Chapter 9: The Mobile Fortress (Part 2)

Guo Shier felt a bit awkward as he said, “Thank you, Grandpa Yi Qiao.” He knew the head butler must be quite old; even if he had lived three lifetimes, his total age might still not compare to the butler’s. So calling him “grandpa” came naturally to him.
Yi Qiao Xilong nodded gracefully and said, “You’re welcome.” A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes as well. “Grandpa? Is he that young?”
Soon, they arrived in a huge living room—over a thousand square meters in size, with the floor about thirty to forty meters above the ceiling, resembling a small square.
Guo Shier noticed a detail: the floor of such a large room was covered with the fur of a mutated talisman beast, dark brown in color and seamless. It was evident that this mutated beast must be of a very high rank.
There were no furniture pieces in the living room, but large murals covered the walls—mostly scenes of battles against mutated talisman beasts and humans. The images were vivid and quite bloody and violent.
Ban Xilong stopped and said calmly, “We’ve been busy for some time. Everyone, go back and rest first. Yi Qiao, arrange a place for Shier. Don’t neglect him.”
Yi Qiao Xilong was even more surprised. He had never seen the second young master value someone so much as to give repeated instructions. He bowed carefully and said, “Yes, second young master, rest assured. I’ll take care of it.”
The people in the hall quickly dispersed. The huge living room had many doors. Yi Qiao Xilong said, “Please follow me!” He personally led Guo Shier and the other two out of the living room. After passing through countless corridors and stairs, leaving them dizzy, they finally arrived at a residence.
Yi Qiao Xilong said, “This is a guest room for VIPs. Stay here for now. This is the talisman map of the Mobile Fortress… Rest now.” He handed Guo Shier a talisman map.
The three thanked him together, and Yi Qiao Xilong turned to leave.
One room per person.
Guo Shier noticed a pattern: the better the treatment for professionals seemed to be in the lower-level continents. At the Northern Talisman Gate and the Chenxiao Sect, he had his own manors. In Haicheng of the Core Foundation Continent, he also had a small courtyard. At the Gu Xi Long family, he only had one room. Even those who received special attention from Ban Xilong got one room each.
But he didn’t care at all. He didn’t intend to stay at the Gu Xi Long family for long.
Guo Shier quickly examined the talisman map, then made two copies and handed them to Eagle Demon and Zhou Xiaoling. He said, “I think I’ll be staying here for a while. Be careful, and try not to cause any trouble. For convenience…” He didn’t finish his sentence, just blinked.

Eagle Demon and Zhou Xiaoling both understood what he meant.
Zhou Xiaoling said, “Shier, thank you this time…”
Guo Shier shook his head and said, “No need to thank me. We’re partners. By the way, Dingding, how did you get caught here?” He hadn’t had the chance to ask before.
Zhou Xiaoling gave a bitter smile and couldn’t help cursing, “Damn it… I’m so unlucky!” As soon as she said that, she realized it was inappropriate and had used vulgar language again. She said, “It’s my bad. I went to the Jade Realm to dig for Sealing Jade, and ended up getting caught… It’s all because of that bastard Big Beard! When I get back, I’ll settle accounts with him!”
Guo Shier couldn’t help laughing and said, “Dingding, we’re in the same boat… Sigh, I also got the coordinates to the Jade Realm from Big Beard! No wonder we met in the Boyan Region…”
Zhou Xiaoling was stunned and said, “You got the coordinates from Big Beard too? Huh? That bastard didn’t go himself but incited so many others to go.”
Guo Shier suddenly remembered an important question and asked, “My master and masteress didn’t go there too, did they?”
Zhou Xiaoling smiled bitterly and said, “It seems they also said they were going… I got impatient and went first. I don’t know if they set off later. If they did, they’re probably in the same situation…”
Guo Shier felt a chill in his heart. Eagle Demon reassured him, “Shier, don’t worry. Even if they come, there’s not much danger. The Gu Xilong family only captures professionals, not kills them. If they come, they might not be in danger. Your master is very strong.”
Zhou Xiaoling said, “As long as they don’t resist on the spot, there shouldn’t be too many problems.”
Guo Shier worriedly said, “I hope so… How did you meet Big Beard? That guy is really scared of you.” He knew that being anxious wouldn’t help; it wouldn’t solve anything even if he died of worry.
Zhou Xiaoling said, “He went to report at the inner gate, and I happened to run into him. He even tried to run away, but I… I caught him. Hmph, and in the end… he tricked me…”
Guo Shier couldn’t help laughing again. He could imagine what Sun Min’er must have felt when she met Zhou Xiaoling. That guy was truly afraid of her. In the Bloody Secret Realm, he had been thoroughly beaten by Zhou Xiaoling; it was hard not to be scared.
Zhou Xiaoling sighed and said, “This secret realm was deliberately set up by the Gu Xilong family. Sigh, I foolishly went in. This time, the Fire Sect sent many high-level professionals. Losing this group of disciples will likely weaken the entire Fire Sect greatly.”
Guo Shier thought of their ancestor and said, “It’s okay. With a master like our ancestor, the Fire Sect will be fine. They can train new disciples slowly.”

Zhou Xiaoling was surprised and asked, “You know the Ancestor?”
Guo Shier nodded. “I met him by chance, and he gave me the title of an elder guest of the Fire Sect.”
Zhou Xiaoling exclaimed in amazement, “An elder guest? Oh my, Shier, have you advanced to a junior Great Sage Master?”
Eagle Demon shook his head and said, “Ding ding, you’re really slow to understand.”
Zhou Xiaoling said, “Who would have thought this guy would advance so quickly… By the way, Shier, you must have some secret, right? How could you advance so fast?”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “If you beg me… I’ll tell you…”
It was the first time Eagle Demon had seen Guo Shier teasing someone like this, so he felt a bit puzzled. Zhou Xiaoling said in surprise, “Ah? There really is a way… Brother Shier… I beg you…”
Zhou Xiaoling reacted quickly and started to pout and plead.
Guo Shier had never seen Zhou Xiaoling like this before and was completely at a loss. Usually, she was bold and fierce like a boy, extremely aggressive in fights. He never expected her to act like this.
Guo Shier immediately raised his hands in surrender and said, “Here, take this!” He took out the soul bead of the first Mother Mutant he had crafted. Neither he nor Eagle Demon could use it; it was only suitable for female professionals.
Zhou Xiaoling picked it up curiously, examined it closely, and exclaimed in surprise, “This… is… a soul bead?”
Guo Shier nodded. “It’s a soul bead. I’ve already refined it. You can use it to strengthen your soul.”
Zhou Xiaoling swallowed it in one go. Guo Shier and Eagle Demon were stunned—this girl was really bold. After all, there was an image of a mutant inside the soul bead. Although it was vague, swallowing it whole required great courage.
Guo Shier was surprised and said, “She… actually swallowed it…”
Eagle Demon sighed, “Ding ding… Amazing!”
Zhou Xiaoling asked foolishly, “Can’t I eat it? Oh no, I’ve already swallowed it! What should I do?”
Guo Shier held back his laughter and said, “Then spit it out.”
Eagle Demon quickly said, “Since you’ve already eaten it, sit down quickly.” He glanced at Guo Shier and scolded, “Shier!”
Guo Shier said, “I know, I know.” He took out two more soul beads, handed one to Eagle Demon, kept one for himself, and began to absorb them. Seeing that Eagle Demon also swallowed his immediately, Zhou Xiaoling felt relieved and coquettishly said, “Shier, you’re naughty!”
After a while, the soul beads began to merge with their souls. Guo Shier recited incantations silently, and his soul immediately started to fluctuate.

Whether it was Eagle Demon or Zhou Xiaoling, their souls were growing rapidly. Zhou Xiaoling felt as if she had returned to the Bloody Secret Realm, immersed in the joy of her soul’s swift development.
Zhou Xiaoling had long been on the verge of advancing, just short of the next level. With the help of the Soul Pearl, her soul improved rapidly, and coupled with Guo Shier’s chanting to refine her soul, she began to advance in no time.
The power of a single Soul Pearl was enough to elevate Zhou Xiaoling to an intermediate Holy Master. Her joints cracked noisily, like firecrackers going off, and runes appeared clearly on her face, glowing layer by layer. She sat still, immersed in the soul fluctuations caused by Guo Shier’s chanting, rapidly refining her soul—she reaped tremendous gains in that moment.
Hearing the crackling sound of her joints, Guo Shier knew Zhou Xiaoling had advanced. But after absorbing the Soul Pearl himself, his soul only grew slightly. Without timely chanting, it would have had almost no effect. After some thought, he realized that the first Soul Pearl was the most powerful, with its effects diminishing over time.
Still, with the help of the Soul Scripture, there was still some benefit, though no more rapid advancement.
Zhou Xiaoling opened her eyes and said excitedly, “I’ve finally advanced! Haha!” Guo Shier and Eagle Demon saw the glowing runes before their eyes—this girl was truly formidable.
Zhou Xiaoling checked again and said, “As long as I consolidate it for a while… it’ll be done. Hehe, Shier, are there any more Soul Pearls?”
Guo Shier replied, “Yes! Many!”
Zhou Xiaoling exclaimed, “Wow, then I can advance quickly, right?”
Guo Shier said, “Advance quickly? Don’t dream about it!”
Zhou Xiaoling was puzzled, “With Soul Pearls… you have plenty of them. Why can’t I advance quickly?” Suddenly, she realized, “Are there restrictions?”
Guo Shier nodded. “That’s right, there are restrictions! The first Soul Pearl has the best effect. After that… the effects become less noticeable. Of course, it still has some use.”
Zhou Xiaoling was understanding. She said, “It’s good to gain even a little. Relying on regular cultivation, it’s already difficult to increase a bit of soul power.”
Guo Shier thought it made sense too. He had been a bit greedy. There were few things in this world that could be achieved instantly, unless one had the inheritance of the Black Symbol People, growing stronger by burning and seizing souls—though that could bring unknown risks. If he wanted to advance, he still had to cultivate diligently.
A knock came at the door. Eagle Demon got up to open it. A servant stood outside respectfully and said, “The head butler requests your presence.”

Guo Shier stood up and said, “Ding ding, let’s go together.”
The Eagle Demon asked, “Is there something the head butler needs?”
The servant gave a humble smile and said, “I’m not sure. Please follow me.”