Over the next two days, the four members of the Phoenix Group remained near Mount Lu. Their primary purpose was to review intelligence gathered by the Five Prisons Sect and Luo Hao, as well as... martial arts manuals, alchemical texts, and magical grimoires.
As the foremost power in China, the Five Prisons Sect had amassed approximately ninety percent of the nation's martial arts and alchemical knowledge.
Like magic, the martial arts and alchemy of this world reached their limits when confronting Campione and Heretic Gods, even at their peak.
This wasn't due to inherent weakness in these disciplines, but rather... all cultivation methods in this world seemed to suffer from a fundamental barrier.
The secret manuals circulating among mortals only contained mid-to-low level techniques. None capable of slaying gods existed, nor could cultivators of this world create such manuals.
This limitation stemmed from forbidden realms beyond human comprehension.
Yet this didn't render these arts useless. After all, so-called Authority was merely a ritual tapping into the world's fundamental essence.
True power always grows from foundational roots.
The Five Prisons Sect had amassed a vast collection. Even when Phoenix selected only the finest pieces, it still required storing everything in her computer and physically transporting the data.
This wasn't a task to be completed in a day or two. After all... even if these items couldn't be used to slay gods, they remained priceless treasures of immeasurable value.
These artifacts were rarely digitized. Most existed only in ancient tomes, animal hides, and bamboo scrolls...
Thus, it would take at least a month to properly document everything, even with the Five Prisons Sect's assistance.
During this period, Phoenix wouldn't leave China...
Apart from this reason, two other factors kept her rooted here. First, she wanted to thoroughly explore the country. Second, she needed to wait for Luo Hao's emergence from seclusion.
With these objectives in mind, Phoenix embarked on a grand tour of China with Higokumaru, Erica, and Liliana.
Mount Tai. The Forbidden City...
Throughout the journey, Higokumaru had been thoroughly satisfied. She'd tasted her way across the land, sampling all eight major cuisines and every roadside stall...
There wasn't a single dish Higokumaru hadn't tried...
For this trip to China, Higokumaru was undoubtedly the happiest of them all.
-
Time flew by in the blink of an eye, more than a month passing. Yet Luo Hao still hadn't emerged from seclusion, which came as a surprise to Phoenix.
She'd thought breaking through a Martial Dao bottleneck would take only a few days, not an entire month. She hoped no accidents had occurred.
But that seemed unlikely. After all, Luo Hao was no ordinary person.
On this day, Phoenix and her companions arrived at Dong'an to visit the famous Terracotta Army.
As she gazed upon the clay soldiers before her, Phoenix pondered... Could I possibly summon Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Heretic God using these figures?
Upon further consideration, she concluded it was unlikely.
Summoning Brother Zheng's Heroic Spirit might be feasible, but a god...
After all, records of Emperor Qin Shi Huang were historical accounts, not myths.
Alas, this wasn't the Type-Moon World, so summoning Brother Zheng remained impossible.
"Let's go. We've seen enough of the Terracotta Army," Phoenix said.
After touring the Terracotta Army, Phoenix suddenly felt bored. After all... if she really wanted to experience the Qin Dynasty period, she felt she still had a chance.
Earlier, Phoenix had asked Ai-chan about it and learned that she might even end up in the world of "Type-Moon" someday.
Then she could witness firsthand the Hundred Schools of Thought and the scene of Qin Shi Huang unifying the realm.
Compared to that, the current tour of the Terracotta Army seemed rather uninteresting.
"Mm, it's about time for a meal anyway."
Hearing Phoenix's voice, Higokumaru nodded in agreement...
"Higokumaru, I've noticed you're only thinking about food these days. It's all eat, eat, eat! Keep this up and you'll really turn into a fat fish ball," Phoenix said, slapping Higokumaru's head and messing up her hair.
"It's alright, Sister Phoenix, don't worry... I can't gain weight no matter how much I eat," Higokumaru replied confidently, unfazed by Phoenix's concern.
"..."
In the spring, they planted a single Higokumaru seed. By autumn... the field had sprouted countless Higokumaru plants.
"..." Phoenix.
"King, what do you think... if Qin Shi Huang had found that legendary immortality elixir back then, how would the world look now?" Liliana mused, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the surrounding Terracotta Army. Everyone around the world knew of Qin Shi Huang's deeds - though most tales focused on his cruelty. The words "Brutal Qin" had long been etched into people's minds.
(TL Note: Lostbelt 3...)
"How would it look? I'm not sure either... But I'm certain the Qin dynasty wouldn't have fallen after just two generations."
Phoenix looked at Liliana in surprise, not expecting her to show interest in such historical matters.
After not lingering too long at the Terracotta Army, the four girls left and began searching the streets for food.
However, they drew quite a lot of attention as they walked.
Because... four beautiful young girls.
Especially the one in front wearing Hanfu, exuding an immortal aura, who seemed like a fairy.
"Sister Phoenix! Sister Phoenix!"
At that moment, Higokumaru suddenly excitedly tugged at Phoenix's hand.
"What is it?"
"That seafood restaurant is holding a stomach king competition. We can eat boldly without paying."
Higokumaru pointed at the seafood restaurant ahead, speaking with great excitement. Phoenix looked in the direction Higokumaru was pointing, and sure enough, there was a stomach king challenge on the wall.
Those who succeeded not only got everything for free but also received a mysterious gift.
"Another stomach king competition..."
Looking at the seafood restaurant before them, Phoenix could only hope the owner wouldn't jump off the building later.
Remembering the restaurants Higokumaru had challenged before, Phoenix still couldn't forget how those owners had been unable to suppress their murderous impulses.
"Stomach king, let's go... We're going in! Next, it's all up to you, Higokumaru."
As she spoke, the four girls charged straight into the seafood restaurant.
Upon entering, Higokumaru seemed to enter her own kingdom as she walked straight to the counter. "Boss, give me five hundred pounds of seafood first. I'll add more later if it's not enough."
The clerk, who had been playing on his phone behind the counter, was startled by Higokumaru's words.
Five hundred pounds of seafood right off the bat?
Upon closer inspection, he realized she was just a cute little girl, around ten years old. (Ordinary people couldn't see Higokumaru's fox tail and ears.)
"Little girl, where are your parents? Do you even know how much five hundred pounds is? If you can't finish it, you'll have to pay triple the price."