The cultivation system of Douluo Continent required one to break through a bottleneck every ten levels of Soul Power.
At such times, one needed something called a Soul Ring to advance to the next realm.
Originally, his Soul Power had never reached level ten all these years, so he had never had the chance to come into contact with Soul Rings.
But things were different now. His Soul Power had suddenly soared to level twenty.
So he needed two Soul Rings in order to break through.
Otherwise, he would have to remain stuck at the full level-ten Soul Power state.
Perfect. Ning Rongrong and Ning Fengzhi already disliked the fact that he was living off their family anyway.
Before, he had wanted to leave but could not. Now, he could use this opportunity to claim that he was going down the mountain to gain experience.
He could collect Soul Rings while staying far away from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Lu Jiang walked out through the mountain gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, then turned back for one last look.
He silently swore to himself that he would definitely return!
But by then, he would become the greatest Soul Master in all of Douluo Continent.
He would make the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect grovel at his feet!
Afterward, Lu Jiang left with Firefly under cover of night.
Still, his body was only that of a teenager.
Even though his Soul Power had reached level twenty, he could not break through without Soul Rings.
So after walking for only a short while, Lu Jiang was already somewhat tired.
Firefly, on the other hand, still looked completely relaxed.
"Firefly, aren't you tired?"
Using the conversation as an excuse, Lu Jiang casually slowed his pace.
Taking the chance to rest for a while.
Upon hearing that, Firefly smiled and said,
"Not at all. The weight training of the Glamoth Iron Cavalry alone was a hundred times more intense than this every day."
"Compared to cutting down bugs on the battlefield, this did not feel tiring at all."
"Besides, walking beneath the moonlight with the Trailblazer was such a romantic thing. If I found this tiring, I would be far too unromantic."
Firefly's words left Lu Jiang feeling a little embarrassed.
He was a grown man, yet he could not even compare to a young girl.
Though he knew there was a difference in their physical capabilities, his masculine pride made him force himself to perk up.
Then he said to Firefly,
"Um, how about you go back into the card first?"
"If you stay active outside, it consumes my Soul Power."
"We still have to fight once we get there, so it would be better to conserve our strength for now."
Lu Jiang thought for a long time before coming up with this reason to persuade Firefly to return.
He did not want Firefly to see him panting for breath.
Firefly naturally understood Lu Jiang's intentions. She chuckled softly and said,
"Mm, I'll help you preserve your strength."
"But if you run into danger, be sure to summon me."
Lu Jiang nodded.
"I promise."
Then Firefly closed her eyes, and her body gradually became weightless.
In the end, she turned into a streak of light and merged into Lu Jiang's martial soul.
Lu Jiang looked at the card in his hand. It bore an illustration of Firefly.
An unyielding girl and a mech that burned away everything.
"She's so beautiful."
Lu Jiang could not help but sigh.
Then he put away his martial soul and continued toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
Without Firefly beside him, he could think about his future while traveling.
If the system was right, and he could unlock new card slots in the future...
Wouldn't that mean he could summon every character from Honkai: Star Rail?
Like Mama Kafka, and Himeko—ah, big sister Himeko.
They were all dependable characters. If he could summon them, it would save him a lot of trouble.
As for other popular characters, such as Bronya, Acheron, Black Swan, Black Tower, Sparkle, and the like...
Just thinking about it made him unbearably excited.
Lu Jiang could already see the day when he stood at the peak of the world with the characters from Honkai: Star Rail at his side.
But still.
Lu Jiang's thoughts returned to reality. Looking at the endless road ahead, he sighed.
The most important thing now was to obtain a few Soul Rings.
Otherwise, his level-ten Soul Power was simply not enough in this world.
Even to receive Spirit Hall's stipend, he needed to reach level eleven and become an official Soul Master.
If he wanted to meet Qian Renxue, he would need to become at least a level-twenty Soul Grandmaster before he could participate in some of the events organized by Spirit Hall.
"Ah, the road ahead is long and arduous."
Lu Jiang sighed, then continued traveling through the night.
Elsewhere, Ning Rongrong had already returned to the Sect Master's residence and met her father, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sect Master—Ning Fengzhi.
"Dad, I broke up with Lu Jiang today."
Ning Rongrong lowered her head, looking as though she had done something wrong.
Playing the obedient daughter was what she did best.
Whenever she used this trick on Grandpa Jian and Grandpa Gu, it had always worked like a charm.
Ning Fengzhi looked up at Ning Rongrong, then gently stroked her head and said,
"Our Rongrong's wishes are what matter most. If you don't like Lu Jiang, then breaking up is fine."
"It's just a pity. I misjudged him back then and thought he was a promising prospect. Who would have expected that after all these years, he still could not even reach level ten Soul Power?"
Ning Fengzhi sighed.
The moment Ning Rongrong heard that, she immediately perked up.
Then she said animatedly,
"Oh, right, Dad. Did you know? Third Brother's Soul Power improved tremendously in just one month!"
"Master Yu Xiaogang even took him in as his personal disciple! He thinks Third Brother is a rising star of Douluo Continent's future."
Ning Fengzhi narrowed his eyes and smiled before slowly saying,
"Then, Rongrong, you must build a good relationship with him."
"Not just with your Third Brother, but also with your teacher Yu Xiaogang."
"His background may not be so simple."
Ning Rongrong nodded obediently. That was exactly what she wanted to do.
If they could recruit Tang San into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as a live-in son-in-law, they might surpass the Thunderclap Overlord Sect and the Clear Sky Sect to become the number one sect in Douluo Continent!
Father and daughter chatted happily in the Sect Master's residence.
No one cared in the slightest whether Lu Jiang stayed or left.
Several days later.
After several days of long travel, Lu Jiang finally arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest.
This was the place with the greatest concentration of soul beasts in Douluo Continent.
From small soul beasts under ten years old to ancient soul beasts that were hundreds of thousands of years old, it had everything.
In this era, humanity had explored less than ten percent of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Here, every Soul Master could find a soul beast suited to them.
Lu Jiang released his martial soul and summoned Firefly.
"Soon, we'll be entering a forest filled with dangers."
"I'm leaving everything to you, Firefly."
Lu Jiang said as he looked into Firefly's eyes.
After all, Firefly was currently his only source of combat power.
Other than her, he had no other means of dealing with soul beasts.
Firefly nodded, gripping the Transformation Device for Firefly Type IV in her hand.
"No matter what happens, I will stay by your side."
"I will protect everything you have!"
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