A New Mission

Ziyang and the others followed the attendant through a long corridor to the backstage settlement room.

The Profound Ice Grass was placed inside a jade box, while the Starfall Stone was much simpler, wrapped in a piece of velvet cloth. It felt heavy in the hand, like a frozen star.

After collecting their auction items, the three of them left directly.

Ziyang held the Starfall Stone in his palm, its nine-colored radiance still gleaming across its surface.

The instant it touched his skin, a warmth flowed out from within the stone and spread through his meridians, like a tiny fire snake slithering through his veins.

His whole body felt pleasantly warm.

A pink glow lit up in Ziyang's eyes, as if he had been affected by something.

"What's wrong?" Na'er asked in confusion.

"Nothing. Let's get something to eat first, then head back," Ziyang said.

At the mention of food, Na'er's eyes immediately lit up.

"Sure, sure! What are we eating?"

"Let's have grilled fish. It's been a long time." Thinking of a certain person's grilled fish, Ziyang felt like trying it again.

Although Shrek City had it too, eating it in a different place felt different.

They got into a car, crossed several streets, and turned two corners. The sign for Yuhao Grilled Fish Shop glowed in the night, its red neon lettering somewhat worn, as though polished by time.

The moment they pushed open the door, the smell of cooking oil rushed over them, mingled with the fragrance of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns.

There were not many people in the shop. Tang Wulin and Wu Changkong sat by the window, their grilled fish already half eaten, with fish bones piled into a small mountain on their plates. Tang Wulin looked up, met Ziyang's gaze, then quickly looked away.

Ziyang said nothing and led Na'er and Gu Yue to seats on the other side.

The attendant came over and handed them a menu. Na'er immediately took it, her silver hair falling over the paper. She glanced through it, raised her head, and said in a crisp voice:

"Start with ten fish of every flavor to whet our appetites."

The attendant froze, the pen tip pausing over the paper. It felt as though his ears were hallucinating, and he only wrote it down after confirming it again.

Ziyang took the menu and selected three flavors he liked from those Na'er had ordered before handing it to Gu Yue. Gu Yue glanced at it, added two grilled fish, and returned the menu.

"Please wait," the attendant said before hurrying toward the kitchen.

The shop fell quiet, leaving only the hum of the grill and the occasional soul-guided car passing outside the window.

Gu Yue looked at Ziyang and could not help asking, "Ziyang, does Teacher usually assign any other tasks?"

"It'll probably be an Ascension Platform mission. But Na'er and I both entered the Intermediate Ascension Platform. With your strength, there shouldn't be any problem."

"Ziyang." Na'er suddenly looked up. "What are you talking about?"

"We're talking about the tasks Teacher will assign later," Ziyang said.

Na'er blinked, her silver eyes moving back and forth between them.

"The Intermediate Ascension Platform?" Gu Yue spoke softly. "What are the soul beasts inside like?"

"They have higher cultivation levels," Ziyang explained. "The Junior Spirit Ascension Platform has at most thousand-year soul beasts. The Intermediate Ascension Platform has ones over five thousand years old. There are plenty of ten-thousand-year ones too."

"I see." After hearing the explanation, Gu Yue felt at ease.

As long as she did not encounter a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, she could retreat unharmed with her current strength.

Na'er, however, looked irritably to the side and noticed a group of women surrounding Wu Changkong. She nudged Ziyang with her elbow. "Ziyang, look over there. What's going on?"

"A group of girls are confessing to Teacher Wu," Gu Yue said.

"This bunch... same as always." Ziyang was speechless. "There's no room for you in his heart at all. All you can do is secretly look at the photos in the album."

Wu Changkong naturally heard that, but while the words clearly had no effect on him, they had a remarkable effect on the girls around him.

Their gazes involuntarily turned toward Ziyang. If this guy did not know how to talk, then he should stop talking. He was affecting their pursuit of their male idol.

Naturally, it also had a remarkable effect on Tang Wulin. His hand stopped instantly in the middle of eating grilled fish.

His hand hung in the air as oil dripped from the fish into the plate, gathering into a small greasy stain. He thought of that senior student. It seemed she had someone she liked.

That image surfaced in his mind like a photograph folded over and over again.

It was at that moment that the grilled fish arrived.

Steam rose, forming a layer of white mist.

Na'er's attention was immediately diverted, her silver eyes locking onto the fragrant, charred fish on the plate.

She picked up her chopsticks, moving quickly.

She peeled back the fish skin, removed the bones, picked up the tenderest meat from the belly, and put it into her mouth.

Ziyang took a bite as well.

The flesh was firm, charred on the outside and tender within. The fragrance of the spices burst across his tongue, followed by a slow, lingering sweetness.

He chewed a few times and swallowed, feeling the warmth slide down his throat. It was similar to the grilled fish in Shrek City, yet subtly different.

Gu Yue also sampled the grilled fish, covering her face as a satisfied smile appeared on it.

After they finished eating, fish bones were piled into small mountains on their plates. Na'er licked her lips, still wanting more.

Ziyang paid the bill, carrying the scent of oil on him.

They walked out of the shop, and the night wind rushed toward them with an inexplicable chill.

The three returned to the Spirit Pagoda in Heaven Dou City, and the elevator rose.

It went straight to the top floor.

The doors opened onto a long corridor, where the carpet swallowed every footstep. Leng Yaoyu stood in the center of a circular room with her back to them.

"You're back. How was today's experience?"

"It was pretty good," Ziyang said.

He took the jade box from his pocket. Leng Yaoyu accepted it naturally, her fingers lingering on the lid for a moment, as though confirming something.

She nodded and turned toward the safe in the corner of the room. From it, she took out another box, smaller than the one containing the Profound Ice Grass. It was dark red all over, with delicate flame patterns covering its surface.

"Gu Yue," she called softly.

Gu Yue stepped forward. Leng Yaoyu placed the box in her palm, then took out the Millennium Profound Ice Grass and handed it over as well.

"Take both spirit herbs together, and you'll be able to advance to Soul Elder."

Gu Yue lowered her head to look at the two boxes in her hands. One was blue and one red, one cold and one hot, leaving her feelings somewhat complicated.

Leng Yaoyu continued, "Once you break through, I'll take you to the Intermediate Ascension Platform tomorrow to train alongside Ziyang and the others."

Gu Yue agreed and turned toward the door, preparing to return to her room and make her breakthrough.

Ziyang then told Leng Yaoyu about the other item he had bought. Leng Yaoyu did not care much about one hundred thousand Federation Credits; Ziyang had earned far more than that himself.

Besides, meteorites were indeed rare. Aside from its inability to undergo Spirit Refinement, Starfall Iron was truly an exceptionally precious material.

"Go back and get some rest. Train well tomorrow," Leng Yaoyu said.

Ziyang nodded and returned to his room once more.

He took out the Starfall Stone and examined it. Even in the darkness, it still emitted nine-colored rays.

"What a strange stone. Could it really be hinting that I should become a blacksmith?"

Ziyang felt somewhat speechless, but he still decided to refine the stone into Starfall Iron later.

He cultivated until his spiritual power was exhausted, then fell asleep directly.

Yet in the darkness, a pale pink light lit up around his body.

The next day, when he woke up, his eyes had already turned pale pink.