On the dusky horizon, a nine-colored ray of light rose instantly, enveloping the entire Star Dou Great Forest.
A crisp, high-pitched bird cry resounded almost to every corner of the sky.
A phoenix appeared atop the eastern mountain, its body seemingly draped in nine-colored light, each feather shimmering with nine-colored radiance, so proud and awe-inspiring.
The phoenix, this legendary divine bird, had a slender and elegant body, full and magnificent wings, each feather shimmering with a different light, as dazzling as a rainbow. Its head was adorned with a magnificent headdress, its long tail swaying in the wind, exuding nobility and elegance.
At this moment, its eyes were bright and deep, flashing with the light of wisdom and unyielding spirit.
It flapped its wings, and the nine elements of heaven and earth converged, becoming violent with each phoenix cry.
This phoenix disregarded the constraints of heaven and earth, launching a fierce attack on the gods above the nine heavens.
The nine-colored light and the deep blue power collided continuously in the sky, beams of light scattering in all directions.
The high and mighty deity fought the divine phoenix with disdain, while behind him stood a young girl, her bright eyes filled with worry as she gazed longingly at the phoenix.
The world darkened from their clash, as if space itself had been torn apart. Elemental forces were in complete chaos, divine power and soul power colliding.
But ultimately, human strength has its limits. This world held too many constraints on those who had not yet become gods. Even the mighty divine phoenix, possessing the highest-level bloodline, was no match for the deity.
The girl behind the deity desperately wanted to break free, but was repeatedly stopped. Time and again, she was bound, forced to watch helplessly as the phoenix plummeted.
Another enormous silver dragon was also deeply trapped by divine power, unable to exert even the slightest force, which was as powerful as an abyss.
The phoenix gradually fell from the sky, its nine-colored rainbow light fading until finally, it disappeared behind the mountains with the setting sun, and the world was plunged into darkness.
The phoenix soars, its wings fluttering, soaring through the heavens!
But the sun will eventually rise again, and light will return; there is never a lack of hope in the world.
When it returns from its phoenix-like rebirth, it will be reborn in fire, a poem of lament for divine power.
Xiu Ran suddenly awoke, breathing deeply of fresh air, as if the pain was still lingering.
"A dream?"
He came to his senses, realizing it was just a dream. But the dream was so real that he could hardly believe it, as if everything that had happened was a personal experience.
He composed himself, stopped thinking about it, and prepared to get up. But then he heard a knock at the door.
He dressed, opened the door, and found it was still Gu Yuena. Donghai Academy is on holiday today, and students are gradually leaving. He
had indeed discussed it with Gu Yuena yesterday; they were going to the Spirit Pagoda today. He had promised her he would join, so there was no reason to refuse.
Gu Yuena glanced at Xiu Ran with a faint look, then quietly said, "Let's go."
Xiu Ran wasn't as afraid of Gu Yuena's true identity as he had been when they first met, after all, a fully-fledged Gu Yuena resided in his spiritual sea.
He also found her clearly distant and cold aura quite normal. They had only taken one final exam together, and it was clear she still cared deeply for Tang Wulin; in that respect, things seemed fine.
Going to the Spirit Pagoda was relatively simple. Although Gu Yuena had brought him there, it was clearly just joining.
Joining was no different from joining any other Soul Master; the benefits and treatment were the same. He wasn't Gu Yuena, after all; his talent was what it was, and he wasn't expected to receive much attention right now.
But the Spirit Pagoda was truly one of the wealthiest organizations on the continent, with excellent benefits and policies. At least for Xiu Ran at this stage, it was more than enough.
Gu Yuena was also quite helpful, guiding him through a series of basic introductions, the most common things about the Spirit Pagoda.
Watching Xiu Ran busily learning the fundamentals, Gu Yuena's eyes widened slightly. She felt a special connection with him, a feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on.
She didn't want to dwell on it; she'd pondered this question many times before, but to no avail.
Her current focus was more on the bet. She was determined to get Tang Wulin, and she would definitely merge with Na'er; these were essential.
A busy life is always fulfilling; Xiu Ran mostly shuttled between his dormitory and the East Sea Spirit Pagoda.
One evening, Xiu Ran, as usual, left the Spirit Pagoda and returned to his dormitory. Since it was evening, there were no more Soul Guidance buses running, so he walked back.
Although the journey was a bit long, he wasn't in a hurry; it was good exercise. With his current cultivation level of over twenty, it wouldn't be too tiring.
But this time, when he returned to the academy, he saw Ouyang Zixin again at the gate.
Xiu Ran's expression was indifferent; he simply said, "What are you doing?"
"Brother Xiu Ran, I..." Hearing the other's no longer affectionate tone and words, Ouyang Zixin felt a lump in her throat, and the words she had prepared wouldn't come out.
Xiu Ran sighed softly, then said seriously, "Ouyang Zixin, I think sometimes ending things is good. I'm grateful for your help before, but now I won't think about anything else. Let bygones be bygones, I made it very clear last time."
Ouyang Zixin suppressed the surging emotions within her and said in a trembling voice, "Don't misunderstand, I just came to deliver something to you for Xiaoyan."
With that, she took out a gift box and handed it to Xiu Ran.
"This is a belated birthday present from Xiaoyan."
With that, Ouyang Zixin quickly ran off into the street.
Xiu Ran was slightly taken aback, then shook his head, looking at the gift box in his hand.
The gift box was exquisite, containing an even more refined soul guide watch.
Xiu Ran naturally recognized this watch; it was Xu Xiaoyan's birthday present to him last year, and his only birthday gift. This was the only time in many years that someone in the Xu family had given him a birthday present.
This year, when he reached level 20 in his soul spirit cultivation—actually, he had already reached level 20 before—he hadn't acquired the necessary funds.
He had originally planned to temporarily pawn this soul guide watch; it was quite valuable, worth tens of thousands of Federal Credits. He intended to use it as a temporary measure, so he discussed it with Xu Xiaoyan, after all, it was a gift from her.
However, she got angry in the end, throwing the watch directly into the trash can, feeling that pawning her gift was a deliberate waste of her good intentions. (
Slow-burn story; foreshadowing will be revealed later.)
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(End of Chapter)