The Railway's Next Contract Companion

Lin Yu immediately activated the Starry Express's warp.

There was no need to clash head-on with the Sea God and Shura God right now. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

As they warped, Qian Renxue asked, "Where are you going next?"

She already knew that the Starry Express increased the level of his Martial Soul through contract companions. He had previously contracted with Snow Empress and her, so without exception, his next stop was to contract with another new companion.

Lin Yu looked thoughtful as he gazed into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest. "I was originally thinking of going to the same place again, but unfortunately, that would be another huge risk. Snow Empress might not agree."

Deep in the Star Dou Great Forest lurked another perfect contract target Lin Yu had in mind.

The only problem was that this perfect contract target was far too powerful, even surpassing a Level-100 God.

Convincing the other party to sign a contract would be even more difficult. He would have to take a huge risk for there to be any chance.

Seeing Lin Yu's expression, Snow Empress did not know what he was planning, but after spending so much time with him, she knew his adventurous nature all too well.

She nervously grabbed Lin Yu's arm. "What are you planning this time?"

Lin Yu shook his head. "I won't take any risks for now. We'll discuss this at length later." He turned to Qian Renxue. "When will you be free?"

An ordinary person might not have understood what he meant, but Qian Renxue was exceptionally intelligent and knew that Lin Yu wanted to discuss something with her.

Just not now. He was asking about some time after they passed through the next twenty years.

Qian Renxue said, "I'll be free for a while after leaving Moon Xuan Pavilion, but during the day, I'll have to assist Xue Ye with state affairs. You can come to the Crown Prince's Palace at night, but write a letter before you come. Use the format XXX for the letter. Once I receive it, I can send someone to pick you up."

"Don't suddenly appear in the Crown Prince's Palace. There are actually many guards hidden there, and you'll easily be discovered."

Qian Renxue had already witnessed the Starry Express's ability to travel through space at will, so she specifically reminded Lin Yu as a precaution.

The Starry Express immediately began traveling through space, soon arriving on the day after the one at Moon Xuan Pavilion.

Lin Yu found an inn, wrote a letter using the format Qian Renxue had specified, and sent it to the mailbox.

That night, a black figure arrived at the inn. It was Snake Lance Douluo, who crouched on the windowsill and smiled. "Lin Yu, long time no see."

More than ten years ago, Pufferfish and Snake Lance had been deeply impressed by Lin Yu in the dungeon. After all, no one could endure the pain of Soul Power Extraction without making a sound.

They admired Lin Yu's character, and as soon as Snake Lance Douluo heard that Lin Yu had appeared, he took the initiative to seek him out.

Lin Yu said speechlessly, "Do you Titled Douluo never use the front door? Do you like climbing through other people's windows?"

Snake Lance laughed. "I'm used to sneaking around in secret. If you make me use the front door, I won't be used to it for a while."

Snake Lance then led Lin Yu away, still through the window. Along the way, they passed only through the shadows, and they entered the Crown Prince's Palace the same way.

Qian Renxue had already been waiting in the Crown Prince's bedchamber, personally brewing tea for Lin Yu at the tea table.

Lin Yu said, "Qian Renxue, I only saw you yesterday, then went to the future and saw you again. How do you feel now?"

Traveling through time and space was incredibly wondrous. Once the past changed, the future would change along with it.

He found Qian Renxue's reaction different every time, and wanted to know how she would react this time.

Qian Renxue said, "What else can I feel? The me from this point in time only parted with you yesterday, then received your letter during the day and arranged to meet you tonight."

"You were able to calculate everything so clearly. That must have been the idea of the Qian Renxue from the future. Only she would know so much about me."

Lin Yu laughed. "As expected, your reaction is different again this time. But you're as clever as ever, able to guess the idea of your future self."

Qian Renxue said, "How could I not understand my own affairs? You went to the future and returned safely, so you should have absorbed the Thousand-Year Spirit Ring. But you still came to find me, which means you want to discuss your next contract companion with me."

Lin Yu said, "That's right. This matter is extraordinary. Before, it was just Snow Empress and me. We were both isolated and helpless, able to rely only on ourselves. Now that you've joined us, we finally have outside support."

"I want to make use of the forces and power you possess."

Qian Renxue nodded. "I already learned that the stronger the companion your Martial Soul, the Starry Express, contracts with, the more power it can share."

"And you chose this path before, even setting your sights on me after my Divine Seat was shattered."

"This is dangerous and extremely complicated. Although the rewards are substantial, I don't think you need to go this far. You don't necessarily have to contract with powerful companions."

Lin Yu said, "What do you mean?"

Qian Renxue said, "Your increase in Soul Power is mainly due to the complementary nature of your Martial Souls. The power Snow Empress and I shared with you, your other contract companion, was actually not much—only a tiny amount."

Lin Yu nodded. When he first contracted with Snow Empress, his Soul Power had only risen to Rank 8. When he contracted with Qian Renxue the second time, it had only increased from Rank 16 to Rank 20.

For beings at Snow Empress and Qian Renxue's level, the power they shared was extremely insignificant and did not affect them in the slightest.

Qian Renxue said, "So even if you find a stronger companion, your Soul Power will only increase a little. Instead, it will put us in greater danger, making it a poor trade."

"Therefore, we should take a step back and look for companions who aren't particularly strong but possess top-tier Martial Souls."

"Preferably, one with the opposite Ultimate Attribute, so it can complement your Martial Soul and increase your Soul Power."

Hearing Qian Renxue's reasoning, Lin Yu thought, As expected, the daughters of great powers really do know more.

He actually knew only the tiniest bit about Martial Souls and had no idea what their complementary nature meant.

This was a blind spot in his knowledge.

Lin Yu asked for her advice. "Then in your view, what top-tier Martial Soul should I look for now?"

Qian Renxue said, "You currently have three Martial Souls. One is your Starry Express, while the other two are the Heavenly Snow Woman and the Six-winged Angel."

"The Starry Express naturally possesses the dual attributes of time and space, so it is already impossible to find a Martial Soul compatible with it."

"The Six-winged Angel has the Light Attribute, so the best match for it would be the Dark Attribute. However, Martial Souls with the Dark Attribute are rare and difficult to find."

"Only the Heavenly Snow Woman is an ice-type Martial Soul. On Douluo Continent, there are still quite a few Martial Souls with the Fire Attribute."

"The only difficulty is that the Heavenly Snow Woman is an Ultimate Ice Martial Soul, so you need to find a top-tier Martial Soul with Ultimate Fire."

At this point, several candidates quickly appeared in Lin Yu's mind.

Ling Yuan Douluo of the Spirit Hall, whose Martial Soul was the Blazing Fire Spirit Kite.

Liu Erlong of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, whose Martial Soul was the Fire Dragon.

Huo Wu of Blazing Fire Academy, whose Martial Soul was the Fire Shadow.