Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

No amount of persuasion could change Xiaowu's mind; once she made up her mind, not even ten oxen could pull her back.

Moreover, it no longer has the strength to persuade.

……

The North, Iron Gate Pass.

The gaps in the city wall blasted by the soul skills have been temporarily filled with boulders and rough wood. From a distance, it looks like an old garment covered with patches, but each patch is firmly repaired.

On the city walls, the flags of the Northern Alliance fluttered in the cold wind, and the swan embroidered on the flags, poised to take flight, stood out against the grey sky.

There was a long queue at the city gate.

There were merchants driving horse-drawn carriages, travelers carrying bags, women and children leading their children, and groups of three or five Soul Masters.

During the war, identity checks were required to enter and leave the city, which slowed things down considerably, but no one complained or cut in line.

Everyone stood in silent line, heads down, looking at the heels of the person in front of them, inching forward step by step.

Xiao Wu stood at the end of the line, her long pink hair standing out in the crowd.

She was dressed in a dark blue outfit with a gray cloak over it, the hood open, standing there casually, not afraid of being recognized.

Firstly, not many people know her. Secondly, even if someone does recognize her, she is a Soul Emperor, and ordinary Soul Masters are no match for her.

The procession moved forward slowly.

Xiao Wu's gaze swept across the city gate and saw several soldiers wearing dark blue Alliance standard battle robes checking the identity documents of those entering the city one by one.

They stood ramrod straight, their eyes sharp, their hands on their sword hilts, their entire being embodying the message "Don't cause trouble."

It was finally Xiao Wu's turn.

A soldier stepped forward and blocked her way. "Identity."

Xiao Wu took out her pre-prepared identification from her bosom and handed it over.

It was a yellowed parchment, the edges were worn and frayed, and the writing on it was faded, but still legible.

This is the identity document she prepared when she entered the Soul Master Academy many years ago. The information registered on it was all forged by Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. She is a person from the Heaven Dou Empire and her martial soul is the Soft Bone Charming Rabbit.

When Xiao Wu got this certificate, it was just for convenience when she was walking around in the human world. She never thought that one day she would use it in this kind of place.

Now, holding this old certificate, she stands at the gate of the Northern Alliance city, waiting for a soldier to verify her identity.

The feeling was strange, like suddenly pulling out a few copper coins that had been lost many years ago from your pocket while rummaging through old clothes. They weren't worth much, but they gave you a moment of disorientation.

time flies.

The soldier took the certificate, glanced at it, then looked up, his gaze lingering on Xiao Wu's face for a moment.

"What are you doing in the North?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a businesslike, cold tone.

“Join the Northern Army,” Xiaowu said.

The soldier's brow twitched slightly. In those days, many people came to the Northern Territory to join the army, but most of them were refugees with nowhere else to turn, defeated soldiers scattered by the Spirit Empire, or ordinary spirit masters who wanted to make a living.

It's rare to see a young woman like this, dressed neatly, with an outstanding demeanor, traveling alone, and carrying an old identity document from many years ago, joining the army.

The soldier's gaze lingered on Xiao Wu for a moment before he asked, "What level?"

"Soul Emperor".

The soldier's hand paused.

His fingers tightened slightly as he held the ID card, as if he hadn't heard clearly, or as if he had heard clearly but couldn't believe it.

"What did you say?"

“Soul Emperor,” Xiao Wu repeated, her tone as calm as if she were saying the weather was nice today.

The soldier remained silent for a moment.

He lowered his head again, glanced at the yellowed parchment in his hand, then looked up at Xiao Wu. At eighteen or nineteen years old, with long pink hair and a slender figure, she didn't look like a Soul Emperor at all.

But he did not question it.

This is not something he can question, nor is it something he should question.

"Wait a moment." The soldier returned the identification to Xiao Wu and turned to walk towards the inside of the city gate.

He walked very fast, so fast that his boots made a series of rapid, muffled thuds on the bluestone slabs.

Xiao Wu stood there, watching the soldier's figure disappear into the shadows inside the city gate.

She didn't have to wait long.

In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the soldier returned. Behind him was a middle-aged man in a dark blue Alliance standard battle robe, burly with a resolute face, and a broad-bladed longsword hanging at his waist.

His body emanated soul power fluctuations at the Soul King level.

The middle-aged man walked up to Xiao Wu, his gaze sweeping over her, and then he asked, "You're Xiao Wu?"

"Yes."

"Your level is Soul Emperor?"

"Yes."

The middle-aged man was silent for a moment, then stepped aside and gestured for them to proceed.

"Please follow me. The Soul Master registration office isn't here; it's inside the city."

Xiao Wu nodded and followed the middle-aged man through the city gate.

The two of them passed through the city gate one after the other and entered the Iron Gate Pass.

The scene inside the city was even more bustling than outside. There were many pedestrians on the streets, and most of the shops on both sides had their doors open. Shop assistants stood at the doorways calling out their wares—vegetables, cloth, weapons—the various sounds mingled together, weaving a noisy net.

The air was filled with the aroma of stew, the smell of coal smoke from the blacksmith's shop, and an indescribable smell that belonged to the military.

Xiao Wu's gaze swept across both sides of the street, memorizing the buildings along the way.

The middle-aged man walked slowly, but each step was steady. He didn't look back or say anything; he simply led the way.

The two walked through three streets, turned two corners, and stopped in front of a two-story stone building.

A wooden sign hangs at the entrance of the stone building, bearing the five large characters "Soul Master Registration Office," written in a vigorous and powerful style, with strokes as sharp as if carved by a knife and axe.

Two soldiers stood at the entrance, their backs ramrod straight, their hands resting on their sword hilts.

Upon seeing the middle-aged man, the two soldiers saluted simultaneously.

The middle-aged man waved his hand, pushed open the door, and went inside. Xiao Wu followed behind him.

The hall was not large, with several long tables set up, on which thick registers were spread out. Several clerks were engrossed in writing, the pens making a soft scratching sound as they scribbled across the paper.

Several Soul Masters, both men and women, were sitting on chairs against the wall, waiting to register. They were all quite old, the youngest appearing to be in his thirties. When they saw Xiao Wu walk in, they all looked up, their gazes lingering on her for a moment before lowering their heads again.

The middle-aged man led Xiaowu to a registration desk and they lined up behind a few people.

Xiao Wu's gaze passed over the shoulder of the person in front of her and looked at the person sitting behind the registration desk.

She is a female Soul Master.

She wore a black bodysuit, her long, dark hair tied back, revealing her slender, fair neck. She was writing something on a roster with her head down, her handwriting neat and crisp, each stroke fast but without any carelessness.

Xiao Wu felt that this person looked familiar.

It's not the kind of familiar face you see when you brush past someone on the street, but the kind of familiar face you feel when you've definitely seen them somewhere before and even spoken to them.

She stared at the female soul master for a few seconds, her mind racing.

Zhu Zhuqing.

She remembered.

In the Soul Master Competition, the agility-type Soul Master from Shrek Academy, whose Martial Soul was the Netherworld Cat, excelled in both speed and assassination abilities.

Although they may not be as impressive as her, they are already considered to be among the better ones among their peers.

Chapter 536 Equally Gentle, Equally Beautiful

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing had fought before; they weren't close, but they weren't complete strangers either.

After the previous people finished registering, it was Xiaowu's turn.

She walked to the registration desk and stood there.

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head, holding a pen in her hand, the nib hovering above the roster. "Name."

"Xiao Wu".

Zhu Zhuqing paused for a moment.

She looked up at the person who had called out her name. Long pink hair, pink eyes, a slender figure, and that exquisite face that had left a deep impression on countless people at the Soul Master Competition.

Xiao Wu. The ace of the Beast Academy, and one of the most dazzling geniuses in the Soul Master Competition.

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze lingered on Xiao Wu's face for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She remembered Xiao Wu. Although Xiao Wu's Beast Academy team wasn't very good at the Soul Master Competition, Xiao Wu's performance left a deep impression on everyone.

At that time, she thought Xiao Wu came from a powerful family. After all, with such talent and strength, how could she have been cultivated without the resources of a powerful family?

But now, Xiao Wu has appeared at the Northern Allied Forces' Soul Master registration office. Like her, she has registered to join the army as a rogue cultivator.

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her eyes, suppressing the emotions that surged within her.

She didn't ask Xiao Wu why she came here, nor did she ask Xiao Wu why she didn't join those more powerful forces; she simply continued the registration process.

"Martial Soul".

"Soft-boned Rabbit".

"grade."

Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Level 66."

Zhu Zhuqing's hand paused again.

Level 66, Soul Emperor. She raised her head, glanced at Xiao Wu, then lowered her head again and wrote the number on the roster.

Her handwriting remained neat and undisturbed, but she knew her heart had skipped a beat.

It wasn't jealousy, it was a sigh of admiration.