"Eight Spider Lances? That's known to everyone who's read the legendary exploits of Lord Seagod. It's a top-tier external spirit bone that helped him tremendously," Dai Huabin replied, eyes still closed.
He still has the Eight Spider Lances?Shi Yu frowned, falling into deep thought. Doesn't that mean taking them away before didn't change anything?
His thoughts were spinning. Could this mean I've entered a parallel timeline? One where the changes I made in the past don't affect the present world?
Wait…
"Tang San… no, Seagod. When exactly did he obtain the Eight Spider Lances?" Shi Yu's eyes sharpened.
Tang San had encountered the Man-Faced Demon Spider more than once. Was it possible he didn't get the spirit bone the first time, but acquired it later?
He stared at Dai Huabin intently, waiting for the answer that could confirm or shatter his assumptions.
"You don't know that either?" Dai Huabin sneered. "Any Shrek Academy student would. The ancestor obtained the Eight Spider Lances when he hunted the Man-Faced Demon Spider in the Sunset Forest during his fourth spirit ring trial."
His voice dripped with disdain. This guy probably hasn't read a single book…The stories of the god-level ancestors are part of basic education, especially for spirit masters.
So... he got them in the Sunset Forest?
Shi Yu remained silent, but his thoughts raced.So history did change. Tang San didn't get the Eight Spider Lances at first—but later. That means taking them away altered the timeline. But how did he still end up with them?
The odds of Tang San obtaining the exact same external bone again were astronomically low.It couldn't be a coincidence.
Coincidences… too many of them become inevitabilities.
"Could this be a case of worldline convergence?" Shi Yu thought quietly, lying back in bed.
It felt like it. But without concrete proof, all he could do was speculate.
"There are changes."The past had been altered, so the future would be too. But where, and how deeply?
If I went back and killed Tang San ten thousand years ago… what would happen?
It was a chilling thought. If Tang San died back then, the Spirit Hall might have unified the continent. Everything that followed would've been rewritten.
"Argh… my head…"
Just thinking about this gave Shi Yu a splitting headache. It wasn't just mental fatigue—it felt unnatural.
Is this a warning? he wondered.
He tried to think further along that line, but the pain intensified, pounding at his temples.
But when he stopped, the pain eased instantly.
He slowly raised his right hand.
There was a bean-sized black spot in the center of his palm.
It hadn't been there before. It had appeared after his time travel, and he had no idea what it meant.
His brows furrowed as he stared at it.
Is this the price of tampering with the past?
The thought unsettled him.
That night, Shi Yu couldn't sleep. The more he tried to make sense of everything, the further the answers slipped away.It was the kind of frustration that gnawed at the soul.
Morning came. He hadn't slept a wink, but oddly enough, he didn't feel tired.His mind was still fogged with questions, but at least he had formed some rough conclusions.
He tried to nap in the dorm later in the day, and by dinner time, he forced himself up, quickly freshened up, and headed to the cafeteria.
He put on his apron and gloves and began working at his assigned window. Shortly after, Jiang Nannan arrived after class and took her place beside him.
Though sleep-deprived and distracted, Shi Yu still greeted her and exchanged a few casual remarks.
That was when a loud knock hit the serving window.
"Hey! Don't get any ideas about Nannan!" a muscular young man growled, glaring through the glass.
"Just serve the food and don't use it as an excuse to flirt. Nannan is already taken."
Shi Yu's brows twitched slightly. He looked up and met the man's cold gaze.He was strong, well-built, and clearly hostile.
Jealous, huh? Shi Yu thought to himself, then glanced at Jiang Nannan beside him.
Xu Sanshi?
That name immediately popped into his head. The number one pursuer of Jiang Nannan—though pursuer wasn't quite the word. Technically, Jiang Nannan was his "bought" wife.
Jiang Nannan's reaction confirmed it.
Her face, which had just held a light smile, dropped in an instant the moment she saw Xu Sanshi.Disgust. Coldness. Annoyance.
"Xu Sanshi, who I talk to has nothing to do with you. You don't have the right to interfere," she said flatly.
"Nannan, I'm just trying to protect you from being harassed. How can you say that to me?" Xu Sanshi's tone shifted. He looked aggrieved now, his smile soft and gentle—but only when facing her.
"Hmph." Jiang Nannan ignored him and went back to serving food.
Shi Yu didn't bother acknowledging Xu Sanshi either. He just focused on his work.
"Hey, did you hear me?" Xu Sanshi growled. "Stay away from Nannan. If I see you near her again, I won't be polite."
Shi Yu smiled politely at him… then turned to Jiang Nannan and spoke gently.
"Nannan, let's go shopping after work. How about a walk by Poseidon Lake?"
Jiang Nannan froze slightly.
The way Shi Yu called her… so intimately.
She was about to refuse instinctively, but then she saw his playful wink—and noticed Xu Sanshi's face turning stormy.
Oh…
You're provoking him on purpose? she thought, helpless and amused.
You're really not afraid of death, are you?
Still, she smiled sweetly and nodded. "Sure. Last time we visited Sea God Lake at night. Let's go during the day this time. The view's different."
"You're amazing, Nannan," Shi Yu replied.
The words gave him goosebumps even as he said them.
He turned to Xu Sanshi with a bright smile, saying nothing.
But his silence spoke volumes.
Xu Sanshi's breathing quickened. His chest heaved.
Huff, huff, huff…
His nostrils flared. He looked like he might breathe out white smoke any second.
The nearby students, who had come for food, recognized him and all stepped back warily.
"You're dead!" Xu Sanshi exploded, slamming his tray aside.
Rolling up his sleeves, he lunged forward, ready to climb through the window and teach Shi Yu a lesson.
This guy had the audacity to call his goddess so intimately…
And Sea God Lake!?
He'd never even been there with her!
Jealousy consumed him. His soul power surged violently, and behind him, a martial soul shadow flickered ominously.
Shi Yu took a large step back, keeping out of reach.
"Xu Sanshi, are you seriously going to hit someone in public?" Jiang Nannan stepped in front of Shi Yu, eyes cold as frost.
"Stay out of this," Xu Sanshi growled. "I need to beat him until he's bedridden for a few months, or I won't be able to sleep at night."
His rage had overtaken reason.
Even Jiang Nannan's scolding couldn't reach him anymore.