"Crackle, crackle, crackle—"
Sparks flew in succession from the burning wood in the bonfire, the firelight swaying with the wind, reflecting on the surface of Sea God Lake.
Ning Tian sat affectionately on Xu Zihuang's lap, her pretty face flushed red under the illumination of the firelight, her breathing somewhat rapid. But just as she twisted her waist to straighten her body, a strange sensation struck her, making her whole body feel as if it had been struck by lightning, her cheeks burning hot, her eyes filled with shyness.
"Tianhuang... let's go to the Nine Treasures Pavilion."
Taking a deep breath, Ning Tian made up her mind and whispered. The shyness in her voice did not diminish, but it was unusually firm.
There was nothing to hesitate about; this was her choice. Moreover, she also had the most primitive desire originating from her heart and body.
Xu Zihuang's hand, gently stroking Ning Tian's hair, remained steady as ever; of course, he understood the implication in Ning Tian's words.
In the past, he might not have hesitated at all, because after this, Ning Tian would undoubtedly become even more devoted to him. But with the appearance of Ye Guyi, everything had become different. At least, he hoped to take that first step with Ye Guyi.
This could be considered his insistence without affecting the overall situation.
With the successful condensation of his soul core and the absorption of the 100,000-year pure mental-type Evil Eye Tyrant's soul ring and soul bone, the increase in strength had gradually changed his mindset.
When he broke through level 70 and fused with the million-year soul ring from the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, he would even have the ability to directly confront and defeat an ordinary Titled Douluo. And now, that was no longer far away.
"Why go to the Nine Treasures Pavilion?" Xu Zihuang asked with a smile, pretending not to understand.
Their gazes met in mid-air. Ning Tian, unusually, glared at Xu Zihuang, then lightly hammered his shoulder in slight annoyance.
In the past, Ning Tian always unconsciously suppressed her true nature, even after confirming her relationship with Xu Zihuang. It wasn't just because she had been raised under high-pressure education as the sole heir to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's sect master; the main reason was that she cared too much about Xu Zihuang.
Because she cared, she didn't want to lose him. As a result, in the past, when interacting with Xu Zihuang, she was almost completely obedient to him, even with a hint of trying to please him.
Although Tang Ya usually appeared carefree and cheerful, she had extraordinary sensitivity regarding certain matters.
Over these two years, Tang Ya had given Ning Tian quite a few suggestions.
Ning Tian had taken them all to heart and gradually awakened.
It could be said that the current Ning Tian was the most authentic version of herself, no longer giving off an empty feeling. She would get jealous, shy, angry, and unreservedly show these emotions in front of the person she loved.
After all, how rational could a sixteen-year-old girl truly be?
Xu Zihuang chuckled and kissed Ning Tian's forehead, then whispered in her ear, "It's not the right time yet."
Ning Tian's lightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, a smile reappearing on her delicate face as she shyly said with a grin, "You said it yourself, oh. Don't blame me for not giving you a chance."
Xu Zihuang suddenly pretended to be serious and said, "What if I regret it now?"
"No! You can't regret it..."
Amidst laughter and joy, the night gradually deepened. The two cuddled together, watching the starry sky turn into the rising sun.
All preparations were complete. Xu Zihuang had already discussed it with Elder Xuan; he would leave Shrek Academy early this morning for external training. That was why he had brought Ning Tian to the north side of Sea God Island, where the two spent the entire night alone.
Xu Zihuang extinguished the bonfire, and together with Ning Tian, they rode the Demon Whale to the row of wooden pavilion buildings on the west side of Sea God Island. This was precisely the residential area for the inner court female students of Shrek Academy.
"Tianhuang, take care of everything." Ning Tian lingered for a long time before leaving Xu Zihuang's embrace, reluctantly giving a reminder. Under the morning sunlight, her delicate, fair skin and platinum-colored hair both shimmered with a golden glow, making her adorably charming.
"Mm." Xu Zihuang nodded and teased.
"I hope that when I return next time, you'll give me another chance."
Hearing Xu Zihuang's words, Ning Tian's pretty face immediately turned bright red. At the same moment, Xu Zihuang stored the Demon Mirror into his storage soul tool and stepped on the dark red crystal mirror, drifting elegantly toward the direction of Sea God Pavilion.
Under his deliberate teasing, the melancholic mood of parting was greatly diluted.
Ning Tian watched Xu Zihuang's retreating figure, the shyness in her eyes fading, replaced by deep affection and a smile.
Their birthdays were only one day apart. By the next birthday, that would be the best birthday gift for each other, leaving the most profound memory.
What Xu Zihuang didn't know was that Ning Tian had planned for this long ago.
Of course, if they had gone to the Nine Treasures Pavilion together last night, Ning Tian wouldn't have felt too regretful either.
Sea God Pavilion was surrounded by swirling clouds and mist.
Xu Zihuang passed through the mist and steadily landed on the open ground in front of Sea God Pavilion, revealing two figures that had been waiting there. The one standing at the front was an old man dressed in a neat white robe; it was none other than Elder Xuan.
At this moment, Elder Xuan had his hands behind his back, smiling as he looked at Xu Zihuang.
Behind Elder Xuan was a gentle and tranquil young woman with long black hair cascading like a waterfall down to her waist. It was the inner court's eldest senior sister, Zhang Lexuan.
Xu Zihuang respectfully greeted Elder Xuan and Zhang Lexuan.
"Elder Xuan, Eldest Sister."
Both smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Are you all prepared?" Elder Xuan stepped forward to Xu Zihuang, with Zhang Lexuan following behind.
"Mm." Xu Zihuang responded seriously.
Elder Xuan sighed softly, "Tianhuang, your current situation indeed requires some time outside to familiarize yourself with and master your newly acquired abilities. I won't stop you. But remember, do not venture too deep into the sea. The sea soul beasts living in the deep sea far surpass land soul beasts in both quality and quantity, and there is no lack of existences that could threaten you."
"Tianhuang, Elder Xuan is right. Prioritize your own safety above all." Zhang Lexuan added gently, her gaze warm.
Xu Zihuang calmly said, "Elder Xuan, Eldest Senior Sister, rest assured. Even if I encounter a 100,000-year sea soul beast, I have the confidence to retreat unscathed. Since successfully condensing my mental attribute soul core, I should be able to perfectly control the golden-level second awakening ability of my original martial soul."
Elder Xuan's eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.
"Tianhuang, are you certain?!"
Although Elder Xuan's own Taotie Divine Ox martial soul had nothing to do with the original martial soul, he had fought Du Busi many times. Not to mention anything else, when Du Busi first entered the Titled Douluo realm, he hadn't even preliminarily controlled the golden-level second awakening ability of his original martial soul.
"Elder Xuan, my feeling won't be wrong." Receiving Xu Zihuang's affirmative answer, Elder Xuan excitedly reached out his right hand and patted Xu Zihuang's shoulder.
"Good! Good! Haha, if that old monster from the Body Sect found out, he'd probably be so angry he'd spit out a mouthful of old blood."
Due to his personality, Elder Xuan still held a grudge from being suppressed by Du Busi back then. Now, he had finally vented some of that frustration and felt immensely pleased.
Zhang Lexuan remained much calmer than Elder Xuan. As if thinking of something, worry appeared on her face.
"Elder Xuan, the Body Sect people must have already learned of Elder Mu's passing. Do you think they might target Tianhuang again?"
"It's hard to say." Elder Xuan's smile instantly faded upon hearing this.
"That old monster Du never plays by the rules; he might really do something like that."
As he spoke, his gaze fell back on Xu Zihuang, his expression turning ugly.
Xu Zihuang smiled bitterly, "Elder Xuan, you're not going back on your word, are you?"
"Stinky brat, am I the kind of person who goes back on my word?!" Elder Xuan said irritably.
"How could there be such a coincidence in the world? The Body Sect doesn't even know you're going out for training. Go, go. Remember not to take risks and prioritize your own safety above all. But after you return this time, stay in the academy and cultivate properly for me."
Zhang Lexuan parted her red lips, her soft voice filled with deep concern.
"Tianhuang, take care on your journey."
What Elder Xuan said made sense; the Douluo Continent was vast, and the chance of the Body Sect coincidentally encountering Xu Zihuang was minuscule. Her main worry was the potential dangers Xu Zihuang might face during this sea training.
"Elder Xuan, Eldest Senior Sister, you both take care as well."
Xu Zihuang solemnly bowed to Elder Xuan and Zhang Lexuan, then soared into the air.
To avoid drawing too much attention, he landed by the lakeside path and walked all the way to the main gate of Shrek Academy before using the level-six flying soul tool he had personally made to fly northeast.
The small folded wings emitting deep purple light were like the wings of a flying soul beast, closely attached to his back, gently flapping. At the same time, a thin layer of light membrane enveloped his body, within which even his hair wouldn't be excessively disturbed.
This was a flying soul tool from the Sun Moon Empire's Mingde Hall, incorporating the latest bionic technology. It was much more advanced than the flying soul tools used by Ke Ke and Ju Zi back then.
It allowed flight in the most energy-efficient way. Not only was the flight speed improved to a certain extent, but the consumption of soul power was also reduced significantly.
Shrek Academy was located in the southeast of the Heavenly Soul Empire, while Xu Zihuang's destination, Thousand Spirit City, was in the northeast corner of the Dou Ling Empire, essentially diagonally crossing the entire Dou Ling Empire from southwest to northeast.
Although the Dou Ling Empire had the smallest territory among the four great empires, this journey would conservatively require flying over four thousand kilometers.
However, with his current cultivation, it would only take one to two days.
Back when he was only a Soul King, the soul power consumed while using a flying soul tool for travel could balance with his natural recovery. Now that he had condensed a soul core, there was no need to mention it further. With his tangible and material mental power realm, he could even meditate and cultivate while using the flying soul tool, keeping his mental state at its peak.
The purple flames streaked across the sky. Before long, Xu Zihuang crossed the border and entered the Dou Ling Empire.
As his location drew closer to the northern part of the continent, the temperature began to drop continuously.
Even the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm sleeping in his mental sea was startled. As a soul beast living in the extreme north, it was extremely sensitive to changes in external temperature.
"Zihuang, are you heading to the Extreme North?" The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's lazy voice rang out in Xu Zihuang's mental sea.
Xu Zihuang's mental power had broken through to the tangible and material realm, greatly benefiting the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. It had been sleeping this whole time and naturally didn't know about his plans for sea training.
Xu Zihuang couldn't be bothered to explain much to the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and directly transmitted the memory fragments to it.
"Tianmeng, I remember your hometown is in the eastern part of the Extreme North, right?"
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said in a very affectionate tone.
"Yes! Our ice silkworm clan lives in the eastern Extreme North. Back then, that's where I fell into the ice cave that nurtured the Ten Thousand Year Mysterious Ice Marrow, and where I met my beloved Bing Bing."
Recalling the past stirred memories, and the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm immediately turned into the soul beast world's number one simp, chattering endlessly about the story of meeting the Ice Emperor. Unbeknownst to it, Xu Zihuang had already blocked it out.
"Zihuang, are you listening?"
"Mm."
Seeing it stop its endless chatter, Xu Zihuang perfunctorily responded.
"Speaking of which, in my hometown area, there are some mental attribute soul beasts suitable for your later soul rings."
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm finally said something that interested Xu Zihuang.
Xu Zihuang frowned and asked, "Are there 100,000-year mental attribute soul beasts in the Extreme North too?"
His sixth soul ring came from a 100,000-year pure mental-type Evil Eye Tyrant, but since the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm mentioned it, it was at least a soul beast of 100,000 years or more.
Though the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's combat power was lacking, its standards were extraordinarily high. Especially now that Xu Zihuang and it shared glory and ruin, it couldn't wait for Xu Zihuang to fuse even stronger soul rings to increase his strength.
Soul beasts under 100,000 years wouldn't catch its eye.
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said proudly, "Of course there are! In terms of top combat power, our Extreme North indeed can't compare to those few guys in the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, but overall strength is by no means inferior. Among you humans, ice attribute soul masters are ultimately a minority, and the Extreme North's environment is so harsh that basically no human soul masters come here to hunt soul beasts. Accumulated over tens of thousands of years, the number of soul beasts that successfully break through to 100,000 years is considerable."
"There are three 100,000-year mental attribute soul beasts that I know of alone. If you need them later, Zihuang, bring those old fogies from your Shrek Academy over to deal with them, I'll lead the way!" The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm acted like a proud traitor to the beast race.
Next, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm specifically introduced these three soul beasts to Xu Zihuang. The one that interested Xu Zihuang the most was a humanoid soul beast called the Snow Demon. Even Shrek Academy, with its ten-thousand-year heritage, did not know this soul beast.
Human understanding of the Extreme North was still too limited.
Along the way, Xu Zihuang continued communicating with the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. Not only about those few 100,000-year mental attribute soul beasts in the Extreme North suitable for his soul rings, but also about the upcoming sea training.
Back then, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had drifted over that way, so it could provide him with some experience.
It was currently summer, and the closer to the north, the longer the daytime became. Xu Zihuang flew continuously for seven hours before the sunset finally approached the horizon.
He had arrived at the largest grassland in the northern Dou Ling Empire, the Lingbei Great Grassland.
Endless stretches of azure blue silver grass, bathed in golden sunset glow. Under the gentle breeze, it rippled in layers like waves, the soft grass blades undulating as if extending endlessly into the distance.
In the distance, silhouettes of galloping horses could vaguely be seen. These horses were much larger than ordinary ones, with body lengths exceeding four meters and shoulder heights around 1.8 meters, extremely robust. Most peculiarly, these entirely jet-black horses had no fur, only a layer of fine scales, with a faintly protruding bump on their heads.
These galloping horses were actually a type of soul beast called Horn Scale Horses. Horn Scale Horses themselves were not skilled in combat, but they possessed two innate soul skills: Black Scale Protection and Heavenly Horn Shield, giving them considerable defensive power. This soul beast was typically gregarious and, due to low combat strength, rarely appeared in soul beast forests. They generally lived on such grasslands.
Lacking in combat ability was compensated for by excellence in other areas. The Horn Scale Horse had exceptional endurance, over three times that of ordinary horses, and was very fast. When running, it could release the Heavenly Horn Shield to reduce air resistance.
Moreover, this soul beast could be tamed by humans and was highly favored by nobles in various countries. It even became a symbol of status and identity; many nobles took pride in owning a fine Horn Scale Horse.
A ten-year level Horn Scale Horse costs roughly five thousand to ten thousand gold soul coins, while a hundred-year one would be ten times more expensive. Thousand-year level ones were even more extraordinary; even at major auction houses, they would spark frantic bidding among noble lords.
As for those above ten thousand years, they were almost nonexistent within the entire Horn Scale Horse species. They lacked the genes to evolve to that cultivation level. Although they possessed a trace of the super soul beast Unicorn's bloodline, it was merely a trace, just like many lizard-type soul beasts having a trace of dragon bloodline, yet the actual gap between them was like heaven and earth.
Upon discovering Xu Zihuang's arrival, this vigilant group of Horn Scale Horses snorted and left the area.
Just as Xu Zihuang prepared to descend for a rest, he suddenly looked sharply toward the southwest. His tangible and material level mental power instantly extended outward. What surprised him was that his extended mental power encountered resistance from another layer of mental power. In this clash, they were evenly matched.
"Tangible and material realm mental power?!"
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—" A series of breaking air sounds rang out. From the direction Xu Zihuang was looking, four figures rapidly approached.
While extending his mental power, Xu Zihuang had also released his Golden Pupil martial soul. Relying on its innate ability, he clearly saw the appearances of these four people.
Among the four, there were two men and two women. The two men appeared to be in their forties or older. One had an average build and ordinary looks. The other middle-aged man was peculiarly featured, slim and small in stature, but with an unusually large head, looking like a big-headed doll. He had sparse yellow hair, and his eyes shot sharp glints.
These two middle-aged men flew at the front, without using flying soul tools. This meant that both were at least Soul Sage cultivation or higher.
Xu Zihuang's eyes were filled with shock.
"People from the Body Sect?!"
Unexpectedly, Elder Xuan's words had come true.
Yes, that big-headed man he had seen before, it was Lang Ya from the Body Sect, the one with the Brain martial soul.
Not only that, but the two young women following behind using flying soul tools were also his acquaintances.
Heavenly Soul Empire's princess Wei Na and the daughter of the Snow Demon Sect's sect master, Mu Xue.
Compared to four years ago, Wei Na and Mu Xue's appearances hadn't changed much, but their figures had become taller and more voluptuous.
Wei Na wore a goose-yellow tight outfit, with cyan hair loose behind her, her beautiful, large eyes rippling with water, as gentle and delicate as when they first met. Mu Xue wore a white tight outfit, her long black hair tied into a ponytail, with a cold and elegant appearance and temperament.
Xu Zihuang did not evade; they had also discovered his presence.
"You are... Xu Zihuang?!" Wei Na and Mu Xue simultaneously widened their beautiful eyes and exclaimed in surprise. While Lang Ya wore an expression as if he'd seen a ghost, his gaze was completely fixed on Xu Zihuang.
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