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, Deputy Tower Master's exclusive Battle Armor Room.

Similar to the forging room where blacksmiths temper metal, the Battle Armor Room is 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, spacious and vast, with a massive silver-white experimental table spanning over forty square meters, covered in various metal materials.

A stunning woman leaned against one side of the table, her jade hand lightly supporting her chin, her plump, snow-white long legs crossed, her graceful body forming an alluring curve with the movement—though she was unaware of it, her gaze fixed intently on the handsome youth carving a soul tool formation beside her.

Zhao Xuanzhen sat at the metal table, his left hand pinching a piece of pale purple metal, its irregular rippling patterns spreading out like ripples on water. In his right hand, he held a long, slender engraving knife, concentrating fully as he carved into the metal.

Advancing in all three Second Professions simultaneously was undoubtedly a difficult task. From sunrise to sunset, an entire day of foundational Battle Armor theory—aside from a brief lunch break—had passed without rest. Now, he was testing the fruits of his learning, putting theory into practice.

Purple Iron. Medium ductility, below-average soul power conductivity. A cheap rare metal, generally used to manufacture low-tier Soul Tools.

Zhao Xuanzhen carved the Purple Iron stroke by stroke, his movements slow, but his hand remarkably steady. The Original Martial Soul's formidable control over the body was evident; every cut of the knife was precise and flawless.

One stroke after another, the complex lines of the core formation slowly unfolded.

A look of surprise and delight gradually gathered on Leng Yaozhu's face. She unconsciously leaned closer to her own disciple, her hands clenching into fists without her realizing it.

Time slipped by, minute by minute. A faint blue light flickered in Zhao Xuanzhen's pupils. His torso remained motionless, like a sculpture, as he channeled soul power into his fingers, controlling the engraving knife for the finishing touches. His rhythm never wavered.

"Clang—"

With the final stroke carved, Zhao Xuanzhen blew away the fine metal shavings from the lines. A trace of fatigue flickered in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, lifting his head to look at Leng Yaozhu with a relieved smile.

"Teacher."

As soul power was slowly infused, the Purple Iron erupted with a dazzling purple radiance, forming a foot-long pillar of light that rose straight up without a hint of wavering. The lines showed a translucent purple hue.

"Level 1 Soul Tool Core Formation: Explosion. Successfully crafted."

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

Since only the third level of the Second Professions allows one to barely touch high-end Battle Armor technology, the early stages of Mecha Design, Mecha Manufacturing, and Mecha Repair are all evaluated based on Soul Tool standards.

Leng Yaozhu's lessons covered Mecha Design and Mecha Manufacturing. Mecha Design couldn't be demonstrated in a single class, but Mecha Manufacturing could. Zhao Xuanzhen had learned to carve a Level 1 core formation in just one day, proving his extraordinary talent.

Zhao Xuanzhen cultivated Dao techniques, making his mind far calmer than others his age. He also had two innate advantages: his True Self martial soul encompassed both his brain and eyes, and his mental strength had broken through to the Spirit Connection Realm.

In most cases, core formations fail due to minute errors in engraving, but Zhao Xuanzhen almost never ran into such accidents. He only needed to memorize the lines of the core formation, use his mental strength to render the metal three-dimensionally in his mind, and then replicate it onto the metal one-to-one.

An Innate Carving Saint Body!

Zhao Xuanzhen swam freely through the ocean of knowledge. In contrast, the Spirit Water Porpoise was utterly miserable.

Three minutes into flipping through a book, Tun Tun's eyes went blank.

No wonder the Hundred-Thousand-Year soul beasts of the Star Dou Forest didn't bother imitating humans and learning about Battle Armor—this stuff simply wasn't meant for beasts to study!

Even the Auspicious Beast's superior intelligence struggled to grasp it; for those muscle-bound brutes, it was practically impossible!

After a full day of reading, the Spirit Water Porpoise's eyes were filled with the look of the living dead, as if it had been brutally bullied by knowledge, drained of all strength and means.

Alive porpoise, barely dead.

"It seems interest really is a good teacher." Leng Yaozhu slowly curled her lips. "Becoming a Quasi-Level 1 Mecha Maker in one day—that's also related to having been exposed to Soul Tool theory from a young age. You already had those basic Soul Tool core formations memorized."

Zhao Xuanzhen chuckled lightly. He came from the Volume Kingdom; previewing ahead of time was a belief carved into his very bones!

Wait... something felt off...

Zhao Xuanzhen's heart suddenly skipped a beat, a look of panic flashing across his face. He always went to the Spirit Pagoda's Library Pavilion alone—how did Leng Yaozhu know exactly what he had taken back with him!

Leng Yaozhu seemed to have mind-reading abilities. She looked at Zhao Xuanzhen with a knowing smile, her tone suggestive.

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

This was no different from checking someone's browser history!

Zhao Xuanzhen instantly felt a chill, as if his loincloth had been yanked off in public—all because of those scandalous books the Spirit Pagoda kept in its collection!

"That's enough for today. Class dismissed."

Leng Yaozhu was a master of the art of leaving words unsaid. She smiled and added, "Let's go for a stroll around Shrek City tonight. After all, this should be the last night you get to enjoy yourself. The next few years have a packed schedule lined up.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: mornings studying Mecha Design and Mecha Manufacturing, afternoons training in actual combat at the Spirit Ascension Platform. A Battle Soul Master always prioritizes honing their combat skills.

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: I've arranged for a Title Douluo from the Spirit Pagoda to teach you Mecha Repair in the Illusion Mirror Space on the Seventy-Eighth Floor.

Sunday..."

"Day off?" Zhao Xuanzhen answered eagerly.

"Dream on. Etiquette class."

Seeing the dazed expression on Zhao Xuanzhen's face, Leng Yaozhu gave a knowing smile. "Half a day off every week."

The sweat of the strong and the tears of the weak—a person always has to choose one.

From that moment on, the food chain was firmly established. Leng Yaozhu squeezed Zhao Xuanzhen, and Zhao Xuanzhen squeezed the Spirit Water Porpoise!

Douluo Continent, Shrek City.

Shrek City had a long history, standing tall for twenty thousand years, holding an extremely important political and economic position within the Sun Moon Federation.

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

Three superpowers guarding a single city together—this situation had never occurred before in history. The reason it came to be was because of one person: the founder of the Spirit Pagoda, the reviver of the Tang Sect, the legend of Shrek Academy, Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao's original intention was for the three great powers to coexist peacefully and work together for the Soul Master Realm. But ten thousand years of time had changed many things, slipping beyond his control.

Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect remained inseparable, each occupying half of the inner city, with close ties among their high-level members. The Spirit Pagoda, however, had broken away, situated on the edge of Shrek City, facing the towering wall that sealed off the Star Dou Great Forest.

Moonlight filtered through thin clouds, casting a clear glow. A breeze swept through, and the warm lamplight along Shrek City's long streets flickered, painting a rosy hue on the faces of passersby.

Two figures emerged from the crowd, instantly drawing countless gazes. The woman was tall and slender, with curves that flowed gracefully. Her fiery red hair danced in the wind, and her red lips carried a smile full of charm—she was breathtakingly beautiful. The youth beside her had a handsome face, his pitch-black pupils like dots of lacquer, as if reflecting the shadows of clouds and the light of the sky.

One big, one small—their looks were off the charts, turning heads at over ninety percent. The passersby speculated among themselves. Some thought they were siblings, others suspected mother and son...

Got a kid, huh?

Heh, even better!

This street was called Phoenix Street, under the jurisdiction of the Phoenix Group.

Just like the Xuan Shi Tang Sect Company under the Tang Sect, the major families of the Spirit Pagoda were not satisfied with the massive wealth brought by selling soul spirits. They had all backed their own family conglomerates. The ancestors of the Leng Family founded the Phoenix Group, which was run by professionals, allowing the Leng Family to lie back and collect money.

Shrek City was a big cake. Originally, the Spirit Pagoda families had plenty of assets within it. But as relations between the two great powers gradually soured, those assets were pulled out to other cities, leaving Phoenix Street as the sole survivor.

Leng Yaozhu would, every so often, drag Zhao Xuanzhen along for a stroll through Phoenix Street and other parts of Shrek City. Sometimes she bought things she fancied, but more often than not, she was just aimlessly walking the streets, a trace of nostalgia occasionally flickering in her eyes.

In both of his lives, the streets Zhao Xuanzhen had walked the most were undoubtedly those he accompanied Leng Yaozhu on. After all, he was a Teacher's Treasure Boy, responsible for being there the whole time, offering a pure smile at the right moments and affirming whatever caught her interest.

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

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

Vendors lined both sides of Phoenix Street, their cries rising and falling without end. A dazzling array of goods filled the stalls, with food being the most abundant, mostly catering to the students of Shrek Academy.

Master and apprentice walked, stopping now and then. A small figure suddenly caught Zhao Xuanzhen's attention. The lamplight spilled over the girl's silver hair, making it shine like a silver moon—hard to ignore. And she was, without a doubt, an excessively beautiful child. Silver hair, silver eyes, delicate as if carved from jade.

The silver-haired girl wandered aimlessly until a burst of fragrance hit her nose. Her large silver eyes lit up. She trotted over to the chicken chop bones stall, looked up at the sign that read "Fifteen a pound, buy one get half a pound free," and said in a crisp voice:

"Hello, boss. I'm not buying. Could you give me half a pound for free?"

"Whose brat is this? Come get her!"

Zhao Xuanzhen swore he didn't laugh. His teeth were just too hot and wanted to come out for some air.

Rejected flatly by the boss, the silver-haired girl pouted and rubbed her empty stomach with her small hand.

"Gurgle—"

No mocking that. That was a real stomach thunder!

We're both halves of the same whole, so why did she get the amazing wisdom while I got the super appetite!

The silver-haired girl fumed inwardly. Her eyes locked onto a nearby youth whose front teeth were gleaming white from his grin. She said with a face full of indignation:

"Is it funny? All I see is a poor little girl with a hard life."

"Boss, chicken chop bones."

Zhao Xuanzhen handed over thirty Federation Coins.

"Thank you! May you be happy every day and have all your wishes come true!"

The girl had no pride. The moment she got three pounds of chicken chop bones, her face lit up with joy, and she started scarfing them down with gusto.

Thirty Federation Coins was nothing to Zhao Xuanzhen, whose pocket money ran into seven figures. Leng Yaozhu didn't mind either. The two of them walked off into the distance together.

The girl devoured the chicken chop bones happily. Then her gaze shifted and caught sight of an ancient tree by the roadside. In the center of its branches, a terrifying, eerie eye had split open, exuding a bone-chilling cold!

Forgetting to fill her stomach, the silver-haired girl recognized who it was and bolted.

The trees lining the street began to sprout abnormalities. One eerie eye after another emerged. The moment before the hand behind it made its move, the girl had already closed in on Zhao Xuanzhen and Leng Yaozhu. The eye flickered with reluctance, and the trees returned to normal.

"Little girl, why are you here again? Where are your parents?" Leng Yaozhu asked, looking at the silver-haired girl.

That guy seemed to have given up and left. The girl had escaped danger. She let out a long breath and said, "I'm an orphan, big sister. Could you tell me where the nearest orphanage is? I want to ask if they'll take me in."

"The orphanage is three streets away," Leng Yaozhu said gently. "Have you awakened your martial soul?"

"If you awaken it, you don't have to go to the orphanage. The continent's sects are very willing to train soul masters from a young age. Of course, that's only if you have innate soul power."

"I do! I do!"

The silver-haired girl nodded like a chick pecking at rice. A flash of light, and a silver spear appeared in her hand. It was over twelve feet long, its slender shaft densely covered in fine, evenly spaced dragon scales.

"Hm?"

Zhao Xuanzhen leaned back in surprise. That dragon spear looked awfully familiar!

"What's your name?"

"Na'er!"

The silver-haired girl, grateful for the chicken chop bones benefactor, answered without hesitation.

Sure enough!

That ruthless chicken chop bone devouring machine was Na'er!

Zhao Xuanzhen hadn't recognized her at first, because this Na'er was different from the Na'er in his memories.

Tang Wulin found Na'er in Proud Arrival City—she was Gu Yue Na, whose transformation had gone awry, silver-haired with purple eyes. Only later did Gu Yue Na split in two: Na'er with silver hair and silver eyes, Gu Yue with black hair and black eyes.

So before him stood the Silver Dragon King's half body—Na'er!

What a Heavenly Blessing!

Fate is truly like an unpredictable downpour: those without umbrellas cannot escape it, and those who wish to be drenched never encounter it.

Compared to Zhao Xuanzhen's tangled psychological shifts, Leng Yaozhu was far simpler. The Silver Dragon Spear's aura was exceptionally vast—it had to be a top-tier spirit soul. The soul power Na'er released was clearly Innate Full Soul Power!

"Teacher, Na'er's talent is remarkable. Let's take her back to the Spirit Pagoda."

Zhao Xuanzhen made the suggestion. When opportunity appeared, one must not let it slip. Leaving Na'er anywhere else was less reliable than keeping her close.

The Spirit Pagoda was precisely a place that nurtured gifted soul masters. Leng Yaozhu had the same thought and asked Na'er, "Na'er, would you be willing to come with us and become a member of the Spirit Pagoda?"

Na'er's small face twisted in thought for a moment before she asked cautiously:

"Do you provide meals?"

"Room and board included, three thousand Federation Coins a month." Zhao Xuanzhen answered.

"Sign me up, sign me up—Spirit Pagoda, Number One Under Heaven!"

One adult and two children walked back to the Spirit Pagoda through the night. Not long after they left, a young man and woman approached from afar.

The young man was handsome, with a refined and restrained demeanor. He appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight, his aura like that of an ordinary person.

The woman smiled charmingly, her arm linked through his. She wore a water-green long dress, her exquisite, beautiful face pure and elegant. Life energy radiated from her entire being, like a goddess of nature that made people feel drawn to her.

"Ming Ge, why the sudden urge to visit Shrek City?"

"A spatial fluctuation just flickered for an instant, then quickly settled. It seemed like nothing happened—perhaps I was overthinking it."

Star Dou Great Forest.

Before the nearly dried-up Lake of Life, surrounded by towering trees, a sinister young man knelt on one knee, his expression dark. "Boss, I failed.

The spatial rift teleported her to Shrek City. That place has too many Title Douluo stationed there. She's already come into contact with at least a Super Douluo-level powerhouse. I didn't dare confront him directly."

"Then we've only found half of our master!"

The Black Dragon's golden eyes blazed. He spread his dragon claws, and in his palm, a young girl floated silently.

Their master had suffered a sudden accident during transformation, splitting into two figures that were swept away by spatial rifts. The Black Dragon chose to pursue the more powerful half, while the young man used the Plant-type Soul Beast's talent for splitting and assimilation to infiltrate Shrek City and track the other half.

"Don't bother with her. That thirty percent of power will eventually return to me."

The young girl said faintly, "In the spatial rift, I caught its scent—in the east of the Douluo Continent...

Once I stabilize the wounds from the soul split, I will act personally..."