Xia Ran didn't have the Blue Silver Emperor's Soul Ring or Soul Bone, so he had no idea what Ah Yin was trying to express.
He'd only seen Tang Hao, a big, clumsy man, yank the stalk free in just a few quick tugs, tearing off several leaves in the process.
"Divine Envoy, I'm counting on you to take care of Ah Yin!"
Tang Hao held up Ah Yin and the lead box, respectfully offering them to Xia Ran.
With a thought, Xia Ran stored them in his space.
The sight left Tang Hao astonished once again. They'd suddenly vanished! The Divine Envoy's abilities were truly incredible. Even a conscious Blue Silver Emperor had been stored in another space in the blink of an eye.
Ignoring Tang Hao's reaction, Xia Ran turned and walked away, leaving him with only his back.
"Go. For your grandfather's sake, I'll help her take human form as soon as possible."
"When the time comes, don't disappoint me!"
His voice still carried the imposing aura of the Darkness Law as it echoed in Tang Hao's ears.
One of Xia Ran's earlier words must have struck just the right chord, spurring Tang Hao's resolve to atone.
It looked like Tang Hao would soon stray from the original plot, find a way to return to the Clear Sky Sect, and begin his path to redemption ahead of time.
Xia Ran's figure flickered and disappeared into the night.
The dark forest fell silent again. A few insects tentatively chirped, then more joined in...
Back in his room, Xia Ran took the Blue Silver Emperor out of his storage space. The moment he touched the grass, the system's notification rang out, just as he'd expected.
[System Mission: Separate Ah Yin and Tang Hao] [Mission Details: Tang Hao conspired with Spirit Hall to force Ah Yin into sacrificing herself. He even placed the Blue Silver Emperor's seed in a sealed cave, all so Tang San could awaken the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul. With such a vile character, he doesn't deserve Ah Yin's pure love.] [Mission Objective: Host, expose Tang Hao's hypocritical facade and help Ah Yin see him for who he is. The more repulsed Ah Yin is by Tang Hao, the greater your reward.]
The smile at the corner of Xia Ran's mouth grew wider. There was no hiding how happy he was.
In just one day, he'd gotten a system, formed bonds with Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, and now tricked Tang Hao into delivering him a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone and Ah Yin.
You had to admit, when luck was on your side, you could soar to new heights. (Just like you, dear reader in front of the screen. Maybe one day you'll win a million-dollar jackpot.)
Xia Ran had grown up in an ordinary family. His parents were farmers, and he'd thought he'd live an ordinary life forever.
Only after awakening the Mysterious Cat Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power did he see the meaning of his journey to this world.
The Soul Master who'd come to help him awaken his Martial Soul had happened to be Flender, traveling across the continent.
From then on, Xia Ran joined Shrek Academy. With the boost the night gave to his Mysterious Cat Martial Soul's cultivation speed, he'd reached Soul Ancestor rank at twelve and absorbed a 9,700-year Phantom Cat as his fourth Soul Ring.
Now he'd obtained a system and the Blue Silver Emperor's Hundred-Thousand-Year Right Leg Bone. He could practically call himself invincible.
"Just you wait, Tang Hao. You dared use spiritual power to ambush me today; tomorrow you might destroy the whole continent! I'll defend peace across the continent and wipe out every Evil Soul Master!"
Xia Ran looked at the heavy lead box and opened it a crack.
Pure life energy washed over him, enveloping his whole body in warmth.
He'd underestimated the aura contained in a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. Those old fellows would definitely notice this.
Xia Ran quickly shut the lid and stored it away.
There was no need to rush into fusing with the Soul Bone. At the very least, he needed to find somewhere unoccupied. And whether he should fuse with this Soul Bone at all was still up for consideration.
[Blue Silver Emperor's Hundred-Thousand-Year Right Leg Bone]
[Soul Bone Skill: Wildfire never dies; the spring breeze brings it back to life.]
[Soul Bone Skill: Flight]
Even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were rare across the entire Douluo Continent, let alone Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones!
It was obvious that the Blue Silver Emperor's attributes didn't match his Martial Soul, but the Soul Skills it offered were incredibly powerful.
Any Soul Ring or Soul Bone underwent a qualitative change upon reaching the Hundred-Thousand-Year level.
But with the system, it seemed there might be a way to get other Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bones, too.
Amid his excitement and indecision, Xia Ran somehow made it through the night...
The next day, Xia Ran had dark circles under his eyes. In his room, he boiled two Soul Beast eggs and reheated the roasted meat left over from the day before.
Then he boiled a kettle of water and made do with that.
Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, everyone looked at one another, their faces full of disbelief.
Ning Rongrong picked up her watery rice porridge, her brows knitted into a frown.
The richest little princess in the world had grown up surrounded by luxury. She'd only ever heard of watery rice porridge in stories.
Was she supposed to eat this every morning from now on? This hardship wasn't worth enduring. She'd rather go straight back to her life as a young lady.
"Is Xia Ran not coming to eat?"
For some reason, Ning Rongrong suddenly thought of that guy.
She really wanted to see him eating watery rice porridge!
When no one answered, Oscar took over.
He'd shaved and fixed his hair that morning, and looked much better than the day before. On closer inspection, he was quite handsome.
But because of the kick she'd given him yesterday, he felt a little wary of Ning Rongrong now.
"He has his own food. I don't know where he gets the money, but he eats really well every day."
"Oh? How good?"
Ning Rongrong suddenly seemed very interested. Someone as strong as him surely couldn't eat this nutritionally worthless stuff every day.
She'd grown up in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and eaten countless delicacies, so she knew that many foods could speed up Soul Power cultivation. Some rare ingredients could even increase your Soul Power directly.
"I'm not sure. Probably Soul Beast meat at every meal!"
At the mention of meat, Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up.
She really couldn't stand watery rice porridge. If Soul Masters ate no differently from ordinary people at every meal, what was the point of becoming one?
She immediately put on a pleading voice.
"Oscar, take me to find him! I want to see what he's eating!"
"I really can't eat this watery rice porridge!"
Oscar couldn't resist her appeal. When that angelic face turned pleading, his brain was taken over by his visual system.
What did it matter if she'd kicked him once or twice? If he could see her like that every day, he'd gladly take any number of kicks.
"Okay, I'll take you right now."
Little Demoness Ning Rongrong
"Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, do you want to come along?"
Ning Rongrong didn't forget to invite the other two.
But Tang San grabbed Xiao Wu's arm, making it clear he wouldn't let her go.
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated for a moment, then declined the invitation as well.
Dai Mubai glared at her in annoyance, but she ignored him.
Everyone usually ate this kind of food. Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong were much the same, but Zhu Zhuqing didn't care about indulging her appetite.
Thinking about how she'd blushed when Xia Ran glanced back at her the day before, Zhu Zhuqing felt a little embarrassed.
In the end, only Oscar and Ning Rongrong went to Xia Ran's place.
From far away, Ning Rongrong spotted a delicate wooden house. Just from the outside, it was more than a little better than her shabby dorm. The smell of roasted meat wafted from within.
"How come he gets to live in such a nice place by himself?"
After comparing the two, Ning Rongrong felt quite indignant.
They all lived at Shrek Academy, so why were their lodgings so shabby while his were so nice?
"Because he had someone build it for him."
Oscar was a little helpless. The academy's dorms only looked shabby; they weren't actually drafty or leaky.
All in all, they were livable.
But ever since Oscar had enrolled, Xia Ran had lived here.
Oscar had visited Xia Ran's room a few times. It was filled with all sorts of strange furniture.
He couldn't deny that he was envious, but what could he do? They were poor.
Inside, Xia Ran was alternating between bites of meat and egg, washing it all down with hot water whenever it got too dry.
It wasn't exactly a feast, but if someone could eat this well every day, even an average Soul Master's family would struggle to afford it.
He was enjoying his meal when someone suddenly knocked on the door.
As soon as he opened it, Ning Rongrong eagerly barged in.
"Wow! That smells amazing~"
"What brings you here?"
Oscar didn't dare follow her in right away, but he swallowed too. They'd eaten Xia Ran's cooking before. He didn't know what seasoning Xia Ran used, but anything he made was so delicious it was unreal.
No one else on the entire continent could cook better than Xia Ran.
"Rongrong insisted on seeing what you were eating..."
Ning Rongrong walked straight into the room and followed the aroma to the roasted beast leg on Xia Ran's table.
"Xia Ran, can I have a bite? I can pay you."
The meat, fragrant with spices, smelled so good that she was practically drooling.
Seeing how hungry she looked, Xia Ran was a little surprised, but didn't refuse outright.
Before you continue