Douluo Continent: Thunder Roar

"Ling Yu." Ling Yu spoke calmly, raising his eyes to meet Xu Sanshi's gaze, his expression composed.

Xu Sanshi stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly seemed to remember something, clapped his hands, and said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "Oh? You're that Ling Yu? I heard that a sixth-ring Soul Emperor was actually beaten down by a freshman like you?"

Hearing this, the people in line nearby all looked over curiously, their eyes filled with surprise and curiosity, and whispers began to circulate among them.

Ling Yu's expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "It was just a friendly spar, not a beating. Teacher Zhou Yi was also showing mercy."

Xu Sanshi raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting this freshman to be so composed. He then turned to look at Bei Bei beside him, his teasing tone becoming even more pronounced: "Bei Bei, look at you now. It seems you're not going to be able to keep your title as the top offensive department in the outer academy."

Upon hearing this, Bei Bei smiled and said, "There are many strong people in the outer courtyard, so there is no absolute number one. Ling Yu is so young to have such strength, which is indeed impressive. Even if he is stronger than me, he deserves the title."

Xu Sanshi laughed heartily and patted Bei Bei on the shoulder: "You're so magnanimous. As for me, I'm a defensive type, which has nothing to do with your offensive type. Who's stronger or weaker between you two in the future has nothing to do with me." He paused, his smile deepening, "Anyway, my title as the number one defensive type in the outer academy is secure, and no one can take it from me."

Tang Ya rolled her eyes and said bluntly, "Xu Sanshi, you're so shameless. Only you think that way."

Xu Sanshi raised an eyebrow confidently: "I'm stating the facts. If you don't believe me, ask Bei Bei. In the outer academy's defense department, who can compare to me?"

Bei Bei chuckled helplessly, following up on his words, "You are indeed amazing. In the outer academy's defensive department, if you claim to be second, no one dares to claim to be first." As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Ling Yu's face for a moment, his tone sincere, "But to be honest, Ling Yu's strength is indeed very strong. I heard about what happened with Teacher Zhou that day. Being able to defeat a six-ring Soul Emperor who is above his level is no accident."

Xu Sanshi chimed in from the side, his tone playful: "Looks like I'll be known as one of the Twin Stars of the Outer Courtyard from now on? Bei Bei, you'll be the second strongest offensive Soul Master in the Outer Courtyard from now on. I'll call you Bei Lao Er from now on."

Ling Yu glanced at him indifferently, "Senior is joking. I've just entered the university and there's still a lot to learn. I can't be compared to anyone."

Xu Sanshi didn't mind at all. Instead, he found this freshman interesting and said to himself, "You can't say that. If you have the strength, don't be afraid to admit it. Another day, when we have the chance, let's have a match. I won't bully you, just a pure spar to see just how powerful you are, a freshman who can defeat a Soul Emperor."

Tang Ya snorted from the side and spoke up for Ling Yu: "You're already in fifth grade, and he's only in first grade. You call this not bullying? It's clearly bullying the younger one."

Xu Sanshi waved his hand dismissively, "Do you think I'd really wait until his soul power level is higher than mine before we spar? I'm not asking for a beating."

Beibei chuckled and gently shook her head: "Xu Sanshi, that sounds nice, but if we were to actually spar, you'd probably take it all very seriously."

Xu Sanshi glanced at him, about to retort, when he suddenly remembered something. He turned and pointed to Huo Yuhao, who was tidying up the grill, and said casually, "By the way, Beibei, your junior brother's fish is pretty good. It's a pity we didn't get to eat it today."

Upon hearing his name called, Huo Yuhao quickly looked up and glanced at Xu Sanshi: "If you want to eat it, senior, I'll save one for you in advance tomorrow."

Xu Sanshi's eyes lit up. He took out a gold soul coin from his pocket, placed it on the table next to him, and nodded: "Alright, that's a good deal. Kid, remember this, save me one for tomorrow."

Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment, then quickly picked up the gold soul coin, carefully put it away, and nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, senior, I will definitely save it for you and roast it perfectly."

These pre-booked customers are a good thing for him, so he naturally wouldn't refuse them.

Xu Sanshi withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, then glanced at Jiang Nannan again, saying casually, "Jiang Nannan, see you another day. Let's have lunch together in the cafeteria sometime."

Jiang Nannan turned her face away, ignoring him, and silently hid behind Ling Yu, afraid that he would misunderstand.

Xu Sanshi didn't mind. He waved his hand, and the figure in the black school uniform swayed slowly before disappearing into the crowd.

Tang Ya watched the figure disappear, then pouted and said with a hint of sarcasm, "That guy is really something, he acts like a scoundrel wherever he goes, and he's so arrogant."

Beibei smiled and said helplessly, "That's just how he is. He's stubborn but soft-hearted. He doesn't have bad intentions, but he likes to play a little trick and put on airs."

Jiang Nannan stood beside Ling Yu, breathed a sigh of relief, and whispered to Ling Yu, "That's just how Xu Sanshi is. He likes to tease people, but thankfully he doesn't mean any harm."

Ling Yu nodded slightly: "I can tell that you're straightforward and not very shrewd."

Huo Yuhao had almost finished tidying up the grill when he looked up and saw Ling Yu still standing there. He quickly went over and said sincerely, "Ling Yu, Senior Jiang, I'm really sorry about today. All the fish are sold out. I'll definitely save two for you tomorrow and grill them nicely to make up for it."

Ling Yu shook his head, his gaze falling on the unused grill next to him, and said in a calm tone, "No need to trouble yourself, just lend me your grill for a bit."

Huo Yuhao was taken aback for a moment, then subconsciously asked, "Now?"

He hadn't finished his work yet, and he didn't expect Ling Yu to suddenly ask to borrow the grill.

"Hmm," Ling Yu responded without offering any further explanation.

Although Huo Yuhao was a little confused, he nodded and quickly moved the grill closer to him.

He wanted to remind Ling Yu that the charcoal fire was still usable, but he saw that Ling Yu had already squatted down and, instead of touching the remaining charcoal, picked up a few pieces of new firewood from the side and rebuilt a small fire.

His movements were slow but exceptionally steady; he arranged each piece of firewood neatly, as if he had done it countless times with practiced ease.

Jiang Nannan stood to the side watching, a hint of curiosity in her eyes, and asked softly, "What do you want to grill?"

Ling Yu didn't answer immediately, but instead took out a small cloth bag from his storage soul tool and gently opened it.

Inside were several pieces of meat cut into even sizes. The meat was tender, with clear texture, and it had a faint, glistening sheen in the night. It was clearly not ordinary meat.

Tang Ya curiously leaned closer for a look, her eyes lighting up: "What kind of meat is this? It looks delicious; I've never seen it before."

"A century-old spotted deer," Ling Yu replied casually, skillfully skewering the meat with swift and decisive movements.

He encountered this by chance when he passed through the Star Dou Great Forest while hunting for spirit rings on his way to Shrek Academy, and he heard that the meat was of good quality.

Huo Yuhao watched from the side, his eyes flickering slightly, a sense of understanding creeping into his heart.

He had heard of the spotted deer; it was an extremely fast agility-type soul beast with tender meat, but it was extremely difficult to hunt. A hundred-year-old spotted deer could only be caught by an agility-type soul master of at least the third ring.

Ling Yu had already placed the meat skewers on the fire and was slowly turning them over.

His movements were slow, but his rhythm was extremely steady, and each side was baked to perfection without the slightest deviation.

The firelight reflected on his face, making his dark eyes appear exceptionally focused, and even softening the cold aura around him.

Jiang Nannan hugged his knees and watched quietly. The firelight cast flickering shadows on his profile, adding a touch of warmth and humanity to his appearance.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her gaze swept across Ling Yu's eyes, noticing a crimson hue in them, with three black tomoe gently turning.

It was the Sharingan; he actually used his martial soul to grill the meat properly.

Jiang Nannan remained calm, but a warm feeling welled up inside her.

She had seen Ling Yu activate his Sharingan when he was treating her mother's illness, and seeing him use this powerful ability to do trivial things now warmed her heart even more.

Tang Ya also noticed the unusual thing, tugged at Bei Bei's sleeve, and asked curiously, "Is his martial soul also an eye-type? It's quite different from Yu Hao's Spirit Eye."

Beibei shook her head slightly, signaling her to keep quiet.

Ling Yu paid no attention to their gazes, focusing solely on grilling the skewers, his Sharingan precisely capturing the changes in heat.

Jiang Nannan watched quietly, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips.

Tang Ya couldn't contain herself and asked in a low voice, "Ling Yu, your Sharingan is so useful for grilling meat! It's even more accurate than Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye?"

Ling Yu hummed in agreement, offering no further explanation.

Soon, the meat was grilled to a golden brown, glistening with oil, and its aroma was even richer than that of grilled fish.

Ling Yu picked up the most uniform string of pearls, blew on it, and handed it to Jiang Nannan. The scarlet and cherubic marks in his eyes faded away, returning to their original inky black.

Jiang Nannan looked up: "For me?"

Ling Yu's tone was calm, yet contained a hint of gentleness: "Didn't you want to eat it?"

Jiang Nannan reached out and took it, her fingertips touching his, feeling a warmth.

She looked at the meat skewers in her hand, her smile widening—she had only made a casual remark, but he had taken it to heart.

She took a bite; the meat was tender and juicy, its fresh aroma carrying a warm sensation that soothed her soul. She lowered her head, eating it in small bites, savoring every bite.

Tang Ya looked on with envy and muttered, "Ling Yu, you're being too biased. Can't you grill a couple of skewers for us too?"

Ling Yu glanced at her, picked up the remaining meat skewers and put them on the fire. This time, he didn't use his Sharingan, but just relied on his experience to flip them.

Tang Ya leaned closer: "Why aren't you using your Sharingan anymore? That grilling of Nan Nan's skewers was so precise."

Ling Yu ignored her and continued slowly flipping through the skewers.

Jiang Nannan glanced at him, her smile deepening.

Jiang Nannan ate very slowly, thinking about how she had run all over the streets and alleys to help him find a shop over the past three days, and how she had always taken the initiative to find reasons to accompany him. Only now did she realize that he had seen it all and remembered it in his heart.

Soon, the other skewers were grilled. Ling Yu shared them with Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and Huo Yuhao, keeping one for himself to eat slowly.

Jiang Nannan finished eating, but still clutched the empty twig in her hand, unwilling to throw it away.

Tang Ya leaned closer and smiled, "Isn't it delicious? I knew Ling Yu's grilling would be different."

Jiang Nannan nodded, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy: "Delicious, especially fragrant."

Tang Ya glanced at her, then at Ling Yu, her eyes full of understanding.

A gentle night breeze blew by, carrying the lingering aroma of grilled meat. The charcoal fire gradually died down, leaving only a few embers.

After finishing his meal, Ling Yu tossed the branch into the charcoal fire, stood up, and said calmly, "I'm leaving."

Jiang Nannan immediately stood up, clutching the empty branch. After taking a few steps, Tang Ya called out from behind, "Nannan, you should throw the branch away!"

Jiang Nannan blushed, quickly threw the branch into the trash can, and hurried to catch up with Ling Yu, still walking half a step behind him. Her purple skirt swayed in the wind, and her hair carried a faint fragrance.

She stole a glance at Ling Yu; his profile remained calm, but Jiang Nannan knew that everything was different now.

She looked down at her hands, her fingertips still seeming to retain his warmth, and couldn't help but smile softly, her eyes crinkling.

She said nothing, her hands behind her back, her steps lighter than when she came, closely following his, hiding her joy in the night breeze.