Level 26 / Baby

"Sigh... You really know how to make me work! Get on."

Zheng Li sighed and crouched down in front of Wang Xin'er, turning his back to her.

Wang Xin'er didn't insist on managing by herself. She flopped onto Zheng Li's back, looking as though she were about to die.

"Thanks."

After thanking him, Wang Xin'er continued panting heavily. Xiao Nai seemed about to say something, but when she thought of the golden ring behind her head, she gave up.

Unlike Zheng Li, she was always like this. She couldn't put away the golden ring, and she couldn't move around normally. Having her carry Wang Xin'er might be inconvenient.

Besides, Wang Xin'er was just a little girl who wasn't even eight. Xiao Nai wasn't worried... Mm, she wasn't worried.

After a while, Wang Xin'er had recovered some of her strength. Curiously, she asked, "So many of us went in. Why are only the three of us coming out?"

Zheng Li explained calmly, "They either died during the trial or got trapped. Judging by the looks of it, your Truth or Dare challenge was probably very simple. The others might not have been so lucky. Xiao Nai and I nearly failed, for example."

If he hadn't chosen the right moment and slipped in during the fight between the two beasts, the outcome would definitely have been bad. It was only natural that he might have failed.

Wang Xin'er froze, then fell silent...

By that measure, she really had been incredibly lucky.

"By the way, what about my reward?"

Zheng Li suddenly remembered. He'd gotten so caught up arguing with the system that he'd forgotten about it.

"It's with me," Xiao Nai sent through their link. "She gave it to me just before we left, but she didn't explain what it was. She only said there'd be a surprise after you absorbed it."

Level 26

"A surprise?"

Zheng Li was puzzled. The Valley of Love and Emotion had a high mortality rate, but it wouldn't make such a claim lightly. And since he and Xiao Nai had been counted separately, they'd received two rewards. The surprise couldn't be bad, surely. He couldn't help looking forward to it.

Xiao Nai gave a subtle nod, making sure Wang Xin'er didn't notice.

"She's just a little girl, Xiao Nai. You're being too guarded," Zheng Li sent, somewhat helplessly.

Even if Wang Xin'er told her great-grandmother about the Valley of Love and Emotion, it probably wouldn't cause any trouble.

Besides, Zheng Li wasn't going to take the little girl to his home.

Of course, he still planned to go to the Star Luo Empire. He hadn't forgotten why he'd gone out during the holiday: the Blade of Life.

If he didn't get it this time, he probably wouldn't have another chance.

The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament would begin a few months after classes started. It would be much harder to get the Blade of Life then.

He might not even be able to attend the tournament.

What a headache!

Huo Yuhao and his seven teammates were so in sync! And Zheng Li hadn't deliberately tried to get close to Huo Yuhao; things had developed naturally. They were only ordinary friends at this point.

He did the math. After the Spirit Saint Elder had captured them, he had no idea what route they'd taken, but even with a carriage, they'd spent about five days getting to West Mountain in Sun Moon City. And it had been pulled by horse-type Spirit Beasts, which were certainly fast.

Even if they bought a carriage when they reached the city, it would surely be an ordinary one, and therefore slower.

The holiday lasted a month. Adding the four days he'd spent traveling at the beginning, about eleven days had passed altogether.

So even if they traveled more slowly, they had enough time.

As for the Second Soul Ring...

Zheng Li had a lot on his mind. Xiao Nai said calmly, "Perhaps."

Zheng Li smiled warmly. "I didn't realize my Xiao Nai was so cautious. It's good to be careful. Xiao Nai, is the Night Glow Beast's Soul Ring part of the reward?"

"It is. That's what I meant when I said there'd be a surprise after you absorbed it," Xiao Nai explained with a nod.

Zheng Li: "??"

So the real reward was the surprise! But a surprise after absorbing a Soul Ring... Why did that sound so unreliable?

Had his and Xiao Nai's actual rewards been stolen?

"The Soul Ring is in your Sea of Consciousness. You'll see when you look," Xiao Nai reminded him. Then she tilted her head as if she'd thought of something and added, "The Night Glow Beast's Soul Ring can only be your Second Soul Ring, and only you can absorb it."

"Got it."

Zheng Li hadn't sensed anything in his Sea of Consciousness, but now wasn't the time to absorb it anyway.

Mm, they needed to keep moving.

According to the map, they weren't far from the exit in the northeastern part of West Mountain. But it was a mountain range, so it still took them half a day to get there.

Along the way, Zheng Li happened to spot a wild animal. He killed it and roasted it. They had no seasoning, but the meat still had a flavor of its own.

He put what they couldn't finish into the System Space.

If they left West Mountain and went around Sun Moon City, the next city along the way would be farther away. It would take at least a day to get there.

The animal was large enough to feed them for several days.

Wang Xin'er really wasn't picky about food. If she saw something edible, she wanted to eat it. She also picked quite a few wild fruits along the way.

After they left West Mountain, the little girl still looked listless. Zheng Li carried her, and she walked by herself for a while after they finished the roasted meat, but she soon couldn't manage anymore.

The poison would take three days to slowly wear off. It had only been a little over a day since Xiao Nai last ate the food the Spirit Saint Elder had given them.

As they walked, the little girl suddenly spat out a word: "Damn!"

Zheng Li raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Wang Xin'er answered angrily, "I just remembered that my Soul Guidance Ring is still on that old bastard! That thing's incredibly valuable!"

"Valuable?"

They couldn't see one another once the first round began.

Of course, Zheng Li had seen the Spirit Saint Elder before it started, but afterward he hadn't seen him again. The old man was probably dead.

The storage tool on the Spirit Saint Elder had likely been destroyed along with him.

Zheng Li only had the System Space, so he couldn't lose anything. Hearing Wang Xin'er bring it up, he was curious what valuable things she had in her Soul Guidance Ring.

"Well, there's nothing special inside. But the Soul Guidance Ring itself is Level Seven. My great-grandmother gave it to me the day I awakened my Martial Soul," Wang Xin'er explained dejectedly.

"Level Seven..." Zheng Li was speechless. He didn't know what a Level Seven storage tool was worth, but he knew it had to be extremely precious.

They were loaded!

The more Wang Xin'er thought about it, the angrier she got. She cursed the Spirit Saint Elder and all eighteen generations of his ancestors.

A few more hours passed, and the sky gradually darkened.

On the plain northwest of Sun Moon City, Zheng Li and the others found a sheltered spot and made camp.

The tent and everything else were in the System Space.

The little girl grew curious again, wondering where he kept his storage tool and how the Spirit Saint Elder hadn't discovered it.

Zheng Li brushed her off.

The exhausted little girl fell fast asleep after dinner.

Thanks to his abundant Soul Power and the Heart of Spirit, Zheng Li didn't feel particularly tired.

"Xiao Nai, sorry for the trouble."

"Focus on absorbing the Soul Ring."

Xiao Nai said it calmly.

With Xiao Nai keeping watch, Zheng Li closed his eyes, reassured.

"Hm?!"

When his consciousness entered his Sea of Consciousness, Zheng Li froze. Another "egg"?

A two-colored gold-and-silver egg floated above his Sea of Consciousness. It wasn't large, about thirty centimeters in diameter.

"Why is everyone so fond of eggs?" Zheng Li muttered, then touched the Gold-Silver Egg with his consciousness.

In an instant, the Gold-Silver Egg dissolved into multicolored points of light. Zheng Li felt as if he were floating in a sea of stars. It was incredibly beautiful.

In the outside world, a hazy purple Soul Ring appeared around Zheng Li's only yellow Soul Ring. A faint golden-and-silver glow shimmered around it.

Gradually, the purple Soul Ring solidified. The process went smoothly.

At last, his bottleneck broke, and Zheng Li's Soul Power reached Level 21. But it didn't stop there; his Soul Power continued to surge. Level 22, 23... 26!

Only when it reached Level 26 did the rapid increase stop. It climbed a little more, then came to a halt.

Zheng Li was astonished.

He'd broken through to Level 20 during the Freshman Assessment. Even after eight months of accumulation, he'd estimated that absorbing a Soul Ring would put him somewhere around Level 23 or 24.

Had he gained another two or three levels because he'd absorbed a Soul Ring beyond his limit?

Though the Valley of Love and Emotion had altered it, it was still considered a two-thousand-year Soul Ring. He'd absorbed it beyond his limit, naturally.

That was amazing!

But it also proved that the surprise wasn't a Soul Power reward.

Then what was it?

Zheng Li opened his eyes, puzzled.

"I've absorbed the Soul Ring successfully. So where's the surprise?"

Could it really...

Just then, a questioning "chirp" rang out in his Sea of Consciousness.

Zheng Li: "?!"

That familiar cry...

"Chirp-chirp?"

Where was this?

Hadn't Baobao been killed by an ugly human?

And when Baobao was incredibly weak, too!

How... despicable!

He hadn't even spared adorable Baobao!

Just as Big Sister had said, there wasn't a single good human!

At the thought of Big Sister, a mist clouded Baobao's golden eyes. Baobao would never see Big Sister again. That was... wonderful!

"Chirp-chirp-chirp~"

The Night Glow Beast flew around happily.

It had no idea what was going on, but it seemed to still be alive.

It didn't know where this place was, but that didn't matter as long as Big Sister wasn't here!

Woohoo! It wouldn't have to be bullied by Big Sister anymore.

It was so happy and excited it nearly cried!

Whoosh, whoosh!

The Night Glow Beast beat its wings, its golden eyes narrowing as it traced streaks of golden light through the sky above the Sea of Consciousness.

It looked incredibly excited...

At that moment, Zheng Li's consciousness reentered his Sea of Consciousness. "..."

He stared in shock at the Night Glow Beast as it darted around his Sea of Consciousness, flying recklessly in every direction.

"Holy crap! A Night Glow Beast? Wasn't it dead?"

"Chirp?"