Void Butterfly!

The next morning.

Bai Lan woke up early, washed up, and changed into a clean set of clothes.

Sunlight streamed in from outside the window, illuminating the Arrow Bamboo that stood three or four people tall in the center of the dormitory. The bamboo stalk shimmered with a faint cyan-green luster, and the golden patterns at the nodes were particularly striking in the sunlight.

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

The Contract Book materialized in his palm. With a flash of light, the Arrow Bamboo transformed into a streak of flowing light and vanished into the pages.

"Let's go."

He pushed open the door and stepped out of the dormitory.

Dean's office.

Yan Shaozhe was already waiting for him.

Seeing Bai Lan enter, Yan Shaozhe's gaze fell upon him, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Level twenty-three?"

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

Yan Shaozhe was silent for two seconds, then smiled.

"Feedback from your Contract Beast's evolution?" he asked.

Bai Lan thought for a moment and did not deny it: "You could say that."

Yan Shaozhe nodded, not pressing for more details.

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

"Take this."

Bai Lan caught it and opened it to look inside.

It contained several sets of spare clothes, dry rations, a water skin, and some tools for wilderness survival.

"The place we are going is not close," Yan Shaozhe said. "It might take a few days on the road, so these are prepared for you."

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

"Can you tell me the name of that Soul Beast now?"

Yan Shaozhe waved his hand and walked to the window, pushing it open.

"That Soul Beast is called a Void Butterfly, located in a valley within the borders of the Star Luo Empire."

He said: "Five hundred years old, it just finished evolving not long ago and is currently in a weakened state."

He turned back to look at Bai Lan: "It fits your requirement of having no resistance."

Bai Lan felt a surge of joy, but his expression remained calm: "Where exactly is it?"

"A place called Illusion Valley," Yan Shaozhe said. "That place is shrouded in spatial fluctuations year-round. Ordinary Soul Masters easily get lost inside, but for a Void Butterfly, it is a natural habitat."

He paused, then added: "I discovered that Void Butterfly by chance a few years ago. It had just turned three hundred years old at the time, so I left a mark, intending to deal with it after it grew for a while longer. I didn't expect it to come in handy for you right now."

Bai Lan was silent for a second, then suddenly asked: "Dean, that Void Butterfly... besides Space Folding and concealment, what other abilities does it have?"

Yan Shaozhe glanced at him with a half-smile: "What, trying to find out everything in advance?"

Bai Lan did not hide his intentions and nodded: "Knowing yourself and your enemy, I'll feel more confident when forming the contract."

Yan Shaozhe thought for a moment and said: "A hundred-year-old Void Butterfly doesn't have many usable abilities: Space Folding for short-range teleportation, Void Concealment to hide its aura, and Spatial Perception to detect danger in advance. That's all."

He paused, then added: "As for what new abilities it might have after evolving, that is not something I can know."

Bai Lan nodded and did not continue to press.

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

Bai Lan did not hesitate and answered directly: "Three thousand years."

Because it couldn't be hidden.

A Title Douluo could easily perceive the Soul Power fluctuations caused by the appearance of a Contract Beast or a Soul Ring.

Yan Shaozhe's eyebrows shot up.

Three thousand years.

Every thousand-year increase in a Soul Beast's age is a major hurdle. A three-thousand-year-old plant-type Soul Beast already possesses combat power not inferior to an ordinary ten-thousand-year-level existence.

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

Half a year ago, his first Contract Beast was only a hundred-year-old Iron Core Bamboo.

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

This growth rate...

"Brought about by evolution?" Yan Shaozhe asked.

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

"The first evolution went from ten years to a hundred years, and the second evolution went from a hundred years to a thousand years."

"My Iron Core Bamboo grew to three hundred years on its own over the past six months, and after evolving, it became three thousand years."

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

The two purple Soul Rings on his body were pulsing slowly, radiating a rich, thousand-year aura.

A tenfold increase.

It was terrifying.

It couldn't be hidden.

The first Soul Ring was a thousand years, and the second Soul Ring was also a thousand years.

Two thousand-year Soul Rings were an extremely rare existence for a two-ring Soul Grand Master.

"Two rings, both thousand-year," Yan Shaozhe said slowly. "Bai Lan, do you know what this means?"

Bai Lan thought for a moment. "It means my Soul Ring configuration is better than the average person's?"

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

He paused, then added, "The age of a Soul Ring directly affects a Soul Master's potential limit. A Soul Grand Master with two hundred-year Soul Rings and one with two thousand-year Soul Rings are simply incomparable at the same level."

Bai Lan nodded, remaining silent.

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

"Fine, three thousand years it is." He stood up. "This kind of thing can't be hidden forever; it will be known sooner or later, but..."

His tone shifted, his gaze becoming profound. "Keep quiet about your evolution path and abilities from now on."

"Revealing the first one was to let the academy understand your potential so they could focus on cultivating you."

"But from now on, keep what needs to be hidden, hidden."

Bai Lan's heart stirred, though his expression remained calm. "Does the Dean mean?"

"I mean, the tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind," Yan Shaozhe said. "Your Martial Soul is too special and has too much potential. 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. "From your second Contract Beast onwards, if anyone asks, just say you aren't quite sure and are still exploring."

"The age can be shown; that is proof of strength, and it doesn't need to be hidden."

"But what specific abilities you have and what you can evolve into—that is your trump card."

Bai Lan was silent for a second, then bowed solemnly. "Thank you for your guidance, Dean."

Yan Shaozhe waved his hand, walked to the door, and pushed it open.

"Let's go, it's time to set off."

The two walked out of the academy one after the other.

The streets of Shrek City were already bustling.

Breakfast vendors, hurried pedestrians, and patrolling city guards were all busy with their own affairs.

Bai Lan followed behind Yan Shaozhe, crossing several streets until they reached the city gate.

Outside the gate, two horses were already prepared.

Yan Shaozhe mounted his horse and looked at Bai Lan. "Do you know how to ride?"

Bai Lan shook his head.

Yan Shaozhe sighed, jumped down, and handed the reins to Bai Lan. "Lead it for now; I'll teach you on the road."

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

Along the way, Yan Shaozhe didn't say much.

Bai Lan was happy for the quiet, leading the horse while calculating his upcoming plans in his mind.

Void Butterfly, five hundred years, space-type.

This was his second Contract Beast.

According to the rules of the Contract Book, could he evolve it twice immediately after contracting, going from five hundred years to fifty thousand years?

That was a bit absurd.

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

Space Folding would certainly be strengthened, Void Concealment would be upgraded, and Spatial Perception would likely become a higher-tier warning ability.

Besides that, would it gain any new skills?

Like Space Blade? Or Space Imprisonment?

The more Bai Lan thought about it, the more he looked forward to it.

But he knew these were just guesses for now.

He would only know what he truly gained after the contract was formed.

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

Yan Shaozhe built a fire, took some dry rations from his pack, and handed a portion to Bai Lan.

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

Yan Shaozhe looked at him and suddenly asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Bai Lan thought for a moment and said, "I'm thinking about that Void Butterfly."

"Oh?"

"I'm wondering what it looks like," Bai Lan said. "The books say the wings of a Void Butterfly are transparent, and when it flies, it looks like it's melting into the air. I want to see for myself just how magical it really is."

Yan Shaozhe smiled. "Once we reach Illusion Valley, you'll be able to see it."

He paused, then added, "However, I must warn you: even though the Void Butterfly is in a weakened state, it is still a space-type Soul Beast and won't be easy to deal with. I will help you suppress it when the time comes; you just need to focus on the contract."

Bai Lan nodded. "Thank you, Dean."

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

Bai Lan also leaned against another tree, gazing blankly at the night sky.

The night sky was clear, with stars twinkling all across the expanse.

He suddenly thought of Old Jack in Shenhun Village, remembered that simple, dilapidated hut, and recalled the pouch of silver soul coins the old man had pressed into his hand when he first left.

I should write a letter to Grandpa Jack once I've contracted the Void Butterfly, he thought.

Three days later.

The two entered the territory of the Star Luo Empire.

After traveling for another two days, they finally arrived in front of a mountain valley.

At the entrance of the valley stood a broken stone tablet, with two blurred characters carved into it:

Illusion Valley.

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

The valley was shrouded in mist, and one could vaguely see distorted light and shadows flowing within it.

"We're here," he said.

Bai Lan stood behind him, staring at the eerie mist, his heart rate quickening slightly.

The Void Butterfly was inside.