On the sun-drenched beach, fine grains of sand shimmered under the sunlight, and waves rhythmically crashed against the shore, producing pleasant sounds.
Lu Jingming sat quietly in a beach chair, gently stroking the sleeping little fox, Miko, in his arms. Its pink fur was soft and smooth, gently rising and falling with Lu Jingming's caresses. From time to time, its small head rubbed against his palm, letting out faint purrs.
Lu Jingming looked up. On the beach, a group of vibrant young girls were having a blast. They wore brightly colored swimsuits, freely sweating under the sun.
Among them, March 7th wore a pink and white swimsuit, its perfect cut highlighting her long, fair legs. The iconic leg rings added a touch of playfulness and liveliness.
She jumped, hit the ball, and her silvery laughter echoed across the beach. Firefly, Robin, Castorice, and others were also there. Even the usually aloof Gu Yue, after putting on a swimsuit, exuded a rare charm.
Lu Jingming felt the Power of Reality slowly gathering across space and time, understanding that the simulated universe login device, deployed through the imaginary number channel, had begun to function.
To acquire enough Power of Reality, he had invested considerable effort, even generously opening up Honkai Energy to the simulated universe in that world. One must know that in this world, this was a special privilege only enjoyed by St. Freya Academy students in holographic strategy.
After all, without sufficiently tempting benefits, merely the effect of simulated combat, when the simulated universe was not yet widespread, even if it could have some influence, it was far from reaching Lu Jingming's expected goals.
"Bang!" A sudden muffled thud abruptly interrupted Lu Jingming's thoughts. He instinctively reached out and firmly caught the volleyball flying towards him at high speed.
The volleyball in his hand was still spinning wildly, wisps of white smoke rising from its surface due to high-speed friction. Lu Jingming's mouth twitched slightly. He really wanted to ask March 7th and the others if this was some kind of killer volleyball.
"A'Ming, over here, over here!" March 7th excitedly waved her arms and shouted loudly. Her tender pink cheeks were flushed from exercise, and wet strands of hair clung to her face, making her appear even more youthful and vibrant.
Lu Jingming exerted a little force, and the special beach volleyball in his hand instantly shot out like a cannonball, carrying the sound of rushing wind, causing the surrounding air to tremble as it swiftly sped towards March 7th.
"Whoa! You're trying to murder me!" March 7th's face paled in fright, and she instinctively hid behind Jingxi. Jingxi's silver hair was meticulously tied into twin ponytails, and she wore a swimsuit and gauze skirt, exuding an elegant and dignified aura as always.
She gently raised a finger, and a golden stream of light flashed past. The beach volleyball, which had been carrying strong kinetic energy, instantly slowed down significantly, finally landing leisurely in her hand.
"A'Ming, don't scare little March," Jingxi said softly, her voice like a gentle spring breeze, carrying a hint of warmth.
"Xi Xi, you've wronged me. It's little March who's too timid. It's not like she couldn't catch it," Lu Jingming spread his hands, an innocent smile on his face, but a hint of mischief flashed in his eyes.
"Hey! A'Ming, who are you calling timid? Watch out, this girl will give you two 'bang-bang' punches." March 7th was not pleased to hear this. She clenched her pink fists and feigned ferocity, swinging them at Lu Jingming. Her puffed-up expression was like a bristling kitten, utterly adorable but completely harmless.
"Oh? Can you beat me?" Lu Jingming looked at her with a half-smile, a hint of teasing in his eyes.
March 7th was instantly a bit speechless. Lu Jingming had absolutely no chivalry. If she really angered him, he would genuinely "teach her a lesson," and the place where she got hit... Thinking of this, March 7th seemed to recall a nightmare and subconsciously clutched her bottom. The consequences of annoying Lu Jingming last time were still fresh in her memory; that night, she could only sleep on her stomach.
"Alright, alright, A'Ming, you probably have something to do, right? Miko is with me now," Robin said, gracefully stepping forward. She carefully took the little fox, Miko, from Lu Jingming's arms, her movements gentle, afraid of disturbing the sleeping little one.
At the same time, she subtly raised her gaze, a smile in her eyes, and began to politely dismiss him. Although everyone didn't mind Lu Jingming's presence, with him constantly watching, they always felt a little constrained.
"I do indeed have to leave Sea Abyss City for a while. I'll leave things to you, little bird," Lu Jingming was indeed about to leave and had no plans to bring Miko with him.
"You should call me Sister Robin!" Robin frowned slightly, a helpless look on her face. Being called so casually by Lu Jingming always made her feel strangely embarrassed.
"Okay, little bird." Lu Jingming's lips curved upwards, wearing an "I know, but I'm not changing it" expression, which made Robin roll her eyes in a cute way.
Lu Jingming waved at the girls and turned, walking away with steady steps. The sunlight stretched his figure, gradually disappearing at the end of the beach, while the girls' joyful laughter still drifted on the sea breeze.
Star Luo City, this majestic metropolis, carrying ten thousand years of rich history, stood as the unyielding capital of the Star Luo Empire, like an eternal monument, quietly narrating the vicissitudes and glory of time.
Its city walls soared into the clouds, reaching a hundred meters high, and were also a hundred meters thick, built from materials as hard as steel. Even soul masters would find it difficult to leave a mark on them. The entire city covered an immense area, spanning over a thousand square kilometers, with crisscrossing streets and densely packed buildings.
Just the entrance channels into the city were astonishingly wide, capable of accommodating sixteen carriages abreast.
Star Luo City's permanent population stood steadily at eight million, and during peak trade seasons or grand celebrations, external populations surged in like tides, with the peak flow reaching a massive twenty million.
In comparison, while Sea Abyss City was far ahead in soul guiding technology, it had a considerable gap in terms of land area and population size compared to Star Luo City.
Lu Jingming and Changli stood before the majestic city gates of Star Luo City. After a simple registration process, they smoothly stepped into this ancient city with ten thousand years of history. After all, it wasn't wartime, so even as a national capital, entering wasn't difficult.
This time, Jingliu did not accompany them. Instead, Changli was with Lu Jingming.
Although Changli didn't possess the nearly invincible terrifying strength of Jingliu, her own soul power level had now climbed to Level 98. More crucially, her martial soul, Vermilion Bird, as the Southern Divine Beast and a pure-blooded phoenix, controlled the ultimate fire, the Southern Bright Lihuo.
Its power and purity were absolutely incomparable to Ma Xiaotao's impure, mixed-blood Evil Fire Phoenix. Even if Ma Xiaotao's martial soul were to evolve into an ultimate fire in the future, she would still pale in comparison to Changli.
Lu Jingming had never been stingy with Changli and the others who had been by his side from the very beginning, accompanying him throughout his growth and transformation. Whether it was Honkai Energy or rare heavenly treasures on the Douluo Continent, Changli could use them freely, even without reporting to Lu Jingming beforehand. This was absolute, unreserved trust.
Lu Jingming's current trip to Star Luo City had a clear purpose: to negotiate a business deal with the Star Luo imperial family. Jingliu was practically invincible in combat, but the intricate negotiations at the table would require the meticulous and eloquent Changli to handle. As for Lu Jingming himself, his advantage lay in his connections. His friendship with Xu Jiujiu undoubtedly became an important bargaining chip at the negotiation table.
Only a short year remained until the 2024 All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament.
According to past practice, this tournament would be held in Star Luo City, the capital of the Star Luo Empire. Lu Jingming's visit this time was precisely to persuade the Star Luo imperial family to transfer the hosting rights of this tournament to Sea Abyss City, thereby attracting a massive influx of people and resources to Sea Abyss City and establishing its reputation.
However, he was well aware that the difficulty of this matter was akin to reaching the heavens. Let alone the fact that he and Xu Jiujiu were merely sworn siblings, even if he were Xu Jiujiu's secretly kept lover, it would be impossible. The reasons why the four great empires coveted the hosting rights of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament were complex and numerous.
Firstly, the tournament was undoubtedly an excellent platform for talent selection. Each empire hoped to unearth and recruit talented and outstanding soul masters through the tournament for their own use, strengthening their foundational power.
Secondly, successfully hosting the tournament could significantly enhance the nation's international standing and strengthen national cohesion, uniting the people.
Thirdly, during the tournament, the performance of each country's participating teams was also a way to understand the strength of other nations.
Fourthly, the economic benefits brought by the tournament were enormous. Ticket sales, hotel accommodation, dining, entertainment, and other related industries would experience explosive growth, directly injecting a continuous stream of economic vitality into the host city.
Fifthly, the Soul Master Tournament, with its extremely high popularity and national attention, further strengthened the influence of soul masters on the populace and solidified their status as national pillars.
It was precisely because of the intertwining of so many crucial factors that the major empires were unyielding in their contest over the hosting rights, and it had been this way for ten thousand years.