The evening breeze was gentle, and the sunset's afterglow spread across the entire street.
Three figures walked slowly through the dusk, one in front and two behind.
Cool and dignified, Leng Yaoyu walked at the front with unhurried steps.
Xiao Chen followed at an easy pace, his posture straight and his expression calm.
Na'er's small figure followed beside him, still clutching her unfinished chicken drumstick as she looked all around, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
Before long, the towering Spirit Transferring Pagoda came into view.
The entire tower was silvery white, its halls arranged in orderly tiers that soared into the clouds.
Bathed in the lingering sunset, the Spirit Transferring Pagoda shimmered brilliantly, its imposing, solemn presence washing over them.
A faint, pearly halo flowed over the barrier outside the tower; even from afar, the sight was enough to shake the heart.
Na'er, who had wandered all the way from the Star Dou Great Forest, was instantly dumbstruck.
She stopped, tilted her little head back, and stared blankly at the tower piercing the clouds before her.
Her silver eyes went perfectly round, filled with shock and disbelief.
Throughout all her wandering, she had never seen such a magnificent, imposing building.
Compared with the Spirit Transferring Pagoda, every building she had seen before was hardly worth mentioning.
"Th-this is the Spirit Transferring Pagoda?"
Na'er's eyes immediately lit up with wonder, making her the very picture of a little country bumpkin seeing the bustling world for the first time.
Watching her adorably bewildered expression, Leng Yaoyu's eyes flickered with a gentle smile as she said softly:
"Let's go inside. This will be your home from now on."
Inside the Spirit Transferring Pagoda, elegant halls and white jade corridors lent every corner a dignity and tranquility removed from the mortal world.
Na'er looked around as she walked, her little head barely able to turn fast enough, delight piling up in her eyes.
Her anxious heart finally settled completely amid the awe-inspiring, reassuring atmosphere.
There was food here, somewhere to stay, and such beautiful surroundings. It was ten thousand times better than wandering from place to place and begging to get by.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly to himself at the sight of her. Without saying much, he led her through the corridors toward the private residential quarters.
The residential quarters for the Spirit Transferring Pagoda's core disciples were extraordinarily luxurious, with every bedroom spacious, bright, and fully furnished.
Xiao Chen chose a bedroom for Na'er right next to his own.
It had excellent natural light, an expansive view, brand-new soft bedding, and every daily necessity.
"You'll be staying here from now on."
Xiao Chen spoke.
"Thank you, Brother Xiao Chen!"
Na'er nodded vigorously, sweet and well-behaved.
The long journey had left her dusty and bedraggled, and her cloth garments were covered in quite a bit of dirt.
Now that she had finally settled down, she immediately felt uncomfortable all over.
She looked at Xiao Chen and asked quietly:
"Brother, is there somewhere I can bathe?"
"Yes."
Xiao Chen pointed to the bathing area in the room.
"There's hot water inside, and everything you need. You can get yourself cleaned up."
"Mm-hmm!"
Na'er dashed into the bathroom, impatient to wash and tidy herself up.
Seeing this, Xiao Chen turned and sat on the living room sofa, sinking into thought.
He kept going over the day's unexpected developments in his mind, his brows furrowing slightly.
Something's wrong. Very wrong.
According to the original plot, the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena should still be whole at this point. She wouldn't split ahead of time at all.
Even if she split into Gu Yue and Na'er, Gu Yue wouldn't let Na'er, who held thirty percent of her essence, wander through human society.
But now Na'er has already appeared. The Silver Dragon King split early, and the plot has clearly changed.
That raises the question: what is Gu Yue, the Silver Dragon King's other half, doing?
In the original timeline, the Silver Dragon King had incomplete memories at this point because something went wrong with her transformation.
After she ended up in human society and Tang Wulin's family took her in, she developed feelings for humans.
The Silver Dragon King certainly couldn't accept that outcome. To keep the left and right sides of her mind from fighting each other, Gu Yue had no choice but to split off her other half, Na'er.
What followed was the Silver Dragon King's world-shaking wisdom, Gu Yue and Na'er's wager, and the melodramatic story with Tang Wulin.
But now everything has been thrown into disarray.
Without that relationship from the original story, Gu Yue's disposition is bound to be colder and more obsessive now. Her head is probably full of nothing but her world-shaking wisdom and the revival of the Soul Beasts.
If the current Gu Yue discovers the Golden Dragon King's Divine Core sealed inside Tang Wulin, she probably won't bother with gently approaching him and silently staying by his side. Instead, she'll attack him the moment they meet.
"Looks like Tang Wulin will just have to suffer a little more."
"Tang San will cover for him anyway."
Xiao Chen murmured under his breath, his heart utterly unruffled.
As his thoughts drifted, a faint sound of a door opening reached him.
Na'er had finished bathing and changed into clean, simple, close-fitting clothes.
Her wet silver hair hung loosely over her shoulders, and her skin was fair and translucent. Clean and fresh, with the dust of her travels washed away, she looked all the more like a little figure carved from jade, lively and adorable.
"Brother Xiao Chen, I'm done washing!"
Na'er skipped over to him, looking completely refreshed, her eyes filled with pure brightness.
Xiao Chen gathered his thoughts and nodded lightly:
"Get some rest early. Starting tomorrow, you'll be attending lessons and cultivating with me."
"Lessons?"
Na'er blinked her large silver eyes and nodded with only a vague understanding.
"Can I not go?"
"Probably not."
With nothing else to do, the two returned to their own rooms to rest.
The night passed without dreams, and dawn arrived in the blink of an eye.
Early the next morning, daylight broke, and the rising sun bathed the Spirit Transferring Pagoda.
Leng Yaoyu arrived at the residential quarters early and took them both to a classroom inside the Spirit Transferring Pagoda.
Leng Yaoyu stood at the front of the classroom, her usual gentleness giving way to a more serious, dignified expression.
Her gaze settled on Xiao Chen and Na'er before her, and she slowly began:
"You both have innate full Soul Power, and your talent surpasses everyone in your age group. The paths ahead of you are destined to take you far beyond ordinary Soul Masters."
"Simply cultivating Soul Power and honing Soul Skills is far from enough."
"With the development of Soul Masters to this day, beyond the three main pillars of Martial Souls, Soul Skills, and Soul Spirits, Battle Armor has become an important asset for Soul Masters seeking a place at the very top."
At the mention of Battle Armor, Leng Yaoyu's tone grew more solemn.
"To possess your own personalized Battle Armor, you need the cooperation of four core professions: Mecha Designer, Blacksmith, Mecha Manufacturer, and Mecha Mechanic."
Clearly and methodically, she explained the core responsibilities and functions of the four professions to them one by one.
From design and drafting, forging and refining, to assembly and engraving, and emergency repairs, she laid out the entire system of four interlocking professions, none of which could be left out.
"Top-tier Battle Armor is necessarily the result of leading experts from all four professions working together."
"You are still young and have plenty of room for trial and error, so you should make your choices early."
"If a profession doesn't suit you, you can also change your secondary profession promptly."
"Today, you will each choose a profession for yourselves as your secondary profession and devote yourselves to studying it, paving the way for creating your own Battle Armor in the future."
With that, Leng Yaoyu watched them quietly, waiting for their choices.
Na'er had only half understood what she heard. Blinking her silver eyes with a bewildered expression, she instinctively looked at Xiao Chen beside her, intending to choose whatever he chose.
Xiao Chen, meanwhile, wore a calm gaze. He already had a clear answer in his heart.
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