The carriage rolled onto the main road, picking up speed. It was smooth and comfortable, without so much as a bump.
During the journey, Exquisite Dice told Li Changsheng and Li Zishuo everything she could—at least, everything she was allowed to share.
Li Changsheng also learned about the Shrek Pre-Academy, a place he'd known nothing about before.
According to Exquisite Dice, it would take them about seven days to reach the Shrek Pre-Academy.
It was going to be a long trip.
By now, Exquisite Dice, who'd earlier been chattering away, had fallen silent, leaning against the carriage as she stared off into space. Or... was she meditating?
Li Zishuo was already asleep inside, breathing evenly. Earlier, he'd even tried meditating for a while, doing his best to increase his Soul Power.
Every so often, Li Changsheng lifted the curtain and gazed at the lush green mountains and forests outside.
They'd been on the road for nearly five or six hours since leaving Spirit Soul City.
He came back to himself and suddenly realized that the Seven Absolute Zither Master sitting opposite him was staring at him.
Li Changsheng rubbed his face and asked in surprise, "Is there something on my face?"
This wasn't the first time he'd caught the Seven Absolute Zither Master staring at him like that.
The Seven Absolute Zither Master shook her head. Her expression was hidden beneath her mask as she said, "I can tell you're special."
What a timeworn way to flirt.
Li Changsheng grinned. "Oh? What's so special about me? But what about you? Can I ask you a few questions?"
The Seven Absolute Zither Master didn't seem like the aloof type. If anything, she came across as a bit airheaded, which only made Li Changsheng more curious about her.
"Sure. Ask away, but I won't answer anything personal." The Seven Absolute Zither Master raised a hand slightly and, under Li Changsheng's gaze, covered her neck? Her chest, maybe!
Li Changsheng's face darkened. You've got nothing there. What are you covering up?
He then smiled and said, "You're quite mature for your age."
"So are you."
"Heh."
"Heh."
Li Changsheng stared at the Seven Absolute Zither Master in surprise, his expression shifting as he scrutinized her.
The world might have developed at a breakneck pace, but the way he spoke was still pretty cutting-edge.
So why was it so easy to talk to the Seven Absolute Zither Master? She was a seven-year-old kid, right? Talking with her felt a lot like chatting with ordinary people in his previous life.
Maybe it was just his imagination.
That was what Li Changsheng thought. Perhaps he'd been cooped up for too long, and the culture outside had already developed by leaps and bounds.
"Are you really only seven?"
"No." The Seven Absolute Zither Master shook her head, then answered very seriously, "Six."
"Wait, six? You said you were seven at the Spirit Soul Grand Soul Fighting Arena!"
Li Changsheng was surprised at first, but then it dawned on him.
If she really had Innate Soul Power of Level 20, she was absolutely a genius.
How could she have gained only one level of Soul Power in a whole year?
The Seven Absolute Zither Master explained, "That was just to avoid trouble. But I also had to show off the Pre-Academy's ability to train its students. The truth is, my Innate Soul Power is Level 20. Pretty impressive, right? I think I'm impressive too."
Li Changsheng had already guessed as much, but hearing her say it herself still made him a little envious.
"God of Wisdom, is her Seven Absolute Zither Martial Soul really that powerful? Can it give her Innate Soul Power of Level 20?"
He asked the God of Wisdom on a whim.
After all, even the Genesis Book, his own Martial Soul, had given him barely Level 9 Innate Soul Power.
The God of Wisdom answered:
<Notice. Extremely powerful. It cannot be ruled out that the other party possesses Twin Martial Souls.>
Twin Martial Souls?!
At those words, Li Changsheng's breathing grew heavier.
He gave an awkward laugh and praised her. "Innate Soul Power of Level 20? I've never heard of anything like it. Impressive. Really impressive."
"But from the look on your face, you don't seem all that surprised."
"How should I react? Stand up and shout?" Li Changsheng asked.
"Mm, something like that."
Li Changsheng: "..."
He decided to drop the subject and asked with interest, "What's your name?"
"Seven Absolute Zither Master." She answered with four simple words.
"Not your title. Your actual name. 'Seven Absolute Zither Master' is such a mouthful. You already know my name is Li Changsheng, so it's only fair to tell me yours, right?"
Li Changsheng wore the innocent smile of a child his age.
The Seven Absolute Zither Master shook her head. "The Academy rules say we can't show our true faces or use our real names while on Academy grounds. We can only use our titles. Besides, you haven't even passed the entrance exam yet."
"We're not on Academy grounds right now, are we? Right? Huh?" Li Changsheng had a feeling the Seven Absolute Zither Master was definitely the slow-on-the-uptake type. She seemed easy to fool.
The Seven Absolute Zither Master hesitated, then shook her head and refused outright. "No."
Seeing how firm she was, Li Changsheng quickly lost interest. He didn't press her; sooner or later, he'd find out anyway.
"Six years wearing a mask, and you have to call yourself by a title? What a twisted school rule," Li Changsheng muttered.
After that, Li Changsheng chatted with the Seven Absolute Zither Master for a while longer.
He got a basic idea of her circumstances.
She'd awakened her Martial Soul this year too.
The date of Martial Soul Awakening varied from place to place.
After all, Spirit Hall was gone now, so there was no need to hold a single, unified Martial Soul Awakening. People could even awaken their Martial Souls at home, provided one of their parents had at least the Soul Power of a Soul Master.
She was born in a town near the Far North. Perhaps due to heredity, her hair was silver-white.
After awakening her Martial Soul, she entered the Pre-Academy and became a student of its principal. Then, within half a month, she'd obtained two Soul Rings.
After that, at the age of six, she came here with students from the real Heavenly Pride Class, who were about to graduate. The purpose was unknown. Anyway, according to Gu Feibai, they were here to have a fight.
Of course, that was the Seven Absolute Zither Master's version of events.
The real story might have been even more legendary.
Gasps of astonishment and cries of praise had probably come one after another. After all, she had Innate Soul Power of Level 20.
As a side note, according to the Seven Absolute Zither Master, the people traveling with Li Changsheng were only one group. Many other children who'd awakened their Martial Souls in other places would also go to the Pre-Academy to apply.
In her words, it was bound to be lively.
As evening approached, they reached a town.
On Gu Feibai's arrangements, the group checked into a hotel.
Two people to a room.
Li Changsheng and Li Zishuo shared one.
As everyone climbed down from the carriages,
Li Changsheng sensed a trace of tension in the air.
At the same time, he could feel Soul Power leaking from the children, whose faces all showed signs of fatigue.
After asking around,
Li Changsheng learned what had happened.
It turned out that after hearing about the Pre-Academy's fearsome requirements, they'd started training hard along the way.
If they could raise their Soul Power by a level—or even half a level—before the entrance exams, their chances of getting into the Pre-Academy would improve.
Even Li Zishuo, who was exempt from the exam, was trying hard to meditate.
But clearly, he wasn't very talented. Nor did he have a method like the Mysterious Heaven Skill. He was left to rely on "rote memorization" to meditate.
Li Changsheng wondered whether he should teach him the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
Of course, he needed more time to familiarize himself with it before he dared to help Li Zishuo open up his meridians.
After all, he'd only learned it thanks to the God of Wisdom's omniscience and omnipotence. Teaching it to someone else just like that would be very difficult. If something went wrong and left Li Zishuo crippled, that would be a serious problem.
Of course, he could also have the God of Wisdom activate Parallel Calculation and take control of his body.
But Li Changsheng still hadn't made up his mind...
After resting for a day, Li Changsheng and the others continued on their way.
The Seven Absolute Zither Master and Exquisite Dice were still riding in the same carriage as them.
Compared to the day before, there was hardly any conversation. Everyone focused on meditation and training.
Li Changsheng had nothing else to do either. While gradually getting used to Tang San's other inheritances, he also began meditating harder.
That afternoon, accompanied by a rumble from within him, Li Changsheng opened his eyes. Hazy purple light seemed ready to burst from them. He slowly let out a breath, felt Soul Power surging through his body, and clenched his fist.
"Level 14!"
The God of Wisdom's ability to shield him from others' perception, Formless Cycle, had now revealed its power.
It completely concealed his presence from everyone else.
Even when Li Changsheng broke through, the Seven Absolute Zither Master and the others didn't notice at all. They only felt an invisible pressure burst through the carriage.
If they hadn't been traveling, Li Changsheng would have loved to release his Immortal Execution Painting Martial Soul and give it a try.
Besides, going a whole day without practicing with his spear made him feel even more uncomfortable.
After breaking through, he took out the notes on becoming a Level 10 Soul Engineer and started reading them while stabilizing his cultivation, just to pass the time.
Since the notes were written in simplified Chinese characters, he wasn't worried about anyone recognizing them.
And so, six days passed.
Before you continue