We're very very close to reaching 50 powerstones
...
The next morning, golden sunlight poured lazily into the room through the window.
Aether opened his eyes to find Paimon sitting squarely on his face. He gently picked her up and set her aside, softly calling out:
"Paimon, time to wake up."
"Mmm~"
Paimon rubbed her half-lidded eyes, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She gave herself a once-over, pouted, and sighed.
"Traveler, I think I had a dream."
"Hm? What kind of dream?"
"I dreamed I got taller, and even gained some really powerful abilities…"
"…Want something to eat?"
Aether patted her head. This little thing was probably still groggy from expending all that leftover power yesterday.
"Yes! I'm starving—like I haven't eaten in days!"
"Alright then, let's wash up and grab some breakfast."
"Yay! Hehe~"
By the time Aether and Paimon stepped into the courtyard, Xue Qinghe and Yu Keke were already waiting for them in the pavilion.
"Huh? Paimon turned back to normal?"
Yu Keke noticed the tiny, floating Paimon and couldn't help exclaiming in surprise.
"Hmm? Keke, what are you talking about? I haven't changed at all."
Paimon looked down at herself again. Still irresistibly adorable. Nope, nothing changed.
"Huh? Don't you remember what happened yesterday, Paimon?"
Yu Keke's face was full of confusion.
Xue Qinghe, off to the side, perked up his ears to listen in.
That dominant, queenly version of Paimon from last night had left such a strong impression that he still felt intimidated, even now.
"Yesterday? We ate Kung Pao chicken, steamed egg custard, and… and what else?"
Paimon rubbed her chin, trying to recall the delicious food they'd had.
She really doesn't remember awakening yesterday?
Yu Keke looked at Aether. Seeing his expression unchanged, she finally dared to ask tentatively:
"Paimon, did you forget the awakening yesterday?"
"Oh right! I did awaken yesterday!"
With Keke's reminder, Paimon suddenly recalled.
"Waaah! So that dream was real?! That ugly freak! How dare he make me turn back to this form!"
Paimon's memory of last night—what she had thought was just a dream—rushed back. She clenched her tiny fists in anger.
If that ugly freak hadn't shown up to scare her and the Traveler, she wouldn't have had to fight him, and her powers wouldn't have vanished. So infuriating!
She turned to Aether and said:
"Traveler, next time you have to give that ugly freak who looks like a Hilichurl King a good beating! Yes! From now on, let's call him the Dark Hilichurl King! Hmph!"
"Alright. Next time, I'll handle him."
Aether nodded. Yep, she was back—the nickname-loving little Paimon he knew.
"Uh, Brother, Paimon… who exactly is this ugly Hilichurl King you're talking about?" Xue Qinghe looked baffled.
From the sound of it, something major had gone down last night that he didn't know about.
But he'd been tossing and turning all night with thoughts and hadn't slept a wink—and still hadn't heard anything unusual.
Wait, actually… he had heard thunder in the middle of the night, but there hadn't been any rain afterward.
Could it be…?
While Xue Qinghe was still puzzling it out, Paimon piped up:
"It was a really mean Hilichurl King!"
She thought for a second, then added:
"He was this big~! He made thunder in the sky and kept me from sleeping, so I went up and beat him up! Then I shrank again. So annoying!"
So it was last night's thunder.
Paimon's words confirmed his suspicion.
Really scary, really ugly… and in the sky…
Xue Qinghe, who had some knowledge of divine secrets and was himself the inheritor of the Angel God's legacy, instinctively guessed that this "Hilichurl King" Paimon described might actually be a god.
Considering the level Aether and Paimon operated at, everything they did was big news in the mortal world. So when it involved gods…
He used to revere gods deeply. But ever since meeting the Traveler and Paimon, he'd begun to develop a strange thought: maybe gods aren't all that great after all.
Shaking his head, he quickly dismissed the idea.
Gods might mean nothing to Aether and Paimon because they had power that rivaled—or even surpassed—the divine.
But he was still just a Soul Master at a few dozen levels. He had a long, long way to go before even glimpsing a god's throne. He couldn't afford such delusions…
Grrrr~
Paimon's little belly gave a loud grumble. She scratched her head and smiled sheepishly.
"Almost forgot! I'll call someone to bring breakfast over right away."
Xue Qinghe slapped his forehead. They had been sitting here all along just waiting for Aether and Paimon to wake up and eat.
…
Dozens of li outside Heaven Dou City stood the most prestigious Soul Master academy in the Heaven Dou Empire: Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
As the Empire's official royal academy, it nominally fell under the rule of Emperor Xue Ye himself.
However, the Emperor only held the title of Dean in name. With no time to actually manage the academy, the institution was instead overseen by a council made up of the three most senior and powerful Heaven Dou-ranked instructors.
Unless it was a matter of great importance, the council handled all affairs internally. Only truly critical issues were ever brought before the royal family.
Despite his lack of direct involvement, Emperor Xue Ye still valued the academy highly. He had entrusted Prince Xue Xing—second in rank only to himself within the royal family—with managing the academy's operations.
At this moment, within a large building at the center of the academy, Dugu Bo stood pacing near the window, gazing out toward the horizon. After a long moment, he turned and sat down.
"Meng Shenji, didn't you say Yan-yan and the others would be back in a day or two? Why haven't we seen any sign of them yet?"
He downed a cup of tea and looked impatiently at the man beside him, who was buried in paperwork.
The person he addressed—Meng Shenji—was the head of the academy's teaching council. His martial spirit was the Black Phantom, a control-type, and he was an 86th-level Soul Douluo—currently the most powerful soul master in the academy.
"Your Excellency, I said maybe a day or two. Why are you so anxious? Dugu Yan's team is led by Qin Ming—they'll be fine."
Meng Shenji repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.
The Poison Douluo had shown up at the academy two days ago. Every time Meng Shenji asked what he was here for, the man would say nothing—just sit around waiting for his granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
A Titled Douluo couldn't be offended, so they had no choice but to treat him with the utmost hospitality.
But this old venom sack asked about Dugu Yan every five minutes, and for updates every ten. It was enough to give anyone a nervous breakdown.
"Hmph! What kind of ridiculous 'academy exchange' is this? Is there even any academy out there that could actually stand up to your so-called Heaven Dou Imperial team?"
_
Please support my patreon, patreon. com/TravelerDouluo
And get early access to my 40 advance chapters.