The Joy Here Makes One Forget the Stars!

Spirit Pagoda, private helipad of the Vice Tower Master.

Leng Yaozhu stood upon the high platform, gazing into the distance where a deep purple, phoenix-shaped mecha, bearing the distinct style of Leng Qingning, slowly ascended.

The mecha's wings unfurled, the exquisite patterns etched along their edges shimmering with faint, flowing light under the sun—a truly magnificent sight.

High above, the Amethyst Phoenix circled and beat its wings, letting out a resonant cry that echoed like the call of a phoenix from the nine heavens.

This was the final farewell from Leng Qingning and her party to Leng Yaozhu.

Following the cry, the mecha's thrusters erupted with amethyst-colored exhaust, the fuselage surged in speed, and the pale purple light flowing along its wingtips grew increasingly brilliant as it streaked through the layered sea of clouds.

As the Amethyst Phoenix tore across the horizon, it left behind a dazzling trail that lingered long after it had vanished.

This mecha was Leng Qingning's personal craft, sharing the same name as her Martial Soul—the Amethyst Phoenix.

When this mecha was first unveiled years ago, it was built out of the youthful aspirations of Leng Qingning to travel across the entire Douluo Continent; it was never intended to be a combat mecha.

Consequently, the interior was exceptionally spacious, fully equipped with leather sofas, a temperature-controlled refrigerator, a tea table, and everything else one might need.

Regrettably, shortly after the Amethyst Phoenix was completed, Leng Qingning was ordered to join the Blood God Legion, where she remained for a decade.

Later, having lost the heart for traveling the continent, she tucked the Amethyst Phoenix away into a spatial Soul Tool and left it at home.

This time, as she happened to be taking An Lan to Shrek City, she dug the long-dusty Amethyst Phoenix out from the corner.

Inside the spacious and comfortable rear cabin, a cool breeze drifted by.

Na'er curled up on the soft sofa, looking content. In her hand was a crystal glass filled with freshly squeezed spirit fruit juice, a slender straw inserted at an angle, from which she took occasional sips.

Life is good here; no need to pine for the Star Dou Great Forest.

Na'er's understanding of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, just as Leng Yaozhu had guessed, had been hastily compiled from the Soul Net just to deal with her.

However, as a noble member of the Spirit Pagoda, ever since she had inadvertently learned of the deeds of the Spirit Pagoda's founder, Huo Yuhao, a deep sense of curiosity had taken root in her heart.

There was no other reason; the Huo Yuhao described on the Soul Net was simply too heaven-defying.

Not only could he perform four completely different Martial Soul Fusion Skills with his beloved Tang Wutong, but when his cultivation was merely at the Soul Saint level, he had clashed with Di Tian and managed to retreat unscathed.

Of course, while Na'er held no affection for the rebel Di Tian, she held his strength in high regard.

Therefore, she could not bring herself to believe that Huo Yuhao, during his Soul Saint days, possessed the strength to challenge Di Tian.

She simply wanted to use this time during their return to Shangling City to catch a glimpse into the life of such a brilliant and talented individual.

Carrying a sense of gossip, Na'er clutched her soul-guided phone, excitedly flipping through the encyclopedia entries on Huo Yuhao, asking An Lan beside her whenever she encountered a question.

"An Lan, An Lan, Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed was so fast, and he became a god in the end—was it because he learned the Mysterious Heaven Skill of the Tang Sect?"

An Lan glanced at the glowing soul-guided phone in her hand, realized she was searching for information on Huo Yuhao, and replied without a second thought: "The Tang Sect is just bragging."

After all, by that time, the Tang Sect had already been wiped out; there was nothing else left to brag about.

"Oh."

Na'er didn't press further. Her gaze returned to the phone screen, and a moment later, she asked, "Then, when Huo Yuhao first enrolled in Shrek Academy, was his soul power fifteen or twenty-eight?"

She had found a lot of information on the Soul Net, and regarding Huo Yuhao's soul power at the time of enrollment, these were the two prevailing theories.

Both sides held their own ground, arguing incessantly.

One theory claimed that Huo Yuhao only had fifteen levels of soul power when he enrolled, barely meeting the threshold for Shrek Academy. He was of mediocre talent, and his ability to defy fate and ascend to godhood was entirely due to the meticulous cultivation provided by Shrek Academy.

Everywhere, they were highlighting the nurturing capabilities of Shrek Academy.

The other theory claimed that Huo Yuhao was already at level twenty-eight upon enrollment, a heaven-sent prodigy with innate talent. As soon as he entered the Outer Court, he shocked Xuan Zi, the Vice Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, and received the academy's full support, eventually forging his path to godhood.

This, too, was a way to praise the vision and strength of Shrek Academy.

In short, no matter how much the two sides argued, the core remained the same: Shrek Academy is the best in the world, and you will regret it for life if you miss out.

An Lan frowned at this, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty: "I remember it being eleven, I think."

He certainly wouldn't have bothered to memorize such trivial information, so naturally, his memory was hazy.

But he knew that Huo Yuhao was quite useless in the early stages, with an Innate Soul Power of only level one. It took him several years after awakening his Martial Soul to reach level ten, after which he left the Duke White Tiger Mansion and headed alone to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for his first soul ring.

It was precisely at that time that he encountered his lifelong nemesis, the Wind Baboon.

Based on his deduction, a soul power of eleven was quite reasonable.

"Hm?" Na'er looked up sharply at the mention of this, staring at An Lan suspiciously. "Are you sure it wasn't twenty-one?"

In her view, the fifteen levels mentioned on the Soul Net encyclopedia were already pathetic enough; if it were eleven, he would be the trash of all trash.

So, she subconsciously assumed that An Lan must have remembered it wrong.

"How could that be?" An Lan scoffed immediately, his tone filled with certainty.

He reached out and took the soul-guided phone from Na'er, his fingertips swiping rapidly across the screen.

He wanted to see for himself just how the Soul Net was distorting the facts.

After quickly scanning the information on the screen, An Lan pointed to a line of text and looked up at Na'er, analyzing it with conviction: "Look here, it says he was level fifteen at eleven years old—that's pure nonsense. A genius like me only gained three levels after fusing with my first soul ring; how could Huo Yuhao have gained five?"

"And this, twenty-eight levels, is even more ridiculous." An Lan's mouth curled in disdain. "How could Huo Yuhao be such a genius? Do you know why they insist on fabricating that he was level twenty-eight? Because when Tang San was that age, his soul power was twenty-nine."

"Think about it. Really think about it."

Na'er nodded instinctively in agreement, for after she had fused with her first soul ring, her soul power had only increased by three levels, and she too felt it impossible for Huo Yuhao to surpass her.

Twenty-eight levels was mediocre, but being one level lower than Tang San at the same age was indeed quite a coincidence.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, she sensed something amiss and hurriedly raised her hand to signal An Lan to stop: "Wait, hold on a second."

"What is it?" An Lan looked at her, cutting his words short.

Na'er frowned, her eyes filled with confusion: "You mean to say that Huo Yuhao didn't successfully fuse with his first soul ring until he was eleven? He was only level ten at eleven, even lower than I am now?"

"Isn't that common knowledge?" An Lan looked at her as if it were a matter of course, "Who doesn't know that Huo Yuhao had an Innate Soul Power of level one, and only reached level ten at eleven years old before heading to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for a soul ring?"

Na'er turned her head to look at Bai Haoze, her eyes full of inquiry.

With her intelligence, she truly could not imagine what kind of human being possessed an Innate Soul Power of level one.