MTLNOVEL Chapter 76: "Guess Who?"
Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City.
A blond young man, who appeared to be in his twenties, was fiddling with a palm-sized black cube in his hands. On the front of the cube was a transparent screen, which was currently displaying some images.
"Teacher, is the soul tool from that world really this miraculous? It can transmit messages and even images across different planes!"
The Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe, had a look of amazement on his face.
He was completely fascinated by the small yet incredibly magical soul tool in his hands.
In their world, soul tools were extremely rare. Most of them were storage-type soul tools, all excavated from ancient ruins.
Even the three great divine craftsmen of their world were incapable of forging soul tools, simply because they lacked the necessary technology.
Over the past year, from the captured spies' confessions, they had gathered information suggesting that the soul tool technology of the other world was incredibly advanced, so much so that even low-level soul masters could fly using soul tools.
"The other world is similar to ours. Their cultivation path is also that of soul masters. However, their major powers are immensely strong. The four great empires—Sun Moon, Heavenly Soul, Star Luo, and Douling—each have numerous Title Douluo standing guard," said Ning Fengzhi, his expression slightly grim.
His refined and gentle face, sharp nose, and upright mouth exuded a scholarly aura.
Clad in a spotless white robe, he appeared to be in his forties.
Compared to the overwhelming strength of the four great empires in the other world, their Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire paled in comparison.
"More importantly, teacher, we need to focus on the history of that world. According to some fragmented intelligence, the Heavenly Soul Empire and Douling Empire of that world were originally one entity, called the Heaven Dou Empire."
Xue Qinghe's eyes gleamed with intrigue.
Based on the reports from her subordinates, the other world not only had a Heaven Dou Empire and a Star Luo Empire but also had information on the Spirit Hall.
Unfortunately, the captured individuals had weak cultivation and knew little about history, most of their knowledge was mere hearsay.
Ning Fengzhi nodded in agreement. "That world indeed shares many familiar elements with ours, but there are far more differences. They do not have the Upper Three Sects and the Lower Four Sects. Instead, they have the Three Giants, Shrek Academy, the Body Sect, and the Illustrious Virtue Hall. It is said that each of these factions possesses at least ten Title Douluo-level combatants."
Speaking of Shrek Academy, a strange look flashed through Ning Fengzhi's eyes.
Their world also had a Shrek Academy, and he had recently considered sending his little troublemaker there for training.
However, compared to the Shrek Academy of the other world, theirs was far too inferior, not only did it have very few students, but it also lacked the qualification to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament. It was merely an unranked private academy.
"This kind of name duplication is unlikely to be a coincidence. However, we lack sufficient intelligence for now. Once the interdimensional passage can accommodate stronger individuals, we will eventually uncover the truth."
Xue Qinghe was equally intrigued yet wary of that world.
In terms of the number of high-level experts, that world likely far surpassed theirs.
Even so, Xue Qinghe was not particularly afraid, after all, the Spirit Hall stood behind her.
Her grandfather was the peerless Angel Douluo, the strongest being beneath a deity.
Additionally, the Worship Hall had seven elders, all above Rank 95, and the Elder Hall was entirely composed of Title Douluo.
In terms of Title Douluo numbers, the Spirit Hall was not inferior to the Three Giants of the other world; they might even be stronger.
What truly made her wary, however, was the soul tool she held, which was merely the tip of the iceberg.
The fact that such a device could facilitate long-distance communication alone was enough to prove the sheer sophistication of the other world's soul tool technology.
Their side lacked the advantage in Title Douluo numbers, and they likely had fewer mid- and low-level soul masters as well. Coupled with those formidable soul tools, if an all-out war erupted, their world might very well lose.
For now, they could only gamble on the hope that the major forces of the other world would remain divided and not unite against them.
As Ning Fengzhi gazed at the soul tool in Xue Qinghe's hands, his eyes burned with desire.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect might be the continent's strongest auxiliary-type soul master sect, but their soul masters had no combat capabilities.
If they could acquire the soul tools described in the intelligence reports, their sect's overall strength could at least double.
It would also resolve the long-standing vulnerability of their auxiliary-type soul masters being defenseless.
"I heard that in their world, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is held every five years. The next one seems to be a year away. If only we could send someone to observe, it would reveal a lot about their younger generation."
Ning Fengzhi suddenly voiced his thoughts.
Xue Qinghe was momentarily stunned before glancing at the soul tool in her hand.
As she watched the images on the screen, a brilliant idea flashed through her clever mind. She chuckled softly, "Teacher, that might not be impossible!"
As she spoke, she shook the communication soul tool in her hand.
Ning Fengzhi, an old fox himself, instantly understood Xue Qinghe's meaning. A smirk crept onto his lips, and his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Regardless of the faction, the strength of its younger generation often reflected its overall power. Though not absolute, it was an indicator worth considering.
Speaking of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, their world also hosted one, though it was four years away.
The previous tournament had already concluded, with the Spirit Hall emerging as the champion.
However, the tournament rules differed between the worlds.
Their side required participants to be under 25 years old, while the other world's tournament supposedly had a stricter limit of 20 years old.
As the interdimensional passage stabilized, the intelligence on both worlds gradually became clearer.
Any faction with a reasonable standing had, to some extent, acquired information about the other world.
Smart individuals could see the many similarities between the two worlds, yet there were also numerous discrepancies.
For instance, the so-called "Ten Great Beasts" of their world were entirely unheard of in the other world.
Moreover, Liuxing had confirmed that, while that world resembled the one from his memories, its history did not align with theirs.
After all, the "Ten Great Beasts" had existed since ancient times, with a history predating humanity itself.
Yet in Liuxing's memories, that world had no such creatures.
The rulers of the Star Dou Forest were not the Beast God Di Tian, but rather the Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape.
"It seems this is truly just a parallel world, different from ours even ten thousand years ago."
Liuxing sat on a bench in the bustling commercial district of Mingdu, deep in thought.
"Guess who?"
A pair of soft hands covered Liuxing's eyes, accompanied by a playful, lighthearted voice.
The familiar scent and the delicate touch of those hands made Liuxing respond almost instinctively, "It's Gu Yue, isn't it?"
"You got it… Ah!"
The silver-haired girl's smile froze instantly.