Zhao Linchuan paid no heed to their wariness or the faint fluctuations of Soul Power around them. He pondered for a moment, as if weighing his words, then spoke in a voice that was still boyish, yet remarkably steady.
"I am a god who walks this world."
"God?" The two women furrowed their brows. "Could gods really exist in this world?"
"Whether gods exist depends on how you define them."
Zhao Linchuan walked to the table and poured himself a cup of water. "At the very least, bringing you here from the paths of fate you once followed and setting you in this entirely new world is no feat an ordinary person could accomplish."
He paused, then looked at the two women, whose expressions had grown even more doubtful. "It seems you have many questions. Never mind. I'll give you a brief explanation."
"This is no longer the world of Legend of Qin that you know. This place is called Douluo Continent, a world where Martial Souls and Soul Power form the foundation of strength."
As concisely as he could, Zhao Linchuan explained the basics to the two girls from another world: Martial Souls, Soul Rings, Soul Power Levels, and the various nations and factions.
"...Here, powerful Soul Masters can move mountains and overturn seas, and their lifespans grow along with their strength."
"And because I exist, you have been given a chance to be reborn here, with a foundation suited to this world's laws—a Martial Soul."
"You no longer have to serve any particular person or organization, nor struggle against others in the undercurrents and bloodshed just to survive."
"Here, you can rely on your own talents and efforts to pursue the pinnacle of power, and even... touch the gates of immortality."
Zhao Linchuan's gaze swept over Yan Fei and Yue Shen. Shock and suspicion mingled on their faces, along with a flicker of barely concealed longing.
Yue Shen seized on one phrase and asked coldly, "You said we were 'given a chance to be reborn'? Does that mean we weren't alive before?"
"In the course of events in your original world, your fates were already sealed, full of constraints and bitter struggles."
Zhao Linchuan set down his cup. His tone remained even. "Here, you have a fresh start and the right to choose."
"As for whether you count as 'alive,' or what it means to live, you can find that out for yourselves."
Yue Shen pressed her lips together and said nothing more, though her thoughts churned.
Zhao Linchuan said no more. With a thought, he exchanged for a book from the System Mall: General Knowledge of Spirit Masters, which covered the basics of Douluo Continent, categories of Martial Souls, a guide to Soul Beasts, and points to keep in mind when cultivating.
He casually handed the book to Yan Fei, who stood closer to him. "This book will help you understand this world more quickly, especially how to choose a Soul Ring suited to your Martial Soul."
Yan Fei hesitated, but still reached out with both hands to take it. Her fingertips touched the texture of the pages, so real and solid. This isn't an illusion?
She lowered her head to look at the words on the cover. A strange feeling welled up in her heart—this truly was a new and unknown world.
Nearby, Yue Shen looked at the thick book Zhao Linchuan had casually bestowed upon Yan Fei, and a sharp bitterness and resentment inexplicably rose in her heart.
Why?
Just because she was standing closer?
This obvious "favoritism" made Yue Shen deeply uncomfortable. Her chest rose and fell slightly, and she gently bit her lower lip.
Zhao Linchuan seemed not to notice Yue Shen's subtle emotional shift—or perhaps he simply didn't care.
He stood up. "All right, that's enough for the initial explanation."
"Now, there's a small matter I need you to come with me to take care of."
"Come with me." With that, he pushed open the door and walked straight outside.
Yan Fei glanced at the book in her hands, then at Zhao Linchuan's retreating figure. She hesitated briefly, but in the end, stepped after him.
Yue Shen stood where she was, staring at Yan Fei's back. Her fingers curled quietly inside her sleeves, but she finally drew a deep breath, suppressed the feelings roiling within her, and hurried after them.
When they returned to the real estate agency, Zhao Linchuan ignored the clerk who came forward with a formulaic smile plastered across his face. He simply gave Yan Fei and Yue Shen a brief explanation of what he wanted: to buy a quiet, spacious residence.
The clerk saw Zhao Linchuan return with two girls whose bearing was extraordinary, whose beauty was breathtaking, and whose clothing was peculiar. He was about to ask questions or try to fob them off when Yue Shen moved first.
She stepped past the others and met the clerk's eyes with her cool gaze. Deep in her pupils, a faint icy-blue light shimmered, like strange ripples spreading across a deep pool beneath the moon.
The smile on the clerk's face instantly froze. His eyes turned vacant and obedient, as though he had lost all awareness of himself.
He turned woodenly, like a puppet tugged by invisible strings, and respectfully led the three of them toward the inner hall, murmuring over and over, "Honored guests... the finest residence..."
Yan Fei glanced at Yue Shen, her expression slightly complicated.
Yue Shen lifted her chin a little, withdrew her gaze, and elegantly folded her hands before her. Then she returned to her place just behind Zhao Linchuan's side and stood there in silence.
But with her slightly stiff back and cool expression, she looked every inch a "tsundere" trying far too hard to hide it.
With Yue Shen's "friendly communication" technique, and Yan Fei revealing just the right hint of her Soul Saint aura, the matter proceeded astonishingly smoothly.
In less than half an hour, Zhao Linchuan signed the deed and title for an unoccupied mansion in the western district of Nuoding City. It covered over fifty mu and came with gardens and a training ground. He bought it at a price far below market value—practically a steal.
The previous owner seemed eager to get rid of it, which saved them a great deal of haggling.
Though their newly purchased residence was somewhat old, it had a grand layout and could be used after a little renovation.
Inside the main hall, Zhao Linchuan took the seat of honor without hesitation.
Yan Fei and Yue Shen stood on either side, surveying the empty, unfamiliar hall.
With another thought, Zhao Linchuan made six smooth, jet-black stones, each faintly pulsing with energy, appear out of thin air on the floor of the main hall. They arranged themselves in a specific pattern.
"What are these?" Yan Fei's gaze sharpened. She could sense a peculiar energy within the stones. It was unlike inner force, and closer to the power currently transforming inside her.
"Spirit Awakening Stones." Zhao Linchuan lightly tapped the smooth armrest with his fingertip. "Yue Shen, stand in the center of the formation."
At his words, Yue Shen instinctively glanced at Yan Fei, who was still holding General Knowledge of Spirit Masters. That same bitter resentment welled up in her heart again.
She gave a soft huff, suppressed her feelings, and walked over as instructed, stopping in the center of the circle formed by the six black stones. Her figure stood straight as green bamboo beneath the moon.
Zhao Linchuan drew on a trace of Soul Power and sent it into the Awakening Stones from a distance.
Hum—!
All six black stones glowed with a gentle golden light. The light rose into the air, forming a pale-golden barrier that enveloped Yue Shen.
Within the barrier, flecks of golden light seemed drawn to her, streaming toward her body.
Yue Shen instinctively raised her right hand.
In an instant, the phantom of a jade-white disc appeared slowly in her palm, pure as the full moon, its edges suffused with a faint blue radiance. It turned silently, scattering a clear, moonlike glow.
Almost at the same time, an even more abstract phantom appeared faintly behind her, shimmering blue and gold. Its outline vaguely resembled a human brain, and it radiated vast, pristine spiritual fluctuations, making the air throughout the main hall seem to tremble slightly.
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