Star Dou Great Forest.
Lu Jiang and Qian Renxue were jointly hunting a twenty-thousand-year Sacred Light Suanni.
Firefly's action points still needed a little more time to recover.
So for now, he could only use the Flowing Light Sacred Shield to hold out for a while.
As a divine beast that carried the Dragon God's bloodline, the Sacred Light Suanni was a branch of the Sacred Light Dragon.
Every one of its attacks contained a trace of the will of light.
If Lu Jiang and Qian Renxue's martial souls had not both been light-affiliated, they likely would have been unable to hold on long ago.
Relying on the absolute defense of the Flowing Light Sacred Shield, Lu Jiang bought Qian Renxue a precious opportunity to attack.
Then, Qian Renxue sprouted wings from her back and transformed into a blazing fireball, the Sword of Judgment in her hand.
Taking advantage of the opening after the Sacred Light Suanni finished releasing its skill, she charged straight at it.
"First Spirit Skill, Angel Assault!"
"Fifth Spirit Skill, Sacred Sword!"
The Sword of Judgment in Qian Renxue's hand erupted in roaring flames.
This was Divine Fire capable of judging all evil in the world.
The blazing flames cleaved down from the sky, striking the Sacred Light Suanni squarely on its shoulder blade.
The instant the Divine Fire touched its flesh, it ignited and engulfed its entire body.
"Hey, is your little girlfriend ready yet?"
Qian Renxue turned back and shouted at Lu Jiang.
Not only did the Sacred Light Suanni possess the light attribute, it also possessed the sacred attribute of the Sacred Light Dragon.
It happened to overlap with the attributes of Qian Renxue's Angel Martial Soul.
Thus, all of Qian Renxue's attacks were greatly weakened when they struck it.
If Lu Jiang had not also needed a light-affiliated soul beast to obtain his spirit ring,
she would never have provoked this Sacred Light Suanni.
If they wanted to kill it, they could only place their hopes on the move Lu Jiang had used to kill the Bright Dragon God Butterfly.
That was, Firefly's armor.
"Almost, almost! It'll be ready soon. Hold on a little longer!"
Lu Jiang shouted at Qian Renxue.
She merely snorted coldly before releasing all of her spirit rings.
"I can delay it for ten breaths at most. If we still can't kill it after that, we'll have to flee and find another soul beast."
After Qian Renxue spoke, the two wings on her back became four.
She had not yet fully mastered the power of four wings, and forcibly activating them would cause a certain degree of damage to her body.
But she could no longer worry about that now.
Then, the streams of light around her gradually gathered, forming countless light swords.
They shot toward the Sacred Light Suanni all at once.
The Sacred Light Suanni roared as it dodged the cutting light swords.
Before long, Qian Renxue's chest began to heave violently.
She had nearly exhausted her Soul Power.
If she continued attacking, she would likely be at a disadvantage.
So Qian Renxue withdrew her wings and slowly descended to the ground.
Though her original intention in helping Lu Jiang obtain a spirit ring was to let him owe her a favor,
it would not be worth it if she lost her life over it.
Just then, Lu Jiang suddenly withdrew the Flowing Light Sacred Shield.
Then he shouted:
"Ready!"
"Help me, Mr. Sam!"
The instant he finished speaking, a pillar of fire shot into the sky behind Lu Jiang.
Within the pillar, a tall, slender figure slowly emerged.
Then, like a meteor, it kicked toward the Sacred Light Suanni.
"Firefly IV, execute Scorched Earth Operation."
"Watch me burn you to ashes!"
Mecha Sam descended from the heavens with a terrifying will of destruction.
In an instant, it smashed a massive crater into the ground, centered on the Sacred Light Suanni.
Immediately afterward, a blaze slowly bloomed at the center of the crater, forming a wall of fire alongside the surging shockwaves.
When the flames dispersed, the Sacred Light Suanni's body gradually turned to charcoal and scattered into the air.
Firefly also released her transformation.
By then, Lu Jiang was nearly exhausted to the point of collapse.
He had not expected that even with the support of a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring, he still could not withstand a single drain from Firefly.
It seemed he would have to strengthen his physique further in the future.
Otherwise, would he not be left half-dead from weakness every time he made a move?
"Can you still absorb the spirit ring? If not—"
Qian Renxue walked behind Lu Jiang and spoke to him coldly.
Seeing him so drained, absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring now might kill him here.
Since both were light-affiliated soul beasts, it would not be impossible for her to take this one instead.
However, Lu Jiang smiled confidently.
"If you're not proactive about collecting rewards, there's something wrong with your brain."
"Don't worry. No matter how weak I am, I'm still better off than it is dead."
Then Lu Jiang stretched out his hand and began absorbing the spirit ring.
[ Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully absorbing the spirit ring. ] [ Skill obtained: Divine Radiance ] [ Skill description: Unleash the Sacred Light Suanni's power of judgment, reward good and punish evil, and cut down all vile foes. Releases a powerful Sacred Light Slash that inflicts both tearing and purification upon the enemy. ]
Lu Jiang looked over the description of his Second Spirit Skill.
At last, he had an offensive skill.
Now, he had some combat ability of his own. He would not need Firefly to step in for every minor skirmish.
Then Lu Jiang said to Qian Renxue:
"Next, once we find you another spirit ring, we'll be all set."
However, Qian Renxue smiled faintly and said:
"With your current condition, you should rest properly first."
"As for my spirit ring, I have my own methods."
Although Qian Renxue had come out to train on her own this time, Spirit Hall had still sent two Soul Douluo to accompany her.
Hunting a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast was no problem for her at all.
If she had not signaled those two guardians earlier, they would have already broken in while Lu Jiang had been sharing a bed with her.
"If you wish to repay the favor, remember to visit the Crown Prince at the Crown Prince's Mansion."
"He will arrange everything for you."
Lu Jiang naturally knew what she wanted to do, so he grinned and said:
"Then, does that include food and lodging?"
Qian Renxue froze for a moment.
Come on, you were a genius who possessed two Ten Thousand Year Spirit Rings at level twenty.
Was food and lodging really what you should be concerned about?
But when she looked Lu Jiang up and down and saw his shabby clothes, she suddenly wavered.
"Perhaps. You're so poor."
An idea struck Lu Jiang, and he immediately began playing up his poverty.
"Exactly. Look at how poor I am. Even getting to the Crown Prince's Mansion is a problem."
"How about lending me some money first?"
Qian Renxue rolled her eyes in exasperation.
So this was what he had been waiting for?
She knew that Lu Jiang was counting on her wanting to build a good relationship with him, which was why he shamelessly asked her for a loan.
Thus, Qian Renxue took out a money pouch from her Soul Ring, handed it to Lu Jiang, and said:
"There are one hundred Gold Soul Coins in here. Remember to pay me back."
Lu Jiang curled his lip and muttered, "Cheapskate."
Yet his body honestly accepted the money pouch.
Qian Renxue forcibly restrained the urge to slap him.
In truth, she did not care about the money.
As the Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Young Hall Master of Spirit Hall,
money had always been nothing more than a string of numbers to her.
The more Lu Jiang owed her, however, the stronger their relationship would become.
After bidding Lu Jiang farewell, Qian Renxue left the area.
Not long afterward, two black-clad figures in black cloaks caught up with her.
"Young Hall Master, how should we deal with that person?"
"Should we capture him and take him directly to Spirit Hall?"
"Insolence!"
Before the black-clad man could finish speaking, Qian Renxue rebuked him.
"For a genius like him, we must befriend him. Do not do anything that might provoke his resentment!"
Qian Renxue sternly told the two of them.
"Yes."
After the two black-clad men acknowledged the order, they concealed themselves.
As Qian Renxue traveled, she recalled every little moment she had spent with Lu Jiang.
After all these years, this was the first time she had felt so many emotions toward someone else.
"Trailblazer. I will remember you."
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