After obtaining his first Soul Ring, Mu Yueye returned to a relatively peaceful life.
The growth of his Soul Power, however, was anything but peaceful, with his own cultivation added to that of the Long Yueye template.
Long Yueye's cultivation speed was nothing short of terrifying. Zhang Lexuan, who also had innate full Soul Power, gained roughly four levels of Soul Power per year on average.
And that was only an average. In practice, she might suddenly gain six levels in the first half of one year, then see no progress until the first half of the next.
Mu Yueye, meanwhile, had advanced more than seven levels in the first year after awakening his Martial Soul.
He had just absorbed his first Soul Ring at six, and at seven he was already ready to obtain his second. He was leveling up so fast it was practically like grinding.
Mu En had even ordered Mu Yueye not to obtain his second Soul Ring just yet, holding him back for another two months so he could consolidate his Soul Power first.
This time, though, Xuan Zi did not kidnap a suitable Soul Beast from the forest and throw it in front of Mu Yueye for him to absorb, as he had done for the first Soul Ring.
Instead, to help them grow closer, he had Zhang Lexuan take Mu Yueye to the Star Dou Great Forest.
At the same time, he sent Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe along to the Star Dou Great Forest to protect the pair from the shadows.
Of course, this also meant that Mu En, who had been idle for a long time, had to handle some of the Martial Soul department's affairs himself.
Mu En himself, however, seemed quite cheerful about it.
In fact, ever since Mu Yueye had awakened his Martial Soul, the smile had never left his face.
He had been especially delighted when Mu Yueye was ready to obtain his second Soul Ring at seven.
Before Mu Yueye left, Mu En had reminded him to make a dragon-type Soul Beast with a mental attribute his first choice.
That way, when Mu Yueye returned, he could teach him a nifty little skill.
To Mu Yueye, who retained his memories of his previous life, that was practically laying his cards on the table.
Mu En could no longer wait to teach him the ways of King's Landing ahead of time.
Mu Yueye was indeed interested in that divine skill, but Mu En was being a little too confident.
How could a dragon beast with a mental attribute be so easy to find? Never mind a dragon-type Soul Beast that excelled in the mental attribute-even when Huo Yuhao had searched in the original story for one with a pure mental attribute, regardless of species, it had taken him ages.
Zhang Lexuan, on the other hand, never tired of helping Mu Yueye find a Soul Ring. After leaving Shrek City, she hired a carriage to the Star Dou Great Forest with practiced ease.
In the carriage, Zhang Lexuan draped her own clothes over Mu Yueye and said gently,
"Although the road from the academy to the Star Dou Great Forest isn't long, the carriage is bumpy. Xiao Ye, you should get some sleep."
Mu Yueye shook his head. Feeling the warmth of her clothes and their faint fragrance, he took a deep breath and said,
"No, Sister Lexuan. You sleep. I'm not tired."
Zhang Lexuan smiled faintly and simply reached out and pulled Mu Yueye into her arms. With her fragrance at the tip of his nose, Mu Yueye swallowed, looked up at her, and said,
"Sister Lexuan, isn't this a little inappropriate?"
Smiling, Zhang Lexuan gently reached out and stroked the back of Mu Yueye's head.
"What's the matter? Mu En told me to take good care of you. It's only what I should do, so there's no need to feel burdened."
Hearing that, Mu Yueye swallowed, but nodded in acceptance. Then he leaned against Zhang Lexuan's shoulder and silently closed his eyes.
The carriage traveled onward until it stopped at a town on the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Inside the Soul Beast forest hung the strong, musky stench of Soul Beasts. The smell drifted far enough that it could make the horses pulling carriages lose control at a great distance, causing the carriages to become unsteady and run into trouble.
So no matter how much one paid, carriages stopped by default at the towns beside the Star Dou Great Forest.
The towns on all sides of the Star Dou Great Forest thus lived off the mountain at their doorstep, earning a measure of prosperity from the business of Soul Masters.
Those who could afford a carriage all the way to the Star Dou Great Forest from distant places were Soul Masters with money to spare. For convenience and the reassurance of knowing who was looking after things, they would often pay extra to park their carriages at an inn in town and have an attendant look after the horses and driver.
Shrek Academy was no exception. Its carriages were custom-made, and hiring one elsewhere that offered a similar experience would cost considerably more time and money.
By comparison, paying for a room for the driver and having him wait here was a good bargain.
None of this was Mu Yueye's concern, of course, but he still paid close attention to the process, so he would not be cheated if he ever had to handle such matters himself.
This time, Zhang Lexuan naturally took care of everything. As for the two Super Douluo protecting them in secret, the two children naturally had no need to attend to their living arrangements.
After arranging lodging for the driver and a place for the carriage, Zhang Lexuan glanced at the setting sun and said to Mu Yueye,
"Xiao Ye, it's getting late. Let's wait until tomorrow to enter the Star Dou Great Forest and spend the night in this town."
Mu Yueye glanced at the sky, then nodded.
Although he was also eager to hunt a Soul Beast and return as soon as possible, so he could resume cultivating and learning the Self-Created Soul Skills passed down by Mu En, a Limit Douluo,
he also knew that the Star Dou Great Forest was dangerous at night. There was no obligation for Zhang Lexuan to risk an unnecessary journey through the forest in the dark with him.
When Mu Yueye and Zhang Lexuan reached the inn, Zhang Lexuan again walked in front and went up to the receptionist at the counter.
"A room, please, with two beds."
The young receptionist looked at the Gold Soul Coin Zhang Lexuan had tossed onto the counter and spoke with some difficulty.
"We don't have any rooms with two beds left. There's only one room with a large bed, and you'll have to wait a little while for the staff to get it ready."
Hearing that, Zhang Lexuan pursed her lips, then turned to take Mu Yueye to the next inn. The receptionist spoke up.
"It happens to be Soul Hunting season these past two days, so I'm afraid the rooms at the other inns won't be much better. Why not make do for one night? You and this child both look young, so you shouldn't have to worry about that sort of thing."
Mu Yueye wanted nothing more than to shine a holy light straight into the receptionist's face, at least blinding her before anything else.
By the common sense of his previous life, there would naturally be no problem with a seven-year-old child and a girl of sixteen or seventeen.
But the problem was, this was the fucking Douluo Continent! The girls here practically started developing at six, and the boys also began developing normally at about that age.
And with the soul of an adult himself, this was a little too casual...