Jin Yuetian, Tuoba Yun

After about two hours, Tuoba Yun and Jin Yuetian finally woke up groggily. Looking around, they realized they were in a cave. The pungent smell had faded considerably, and there were traces of the place having been washed by water.

"Awake?" Qian Yuxi walked in from outside the cave carrying a bucket of water and asked with a smile.

Jin Yuetian froze at first, then his expression changed drastically. He shot to his feet and stared at Qian Yuxi warily. "Qian Yuxi, why are you here? Where's the Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear?"

"Hey, hey, hey. Is that how you treat the person who saved your life?" After setting down the bucket, Qian Yuxi sat across from them and took out some rations.

"Brother Yuetian, don't get worked up. I can guarantee that he really did save us." Tuoba Yun grabbed Jin Yuetian and tried to persuade him.

Jin Yuetian's expression immediately softened by more than half, though he did not lower his guard. "Thank you very much, but why?"

"Because of your Martial Soul." Qian Yuxi lit a fire, set up a grill, and used a dagger to cut up the Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear's meat. "What is your relationship with the Second Worship of Spirit Hall?"

Jin Yuetian fell silent for a moment before answering, "He is my grandfather."

"Is that so..." Qian Yuxi's hands visibly paused for an instant. He had never heard that Golden Crocodile Douluo had a grandson. Could it be because of his arrival?

"Now it's your turn to answer me. Who are you, and why do you know my grandfather?"

"I am the disciple of the Fifth Elder, Radiant Feather Douluo." Qian Yuxi handed him a piece of roasted bear meat and said with a smile, "I'm also the adopted grandson taken in by the Grand Elder."

Jin Yuetian accepted it instinctively, and a trace of warmth suddenly appeared in his gaze toward Qian Yuxi. "No wonder your surname is Qian, yet you don't have the Angel Martial Soul. I never expected Grandpa Guangling to take on a disciple too."

"My apologies for my earlier offense. I am Jin Yuetian, Martial Soul: Golden Crocodile King, Level 22 Power Attack System Soul Grandmaster."

"Qian Yuxi, Martial Soul: Aurora Sacred Feather Bow, Level 36 Agility Attack System Soul Elder."

The two shook hands. After introducing themselves, Qian Yuxi turned his gaze to Tuoba Yun and gave Jin Yuetian an inquisitive look.

"Her name is Tuoba Yun. She's my teammate. Her Martial Soul is the White Armored Earth Dragon, and she is a Level 18 Support System Spirit Master."

Qian Yuxi nodded to her. "Thank you for your support earlier."

"You flatter me, sir. It was merely a small effort," Tuoba Yun said modestly.

Qian Yuxi picked up another skewer of meat and handed it to her. "Eat up and recover quickly. I hope the two of you can make it out alive."

Tuoba Yun looked deeply grateful. "Thank you. I will remember this kindness in my heart and repay it someday!"

After their late-night meal, they had recovered more than half their strength. Tuoba Yun was weaker, so she went to meditate and cultivate first. Qian Yuxi and Jin Yuetian sat at the cave entrance, gazing at the sky. With the blood aura of the Mandala Snake and the Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear around, no spirit beast below ten thousand years would dare approach, so there was no need to worry about an ambush.

"Brother Qian Yuxi, how about teaming up with us? With the strength of the three of us, fighting our way out definitely won't be a problem."

"...I'm used to being alone. I don't have such plans for now."

"Is that so? But it doesn't matter. You saved Little White Dragon and me this time. If you ever need my help in the future, I'll certainly do everything I can!"

Qian Yuxi turned back, glanced at Tuoba Yun as she cultivated, and asked, "How did you come to team up with her? A support spirit master with only one spirit ring—I don't believe that alone would move someone with the Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul."

At that, an awkward look appeared on Jin Yuetian's face, as if he found it difficult to say. "Well... it was because of her Martial Soul."

"Her Martial Soul?" Qian Yuxi grew interested and pressed further.

"Mm... at the beginning, I was actually like you. From the age of six, I fought alone in this Death Camp without teammates." Jin Yuetian took a swig from his waterskin before continuing. "It wasn't until a month ago that I noticed Tuoba Yun. You know how it is—she's a support spirit master. Without teammates to protect her, she was basically doomed. At the time, she seemed to have gotten into an argument with her original teammates. Maybe they thought she was too weak, so they kicked her out of their four-man team. It happened to be during forest survival training. I originally thought the girl was dead for sure, but I never expected her to survive so tenaciously."

"I began to see Little White Dragon in a new light, so I found time to secretly observe her. Eventually, I learned that this little girl had a mutated Martial Soul. She had originally been the second young lady of the Tuoba Family of the Holy Dragon Sect. When her sect was devastated by the Fire Leopard Sect, she fled all the way here. Spirit Hall took her in, of course, but the price was... coming here."

Listening to Jin Yuetian's story, Qian Yuxi could not help but become intrigued. "Go on."

"Later, when she was looking for teammates, she came to me. At first, I was the same. I thought she was too weak and didn't want to take her along. But this girl promised that she'd give me seventy percent of the benefits she earned in future training, so I reluctantly agreed."

As the story reached this point, Jin Yuetian's eyes suddenly lit up. "I never imagined that, as we spent more time fighting side by side, our Martial Souls would actually resonate with each other, to the point that the beginnings of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill appeared!"

"What?!" Qian Yuxi admitted that he was shocked.

The reversely mutated White Armored Sacred Dragon Martial Soul had actually resonated with the Golden Crocodile King... this...

"When the gods close a door, they open a window for her," Qian Yuxi could only describe it that way.

"Ha, otherwise, how do you think the two of us, with only three spirit rings between us, managed to injure that thousand-year Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear?" Jin Yuetian took another gulp of water and clutched his still-aching arm. "With our backs against the wall, we risked our lives to use the Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Only then did we manage to wound that big fellow and escape toward you."

"No wonder. I was wondering how the two of you, with only three spirit rings combined, could injure a Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear..." Qian Yuxi glanced at his fractured arm, brushed his hand over his bracelet, and took out the waterskin containing Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent essence blood. He poured Jin Yuetian a small cup.

"Come to think of it, we're practically fellow disciples. This will help your injury recover. Drink some first, then once you return to camp, spend some money to get it treated."

"Thank you." Jin Yuetian took it and downed the cup of bright-red liquid in one gulp. "Qian Yuxi, are you really not planning to team up with us?"

"There's really no need. I have my own plans... Tomorrow morning, take Tuoba Yun and leave. I don't want you getting dragged into this."

For the sake of their shared ties, Qian Yuxi did not want to involve them. After all, the Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear left arm bone on him was a tremendous temptation to any spirit master other than those of the Support System!

Jin Yuetian could only sigh. "All right. Shall I keep watch for the first half of the night?"

"Mm... that works."

Nothing happened that night.

The next day, Tuoba Yun and Jin Yuetian bid Qian Yuxi farewell early and headed west toward Misty Trace Grand Canyon. They had already completed one-third of this training schedule.

If nothing unexpected happened, Qian Yuxi would have to spend another night in this Snake Cave. At midnight the day after tomorrow, he would be able to leave.

After extinguishing the fire and sprinkling a circle of Mandala Snake venom and Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear blood around the cave entrance to ensure no spirit beasts would raid the place, he finally left temporarily to look for breakfast.

However, his luck on the second day was truly terrible. Half an hour passed, yet he did not even spot a single bird in this forest.

"How strange..." Qian Yuxi smacked his lips, but he did not lose heart and decided to look elsewhere.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

"Who's there?!" Qian Yuxi nocked an arrow and shouted coldly, aiming at the bushes where the sound had come from.

Thud.

A purple-haired girl stumbled out, then hurriedly scrambled to her feet. When she saw Qian Yuxi, she quickly dusted off her face, and her anxious expression immediately gained a trace of delighted surprise. "Someone! Thank goodness! Please save my brother and Yan!!"

"You're... Hu Liena?" Once Qian Yuxi got a clear look at her face, he felt a little surprised.