That day—
The five teams of the Heaven Dou Empire,
under the protection of five hundred royal knights,
set out in grand procession toward the finals venue of the Spirit Master Tournament—Spirit City.
Upon the official road,
knights bearing spears and shields formed a torrent of steel,
escorting six luxurious carriages drawn by teams of eight fine horses.
At the very center—
the carriage bore the resplendent star-emblem of the Heaven Dou Empire.
It was the personal conveyance of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
Emperor Xue Ye, burdened with affairs of state and weakened in health, would not attend in person.
Thus Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, as the empire's highest representative, traveled to Spirit City to serve as judge for the finals.
...
The road ahead was long.
From Heaven Dou City to Spirit City,
the journey would take nearly twenty days.
Half a day later—
Yu Tianheng lifted the curtain of his carriage,
staring down the winding road stretching to the horizon.
His hands clenched tight,
knuckles pale,
lightning nearly bursting from his eyes, unable to be contained.
"At last…"
"At last, the finals!"
"The Golden Generation of Spirit Hall!" Dugu Yan's emerald pupils narrowed vertically.
"The three of the Golden Generation—each bears the Purple Record Medal of Spirit Hall, the highest honor bestowed upon young Spirit Masters."
"That Carming Fox Martial Soul girl, Hu Liena, the core of the Golden Generation, direct disciple of the Pope…"
Her hand pressed against her right arm.
Word by word, she spoke coldly:
"It was her who crushed my arm bones."
Yu Feng, Osler, and the Shi brothers all had faces filled with resentment.
They too had been swept aside, humiliated utterly by the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall.
Their defeat was spread throughout Heaven Dou City.
That searing humiliation and hatred haunted them nightly, nightmares that woke them in cold sweat.
Even Ye Lingling, usually so cold and detached,
had rare fury flickering in her azure eyes.
At this moment—
All of their gazes turned in unison toward the corner of the carriage.
Toward the white-robed youth, leaning against the wall as if asleep.
If not for Li Zhexian…
Against the Golden Generation's cultivation—above rank fifty Spirit Kings—and their monstrous ability to battle across ranks, they would have no chance. But with Li Zhexian, there was hope.
Perhaps their gazes were too intense. Li Zhexian slowly opened his eyes, stretching lazily.
"Ah, too stuffy in here. I'm going to get some air."
Yu Tianheng and the others didn't think much of it. But Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling exchanged a look. A few moments later, they quietly followed him out.
As expected—
They saw Li Zhexian murmur a few words to the guards, then step aboard Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's carriage.
"As I thought—brother Zhexian went straight to His Highness." Dugu Yan said, crossing her arms over her chest, which made her voluptuous curves even more breathtakingly magnificent.
Ye Lingling said softly, "Besides Li Zhexian, I haven't seen anyone else get into that carriage."
Dugu Yan glanced at her with a sidelong look. "Lingling, it's all your fault!"
"If it wasn't for you, when we were in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, I would have already found out if Brother Zhexian was... you know..."
Ye Lingling was stunned for a moment. Then, realizing what she meant, her pretty face turned red with shame.
"You... you're still bringing that up! It's the same no matter who it is!"
...
Tang San lowered the curtain, his face layered with coldness.
The Shrek carriage felt emptier than ever.
Since their departure—
Yu Xiaogang had been nowhere to be found.
Even Tang San had not been told where he went.
Liu Erlong, already volatile, had grown even more unpredictable in temper.
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu were also absent.
Since the Shànxiāng Pavilion conflict—
Whether Zhu Zhuqing still counted as part of Shrek was uncertain.
She had taken a separate carriage, and for unknown reasons Xiao Wu had gone with her.
Dai Mubai, feigning sleep, opened his bloodshot evil eyes. When they met Tang San's gaze—
Both understood perfectly what the other intended.
In their hearts—
Defeating and humiliating Li Zhexian in the arena, was already more important than the championship itself.
Ning Rongrong bit her lip, brows furrowed, lost in thought as she watched the scenery rush by outside.
...
Seeing Li Zhexian lift the curtain and enter, Xue Qinghe smiled and closed the scroll in her hand.
In an instant, a refreshing coldness surged out, revealing a plate of fruits as tempting as rubies.
"Just in time—I was waiting for you."
Li Zhexian sat down across from Xue Qinghe and, without any ceremony, took the fruit she had already peeled and put it in his mouth.
The fruit was full of juice, and its sweetness was far better than a lychee from his previous life.
The two of them talked and laughed happily.
One was focused on peeling, and the other was eating leisurely. More accurately, Xue Qinghe meticulously peeled the fruits, and Li Zhexian was responsible for eating to his heart's content.
When only the last fruit remained—
Xue Qinghe at last pretended to refuse to yield, playfully wrestling with Li Zhexian for it.
In the end, she held the fruit at the corner of her lips and raised an eyebrow at Li Zhexian in a provocative manner before swallowing it with satisfaction.
"Oh right, Li Zhexian…" Xue Qinghe seemed to have remembered something. She took out a silky brocade handkerchief and wiped the juice from her fingertips, seemingly inadvertently.
"Qian Renxue... asked me to ask you something."
"She said, if she can return in time for the finals—would you be willing to meet her?"
"Of course." Li Zhexian answered without hesitation.
A radiant smile blossomed across Xue Qinghe's face.
Light flickered at her fingertips.
From her soul tool she drew out a pale-yellow pillow, cheeks faintly red as she handed it to him.
"Rest here a while. I still have a few reports to read."
Li Zhexian took it. Actually, he really was a little sleepy.
As Li Zhexian rested his head on the pillow, a faint, clear, and fragrant scent lingered at his nose. This pillow was clearly one that Xue Qinghe used daily.
Looking at the side profile of the young man sleeping peacefully, a hint of softness spread across Xue Qinghe's brows and eyes.
Yet—
When she thought of the dangers hidden along this twenty-day journey—
A chilling murderous intent welled up in her gaze.
Once inside Spirit City—
That woman would be constrained from striking at Li Zhexian.
Therefore…
Knowing that woman—
There would surely be an assassination attempt against Li Zhexian along the road.
Listening to the steady breath of the boy beside her, Xue Qinghe's killing intent slowly subsided.
"Li Zhexian didn't say it..."
"But I understand—the reason he joined the Emperial Battle Team…"
"One, to avenge the shame of the Emperor Battle Team."
"Two, to repay Spirit Hall's pursuit in kind."
"And three—to aid our victory, building merit for me."
She quietly got up and sat next to the sleeping Li Zhexian.
With trembling fingers, she reached out—gently brushing the youth's handsome cheek.
"Li Zhexian, I won't let anything happen to you."
...
Spirit City.
The towering Pope's Palace pierced into the clouds.
Its gilded dome glowed like molten fire.
Twelve colossal pillars, shaped like the limbs of some giant insect, supported the hundred-meter-high gates.
Within the grand hall—
Nineteen thousand slabs of obsidian paved the floor, polished to a mirror's gleam, reflecting the rows of ever-burning lamps.
In those lamps burned oil distilled from ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts, releasing a strange, clarifying fragrance that curled throughout the vast chamber.
Three young figures knelt on one knee, heads bowed deeply.
Their posture was reverent to the point of abasement.
Not daring even to glance at the presence upon the high throne.
At the far end of the hall—
Upon a Pope's Seat carved from blood-jade,
Whose back rose into eight chilling, bone-like spines—
Sat a figure shrouded in violet mist of Spirit Power…