NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Chapter 2 — Heaven Dou City – Mission to Fight Injustice and Help the Oppressed
After leaving the Sunset Forest, which was rich in ores and herbs but plagued by poison barriers, Lu Yunzhou arrived at Heaven Dou City.
His plan was to first locate Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan, and give her the Nine-Section Jade, before beginning the long-term task assigned by his system—"Cultivating the Heart in Mortal Realm."
However, before he even entered the city, the bustling crowd at the city gates caught his attention.
"You guys really can't do anything, can you? It's just a stone! Three grown men can't move it? Are you trying to fly?"
"Hurry up and move it! My carriage needs to get through! Why block the gate of the city when there's so much space elsewhere?"
Hearing the voices of the crowd, Lu Yunzhou casually approached to investigate the cause of the commotion.
It turned out that a carriage, carrying a large stone into the city, had suddenly split in two for unknown reasons, causing the four-meter-long, two-meter-high stone to fall onto the ground. This massive rock had become an obstruction, blocking the flow of carts and merchants at the city gate.
Because of the stone's weight, three strong men had tried their best, but they couldn't budge it even an inch.
As the crowd murmured and argued, the owner of the stone finally stepped forward.
A rotund man with a large belly and eyes that disappeared when he smiled spoke up.
"Apologies, everyone. We have no choice. This is a 'Cold Starstone.' Though it may seem small, its weight exceeds forty thousand pounds. Otherwise, our carriage wouldn't have broken apart," he explained.
He continued, "To move it, at least a Soul Saint of the Strength category is needed."
He glanced around and said, "If there's any Soul Master here willing to lend a hand, our Seven Treasures Commerce Guild will offer a generous reward!"
At these words, the crowd fell silent, shocked by the stone's immense weight. No wonder three strong men couldn't move it at all! Without a Soul Saint's help, it seemed the stone would block the gate for a long time to come.
Moreover, they'd need a Beast Martial Soul Soul Saint to deal with it.
Lu Yunzhou, growing bored of the situation, was about to leave. Though he could easily solve this problem with a simple gesture, he had learned long ago that it was best to avoid unnecessary trouble. The reason for his reluctance? He had been burned before.
Just as he was about to step into Heaven Dou City, the cold, emotionless voice of his "Cultivation of Immortality" system echoed in his mind.
[The first task for "Cultivating the Heart in Mortal Realm" has been issued.]
[Task Name: Fight Injustice and Help the Oppressed!]
[Task Details: Help the crowd move this immensely heavy stone.]
[Task Reward: Wind and Rain Summoning Technique.]
"Helping others is something young people should do. I'm not doing this for the reward," Lu Yunzhou thought to himself.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he walked up to the fat man and spoke, "I'll do it."
Helping others had become second nature to Lu Yunzhou in his past life, but more often than not, it had led to less-than-ideal outcomes.
For instance, once he had helped an elderly man who had collapsed from heatstroke. He had expected at least a "thank you," but instead, the old man not only failed to express his gratitude, but even blamed Lu Yunzhou.
It was from then on that Lu Yunzhou learned to be cautious with his good deeds, developing the mentality that avoiding trouble was better than seeking it.
The rotund man gave Lu Yunzhou a skeptical glance, sizing him up.
"May I ask, Soul Master, what level of strength do you possess? This stone's weight is truly considerable. If you're not at the Soul Saint level, please be careful and don't harm yourself. Not just any Soul Master can move it—it requires a Strength-based Beast Martial Soul Soul Saint," the man said.
As he spoke, there was a hint of doubt in his eyes. It was clear that he didn't believe a young man like Lu Yunzhou could possibly move such a heavy stone.
That wasn't surprising. Based on Lu Yunzhou's appearance, he couldn't be more than twenty years old. At that age, only a Soul King would be considered extraordinary.
Therefore, the rotund man thought Lu Yunzhou was either showing off or simply unaware of his own limitations.
Lu Yunzhou responded, "I'm not a Soul Master, and I'm certainly not a Soul Saint of the Strength category. My Martial Soul is not a Beast Martial Soul, but I can move this stone."
At his words, the crowd froze for a moment, stunned by his audacity.
The Soul King-level man immediately activated his Soul Power and began sensing Lu Yunzhou's energy.
When he did, his expression changed dramatically.
There was no Soul Power in Lu Yunzhou's body.
The man quickly realized: Lu Yunzhou wasn't a Soul Master at all!
"Are you messing with me?" he thought angrily. "I'm a dignified Soul King, and this little brat dares to play games with me?! He has no idea what he's doing!"
In that moment, his eyes filled with malice.
Soul Masters used Soul Power, while cultivators used Spiritual Energy. So, it was impossible for a Soul Master to detect a cultivator's spiritual energy unless they were at the peak of the Titled Douluo level (rank 95 to 97).
Since Lu Yunzhou's spiritual energy couldn't be detected, the Soul King assumed he was simply a fool.
"You brat, you want to die, don't you? Who gave you the courage to waste my time?" the Soul King barked.
As soon as he finished speaking, five Soul Rings—white, yellow, purple, black—rose from beneath his feet.
The crowd, now realizing what was going on, began to turn on Lu Yunzhou.
"Do you have a death wish? Do you think you can move that stone? You're not even a Soul Master!"
"You're just a mere mortal! Do you have any idea what forty thousand pounds feels like?!"
"You really think you can move it? Are you just trying to make fools of us?"
"How dare you deceive us! What are you going to do if we deal with you?"
They laughed derisively as they closed in on Lu Yunzhou. They seemed intent on beating him up if he didn't back down.
"Fourth Spirit Skill, Stone Shatter Palm!
The Soul King, acting swiftly, attacked Lu Yunzhou with a Spirit Skill—one of his most powerful attacks.
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