No matter how much other places changed, it didn't matter. But if this place got any bigger...
She'd be troubled to death.
Swaying back and forth...
It would only be more inconvenient during battles...
"Zhuqing, you still have too many distracting thoughts."
Gu Chensha's unhurried voice sounded in her sea of consciousness.
"Remember this: vast-hearted, one can contain the world; free of desire, one can stand firm."
"If you keep fixating on these insignificant details, how will you ever quiet your mind and control the power I've given you?"
Zhu Zhuqing froze for a moment. Her cheeks flushed faintly again, but she still obediently answered,
"...I understand, senior."
She took a deep breath, lowered the undergarment she had been holding over her chest, and looked earnestly at her reflection in the mirror.
Once she had grown somewhat accustomed to her reshaped body, Gu Chensha spoke again.
"Go bathe in the inner room and wash yourself clean. Get rid of every trace of impurity."
"The Spirit Hall's Soul Power test is only a few days away. Once you pass this hurdle, you won't have days like these to relax in peace."
Zhu Zhuqing's ears grew warm, but she no longer fussed. She answered and turned to enter the bathroom.
Only when the warm steam rose did she dare to quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
The voice in her sea of consciousness didn't sound again. Left alone amid the patter of water, she slowly absorbed the earth-shaking changes of the past few days.
He waited quietly for the moment the beauty emerged from her bath.
With a faint smile, Gu Chensha reminded her,
"Your clothes are ready."
Zhu Zhuqing looked at the neatly folded white dress by the head of the bed. At a glance, she knew Hu Liena had arranged for it to be prepared.
She changed into it as instructed. The plain white skirt fell to her calves, and a pale sash cinched her waist. It was simple and neat.
When she looked up at the mirror again, a voice of satisfaction sounded in her sea of consciousness.
"Mm, as expected, a white dress suits your figure better."
Three days later, at the Spirit Hall's Pope's Palace, in the Soul Power Testing Hall.
Bright crystal lamps lit the entire hall, where two blue crystal Soul Testing Stones, each as tall as a person, stood in the center.
One tested Martial Soul Soul Power, while the other tested Innate Soul Power.
The hall was packed with boys and girls waiting to be tested. Most were orphans the Spirit Hall had gathered from all over. Their ages varied, and many had yet to awaken their Martial Souls.
Nearby, a White-Robed Patrol Deacon was in charge of recording results, while a Yellow-Robed Grand Deacon maintained order.
The atmosphere was solemn, yet thick with tension.
The children waiting in line didn't dare so much as breathe too loudly. The only sound came from the Purple Robe Bishop in the seat of honor, who kept yawning now and then.
The white-haired bishop wore a deep purple robe edged with silver, the Spirit Hall's insignia embroidered over his chest and fine fur lining his collar.
He looked imposing, but in truth, he was the lowest-ranking cleric in the Pope's Palace. His usual duties consisted of checking orphans' Soul Power and handling such menial tasks as Martial Soul Awakening.
He was already a Soul King with Soul Power above level fifty, but in the Pope's Palace, where powerful figures abounded, he was no more than a low-level official.
Over the decades, he had seen no fewer than eight or nine hundred homeless orphans.
Most had Trash Martial Souls and single-digit Innate Soul Power. Their spirits had long since been worn down.
Now he half-lidded his eyes and casually jerked his chin at the girl before him, pointing listlessly at the Soul Testing Stone on the left.
"Put your hand on it and focus as you channel your Martial Soul."
Zhu Zhuqing did as instructed. She closed her eyes, channeled the Soul Power in her body, and cried out,
"Hell Spirit Cat, possession!"
Soul Power surged from her palm into the Soul Testing Stone. The pale blue crystal instantly lit up with a dark, inky glow, and a pair of ghostly cat ears flashed within it.
"Martial Soul: Hell Spirit Cat."
The bishop wrote down the result, then glanced at the number flickering across the crystal. His voice finally rose a little.
"Level twenty-one Soul Power. Soul Grandmaster."
The boys and girls around them erupted into a commotion.
Level twenty-one. Among children who hadn't even awakened their Martial Souls, she was already outstanding by far.
And the girl didn't even look that old.
The bishop sat up straight and picked up the Innate Soul Power testing stone beside him.
"Put your hand on this one. It'll test your Innate Soul Power."
Zhu Zhuqing pressed her palm against the Soul Testing Stone.
But the instant her Soul Power flowed into it, brilliant golden light burst forth, forcing everyone present to squint!
Ten golden lines lit up one after another, each perfectly complete, without a single flaw!
The Purple Robe Bishop shot to his feet so violently that his chair nearly toppled. His reading glasses slid down his nose, but he didn't even bother to pick them up.
His eyes bulged like copper bells as he stared at the Soul Testing Stone.
He hurriedly put his glasses back on and pressed his face nearly against the crystal. After checking it three times, he sucked in a sharp breath and cried out,
"Innate Full Soul Power? It really is Innate Full Soul Power!"
"In all my sixty-odd years, and all these years testing people in the Pope's Palace, this is the first time I've ever seen it!"
The entire testing hall fell silent for an instant, then erupted into an uproar.
The boys and girls in line whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with shock, envy, and jealousy.
"Innate Full Soul Power? Isn't that a once-in-a-century talent?"
"She looks about our age. No wonder she's already level twenty-one!"
"With talent like that, she'll probably become a Soul Douluo powerhouse someday!"
"Soul Douluo, my ass! She's definitely going to be a Titled Douluo!"
Even Hu Liena, standing in the distance, showed a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
She had Innate Full Soul Power?
Listening to the waves of discussion around her, Zhu Zhuqing felt an indescribable emotion well up inside.
She had already learned from Gu Chensha that her Innate Soul Power had been reshaped,
but to see with her own eyes the talent she had once longed for, the recognition that had once seemed so far beyond her reach, now truly in her grasp...
The mingled bitterness and relief still washed through her entire body.
She gently closed her eyes and spoke softly in her sea of consciousness.
"Senior, thank you."
"Ah, if you really want to thank me, then stop calling me senior."
Gu Chensha sighed helplessly. He was nearly ready to give up on getting her to change how she addressed him.
But then he reconsidered...
Had he chosen the wrong two names for her to use earlier?
"Devil Emperor, Gu Chensha... neither seems quite right."
He muttered to himself, his tone carrying a hint of self-mockery. "Honestly, I've been away from human society for so long that all this nonsensical etiquette has stumped even me, the mighty Devil Emperor."
After a moment's thought, he finally came up with an idea. He softened his tone and said,
"Zhuqing, don't call me senior anymore. Call me teacher."
Zhu Zhuqing froze for a moment.
She had always called him "senior" out of reverence for the one who had saved her life, and because she didn't know what else to call the being who had given her a new life.
Though she didn't know why, he had repeatedly asked her to address him differently, but...
The words "Devil Emperor" sounded too imposing, while "Gu Chensha" felt too distant.
In the end, she hadn't been able to change how she addressed him. She would only respectfully call him senior.
But the word "teacher" seemed to offer something beyond the respect she ought to show him—a sense of belonging and closeness that no one else could give her.
She had grown up amid the schemes and rivalries of the Star Luo Imperial Family. No one had ever truly taught her anything...
Before you continue