Strange Train

Gu You shook the gourd in his hand, and a dense aura of Soul Power rushed toward him.

"Master said they even added quite a few thousand-year spirit herbs to it. The spirit liquid brewed from them can raise your Soul Power when you drink it."

It was a good thing. Not only could it store the Soul Power of a single Soul Douluo or above and continuously feed it back to him, but it could also be filled with water to quench his thirst. It truly was a top-tier holy grail.

Leng Yaozhu said that the Soul Guide Milk Bottle before him had been jointly crafted by three Level Seven professionals and was already close to the standard of a Level Eight Soul Tool. Its interior was divided into two modules and shaped like a gourd. The lower section could store Soul Power, while the upper section could steep spirit liquid or brew wine. After adjustment, the two modules could be switched at will. It could be called the finest among Level Seven Soul Tools.

"Passengers, please board Soul Guide Train No. 87. This journey will travel from Mingdu to Heaven Dou City, passing through thirty-four cities. The train will stop for five minutes at each station, and passengers may choose whether to disembark or continue their journey."

The announcements continued without pause. Honestly, if this train had not been so cheap, Gu You would have long since switched to a Soul Guide high-speed rail and booked a VIP compartment.

Since he had given the red card to Na'er, he did not have much money on him. He had opened another card himself and deposited roughly three hundred thousand Federation Coins into it, all earned through Gu You's hard work at forging over the past two days.

Do not think three hundred thousand was a small amount. In the Douluo Federation, being able to earn that much within just a few days was enough to surpass ninety percent of people.

The interior of the train was extremely disorderly. Gu You finally managed to seize a seat and began meditating.

"What a beautiful child! What is your child's martial soul?"

Gu You's six senses were exceptionally sharp at the moment. Though he appeared to be cultivating, he had actually surveyed the entire train. The only thing that puzzled him was that a stronger Spiritual Power in the two carriages ahead blocked his probing.

Over the past few days, Gu You had also been getting up early to cultivate Purple Emperor's Roar. At the same time, he discovered through his recent training that Purple Emperor's Roar seemed almost too easy. He had already reached the so-called minute observation realm.

Minute observation meant perceiving the tiniest details. From appearance to subtle changes, one could instantly detect the slightest shift in a target.

"A martial soul... Sorry, my child doesn't have one."

Gu You's attention was drawn to the conversation.

"Ah! I'm sorry."

She was a very pretty young woman, and her eyes were filled with ease at the moment. Across from her sat a mother and daughter. The mother looked to be in her forties, while the little girl was only six or seven. The girl was very adorable, with a pair of bright, clear eyes.

"That's not what I meant. My daughter missed the day of her martial soul awakening. By the time we went, the Spirit Communicator had already left. If she wants to awaken her martial soul afterward, we have to pay for it at the Spirit Pagoda or in certain designated government areas. It costs over twenty thousand. It's too expensive..."

Gu You clenched his fists. Why did that sound so damn irritating? But this was reality. For a family that could not even afford twenty thousand, even if the little girl had Soul Power and became a Soul Master in the future, it would be difficult for her to obtain soul rings unless her talent was exceptionally good. But the chances of that were very slim.

Putting himself in their shoes, Gu You felt that once he established his own faction in the future, he had to make martial soul awakenings free for everyone, just like Spirit Hall. No matter the region, poor or rich, as long as someone had Soul Power fluctuations, they could join his faction to study and develop. As for the money, he would pay it himself. Of course, that was only a thought. After all, competition for resources existed, and this world had never been fair—not in the past, nor now. Since one had been blessed with good talent, one had to seize it properly. Even if one's talent was poor, there was no need to despair, because no one knew what they would be like three years later.

"So sleepy. What's wrong with my mental state today? Why are my eyelids unconsciously..."

So sleepy...

Gu You suddenly felt his head growing foggy as well. Not good! He instantly mobilized his Spiritual Power, and Purple Emperor's Roar stared ahead.

In a place no one could see, a girl stood still with four soul rings coiling around her. Her lips continuously blew into a flute.

Nine Serene Flute?

Gu You instantly recognized this martial soul, but the Nine Serene Flute martial soul before him was wreathed in black mist. Countless traces of undead aura spilled outward, and the thick black mist instantly blanketed everything around him. Gu You could no longer see.

Evil Soul Master!!

Gu You was inwardly alarmed. He had only taken a lousy train ride—how could every bad thing happen to him? For now, he could only wait and observe. Evil Soul Masters generally would not appear alone, especially not one with four rings.

The people in the surrounding carriages peacefully fell asleep, and Gu You also pretended to sleep. He wanted to see just what they were up to.

The train continued moving, and everything around it remained calm. After waiting for an hour, Gu You's hands were beginning to ache. This posture was far too uncomfortable. He wanted to change positions, but he was afraid that doing so might expose him.

Five hours.

I can't take it anymore. Change positions, change positions.

Fortunately, no one noticed Gu You.

At the northernmost border, Noranalin City.

This place was remote, beyond the reach of the Federation's true control. It had long become a gathering place for Evil Soul Masters, black-market merchants, and assassins. Even though the city's administrator had been appointed by the Federation, bribery was unavoidable, and they would engage in vile dealings.

"Xiao Lai, you did well this time. The boss should give you enough resentful spirit energy to help you break through to Soul King." The burly man's eyes were filled with madness. Countless wounds covered his body, yet they only made his ferocity more apparent.

"There's no need for you to tell me that. I know it myself. But we were far too conspicuous this time. The Federation will definitely notice. Not to mention that the government had already suspected this place before. It was only because it was too far away, and the inspectors they sent were replaced, that they could not verify anything." Xiao Lai said coldly.

"Haha! Then let them come. It's been a long time since I last killed someone. My martial soul is hungry." A blood-red bear phantom appeared behind Kuang Zhan. His body instantly swelled dozens of times larger, and seven soul rings floated around him. The only pity was that his first soul ring was white.

This was Kuang Zhan's martial soul, the Bloodthirsty Bear, a mutated form that relied on slaughter and bloodlust as its primary method of cultivation. He had already reached seven rings, and no one knew how many innocent lives he had massacred.

"Where is this place?"

Most of the passengers had already awakened. Outside the train was an endless blizzard, with fierce winds sweeping over a vast snowfield.

"What's going on?! Weren't we still in Shrek City just now?"

Order began to collapse. Gu You's left eye twitched. They said a twitching left eye meant fortune, while a twitching right eye meant disaster, but no matter how he looked at it, this seemed like bad news.