Xu Wenlong kept his word and agreed to Zhen Jianwu's request.
"I can take you, but before we go, we need to establish three rules. Once we get there, don't shout or scream, and don't hold me back."
Xu Wenlong raised a finger as he spoke.
"Mm, my Martial Soul, Qijiela, is currently at Soul Power Level Five. I can already use Soul Power to activate its trait and put nearby living creatures to sleep!"
As he spoke, the pure white flower bloomed in Zhen Jianwu's palm.
"Mm, there's one more rule. I hope everything you see and hear along the way will remain confidential. You can't reveal it to anyone."
Xu Wenlong said.
"Mm, I won't tell anyone. I guarantee I'll keep it secret!"
Zhen Jianwu ran his hand across his mouth from one end to the other, as if zipping it shut.
"Good. Let's go!"
Xu Wenlong led Zhen Jianwu away from Soul Master Academy.
"Goodbye, Wind Sand Town!"
Xu Wenlong looked back at the city gate engraved with the words Wind Sand Town and sighed.
He might never return here for the rest of his life.
Thinking that, Xu Wenlong felt no reluctance at all. After a brief sigh, he left without looking back.
"Um, aren't we renting a carriage and buying supplies or something?"
Zhen Jianwu asked. After all, Wind Sand Town was quite far from the nearest Soul Beast Forest, and Zhen Jianwu had asked quite a few people who had gone to obtain Soul Rings.
Traveling from here to the nearest Soul Beast Forest would take several full days. Renting a carriage and buying supplies would cost savings that working students like him had accumulated over a long time.
But they could rest and spend the night in the carriage. Compared with the inns along the road and the prices in the Soul Beast Forest, it was still much cheaper.
"There's no need. Just follow me."
Xu Wenlong continued forward without looking back.
"Oh, mm."
Zhen Jianwu did not ask any further questions and simply lowered his head and followed Xu Wenlong.
Before long, the two reached a sparsely populated area.
"You're not allowed to reveal what happens next to anyone else."
Xu Wenlong said with a smile.
"Though it might overturn your worldview."
This was also the sense of superiority Xu Wenlong, as a modern person, felt toward these natives.
Xu Wenlong waved his little hand, and a faint gray door that trembled constantly as it floated out of thin air appeared before Zhen Jianwu.
That was right. It was the signature Space-Time Door skill of a certain most loving Rider.
Xu Wenlong waved his hand again. The Space-Time Door vanished after sweeping past, leaving behind a motorcycle it had brought onto the ground.
Xu Wenlong swung a leg over the seat and sat on the motorcycle. He inserted the key, then put on one of the two helmets he had taken from the Four-Dimensional Chrysanthemum and tossed the other to Zhen Jianwu, who stood frozen in place.
Xu Wenlong twisted the handle, and the motorcycle let out a sound that made him feel incomparably refreshed.
Vroom~ Vroom~ Vroom~ Vroom!
This was the crystallization of industrial technology, and it was also a sound that made Xu Wenlong incredibly comfortable.
"What are you standing there for? Put on the helmet and sit in the back."
Xu Wenlong spoke to Zhen Jianwu through his helmet.
"Ah, ah! Mm."
Zhen Jianwu stared at Xu Wenlong in astonishment, as though he were meeting him for the first time. Yet he said nothing and copied Xu Wenlong by putting on the helmet before swinging one leg over the seat and sitting behind him.
"Ready? Hold tight around my waist. Get prepared!"
Xu Wenlong "kindly" reminded Zhen Jianwu.
"Oh, mm."
With a bewildered expression, Zhen Jianwu wrapped both arms tightly around Xu Wenlong's waist.
Once he felt Zhen Jianwu truly holding on tight, Xu Wenlong immediately twisted the throttle several more times where they stood.
Vroom~ Vroom~ Vroom~ Vroom~ Vroom~
Finally, Xu Wenlong pulled back the foot that had been keeping the motorcycle from moving, and it shot forward at once.
Vroom!
In an instant, the motorcycle carved a deep track into the ground.
"Woohoo!"
Xu Wenlong savored the lightning-fast speed. He had wanted to do this for a very long time.
In truth, Xu Wenlong could have used the Space-Time Door to teleport both of them directly to the Soul Beast Forest.
But he was afraid Zhen Jianwu would be genuinely shocked.
Of course, that was merely Xu Wenlong's excuse. He had always had a dream.
He wanted to speed through an uninhabited place, whether on a motorcycle or in a race car.
It was one of Xu Wenlong's little dreams. Only after truly experiencing it did he realize just how exhilarating it was.
Of course, Xu Wenlong was having a blast, but Zhen Jianwu was suffering.
The moment the motorcycle started moving, Zhen Jianwu felt its lightning-fast speed. He did not even know where to put his feet, but thankfully, after searching around, he finally found the footrests and stepped on them in relief.
At first, Zhen Jianwu shut his eyes in fear. But later, he discovered that with the helmet on, he could only feel the sound of the wind and the sensation of it brushing past his body.
After his initial fear faded, Zhen Jianwu slowly opened his eyes. Then, he fell in love with the feeling.
No matter the world, a man's romance was ultimately universal.
But Xu Wenlong in front began to feel puzzled.
"Why do I keep feeling like something's missing?"
Xu Wenlong furrowed his brows. Something always seemed to be missing, and it was something very important.
"Oh, right!"
Xu Wenlong suddenly remembered something and finally found what was missing.
Indeed, without that thing, it was as though the soul itself was missing.
Thus, the Great Shocker System responded.
"Congratulations, Host, for finding the missing soul. The system is specially presenting the soul to the Host!"
"Host, would you like to install it?"
"Yes and no?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Xu Wenlong nodded repeatedly.
"Installing. Installation successful!"
The installation was completed in less than a second. Soon, several large words appeared on the side of Xu Wenlong's motorcycle.
Zhen Jianwu noticed it as well.
Seeing something he had never seen on the motorcycle before, Zhen Jianwu curiously read it aloud in a low voice.
"Original work, Shotaro Ishi...nomori?"
"No, it should be read like this."
Xu Wenlong corrected Zhen Jianwu's mistake without turning around.
"It should be pronounced this way!"
"Original Work: Shotaro Ishinomori!"
"Oh!"
Zhen Jianwu suddenly understood. Though he did not know what "original work" meant or who Shotaro Ishinomori was, he could still sense the other man's greatness.
And so, the two chatted in fragments. With a speed far beyond this era's, they set out in the morning and arrived at the Soul Beast Forest by evening.
What pleased Xu Wenlong was that from beginning to end, Zhen Jianwu never asked him about the Space-Time Door or the motorcycle.
When they neared the Soul Beast Forest, Xu Wenlong put away the motorcycle. After all, it was not yet time to be overly conspicuous.
After all, every Soul Beast Forest had a small town outside it.
All kinds of merchants and soul-hunting teams gathered there.
There, you could hire people to help you obtain a Soul Ring, buy various items for dealing with soul beasts, or find lodging.
Of course, all of that depended on having money. And none of it was cheap. It was not something working students who relied entirely on part-time jobs even for basic living expenses could afford.
And even after obtaining a Soul Ring, the monthly gold coins one could collect from Spirit Hall were still far from enough.