Su Heng

Meng Shenji was supported by Luo Chen as he climbed the stone steps, one by one.

The old man's pace was slow, pausing at every single step. It wasn't that he couldn't walk—as a Spirit Douluo, how could he possibly be unable to walk? He simply didn't want this journey to end too quickly.

Luo Chen sensed this; his grip tightened slightly, but he remained silent.

"Is that little girl your sister?" Meng Shenji suddenly asked.

"Yes, her name is Luo An'an," Luo Chen replied.

"Luo An'an... Fule mentioned her when he wrote to me. Hmph, that fellow, he couldn't even keep an eye on a little thing like you!"

Luo Chen scratched his head in embarrassment, and Meng Shenji continued, "How old is she this year? Has she awakened her martial soul?"

Meng Shenji was somewhat impatient; he hoped that Luo An'an might have awakened a martial soul like Luo Chen's. That would mean two geniuses in one family!

"She is six this year. Her martial soul... it awakened, but not entirely."

"Awakened is awakened. How can it be both awakened and not?" Meng Shenji was confused by Luo Chen's explanation.

Luo Chen described the process of Luo An'an's awakening in detail—the orb-like martial soul in her dantian had devoured the energy from the awakening array and only managed to take shape after being catalyzed by the power of time.

After listening, Meng Shenji fell silent for a long time before finally saying, "Bring her to the Education Committee tomorrow. I want to see the situation for myself. Also, when did you master the power of time?"

Luo Chen described his miraculous encounter to Meng Shenji, who sighed in wonder again and again.

The master and disciple chatted aimlessly like this as they walked from the stone steps to the top of the mountain.

The gate to Meng Shenji's courtyard remained the same as it had been ten years ago, with its grey stone walls covered in creeping vines.

Luo Chen pushed open the gate, helped Meng Shenji inside, and sat him down on a stone bench beneath the old locust tree.

The old man and the young man sat side by side in silence for a while before Meng Shenji spoke first: "Ten years. Everything has changed. Your hair, your eyes... you've grown up."

"Teacher, I've made you worry all these years."

Meng Shenji didn't respond, instead reaching out to pat Luo Chen on the shoulder.

"That friend of yours has been looking for you. He never gave up," Meng Shenji said softly.

A friend? Could it be Su Heng? In this academy, Su Heng was the only one who could truly be called his friend.

Wondering what he had become over these ten years, the corners of Luo Chen's mouth curled upward: "Su Heng?"

"Who else could it be?"

Luo Chen found it quite strange in his heart. It seemed Su Heng had completely escaped his fatal destiny, and Qian Renxue still hadn't found him. Perhaps it was the butterfly effect.

"After you went missing, he dropped out. No one knew where he went until the new students arrived the following year. He came back and stayed at the school gate for a few days before leaving. Since then, he has come to check every year, and he likely visited your home as well. Everyone tried to persuade him otherwise, but he said, 'What if I happen to run into him?'"

Luo Chen was stunned. He had thought they were merely passing acquaintances, never imagining that Su Heng held him in such high regard.

"Where is he now?" Luo Chen couldn't help but ask.

Meng Shenji shook his head: "I don't know, but he writes me a letter every month asking if you've returned. I reply to almost every one of them. Calculating the time, a letter should arrive in these next few days."

Luo Chen stood up: "Teacher, I'm going to find him. I have a premonition that he is still in Tiandou City!"

Seeing this, Meng Shenji waved his hand: "Go, go. You barely arrived and didn't even catch up with me properly. Go on, and bring your little sister tomorrow so I can see what's going on!"

Luo Chen bowed: "Thank you, Teacher."

Luo Chen turned and left Meng Shenji's residence, heading toward Tiandou City.

Where could that kid Su Heng be?

Luo Chen couldn't help but think. He truly had a premonition that Su Heng was within Tiandou City; ever since he emerged from the Time Hourglass, Luo Chen's sixth sense had become incredibly accurate.

This must be a manifestation of his enhanced spiritual power. He arrived at a snack street they used to love visiting.

He remembered a grilled fish stall run by a young man who grilled the fish so fragrantly that every time they came, they would each buy one.

He arrived at the front of the stall and found that the man who grilled the fish had aged significantly, but his expressions and movements were exactly as he remembered.

"Big Brother, two grilled fish, please. One mild, one 'explosive spicy'!"

The man suddenly looked up, his expression dazed, as if he had heard that phrase somewhere before.

He remembered two children from long ago who loved eating his grilled fish. Both had huge appetites, and he heard they were top students from the noble spirit academy. One of the children had complained that his chili wasn't spicy enough—even the 'extra spicy' wasn't enough—so he suggested adding a new level: 'explosive spicy'!

But for all these years, no one else had ever challenged the 'explosive spicy' level.

"Little brother, 'explosive spicy' is very hot! I don't even have it on the menu anymore. Most people can't handle it, and no one else has ever successfully challenged it in my shop."

"Oh? Boss, may I ask who that first person was?" Luo Chen couldn't help but smile slightly.

"It was a little spirit master. He kept complaining that my chili wasn't spicy enough and suggested I add 'explosive spicy', so that's how it came to be."

Luo Chen's smile grew even brighter. In his past life, he was born in the border region between Hunan and Jiangxi, where he was used to the spiciest food. Since the seasoning technology in this world wasn't as good as his previous life, he had felt the 'extra spicy' wasn't enough and suggested the 'explosive spicy' to the boss.

"Hahahaha, Big Brother, I am that little spirit master you're talking about!" Luo Chen said with a grin.

The man selling the fish was stunned: "You're that little spirit master?"

The man paused, then slapped his forehead as if suddenly remembering something.

"Little brother! Is your name Luo Chen?" the man shouted suddenly.

Now it was Luo Chen's turn to be surprised. The man continued, "Many years ago, the other young man who used to come with you said you had gone missing and asked me to keep an eye out. I waited for many years and never saw you, so I eventually let it go. But two years ago, he came back and said if there was any news, I should go to the third shop on the west end of the street to find him. He's been staying there all these years, and you..."

Without waiting for the shopkeeper to finish, Luo Chen turned around quickly and ran toward that shop.

The two shops were not far apart, and in about a minute, Luo Chen entered the dilapidated little store named Xiaopeng Grocery Store.

Before Luo Chen had even stepped through the door, he heard a youth call out, "Welcome, this shop runs on small margins, no credit allowed..."

Luo Chen followed the sound and looked over; wasn't that Su Heng, all grown up? He saw that he was dressed plainly, his purple hair a testament to his extraordinary nature.

"Shopkeeper, may I ask if you sell Gulu Balls here?" Luo Chen asked with an amused smile.

Upon hearing the words "Gulu Ball," Su Heng jumped up almost instinctively. "Gulu Ball? What Gulu Ball?"