Hu Liena's breathing quickened.
One ten thousand year soul ring a week.
If her martial soul really could evolve into a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, and each spirit ring could grant her mastery over a new power system, then she would need at least nine spirit rings. Nine ten thousand year soul rings meant nine powers, nine tails, and enough combat strength of her own that she would no longer need to fuse with her brother to fight.
"But," Xiao Yun said, looking at her seriously, "if you want to discard them, you must discard all your spirit rings at once. Once all five are stripped away, your cultivation will plummet, and your martial soul will regress into a fox cub. Recovering your original cultivation will take at least a month. During that month, you won't be able to do anything."
He tossed the question back to her.
"So, what's your choice?"
Hu Liena stood where she was, looking down at her hands.
Her palm still held the lingering sensation of gripping Xiao Yun's right hand: warm, strong, and inexplicably reassuring.
She did not deliberate for long.
She turned, pushed open the door, and left.
Watching her retreating figure disappear at the mouth of the alley, Xiao Yun raised an eyebrow slightly.
Ling'er ran over from the corner, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Master, why did Sister Hu leave? Is she angry?"
Xiao Yun shook his head without answering.
He sat down on the stone bench, picked up the unfinished volume of Records of the Continent's Curiosities, turned back to his previous page, and continued reading.
Ling'er crouched beside him, propping her chin in her hands as she stared at the courtyard gate in bewilderment.
Less than an hour later, the courtyard gate was pushed open again.
Hu Liena returned,