Douluo Continent: The Ruler of Time, Reigning Supreme

Chapter 187 Changing Destiny
After that, life at the academy was completely back on track.

Every day is packed with activities.

In the early morning, in the simulated training ground, one performs the most basic and important meditation, feeling each increase in soul power.

In the morning, there were theoretical lessons and physical training sessions taught by Teacher Wang Yan.

Each time, all the students, including Yin Chen, felt they gained a lot.

In the afternoon, Han Ruoruo gave a practical guidance class.

In the Soul Battle Zone, you can spar with your classmates, familiarize yourself with your soul skills, and hone your combat instincts.

Yin Chen's life has one more thing than others.

Every so often, he would come alone to the secluded grove by the Sea God Lake at dusk to meet Ma Xiaotao.

Suppressing the evil fire has become a skill he's mastered.

A peculiar understanding developed between the two.

The awkwardness and embarrassment of the first time were gone, replaced by a sense of calm.

Ma Xiaotao would sit there quietly, waiting for that icy power to flow through her entire body.

Yin Chen, on the other hand, would close his eyes and precisely control his soul power, treating it as a way to train his ability to finely control his ultimate ice soul power.

Only occasionally, after it was over, would Ma Xiaotao's gaze towards him become somewhat complicated.

There was gratitude, dependence, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Time flew by in this cycle of cultivation, learning, fighting, and occasionally acting as a fire extinguisher.

Before you know it, winter is coming.

The first semester at Shrek Academy is drawing to a close.

A relaxed yet restless atmosphere, reminiscent of a holiday, began to permeate the air.

It was during this period that Yin Chen discovered that his life had undergone a huge change that made all the core disciples envious.

The cause was his food.

As core disciples of the outer academy, each of them is assigned a dedicated nutritionist from the academy to tailor-make meals that are most beneficial to their soul power cultivation and physical growth.

This is already a top-tier treatment that ordinary students wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Yin Chen was no exception.

But ever since he started regularly suppressing Ma Xiaotao's inner fire, he has noticed a dramatic change in the contents of his plate.

Initially, his nutritional meals mainly consisted of the meat of ten- or hundred-year-old spirit beasts, paired with some common herbs that had been aged for years and could nourish blood and qi.

This is already standard for core disciples.

However, the hundred-year-old soul beast meat on the plate was gradually replaced by thousand-year-old soul beast meat.

The bear paw, radiating rich soul energy from a thousand-year-old earth bear, and the fresh soup made from a thousand-year-old emerald-eyed spirit fish containing water elements... every time, Zhou Sichen and the others would drool.

Later on, his plate even occasionally contained meat from ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts.

This treatment far exceeds the scope of core disciples of the outer academy, and even surpasses that of some elite students of the inner academy.

They are worlds apart.

Of course, Gu Yuena and Ye Guyi, because of their outstanding performance in the previous mission in Dragon City, received better food and treatment than ordinary core disciples like Zhou Sichen.

But at most, their plates would contain some high-quality thousand-year-old soul beast meat, which was nothing compared to Yin Chen's occasional, breathtaking ten-thousand-year-old feast.

Yin Chen knew without a doubt who was behind all of this: Yan Shaozhe.

That seemingly serious, but actually more shrewd than anyone else, dean of the Martial Soul Department.

Is it like a gentle rain that nourishes the earth silently?

Yin Chen thought calmly to himself.

By subtly and gradually providing him with top-tier resources beyond the norm, he becomes accustomed to this treatment, thus developing a deeper sense of belonging and dependence on Shrek Academy.

This is both an investment and a calculated move.

Any normal genius would be moved by such a costless training program and would feel the thought of "a scholar would die for one who understands him".

Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on Yin Chen's lips, unnoticed by anyone.

'It's a pity...'

He didn't realize that everything he did was in vain.

Yin Chen put a small piece of tender beast meat into his mouth, his gaze passing through the restaurant window to the distant Sea God Pavilion, shrouded in mist and symbolizing the highest power of Shrek Academy.

Yan Shaozhe was unaware that his initial goal was to become the owner of that pavilion and completely control the entire Shrek Academy.

Even if he does nothing, Yin Chen will never leave Shrek Academy.

As for the training and investment that the Star Luo Empire's royal family had made in him, he would naturally not forget it.

Moreover, his reward has already begun.

Moreover, it is happening quietly in a way that no one can imagine, a way that is capable of overturning the continental landscape.

After Xia Die obtained her fifth soul skill, "Simultaneous Life Change," the rewards began.

After studying it carefully for a period of time and personally testing it several times, Xia Die finally figured out the essence of this soul skill.

That's not just a simple transfer of damage.

Its true power lies in the exchange, transfer, and even... the alteration of destiny itself.

Thus, a secret plan began to be executed in Xia Die's hands.

Within the eerie headquarters of the Holy Spirit Cult, Xia Die, by virtue of her identity as the Death Saintess, easily gained access to many of the cult's high-ranking members and core members.

She selected some evil spirit masters that she personally disliked, who were usually domineering and arrogant, talented but vicious.

Then, by using the concept of "sharing the same fate," she quietly established invisible threads connecting these people to their destinies.

The other end of the thread crossed a vast distance and connected to the Star Luo Empire, to the Soul Masters who worked day and night in the research institute, devoting themselves to the development of the Empire's Soul Tools.

A silent shift in destiny has begun.

Simply put, the "destined" opportunities and "luck" that should have been smooth sailing for those evil soul masters chosen by the Butterfly were forcibly stripped away.

They will find that the bottleneck they were about to break through has become as solid as a rock, and they can no longer budge it.

They will find that when they go out to seek opportunities, they always inexplicably miss out on rare and precious treasures.

Their "luck" seemed to have been completely drained overnight.

Meanwhile, at the Soul Guidance Research Institute of the Star Luo Empire.

Those Soul Masters who were stuck on a technical problem for months might have a flash of inspiration one night, wake up and suddenly understand everything, and overcome the difficulty in one fell swoop.

(End of this chapter)