A Suspected Site of Divine Inheritance

Mu Qian gradually realized that Xirui was not merely a good actress putting on a flawless disguise; she truly seemed naive and inexperienced in the ways of the world.

Although he did not use his third soul skill to probe her soul, his immense spiritual power ensured that no emotional fluctuation could escape his notice.

This girl was incapable of deception, and it was even more impossible for her to maintain a facade right under Mu Qian's nose.

"There are so many people on the road!"

"Why are there so many soldiers at the city gate? There weren't this many when I arrived."

"Are those jade stones they're selling by the road? They look so fake, though~"

"That carriage is so pretty, I really want one~"

Xirui was like a cheerful lark, chirping incessantly beside the two of them.

Mu Qian looked at her helplessly, thinking to himself that it was fortunate he hadn't summoned Little Flower, or Brother Flower would likely have suffered "inhumane" torment.

Mu Qian and Zhu Zhuqing were not very old themselves, but their life experiences were far beyond those of their peers.

Despite not having spent much time together, in their eyes, Xirui was a blank sheet of paper, or perhaps a piece of uncarved jade.

Her world seemed incredibly simple, devoid of hatred or ulterior motives; she was entirely sunny and cheerful, filled with curiosity about everything.

Moreover, she seemed to have no defensive instincts toward Mu Qian and his companion.

Mu Qian even felt that if he wanted to, he could sell her off, and she would happily follow the buyer away...

It was hard to imagine how someone with her personality had managed to grow up.

Had she been sheltered too well?

It wasn't that Mu Qian viewed everyone with malice, but his experiences over the past year had fostered a habit of constant vigilance.

However, looking at Xirui before him, he suddenly felt that having a chirping little girl around wasn't such a bad thing.

At least, the atmosphere was much more lively.

After some consideration, Mu Qian ultimately couldn't bear the thought of such a pure girl being buried in Death Canyon.

Compelled to look after her, he had Zhu Zhuqing pull the wandering Xirui back to their side.

"You're here to register for the academy; didn't your family teach you any precautions for traveling across the continent?" Zhu Zhuqing asked curiously.

Xirui shook her cute little head. "No, but your hair is so pretty, Sister. Could you help me braid mine?"

The young girl looked at Zhu Zhuqing's cat-ear-like hairstyle, her eyes filled with envy.

Zhu Zhuqing rubbed her forehead in resignation, while the corner of Mu Qian's mouth twitched; he didn't know what else to say.

"As members of a team, before the assessment officially begins, I should explain the situation regarding Death Canyon."

Mu Qian sighed. "Death Canyon is no place for games. To be precise, it is a primeval forest nestled between two massive mountain ranges, and it is one of the largest habitats for soul beasts outside of Star Dou Forest."

"Its actual area is much larger than other soul beast forests, and its interior is saturated with all kinds of immense negative energy."

"Most of the soul beasts living within are tainted by this negative energy, becoming extremely irritable and violent. Even the weakest ten-year soul beast will actively attack any enemy it sees."

As he spoke, a flash of inspiration struck Mu Qian, and he considered a possibility.

Death Canyon was so close to Martial Soul City; logically, the site for Martial Soul City shouldn't have been chosen here.

Martial Soul City was not only adjacent to Death Canyon but also bordered the outer reaches of Star Dou Forest. If a beast tide were to occur...

Even with a considerable number of Titled Douluo within Martial Soul City, the risks would be enormous.

Even Mu Qian could think of this; the higher-ups of Martial Soul Hall couldn't possibly have overlooked it.

If there were a reason, Mu Qian realized there seemed to be only one possibility...

Just like Sea God Island, Death Canyon... might be the inheritance site of a certain god!

Linking this to the pervasive negative energy within the canyon and its geographical location, he seemed to find the answer in his heart.

"Rakshasa God... could it be you?"

If that were the case, then there should be a teleportation array leading to the assessment site within the Pope Palace of Martial Soul City.

Mu Qian shifted his gaze toward the sky, but then, why would the Angel God place her inheritance site above the clouds of Martial Soul City?

Mu Qian shook his head in self-mockery, lamenting that he was being too ambitious.

These were not things he could consider right now, and as for the future, who could say for sure?

Thinking of this, Mu Qian suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind and continued his explanation.

Time passed slowly.

The next morning, just as the sky regained a glimmer of light, the three of them finally arrived at the location of the final assessment: Death Canyon.

Death Canyon lived up to its name. In the distance, two rows of towering, majestic mountain ranges stood silently on either side, resembling slumbering, monstrous beasts in the haze, winding and twisting toward the distant north.

This was merely the entrance to the canyon, yet Mu Qian could already feel a powerful wave of negative energy rushing toward them.

Under its influence, the surrounding vegetation, whether branches or leaves, all appeared a strange, purplish-black.

The color was lighter on the outskirts, growing deeper the further one went inside.

Mu Qian frowned deeply; he had once again sensed the eerie aura he had encountered outside Guja City and at the entrance of the hotel.

It was very faint, intermingled with the air filled with negative energy, and would be impossible to detect if one's spiritual power were not extremely formidable.

"That's not right. This aura isn't exactly the same as the two times I saw it before; it seems... it doesn't belong to the same type of energy?" Mu Qian muttered to himself.

However, this was normal; if this truly was the inheritance site of the Rakshasa God, it was no surprise that it possessed all sorts of strange and negative energies.

"It shouldn't be that. Isn't the God Realm unable to intervene in the disputes of the continent?" Mu Qian's brow relaxed.

That energy was certainly unrelated to this place; it was merely similar.

At this moment, at the entrance of the canyon, quite a few newcomers who had come for the assessment were gathered, basically grouped in teams of five, sitting cross-legged and resting.

Looking at the traces around them, some people must have already impatiently entered Death Canyon.

Those who could still keep their composure and wait for dawn were smart people, knowing that the habitat of soul beasts at night was filled with all sorts of unknown dangers.

Mu Qian took a general look around and, not seeing any sign of senior students or assessment teachers, brought Zhu Zhuqing and Xirui to an inconspicuous corner.

"Zhuqing, Xirui, let's rest for a while too, recover our soul power, and enter the canyon in peak condition."

Having said that, Mu Qian took out the roasted meat and dry rations he had prepared earlier and handed them to Zhu Zhuqing.

For soul masters, as long as their soul power was at its peak, not sleeping for a day was really nothing.

Over the past year, Mu Qian and the others had traveled to various soul beast forests, and going several days without sleep was considered the norm.

"Okay." Zhu Zhuqing replied and took them; the two of them already had a tacit understanding, so there was no need to say much more.

Mu Qian nodded and helped her tidy up the dark hair that had been blown messy by the wind during their journey, earning a gentle smile in return.