52: Chapter 52: With the conditions we currently possess, why should we rely on Tang San to become a god?

The next morning, the mist in Nuoding City had not yet dispersed, and the bluestone paths still carried the dampness of dew.

After eating simple wheat cakes and hot porridge, Lu Jing and Wang Donger walked toward the inconspicuous Spirit Hall branch in the city.

Compared to the majestic, palace-like main hall in Spirit City, the Spirit Hall branch in Nuoding City appeared much simpler. It was merely a two-story bluestone building with two old stone lions standing at the entrance. A plaque engraved with the pattern of the Angelic Sacred Sword hung above the lintel; though not luxurious, it possessed an air of solemnity.

As the two reached the entrance, two guards wearing standard Spirit Hall armor stepped forward, eyeing them with vigilance.

Lu Jing said nothing, simply taking the dark gold consecration token from his bosom. The Angelic Sacred Sword pattern on the token shimmered with a faint luster in the morning light.

"consecration token?!"

The head guard's pupils constricted sharply, and he hurriedly knelt on one knee. His companion followed suit immediately. The crisp sound of armor clashing was exceptionally clear in the quiet morning as he said respectfully, "Your subordinate greets you, my Lord!"

In the hierarchy of Spirit Hall, the consecration token represented the will of the highest level; even in this remote small city, its weight was enough to command awe from any Spirit Master.

Lu Jing put the token away, his tone indifferent: "I want to see the person in charge here. Also, bring me the list of children who have awakened their Spirits in the last three months."

"Yes! This subordinate will go and report immediately!" The guard dared not show the slightest hesitation, scrambling into the hall.

A moment later, an old man wearing a deep blue Spirit Master's robe with a three-ring Spirit Elder badge embroidered on his chest walked out quickly, a respectful smile plastered on his face: "I wonder which Lord from the Elder Hall has arrived? This lowly one is named Ma Xiunuo, the person in charge here."

"No need for formalities."

Lu Jing waved his hand, saying dismissively: "The list."

Ma Xiunuo did not dare to delay, quickly turning to have someone retrieve a thick booklet. He presented it with both hands and explained: "My Lord, this is the record of all Spirit awakenings in the last three months, including the children from surrounding villages like Saint Spirit Village and Nuoding Village."

Lu Jing took the booklet and said to Ma Xiunuo: "Find a quiet place."

"This way, please!" Ma Xiunuo hurriedly led the two into a guest room inside the hall. The room was not large but kept clean. A set of pear wood sofas was placed in the center, and faint incense burned in the corner.

Wang Donger sat down elegantly, her legs together and slightly bent, her powder-blue skirt draping down, setting off her skin as white as snow, like a fairy walking out of a painting.

Watching Ma Xiunuo's retreating back as he bowed and left, she finally couldn't help but speak, her voice tinged with confusion: "Xiao Jing, aren't we here to get something good? Why do you want these awakening lists?"

Lu Jing placed the booklet on his lap, his fingertips gently brushing over the cover, the corners of his mouth curling into a mysterious arc: "Since it is something good, someone will naturally be guarding it. To get the item, one must first find the traces of the guardian, right?"

Wang Donger blinked her powder-blue eyes, tilted her head to think, feeling it made some sense, but couldn't fathom the connection.

She pouted, turning her head toward the window, her tone filled with dissatisfaction: "Selling mystery again... You are becoming more and more detestable."

Lu Jing smiled, not bothering to explain, and lowered his head to open the roster.

The paper of the booklet was somewhat rough, with names recorded in charcoal, accompanied by notes on Spirits, Soul Power levels, and awakening dates. Most of the handwriting was sloppy, clearly written by different awakening masters.

His fingertips quickly scanned page after page of lists, his gaze as sharp as a hawk, sweeping past names like "Gousheng" and "Tiezhu," and common Spirits like "hoe," "sickle," and "Blue Silver Grass."

It wasn't until he flipped to one page that his movements stopped abruptly.

"Tang San, Saint Spirit Village, Spirit Blue Silver Grass, Innate Full Soul Power, awakening date: three days ago."

A line of clear handwriting caught his eye, with a simple pattern of a Blue Silver Grass drawn next to it.

A cold smile flashed in Lu Jing's eyes; it was here, as expected.

According to the timeline, after Tang San awakened his Spirit, he would soon be discovered and taken away by Yu Xiaogang to the Spirit Hunting Forest to obtain his first spirit ring.

And Tang Hao, that seemingly decadent drunkard, would never allow his only son to act alone with a "theoretical Great Master" whose Soul Power was less than level thirty—this Titled Douluo would inevitably follow in secret. This was the only hope for his revenge plan, and it could not afford any mistakes.

"Found it." Lu Jing closed the roster and stood up.

"Found what?" Wang Donger followed him immediately, her eyes full of curiosity.

"You will know when the time comes."

Lu Jing smiled and took her hand, saying: "Let's go."

The two walked out of the Spirit Hall. Lu Jing found a carriage on the street that looked the most reliable. The driver was a dark-skinned middle-aged man driving an old brown horse.

"To Saint Spirit Village, how much?" Lu Jing asked.

"Saint Spirit Village?"

The driver paused, thought for a moment, and said: "That place is quite remote. It takes a day to go back and forth. At least five copper coins."

Lu Jing took a silver coin from his bosom and handed it over: "Keep the change, just get there as fast as you can."

"Alright!" The driver's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly took the silver coin, efficiently ushering the two into the carriage, whipping the horse to drive out of the city.

The carriage was not spacious, covered with a thin layer of hay, and it jolted much more violently than the carriage from the Elder Hall earlier.

Wang Donger leaned against the carriage wall, watching the fields flying past outside the window, and finally couldn't help but speak again: "On that list just now, was there someone named Tang San?"

Lu Jing nodded: "Mm."

"Is it the Tang San I'm thinking of?" Wang Donger's voice carried a hint of uncertainty.

Although she had arrived in this era for six years, the name "Tang San" had always been the most dazzling existence in historical records—the savior of Douluo Continent, the inheritor of both the Sea God and Asura God Positions, the core of the Shrek Seven Devils, and the key figure who eventually destroyed the Spirit Hall.

Lu Jing raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing: "Otherwise? Could it be a Tang San inside the Spirit Hall?"

Wang Donger pouted, knowing he was teasing her again, but didn't care much, instead becoming interested: "Why are you looking for him? Could it be... you want to build a good relationship with him in advance? I heard that ten thousand years ago, he led the Shrek Seven Devils to become gods. If we could get on that line, maybe we could also..."

By the end, her voice lowered, but a trace of longing flashed in her eyes.

Who doesn't want to become a god? Especially in this World where Spirit Masters pursue godhood as their ultimate goal.

Hearing this, Lu Jing suddenly sneered, his laughter filled with undisguised disdain and mockery: "Rely on him to become a god? Sister Donger, did you forget who we are?"

His gaze suddenly became sharp, as if carrying shards of ice: "We are people from ten thousand years in the future, knowing the direction of the future, mastering countless secrets buried by history. With the resources and inheritance of the Spirit Hall, plus our foresight, why would we need to rely on that Tang San to become a god?"

"But..."

Wang Donger was startled by his momentum and whispered in defense: "History books say he is very powerful, and..."

"History books are written by the victors."

Lu Jing interrupted her, saying dismissively: "Once you see him with your own eyes, you will know that the so-called savior is just an ordinary person who knows how to use tricks and exploit others."

Tang San had talent, but wanting to destroy the Spirit Hall based solely on so-called talent was wishful thinking.

If it weren't for the Hidden Weapons and the Sea God from his previous life, as well as the constant interference and help from the Asura God, even if he had ten lives, it wouldn't be enough for Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong to kill him together.

Wang Donger snorted, crossed her arms, and said: "Then I'll have to see whether you can become a person like him when the time comes!"

Regardless of whether Tang San was as Lu Jing said, the other party was an ancestor of the Clear Sky Sect.

And as the young Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, she couldn't possibly join Lu Jing in badmouthing Tang San; this was basic courtesy and quality.

However, she didn't understand why Lu Jing had such deep disgust for someone who only existed in history books.

Clearly, the two were separated by ten thousand years, the kind of relationship that had no connection at all.

Could it be because he had spent a few years in the Spirit Hall, causing his temperament to change?

That can't be, because she hadn't changed either!

The carriage fell into silence, with only the "creaking" of the wheels crushing the dirt road and the sound of horse hooves.

Wang Donger secretly observed Lu Jing. The lines of the young man's profile looked somewhat cold and hard in the bumpy light and shadow, and his eyes were as deep as an ancient well, making him unfathomable.

She suddenly remembered the bits and pieces of the past six years—the fear when she first arrived in this strange era, the unease when she was taken in by Qian Daoliu, and the steadiness of Lu Jing always by her side.

She had always felt that Lu Jing was a trustworthy companion, but the sudden hostility just now made her feel a hint of strangeness.

"Are we... going to Saint Spirit Village to find Tang San?" Thinking of this, Wang Donger whispered, breaking the silence first.

"No."

Lu Jing shook his head, looking out the window, his tone calm but with a hint of imperceptible strangeness, and said softly: "We are just going to find something."

Wang Donger was even more confused, but she didn't ask again, because she knew very well that even if she asked, the other party might not tell her, so she could only suppress her full belly of doubts and continue to watch the scenery flying past outside the window.

The carriage jolted all the way, passing through fields and villages, and the sun gradually tilted west, dyed in a layer of orange-red halo.

In the evening, the driver finally pulled the reins, pointing to a small village nestled at the foot of the mountain ahead: "My Lord, Saint Spirit Village has arrived."

Lu Jing paid the carriage fare and took Wang Donger off the carriage.

Saint Spirit Village was even simpler than Nuoding City. On both sides of the dirt road were low adobe houses. Under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village sat a few elderly people cooling off, curiously looking at these two well-dressed outsiders.

"Excuse me, how do I get to the back mountain of the village?" Lu Jing walked up to an elderly man with white hair and beard, asking politely.

The old man narrowed his eyes to look at him, then at Wang Donger, and grinned: "The back mountain? That place is very desolate; other than those cutting firewood, no one goes there usually. Just follow that small path at the east end of the village and go up, and you'll be there."

"Many thanks." Lu Jing nodded in thanks and pulled Wang Donger toward the east end of the village.

Passing through a few narrow alleys, they indeed saw a winding path going upward, with waist-high wild grass growing on both sides, clearly rarely traveled.

The afterglow of the sunset spilled through the treetops, casting mottled light and shadow on the ground, and the air was filled with the scent of grass and soil.

"What are we doing coming to the back mountain?" Wang Donger finally couldn't help asking. It looked like nothing but trees and grass, really not looking like a place hiding "something good."

Lu Jing stopped, turned to look at her, a flash of complex light in his eyes, immediately replaced by his usual calmness: "Finding a treasure for you."

"A treasure? For me?" Wang Donger was even more confused and couldn't help asking.

"That's right, after all, we are on the same side."

Lu Jing smiled slightly, taking her hand again, and urged: "Let's go, you will know when the time comes."

The two walked up along the path. The higher they went, the denser the trees became, and the light gradually dimmed.

A few calls of unknown birds came from the distance, making the mountain forest even more quiet.

Wang Donger followed Lu Jing closely, her unease growing, but she couldn't say why.

She vaguely felt that the treasure Lu Jing mentioned was probably not as simple as she thought.

And that boy named Tang San, as well as this seemingly ordinary Saint Spirit Village, seemed to hide some secret she didn't know.

The night was like ink, quietly enveloping Saint Spirit Village.

The evening breeze brushed over the hillside, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Lu Jing and Wang Donger followed the path pointed out by the villagers, passing through sparse woodland, and climbed toward the back mountain.

Moonlight penetrated the gaps in the branches, casting mottled silver frost on the dirt road.

"The air here is actually much cleaner than in the city." Wang Donger lifted her skirt, her powder-blue long hair fluttering in the night wind.

Her toes touched the slippery stones, her posture as light as a butterfly, her moon-white skirt drawing elegant arcs in the forest, and she said: "But are you sure that thing will be on the mountaintop?"

Lu Jing walked in front to clear the way, turning to support her as she crossed a steep slope: "To guard the most precious things, one must naturally choose the quietest place."

His gaze swept over the increasingly dense vegetation around, and his Mental Energy spread out in all directions.

When the two finally stepped onto the mountaintop, their vision suddenly widened.

Before them was a vast, gentle slope, with unknown white flowers blooming all over the mountains and plains.

The moonlight poured down like silver gauze, and the night dew condensed on the petals reflected tiny starlight.

A breeze blew, and the waves of flowers surged like a sea of snow, with a quiet fragrance permeating the surroundings. In the distance, the mountains outlined dark silhouettes under the moonlight, and fireflies shuttled through the flowers, like stardust fallen into the mortal World.

The entire sea of flowers flowed with ethereal beauty in the silence, as if it were a dream left behind by the Moon God.

"So beautiful..." Wang Donger couldn't help but stop, her powder-blue eyes reflecting this moonlit fairyland.

She brushed her fingertips over the flower branches swaying in the wind, her skirt stained with crystal dew, and sighed softly: "In our era, it is rare to see such pure natural scenery."

The phantom of the Radiant Goddess Butterfly flickered on her shoulder, seemingly resonating subtly with this World.