First Arrival in Heaven Dou City

"Is it over?" Jun Yan asked.

"It's over," Yue Guan replied with a smiling nod.

Jun Yan scratched his head, then asked, "How long did your Martial Soul Fusion Skill last?"

"About the time it takes an incense stick to burn," Yue Guan answered.

Gui Mei added from the side, "Your Soul Power isn't strong, so maintaining the domain didn't cost us too much Soul Power."

"How did it feel?" Yue Guan asked.

"I didn't feel anything at all. I just blinked, and an incense stick's worth of time had passed."

Jun Yan spoke with lingering fear. If either of them had harbored even a trace of ill intent, his little life would have ended right there.

"Really impressive." At that thought, Jun Yan offered another word of praise.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei looked rather pleased with themselves. This Martial Soul Fusion Skill was their prized skill, as well as the foundation of their standing in Spirit Hall. With this skill alone, ordinary Titled Douluo simply couldn't compare to them.

Now that they had taken Immortal Herbs, their strength was growing even faster. Perhaps they might even become elders in the future.

At that thought, the gratitude they felt toward Jun Yan grew even stronger.

Seeing the two look at him with increasing warmth, Jun Yan waved a hand and said to Yue Guan, "Brother Yue Guan, see if there are any other Immortal Herbs here that you need. You can have them all. I can't use them anyway."

Yue Guan refused without a second thought. "What are you saying, little brother Jun Yan? We've already eaten two of your Immortal Herbs. How could we ask for more?"

Gui Mei chimed in as well. "Chrysanthemum Guan is right. That Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone and Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum were truly treasures. We don't even know how to repay you. If you ask us to take more, even I would be embarrassed."

Yue Guan glanced back at the flowers and plants on the ground, a flicker of longing in his eyes.

Even so, he forcibly suppressed his greed and said, "These are all medicinal plants rarely seen in the world. Some couldn't be bought for a thousand pieces of gold. Why don't I find the ones that have matured for you? If you need them in the future, you can take them out and use them directly. Besides, you have the Hundred Flowers Bag I gave you."

Jun Yan was delighted. "That couldn't be better."

Without further ado, Yue Guan began picking the various medicinal plants around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Whenever he picked one, he told Jun Yan its name and uses. Jun Yan, naturally, listened very carefully.

The remaining Immortal Herbs received particular attention from Yue Guan: the Aromatic Silk Beauty, the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, the Snow-Colored Swan Kiss...

Yue Guan picked them all using special methods and placed them safely in Jun Yan's Hundred Flowers Bag.

"Brother Yue Guan, if any of these rare flowers or plants catch your eye, you can pick some to grow yourself," Jun Yan offered.

A flicker of temptation passed through Yue Guan's eyes, but he quickly dismissed it.

"Better not. If I moved the flowers and plants here, they wouldn't grow so quickly anymore. Wouldn't that be harming them?"

"You really do love flowers, Brother Yue Guan. In that case, you can come visit whenever you have time. That way, the flowers and plants here won't be left untended."

"Since you've said so, I won't stand on ceremony," Yue Guan said.

"Of course, don't stand on ceremony."

Jun Yan spoke as if it went without saying. Hearing him, Yue Guan immediately smiled with satisfaction.

Suddenly, Yue Guan, who had been busy among the flowers and plants, stopped. He held a large black stone, with a stem and root attached to it. Atop the stem was an ordinary-looking white flower, palm-sized and shaped like a peony, with no leaves.

"This is... this is..."

Yue Guan's voice was excited, and his lips trembled incessantly.

Noticing Yue Guan's strange behavior, Gui Mei hurriedly looked over. "It's just an ordinary stone and an ordinary little flower. What are you so excited about?"

"What do you know?" Yue Guan rolled his eyes and spoke in displeasure.

Then he showed what he held to Jun Yan and asked, "Jun Yan, do you know what this is?"

Jun Yan took a look, then feigned surprise. "Could this be the legendary king of Immortal Herbs, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red?"

Yue Guan nodded and said gravely, "Indeed. I never thought I'd be fortunate enough to see the legendary Lovesick Heartbreak Red. It's just a pity that this king of flowers has yet to acknowledge a master. Otherwise, I could have witnessed its nobility."

With that, he handed Jun Yan the Black Severing Stone and said earnestly:

"This flower is no ordinary specimen. It chooses a master to serve, and only the deepest love can make the Lovesick Heartbreak Red acknowledge one. I know I have no chance, but I hope it can bloom in peerless splendor in your hands."

Jun Yan took the Black Severing Stone. "I'll do my best! Even if I can't become her master, I'll find her the most suitable one." Then he put it into the Hundred Flowers Bag.

Half a day passed quickly. Only after Yue Guan had packed all the mature medicinal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for Jun Yan did he stop, satisfied.

Afterward, Yue Guan and Gui Mei had to return to Spirit City. Matters in the Enforcement Corps were waiting for them to handle.

"I won't go back. I'd like to take this opportunity to travel around the continent. Please tell my father for me, and let him know he doesn't need to worry about me."

That was what Jun Yan said to Yue Guan and Gui Mei.

The three parted ways outside the Sunset Forest, and Jun Yan headed for Heaven Dou City alone.

The Sunset Forest lay a hundred li east of Heaven Dou City, so it didn't take Jun Yan long to reach it.

Heaven Dou City, the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, was the center of political power for the entire empire, as well as one of the two largest and most prosperous cities on the continent.

On the Douluo Continent, only the imperial capital of the Star Luo Empire could compare with it. In size alone, Spirit City was less than a tenth of Heaven Dou City.

Standing outside Heaven Dou City, one could feel its grandeur and magnificence.

Its walls stood a hundred meters high, built entirely from the hardest granite. The towering city gate was a full ten meters high and ten meters wide, enough for six riders to pass abreast. There were also two side gates, each five meters high and wide.

Jun Yan followed the flow of people into Heaven Dou City. Rather than wandering around, he immediately asked someone where the Martial Soul Sacred Temple was.

Spirit Hall had branches in every city on the continent. The larger the city, the larger its Spirit Hall branch naturally was.

As Heaven Dou City was one of the largest cities on the continent, its Martial Soul Sacred Temple was second in size only to the one in Spirit City.

And the master of the Martial Soul Sacred Temple was a Platinum Bishop, whose standing was second only to the Pope's.

"This is the Martial Soul Sacred Temple. No unauthorized persons may enter." As soon as Jun Yan arrived outside the temple, he was stopped by a temple knight.

Jun Yan took a token directly from his Soul Tool. The front bore the emblem of Pope Hall, while the back bore the words "law enforcement."

Within Spirit Hall, there were distinctions among the Enforcement Corps. The lowest were those that guarded the various Soul Hunting Forests, while the strongest was the Enforcement Corps of Spirit City.

The former could only serve as guards outside the Soul Hunting Forests, while the latter were Spirit Hall elites, whose members were Soul Emperors at a minimum.

The token in Jun Yan's hand had been given to him by Yue Guan and identified him as a member of the Spirit City Law Enforcement Corps.

At the sight of the token, the knight immediately bowed and apologized. "So you're a lord of the Enforcement Corps. Please forgive this subordinate's offense."

"It's all right. Rise!" Jun Yan made a lifting gesture with his hand, then walked straight into the temple.