Gurgle, gurgle!
An untimely sound broke the silence. Qin Feng snapped out of his thoughts, glancing at Qian Renxue. She awkwardly clutched her stomach, her face flushed with embarrassment. Though she'd eaten heartily at lunch, it was past 10 p.m., and she was starving.
Noticing her discomfort, Qin Feng didn't tease her. With a straight face, he asked, "Want a late-night snack?"
"Mhm!" Qian Renxue nodded, giving a soft hum. Her stomach demanded food—without it, she wouldn't sleep well. Poor sleep could stunt her growth, affect her figure, and leave her without a boyfriend someday. No boyfriend? What a waste of being such a pretty girl.
Qin Feng didn't linger, heading into the palace. Qian Renxue followed eagerly, her eyes fixed on the crystal ball in his hand. If I could get my hands on that… She decided to probe subtly. "Tiger King, how do you operate this crystal ball? Do you have another one? Can Xue'er have one?"
Realizing her request sounded too bold, she quickly covered her tracks, spinning a tale. "To be honest, Tiger King, I want to use it to find the enemy who slaughtered my family. When I'm strong enough, I'll take revenge!"
Qin Feng had no guard up against her, and the crystal ball wasn't particularly rare—he could make dozens on a whim. So, he casually tossed it to her. Qian Renxue caught it like a priceless treasure, stunned it was given so easily. He just handed it over?
Seeing her treat it like a sacred relic, Qin Feng explained, "There's only one of this crystal ball, but soul tools like this? I can whip up a bunch anytime. It's not a big deal. To use it, just infuse it with the target's aura."
"How do I infuse the aura?" Qian Renxue examined the ball, finding no obvious way to do so.
Words couldn't explain as well as a demonstration. Under her puzzled gaze, Qin Feng swiftly pulled off her silk undergarment and draped it over the ball. "See? Like this."
Her undergarment—akin to a modern bra—being yanked off left Qian Renxue blushing. She hadn't expected the tiger to be so bold. Glancing at the lacy fabric, she peeked at Qin Feng, but he seemed unfazed, as if he'd merely grabbed a random item carrying her scent. Since it was her closest-worn clothing, it held her strongest aura, rich with her fragrance.
Realizing he was just a tiger, not a human, her embarrassment faded. She focused on the crystal ball, now covered by her undergarment. It emitted a dazzling blue glow, like a soul power testing orb, then floated up, transforming into a single point. The blue light expanded into a massive sphere enveloping them, with the point drifting inside.
This sphere wasn't an enlarged crystal ball—it was a 3D holographic map of Douluo Planet. Qian Renxue studied it, recognizing several landmasses: the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Dou Forest, the Sunset Forest. Others, like regions in the far west, the extreme north, and an island in the ocean near Douluo Continent, were unfamiliar.
"What's this?" she asked, looking to Qin Feng for answers, her curiosity piqued.
Patiently, he explained, "This is a 3D holographic map of Douluo Planet—basically a map, but spherical, unlike flat ones. These landmasses, as you guessed, include the Star Luo Empire, Heaven Dou Empire, Star Dou Forest, Sunset Forest, and Sea God Island. Together, they're called the Douluo Continent plate."
Pointing to the northernmost and western regions, he continued, "The topmost plate is the Extreme North, a frozen wasteland where nothing grows. This one is the Sun Moon Continent, similar to Douluo Continent but with highly advanced soul tools, giving rise to a profession like soul masters called soul engineers."
Qian Renxue was stunned. The world we live in is a sphere? Beyond Sea God Island, there were vast regions like the Extreme North and Sun Moon Continent. Even more shocking, the Sun Moon Continent's advanced soul tools had birthed soul engineers alongside soul masters.
"Tiger King, how do you know all this?" she asked, baffled. Even the Martial Soul Hall didn't know this much. Only its top brass—and Tang Chen, invited by her grandfather to attack Sea God Island—knew of places like Sea God Island. How did a tiger know so much? And since the Sun Moon Continent was so advanced in soul tools, did Qin Feng learn his craft there?
Her mind buzzed with questions, eager for answers. Meeting her curious gaze, Qin Feng gave a mysterious smile and nodded solemnly. "Simple," he said. "I personally mapped these plates on the Douluo Planet hologram. I've been to all these places."
Qian Renxue gasped, drawing a sharp breath.