Three Stars, God King Garen

Zhu Rong had barely arrived in the hall before hurrying back to his small room.

Sitting down at the bedside again, Zhu Rong continued pondering the Guardian Puppet.

A Guardian Puppet could only be bound to one person. The choice rested entirely on Zhu Rong's decision.

"Grandpa should be safe with the Guardian Puppet protecting him."

"Then I can hire someone to take care of him."

Although the Guardian Puppet was only level ten,

its strength could be directly raised through star upgrades.

Once it reached three stars, there was no need to even think about it—the puppet would definitely be far from weak.

He happened to need it, and he happened to have it.

Just eight Hero Replicators.

Without any hesitation, Zhu Rong said to the system,

"System, set the Guardian Puppet's binding target as my grandfather, Old Jack."

Zhu Rong did not open the system inventory to see what the Guardian Puppet gifted by the system looked like.

There was no need.

Did Zhu Rong need a puppet to protect him?

What a joke...

He had two Guardian Angels on him. As long as he was not killed twice within twenty-four hours, Zhu Rong could not die.

Under those circumstances, why would Zhu Rong need a Guardian Puppet?

Not long after Zhu Rong finished speaking, the system replied in his mind,

"Configuration complete."

"Upgrade its stars. Use eight Hero Replicators! Raise the puppet directly to three stars!"

Setting the target first, then upgrading its stars—it was done in one smooth motion.

Zhu Rong did not hesitate in the slightest throughout the process. If the Hero Replicators were gone, he could earn them back.

But if the old man was gone, then he would truly be gone...

Revive the old man after becoming a god? Why let the old man suffer if he could avoid death in the first place...

A few seconds later, the system's voice sounded again.

"Use successful!"

This use of Hero Replicators counted as Zhu Rong's greatest expenditure so far.

Two years of consecutive losses had earned him eighty-one.

One had been used to replicate the Clear Sky Hammer.

One had been used while absorbing a soul ring.

One had dropped after defeating the Bright Tiger King.

Zhu Rong currently had eighty Hero Replicators left.

After using eight Hero Replicators at once, only seventy-two remained in the system inventory.

"Star upgrade successful."

As the system notification fell silent, a majestic, holy, inviolable voice rang through Zhu Rong's mind.

"I will show no mercy!"

Zhu Rong's expression did not change when he heard that voice.

But he felt so awful!

An urge to cry rose from the depths of his heart...

"Grandpa, with this one protecting you, even if Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong came together, they'd have to cry, right?"

Looking at the figure in the system inventory and its information,

Zhu Rong beat his chest in anguish, but he did not regret it!

Three stars, God King Garen.

God King Garen: Quasi-god-level Guardian Puppet.

Due to restrictions of the rules, it has been converted to the soul master system.

Soul Power: Level 99 (quasi-god level, possesses a portion of divine power)

Soul Rings: Red, red, red, red, red, red, red, red, gold.

Eight red and one gold—quasi-god-level strength.

Even Qian Daoliu only had eight black and one red, half-god-level strength!

With this person protecting him, Old Jack was truly out of danger.

Zhu Rong: I need a puppet to protect me too!

His heart raced, and his hands trembled.

Zhu Rong released God King Garen from the system inventory.

A beam of light flashed. Before Zhu Rong could even see what the puppet looked like, it vanished.

The Guardian Puppet would secretly protect the person bound to it. The moment the bound person encountered danger, it would instantly appear and eliminate the threat.

Just then, Qilin came online and sent Zhu Rong a message.

"Master, just now I sensed an incomparably powerful aura of light..."

"You sensed wrong."

Zhu Rong shook his head and replied to Qilin, no longer dwelling on his loss.

No matter how powerful this Guardian Puppet was, it was still only an emotionless puppet.

Between family affection and a powerful Guardian Puppet, Zhu Rong chose family.

"Why did the system suddenly give me a Guardian Puppet?"

"It seems I accidentally activated some kind of Bond..."

Zhu Rong stroked his chin, unable to figure it out.

Hadn't he activated the Lucky Star Bond? Why had he activated another Bond? And how had he activated it?

As though it had sensed Zhu Rong's thoughts, the system's voice rang in his mind.

"This system is the Bond System. Other than Chosen Bonds, the host's own bonds are also Bonds."

"When the host activates a Bond, system rewards will be granted."

"The host and Old Jack have formed a Bond."

"Grandfather-grandson Bond activated."

"Guardian Puppet obtained."

Zhu Rong was slightly stunned by the system's response.

Zhu Rong knew that he was Old Jack's adopted grandson, and Old Jack had never hidden it from him.

Couldn't their relationship have formed a Bond before?

He had had the system for two years, yet this Bond had only been activated now. No matter how he thought about it, something was off.

"Host, activating Bonds requires xxxx..."

"Ding, the system cannot answer."

"Please explore it yourself."

Zhu Rong: "..."

For quite some time, Zhu Rong could not react. This system was simply too ridiculous!

It failed him at the crucial moment!

What exactly did it take to form a Bond? At least explain it clearly!

If you don't explain it, how am I supposed to know what's missing before a Bond can be formed?!

"The system can't be relied on. Looks like I can only figure it out myself."

Zhu Rong patted his cheeks to wake himself up, then began reviewing the process through which he had received the reward.

"..."

"I really didn't do anything!"

After thinking for a long time without reaching any conclusion, Zhu Rong gave up.

When the cart reached the mountain, there would be a road; when the boat reached the bridge, it would naturally straighten out.

After tidying up his appearance slightly, Zhu Rong opened the door again.

Lunch had long been prepared. Old Jack sat at the table, waiting for Zhu Rong to finish "cultivating."

Seeing Zhu Rong emerge from his room, Old Jack said with a smile,

"Grandson, time to eat! Cultivation must've worn you out..."

"Grandpa, eat first. You don't need to wait for me. I..."

"I wasn't waiting, I wasn't waiting. It just got done..."

Looking at the food that had already been reheated twice, Zhu Rong felt warmth fill his heart.

At that moment, he seemed to understand what it took to form a Bond.

Elsewhere, Tang Hao and Tang San were walking down the road.

The place Tang Hao intended to take Tang San to was still the nearest Soul Hunting Forest.

Tang San's first martial soul was unlike Zhu Rong's, whose martial soul was too "high-end" and made suitable soul rings difficult to find.

In Tang Hao's eyes, Tang San's first martial soul was merely something to tide him over.

Once Tang San began cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer, his first martial soul would no longer be of much use.

The requirements for a Blue Silver Grass soul ring were also simple: a hundred-year plant-type soul beast.

When searching for soul beasts for Zhu Rong, they had encountered many hundred-year plant-type soul beasts.

Hundred-year plant-type soul beasts would not run away. They just had to go kill one.

Tang Hao also understood that Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul had not fully awakened.

But even if it awakened into the Blue Silver Emperor, so what?

Blue Silver Grass was, in the end, still Blue Silver Grass.