The Divine Shuttle Takes Shape, Returning Home

Body Sect, training grounds.

In the faint morning light, a nimble figure darted and turned across the center of the grounds. Fists howled through the air, while spear shadows coiled like dragons. Xiao Cheng held the Azure Sky Divine Spear, executing a complete spear technique with vivid precision. Its tip was sometimes like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, sometimes like a flood dragon emerging from the sea, sometimes like a meteor chasing the moon, and sometimes like falling blossoms.

Most importantly, Xiao Cheng had already integrated his emotions and intent into his spear technique, perfectly unifying essence, energy, and spirit to give birth to spear intent.

After completing the set, Xiao Cheng withdrew his spear and stood calmly, neither flushed nor out of breath.

"Excellent!"

Mu Huang, who had been watching from the side, could not help but applaud. His face was full of gratified smiles. "Cheng'er, your spear technique has improved again. You're only a little over eight years old, yet you've already comprehended spear intent. This talent is simply astonishing..."

Xiao Cheng smiled slightly and put away the Azure Sky Divine Spear. "Thank you for your careful guidance over the past few months, Grandfather."

"Guidance is too much to call it. I merely pointed you down a path. How far you can walk still depends on yourself." Mu Huang waved a hand, then changed the subject. "However, it really is time for you to go back."

Xiao Cheng paused. Although he had expected it, he still felt somewhat reluctant upon hearing those words.

"With your current cultivation, you've basically learned everything you can learn here from me," Mu Huang said. "What remains will require you to comprehend and temper it through actual combat. Besides, you can't keep missing the Seven Luminaries Team's intensive training. Young people ought to have some youthful vigor and spend more time around other young people. It isn't good for you to keep cultivating with old men like us all the time."

Xiao Cheng nodded. He knew his grandfather was right.

Over the past four months, his progress had been tremendous. His Soul Power had risen from level 22 to level 25, his spiritual power was nearing the Spirit Sea Realm, his physical strength had surged to eight thousand jin, and he had even awakened the power of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. It could be said that he had undergone a complete transformation.

However, the path of cultivation could not remain confined to one corner forever. Though he possessed memories from his past life and could slowly grind his way into becoming the Sword God of Ten Mile Slope by lying low, that would be far too boring. Besides, his goal was godhood and immortality. Given the current state of the Douluo Continent, he could not become a god by simply hiding.

"Alright. I'll set out for Shrek City tomorrow," Xiao Cheng said.

"Good. I'll have Mu Man take you." Mu Huang patted his shoulder. "After you return, don't forget to keep cultivating diligently. If there's anything you don't understand, contact us through the communicator."

"I'll remember, Grandfather." Xiao Cheng nodded solemnly.

That night, Mu Huang had a lavish farewell banquet prepared. Mu Wan, Mu Man, and Han Tianyi all attended, and the family enjoyed a warm meal together.

During the meal, Mu Man kept piling food into Xiao Cheng's bowl. "Eat more, eat more! Once you go back, you won't be able to eat Body Sect food anymore!"

Looking at the dishes piled into a small mountain in his bowl, Xiao Cheng did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Uncle, I can't eat this much..." As a sect that specialized in body cultivation, the Body Sect was extremely particular about food as well. Mu Ye's cooking skills in the original work had also been learned from the sect. The food was delicious, but Xiao Cheng did not possess the Golden Dragon King bloodline or Tang Fifty's enormous appetite.

"You have to eat even if you can't! Boys need to eat more so they can grow tall and strong!" Mu Man declared righteously.

Mu Wan covered her mouth and chuckled from the side, making no move to stop him as she let her younger brother "feed" her son.

Han Tianyi slowly sipped from his wine cup, smiling as he watched the scene with eyes full of affection.

After dinner, Xiao Cheng visited the Yang Spring again and soaked in it properly. The warm spring water enveloped his body, while True Dragon Qi circulated automatically, greedily absorbing the yang energy within the spring.

Once I leave, who knows when I'll get to soak here again? Xiao Cheng thought regretfully. This Yang Spring was tremendously helpful to his cultivation, especially in nourishing True Dragon Qi. If possible, he truly wanted to pack up the entire spring and take it with him.

Unfortunately, that was unrealistic.

After soaking in the Yang Spring, Xiao Cheng returned to his room and began packing. There was not much to pack: a few changes of clothes, along with some cultivation materials and pills gifted by Mu Huang and Han Tianyi.

Once he was done, Xiao Cheng lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling, his thoughts drifting.

"It's been four months... I wonder how Sister Yao Zhu and the others are doing. That guy Qiangu Dongfeng has probably broken through again, right? And Father's project... I wonder whether he's finished it."

With those thoughts lingering in his mind, Xiao Cheng gradually fell asleep.

Meanwhile, at the Spirit Pagoda headquarters in Shrek City.

Inside a concealed laboratory, Xiao Ran stood before a massive operating table, his expression focused and tense.

A peculiar object floated above the operating table.

It was a shuttle-shaped item roughly a foot long. Its entire body was silver-gray, and spatial ripples like flowing water moved across its surface.

Both ends of the shuttle-shaped object were sharp, while its middle bulged slightly, resembling an enlarged date pit. Its surface was engraved with dense Soul Guidance runes layered atop one another, forming an extraordinarily complex three-dimensional array.

A closer look would reveal that a gemstone resembling an upright cat's eye was embedded at the core of the shuttle-shaped object. The gemstone was entirely transparent, with a deep fissure running through its center, like a vertical pupil watching the void. It emitted a faint, ghostly glow.

This was the result of Xiao Ran's efforts over more than four months—the prototype of the Space-Time Divine Shuttle!

To create this divine artifact, Xiao Ran had poured every ounce of his effort into it.

He had purchased three pieces of space-attribute Heavenly Refinement metal from the divine craftsman Yuan Hua, using up a favor Yuan Hua owed him in the process. He had originally intended to save that favor for forging Four-Word Battle Armor for himself or his family in the future.

He had also secretly reached an agreement with Leng Zhaoran and obtained a batch of damaged soul bones from the Leng Family. Although these soul bones could no longer be absorbed by Soul Masters due to their damage, they were excellent materials for refining a divine artifact.

Of course, while those were the primary materials, creating a divine artifact was no easy task. To forge the Space-Time Divine Shuttle, Xiao Ran had even brought out the treasures he had kept hidden away.

For Xiao Ran to rise from an unknown nobody to his current position, he naturally had his own fortunate encounter.

When he was young, he had encountered a falling meteor during one of his expeditions. Within it, he discovered a gemstone containing pure space-attribute power. The gemstone looked like an upright cat's eye, with a deep fissure in its center, like an eye watching the void.

Xiao Ran named it—the Void Pupil.

Whoever possessed this gemstone could use it to clearly sense the movement of surrounding spatial elements and comprehend the spatial laws contained within them. Xiao Ran's current attainments in the power of space owed much to this gemstone.

Therefore, Xiao Ran decided to use the gemstone as the core of the Space-Time Divine Shuttle.

With these rare materials, his profound foundation as a level-nine mecha manufacturer and level-nine Soul Engineer, and the support of the Spirit Pagoda's various cutting-edge devices, he had finally succeeded in forging the prototype of this divine artifact.

Although it was only a prototype at present and would require more time to be carefully refined later, the most difficult steps had already been completed.

"Whew..." Xiao Ran let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and revealed a satisfied smile as he looked at the Space-Time Divine Shuttle floating above the operating table.

He reached out and gently stroked the surface of the shuttle-shaped object. The silver-gray spatial ripples flowed beneath his fingertips, conveying a warm, intimate sensation. It was as though this divine artifact had already come alive and was resonating with him.

"With you, I should be able to protect Cheng'er," Xiao Ran murmured.

The Space-Time Divine Shuttle itself did not possess overwhelming destructive power. In someone else's hands, it would at most be an oversized storage device with a certain ability to traverse space.

And when facing a Limit Douluo, that spatial traversal ability would be greatly restricted. Once trapped within a Limit Douluo's domain, spatial traversal would be severely limited or even rendered useless.

But in his hands, the situation was completely different.

His martial soul was the Azure Sky Snake Emperor, which inherently possessed powerful spatial attributes, and he had profound attainments in spatial laws. The Space-Time Divine Shuttle could resonate perfectly with his martial soul, amplifying his spatial power to its utmost limit and reaching the level of "ultimate space."

With the Space-Time Divine Shuttle, he truly possessed the ability to threaten a Limit Douluo!

Moreover, if he wanted to leave, even multiple Limit Douluos joining forces would find it difficult to stop him. In his hands, the Space-Time Divine Shuttle's spatial traversal ability would reach an entirely new height—coming without a trace and leaving without a shadow.

In this state, he was terrifying.

The greater the faction, the less it would dare to push him into a corner. Because that would mean that if he truly went mad, he could slowly slaughter a major faction until only Super Douluos and Limit Douluos remained.

"With this, I should be able to protect Cheng'er once his secrets are exposed." Xiao Ran spoke softly, a determined glint flashing through his eyes.

He knew Xiao Cheng carried many secrets—the purplish-gold mark, the miraculous Dragon Transformation Sutra, and the knowledge and cultivation methods that did not belong to this world. One day, these secrets would be exposed before the world.

When that day came, Xiao Cheng would face immense danger and covetous eyes.

And as his father, he had to possess enough strength to protect his son.

The Space-Time Divine Shuttle was the trump card he had prepared.

"Soon... Just give me a little more time, and I'll be able to complete it completely." Xiao Ran clenched his fists, determination shining in his eyes.

Early the next morning, Xiao Cheng bid farewell to Mu Huang, Han Tianyi, and Mu Man, then followed Mu Wan aboard the Black-Grade Mecha returning to Shrek City.

The mecha rose into the sky, and the Body Sect's mountain gate grew smaller and smaller in his view until it finally vanished into the sea of clouds.

Several hours later, the outline of Shrek City appeared in the distance.

"Shrek City, I'm back." Xiao Cheng spoke softly, anticipation flashing in his eyes.

The mecha slowly descended onto the Spirit Pagoda's private landing platform.

The hatch opened, and Xiao Cheng and Mu Wan stepped out of the mecha. At a glance, they spotted Xiao Ran waiting beside the landing platform.

After four months apart, Xiao Ran looked somewhat thinner, but his spirits were excellent, and excitement shone in his eyes. When he saw his wife and son, a bright smile spread across his face as he strode toward them.

"Wan'er, Cheng'er, you're back!"

"Dad!" Xiao Cheng hurried forward as well and gave Xiao Ran a big hug.

Xiao Ran embraced his son and sensed the aura coming from him. Surprise flashed through his eyes. "Cheng'er, you... your strength?" He had risen three levels in four months. If he had not trusted his father-in-law's character, he would have suspected that Xiao Cheng had consumed too many heavenly treasures.

"Hehe, Dad, I've improved quite a bit these past four months!" Xiao Cheng smiled proudly. "I'll tell you all about it once we get home."

"Good, good!" Xiao Ran replied repeatedly. Then he looked toward his wife, his eyes brimming with tenderness. "Wan'er, you've worked hard."

"It wasn't hard." Mu Wan smiled faintly. "You, on the other hand, look much thinner. Is that project finished?"

Xiao Ran nodded, pride flashing in his eyes. "It's basically complete. The prototype of the Space-Time Divine Shuttle has been forged."

"Really?!" Mu Wan was both startled and delighted. "That's wonderful!" The Space-Time Divine Shuttle's design was not Xiao Ran's work alone. Mu Wan had also participated in its design and theoretical research. It was simply that the final construction could only be carried out by Xiao Ran, an expert proficient in spatial attributes.

"Let's talk once we get home." Xiao Ran put an arm around his wife's shoulders, then took his son's hand. "Come on, let's go home!"

The family of three walked toward home beneath the lingering glow of the setting sun.