Hu Liena was naturally gifted, so the process of absorbing the Soul Ring went rather smoothly. She finished absorbing it in about two hours. Hu Liena opened her eyes, and her gaze carried a subtly different aura.
"How was it?" Chrysanthemum Douluo asked. "Nana, what is your Spirit Ability?" Mu Yu asked curiously as well. A yellow Soul Ring lit up around Hu Liena. Because it came from a Spirit Beast that was about to reach a thousand years, the yellow ring contained a faint trace of pale purple that was difficult to notice.
"My First Spirit Ability is called Fox Fire Order, a single-target attack skill. The fox fire burns at an extremely high temperature and can corrode spiritual power. Influenced by the King of the Earth, its ability to scorch the mind has been enhanced. It can even stun Soul Masters below the rank of Soul Douluo. The duration of the stun increases as my rank rises; right now, it can only last three seconds." With that, fox fire appeared in her hands and flew toward Ghost Douluo.
Ghost Douluo moved a finger, and his martial soul swallowed the fox fire. "Nana's Spirit Ability is indeed quite good. The fox fire's burning power is very strong," Ghost Douluo assessed. Hu Liena bowed to Chrysanthemum Douluo in thanks, then grabbed Mu Yu's arm. "Elders, let's go hunt a Soul Ring for Xiao Yu!" Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance and communicated through Soul Power.
Mu Yu narrowed her eyes slightly. After a moment, the faint fluctuations of Soul Power ceased. Chrysanthemum Douluo walked over to Hu Liena. "Nana, the Soul Ring Xiao Yu needs will be difficult to hunt. To keep you from getting hurt, we've decided to send you back first." After hearing this, Hu Liena unwillingly held Mu Yu's hand. "Elder Ju, I want to stay with Xiao Yu..." She pouted.
Mu Yu exchanged a glance with Ghost Douluo and sighed. "Nana, go back with Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo first. I'll be back soon." Hu Liena was reluctantly dragged away by Yue Guan. Gui Mei gave Mu Yu an approving look. "You're quite a clever child." "Thank you for the compliment, Senior," she replied teasingly to Gui Mei. "Heh heh, what an interesting little girl."
Gui Mei and Mu Yu hurried deeper into the forest. When they reached an open area, he said, "Let's rest here for now. We'll hunt your Soul Ring tomorrow morning."
"Alright!" The two stopped and quickly set up camp, lighting a bonfire. Gui Mei caught several fish from a nearby river and grilled a few for Mu Yu. Their dinner was settled simply enough.
"You go sleep first. I'll keep watch. We'll set out tomorrow morning after that Chrysanthemum fellow gets here." "Alright, thank you for your trouble, Senior." Mu Yu did not know why, but in her previous life, she had always liked Titled Douluo of the grandfatherly sort. Ghost Douluo was no exception.
Mostly, she liked Ghost Douluo's unusual martial soul. If she got the chance, she definitely wanted to study it. Getting on Ghost Douluo's good side now so she could take a look at his martial soul later was not too much to ask, was it? ⌓‿⌓ Mu Yu returned to the tent to sleep first. With a Titled Douluo keeping watch, she slept quite well.
As she slept, she vaguely heard Ghost Douluo calling her. She struggled to open her eyes and saw Ghost Douluo crouching beside her with a grave expression. "Senior, what happened?"
Mu Yu mumbled. She was a little grumpy upon waking. Seeing that she was awake, Ghost Douluo motioned for her to stay quiet. Lowering his voice, he explained, "A powerful presence is approaching us. I estimate its strength is above mine. Let's not act rashly and wait for Chrysanthemum to arrive."
Mu Yu suddenly became alert. How exciting—her first trip away from home, and she had already encountered someone stronger than a Titled Douluo! She edged closer to Ghost Douluo. She believed that if anything truly happened, Ghost Douluo had the ability to take her and flee. He simply did not want to make any rash moves yet. Mu Yu entered the Sea of Consciousness, where Xi Ruo had been waiting for a long time. "Do you know what powerful thing is coming?" Mu Yu casually leaned against Xi Ruo's fishtail.
"I don't know. It's only a large snake with a bull's head and a serpent's body," Xi Ruo said indifferently. A bull's head and a serpent's body? A name appeared in Mu Yu's mind—the Sky Azure Bull Python. But why would the Sky Azure Bull Python be here? Mu Yu withdrew from the Sea of Consciousness and asked Ghost Douluo, "Senior, can you defeat a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"
Ghost Douluo looked utterly confused. Why was she asking him that? Mu Yu looked at Ghost Douluo speechlessly. Could he not think about it? What Titled Douluo above rank ninety-five would go out for a nighttime stroll? Gui Mei fell silent beneath the look she gave him as though he were an idiot. After a while, he seemed to understand. He lightly knocked Mu Yu on the head. "You little girl, you're actually laughing at me."
Mu Yu covered her head. "Hmph, you're bullying me." "Bullying you? I wouldn't dare." Gui Mei stood and pulled Mu Yu up along with him. "Come on, let's leave first. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion isn't in this area. We'd better not alert that big fellow." Mu Yu shook her head and left the tent with Gui Mei. Just then, Chrysanthemum Douluo arrived as well.
Sixty years of tacit understanding allowed Yue Guan and Gui Mei to convey everything with a single glance. "Let's go, old ghost." Yue Guan watched the surroundings vigilantly. Gui Mei said nothing. He picked Mu Yu up in one hand and walked forward alongside Yue Guan.
At dawn, the three of them reached the Three-Eyed Golden Lions' habitat. "I'll go in first and catch a Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Once I catch it, Chrysanthemum, use your barrier to isolate it and take it away. I'll cover our retreat. Once we reach a safe place, Xiao Yu can absorb it."
With that, Gui Mei leaped into the group of Three-Eyed Golden Lions. He locked onto one that was around ten thousand years old. "First Spirit Ability, Great Change Ghost Hand!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion quickly used a defensive skill after noticing Gui Mei, but it was still one step too slow. "Third Spirit Ability, Aura Barrier!" Yue Guan swiftly used the barrier to take away the immobilized Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
The other Three-Eyed Golden Lions noticed the disturbance and charged over. "Third Spirit Ability, Ghost Shadow Emergence!" A small black vortex of Soul Power condensed in Gui Mei's palm, and countless black ghostly shadows poured from it to attack the other Three-Eyed Golden Lions. Yue Guan seized the chance to flee with Mu Yu.
Mu Yu was excited, shocked, and impressed throughout the entire process. The coordination between Gui Mei and Yue Guan truly was beyond what ordinary people could match. They were indeed formidable. Yue Guan released the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. "That old ghost, honestly. He caught a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beast for you. With your tiny body, how could you absorb a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beast? Wouldn't you just explode and die?" Yue Guan muttered. Mu Yu looked at the Ten Thousand Year Three-Eyed Golden Lion and pondered for a moment. "I think you can try it," Xi Ruo's voice sounded. Mu Yu had indeed wanted to ask him just now.
Mu Yu walked up to Yue Guan. "Senior, I want to try." Yue Guan looked at Mu Yu as though he had seen a ghost. "Don't blame me for not warning you. At your age and with your physique, absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring is absolutely a dead end." "My physique is different from ordinary people's." Mu Yu looked at Yue Guan pleadingly. At that moment, Gui Mei walked over from behind.
"Let her try. After all..." Gui Mei did not finish, but Yue Guan understood. He sighed and threw the Three-Eyed Golden Lion before Mu Yu. Before he could even throw it down, Mu Yu pulled a short knife from her soul tool.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei: ...
They assumed the soul tool had been given to her by Qian Daoliu, and inwardly marveled at how much Qian Daoliu spoiled this child. Mu Yu began absorbing the Soul Ring while the two Titled Douluo guarded her attentively.
Mu Yu finally understood what Yue Guan had meant. Soon after she began absorbing the Soul Ring, she felt a scorching energy throughout her body that seemed ready to burst her apart. She clenched her teeth tightly, and a layer of sweat covered her body.
Gui Mei was extremely nervous when he saw this. The moment Mu Yu could no longer endure it, he would immediately intervene and stop the absorption. Mu Yu persisted for nearly an hour. She felt the burning sensation weaken slightly, but she seemed unable to hold on any longer. Her body had begun to tremble.
Just as Gui Mei was about to interrupt the absorption, he saw a circle of pale blue waterlight surround Mu Yu. Mu Yu felt the burning sensation diminish, replaced by a cold and comfortable energy. Her tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and her body gradually stopped trembling. One hour, two hours, three hours. After a full three hours, Mu Yu slowly opened her eyes, and both Gui Mei and Yue Guan breathed a sigh of relief.
Yue Guan sighed. "You really are lucky to be alive. That was a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring! Spirit Hall is going to produce a genius!" Gui Mei walked to Mu Yu's side. Compared to the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, he wanted to know more about the blue light. He could sense that it was definitely a powerful existence. "Xiao Yu, when you were absorbing the Soul Ring, the area around you..." Mu Yu fell silent for a moment. "That's a secret. Even Grandpa doesn't know about it." She gave a playful smile, silently thanking Xi Ruo in her heart.
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