CHAPTER 302: CHAPTER 302: THE GOD OF SPEED WANTS TO SHOW OFF

Seagod Tower

The God of Speed, through the divine pillars of the gods, pulled all favored inheritors into a shared spiritual space.

He stood with his back to the arriving figures.

Poison Douluo, Tang Xiao, Sword Douluo, Qian Daoliu, and so on—one powerful individual after another materialized.

Seeing the God of Speed, they all showed expressions of awe and reverence.

Whether secondary gods or tertiary gods, to them, every god was exalted and untouchable.

One after another, the strong bowed respectfully.

Almost every Titled Douluo on the Douluo Continent had entered.

Except Yu Yuanzhen...

Due to his bizarre actions, not a single god was willing to acknowledge or summon him.

"Greetings, Great Deity..."

The God of Speed raised one hand and said lightly, "Spare the formalities."

Everyone looked at him curiously.

"You’ve all made such little progress—the gods are greatly disappointed! At the rate you’re going, when will you even complete your god trials? Are you going to let those soul beasts surpass you?" the God of Speed reprimanded them.

Everyone immediately looked ashamed.

They were speechless.

After a moment of silence, the God of Speed snorted coldly, "Now, I’m giving you all a chance. Do something for me, and I’ll help one of you pass a god trial."

"!!!"

Excitement flashed in their eyes.

Getting help from a god? That would be like fish in water!

Ning Fengzhi stepped forward and respectfully said, "To assist the deity is our honor. May I ask how we may serve you?"

The others also voiced their willingness to help.

Of course—establishing good ties with a god was beneficial even without direct rewards!

The God of Speed continued, "It’s very simple. I want you to use your worldly influence to assist a young girl. Let her know—these are gifts from me."

He was trying to max out Zhu Zhuqing’s favorability!

With so many of the top powerhouses of the Douluo Continent going to deliver gifts and resources on his behalf, how could Zhu Zhuqing not be deeply moved and rush to accept his god trial?

Then he’d help her ascend to godhood within a few years and take her as his successor!

Perfect plan!!

Everyone looked stunned.

A god taking the initiative to give a young girl benefits?

Was this another lucky one like Liu Erlong?

"Who might this person be?" Ning Fengzhi asked.

"Her name is Zhu Zhuqing," the God of Speed replied calmly.

As soon as the name was spoken, many of their expressions changed.

They were all aware of Zhu Zhuqing’s relationship with Dan Heng.

But since the God of Speed was facing away from them, he didn’t notice their reactions.

"Make sure your gifts are not shabby. I want her to feel honored—do you understand?" he said sternly.

"We understand..."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Ning Fengzhi, however, seemed thoughtful.

In his heart, Dan Heng’s status far surpassed any god.

The Next Day

The Soul Master Tournament continued to heat up.

But since it was still early rounds, the matches weren’t very exciting.

Dan Heng didn’t bother watching. He returned to the library and left Zi Ji to take little Long Long to enjoy the show.

Gu Yuena’s parenting philosophy was to start immersion education early.

Let Long Long watch battles between soul masters—even if it involved blood. No problem.

With his and Gu Yuena’s bloodline, their son should never be ordinary.

Dan Heng silently worried for his son’s future, but didn’t stop his wife’s approach.

Maybe Long Long would end up enjoying it?

He hadn’t been at the library long before a figure arrived.

It was Shui Yue’er, panting and with a light sweat on her forehead.

"Mr. Dan Heng..."

She leaned on the service counter, giggling and greeting him.

Dan Heng looked at her curiously. "It’s over already?"

Shui Yue’er nodded vigorously. "Yes, today’s opponent was much weaker. We eliminated them quickly, so I came here right after."

"Congratulations," Dan Heng nodded slightly.

Shui Yue’er smiled brightly, "Because I wanted to see you sooner..."

She paused and added, "...to ask a question. Mr. Dan Heng, I want to ask about soul power fusion techniques. Could you... possibly teach me?"

She scratched her head and looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

She felt a little guilty.

After all, this was practically asking for help with a hidden trump card.

Before, she never would’ve asked.

But now, seeing all the powerful teams like Shrek’s, a sense of urgency had taken root.

Strengthening herself was better than standing still!

Just then, a cold snort came from behind.

"So sneaky! Trying to cheat by getting tips from Mr. Dan Heng!"

Shui Yue’er’s face turned pale. She turned and saw—Huo Wu had arrived.

Huo Wu strode forward, circling around Shui Yue’er while clicking her tongue."Wow, you’ve got some cunning after all, little girl. Asking Mr. Dan Heng for guidance?"

Shui Yue’er flushed red and shrank back.

She was thin-skinned, and now that she was caught, she just wanted to run away.

She awkwardly coughed and was about to excuse herself—

When Huo Wu smirked smugly.

Ha! Thought you could outsmart me?

No way she’d let Shui Yue’er get Dan Heng’s guidance first!

"You again?"Dan Heng looked at Huo Wu and asked.

Huo Wu froze. Why was he asking her now?

"Yeah, Huo Wu, what are you doing here?" Shui Yue’er turned the question around and stared at her curiously.

She came here for "cheating," but what about Huo Wu?Why did she show up at this critical moment?

"I... I... never mind, it’s none of your business..."

Huo Wu’s eyes darted away. She waved Shui Yue’er off.

Shui Yue’er knew something was off. She took small steps forward until she was almost touching Huo Wu.

Huo Wu backed up half a step—one more and they’d be chest to chest.

"You..."

"You’re acting suspicious. The Chihuo team you’re on had a tougher opponent than our Tianshui team. How’d you get here so fast?" Shui Yue’er narrowed her eyes and pressed on.

Huo Wu couldn’t take the pressure of her stare. She pouted, "Fine, fine, I admit—I also came to ask Mr. Dan Heng for help!"

"And you still tried to push me away?! That’s too much! Didn’t you say we’re good sisters?!"

Shui Yue’er bit her silver teeth and fumed.

Huo Wu replied awkwardly, "That’s different! We’re opponents now, okay? And... I only remembered because I saw you come in first..."

Shui Yue’er grabbed her wrist and huffed.

"Well I don’t care! From now on, neither of us is allowed to ask Mr. Dan Heng for help. Besides us, no other team should be a real threat, right?"

Huo Wu, now flustered, said, "Fine! Deal! Neither of us gets help from Mr. Dan Heng!"

Water and fire, the two girls bickered their way out of the library.

Dan Heng watched them leave and shook his head slightly.

Honestly, this worked out better—less trouble for him.

Not long after, the library director arrived, apologetically saying,"Mr. Dan Heng, we need to order a new batch of books. You’re the expert—could I trouble you to take a trip to the Tian Dou Grand Library and help pick some titles?"

"Alright," Dan Heng agreed.

Tian Dou Grand Library

(Not to be confused with the royal inner archives, this was the empire’s public library, open to all Tian Dou citizens.)

It had a vast collection, including many rare books.

Of course, the truly valuable ones were stored in the royal archive.

Dan Heng arrived and began discussing procurement with the library staff.

Compared to his own library, this one was far more grand.

There were more than ten people behind the service desk, and the space was extremely spacious.

"...You’re ordering on behalf of Lanba Academy, right? We have so many books—you’ll need to submit a list of titles. These here are the index volumes..."

The librarian handed Dan Heng several books—actually catalogs.

"..."

Dan Heng declined. He was only helping the library purchase books—not for himself to read—so naturally, he would select those he deemed valuable.

"Dan Heng...? You’re here too?"Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang appeared from behind, surprised.

Compared to his disheveled look from a few days ago, he was like a different man—neatly dressed, looking sharp and refreshed.

Facing Dan Heng, he habitually lifted his chin ever so slightly.

This time, he felt like he had the upper hand.

After all, he was a theoretical master.

Now that good fortune had come, and he ran into Dan Heng, his spirits were sky-high.

Dan Heng gave him a slight nod, clearly not in the mood for small talk.

"These books..."Dan Heng handed the book list to the librarian.

"Would you like me to offer some suggestions? I have quite a bit of expertise in soul power cultivation,"Yu Xiaogang said modestly.

But his eyes were full of anticipation, waiting for Dan Heng to agree so he could show off his knowledge.

To flaunt it in a library would be even better—more people might witness his brilliance.

Maybe someone would even recognize him!

Dan Heng shook his head, declining.

Yu Xiaogang’s face darkened a little.

That was too much—he had offered to help and was outright rejected.

"Ahem, aren’t you going to look at some popular novels, celebrity biographies, or famous emperor quotes?"The librarian glanced at Dan Heng’s list, noting none were bestsellers, and asked out of curiosity.

"Those are useless," Yu Xiaogang interjected. "If you ask me, you should choose these..."

He couldn’t help but boast, rattling off several book titles.

"..."

The librarian looked at Yu Xiaogang with surprise.

Dan Heng simply shook his head. He had already confirmed that the books he selected were indeed valuable.

"Hold on—maybe the others I don’t know, but one of the books you mentioned is from the Spirit Hall collection. Other libraries need to pay licensing fees for that—one gold soul coin per copy. Who exactly are you?"The librarian asked, puzzled.

Yu Xiaogang showed a slight smile—finally someone who recognized quality!

"Who I am isn’t important. Just order a hundred copies of each book I listed."

He handed the librarian a book list.

Apparently, he had also come to make purchases!

The librarian twitched at the corners of his mouth—this guy is just showing off way too hard.

He had both lists taken away to calculate the prices.

Soon, the librarian returned with the totals.

"Lanba Academy’s order comes to 23 gold soul coins.Shrek Academy’s... over 3,000 gold soul coins?"

Even the librarian couldn’t believe it.

Yu Xiaogang had ordered a bunch of books exclusively owned by the Spirit Hall.

Each copy required a separate payment to Spirit Hall!

Yu Xiaogang raised his brows, "That many gold coins?"

"Yes..."

"Put it on the tab for now. We’re Shrek Academy, you know? The team that recently knocked out the Thunderclap Squad in the Soul Master Tournament and is currently selling hidden weapons..."Yu Xiaogang said casually.

The librarian went to consult with a superior. When he returned, he smiled and said:

"I heard Shrek Academy purchased a large plot of land in the outskirts of Heaven Dou City to build a campus? Of course, you can open a tab. You’ll have a month to settle it—we’ll visit Shrek Academy in person."

Yu Xiaogang nodded proudly, then turned to explain to Dan Heng:

"We’ve recently been auctioning hidden weapons, and demand is overwhelming. So we’re building a school. When the tournament ends, we’ll welcome new students. Dan Heng, interested in becoming our academy’s head librarian? I promise it’ll be better than Lanba Academy."

He nodded slightly and extended a hand, trying to invite Dan Heng.

"No need..."

Dan Heng frowned. He remembered hearing Bi Ji mention something at home yesterday—she was in charge of distributing hidden weapons.

That meant the so-called "high demand" was likely about to collapse, and the market would quickly become saturated.

Shrek probably spent a fortune on that land. Now that they couldn’t afford to pay, they had to delay with a tab system...

When they realized they couldn’t recoup their investment in hidden weapons, what would they do then?

Dan Heng looked at Yu Xiaogang’s smug expression, thought for a moment, but chose not to burst his bubble.

Still, there was no way he’d restrain his own people from doing business just to protect Shrek.

He said nothing and turned to leave.

Yu Xiaogang watched Dan Heng’s departing figure and curled his lips into a smile.

Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Lanba Academy, Spirit Hall—they had all looked down on him, but he was the one who succeeded!

With both the Soul Master Tournament and the hidden weapons business flourishing, his future was sure to be brilliant!

"I’ll prove to everyone that I, Yu Xiaogang, am the real master! Losing me was everyone’s loss!"

Dan Heng returned to Lanba Academy, and along the way, he ran into Qian Renxue.

She was waiting specifically for Dan Heng at the academy gate.

As soon as she saw him, she walked over quickly.

"Mr. Dan Heng, I have something I’d like to ask you..."There was a troubled look on her face.

"What is it?"Dan Heng noticed she wasn’t pretending—she genuinely looked concerned.

Qian Renxue sighed and followed Dan Heng into the academy, saying as they walked:

"It’s about Bibi Dong. Ever since she left Spirit Hall and went to the Fountain Empire, there’s been no word from her. I’m worried..."

"She hasn’t returned to Spirit Hall?" Dan Heng was slightly surprised.

"No. Do you think... something might have happened to her?"

Qian Renxue shook her head, her eyes filled with concern.

Dan Heng replied, "Probably not. I’ve seen her—she should still be in Heaven Dou City. It’s just that... she’s lost her memory."

"Lost her memory???"

Qian Renxue froze, staring blankly at Dan Heng.

That answer was completely unexpected.

"You can mobilize Spirit Hall’s resources to search for her," Dan Heng said.

Qian Renxue furrowed her brow tightly, feeling a sense of foreboding.

(End of Chapter)