Graduation

Six years later...

Barak Kingdom—Soto City—Peace Hotel

Gu Hengzhi stood quietly by the private room's window, his gaze passing through the clear glass as he looked out at the bustling streets below. A wave of emotion rose within him.

A year ago, he had graduated from Notting Junior Soul Master Academy with outstanding results. Given his exceptional talent, Nuoding Academy had originally intended to recommend him directly to an intermediate Soul Master academy for further study. Several renowned intermediate Soul Master academies had even extended olive branches and sent him invitations. Yet Gu Hengzhi had declined every one of those tempting opportunities.

During his five years at Nuoding Academy, Gu Hengzhi had once spoken at length with Principal Wu and asked to be exempted from classes. Because his academic performance was exceptional, Principal Wu had ultimately agreed. From then on, aside from carefully tending the herb garden and diligently cultivating, Gu Hengzhi had embarked on another venture in his life—the Peace Hotel.

With the Kitchen God's assistance, the Peace Hotel's business boomed. Its doors were crowded with customers every day, and the surrounding property values rose severalfold as a result. However, this lively scene eased somewhat only after Gu Hengzhi's soul power reached level twenty. Upon reaching level twenty, Gu Hengzhi had decisively entered the Spirit Hunting Forest and successfully hunted a top-tier, nine-hundred-year-old soul beast—the Solar Beetle. His soul skill was identical to his first soul skill: God-Summoning. Just as he had expected, it was a powerful support-type soul skill.

In statue form, Gu Hengzhi could not create food from nothing and had to prepare the necessary ingredients according to recipes. Yet the food he made could carry a miraculous attribute—either increasing speed by 20%, soul power by 20%, strength by 20%, defense by 20%, or mental power by 20%.

In possession form, Gu Hengzhi could create food out of thin air, and the attached attribute effects would increase by another 10%. To solve the issue of storing ingredients and dishes, Gu Hengzhi had successfully opened up a static space under the protection of the two gods. Within that space, all food and ingredients could remain fresh forever without spoiling.

With these powerful abilities, Gu Hengzhi immediately carried out a comprehensive transformation and upgrade of the Peace Hotel, successfully steering it toward the high-end market.

The Peace Hotel now upheld peace as its guiding principle. Like a tranquil harbor, no matter how deep a guest's grudges might be, once they stepped through its doors, they had to set them aside. To achieve this, Gu Hengzhi had not hesitated to engage in fierce clashes with several powerful Great Soul Masters and Soul Elders, defending the hotel's philosophy of peace through strength.

Gu Hengzhi was equally meticulous in his selection of ingredients. He carefully chose precious spirit herbs from the herb garden and freshly hunted soul beasts from the soul beast forests, ensuring that every dish contained rich soul power and a distinctive flavor.

As for the chefs, Gu Hengzhi had not taught them his true culinary skills. Instead, he cleverly drew upon the power of the Kitchen God statue. Whenever the chefs cooked, he infused the dishes with his soul power, allowing them to reach a more exquisite level of heat control and seasoning, producing unparalleled delicacies. Many competitors had tried to poach these chefs with high salaries, only to be bitterly disappointed in the end, because they could not replicate Gu Hengzhi's unique techniques.

After graduating, Gu Hengzhi had not rushed to join an intermediate Soul Master academy. Instead, he chose to travel the continent and temper both body and mind. Throughout that long journey, he never forgot to expand his own enterprise—the Peace Hotel.

Gu Hengzhi recruited his former Seven House roommates Wang Sheng, Li Jingchen, Shen Yan, Chen Shao, and the others, forming a powerful Peace Guard to handle the hotel's daily affairs. Then, without pause, he opened Peace Hotel branches in important cities such as Heaven Dou City, Star Luo City, Martial Soul City, and Vast Sea City, while also establishing herb gardens near the hotels.

A year later, Gu Hengzhi arrived in Soto City. He had two purposes for coming: first, to prepare a new Peace Hotel branch; second, to wait for Tang San, the child of destiny, so that Tang San would lose an important aid—the external soul bone, the Eight Spider Lances.

However, what Gu Hengzhi had not expected was that the timeline had changed. Unlike the original story, Soto City had welcomed an unprecedented advanced Soul Master academy—Righteous Heaven Academy. This academy seemed as though it had traveled here from ten thousand years in the future, carrying a mysterious and powerful aura. After relocating to Soto City, Righteous Heaven Academy immediately began recruiting students.

After remaining in Soto City for several more days, Gu Hengzhi still had not encountered Tang San, the child of destiny. Yet a chance meeting brought him face-to-face with someone extraordinary.

She was a girl, like a pearl in the darkness, radiating a mysterious glow. Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, while her slightly lowered face seemed to conceal endless secrets. She stood a full 170 centimeters tall, with the stature of a mature beauty. Her skin was as fair as snow, and her jade-carved features possessed a heart-stirring charm.

Yet this young girl gave off a distinctly different impression. Her voluptuous figure was entirely mismatched with her age; without seeing her face, one might mistake her for a mature woman. Especially her magnificent bosom, like a pair of full wings, drew every man's gaze as though it would lead them into a world filled with temptation.

In stark contrast to her fiery figure was the cold expression on her face. It was a chill that radiated from the depths of her heart, pure yet profound, like winter ice without the slightest trace of vitality. Her black eyes resembled bottomless abysses, devoid of even a ripple of emotion. This created a strange contrast with her originally exquisite face, making people unable to help but be captivated.

Her limbs were proportionate and slender, like those of an elegant dancer. Her hands hung naturally at her sides, as though telling of the calm within her heart. Yet the deathly coldness she exuded was like an invisible icy current, difficult to endure, as if one had been cast into a world of ice and snow.

That was right—she was Zhu Zhuqing, the Netherworld Spirit Cat!

Zhu Zhuqing had endured hardships along the way, fleeing from the Star Luo Empire to the Heaven Dou Empire while asking everywhere for news of her fiancé. After suffering countless trials and narrowly evading assassin after assassin, she had finally arrived in Soto City.

"The Peace Hotel has opened here too?" Zhu Zhuqing stepped into the Peace Hotel, walked straight to the front desk, and asked the attendant, "Are there any private rooms left?"

"Miss, I'm truly sorry. The last private room has already been reserved by our hotel's owner. We sincerely apologize!" The attendant carefully checked the ledger before replying with an apologetic expression.

"I see... then..." Before Zhu Zhuqing could finish, a low, magnetic male voice suddenly rang out. "Beautiful miss, I am the owner of this hotel. Would you mind dining with me? There are also some matters I would like to discuss with you."

Zhu Zhuqing turned toward the voice and saw a tall, gentlemanly man. He stood nearly 1.9 meters tall, straight as a pine and as steady as a mountain. He had a handsome face, sword-like brows, starry eyes, and deep pupils like a vast night sky. His nose was high, and his lips curved faintly upward in a gentle smile, giving him a sunny, handsome air.

He wore a dark blue Zhongshan suit that seemed tailor-made for him. Its refined, fitted cut and smooth, natural lines displayed quality in every detail. The buttons along the front were arranged neatly, glimmering faintly as though silently speaking of the garment's exquisite craftsmanship. Beneath it, he wore a crisp white cotton shirt with the collar slightly open, revealing a small section of his strong neck and lending him a touch of carefree unruliness. A simple yet stylish black leather belt circled his waist, adding steadiness and competence to his overall attire. On his wrist was a vintage silver watch, its strap gleaming softly as though quietly recording the passage of time.

This was the distinctive Zhongshan suit of the Peace Hotel. It was not merely clothing, but a symbol of culture and an expression of a unique style. On this man, the Zhongshan suit displayed a different kind of charm. It carried the heritage of traditional Chinese culture while revealing the bearing of an elegant gentleman, making others unable to help but look his way.