Di Tian frowned slightly as he carefully studied the three humans sitting cross-legged on the ground, his bewilderment deepening.
His lord had clearly been in poor condition since awakening, and Di Tian could naturally see that. What surprised him, however, was that his lord had not chosen to return to slumber to rest and recuperate, but had instead remained awake.
If it was to protect the Auspicious Beast, that would make sense. After all, like his lord, the Auspicious Beast was one of the most important beings in the Star Dou Great Forest.
But...
Sending him to watch a few humans was clearly beyond Di Tian's understanding.
Especially after he had watched them for some time and found nothing special about these three humans, Di Tian was even more at a loss.
As a super Ferocious Beast with eight hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation, Di Tian had seen much and knew much. He naturally recognized the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul possessed by one of the three humans. His perception also clearly detected a human Titled Douluo protecting them from the shadows.
But none of that... seemed to be the reason his lord had ordered him to watch them.
A mere Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and a mere Titled Douluo were not worth his attention, let alone his lord's.
The human with the red dragon martial soul was even less worthy of mention.
The only one he could not quite figure out was the male who had never revealed his martial soul.
His golden eyes suddenly settled on Aoyao, a sharp glint flashing in their depths.
A soul power level roughly equivalent to a human Soul Ancestor... exceptionally young. Among humans, he might be considered a supreme genius, but... that hardly seems so remarkable, does it?
Di Tian took a deep breath, somewhat helpless.
If that fellow Xiong Jun learned that he, the mighty Di Tian, had come to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest to watch a few humans whose highest soul power was only rank forty, he would probably clutch his belly laughing.
But remembering his lord's instructions, Di Tian could only sigh softly and continue his surveillance, helpless though he felt.
After two hours of silence, Ning Tian finally stirred awake.
Having reached rank thirty-one soul power after absorbing her soul ring, Ning Tian stood and gently patted her skirt. A soft smile instantly bloomed across her exquisite face as she turned toward Aoyao, who sat nearby.
"I've finished absorbing it."
At the sight, the smile on Wu Feng's face instantly froze.
In the past, she had always been the first person Little Tian shared her joy with after absorbing a soul ring. But now, after absorbing her soul ring, Little Tian had actually looked at Aoyao first!?
Why!
I was here first. Whether it was growing up beside Little Tian or protecting her in battle... our bond should have been stronger than gold. So why had everything changed after Aoyao appeared?
"Congratulations! Judging by your expression, your third soul skill must have a pretty good effect, right?"
After spending two days together, Aoyao and Ning Tian had become much more familiar with each other, so he certainly would not begrudge her a word of congratulations.
Ning Tian smiled and nodded. Without keeping him in suspense, she gave a playful blink and spread her hands.
A pagoda radiating an exquisite luster appeared in Ning Tian's palms.
"Seven treasures turn forth, glazed tile shines. Third: attack."
Aoyao was not surprised by the sight.
As an ancient sect with a heritage stretching back ten thousand years or even longer, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had long since developed a set of soul skills best suited to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Aside from the seventh-ring Martial Soul Avatar, the first six rings respectively provided strength, speed, attack, defense, soul power, and amplification. There were almost never any exceptions.
It would have been a rarity if Ning Tian's third soul skill had been anything else.
"Congratulations, Little Tian."
Seeing Ning Tian finally turn toward her, Wu Feng forced a smile onto her face, though no matter how one looked at it, that smile seemed rather strained.
"A lot of the credit goes to you, Little Feng. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to kill this soul beast so smoothly. Once you reach rank thirty, we'll come to the Star Dou Great Forest again."
Ning Tian did not notice Wu Feng's strained smile. All her attention was on Aoyao.
She remembered that Aoyao's goal was to seize an opportunity that belonged to Huo Yuhao, something called Electrolux's divine consciousness fragment.
Although she did not know what that was, since she already believed Aoyao would be her most suitable partner, she naturally would not make things difficult for him.
Ning Tian paused before saying with a soft smile, "As for now, there's still some time before Shrek Academy begins enrollment. We don't need to hurry."
"Besides... I sensed what seemed to be a fluctuation of soul power not far away. Why don't we go take a look?"
Although Ning Tian's excuse for remaining in the Star Dou Great Forest seemed rather flimsy, Aoyao did not overthink it-he had been trying to find a reason to stay in the Star Dou Great Forest himself. With Ning Tian bringing it up on her own, why would he question it?
[Although I don't know why Ning Tian isn't in a hurry to head to Shrek Academy, this is clearly a good thing for me. And that fluctuation of soul power ahead doesn't seem very strong... perhaps that famous scene is happening up ahead!]
"Let's go take a look."
Ning Tian gave Aoyao a playful wink, then leaped ahead, heading straight toward the source of the soul power fluctuations.
*?*
Did Ning Tian just wink at me?
You know, Ning Tian really was quite pretty before turning into a man.
The thought flashed through Aoyao's mind, and he immediately followed behind Ning Tian.
Wu Feng's steps faltered briefly, but she had no time to dwell on it. Thinking only of protecting Ning Tian, she quickly followed as well.
Before long, they arrived at a patch of bushes.
Parting the bushes, they saw an ape-like soul beast covered in brownish-yellow fur, with exceptionally long arms, sharp nails on its claws, and savage teeth protruding from its mouth.
It looked quite imposing, but in reality, it was only a very ordinary Wind Baboon.
And a ten-year Wind Baboon at that.
Standing opposite the Wind Baboon was a thin young Soul Master who appeared to be about the same age as the three of them. His clothes were shabby, and there was nothing particularly distinctive about his appearance. Only his eyes seemed reasonably bright and resolute.
Seeing this, Aoyao could not help taking a deep breath.
I'd worn through iron shoes searching in vain, only to find it without the slightest effort!
It really was that famous scene!
The famous scene where a ten-year Wind Baboon nearly solo-killed Huo Yuhao, narrowly losing to the future God of Emotions!
"Uh... this seems to be just a ten-year Wind Baboon. Who would've thought someone could actually get locked in a fierce struggle with a ten-year Wind Baboon?"
"No, it doesn't seem to be a fierce struggle. That fellow looks like... he's about to get beaten to death."
Wu Feng and Ning Tian spoke one after the other, both their mouths twitching.
Wasn't this fellow a little too pathetic?
He really was... so, so weak!
How could anyone be this weak?
Before you continue