Chapter 32: Meeting Zhu Zhuqing Again

Before long, the two had already flown beyond the city limits.

As the flying sword slowly ascended, Li Xun’s field of vision gradually expanded. Because their flying speed was not fast, he took the time to carefully observe the surrounding scenery.

Outside Longxing City stretched a vast expanse of farmland.

Looking down from above, the evening crops rippled like a sea of dark green waves.

Yet Li Xun had no interest in admiring the view, for he realized: “Flying slowly just means feeling cold slowly, not feeling no cold at all.”

“Then shall we speed up?” Sword Douluo chuckled teasingly.

“Hmm... wait a moment.”

Li Xun adjusted his stance and glanced downward, only to notice a girl running swiftly across the fields below.

Behind her, two soul beasts pursued relentlessly.

Li Xun found the girl somewhat familiar and looked more closely.

It was none other than Zhu Zhuqing, the very same girl he had seen earlier that day in the street.

“Grandpa Sword, a bit over there,” Li Xun pointed toward Zhu Zhuqing’s direction.

“Xun, this girl’s martial soul is the Nether Spirit Cat. She should be from the Star Luo Zhu family. Interfering won’t do us any favors,” Sword Douluo replied. He had already noticed the shadows below but ceased to pay attention once he recognized her martial soul.

The Tiandou Empire and Star Luo Empire were hostile nations.

The Zhu family, as supporters of the Star Luo Empire’s royal family, would not be saved by the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.

“I met Grandpa Sword today. Her talent is impressive. I was actually thinking of recruiting her into the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect,” Li Xun said with a smile as he turned to Sword Douluo.

Sword Douluo frowned. “The Nether Spirit Cat is a unique martial soul exclusive to the Zhu family’s main line. Are you sure she would join?”

Typically, without extraordinary circumstances, the main lineage of a family would not transfer allegiance to another sect.

“Grandpa Sword, this is a royal marriage of this generation. She’s almost out of options,” Li Xun looked down at the small figure below.

The royal martial souls of the two nations were quite distinctive; with just a little investigation, Zhu Zhuqing’s identity could be confirmed.

Hence, Li Xun chose not to conceal anything.

“...”

Sword Douluo was silent for a moment, then slowly directed the flying sword closer to the ground. “Should I intervene?”

Li Xun was always decisive and had never made any mistakes so far. Out of trust, Sword Douluo did not object.

Besides, even if the girl were to grow stronger and return to Star Luo, she would only end up entangled in power struggles.

That would be advantageous for Tiandou as well.

If she managed to win, she would owe a debt of gratitude to the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.

Li Xun’s lips curved into a smile. “Grandpa Sword, I really need you to help me. Later, you’ll see what I mean...”

As the flying sword drew nearer, Li Xun watched the girl struggling to escape below.

Two life-saving favors—how do you intend to repay me?

Zhu Zhuqing’s face was pale, and her soul power was nearly depleted.

Fortunately, the forest was not far ahead. Once she entered the woods, her martial soul’s traits would allow her to easily shake off the two Swift Wind Demon Wolves chasing her.

She didn’t understand how things had come to this.

After parting ways with Li Xun, she had been hiding carefully but was discovered by her sister’s subordinates.

With no other choice, she had to sneak out of the city.

She thought she had escaped pursuit, but unexpectedly, two century-old Swift Wind Demon Wolves had locked onto her.

“How could soul beasts appear so close outside Longxing City? Could it be...?” Zhu Zhuqing bit her lip lightly, ignoring the pain as she quickened her pace.

The wound on her left shoulder, previously roughly bandaged, had reopened, and blood steadily seeped out.

Although the Swift Wind Demon Wolves were high-level, they hunted in packs and were not particularly fast.

Normally, she could easily outrun them.

But injured as she was, the situation had become a precarious balance.

“About five hundred meters left…”

Zhu Zhuqing gazed toward the distant forest, a trace of pain crossing her eyes. She felt she was nearing her limit.

She was uncertain if she could make it.

Just as despair began to set in, a sharp sound tore through the air from above.

Then, a flying sword carrying two people suddenly appeared ahead of her.

A young man leapt gracefully from the sword, landing steadily on the ground.

“Just a couple of century-old wolves...” Li Xun began but stopped himself abruptly.

This classic line from Yu Xiaogang didn’t quite fit his style.

Li Xun summoned his martial soul—two soul rings, one yellow and one purple, emerged slowly at his feet.

“Wood Release, Birth of the Tree Realm.”

Li Xun intertwined his fingers to form the Si seal. His soul power and chakra surged simultaneously.

Life seeds rained down like a torrential downpour, and upon touching the ground, swiftly grew into a dense forest.

Zhu Zhuqing’s lips parted slightly, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment.

She recognized the handsome youth before her.

This was the very person who had rescued her earlier that morning. Although his movements had been strange then, he had not yet unleashed his soul skills.

Seeing the yellow and purple soul rings beneath him, even Zhu Zhuqing, born into the Zhu family, found it hard to believe.

“The second soul ring is a millennium one...” she murmured.

Before she could fully process this, agonized howls erupted from behind.

Zhu Zhuqing quickly turned her head.

Where there had been farmland moments ago, a dense forest now stood mysteriously.

The trees were not tall but surprisingly thick and appeared to possess a will of their own, as if the vines collectively surged toward the two Swift Wind Demon Wolves.

Unprepared, the wolves were surrounded from all sides by the encroaching plants.

Their eyes flashed with ferocity as they launched attack after attack to fend off the vegetation.

But soon they realized something was wrong.

Though their assaults could damage the plants, new trees rapidly sprouted in their place.

One wolf, seeing the dire situation, leapt desperately to escape the center but was caught mid-air, its legs entwined and pulled down.

A fierce howl tore from its throat.

As the demon wolf hit the ground, the overwhelming vegetation instantly engulfed it.

The vine-covered thorns, sharp as saw blades, shredded its tough hide, eliciting agonized cries.

With one wolf incapacitated, the pressure on the other surged, facing an imminent fate.

Zhu Zhuqing watched all this in a daze.

She couldn’t understand how a boy her age could be so formidable.

She had been stunned by Li Xun’s millennium soul ring alone but had never imagined his martial soul was so powerful.

She was considered a genius within her family.

Yet when faced with two Swift Wind Demon Wolves, her only option was to flee, much less slay them.

“He only used one soul skill...” Zhu Zhuqing opened her mouth slightly, trying to steady her emotions.

Sword Douluo’s surprise matched hers.

When Yu Yuanzhen had gone to the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, he had only mentioned the injury Li Xun inflicted on Yu Tianheng without revealing details.

Without witnessing it firsthand, neither he nor Ning Fengzhi and the others had felt the full impact.

Now, seeing Li Xun’s soul skill with his own eyes, he understood.

The tiny saplings from back then had grown to such an extent.

“Xun’s first soul skill has improved greatly in both quantity and scale, and he’s only just become a Grand Soul Master...” Sword Douluo’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the scattered seeds.

When he had helped Li Xun obtain this soul skill, he had suspected it had room to grow. Now, his suspicions were confirmed.

“Miss Zhuqing, we meet again.”