"Ice Phoenix": I've received the pomelo, just checked it, and it's fresh. I'll eat it later and post the video on Weibo. This is the only way I can think of to communicate with my lifesaver, so please bear witness, like, comment, and share, everyone!
Bi Bidong: "What?"
What?
What?
Is Shui Bing'er okay?!
The comment section was filled with confused Douluo netizens.
"Damn, I hate being flat-chested": Sister, do we really need to go this far? (150k likes)
"Tiny Can Be Cute Too": Wow!! Awesome! As soon as it's up on Weibo, I'll like it immediately! Waiting! (90k likes)
"Dreamland Tortoise Fist": Suddenly, I'm shipping the two above. Both are girls, ah, even more exciting. (50k likes)
...
At the Tian Dou Competition Area.
Shui Bing'er's face was burning up, wishing she could find a crack to crawl into. She could already feel the numerous scorching gazes from the audience directed at her.
But that second post on Weibo wasn't something she wanted to send out.
"Principal, how will others see me if it goes on like this? Buying that thing was already shameful enough for me; I didn't want to post on Weibo."
Shui Bing'er crouched on the ground, her cheeks flaming red.
Standing beside her was a middle-aged beauty with an outstanding temperament, the principal of Skywater Academy, who reached out to pat Shui Bing'er on the head: "Silly child, times have changed. We can't stick to the old ways anymore."
Over at Shrek Academy.
"Xiao San, what do you think?"
"I'm looking at it while lying down."
Oscar looked down and saw Tang San lying on the seat, his gaze fixed in the direction of Skywater Academy.
Oscar then squatted down and said, "Shui Bing'er is really loaded, huh? To just toss out 50,000 golden soul coins like that."
Tang San laughed: "Oscar, do you think she's the one who paid out all that money by herself?"
"What do you mean?"
Tang San had been observing the alluring principal of Skywater Academy and then sat up.
"I had a brief stay in the top ten trending topics, Oscar. I'm already at level 60 Soul Power now; it even let me skip right past level 50..."
"What?! What are you saying?! How is that possible?"
Oscar exclaimed in shock.
Tang San frowned: "Shh! Keep it down. I don't understand it myself. This power is too bizarre. In theory, without a level 50 Soul Ring, my Soul Power couldn't continue to grow."
"And this trending topic wasn't even because of a Weibo post I made, but I still got a certain boost from it. So, it's hard to imagine what the scene would be like if my own Weibo post hit the top ten. As for the principal of Skywater Academy, she's playing the long game. 50,000 golden soul coins for a top ten trending spot, she's making a killing. Just wait and see."
Oscar glanced at the leaderboard: "But it seems she's not moving up any further, currently stuck at fifteenth."
Tang San: "I'm talking about her next Weibo post where she'll eat the pomelo, that will enter the top ten."
Oscar looked shocked.
...
In Soul City.
"I don't want to! I want to eat! I want to eat! If I don't get food, I won't attack!"
Little Golden Crocodile was dragged over by the Third Offeror, his whole body struggling violently in mid-air like a little tiger, occasionally looking up to snap at the Third Offeror's hand.
Third Offeror: "Stop struggling, Bro. You really don't know how good you have it. Besides, you can't bite my—"
"Crack!"
With a jerk of his neck, Little Golden Crocodile fastened his jaws on the back of the Third Offeror's hand.
"Ahhhh!!!"
The Third Offeror's eyes went wide, and he let out a long howl to the sky.
The Little Golden Crocodile, having succeeded in his mischief, immediately dashed towards Martial Soul Hall as if there were still unfinished leftovers waiting for him, but in less than three seconds, Thousand Waves dragged him back.
In the entire Martial Soul Hall, the only one he didn't dare to bite was Thousand Waves; after struggling a few times, he calmed down.
"A bunch of bad people."
The Little Golden Crocodile pouted, the corners of his mouth full of food residue.
With a stern face, Thousand Waves flung him back onto the stage, each time it was this guy's turn, Martial Soul Hall would suffer a blow to its dignity.
Ju Zi, watching the commotion before her, couldn't help but laugh, when suddenly, she received a private message.
This was a feature of the microblogging platform, but she had received countless private messages in the last hour, all meaningless harassment, so Ju Zi had been ignoring them. This time, however, the message was from Princess Xue Ke.
"Princess Xue Ke": Hello Ju Zi, I am Princess Xue Ke, to prevent impersonation, you can check my homepage address. Shui Bing'er has already posted a video of eating a pomelo, and this video skyrocketed to ninth in the trending searches instantly, with likes and shares exploding. It's hard to imagine how much of a power boost she's received, which is why I'm asking for your help.
Ju Zi was somewhat surprised. She immediately checked the trending search list and, as expected, saw Shui Bing'er's trend, but it had already moved up to eighth!
Trending at number eight: Skywater Academy team captain Shui Bing'er tastes Lin Yi's leftover pomelo and claims her depleted Soul Power was instantly replenished! Is this Lin Yi's magic?!
In the video, Shui Bing'er appears shy as she finishes the pomelo and then suddenly expresses surprise, as if her Soul Power was indeed replenished.
Not a single comment in the comment section is about the pomelo's special nature; everyone is heralding this as the miraculous effect of Lin Yi's saliva!
Ju Zi: "...Isn't this the effect of my Martial Soul? Right, they seem unaware that the pomelo is actually my Martial Soul and assume it's the effect of Lin Yi's saliva. Oh my."
Indeed, the IP address belonged to the Star Dou Imperial Palace. Ju Zi thought for a moment and then replied:
Hello, Princess Xue Ke, what do you need help with?
"Princess Xue Ke": What help we'll talk about in a moment! Shui Bing'er has surged to number one now! What's going on?!
Ju Zi: "Huh?"
She immediately opened the list again and, sure enough, Shui Bing'er had surged to number one!
500,000 likes, 9.99 million comments, 5.64 million shares!
What the hell?
Ju Zi opened the comment section, dumbfounded. Turns out, Lin Yi had commented!
"Ice Phoenix": [Video]
Comment section:
"Lin Yi": ... (94.87 million likes)
"Blue Ocean" replied to "Lin Yi": Whoa, Lin Yi commented, the real Lin Yi or a fake?
"Beloved by Yi" replied to "Lin Yi": Ahhh! Hubby! Hubby, I'm here!
"Little Crybaby" replied to "Lin Yi": Hubby, your saliva is too powerful! Can you give me some?! No need for pomelo, just a kiss will do!!
"Little Oscar's Sausage" replied to "Lin Yi": @Thousand Hands Asura, damn, nearly a hundred million likes with just three periods, is this Lin Yi?
"Wanting a Romance with Yi" replied to "Lin Yi": Hahaha, hubby's speechless, I'm dying of laughter!
...
Lin Yi had actually hesitated about whether or not to comment; he knew that once he did, Shui Bing'er's trending topic would definitely surge to number one.
But he just couldn't hold back anymore. He didn't know if this was Shui Bing'er's own doing or if she was encouraged by someone else, but to post such a video about tasting pomelos!
If he, the person involved, didn't express some kind of "opinion," he would be treated as dead, right?
Anyway, Shui Bing'er must have done this for the sake of marketing and climbing the ranks, so he might as well help push the wave along.
And indeed, she surged to the top.
Tiandou City.
Shui Bing'er sat in her seat.
Pupils shaking.