The twilight of Star Luo City pressed heavily on the towering rooftops and wide stone-paved streets.
Tang Feng found an inconspicuous but clean and tidy hotel and asked for a regular room.
Closing the door shuts out the noise from outside.
The room was small, containing only a bed, a table, and a chair.
Tang Feng put down his luggage and, instead of resting immediately, took a thorough bath first.
The warm water washed away the dust from the past two days of travel, and seemed to carry away the weariness and grime accumulated over the past two years, as well as the deliberately suppressed ordinariness.
Beneath the flowing water lies a body, honed by wind and sun, becoming ever more symmetrical and solid, each muscle containing an inner strength.
After washing and drying himself, Tang Feng changed into clothes he always carried with him but had never worn before: a set of simple black bodysuit without any decoration. The fabric was soft yet resilient, conforming to his body's curves and making no extra sound as he moved.
When he fastened the last button and stood before the blurry bronze mirror in the room, the figure reflected in the mirror was already different.
Having shed his disguise and the deliberate attempt to blend into the ordinary life, his face was clearly defined, his brows bearing the marks of his travels and the calm that comes with understanding the ways of the world. But his eyes shone with a long-lost light, like refined iron that had been tempered and polished.
That wasn't the sharp, flamboyant spirit of youth, but a more restrained, more resolute, profound insight that seemed to pierce through the fog and see straight to the essence.
Two years of experience did not diminish his sharpness; instead, it honed it to a higher level, concealing it within its sheath, yet possessing an imposing aura.
He was no longer the ordinary traveler chatting with old farmers in the fields, nor the silent observer in the city.
He is Tang Feng, Tang Feng Clear Sky Sect, who harbors earth-shattering ideals and whose body and mind have now completely merged into this continent.
After a simple dinner downstairs—the usual food provided by the hotel—he ate slowly and earnestly, as if performing some kind of ritual, bidding farewell to the carefree, wandering state of the past two years.
He returned to his room and bolted the door. Instead of lying down, he sat cross-legged in the open space in the center of the room, his palms facing upwards.
During his two years of travel, he did not deliberately practice asceticism, but his nightly meditation practice never truly ceased.
Whether under a big tree at the village entrance, amidst the ruins of a dilapidated temple, or in the corner of a woodshed where he was staying, he would enter a meditative state when all was quiet.
This kind of cultivation is not as focused and rapid as that of seclusion, but it excels in perseverance and subtly resonates with one's understanding of the universe, nature, and the myriad aspects of human life, possessing a unique and subtle charm.
At this moment, as Tang Feng truly calmed down and prepared to examine himself with utmost focus, the Soul Power within his body, which had been brimming and surging, and was just one step away from breaking through, seemed to receive some kind of summons and suddenly accelerated its flow!
The barrier of Level 69 has long since become as thin as a cicada's wing, thanks to the gradual accumulation of knowledge over the past two years and the recent complete clarity and open-mindedness of my mind.
The Soul Power surged like a mighty river, crashing towards that invisible barrier!
There was no earth-shattering sound, only the tidal roar within Tang Feng's meridians and the slight tremors at the soul level.
His body glowed faintly, and a dark golden light flashed beneath his skin. This was a sign that his Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul and his own Soul Power had reached their ultimate purity. His aura rose and solidified at a visible speed.
The process lasted for about an hour.
As the last trace of disordered Soul Power obediently returned to the broader and more resilient meridians, Tang Feng slowly opened his eyes. His eyes shone with a divine light, as if stars were rising and falling within them, before quickly receding back into a calm, deep pool.
Level 70.
The threshold to becoming Soul Saint is already beneath my feet.
Feeling the surging, almost twice-sized, and more condensed Soul Power within his body, Tang Feng's face showed little ecstasy, only a calm and understanding acceptance.
Reaching Level 70 means acquiring the Seventh Soul Ring, which will grant the user the Martial Soul Avatar state, a qualitative leap in strength and a crucial step towards becoming one of the continent's top powerhouses.
"It's time to go back," Tang Feng murmured to himself, his voice clearly audible in the quiet room.
His experiences in Star Luo City added the final, cold yet solid piece to the puzzle of his travels. The blueprint in his mind was now clear, and his thirst for power became urgent and concrete once again.
The next step requires the power of the sect, and greater strength as the cornerstone for realizing our ideals.
Acquiring the Seventh Soul Ring, especially the Soul Ring of his Martial Soul Avatar which is of paramount importance to him, is by no means an easy task.
Tang Feng needs experienced and powerful protectors. His grandfather, Tang Lie, and the sect leader Tang Xiao, are undoubtedly the best candidates.
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked once more at the deep, iron-like night of Star Luo City. His gaze pierced through the darkness, as if he could already see the direction of Cloud Mist Mountain.
This trip was a complete success. I witnessed the lives of all beings, gained clarity about my own heart, and broke through my limitations.
It's time to return to the sect, hone our skills, and prepare for the inevitable, turbulent, and arduous future.
Beneath the glitz and glamour of Star Luo City at night, undercurrents surge.
Tang Feng was not in a hurry to leave. He needed to understand the power structure of the Star Luo Empire in detail, and also to secretly observe the deeper operating rules of this imperial capital.
On the evening of the third day, Tang Feng strolled into a seemingly ordinary but actually well-informed teahouse in the south of the city.
Sitting in a corner, he ordered a pot of tea, filtering the noisy chatter in the lobby through his ears. His powerful mental strength allowed him to easily pick up on specific topics.
"Have you heard? It seems something really bad is going to happen to the second young lady of the Zhu Family." Several well-dressed people at the next table, who appeared to be mid- to low-level officials or managers of small families, were talking in hushed tones, their voices tinged with a mixture of sighs and an indescribable excitement.
Tang Feng's heart stirred slightly, but he listened intently without showing any emotion.
"Indeed! Who would have thought that the seemingly Bingbing little girl back then would possess such astonishing talent! She's only been back in the Star Luo Empire for a short time, and it's said that her Soul Power has already broken through the peak of Soul King, approaching Level 60! This speed is far beyond what those princes of the Dai Family could achieve back then, right?"
"It's more than just cultivation speed!" another voice said, even lower. "My nephew, who works for the Zhu Family family, said that the second young lady's Nether Civet Martial Soul seems to have undergone some kind of astonishing positive mutation. Her speed and attack power far surpass those of her kind, and her potential is unfathomable. Some of the old guys in the Zhu Family family are practically going crazy with excitement, saying she's a once-in-a-century... no, a once-in-a-millennium genius, enough to elevate the Zhu Family to another level!"
"Take another step up?" the third person sneered. " Zhu Family rises again, where will the royal Dai Family stand? It's true that the Star Luo Imperial Family practices ruthless competition, but that's only for internal use! Imperial power is supreme, and the White Tiger is revered. How can they allow a non-royal family to produce a genius who might surpass the direct line of the royal family? Especially this second young lady, I heard she was extremely resistant to the marriage agreement with the royal family back then..."
"So, that's where the trouble begins." The first man sighed. "Rumors have spread from the Dai Family that Miss Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul Mutation is of 'unknown origin,' 'potentially involving Evil Soul Master,' and requires 'strict scrutiny,' even 'inviting her to the royal secret realm for personal testing and guidance by a revered elder.' These high-sounding words are fraught with hidden danger!"
" The Zhu Family family was also divided. A radical faction wanted to protect her at all costs, even at the cost of going against the royal family; while a conservative faction, especially those who were more closely attached to the royal family, advocated 'following the overall situation' and handing her over in exchange for the royal family's trust or other benefits."
"The royal family, Dai Family, could no longer remain silent. Yesterday, the royal family officially announced the unilateral annulment of the engagement. The Third Prince will choose a woman from the Zhu Family as his principal wife."
"The annulment of the engagement is just the beginning. My nephew works in the Imperial Guard and said that the royal family has ordered that if Zhu Zhuqing does not abandon her Mutated Martial Soul within three days, they will personally take action to 'clean house'."
"Cleansing out the house... tsk tsk, what a pity for such a talented beauty."
"Silence! Don't discuss this matter further, lest you say something that will cause trouble..."
The group quickly changed the subject.
Tang Feng, sitting in the corner, had a calm and composed expression, but the fingers gripping the teacup were slightly white from the force.
The claim that the Hell Spirit Cat has mutated is likely just a royal excuse.
The Soul King peak is approaching Level 60? This information instantly allowed him to sketch out the hardships and brilliance that Zhu Zhuqing may have experienced in the past two years.
The reactions from the Star Luo Imperial Family and the Zhu Family family cast a chilling shadow over his heart.