The morning sunlight streamed through the delicate window lattice into the guest room as Marco awoke from deep meditation. Qing Yu immediately sensed her master's awakening, fluttering her wings to land on his shoulder and affectionately nuzzling his cheek with her beak.
"Chirp chirp!" Qing Yu's clear chirps carried a cheerful tone. After these days together, the bond between this Double Pupil Bird fledgling and Marco had grown increasingly deep.
Marco smiled and gently stroked Qing Yu's small head, taking out specially made Soul Beast snacks from his Soul Tool. Qing Yu happily pecked at the food, her pale blue feathers shimmering with a soft luster in the morning light.
After breakfast, Ning Rongrong came bouncing over to find Marco. Spotting Qing Yu, her eyes lit up as she pulled out a jade-green fruit from her pocket: "Qing Yu, look what big sister brought for you to eat!"
Qing Yu tilted her head to look at Ning Rongrong, then turned to Marco. Only after receiving her master's nod of approval did she carefully take the fruit with her beak, emitting satisfied chirps.
"Brother Marco, Qing Yu seems to have grown a bit bigger!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in surprise, noticing that fine rainbow patterns had appeared on Qing Yu's tail feathers.
Marco nodded. The growth rate of the Double Pupil Bird was indeed astonishing. He could sense the potential contained within Qing Yu's body - given time, she would undoubtedly become a powerful ally.
Led by Ning Rongrong, Marco toured the various buildings of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. The most eye-catching was naturally the Seven-Story Glazed Treasure Pagoda, with faint rainbow light swirling around its peak, clearly the materialized manifestation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit.
"This is our school's treasure," Ning Rongrong said proudly. "It's said that the pagoda enshrines the Spirit Imprints of successive school masters."
In the afternoon, Marco bid farewell to Ning Fengzhi. Before parting, Ning Fengzhi specifically advised: "Young friend, the Double Pupil Bird on your shoulder is extraordinary - you must take good care of it."
After leaving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Marco came to the commercial district of Seven Treasure City. This area was bustling with merchant groups from across the continent, filled with the noise of carriages and bustling crowds. He needed to find a merchant group heading to the Balak Kingdom to travel with.
Standing before the information board in the merchant hall, Marco carefully examined the schedules of various merchant groups. Qing Yu looked around curiously, appearing quite excited by the lively environment.
"Young man, are you looking for a merchant group?" A gentle voice came from behind.
Marco turned to see a middle-aged man wearing a merchant association uniform. "Yes, I'm looking for a merchant group heading to the Balak Kingdom."
The middle-aged man looked Marco over, his gaze lingering for a moment on Qing Yu perched on his shoulder: "What a coincidence. The 'Far Trek Merchant Group' is just about to depart for the Balak Kingdom tomorrow. Their leader Zhao Long is right over there."
Following the direction indicated, Marco saw a burly middle-aged man directing workers loading goods. He approached and politely inquired: "Excuse me, are you Leader Zhao Long? I'd like to travel with your merchant group to the Balak Kingdom."
Zhao Long turned around, his sharp gaze sweeping over Marco. When he saw Qing Yu, a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes: "This bird... is no ordinary creature. Young man, are you a Soul Master?"
Marco nodded: "I know a little."
Zhao Long pondered for a moment: "Our merchant group does need Soul Master escorts. However... you seem quite young. May I ask about your capabilities?"
Marco smiled faintly and gently released a ripple of Soul Power. Though he didn't display his Spirit Rings, the pure energy made Zhao Long's expression shift.
"Excellent!" Zhao Long said cheerfully. "Young man, you may travel with us. Compensation will follow the standard rate for merchant group guards, including room and board."
Thus, Marco officially joined the Far Trek Merchant Group. The caravan consisted of over thirty horse-drawn carts, primarily transporting Seven Treasure City's specialty glassware and precious medicinal herbs. Besides Zhao Long as the leader, there were over twenty guards and cart drivers.
At dawn the next day, the caravan departed on schedule. Marco was assigned to a cart in the middle section—a relatively safe position that also allowed him to watch over both front and rear.
Qing Yu was full of curiosity about the new environment, sometimes soaring into the sky to circle above, other times perching on Marco's shoulder. The caravan members all adored this highly spirited little bird, often offering it snacks.
The first two days of travel proceeded smoothly. The caravan followed the main road, passing through beautiful scenery along the way. Marco occasionally chatted with the guards, learning about various happenings across the continent.
On the third day, the caravan entered a dense mountain forest. The path grew rugged here, with towering trees on both sides casting the area in dim light. Guard Captain Li Tie warned everyone to stay alert: "Bandits often appear in this area. Everyone, be careful!"
Sure enough, around noon, over a dozen men armed with clubs charged out from the woods. Among these bandits were three Soul Masters, their manifested Spirit Rings showing the standard white ten-year first ring and yellow hundred-year second ring.
The merchant guard captain roared and activated his Soul Fusion. His Martial Soul was the common Ironclad Rhinoceros, with two yellow and one purple Spirit Rings indicating he was a Soul Honour. The other guards also released their Martial Souls, mostly Beast Martial Souls like wolves and leopards, with Spirit Ring configurations primarily white and yellow.
As the battle began, the guard captain immediately engaged the three opposing Soul Honours. The Ironclad Rhinoceros Martial Soul possessed astonishing defense, but still struggled against three opponents of the same level. One of the bandit Soul Honours had a Gale Wolf Martial Soul—extremely fast—constantly launching attacks from the flanks.
Just as the guard captain was about to be overwhelmed, Marco gently patted Qing Yu on his shoulder: "Wait here." Then his figure flashed as he joined the fray.
Without releasing his Azure Flame Phoenix Spirit, he easily subdued his opponents using only physical techniques. While defeating the final Soul Honour, he noticed the opponent's third Spirit Ring was a rare purple thousand-year ring—clearly indicating some unusual encounters.
After this incident, the caravan members viewed Marco with newfound respect. Zhao Long specifically came to Marco's cart: "I never imagined the young man possessed such remarkable strength. I was somewhat negligent earlier."
Marco responded modestly: "You're too kind, Captain Zhao. I merely contributed my share."
Qing Yu became the team's "mascot," with guards frequently bringing various snacks to curry its favor. The little creature never refused any offerings but always remained closest to Marco.
The battle on the fifth day grew more intense. When the caravan reached a treacherous valley, over thirty mountain bandits charged down from both slopes. Among them were six Soul Masters, with the three Soul Honours having standard white, yellow, yellow Spirit Ring configurations. Their Martial Souls were respectively Rock Giant Bear, Flame Fox, and Wind Shadow Leopard, coordinating with remarkable synergy.
When the battle began, the guard captain unleashed his Ironclad Rhinoceros Martial Soul to withstand the Rock Giant Bear's charge, while the other guards engaged in close combat with the bandits. However, outnumbered as they were, several guards soon fell wounded.
At that moment, Qing Yu suddenly let out a series of urgent chirps, a golden light flashing in its double pupils. Marco immediately understood—this was the Double Pupil Bird's unique warning ability.
He held back no longer. The Azure Flame Phoenix Spirit instantly manifested as his Soul Avatar. Four Spirit Rings materialized, with the pitch-black ten-thousand-year fourth ring astonishing everyone present.
"A... ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring!" the bandit leader cried out in terror.
Ignoring their shock, Marco instantly activated "Shave." Combined with the speed boost from his Azure Flame Phoenix, he left afterimages across the battlefield. First, he shattered the Rock Giant Bear's defenses, then used Armament Haki to break through the Flame Fox's fire wall, and finally delivered a Tempest Kick that sent the Wind Shadow Leopard flying.
The entire battle flowed with seamless grace. Qing Yu continuously chirped warnings from the periphery, helping Marco evade hidden arrows. The flawless coordination between the man and the bird left the entire merchant caravan in awe.
After the battle, Zhao Long offered Marco the finest carriage. Inside, Qing Yu preened its feathers proudly, as if pleased with its own performance. Marco smiled and fed it a Soul Beast Crystal Core, prompting the little one to emit satisfied chirps.
During the subsequent journey, Marco occasionally guided the guards in their cultivation. He noticed that while these guards had ordinary talent, they trained diligently. One young guard possessed a rare healing-type Firefly Martial Soul. Though he only had two white Spirit Rings, he could treat the wounded at critical moments.
Marco specifically taught him some Soul Power application techniques, earning the young guard's profound gratitude. Qing Yu also seemed fond of this gentle youth, often perching on his shoulder to chirp.
After over half a month of travel, the merchant caravan finally reached Suotuo City in the Balak Kingdom. At their parting, Zhao Long insisted on additional payment, but Marco politely declined. "Your hospitality along the journey has been more than enough."
The guards presented various gifts, mostly snacks for Qing Yu. The young guard, with red-rimmed eyes, declared, "Lord Marco, I will train diligently!"
Standing on the streets of Suotuo City, Marco gazed into the distance.
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "QueenTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!