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"Is this the place?" Na'er asked curiously, following Bai Xu as they entered White Tiger City in the northwest of Star Luo Empire.
White Tiger City was the only economically developed metropolis in the northwest region of Star Luo, second only to the capital in prosperity. Its modern architecture and vibrant culture symbolized the glory of the northwest.
Na'er trailed behind Bai Xu as they navigated through narrow alleys. No one would have guessed that the higher-up of the evil soul master they were pursuing had hidden here.
The site of the evil soul master's massacre was hundreds of miles away, and the locals had never even heard rumors of their presence.
It seemed these criminals would commit a major atrocity in one location before moving to another, operating with extreme caution.
Only after Bai Xu passed a courtyard, spotting two guards stationed at the entrance and sensing the auras of several people inside, did he finally confirm this as the evil soul masters' contact point.
"We've been traveling for over ten days. Let's rest first. This time, I'll leave it to you. How about that?" Bai Xu said with a smile.
Na'er was puzzled. "Why not strike now? What if they escape?"
"They won't. Right now is their hiding period. They only come here periodically to report, roughly once every two months. According to the memories of that captured evil soul master, the leader of this small outpost is a Soul King—the same one who led the massacre of an entire village."
"Right now, there are only two two-ringed Great Soul Masters guarding the entrance and a four-ringed Soul Ancestor inside. The leader isn't here yet; it's not reporting time."
"Alright! Then I'll handle this!" Na'er declared.
"Na'er, there's something I need to tell you first," Bai Xu said, unusually serious.
"Mm."
"You've already seen the future—the Spirit Pagoda branch in the Dou Ling Empire has secretly collaborated with evil soul masters, researching something sinister. The branch master and higher-ups of the Spirit Pagoda are fully aware, and under Qiangu Dongfeng's orders, they've formed an alliance with the evil soul masters. But we have no information about the Spirit Pagoda branch here in the Star Luo Empire. There's no guarantee that the evil soul masters and the Spirit Pagoda aren't also working together here."
"So, try not to escalate things. Make it quick. I'll secure the perimeter to ensure none of them escape alive. Otherwise… the consequences could be beyond our expectations."
---
Outside White Tiger City.
A Hidden Black Temple.
Chou Zhiyi was recuperating here, but as he sat on the main seat, staring at his severed arm, he couldn't help but recall the face of that damned kid, gnashing his teeth in hatred.
He was still a level 79 Soul Sage. Losing an arm meant his body was incomplete—he would never advance further, forever barred from becoming a Soul Douluo.
Bai Xu had shattered his dream of reaching Titled Douluo!
Whoosh!
A sinister aura suddenly emerged, and the oppressive pressure of a Titled Douluo instantly filled the hall, forcing Chou Zhiyi to roll off his seat and kneel on the floor. "Greetings, my lord!" he said hastily.
"You truly are useless. Even slaughtering a village left you severely wounded," the visitor said, their voice ambiguous—neither distinctly male nor female.
"My lord, this subordinate failed in his duty," Chou Zhiyi replied, deliberately omitting the fact that he had been crippled by a child.
"Enough. After lying low for over half a year, I'm assigning you a simple task. Capture around a hundred test subjects. I'll collect them personally in three months."
"Yes, my lord! Should they be soul masters or ordinary people?" Chou Zhiyi asked.
"Either is fine. If it's troublesome, just take commoners."
"Might I ask… what does the sect need these people for?"
The Titled Douluo's eyes turned icy, and their pressure slammed Chou Zhiyi's head into the floor. "You are not worthy of knowing, insect. Fail in three months, and your life ends here."
When Chou Zhiyi looked up again, the figure on the throne had vanished.
Filled with resentment, he roared at the hall's entrance, "You heard him! A hundred people in three months! Fail, and we all die!"
"Yes, sir!" The Zhong brothers and Shi Yi responded in unison.
---
"One room, please."
Inside the hotel room, the two of them had traveled from a remote town to this city, taking their time and enjoying the journey.
"What are you drawing?" Na'er leaned in curiously, watching as Bai Xu used his internal energy to etch something.
"Array runes."
Na'er tilted her head, eyes bright with curiosity. "Explain it to me! It looks like something powerful again."
Bai Xu chuckled. "Array runes are the foundation of formations. The ones I'm learning are primarily based on the essence of the Five Elements, inscribed on scrolls or formation flags. During battle, deploying the flags in the surroundings activates the formation. Within it, I can manipulate the Five Elements, greatly enhancing my strength."
"Since the minimum requirement for etching runes is perfecting the internal organs, I've only recently started learning and haven't mastered it yet."
"What else? I've noticed you've been searching for some artifacts lately," Na'er pressed.
Bai Xu sighed. "The other thing is artifact forging. According to the texts, rare materials are nourished by the essence of the Five Elements to craft spiritual tools suited to the wielder. I've been looking for suitable materials but haven't found any. So, I decided to use the Life Gold I obtained from the Life Lake."
As he spoke, a glow emerged from his dantian, and a piece of Life Gold slowly floated out.
The metal's surface was no longer emerald green. After being infused with the Five Elements, it had taken on a multicolored hue and was gradually being reshaped—this was the most basic form of artifact forging.
"How does it compare to the Silver Dragon Spear?" Na'er summoned her spear and playfully poked the Life Gold.
"Don't absorb its essence! It's still in the early stages, and I'm just a beginner. Of course it's not ready yet."
Bai Xu retracted the unfinished artifact, giving Na'er an exasperated look. She, however, looked blissful—the Silver Dragon Spear had absorbed some of the essence and fed it back to her, leaving her refreshed. Unconsciously, her soul power had broken through yet again.
Na'er's talent had surpassed her past self. In just over half a year, she was already approaching Soul King level.
"Mmm~"
"It feels purifying, so comfortable," Na'er said with an apologetic smile, describing her experience.
"I've refined the Five Elements Gold you gave me into my battle armor. I'm now a one-word battle armor master. Want to see?" Na'er stepped back and summoned her armor. Silver light swirled around her, and though her battle skirt wasn't fully materialized, she stood there with the Silver Dragon Spear, looking like a goddess of war.
"Beautiful…" Bai Xu smiled, captivated by her appearance.
Pleased with his reaction, Na'er skipped over and asked, "Then, that 'Heavenly Transformation of the Other Bai Xu'—was that also forged?"
"Mm. The Heavenly Transformation is used for divination and evading karma, not combat. But the 'other me' probably stopped using it long ago. It was forged during the sixth layer of the Divine Prohibition. Now that he's reached the seventh, it's mostly obsolete."
The gap between each layer of the Divine Prohibition was vast. Bai Xu didn't even know where the endpoint lay—what conditions the final ascension would require.
"To effortlessly deduce the future… that's true strength. Even the Dragon God of old never reached such heights. I hope you can achieve it too one day," Na'er said warmly.
"It's getting late. Let's rest," Bai Xu suggested.
At this, Na'er's face flushed red, but she nodded and quietly climbed onto the bed. Though they shared the same bed, they only held hands while sleeping, not yet crossing into deeper intimacy.