"You're saying Lexuan-jie and Jiang Nannan are also undergoing divine trials?" Qian Lingyi asked in a daze. "Which one of them—Lexuan-jie or Nannan?"
"It's Nannan," Zhu Ziyang replied. "Her sixth Taiyin Trial requires her to assist me in completing my Seventh Trial. As for Lexuan-jie, hers is the Red-level Eight Trials—her sixth trial also requires her to help me complete my Seventh."
"I knew it!" Lingyi gasped, then suddenly cried out, "I knew it, I knew it! How else could Jiang Nannan have advanced eight levels in just one year? It's cheating! No wonder I've been slower than her!"
"Uh…" Zhu Ziyang was momentarily at a loss for words. All he could do was gently squeeze the girl's small hand and say, "Alright, now you know our true purpose. Let's go and meet up with Lexuan-jie and Nannan."
"Yáng-ge, I still don't accept it!" Qian Lingyi pouted, cheeks puffed in indignation.
"Hahaha!" Zhu Ziyang only laughed heartily, ignoring her complaints as he led her to reunite with the other two.
Once the four gathered, they went over their preparations. Finding everything ready, Zhu Ziyang declared, "All is prepared. Let's depart!"
The four arrived at a deserted beach on April Island, where they chose a spot to launch.
"Go!" Zhang Lexuan lifted the Moon God Shuttle and infused it with soul power. At once, the shuttle burst into silver light, slowly rising into the air. To their astonishment, the palm-sized model expanded larger and larger, until it transformed into a massive vessel more than forty meters long, five meters wide, and nearly three meters tall. Its two ends were sleek and rounded, its midsection broad and sturdy, and golden array patterns covered its hull, each line radiating mysterious fluctuations of soul power.
At the center lay the cabin, enclosed not by exposed wood or metal, but by a flawless shield of silver-white crystal that protected it entirely. Within, the four could not yet see its structure—but the exterior alone left them wide-eyed in wonder.
"So this is the Moon God Shuttle? It's so beautiful! It's nothing like the ships I imagined!" Jiang Nannan exclaimed, her eyes glittering like stars.
"I never thought it would look like this either," Zhang Lexuan admitted with surprise.
"This is a tenth-level soul tool?" Qian Lingyi muttered, her expression complicated. "It's beautiful, yes, but it feels… not quite what I imagined."
"It's a shuttle. The exterior is secondary—the real secret lies inside," Zhu Ziyang said, glancing at Lexuan. "Lexuan-jie, open the hatch."
"Alright!" Lexuan nodded. At her thought, the crystal barrier split apart to either side, revealing the cabin within.
Zhu Ziyang leapt in first, with Lexuan, Nannan, and Lingyi following closely behind. As soon as they entered, Lexuan willed the crystal to close again, sealing the cabin tight. None of them, however, paid that detail much mind—their attention was already captured by what they saw inside.
The cabin was divided into three sections: the cockpit in front, the main hall in the middle, and the resting chamber at the rear. The hall was the largest, stretching ten meters in length, furnished simply with a few metal tables and chairs, the rest given over to storage compartments.
The cockpit was smallest, but the controls were not what they expected. Apart from a steering rudder, there were only four crystal spheres. Each of the four stepped before one sphere, instinctively channeling soul power into it. Immediately, the crystals lit up, revealing their functions.
From left to right:
Red Crystal Sphere (Zhu Ziyang): controlled ascent and descent, allowing the shuttle to submerge like a submarine. It also activated a soul tool viewing screen to see the waters ahead.
Green Crystal Sphere (Jiang Nannan): controlled speed, adjustable by the amount of soul power infused. The slowest speed was 500 kilometers per hour; the fastest, 2,500.
Blue Crystal Sphere (Zhang Lexuan): the energy core. A Contra's full reserves could power the shuttle at minimum speed for three months straight.
White Crystal Sphere (Qian Lingyi): activated the sea chart inscribed within by the Silver Moon Empress ten thousand years ago.
When the chart appeared, their eyes were immediately drawn to it.
It showed the Sun Moon Continent's position from ten millennia past, before its collision with Douluo. East of it lay the Douluo Continent itself, a voyage of six months at full speed. To the west and south were two more continents—an astonishing revelation.
Yet their goal, the Eastern Continent, was nowhere to be seen. The chart only marked scattered islets east of Douluo, but no landmass within 100,000 kilometers.
Still, a chart engraved by the Silver Moon Empress herself could not be doubted.
"Ziyang, what do we do? Should we search for other charts?" Lexuan asked hesitantly.
"No need." Zhu Ziyang shook his head. "This one is enough. We don't have the time to look for more."
"Alright then." Lexuan nodded. "Let's check the resting chamber. If we'll be spending months aboard, I hope it's comfortable."
"Good idea."
They passed through the hall into the rear chamber—and froze.
The chamber was not crude at all. On the contrary, it was lavish—soft furs carpeted the floor, furnishings were the finest grade, the kind only royals could afford.
But what truly stunned them was the bed.
A single massive bed, large enough for ten people, dominated the chamber. The design was unmistakably… ambiguous in intent.
The three girls blushed furiously, while Zhu Ziyang rubbed the back of his head in awkward admiration. Whoever had designed this certainly knew how to indulge.
In truth, the Moon God Shuttle was not solely the Silver Moon Empress's work. Both the Purple Radiance Emperor and the Golden Sun Empress had contributed. Its original purpose? To fulfill the emperor's dream of sailing the seas with his wives and concubines. The sea chart itself had been drawn during those very voyages.
Truly, only an emperor knew how to play.
"Ahem. Well then—let's get going!" Zhu Ziyang coughed, quickly skipping past the awkwardness.
"Mm!" The three girls nodded hastily, none daring to linger on the subject.
They returned to the cockpit. Zhu Ziyang took the rudder and speed, Lexuan fueled the core, while Nannan and Lingyi activated the chart and viewing screen.
As their soul power poured in, the Moon God Shuttle—this unique tenth-level soul tool—awoke once more after ten thousand years.
"Set sail!" Zhu Ziyang cried, brimming with spirit.
The shuttle shot forward like a falling star, plunging into the boundless unknown sea.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 early chapters available on Patreon: [email protected]/facficmax10