Word Count: 3,047
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"Wow, wow! Zhao Xuanzhen, you live on an entire floor?!"
The moment Na Er stepped onto the ninety-ninth floor of the Spirit Pagoda, her eyes lit up. She stared at Zhao Xuanzhen in open excitement, as if she had stumbled upon a treasure vault.
"Yeah. What's so surprising about that?"
Zhao Xuanzhen answered with perfect calm. He was Heavenly Phoenix Douluo's one and only direct disciple. Living a little extravagantly was hardly a crime!
The entrance opened into a living room broad enough to play hide-and-seek in. Bookshelves stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows, their rows of neatly arranged ancient texts dyed pale white by the moonlight. Beyond the glass, Shrek City stretched into the distance, and the crowds on its streets looked like swarming ants from so high above.
Zhao Xuanzhen was long used to all of this. Na Er, on the other hand, looked as though she had stepped into a whole new world. She bounded from place to place like an unleashed husky, peering at everything with tireless curiosity. Humans really did live outrageously well. Compared to this, Star Dou Forest was a place not even dogs would bother with!
On the way back to the Spirit Pagoda, Na Er had learned Zhao Xuanzhen and Leng Yaozhu's identities. She had truly struck the jackpot, running into the Spirit Pagoda's Vice Pagoda Master and her disciple by pure chance. No wonder that plant-type spirit beast king had chosen to retreat.
Star Dou Forest was hunting her down from every side, trying to force her into becoming fusion material for the Silver Dragon King. The Spirit Pagoda, meanwhile, offered food, lodging, Spirit Souls, power, influence, and money. Na Er tossed her identity as a spirit beast aside without a backward glance and embraced her new human life with open arms!
First lesson: forget your roots!
The ninety-ninth floor was a luxurious penthouse with more than enough rooms inside. After asking Zhao Xuanzhen's permission, Leng Yaozhu arranged for Na Er to move in as well.
The two children were close in age, and both were geniuses with Innate Full Spirit Power. Leng Yaozhu naturally hoped they would grow up together, with Na Er eventually becoming Zhao Xuanzhen's right hand.
"Na Er, you'll stay in the room next to mine. Teacher will take you to fuse your first Spirit Soul tomorrow morning," Zhao Xuanzhen reminded her.
"You guys are so nice!"
Na Er gave a cheer and dashed straight into the bathroom, eager to wash away the exhaustion of the night.
Zhao Xuanzhen settled onto the living room sofa and began turning over the changes to the plot he remembered. The Silver Dragon King had split into two ahead of schedule, and now Na Er had joined the Spirit Pagoda. That left one question:
Where was the other half, Gu Yue?
Glorybound City, Eastsea City, Star Dou Forest... possibility after possibility flashed through his mind.
Although the Silver Dragon King had split in two, the power had not been divided evenly. Na Er possessed only thirty percent of that strength, along with the companion divine weapon Silver Dragon Spear. Gu Yue held a full seventy percent, more than double Na Er's share!
And judging by Na Er's cheerful, lively manner, she clearly had not lost her memories. Gu Yue was probably the same.
That was where the trouble lay. Compared to Na Er, whose personality leaned toward humanity, Gu Yue with her intact memories and stronger beastly nature was far more dangerous!
'If this version of Gu Yue gets her hands on Tang Wulin, he's really in trouble. She'll probably dig out his supreme bone...'
Zhao Xuanzhen smacked his lips, then caught the critical flaw in his own reasoning. Tang Wulin had Old Tang protecting him, and the Sea God Trident was no useless decoration either. When push came to shove, who would be digging out whose supreme bone remained very much to be seen!
'Whatever. It's none of my business anyway...'
"Zhao Xuanzhen! Zhao Xuanzhen!"
A crisp, lively voice cut through his thoughts. Zhao Xuanzhen looked up to find Na Er padding out of the bathroom in slippers. She wore a pure white nightdress with her silver hair hanging loosely behind her. Her skin looked so soft and pink it seemed a light pinch might squeeze water from it.
Anyone whose thoughts strayed was cordially invited to turn themselves in. Zhao Xuanzhen, proper gentleman that he was, felt not the faintest ripple.
"What is it?"
"I'm hungry!"
Na Er walked toward him, looking for all the world like a porcelain doll come to life. A faint scent of bath soap drifted from her body.
"Didn't you just finish three pounds of chicken giblets?"
"That wasn't nearly enough! Thirty pounds would be more like it." Na Er looked at him with pitiful eyes. "You promised food and lodging. You're not going to go back on your word just because I eat a lot, are you..."
Zhao Xuanzhen nearly laughed in spite of himself. He shook his head, pulled bag after bag of special-issue snacks from a drawer, and tossed them over to her.
"Eat whatever you want."
Those words struck Na Er like heavenly music. She swore on her life they sounded ten thousand times sweeter than any love confession in the world!
Beef jerky. Rip it open. Chew, chew, chew!
Five-kernel pastry. Chomp, chomp. Chew, chew, chew!
Layered flatbread, cilantro flavor. Na Er hesitated for one second, squeezed her eyes shut, stuffed it into her mouth, and swallowed it whole without chewing!
Don't be fooled by how harmless this girl looked. Once she started eating, Na Er was a whirlwind tearing through a field. Her small body hid what could only be described as a bottomless pit. Her mouth never stopped moving, and Zhao Xuanzhen's carefully hoarded stash of snacks vanished at astonishing speed!
Na Er was obviously a diehard supporter of the clean-plate campaign. In barely any time at all, every last scrap had vanished as though it had never existed. She rubbed her bulging stomach with one small hand, feeling warm and wonderfully content inside.
The Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King were both legendary big eaters who needed enormous amounts of food to fuel their growth. Na Er's love of eating and her boundless hunger made her the female version of Tang Wulin!
No wonder Tang Wulin's adoptive parents had teetered on the brink of bankruptcy after only three years. Raising two dragons at once was simply too much!
As the wealthiest of the four superpowers, the Spirit Pagoda had plenty of confidence when it came to money. This little bit of food was a drop in the ocean. A child who could eat was a blessed child!
Once she had eaten her fill, Na Er leaned half against the sofa and smiled at Zhao Xuanzhen. "Senior Heavenly Phoenix said you awakened the Body Martial Spirit True Self. It has incredible combat power, but you also need to draw energy from food to keep up with your body's daily consumption."
"That's right," Zhao Xuanzhen agreed.
"Then I ate everything... What are you supposed to do..."
Na Er suddenly looked a little sheepish, reflecting deeply on her behavior.
"What am I supposed to do?"
Zhao Xuanzhen blinked, then answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I'll eat supper."
Right on cue, a knock sounded at the door. Zhao Xuanzhen opened it to reveal the twin sisters Bai Haoze and Bai Zhicen, pushing a dining cart laden with an extravagant spread!
Na Er's eyes went perfectly round. Seriously?!
You should have told me there was supper coming!
Do you have any idea how hard I worked to swallow that cilantro flatbread?!
Bai Haoze began setting out the fragrant dishes while Bai Zhicen listed them off:
"Golden Supreme Fried Rice, Emerald Cloud Silk Braised Swallow, Frostfall Moonlit Star Grouper, Dome Lava Golden Broth...
Take your time and enjoy. We'll be off."
"Good night, Sister Da Bai, Sister Xiao Bai."
The Bai sisters pushed the cart away and turned to leave, though not before casting seemingly casual glances at Na Er, secretly wondering why a strange little girl had suddenly appeared in Zhao Xuanzhen's room.
Once they were gone, Zhao Xuanzhen prepared to dig in. Everything the Bai sisters had brought was top-level cuisine from across the continent, prepared by the Spirit Pagoda's chefs with rare ingredients brimming with energy, far beyond what ordinary food could ever compare to.
Na Er's silver eyes remained fixed on Zhao Xuanzhen and on those dishes that looked absurdly delicious. Her mouth flooded with saliva. She forcibly suppressed the instinct to pounce and said with agonizing restraint:
"You should hurry up and eat. I'm full... slurppp!"
"I ordered two portions."
"Then I'll just eat a tiny little bit more!"
...
The next morning.
Na Er poked her head out from under the blanket, still bleary-eyed, a single silver cowlick sticking stubbornly straight up. To celebrate her rebirth, she had skipped meditation entirely the night before and simply indulged in the luxury of a soft human bed.
"Boo hoo hoo, the world outside these blankets is so cruel!"
It took her two and a half minutes to persuade herself to get up. After dressing and opening her door, she found the entire ninety-ninth floor empty. Only a steaming breakfast had been left behind. Zhao Xuanzhen was already gone.
"Ooh, time to try some human high-tech!"
A phone-shaped Spirit Guidance Device appeared in Na Er's hand: the latest model Spirit Communication Device. She found Zhao Xuanzhen's chat window and fired off three messages in rapid succession. He replied instantly.
Na: Zhao Xuanzhen, Zhao Xuanzhen, Zhao Xuanzhen!
Zhen: New students don't get to spam!
Na: Where are you?
Zhen: 78th floor.
Na: I'll come find you after I fuse my Spirit Soul!
Zhao Xuanzhen tapped out a single "Okay," pocketed his Spirit Communication Device, and stepped into a corridor bathed in multicolored light.
Sun and moon hung in different phases across the sky overhead. Peacock-feather motes of light drifted through the air and dissolved into tiny grains of stardust the instant they touched his skin.
Flocks of Azure Luan swept across the heavens trailing tails woven from rosy cloudlight. Each beat of their wings shook loose countless glimmers from between their feathers, and the motes condensed in midair into translucent rainbow roads.
The ground beneath Zhao Xuanzhen's feet resembled a mirror. Rings of light bloomed across its surface like water lilies unfurling, brimming with liquid iridescence that refracted his reflection into seven different colors.
Spirit Pagoda's 78th floor, Illusory Mirror Space.
The space constantly released spiritual pressure. Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Masters came here regularly to temper their spiritual power. It was also the place where a certain Super Douluo had remained in long-term seclusion!
"Elder Han."
Zhao Xuanzhen performed a junior's salute, his voice carrying far across the Illusory Mirror Space.
Buzz—
Ripples suddenly spread through the surrounding air. A tall old man descended from the sky.
Illusory Brain Douluo Han Tianyi!
Rank 98 Titled Douluo. Martial Spirit: Spirit Brain. The foremost authority on spiritual power in the entire Spirit Pagoda. Four-Word Battle Armor Master. 9-star Rank Mecha Mechanic!
Han Tianyi's face gave Zhao Xuanzhen the immediate impression of a stern, old-fashioned man, but the tone that followed was unexpectedly mild.
"Body Martial Spirits are rare on the Douluo Continent. I never expected Heavenly Phoenix's disciple to possess such extraordinary talent and awaken True Self, the God-level Martial Spirit that the Body lineage has only ever theorized about.
I understand the deeper reason Heavenly Phoenix asked me to teach you Mecha Mechanics. To be frank, I truly cannot refuse the temptation of polishing a peerless piece of uncut jade. From today onward, this old man will also help you develop the spiritual brain domain of your True Self Martial Spirit."
"Thank you for your trouble, Elder Han," Zhao Xuanzhen replied respectfully.
Han Tianyi smiled. "This is a matter of mutual achievement. The histories and chronicles that will one day record the brilliance of your life, Zhao Xuanzhen, will bear my name, Illusory Brain Douluo, alongside yours.
No need to rush into class just yet. Let me first speak about our Martial Spirits. Body Martial Spirits!"
The brain was naturally a Body Martial Spirit. In ages past, all Body Spirit Masters had been one family. Han Tianyi felt an instinctive closeness toward Zhao Xuanzhen and spoke at an unhurried pace:
"As parts of the human body itself, Body Martial Spirits stand apart from Beast Martial Spirits and Tool Martial Spirits as a third category entirely. Some scholars among Spirit Masters believe that Body Martial Spirits are the type humanity should have been awakening from the very beginning.
This old man agrees wholeheartedly. A Body Martial Spirit is innately far more compatible with its owner than any other kind. Body Spirit Masters generally possess talent that far exceeds the norm, and high-level Body Martial Spirits carry extremely powerful attributes as well. Take the poison attribute of the Body Sect's Two Brothers from ten thousand years ago, my own spiritual attribute, and your Yin-Yang attribute."
Han Tianyi had already reviewed Zhao Xuanzhen's battle recordings from the Spirit Ascension Platform and had a basic understanding of his abilities. He continued, "When it comes to Body Martial Spirits, two points can never be avoided. One of them is the Body Sect I just mentioned.
The Body Sect's lineage stretches back ten thousand years. In its heyday, it stood in direct opposition to Shrek Academy and even held the upper hand for a time. Unfortunately, it flourished at its peak during Ancestor Du Busi's era and then began declining from that height.
The current Body Sect Master is my martial nephew. He is obsessed with red-grade Mechas and will likely never break through to Rank 95 Super Douluo in this lifetime."
"Your martial nephew." Zhao Xuanzhen's gaze shifted. "Elder Han, were you once part of the Body Sect?"
Han Tianyi nodded. "Even now, I remain grateful for the Body Sect's cultivation of me. Leaving the sect was itself a part of my path. If I wished to make my illusions indistinguishable from reality and take them a step further, then I had to come into contact with real high-level spirit beasts.
Only the Spirit Pagoda could help me achieve that wish. On the recommendation of Heavenly Phoenix's father, the former Vice Pagoda Master, I joined the Spirit Pagoda."
Understanding showed on Zhao Xuanzhen's face. Han Tianyi's departure to perfect his illusions made sense. The Body Sect's other famous figure, Smiley Face Douluo Hu Jie, nicknamed 'Golden Belly Silver Buttocks,' was a rather more colorful story altogether: failed in unrequited love, wounded by heartbreak, then left the Body Sect and transferred straight into the Tang Sect.
"After the Body Sect, we come to the second point about Body Martial Spirits that cannot be avoided..."
Han Tianyi's presence shifted like a turning tide. Overwhelming spiritual fluctuations swept through the Illusory Mirror Space. Behind his aged frame, a silver brain manifested with startling force!
"Second Awakening!" Zhao Xuanzhen blurted out.
"Correct."
The silver brain flashed once and vanished. Han Tianyi said, "Second Awakening is the very root of why the Body lineage crushes ninety-nine percent of all Martial Spirits in the world. It is divided into four levels: Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
As you just saw, this old man's Illusory Brain has reached Silver-ranked Second Awakening. For those who have not cultivated the Sect Master's inherited secret method, Silver is the upper limit. However, True Self is a fusion of flesh and spirit. Whether it can break through that ceiling remains unknown."
Zhao Xuanzhen's gaze grew steadily more heated. Then, in the very next breath, a basin of cold water came crashing over his head.
Han Tianyi said with a helpless sigh, "Second Awakening is an absolute secret of the Body lineage. When I left the Body Sect, I swore an oath upon my Spirit Brain Martial Spirit that I would never privately pass the method of Second Awakening on to another soul for the rest of my life. This one secret method is the only thing I cannot teach you."
A vein throbbed at Zhao Xuanzhen's temple. Of all things to be off-limits, it had to be the most important one!
Well, fair enough. It was the very foundation upon which the Body Sect was built. Perfectly reasonable.
This bit of trouble was not going to stop Zhao Xuanzhen. There were always more solutions than problems. At worst, he could borrow Tang Wulin's approach and take up deep-sea training!
Han Tianyi's Spirit Brain sensed the boy's spiritual fluctuations shift from agitation to calm in the span of a few breaths, and he chuckled. "Fast adjustment. Excellent temperament.
There is no need to rush. Second Awakening may indeed be the source of a Body Martial Spirit's strength, but you have only just awakened your Martial Spirit. Thinking about a Second Awakening already would be getting ahead of yourself.
You mustn't aim too high too early. Devoting your youth to diligent cultivation and building a solid foundation is far more important than learning all sorts of miscellaneous secret methods.
According to the Body Sect's teachings, a Spirit Master should reach at least the three-ringed Spirit Elder rank before attempting Second Awakening. The body must be strong, spirit power full, and spiritual state stable. Only then can the danger be lowered to acceptable levels.
That is enough about Body Martial Spirits. Let us begin class properly. Mecha Mechanics."
"Zhao Xuanzhen, I'm here to find you!"
Han Tianyi had just used illusion to conjure a classroom when Na Er came bursting into the Illusory Mirror Space.
Zhao Xuanzhen looked at the carefree, husky-like girl and quietly said, "Elder Han, would you mind adding one more student to the Mecha Mechanics class?"
"This old man doesn't mind at all."
Na Er fell silent. The bright smile vanished from her pretty face. She suddenly, deeply regretted her decision to come looking for Zhao Xuanzhen.
"I'm just a random passerby!"
She tried to leave.
She failed.
Zhao Xuanzhen was already blocking the doorway.
Once you walked in, there was no turning back. Study was the only way out.
Na Er, automatic class change: Mecha Mechanic!