Strong-Willed

Ye Qiu turned around and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

"Do I need to do anything to absorb a thousand-year Spirit Ring?" Casting aside the unpleasant feelings in her heart, Zhu Zhuqing only wanted to become stronger.

"You're not going to ask if there are any risks?" He extinguished the campfire and looked at her.

"Those risks are nothing compared to staying alive!" she said coldly. She even slowly braced herself against the tree trunk and stood up on her right leg. "As long as I can become stronger, I can endure any amount of suffering!"

"Is that so?" Ye Qiu fell silent. This girl truly was just like in the original story—diligent in cultivation and firm in character. She had the poorest talent, yet she was the hardest worker.

He held the Blue Silver Emperor in his arms. A Six-pointed Star appeared in his eyes, and an Iron Hoof Horse that Ye Qiu had not ridden in a long time appeared before him.

"Here, hold this for me." He handed her the flowerpot containing the Blue Silver Emperor.

Then he picked her up. Caught off guard, Zhu Zhuqing cried out, "Ah~ What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Walking is a problem for you like this. You can ride it!" Ye Qiu placed her on the horse's back, then calmly answered her earlier question. "You don't need to prepare anything to absorb a Spirit Ring. Just focus on recovering from your injuries!"

Ye Qiu led the horse from the front while Zhu Zhuqing rode on its back, holding the Blue Silver Emperor in her arms. They slowly made their way through the forest.

With Ye Qiu's Sharingan serving as reconnaissance, they could avoid many Spirit Beasts in advance.

Looking at Ye Qiu's back, Zhu Zhuqing tightened her hold on the Blue Silver Emperor, lost in thought.

Time passed quickly. Before they knew it, Ye Qiu and Zhu Zhuqing had spent nearly half a month in the Star Dou Great Forest.

During the day, Ye Qiu led the horse and wandered everywhere with her. They watched the sun rise and set together while searching for suitable Spirit Beasts for them both. At night, Ye Qiu took her into the Divine Might Space to rest.

By now, Zhu Zhuqing's injuries had completely healed. Carrying a ten-year Spirit Beast Bamboo Rat in her hand, she walked into a cave.

"Here! This is the lunch I caught! I really don't know why you won't eat rabbits. They're obviously tastier than this thing." After muttering a few complaints, she tossed the little Bamboo Rat before Ye Qiu and turned to sit beside him.

Since she had not fought in so long, she had suggested going out to hunt and regain her feel for battle. To her surprise, the moment she made a move, she had wiped out an entire nest of rabbits.

"Heh. Can't help it. I promised someone I wouldn't eat rabbits anymore." Ye Qiu chuckled as he picked up the Bamboo Rat and began preparing it. "Still, I didn't expect you to be such a skilled hunter!"

"My sister often targeted me at home, so I usually prepared my own meals." She had long grown used to it. She fiddled with her left leg, checking whether it had healed properly.

"I see~" Ye Qiu said nothing more and quietly roasted the Bamboo Rat. After the previous accident, Ye Qiu understood that she did not want too much contact with him. Besides, he already had a rabbit!

Zhu Zhuqing frowned. Ye Qiu's occasional distance made her feel irritated. This should have been exactly what she wanted, yet she could not bring herself to be happy about it.

"My body has fully recovered. When can we go hunt a Spirit Beast?"

"We can go after this meal. There's one suitable for you among that group of Shadow Spiders we encountered before. Have you thought it through? We can change it if you don't want to." Ye Qiu had already given some thought to her choice of Spirit Beast.

Since even Tang San's grass could use poison, why couldn't an Agility Attack System Spirit Master do the same? Armor-piercing plus poison was also a fitting combination for Zhu Zhuqing.

As everyone knew, Agility Attack System Spirit Masters generally lacked strong attack power. Like assassins, they circled their enemies and waited for an opening.

If they encountered an opponent with powerful defenses, they might not even be able to injure their vital points. But with poison, even breaking the skin would be enough to make the other side suffer!

"Then we'll do as you say. I trust you!"

Facing Zhu Zhuqing's gaze, Ye Qiu remained unmoved. Looking at the roast in his hands, he said, "In that case, we'll act this afternoon!"

"Alright!"

Outside the Shadow Spider nest, a transparent vortex appeared out of thin air, and the two figures emerged on a tree branch. Ye Qiu had already scouted this place beforehand and set a spatial marker in advance.

Those Shadow Spiders usually went out to forage alone, so they only needed to wait here.

"Later, I'll lure out one that's around two thousand years old. You wait for me at the destination!" Ye Qiu instructed Zhu Zhuqing.

"I want to do it myself!" However, she did not appreciate his arrangement. Seeing Ye Qiu's confusion, she looked toward the pitch-black nest. "I don't want to simply reap the benefits, and with your abilities, saving me shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Ye Qiu nodded helplessly.

"I really don't know whether to call you strong-willed or stubborn! Go if you want. I'll wait for you!" Ye Qiu had no answer to her competitive nature.

"Mm!" Zhu Zhuqing nodded.

Time slowly passed. Within Ye Qiu's sight, a Shadow Spider with legs nearly four meters long was about to emerge from the cave entrance.

"It's coming. Get ready!"

Hearing Ye Qiu's voice, she immediately went on alert.

Sss, sss! The spider legs pierced the soil with faint sounds as its enormous body slowly crawled out of the cave and headed outside.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing immediately followed it.

Meanwhile, Ye Qiu silently left the tree branch using Divine Might Space.

When the Shadow Spider had gone far enough, a flash of light shot from Zhu Zhuqing's sleeve and struck its eye, scattering sparks!

"Skree~" The Shadow Spider let out a strange cry. As though it had spotted a delicious meal, it immediately crawled toward Zhu Zhuqing.

Bang! Several small trees were smashed apart by its body. Once it neared Zhu Zhuqing, it extended its spider legs to pierce its prey.

First Spirit Ability, Hell Stab! Zhu Zhuqing's figure suddenly surged forward at high speed, and the spider leg's attack struck empty air!

Ye Qiu had told her that Hell Stab could be used not only as an offensive skill, but also for evasive movement. Whenever the Shadow Spider was about to close in on her, Zhu Zhuqing used her First Spirit Ability, Hell Stab, to accelerate and widen the distance.

She gritted her teeth and ran with all her strength. The place she had agreed on with Ye Qiu was not far away!

"Hmm?" As she ran, the sounds behind her seemed to vanish.

She turned around, her expression stiffening as her movements halted. The Shadow Spider had actually disappeared!?

Drip!

"Mm~" Pain suddenly came from her shoulder. A drop of venom landed there, corroding through her clothes.

Her face turned pale as she abruptly looked up, only to discover that the Shadow Spider was hanging directly above her. Its disgusting mouthparts were open, drool dripping from them.

"Pfft!" A spiderweb laced with venom sprayed toward her. Zhu Zhuqing rolled away, but several spider legs stabbed out in quick succession. She dodged left and right, narrowly evading them several times.

"Hiss~" Her leg was accidentally splashed with some corrosive venom. She lost her balance and fell to the ground. Pfft! A large mouthful of venom sprayed down at her face.

Zhu Zhuqing watched helplessly as the venom drew closer and closer. Gritting her teeth, she thought, I'm still too weak!

Kamui! At the critical moment, Ye Qiu arrived in time, and all the venom was transferred away by his Sharingan.

"Skree~" With a sharp, piercing shriek, the Shadow Spider abandoned Zhu Zhuqing and charged at Ye Qiu. How could it let him off after he had ruined its prey?

"Ye Qiu... be careful!" Seeing it about to crash into him, Zhu Zhuqing could not help warning him. But what happened next left her unable to understand. "How is that possible?!"

Ssh! The Shadow Spider's legs viciously stabbed into the ground, stopping it in time before it came to a halt in front of Ye Qiu.

It did not move at all. Even when Ye Qiu stood on its back, it remained completely unresponsive!