Skirk had full confidence in Bai Xiuxiu.
After all, Bai Xiuxiu was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form, and she had also refined the Shark Pearl of the Demon Soul Great White Shark King—a fierce beast—giving her an incredibly robust foundation and extraordinary talent.
On top of that, she was an extremely rare ice-attribute mutant soul beast. Now, in human form, she possessed a mutated ice-attribute martial soul, making her perfectly suited to learn Skirk's martial techniques. After all, Skirk herself was also skilled at using ice elements in combat.
"Yes, Teacher! I'll work hard!" Bai Xiuxiu clenched her small fist, her eyes brimming with determination.
As for why she called Skirk "Teacher," it was because, as a child, her mother had told her human stories where this was how things developed. In her understanding, anyone who taught her skills was a teacher.
"Let's put some clothes on first!"
Skirk didn't mind Bai Xiuxiu's form of address. Having another disciple was just an amusing novelty to her.
Still, seeing the little loli standing stark naked in front of her, Skirk couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her eye.
"Ah!" Only now did Bai Xiuxiu realize, after transforming, she wasn't wearing anything at all.
Even though she was a soul beast, Bai Xiuxiu had developed intelligence early on and had always yearned for human society, so she naturally shared their sense of shame.
Fortunately, there were no other living beings around, only Skirk. Otherwise, she might have fainted again from embarrassment.
"We need to leave—the sea isn't suitable for your growth. Let's go to the Douluo Continent!"
As Skirk spoke, she gathered purple energy to conjure a temporary set of clothes for Bai Xiuxiu.
Then, extending her left hand, she waved gently, and a purple-black spatial vortex slowly opened before them, radiating spatial fluctuations.
"Off you go!"
With Bai Xiuxiu still dazed and confused, Skirk decisively grabbed her shoulder and tossed her directly into the spatial vortex.
"Ah!"
A panicked scream echoed as Bai Xiuxiu's figure instantly vanished into the vortex.
Skirk clapped her hands, satisfied. She felt her actions were still as smooth as ever, the feel just right. Without hesitation, she followed Bai Xiuxiu into the vortex.
…
In Haiyuan City, Lu Jingming, the mastermind behind the Holy Grail War, was closely monitoring the situation.
Just moments ago, he'd received feedback from the Holy Grail: someone had become a Master and swiftly summoned a Servant.
"So fast? Skirk, you've got some real luck!"
Lu Jingming looked at the virtual screen before him, which displayed detailed information. He couldn't help but be surprised.
He had only just asked Herta to successfully inscribe the Holy Grail rules into the planet, and the announcement about the Holy Grail War had barely just gone out. He didn't expect the first Master chosen by the planet to show up so soon!
"Bai Xiuxiu, huh? The fourth-generation female lead—not bad."
Watching the memory visuals collected from the leylines, Lu Jingming nodded slightly at the image of the little loli with sky-blue hair, not at all surprised by the outcome.
"I didn't expect you to have such perverted tastes!"
Herta crossed her arms, face full of disdain as she glared unceremoniously at Lu Jingming.
At that moment in the memory projection, Bai Xiuxiu was newly transformed and completely naked.
"It's not my fault! She didn't put on clothes herself. Besides, she's just a little loli—no chest, no butt, not even as good as you. What's there to see?"
Lu Jingming shrugged helplessly, looking innocent.
He genuinely felt wronged. The memory visual from the leylines had suddenly displayed this scene; he hadn't known in advance, and by the time it appeared, it was too late to dodge.
"What do you mean 'not even as good as me'? Are you saying I'm small?"
Herta instantly caught the key point, her gaze turning sharp as she glared fiercely at Lu Jingming.
Lu Jingming subconsciously glanced at Herta's chest: assessment complete, no padding, about little apple grade.
"Your look is very rude. I'm really annoyed—can I punch you?"
Herta clenched her fist in anger, her purple-painted nails digging into her palm. It was clear from her expression she was truly angry this time.
"Actually, small has its own benefits. The feel should be quite nice, too."
Lu Jingming, oblivious to the approaching danger, continued to joke, even making a squeezing gesture.
"Go die!"
Herta's expression turned icy. She pointed at Lu Jingming, and in an instant, the space around them shattered like a giant mirror. Off guard, Lu Jingming was instantly thrown into a spatial rift.
Above Haiyuan City, a jet-black crack flashed and vanished, followed by a meteor-like figure crashing straight into the center of the city, slamming into a tall building.
With the sounds of shattering glass and collapsing walls, a squad of Golden Guards rushed upstairs.
They were the guards for this building, which was no ordinary place. Named Moon Sea Tower, it had been converted from the old City Lord's Mansion and was now the political core of Haiyuan City.
Everyone working in Moon Sea Tower held significant status—each was an important, respected figure in Haiyuan City, and among them was even one of the city's future mistresses.
No wonder the Golden Guards were so nervous; any mistake here was something they could not afford.
"No worries. You all stand guard outside. Just have someone come repair things later."
Before the Golden Guards could get upstairs, Keqing appeared before them, speaking calmly.
"Yes, Lady Keqing!" The leader, a Soul Sage-level Golden Guard captain, immediately saluted respectfully.
Lady Keqing was not only the core figure in charge of land management and construction in Haiyuan City, but also one of the newly established Fatui Harbingers, even if she didn't seem too willing to take the post.
According to local rumors, she was extremely close to the City Lord and might well become one of the city's future mistresses—someone the guards absolutely could not afford to offend.
The captain led the guards away, behaving impeccably.
With the guards gone, Keqing turned back to her office.
The office was a mess: shattered glass everywhere, furniture smashed to bits by a certain someone's impact.
"So, you pissed off Lady Herta? To get her to actually attack you, you have real skill!"
Keqing leaned against the door, eyeing Lu Jingming, who was dusting himself off.
This was why she had sent the guards away—if they saw their respected City Lord in such a sorry state, their illusions would be shattered.
To maintain Lu Jingming's authority in the eyes of others, Keqing made sure nobody else saw this scene.
"I guess so, but I didn't lie! Small has its benefits, I swear I like both!"
Lu Jingming looked helpless.
He genuinely thought small had its own charm—at least it fit in one hand, and he could accept that!
Keqing instantly understood his meaning, glancing at her own chest before sneering, "I think Lady Herta went too easy on you!"
"Keqing, I haven't seen you in a while. Haiyuan City is changing every day now, thanks to all of you. I could never have done this alone."
Lu Jingming straightened his clothes—he wasn't actually injured; Herta would never really hurt him.
Standing by the broken window and looking over Haiyuan City, he was genuinely moved by how much the city had changed in both area and architecture.
Honestly, he could never have managed Haiyuan City this well by himself.
Specialization mattered, and he wasn't good at administration. Luckily, he had talented people like Keqing and Changli.
Compared to the time of the Soul Master Tournament, Haiyuan City was unrecognizable.
The city's area had expanded several times; skyscrapers lined the streets.
All sorts of advanced vehicles moved through the city, and communication devices were everywhere.
Especially the mobile phones, capable of long-distance calls, were now widely used in Haiyuan.
With all the black technology from Herta, building an information network across the Douluo Continent was easy.
Now, in some ways, Haiyuan City was even more advanced than the modern cities in Lu Jingming's memory.
Thanks to Herta's futuristic tech, Haiyuan was developing at lightning speed, with its influence spreading across the continent.
At least, the surrounding cities had begun actively adopting the latest soul tool technology.
With Xu Jiawei's secret efforts, even the stubborn old nobles had to compromise and accept these new things.
"Enough about that. Tell me, how did a Liyue Qixing like me end up as a Fatui Harbinger? What's your game?"
Keqing stepped forward, pinning Lu Jingming to the wall with one hand.
Lu Jingming caught a whiff of her gentle fragrance and was surprised: he hadn't realized Keqing was so well-endowed—at least a solid B+, much bigger than Herta!