Death Canyon

The boy patted its head and said with a huff, "You lecherous dog, there's really nothing in that brain of yours besides food—oh wait, and lust."

"I'm asking you, can we have some lofty ideals?"

After saying this, as if he hadn't vented enough, he gave it another hard knock.

The girl hurriedly hugged the puppy and turned to dodge, looking back with a charming, alluring smile: "Why are you talking about ideals with a dog? Have you caught a fever?"

The boy couldn't help but chuckle: "And you say it's not a lecherous dog? Ever since it got a mistress, it doesn't even want to get close to its master anymore."

"Mistress..." The girl's face flushed slightly.

The image of this boy and girl was incredibly eye-catching in Martial Soul City, making passersby stop and stare.

They were Mu Qian and Zhu Zhuqing, who had been away from Star Luo City, traveling and gaining experience for a full year.

A year had passed, and the two had traveled to many places, passing through the Heaven Dou Empire and several Soul Beast forests before arriving at the center of the continent.

Martial Soul City was also known as the holy land in the hearts of all Soul Masters on the continent.

Mu Qian didn't have that much resentment or hatred toward Martial Soul Hall, so naturally, he wouldn't view them with biased eyes.

On the contrary, because he had read the original work and watched the anime, he actually had quite a bit of goodwill toward Martial Soul Hall.

He didn't even dislike that Dead Chrysanthemum or Old Ghost.

Of course, with the exception of that Qian Xunji who had already kicked the bucket.

As for Tang San...

Their positions were simply different; if it were Mu Qian, he probably would have made the same choices as Martial Soul Hall.

To become stronger, one must utilize every resource, and besides, it was Qian Xunji who hunted down Tang San's mother, not the entire Martial Soul Hall.

In the span of a year, both of them had undergone obvious changes.

The most significant was the increase in their strength; at this moment, Mu Qian had successfully broken through to level forty and obtained his fourth ten-thousand-year soul ring.

Of course, he had wanted to get a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast fourth soul ring, but unfortunately, where on the continent were there so many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts waiting to sacrifice themselves for him?

As for hunting one himself... he'd better forget it.

Mu Qian still wanted to live a few more years.

His cultivation had just reached level forty-two, which was because he hadn't deliberately pursued speed, instead focusing his energy on his perception of the elements.

A Soul Ancestor at eleven years and four months old—even with the advantage of innate level twenty soul power—was a terrifying rate of cultivation.

Without systematic guidance, Mu Qian was also worried that he might develop various problems in the future due to an unstable foundation.

Zhu Zhuqing's changes were equally astonishing.

Having just turned eleven, her cultivation had already broken through to level twenty-seven!

Improving seven levels in a year to reach level twenty-seven was more than half a year faster than in the original story.

Most importantly, she possessed a thousand-year-level second soul ring.

Although this had a lot to do with the practical training Mu Qian had given her over the past year, it was mainly due to the young girl's own hard work.

Setting Mu Qian aside, she was already a standout among her peers; perhaps even the original protagonist of this world, Tang San, didn't have such a cultivation speed.

"It's still half a year until the unified enrollment for high-level Soul Master Academies, right? Did we come too early?" Zhu Zhuqing asked curiously.

This question had been bothering her the whole way, and she finally asked it.

Mu Qian smiled: "Not at all. I've already inquired clearly. The system at Martial Soul Hall Academy is different from other academies; they generally start enrollment half a year early."

"Because... before the new students enter the school, they will undergo a special test."

"Only those who pass the test are qualified to enter Martial Soul Hall Academy to study, and those who fail generally have two outcomes."

"Oh? Which two?" A strange glint flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.

Mu Qian smiled and said mysteriously: "Elimination... or death."

"Elimination or death?" Zhu Zhuqing's gaze froze as she repeated the words under her breath.

Her graceful figure and stunning appearance couldn't help but become the focus of people's vision.

The clothes Zhu Zhuqing was wearing weren't because Mu Qian had some weird fetish, but because the girl felt this style was conducive to combat, so she had a tailor customize it.

"That's right," Mu Qian explained.

"The entrance exam for Martial Soul Hall Academy isn't complicated. Simply put, it's taking all the new students to one place for intensive training, and that place is Death Canyon."

"What?" Zhu Zhuqing's footsteps faltered. Even though she had lived in Star Luo City for a long time, it didn't stop her from having heard of the fearsome reputation of Death Canyon.

"The reason Death Canyon is so notorious is mainly because a large number of soul beasts live inside, and the average age of the soul beasts there is much more terrifying than in other soul beast habitats."

Mu Qian explained: "But there's no need to worry too much. Martial Soul Hall will send experts to protect you in secret. As long as you don't deliberately court death, there generally won't be any danger to your life."

"However, if those secret protectors have to intervene, it means elimination."

At this point, Mu Qian turned back to look at Zhu Zhuqing: "Don't worry, Zhuqing. With our strength, passing the assessment won't be a problem."

"Besides, you have me. Don't forget, we still have a trump card..."

Mu Qian had already made up his mind to enter Martial Soul Hall Academy first; it was his top choice. As for Shrek, he would also pay a visit; after all, he had to figure out the true situation of the world's protagonist.

Hearing the words "ultimate weapon," Zhu Zhuqing felt much more at ease, a sense of comfort flowing through her heart.

That's right, with this connection, we won't have to be separated for the rest of our lives, will we...

Mu Qian could not guess the young girl's thoughts, and as they talked, he did not forget to observe his surroundings.

Within Martial Soul City, a large portion of the people were hurrying about, some even accompanied by young boys and girls, looking less like local residents.

They were either here on business or bringing their children to register.

Mu Qian exuded a natural, refreshing aura, minimizing the presence of the two of them to the greatest extent.

If people didn't see them with their own eyes, they might have thought there was only an ordinary roadside tree standing there.

After surveying the surrounding environment, Mu Qian turned his head and said to Zhu Zhuqing, "Zhuqing, the registration doesn't start until tomorrow, so let's find a hotel to rest, grab a bite to eat, and gather some information."

"Okay."

Zhu Zhuqing had no objections; ever since the day she left Star Luo with Mu Qian a year ago, he had taken meticulous care of her.

Although he was often carefree and joking on the surface, the sense of responsibility he showed at critical moments, along with the care and doting in his eyes, were things she had never experienced before.

She truly enjoyed this feeling of having someone to rely on, where she didn't have to worry about anything herself.

The prosperity of Martial Soul City was incomparable to any other city on the continent, including the capitals of the two great empires.

On the streets, patrolling soldiers could be seen everywhere, and the crowds were bustling, either rushing on their way or browsing the shops on both sides.

Mu Qian and his companion were not short on money; in fact, over the past two years, Mu Qian had lost count of how many enemies who harbored malicious intent toward them he had dealt with.

Especially those who coveted Zhu Zhuqing's beauty—their fates could only be described as being ground to dust.

This had earned them a great many Gold Soul Coins, and when added to what Mu Qian originally possessed, along with the sale of various spirit beast products, they had accumulated at least one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

The two of them, along with Little Flower, arrived in front of a grandly decorated hotel.