirit City and Heaven Dou City was vast.
To travel from Spirit City northward, one would pass Baojian City, the Jing Yang Mountain Range, enter the Silvis Kingdom, and then head northeast to pass through Xilu City and Silvis City, crossing Jialing Pass, and continue on to reach Heaven Dou City.
This is also why, after the qualifying rounds ended, the main team took nearly half a month to reach Spirit City.
And now.
After the competition, Spirit City seemed somewhat empty, as most of the teams had already left, and this year's competition had been overshadowed by Li Yu alone.
The last to leave Spirit City was naturally Shrek Academy.
Their team was now in a sorry state.
Flander and Zhao Wuji were heavily injured, with their soul power dropping to levels 59 and 49, respectively.
Tang San was suspected to be dead, Dai Mubai was practically no different from a corpse, and Ma Hongjun was also barely alive.
Yu Xiaogang was worse off, having already earned the "eunuch" label. After his Martial Spirit shattered, he had become like a madman, seemingly not long for this world.
Thus, the healthiest members of the team were now the four originally designated as substitutes, including Tai Long.
However, they were still one of the top three teams, and their rewards were considerable.
Now, two days had passed, and even though they had traveled at full speed, they had only just passed Baojian City and reached the Jing Yang Mountain Range.
"We're here again."
Oscar's expression was complex as he remembered they were attacked here on their way to Spirit City.
But then, Chen Xin and the other Sword Douluo had appeared and saved the situation.
Now, when they returned, the team was no longer complete, with some dead and others injured.
"That Li Yu..." Oscar's mind flashed with Li Yu image, and he couldn't help but shiver.
Li Yu was too strong!
Unbelievably strong!
And she was also the Heaven Dou Crown Princess!
"Dean, do we really have to return to Heaven Dou City?" Oscar asked, looking worriedly at Flander.
Li Yu was in Heaven Dou City.
From her feud with Tang San, if she wanted to take revenge on Shrek... No, even if not for revenge, after the news of the competition result spread, countless people might come after Shrek just to please Li Yu.
Going back to Heaven Dou City now was like walking into a trap!
"What else can we do? Shrek is right there!" Flander's face was also grim.
If Oscar could think of this, so could he.
But now, Liu Erlong's whereabouts were unknown, and Tang San, Tang Hao, and Tang Xiao were all dead.
Li Yu should have no reason to further target Shrek, after all, Shrek was now also an academy under the Heaven Dou Empire and had earned a top-three spot in the competition.
According to the rules, the Heaven Dou Royal Family should reward Shrek.
So, how could he leave?
"Hehe, I think this little sausage has a point. I suggest you don't go back!"
At that moment, a mocking voice rang out.
"Who?" Flander's face changed suddenly, and everyone became alert, scanning their surroundings.
Had they encountered another ambush in this canyon?
But this time, no one would come to save them!
"Our Shrek Academy just got into the top three in the Soul Master Competition. Aren't you afraid of the Martial Spirit Hall's retaliation?" Flander said sternly.
"Hahaha, Martial Spirit Hall's retaliation? Who do you think you are, that Martial Spirit Hall would retaliate for you?"
A figure slowly approached the cliffside, sneering as they looked down at the Shrek group in the valley.
"You only got into the fifth round because of Tang San luck. Now that Tang San is dead, do you really think anyone cares about you Shrek?"
A seductive, slender woman also walked out, looking down at them with the same sneer.
"Dai Weisi, Zhu Zhuyun!" Oscar's face darkened. "What do you want?"
Flander, Tai Long, and the others recognized the newcomers and instinctively glanced at Dai Mubai, who was still unconscious, his body charred. Their faces became serious.
Dai Weisi laughed. "What do you think we've been waiting for here all this time?"
"This is the Heaven Dou Empire. You people from the Star Luo Empire dare to come here to ambush us? Aren't you afraid of Heaven Dou Empire's revenge?" Flander threatened again.
"Hahaha, you guys are really something! Shrek, are you always this good at bluffing?" Dai Weisi laughed heartily.
Zhu Zhuyun and their subordinates also mocked them.
Not to mention that they weren't afraid of the Heaven Dou Empire, even though Li Yu strength was overwhelming, in terms of national power, Star Luo was still somewhat stronger.
Moreover, based on the reports of Li Yu killing Tang San, it was clear that Li Yu was no friend of Shrek.
Now, they were here to ambush them, and others would likely be happy about it.
Not to mention, they had a legitimate reason for coming—
Dai Mubai, the Prince of Star Luo, had been mistreated by Shrek while studying abroad, and now, his condition was unbearable. No one knew whether he was alive or dead.
As the Crown Prince of Star Luo, was it wrong to rescue his brother from such suffering?