Douluo Dalu: From Bishop to Deity...

"Firstly, on my priority list is making my four disciples realize that I wasn't lying, and that I truly have the ability to cultivate even low-talent individuals into powerhouses... But that's not a problem. For that, giving them an immortal herb will suffice."

"Second on my list is helping Xiao Wu suppress her soul beast aura... But this can be handled alongside the first task. However, to accomplish both, I need to bring Tang San to my Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait another month before I can do that, since he's currently busy fiddling with his gadgets..."

"Third on my list is to choose someone to plant my seeds... It's already been six months since I transmigrated to this world. I've wasted enough time already. If I truly want to turn the Douluo Continent into my backyard, spreading my bloodline is very important... Maybe that should become my top priority for the next two months before I leave for Killing God City."

"Fourthly... Ah yes, getting that Vast Sea Cosmic Cover into my hands. It's been nearly six full months since I assigned Dugu Bo the task. Given the confidence he displayed after receiving the pill last month, he may have already succeeded in swaying Xue Xing to his side righteously..."

"Fifthly... I need to find a way to persuade all four single-attribute clans to come under my control. If not all four, then at least two—starting with the Defense Clan, since I plan to build my base using their construction ability... Hmm... That should cover it. If I manage to finish all this before heading to Killing God City, that would be ideal."

With a series of thoughts, Salas concluded his next course of action. After mentally reviewing the plans he'd made just now to keep them clear in his memory, Salas turned his attention to the Shrek kids... Or maybe not "kids," considering his current age was only around 21 or 22. Judging by the maturity of people in the Douluo world, there wasn't much of a gap between them.

Everyone had already awakened from their meditation and was waiting to ask Salas their questions...

Salas was used to this and began answering them one by one. Like that, time passed slowly.

Nearly an hour later, once all questions were answered, Salas gestured for his four disciples to follow him. He had many things to talk about with them...

.....

In the village just before Shrek Academy, Salas slowly walked together with his disciples, taking in the scenery.

At his side was Xiao Wu, who hugged his arm and acted like a clingy daughter the whole time, eagerly waiting for Salas to speak.

Behind them, the other three—Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Zhu Zhuqing—followed obediently.

Occasionally, Oscar and Dai Mubai exchanged whispers in near-inaudible voices. Zhu Zhuqing, the quiet and reserved girl, walked with a contemplative expression. From time to time, she would glance sideways at Salas, trying to read his mood and predict what he might say.

From this alone, it was evident—even though Salas, with his approachable and kind demeanor, had grown close with his three new disciples and had earned their respect and admiration—there was still a noticeable gap between the level of closeness Xiao Wu showed and that of the other three.

Salas was also currently thinking about this issue seriously...

After all, he wanted all his disciples to be as close to him as Xiao Wu—treating him like a father figure... especially the female disciples like Zhu Zhuqing.

As for the males... It would be nice if they treated him like a father too, but if they dared act clingy, Salas said... he will castrate them. So, it's fine as long as they maintain their current level of reverence and idolization toward him.

But when it came to Zhu Zhuqing, Salas naturally hoped that she would one day be as close to him as Xiao Wu was, so he could shower her with his "love" and "pamper" her like a little princess.

"But... it seems it's impossible to pamper her the same way as Xiao Wu."

Salas thought with disappointment.

In the past four days since he'd taken Zhuqing and the other two as his disciples, he had tried many approaches, yet still couldn't achieve the closeness he desired. Even something as simple as patting Zhu Zhuqing was difficult... Although he had managed to pat her head a few times, Salas could see that she was not used to it and still seemed to be conscious of Salas's gender as a male and wished to keep a distance.

Salas understood the reason for this. After all, the situations under which he had taken Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing as disciples were vastly different. When he accepted Xiao Wu, she had just experienced devastating emotional loss—having lost the two people closest to her—and was left feeling alone and vulnerable. At that time, with a little manipulation of the situation, Salas took advantage of her emotional fragility and became a replacement figure she could trust and lean on.

Of course, Tang San had played a huge role in this. Without his influence, even achieving this level of closeness with Xiao Wu would have taken much longer.

It was only because Tang San had instilled in her the idea of "one day a teacher, a lifetime father" over six long years, that Xiao Wu had accepted Salas's physical affection without resistance and began to regard him as a paternal figure. Of course, there was also Salas taking advantage of her emotional outbursts—hugging and patting her—to gradually make her comfortable with his physical contact...

All in all, Xiao Wu was the example of a perfect scenario. But Zhu Zhuqing was not... She hadn't been taught by Tang San about the importance of a teacher and father figure, nor did she emotionally break down when Salas took her in as a disciple. If Xiao Wu hadn't spoken to her the day before, she might not have even kowtowed to Salas in the first place...

Salas was really in a difficult situation now...

"Sigh... It would've been alright if I had taken them in as disciples when they were younger. That way, my fatherly pats and touches would have been considered natural. But alas... Alas, Zhu Zhuqing is already grown up. I can't easily change her or make her get used to me so quickly…"

"I just hope, with time and my occasional head pats, she'll become comfortable with my presence... But alas… since Dai Mubai, the cat's tiger, is there… it's becoming impossible to get that close." Salas sighed again and again as he thought.

In the last four days, Salas had only patted Zhuqing three times, so it hadn't bothered Dai Mubai. There was also Salas's status as her master. But if it were to happen more often, Dai Mubai would definitely start to dislike it—and might even have a change of heart. After all, what man would feel fine if another man kept touching his girlfriend… Would he feel normal if Zhu Zhuqing clung to Salas, hugged his arm, and pressed her huge tits against him?

Definitely not...

After all, he didn't share the same philosophy of "one day a teacher, a lifelong father," and he hadn't received the same upbringing as Tang San.

And who told 'fate' to give Salas a handsome face on par with Dai Mubai and Oscar? With his golden eyes and mature aura, he might even be slightly more attractive than them... which made things even more impossible.

"If I want to shower Zhu Zhuqing with love and pamper her... I probably only have two chances. But sigh... that also can't happen anytime soon, since I already told Xiao Wu that the special medicinal ingredients were too rare and would take years to find," Salas thought regretfully.

To prevent his disciples from progressing too quickly—and to stop Tang San from getting his hands on the Whale Glue—Salas had made up that nonsense. But now, because of that, he had backed himself into a corner and couldn't even use that excuse to "pamper" Zhuqing as a good father.

"And not only that... I also told Xiao Wu that the Whale Glue secret medicine could only be taken twice in one's entire life... Alas, why didn't I say it could be taken ten or even twenty times? That way, I'd have had more opportunities..." Salas even felt like crying, thinking about his foolish decision.

Because he didn't want to make her or anyone too strong, he made that choice back then... But what if he had increased the number? Maybe their soul ring age limits would've increased by a few thousand years, and they'd become a bit stronger... But wouldn't it also have given him more chances to take care of them?

"But... my decision wasn't entirely wrong either. After all, even if I had said ten times, who's to say I'd get to take care of them every time they fainted? If there are others around—especially other girls—I can't just barge in and show my benevolent helping heart..." Thinking this, Salas comforted himself, convincing himself that he was actually smart, and not a fool like he thought just moments ago...

Then, realizing that he'd been thinking about this for far too long without coming up with any practical solution, Salas felt embarrassed. He pushed this sad matter to the back of his mind and decided not to dwell on it for now... He was a person with a peculiar personality, after all.

Turning his attention back, Salas quickly gathered his thoughts about what he wanted to say to his disciples and slowly opened his mouth...