Freeloading! (Please Vote to Recommend)

"Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?" Qin Ze asked, confused. "Senior, do you want me to join the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?"

As far as Qin Ze knew, Du Busi had no connection with the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

Du Busi shook his head and said, "Why join them? Do you think, as you are now, it's better to join an academy, or to muddle along under some faction for the time being?"

Qin Ze frowned slightly. He did not understand what the other man meant.

Du Busi continued, "At first, I was planning to have you join the Heaven Dou Empire, but one thing made me give up on that idea."

"Please explain, senior!" Qin Ze said respectfully.

Du Busi nodded and said, "Our Douluo Continent originally had only two empires, the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Several thousand years ago, the kingdoms and duchies within the Heaven Dou Empire rebelled and eventually split off, forming the current Heavenly Soul and Dou Ling Empire. In truth, the Heaven Dou Empire never escaped the crisis Heaven Dou faced back then either."

"The struggles within the Heaven Dou Empire's Royal Family are far too intense. People dying silently and without a trace is a common thing. If your strength had reached Soul Saint, that would be fine, but it hasn't. You're just a little brat who has only just awakened his martial soul. In that kind of struggle, how do you think the hostile forces within the Royal Family would treat you?"

"They'd get rid of me in secret!" Qin Ze replied.

"Exactly." Du Busi's mouth split into a grin. "The reason I plan to take you to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is because the competition inside them can be considered fair. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul is a purely auxiliary-type martial soul. The reason they've been able to stand for ten thousand years without falling is because they rely on sect-protecting soul masters with powerful attack power, such as Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo ten thousand years ago. Once you display your talent inside the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, they'll definitely give you tremendous resources for cultivation."

"So now do you understand what I mean?"

"This junior understands!" Qin Ze nodded in realization. What Du Busi had told him was simple: go to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, display his talent, gain their attention, then obtain resources for cultivation. As for joining them, once he was strong, who could stop him?

Qin Ze had more or less understood Du Busi's personality now. Good grief, this was naked freeloading.

However, Qin Ze had a small thought of his own. If, in the future, he had the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect behind him, perhaps handling matters would become twice as easy.

He might even be able to borrow the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's resources to establish his own faction once he became powerful in the future.

At this thought, an idea immediately formed in Qin Ze's heart.

"Then when do we set off?" Qin Ze had made up his mind to go to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

Du Busi saw the change in Qin Ze's eyes. He gave a slight nod and said, "Tomorrow morning. It just so happens that this week is when the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is recruiting disciples."

"Good!"

In the sky, dark clouds gradually covered the moon. The night had grown late.

The next day.

The weather was clear, white clouds drifting with the wind, while the Ginkgo Tree continuously shed its leaves.

Qin Ze kowtowed several times before Zhu Xiyan's grave, his head striking the ground. "Grandma, I'm leaving."

Looking at the tombstone, determination flickered in Qin Ze's eyes. In the future, he would make the name Qin Ze resound across the entire continent.

"Let's go. I've already placed that letter of yours in your village chief's home," Du Busi said from behind Qin Ze.

"Okay!" Qin Ze nodded, then stood up.

Du Busi grabbed Qin Ze by the shoulder. "Want to experience what flying feels like?"

"Flying?" Qin Ze froze for a moment. And in that very instant, Du Busi suddenly shot into the air, taking Qin Ze with him. Qin Ze's mind lurched, and by the time he reacted, he was instantly stunned. He had already arrived several hundred meters up in the sky.

High in the air, Du Busi activated his soul power to protect Qin Ze, so Qin Ze could not feel the howling wind rushing past.

Qin Ze was already staring in a daze. Below him, the entirety of Maple Leaf Village, including the distant maple forest that looked like a sea of fire, all entered his view.

In the dense forest, rivers lay across the land like long snakes, while the emerald leaves resembled surging green waves.

A sea of flowers swayed with the wind, wild beasts shuttled through the dense woods, and winding, rugged mountain paths curled between houses built among them.

Beside the wheat fields stood windmills. The golden wheat released a radiant glow, while scarecrows stood there as if gazing up at the sky.

So this was flying!

Qin Ze had once imagined what it would feel like to fly through the air without relying on any tools, but that had only been imagination. Now it was different. Although he was being carried by Du Busi, this was real, solid flying, and it felt fucking amazing!

Qin Ze even almost failed to hold back the urge to shout, "Woohoo!"

"I'll come back," Qin Ze thought inwardly as he looked at the village growing increasingly blurry.

Du Busi's speed grew faster and faster. Soon, Qin Ze could no longer make out the scenery clearly.

Inside Maple Leaf Village.

A new day revived with the beginning of sunrise.

In a three-story house, Ke Lan was standing on his balcony. Beside him, a pot of hot tea was steeping, mist curling within it.

In his withered hand, he held a letter. After Ke Lan finished reading its contents, a smile appeared on his face, and he murmured softly, "The child has grown up. It's time he left home."

"Village chief, is the village chief there?"

Suddenly, an urgent shout shattered the peace. On the balcony, Ke Lan turned his head in confusion and looked toward the path leading to his home. A figure there was hurrying rapidly toward him.

Ke Lan frowned and quickly headed downstairs. By the time he reached the bottom floor, a person had also emerged from the path.

"What happened?" Ke Lan asked.

The newcomer was Zheng Long. His face was flushed at the moment, clearly because he had encountered something extremely exciting.

Zheng Long caught his breath and said, "In the square, a cage suddenly appeared out of nowhere. There's an Evil Soul Master inside it."

"What?" Ke Lan cried out in alarm and suspicion. He thought he had misheard. "Come on, take me to see."

Very quickly, the two of them headed toward the square.

By the time Ke Lan arrived at the square, it was already packed with people.

"The village chief is here!" Zheng Long shouted. Hearing his voice, everyone hurriedly opened up a path.

Ke Lan hastened forward. When he entered the crowd, he saw the cage at the center of the square.

Inside the cage lay a man like a dead pig. His four limbs were twisted into an extremely distorted shape; they had clearly already been broken.

This person was none other than that Evil Soul Master called Earthworm, a beast who liked to eat hearts.

Ke Lan took a deep breath. He recalled the letter Qin Ze had given him. In the letter, Qin Ze said he had left with the soul master who had previously saved the village. Now that an Evil Soul Master had appeared before them, it meant this Evil Soul Master had been left behind by that lord for them to deal with as they pleased.

"Village chief, how do we handle this beast?" Zheng Long suppressed the killing intent in his heart and asked Ke Lan.

"I'll leave him to you!" Ke Lan glanced at the cage, then withdrew.

As soon as he left, in an instant, the gazes of the roughly two hundred people all focused on Earthworm inside the cage.

The tools in the villagers' hands, each glinting with metallic light, seemed to come alive at that moment.