"Teacher, is this really Haiyuan City?"
Two years had passed, and Ma Xiaotao's figure had become even curvier and more attractive. Staring at the towering metal buildings—hundreds of meters high—her eyes were full of disbelief.
On the streets, soul tool trams darted about like agile fish, humming quietly.
Nearby, the commercial street bustled with activity—crowds coming and going, calls and laughter blending into a lively city scene.
The sight left Ma Xiaotao stunned.
Yan Shaozhe was equally dumbfounded, mouth twitching, eyes full of confusion.
He really couldn't imagine that this border city in the Star Luo Empire could be so prosperous—its prosperity no less than the Shrek City they were so proud of.
You had to know that Shrek City had a history of ten thousand years, and with Shrek Academy— the continent's top institution—it was among the most famous on the Douluo Continent.
Haiyuan City, which Yan Shaozhe had visited before, was just a mediocre, slightly old coastal town. Compared to its current appearance, the change was like night and day.
What shocked Yan Shaozhe most was the omnipresent soul tools.
Previously, the three original Douluo nations and Shrek Academy had always looked down on soul tools. Although they researched them, they never saw such large-scale, everyday use—only the Sun Moon Empire had that.
Looking at the faces of the people passing by, all beaming with happiness, Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but think that the people of Haiyuan City must be living very happy and peaceful lives now.
"We underestimated that kid. He truly is a qualified city lord." Even though Yan Shaozhe still harbored some prejudice against soul tools deep down, he had to admit that their appearance had indeed improved the lives of ordinary people.
This fact shook his previously stubborn beliefs; he began to realize that soul tools were not as useless as he had thought.
Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but recall his teacher, Dragon God Douluo Mu En.
Mu En had always advocated the development of soul tools, even favoring them in academy resource allocation.
Yan Shaozhe hadn't understood at the time, but now, standing in the prosperous Haiyuan City, he began to comprehend his teacher's actions, even if not fully.
Ma Xiaotao's expression was very complicated.
Thinking about soon meeting that once domineering boy, Lu Jingming, who had made her so angry, she felt uneasy.
Plus, since they were here to ask for help, and after witnessing Haiyuan City's prosperity, her feelings were even more mixed.
"Let's go visit Ice Moon Sword Douluo and the young city lord." Yan Shaozhe, sensitive to his disciple's discomfort, laughed it off.
In his view, the little conflicts between young people were just minor episodes in their growth—maybe even a chance to bring them closer.
Unknowingly, two years had passed, and Ma Xiaotao had made great progress in cultivation, now a Soul Ancestor.
Just before coming to Haiyuan City, she had obtained her fourth soul ring.
If it weren't for Jingliu's cold aura suppressing her evil fire and the rich resources provided by Shrek Academy, she wouldn't have broken through so fast. She was only thirteen; at this age, many so-called geniuses were only Soul Elders, and ordinary soul masters might not even reach Soul Grandmaster.
This showed how amazing her talent was once freed from the evil fire's torment.
No wonder Yan Shaozhe had such high hopes for her, sparing no resources to help her get rid of the evil fire.
With Shrek Academy's vast intelligence network, Yan Shaozhe investigated Haiyuan City's situation two years ago.
Because of this, he hadn't rushed to visit. Only after Ma Xiaotao's evil fire flared up again, and her situation became critical, did he hurriedly come to Haiyuan City with precious herbs collected over the past two years.
Thinking back on their first conflict with Jingliu and the others, Yan Shaozhe knew that Shrek Academy's usual prestige meant nothing before Jingliu's unfathomable strength.
So, this time he came with a humble attitude and brought valuable treasures as gifts.
Fortunately, their previous conflict was just a minor clash and didn't escalate. Otherwise, Yan Shaozhe really wouldn't know what to do.
Two years had passed, and the city lord's mansion, once in the city center, had been moved to a seaside cliff, built as a villa far from the city's noise.
The three-story stepped villa spiraled upward like a seashell, covered in sea-blue soul tool metal.
The roof was made of hundreds of hexagonal soul tool crystals, which absorbed sunlight by day and projected starry sky images at night, condensing the vast starry sky onto this small rooftop.
At the center of the dome was a small soul tool core, like the heart of the villa, continuously powering all the soul tool facilities and ensuring their normal operation.
Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao, led by a Golden Guard member clad head-to-toe in black soul tool armor, entered the luxurious city lord's mansion.
All the Golden Guards wore the same black armor, so hardly anyone knew their true identities.
Stepping into the city lord's mansion, Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but marvel.
With his experience and insight, he immediately recognized how precious the villa's materials were.
Whether it was the soul tool metal as the structural base or the crystals replacing traditional roofing, all were priceless.
Building such a grand and exquisitely designed cliffside villa must have cost a fortune.
By rough estimate, Yan Shaozhe was sure it would take at least tens of millions of gold soul coins to build such a luxurious residence.