You Really Are My Sister, Aren't You?

After leaving seclusion and seeing his precious disciple, Le Lingzhao couldn't wait to spar with Leng Qingning.

The sound of high heels clacking against the floor gradually faded into the distance, but the two women's argument could still be faintly heard:

"You've only just broken through and already want a beating? Today, I'll show you the strength of a seasoned demigod!"

"Seasoned demigod? How many years ago did you break through? My Divine Domain was made to beat seasoned demigods!"

Their voices grew fainter and fainter until they disappeared completely. The three little ones were just about to set off when Bai Zhicen, standing to one side with her hands on her hips, strode directly into their path.

An Lan stopped and asked, puzzled, "Xiao Bai, is something the matter?"

After holding it in for ages, the two big shots had finally left. Now it was her turn to "steam." Bai Zhicen looked pleased with herself. She cleared her throat and asked, pretending not to care, "You guys... haven't noticed that there's something different about Xiao Bai today?"

An Lan gave her a careful once-over. She looked the same as always: white hair, emerald eyes, long legs, and stunning beauty. She wasn't wearing colored contacts, and she hadn't had plastic surgery. What could possibly be different?

He slowly circled Bai Zhicen, while the girl held her head high, spread her arms wide, and let him inspect her.

"Oh!" An Lan's face suddenly lit with realization.

Bai Zhicen's eyes brimmed with anticipation, and she stared intently at him.

An Lan kept her waiting before finally speaking. "Could it be, could it be... that you've broken through to Limit Douluo too, Xiao Bai?"

He clasped his hands and congratulated her, beaming. "Congratulations, Xiao Bai!"

"Pfft—"

Bai Haoze, Na'er, and Yuanen Yehui burst out laughing.

Bai Zhicen's mouth twitched. She knew she shouldn't have expected anything from that kid An Lan.

"I know!" Na'er said with a giggle. "Xiao Bai got a new pair of boots today."

An Lan followed her gaze downward.

The snow-white ankle boots were spotless and dazzlingly bright. Paired with the Spirit Pagoda's standard uniform, they made Bai Zhicen look especially sharp and dashing.

He grumbled to himself: She's bundled up so tightly. Xiao Bai's feet must stink to high heaven.

"All right, enough joking around." After criticizing her in his mind, An Lan chuckled. "Congratulations, Xiao Bai. You've successfully become a Three-Word Battle Armor Master."

Bai Zhicen's eyes flew wide, her face full of shock. "How did you know?"

She thought it over carefully. She'd been burning the midnight oil to finish the work every day, but by day, she'd acted no differently than usual. She hadn't let a single thing slip.

An Lan patted her shoulder and smiled as he walked past her. "It's not that hard to guess. When you're my age, you'll understand."

Na'er followed along, grinning. "Goodbye, Sister Dabai! Goodbye, Xiao Bai!"

Bai Zhicen stood rooted to the spot, completely baffled. She'd kept her late-night work on the Three-Word Battle Armor secret even from her own sister. How on earth had An Lan guessed?

Just then, Yuanen Yehui walked past. Bai Zhicen grabbed her by the shoulder and asked, bewildered, "Huihui, you're with An Lan day and night, so you must be able to read his mind. Tell me, how did he figure it out?"

Yuanen Yehui hesitated, then answered, looking a little embarrassed, "Xiao Bai, actually, I figured it out too."

"!?"

Bai Zhicen was even more astonished.

Yuanen Yehui continued, "The last time you were this smug was three years ago, when you became a Level 7 Mecha Manufacturer. Today was just history repeating itself, so it wasn't hard to guess."

Bai Zhicen turned to look at Bai Haoze. Her sister wore an expression of utter exasperation and gave her a slight nod.

She fell silent, then slowly released her grip on Yuanen Yehui's shoulder. "Go on, catch up with them."

Once the three had gone some distance, Bai Haoze didn't offer any comfort to her younger sister. Instead, she said excitedly, "Zhicen, that was a three-month project, but you finished it in one month. I don't care—one month from now, I want to see my own Three-Word Battle Armor too."

Like Bai Zhicen, Bai Haoze had become a Level 7 Mecha Designer three years ago.

However, she didn't want to slap together her own and her younger sister's Three-Word Battle Armor. After spending two and a half years honing her skills, she'd only then begun drafting the designs.

A month ago, she'd finally handed her sister the upgrade plans for the Battle Armor. She hadn't expected her sister to be so capable, finishing a three-month project in just one month.

Bai Zhicen stared at her older sister in disbelief, her eyes plainly asking: You knew it would take three months, yet you still made me finish it in one. Are you even my real sister?

Meanwhile, after leaving, An Lan and the others took the elevator straight to the Mecha Room on the ninety-ninth floor.

The spacious, brightly lit room held three sleek motorcycles parked quietly on display stands. They were all works An Lan had completed over the past four years.

The three didn't linger. They hurried over to the central workbench.

Over the past four years, each time he'd raised his secondary profession by one level, he'd designed and built a Soul Guidance Motorcycle of that same level.

Today was the day his Level 4 Soul Guidance Motorcycle would debut.

"Quick, quick, quick!" Na'er rushed to the workbench. "The materials and core are ready. Hurry up and put it together so we can go for a ride."

Various components and Soul Guidance cores were laid out in neat rows before the workbench. All that remained was the final assembly and rune engraving.

An Lan wasn't in a hurry.

As an all-around talent skilled in Mecha design, manufacturing, and repair, and with the experience of his previous three motorcycles behind him, he had long since mastered the assembly process for a Level 4 Soul Guidance Motorcycle.

Besides, eighty percent of the preparatory work had already been done.

His motorcycle used lightweight, resilient black iron alloy for its frame. Its Soul Power circuits were made of Star Pattern steel, an excellent conductor of energy, and its main drive was a purified Gale Soul Guidance Core.

Unlike precision Soul Cannons, Soul Guidance Motorcycles relied more on their overall structure and power circulation.

At Level 4, they didn't need rune density refined to the utmost degree, but they still demanded exceptionally smooth circuits and highly synchronized Soul Power resonance.

The body's shape was already complete, crafted by the skilled Master Yuanen entirely by hand. Its sharp edges and smooth curves gave it both a sense of speed and stability.

An Lan raised his hand, and an engraving knife glowing with a faint azure light appeared in his palm.

Its blade gleamed as it drew Soul Power into fine threads. It was his beloved knife.

The power core slot, Soul Power conduits, braking runes, shock-absorbing arrays... His knife fell again and again, each cut landing with precision. His movements flowed smoothly, without the slightest hesitation, and his turning wrist seemed to follow a steady rhythm.

Time passed slowly. Fine, orderly Soul Guidance patterns spread across the body, radiating outward from the power core and connecting throughout the entire motorcycle.

Na'er, herself a Mecha Manufacturer, watched closely and murmured, "Gale acceleration, stable shock absorption, Soul Power amplification, emergency shield... Clear priorities, each part linked to the next."

An Lan's mind was completely immersed in his engraving. He was oblivious to everything around him.

The final stroke fell. The faint azure light flared, then drew inward and disappeared into the metal. The Soul Guidance circuits throughout the motorcycle were now fully connected.

He precisely fitted the Gale Soul Guidance Core into its reserved slot, then gently guided a thread of Soul Power from his fingertip into it to activate the core.

In an instant, spiritual light flowed across the entire Soul Guidance Motorcycle. Its sleek lines resembled a bolt of thunder, its aura steady yet concealing an explosive thrust.

A complete Level 4 Soul Guidance Motorcycle had taken shape.