Hu Liena's Third Soul Ring (I)

"Hey, where are you going? Take me with you." Lu Leng caught up to the three of them in a few strides and hurriedly asked.

The three turned around. Seeing that it was Lu Leng, they all wore different expressions.

Hu Liena's face remained indifferent. She did not seem surprised by Lu Leng's appearance at all; instead, there was a faint, barely perceptible dislike in her eyes.

It was Xie Yue's first time seeing Lu Leng. He had never met him before, and his expression was somewhat curious.

As for Yan, he immediately flew into a rage.

"Lu Leng!!" Yan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. But when he recalled the miserable scene from that night, he instead said resentfully, "Where we're going is none of your business."

Xie Yue's expression cleared. So he was Lu Leng.

"Don't get so worked up. I was just curious. You all look like you're leaving Spirit City, so I thought you could take me along." Lu Leng grinned, completely unconcerned by Yan's anger. This guy had forgotten the pain as soon as his wounds healed. He had only just recovered, yet he was already acting so arrogantly again.

"You think we'd take you with us?" Yan snorted coldly and said disdainfully.

"What about you two?" Lu Leng could not be bothered with Yan. Yan could not make the decision anyway; Xie Yue and Hu Liena had the final say.

"We're going to Star Dou Forest. Are you sure you want to come with us?" Xie Yue was not particularly opposed to Lu Leng. After all, he was His Holiness the Pope's disciple, so he deserved a certain amount of respect.

"Star Dou Forest? What are you going there for?" Lu Leng asked curiously.

"Nana has reached level thirty. We're going to help her obtain her third soul ring," Xie Yue explained.

"Her third soul ring? Why not have Teacher take her?" Lu Leng was puzzled. Hu Liena was also Bibi Dong's disciple. Logically, it was impossible for Bibi Dong not to help her obtain a soul ring.

"Teacher has been busy with official matters these past few days, and we don't want to trouble her. Besides, it's only a third soul ring. With the strength of the three of us, it's not like we can't obtain one." Hu Liena's tone turned sour as she spoke.

Thinking of how Teacher had distanced herself from her over the past few months while growing closer to Lu Leng, she felt increasingly bitter. The way she looked at Lu Leng also became more and more hateful.

"Mostly, we want to train our actual combat abilities and gain some practical experience." Xie Yue and his sister were of one mind. He immediately sensed the change in Hu Liena's mood and added this explanation.

"I see." Lu Leng understood. "Then I'll go with you."

"You? Forget it. You'd only hold us back." Yan blurted it out without thinking.

Lu Leng could not help but smile. "Are you sure?"

Yan had just been about to say that he was, but when he saw the slight chill in Lu Leng's eyes, he could not help recalling that purple soul ring. His heart shrank back in fear. Still, he stubbornly snorted and turned his face away.

"Since no one has any objections, let's set off." Lu Leng smiled, delighted inside. He could finally go out and take a look around.

Star Dou Forest fell within Spirit City's jurisdiction. Since they were only hunting in the outer region, it should have taken only two or three days to reach it with their speed.

Yet even so, Lu Leng remained overjoyed. After all, the air of freedom was sweet.

Four days later, the four of them arrived at Star Dou Forest.

"A two-day journey, and you dragged it out into four days. You still don't believe it when we say you're holding us back." Yan looked at Lu Leng with an irritated expression.

Hu Liena and Xie Yue were equally speechless. Lu Leng was like a child who had never seen the world. He wanted to browse everywhere, asked about everything he saw, and played with whatever caught his eye. He had wasted a full two days.

"Come on, do you people even understand the balance between work and rest? All you do every day is cultivate. You don't know how to relax. Sooner or later, you'll turn into mindless brutes." Holding a skewer of roasted meat, Lu Leng lectured them instead.

"Fallacious nonsense." Hu Liena snorted disdainfully.

"Believe it or not."

After a few exchanges of bickering, the four began heading deeper inside.

"I'll take the lead. Lu Leng and Nana will stay in the middle. Yan will bring up the rear. Stay alert, everyone. Don't lose your heads."

"Yes."

They had already entered the outer region. It was no longer as safe as outside, and soul beasts could appear at any time. Thus, Xie Yue briefly assigned their positions before walking at the front. The four formed a single-file line and proceeded deeper.

Lu Leng did not particularly care. It was only the outer region. Hunting a soul beast just over a thousand years old was as easy as child's play.

"When we find a soul beast later, don't make a move," Hu Liena said to Lu Leng as they walked in the middle.

Although she disliked Lu Leng, he was still Bibi Dong's disciple. She still had to ensure his safety.

"Got it."

Lu Leng had disliked Hu Liena from the beginning because she lacked professional ethics and exposed him to the public. Hu Liena likewise disliked Lu Leng because he had stolen Teacher's affection.

Her reason for not letting Lu Leng act was not merely concern for his safety. She also did not want his help, lest she end up owing him a favor.

And Lu Leng understood that perfectly well.

As if I'd want to make a move even if you asked. Lu Leng inwardly clicked his tongue and took out some snacks from his ring.

Lu Leng liked to smack his lips while eating because he considered it a sign of respect for food.

Hu Liena walked in front of him and frowned at the noise he made, but she did not say anything.

Walking behind her, Lu Leng looked around idly.

But as he looked, his gaze suddenly froze, because it had landed on Hu Liena's alluring figure.

Hu Liena was not yet thirteen, but people on Douluo Continent matured early. Her twelve-year-old body had already developed quite well. Her slender waist seemed small enough to be held in one hand, swaying like a willow branch when she walked. Her thighs were long, firm, full, and shapely. Her exquisite figure was displayed to perfection by her tight-fitting clothes. The places that should be full were generously full, and the places that should curve were boldly curved.

Combined with the nature of her martial soul, every movement and every step she took exuded seductive charm.

Huh. I never noticed before, but this little Hu Liena has quite a tempting figure. Lu Leng sighed inwardly and quickly looked away.

He had never been a person with particularly strong willpower. If he kept staring, he was afraid he would get a stye.

The group continued forward. About ten minutes later, Xie Yue, who was in front, abruptly stopped.

"Stay on guard. There's a soul beast."

At his words, everyone immediately became alert. Soon, they spotted a fox ahead. A completely pink fox with a huge tail was foraging for food.

"It's a Pink Peach Fox."

"What great luck. We found a suitable soul beast right away. Judging by its appearance, it's undoubtedly at the thousand-year level." Hu Liena spoke happily.

Because of her Demon Fox martial soul, she naturally possessed charm attributes. Thus, Bibi Dong had simply mapped out an extreme development path for her: she would only absorb soul rings from fox soul beasts, and they all had to possess charm attributes.

That way, her strengths could be amplified without limit.