Duolou: Reborn with reality Pen

Inside Dormitory Seven, the atmosphere was calm. Eren reclined on his bed with his hands behind his head, staring idly at the ceiling. Across from him, Xīrán sat cross-legged on her own bed, quietly reading a book she had borrowed from the library. The late afternoon light filtered through the window, casting warm patterns across the room.

Xiao Wu, on the other hand, sat at the edge of her bed with a half-eaten carrot in hand, chewing with a blissful expression that showed she had nothing on her mind except her next bite.

Eren's gaze shifted to Xīrán, his tone casual but direct.

"So… what are you planning to do about Yu Xiaogang? He might try to use his precious granddaughter, Tang San, to get revenge."

Xīrán looked up from her book, her expression calm. A smile curved her lips.

"Master Eren, you know as well as I do, whatever they try, it won't matter. I'm already strong enough to defeat both grandfather and granddaughter at once." She closed the book with a light snap. "My spirit power is already at level 18, and my physical constitution is approaching that of a Soul Emperor."

Eren nodded without surprise. If things ever got out of hand, he had other means to resolve it, methods far more terrifying than brute strength. In his mind, a phrase echoed with dark amusement:

"I am Atomic."

Xiao Wu, ever the disruptive one, suddenly shouted from the side with exaggerated disbelief.

"What?! Boss, you're already level 18? Are you some kind of... level 0.5 monster?"

Xīrán, accustomed to the rabbit girl's nonsense, ignored her completely and turned back to Eren with a sly look.

"So… will there be a reward for convincing Xiao Wu to join the organization?"

Eren chuckled softly, his expression unchanging as he sank deeper into his cushion.

"Just name it. Whatever you want, so long as it's within my reach, consider it done."

Before Xīrán could speak, Xiao Wu quickly raised her hand.

"I- I want a big, juicy carrot!"

Neither of them spared her a glance.

Xīrán hesitated briefly, her eyes thoughtful.

"Then… I want one of those pills that can increase my spirit power. I want to reach level 20 and obtain my second soul ring."

Eren gave her a long look, then exhaled with a faint smile.

"I wouldn't recommend it. Where's the fun in cultivation if you just cheat your way through it?"

He said it shamelessly, of course. If either of them knew he had already skipped straight to level 20 using his own set of unfair methods, they would certainly complain without end.

Eren suddenly remembered something and turned his gaze to Xīrán.

"Right, once you reach level 20, I can prepare a custom-made ten-thousand-year soul ring for you."

Xīrán's expression shifted subtly. Though her current strength was enough to defeat most thousand-year soul beasts with ease, even with her Soul Emperor-level physique, a ten-thousand-year soul beast was still beyond her capability to hunt alone. To obtain such a ring without risking her life… it was no small offer.

Across the room, Xiao Wu's ears perked as she caught the conversation. For once, she didn't shout or crack a joke. Instead, she asked with uncharacteristic seriousness,

"Wait… can you really make a custom soul ring? Does it still require killing a soul beast?"

She stared at Eren, eyes narrowed, not out of suspicion, but hope. Deep hope. If soul rings could be created without the need to kill spirit beasts… then perhaps her dream, the one she and her brother had clung to for so long, wasn't so impossible after all.

Eren met her gaze calmly.

"Yes. I can create soul rings from scratch—customized rings with tailored skills. No beast hunting required. But it's not without cost. The higher the ring's age, the more time it demands."

Xiao Wu nodded slowly, her lips pressed together in thought. She wasn't naïve. No such power came without a price. But even so, the very idea opened a door she had thought forever closed.

Eren elaborated further, his tone matter-of-fact.

"For hundred-year soul rings, I could produce millions if I wanted, trivial. For thousand-year and ten-thousand-year rings, it's easier. I can make them in the thousands, so long as I have the materials and time." He paused, then added, "But for hundred-thousand-year soul rings… those are different. I can only make three or four per year, maybe fewer depending on conditions."

A silence settled over the room.

For Xiao Wu, this was more than just a revelation. It was hope, pure and terrifying hope. A future where she didn't have to run. Where she didn't have to lose anyone again.

Xiao Wu wanted to ask more, to press Eren for details, about the process, the limits, but before she could, the dormitory door swung open. Several students entered, chattering and laughing as they returned from their evening meal. The moment was broken.

With a quiet sigh, she dropped the topic and resumed nibbling on her carrot, though her eyes still lingered on Eren, filled with silent curiosity and complicated thoughts.

Then the door banged open once again.

Tang San stormed in, his face flushed with indignation. His sharp steps echoed across the floor as he pointed an accusatory finger straight at Xīrán.

"Xīrán! What's your problem?!" he snapped. "My grandf- ahem, my master only wanted to help you out of kindness, and you humiliated him in front of everyone!"

Xīrán didn't even flinch. She calmly closed her book, placed it neatly at her side, and looked up at him with steady, unbothered eyes.

"I already told him I didn't need his help. Multiple times," she replied coolly. "He chose to ignore that and kept pestering me. I didn't humiliate anyone. I just acted accordingly."

Tang San's fists clenched. His face grew darker.

On the other bed, Eren's gaze narrowed slightly as he fell into thought.

'So Yu Xiaogang's already started his little story… twisting truth into righteousness, turning himself into a noble mentor and painting her as the villain. Yin and Yang. Typical '

But Tang San wasn't finished.

With rising anger, he took a step forward and pointed again.

"I challenge you," he declared. "Right here. Right now. If you lose, you'll come with me and apologize to my grandfat- my teacher. On your knees."

Gasps rippled through the dorm.

Even among Spirit Masters, such a public challenge was no small matter. To demand a kneeling apology was another level entirely,it was humiliating.