Gu You shook the gourd in his hand, and a thick wave of soul power burst forth.
"Master said she even added a lot of thousand-year spirit herbs inside. The liquid brewed from them can enhance soul power when consumed."
It was a great item—not only could it store the soul power of a Soul Douluo and continuously replenish him, but it could also be used to make tea and quench thirst. Truly, it was the ultimate sacred cup.
Leng Yaozhu had explained that this soul tool flask was crafted by three different seventh-rank professionals working together, bringing it close to the level of an eighth-rank soul tool. Inside, it had two separate modules, shaped like a gourd. The lower compartment stored soul power, while the upper one could brew medicinal liquor. It was designed to allow seamless switching between the two functions, making it a top-tier piece among seventh-rank soul tools.
"All passengers, please board Soul Train No. 87. This journey departs from Xiangming City and travels to Tiandou City, passing through thirty-four cities along the way. At each stop, the train will pause for five minutes, allowing passengers to disembark or continue their journey."
The broadcast repeated over and over. To be honest, if this train hadn't been so cheap, Gu You would have already booked a VIP cabin on a high-speed soul train.
Since he had given his red card to Na'er, he didn't have much money left. He had opened a personal account and managed to save about 300,000 federal coins—money he had earned through forging over the past two days.
Don't underestimate 300,000 federal coins. In the Douluo Federation, earning that much in just a few days put him ahead of 90% of the population.
Inside the train, it was chaotic. Gu You barely managed to grab a seat and immediately began meditating.
"Such a beautiful child! What's your child's martial soul?"
Although Gu You appeared to be meditating, his six senses were sharper than ever. He had already scanned the entire train car, but what puzzled him was that in the two compartments above, there was a powerful mental force blocking his perception.
For the past few days, he had been diligently cultivating his Purple Demon Eyes every morning. Through this, he discovered something unusual—the technique seemed far too easy for him. He had already reached the so-called "Microscopic Realm."
The Microscopic Realm meant the ability to observe down to the tiniest details—to see the minute changes in a target at a glance.
"Martial soul… Sorry, my child doesn't have one."
Gu You's attention was drawn to the conversation.
"Ah! My apologies."
The speaker was a beautiful young woman. She sat across from a mother and daughter pair—the mother appeared to be in her forties, while the little girl looked about six or seven. The child was adorable, with bright, clear eyes.
"No, that's not what I meant. My daughter missed the martial soul awakening ceremony. By the time we got there, the spirit masters had already left. Now, if we want her to awaken her martial soul, we have to go to a Spirit Pagoda branch or a government facility… but it costs over twenty thousand federal coins. It's just too expensive…"
Gu You clenched his fists. It was infuriating to hear something like this, but that was the reality. A family that couldn't even afford twenty thousand coins—how could they possibly support a child with soul power? Even if the girl had potential, obtaining soul rings in the future would be extremely difficult. Unless she had an exceptional martial soul, her chances of becoming a soul master were slim.
After putting himself in their shoes, Gu You made up his mind. In the future, when he established his own faction, he would ensure that martial soul awakenings were completely free, just like Spirit Hall had done. It wouldn't matter if someone was rich or poor—as long as they had soul power, they would have a chance to study and grow within his organization.
Money? He would cover the costs himself.
Of course, this was just an idea for now. After all, resource competition was inevitable. The world had never been fair. It wasn't fair before, and it wasn't fair now. But if one was born with great talent, they had to seize their destiny. And even if they weren't born gifted, they should never despair—because no one could predict what they might achieve in three years' time.
"So sleepy… Why do I suddenly feel so drowsy? My eyelids… I can't keep them open…"
Drowsiness overwhelmed him.
Gu You instantly activated his spiritual power, and his Purple Demon Eyes locked onto the front of the train.
In a place invisible to most, a girl stood silently. Four soul rings surrounded her body, and she was continuously playing a flute.
"Jiuxiao Flute?"
Gu You immediately recognized the martial soul. However, this flute emitted dense black mist filled with the aura of the dead—evil energy seeped into the surroundings, shrouding everything in darkness. Gu You's vision was completely obscured.
An evil soul master!!
Gu You was shocked. He had simply boarded a regular train—why did trouble always find him? And this evil soul master had four soul rings.
Typically, evil soul masters never acted alone.
By now, most of the passengers had fallen into a deep sleep. Gu You pretended to be unconscious as well, determined to observe what would happen next.
The train continued its journey, and the surroundings remained eerily calm. An hour passed, and Gu You's hands started feeling sore. Holding the same posture for so long was incredibly uncomfortable.
Five hours.
He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to change positions.
Carefully, he adjusted himself—thankfully, no one seemed to notice.
Northern Border—Nona Linso City.
This remote place was beyond the Federation's direct control, making it a haven for evil soul masters, black-market traders, and assassins. Even though the city's governor was appointed by the Federation, corruption was rampant—bribery ensured that dark dealings continued unchecked.
"Xiao Lai, you did well this time. The boss will definitely reward you with enough wraith energy to push you to the Soul King level."
A burly man with countless scars sneered, his eyes gleaming with madness.
"I don't need you to tell me that," Xiao Lai replied coldly. "But we've drawn too much attention. The Federation was already suspicious of this area. Now they're bound to investigate further. Even if they send inspectors, they'll eventually uncover the truth."
The burly man burst into laughter.
"Then let them come! It's been too long since I last killed someone. My martial soul is hungry."
Behind him, a blood-red bear emerged, his body swelling to dozens of times its original size. Seven soul rings revolved around him, but his first ring was white.
This was Kuang Zhan's martial soul—Bloodthirsty Bear, a mutation-type martial soul that thrived on slaughter. He had already reached seven rings, but the number of innocent lives he had taken was unfathomable.
"Where are we?"
Most passengers were waking up, their eyes filled with confusion.
Outside the train, an endless blizzard raged, blanketing the land in white.
"What's going on?! Weren't we just in Shrek City?!"
Panic spread. Order began to collapse.
Gu You's left eye twitched. There was an old saying—left eye twitching meant fortune, right eye twitching meant disaster.
But this? This definitely felt like disaster.
(End of Chapter)