Chapter 25: Six Years Later; The Art of Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing!

Six years later.

Notting Academy.

On the mountaintop of the back mountain.

A handsome young man with fair skin, sharp eyebrows, and bright eyes was floating in mid-air, sitting cross-legged, surrounded by three golden soul rings rhythmically moving around his body.

"Phew..."

After a long exhalation, the young man opened his eyes after a moment of meditation.

"Sigh, my soul power has reached its peak, yet I can't advance further. This feeling is... really frustrating."

With a sigh, the young man slowly landed on the ground, his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. His luxurious purple robe billowed in the wind.

The young man was Zhou Chen. Now twelve years old, he possessed three god-level soul rings, making him a Soul Elder.

Unfortunately, without a million gold soul coins, Zhou Chen couldn't purchase the fourth god-level soul ring from the system. His soul power only grew to level 40, stuck at the threshold of becoming a Soul Ancestor.

This was just for the fourth ring. By the time he needed the fifth, the system would demand ten times the price—an astronomical hundred million gold soul coins!

Just thinking about that number was suffocating.

Therefore, he needed to expand his influence more rapidly!

Shaking his head, Zhou Chen was about to return to his room when he suddenly heard footsteps.

These footsteps came from the foot of the mountain.

Zhou Chen could hear such distant sounds because of his second soul skill—the Art of Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing!

The Art of Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing is a true celestial power. Legend has it that when mastered, it allows one to see up to the thirty-third heaven and hear down to the eighteenth layer of hell, surpassing even Asgard's Heimdall.

Currently, Zhou Chen could only use the most basic form of the technique, but it allowed him to see and hear within a five-mile radius.

Gazing down several miles, Zhou Chen saw an eighteen-year-old youth in black climbing the mountain.

"Xiao Chenyu, what's he doing here?"

Zhou Chen frowned, feeling a sense of unease.

According to the rules of Ziwei Palace, no one could come to the back mountain without an edict personally signed by Zhou Chen, to prevent exposing his whereabouts.

Even though Ziwei Palace now had Tang Hao's support and had expanded a hundredfold, Zhou Chen still preferred to be cautious.

Xiao Chenyu's unannounced visit meant something significant had happened.

Soon, Xiao Chenyu reached the mountaintop and saw Zhou Chen standing with his hands behind his back, as if he were a celestial being.

"Greetings, Palace Master."

Upon seeing Zhou Chen, Xiao Chenyu immediately knelt on one knee.

At only eighteen, Xiao Chenyu was now a level 45 Soul Elder, outwardly ranking higher than Zhou Chen!

But in front of Zhou Chen, he showed no arrogance, only utmost respect.

He knew well that his current strength was entirely due to Zhou Chen's continuous gift of pills. Otherwise, with his talent, reaching level 25 would have been impressive.

Moreover, despite being a level 45 Soul Elder, Xiao Chenyu couldn't withstand even one move from Zhou Chen.

The Palace Master's strength defied common sense. Xiao Chenyu had personally witnessed the Palace Master effortlessly punch apart a 30,000-year soul beast, equivalent to a Soul Emperor!

"Speak, what's the matter for you to come up so suddenly?"

Zhou Chen asked calmly, simultaneously lifting his hands slightly. Soul power surged forth.

In the next moment, Xiao Chenyu felt an invisible force lift him, deepening his reverence for Zhou Chen.

With his head slightly lowered, Xiao Chenyu clasped his hands and said solemnly, "Palace Master, our people have detected the presence of Xingluo Royal Secret Guards."

"Those fools are here to die again."

Zhou Chen sneered, his heart filled with killing intent.

Since the Xingluo Secret Guards first targeted him and Hu Liena six years ago, Zhou Chen had been at odds with the Xingluo Empire.

For the past six years, the Xingluo Empire hadn't ceased hunting Zhou Chen, repeatedly sending people to track him. They understood well that they had a mortal enemy in Zhou Chen. If he grew stronger, it could spell the end for the Xingluo Empire.

And Zhou Chen, being vengeful, often dispatched Ziwei Palace's strongmen to mercilessly eliminate any discovered Xingluo Secret Guards!

Over the years, more than a hundred Xingluo Secret Guards had died at the hands of Ziwei Palace. The worst incident saw them run into Tang Hao, losing a level 76 Soul Saint!

In the past two years, the Xingluo Secret Guards seemed to have vanished. Zhou Chen thought they had quieted down, but it hadn't been long before the Xingluo Empire sent people again!

Seeing Zhou Chen's murderous expression, Xiao Chenyu quickly added, "Palace Master, this time it seems the Xingluo Secret Guards aren't targeting us."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Palace Master, the Xingluo Secret Guards we discovered didn't linger near Notting City but headed towards the Balak Kingdom," Xiao Chenyu explained.

"It seems they have another mission." Zhou Chen nodded, acknowledging Xiao Chenyu's analysis.

"Shall we act?" Xiao Chenyu asked softly.

"Of course."

Zhou Chen sneered, "Haven't I said before? If we find Xingluo Royal Secret Guards, kill them all, leave no one alive!"

"Understood, I'll arrange the personnel."

Xiao Chenyu said firmly, clasping his hands.

"Wait."

Just as Xiao Chenyu was about to leave, Zhou Chen said, "I'll go with you. It's been a while since I've inspected Ziwei Palace."

"I'll prepare the carriage."

Xiao Chenyu offered eagerly.

---

One hour later.

Outside the city, Holy Soul Village.

The village no longer had any residents. All the villagers had moved to Notting City.

However, Holy Soul Village hadn't fallen into disrepair; it had become more prosperous, serving as the base for Ziwei Palace.

At this moment, a carriage arrived outside Holy Soul Village, driven by Xiao Chenyu.

"Elder Xiao, you're back?"

As the carriage neared the village, four soul masters responsible for guarding approached, warmly greeting Xiao Chenyu.

Though they appeared only fifteen or sixteen, each was a Soul Grandmaster above level 20.

"Call me Commander Xiao. Ziwei Palace has only one leader, and that's Palace Master Zhou Chen."

Xiao Chenyu said sternly, maintaining a serious demeanor.

Hearing this, the four soul masters nodded. One extended a hand, "Commander Xiao, although we're familiar, the rules require an entry token."

"Understood."

Xiao Chenyu produced half a jade token from his pocket, engraved with the character "North"; the gatekeeper soul master took out another half, engraved with "Fighter."

The two halves combined to form a complete diamond-shaped token, the passage token of Ziwei Palace—the Beidou Token.

"Commander Xiao, and today's passphrase," another soul master requested.

"Boiled Cabbage."

Xiao Chenyu reluctantly uttered a dish name, feeling a bit embarrassed.