Nezha sprang out of bed.
He stood barefoot on the brocade quilt, his little face flushed red, both fists clenched tight, his entire body trembling slightly.
The Great Firmament Celestial Art.
The greatest cultivation art in the world of Journey to the West, bar none.
Although... it was a stripped-down version.
Even so, in a low-tier fantasy world like the Douluo Continent, it could absolutely sweep aside all opposition.
He drew a deep breath, then another, but nothing could suppress the excitement shooting from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.
Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations, Seventy-Two Earthly Transformations, Heaven and Earth Manifestation, Three Heads and Six Arms... any one of these divine abilities and spells would be enough to turn the entire Douluo Continent upside down. Soul Skills, Soul Bones, Martial Soul Avatars-what the hell did any of them amount to before this cultivation art?
When the time comes, I'll just combine Heaven and Earth Manifestation with Three Heads and Six Arms and smash a mountain with one punch. Put a spectacle like that on the Douluo Continent, and even Titled Douluos will have to watch on their knees.
If Nezha's confidence in his ability to defeat Great God King Tang someday had previously been a hundred...
Now it was infinite.
A mere Little Scumbag-even with his father Tang Hao and the entire Clear Sky Sect thrown in, Nezha could skewer them all with one thrust and make a "Tang Family Bucket."
With Heaven and Earth Manifestation plus Three Heads and Six Arms, he could rack his brains all he liked and still couldn't imagine how he would lose.
"Wait."
Nezha abruptly stopped, his little face tightening.
"I'm getting a little too cocky."
He slapped his cheeks hard. The two sharp smacks sounded especially crisp in the quiet bedroom. It hurt. Good-it was supposed to.
The Great Firmament Celestial Art was indeed formidable, but he was still a weak little nobody without even one ring. He had only just begun practicing the art, and the trace of warmth in his dantian was fainter than a firefly's glow.
And he wanted to skewer a "Tang Family Bucket" like this? He would probably get skewered by some hundred-year soul beast beside the road before he even caught sight of Tang San's shadow.
Nezha inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled, finally dragging his heart back down from the clouds and into his chest.
"A meal has to be eaten one bite at a time, and a road has to be walked one step at a time."
He sat cross-legged on the bed again, rested his hands on his knees, and felt that faint speck of warmth deep within his dantian.
It was still far too weak, so weak it could almost be ignored. Yet it was truly there, solid and real, like a seed that had just broken through the soil.
"First, hunt for a soul ring and get on track with the Soul Master system," he murmured, as though drawing up a plan for himself. "I'll cultivate the Great Firmament Celestial Art alongside it, but I can't rush or push too far. I need to lay a firm foundation first. As for those divine abilities and spells... they can wait until my cultivation is high enough."
He closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually steadied.
Outside the window, the moon shone bright, bathing the windowsill in silver light.
At dawn, a ray of morning sunlight slipped through the curtains. Nezha was still half asleep, dreaming that he was toppling Tang San with a thrust of his spear. The Fire-Tipped Spear was almost at Little Scumbag's nose when a sudden burst of urgent knocking dragged him bodily out of his wonderful dream.
He rolled over, rubbed his eyes, and climbed out of bed. His hair was a mess, the two buns hanging crookedly on either side of his head. Yawning, he walked to the door and casually pulled it open.
Three people stood outside.
Ning Zhiyuan stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in moon-white robes. The morning light fell upon him, making him look as gentle and lustrous as jade. Ning Tian stood beside him, her ponytail meticulously combed and her white dress immaculate, giving Nezha a small nod. Wu Yun stood at the back with his arms folded, his crimson hair streaming in the morning breeze, a rugged grin tucked beneath his bristling beard.
Ning Zhiyuan looked Nezha up and down. His hair might have been a little messy, but his face was rosy, his eyes clear and bright, and he was brimming with energy. Ning Zhiyuan nodded in satisfaction.
"Mm, you're in good shape."
He reached out and patted Nezha's shoulder, his tone gentle yet solemn. "Nezha, Brother Wu will take you two to hunt for soul rings today."
Nezha jolted, the last traces of sleepiness vanishing like smoke. His journey as a Soul Master was finally about to begin.
Ning Zhiyuan added, "As for your first soul ring, I spent last night searching through the sect's records. I've already settled on a soul beast for you."
Nezha paused briefly, warmth welling up in his heart.
He had thought hunting for a soul ring simply meant going into the Star Dou Great Forest, finding a suitable soul beast, and killing it. He hadn't expected Ning Zhiyuan to spend the night poring over records and select one specifically for him. Such care was truly rare from the master of a sect.
He pressed his lips together, then looked up. "Understood, Uncle Ning. Thank you."
Ning Zhiyuan waved a hand, his gaze kind. "Go on. Stay safe, and listen to Brother Wu."
Wu Yun strode forward, his burly frame looming before Nezha and blocking almost half the daylight. He looked down at the little bean sprout with the twin buns and grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Ready, kid?"
Nezha looked up at him and nodded firmly. "I'm ready, Elder Wu."
"Good!"
Wu Yun laughed heartily and bent down. Reaching out with his fan-sized hands, he scooped up Nezha and Ning Tian like little chicks, one in each hand, and tucked them beneath his arms.
Nezha suddenly felt the ground disappear beneath his feet. He had already been lifted into the air, his viewpoint shooting upward. Turning his head, he saw Ning Tian tucked under Wu Yun's other arm. The young lady was remarkably composed, her white dress fluttering slightly in the breeze, her ponytail hanging down, and her expression calm. Clearly, this wasn't her first time being carried through the air like this.
"Let's go!"
Wu Yun's soul power surged, and nine soul rings rose from beneath his feet-two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red-gleaming in the morning light.
A deep dragon's roar erupted from within him. His crimson hair whipped wildly as a pair of enormous dragon wings suddenly unfurled behind him. A lava-like glow flowed between the wing bones, and their span stretched well over twenty feet, each beat stirring a scorching gale.
A boom thundered beside Nezha's ears, and the scenery around him instantly blurred.
With one beat of his wings, Wu Yun shot into the sky like an arrow loosed from a bow. He climbed so fast that Nezha's stomach churned. Nezha hurriedly shut his mouth and swallowed back the sour bile surging into his throat.
The wind howled past, and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect rapidly shrank beneath them. The main peak, the secondary peaks, the stretches of glazed-tile roofs, and the winding city walls all receded from view. Within a few breaths, Nine Treasures City had become a tiny chessboard beneath their feet. Another blink, and even its walls disappeared below the sea of clouds.
At the Red Dragon Douluo's flying speed, the three of them reached the skies above the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest in less than ten hours.
Nestled in the crook of Wu Yun's arm, Nezha squinted into the distance. At the edge of the sky, a vast sea of forest was slowly rising from beyond the horizon.
The trees towered into the sky, ancient boughs spreading like canopies. Dense crowns overlapped in layer upon layer, resembling a deep-green ocean. Viewed from above, the forest stretched boundlessly, extending for untold thousands of miles. Here and there, immense streams and deep ravines showed between the treetops. Mist wound through the woods without dispersing, and even from so far away, a faint breath of primal wilderness washed over him.
The Star Dou Great Forest.
The largest soul beast habitat on the Douluo Continent. For ten thousand years and more, countless Soul Masters had hunted soul rings here, and countless others had met their deaths. Beneath those towering ancient trees, who knew how many white bones lay buried, or how many opportunities lay hidden?
Nezha gazed at that sea of forest, his heartbeat quickening slightly.
His first soul ring was waiting for him there.
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