Chapter Thirty-Four: A Qualified Soldier

As the azure-haired lady unleashed her divine power, a translucent yellow crystal box rose from the empty space before her. The box was sealed on five sides, with only the top open. “Alright, can you throw the evil god straight into the box in a moment?”

“No problem. Watch me.” Giving a thumbs-up, Xiao Yuan Zhuang once again lifted the Mystical Universe Grand Gourd. “Mystical Universe Grand Gourd, absorb.”

This time, Xiao Yuan Zhuang didn’t use her distant voice transmission. Holding the gourd in her left hand, she removed its lid with her right. With her incantation, the Mystical Universe Grand Gourd erupted with a powerful suction once more. Without a doubt, Little King, the evil god, was pitifully pulled in again.

“Ahhhh! Damn you, I’ll never let you off!” Screaming and cursing, Little King was sucked into the gourd once more.

“Mystical Universe Grand Gourd, release~” This second time, Xiao Yuan Zhuang didn’t let Little King linger inside. Since he’d already experienced being sucked in once, he might have realized the gourd couldn’t truly trap him. If he started causing trouble inside, things could get messy.

So, as soon as Little King was absorbed, Xiao Yuan Zhuang didn’t even bother closing the lid. She immediately directed the gourd toward the yellow crystal box created by the azure-haired lady and released Little King.

Her reaction was swift. As soon as Little King entered the box, she made a gesture, and the lid sealed seamlessly, merging with the surrounding crystal, leaving no trace of division. Inside, Little King raged, shouted, and attacked wildly, but not a sound escaped.

“Phew, it’s finally over, isn’t it?” Watching Little King locked away in the crystal box, Wen Hui murmured.

Seeing Little King imprisoned in the crystal box, Xiao Yuan Zhuang and Wen Hui both breathed a sigh of relief. Their eyes met, and each saw lingering fear in the other’s gaze.

“It should be over now. If another evil god pops out, I’d just turn and run,” Xiao Yuan Zhuang joked, feigning uncertainty as she looked around and patted her chest, teasing Wen Hui.

It was indeed a joke. For those raised by the military, even if a stronger evil god appeared, they would never run. The first lesson taught to them as infants brought into the army was a soldier’s duty: to protect the people at all costs.

Though the merging of souls had changed Xiao Yuan Zhuang’s views and character somewhat, even her former self, Xiao Yuan Zhuang from her previous life, had undergone military training and studied civic duty, possessing her own moral code.

Especially after merging with the girl Xiao Yuan Zhuang, the new Xiao Yuan Zhuang not only mechanically followed a soldier’s duties but genuinely believed in them from her heart.

No matter how much she might contribute to the people in the future, no matter how her former self lived, or how her previous incarnation, Xiao Yuan Zhuang, had been, at this moment, remembering and accepting the duty of a soldier, she was already a qualified one.

“Haha, true enough. This time was full of surprises for both you and us. The mission nearly went awry. Good thing you were here. Let’s get acquainted. I’m Hua Ze, captain of the Maple City Guardians, Divine Equipment Warrior of the God of Blazing Flame.” The sturdy man with short red hair, after confirming the evil god was captured, flashed a bright smile, retracted his flaming armor, and patted his giant sword as he introduced himself.

“You’ve been a tremendous help. I am Hua Jing, member of the Maple City Guardians, Divine Equipment Warrior of the Crystal God.” With a graceful motion of her divine power, the beautiful azure-haired lady shrank the crystal box containing Little King and held it in her palm, smiling as she introduced herself.

“Wang Mingyue, God of Assassination. Same as above.” The boy dressed in black stood cold-faced, but his gaze toward Xiao Yuan Zhuang and Wen Hui was gentle as he gave his brief introduction.

“No need for introductions here, Sister Jing.” Wen Hui folded her arms, lifted her chin slightly with a triumphant expression, shot Xiao Yuan Zhuang a smug glance, and stepped to Hua Jing’s side, smiling as she spoke.

“Mm, you did very well this time. I can apply for a bonus for you.” Hua Jing smiled warmly and patted Wen Hui’s shoulder.

“Tch, what’s there to be proud of? Both times we competed, I won, Wen Hui.” Unable to stand Wen Hui’s smugness, Xiao Yuan Zhuang retorted casually.

Seeing Wen Hui’s face redden with annoyance, Xiao Yuan Zhuang turned to Hua Jing and the others. “Greetings, seniors. I am Xiao Yuan Zhuang from the logistics team. This is our second meeting, Senior Hua Jing.”

“Oh? Xiao Yuan Zhuang? Second meeting—so you’re... I didn’t expect you’d surprise me so much. Did your cultivation potential improve, or did you have some unusual encounter? Is this a divine descent transformation? You seem... odd.” Hearing her words, Hua Jing scrutinized Xiao Yuan Zhuang’s unfamiliar appearance, surprise flickering across her face. Then, as if recalling something, her eyes showed a hint of relief mingled with curiosity as she smiled.

Hua Jing was the instructor who supervised Xiao Yuan Zhuang’s graduation test. She had felt regretful that Xiao Yuan Zhuang’s guardian deity, being of the rule type, only allowed her to cultivate weak divine power. Yet, after only a few months, Xiao Yuan Zhuang now possessed combat strength rivaling a divine descent.

As a Divine Grace-level Divine Equipment Warrior, Hua Jing noticed Xiao Yuan Zhuang’s abnormality as soon as she spoke. On careful inspection, Hua Jing saw that her divine power cultivation hadn’t reached divine descent level—it was some special ability granting her the transformation and powers of that level.

“My cultivation potential did improve. A few days ago, I was bitten by a venomous snake and fell unconscious. When I woke up, I had basic divine power cultivation potential. Also, my guardian deity is a bit special—this is probably her unique ability.” Xiao Yuan Zhuang answered directly.

There was no need to hide it; it wasn’t exactly a secret. Anyone could guess it by checking her recent activities. Besides, with humanity now on the defensive against demonic invasion, there was little time or energy for intrigue or scheming against their own.