After Liu Erlong successfully fused her sixth spirit ring, becoming a true Battle Spirit Emperor, Chu Tianxiu knew it was time to return to the Spirit Hall. He had been away for too long, and he knew Bibi Dong and Hu Liena would be worrying.
That day, Liu Erlong, still wearing Chu Tianxiu's black and gold robe over her own repaired clothes, found him by the lakeside. "Little brother, my fusion was a success, and my injuries are almost healed. Shouldn't we be heading back?"
Chu Tianxiu looked at her. The herbs he'd used on her wounds had worked perfectly, leaving no scars. "We should. But I need to say goodbye to Er Ming and the others first."
After their time together, Liu Erlong was familiar with the names of the two mighty soul beasts, so she simply nodded and waited.
Chu Tianxiu walked to the water's edge. "Da Ming, Er Ming, come out for a moment!" He amplified his voice with soul power to ensure it reached the bottom of the lake.
Before Liu Erlong could ask who Da Ming was, a massive shadow darkened the lake's surface. Then, Da Ming's colossal, bull-headed, serpentine form emerged. The pressure radiating from it, even greater than the Titan Giant Ape's, made Liu Erlong's legs tremble, and she nearly collapsed. Chu Tianxiu steadied her with a firm hand on her arm.
At the same time, Er Ming bounded out of the forest, looking at Chu Tianxiu curiously.
Da Ming's voice rumbled across the water. "Tianxiu, what do you need?"
"I've stayed here long enough," Chu Tianxiu replied, his tone carrying a hint of reluctance. "It's time for me to leave."
Hearing this, both Da Ming and Er Ming looked dismayed, especially Er Ming. Over the past weeks, a deep bond had formed between them. The giant ape lowered its head, its disappointment palpable.
Seeing Er Ming's downcast expression, Chu Tianxiu quickly comforted it. "It's not forever, Er Ming. I'm just leaving for a while. I'll come back to visit you and Da Ming whenever I can."
Er Ming had no choice but to accept this, but then it remembered something and hurriedly loped off. It returned moments later, its right hand clenched in a fist. It carefully opened its massive palm to reveal a pile of glistening, exceptionally vibrant carrots.
Da Ming translated, his voice warm. "These are a specialty of our Star Dou Great Forest. Sister Xiao Wu loved them when she was here. Er Ming hopes you can take some to her."
Touched, Chu Tianxiu waved his hand, storing all the carrots in his system space. "I'll make sure she gets them. This should last her for years."
After a final round of farewells, Chu Tianxiu and Liu Erlong mounted the Amethyst Winged Lion King and departed the Star Dou Great Forest.
During the flight, Liu Erlong, nestled securely behind Chu Tianxiu, asked the question that had been burning in her mind. "How did you... befriend two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts?"
Chu Tianxiu, the wind whipping past them, gave a vague answer. "Perhaps they recognized a kindred spirit."
Liu Erlong looked at his profile, so confident and yet inscrutable. This young man was a paradox—sometimes ruthlessly decisive, sometimes surprisingly compassionate, and now evasive. It made her want to understand him all the more.
Three days later, they arrived at the gates of the Blue Tyrant Academy. As Liu Erlong dismounted, Chu Tianxiu said, "You've arrived safely. I must be going. You can keep the robe."
Before he could urge Old Zi away, Liu Erlong called out from behind, "I only know your name is Tianxiu. What's your full name?"
Chu Tianxiu, already rising into the air on the lion's back, left only one sentence drifting down on the wind.
"Chu Tianxiu."
Hearing the reply, Liu Erlong tightened the black and gold robe around herself, a thoughtful smile playing on her lips as she turned and walked through the academy gates.
Days later, high above the earth, Chu Tianxiu stood on Old Zi's back, letting the cold wind clear his thoughts. Suddenly, he remembered something crucial and focused his consciousness inward.
Chu Tianxiu watched as representations of countless worlds flashed before his mind's eye, the flickering gradually slowing until it settled on one specific realm.
Chu Tianxiu was pleased. This was a valuable world to draw from.
...
<1. One Xuanzhong Ruler from the 'Doupo Cangqiong' world.>
<2. One 'Ding Jiu'an' from the 'Under One Person' world.>
<3. One 'Jing Hongchen' from the 'Douluo Continent 2: The Peerless Tang Sect' world.>
The next moment, three orbs of light materialized beside Chu Tianxiu. The first orb dissipated, revealing a ruler-shaped weapon in his hand. It was incredibly heavy, a huge black iron sword forged from Flamefall Heart Iron, covered in strange, unique patterns. After being modified by the system, Chu Tianxiu found it could passively temper his soul power by suppressing it.
The other two orbs dispersed, revealing two figures who knelt on one knee in mid-air, borne aloft by Old Zi's power.
"Greetings, Master!"
The one on the left was a tall, imposing young man with a buzz cut and sharp, focused eyes—Ding Jiu'an, one of the two heroes from the 'Under One Person' world. After system modification, his soul power was at the eight-ring Soul Douluo level.
The one on the right was an old man dressed in magnificent robes, with white hair reaching his shoulders and frameless glasses perched on his prominent nose—Jing Hongchen, the dean of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy from Douluo 2. As the cultivation system in his world was similar, he remained a Titled Douluo.
Looking at the two, Chu Tianxiu nodded in satisfaction. With their help, his plans for the coming years were on much firmer ground, especially with Jing Hongchen. The old man's most significant asset wasn't his Title Douluo rank, but his profound knowledge of soul tools. In the context of Douluo 1, where soul tools were virtually non-existent, Jing Hongchen's expertise was a game-changer. He could train a corps of soul engineers; not even a Title Douluo could withstand the concentrated fire of hundreds of Class 5 or higher fixed soul cannon batteries.
"Ding Jiu'an," Chu Tianxiu instructed, "from now on, you will remain by my side as my personal guard."
"Yes, Master!"
"Elder Jing," he continued, "upon our arrival at the Spirit Hall, you will proceed immediately to Notting City. I will arrange for Protector Wu to assist you. Your mission is to train, from scratch, at least one hundred soul masters capable of manufacturing Class 3 or higher soul tools before I have need of them. Secrecy is paramount."
"It shall be done, Master," Jing Hongchen replied, his voice steady and confident.
As they spoke, the familiar skyline of Spirit City gradually came into view on the horizon. Chu Tianxiu's return heralded not just a reunion, but the beginning of a new, more ambitious phase of his plans.