In Heaven Dou City, Xiao Wu gazed at the city, which was countless times more prosperous than Nuoding City, her eyes filled with curiosity about the unfamiliar world.
Lu Chen looked at the map in his hand and said, "Heaven Dou Royal Academy is on a mountain outside the city. Let's get cleaned up properly today, then visit Senior Meng Shenji tomorrow!"
"Mm!"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. They were covered in dust from their long journey, and it wouldn't do to meet someone looking like this—especially when Meng Shenji was a Soul Douluo.
"Xiao Wu, what do you think?"
Lu Chen turned to look beside him, only to find that Xiao Wu, who had been walking by his side just moments ago, had disappeared.
Lu Chen shook his head helplessly. "That Xiao Wu! Always running off!"
Just then, Xiao Wu's clear voice rang out behind them. "Lu Chen, Zhuqing!"
Lu Chen turned around and saw Xiao Wu running toward them, carrying three bulging cloth bags.
"I just went to the herbal shop on the corner and bought some medicinal herbs. The shopkeeper said they're great for soaking your feet!"
Lu Chen raised a hand and ruffled Xiao Wu's hair. "Next time you want to go do something, tell Zhuqing and me first."
Xiao Wu playfully stuck out her tongue, then told them what had happened while she was buying the herbs. "There was this really amazing big sister. She helped me pick out all the herbs I bought..."
Lu Chen smiled and nodded, then found a hotel for the three of them to stay in.
That night, Lu Chen repeatedly swung the Asura Demon Sword in the hotel garden.
The Asura Demon Sword hummed, a scarlet glow rippling along its blade. A faint, almost imperceptible stream of blood-red energy swirled around him.
After swinging his sword relentlessly over the past few years, Lu Chen seemed to have grasped a mysterious power akin to Sword Intent, though it was still incomplete.
[Host has completed the Daily Ten Thousand Sword Swings Mission. Reward: Medicine God Dan Shu Jing!]
As soon as the system's voice faded, a torrent of information surged into Lu Chen's mind.
From identifying and combining ordinary medicinal herbs to the properties of Immortal Herbs and how to harvest them, as well as the methods for refining tens of thousands of pills, everything became crystal clear in Lu Chen's mind.
With the system's help, Lu Chen had gone from a complete novice in the art of medicinal pills to the Soul Master most skilled in the field across the Douluo Continent!
Fifteen minutes later, Lu Chen's head felt groggy, but his eyes shone with startling brightness.
Looking in the direction of Sunset Forest, Lu Chen thought, Ice Fire Two Elements Spring, just you wait!
As soon as he returned to his room and sat down, a soft knock came from outside.
When he opened the door, Zhu Zhuqing was standing in the corridor, dressed in Moon White Silk Pajamas. The loose fabric did little to hide her voluptuous figure, and the glimpse of pale skin at her collar added a touch of allure to this "little wildcat."
Lu Chen opened the door and looked at Zhu Zhuqing. "Zhuqing, is something the matter?"
Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks flushed slightly, and her voice brimmed with barely contained anticipation as she said,
"My Soul Power just broke through to Level Thirty!"
At her words, a flash of white light appeared in Lu Chen's hand, and a pair of translucent purple bracelets materialized.
Fine, intricate patterns were engraved on them, and faint ripples of Soul Power flowed across their surface.
"This is the reward I promised you for reaching Level Thirty!"
Lu Chen had once promised Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing that each of them would receive a gift once their Soul Power reached Level Thirty. Xiao Wu's gift had been a pair of exquisite Level Five Soul Tools, the Wind Spirit Blades.
The gift he had prepared for Zhu Zhuqing was this Level Five melee Soul Tool, the Shadow Claw.
Zhu Zhuqing took the bracelets, the corners of her mouth curving into a lovely smile. "Thank you."
"Give them a try!"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded and followed Lu Chen's instructions, putting the bracelets on her wrists and slowly channeling Soul Power into them.
The Purple Crystal Bracelets suddenly glowed with a pale purple light. Then, under Zhu Zhuqing's astonished gaze, they transformed into mechanical claw gauntlets resembling those formed when her Nether Civet Martial Soul possessed her.
The Shadow Claw was entirely black, fitting the contours of Zhu Zhuqing's finger bones perfectly. Several-inch-long black claws extended from the fingertips, their edges gleaming with a faint blue light.
Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes filled with shock.
Lu Chen explained, "This is the melee Soul Tool I told you about before, the Shadow Claw. It can greatly increase your Attack Power, and it can also warn you in advance of an attack from behind! When you don't need it, just stop channeling Soul Power into it!"
Zhu Zhuqing withdrew her Soul Power, and the Shadow Claw turned back into a pair of bracelets.
Lu Chen smiled faintly. "What do you think? It suits you, doesn't it?"
Zhu Zhuqing lifted her eyes to look at Lu Chen, biting her lower lip as if she had made up her mind.
The next moment, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly rose onto her toes and wrapped her arms around Lu Chen's neck. Her soft lips, carrying a faint fragrance, brushed quickly against his cheek.
Afterward, Zhu Zhuqing turned and ran back to her room like a startled kitten.
The door clicked shut. She leaned against it, her full chest rising and falling with her rapid breaths.
Feeling the burning warmth on her cheek, Zhu Zhuqing murmured, "Xiao Wu, I'm sorry..."
At that moment, inside the Ice Fire Two Elements Spring in Sunset Forest,
Dugu Bo gazed at Dugu Yan, who was cultivating beside a poisonous herb, his eyes full of heartache.
Holding a gold-embossed invitation, Dugu Bo walked over to Dugu Yan and said softly, "Yan Yan, that boy from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has invited you to another banquet. Why don't you go out and have some fun?"
Dugu Yan's hair had already turned deep purple. Hearing Dugu Bo, she slowly opened her eyes. A glint of green flashed through them, like poison-infused jade.
"Grandpa, please turn him down for me!"
After saying this, Dugu Yan returned to her cultivation.
"Ah..." Dugu Bo sighed.
Ever since returning from Star Dou Great Forest, Dugu Yan had been cultivating as if possessed. She had even begun using poisonous herbs to speed up her cultivation, despite Dugu Bo's objections.
Looking at Dugu Yan's stubborn profile, Dugu Bo couldn't help thinking of that young man. He murmured, "Boy, I wish so much that you were still alive..."
Hearing those words, Dugu Yan's eyelashes trembled. Lu Chen... I have to grow stronger. I have to avenge you, even if it costs me everything...
The next morning.
Lu Chen, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing arrived at the foot of a mountain more than ten kilometers from Heaven Dou City.
Xiao Wu looked at Lu Chen, then at Zhu Zhuqing, sensing something strange between them.
Puzzled, she asked, "Why do I get the feeling you and Zhuqing are hiding something from me?"
Thinking of the soft touch from the night before, Lu Chen replied guiltily, "How could we be?"
Under Xiao Wu's intense scrutiny, Zhu Zhuqing's defenses were crumbling fast.
Fortunately, Xiao Wu only glanced at them before bouncing up the mountain.
Zhu Zhuqing immediately let out a breath of relief. Thinking of her impulsive actions the night before, her cheeks flushed again.
She said softly to Lu Chen, "I'm sorry. I was a little impulsive yesterday..."
Lu Chen smiled faintly and ruffled Zhu Zhuqing's hair. "Focus on cultivating. Your fate shouldn't be limited to the path heaven has chosen for you!"
Looking at Lu Chen, Zhu Zhuqing thought, So he's known all along...
Before you continue