As he spoke, his gaze fell on Bai Lan, tinged with curiosity.
Over the past three months, Bai Lan's "special treatment" had become no secret in the Outer Courtyard.
Unlimited Soul Gathering Pills, a personal lesson from Mu En once a month, special attention from Dean Yan...
Some people were envious, some jealous, and others curious.
Bei Bei was one of the curious ones.
What was so special about this six-year-old boy that the Sea God Pavilion Master would personally step in for him?
"Let's go." Bai Lan didn't explain further and simply nodded. "When are we leaving?"
"Now." Xu Sanshi folded his arms, unusually without his usual arrogant expression. "Everything's ready. We were just waiting for you."
Bai Lan went back to his room to pack a few things, then left the dormitory with the other three.
Outside Shrek City, at the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
This was Bai Lan's third time entering a Soul Beast Forest.
The first time, he had been a newly awakened six-year-old child, carrying a sickle and cautiously roaming the outermost area, where he contracted a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo.
The second time, he had been at level twenty-six, with two Contract Beasts: a three-thousand-year-old Arrow Bamboo and a fifty-thousand-year-old Void Butterfly King.
But he didn't say anything. He simply followed silently behind Bei Bei.
"This mission is to gather Moonlight Grass."
"It only grows deep in the forest, near water, and blooms only at night."
Bei Bei explained as they walked.
"So we have to spend the night in the forest?" Tang Ya asked.
"That's right." Bei Bei nodded. "It blooms at night, so we'll gather it then and rest during the day."
Xu Sanshi curled his lip. "What a hassle."
"If it's such a hassle, you don't have to come," Tang Ya shot back.
"I never said I wasn't coming!" Xu Sanshi protested.
Listening to the two bicker, Bai Lan's lips curved slightly upward.
These three teenagers, a few years older than him, each had their own personality, but being with them was unexpectedly comfortable.
There was no scheming or treachery.
They were simply companions.
He had never experienced anything like this in his previous life.
In this life, he wanted to cherish it.
By dusk, the four arrived beside a stream.
The water ran clear, and unknown wild grasses grew along both banks.
The map Bei Bei had gotten from the Mission Hall marked the Moonlight Grass gathering site not far upstream.
"Let's make camp first." Bei Bei glanced at the sky. "It'll be dark soon. We'll go once the moon comes out."
They split up, quickly pitching a simple tent and lighting a campfire.
Tang Ya took rations from her pack and handed them around. Xu Sanshi leaned against a tree with his eyes closed, while Bei Bei sat by the fire, his gaze resting on Bai Lan.
"Bai Lan," he suddenly said.
Bai Lan looked up. "Hm?"
"Bai Lan, I remember you said your Martial Soul... the Contract Book lets you contract one Soul Beast every ten levels, right?"
With nothing else to do, Bei Bei had suddenly asked.
Xu Sanshi and Tang Ya also turned their attention to him.
Bai Lan thought for a moment and didn't hide too much. "That's right. One every ten levels."
Bei Bei's eyes flickered. "Then you're level twenty-nine now, so you should have contracted two?"
Bai Lan nodded. "Yes."
"Can we see them?"
Bai Lan fell silent for a second.
Yan Shaozhe had told him that, starting with the second one, he should keep them hidden if he could.
But Bei Bei...
He looked up at him.
Firelight played across Bei Bei's face. There was no greed or probing in his eyes, only pure curiosity and goodwill.
"Sure."
Bai Lan suddenly smiled.
There was no hiding his Contract Beasts for now.
He raised his hand, and the Contract Book appeared in his palm.
The pages turned open, and the mark on the first page—the Arrow Bamboo—lit up.
A beam of green light shot out from the page and landed beside him, transforming into a bamboo plant as tall as three or four people.
Its stalk was emerald green, with faint golden patterns circling the joints. Its leaves were long and slender, and shimmering light flickered between their veins.
"This is an Arrow Bamboo, three thousand years old," Bai Lan said.
Bei Bei's pupils contracted.
Three thousand years?
A two-ring Soul Grandmaster with a three-thousand-year-old Contract Beast?
Tang Ya leaned closer, her eyes wide. "Wow... That's so cool!"
Xu Sanshi dropped his act too. He opened his eyes and stared at the bamboo, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.
Bai Lan didn't stop. He moved his thoughts again.
On the second page, a silver butterfly mark lit up.
This time, no physical form appeared. Only a streak of silver flashed before their eyes.
"The Void Butterfly King," Bai Lan said. "Fifty thousand years old."
Silence.
A deathly silence.
The campfire crackled, and the stream burbled.
Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Xu Sanshi stood frozen, as though someone had cast a binding spell on them.
After a long while, Bei Bei managed to speak.
"F-fifty thousand years?"
Bai Lan nodded.
Xu Sanshi shot to his feet. "Are you fucking with me?"
Bai Lan looked at him without a word.
Xu Sanshi met his calm gaze and suddenly realized he wasn't joking.
"A fifty-thousand-year-old Contract Beast..." Tang Ya murmured. "Then your Second Soul Ring..."
Bai Lan didn't answer. He simply let out a faint wisp of Soul Power.
In that instant, all three sensed the Soul Ring aura around him.
The First Soul Ring was purple.
The Second Soul Ring was black.
A two-ring Soul Grandmaster with two Soul Beasts over a thousand years old—and the second one was a fifty-thousand-year-old beast.
Tang Ya covered her mouth.
Xu Sanshi dropped back onto the ground.
Bei Bei was silent for a long time, then smiled.
"No wonder Mu En personally stepped in," he said. "No wonder Dean Yan directed resources your way."
He looked at Bai Lan, his gaze complicated.
"Bai Lan, do you know what you are now?"
Bai Lan thought for a moment. "Someone who needs to keep a low profile?"
Bei Bei laughed.
"Exactly." He nodded. "Someone who needs to keep a low profile. If people learned your true strength, the entire continent would have its eyes on you."
He stood up, walked over to Bai Lan, and held out his hand.
"From today on, I'll help you keep this secret."
Tang Ya stood up too and nodded vigorously. "Me too!"
Xu Sanshi snorted and turned his head away. "...Me too."
Looking at the three of them, Bai Lan felt warmth rise in his heart.
He reached out and clasped Bei Bei's hand.
"Thank you."
Night had fallen.
Moonlight spilled across the stream, its surface shimmering with silvery waves.
Moonlight Grass bloomed quietly along the bank, each small white flower giving off a faint glow.
"Let's start gathering," Bei Bei said softly. "Be careful not to disturb any nearby Soul Beasts."
The four spread out and began gathering.
Bai Lan crouched by the stream, plucked a Moonlight Grass, and placed it in the cloth bag on his back.
Suddenly, he stiffened.
The Void Butterfly King's Spatial Perception sent him a warning of danger.
Without time to think, he rolled sharply to the side!
Boom!
A beam of black light skimmed past his shoulder and struck the spot where he had been crouching, blasting a huge crater into the ground!
"We're under attack!" Bei Bei's shout came from afar.
Bai Lan sprang to his feet and looked toward the depths of the darkness.
Several figures were slowly emerging.
At their head was a middle-aged man in black robes. His face was sinister, and strange black mist swirled around him.
Four similarly dressed people followed behind him, each radiating a formidable aura.
"An Evil Soul Master." Bai Lan's pupils contracted.
The man in black looked at him, the corner of his mouth curling into a strange smile.
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