Returning After Leaving

Dragon claws closed precisely around the violently struggling transparent shape.

The Void Mayfly's shrill cry cut off abruptly, and it dissolved into a ripple of fine spatial waves in Yu Tiancheng's palm.

Its body quickly became solid, eventually turning into a crystal-like husk, no bigger than a palm, that lay quietly in Yu Tiancheng's hand.

A bright purple Spirit Ring rose from the husk and floated in midair, radiating a faint resonance with the surrounding space.

"A thousand-year Spirit Ring..." Yu Tiancheng took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement.

He didn't absorb it immediately. Instead, he carefully checked his surroundings to make sure no other Spirit Beasts had been drawn by the commotion.

Then he found a relatively secluded tree hollow and camouflaged it with dead branches and leaves. Still wearing his cloak, he sat down cross-legged.

The Time Dragon Emperor Martial Soul was quietly released, its faint silver-gray glow enveloping his body.

Drawn by it, the purple Spirit Ring slowly descended and settled around the Martial Soul's phantom.

The absorption began.

Unlike the gentle energy of his First Spirit Ring, the Void Mayfly's Spirit Ring carried a distinct spatial quality.

The moment the energy entered his body, Yu Tiancheng felt as though he had been pulled into some twisted dimension. He could almost feel Space Power tearing at every part of him.

He steadied his mind and circulated his Soul Power with all his strength, guiding the unusual energy through his meridians and finally into his dantian.

Time passed bit by bit.

Outside the hollow, the sun sank westward, and the light in the forest gradually dimmed.

But the aura around Yu Tiancheng continued to rise steadily.

The purple Spirit Ring's light gradually dimmed, blending perfectly with the silver-gray glow of his Martial Soul.

A new insight, connected to space, slowly took shape deep in his mind.

At the same time, about five miles to the northwest.

Hu Liena and the others were making their way through the forest.

The Golden Chrysanthemum at Yue Guan's fingertips turned slowly, sending out invisible waves of probing energy. Ghost Douluo drifted about like a true ghost, his figure wavering as he kept watch over their surroundings.

"Nana, is this roughly the area you sensed?" Yue Guan stopped and looked at Hu Liena.

Hu Liena closed her eyes and focused, using the Spiritual Power granted by her Demon Fox Martial Soul to sense the area.

She couldn't actually detect any particular Spirit Beast's aura, but she could feel that this area bore a subtle resemblance to the traces of Soul Power left where Yu Tiancheng had hidden before.

It was the Mixed Zone's distinctive environment, with its muddled Soul Power.

"This should be the right direction, but the exact location... is still vague."

She opened her eyes and let a hint of confusion show on her face. "Perhaps the Spirit Beast has already left, or it's hidden very well."

Yan said beside her, "Don't worry, Nana. Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beasts are hard to find. Let's search a little longer."

Xie Yue said nothing, simply watching their surroundings warily. As the leader of the Golden Generation, he always remained on the highest alert.

Just then, Ghost Douluo's figure solidified beside an ancient tree.

"There's something," he said hoarsely. "About a mile to the southeast. A Soul Power fluctuation... very faint, like the remnants of a Spirit Master absorbing a Spirit Ring."

Yue Guan raised an eyebrow. "Absorbing a Spirit Ring? On the edge of the Mixed Zone? That's unusual. Let's take a look."

Hu Liena's heart stirred.

Absorbing a Spirit Ring... Could it be that Yu Tiancheng?

She kept her expression neutral and simply nodded. "All right. Perhaps we'll run into another Spirit Master and learn whether any unusual Spirit Beasts have been seen nearby."

The five of them quietly changed direction and headed toward the place Ghost Douluo had indicated.

Inside the hollow, Yu Tiancheng suddenly opened his eyes.

A flash of silver-gray light flickered in his gaze, and the aura around him finally settled.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. It rippled the space around it, leaving faint distortions that took a moment to fade.

"Success... Level twenty-one."

Feeling the surging Soul Power within him and the new power linked to space in his Martial Soul, he was overcome with joy.

The details of his Second Soul Skill also appeared clearly in his mind.

[Second Soul Skill: Void Flash]

Effect: Short-range spatial displacement. Maximum distance: ten meters.

The path of displacement is difficult to predict. Activation causes a slight spatial disturbance that can interfere with lock-on Soul Skills.

"Spatial displacement!" Yu Tiancheng's eyes lit up.

It was an excellent ability for survival and ambush. Its range was short and its uses limited, but its strategic value was immense.

As he basked in the joy of gaining a new Soul Skill, an extremely subtle yet terrifyingly powerful probing wave swept through the area like a flood of quicksilver.

Yu Tiancheng's body tensed at once.

That fluctuation... a Titled Douluo! And there was more than one!

"How could it be such a coincidence?" Alarm bells rang in his mind. Almost instinctively, he activated the Stealth Cloak, suppressing his aura as much as possible while peering outside through a crack in the hollow.

In a clearing not far away, five figures slowly appeared.

It was Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and the three members of the Golden Generation, back again!

Hu Liena's gaze seemed to sweep casually across the surroundings before settling on the ground nearby.

A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes.

The Soul Power in this area... was too similar to that around Yu Tiancheng's previous hiding place.

Both had the muddled Soul Power distinctive to the edge of the Mixed Zone, and both bore a faint, indescribable spatial disturbance.

More importantly, she noticed several unnatural traces on the ground: dead leaves that had been deliberately arranged, and freshly cut ends on a few broken branches.

Someone had been active nearby, and had probably left only moments ago.

"Strange. I clearly sensed a Soul Power fluctuation here just now..." Yue Guan murmured with a slight frown. The Golden Chrysanthemum glimmered at his fingertips as he began a more thorough search.

But this time, his brow furrowed too.

"It's gone?" Yue Guan said, puzzled. "I clearly sensed a trace of lingering Soul Power just now, but now I can't detect anything."

Ghost Douluo's figure solidified beside an ancient tree, and his hoarse voice rang out. "There are two possibilities. Either the person has already left, or they're using some kind of sophisticated concealment method."

He paused, then added, "If it's the latter, their concealment ability is no ordinary thing."

Inside the hollow, Yu Tiancheng held his breath and quietly prepared to activate Void Flash.

The Stealth Cloak was indeed powerful. It could even conceal him from a Titled Douluo's probing.

But the problem was... they had already narrowed their search to this area.

They might not be able to find him, but they could stay here and wait.

Ten meters wasn't enough to escape a Titled Douluo's pursuit, but it might give him a sliver of a chance.

As the standoff continued, Hu Liena suddenly spoke.

"Elders, look over there." She pointed beside the hollow, where faint traces remained from when Yu Tiancheng had set a trap earlier.

Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo turned their attention toward it.

She suspected someone was hiding there.

But she didn't know who, or exactly where.

Ghost Douluo suddenly spoke, his voice echoing through the forest, cold and unquestionable:

"Friend in hiding, come out. We mean no harm. There are just a few things... we'd like to ask you."

It was a test.

If someone really was hiding nearby, hearing a Titled Douluo's voice might make anyone with a weak nerve give themselves away.

If no one was there, they had nothing to lose.

Yu Tiancheng's heart sank.

They were trying to draw him out.

And the problem was... it was an effective ploy.

Because he really was here.

Besides, they had already narrowed their search to this area. Even if he kept hiding, they would find him sooner or later. A Titled Douluo had plenty of ways to force him out.

Run? Against two Titled Douluos, his chances of success were practically zero.

Use his Second Soul Skill, Void Flash? The distance was too short to mean much against a Titled Douluo.

Then there was only one option...

He took a deep breath and made his decision.

Rather than let them force him out, he would come forward of his own accord and retain a little control.

He slowly eased off the Stealth Cloak, letting his aura "gradually" emerge—from nothing to something, from faint to clear—imitating someone who had just suppressed his aura and was now being forced to end his concealment.

Then he pushed aside the dead branches camouflaging the hollow and slowly stepped out.

He wore just the right look of wariness and nervousness, mixed with the awe a young Spirit Master might feel in the presence of powerful experts.

"This junior is Lin Fan. Greetings, seniors." He cupped his hands in a salute, deliberately lowering his voice until it sounded a little hoarse. "May I ask why you called me out?"

"Lin Fan?" Hu Liena softly repeated the name, an almost imperceptible look passing through her eyes.

She didn't know anyone called "Yu Tiancheng," but she had noticed a few details.

First, the timing of the boy's appearance was far too convenient. He had stepped out as soon as they called, despite having evaded a Titled Douluo's search until then.

Second, and most importantly, the boy only had Level twenty-one Soul Power, yet his nervousness and awe before two Titled Douluos were far too textbook.

So textbook they seemed rehearsed.

Yue Guan sized him up, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Were you absorbing a Spirit Ring just now? Your Second Spirit Ring?"

"Yes." "Lin Fan" nodded obediently. "This junior was lucky enough to hunt an injured Hundred Year Spirit Beast and has just finished absorbing its Spirit Ring."

Yu Tiancheng specifically said it had been a Hundred Year Spirit Beast because he didn't want to draw attention to anything unusual about himself.

"Alone?" Ghost Douluo asked.

"My elders had intended to accompany me, but something came up at the last minute. They told me to look for a suitable Spirit Beast in the outer area." Yu Tiancheng's answer was half truth, half lie, making his solo Spirit Hunting sound reasonable.

Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance. It was a little risky for a boy barely past Level twenty to hunt for his Second Spirit Ring alone in the Mixed Zone of Star Dou Great Forest, but it wasn't impossible.

Especially if the Spirit Beast was already injured. That explanation made sense.

"Your concealment method is impressive," Yue Guan said slowly. The Golden Chrysanthemum at his fingertips glimmered faintly. "What is it? A Soul Skill? Or... a special Soul Tool?"