The next morning, when the sky was only faintly bright, Ju Zi woke up.
Full of energy, a faint pink hue adorned her fair and tender face. Although she hadn't cultivated last night, it had been the best rest she'd had in ten years.
She moved gently as she got up, carefully stepping over Ke Ke, who was lying sprawled on all fours on the wooden bed, completely lacking any proper sleeping posture.
Ke Ke's condition was similar to Ju Zi's. Both of them had reached the Soul King realm only through the use of medicine and special methods. In terms of physical strength and resilience, they were far inferior to traditional soul masters with deep foundations like Xu Zihuang.
Yesterday, they had flown more than two thousand kilometers using flight soul tools, stopping several times along the way to recover soul power, so it was inevitable that they felt tired.
After a brief chat last night, the two girls had successively fallen asleep.
Ju Zi got dressed, freshened up, and walked out of the room. However, when passing by Xu Zihuang's door, she unconsciously paused for a moment.
The instant she left, Xu Zihuang, who had been meditating cross-legged on the wooden bed, opened his eyes. A trace of golden light flashed across his deep purple pupils. He silently got up and walked to the balcony.
The small town was surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the night had not yet fully lifted. The faint fish-belly white in the distant east was mostly blocked by the towering Ming Dou Mountain Range.
Ju Zi was walking along the irregular bluestone path toward the outskirts of the town.
Xu Zihuang's profound gaze followed Ju Zi's graceful back until it gradually disappeared.
On a branch ridge that extended from the Ming Dou Mountain Range, the one closest to the town, there was a cliff about five hundred meters high.
From here, one could take in the entire view of the small town.
A series of footsteps sounded. Ju Zi emerged from the dense forest behind the cliff. The southern forests were humid, and in the early morning, thick mist filled the air.
Ju Zi calmed her slightly rapid breathing. Because she was in a hurry, she hadn't used a soul guide shield to block the moisture, so the front of her clothes was more than half soaked, clinging tightly to her curvaceous figure.
But she paid it no mind. She simply walked to the solitary grave at the edge of the cliff that had been repaired with stone. In front of the grave stood a bluish-white stone tablet.
The surrounding flowers, grass, trees, and thorns showed signs of having been recently trimmed; it was clear someone took care of the place regularly.
"Mom, little Ju Zi has come to see you."
Ju Zi crouched down, reached out with her right hand, and gently touched the cold stone tablet. Crystal tears slid from the corners of her eyes, falling onto her fair and delicate cheeks.
Yet she did not display the same grief as when she had first revealed her past to Xu Zihuang last night. On the contrary, the corners of her mouth carried a trace of a happy smile.
"Mom, do you know? Last night, Ju Zi once again felt Father's scent."
It was as if she were talking to herself, and also as if she were speaking to her mother, who had left this world.
"His name is Yu Tianhuang, and he's from the Heavenly Soul Empire. Back then, it was he who saved Ju Zi right here. And the black pine mushroom and mountain chicken stew he made tasted exactly like Father's."
"His talent is extraordinary; he's the pride of the heavens. I can tell he's an extremely proud person, yet he was willing to put aside that pride to cook for Ke Ke and me. He really is a very good person. For us, whom he had only known for a few days, he went that far. He must have noticed something was wrong with my mood and wanted to comfort me." As she spoke of this, the curve of her smile became even more pronounced.
However, very soon, the tenderness in her eyes was replaced by a misty look.
"With his gifts, he is certain to become a leading figure among the younger generation of Shrek Academy in the future. If possible, I truly do not wish to meet him on the battlefield. But to avenge Father, I can only keep pressing forward step by step. Perhaps in the end, I will have no choice but to lead an army to invade the Heavenly Soul Empire where he was born."
"…"
As time passed, a brilliant golden sunrise finally climbed over the Ming Dou Mountain Range and spilled down.
Xu Zihuang, who had been standing behind Ju Zi the entire time, bathed in that warm golden light.
He had been there ever since Ju Zi arrived.
The ray of sunlight stung Ju Zi's eyes. She instinctively turned her head, and upon seeing Xu Zihuang standing within the hazy morning glow, she did not show much surprise.
Ju Zi stood up, looked at Xu Zihuang with eyes full of tenderness, and smiled softly. "Tian Huang, you already suspected it long ago, didn't you? That's right—I am the girl you saved back then."
"As I thought." Xu Zihuang gave a wry smile.
Six years ago, Ju Zi had been only about twelve years old; now she was nearly twenty. She had passed through the period when a girl changes the most.
It was perfectly reasonable that he hadn't recognized her at first glance. Combined with his masterful acting skills, he made sure Ju Zi could not find the slightest flaw.
Ju Zi's ability to endure and conceal was no less than his own. For the sake of revenge, she did not hesitate to disguise herself as a stunning beauty no one would guard against. Yet in truth, Ju Zi was more intelligent than most people.
Therefore, he had to be cautious.
As for revealing his true identity to Ju Zi, the time was not yet ripe. After all, his current situation was far too dangerous, and for the time being, he could not unconditionally trust her.
Rather than placing himself in a passive position, he preferred to maintain control.
Ju Zi looked into Xu Zihuang's eyes, her gentle voice infused with the sincere feelings deep in her heart.
"Tianhuang, thank you for saving me. And thank you for letting me feel Father's scent once more."
Before Xu Zihuang could respond, Ju Zi gave a charming smile and walked to his side.
"Let's go back. This morning we'll visit everyone in town, and in the afternoon we'll prepare to enter the Ming Dou Great Forest to begin our training."
Xu Zihuang nodded. Side by side with Ju Zi, he walked into the forest. By some unspoken understanding, neither of them mentioned those matters again.
Once they returned to town, Ju Zi prepared breakfast and immediately woke Ke Ke.
Originally, Ke Ke was a little resentful at being disturbed from her sweet dreams, but when she saw the steaming dishes on the table, that tiny bit of gloom instantly vanished.
What excited her most was that there was still half a pot of chicken soup left from yesterday.
Rice porridge and chicken soup formed the trio's breakfast. It wasn't especially lavish, but it was full of flavor.
While Ke Ke was completely absorbed in eating, she did not notice that, compared to yesterday, Ju Zi's attitude toward Yu Tianhuang had undergone a subtle change.
After breakfast and tidying up, Ju Zi locked the wooden door once more. Together with Ke Ke and Xu Zihuang, she visited every household in town.
Of course, Xu Zihuang and Ke Ke had actively followed along.
There were even fewer people in the town than Xu Zihuang had imagined—only a few dozen.
Back then, more than a hundred people had survived, but over the years, many had moved away. Those who remained were mostly elderly who had lost their children in the war, and orphans like Ju Zi who had lost their parents.
Before leaving each home, Ju Zi would leave behind some food and daily necessities. The simple townsfolk knew they could not refuse, so in return, they enthusiastically gave Ju Zi local specialty fruits and vegetables to take with her and enjoy later.
They were also very polite to Xu Zihuang and Ke Ke.
Ju Zi declined the townspeople's offer to see them off at the edge of town. Together with Xu Zihuang and Ke Ke, she quietly left.
Lü Li, whom they had met last night, seemed to have guessed they were departing and was already waiting outside the town.
"Ju Zi, come back to visit whenever you have time. And Ke Ke, young man—you're both welcome too."
Xu Zihuang smiled and nodded toward Lü Li.
Ke Ke nodded vigorously and giggled. "Uncle Lü, even if you didn't say it, we'd still come back. Especially for the mountain chickens here—the meat really is excellent."
"Uncle Lü, the Netherworld Wolves that occasionally wander over usually appear on which branch ridge? We can clear them out on the way so they won't disturb everyone's lives," Ju Zi said, voicing the thought she had been considering since yesterday.
"That works too."
Lü Li nodded in agreement and pointed out the exact location for the three of them.
Netherworld Wolves weren't particularly strong soul beasts, and most of the pack consisted of ten-year-level beasts. With the strength of Ju Zi's trio, dealing with them would be easy.
After bidding farewell to Lü Li, the three set off once more. Because a flock of flying soul beasts—Demonic Vultures—lived nearby, they still did not use flight soul tools.
A little more than an hour later, they stopped at the foot of a mountain range deep within the Ming Dou Great Forest. This mountain range was also a branch of the Ming Dou Mountain Range; part of it lay inside the Ming Dou Great Forest, while the other side was relatively close to the town. The Netherworld Wolves occasionally followed this ridge when they wandered near the town.
At this moment, Xu Zihuang finally saw the soul tool that Xuan Zi Wen had mentioned needed testing.
It was a strange spherical metal object with a diameter of a little more than two meters. Inside were three seats—one in front and two in the back. The sphere was completely sealed, but deep blue crystal windows on all sides allowed occupants to observe the outside.
Below the sphere extended six sturdy metal legs. Each leg was divided into three segments: the first segment was extremely sharp and could easily pierce rock and soil, the second segment bulged outward, and the third segment connected to the bottom of the metal sphere.
Ju Zi took the initiative to explain: "This is the All-Terrain Exploration Soul Tool. We sit inside the sphere and can control it through the core arrays inside. As the name suggests, this soul tool is suited for all kinds of terrain. The sphere itself is made of high-density alloy and can withstand attacks from soul mentors below level six. It also contains a level-five soul guide shield. If we encounter soul beasts, we can operate it safely from within."
"Not only that, it can isolate our auras. While we're inside, soul beasts won't be able to detect our presence. If we meet danger, we can retract the six legs, release a layer of rubber on the outside, and roll down from high places. It's also waterproof—so even if we fall into water when necessary, we won't be affected. Though in the Ming Dou Great Forest, those last two functions probably won't be needed."
"Let's get in first." Ke Ke opened the front crystal window with some excitement, then climbed inside using the metal handrails.
Although both girls were very familiar with the All-Terrain Exploration Soul Tool, this was still their first time operating it personally. After all, this soul tool was one of Ming De Hall's top secrets. If most of its core arrays hadn't been designed by Xuan Zi Wen, they would never have had the chance to test it.
At Ju Zi's gesture, Xu Zihuang entered second and sat with Ke Ke in the two rear seats.
Finally, Ju Zi took the front main control seat and pulled the metal control lever. The previously open window slowly closed, sealing the three of them inside the metal sphere.
Ke Ke looked doubtfully at Xu Zihuang, who had remained completely calm from beginning to end.
"Aren't you surprised at all by this All-Terrain Exploration Soul Tool?"
"There's nothing to be surprised about. The Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology far surpasses the original Douluo Continent's—of course, you can achieve this level. Besides, the flaws of this All-Terrain Exploration Soul Tool are very obvious. Its structure is so complicated, and it surely contains a huge number of core arrays. To activate those complex core arrays requires an enormous amount of soul power. The effect achieved for the same soul power expenditure is far inferior to directly using soul tools in combat. This kind of soul tool doesn't seem to have much practical value. That said, the innovation is still praiseworthy—provided the energy consumption problem can be solved."
Ke Ke stuck her tongue out at Xu Zihuang; she hadn't expected Yu Tianhuang's insight to be so sharp, hitting the advantages and disadvantages in one sentence.
"Not bad judgment."
"Actually, Teacher Xuan's research topic is how to allow ordinary people to use powerful soul tools and possess the strength to contend with powerful soul masters. Tian Huang, don't underestimate this All-Terrain Exploration Soul Tool. To develop it, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy spent a full thirty years of research—continuously adjusting the ratios of core arrays and rare metal alloys—until only recently was a finished product produced. Teacher Xuan's research direction at Ming De Hall is precisely how to transform it into a combat-type soul tool." Ju Zi added.
Xu Zihuang shook his head.
"Even if you succeed in converting this All-Terrain Exploration Soul Tool into a combat type, it would indeed be considerable progress. But ordinary people are destined to be unable to contend with top-tier soul masters."
Even ten thousand years later, when battle armor and mecha appeared, those who stood at the peak were still the top soul master powerhouses.
Soul tools could only display their greatest might when wielded by powerful soul masters.
That was an unchangeable fact.
Both Ju Zi and Ke Ke revealed thoughtful expressions but did not refute him.
At least in the current era, that was indeed the case.
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