Douluo Continent: Thunder Roar

Ma Xiaotao was pale, her eyes were closed, and she had completely lost consciousness. However, the pain and agitation that had accumulated between her brows had dissipated, and although her breathing was weak, it was steady and long.

Zhang Lexuan checked her pulse, breathed a sigh of relief, and gently laid her down beside the prayer mat.

After doing all this, Zhang Lexuan straightened up and turned to Ling Yu.

She looked at the sweat on Ling Yu's forehead and his slightly heaving chest, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Ling Yu was slowly adjusting his breathing, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his breath was slightly shallow.

Zhang Lexuan walked to his side and said gently, "Xiaoyu, thank you for your hard work. We owe you so much this time."

Ling Yu shook his head: "It's good if I can be of help."

Zhang Lexuan's gaze shifted to the door of the quiet room, as if she could see the crowd waiting outside. Her tone turned serious, and she lowered her voice: "Those people outside, Chen Zifeng, Dai Yueheng, they've witnessed your abilities today. Do you think... among them, is there anyone we can use?"

She was asking about the "Akatsuki" organization's recruitment of members.

After pondering for a moment, Ling Yu shook his head slightly: "His strength and talent are both top-notch. But what 'Akatsuki' needs is not just strong individuals."

He looked at Zhang Lexuan with a sincere gaze: "Shared ideals, unwavering character, the courage to question and change in the face of injustice... these cannot be seen in a single act of kindness or a tea party. Time will tell, Sister Lexuan, this matter cannot be rushed."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lexuan's eyes revealed admiration. She suddenly chuckled, her smile carrying a hint of liveliness and mischief different from her usual gentle demeanor. She took a light step forward, closing the distance between herself and Ling Yu.

Then, she did something that caught Ling Yu off guard—she leaned slightly forward and brought her head close to Ling Yu's face.

Zhang Lexuan was already taller than Ling Yu, and when she bent down, their faces were instantly very close.

Her long, graceful neck was fully exposed, and the neckline of her well-tailored outfit naturally opened up with an alluring slit due to her bent-over posture.

A breathtakingly white ravine suddenly appeared in Ling Yu's lowered gaze without warning.

Her curves were full and firm, and her skin was as delicate as the finest mutton fat jade. In the dim light of the quiet room, she radiated a hazy and alluring luster.

A faint, unique fragrance belonging to Zhang Lexuan, mixed with a very slight hint of sweat, drifted into Ling Yu's nose as she approached.

Those eyes, always gentle and smiling, were now fixed on Ling Yu at close range, filled with a playful amusement. Her red lips parted slightly, and her breath was sweet as orchids.

"So..." Her voice was very low, with a hint of affectionate teasing, and the last syllable rose slightly, "Does that mean I've passed your 'test,' little brother Xiaoyu?"

This sudden close contact, the breathtaking scenery so close at hand, the warm breath, and the obvious teasing in her words, made Ling Yu's breath catch in his throat.

He was completely taken aback by Zhang Lexuan's move. His gaze was instantly drawn to her fair skin, and his mind went blank for a moment. Then, his ears quickly blushed.

He almost instinctively leaned back, trying to create that unsettling distance, but his back was already pressed against the cool wall.

"Sister Lexuan..." His voice was a little tight, with a hint of embarrassment, "You... are naturally different."

Seeing his forced composure yet barely concealed panic, Zhang Lexuan's smile deepened, a hint of pleasure flashing in her eyes as if she had successfully pulled off a prank.

Satisfied, he straightened up and distanced himself.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore." She covered her mouth and chuckled, regaining her usual dignified and gentle demeanor, though a lingering smile remained in the corners of her eyes and brows.

She smoothed a stray strand of hair from her temple, her tone turning concerned: "Classes officially start tomorrow. You're in Class 1, and your homeroom teacher is Zhou Yi. Her teaching style... I'm sure Nannan has already mentioned it to you. If needed, I can go and say hello to her."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

As the senior disciple of the inner courtyard and the successor of the Sea God Pavilion, Zhou Yi would surely give Ling Yu some face, and at least wouldn't dare to expel him recklessly.

Ling Yu had calmed down by now, but upon hearing this, he slowly shook his head.

His gaze was calm as he looked at Zhang Lexuan: "I appreciate Lexuan's kindness. But I want to deal with Teacher Zhou Yi myself."

"Oh?" Zhang Lexuan raised her eyebrows slightly, waiting for him to continue.

"Teacher Zhou Yi's strictness, and even her almost cruel elimination rules, are seen as problems, as 'abnormal' by many people." Ling Yu's voice was not loud, but every word was clear. "But in my opinion, she is precisely the epitome of a certain deep-rooted concept in Shrek Academy, and even the entire Soul Master world—a results-oriented approach, survival of the fittest, ignoring the process and individual differences, and treating Soul Masters purely as tools for pursuing power and victory."

He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls of the quiet room, seeing into the distance: "If I can bypass the rules she set and enjoy privileges simply because I have the ability, or because I have a relationship like yours, Sister Lexuan, then what is the essential difference between me and those who rely on power and status to trample on the rules and create injustice?"

Zhang Lexuan listened quietly, her eyes focused.

"We, the 'Akatsuki,' came to Shrek not to become a new privileged class, nor to use greater power to forcibly distort the existing rules." Ling Yu's tone gradually took on a solemn and powerful quality. "The rules themselves are not difficult to change; what is difficult is changing the underlying principles that have been in operation for thousands of years and have long been taken for granted and even regarded as gospel by people."

He looked at Zhang Lexuan, his eyes gleaming with an almost obstinate light: "If it's merely about changing the rules, with my abilities, I might be able to accumulate power, cultivate influence, and even... contend for supremacy on the continent in the future. Then, as an emperor, I could command the world and revise the laws—wouldn't that be faster and more direct? But would that truly bring about the change we desire?"

Zhang Lexuan was shocked.

She had never thought about it so deeply from this perspective before.

Using force to oppress others and change dynasties is not uncommon in history, but then what?

"No." Ling Yu gave his own answer, his tone firm. "It's just a different group of people implementing the old logic. A castle in the air, it'll collapse with a single push."

His gaze became clear and firm again: "What 'Xiao' needs to do is something more difficult, but also more fundamental—to ignite sparks and illuminate people's hearts."

Ling Yu is not pursuing absolute fairness but relative fairness, and he seeks other beautiful things that can exist besides fairness.

"Zhou Yi is the first 'stage' we've chosen." Ling Yu's voice was steady and powerful. "Within the rules she sets, in a way she can't ignore, I want to show her, and everyone who agrees with her ideals, that different paths can also lead to strength, and even... perhaps to a broader future. This is the meaning of 'Xiao' coming to Shrek Academy, and it's the path I want to take."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment.

Looking at the young man before her, whose figure was still somewhat slender but whose spine was ramrod straight and whose eyes burned with a flame completely different from any other young soul master she knew, Zhang Lexuan felt an indescribable surge of emotions.

She suddenly realized that her previous thoughts were indeed somewhat "simplistic".

Ling Yu's vision extends further than hers, and his thoughts run deeper.

She took a deep breath, and a bright and trusting smile bloomed on her face, a smile that seemed to dispel all the gloom in the quiet room.

"I understand," she said softly, her voice filled with unprecedented firmness and support. "Xiaoyu, just do what you want. Your sister... will always be here, watching over you and staying with you."

Ling Yu smiled and said, "Thank you, Sister Le Xuan."

Beside her, unconscious Ma Xiaotao, in her deep exhaustion, seemed to vaguely grasp some ethereal words—"dawn," "ideas," "stage," "different paths."

……

These words stirred a ripple in her hazy consciousness.

Ling Yu carefully put away the animal skin scroll that sealed the evil fire.

Zhang Lexuan confirmed once again that Ma Xiaotao's condition was stable, but she just needed time to recover.

The two said no more and walked together toward the door of the quiet room.