Inside the city, Feng Tianlei, who was fighting Dragon Duke, was the first to spot the retreat signal.
He was first because he never thought Tuoba Xi could win. He had been waiting from the start.
Feng Tianlei fled quickly. Bee Sect Master Langdie, who was fighting Yang Wudi and already losing, saw the signal and ordered her sect to retreat as well.
Yang Wudi was in the heat of battle and didn't want to let them escape. He wanted to pursue, but Tianlin jumped down from the city wall and stopped him: "Senior Yang, don't chase. We have too few fighters—just us and the Breaking clan. We can't stop them all. Right now, we must hurry back to the sect."
Tuoba Xi was now Tianlin's secret agent in Spirit Hall. Even with the Breaking and Speed clans joining, he didn't want to reveal that yet.
The fewer who knew, the safer. When the time came, Tuoba Xi would be most useful.
"Let's not waste time. Off to Gengxin City!" Tianlin decided. "But our group is too big—it'll attract attention. Yu Feng, Huan Yin, can you lead the main force back to the sect? Senior Yang, please take your Breaking clan and protect the Speed clan and their families!"
"As for Gengxin City, only me, Rongrong, Hongjun, Chenxiang, Senior Bai He, and the two Dragon Serpent Seniors will go. That'll make things easier."
"Alright, Xiao Tian. Leave it to us!" Yu Feng and Huan Yin accepted without hesitation.
"Fine, old white bird, don't worry. I'll keep your Speed clan safe!" Yang Wudi promised confidently.
Bai He nodded. "Old goat, I'll leave my people to you!" He knew Yang Wudi could handle it—his real fighting power was close to titled Douluo, and Wind Sword and Sacred Dragon sects had already retreated. Ordinary thugs wouldn't dare make trouble.
The two groups traveled together until they reached a main road, then split. Yang Wudi, Yu Feng, and Huan Yin led the main force northeast, heading back to the Heaven Dou Empire.
Tianlin's group headed southwest.
Gengxin City was in the interior of the Star Luo Empire—one of its main cities, though not a famous one. The royal family didn't pay much attention to it.
In fact, among all the main cities, it was the least developed.
Because in Douluo Dalu, this was a world of soul masters. For both life and battle, soul masters relied on martial souls—no one cared much about weapons or armor, which were mostly sold to commoners for self-defense.
The so-called master-level blacksmiths or divine smiths, if you ignored their soul master status, were just ordinary smiths—not much higher than ordinary folks.
The Blacksmith Association was a big organization, but outside this city of metal, few had heard of it.
After several months, the group finally reached their destination. In the distance, they could see a city, its tall walls entirely iron-grey, as if cast of metal. Even before entering, the metallic air of Gengxin City could be felt.
Ning Rongrong, excited, held Tianlin's arm. "We're finally here! The journey wore me out!"
As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she'd never suffered like this—traveling far always meant riding in a carriage, or flying on her Sword Grandpa's sword.
Anywhere she wanted to go, "whoosh whoosh," she'd arrive in no time. This was her first time traveling on foot. If Tianlin hadn't been with her, she would never have made it.
This was Tianlin's intention. Ning Rongrong trained hard, but couldn't endure hardship. Not having experienced the massacre in the original story, Tianlin worried she'd never develop the same resolve.
A lot of things have to be cultivated from small matters—endurance among them.
Ma Hongjun was the same. Aside from Tianlin, he was the most likely to inherit a first-class god position, so he needed to be trained as well.
"It's so hot—boss, we haven't even entered the city, and I feel like the temperature's gone up!" Ma Hongjun complained.
"Of course! This is a blacksmith city. The most important things here are hammers and furnaces—how could it not be hot?" Bai Chenxiang laughed, dabbing his sweat with a handkerchief. "You're a fire-phoenix soul master—if you're afraid of heat, how will you breathe fire?"
Ma Hongjun chuckled. "The fire I make myself is different from the outside, but with you wiping my sweat, I feel cool right away!"
Bai Chenxiang blushed. "Don't talk nonsense! We're entering the city. It's late—we need to find a place to stay."
"Okay!" Ma Hongjun replied happily, trotting after her.
Turns out walking had its benefits—over time, Ma Hongjun had more chances to dote on Bai Chenxiang. As they say, a persistent suitor wins the girl, and he's finally made some progress.
Now, with Qin Ming's guidance, Ma Hongjun was more diligent and not overly fat. With his fire-phoenix martial soul and sincerity, it'd be hard for any girl to resist.
As for Bai He, the old man had been sighing the whole way—his little cabbage was about to be stolen.