Sugar-Coated Bullets

Recovering from her shock, Bibi Dong gave Xuan Hao a long look. The curiosity in her eyes had hardened into determination.

Twin Martial Souls—and the Golden Dragon and Silver Dragon at that, legendary beings that stood at the pinnacle of Soul Beasts.

She had to bring this child back with her.

But she knew he carried a thorn in his heart. To him, Spirit Hall was the culprit that had "killed his parents" and "abandoned him."

Taking him by force would only breed resentment. She needed him to feel he belonged. She needed him to call her "Teacher" of his own free will.

When they returned to camp, Hu Liena had already set up the tents with practiced efficiency.

To Xuan Hao's surprise, two tents stood in the camp.

One was the tent Bibi Dong and Hu Liena had used before. The other was brand-new.

"Go on. Get some sleep." Bibi Dong pointed to the new tent.

Seeing Xuan Hao hesitate, Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow. "Don't think about sleeping in a tree. There are plenty of Soul Beasts around here at night. If some blind fool of a beast carries you off, I'll have to waste time fishing you back out. What a nuisance."

With that, she took Hu Liena by the hand and ducked into the other tent without waiting for his answer.

"Good night." Before going in, Hu Liena winked at Xuan Hao, her smile sly but friendly.

Xuan Hao stood where he was, looking at the tent that seemed warm just from the sight of it. He rubbed his nose.

Of course he knew Bibi Dong was making excuses. With the power of a Titled Douluo, she could turn a Soul Beast to ash in an instant even if it snatched him from a hundred meters away.

"Sugar-coated bullets, huh..."

Xuan Hao sighed, but his body betrayed him. He crawled inside.

After all, who would choose a hard tree branch when there was a soft sleeping pad waiting?

If he couldn't resist, he might as well enjoy it.

Thick blankets covered the floor of the tent, keeping the damp ground at bay.

Xuan Hao was about to lie down when an oil-paper packet beside his pillow caught his eye.

He picked it up. It was the packet of dried Black Horned Bull that Hu Liena had offered him during the day, the one he had turned down to save face.

Xuan Hao froze for a moment. His grip on the dried meat tightened slightly.

"Tch... trying to win me over."

He muttered the words, but the corners of his mouth lifted despite himself.

This time, he didn't put on airs. He tore open the packet and ate in great mouthfuls.

So good.

Xuan Hao slept soundly that night.

They might have been in the perilous Star Dou Great Forest, but with Bibi Dong, a powerhouse at the peak of her strength, beside them and Ghost Douluo keeping watch from the shadows, this place was probably safer than the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

The next morning, the three set out again.

Perhaps last night's "sugar-coated bullets" had worked, or perhaps it was the kindness Bibi Dong and Hu Liena kept showing him. Either way, the atmosphere among them was no longer as stiff and awkward as it had been at first.

For the next three days, they roamed the outskirts of the Mixed Zone.

But luck was a fickle thing. Although Bibi Dong's Spiritual Power covered a vast area, most of the Soul Beasts they encountered over those three days fell short.

"That one won't do. It's a four-hundred-year Wind Baboon. Too weak."

"That Mandala Snake is old enough, but its attributes don't match."

Bibi Dong's standards for Hu Liena's Second Soul Ring were high. She would rather find nothing than settle for less.

And Bibi Dong had a clear plan for Xuan Hao, too.

"Sub-dragon species are rare even in the Star Dou Great Forest."

During a break, Bibi Dong handed Xuan Hao a water flask and patiently explained, "If we can't find a sub-dragon, we'll look for a Soul Beast with top-tier strength instead."

"A Diamond Tiger, a Great Ape, or an Ironclad Tyrannosaurus, for example. They may not carry True Dragon Bloodline, but their natural abilities are an excellent match for your Golden Dragon Martial Soul. They'll bring out its extreme strength to the fullest."

Xuan Hao listened obediently, asking a question now and then. Bibi Dong answered each one.

Through those conversations and the time they spent together, Xuan Hao's wariness of Bibi Dong slowly began to melt away.

After all, who could refuse a stunning "big sister" with power enough to reach the heavens who also took such good care of him?

Finally, on their fourth day in the forest, their luck changed.

At noon, in a quiet valley, they found a fox with pitch-black fur and a third, vertical eye in the center of its brow—a Three-eyed Demonic Fox.

"About seven hundred and fifty years old, with both the Mental Attribute and Charm. It couldn't be more perfect for you."

Satisfaction flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. She struck at once, gravely wounding it.

Hu Liena didn't waste the chance. She stepped forward to finish it off, then began absorbing the Soul Ring. Everything went smoothly. An hour later, she had become a Soul Grandmaster and gained a powerful Charm-based control skill.

With Hu Liena's needs taken care of, only Xuan Hao remained.

Hu Liena was a clever girl. She saw how much her teacher valued Xuan Hao and understood that Bibi Dong wanted to win over the gifted boy.

So she took even better care of Xuan Hao on the road ahead, every bit the considerate Senior Martial Sister. She shared her food without being asked and gave him a hand whenever the path grew difficult.

Perhaps good luck was contagious.

That very evening, just as darkness settled over the forest, the three had finished pitching their tents and were about to light a fire when a wild tiger's roar shattered the night's stillness.

"ROAR—!!"

A tiger over three meters long burst from the bushes. Its muscles bulged like granite, its fur gleamed with a metallic sheen, and its crimson eyes locked onto the three people in the camp.

"A Diamond Tiger?"

Bibi Dong's eyes lit up. She didn't even stand, merely flicked her hand.

A wave of invisible Soul Power erupted. Before the imposing Diamond Tiger could pounce, it was slammed into the ground as though struck by an unseen giant hand.

BOOM!

The ground shuddered. The Diamond Tiger let out a shrill cry, its limbs pinned fast to the earth. Its bones, once hard as iron, creaked under the strain.

Bibi Dong walked over to the helpless tiger and examined it carefully. Then she turned to Xuan Hao, a smile tugging at her lips:

"Looks like we won't be sleeping tonight."

"An eight-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Diamond Tiger. Its defense is astonishing, and its strength ranks among the best of Soul Beasts its age. It isn't a sub-dragon species, but as the Golden Dragon's First Soul Ring, it's still a superb choice."

She looked at Xuan Hao and held out a sharp dagger. "Go on. Kill it."

Xuan Hao took the dagger, drew a deep breath, and approached the Diamond Tiger, which was still growling low in its throat.

It was his first time killing such a fierce beast, but he barely hesitated. In this world, it was kill or be killed.

Thrust!

The dagger pierced the Diamond Tiger's eye socket and drove straight into its brain.

The Diamond Tiger convulsed a few times, then fell still. A bright yellow Soul Ring, its glow faintly tinged with purple, slowly rose from its corpse.

"Sit cross-legged and focus on your Martial Soul. Draw the Soul Ring in with your Soul Power," Bibi Dong said beside him. "Remember, this Soul Ring is very old. The impact will be fierce. Hold fast to yourself. Don't let its violent energy overwhelm you."

Xuan Hao sat as instructed and raised a hand to summon the Golden Dragon's phantom.

As the Soul Ring entered his body, a scalding current surged through his limbs and bones, as if countless red-hot knives were churning inside him.

The energy of a Soul Ring over eight hundred years old was far too domineering for a First Soul Ring.

Xuan Hao's brow knotted, his teeth clenched, and his body began to tremble beyond his control. Fine beads of blood even seeped through his skin.

"Hold on!" Bibi Dong had stayed beside him the entire time. Seeing this, she immediately released a gentle stream of Spiritual Power to protect Xuan Hao's heart. "The Golden Dragon is the Ancestor of Strength. Use your will to master this power. Don't let it burst you apart!"

Xuan Hao heard Bibi Dong's voice. Within his sea of consciousness, the proud Golden Dragon seemed to have been enraged by this brutish power that had invaded it.

"ROAR—!!"

A fierce dragon's cry exploded inside him.

Golden light burst from Xuan Hao's body, forcibly suppressing the tiger's violent, baleful energy.