"What?"
Chen Xuan turned his head in confusion. The wind was too strong, making it impossible to hear clearly.
Zhu Zhuqing's voice was very soft, almost like she was speaking to herself, and she was still a bit distant from him.
"It's nothing," Zhu Zhuqing said lightly, shaking her head and not intending to explain.
However, her gaze towards Chen Xuan had changed. It was no longer as indifferent as before and had taken on a hint of admiration.
Now, she vaguely understood that Chen Xuan possessed such strength but had never shown it at Shrek Academy.
He was uncompetitive and low-key, not someone who would vie for anything.
Zhu Zhuqing remained aloof, but her eyes softened considerably when looking at Chen Xuan.
Such speed, covering two hundred meters in the blink of an eye, was something that no soul master of the Soul Sovereign level could achieve. Even Soul Kings and Soul Emperors of the Agility system might not match such speed.
Perhaps only soul saints like Flander and Liu Erlong could surpass Chen Xuan.
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly recalled that when Dai Mubai and Chen Xuan had sparred on the back mountain of Shrek Academy under Yu Xiaogang's arrangement, Chen Xuan had emerged victorious.
At that time, everyone thought it was because Dai Mubai had underestimated Chen Xuan, giving him an opportunity. Now, it seemed it was not that simple.
Comparing Chen Xuan to her fiancé, there was almost no comparison.
Though they were of similar age, Dai Mubai had consumed celestial herbs that caused his martial soul to evolve, creating a two-level difference in soul power.
Without comparison, there was no harm. Zhu Zhuqing felt a deep disappointment in Dai Mubai, who, despite having the White Tiger bloodline martial soul and superior education from a young age, with the help of celestial herbs, could not measure up.
And Chen Xuan? Born of humble origins, lacking a powerful martial soul, with no famous teacher, receiving only common education and no celestial herbs, still performed admirably.
At sixteen or seventeen, creating multiple soul skills, breaking through to Soul Sovereign, and possessing such incredible speed—what immense effort and sweat must have gone into this?
When Zhu Zhuqing truly began to understand Chen Xuan, she realized there was another side to him that was ordinary yet extraordinary.
Thinking about how much effort Chen Xuan had put in to achieve his current results, she was deeply moved by his perseverance.
In fact, she did not know that Chen Xuan's achievements were not just due to hard work but also to persistence and effort.
He had never consumed celestial herbs but had eaten a plant even better than celestial herbs.
"We've arrived," Chen Xuan suddenly said, unaware of Zhu Zhuqing's musings.
After using the Flying Thunder God technique to cover seven or eight thousand meters, they finally reached the Star Dou Forest.
Ahead was a nearly primordial forest with a fragrant dirt path leading deeper into the woods.
On both sides of the path were towering trees with lush branches and leaves, and the ground was covered with wildflowers and grasses, very dense, reaching half the height of an adult.
Chen Xuan set the two of them down and looked at the path, noticing many weeds and debris on the dirt. He said, "This path doesn't seem to have been cleared for long. Zhuqing, should we follow it?"
He was concerned about encountering the soul master team from earlier who might be eyeing them.
"Do as you please," Zhu Zhuqing replied coldly, showing no particular preference.
Chen Yiyi blinked her gem-like eyes and asked in confusion, "Brother, why are you so afraid?"
Chen Xuan was speechless. He reached out and flicked her forehead, saying, "Do you really think I'm invincible?"
"Then you're not allowed to hit me!" Chen Yiyi puffed up her cheeks in anger, showing her small tiger teeth, and glared at Chen Xuan.
She rubbed her red forehead, which had really hurt.
She was small in stature and looked pure and cute, and even when angry and puffing up her cheeks, she had no real threat.
Chen Xuan quickly apologized and picked her up on his back, continuing their journey.
The forest was quiet, with a gentle breeze rustling the leaves. Everything seemed very serene.
Chen Xuan didn't dare let his guard down. The quieter a place was, the more dangerous it could be.
He and Zhu Zhuqing ventured deeper, following the cleared path for half an hour.
After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped. In the distance, there was the sound of a tree falling.
"I'll go take a look," Chen Xuan said, handing a kunai to Zhu Zhuqing.
He continued, "Zhuqing, take Yiyi and head down another path."
Zhu Zhuqing was aware of his speed and wasn't worried, so she headed in the opposite direction.
Currently, they were at the edge of the Star Dou Forest, with very few ten-thousand-year soul beasts and the lowest danger level, unless something unexpected happened.
Chen Xuan jumped up a fifty to sixty-meter tree in a few leaps, getting a better view from higher up.
Next, he continued to leap from branch to branch like an aerial acrobat.
After about a hundred meters, he stopped and concealed himself using the tree trunk.
In the distance was a group of fifteen or sixteen people.
"Just as I thought," Chen Xuan's pupils narrowed. He recognized the young man with glasses and the burly bald man with a muscular build.
He had a certain degree of perception ability and could sense a hint of malice from these soul masters.
Chen Xuan had always felt there was something wrong with this group, particularly the burly bald man, who did not seem like a good person. He sensed malice from him.
This was a type of perceptive ninjutsu. After using the Tsukiyomi technique in his earlier years, he developed this subtle sense, likely a capability of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
It was a good opportunity to see what these people were up to.
However, the next moment, the bald man suddenly sprang up into the air, emitting a dazzling laser from his mouth that shot towards a large tree behind them.
Over fifty meters away, the tree, as thick as a barrel, exploded with a roar, disappearing into golden light.
"Boss, what are you doing?" The young man with glasses asked in slight fear, seemingly more frightened of the man now.
The laser emitted by the opponent had cut through the barrel-thick tree, splitting it into two segments, with the middle part completely obliterated. The power was terrifying.
"There's a rat," the bald man's eyes glinted coldly.
Not only the young man with glasses, Gu Jinchao, but the rest of the group was also puzzled. There was no sign of anyone in the area that had been blown up.
But they dared not say anything, fearing to anger this powerful individual.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing, who was on her way, suddenly saw a flash of golden light in front of her, causing her to stop abruptly and summon her martial soul, fearing danger.
The next moment, the golden light faded, and a shadowy figure fell to the ground with a thud, rolling a few times.
"Brother?"
Chen Yiyi was momentarily stunned. Wasn't this her older brother Chen Xuan?
"Brother, why are you lying on the ground?" She asked in confusion.
Chen Xuan's face darkened immediately. Was this little girl out of words, or had she not learned to speak properly?
Only Zhu Zhuqing, with her keen eyes, noticed Chen Xuan's torn clothes and the large hole in his outer jacket.
"What happened?" she asked as she extended her slender arm to help Chen Xuan up.
Chen Xuan first shot a glare at Yiyi, then his expression turned serious, his face suddenly becoming very grave.
"I was detected. That guy is very strong, not like a Soul Emperor-level soul master. He's likely at the Soul Saint level."
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