In this relatively leisurely life, ten days passed quickly.
During this time, Jing Hongchen made a special trip to Shrek Academy to take the siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen back to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
Initially, when Elder Xuan suddenly took Yu Tianhuang away from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, he had been furious. However, after receiving a message from Elder Xuan informing him of Mu En's passing, his anger subsided considerably.
Although their positions were different, he genuinely respected Mu En as a peak human soul master standing at the pinnacle. He could understand Elder Xuan's desire to take Yu Tianhuang to bid farewell to Mu En, but naturally, he could no longer feel at ease leaving Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen at Shrek Academy for exchange studies.
After all, one must guard against others.
As for the other students' exchange studies, they would still proceed according to the original agreement and end after seven months.
Rose-gold evening sunlight sprinkled across the clear surface of Sea God Lake, creating rippling waves of light.
Suddenly, a small and exquisite boat sped across the lake, breaking the tranquility. Waves were stirred up, scattering like mist and rain in the air, refracting dazzling, colorful halos.
The milky-white boat was positioned right in the center of this colorful halo.
The boat was slender and shuttle-shaped, with streamlined construction on its body, engraved with magnificent and complex patterns, carved as if from jade. It was about two meters long from bow to stern, and only one meter wide. In the center of the boat stood a white metal mast, but the sail on the mast was furled.
Xu Zihuang stood at the bow, injecting soul power through the grooves under his feet. The patterns on the boat's body accordingly turned deep blue, somewhat resembling the demonic patterns on whale-type soul beasts. At the stern, four level-six soul guide thrusters sprayed blue flames, propelling the small boat forward at high speed, giving a feeling of riding the wind and breaking the waves.
Ning Tian stood behind Xu Zihuang, tightly hugging his waist from behind, her platinum-blonde long hair flying high. Although some of her hair strands and clothes were dampened by the mist from the waves, her pretty face was filled with an excited smile.
In fact, rather than calling it a small boat, it was more like a speedboat. This was a soul guide device specially crafted by Xu Zihuang for training in the sea region, equipped with four level-six soul guide thrusters and a special level-six soul guide shield. Although the speedboat was small in size, it was a genuine level-six soul guide device.
The main material of the speedboat was the hardest part of the spine from a thousand-year-old Deep Sea Demon Whale, with extremely strong impact resistance.
If the level-six soul guide shield enveloped the speedboat, it could completely withstand attacks from sea soul beasts below twenty thousand years of cultivation. Of course, the premise was not being directly hit by those particularly massive sea soul beasts.
Due to the material, Xu Zihuang named this speedboat the Demon Whale. With his current abilities in soul engineering, it had taken him only a few short days from conception to completion.
It is worth mentioning that the main material of the Demon Whale, the spine bone taken from a thousand-year-old Deep Sea Demon Whale, was something Xu Zihuang had conveniently obtained from the Soul Guidance Department's vice-dean, Qian Duoduo.
Deep Sea Demon Whales were not only powerful soul beasts but also generally lived in deep-sea areas. Even thousand-year Deep Sea Demon Whales were rarely hunted by human soul masters.
Qian Duoduo greatly treasured that spine bone from the thousand-year Deep Sea Demon Whale. It wasn't that it was some priceless, rare treasure; it was purely because Dean Qian was habitually stingy.
If Xu Zihuang hadn't recently given them the production blueprints for a level-nine stationary soul guide cannon, he probably wouldn't have relented so easily.
Even now, Xu Zihuang still remembered Qian Duoduo's pained expression.
Xu Zihuang controlled the Demon Whale to circle Sea God Lake several times until nightfall approached, then brought Ning Tian to stop at the northern shore of Sea God Island.
Sea God Island had wooden pavilions built along the lake on its east, west, and south sides, but the north side was an exception. Few people came here, so the flowers, grass, trees, and various plants were naturally more lush, and the environment was very serene.
Ning Tian stepped ashore first, her small mouth slightly open, her full chest heaving. The last rays of sunset on the lake illuminated her delicate, flower-like cheeks.
"Not satisfied yet?" Xu Zihuang stored the Demon Whale in his storage soul guide device and walked to Ning Tian's side with a smile.
Ning Tian gently shook her head. Disregarding the dampness on her clothes, she smiled sweetly, stretched out her jade-like arm to rest on Xu Zihuang's shoulder, and tiptoed lightly.
This was indeed something she had never tried in her previous sixteen years, but the most important thing was that the person by her side was Yu Tianhuang; that was all.
Moments later, their breaths ceased mingling. Xu Zihuang naturally used soul power to dry Ning Tian's clothes and hair, quietly watching the sunset completely sink below the western horizon.
"Tianhuang, did Elder Xuan agree to let you go?" In the night, Ning Tian's watery blue eyes were especially bright.
Xu Zihuang nodded.
"Elder Xuan agreed. And he even temporarily gave me a task."
"A Monitor task?" Ning Tian said instinctively.
Xu Zihuang frankly replied, "It's not a Monitor task; it's about Senior Sister Xiao Tao. After the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament ended, Senior Sister Xiao Tao went to the Extreme North. In the past, Senior Sister Xiao Tao would send a letter to the academy every six months or so to report her recent situation. But now, Elder Xuan and Dean Yan haven't received a letter from Senior Sister Xiao Tao for over a year. Elder Xuan and Dean Yan have even sent people several times specifically to look for her, but all returned without success. Before Mu En passed, he said this was Senior Sister Xiao Tao's opportunity, so Elder Xuan wasn't too anxious. He just asked me to inquire about Senior Sister Xiao Tao's news in the city where she sent her last letter. That city happens to be the starting point for my entry into the sea region this time, the largest city in the northeastern part of the Dou Ling Empire, Qian Ling City."
Qian Ling City was known on the continent as the foremost city in the Far East, bordering the Extreme North to the north and the sea to the east.
Although geographically, Qian Ling City was quite far north, influenced by ocean currents, the temperature was not particularly low. It had a natural ice-free port, highly developed commerce, and a population of several million. This was very rare among the harsh northern cities.
Moreover, in Qian Ling City was the Qian Ling Advanced Soul Master Academy, ranked among the top three in the Dou Ling Empire. Shen Ce, An Lengye, and Fei Yuyan, who had been crushed single-handedly by Xu Zihuang in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, came from Qian Ling Advanced Soul Master Academy.
"I hope Senior Sister Xiao Tao is safe and sound." Ning Tian glanced at Xu Zihuang, then sincerely prayed.
After so many years, her feelings with Yu Tianhuang had continued to warm. She no longer felt that Ma Xiaotao posed any threat to her.
If Ma Xiaotao had any intention of interfering between them, she wouldn't have gone alone to the Extreme North.
"Alright, let's not talk about this." Xu Zihuang changed the topic and took out an iron grill from his storage soul guide device.
"Today, try my cooking."
"Mhm." Ning Tian smiled sweetly, her eyes full of expectation, her heart melting with sweetness. From their companionship in their teenage years, how could she not see the pride deep in Yu Tianhuang's bones? Yet he was willing to do these things for her, which precisely showed her place in his heart.
Crimson charcoal flames danced and flickered in their eyes. Ning Tian knelt with her knees together to the side, propping her chin with her jade hand, a subtle arc at the corner of her mouth, her eyes reflecting only Xu Zihuang.
Soon, a rich aroma wafted over. Strips of silver fish caught locally sizzled with oil, and through the cracked skin, the delicate and tender garlic-white flesh was clearly visible.
In this scene, every expression of Yu Tianhuang, every word he said, and the taste of the grilled silver fish were destined to become unforgettable memories for Ning Tian.
At the same time, in the north-central part of the Sun Moon Empire, the Jingyang Mountain Range.
The overall shape of the Jingyang Mountain Range resembled a giant spider, or rather, a giant octopus. The central mountain range covered an extremely vast area, with eight branch ranges extending like eight legs in different directions. The branch ranges coiled around, protecting the central mountain range within.
Strong experts were not uncommon in the central mountain range, especially with Jingyang Peak as a forbidden area. The soul beasts in the branch ranges were of lower quality, mostly at the ten-year and hundred-year levels, with thousand-year and above being rare.
The eight branch ranges of the Jingyang Mountain Range thus became places where most low-level soul masters in the Sun Moon Empire hunted soul beasts to advance.
Soul masters and soul engineers were wealthy groups and rarely skimped on food and lodging. Consequently, towns for rest and recuperation sprang up around the peripheries of these branch ranges, precisely to earn money from those soul masters and soul engineers.
In a small town outside the southeastern branch range of the Jingyang Mountain Range, Tang Ya and Bei Bei, who had hurried all the way from the Ming Dou Great Forest, brought Huo Yuhao to check into a small inn in the town center.
At this moment, the three were in the inn's first-floor hall, preparing to have dinner.
"Order! Order! Waiter, order!"
Tang Ya leaned back in her wooden chair with a charming smile, her black ponytail swaying left and right as she called out carefree. Although several days had passed since she absorbed the ten-thousand-year Nightmare Man-Eating Flower soul ring and officially advanced to Soul King, the excitement in her heart lingered.
That Nightmare Man-Eating Flower had indeed granted her the nightmare toxin ability. Of course, after fusing with her Blue Silver Grass martial soul, the attached soul skill had changed and was not as powerful as the original ability of the Nightmare Man-Eating Flower, but it was still a case of the flaws not overshadowing the virtues.
Bei Bei teased with a smile.
"Xiao Ya, pay attention to your image when we're out. Do you want everyone to know you're a little foodie?"
Though he said this, he was actually even happier than Tang Ya.
Tianhuang, you've truly given Xiao Ya and me another enormous favor.
Tang Ya hummed, turned her face away, and pouted coquettishly.
"What, am I embarrassing you? Are you disgusted with me?"
"I didn't say that."
Bei Bei shook his head with a helpless laugh.
"Hmph, Tianhuang helped me find such a suitable soul ring, can't I be happy about it?"
Tang Ya giggled and looked at Huo Yuhao, who was sitting to the side with his head down and silent.
"Yuhao, is there any dish you'd like to eat?"
At sixteen, Huo Yuhao was just over 1.7 meters tall, shorter than Tang Ya by half a head. Long-term malnutrition during his developmental stage had left him thin and small, and only in recent years, after formally becoming a soul engineer, creating some soul guide devices to sell, and no longer worrying about the annual ten gold soul coins for tuition, had his condition improved.
Black hair on his forehead draped over his eyelids, faintly revealing deep blue eyes beneath. However, the aura he gave off was very gloomy, with occasional cold glints in his eyes that chilled the heart.
"No need, Teacher Xiao Ya. You and Big Senior Brother can order." Huo Yuhao replied in a hoarse voice, surging with malice in his heart.
Along the way, he had lost count of how many times Tang Ya and Bei Bei had mentioned Yu Tianhuang's name in front of him. Even the soul guide cannon design he had created—Tang Ya had given it to Yu Tianhuang for improvement without his consent.
At this moment, countless voices seemed to echo in his mind.
"Yu Tianhuang, Yu Tianhuang, annoying!"
"When you absorbed me into the Tang Sect, wasn't it just to use me? Pretending to be righteous!"
"When I couldn't afford tuition back then, where were you?"
"Now that I've shown talent in soul guide devices, you come pretending to care about me."
"After all, you're talented inner courtyard disciples, how could you spend effort on soul guide devices? Of course, you'd need to use me."
"…"
The negative emotions accumulated over the years continued to brew.
Huo Yuhao's personality was too extreme, and with no one properly guiding him these years, his thoughts easily fell into darkness.
Just then, a young waiter who appeared to be in his twenties came over in response. Seeing Tang Ya and Bei Bei, both extraordinary in appearance and temperament, the young waiter was momentarily stunned. Having served many soul masters and soul engineers over the years, he was certain the two had remarkable backgrounds.
"What would the guests like to order?" The young waiter showed a fawning smile, but his brief daze caused him to stumble. Though he didn't fall, he bumped into the table next to Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao coldly glanced at the young waiter. The brewing negative emotions filled his eyes with violence, frightening the waiter into shivering and kneeling on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing to Huo Yuhao.
"S-sorry, esteemed soul master sir, it wasn't intentional, it wasn't intentional, it wasn't intentional…"
On the continent, soul masters were undoubtedly the noblest profession. Soul masters were innately superior, and ordinary people who offended a soul master might get off lightly with a beating. Cases of soul masters retaliating and causing families to be ruined were common. Especially in this town near the Jingyang Mountain Range, soul masters who emerged from the range, having endured constant vigilance against soul beasts and immense pressure, often had bad tempers.
Seeing Huo Yuhao's gaze, the young waiter was truly panicked.
The current four great empires claimed to restrain soul masters, but often favored them. Nobles needed to win over soul masters to consolidate their status, and in times of war, nations needed soul masters on the front lines.
As long as the soul master profession existed, absolute fairness would never exist. The only ones truly regulating soul masters' evil deeds were the Shrek Monitoring Corps. However, the Monitoring Corps consisted only of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard disciples and teachers, making it difficult to oversee everything.
"Don't get agitated; it's nothing." Tang Ya stood up in surprise and helped the young waiter up.
Bei Bei thought the same as Tang Ya and sighed.
"It seems the class conflict between soul masters and ordinary people is even sharper here in the Sun Moon Empire."
After a brief daze, a strange feeling arose in Huo Yuhao's heart, and the corners of his mouth curled up wildly.
In the past at Shrek Academy, he had always lived in inferiority. There was no helping it—everyone around him had better talent.
But now, for the first time, he felt the superiority brought by his soul master status. After long suppression, he even felt like laughing out loud. His expression appeared manic and twisted.
Yes, no matter his talent, he was a lofty soul master! Born superior to those lowly ordinary people!
This incident caused a huge impact on his heart. Walking toward the light requires enduring countless hardships, but falling into darkness often needs only a single thought or trigger.
Noticing Huo Yuhao's strange expression, Bei Bei frowned deeply and scolded in a low voice.
"Yuhao!"
Huo Yuhao was pulled back to reality by Bei Bei's voice and somewhat avoided meeting Bei Bei's gaze.
Tang Ya also turned around blankly.
Bei Bei looked deeply at Huo Yuhao, then said to Tang Ya, "Let's order first. Eat dinner, rest early, and tomorrow morning we'll go hunt a soul beast for Yuhao to advance."
The young waiter cautiously glanced at the group, lingering longest on Huo Yuhao. Seeing his gaze become calmer, he mustered the courage to respectfully hand the menu to the three.
No further incidents occurred afterward. The three finished dinner and returned to their respective rooms to rest.
Bei Bei escorted Tang Ya to her room door. Before leaving, Tang Ya suddenly grabbed Bei Bei's wrist and said thoughtfully.
"Bei Bei, why did I just feel that something was off with Yuhao's expression?"
Bei Bei held Tang Ya's hand in return and smiled gently.
"He's about to obtain a soul ring; he's just excited, which is normal. You weren't much better before."
"Annoying!" Tang Ya made a face at Bei Bei, pretending to be angry as she closed the door.
Once Tang Ya left, Bei Bei's gaze became profound.
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