Shrek City, a Changed World, Gu Yue and Na'er

Chapter 9: Shrek City, a Changed World, Gu Yue and Na'er (4K)

Spirit Pagoda, the Deputy Tower Master's exclusive Battle Armor Room.

Like a Forging Room where blacksmiths tempered metal, the Battle Armor Room was a comprehensive laboratory for the three Second Professions: Mecha Design, Mecha Manufacturing, and Mecha Repair.

This Battle Armor Room was located on the seventh floor of the Spirit Pagoda. It was spacious and vast, with a massive silver-white experimental table covering more than forty square meters, covered in all kinds of metal materials.

The stunning woman leaned against one side of the table, her jade hand lightly supporting her chin. Her plump, snow-white long legs were crossed, and her graceful body was outlined in alluring curves by the pose. Yet she did not seem to realize it, entirely focused on the handsome youth engraving a Soul Tool formation nearby.

Zhao Xuanzhen sat before the metal table. In his left hand, he held a pale-purple piece of metal, its irregular rings of patterns spreading outward like ripples. In his right, he held a long, slender Engraving Knife, carving the metal with total concentration.

Advancing all Three Second Professions at once was undoubtedly difficult. From sunrise to sunset, after an entire day of basic Battle Armor theory, he had not rested at all aside from lunch. Now, he was testing the results of his studies. Practice brought true knowledge.

Purple Iron had average malleability and below-average Soul Power conductivity. It was an inexpensive rare metal generally used to make low-grade Soul Tools.

Zhao Xuanzhen carved the Purple Iron stroke by stroke. His movements were slow, but his hand was astonishingly steady. The powerful bodily control granted by his Original Martial Soul was plain to see. Every cut landed with absolute precision.

Cut after cut, the intricate patterns of the Core Formation gradually unfolded.

A delighted gleam slowly gathered in Leng Yaozhu's eyes. She unconsciously moved closer to her own disciple, her hands somehow clenching into fists.

Second by second, time passed. A deep-blue glow danced within Zhao Xuanzhen's pupils. His torso remained motionless like a statue as Soul Power flowed into his fingers, guiding the Engraving Knife through the finishing work. His rhythm never changed in the slightest.

Clang—

As the final cut fell, Zhao Xuanzhen blew away the fine metal shavings lodged in the patterns. A trace of fatigue flashed through his eyes before quickly fading. He looked up at Leng Yaozhu, a relieved smile on his face.

"Teacher."

As Soul Power slowly flowed in, the Purple Iron erupted with an astonishing violet halo, transforming into a foot-long pillar of light that rose straight upward without the slightest tremble. The patterns shone a translucent purple.

"Level 1 Soul Tool Core Formation, Explosion. Successfully made."

Leng Yaozhu took one look and delivered her verdict. "Xuanzhen, you're already a Quasi-Level 1 Mecha Maker."

Since one needed to reach Level 3 in a Second Profession before barely gaining access to high-end Battle Armor technology, Mecha Design, Mecha Manufacturing, and Mecha Repair were all graded by Soul Tool standards in the early stages.

Leng Yaozhu taught Mecha Design and Mecha Manufacturing. Mecha Design could not produce visible results in a single lesson, but Mecha Manufacturing could. Zhao Xuanzhen had learned to engrave a Level 1 Core Formation in just one day, more than enough to show his extraordinary talent.

Zhao Xuanzhen cultivated Daoist arts, so his mind was far calmer than those of his peers. He also possessed two innate advantages: his Martial Soul True Self encompassed his brain and eyes, while his Mental strength had broken through to the Spirit Connection Realm.

In most cases, Core Formations failed due to minute errors in engraving. Yet Zhao Xuanzhen would almost never encounter accidents. He only needed to memorize the formation's patterns, use his Mental strength to project the metal three-dimensionally in his mind, then replicate it onto the metal at a one-to-one scale.

An Innate Carving Saint Body!

While Zhao Xuanzhen swam freely through the sea of knowledge, the Spirit Water Porpoise was utterly miserable.

After reading for three minutes, Tun Tun's eyes had already become clear.

No wonder the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest did not imitate humans and study Battle Armor. This thing simply was not meant for beasts to learn!

Even an Auspicious Beast's extraordinary intelligence struggled to understand it. For those muscleheads, it would be harder than ascending to heaven!

After reading all day, the Spirit Water Porpoise looked utterly dead inside, as if knowledge had brutally bullied it and drained away all its strength and tricks.

A living porpoise, barely alive.

"Looks like interest really is a good teacher." Leng Yaozhu slowly curled her lips. "Becoming a Quasi-Level 1 Mecha Maker in one day also has something to do with your early exposure to Soul Tool theory. You had already memorized those basic Soul Tool Core Formations."

Zhao Xuanzhen chuckled. He came from the Volume Kingdom. Previewing lessons in advance was a belief carved into his bones!

Wait, something seemed wrong...

Zhao Xuanzhen's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Terror surfaced on his face. He had always gone alone to the Spirit Pagoda's Library Pavilion. How did Leng Yaozhu know exactly what he had borrowed?

As if she could read his mind, Leng Yaozhu looked at Zhao Xuanzhen with an ambiguous half-smile.

"Last night, I suddenly got curious and checked your borrowing records."

How was that any different from checking someone's browser history?!

Zhao Xuanzhen instantly felt as though his loincloth had been ripped off in public. It was all because the Spirit Pagoda collected those books worthy of criticism!

"That's enough for today. Class is over."

Leng Yaozhu was well versed in the art of leaving things unsaid. With a smiling expression, she said, "Let's take a walk around Shrek City tonight. After all, this should be the last night you'll get to enjoy. I've arranged a full schedule for you over the next few years.

"On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, you'll study Mecha Design and Mecha Manufacturing in the morning, then train practical combat at the Spirit Ascension Platform in the afternoon. Battle Soul Masters must always prioritize tempering their combat skills.

"On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I'll find you a Title Douluo from the Spirit Pagoda. He'll teach you Mecha Repair in the Illusion Mirror Space on the Seventy-Eighth Floor.

"Sunday..."

"A day off?" Zhao Xuanzhen blurted out.

"Keep dreaming. Etiquette class."

Seeing Zhao Xuanzhen's blank expression, Leng Yaozhu smiled knowingly. "You get half a day off every week."

The strong shed sweat, and the weak shed tears. Everyone had to choose one.

Thus, the food chain was completely formed: Leng Yaozhu exploited Zhao Xuanzhen, and Zhao Xuanzhen exploited the Spirit Water Porpoise!

Douluo Continent, Shrek City.

Shrek City had a long history. It had stood firm for twenty thousand years and held an extremely important political and economic position within the Sun Moon Federation.

The Sun Moon Federation now stood on four pillars. Aside from the Federation War God Hall in Mingdu, the headquarters of the Spirit Pagoda, Tang Sect, and Shrek Academy were all established in Shrek City.

Three superpowers jointly guarded a single city, a situation unseen since ancient times. It had formed because of one man—the Spirit Pagoda's founder, the Tang Sect's reviver, Shrek Academy's legend, Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao's original intention had been for the Three Great Powers to coexist peacefully and work together for the Soul Master Realm. Yet after ten thousand years of change, many things had drifted beyond Huo Yuhao's control.

Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect remained as close as ever, each occupying half of the inner city. Their high-level members maintained close ties. The Spirit Pagoda, however, had separated from them and stood at the edge of Shrek City, facing the high wall that sealed off the Star Dou Great Forest from afar.

Moonlight passed through thin clouds and cast a clear, bright hue over the city. Qingfeng brushed past, making the warm lights along Shrek City's long streets sway and staining passersby's faces with a reddish glow.

Two figures emerged from the crowd and instantly captured countless gazes. The woman was tall and curvaceous, her crimson hair flowing in the wind. A smile filled her red lips, and her beauty was beyond compare. The youth had handsome features and eyes as black as ink, as though they reflected the clouds and sky.

One adult and one child, both absurdly beautiful. Their head-turning rate exceeded ninety percent. The passersby all had their own guesses. Some thought they were siblings, while others suspected they were mother and son...

She had a child...

Hehe, even better!

This street was called Phoenix Street, and it belonged to the Phoenix Group.

Like the Tang Sect's Xuan Shi Tang Sect Company, the Spirit Pagoda's major families were not content with the huge amount of wealth brought by selling spirit souls. They had each supported family conglomerates. The Leng Family's ancestors had founded the Phoenix Group, which professionals operated while the Leng Family simply lay back and collected money.

Shrek City was a huge cake. Originally, the Spirit Pagoda families had many businesses there. As relations between the two Great Powers gradually deteriorated, those businesses withdrew to other cities, leaving Phoenix Street as the sole survivor.

Every so often, Leng Yaozhu would pull Zhao Xuanzhen along to stroll through Phoenix Street and other parts of Shrek City. Sometimes she bought things she liked, but more often, they simply wandered the streets. A reminiscing look would occasionally appear in her eyes.

Across both lifetimes, the person Zhao Xuanzhen had gone shopping with most was undoubtedly Leng Yaozhu. After all, he was a Teacher's Treasure Boy—his teacher's precious boy. He was responsible for accompanying her the entire way and offering a pure smile at the right moments, affirming whatever caught her interest.

"Grilled sausages! Three Federation Coins each, two for five!"

"Chicken chop bones, fifteen Federation Coins per pound! Buy one pound and get half a pound free!"

Vendors lined both sides of Phoenix Street, their cries unceasing. The dazzling array of goods was dominated by food, most of it aimed at Shrek students.

Teacher and disciple walked and stopped along the way when a small figure suddenly caught Zhao Xuanzhen's attention. The lights fell over the girl's silver hair, making it shine like a silver moon. She was difficult to overlook, especially since she was truly an excessively beautiful girl—silver-haired and silver-eyed, exquisite as carved jade.

The Silver-Haired Girl wandered aimlessly until a scent rushed into her nasal cavity. Her large silver eyes suddenly lit up. In a few quick steps, she ran to the chicken chop bones stall, looked up at the sign that read fifteen per pound, buy one pound get half a pound free, and said in a crisp voice,

"Hello, boss. I'm not buying any. Can you give me the free half-pound?"

"Whose brat is this? Come take her away already!"

Zhao Xuanzhen swore he had not laughed. His teeth were just too hot and needed to come out for some air.

Firmly rejected by the owner, the Silver-Haired Girl pursed her lips and rubbed her empty stomach with her little hand.

Gurgle—

He could not mock that one. Her stomach really was rumbling like thunder!

We're both half-bodies, so why did she inherit Amazing Wisdom while I inherited this absurd appetite?!

The Silver-Haired Girl felt indignantly wronged. At a glance, she locked onto the youth nearby whose front teeth were white enough to reflect light, then said with a grief-stricken face,

"Is it funny? All I see is a poor little girl with a bitter fate."

"Boss, chicken chop bones."

Zhao Xuanzhen handed over thirty Federation Coins.

"Thank you! May you be happy every day and have everything go your way!"

The young girl had no backbone at all. The instant she received three pounds of chicken chop bones, her face blossomed into a smile as she devoured them with gusto.

Thirty Federation Coins were pocket change to Zhao Xuanzhen, whose pocket money had seven digits. Leng Yaozhu did not care either, and the two continued walking into the distance.

The young girl held the chicken chop bones and feasted heartily. Then her gaze shifted, and she spotted an ancient tree by the roadside. A terrifying eerie eye suddenly split open in the center of its trunk, sending a bone-chilling cold through her!

Ignoring her hunger, the Silver-Haired Girl recognized who had come for her and turned to run.

Abnormalities spread through the trees lining the street as eerie eyes emerged one after another. Yet a second before the mastermind could act, the young girl had already reached Zhao Xuanzhen and Leng Yaozhu. A trace of unwillingness flickered through the eyes, and the trees returned to normal.

"Little girl, why are you here again? Where are your parents?" Leng Yaozhu asked as she looked at the Silver-Haired Girl.

That person seemed to have given up the chase and left. Having escaped disaster, the young girl let out a long breath and said, "I'm an orphan. Big sister, where is the nearest orphanage? I want to ask whether they can take me in."

"The orphanage is three streets away." Leng Yaozhu spoke gently. "Have you awakened your Martial Soul?

"After awakening it, you don't need to go to the orphanage. The sects of the continent are very willing to raise Soul Masters from childhood. Of course, that depends on whether you have Innate Soul Power."

"I do! I do!"

The Silver-Haired Girl nodded like a pecking chick. Light flashed, and a Silver Spear appeared in her hand. It was over twelve feet long, its slender shaft covered in delicate, evenly distributed dragon scales.

"Hm?"

Zhao Xuanzhen tactically leaned back. This dragon spear looked awfully familiar!

"What's your name?"

"Na'er!"

Grateful to the benefactor who had bought her chicken chop bones, the Silver-Haired Girl readily gave her name.

Just as expected!

That merciless chicken chop bones-devouring machine was Na'er!

Zhao Xuanzhen had not recognized her at first because this Na'er differed from the one in his memories.

The Na'er Tang Wulin had found in Aolai City was Gu Yue Na after an accident during her transformation—silver-haired and violet-eyed. Only later had Gu Yue Na split into two: silver-haired, silver-eyed Na'er, and black-haired, black-eyed Gu Yue.

So the one before him was the Silver Dragon King Half Body, Na'er!

What a Heavenly Blessing!

Fate was like an unpredictable rainstorm. Those without umbrellas could not avoid it, while those who wanted to get drenched never encountered it.

Compared to Zhao Xuanzhen's complicated emotional changes, Leng Yaozhu's thoughts were far simpler. The aura of the Silver Dragon Spear was extraordinarily majestic. It was undoubtedly a top-tier Martial Soul, and the Soul Power Na'er released was unmistakably Innate Full Soul Power!

"Teacher, Na'er has excellent talent. Let's bring her back to the Spirit Pagoda."

Zhao Xuanzhen made the suggestion. Since she had appeared, he could not miss the opportunity. No place was more reliable for Na'er than by his side.

The Spirit Pagoda already nurtured talented Soul Masters, and Leng Yaozhu had been thinking the same thing. She asked Na'er, "Na'er, are you willing to come with us and become a member of the Spirit Pagoda?"

After a moment of hesitation, Na'er carefully asked,

"Do you provide meals?"

"Food and lodging included, plus three thousand Federation Coins a month," Zhao Xuanzhen cut in.

"Yes, yes, yes! The Spirit Pagoda is Number One Under Heaven!"

One adult and two children returned to the Spirit Pagoda under the cover of night. Not long after they left, a young man and woman approached from afar.

The young man was handsome, with a refined and reserved temperament. He looked around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and his aura was that of an ordinary person.

The woman smiled sweetly as she held his arm. She wore a flowing aqua-green dress, and her peerlessly beautiful face was pure and elegant. The aura of life permeated her entire body, making her feel like a goddess of nature whom people instinctively wanted to approach.

"Ming Ge, why did you suddenly want to take a walk through Shrek City?"

"Space fluctuated for a moment just now, then quickly returned to calm. It seemed as though nothing happened. Perhaps I'm overthinking it."

Star Dou Great Forest.

Surrounded by enormous trees, before the nearly dried-up Lake of Life, an eerie young man knelt on one knee with a gloomy expression.

"Boss, I failed to capture her.

"The spatial rift teleported her to Shrek City. Too many Title Douluos are stationed there, and she has already come into contact with a powerhouse who is at least a Super Douluo. I didn't dare clash with that person directly."

"So we've only found half of our Lord!"

The Black Dragon's golden eyes gleamed. He spread his dragon claws, and a young girl floated quietly above his palm.

An accident had occurred when their Lord transformed, splitting her into two figures that were swept away by a spatial rift. The Black Dragon chose to track the stronger half, while the young man relied on the splitting and assimilation talent of a Plant-type Soul Beast to infiltrate Shrek City and pursue the other half.

"Ignore her. That thirty percent of power will return to me sooner or later."

The young girl said faintly, "Within the spatial rift, I sensed its aura. It is in the east of the Douluo Continent...

"Once I stabilize the injuries to my split soul, I will personally make my move..."