"Damn it… That woman actually disregarded the dignity of the Star Luo royal family and treated us like that!"
After fleeing more than ten li, the group came to a stop. The Leopard Cat Soul King shouted in anger.
The other soul masters, however, remained calm, showing little emotion.
The Spear Soul King said, "That woman comes from one of the upper three sects. She doesn't hold much affection for the Star Luo Empire, so her actions aren't surprising. We shouldn't have clashed with her. We should retreat immediately."
The other soul masters all nodded. They were loyal to the Star Luo Empire and naturally prioritized the royal family's interests.
Clashing with that woman might implicate the prince's consort.
"But they have a soul bone, and it was our efforts that helped bring it out. If they absorb it, it's just too frustrating!" the Leopard Cat Soul King said again.
"…"
The Spear Soul King pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Forget it. The disparity between our strength and theirs is too great. We should head back to Star Luo. The Third Prince's consort can proceed to Heaven Dou."
"No! We still have a chance. That woman has to look after two weaklings. If we act strategically…"
The Leopard Cat Soul King refused to give up.
The Spear Soul King firmly shook his head. "We cannot allow the prince's consort to be put in the slightest danger!"
"Then we'll act separately. Some of us will escort the prince's consort out of the Great Forest. The rest will deal with that woman," the Leopard Cat Soul King insisted.
The Spear Soul King looked at Zhu Zhuyun and asked, "Your Highness, what is your opinion?"
Zhu Zhuyun remained silent for a moment, her heart filled with indifference.
'What use is my opinion?'
She hadn't wanted to fight for Zhou Sheng'an's soul bone earlier, but had they listened to her?
Their loyalty was to the Star Luo royal family, always prioritizing its interests, not hers as the prince's consort. Asking her now to make a decision was just a way to shift responsibility.
Zhu Zhuyun replied blandly, "Do as you like. I'm returning to Star Luo."
The Spear Soul King nodded. "Alright. In that case, we will return…"
But the Leopard Cat Soul King shook his head. "You go ahead. I'm going to give it a try. I'm the fastest one here—even a Soul Sage might not be able to catch me. I have a plan... to incite a beast tide."
"You…!" The Spear Soul King was furious. This man was being far too stubborn—there was no way he was acting purely out of loyalty to the royal family.
The Leopard Cat Soul King met his gaze calmly. Indeed, he wanted revenge!
Liu Erlong had dared to humiliate him like that. If he didn't strike back, he wouldn't be able to stomach it!
"Do as you please!" the Spear Soul King said coldly.
The Leopard Cat Soul King nodded, then his figure flickered and leapt into the trees, vanishing in another direction.
…
On the other side, Jiang Zhu was absorbing the Emerald Swan's spirit ring as Zhou Sheng'an had instructed.
In truth, the Emerald Swan's spirit ring wasn't that old, so the absorption went smoothly. But Zhou Sheng'an's plan for her went far beyond a standard absorption.
Jiang Zhu sat cross-legged on the ground. Two yellow spirit rings pulsed gently, their surfaces coated in a faint green glow.
Above those two, a third spirit ring was slowly condensing.
Liu Erlong was growing agitated. She circled Jiang Zhu and Zhou Sheng'an over and over. It had already been a whole hour, and they still weren't done. This had gone far beyond the normal absorption time.
"What the hell are you two doing? Embroidering a tapestry or something?"
Liu Erlong couldn't hold it in and questioned Zhou Sheng'an.
Zhou Sheng'an gave her a calm glance and shook his head slightly.
"…" Liu Erlong ground her teeth, ruffled her hair in frustration, and didn't speak again.
…
Another hour passed.
Jiang Zhu's third spirit ring finally solidified—a purple ring appeared.
She opened her eyes and immediately looked toward Zhou Sheng'an, her bright eyes filled with joy and admiration.
"Teacher…"
"You felt it, didn't you?" Zhou Sheng'an smiled.
Jiang Zhu nodded eagerly. "Yes!"
"What are you talking about? Felt what? Jiang Zhu, why are you looking at Teacher Zhou like that? Your third ring came from the Emerald Swan—it's definitely amazing. But what does that have to do with him?"
Liu Erlong pressed for answers.
She wasn't pleased seeing that look of worship in Jiang Zhu's eyes. She vaguely felt like Yu Xiaogang had once again been outshone.
Jiang Zhu looked toward Zhou Sheng'an.
After getting a nod from him, she smiled and said, "Dean, my third spirit ability is called Holy Recovery. It's just over a thousand years in age, but because it's from the Emerald Swan, the effect is better than that of a three-thousand-year healing ability!"
"That's only natural," Liu Erlong nodded.
"But with the shared boost from my first two spirit rings, the actual effect of the third ring is equivalent to a two-thousand-year one! That's the same as a six-thousand-year healing ability! And with the soul bone sharing effect as well, it doubles again—reaching the level of a ten-thousand-year healing ability!"
Jiang Zhu couldn't help raising her voice in excitement.
On the surface, her third ring was only a thousand years, but in reality, it functioned at the level of ten thousand years!
In other words, her third spirit ring was on par with a ten-thousand-year one!
This kind of achievement had never been seen before in the history of soul masters!
"No way?! I don't believe it!" Liu Erlong exclaimed, her face full of disbelief.
Jiang Zhu didn't waste words. Her three spirit rings lit up, and her healing staff released a ball of green light that landed on Liu Erlong. Liu Erlong's body was instantly surrounded by a cocoon-like glow.
"So… comfortable…" Liu Erlong murmured.
"Jiang Zhu, again!"
Liu Erlong laughed.
Jiang Zhu cast several more Holy Recovery spells in a row, each one at full power.
"Again! This spirit ability is really something. Even without any injuries, it boosts my mind and makes me feel uncontrollably happy!" Liu Erlong said with a grin.
Jiang Zhu explained, "The second instruction Teacher gave me was to reverse the attributes of the spirit ability. I've only barely scratched the surface, so for now, it only makes people feel good. But based on Teacher's plan, it should eventually make people lose themselves in pleasure."
"???"
Liu Erlong let out a satisfied moan, then heard those words. She turned to look at Zhou Sheng'an, who was smiling gently, and thought that he wasn't human—he had to be some kind of god of theory!
No matter how much she leaned toward Yu Xiaogang, she had to admit in this moment—Zhou Sheng'an's theories were just stronger!
If Yu Xiaogang had been able to convert theory into results like this back then, his fate wouldn't be nearly as miserable now!
"You…" Liu Erlong was about to say something—
When suddenly, the ground began to tremble slightly—and the shaking didn't stop.
Liu Erlong immediately turned to the west, startled. "What's that sound? Beast migration?"
Zhou Sheng'an's expression changed. The Blue Silver Grass beneath his feet transmitted a message: a horde of soul beasts was approaching—Titanus Lizards! And among them were two that had cultivated for over forty thousand years!
And not just that. Behind those soul beasts was something even more terrifying—an indescribable presence!
'Could it be the Titan Giant Ape?' Zhou Sheng'an recalled.
During his last simulation, he had encountered Xiao Wu's group during a military campaign… 'Could Xiao Wu also be a player?'