Perhaps it was caution, but Lin Xiao couldn't shake the feeling that Ju Zi hadn't come simply to thank him—she had come to test him.
Throughout their journey, Xu Tianran's attitude toward the members of the Holy Spirit Church had been markedly different from how he treated his own people. A sharp girl like Ju Zi would have noticed it as well. Among the Church's followers, every one of them was a Titled Douluo or stronger—except him. That alone might have been enough to draw her curiosity.
But the question remained—had she come on Xu Tianran's orders, or of her own accord?
If it was Xu Tianran's doing, Lin Xiao would not be surprised. Though he had rarely spoken, he had noticed the subtle, probing glances the prince had cast his way during their flight.
Yet if Ju Zi had come of her own will, that would mean she had already sensed the faint distinction in how Xu Tianran regarded him.
Perhaps she thought she could learn more about Xu Tianran through him—or perhaps, desperate to prove her worth, she wanted to glean something she could report back. Either way, her intentions were far from innocent.
Her only flaw was inexperience. She had not yet learned how to conceal her purpose, and her inquisitive gaze and approach had been far too direct. But for a twelve-year-old child to harbor such thoughts at all—that was already terrifying.
Give her time beside Xu Tianran, let her see how the imperial court played its games, and she would no longer be so harmless.
No wonder she would one day hold the fate of the entire Sun and Moon Empire in her hands.
Before, Lin Xiao had struggled to reconcile the cunning, commanding woman in his memories with this timid little girl. But now, he could already glimpse the shadow of what she would become.
His expression was calm, not cruel—but Ju Zi felt a coldness in that still gaze, a deathly chill that made her shiver. After a long moment of hesitation, she turned and quietly left.
Her interruption had broken his focus. Lin Xiao no longer bothered to meditate. He summoned the Other Shore Flower and watched the drifting remnants of souls within its petals, his thoughts adrift like mist.
Then night fell.
The Mingdou Mountains were eerily silent. Only the distant patrols broke the stillness with the occasional ring of metal and the crunch of boots against rock.
Formed when the Sun and Moon Continent collided with the Douluo Continent, the Mingdou Range was smaller than the Northern Endless Mountains, but as the border between the Sun and Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire, it was a place forever steeped in conflict.
Even now, under the pale moonlight, the Star Luo patrols moved constantly. Their watch was strict, their vigilance unbroken.
Yet within that same darkness, a team of Sun and Moon Empire soul engineers crept silently toward the Star Luo encampment on the mountain ridge.
"Commander Liao, what's this?"
In Pingxing City, Xu Tianran stood beside Liao Mengkai, staring curiously at the glowing screen of a soul device.
"Please look, Your Highness," Liao said, pride threading through his tone. "Each of these light points represents a trace of soul power—essentially, every Spirit Master in range. Their clusters mark the enemy's camps and hidden posts. Those moving dots are their patrols."
"This is a prototype recently delivered from Radiant City—a new detection-type soul device developed by the Illustrious Virtue Hall. Even as an experimental model, its precision is remarkable. Once it's fully tested, it could be equipped across the entire army."
Xu Tianran fell silent, a shadow of unease flickering in his eyes.
So this is what they've been developing in Radiant City... He felt a flicker of gratitude that they had acted when they did. If such devices had been deployed earlier, the emperor's loyalist forces led by Xu Jing might have discovered his movements long before reaching the capital. Their entire coup could have failed before it began.
"Your Highness," Liao continued, unaware of the prince's thoughts, "tonight's mission serves two purposes—to test the device's capabilities, and to seize the strategic high ground of the Mingdou Range. As the saying goes, 'In mountain warfare, one must claim the heights.' Once we hold the peak, whether to attack or defend will be our choice alone."
Confidence radiated from him. As the commander of the Terrorclaw Soul Engineer Legion, he had long scorned the Star Luo forces. Tonight would be proof of the superiority of Sun and Moon technology.
A thunderous boom split the night.
Far away, in the mountains, Lin Xiao had no idea of Liao Mengkai's tactical boasting. All he saw was a blinding flash of white light—and then, a deafening explosion that shook the earth as if the very mountain were being torn apart.
A wave of burning heat struck his face. The air filled with the sharp stench of blood. The first volley of soul cannons had struck the Star Luo barracks, where ordinary soldiers slept.
Zhongli Wu had been right—when it came to death, no ceremony could compare to war.
The power of those soul cannons, fired by elite engineers, dwarfed anything the Royal Academy used for training.
In a single blast, countless limbs were torn apart, bodies reduced to fragments raining across the field. Hot blood splashed into the dirt, steaming under the chill night, painting the grass crimson.
Within seconds, the mountains echoed with groans and dying screams. Lin Xiao lifted his head, eyes reflecting faint soul shadows rising from shattered bodies. The cold air grew heavy with restless spirits.
His pulse quickened. The Other Shore Flower in his soul stirred wildly. His power surged, trembling on the edge of control.
Beside him, a Sun and Moon officer turned, studying him.
The man didn't know who the cloaked figure with the mask was, but since Commander Liao himself had ordered him placed here, he dared not interfere—though curiosity flickered in his eyes.
"First time on a battlefield, isn't it? You'll get used to it soon enough."
"I'm fine," Lin Xiao replied, taking a steady breath. He guided the boiling energy within him, cycling it through his meridians and back into his core, then exhaled softly.
"Good." The officer nodded and turned back toward the front. "Get ready—we're advancing."
The Star Luo army's response was swift. Within moments, their shouts and spirit power flares tore through the night. Though taken by surprise, they rallied quickly, launching a fierce counterattack.
The battlefield ignited with the light of spirit skills and soul tools. Fire, lightning, and metal roared together as explosions echoed across the peaks. Blood and shattered organs littered the ground, filling the air with the foul stench of burnt flesh.
Amid that chaos, Lin Xiao's soul power suddenly surged again—breaking past a threshold.
The officer noticed at once, his tone half incredulous, half approving. "Hah, most people puke or collapse their first time under fire. But you—breaking through your cultivation in this carnage? That's rare."
But as he spoke, something in Lin Xiao's aura made his smile freeze. His eyes widened.
"You—"
He never finished the sentence.
(End of Chapter)