Ye Xinglan hurried back to the hall and immediately asked the staff in charge of registration.
The answers were unanimous: no Soul Master named Lu Mingfei had entered the Spirit Ascension Platform today.
Ye Xinglan looked as if she had been struck by lightning and staggered back several steps.
After several seconds of silence, her expression darkened on the spot. She folded her arms across her chest and coldly stared at the corridor at the back of the hall.
"If you met me, then you definitely entered through the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda. I'll wait here and see whether you come out."
Seeing that something was off, one of the staff members kindly brought over a chair for her, but she shook her head and refused.
Since everyone had been forcibly "cured of their internet addiction," people soon began emerging from both corridors, and there were quite a few of them. All they talked about was the danger and excitement of the Spirit Ascension Platform World. It was far more thrilling than the online games that were so popular these days.
These people were Soul Masters who had entered the beginner and intermediate Spirit Ascension Platforms, most of them young people. As for the advanced Spirit Ascension Platform, entry was only permitted on fixed dates each month, and today was not one of them.
Since the Spirit Ascension Platform had come into existence, this was not the first case of a forced interruption. After being promised that their qualifications to enter would be retained, these Soul Masters did not angrily demand an explanation. Instead, they found it novel. After all, the last forced interruption had been a hundred years ago.
They had really caught up with something rare.
Ye Xinglan showed no interest in the people passing by her. On the contrary, some boys around her age secretly stole glances at her.
Her facial features were indeed exquisitely beautiful. Her skin was as delicate as white jade, and between her brows was a heroic spirit rarely seen in girls her age. She had thoroughly captured the hearts of certain boys.
Some older boys from prominent families recognized Ye Xinglan's identity. Their expressions immediately changed, and they smacked their younger brothers on the forehead.
In Heaven Dou City, the Ye Family kept an extremely low profile. Yet whenever the governor held a banquet, the head of the Ye Family was always seated beside him. One could imagine how formidable the family's hidden strength was. As for Ye Xinglan, she had attended several such banquets as well.
Some boys from stronger families had seen her at those banquets. She seemed unfamiliar at first glance, but they recognized her on the second.
Just then, Ye Xinglan's gaze shifted. A tall figure emerged from the crowd. It was her father, Ye Changming.
Ye Xinglan hurried over. "Father."
Ye Changming saw his daughter as well. A doting smile had just appeared on his face when he remembered that she had secretly entered the Spirit Ascension Platform ahead of time, and his expression immediately sank.
This was bad.
Ye Xinglan instantly sensed trouble. She was about to use her coquettish act to escape this verbal lesson, but then her steps halted. Her azure eyes suddenly erupted with fury as she shouted, "Lu Mingfei!"
Behind Ye Changming, Nan Liujing appeared within Ye Xinglan's sight, his complexion still somewhat pale.
Hearing the name Lu Mingfei, Ye Changming wore a strange expression. He had just been about to explain on Nan Liujing's behalf when his daughter grabbed with one hand and directly summoned the Stargod Sword. Its sword tip pointed straight at Nan Liujing, and she looked utterly aggressive.
This scene instantly drew the attention of everyone in the hall. Pairs of eyes instinctively turned toward them.
A staff member said in a deep voice, "Little girl, this is a non-combat area of the Spirit Pagoda. Releasing Martial Souls is prohibited."
"Xinglan." Ye Changming frowned.
Ye Xinglan pressed her lips together, snorted coldly, and withdrew her Martial Soul.
Nan Liujing said irritably, "Why are you shouting so loudly?"
"Why did you lie to me? Your name clearly isn't Lu Mingfei." Ye Xinglan took several steps forward until she stood less than a meter away from Nan Liujing, staring directly into his eyes.
"Is that important?" Nan Liujing asked in return.
"It is." Ye Xinglan was exceptionally serious. "Because you are my partner. You were the one who said that partners should trust each other, but you did not even tell me your real name."
Listening to this, Ye Changming smiled faintly and no longer tried to mediate.
Nan Liujing froze. In the girl's ocean-clear eyes, he saw a fierce stubbornness.
He suddenly recalled that in the Original Timeline, Ye Xinglan had eaten dozens of large meat buns and two Bloodthirsty Red Bean Buns to restore her Soul Power and stamina so that she could forge the first component of Tang Wulin's Battle Armor. Even while enduring the severe backlash of the Bloodthirsty Red Bean Buns, she had insisted on fulfilling her promise.
This girl was proud, tsundere, and arrogant, but she valued loyalty and righteousness. Once she made a promise, it was worth a thousand gold.
After merely two hours of helping each other, she had truly regarded him as a partner. That was why she was so angry when she learned his name was fake.
"My brother isn't called Lu Mingfei. His name is Nan Liujing."
Na'er had been frightened by Ye Xinglan's imposing manner, her little face tightening, but she still gathered her courage and stepped forward to face Ye Xinglan.
"Nan Liujing?" Ye Xinglan glanced at the adorable, porcelain-doll-like girl before her, then asked Nan Liujing in surprise, "You're Uncle Sun's nephew?"
Nan Liujing smiled and rubbed Na'er's head, then proactively extended his hand. "Let me introduce myself again. My name is Nan Liujing."
Ye Xinglan did not extend her hand. She merely continued staring at him.
Nan Liujing delivered his killing blow. "Then we won't drink the water of the Heaven Dou River."
"Ye Xinglan." Ye Xinglan immediately reached out her hand.
One large hand and one small hand gently shook.
That was more like it. She kept her promises far too faithfully.
The insignificant little incident came to an end. Nan Liujing took the initiative to inform the staff member who had guided him earlier that he had killed a Special Wind Baboon. Learning that the report would take some time, he left with Ye Changming and the others. Unexpectedly, as they left, they ran into the brothers Chu Ziyuan and Chu Zihang. They really were fated to meet.
Watching Nan Liujing leave, the staff member responsible for filing his report quickly boarded another elevator reserved for staff use.
He was not an ordinary employee, but the supervisor of the Spirit Ascension Platform branch, so he enjoyed considerable freedom.
Going all the way up, he soon arrived on the second floor of the Spirit Pagoda and stopped before a room door bearing the sign, "Soul Spirit Supervisor-General."
He knocked softly.
"Come in," a voice called from within.
His expression remained normal as he opened the door and entered.
The Office was spacious. When the old man behind the desk saw who it was, he seemed to trigger some passive instinct and pressed a concealed button at his side. The entire room entered soundproof mode.
"Chief, I discovered a genius who has not appeared before," the staff member explained his purpose.
The director said knowingly, "Let me see."
The supervisor took out a crystal card the size of a thumbnail and handed it over.
The chief accepted it and inserted it into a slot beside the computer.
An icon naturally appeared on the computer screen. After clicking it, several video clips were displayed.
They showed Nan Liujing with a Purple Soul Ring floating around him, followed by scenes of him killing the Special Wind Baboon and the Thousand-Year Green Bush Wolf.
Everything had been secretly recorded rather than intercepted through the internal network.
The chief's eyes lit up. "What about his age?"
The supervisor said, "He is six years old. That could be confirmed when he entered the Spirit Ascension Pod. Furthermore, when his identity information was registered, it was confirmed that he has not joined our Spirit Pagoda. However, the person who brought him to the Spirit Ascension Platform was Ye Changming, the head of the Ye Family."
"Ye Changming brought him?" The chief raised a brow. "That is troublesome. This child is probably being secretly trained by the Tang Sect."
The supervisor said, "I was worried about that too. That is why I used reporting the Soul Spirit Selection Card as an excuse to come ask whether you wanted to report this upward."
The chief pondered for a while before making his decision. "A top-tier Dragon Subduing Staff Soul Master who does not belong to the Qian Gu Family is worth recruiting. I will report this to those above first. If they are interested, I will personally visit the Ye Family. Go back for now and keep this child's existence hidden. If the Tower Master asks why you did not report it, use Ye Changming to block him."
Regarding Soul Spirits, he and the Tower Master shared the highest level of surveillance authority. Sending out a highly valuable Soul Spirit Selection Card did indeed require him to appear personally.
"I understand." The supervisor had come in a hurry and left in a hurry.
The chief replayed the footage several times. The more he watched, the hotter his gaze became.
The Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda had always been firmly controlled by the Qian Gu Family. It was their foundation. Nearly all of its upper ranks obeyed the Qian Gu Family, but he was different.
After leaving the Spirit Pagoda, a cold wind rushed at them, making their bodies shiver.
Heaven Dou City remained covered in dark clouds. Fine rain fell, bringing dampness with it.
Pedestrians walked along the roadside under umbrellas of various colors, like a sea of flowers.
The roads were still congested, though much better than before.
Inside the luxurious Soul Guide Vehicle, Ye Changming immediately gave Ye Xinglan a stern lecture once the soundproofing was activated.
Ye Xinglan was like a toad that only moved when poked. She occasionally responded, but she sounded utterly absentminded.
As a father, Ye Changming felt helpless. Yet his daughter had lost her mother when she was young, so he did not want to speak too harshly.
"Uncle Ye, it's getting late. Why don't we find somewhere to eat and talk?" Unable to watch any longer, Nan Liujing took the initiative to change the subject.
At the mention of food, Na'er, who had been sitting obediently beside him the entire time, had her eyes light up as though she had been charged with electricity.
Ye Xinglan shot Nan Liujing a grateful look. "I know a very delicious place. We can go check it out."
"Sure." Nan Liujing trusted the choice of a local.
Still in the eastern part of the city, there stood a small restaurant that was not luxuriously decorated, yet felt warm and clean.
Its seven or eight tables were already packed with guests, and laughter rang out amid the clinking of cups.
The owner and several employees were busy in the kitchen, where flames spewing from a Planetary Engine could be seen.
The owner's wife chatted with regular customers.
Bubbling steam rose from the iron tray, and white mist carrying an enticing fragrance drifted upward.
Before Nan Liujing sat a mountain city-style grilled fish that bore some resemblance to the one from his previous life.
There was an iron tray on top and a rack below for charcoal. This ensured that the grilled fish in the tray continued heating, while the stir-fried seasonings blended more thoroughly into the meat, filling it with flavor.
Nan Liujing looked at Ye Xinglan, who had long been unable to wait. "I didn't expect you to like grilled fish."
Ye Xinglan rubbed her hands together, looking like an old gourmet. "Ordinary grilled fish cannot enter my eyes. This restaurant specializes in the famous Yuhao Grilled Fish. I heard the owner even went to the Grilled Fish Academy in Star Luo City for further study. The taste is definitely authentic."
Na'er sat beside her, already eager to begin. However, the fish had not yet absorbed enough flavor, so she could only open her big, beautiful eyes and wait silently.
Nan Liujing said regretfully, "This grilled fish is good, but it has no soul."
Ye Xinglan blinked. "No soul?"
Ye Changming remained silent and used the serving chopsticks to place a piece of fish from the bottom, which had absorbed some flavor, into Na'er's bowl.
Na'er's eyes curved like crescent moons as she began seriously working on the fish.
Nan Liujing asked, "You've never been to Star Luo City?"
"No." Ye Xinglan shook her head.
"No wonder you don't know." Nan Liujing understood.
Ye Xinglan asked quietly, "I heard Father say that Uncle Sun lives in Star Luo City. Since you are his nephew, you must have tasted authentic Yuhao Grilled Fish. Is this restaurant's version inauthentic?"
Nan Liujing did not explain. He casually searched on his phone and handed it to her. "Here, this is authentic Yuhao Grilled Fish."
Ye Xinglan leaned closer. The image showed a grilled fish restaurant. Some of the fish were threaded onto iron skewers, each not very large, only around half a pound to a pound. Others were like the one they were eating now—six or seven pounds each, grilled first, then cooked in an iron tray with stir-fried seasonings.
Ye Xinglan frowned. "Doesn't this restaurant also have the same grilled-then-cooked fish we're eating?"
"I mean the blackboard on the wall. That is the soul." Nan Liujing picked up a piece of fish and chewed it. Mm, pickled chili flavor. It tasted exactly the same as it had in his previous life.
Those who studied the sword had exceptionally sharp eyesight.
Ye Xinglan looked again. After reading it, she muttered, "The origin of Yuhao Grilled Fish?"
"Legend has it that Tang Wutong, the wife of Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, once fell ill and could not eat anything. Spirit Ice Douluo was frantic with worry. While making soup one day, he suddenly had an idea and turned it into grilled fish. After his wife ate it, she was greatly amazed, and even her illness quickly recovered..."
Ye Xinglan read it word by word. By the end, she was completely dumbfounded and said in astonishment,
"That story sounds so familiar. There is a flatbread shop in Heaven Dou City with a similar blackboard hanging inside, except the protagonist is Spirit Ice Douluo's Mother. Supposedly, Spirit Ice Douluo himself told the story. When he was young, he was neglected in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and could not even eat enough. His Mother secretly ran to the kitchen every day, stole steaming-hot flatbreads, hid them against her chest, and brought them to him. She even burned her chest because of it."
"Later, after Spirit Ice Douluo ascended, the story became so famous that even today, some beginner Soul Master Academies require students to use it in essays praising the greatness of mothers. So this is the soul you meant?"
"Yes." Nan Liujing wore an odd expression. He had never expected the flatbread story to have been passed down as well.
Just which genius had written that diary?
Ye Xinglan rolled her eyes. "I thought the soul you meant was cumin and chili powder. That's it?"
She was clearly dismissive of the stories passed down by Huo Yuhao and immediately changed the subject.
"Nan Liujing, you recognized me long ago, didn't you? That is why you deceived me with a fake name."
Nan Liujing looked at her snowy-white, spirited oval face and smilingly corrected her. "Matters involving Soul Masters cannot be called deception. As a Soul Master, you must be cautious. Your name, like your Martial Soul and Soul Skills, must be kept secret. That is why I changed mine."
"Why?" Ye Xinglan had never encountered such things through her father, and her interest was immediately piqued. This was much more interesting than Huo's Mother hiding flatbreads against her chest.
Nan Liujing set down his chopsticks and discussed it with her. "Let me tell you, some Evil Soul Masters possess a Blood Paper Martial Soul. If you reveal your name, they might write it on the paper, and then you could suddenly become disfigured, start oozing pus, and meet an extremely miserable end."
"Don't scare me." As a girl who cared about beauty, Ye Xinglan shuddered at the thought of being disfigured and covered in pus.
No. She absolutely did not want that.
"Brother is lying to you."
Suddenly, Na'er, who had been doing nothing but eating, cut into the conversation.
Ye Xinglan froze and hurriedly asked, "What do you mean, lying to me?"
Nan Liujing immediately sensed trouble and prepared to stop Na'er, the little blabbermouth, from revealing too much.
Ye Xinglan immediately swept a cold gaze at him, stopping him.
Na'er's rosy little lips gleamed with oil as she said softly, "Brother used ghost stories to scare me before. After he scared me into crying, he comforted me and said that all those stories were made up. So, Sister, you don't need to be afraid."
After learning that Na'er had a large appetite, Ye Xinglan had ordered several extra fish, earning the food lover's favor.
Seeing her brother start frightening someone again, Na'er, the Queen of Foodies, immediately chose righteousness over family.
Ye Xinglan suddenly fell silent, her gaze dangerous.
Nan Liujing coughed dryly and pretended not to see it. "Na'er, this grilled fish is a little spicy. Once you finish what is in your bowl, you are not allowed to eat any more."
Upon hearing that, Na'er froze while holding her bowl and gnawing on a fish head. Tears began to appear in her eyes.
Was it too late to apologize now?
Ye Xinglan could not stand it anymore. "How can you bully your own little sister like that?"
Na'er nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
"Let's ignore him." Ye Xinglan smilingly pinched Na'er's soft, tender, springy cheek and declared boldly, "Just tell Sister whatever else you want to eat. I'm paying!"
"I want more pickled chili grilled fish." The tears in Na'er's eyes instantly vanished as she praised enthusiastically, "Sister, you're so nice."
"Of course." Ye Xinglan lifted her snowy-white chin with a proud expression.
Nan Liujing was helpless, but seeing Na'er much more cheerful than before, a smile could not help appearing on his lips.
"Such Soul Masters really do exist."
Ye Changming suddenly spoke.
Ye Xinglan was immersed in her little sister's praise, but the mood was interrupted. She frowned. "Father, why are you scaring people too?"
Ye Changming shook his head. "Killing with paper has truly been recorded in history, though it is not that bizarre. With your talents, you will sooner or later encounter more things that ordinary people never do, and among them, you may encounter similar Evil Soul Masters. Remember to be careful and put caution first. Even if you possess strength greater than your opponent's, you must not be careless."
When it came to serious matters, Ye Xinglan was still earnest. She said in a deep voice, "You have taught me about this many times. Isn't Xuan Zi, the ancestor who served as the first Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda ten thousand years ago while also being the Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion, exactly the kind of person you mean? Because of his carelessness, a level ninety-eight Super Douluo was actually toyed with by a Soul King, who even took away the young Spirit Ice Douluo."
"If Spirit Ice Douluo had not been so tough, he might have died at the hands of that Evil Soul Master called the Death God Emissary. Without Soul Spirits, the Soul Master system might have developed major problems by today, ten thousand years later."
Nan Liujing could not help glancing at Ye Xinglan again. He had not expected her to know about events from ten thousand years ago.
First the grilled fish, then the flatbreads, and now it was Xuan Zi's turn. Just which kind person had recorded all this?
And besides.
Xuan Zi, you really were miserable. Even ten thousand years later, people were still dragging you out to beat your corpse.
If Ye Changming had deliberately kept quiet at first so that Nan Liujing and Ye Xinglan could chat and grow closer, then by the latter half of the meal, it became an experienced Soul Master elder instructing two novices on Martial Souls and Soul Skills.
Whether it was Nan Liujing's use of the Dragon Subduing Staff Martial Soul or Ye Xinglan's modified swordsmanship, he could point out both its strengths and weaknesses.
Under the warm lights, Na'er kept saying it was not spicy while actually going "hiss, hah," her little face flushed red. Even so, she did not stop eating.
Nan Liujing and Ye Xinglan were like students who had entered a classroom.
Ye Changming's Mental Power enveloped their location, blocking out the noisy clamor of the other diners.
Outside the shop, the light rain had stopped, though the ground was still quite wet.
Every now and then, passersby walked past with their hands in their pockets, their bodies shivering.
The years were tranquil and peaceful—nothing could be better than this.
Ye Xinglan's father's name had originally been Ye Tianqiong.
I changed it.
Before you continue