Could It Be That This Old Man Has Encountered...

The next instant, he floated into the air.

The sight shocked everyone. A boy around their age cried out in terror, "A Spirit Saint!"

The Spirit Saint Elder spoke, his voice icy.

"Now that you know my cultivation level, don't even think about escaping. You're nothing but a bunch of ants."

His very first words made them furious.

Zheng Li said nothing, his expression calm.

What else was he supposed to do? Shout, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river"?

Wang Xin'er frowned beside him, her eyes showing a trace of disdain.

A Spirit Saint? Was that supposed to be impressive? Wang Xin'er saw Super Douluo-level powerhouses every day!

"Relax. I won't do anything to you! In fact, this is a tremendous opportunity for you. You'll become disciples of my Holy Cult. It doesn't matter if your talent is poor; our cult can improve it until you're no worse than those so-called top geniuses! We can even make you Spirit Kings or Spirit Emperors within a year or two. Look at me. Just two years ago, I was a Spirit Ancestor. But after joining the Holy Cult, I became a Spirit Saint in only two short years..."

As the Spirit Saint Elder spoke, his eyes grew increasingly fanatical, like those of a devout believer. His own example left everyone astonished.

"Two years? From Spirit Ancestor to Spirit Saint? That's impossible!" the middle-aged man who'd been sent flying earlier exclaimed.

The Spirit Saint Elder was displeased at being interrupted. He looked at the middle-aged man with scorn, as if mocking him for his ignorance.

"I've no need to lie to a bunch of ants like you! Joining the Holy Cult is your good fortune. You'll understand when the time comes! Question the Holy Cult again, and die. I don't mind adding another life to my tally!"

Before the middle-aged man could ask anything else, the Spirit Saint Elder tossed out a large box.

"This is your food. Divide it equally. Don't let me catch you fighting over it. There's enough for everyone."

"Also, press the button here when you need to relieve yourselves. Don't let me catch you doing it in the carriage."

The Spirit Saint Elder's expression turned disgusted as he finished speaking.

Did he have a cleanliness obsession?

The button was in an obvious spot on the inside of the carriage door. Zheng Li hadn't noticed it before.

Before leaving, the Spirit Saint Elder glanced at Zheng Li and said with distaste, "That revolting aura... Though after the Holy Cult's baptism, I suppose..."

His voice trailed off toward the end.

Zheng Li: "..."

The Spirit Saint Elder swept his sleeve, and the carriage door shut.

"Pfft..."

The moment the door closed, Wang Xin'er laughed, then hurriedly covered her mouth.

"What are you laughing at?"

Zheng Li frowned.

"I'm laughing at that old fool's nonsense. Hahaha, he's hopelessly stupid! That damn Holy Cult sounds like an evil cult. What else could people who grow stronger that fast be but Evil Soul Masters?"

Wang Xin'er's seemingly casual words struck the two middle-aged men who'd been tempted like a hammer.

The middle-aged woman was more clearheaded.

As for the others their age... They all thought their own talent was pretty good, and hadn't believed the Spirit Saint Elder.

After hearing Wang Xin'er's words, they finally understood. Their hearts sank.

Evil Soul Masters? They were Soul Masters who committed every sort of atrocity! They were said to cultivate by eating people's hearts and drinking their blood. Would they come to a good end in the hands of Evil Soul Masters?

The mood grew somber.

Zheng Li nudged Wang Xin'er's shoulder and said, "You said you were hungry. Isn't that food over there?"

"Oh, right! I was hungry. Why was I sitting here worrying about all this?"

She started toward the box. After two steps, Wang Xin'er froze, then turned back to Zheng Li, annoyed. Her round, jade-green eyes widened as she glared at him. "You're the little girl! Your whole family's a bunch of little girls!"

Zheng Li: "..."

Were you trying to kill me with cuteness? Or kill me with cuteness?

Xiao Nai: "..."

For some reason, she thought of her own height.

Damn little girl!

Only then did Wang Xin'er head over to the food box.

She didn't keep it all for herself. Instead, she divided the food and water equally, giving everyone a portion.

The portions weren't large, but they weren't small, either.

Still, no one ate. They just held their portions and found places to sit against the carriage walls.

Zheng Li did the same. Because of the poison, he felt weak all over.

"Here~"

Wang Xin'er sat beside Zheng Li and handed him a portion.

The food was simple: two steamed buns, a bowl of porridge—meat porridge, though what kind of meat was anyone's guess—and a small wooden cup of water.

Zheng Li accepted it and asked, "Aren't you worried?"

Wang Xin'er shook her head. "No. I believe my great-grandmother will come save me. You'll be rescued too, so don't worry. I'll tell you a secret: my great-grandmother is an offering to the Xingluo Imperial Family!"

When she mentioned Wang Xian'er, Wang Xin'er's face filled with pride.

"Then I'll just have to hope she comes," Zheng Li said, taking a bite of his steamed bun. At that very moment...

"Ding! Warning! The food contains toxins."

The system's sudden voice startled Zheng Li. He froze. Poison?

"System, what kind of poison is it?"

"It's the same poison currently in the host's body. It isn't lethal. If the host stops consuming the toxin, the poison in the host's body will gradually weaken over the next three days, until it disappears. If the host continues consuming it, the duration will be extended."

"I see..."

Zheng Li set down the bun and thought it over.

He could probably manage one day, but by the third day, he'd definitely be hungry. After all, he was only a Soul Master. He'd surely have to eat then.

Even if he didn't, there was a Spirit Saint outside. He couldn't escape anyway.

The poison was just insurance.

"Hmm... why aren't you eating?" Wang Xin'er asked after swallowing the last bite of her second bun.

"Oh, it's poisoned," Zheng Li replied calmly. He glanced at her and couldn't help thinking that she must have been really hungry. She'd eaten awfully fast.

"Poisoned?"

Wang Xin'er blinked her round, jade-green eyes.

"How do you know?"

"My Martial Soul has that ability. I sensed it."

System: ...Who are you calling your Martial Soul?

Then...

"Ugh..."

Wang Xin'er turned around and threw up.

Their voices hadn't been quiet. Everyone heard them, and their expressions changed. Some were relieved they hadn't eaten.

After she finished vomiting, Wang Xin'er turned around and demanded angrily, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?! Aah! What do I do? I don't want to die yet!"

"Why are you wailing? I never said it was lethal. The poison just suppresses our Soul Power and makes us weak... What? You think that if you don't eat and your Soul Power recovers, you can escape? Don't forget the Spirit Saint outside! The strongest among you is only a Soul Grandmaster, right?"

Zheng Li saw someone start to stir before he'd finished speaking and warned them.

His words doused everyone like a bucket of cold water.

"The next meals will probably be the same. They just want to restrict our strength. The poison isn't lethal. Eat when you can't stand the hunger anymore."

Having said that, Zheng Li fell silent.

After a while, a boy their age asked, "If you can sense it, can you cure the poison?"

"No." Zheng Li shook his head. "I can sense it, but I'm a Power Attack System Soul Master. I can't cure poison."

"Oh..." The boy sounded disappointed.

Wang Xin'er had only suffered a false alarm. She patted her flat chest and let out a sigh of relief.

She shot Zheng Li a reproachful look. "You should've finished what you were saying! If I'd known, I wouldn't have thrown up. What a waste..."

Zheng Li glanced at the vomit. "You can pick it up and eat it again."

Wang Xin'er: "..."

"Get lost!"

Zheng Li ignored Wang Xin'er. He wasn't in the mood to bicker with a seven-year-old girl.

Wang Xin'er found him rather boring. She sat down and didn't touch the porridge, either.

Time passed. Nearly five days went by.

The carriage had stayed dim the whole time. Zheng Li estimated the time based on the hours Xiao Nai provided.

The Spirit Saint Elder only brought them one meal a day. He'd also give them another speech about the Holy Cult's benefits, as if he were trying to brainwash them.

If that was really his plan, he wasn't very good at it.

Wang Xin'er leaned against Zheng Li's shoulder, looking listless. She'd gone from lively at first to the way she was now.

Like a shriveled cucumber.

But she still believed her great-grandmother would come save her.

Thinking about it, Zheng Li frowned deeply. Something was wrong. The Xingluo Imperial Family couldn't be this "useless," could they?

Wasn't this carriage suspicious?

Had they still not found them?

And where were those people taking them? It had been days. Had they still not reached their destination?

Unfortunately, Zheng Li didn't know what was happening outside. He couldn't figure it out, no matter how much he thought about it.

He'd once asked Wang Xin'er how she'd been captured.

As it turned out, on the day Zheng Li arrived in Xingluo City, Wang Xin'er had a bit of a quarrel with her great-grandmother, Wang Xian'er—or rather, Wang Xin'er was the only one who'd been upset.

That afternoon, Wang Xian'er had promised to take Wang Xin'er shopping. But the Xingluo Emperor had something to discuss with Wang Xian'er and came in person to summon her.

So Wang Xian'er left with the Emperor first, standing Wang Xin'er up. Wang Xin'er threw a tantrum, didn't even tell her guards, and sneaked out.

The guards caught up with Wang Xin'er at the outskirts of the city, but she didn't go back. Instead, she chose to spend the night at her family's house in the suburbs.

The next morning, her great-grandmother still hadn't come to find her. Feeling hurt, she decided to go back and ask her great-grandmother if she didn't love her anymore.

Then, just as Xiao Nai had said, she ran into Zheng Li and the others, who had been captured. The guards were no match for their captors, and she was taken too.

In the quiet space of the carriage, golden gleams flickered in Zheng Li's eyes.

He'd given Wang Xin'er the food he'd kept in his System Space for those two days, though he'd eaten some of it himself, too.

Later, Zheng Li noticed a problem: the Spirit of the Heart was neutralizing the poison, and he didn't feel hungry, either. The reason was also the Spirit of the Heart.

Whenever his body needed energy, the Spirit of the Heart supplied it with a special energy it had absorbed and converted.

In other words, he could already "abstain from food."

And he'd also recovered his Soul Power and could use it again.

But it was no use!