The next morning, at dawn, Murong Mansion.
After getting up early, Murong Huai washed up quickly and prepared to head to Pope Palace. But as soon as he stepped outside the mansion, he saw a man and a woman waiting at the gate. When they spotted Murong Huai, they clasped their hands in salute.
"Your subordinate pays respects to His Highness the Holy Son." After saluting, the woman explained, "Holy Son, the two of us have come at the command of His Holiness the Pope to assist you in your cultivation. I am Ju Qinglan, my Martial Soul is the Healing White Lotus, and I'm a seventy-fourth-level Auxiliary System Tool Soul Saint."
"Your subordinate is Tu Zhen. My Martial Soul is the Mystic Water Heavy Blade, and I'm an eighty-fifth-level Power Attack System Tool Soul Douluo." The burly man beside her bowed as he spoke.
The two also produced their identity tokens to verify who they were. Murong Huai nodded. He hadn't expected Qian Daoliu to send a Soul Douluo and an Auxiliary System Soul Saint to help him cultivate. In other factions, either of them would be treated as an honored guest.
"No need for formalities." Murong Huai waved a hand.
"Holy Son, the carriage is ready. Please." Tu Zhen gestured toward a carriage drawn by four horses.
Murong Huai looked puzzled. "A carriage? Aren't we going to Pope Palace?"
"His Holiness the Pope has prepared a special cultivation site for you outside Spirit City," Ju Qinglan explained.
Hearing this, Murong Huai nodded and was about to climb into the carriage when Murong Fuhai emerged from Murong Mansion.
"Huai'er."
Murong Huai turned and smiled. "Dad, are you heading to the Military Camp?"
Murong Fuhai nodded, then glanced at the two beside him. Murong Huai explained, "Dad, these two were sent by my teacher to help me cultivate."
The pair hurriedly saluted Murong Fuhai. "Ju Qinglan and Tu Zhen pay their respects to Marshal Murong!" As they bowed, Tu Zhen's eyes shone with unmistakable admiration.
Murong Fuhai nodded. "Huai'er, off you go. I have to head to the Military Camp, too."
As he finished speaking, an entirely black carriage arrived outside the mansion, surrounded by guards from the Black Flame Army. Murong Fuhai waved to Murong Huai and climbed aboard. The carriage soon drove off, and Tu Zhen watched the Black Flame Army depart with longing in his eyes.
Murong Huai climbed into the carriage, followed by Ju Qinglan so she could attend to him along the way. Tu Zhen took the driver's seat.
On the road, Murong Huai asked curiously, "Tu Zhen, I saw how you looked at the Black Flame Army just now. You want to join them?"
A yearning look flashed through Tu Zhen's eyes as he drove. He quickly replied, "To answer His Highness the Holy Son, I've wanted to become a soldier who protects his homeland since I was a child. Joining the Black Flame Army has always been my dream. Unfortunately, they only recruit new soldiers from the army, and I serve under Pope Palace, so I don't meet their requirements."
Murong Huai nodded and said nothing more. Then he closed his eyes, leaned against the cushion behind him, and circulated his Soul Power to cultivate.
The carriage soon left Spirit City. After about half an hour, it reached a mountain range roughly ten kilometers outside the city.
Although the area was mountainous, the terrain seemed to have been leveled, and the carriage rolled along smoothly. After about the time it took an incense stick to burn, it came to a stop.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, we've arrived."
At Tu Zhen's words, Murong Huai emerged from his cultivation, opened his eyes, and stepped down from the carriage.
The scene before him surprised Murong Huai. He could feel an incredibly dense aura of metal attribute energy here, a perfect fit for him.
The valley looked as if a giant hammer had driven it deep into the earth. The rock walls on either side were dark gold, their surfaces webbed with cracks, as though countless tiny metal threads writhed beneath the skin.
When the wind passed, the walls hummed faintly, like ten thousand sharp swords trembling in their sheaths. A waterfall linked the valley's rim to the winding underground river below. Its riverbed was paved with some unknown golden metal, and water striking it sent droplets into the air that froze into tiny ice crystals, reflecting a chilly blue light.
Strange plants grew along the banks. Their leaves were as sharp as blades, and silver sap flowed through their veins. A faint chill emanated from them at the slightest touch.
"Is this a Mimicry Cultivation Environment?"
"That's right, Your Highness the Holy Son," Tu Zhen explained. "This is a top-tier Mimicry Cultivation Environment rich in metal attribute elements, called Starfall Valley."
"This used to be nothing more than a planned metal mine. But after you awakened your Martial Soul some time ago, His Holiness the Pope had it specially built for you. He sent five thousand architects, artisans, and others to work through the night without stopping.
"Several Mimicry Cultivation Environment construction grandmasters from Spirit Hall served as chief engineers. Dozens of construction masters and cultivation specialists worked together, with thousands of people laboring at once. In just three days and four nights, they turned this place into a top-tier Mimicry Cultivation Environment.
"They also transplanted thousands of metal-element flowers, plants, and spirit herbs here, including Sword Grass, Dazzling Gold Flower, and Wind-Breaking Gold Willow. Countless top-tier metal ores were buried underground, along with the bones of a nearly hundred-thousand-year-old metal attribute Soul Beast."
"As a result, this place quickly filled with dense metal-element energy and became a Mimicry Cultivation Environment. A Soul Master with a metal attribute Martial Soul can cultivate twice as fast here."
"His Holiness the Pope has also placed this entire area under your name, Holy Son," Ju Qinglan added.
Hearing this, Murong Huai couldn't help feeling touched. Starfall Valley had to be about two kilometers in diameter. To think they'd built such a vast, top-tier metal-element Mimicry Cultivation Environment in less than five days—it must have taken an immense amount of money, manpower, and all sorts of top-tier resources.
An ordinary Mimicry Cultivation Environment was impressive if it could increase cultivation speed by thirty percent. But Starfall Valley could double the speed of a metal attribute Soul Master's cultivation.
Murong Huai reckoned that its effect was no less than the increase in cultivation speed Tang San had gained from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well in the original story as a Plant-type Martial Soul user.
Murong Huai already had an Ultimate Attribute Martial Soul, which made his cultivation speed very slow compared to other Soul Masters. Now, with the boost from this Mimicry Cultivation Environment, that weakness could be completely made up for.
Murong Huai: Teacher, you're freaking awesome—(voice cracking!)
"This place really is excellent." Murong Huai spread his arms, feeling the incredibly dense metal-element energy. It was as if every cell in his body were cheering with delight.
"But Starfall Valley sounds like the stars have fallen. It's an inauspicious name..." Murong Huai looked around at the flowers, plants, trees, and rushing waterfall, then said, "Let's rename it Star Dome Valley. It symbolizes the stars rising to shape the world and their radiance illuminating the heavens."
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