Zi Buyu piloted the Flowing Water Flying Shuttle, simply pouring Soul Power into it.
The next moment, the Flowing Water Flying Shuttle resting on the ground shuddered. Then, at a speed almost impossible to see, it transformed into a streak of light and vanished from sight.
Even with his eyes open, Li Changsheng could see nothing but darkness. At the same time, a dizzying sensation assailed him from every direction.
From the outside,
the Flowing Water Flying Shuttle was shaped like a water droplet. At its tail was a massive Soul Power propulsion device, but its structure was so precise and perfectly crafted that the device looked much like the steam left behind by scalding water as it slid away.
Inside the cabin,
once the Flowing Water Flying Shuttle had climbed to an altitude of about ten thousand meters, the world around them began to feel different.
His vision gradually returned. When he opened his eyes, he could clearly see that the cabin was somewhat cramped and narrow, but it had expensive leather upholstery, and soft, non-glaring lights illuminated the entire interior.
The strangest thing was beneath their feet.
The floor was completely transparent. This was, of course, because of the material: at an altitude of ten thousand meters, this special material looked dull and black, but once they reached the sky above, it became translucent, gleaming like a crystal droplet.
Of course, from the outside, it still looked as it had before, even at ten thousand meters.
Li Changsheng slowly opened his eyes and was surprised to find that the sensation was rather like riding in an airplane in his previous life.
"So fast..."
They flew beneath a star-studded curtain of darkness. Picking a star as a reference point, they could almost overtake it in the blink of an eye.
Shen Yueliang didn't seem very curious. She sat there, replenishing the Soul Power that had just surged through her.
Up ahead, Zi Buyu was steering the Flowing Water Flying Shuttle and had to keep pouring Soul Power into it. This didn't seem to bother her. On the contrary, with the long night stretching ahead and no time to read, she started chatting with Li Changsheng and Shen Yueliang.
"What do you two think of the Pre-Education Academy's system this semester?"
Li Changsheng and Shen Yueliang exchanged a glance. Both their eyes held a hint of confusion, but after a long silence, Li Changsheng spoke. "I don't have many thoughts about it. I'm just a little disappointed that I barely got to fight or spar with anyone these past six months. I enrolled at the Pre-Education Academy because I'd heard its teaching system completely replicated Shrek Academy's: tempering yourself through battle. But now it's not much different from an ordinary Soul Master Academy. Of course, we did learn a great deal of foundational knowledge."
That was Li Changsheng's honest impression.
It was true. He'd barely fought at all in the past six months. He'd only sparred with Shen Yueliang, and though he always lost, he was sure that if he really used some of his other methods, he could kill a Level 20-something Soul Grandmaster like Shen Yueliang with a single strike.
His Genesis Book Martial Soul was incredibly powerful—so powerful that Li Changsheng could only call it a monster.
At first, he thought that if he simply called out a phrase, the Genesis Book would produce an attack to match. But over time, Li Changsheng came to understand.
Calling it out wasn't enough. The attack would only reach its fullest form if he also tried to picture the scene in his mind.
The more detailed the scene, however, the more Soul Power it consumed.
And after Li Changsheng completed the task of becoming a Level 1 Soul Engineer, the age of his First Soul Ring increased by a hundred years.
Only then did Li Changsheng understand why the God of Wisdom had said he could attach Soul Rings to the Genesis Book however he liked.
Shen Yueliang spoke up too. "I think it's pretty good this way."
Zi Buyu nodded up front and said listlessly, "Actually, the Pre-Education Academy was originally established thousands of years ago to model the Spirit Hall from ten thousand years ago. Of course, it wasn't about letting the Spirit Hall monopolize everything. The idea was to gather talented people from all over the world, recruit them, and begin training them earlier. After all, Soul Masters only have a limited window in which to grow quickly. But nurturing gifted students is easier said than done. People like you two could be sent straight to Shrek Academy."
Zi Buyu was Li Changsheng and Shen Yueliang's teacher. She knew all about their talents and Martial Souls, and could only describe them as unprecedented.
She'd heard of Shen Yueliang, too. Shen Yueliang had awakened her Martial Soul in a town near the Far North, and had been admitted to the Pre-Education Academy without taking an exam. She'd even become the dean's student. But for some reason, after helping her obtain two Soul Rings, the dean had left her to her own devices—though the dean had arranged for Zi Buyu to teach her.
Rumor had it that Shrek Academy had sent people over right at the beginning, hoping to recruit Shen Yueliang directly so she could study and train there. After all, Innate Level 20 Soul Power, unheard of for ten thousand years, was enough to shock everyone. But later, no one knew why the matter had been dropped. All they said was that after graduating from the Pre-Education Academy, she could enter the Martial Soul Department of Shrek Academy's outer court without taking an entrance exam.
Li Changsheng fell silent. A meal had to be eaten one bite at a time. Besides, the talent he'd shown wasn't all that astonishing, given his age.
If it hadn't been the holidays, they probably wouldn't have been allowed to make a trip like this.
After that, Zi Buyu brought up the Star Dou Great Forest.
She didn't go into much detail, only telling Li Changsheng and Shen Yueliang that they wouldn't actually set foot inside the Star Dou Great Forest.
The reason was simple: it was truly dangerous.
Besides, Zi Buyu was a Titled Douluo. If she entered rashly, she might provoke a backlash from powerful Soul Beasts, or even trigger a beast tide. Even Shrek Academy feared such a disaster, which was why Titled Douluo were forbidden from killing Soul Beasts.
"By the way, Yueliang, why was your Second Soul Ring already a thousand years old?"
Only then did Li Changsheng remember all the questions he still hadn't asked Shen Yueliang.
For example, how could the two of them use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill? And why had Shen Yueliang seemed to know about it in advance?
Zi Buyu didn't say anything. She seemed curious too, but matters like this were probably secrets no Soul Master would readily share, so she'd never asked.
Shen Yueliang tilted her head, looking a little confused. "Isn't it normal to get a thousand-year Soul Ring when your Innate Soul Power is level twenty?"
Hearing that rather airheaded answer, Li Changsheng nearly spat blood.
Normal?
It was anything but normal!
But how could he argue with her?
He couldn't, really. He didn't have Innate Level 20 Soul Power, so how could he know whether absorbing a Soul Ring was really that much easier for her?
"Another thing: back then, the five of you went to Spirit Soul City to recruit the son of the Clear Sky Sect, didn't you? Why haven't I heard anything about him at the Pre-Education Academy? Didn't he come?"
Li Changsheng asked curiously.
Why was he asking all these questions? To pass the time, of course—and because he wanted to know. Shen Yueliang would answer him, too.
Shen Yueliang thought for a moment. "I vaguely remember. I think someone took him back to the sect, and he didn't enroll at the Pre-Education Academy. He'll probably apply to Shrek Academy before he turns twelve, right?"
Zi Buyu spoke up from the front. "I happen to know about that. I heard that the Clear Sky Sect's son awakened a rare Martial Soul meant exclusively for women—the Light Goddess Butterfly—instead of the Clear Sky Hammer. Of course, not many people know about this Martial Soul. But since it wasn't the Clear Sky Hammer, she was sent back to the sect. Though, in my estimation, she most likely has Twin Martial Souls. No, not most likely—she definitely does."
That was Wang Dong!
Li Changsheng immediately connected the two.
The rest of the journey was fairly uneventful. Li Changsheng didn't quite know how to ask about the so-called Martial Soul Fusion Skill. He decided to find an opportunity to bring it up.
Then, just before dawn, they reached the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest and descended gently into a forest of considerable size.
Li Changsheng and Shen Yueliang then entered the forest with Zi Buyu. It bordered the Star Dou Great Forest and was considered part of it.
The moment they stepped inside, the Sign-in and Clock-in System displayed a message.
Star Dou Great Forest Exploration: 1%
Before you continue