Void Butterfly!

The next morning.

Bai Lan got up early, washed, and changed into clean clothes.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, shining on the Arrow Bamboo in the middle of the dormitory. It stood three or four people tall, its stalk gleaming a faint green, while golden patterns along its joints stood out in the light.

Bai Lan walked over to the Arrow Bamboo and held out his hand.

The Contract Book appeared in his palm. A flash of light passed, and the Arrow Bamboo turned into a streak of light and vanished into its pages.

"Let's go."

He opened the door and left the dormitory.

The Dean's office.

Yan Shaozhe was already waiting for him.

When Bai Lan entered, Yan Shaozhe's gaze fell on him, and he raised an eyebrow.

Level twenty-three?

Bai Lan nodded. "I broke through last night."

Yan Shaozhe fell silent for two seconds, then smiled.

"Was it the feedback from your Contract Beast's evolution?" he asked.

Bai Lan thought for a moment and didn't deny it. "Something like that."

Yan Shaozhe nodded and didn't press him.

He stood up, walked over to the cabinet against the wall, opened it, took out a bundle, and tossed it to Bai Lan.

"Take this."

Bai Lan caught it and opened it.

Inside were several changes of clothes, provisions, a waterskin, and some tools for surviving in the wild.

"The place we're going isn't close," Yan Shaozhe said. "The journey could take several days. I prepared these for you."

Bai Lan put the bundle away and nodded. "Thank you, Dean."

"Can you tell me what that Soul Beast is called now?"

Yan Shaozhe waved a hand, walked to the window, and opened it.

"That Soul Beast is called a Void Butterfly. It lives in a valley within the Star Luo Empire."

He said, "It's five hundred years old. It evolved not long ago and is currently in a weakened state."

He turned to look at Bai Lan. "It meets your requirement that it be unable to resist."

Bai Lan was delighted, but kept his expression calm. "Where exactly is it?"

"A place called Illusion Valley," Yan Shaozhe said. "The area is shrouded in spatial fluctuations all year round. Ordinary Soul Masters can easily get lost there, but for a Void Butterfly, it's a natural habitat."

He paused, then added, "I happened upon that Void Butterfly a few years ago. It had just reached three hundred years old, so I left a marker and planned to deal with it after it had grown a little more. I didn't expect the timing to work out so well for you."

Bai Lan fell silent for a second, then suddenly asked, "Dean, besides Space Folding and concealment, what other abilities does the Void Butterfly have?"

Yan Shaozhe glanced at him with an amused look. "What, trying to find out in advance?"

Bai Lan didn't hide it and nodded. "Know yourself and your opponent, and you'll be more confident when making the contract."

Yan Shaozhe thought it over. "A hundred-year-old Void Butterfly doesn't have many abilities it can use. Space Folding lets it teleport short distances; Void Concealment lets it hide its presence; and Spatial Perception lets it sense danger in advance. That's about it."

He paused, then added, "As for what new abilities it might get after evolving, that's beyond what I can know."

Bai Lan nodded and didn't ask anything else.

Yan Shaozhe looked at him, then suddenly asked, "How old is your Arrow Bamboo now?"

Bai Lan answered without hesitation. "Three thousand years."

There was no hiding it.

The Soul Power fluctuations from the appearance of a Contract Beast or a Soul Ring were easy for a Titled Douluo to sense.

Yan Shaozhe raised his eyebrows.

Three thousand years.

Every thousand-year increase in a Soul Beast's age was a threshold. A three-thousand-year-old Plant-type Soul Beast was already no weaker in combat than an ordinary ten-thousand-year-old one.

More importantly, Bai Lan had only enrolled half a year ago.

Six months ago, his first Contract Beast had been a hundred-year-old Iron Core Bamboo.

Six months later, it had become a three-thousand-year-old Arrow Bamboo.

That rate of growth...

"Was it because of the evolution?" Yan Shaozhe asked.

Bai Lan nodded. "Every time a Contract Beast evolves, its age increases significantly."

"The first evolution takes it from ten years to a hundred years; the second takes it from a hundred years to a thousand."

"My Iron Core Bamboo grew to three hundred years on its own over the past six months. After it evolved, it became three thousand years old."

Yan Shaozhe fell silent for a few seconds, his gaze fixed on Bai Lan.

The two purple Soul Rings around him pulsed gently, radiating a dense thousand-year aura.

A tenfold increase.

It was terrifying.

There was no hiding it.

The First Soul Ring was a thousand years old, and so was the Second Soul Ring.

Two thousand-year Soul Rings were already extremely rare for a two-ring Soul Grandmaster.

"Two rings, both a thousand years old," Yan Shaozhe said slowly. "Bai Lan, do you know what that means?"

Bai Lan thought for a moment. "It means my Soul Ring Configuration is better than most people's?"

"More than that." Yan Shaozhe shook his head. "It means your foundation is more solid than that of ninety-nine percent of the students since Shrek was founded."

He paused, then added, "The age of a Soul Ring directly affects a Soul Master's upper limit. A Soul Grandmaster with two hundred-year Soul Rings has no hope of matching one with two thousand-year Soul Rings at the same level."

Bai Lan nodded and said nothing.

Yan Shaozhe studied him for a long while, then suddenly smiled.

"Fine. Three thousand years it is." He stood up. "There's no hiding something like this; people will find out sooner or later. But..."

His tone shifted, and his gaze grew profound. "From now on, keep your evolution path and abilities to yourself."

"You told people about your first one so the academy could understand your potential and give you special training."

"But starting now, keep what needs to be hidden to yourself."

Bai Lan's thoughts stirred, but he kept his expression calm. "What do you mean, Dean?"

"I mean, the tallest tree catches the most wind," Yan Shaozhe said. "Your Martial Soul is too unusual, and its potential is too great. It's enough for the people who need to know to know. There's no need for everyone to know."

He looked at Bai Lan, his tone serious. "Starting with your second Contract Beast, if anyone asks, say you're not sure and are still figuring it out."

"You can show them its age. That's proof of your strength, and there's no point hiding it."

"But what abilities it has and what it can evolve into—that's your trump card."

Bai Lan fell silent for a second, then bowed solemnly. "Thank you for the advice, Dean."

Yan Shaozhe waved a hand, walked to the door, and opened it.

"Let's go. It's time to set out."

The two of them left the academy.

The streets of Shrek City were already bustling.

Street vendors selling breakfast, people hurrying along, and the city guards on patrol were all busy with their own affairs.

Bai Lan followed Yan Shaozhe through several streets until they reached the city gate.

Two fine horses were waiting outside.

Yan Shaozhe swung onto his horse and looked at Bai Lan. "Can you ride?"

Bai Lan shook his head.

Yan Shaozhe sighed, dismounted, and handed him the reins. "Lead it along. I'll teach you on the way."

Bai Lan took the reins and followed Yan Shaozhe out through the city gate.

Yan Shaozhe didn't say much along the way.

Bai Lan was glad for the quiet. As he led the horse, he planned their next steps in his head.

A Void Butterfly, five hundred years old, of the space type.

It would be his second Contract Beast.

According to the rules of the Contract Book, he could evolve it twice immediately after making the contract. Would it go from five hundred years to fifty thousand?

That was absurd.

What abilities would a fifty-thousand-year-old Void Butterfly have?

Space Folding would definitely become stronger, and Void Concealment would improve too. Spatial Perception should turn into an even more advanced warning ability.

Besides that, would it gain any new skills?

Something like Space Blade? Or Space Imprisonment?

The more Bai Lan thought about it, the more excited he became.

But he knew it was all speculation for now.

He wouldn't know what he'd actually get until after making the contract.

At dusk, the two stopped to rest at the edge of a forest.

Yan Shaozhe lit a fire, took out provisions from the bundle, and gave Bai Lan a portion.

Bai Lan took it, bit into it, and chewed slowly.

Yan Shaozhe watched him, then suddenly asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Bai Lan considered it. "I'm thinking about that Void Butterfly."

"Oh?"

"I'm wondering what it looks like," Bai Lan said. "The books say its wings are transparent, and when it flies, it looks as if it's melting into the air. I want to see with my own eyes just how amazing it is."

Yan Shaozhe smiled. "You'll see when we reach Illusion Valley."

He paused, then added, "But I should warn you: even though the Void Butterfly is weakened, it's still a space-type Soul Beast. It won't be easy to deal with. I'll suppress it when the time comes. You just focus on making the contract."

Bai Lan nodded. "Thank you, Dean."

Yan Shaozhe waved a hand, leaned against a tree, and closed his eyes to rest.

Bai Lan leaned against another tree and gazed into the night sky.

The sky was clear, and stars twinkled overhead.

He suddenly thought of Old Jack back in God Soul Village, the humble little house, and the bag of Silver Soul Coins the old man had pressed into his hands when he left.

Once I've made the contract with the Void Butterfly, I should write Grandpa Jack a letter.

Three days later.

The two entered the Star Luo Empire.

After another two days on the road, they finally reached a valley.

A broken stone tablet stood at the valley entrance, bearing two faded characters:

Illusion Valley.

Yan Shaozhe reined in his horse and looked into the valley.

Mist swirled inside, and distorted patches of light could be seen flowing faintly through it.

"We're here," he said.

Standing behind him, Bai Lan gazed at the strange mist, his heart beating a little faster.

The Void Butterfly was in there.