Hongchen's Blessing

Ye Chenxing took the metal case. It felt heavy in his hands, its surface engraved with extraordinarily intricate Soul Tool patterns that shimmered with a dark golden luster under the light. He gently opened the case, revealing an extremely thin metal disc inside.

The metal disc was round, its entire surface giving off a soft golden glow. Most remarkable were the openwork carvings upon it. Those carved patterns were fine and orderly, yet brimming with creativity and imagination.

No Soul Power fluctuations leaked from it, yet merely sitting there, it possessed a special solidity as weighty as a mountain. Faint golden radiance flickered across its surface. The light was not strong, but it was exceptionally eye-catching.

"What is this...?"

"This Soul Tool was made by me personally. I named it Hongchen's Blessing. It is a triggered defensive Soul Tool. Placed against the chest, it automatically adheres to a Soul Master's body, absorbs the Soul Master's Soul Power, and becomes one with them. Once the Soul Master comes under attack, it senses it in advance and activates its defense. It can be turned on and off with a thought."

"Hongchen's Blessing has several aspects that I am rather satisfied with. First, it does not restrict the user's cultivation. Even Soul Masters with only one or two rings can use it. Its defensive effect is equivalent to the user gathering all their Soul Power and unleashing their strongest attack without using a soul skill. Yet the Soul Power it consumes is only one-fifth of that strongest attack. It is suitable for Soul Masters of any level. In the hands of a Titled Douluo, it can possess defensive power at the Super Douluo level."

"At the same time, it has a special activation method. By actively triggering its core formation, it can generate an Invincible Shield lasting fifteen seconds. Its defensive power reaches three times the user's own cultivation. The reason it can be considered a ninth-grade Soul Tool lies precisely in this Invincible Shield ability. However, after this special activation is used once, it must be recharged. There is no need to deliberately recharge it; during the user's natural cultivation, it gradually fills with the required Soul Power. This process takes roughly three days. Of course, it can also be actively charged. In that case, one need only meditate for a full day and night while continuously pouring all of one's Soul Power into it."

Ye Chenxing's heart jolted.

It was actually Hongchen's Blessing. This was a life-saving treasure that even Titled Douluo would covet. On the surface, the original Three Douluo Kingdoms had not possessed a single respectable ninth-grade Soul Tool, yet Jing Hongchen was giving it to him so casually.

There was no need to elaborate on this item's power. Its repeated rescues of Huo Yuhao from desperate situations in the original work were naturally the best proof of its worth.

"Hall Master, this is far too precious..." Ye Chenxing instinctively tried to refuse.

"Precious, my ass!" Jing Hongchen cut him off directly and declared in a tone that brooked no argument, "You are a pillar who will hold up the Sun Moon Empire in the future. Your safety is more important than anything else. What is one ninth-grade Soul Tool? If time were not so short, this old man would have wanted to tailor a full set of equipment just for you! Take it. Stop talking nonsense!"

Seeing Jing Hongchen's unyielding expression, Ye Chenxing fell silent for a moment. In the end, he solemnly put away Hongchen's Blessing and gave a deep bow. "Thank you for this generous gift, Hall Master. Chenxing will remember it always."

Jing Hongchen nodded in satisfaction and patted Ye Chenxing on the shoulder. "Go on, make your preparations. We leave this afternoon."

Jing Hongchen brought the three of them outside Ming Capital and rose into the air. Two slender golden lights abruptly unfurled behind his back, carrying his body slowly upward.

Ye Chenxing carefully observed the flying Soul Tool Jing Hongchen was using. It actually looked like a pair of wings—thin and soft, with no metallic feel at all. Pale golden light flowed across them, and there was no visible discharge of Soul Power. With only a gentle stretch, they carried Jing Hongchen into the sky.

"You three have not yet reached four rings. Using a flying Soul Tool below four rings carries certain risks. The adaptation of this technology is still being refined. With your talent, you should be able to use them as well, but for your safety, I will take you there this time!"

As he spoke, the cicada-wing-thin flying Soul Tool behind him suddenly blazed with golden light. Ye Chenxing only felt a golden curtain descend from the sky, and the next moment, their bodies were enveloped within it.

Then, the four of them soared skyward as though riding clouds and mist. Jing Hongchen's pair of flying Soul Tools suddenly expanded a thousandfold, while the three youths were wrapped in a layer of golden light film and floated behind his back. Two enormous golden wings, each ten meters wide, beat gently.

Jing Hongchen turned around and smiled faintly at them. The next moment, the golden light abruptly intensified, and the scenery around them instantly turned hazy.

Everything outside became completely blurred, yet the three inside the light film felt no discomfort whatsoever. It was as if they were sitting in a quiet room; they could not even hear the wind. If not for the scenery streaking past at tremendous speed, Ye Chenxing would not have felt that he was flying rapidly through the air.

Though his own Martial Soul could fly, Jing Hongchen's flying Soul Tool gave Ye Chenxing an entirely different experience.

"How is it, Chenxing? Is it uncomfortable using a flying Soul Tool for the first time?"

Meng Hongchen moved closer with concern, a trace of cautiousness hidden in her eyes.

In her view, Ye Chenxing had grown up in some "backwater" like the Heaven Dou Empire. He had probably never even seen what a flying Soul Tool looked like, much less used one himself. It was only natural that he would be nervous and afraid on his first time in the sky.

Hearing this, Ye Chenxing turned his head and smiled at her. "It's fine. With Hall Master Jing here, there is nothing for me to worry about."

"That's good!" Meng Hongchen visibly relaxed, and the smile on her face grew even brighter. "You have no idea how miserable my brother was the first time he used a flying Soul Tool. He was actually afraid of heights! His face went completely pale, and he clung desperately to Grandpa's clothes, refusing to let go. It took him ages to get used to it!"

"Meng!! What nonsense are you talking about?!"

Xiao Hongchen, who had still been trying to look cool beside them, abruptly turned his head. His originally cold and fair face instantly flushed bright red, even the tips of his ears turning crimson.

"I wasn't making it up!" Meng Hongchen stuck out her tongue and hid beside Ye Chenxing, looking as though she had someone to back her up. "Grandpa can testify!"

Xiao Hongchen gritted his teeth, yet he was utterly helpless against his little sister. He secretly glanced at Ye Chenxing and saw the faintly amused curve at the corner of his lips. He wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

It was over. His lifelong reputation had been ruined in a single day.

Thinking of how many embarrassing stories his sister might expose in the future, Xiao Hongchen felt that his future life was utterly bleak.

Jing Hongchen, flying at the very front, turned around to watch the three young people bickering behind him. A genuinely gratified smile appeared on his face. He stroked his wind-tousled beard and laughed heartily.

"Alright, alright, sit tight! This old man is speeding up. We must reach the Jingyang Mountain Range before nightfall!"

As his words fell, the dark golden flying Soul Tool behind Jing Hongchen erupted with even brighter light, and he shot westward like a meteor.

The sun slanted toward the horizon, and its golden-red afterglow spilled across the earth, coating the rolling mountain range in a warm radiance.

Looking down from the sky, Ye Chenxing saw that the land ahead seemed to have been wrinkled by an invisible giant hand, rising into countless uneven ridgelines. Lush primeval forest covered the entire mountain range, layered in shades from dark green to emerald, stretching as far as the eye could see.

This was the Jingyang Mountain Range—one of the largest gathering places for soul beasts within the Sun Moon Empire.

Unlike the ancient, profound Star Dou Great Forest, which felt as if deadly danger lurked everywhere, the Jingyang Mountain Range gave off a more open and majestic impression.

Between the mountains, silver-ribbon waterfalls could occasionally be seen cascading down cliffs. The rising mist refracted rainbow-colored halos beneath the setting sun. In distant valleys, flocks of unknown flying soul beasts could faintly be seen returning to their nests, their long cries echoing through the air.

"We're here. Let's land." Jing Hongchen lowered their altitude and flew toward a relatively flat area on the outskirts of the mountain range.

After looking around and confirming that there was no powerful soul beast aura nearby, he nodded in satisfaction.

"We'll set up camp here tonight. Tomorrow morning, we'll go deeper into the mountains to find suitable prey." He looked at the three youths, a smile appearing on his round face. "Get plenty of rest and restore your energy. Tomorrow's soul beast hunt will be no game."

The three of them naturally did not need to do everything personally as Huo Yuhao had when he first entered the Jingyang Mountain Range in the original work. Before leaving, their storage Soul Tools had already been packed with prepared food and tents. Before long, a simple yet comfortable camp had been set up in a clearing among the trees.

Jing Hongchen watched the three children bustling about, a gratified smile appearing on his round face. Stroking his chin, he suddenly said that he would patrol the surrounding area and see whether any clueless soul beasts were wandering nearby. Then, with his hands behind his back and a little tune on his lips, he tactfully vanished into the depths of the forest, leaving the quiet camp entirely to the three young people.

Ye Chenxing snapped his fingers, and a campfire immediately rose. Orange-red flames reflected across the three faces, driving away the chill of the mountain forest night.

Meng Hongchen held a cup of hot tea in both hands and secretly glanced at Ye Chenxing several times. Finally, as though she had made up her mind, she cautiously asked, "Chenxing, that sister of yours... Ye Xue. What kind of person is she? You grew up together. Was she especially good to you?"

Ye Chenxing was slightly taken aback.

His first reaction was a slight tightening in his chest—had Meng Hongchen noticed something? After all, "Ye Xue," Qian Renxue's disguise, only possessed the Bright Swan Martial Soul. His Sun Martial Soul was flawless, but Qian Renxue was a suitable point of breakthrough.

But he quickly noticed Meng Hongchen's expression as she asked the question. Her hands unconsciously tightened around the teacup, and there was a trace of nervousness in her blue eyes. Yet she forced herself to appear as though she were merely chatting casually. Her gaze drifted everywhere, except she did not dare look him in the eye.

Ye Chenxing could not help but laugh.

So that was it. Her concern was not Ye Xue's identity at all, but whether the "sister" who had lived with him day and night, his childhood companion, might be a potential romantic rival.

With that thought, Ye Chenxing set down his teacup and spoke gently and frankly. "Miss Meng, you are overthinking it. My sister and I grew up in a small village in the Heaven Dou Empire. Grandpa was very good to us, and the villagers took good care of us too. Though my sister is somewhat cold by nature, she has always looked after me. But in the end, we are simply ordinary siblings, living ordinary lives."

After hearing this, Meng Hongchen's tense shoulders silently relaxed. She raised her teacup and took a sip, using it to conceal the uncontrollable smile at the corner of her lips.

Good, good. So far, they really are just ordinary siblings.

"Right!" She suddenly lifted her head. Her bright blue eyes looked at Ye Chenxing, and her tone held a hint of coquettishness. "From now on, just call me 'Meng'!" Calling me 'Miss Meng' is far too formal. We'll be classmates studying and cultivating together in the future!"

Studying...

In his first life, those two words had occupied nearly the first twenty years of his life.

Only a little more than a decade had passed, yet it already felt impossibly distant.

He looked at Meng Hongchen's cheeks by the campfire, faintly flushed by the firelight. Dancing flames reflected in those clear blue eyes, filled with a young girl's unique anticipation and nervousness. For a moment, he seemed to see the shadow of another world.

Without realizing it, his gaze lingered a little too long.

Under his direct stare, Meng Hongchen's fair cheeks visibly reddened, and even her ears seemed to burn. Her heart beat faster and faster. Her hands unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, and even her voice trembled slightly. "I-Is there something on my face? ..."

Ye Chenxing abruptly came back to his senses and realized his lapse in composure. He concealed the faint, almost imperceptible melancholy in his eyes, and the gentle smile returned to his lips as he spoke softly.

"Sorry. Then I'll call you that from now on, Meng."

Meng Hongchen's voice was already as soft as a mosquito's buzz, nearly melting into the night breeze.

"Mm..."

"Xiao."

Ye Chenxing and Meng Hongchen turned their heads at the same time. Xiao Hongchen sat with his back to them on the other side of the campfire, showing only the back of his head. His voice was muffled and carried a hint of unnatural stiffness. "Y-You can call me 'Xiao' too. Calling me 'Brother Xiao' all day sounds awkward."

Meng Hongchen froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that she swayed back and forth, tears nearly coming out. "Brother, are you... acting tsundere? Putting on such an unwilling expression!"

"Meng!! What did you say?!" Xiao Hongchen spun around. His fair face had turned completely red. "W-Who is acting tsundere?! I just think that form of address is too troublesome!"

"Alright, alright, not troublesome. Not troublesome at all~"

The atmosphere around the campfire gradually became relaxed and warm. Watching the brother and sister fool around, Ye Chenxing could not help but curl his lips into a heartfelt smile.