The sun was warm, the breeze was gentle, and the sky was alight with a brilliant afterglow. As the final rays of the setting sun swept across the horizon, the ancient city was painted in a layer of gold, making it look especially mysterious and solemn.
The city walls were tall, solid, and thick. Every crack and mark on them seemed to silently recount the stories and glories of the past. The rise and fall of eras and countless past events were recorded and inherited on these walls, flowing through the hearts of every Star Luo Empire citizen.
Star Luo City, known as the Imperial Capital That Never Falls, had been the capital of the Star Luo Empire for ten thousand years, making its importance on the Douluo Continent undeniable. Even in the quickly changing modern era, Star Luo City was still the largest and most prosperous city on the entire Continent. It held a vital and lofty position.
Night was approaching, and thousands of lights within Star Luo City flickered on, illuminating the whole night sky. The streets were still busy, and the traffic flowed like the blood of this giant city, giving it endless vitality.
Over the past ten thousand years, Star Luo City had been expanded several times. Now, it spanned more than a hundred miles in both length and width.
In terms of prosperity, even Shrek City, controlled by the Continent's so-called number one academy, Shrek Academy, could barely compare. On the entire Continent, perhaps only Mingdu, the capital of the Sun Moon Empire, could slightly surpass it.
Today, Star Luo City's permanent population exceeded eight million. If the temporary, or "floating," population was included, that number would likely be more than double. With such a huge population, the daily expenditure of Star Luo City was terrifyingly high.
However, the tax revenue it brought to the Star Luo Imperial Family each year was an astronomical figure. The revenue from this one city alone could rival some of the Empire's top-ranked provinces, which proved the depth of Star Luo City's prosperity.
In the very center of Star Luo City stood a majestic complex of palaces—the location of the Star Luo Empire's Royal Palace. Like the city itself, the Star Luo Royal Palace had been inherited from ten thousand years ago and had only reached its current massive scale after continuous repairs and expansions.
Looking down from a great height, the Royal Palace was situated in the center of Star Luo City, surrounded by all of the city's important institutions and facilities. Numerous hidden guards of the Imperial Family were scattered among them.
Many warning-type and offensive air-to-air Soul Guidance Devices were also set up on the city walls. In addition to all this, many Titled Douluos guarded the Royal Palace in shifts. The entire Star Luo Royal Palace was truly heavily guarded, so much so that not even a sparrow could easily fly into it.
Within this Royal Palace, which symbolized the Empire's supreme power, the most honorable person was naturally the current Star Luo Emperor, Xu Jiawei.
But beneath Xu Jiawei, there was another member of the Imperial Family who held a prominent place in the Empire's power structure. This person was Xu Jiujiu, the beloved younger sister of the current Emperor Xu Jiawei, known as Princess Jiujiu.
As the only Princess of the current Star Luo Imperial Family, Xu Jiujiu possessed outstanding talent and was deeply loved and valued by Xu Jiawei. Although not much news about the Princess circulated outside, this was precisely what the Star Luo Imperial Family desired. A genius Princess with a slightly lower public profile was much safer than one who was constantly in the public eye. This was one of the protective measures Xu Jiawei had taken for his sister.
A Private Conversation
As the residence of a national Princess, Xu Jiujiu's Princess Manor occupied a large area within the Royal Palace, where land was incredibly valuable.
The manor's layout was also extremely luxurious, with the style of all the buildings mostly chosen according to Xu Jiujiu's own preferences. The Princess Manor housed many rare treasures that were hard to find outside, but here, they had lost their outside aura and become ordinary.
Xu Jiujiu was known for being elegant and noble. The education she received since childhood had made her rational and skilled at socializing. Her own wisdom allowed her to fearlessly showcase her charm and talent on many occasions. She used this to actively participate in the Star Luo Empire's important events and slowly climb to a higher position.
It seemed unlikely that someone like Xu Jiujiu would ever show deep affection. Yet, who could have guessed that this Star Luo Princess, so elegant and noble to the outside world, would be so charming and soft with her lover?
On a soft chaise lounge, Xu Jiujiu's golden hair was sticking to her skin due to the sultry environment. Her usually beautiful face was now flushed with an intense blush. Even a moment of her current charm would be enough to melt the hardest ice in the world.
After hugging the young man for a little while, Xu Jiujiu suddenly lifted her head and gently bit his lips. Her tone was languid, and her cheek rested against the young man's solid chest.
"A Yan," she murmured, "I spoke with Imperial Brother today, and he's agreed to our marriage. We'll get married in a few years, okay?"
The young man looked at the golden-haired beauty in his arms and simply nodded slightly, as if the matter didn't concern him much.
Seemingly unhappy with his casual attitude, Xu Jiujiu used a little force with her delicate hand. The young man's collar was immediately torn to the side, exposing his fair chest. Xu Jiujiu then opened her small mouth and bit his chest , leaving a clear and perfect tooth mark.
The young man only paused slightly, as if he were already used to her playful behavior. After symbolically rubbing the girl's head, he went back to playing with her smooth golden hair.
Xu Jiujiu made a soft sound, then lifted her eyes and stared at the young man's increasingly handsome face. A flash of tenderness crossed her eyes before she suddenly spoke:
"Within three days, Imperial Brother will have Suixing Douluo take you to the Extreme North Land to get your fourth Spirit Ring. I'm also sending Granny Manyi with you so someone can look after you in case anything goes wrong."
Shu Yan was slightly surprised. "Granny Manyi needs to stay here to protect you," he replied softly. "Suixing Douluo is already a Super Douluo—that's enough to handle most problems. If it really doesn't work, we can call Giant Force Douluo."
The corners of Xu Jiujiu's lips curled up in a subtle smile. She seemed to really enjoy his concern. Feeling pleased, she softly spoke again:
"I won't be leaving the Royal Palace anytime soon, so you don't need to worry about my safety. There are plenty of strong people in the Royal Palace who can protect me. Compared to me, Imperial Brother actually values you more."
She continued, "You're probably the only genius in the world who has the super Martial Soul of the Ice Sky Snow Woman. In ten thousand years, you're the first human to have the Extreme Ice attribute. Imperial Brother has long seen you as the Empire's future. Compared to you, even I, his own sister, seem to have lost a lot of his favor."
She finished with a soft huff, as if slightly dissatisfied or simply acting spoiled.
Shu Yan just smiled and shook his head, not saying anything else. Instead, his thoughts drifted away, and he became lost in his memories...
A Look Back
Thirteen years ago, he was a miserable, dark-skinned sports student on a blue planet. He had died from the smell after losing a bet with his roommate and eating canned herring. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the strange yet familiar world of the Douluo Continent.
He called it strange and familiar because in his previous life, Shu Yan had been a casual anime fan and knew the plot of Douluo 1. However, he only had a vague knowledge of the plot for the Unrivaled Tang Sect era, which was the time period he had crossed into.
As a standard 'crosser,' Shu Yan was, naturally, an orphan. In the 'crossing' industry, parents were a high-risk group and usually just supporting characters. If his parents had existed, Shu Yan would have been happier, since he'd never known paternal or maternal love in his previous life. But since they didn't exist, he didn't care too much. Although life in the official welfare institutions of Star Luo City wasn't easy, it was alright, and he was quite content.
Thinking about it, his first meeting with Xu Jiujiu had been a bit cliché.
The welfare institutions set up by the Star Luo officials had two goals. On one hand, they raised orphans like Shu Yan until they could support themselves. On the other hand, they hoped to find children among these orphans with cultivation talent, take them in, and train them to become a rising force for the Star Luo Empire.
At that time, Xu Jiujiu was attending the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony for children who had reached the right age, acting as a representative of the Imperial Family. Shu Yan was, of course, among them.
At first, everything went smoothly. But when it was Shu Yan's turn to awaken his Martial Soul, a chilling burst of cold air suddenly erupted from his body, instantly freezing the entire hall. The clear weather outside was also affected, the sky became cloudy, and it quickly started to snow.
Xingyun Douluo Manyi, who was traveling with Xu Jiujiu to ensure her safety, immediately noticed the abnormality. She took action, immobilizing everyone who had witnessed the event, including Shu Yan. Later, the Imperial Family's hidden guards and Giant Force Douluo, who was guarding nearby, intervened, and Shu Yan was taken directly into the Royal Palace.
As for the people who had witnessed the vision caused by Shu Yan with their own eyes, Shu Yan honestly didn't know what happened to them. However, judging from Xu Jiujiu's later statements, their memories were only erased by Spirit-type Soul Masters. But who can really say what happened for sure?