When Yue Jinghua left Star Sparrow Hall, both her rit Ring and Qian Luo’s had gained ten rit points each. Star Sparrow Hall’s monthly high-level customized weaponry was limited, and so orders were not as demanding as today’s with the Heavy Crossbow. Nonetheless, it was a good start.
"You could easily reveal your identity as a Tattoo Master or do Alchemy; why go to such lengths to hide?" Chen Jiangyin was puzzled by Yue Jinghua’s excessive caution, unaware of her unspoken hardships.
Regarding Alchemy, Four Symbols City’s demands were all Holy-grade Elixir Pills, which Yue Jinghua must rely on the Dun Qinglian Fire to create, thus revealing her possession of the Abnormal Fire.
As for being a Tattoo Master, Yue Jinghua was reluctant to draw the extra attention of the Divine Court before her wings fully developed.
After seeing Chen Jiangyin off, Yue Jinghua returned to the temporary abode, and from afar, she saw Lord Gui bringing over a dozen new Dark Practitioners to this temporary abode; it seed other newcors for the Xuyang Trial had arrived.
Unlike earlier when Yue Jinghua and others were divided into different factions occupying different areas, the newly arrived Dark Practitioners were all clustered around Lord Gui and a man, akin to stars surrounding the moon.
Yue Jinghua stepped closer, just as the man turned around.
The man, clad in White Rhinoceros colored Battle Armor, simply stood there, drawing everyone’s gaze.
A pair of light purple eyes erged before her; Zong Shaoqing looked at Yue Jinghua with a half-smile, his gaze focused solely on Yue Jinghua, as if everyone around her was irrelevant, leaving only her in the world.
"Zong Shaoqing?" Yue Jinghua hadn’t expected to encounter him in Four Symbols City, "Are you also here for the Xuyang Trial?"
Despite having officially sparred with Zong Shaoqing, the mory of his uncanny movent technique and the destructively potent purple fla from Little Shang Palace was indelible for Yue Jinghua.
If Zong Shaoqing joined the Xuyang Trial, who could be his match? Moreover, the chances of her brother Yue Minzhi taking the top three spots would significantly diminish.
Zong Shaoqing had long cented his reputation as the Divine Son across the continent; it was no wonder Yue Jinghua disbelieved that he would deign to participate in the Xuyang Trial given his "prestige".
"What? I can’t join, or do I look too old?" Zong Shaoqing murmured, instinctively touching his face.
His behavior sharply contrasts with his usual lofty, almost untouched-by-worldly-matters deanor in the Divine Court, shocking the Dark Practitioners from the sa Divine Court standing beside him.
"I didn’t an that," Yue Jinghua felt embarrassed, hastily changing the subject: "Do you an to say that the esteed Divine Son Himself is to stay in the temporary abode like us?"
"Everyone is equal; this City Lord will not show bias due to anyone’s prestigious status and rank on the continent. All newcors are arranged in temporary abodes, with identical provisions. Since you know each other, I’ll leave him to you. The City Lord is busy and has to welco another batch of newcors," Lord Gui, bringing several batches of newcors in a day, was sowhat irritable; if not for these newcors, he could sunbathe on the city wall, idling away a day.
"City Lord Changsun, could you tell if there’s a batch of newcors from the Dragon War Empire?" Yue Jinghua lost her ans of external contact upon entering Four Symbols City, unaware if her brother Yue Minzhi had safely arrived.
"That, I’m not sure; within three days, all newcors will be settled in temporary abodes. You may seek your brother after three days. If you can’t find him then, he might have perished en route," Lord Changsun originally walked leisurely; now, with a sudden departure, he disappeared without a trace.
Seeing Yue Jinghua’s worried expression, Zong Shaoqing consoled: "You needn’t worry. I’ve heard that this ti the Dragon War Empire specifically dispatched imperial officials to accompany the participants of the Xuyang Trial; there shouldn’t be any issues."
Though Yue Jinghua decided to carry this hot potato, in truth, she only arrived half a day earlier, hardly sufficing to help Zong Shaoqing with the abode allocations before sunset. The moonlight poured from the clouds, illuminating Four Symbols City with a faint glow, akin to mist enfolding it.
After entering Four Symbols City, Zong Shaoqing barely had the chance to explore; Yue Jinghua opted to lead him on a tour around the city.
As they reached the city wall, the sound of sothing like a trumpet, perhaps mixed with a wild beast’s roar, drifted from outside the city, making Yue Jinghua halt, eager: "They say the east wall offers a view of the Mainland Battlefield. Alas, without a Flying Profound Beast, nor possessing the Sky Ascending Technique, one couldn’t bypass the Dark Array and city guards to glimpse outside."
Yue Jinghua was highly curious about the Mainland Battlefield just beyond the wall.
The high-risen walls of Four Symbols City had specialized Defensive Dark Arrays and night patrols, strictly prohibiting climbing.
By avoiding the patrol timings and finding a blank spot in the Dark Array, one could scale the wall and see the battlefield’s view.
Yue Jinghua spoke on impulse but regretted it afterward.
If Xie Yu or those born rebels like Ni Qianjun were beside her, the notion might fly; however, with soone like Zong Shaoqing present, probably restrained by various prohibitions since youth, would he agree to her reckless idea and break city rules right away?
Yue Jinghua watched Zong Shaoqing, anxious.
The moonlight highlighted her eyes like fireflies in the night, depicting a mix of apprehension and curiosity.
Yet, Zong Shaoqing chuckled, grasped her hand gently, and said, "Close your eyes."
Driven by an unexplainable force, Yue Jinghua obediently shut her eyes, feeling strangely weightless as though she had wings, the wind whistling in her ears prompting her to open her eyes.
The frigid wind from the Foreign Continent swept past her hair; she stood atop the city wall, with the giant snake-like fortifications of Four Symbols City on one side, and the vast, dark Mainland Battlefield ahead.
"Actually, there’s nothing fascinating about the Mainland Battlefield; the deeper you venture, the more desolate the scenery becos. During the day, it’s scorching like a solitary volcanic lava, at night, freezing as if you are in an icy wasteland; there’s no Venus, only slaughter and despair," Zong Shaoqing stood beside her, his voice mirroring a chilly detachnt.
"How do you know that?" Despite standing shoulder to shoulder with Zong Shaoqing, Yue Jinghua was still half a head shorter, her angle revealing his chiseled profile.
"Because I was born for war," Zong Shaoqing gazed ahead, his eyes deep.
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