Friendship Day, Good Times

"I mean, if you ask me, this kid's path is practically cultivated all the way to the Ghost King level—cultivated to the point where even his soul's almost gone, right? Little Yu is really something else, a menace through and through!"

"Ying Bei's martial soul has already been corroded by the poison into a dark, withered weed. Yet she still dares to follow the same path Ying San once took, using her soul power to kill and devour souls. If you don't turn into that kind of ghost, what are you even waiting for?"

Ying Bei's face instantly turned deathly pale.

The words Xiao Ge had written in his journal had once again struck her pain point.

She had actually realized the peculiarity of her martial soul very early on—that it could devour the martial souls of other living beings or even itself. It was indeed no different from a ghost. But on ordinary days, she had always suppressed this instinct and desire.

But now, her cultivation had already fallen further and further behind. Driven by the desire to restore the Ying Clan's glory and avenge her parents, her willpower was gradually weakening.

Perhaps, just as Xiao Ge had said, it wouldn't be long before she completely fell and became a true ghost.

Zhuo Zhuo, standing beside Ying Bei, noticed her expression. A hint of apology appeared on his handsome face. "Sorry, Hao'er, we're late."

"You..."

Zhuo Zhuo looked uncertainly at the miserable skeleton on the ground, then at Huo Yunhao, who had clearly already broken through from Soul Elder to Soul King. There was a trace of regret in his expression.

A Soul King's first soul ring was especially important. A ten-year soul ring meant that half of his future path had already been cut off.

If only he had come a little earlier.

"It doesn't matter, Brother Zhuo Zhuo."

Mo Yu was stunned for a moment, but his gaze unconsciously drifted toward Xiao Ge, who was standing somewhat apart from the others.

Among everyone present, only Xiao Ge had clearly sensed the process of him merging with Duoduo, and only he knew that his soul core wasn't the so-called "miserable" one.

No matter how much he lacked experience, he knew that the current Duoduo was his greatest trump card. But now, the existence of Duoduo had been discovered by someone...

This made Mo Yu extremely uneasy.

[Huo Yunhao has now obtained a thousand-year soul ring. Next, he should enter the Ouyang Family's Spirit Academy and compete with the Wang Clan's heirs in the same arena. After that, he'll head to the Extreme North to find the Ice Empress and obtain his second martial soul, officially beginning his rise.]

[But... I've taken Yilikes away now. I don't know how Huo Yunhao's final outcome will turn out... But that's not something I need to worry about. The most important thing is that Ying San has all the power of foresight. Ying San will definitely pay special attention to him.]

[Even if I can hide from the heavens and avoid Ying San's notice, I still need to minimize contact with Huo Yunhao. Mm, that's right, that's the plan. So... take the chance now and slip away directly!]

With that in mind, Xiao Ge turned his gaze toward Duoduo and Kuang Feng, who were frowning, and finally settled his eyes on Duoduo alone.

"Let's go."

Duoduo had been thinking the same thing, so she naturally nodded in agreement.

But noticing Xiao Ge and the others' movements, Ying Bei's expression slightly darkened.

Just now, her name had indeed appeared many times in the journal, but she hadn't carefully calculated whether she was the one who appeared most frequently.

That meant she couldn't necessarily escape the scrutiny the journal provided.

Having finally encountered Xiao Ge, Ying Bei naturally wanted to gain more presence.

Amid the flickering firelight, Ying Bei cleared her throat and spoke loudly:

"The three of you are also heading to the Ouyang Family's Spirit Academy to register, right? How about we go together?"

But what Ying Bei didn't expect was that after her voice rang out, Xiao Ge not only didn't stop but actually quickened his pace.

[Damn, is Ying Bei trying to rope us in? She's not planning to drag us into the Ying Clan, is she?]

[You really think so? With Ying Bei's personality, she probably could do something like that. But the problem is, your Ying Clan has nothing. Just you, a bare-bones Clan Leader, plus Zhuo Zhuo and Huo Yunhao...]

[What? You're saying joining Ying Bei would let you learn Ying Bei's secret techniques?]

[Come on! Not to mention whether those Ying Clan secret techniques are watered-down versions edited by Ying San, even if they were the complete version, I wouldn't bother learning them, okay? Isn't my Tai Xuan Sutra way stronger than that crappy Heaven-grade technique?]

[Step back a hundred steps—Ying Bei isn't even as good as a single root of the Nine-Colored Glazed Sect!]

Hearing that last line, Duoduo's mouth curled up slightly, and her steps unconsciously quickened.

Behind them, Ying Bei's expression darkened slightly. She felt a bit resentful toward Xiao Ge's attitude, but also somewhat helpless.

After all, what they said was the truth.

The current Ying Clan really only had her, Zhuo Zhuo, and Huo Yunhao left.

As for them...

Zhuo Zhuo's brow furrowed slightly, his expression turning a bit unpleasant.

Xiao Ya had already extended her goodwill. Even if there was some calculation behind it, it didn't warrant such cold treatment, did it?

These three fellows had no manners at all. They didn't even say a single word before leaving like they were avoiding a plague!

"Xiao Ya, don't mind them. Let's just head back quickly."

Zhuo Zhuo comforted Xiao Ya, noticing her dejected look. He couldn't help but sigh, then patted her shoulder. But Ying Bei, without leaving a trace, took a step back.

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Zhuo Zhuo's face.

"Xiao Ya, what's wrong?"

Realizing her own reaction was unusual, Ying Bei took a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face. "It's nothing. I just feel a bit sorry that Hao'er only absorbed a ten-year soul ring."

With that, Ying Bei and the nearby Qin Qin walked off to the side, leaving Zhuo Zhuo completely bewildered, with no idea what had just happened.

Even Qin Qin looked a bit puzzled.

During the Star Battle in the Great Forest, she had eaten no small amount of dog food from Zhuo Zhuo and Ying Bei. Although the two of them restrained their intimacy to a certain extent, that cloyingly sweet sour scent was still very obvious.

But now...

She always felt that there seemed to be an extra layer of barrier between the two of them.

Clearly, they hadn't even had a fight yet!

Qin Qin couldn't figure it out, but her gaze involuntarily fell on Zhuo Zhuo, her expression filled with envy.

Zhuo Zhuo was young, tall, stern, and also powerful—he was the ideal partner for many girls in the outer courtyard. That Ying Bei was able to find such a perfect boyfriend, she was naturally happy for Ying Bei, but to say she wasn't envious or jealous would be impossible.

She even thought to herself, if only Zhuo Zhuo were her boyfriend.

Qin Qin ah Qin Qin, what are you even thinking?

That's your friend's boyfriend!

Afraid of being noticed, Qin Qin quickly patted her slightly flushed cheeks, pretending nothing was wrong as she hooked her arm through Ying Bei's.