UPDATE: So, I've come back from hostel cause welll, that place sucked major balls. I'll be changing colleges and so I might not update frequently for a couple months cause I'll be playing catch up in new college.
For those of you that are still here, thanks.
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Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had quietly slipped through their fingers.
On the empty plot of land to the east of the Star Luo City imperial palace, the main structure of the Spirit Pagoda had already risen from the ground. The towering pagoda had now reached its seventh floor, with only the top floor left to be completed before it was fully capped off.
The design of this pagoda differed from any traditional architectural style on the Douluo Continent. Constructed entirely of silver-white stone, the octagonal structure tapered upward floor by floor, with the eaves of each level curving slightly upward, casting a cold and elegant luster under the sunlight.
Looking from afar, the unfinished tall tower resembled a sharp sword drawn from the earth, pointing straight toward the heavens. Even the citizens who were well-accustomed to the bustling prosperity of Star Luo City couldn't help but stop and look up whenever they passed by the east side of the palace.
Of course, although the structure had reached the seventh floor, the engraving of the internal Spirit Tool Formations, the partitioning of functional areas on each floor, and the detailed interior decoration would still require a significant amount of time to be meticulously polished.
The Star Luo Blacksmith Association had also long since changed its name and hung its new sign, becoming the first Blacksmith Association on this continent.
Over the past half a year, the progress of the Blacksmith Association was also plain for all to see.
Under Huo Yuhao's unreserved and tireless guidance, the number of Blacksmiths in the association who could stably master the Thousand Forging technique had increased from just President Zhu Wen at the beginning to a full eight people. This also meant that the cooperation between the Blacksmith Association and the Spirit Transmission Hall could finally move forward on all fronts.
The scale of the Spirit Transmission Hall was also continuously expanding. With the support of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department, the number of Soul Engineers in the Spirit Transmission Hall had expanded from the initial seventy to one hundred and twenty.
As the Spirit Tools produced by the Spirit Transmission Hall repeatedly broke transaction records at the Starlight Auction House, the Spirit Transmission Hall's reputation spread far and wide across the Star Luo Empire and even the entire continent.
Although most of what was currently sold publicly were still low-grade Spirit Tools, as long as they were produced by the Spirit Transmission Hall, their energy conversion efficiency, Formation precision, and overall stability clearly surpassed the products of the Sun Moon Empire's Mingde Hall.
Overall, during this half-year period Ten Thousand Years ago, everything was progressing in an orderly manner according to Huo Yuhao's plan.
Inside the office on the third floor of the Spirit Transmission Hall, the afternoon sunlight spilled in obliquely through the half-closed curtains, casting several warm patches of light on the desk.
Huo Yuhao sat behind the large mahogany desk, flipping through a progress report that had just been delivered from the construction site.
His gaze swept across the densely packed lines of text, while in his heart, he silently calculated the deadlines and milestones of various plans.
He could now deeply appreciate why Aunt Leng had so many matters to handle every day.
Ten Thousand Years ago, everything was still in the starting phase, and he was already busy enough to take flight.
Ten Thousand Years later, the Spirit Pagoda would span the entire continent. As the Vice Tower Master, Leng Yaozhu had to deal with requests and reports from various Branch Pagodas, internal factional infighting, and the balancing of interests between the Federation and the major Sects. That workload was only greater than his current one.
Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Once things on this side became more stable, he absolutely had to recruit and train a group of capable management talents as soon as possible.
His primary task, after all, was to rapidly increase his cultivation and Spirit Power. It would be best to leave the management of these myriad mundane affairs to other trustworthy people; otherwise, even if he had three heads and six arms, it wouldn't be enough.
*Creak!*
With a soft sound, the wooden door was gently pushed open from the outside.
Jin Li walked in with light steps, her signature golden-red hair swaying slightly on her shoulders with each step like a flickering flame in the afternoon sun.
Her large golden eyes habitually swept across the room before she casually walked over and sat in the chair opposite Huo Yuhao.
Propping her chin on one hand, she tilted her head to look at Huo Yuhao, who was still looking down and flipping through files, and asked, "Is there anything scheduled for tomorrow? I'll go prepare in advance."
Obviously, after half a year, Jin Li had adapted to the novel role of a secretary.
Although this young lady was usually casual and careless, she was surprisingly reliable when it came to work.
At this moment, sitting opposite Huo Yuhao, her golden eyes were filled with seriousness and anticipation, clearly having developed the professional habit of confirming the next day's schedule in advance.
Huo Yuhao put down the file in his hand and raised his eyes to look at Jin Li's serious face, not rushing to answer.
He had wanted to say that he had no plans for tomorrow, but the words suddenly caught in his throat.
Because the construction progress report he had just flipped through stated that, according to the current building speed, the main structure of the Spirit Pagoda should be fully completed within three months.
Gradually, an idea quietly surfaced in his mind.
Huo Yuhao leaned back, sinking into the large leather chair, his shoulders, which had been tense all day, finally relaxing a bit.
He raised his eyes to look at Jin Li opposite him and suddenly asked a seemingly irrelevant question, "How long has it been since you returned to Star Dou?"
Jin Li was clearly taken aback by the question. Her large golden eyes blinked, obviously not expecting Huo Yuhao's topic to suddenly shift to her.
She subconsciously began counting on her fingers, one by one. Her originally heroic face looked inexplicably cute because of this action.
After counting, she raised her head and answered, "More than half a year. To be exact, it should be seven months and thirteen days."
After saying that, she couldn't help but calculate it again in her mind to make sure she hadn't miscounted, before nodding in satisfaction.
Seeing her like this, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but smile, and then said directly, "Then make some preparations. Tomorrow, we will leave Star Luo City and take a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest."
Hearing this, Jin Li's large golden eyes suddenly lit up, as if two small flames had been ignited.
Since entering human society, there had been countless novel and interesting things constantly drawing her attention.
But in the end, the Star Dou Great Forest was her true home.
She hadn't been back for seven months and thirteen days. She hadn't smelled the familiar fragrance of vegetation in the forest, nor had she heard the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves at the tops of the ancient trees.
Now that Huo Yuhao had mentioned it, she really felt a bit homesick.
Leaning forward slightly, her golden eyes filled with irrepressible excitement, she asked, "We? You're going to the Star Dou Great Forest with me?"
Looking at her pleasantly surprised expression, Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded.
A Spirit Pagoda having a magnificent exterior and first-class facilities was not enough. What would truly attract Spirit Masters to come was that the pagoda had to have genuine Spirit Souls available for selection.
In other words, with the official opening of the Spirit Pagoda drawing near, it was time for him to start preparing the "inventory."
...
Early the next morning, before the sky was fully bright, a touch of fish-belly white had just appeared on the eastern horizon. The heavy northern city gate of Star Luo City was slowly pushed open to the low chants of the city guards.
Not long after the city gate opened, an unremarkable carriage stepped into the first light of dawn, leisurely driving out of the city along the official road.
Inside the carriage, Huo Yuhao and Jin Li sat opposite each other.
Although the carriage looked simple on the outside, the interior was quite comfortably arranged, with thick cushions and a small Spirit Tool warming lamp hanging on the carriage wall, emitting a soft, pale yellow glow.
Today, Jin Li had changed into a dark, tight-fitting outfit suitable for travel. Her golden-red hair was casually tied into a high ponytail behind her head, losing some of her usual lazy charm and gaining a bit of heroic and neat spirit.
She peeled back a corner of the window curtain, poking half her head out to look at the countryside scenery outside.
The fresh morning breeze, carrying the scent of soil and green grass, blew in. She took a deep breath and then pulled her head back, her large golden eyes turning to look at Huo Yuhao opposite her.
She then tilted her head and asked the question she had been holding back: "Aren't we going to the Star Dou Great Forest? Going by way of Heaven Dou City isn't on the way, is it?"
Although Jin Li had never been to the Heavenly Soul Empire in the north since she transformed into human form, she was still well-aware of the geographical distribution of the continent.
The Star Dou Great Forest spanned the border between Star Luo and Heavenly Soul. If they went to Heaven Dou City first and then to the Star Dou Great Forest, it would mean making a huge detour, taking several extra days on the road.
Looking at her serious expression as she checked the route, Huo Yuhao smiled and shook his head.
Leaning against the carriage wall, he said in an unhurried tone, "The final destination is indeed the Star Dou Great Forest, but we'll first take a trip to the Sunset Forest near Heaven Dou City."
A glint of curiosity flashed in Jin Li's eyes. She had heard of the Sunset Forest. Although that forest was far less famous than the Star Dou Great Forest, it was still a reasonably large habitat for Spirit Beasts.
But she really couldn't understand why Huo Yuhao was making such a huge detour to go to the Sunset Forest, so she pressed, "Sunset Forest? What are we going there for? If you want to catch Spirit Beasts, wouldn't it be more convenient to go straight to the Star Dou Great Forest?"
The corners of Huo Yuhao's mouth curled up slightly, and he lowered his voice, saying mysteriously, "To look for treasure."
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.