Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

Zhu Zhuqing paused slightly, then resumed her normal pace. She lowered her eyelids, intending to silently walk past Zhu Zhuyun, just as she had done countless times before.

There was no need for communication or eye contact; they had long since run out of things to say to each other, leaving only a cold, competitive relationship.

But deep down, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but sigh softly, a feeling of indescribable weariness and bitterness welling up inside her.

Once, when she was not yet six years old, her martial spirit had not yet awakened, and those heavy fates had not yet weighed on her, their relationship was not like this.

In my memory, there seem to be some vague fragments of chasing butterflies together in the garden and secretly sharing a dessert.

At that time, Zhu Zhuyun was still a kind-hearted older sister.

However, everything changed completely on the day he awakened his martial spirit at the age of six.

She, Zhu Zhuqing, is a Netherworld Cat who has awakened a level seven soul power; she possesses exceptional talent.

This should have been a cause for celebration, but it turned into a death knell for their sisterhood.

She was officially chosen by her family and betrothed to Dai Mubai, the third prince of the Star Luo Empire. Her older sister, Zhu Zhuyun, had already been betrothed to the older and more advantageous eldest prince, Davis.

From that moment on, they were no longer sisters, but destined enemies.

Under the iron-blooded inheritance rules of the Star Luo Empire, they are two pieces that must fight each other until one is completely crushed.

This is the fate of the women of the Zhu family in Xingluo. Because their Netherworld Cat Martial Soul can unleash the powerful Martial Soul Fusion Technique, Netherworld White Tiger, with the Evil Eye White Tiger of the Xingluo royal family, their women, generation after generation, must marry princes of the Xingluo royal family, becoming their most direct weapons and vassals in their power struggles.

The competition among the princes of Xingluo is far more bloody and brutal than that in other countries.

There is no warmth, no way out.

Among the princes, there was only constant competition, suppression, and even killing.

Until only the last and sole victor remains, who will be crowned emperor.

For the losers, death often means certain death. Their partners, too, rarely fare well.

Davis is several years older than Dai Mubai, and his soul power level and influence management are already far ahead of Dai Mubai.

Zhu Zhuyun was also older than her, and had started cultivating earlier, thus coming into contact with these cruel rules earlier as well.

To everyone else, the combination of Davis and Zhu Zhuyun had an almost overwhelming advantage.

Zhu Zhuqing was well aware of how bleak her future was.

Dai Mubai? The man who is nominally her fiancé?

Thinking of him, a deeper chill and disgust flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's obsidian-like eyes.

She had met him a few times; the prince, a few years older than her, who, despite bearing the same heavy fate as her, seemed to have chosen a completely different path.

His eyes were frivolous, his behavior unrestrained, and he was always surrounded by beautiful women, indulging in wine and women, showing absolutely no sign of struggling to survive.

He seemed to have already resigned himself to his fate, or rather, he was resisting this suffocating destiny in a self-destructive way.

He never took her, his fiancée, seriously. Perhaps in his eyes, she was just a part of this damned fate, a symbol that would be destroyed along with him sooner or later.

Since that's the case, Zhu Zhuqing didn't want to take him seriously.

She didn't want to die; she wanted to live!

A strong will to survive is the greatest motivation that sustains her in her daily rigorous training.

But she saw no hope. Dai Mubai couldn't give her any hope, and her family wouldn't offer her a second option.

She was like a butterfly trapped in a transparent glass dome, able to see the sky outside, but each time she flapped her wings, she would crash and bleed, unable to find any way out.

Until... she noticed that person at the Star Luo Royal Junior Soul Master Academy.

Levin.

That boy with dazzling blond hair, dark gold eyes, and an air of innate nobility and composure.

He possesses innate full soul power and the top-tier martial soul, the Golden Frog, a talent that is rare to find even once in a century.

He trained harder than anyone else, with sharp and determined eyes and a clear goal.

He is a true genius, destined to grow into a powerful figure.

Both the Xingluo royal family and the Zhu family will inevitably try their best to win him over in the future.

A wildly imaginative, even audacious, idea quietly crept into young Zhu Zhuqing's mind, like a faint firefly caught in endless darkness.

What if... what if she could be with him?

If she can win Levin's favor and get him to choose her.

So, will the Zhu family and the royal family make an exception and let Levin go because of this unprecedented genius?

Could this lead to the annulment of her desperate engagement with Dai Mubai, sparing her from embarking on that doomed path of competition?

This idea is so absurd and impractical that it challenges the ironclad rules of the Star Luo Empire that have stood for centuries.

Every time she thinks about it, Zhu Zhuqing feels her heart race and a sense of unease.

She knew it would be difficult, almost impossible. Levin didn't seem to have anything special about her; at most, he had a slight appreciation for her talent and hard work, and they occasionally exchanged pleasantries.

Chapter 79 Routine Approaches

But this was the only possible way for Zhu Zhuqing, who was mired in despair, to break free from the shackles of fate.

Therefore, she could only try cautiously, little by little.

She will work even harder to cultivate herself, ensuring that she remains one of the most dazzling rising stars in the academy, making it impossible for him to ignore her presence.

In practical lessons, she would choose to cooperate with him or act as his opponent, showcasing her strength and resilience.

After the theory classes, she would bring up questions she didn't understand and ask him, thus creating brief but natural opportunities for communication.

All of this was done with extreme subtlety and care. Rather than seduction, it was more like a desperate young girl clumsily trying to fight for a glimmer of hope.

This was the bravest yet most powerless act of resistance she could muster at such a young age, against the cold and cruel walls of fate.

Zhu Zhuyun's cold gaze lingered on Zhu Zhuqing for a few seconds, as if she were examining an object and assessing the state of her competitor.

In the end, she said nothing, only letting out a barely audible snort from her nose, as if she disdained to waste any words, and turned to leave with haughty strides.

A purple hem flashed by in the corner of the corridor, taking away the suffocating oppression.

Zhu Zhuqing's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. She raised her head, looked at the narrow, square-shaped night sky outside the corridor, and took a deep breath of the cool night air.

Live on. You must live on.

She clenched her small fists, her nails almost digging into her palms, then strode resolutely towards her room.

……

The Star Luo Royal Junior Soul Master Academy is not only an academy, but also a preview of the future power structure of the Star Luo Empire.

Here, talent, ability, background, and connections are all bargaining chips with clearly marked prices.

Of all the bargaining chips, the one with innate full soul power is undoubtedly the most dazzling and coveted.

Levin and Pinocchio, these two geniuses who appeared out of nowhere, naturally became the focus of attention for various forces within the academy, especially the noble children.

Winning them over, testing them, befriending them... all sorts of scenarios played out around them almost every day.

In the rest area beside the training field, several well-dressed and distinguished teenagers were surrounding Pinocchio, their faces bearing formulaic enthusiastic smiles.

"Brother Nuocao, you are truly a force to be reckoned with! I heard that you used that peculiar soul skill to outwit your opponent again during yesterday's combat lesson?"

A count's son patted Pinocchio on the shoulder with a smile, speaking affectionately.

Pinocchio, meanwhile, was in high spirits, his face beaming with joy.

He was born to love excitement and crave attention. When someone took the initiative to talk to him or showed him kindness, he felt like he was floating on air.

"Of course!" Pinocchio's nose twitched slightly with excitement.

"Let me tell you, that big guy charged at me, hey, he was pretty fast! But I just casually said his shoelaces were untied, and he actually looked down! Haha, isn't that hilarious? Then I gave him a gentle push, and he jumped off the stage by himself! Actually, he was wearing Soul Guidance Boots, so they didn't have shoelaces! Hahaha!"

Pinocchio gesticulated wildly, spoke at an extremely fast pace, and vividly recreated the scene, leaving no detail overlooked. He even added a large number of exaggerated onomatopoeic words and his own opinions.

The smiles on the faces of the noblemen around him remained, but a hint of impatience and embarrassment had already flashed in their eyes.

They come to recruit geniuses hoping they will become their future asset or asset, not to listen to a chatterbox endlessly recounting battle details, especially in such an irrelevant way.

Another viscount's son coughed, trying to steer the conversation back on track: "Well, it was indeed wonderful. Brother Pinocchio is exceptionally talented and will surely achieve great things in the future. I wonder if you are free this weekend? I'm hosting a banquet at the Starry Night Restaurant in the city, and there will be a few others there..."

"Eat? Sure, sure!" Pinocchio's eyes lit up, and he immediately interrupted the other person.

"That restaurant's braised pork knuckle is absolutely amazing! And their mixed fruit wine, I heard it's sweet and delicious! By the way, do you guys know that fat chef in their kitchen? Last time I peeked into the kitchen... oh no, I mean, I went to observe, and I saw him secretly wiping away tears while cooking. Apparently, he had a fight with his wife because he said her new necklace looked like a worm. Hahaha, isn't that hilarious..."

The smiles of the noblemen around Pinocchio froze completely. They had no interest in the cook's mundane chatter and could not tolerate such aimless and endless small talk.

The group exchanged glances, all seeing the same thought in each other's eyes: This guy is talented, but his personality is just too unbearable.

After a few more perfunctory replies, the group quickly made excuses and left.

Pinocchio watched their hurried departure, scratched his head, and looked confused. But he was quickly drawn to the new training equipment and skipped away, humming an off-key tune.

For him, having someone to talk to is a source of happiness, and he doesn't delve into why the other person leaves, his simple mind doesn't dwell on it.

In stark contrast to the lively scene at Pinocchio's place, Levin was at the other end of the training field.

He had just finished a set of high-intensity weighted swing training, drenched in sweat, his short, golden hair plastered wetly to his forehead, but his dark golden pupils remained clear and calm, showing no signs of fatigue.

Soon, several other people approached him. The leader was also a nobleman of considerable status, and his attitude was even more solemn than when he treated Pinocchio's group.

Because they could sense that this blond Levin was much harder to win over than the overly lively Pinocchio.

"Brother Levin, you are truly hardworking," the visitor said with a smile. "With your talent, your efforts are truly ashamed of us."

Levin put down the kettle, wiped his sweat with a towel, looked calmly at the newcomer, and nodded slightly: "Cultivation is simply my duty."

His attitude was neither servile nor overbearing, neither impolite nor overly enthusiastic.

“Brother Levin is too modest,” another person interjected. “Geniuses like you and Pinocchio are the future pillars of our Star Luo Empire. His Highness the Crown Prince has also mentioned that he greatly admires you two. His Highness is eager to find talented individuals and values ​​young talents most highly. If you two are interested, perhaps…”

He didn't finish his sentence, but his intention to recruit them was already obvious.

Levin's expression remained unchanged. He was unmoved by these attempts to win him over, and even found them somewhat boring.

He certainly knew his and Pinocchio's value; with innate full soul power, they were destined to be the center of attention wherever they went.

Chapter 80 Deep Sea Demon Whale Blue Buddha