In a nameless little village.
Under Elder Song's guidance, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan helped more than ten children awaken their martial souls. Watching the expressions of joy or disappointment on the faces of the six- or seven-year-old children, Zhu Ziyang felt a deep sense of gratification.
This village belonged to a noble town governed by a major city in the Giant Forest Province. Yet aside from Elder Song visiting every few years to help awaken martial souls, they had never seen a single soul master. Even the noble who governed the area couldn't be bothered to glance their way, let alone offer to awaken the children's martial souls.
Not every child would become a soul master, but every child deserved the chance. The awakening of one's martial soul was that key opportunity.
For these commoner children, the hope might be faint, but at least they had a shot. Across the continent, there were far more children who were stripped of even that. Their lives had already been sentenced before they even began.
The children of this village were fortunate—because they met Elder Song. But how many like her existed? Soul masters who were willing to lower their gaze to help the common folk? Or city lords like Hong Zhen who loved the people as their own children? Such people were too rare.
This was a world controlled by fools and incompetents. A world that should no longer be allowed to exist.
For the first time, a rebellious idea was born in Zhu Ziyang's otherwise modest ambitions—to overturn the world.
They stayed in the village overnight. Elder Song taught the children with soul power how to meditate and begin their cultivation.
The next day, they were on the road again.
"Ziyang, Nannan, how did you awaken your martial souls?" Elder Song suddenly turned and asked.
"Huh? It was the city lord who helped us awaken them," Zhu Ziyang answered, snapping out of his thoughts.
He then explained the situation in Anyang City.
"So that's how it was!" Elder Song sighed after listening. "City lords like that are truly rare. You two were very lucky."
"Yes, indeed!" Jiang Nannan nodded in agreement.
"Let's go. We'll head west," Elder Song said with a smile. "We'll stop in any villages we pass and help awaken martial souls, all while making our way toward the Mingdou Mountains."
"Yes!" Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan responded with fighting spirit.
—
Half a month later.
Star Luo Empire, Yuming City.
For the first time, Elder Song brought Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan into a proper city—because they were close to reaching the Mingdou Mountain Range.
As the name suggested, Yuming City stood as a shield against Mingdu—the capital of the Sun Moon Empire. It was the largest city in the northwest region of the Star Luo Empire and a vital military stronghold. It also served as the primary logistics base for the western army. The city was only a hundred kilometers from the Mingdou Mountains, which marked the border between the two empires, and just over three hundred kilometers from the Heaven Soul Empire's border. Its strategic location could not be overstated.
The three decided to rest for the night. Tomorrow, they would enter the Mingdou Mountains.
Before sleeping, Elder Song called the two of them to her and instructed sternly, "The Mingdou Mountains are a frontline of war. The dangers within go without saying. Not only are there fearsome soul beasts, but there may also be soul masters with malicious intent. Once inside, you must stick close to me and never act on your own. Understood?"
"Understood!" both Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan answered in unison.
"Good. Then go rest. We leave at five tomorrow morning," Elder Song said.
"Yes!" The two returned to their rooms and rested.
—
At dawn the next day, three figures shot out from Yuming City, heading straight for the Mingdou Mountains.
"Ziyang, Nannan, how are you holding up? Can you keep up at this pace?" Elder Song asked as she glanced back.
Behind her, Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan flew at high speed. Upon hearing her question, they could only offer strained smiles. They couldn't spare the effort for more. They were running near empty.
Seeing this, Elder Song didn't slow down. She kept her speed steady, heading toward their target location.
Finally, just as Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan were on the brink of soul power exhaustion, Elder Song came to a halt. The two of them were overjoyed, and from who knew where, they mustered enough strength to catch up and stand before her.
"Sit down and meditate. Recover your soul power," Elder Song ordered without waiting for them to speak.
The two of them dropped to the ground and began cultivating immediately. Having a Super Douluo guarding them while they meditated was a rare luxury.
Elder Song nodded in satisfaction once they had settled into their states. She then took out a map and began examining their route.
The map was densely marked with soul beast names. Had Zhu Ziyang seen it, he would've cried out, "The latest edition of the Ten Thousand Beasts Map!"
The Ten Thousand Beasts Map was a special resource exclusive to the Shrek Inner Court, showing the distribution of soul beasts across the continent. It detailed species, average strength, and danger levels. Only Inner Court students had access to it. The current edition—Volume Sixteen—was the newest, unreleased in any library and compiled only within the past hundred years.
Elder Song traced the map, her expression going from neutral to pleased. Soon, she smiled and put the map away, her eyes turning south.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan awoke one after another. Zhu Ziyang was pleasantly surprised to find that his soul power had increased slightly.
"Let's go. The soul beast we need is to the south," Elder Song announced.
"That's great!" Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan cheered.
The three headed south.
—
The Mingdou Mountains—formed four thousand years ago from the collision of the Douluo and Sun Moon continents—had since become one of the three great soul beast territories, even replacing the Sunset Forest.
Once a battlefield between the three great Douluo empires and the Sun Moon Empire, the Mingdou Mountains and their southern Mingdou Forest were now home to countless mutant soul beasts.
The origins of these mutants varied. Some were born from the complex mineral veins in the mountains, others from pollution caused by the continental collision. Still others were products of soul tool experiments conducted by the Sun Moon Empire. In short, their existence stemmed from many causes.
Their target soul beast, the Silvermoon Armored Beast, was one such mutant. It originated from the Golden-Scaled Pangolin, a species native to the southern Star Luo Empire, but had mutated into a creature with moon-attributed bloodlines.
The Golden-Scaled Pangolin was an ordinary soul beast—named only for its yellow scales and otherwise unremarkable traits. But the mutated Silvermoon Armored Beast was another matter entirely. It was a top-tier soul beast, sitting at the peak of the Mingdou Mountains' food chain. Thanks to its enhanced defenses, barely any creatures in the region could break through its armor.
With its incredible defense, the Silvermoon Armored Beast roamed the mountains freely—a true overlord of the land.
After two days of searching, the trio finally spotted signs of the beast in a valley roughly 150 kilometers from the Mingdou Forest.
"Elder Song, look at these burrows—aren't they made by the Silvermoon Armored Beast?" Zhu Ziyang asked excitedly, pointing at deep, narrow tunnels along the mountain wall.
"Indeed they are!" Elder Song was delighted, nodding. "Though mutated, they've retained their original habit of burrowing."
"Are you sure they're here?" Jiang Nannan looked doubtfully at the empty holes. She couldn't sense anything.
"Of course," Zhu Ziyang reassured her. "But we'll have to wait until night. The Silvermoon Armored Beast is nocturnal. It rests during the day and becomes active at night. Let's wait patiently."
"Alright," Jiang Nannan nodded.
(End of Chapter)
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