Chen Xing no longer hesitated. Of the three options, only this one seemed remotely reliable.
As he confirmed the choice, nine item slots suddenly appeared beneath the system.
They seemed to be empty slots for storing Soul Rings.
Finally, there was the "Birthday Gift"!
To his surprise, this time the orb was actually blue.
He eagerly opened it. A flash of blue light passed, and a black Soul Ring suddenly appeared in the system interface.
"Keeping up with current events, are we!"
He had only just obtained the "Pandora Preparation Bench," and his Birthday Gift immediately rewarded him with a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring!
Chen Xing selected the Soul Ring to view its information.
[10,000-Year Solitary Bamboo Soul Ring] [Soul Skill: Bamboo Forest—Activate the skill to summon a Bamboo Forest, bewildering opponents while increasing the user's attack power by 200%.]
"A useless Soul Ring!"
It seemed the system still had an information gap. His Martial Soul had already evolved into Purple Imperial Bamboo, so why was it still giving him a Solitary Bamboo Soul Ring?
Meanwhile, the Blue Silver King and Ah Yin watched Chen Xing tapping at the air, utterly bewildered.
He simply stared blankly ahead, and they had no idea what he was doing.
Having dealt with all the system rewards, Chen Xing returned his attention to reality and immediately saw the two of them looking at him strangely.
Only then did he realize that he had apparently lost his composure just now.
"Benefactor! Just now, were you..."
The Blue Silver King cautiously questioned Chen Xing, making him feel a little embarrassed.
"It's nothing. I was just feeling inspired. Making some movements helps with breakthroughs."
He did not answer directly, merely laughed it off and muddled through.
It had only been a short while since he brought Ah Yin back, yet she had already completed the inheritance of her bloodline.
This trip had not only raised his Soul Power to level 30, but had also brought his Martial Soul through a supreme evolution.
Purple Imperial Bamboo was on the same level as the Blue Silver Emperor. And since his Martial Soul had evolved into Purple Imperial Bamboo, it meant Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had completely lost its chance to evolve.
Sigh!
He had not even met Tang San yet, but he had already taken away two of Tang San's most important opportunities.
He wondered whether the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, now incapable of evolving, could still withstand Yu Xiaogang's theoretical experiments.
Adding poison-attributed Soul Rings to the life-attributed Blue Silver Emperor—Ah Yin probably had not expected that either...
Tang Hao was foolish too. Ah Yin's cultivation template was right there, yet he insisted on having Tang San take Yu Xiaogang as his master.
Did he not consider that a level 29 Soul Grandmaster who did not even understand the spiritual shock of ten-thousand-year Soul Rings could know anything besides those warped theories he had cobbled together just to refute the world's opinions?
But what did any of that have to do with him?
Chen Xing would be delighted if Tang San and Yu Xiaogang stayed tied to each other forever. Having lost the qualifications to evolve into the Blue Silver Emperor, Tang San's Martial Soul was merely somewhat tougher Blue Silver Grass.
Thinking of this, he realized that he had already completely pulled ahead of Tang San.
He turned to look at Ah Yin and the Blue Silver King.
"My task is complete. You do not need to thank me too much. I said it before—since I am also a plant Soul Beast, this is what I should do."
"I'll stay here for the night and leave tomorrow..."
"I also need to condense my third Soul Ring!"
He was clearly somewhat guilty when he said that.
Fortunately, the Blue Silver Forest was filled with blue specks of light, like fireflies.
And the entire forest was covered in Blue Silver Grass, without any other plants or animals. That gave Chen Xing a great sense of security.
Compared to a primeval forest without even a trace of light, this place was practically paradise.
After learning from Ah Yin that Chen Xing was afraid of the dark, the Blue Silver King deliberately found an open area for him and gathered many blue specks of light there.
This caused Chen Xing's favorable impression of the Blue Silver King to soar.
The next day.
Chen Xing awoke from his cultivation.
A 7,300-year third ring!
Success!
With the Soul Power supplied by the countless Blue Silver Grasses, Chen Xing's process of condensing his third Soul Ring went extremely smoothly.
[Third Soul Skill: Purple Imperial Sword Slash] [Single-target attack skill. Upon activation, concentrates specific Soul Power within the bamboo body and launches a single slash at the enemy. If the slash hits the enemy, 70% of the Soul Power consumed by the skill is returned.]
It was a very good single-target attack skill. With the support of his first two enhancement skills, Chen Xing was now confident that, with his current level 32 Soul Power, he could defeat a Soul Ancestor above level 40.
At the thought of actual combat!
Once this trip was over, he truly needed to find a place to hone his combat skills.
His strength had improved too quickly, making it somewhat difficult for Chen Xing to control this vast Soul Power.
As for Ah Yin, he heard that she intended to relinquish her imperial position and become an ordinary Blue Silver Grass within the Clan Territory. The Blue Silver King and the others had discussed the matter all night.
Chen Xing did not get involved. His Martial Soul had already completed its evolution, and his task of escorting Ah Yin was also finished. He would leave this place shortly.
The ring rewarded by the system could conceal his identity as a Soul Beast. He still intended to live in the human world.
Before long, the darkness in the sky had been completely driven away. Once it reached a level Chen Xing could tolerate, he stood up, intending to bid Ah Yin and the others farewell.
Just then, they happened to arrive.
"Hey! Perfect timing. I was just about to come say goodbye to you."
"Since the mission for this trip has been successfully completed, it's time for me to return to the human world."
"Cultivate well here. When I have time, I'll come back to visit you."
Ah Yin was not too surprised to hear this. She knew Chen Xing feared the dark and had already expected him to hurry back early in the morning.
"Benefactor! This is a gift from our Blue Silver Grass Clan. Please accept it."
As her words fell, a Blue Bracelet was lifted by Soul Power and delivered before Chen Xing.
Ah Yin explained.
"This bracelet can calm the mind and assist with cultivation."
"It can also allow you to communicate with the Blue Silver Grass around you."
"If Soul Power is infused into it at night, it will emit pale blue specks of light to illuminate your surroundings."
As she spoke, Ah Yin smiled faintly and infused a small amount of Soul Power into the bracelet.
Countless specks of light surged from within it and floated around the bracelet. With a thought, the lights shifted positions again.
"Also, Benefactor, your Soul Ring configuration is far too conspicuous. At this stage, it could very well bring you fatal danger."
"Wearing it can disguise your Soul Rings. I hope it will help you survive better in the human world."
It had to be said, this gift truly tempted Chen Xing.
Ah Yin was really too considerate.
"Thank you. I really like this Birthday Gift."
Chen Xing accepted the bracelet and put it on his wrist.
A refreshing coolness spread through him, and his spiritual world instantly felt much clearer.
Seeing that he liked the gift so much, Ah Yin wore a gratified smile as well.
"Benefactor, the bracelet will help you avoid danger in the forest."
"The Blue Silver King and I are currently unable to leave the Clan Territory, so we cannot see you off!"
Having received the gift, Chen Xing did not concern himself with such trivial details and simply played with the bracelet.
"Ah Yin, Blue Silver King!"
"Make sure you cultivate diligently. If either of you ever wants to take human form again, come find me in the human world. I'll protect you."
Before you continue