章 4: Chapter 4: Explosion—Rocks Can Explode Too? Crisis!

"Come on, I'll take you into the city with me."

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Liu Erlong finally caught her breath after moving the four-thousand-pound Cold Starstone. She looked at Lu Yunzhou with a serious expression, as though gauging his reaction to her next words.

"Listen," she added, "that Soul King from earlier won't let this go. If you try to enter the city alone, he'll likely retaliate, even though I warned him. So, for your own safety, stay with me, alright?"

Hearing this, Lu Yunzhou accepted her offer without protest, nodding as he followed her toward the city gates. Observing this, the onlookers quickly lost interest in Lu Yunzhou, dismissing him as an ordinary person who, strangely, seemed capable of moving a colossal stone despite lacking soul power.

One by one, people murmured to each other as he walked away, treating him as little more than a strange story, a so-called "ordinary man with extraordinary strength."

But the Soul King, the heavyset man whose murderous gaze had followed Lu Yunzhou, clenched his fists, quietly seething. He would not let Lu Yunzhou off so easily.

"Young Master," Serpent Spear Douluo Yu Long said, watching Lu Yunzhou leave with Liu Erlong, "I believe you were mistaken. That man in white truly seems like an ordinary person—and a rather foolish one, at that."

At this, Qian Renxue raised a brow, a faint trace of surprise on her face. Could she have misread him this time?

As her thoughts shifted, Qian Renxue nodded. "Very well. Let's go. I imagine the palace officials are awaiting us by now."

Yu Long, receiving her command, promptly resumed his role as their humble driver, steering their carriage toward Heaven Dou City.

Could it be that Lu Yunzhou's mission had failed? And the promised Wind and Rain Summoning Technique—was it slipping through his fingers?

Just as Lu Yunzhou and Liu Erlong neared the entrance to the city, a tremor shook the ground. The Cold Starstone, now positioned in an open space, began to pulsate violently, radiating waves of energy so fierce they seemed to distort the very air around it.

In Lu Yunzhou's mind, the cold, mechanical voice of his system resonated once more:

[Mission Failure Detected: "Mission to Fight Injustice and Help the Oppressed." A new mission has been issued.]

[Mission Title: Resolve the Cold Starstone Crisis!]

[Mission Details: The basic principle of thermal expansion, known by everyone on Earth, is unknown on Douluo Continent. Liu Erlong's intense flames have triggered the energy within the Cold Starstone, causing it to destabilize and prepare to explode.

The explosion will unleash power equivalent to the full force of a Titled Douluo, and everything within a hundred-meter radius will be obliterated. Your task is to neutralize the crisis.]

[Reward: Wind and Rain Summoning Technique]

A smile of relief appeared on Lu Yunzhou's face. Whatever it took, he would complete this rare opportunity of a mission!

Meanwhile, chaos erupted around them as the stone's volatile energy surged outwards.

"What's happening? Is this rock going to explode?"

"Run! It's going to blow! I swear by my blacksmith's honor—this is no joke!"

"Listen to the blacksmith! He's an expert in stonework. Get away from here—now!"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, people began to flee. Even Liu Erlong, feeling the immense soul power radiating from the Cold Starstone, paled with fear.

"Stay close to me," she told Lu Yunzhou, her voice unsteady. "I'll get you out of here!"

Just as she reached to pull him along, she discovered, to her astonishment, that Lu Yunzhou had vanished.

"Where… where did he go?" she murmured, scanning the area, bewildered.

How did this so-called ordinary man, without any soul power, slip out of her sight?

At the same time, from a distance, Serpent Spear Douluo Yu Long and "Prince Xue Qinghe" (Qian Renxue in disguise) sensed the stone's energy spike. They both exchanged tense glances.

"Your Highness, we need to move immediately," Yu Long said, his tone urgent. "You cannot risk your safety."

"Is it really beyond control?" Qian Renxue asked, her gaze narrowing.

Yu Long looked toward the crowded city gate and replied, "Only pinnacle Douluo like Chen Xin, Gu Rong, or Ghost Douluo could possibly counter that power. My strength… it's nowhere near enough."

Qian Renxue swallowed hard, feeling the mortal danger herself. "I understand. Let's retreat."

Back near the Cold Starstone, Liu Erlong continued to search for Lu Yunzhou in vain, muttering in frustration, "That fool… Where did he go?"

Just when she was about to give up, she spotted him, standing mere feet from the volatile stone.

"He's lost his mind!" she shouted, furious and horrified. "Is he trying to get himself killed? Heaven's path was open, and he chose hell!"

As others also noticed Lu Yunzhou's position, their initial shock turned to mockery.

"Look at that fool! Standing so close to the Cold Starstone? Is he asking to die?"

"He's not just foolish—he's brainless! We're all running, and he's practically embracing death!"

The Soul King, too, sneered as he watched Lu Yunzhou. "This kid is the biggest idiot I've ever seen. Too bad I can't end him myself."

From the distance, in her carriage, Qian Renxue watched Lu Yunzhou's actions with growing suspicion. "Even a fool would run from danger," she thought, "yet he stands there. Something doesn't add up."

Her gaze fixed intently on him, Qian Renxue resolved to uncover whatever secrets Lu Yunzhou might be hiding.

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