Agility Attack Specialist Soul Master

Zhu Zhuqing rubbed away the tears in her eyes and slowly told Ye Lan why she had run away from home.

Just like in the original story, Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai had known each other since childhood.

When Zhu Zhuqing was six, she awakened the Hell Spirit Cat and innate Level Seven Soul Power. Her engagement to Dai Mubai was formally arranged, and Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai became rivals to the pairing of Zhu Zhuyun and Dai Weisi.

The Dai family's White Tiger Martial Soul and the Zhu family's Hell Spirit Cat could perform the Martial Soul Fusion Skill—"Hell White Tiger." The marital alliances between the two families were locked in a life-or-death competition. The losing pairs were almost always imprisoned or eliminated to prevent future civil unrest within the Star Luo Empire.

Ever since Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai had become a pair, they had constantly been suppressed by Zhu Zhuyun and Dai Weisi.

Unable to withstand the pressure, Dai Mubai abandoned Zhu Zhuqing and fled to the Heaven Dou Empire. Zhu Zhuqing could only remain in the Star Luo Empire and bear the pressure of defeat alone. Everyone around her believed she had already been sentenced to death.

If Dai Mubai had not fled, Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai would still have had a chance. After all, they were younger and still had room to grow.

But after Dai Mubai ran away, the Hell Spirit Cat alone could never defeat the Hell White Tiger.

Bearing all the pressure, Zhu Zhuqing grew up alone. Last month, she had inadvertently learned through her family that Dai Mubai was at Shrek Academy in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Zhu Zhuqing knew that if she did not make a change, she was destined to be the one abandoned—abandoned by her family and by Dai Mubai...

After encouraging herself, Zhu Zhuqing slipped out of the Zhu family estate in the Star Luo Empire late one night and ran into the Star Dou Great Forest.

Zhu Zhuqing kept moving along the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, but she was still noticed by a pack of Wind Spirit Wolves.

In the end, Zhu Zhuqing encountered Ye Lan at her most desperate moment.

After hearing the firsthand account of her story, Ye Lan understood more deeply from Zhu Zhuqing's tone that this was a terrifying tale of a survivor who had been abandoned and was about to drown.

Zhu Zhuqing cried as she told Ye Lan her story, and as she poured out the feelings in her heart, her emotions gradually calmed.

Ye Lan looked into Zhu Zhuqing's eyes. "Since you've chosen to fight against your family's fate, then you must fight to the very end!"

Zhu Zhuqing nodded firmly.

"Besides, Zhu Zhuqing, the only person you can trust is yourself. I don't think Dai Mubai can change anything. Even though the 'Hell White Tiger' is powerful, he isn't worthy of fusing Martial Souls with you!" Ye Lan urged Zhu Zhuqing to trust only herself and not place her hopes in Dai Mubai.

"But..." Zhu Zhuqing stared at her sharp claws. Could she really use the Hell Spirit Cat to stand against the Hell White Tiger?

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing hesitate, Ye Lan decided to offer her a little help, whether out of personal fondness for her or to break up the Shrek group.

Over the years, the understanding of Martial Souls that had come with his Martial Soul Evolution had given Ye Lan an insight into Martial Souls far beyond what anyone else could imagine.

"Can a 'Hell White Tiger' that only knows how to run away defeat Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun? Zhu Zhuqing, you can go to Shrek Academy and find Dai Mubai. See whether he is truly working hard at cultivation." Ye Lan knew perfectly well what Dai Mubai was like in Suotuo City—he spent every day indulging in prostitutes without a care in the world.

Ye Lan planted a seed called abandonment in Zhu Zhuqing's heart. Once the two met again, that seed would instantly grow into a towering tree, and it would be inevitable that they would become strangers to each other.

After hearing Ye Lan's words, Zhu Zhuqing nodded in agreement. From the moment Dai Mubai had abandoned her, he had already become someone she could no longer trust.

If there had been a third person of their age with a White Tiger Martial Soul, Zhu Zhuqing would never have gone to the Heaven Dou Empire to seek out Dai Mubai.

She only wanted to fight for that tiny sliver of possibility—to gamble that Dai Mubai had not fallen into depravity.

Beyond agreeing with Ye Lan's words, Zhu Zhuqing's heart was also in complete turmoil.

Was he telling me to find Dai Mubai because he wants to abandon me? That makes sense. In the end, I already have a fiancé. How could I still yearn for such an illusory source of support?

I no longer have the right.

Ye Lan did not know what Zhu Zhuqing was thinking. He did not know that if he had tried to keep her at that moment and told her to give up Dai Mubai—

Zhu Zhuqing would have followed Ye Lan, whom she had only recently met, without hesitation.

Not noticing Zhu Zhuqing's despondent expression, Ye Lan continued, "Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you how to cultivate! And while I'm at it, I'll test whether my theory works."

"Ah?! You know how the Hell Spirit Cat should cultivate?" The moment Zhu Zhuqing heard that Ye Lan could teach her, her spirits immediately lifted.

"I've never taught anyone before. Do you trust me?" Ye Lan stared into Zhu Zhuqing's eyes. Her pupils were quite unusual.

"You're my benefactor. If I don't trust you, who else could I trust?" Zhu Zhuqing suddenly realized her words sounded somewhat ambiguous, and her cheeks grew slightly warm.

Ye Lan did not notice. He smiled with satisfaction; he liked the feeling of being trusted.

"It's getting dark. Get some rest first."

"Mm..."

Zhu Zhuqing's consciousness gradually cleared. Ye Lan's clothes covered her body. She pulled them tighter around herself and instinctively hugged them close.

Her nose was filled with a scent that made her feel safe. Reluctantly, Zhu Zhuqing sat up, because she noticed Ye Lan watching her.

"How did you sleep?" Ye Lan asked as he watched Zhu Zhuqing wake up.

"Very well—better than ever before!" Ever since awakening her Martial Soul six years ago, Zhu Zhuqing had been plagued by nightmares.

Yet last night, Zhu Zhuqing seemed to have had a wonderful dream. She had forgotten its details, but she knew she had not wanted to wake up.

She was afraid that once she woke up, everything in the dream would disappear.

"Your hair's a mess. Go wash up by the river first. After we eat some wild fruit, I'll teach you how to cultivate." Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing's appearance was far from befitting a goddess, Ye Lan kindly reminded her.

Zhu Zhuqing blushed furiously, covered her hair, and hurried toward the river.

"How do you think the Hell Spirit Cat should cultivate?" Ye Lan asked.

"According to the methods passed down through my family, the Hell Spirit Cat follows the agility-attack path. I only need to cultivate my Soul Power diligently and choose attack-type and speed-type soul beasts for my Soul Rings. Besides, the Hell White Tiger is a path led primarily by the White Tiger, so attack Soul Rings are somewhat more important than speed Soul Rings." Zhu Zhuqing explained the principles her family had taught her.

Ye Lan did not refute her. Instead, he first agreed. "That's right. If you're serving as an accessory to the Hell White Tiger, then there's nothing seriously wrong with cultivating the Hell Spirit Cat that way."

Then Ye Lan changed the subject. "But Zhu Zhuqing, you're different!"

"Am I that different?" Zhu Zhuqing cared deeply about Ye Lan's words.

"Yes. Perhaps in the future, you'll only be able to rely on yourself. That's why you need to become an Agility Attack Specialist Soul Master!" Ye Lan said.

"What is an Agility Attack Specialist Soul Master?" Zhu Zhuqing asked curiously.