"My name is Zhu Zhuqing. I'm from the Star Luo Empire. What's your name?"
After they had walked some distance, Zhu Zhuqing hesitantly asked.
"Yu Tianling."
Looking at the boy who kept walking without speaking, Zhu Zhuqing could not help feeling a little dejected. Suddenly, a cool voice came from ahead, and a smile instantly returned to her little face. She hurried to catch up with Yu Tianling.
Zhu Zhuqing should still be in the Star Luo Empire at this point. How could she have appeared in Sunset Forest now?
Yu Tianling could not puzzle it out no matter how hard he thought. The original story had not described Zhu Zhuqing's childhood experiences, either. Her first appearance had been when she enrolled at Shrek Academy at twelve.
Thinking this, Yu Tianling glanced at the lively, adorable little figure beside him. The more he looked, the less she resembled the person he remembered. The Zhu Zhuqing in his memories had the air of a cold, aloof mature beauty.
"Why were those people trying to capture you?"
Yu Tianling asked.
Zhu Zhuqing froze. Her lively mood instantly sank, and she stared at the ground with a lost look in her eyes.
Oh no.
At the sight, Yu Tianling's heart gave a jolt. It seemed he had touched on something painful.
Just as he was about to comfort her, Zhu Zhuqing spoke.
"I'm from the Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire. For generations, our family has married into the Dai Family of the Star Luo Imperial Family, and I was naturally no exception. I was betrothed to Star Luo's third prince when I was little. If that were all, I wouldn't have needed to run away. But the third prince I was betrothed to suddenly fled a little while ago, and nobody knows where he went. My eldest sister, Zhu Zhuyun, wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of me. Before she could act, I escaped with a maid's help. I took a carriage prepared in advance and fled all the way to Sunset Forest. I never expected..."
By this point, Yu Tianling already knew what had happened afterward. She had simply been pursued all the way to Sunset Forest, and then he had stepped in and saved her.
What surprised Yu Tianling, however, was that Dai Mubai had run away so early, leaving his little fiancée all alone in Star Luo City.
Looking at the little girl with her head lowered, sorrow radiating from her entire body, Yu Tianling could not help sighing. Their meeting was fate.
"Where are you planning to go now, then?"
Zhu Zhuqing did not answer when she heard this. She simply snapped her head up and stared at Yu Tianling.
"Uh."
Seeing this, how could Yu Tianling not understand what Zhu Zhuqing meant?
"I'm planning to go to the Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City now. If you have nowhere to go, you can come with me."
"Okay!"
Zhu Zhuqing answered swiftly and hurried to Yu Tianling's side, afraid that if she were even a step too slow, he would no longer let her follow him.
Raising a loli isn't bad either, is it?
Yu Tianling could not help shaking his head, and the two then headed toward Heaven Dou City together.
On their way out of Sunset Forest, the two hunted Soul Beasts whenever they grew hungry. Once they were out of Sunset Forest, they hired a carriage and continued their journey.
Ten days later, Heaven Dou City.
"So this is Heaven Dou City? It looks just like Star Luo City."
A carriage slowly approached, carrying a boy and a little girl. At that moment, the little girl was peering outside through the window curtains, exclaiming in wonder from time to time.
The pair were none other than Yu Tianling and Zhu Zhuqing. Traveling at an unhurried pace, they had finally reached their destination today.
Looking at the exceptionally lively Zhu Zhuqing, Yu Tianling could not help smiling faintly. The two had gotten along very well over these ten days. Little Zhu Zhuqing was particularly lively and adorable, which also strengthened Yu Tianling's resolve not to let that scumbag Dai Mubai sully such a wonderful girl.
Dai Mubai, you can spend your life with your twin sisters instead. Zhu Zhuqing will stay by my side. I'll protect her smile.
A trace of ruthlessness flashed through Yu Tianling's eyes.
"Brother Tianling, where are we going first? Straight to the Great Soul Arena?"
Zhu Zhuqing turned to look at Yu Tianling, who was likewise dressed entirely in black, and asked sweetly, a hint of curiosity in her words. She had never been to a Great Soul Arena before and had no idea what it was actually like.
"It's getting late. Let's find somewhere to rest first and go to the Great Soul Arena tomorrow."
As he spoke, Yu Tianling stroked Zhu Zhuqing's head.
"Mm."
Zhu Zhuqing's little face flushed bright red in an instant. Without saying anything, she simply nodded.
Yu Tianling smiled at the sight, then gave the driver an instruction, and the carriage turned straight toward the hotel.
Ten minutes later, the carriage stopped, and Yu Tianling and Zhu Zhuqing nimbly climbed out.
Forest Hotel.
That was right-it was that familiar sign again.
Looking at the familiar sign, Yu Tianling could not help wanting to meet whoever was capable enough to open so many branches.
Yu Tianling then booked two luxury rooms at the hotel, one for himself and one for Zhu Zhuqing. After thoroughly washing up and washing away the fatigue of their recent journey, the two enjoyed a lavish feast downstairs.
Neither of them worried about money. Yu Tianling had plenty of Gold Soul Coins in his storage ring. Some had been left by his parents, while others were design fees for clothes he had designed in his spare time over the past two years.
As for Zhu Zhuqing's money, that went without saying. Although she had fled because her sister Zhu Zhuyun was trying to kill her, she had brought along all the birthday gifts and New Year's money she had accumulated over the years before leaving. That was no small sum, either.
After their meal, the two took a brief stroll around the shopping street outside. Yu Tianling bought Zhu Zhuqing many strange little trinkets, and they only returned to the hotel to rest after they had tired themselves out playing.
Early the next morning, after breakfast, Yu Tianling took Zhu Zhuqing to the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.
The Great Soul Arena had been jointly founded by the seven most prestigious Soul Master families on the continent. It belonged neither to the Heaven Dou Empire nor to the Star Luo Empire, nor did it belong to Spirit Hall. It was an independent force, yet its wealth rivaled that of a nation.
Soul fighting here was divided into three categories. The first was sparring, in which participants exchanged pointers. Ruthless killing blows were forbidden, and the emphasis was on stopping short of causing harm. Victory required only knocking an opponent out of the ring or having the opponent personally concede.
Another was a death match, used to resolve irreconcilable disputes. After signing a contract, both sides fought until one died, only then making the other side the winner.
The last was a wager match. With the Great Soul Arena acting as referee, both sides of the wager sent out equal numbers of Soul Masters to compete, and the eventual winner received everything stipulated in the wager. Usually, Spirit Hall Academy and Soul Master families used this method more often.
The competitions likewise came in three formats: one-on-one, two-on-two, and group battles.
For group battles, the number of participants on each side was decided through negotiation. Under the Great Soul Arena's rules, it was generally limited to between seven and ten people.
Registering for soul fighting here was very simple. One only needed to fill out a form listing one's name or alias, birthplace, Martial Soul, and Soul Power Level. After verification by the Great Soul Arena's staff, one could receive the initial Iron Soul Badge. Of course, each person also had to pay ten Gold Soul Coins as a registration fee.
Within the Great Soul Arena, only those with more than five consecutive victories, a sufficiently high soul fighting badge rank, or an extremely high Soul Master rank could compete in the main Soul Fighting Arena. All other matches took place in subsidiary Soul Fighting Arenas.
Soul fighting badges were divided into eight ranks in total: Iron Soul Badge, Bronze Soul Fighter Badge, Silver Soul Badge, Gold Soul Fighting Badge, Purple Gold Soul Fighting Badge, Sapphire Soul Fighting Badge, Ruby Soul Fighting Badge, and Diamond Soul Fighting Badge.