After returning to Jiangnan City, Gao Liang sold the Beast General-level monsters they had obtained and divided the money evenly according to their contribution points. Xiao Zi went from a multimillionaire to a billionaire.
Once the money was divided, everyone called home to let their families know they were safe. With no such ties to worry about, Xiao Zi simply chatted with Qian Renxue in his Sea of Consciousness.
Taking the special passage reserved for Martial Artists, they headed to the HR Alliance Mall to exchange for supplies.
The luxurious lounge held a number of long sofas, surrounded by crystal-clear decorations. Tempered glass covered the floor, beneath which streams wound their way past fish swimming freely in the water.
A manager surnamed Fang received them. Xiao Zi suddenly asked, "Manager, are there any unusual medicines in this mall that can regrow severed limbs... or reconstruct an entire body?"
"Yes, the legendary Water of Life. Never mind a few severed limbs-even if half your body were gone, it could grow back."
Manager Fang sighed. "But it's made using essence materials from the Earth Dragon King, a Lord-level Monster. How many dragon kings are there in the whole world? That's why every drop of Water of Life costs an astronomical sum. A single portion costs thirty billion in Huaxia Currency, and even then, you can't find any for sale..."
He went on and on, but Babata curled his lip in boredom. "Xiao Zi, don't believe all that. It's just the HR Alliance's marketing ploy to inflate prices and squeeze more money out of people. It's nowhere near that expensive!"
Xiao Zi nodded. In the original story, Luo Feng had bought Water of Life to rebuild his younger brother's legs and even used it to make an immortality necklace for Xu Xin. He had bought it as casually as if he were buying wholesale.
But that depended on who was buying. Xiao Zi could not compare himself to Luo Feng. At present, he was still at the stage where he could not even make change in Huaxia Currency; Water of Life costing tens of billions could only make him shrink back.
Unlike Babata, Qian Renxue shared his thoughts. "That's far too expensive. Why don't we look at something else?"
Xiao Zi said, "Xiao Xue, this is something I'm preparing for you. One day, it can rebuild your body and bring you back to life in this world! It might take a very long time, but I'll keep working toward it!"
Although the Douluo Continent had plenty of treasures capable of restoring a body, such as the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, which could raise the dead and put flesh back on bare bones, Qian Renxue had once become a god. Her soul had evolved into a divine soul, and nothing short of a supreme treasure could fuse it perfectly with a new body.
As a treasure from the higher plane of Swallowed Star, the Water of Life was the perfect substitute within his reach, one that would leave no lingering complications upon her resurrection.
To the woman who had been by his side from the very beginning, he made that solemn, earnest promise.
Qian Renxue was moved beyond words. Babata, forced to swallow a mouthful of their lovey-dovey display, was equally speechless. He reminded Xiao Zi, "Your training with the Fire Hammer Squad is over. You can go back now!"
Xiao Zi was a little surprised. "So soon?"
Babata shrugged. "If I remember correctly, don't you still have things to do on the Douluo Continent? The Fire Hammer Squad was just an early rehearsal. The next time you come, you'll have to prepare for the War God Training Camp entrance assessment. Work hard!"
The Limit Martial Arts School had two major training camps, one basic and one elite. The War God Training Camp was a reserve program for cultivating War Gods. Anyone who reached the junior War God level would be at least equivalent to a Titled Douluo!
Xiao Zi did not quite understand, but it sounded impressive. He nodded to show that he had taken note.
Babata asked again, "Where are you going back to this time? The academy dormitory again?"
"No. I took an extended leave from the academy, so I won't be going back for now. Set the destination to the Far North!"
The spatial passage opened again. When Xiao Zi's feet touched solid ground once more, he had arrived in a kingdom of ice and snow. Gusts of biting cold swept over him, carrying a chill that could freeze body and soul.
Remarkably, Xiao Zi did not feel overwhelmed, nor did he need Qian Renxue's God Ring to keep warm. His physique was more than ten times stronger than it had been at the beginning, and he no longer needed outside help to resist the cold.
"Looks like these days of training with the Fire Hammer Squad did a lot of good. Now I have a little more confidence about the Soul Master Tournament!"
As the one nourished by him, sharing her host's fortunes and losses, Qian Renxue felt the change most directly. She agreed, "Five Hearts Facing the Sky draws in energy from the universe, and Swallowed Star has several times more spiritual energy than the Douluo Continent. Together, they reshape your body and let your cultivation achieve twice the result with half the effort.
"If nothing unexpected happens, once you reach the Titled Douluo or junior War God level, your body will rival or even surpass those of soul beasts. You'll be able to arm-wrestle those ferocious beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest-even against Beast God Di Tian, you'll have the strength to put up a fight!"
At that point, she could not help feeling regretful. A ten-thousand-year third ring would shock the world. To avoid being treated as a monster, he could only follow the so-called optimal soul ring configuration and choose a thousand-year third soul ring.
Sensing her disappointment, Xiao Zi comforted her. "It's all right. Aside from leveling up and unlocking soul skills, my first martial soul is there to keep up appearances. Look at my second martial soul-didn't its very first ring reach the divine level?"
Afterward, with Qian Renxue's detection, he found an Ice Silkworm over nine thousand years old. He killed it and successfully absorbed its ring, giving him three purple soul rings. The purple markings on his third soul ring carried a black tinge; it had been only a few decades short of ten thousand years.
He also obtained his third soul skill-Clone-and reached level thirty-four soul power.
Once again, it had little to do with the Ice Silkworm's traits. Instead, it was one of the Golden Horned Beast's innate secret techniques. Luo Feng had used it to nurture four clones, namely-
An Earthling, a Demon Slayer Race clone, the Nine Nether Sea, and a World Beast.
Any one of them alone would be an invincible existence on the Douluo Continent, capable of shattering the plane and wiping it out forever.
The skill was exactly what Xiao Zi had expected. That was why he had gone to Swallowed Star first. Speaking of which, this trip between worlds seemed to have lacked...
"Which kind of clone do you want to choose?"
Babata suddenly popped out, startling both Xiao Zi and Qian Renxue.
"You haven't left yet?" After a brief moment of surprise, Xiao Zi quickly composed himself, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Babata planted his hands on his hips and raised his head proudly. "If I left, who would give you your reward?"
Xiao Zi was full of anticipation. "What good stuff is it?"
"Answer my question first." As Babata spoke, he brought up several panels.
Looking over, Xiao Zi saw the clones Luo Feng had nurtured, along with detailed descriptions.
After examining them, Xiao Zi asked curiously, "Why isn't there a World Beast?"
Babata glared at him. "In your dreams! If we let you nurture that clone, what would even be the point? Master sent you here to train, not to cheat!"
A single World Beast could rival a supreme expert of the universe, making it even more absurdly overpowered in Douluo. Xiao Zi had only asked offhandedly. His eyes had never left the panels as he carefully compared the strengths and weaknesses of the various clones.
His gaze finally settled, and he made his decision. "I choose the Demon Slayer Race clone."
The Demon Slayer Race consisted of energy lifeforms; as long as their crystal cores remained intact, they would not die. The secret patterns on their bodies contained the power of the space origin law, which would greatly aid his understanding of spatial laws. They could also split into multiple phantom bodies capable of fighting, making them extremely convenient for sneaking around or stirring up trouble.
Babata snapped his fingers, and a black phantom emerged...