Douluo Continent Villain Simulator: Persecuting Qian Renxue at the Start

Chapter 94 Establishing Authority, Winning Over, and Forming Cliques

[You were born in the Star Luo Empire, nominally the son of the head of the Su family, the old noble Fire Leopard clan. However, most people in the empire's upper echelons know that you are actually the illegitimate child of the Star Luo Emperor, born from a one-night stand. But since you possess the White Tiger Martial Soul bloodline of the Dai family, you might have some potential for future development, so you were entrusted to the Fire Leopard Sect for upbringing.]

[As a member of the Star Luo Empire's royal bloodline, your birth may not be illegitimate, but this isn't a fatal flaw. Especially in a place like the Star Luo Empire that values ​​strength, aside from lacking the qualifications to contend for the throne, basic resources for growth are still easily obtainable. Of course, this is on the premise that you can prove you have the potential and qualifications to be nurtured when you awaken your martial soul at the age of six.]

Because of your special status and your innate affability, your family treats you well. While they don't offer you special privileges, they never make things difficult for you, treating you simply as an ordinary member of the family.

[But you know your situation isn't safe. Although you're just the illegitimate son of the Star Luo Emperor, and your identity is clandestine, if your talent is too great, you'll still be seen as a thorn in someone's side. But if your talent is too poor, you'll lose the right to grow up in the Star Luo capital. Therefore, the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony at age six is ​​the moment that will determine your fate.]

You naturally harbor resentment towards the Star Luo Empire's cold-blooded system, which only pursues strength and has no regard for kinship. You also feel deep disgust for the Star Luo Emperor. However, your birth and strength dictate that you can only temporarily submit to fate. But you secretly vow in your heart that you will make the Star Luo royal family pay the price in the future.

For your own safety, from a young age, you began researching your own Martial Soul. You discovered that even before you awakened your Martial Soul, you could roughly sense its restlessness within you—a call from your bloodline, a talent you didn't understand.

After sensing your unique connection to your Martial Soul, you began to delve deeper into its knowledge. Through your rudimentary self-awareness, you discovered your talent was considerable, potentially reaching innate Soul Power of level eight or higher. This was somewhat unexpected, considering your maternal bloodline was extremely weak, yet it hadn't significantly weakened the essence of your White Tiger Martial Soul. Therefore, you deliberately lowered your usual nutritional standards to weaken your fundamental attributes.

At the age of six, you participated in the bloodline awakening ceremony along with your nominal father, Marquis Su Bo of the Fire Leopard, and other noble children of the same age. You weren't nervous about it, because over the past few years, you had kept your martial spirit strength below level eight. However, with your current abilities, you couldn't yet clearly perceive the specific awakening level.

[After the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony, the final result did not exceed your expectations. You did not experience any bloodline mutation, and your innate soul power is only level seven. However, you are quite satisfied with this result. Although this talent is not considered good within the Dai family bloodline, it is enough to crush the vast majority of other noble bloodlines.]

As a noble scion, after awakening your martial soul, you naturally have access to a specialized junior royal academy, dedicated to teaching noble children the fundamentals of soul master knowledge. With your innate soul power level, you are fully qualified to enter it.

[Main quest begins.]

With a jolt of energy, Su Cheng sensed that he was only six years old at the time.

Beside him was a guest elder of the Su family, whose cultivation was also at the Soul King level.

The two were on their way to the Star Luo Junior Royal Academy.

"Young Master, the Royal Academy is just ahead. There are many noble children there, so please be mindful of your behavior when interacting with them. However, the Patriarch has instructed that you don't need to be overly cautious if necessary. Although our Fire Leopard Sect doesn't cause trouble, we are not afraid of it either."

The accompanying elders showed great care for the second son of the Su family patriarch.

There wasn't a particularly complicated reason.

The young master in front of me is exceptionally talented and kind, making him very comfortable to be around. Giving him a few more words of advice is no big deal.

As for the other party's hidden identity, it was none of his business, and he didn't want to get involved in such matters.

Su Cheng nodded upon hearing this and said gently, "Alright. Thank you for escorting me all the way, Elder Li. I can go in by myself. You can go back to the Marquis's mansion first."

After the other party left, Su Cheng looked at the academy gate in front of him and walked in without lingering.

There is no such thing as registration at the Royal Academy. Each spot is limited and was determined long before the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony.

Su Cheng did not go directly to the school building.

He didn't need to store anything; the elite academy was known for its comprehensive services, and everything was prepared in advance.

Arriving directly at the academy square, Su Cheng surveyed the throng of young people gathered before him.

There aren't many students in the academy yet; the square already occupies most of them, probably around twenty or so, mostly members of noble families from the Star Luo Empire.

These people had only recently awakened, and as their auras fluctuated, Su Cheng discovered that he could roughly sense the strength of their martial souls.

"Is this the talent of a 'Soul Scholar'? That's pretty impressive..."

Although this was partly due to the fact that these children were too weak and had not yet become Soul Masters, and Su Cheng could not accurately sense their innate Soul Power level, he could only get a rough idea.

However, he had not yet fully developed this talent, and reaching this point was already extremely terrifying.

After a brief observation, Su Cheng discovered that even with his talent of level seven innate soul power, he was already considered to be outstanding here. There were only a handful of people at the same level as him, and no one at level eight or above.

In this world, people with innate soul power levels above level seven are actually quite rare.

Even among the Star Luo nobles with superior bloodlines, they are still rare.

It's quite normal for this to happen when you categorize people into different age groups.

After thinking for a moment, he focused his attention on one of them and walked straight over. It was the son of a marquis whose martial soul strength was similar to his own.

The two then brushed past each other, their shoulders bumping together, and the person was nearly knocked to the ground.

"Are you blind?!" Zhang San San straightened up and shouted, glaring angrily at Su Cheng.

Hearing the noise, everyone around turned to look, glancing at the scene with amusement.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Su Cheng smiled apologetically and reached out to help him up.

But there was no apology in his eyes when he looked at the other person; instead, there was a hint of sarcasm.

However, apart from Zhang San San, no one else noticed this scene.

Seeing this, Zhang Sansan's anger surged even higher.

Even in the Star Luo Imperial Capital, where nobles abound, his background is among the best. His innate soul power is a rare level seven, making him a rising star for the family's revitalization.

Now he was being rudely harassed, and the other person even looked down on him.

How could I possibly swallow this insult?

After taking a close look at Su Cheng, Zhang San San recognized him.

"So it's Su Cheng, the second young master of the Fire Leopard Clan!" he mocked loudly, his voice so loud that all the surrounding new students could hear him clearly. "I heard you awakened the White Tiger Martial Soul. What's going on? Are you your father's biological son, or are you a hybrid?"

"Huh? It seems there is such a saying."

"I've also heard about this from my family."

"It's quite funny that a descendant of the Fire Leopard Clan has awakened the White Tiger Martial Soul."

"..."

Su Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced around out of the corner of his eye.

They discovered that, apart from a few others who had joined in the commotion and most of the new students who were just watching the spectacle, another child with similar innate soul power was also watching them thoughtfully from a distance.

At this moment, all the people present were of extraordinary origin, coming from different upper-class noble families of the Star Luo Empire, and their martial soul talents were also top-notch.

Their minds are naturally not simple.

Regardless of Su Cheng's initial actions, Zhang San San's verbal attacks, and even many of the bystanders in the arena, everyone had their own agendas at this point.

All these actions were nothing more than a struggle for future influence within the academy.

Such events were bound to happen sooner or later.

It's just that Su Cheng's initial actions ignited the fire first.

For the children of noble families, learning about Soul Masters was only a small part of the reason they came to this royal academy.

This knowledge was extremely valuable to commoners, but it was hardly a secret to nobles.

You can grow and improve just as well as you do at home.

But why do all the nobles still choose to send their children to academies?

Besides the more systematic teaching at the academy, where students can compete and learn from each other, another major purpose is to expand one's network and become a bridge connecting families.

However, in any such intersection involving exploitation, there must always be a hierarchy between the parties involved.

For Soul Masters, the simplest, most direct, and most effective way is undoubtedly to compare the size of their fists.

Whether it's Zhang San San in front of them or the few others around who are stirring things up, the reason they say these things may be because of the instructions of their family members, or it may be out of their own hearts, or it may even be to curry favor with the eldest prince.

However, Su Cheng didn't care about any of this, because it suited his wishes perfectly.

A figure flashed—

"Snapped!"

Before Zhang San could even see Su Cheng's movements clearly, he was slapped across the face for no reason.

When the strength is similar, Su Cheng, who possesses the skill of resuming qi after severing meridians, will always have speed as his greatest advantage.

"you!"

"Snapped!"

Su Cheng smiled and slapped him again, saying, "What do you mean, 'what the hell'? Didn't your family teach you to speak properly?"

Subsequently, the other freshmen who had just joined in the commotion received the same treatment.

It emphasizes treating everyone equally.

"..."

His series of movements were swift as lightning, leaving no one with the slightest chance to retaliate.

After a few slaps, the entire room fell silent, and several people looked solemn.

Su Cheng glanced around.

He put on a polite smile and bowed slightly to the others.

"I apologize for making this a laughingstock among my classmates. As you can see, they were the ones who started the insults. I'm not good with words, so I had no choice but to fight back. I don't mind if they insult me, but I cannot accept insults directed at my family. I believe that none of you would choose to remain silent in this situation."

He spoke with utmost sincerity, his eyes as gentle as water, a stark contrast to his earlier violent outburst.

The children who were being looked at by him instantly and unconsciously agreed with his point of view and were touched by his words.

They had no idea that Su Cheng was subtly provoking them with his eyes.

He just felt that if his own family were insulted, he would definitely do the same thing as him, even if it meant fighting to the death to seek justice.

The nobles of the Star Luo Empire never lack a sense of family honor or the courage to fight against others.

The second young master of the Su family in front of us, although quick to act, was polite and spoke gently.

After accidentally bumping into the other person at first, I apologized politely.

Even when he retaliated, he only made minor moves, clearly not the kind of person who was domineering and tyrannical.

Given his formidable strength, there was no need to provoke a conflict with him, and they all nodded in agreement.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Sansan felt a surge of anger.

But Su Cheng's bizarre speed and overwhelming strength when he started made him realize that he was no match for him.

Helpless, he snorted angrily and left the place.

Su Cheng chuckled inwardly upon seeing this.

Sure enough, this natural affinity is extremely effective, making it easy to gain the favor and trust of others.

Especially when executed well, it is easier to gain the upper hand on the field.

Of course, this is on the premise that there is no serious conflict of interest between them.

So-called affinity is ultimately just a first impression, which is a win at the starting line.

But he's not a male succubus, so it's impossible for him to make someone devoted to him just because of his charisma. Everything depends on how they handle things in the future.

After the recent incident, many new students began to feel closer to him.

Su Cheng welcomed everyone without hesitation, chatting and introducing himself to them with a smile.

Not everyone knows the specifics of his situation.

After learning that his innate soul power was as high as level seven and that his martial soul was the White Tiger, his attitude changed drastically.

He easily became friends with these children.

Undoubtedly, Su Cheng's talent and initial talent of maxed-out affinity played a significant role in this process.

A few observant people even drew a connection to the Dai family's White Tiger Martial Soul.

However, this thought only lingered in his mind, and no one would dare to discuss it openly.

Besides, even if Su Chengzhen is hiding royal blood, it's not a big problem.

This identity is indeed inconvenient to reveal to outsiders, but the bloody tradition that the Dai family has continued for countless years is enough to prove that this family only values ​​the strength of the heir, not his status.

Within just over a week of the start of the semester, Su Cheng had become incredibly popular, with the vast majority of freshmen following his lead. Even many of the returning students had a good relationship with him.

Even the teachers in the academy regarded him as a representative figure among the students.

After all, in terms of strength, talent, public background, and hidden bloodline, he is in a class of his own.

Not to mention that Su Cheng's daily words and actions easily gain the trust and closeness of others.

With the teachers protecting him, his actions will be much easier in the future.

The teachers at the Royal Academy are not stupid. The Soul Masters who can enter this place are not ordinary people, and they wield great power. Otherwise, how could they manage a group of noble children?

To reiterate, the Star Luo Empire's top brass values ​​strength above all else; status is secondary.

This is completely different from the Heavenly Dou Empire.

In the Heaven Dou Empire, even the emperors themselves only had cultivation levels of forty or fifty, and their martial souls were not powerful swan martial souls. The aristocratic system was also bloated and inefficient.

If it weren't for the Spirit Hall coordinating and balancing between the two great empires, and the seven major spirit master sects checking and balancing each other, the situation on the continent would probably have been dominated by the Star Luo Empire long ago.

Su Cheng did all this not to play house with these kids.

It's because it won't be long before Zhu Zhuqing, who is the same age as him, is also about to enroll here.

He needs to prepare in advance.

(End of this chapter)