Pearl City

Pearl City lay on the edge of Xilie Province in the Heavenly Dou Empire, a rather remote little city.

Though it was a small city, to children born in the even more backward surrounding villages, it was already an exceptionally prosperous place.

At the very least, Ming Lunyu and Ma Hongjun were left staring in amazement.

Early that morning, the two had searched through the village, found two relatively clean and tidy sets of clothes to wear, and gathered the villagers' remaining possessions.

Among the ruins of his own home, Ming Lunyu had found the money pouch Grandpa had left behind. It contained his lifetime savings: a full twenty Gold Soul Coins.

Logically, those Gold Soul Coins should have been carefully stored in a more concealed box, yet they had been found beside the dining table.

It was easy to imagine that, barring any surprises, the money had been intended for his and Xiaojun's Soul Master Academy tuition.

Ming Lunyu's heart trembled once more.

After tallying up the money they had each found, they had a total of twenty-seven Gold Soul Coins, one hundred and thirteen Silver Soul Coins, and over four hundred Copper Soul Coins.

After finding two bundles and wrapping up the coins, the two set off for Pearl City.

They walked for an entire day and finally arrived at Pearl City before nightfall.

"Brother Yu, this place is so big and bustling!" Ma Hongjun's eyes sparkled as she marveled at the two-story white stone buildings lining both sides of the street.

Back in Grass Chicken Village, everyone lived in thatched huts. When had they ever seen houses this beautiful and neat?

Ming Lunyu also looked around curiously.

"Let's buy some suitable clothes first," Ming Lunyu suggested.

His own clothes were still fine, but Ma Hongjun's had been dug out of the village and did not fit her well. The same went for her shoes.

Naturally, Ma Hongjun had no objections.

Ming Lunyu held Ma Hongjun's small hand as they walked, lest they accidentally get separated.

After searching and asking around, they finally found a ready-made clothing store.

The shop was not large, and it did not sell many types of clothing. It was clearly not a high-end establishment.

But it was more than enough for the two of them right now.

For a little over fifty Copper Soul Coins, Ming Lunyu bought two sets of clothes each for himself and Ma Hongjun.

When paying, Ming Lunyu wisely did not take the money directly from the cloth bag on his back. Instead, he had already transferred some coins into a small pouch that could hang from his waist.

He understood the principle of not flaunting one's wealth.

After buying clothes, the two found an inn and checked in.

It was already late, and the government office had probably closed for the day. Besides, they had traveled all day and were exhausted, so they needed to rest for the night first.

After sending Ma Hongjun back to the room, Ming Lunyu went out to find a small restaurant. He spent ten Copper Soul Coins on two simple meals and brought them back.

Inside the inn room.

Ma Hongjun's eyes shone as she wolfed down her food. While eating, Ming Lunyu planned out their actions for the next day.

"Brother Yu, eat this."

Ma Hongjun placed a piece of meat into Ming Lunyu's bowl.

Ming Lunyu smiled and patted Ma Hongjun's head. "All right. You eat too. Have some more."

Ma Hongjun narrowed her eyes and rubbed against Ming Lunyu's palm like a cat, wearing an expression of pure enjoyment.

A doting smile rose on Ming Lunyu's lips.

After dinner, the two took turns bathing.

In the past, there would have been no need to take turns. But Ma Hongjun was a girl now, so bathing together was no longer appropriate.

Ma Hongjun did not care about such things. At first, she had even tried to pull Ming Lunyu in with her, but he firmly refused.

"You need to get used to your current body as soon as possible. Men and women are different, so you can't act like before anymore," Ming Lunyu instructed seriously.

Ma Hongjun puffed out her cheeks unhappily, looking exactly like a little pufferfish.

While Ma Hongjun bathed, Ming Lunyu sat cross-legged on the bed, palms, soles, and crown facing heaven as he circulated the cultivation art that came with the Inverse Yin-Yang Martial Soul.

Feeling Soul Power surge through his body like a stream, a faint sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

He liked cultivating. Every time he circulated his cultivation art, he could feel himself becoming stronger. That sense of progress was especially addictive.

The cultivation art Ming Lunyu practiced had come with his Martial Soul. It was called the Heavenly Evolution Yin-Yang Art.

At first, he had thought every person's Martial Soul came with a cultivation art. Only after asking Ma Hongjun did he learn that was not the case. His Martial Soul truly did seem exceptionally special.

This only strengthened Ming Lunyu's resolve never to reveal that he possessed two Martial Souls to anyone he could not trust absolutely.

However, Ming Lunyu hid nothing from Ma Hongjun. He had even taught her the Heavenly Evolution Yin-Yang Art without holding anything back.

After cautiously testing it out, Ma Hongjun confirmed that she could cultivate the Heavenly Evolution Yin-Yang Art as well. She immediately cried, "I love you to death, Brother Yu!"

Thinking of the little girl clinging dazedly to him, calling "Brother Yu" in that adorable voice, Ming Lunyu could not stop the corners of his mouth from rising. For the first time, he felt that Ma Hongjun becoming a girl was truly a good thing.

"Brother Yu, what are you smiling about?"

At some point, a little face had moved close to Ming Lunyu's, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

Ming Lunyu was startled before realizing that Ma Hongjun had finished bathing at some unknown time and had changed into the new clothes she had bought that day.

She wore a goose-yellow dress, with a purple belt outlining the girl's slender waist. Her little feet were bare inside a pair of Strap Mid-Heel Sandals, revealing a row of pearl-like toes.

Her entire body radiated a lively and adorable air, like a sweet, delicate girl next door.

"Nothing," Ming Lunyu replied casually before asking, "How does that outfit feel? Does it fit?"

Ma Hongjun tugged at the hem of her skirt and rose onto her toes. "I think it's quite comfortable. These shoes felt a little strange at first, but after taking a few steps, I started to like them."

"As long as they fit." Ming Lunyu nodded.

The two had asked the Clothing Store Owner to recommend Ma Hongjun's clothes. After all, neither of them knew what little girls should wear, so they could only ask someone knowledgeable for advice.

Now, it seemed the results were quite good.

The Clothing Store Owner was a good man.

After admiring his little sister's outfit, Ming Lunyu silently gave the Clothing Store Owner a Good Guy Card.

"Brother Yu, are you cultivating?" Ma Hongjun sat beside Ming Lunyu.

Ming Lunyu smiled. "Yes. I need to seize every moment to become stronger."

Ma Hongjun nodded seriously. "You're right. I need to work hard to become stronger too."

As she spoke, she took off her shoes, sat cross-legged on the bed, and entered a meditative state.

Strangely enough, whenever the two of them circulated the Heavenly Evolution Yin-Yang Art at the same time, the Black and White Qi produced by their cultivation would continuously flow between them in an endless cycle. Both of them could clearly feel that their cultivation speed had increased by at least fifty percent.

Not only that, but due to the special traits of Ming Lunyu's Second Martial Soul, they could also benefit from another boost at the same time.

Ming Lunyu discovered that whenever a Contractor's cultivation increased, one percent of it would be fed back to him. Likewise, one percent of Ming Lunyu's cultivation would be fed back to Ma Hongjun.

With those two layers of enhancement, in just one day, both of them were nearly ready to break through to level twelve. It was terrifying!

After her Martial Soul had been optimized, Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix evolved into a Pure Fire Phoenix, while her Soul Power leaped from level seven to level ten.

However, she had not yet obtained a Soul Ring, so no matter how much she cultivated, she could only remain at level ten. But once she obtained a Soul Ring, her previous accumulated cultivation would convert into levels.

A Soul Master's cultivation could largely replace sleep. On top of that, the two carried a blood feud, and at this moment, they craved power more than anything. Thus, they decisively chose to spend the night cultivating.