Encountering Sanwu Again

"Is he the one who bullied you?" Dugu Yan watched the middle-aged man walk away with a chilling gaze; her master had never spoken harshly to outsiders before.

"Should I tell Grandfather? We could poison him and the forces behind him directly—not a single one left alive."

Qingxi stood on her tiptoes and tapped Dugu Yan on the head. The killing intent in the latter's eyes vanished instantly, and she clutched her head, looking aggrieved. "What was that for?"

"Such a heavy heart for killing? They're just a few children; it's not a crime worthy of death."

After all, a few children weren't worth her concern.

However, that hundred-thousand-year soul beast...

Qingxi's gaze fell upon Dugu Yan, her eyes dark and unreadable. "What level is your soul power now?"

"Fifty-third level, why?" Dugu Yan found it strange. Her master had never cared about her soul power cultivation, so why ask now?

Ever since she formed her golden core, her entire being had undergone a fundamental change. Even when she wasn't actively cultivating, her Azure Wood Heart Sense would operate automatically, even beginning to absorb soul power.

In three months, she had risen two levels, a feat that even the elders of the Heaven Dou Academy found astonishing.

"Keep it up, work hard." Qingxi patted Dugu Yan on the shoulder. Just then, the staff member finished registering her betting information and returned her soul fighting badge.

Seeing this, Dugu Yan's eyes darted around. She pulled out a bag of Gold Soul Coins and tossed them onto the betting counter. "Thirty thousand, put it on the Shrek Team to win."

Only a fool leaves money on the table.

She had been too busy cultivating and traveling with everyone lately to sell medicinal pills for extra cash.

Besides, she didn't know which turtle-grandson had bought up so many medicinal herbs; they had practically ransacked the markets in several cities.

Thinking of this, Dugu Yan's teeth itched with irritation.

The two wandered around the Soul Fighting Arena for a while longer before returning to the Imperial Fighting Team's Resting Room. The team's group battle had already concluded.

"There isn't a single person in this Soto City who can actually fight."

"You're telling me. I wonder if they can arrange for better opponents tomorrow; this is too boring." Oslo echoed Yu Feng's words as they sat down on the sofa.

"When will we get to use our ultimate move?" The Shi Brothers sat cross-legged nearby, looking rather depressed.

For the past two days, the two brothers had basically been used as meat shields in the front; they hadn't even had a chance to show off.

"Oh, come on, an ultimate move is meant to be used at the very end. You two are the trump cards of our Imperial Fighting Team." Yu Feng scurried over to the brothers, acting like their best friend.

"That's true." The brothers immediately felt that Yu Feng made sense and nodded in agreement. They were the aces, after all; how could they strike so easily?

"Brother, for tomorrow's match, remember to protect me first. Don't let my handsome face get scratched."

Oslo picked up an apple from the table and hurled it at Yu Feng. "Forget it, a flying soul master asking two mysterious turtles for protection? Have some shame."

Even the usually cold Ye Lingling couldn't help but chuckle; the group had always been very close.

Dugu Yan wore a smile, but when her gaze met Yu Tianheng's, she looked away unnaturally.

Qingxi watched the strange atmosphere between the two and couldn't help but let out a soft "tsk."

The match was over, so there was no reason to linger. After resting for a while, the group left Soto City together.

It was the second day of the Imperial Fighting Team's stay in Soto City. Yu Tianheng offered to treat everyone, so they had a late-night snack and a bit of wine before parting ways.

Dugu Yan drank until she passed out. Yu Feng offered to escort Qingxi back to her hotel, but she declined.

On the way, the evening breeze blew gently. Qingxi had drunk a little, her face flushed and her head spinning, but she still remembered the way back.

Halfway there, she encountered two men with ill intentions. Her Universe Staff manifested instantly, and she chased the two of them down, giving them a good thrashing.

It was already past midnight when she returned to the inn. Qingxi leaned on the stair railing as she climbed up, found her room in a daze, entered, and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep instantly.

In her hazy state, she seemed to see the window blown open by the wind. Moonlight spilled into the room, and a cold presence settled by the bedside.

"Where have you been all these years? You've grown quite a bit. Huh, you even drank alcohol?"

"This old man will be back soon, you must be a good girl..."

The voice carried a child's playfulness, and a cold, icy touch landed on her face.

Pain.

Qingxi sat up abruptly from the bed, looking at the familiar furnishings in the room with some confusion, which confirmed it was indeed her room.

Sunlight streamed into the room. She rubbed her throbbing forehead; the clock on the wall read three in the afternoon. Her gaze fell on the quilt covering her and her outer garments, which were folded neatly to the side.

Did the little staff do this?

Qingxi frowned slightly, her mind a mess. Her memory of last night wasn't very clear; she rarely drank. She called out to the Universe Staff in her sea of consciousness.

The latter was soaking in the spiritual sea, playing dead and remaining completely motionless, looking rather guilty.

Qingxi assumed it was the culprit. She threw off the quilt, got up, and walked to the bathroom to wash up.

She had been somewhat groggy, but she sobered up instantly when she saw the two pinch marks on her face in the mirror.

"Universe Staff, come out here!" Qingxi summoned the Universe Staff directly. The staff was still clinging to her sea of consciousness, refusing to come out, but it was forcibly dragged out.

"Speak, was it you?" Qingxi bent the Universe Staff into an inverted U-shape.

The little staff whimpered twice and then split itself into several segments, dropping to the floor.

"You're the one feeling aggrieved? If you pinch my face again, do you believe I'll throw you into an outhouse to be sealed for two days?" Qingxi tossed the broken segments aside.

In her past life, the Universe Staff had never developed self-awareness, but since it awakened as her martial soul in this life, she could occasionally sense its emotions.

The Universe Staff reassembled itself, nuzzled against Qingxi in a fawning manner, and then dove back into her sea of consciousness to play dead.

Universe Staff: I, the Staff, have it so... hard.

Qingxi wiped the traces from her face, finished washing up, changed her clothes, and headed out.

It was currently winter, but aside from a slight chill, there were no obvious seasonal changes; in fact, with the sun shining brightly, it felt vaguely warm.

Qingxi wandered through the shops in the city that sold ironware and raw metal ores, searching for a long time before finding a few pieces of Mysterious Iron that satisfied her.

Qingxi entered another shop that seemed to be doing good business, with quite a few customers inside. She strolled around and caught sight of a piece of raw Mysterious Iron placed in a corner. She reached out and touched it; the purity was over eighty percent, and the weight was decent—it was the best she had seen in the past few days.

"Boss, how much for this raw ore?"

"We'll take this raw ore." A hand wearing a pink bow-knot sleeve cover landed on the stone.

Qingxi shifted her gaze upward, landing on a beautiful face.

Huh, a hundred-thousand-year soul beast?

Xiao Wu glared at Qingxi with an extremely haughty expression, her pretty little face so soft and pink it looked like it could be pinched to release water. "What are you looking at? You haven't paid for it yet, anyway."

Tang San followed behind Xiao Wu, shaking his head with doting indulgence, his gaze landing on Qingxi as he paused in surprise.

Why is it her?

Tang San nodded politely, his attitude humble. "If it's convenient, could you let us have this piece of raw Mysterious Iron? I can trade you something for it."

As he spoke, he took a Zhuge Crossbow from his storage soul tool. "Would you like this? Its power is immense; even a Soul Ancestor above level 40 wouldn't be able to withstand it. You can use it for self-defense; consider it an apology for what happened before."

Knowing that there was a level 95 Title Douluo behind this person, Tang San naturally dared not provoke her; it would be better to make a friend.

Xiao Wu was slightly surprised; her Third Brother was actually willing to give his precious hidden weapon to a girl he had met for the first time.

She fixed her gaze on Qingxi, filled with scrutiny and hostility.

When did Third Brother meet this girl?

Qingxi's gaze shifted to the Zhuge Crossbow, her eyes calm and unruffled. She reached out and picked up the hundred-pound raw ore from the ground. "Sorry, this raw ore is also very important to me."

Xiao Wu was so angry she puffed out her cheeks, finding this person incredibly dull. "Hey! Do you know how precious Third Brother's item is? You couldn't buy it even if you had the money! Besides, you haven't paid for this stone yet—wouldn't it be better to just get a Zhuge Crossbow for free?"

Her Third Brother's weapons were naturally the best.

"A crossbow? In the end, it is merely an external object." Qingxi glanced indifferently at the exasperated Xiao Wu and walked to the counter with the raw ore in her arms.

"How much for this?"

"Hey!" Xiao Wu rushed forward, wanting to say more, but Tang San pulled her back.

"Forget it." Tang San shook his head, his gaze resting on Qingxi with a hint of approval.

He really liked what she had just said.

The boss behind the counter lifted his eyelids, glanced at the raw ore, and closed them again. "One hundred thousand."

Qingxi took 100 gold soul coins, each worth 1,000, from her storage bag and placed them on the table. "Check it, is this enough?"

Seeing that she was actually going to buy it, the boss behind the counter sat up in shock. He counted the gold soul coins on the table, and a brilliant smile immediately appeared on his face. "Enough, enough. Does the young lady need anything else?"

"No." Qingxi stuffed the raw Mysterious Iron into her storage bag and turned to leave.

Inside her sea of consciousness, the Universe Staff hopped around happily; it knew its master was the best.

Watching the girl leave, Xiao Wu cast a resentful look at Tang San and questioned, "Third Brother, why did you want to give her your hidden weapon? I don't like her."

Tang San smiled helplessly and ruffled Xiao Wu's hair. "I just wanted to make a friend, Xiao Wu. Don't overthink it."

"You wooden-headed Third Brother!" Xiao Wu snorted, left Tang San behind, and walked away.