Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

After doing all this, Yue Guan straightened up and placed her palms on the ground.

Soul power flowed from his fingertips into the soil, awakening the dormant seeds.

He could sense the state of those seeds, and feel them being enveloped, activated, and nurtured by his soul power.

Nourished by his soul power, the seeds began to slowly absorb water and nutrients from the soil, and tiny roots emerged from the seed coat, gradually sinking downwards.

This process is not fast.

In the hands of an ordinary Soul Master, it may take several days or even longer for a seed to germinate after being sown.

However, Yue Guan's affinity for plants far exceeded that of ordinary people, and under his guidance, the growth rate of those seeds was accelerated many times over.

He could see the newly sprouted roots slowly extending downwards, like a group of newly awakened little lives tentatively touching the world.

Yue Guan withdrew his hand, straightened up, and looked at the land that had just been turned over.

His gaze held a focus that even he himself was unaware of, as if he had completed something that required repeated refinement to do well, yet was not particularly meaningful.

He looked up at the sky, estimated the time, and then looked down at the spacing of the row of saplings. After confirming that there was nothing that needed to be adjusted, he turned and walked towards the other end of the slope.

There was another piece of land waiting for him that needed to be tilled.

He took a few steps and then stopped, bent down and picked up a seed that had been blown out of the pit by the wind, pressed it back into the soil, patted the soil off it, and then continued walking.

On the distant city wall, two young soldiers changing shifts watched Yue Guan's figure from afar. One of them couldn't help but mutter to himself, "That guy... doesn't seem as fierce as the rumors say."

Another person lowered their voice and replied, "Keep your voice down. That's Chrysanthemum Douluo from the Spirit Hall, a level 95 Title Douluo. He was only planting trees here because he was captured by Lady Eva."

"I think he's taking the planting quite seriously..."

"Nonsense, if you don't take it seriously, you'll have to take medicine. Have you forgotten what happened to that Soul Master who was forced to take medicine last time?"

The soldier who had spoken first immediately shut his mouth. The two exchanged a glance, then looked away in tacit agreement, turning and walking towards the guard tower.

Yue Guan paid no attention to the two gazes in the distance; he was used to it. Every day, people would watch him from afar, with curiosity, wariness, or pity.

At first, he felt a little uncomfortable, but now he can ignore it.

He crouched down and began to till the next patch of land. Golden petals flew from his hand again, leaving even holes in the frozen soil. Seeds were precisely placed into the holes, then covered and awakened.

All of this was done so smoothly, like a mechanical action repeated countless times.

In the past few years, nothing but weeds had grown on this hillside in the North, but under the nourishment of Yue Guan's soul power, the roots of those cold-resistant saplings have already taken root in the frozen soil.

Chapter 552 Training

Although no changes are visible on the surface, deep underground, tiny roots are slowly extending. Before long, they will emerge from the ground and sprout their first tender leaves.

Not far away, in another open camp, the work of Ghost Douluo Ghost and Ghost Leopard Douluo was a completely different scene.

The ghost was still wearing a long, black robe, with the hood pulled low, covering most of its face.

But instead of hiding in the shadows as before, he stood beside a pile of newly moved stones, silently carrying a stone slab that was about half a person's height.

His movements appeared unhurried, but every bend, lift, and put down of the stone was executed with extreme precision and efficiency.

Each of those stone slabs weighs hundreds of kilograms. If a group of ordinary people were to move them, it would take at least seven or eight people to lift one slab.

But Ghost completed the entire process easily by himself.

He was like a tireless machine, carrying stones one by one and neatly stacking them at the edge of the repaired section of the city wall.

Not far away, Ghost Leopard Douluo was standing below a section of the city wall that needed reinforcement, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over the gaps and cracks on the wall caused by soul skills.

He was dressed in a dark blue outfit, and his figure was lean, but he exuded a sharp aura that no one could ignore when he stood there.

He raised his right hand, his five fingers forming a claw, and then suddenly thrust it forward.

Dark blue soul power condensed at his fingertips, transforming into five sharp claw-like rays that precisely sliced ​​off a protruding piece of stone from the wall. The stone fell to the ground with a thud, its cut surface as smooth as a mirror.

Several Northern soldiers who were building a wall nearby instinctively took a few steps back.

Ghost Leopard Douluo ignored them and continued with his work.

After smoothing out the protruding part, he checked several cracks at the corner of the wall. Only after confirming that there were no structural hazards did he turn around and walk towards the next section of the city wall.

Eva's original plan was very clear: Ghost Douluo and Ghost Leopard Douluo's martial souls did not have the ability to plant trees, so they would do manual labor.

Building city walls, constructing fortresses, moving stones and transporting earth—the physical strength of a Title Douluo is equivalent to that of hundreds of ordinary soldiers. Moreover, every movement they make is precise and efficient, without wasting a single bit of energy.

In addition, they are also responsible for training the soldiers in military skills.

Even a spectator's experience in a battle at the Title Douluo level can be incredibly beneficial for an ordinary soldier.

Of course, Eva would always have someone watching during training to make sure they didn't take the opportunity to do anything out of line.

After Ghost finished moving the last stone slab, he straightened up and looked at the figures moving around under the city wall in the distance. His gaze lingered on the soldiers for a moment before he looked away.

He stood silently in place, his long black robe swaying slightly in the wind, his thoughts unreadable.

On that slope, Yue Guan had already finished turning over the second piece of land.

He straightened up, stretched his slightly sore shoulders, and looked down at the hillside in the distance that he had already cleared.

The saplings hadn't sprouted yet, but in his perception, the roots of those seeds were extending downwards, like a group of newly awakened little lives tentatively touching the world.

He withdrew his gaze, bent down, and began to till the third piece of land.

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the gray-white clouds, casting thin shadows on the frozen ground.

The wind was a little less strong than in the morning, but the chill was not diminished at all.

That's how winter is in the North; the sun hanging in the sky is more like an ornament than a source of actual warmth.

Yue Guan's work has been going on for several hours.

Two more neat rows of pits appeared on the slope, where the seeds nourished by soul power slept in the soil, waiting for the first signs of spring.

A few beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, quickly evaporating in the cold wind and leaving a thin layer of white frost.

He casually wiped his face, his gaze sweeping over his accomplishments for the day, revealing a hint of satisfaction that even he himself didn't realize.

This feeling is strange.

He lived for many years, making a living by killing and taking pride in fighting.

Everything he did while in the Spirit Hall was to increase his power, defeat his opponents, and consolidate the Spirit Hall's position.

But now he stands on this frozen land in the North, doing the exact opposite of those things.

He is not destroying, he is building.

It's not about taking away, it's about giving.

Those saplings will grow into big trees, that land will turn green, and the winds of the North will become gentler as they pass through the woods.

He had never imagined he would do such a thing, nor had he ever imagined that doing such a thing would bring him a sense of peace.

As Yue Guan withdrew his gaze and was preparing to begin the next round of adjustments, a thought suddenly and unexpectedly entered his mind.

Eva and Godot's methods weren't particularly harsh. They simply made him experience a living hell at the very beginning, teaching him obedience.

After that, there was no more torture, no more cruel punishment, and no more verbal humiliation.

All that's left is countless tasks.

Eva always maintained a perfect distance from him, neither being overly friendly in trying to win him over, nor deliberately coldly reminding him of his prisoner status.

She acted like a manager checking an employee's progress, confirming the task was done well, then nodding and leaving.

Yue Guan once thought he would have a terrible time in the North, that he would be locked in a dark and sunless dungeon, tortured, and interrogated repeatedly.

But in reality, he can see the sky every day, breathe fresh air, eat hot meals, and have a clean room to rest in at night.

Apart from not being able to leave the North at will, his movements were not subject to many substantial restrictions.

He lived for decades, experienced countless battles, witnessed countless ways of dying, and also witnessed countless ways of living.

But he had never seen a woman who could deal with three of her captured enemies in such a way.

Let them do things, things that are useful to the North, and then give them an antidote periodically.

Yue Guan squatted down, placed his palms on the ground, and let his soul power flow into the soil through his fingertips, feeling the seeds slowly stretching their roots under his palm.

He suddenly thought of a question. A question he had never thought about carefully before, but which he could not ignore at this moment.

What would Eva do if one day she no longer needed him?

Will they let him leave, or will they let him continue planting trees in the North until he is too old to plant anymore?

Or... on some day when he feels everything is normal, will the antidote stop being delivered?

Yue Guan had no answer.

He was silent for a moment, then stood up, patted the dirt off his hands, and turned to walk towards the next piece of land that needed to be turned over.

Behind him, on the slope where he had planted seeds, the first seedling was peeking out its tender leaf tips from the frozen soil, trembling gently in the cold wind.

The leaf tip was so small that it was almost invisible unless you looked closely.

But it was green, a bright, vibrant green, like the only color belonging to spring in this gray and white world.

The sound of the changing of the guard echoed from the distant city walls, its deep rumble carrying far across the open plain.

On the training ground at the edge of the military camp, hundreds of soldiers are lined up in neat square formations, waiting for today's training to begin.

The instructors in charge of training were Ghost Leopard Douluo and Ghost Douluo.

The training ground was divided into two square formations, separated by a boundary marked with white lime.

The left flank was led by Ghost Leopard Douluo, while the right flank was led by Ghost Douluo.

Although both of them were captured Title Douluos, Eva gave them considerable autonomy in their training.

As long as they don't cause trouble, they can teach them however they want.

Ghost Leopard Douluo stood at the front of the formation, his dark blue outfit gleaming coldly in the morning light.

He crossed his arms, his sharp gaze sweeping over the young faces before him. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, but the curve wasn't exactly a smile; it was more like an expression that said, "You'd better be ready."

"Today's training will be close combat. Two people per group, free sparring. No restrictions on moves or soul skills. As long as no one is killed, you can fight however you want."

A commotion arose in the ranks. Some were eager to try, while others looked worried.

Ghost Leopard Douluo didn't give them much time to hesitate, raising his hand and waving: "Group them."