Forcing me to stay? Or making friends? (New book seeking collection, seeking votes!)

King Sagros, as one of the powerful representatives of the King-type Spirit, received an unimaginable boost after its evolution.

Its most outstanding feature is that its attack value now ranks in the top tier among offensive species. On the Douluo Continent, its attack naturally surpasses that of various Martial Souls, perhaps reaching the ultimate attribute level recorded in later eras – Ultimate Attack!

Secondly, its speed and initiative ability have been qualitatively improved. Speed is self-explanatory; it has always been Sagros's strong point.

As for initiative, it's Sagros's natural cheat code in combat mechanics! Theoretically, no Martial Soul can attack faster than its attack. This means that in any battle, the first attack will 100% be initiated by it, which is terrifying. This characteristic will naturally be demonstrated in future battles.

Finally, after advancing to the King-type, it awakened its innate skill, the Soul Seal "Sa"!

Its Soul Seal "Sa" can increase its attack value in the next turn after its Soul Power drops below ten percent, remove and grant immunity to abnormal statuses and all ability reduction effects, and also double the Soul Power consumed by the opponent when using attribute-based skills.

Anyone who can fight Sagros to the last moment will not have much Soul Power left. If the Soul Seal "Sa" is triggered, it means both sides have very little Soul Power remaining. With victory or defeat hanging in the balance over these last few moves, its own stats increase again while the opponent's consumption doubles. The sheer unpleasantness of this is unimaginable.

"It already has such functions as a King-type. It's hard to imagine what kind of boost it will bring me after advancing to Saint King Sagros. At that time, will there still be any rivals to be found on this continent!"

Chen Chu, who had regained consciousness, checked everything and opened his eyes, looking at his surroundings. The Dragon Mantis's corpse had already shriveled. It was a pity that no Soul Bone had dropped, leaving him somewhat disappointed, as the Dragon Mantis's Soul Bone was extremely compatible with him.

"My Soul Power has actually reached level 64. It seems I accumulated quite a bit in Slaughter City. Combined with bloodline absorption and Martial Soul Evolution, it seems normal."

Feeling the abundant Soul Power within him, Chen Chu couldn't help but curve his lips upwards. After all, who wouldn't want their level to be high?

After dealing with everything, Chen Chu turned and looked at the cave not far away. He saw Dragon Duke Meng Shu staring at him from the cave entrance. After a moment of thought, he walked towards him.

"Thank you for your help this time, Old Dean. Chu is deeply grateful!"

Chen Chu walked up to him and performed a standard junior's bow. Although he didn't have a good impression of this person, he had genuinely helped him this time. It would have been impolite to leave as if nothing had happened before.

Dragon Duke looked at the young man before him who was bowing to him, sensing the faint aura of sharpness emanating from him, and exclaimed in his heart, "Young Chen Chu, why are you here? And where have you been for this past year?"

As soon as Chen Chu finished bowing, Dragon Duke Meng Shu grabbed his arm and shook him, questioning him loudly.

"Old Dean, let go first!" He struggled free, grimacing, and rubbed his arm as he retreated two steps.

Dragon Duke's eyes widened, and the hand stroking his beard trembled. He pretended to be stern, "Stop changing the subject! You just left the academy last year without a word, leaving a note saying you were going 'training,' and then you disappeared? If I hadn't bumped into you here today, I would have thought a Soul Beast had carried you off!"

Chen Chu touched his nose, thinking to himself that the old man had a good memory.

He couldn't exactly say he'd spent a year grinding dungeons in Slaughter City, and this time he'd even evolved his Martial Soul into King Sagros, could he?

Just as he was about to fabricate an excuse about "accidentally entering a secret realm to cultivate," he heard a crisp childlike voice from the cave: "Grandpa, look at my Soul Skill! I'm a Great Soul Master now too!"

Their conversation was interrupted by Meng Yiran, who had just finished absorbing her Soul Ring. A little girl in a blue dress skipped over, grabbed one of Dragon Duke's arms, and started shaking it.

"Huh? Who is this person?"

Meng Yiran only noticed Chen Chu standing not far away when she walked over. She had never seen him before in her memory, so she asked curiously.

Chen Chu had naturally never seen this little thing before. Judging by her appearance, she was probably in her teens. At this age, she was only at the second ring. To be honest, her talent was a bit lacking.

"Yiran, this is your... uh, senior student. We met when you were absorbing your Soul Ring."

Meng Shu squatted down, gently stroked his granddaughter's forehead, and pointed to Chen Chu beside him, explaining softly.

"Senior student?" Meng Yiran looked up at Chen Chu again, but didn't dare to look for long before lowering her head and nodding to her grandfather.

Chen Chu, having just emerged from Slaughter City, could hardly be described as approachable, and naturally wouldn't attract the affection of children or women.

His body was filled with killing intent and malevolence, instinctively making people hesitant to get too close, even after being devoured by Sagros.

Snake Dowager Zhao Tianxiang also walked out. She first glanced at her old man, then looked at Chen Chu, and said with a smile, "Young Chen, since you've finished absorbing too, let's head out. This forest is very damp and dark."

He had no objections to Zhao Tianxiang's suggestion. Nodding in affirmation, the group headed towards the outer edges of Beast Canyon.

They traveled all the way back to the inn they had been to before. As it was already dark, they decided to rest for the night after dinner and leave the next day.

In the room, after Meng Yiran had fallen asleep, the Dragon Duke and his wife went to the main hall. Looking at the light from the adjacent room, they mused, "Judging by his attitude tonight, that boy doesn't seem willing to return with us."

Hearing her husband's words, Zhao Tianxiang sat down on a nearby sofa and pondered, "It's normal for him not to want to go back. With his current cultivation, he won't learn much at the academy, and it would be a waste of time."

"Besides, he's only a student of Exotic Beast Academy, not a member of our Exotic Beast Family. The academy doesn't interfere with students' choices, and we can't force him to stay."

Dragon Duke naturally knew this. However, he had finally met such a talented young man, whose future achievements were very likely to surpass his own, reaching the Titled Douluo level. How could he bear to let him go?

Seeing the hesitation on her husband's face, Zhao Tianxiang, having been with him for decades and possessing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, naturally understood what he was thinking. She sighed and said gently, "Old man, you're worrying too much. He's not a child anymore. As a Soul Emperor, he has the capital to be independent. We can't force him to stay."

"If we really try to act and he escapes, in the future, won't our Exotic Beast Family live in fear? After we're gone, can Yiran still withstand this pressure?"

The Snake Dowager said, getting up to pour a cup of tea and handing it to him. She said in a low, serious tone, "Furthermore, with such talent at such a young age, and possessing this much strength, I suspect he might have the backing of a major power. It's better to be safe than sorry; we mustn't act rashly!"