SoulLand:Ascending to Godhood through Science

'So this is the new disciple taken in by that notorious man? Quite handsome, but nothing particularly special that I can see at the moment.'

Hu Liena's gaze lingered on You Chen's face as she silently evaluated him.

Objectively speaking, You Xing's looks were merely average, certainly not deserving of being called handsome.

However, from the original story, it's clear that Hu Liena had a penchant for the cold, handsome type.

To put it simply, she favored the kind of aloof heartthrob akin to Sasuke from "Naruto."

And You Xing's character was somewhat similar to pre-dark Sasuke, which added points in the eyes of Hu Liena, who was essentially a fan of cold, charismatic men.

Her original plan wavered slightly, considering whether to use her charm to turn this seemingly aloof boy into her follower, and then manipulate and betray You Chen from there...

'Ah, I really forgot about not spending too much time here.'

But Hu Liena quickly snapped back to reality: 'With that man's cunning, unless I subtly influence his disciple, any direct action on him would easily be noticed, leading to failure... So, I'll stick to my original plan; this is a good opportunity. But, hehe, sorry, little handsome guy~'

Thinking this, Hu Liena gave You Chen an apologetic glance: 'If you have to blame someone, blame it on choosing the wrong teacher.'

If You Chen knew what Hu Liena was thinking, he would definitely curse her as a "shrimp head"!

Unfortunately, You Chen was unaware.

And Hu Liena, for the first time since arriving in Nordin City, activated her charm's active ability...

...

Just as both sides finalized their representatives and were about to start the duel, suddenly, someone emerged from the sixth-year group behind Xiao Chenyu.

"Hey, are you Xiao Wu? You're the one who wants to be the big boss of this academy, right? So that's why you initiated this duel?"

"That's right, any problem with that!?"

Facing the question, Xiao Wu showed no signs of backing down or being intimidated, even giving a disdainful look as if saying, "How dumb must you be to not remember my name by now?"

The sixth-year boy didn't mind, merely adopting a feigned puzzled expression, as if talking to himself: "But I heard you're actually just a lackey of that boy beside you."

Upon hearing this, countless eyes turned sharply toward the sixth-year boy, even Xiao Chenyu frowned, as if saying, "Why bring this up now?"

Xiao Wu's expression turned particularly dangerous.

At this moment, everyone felt that bringing up discord now, after agreeing on the duel terms, was truly clownish behavior.

Yet, the boy, unfazed, shrugged, "But if I'm not mistaken, your spirit is just a 'rabbit,' while that You Xing is a 'dragon'! A rabbit could never compare to a dragon, could it? Even ignoring spirits, isn't his spirit level way above yours? How can anyone believe you're the boss, and he's just your underling? I'm not trying to stir trouble; I'm just wondering... Is there some misunderstanding here?"

No one questioned how this boy obtained such detailed information.

All eyes focused on You Chen.

"Hey, You Xing, is what this guy said true?"

"You're really that powerful!?"

A group of sixth dormitory students surrounded You Chen in amazement, their eyes even showing traces of admiration.

They knew You Chen wasn't weak but hadn't considered he was already a one-ring spirit master!

Someone who usually kept a low profile, yet turned out to be a super strong contender!

This persona instantly appealed to the six or seven-year-old kids' admiration for the "cool and collected" archetype!

As for Xiao Wu? Well, no one cared about Xiao Wu anymore.

At that moment, Tang San finally arrived, using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to reach the scene. Slightly bewildered by the lively scene, upon noticing You Chen seemingly at the center of attention, his eyes narrowed.

Meanwhile, as the person in question, You Chen found himself momentarily at a loss.

Hu Liena's objective was clear: elevate You Xing's status to great heights, then let him fall hard, thereby crushing You Xing's spirit.

The plan was straightforward.

Raise You Xing, now regarded as a "hidden powerhouse," to exert the dominance expected of a one-ring dragon spirit master, then secretly use charm during the actual battle, causing him to lose instantly.

Everyone would then perceive You Xing as a mere paper tiger. The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment. Coupled with the stakes of "if the sixth dorm loses, they become the first dorm's pets," social exclusion or bullying might occur, leading to mental collapse.

That was likely Hu Liena's goal. Of course, she might not think it through so meticulously, perhaps only wanting to humiliate You Xing, forcing You Chen to leverage Spirit Hall's resources to clean up the mess.

So, how should he respond to this?

You Chen's mind whirred at high speed.

'For a normal nine-year-old's mental resilience, such a psychological setback would be abnormal. Even with You Xing's cold persona, his mental resilience far exceeds that of his peers, yet there's still a high chance of collapse.'

'However, while most would crumble, You Xing's core is me. As long as I stick to my initial plan of not caring about reputation, it doesn't matter. But...'

You Chen's brow twitched, feeling displeased.

'Should I just play along with that annoying fox girl's whims?'

A simple defeat, a bit of a loss of face, he didn't mind, considering it as part of his strategy to lay low.

But being puppeteered by Hu Liena to play the fool?

His pride wasn't that cheap.

At that moment, You Chen noticed Tang San arriving and furrowed his brow, his thoughts churning again.

'Revealing my strength here means showcasing the mental strength to resist Hu Liena's charm. Given Hu Liena's nature, if she learns that Tang San plans to challenge me, she will definitely inform him of this fact.'

Hu Liena's goal was to humiliate You Chen's disciple You Xing, leading to psychological breakdown. Conversely, if You Xing had a chance to shine, she'd stop the duel, warning Tang San of You Xing's oddity. Especially if her plan failed, with Tang San being one of the few one-ring spirit masters at the academy, unable to stay long, she'd likely pin her hopes on Tang San to deal with You Xing.

'If Tang San learns of You Xing's [abnormality], will my task's additional conditions become easier to achieve, or... impossible to complete?'

'Should I deny the puppet's claims and let this incident pass? Not considering Hu Liena's further moves, would Tang San abandon the idea of a duel—how could such a notion be acceptable!?'

Hu Liena's sudden intervention was like a drop of ink falling into clear water, instantly muddying it.

With so many variables interacting, whether You Chen's original plan could proceed smoothly became hard to discern.

'Task completion, additional conditions, Tang San's reaction and possible changes, Tang Hao's presence, You Xing's disguise, Xiao Wu's emotions and attitude, handling Hu Liena, whether her protector notices unnecessary details, Bibi Dong's tolerance limit, is there an optimal perfect choice...'

Countless thoughts crossed in an instant.

"So annoying..."

You Chen held his slightly aching forehead, whispering softly, while inwardly making his decision.

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