Thank Nature for Its Gift, Nine Tails

"That certainly made sense."

Gui Mei nodded in agreement and sized Xu Yuan up. "It seemed Ju Hua Guan was right after all. You really were a talented kid."

"It was all thanks to my teacher and Elder Yue's guidance." Xu Yuan replied with a smile.

Hu Liena looked at Xu Yuan, then at Gui Mei, her alluring eyes filled with confusion.

No, we were taught by the same teacher. Why had he learned something completely different from me?

Gui Mei did not explain her confusion in any great detail.

"Anyway, listen to Xu here. You can't go wrong!"

"Fine, fine."

Hu Liena nodded reluctantly.

She still wanted to develop in the direction of the Control System, but Gui Mei was a Title Douluo. Whether in insight or experience, he was far beyond what she, a mere level-thirty Soul Master, could compare to.

Listening to advice kept your stomach full.

Since Gui Mei had said so, Hu Liena naturally chose to follow her elder's advice.

What annoyed Hu Liena, however, was that Xu Yuan was not much older than her, yet he understood all these twists and turns more clearly than she did.

Her competitive spirit immediately surged within her.

I'm the senior sister here!

Neither the Bishops nor the Archbishops before and behind them interrupted the conversation between the three.

They felt that whether Xu Yuan or Hu Liena was speaking, both were right!

They were both disciples of the Pope, so it would not be good for them to side with either one.

The group cut straight into the forest.

The forest canopy was so dense that it blocked out the stars and moonlight above, leaving no one sure of the exact time.

They had entered the forest for roughly three shichen—around midnight.

After enduring attacks from numerous Spirit Beasts, they finally encountered one suitable for Hu Liena to absorb.

Or rather, "encountered" was not quite accurate.

The Spirit Beast had followed the torchlight and delivered itself right to them.

It was a snow-white fox with a sturdy body like that of a wolfhound.

Its fur was sleek, its eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence, and one and a half tails swayed behind it.

A Nine-Tailed Sky Fox!

At the sight of it, Hu Liena's breathing quickened. Her red lips parted slightly, as though she had not expected her luck to be this good today.

Spirit Rings produced by Spirit Beasts of the same type were naturally the best for Soul Masters, and they also had a higher chance of producing Soul Bones than other Spirit Beasts.

Of course, this so-called increase was only something like 0.01 to 0.02.

But never mind how much it increased—just tell me, did it increase or not?

Foxes were extremely intelligent creatures.

The moment this Nine-Tailed Sky Fox appeared and realized the number of opponents was a little off, it leaped away and prepared to flee.

Then Ghost Douluo Gui Mei waved a hand.

"Stop it! Don't let it get away!"

Spirit Rings emerged one after another from the void, their intense and terrifying auras instantly crushing the entire area.

Eight Soul Emperors, two Soul Saints, and one Title Douluo.

Let alone a mere Millennium Spirit Beast, even one ten thousand or tens of thousands of years old could only lower its head and accept its fate before this group.

In only a few breaths, the Millennium Nine-Tailed Sky Fox was pinned to the ground, unable to move.

"According to the records, Nine-Tailed Sky Foxes had an extremely long growth period. Only when they reached the ten-thousand-year level were they considered truly mature."

Gui Mei stepped forward and examined it. "For every additional thousand years, another tail grew behind them.

This fox's second tail was still developing and had only grown halfway. Its age was probably around fifteen hundred years.

It was just right for Nana."

Upon hearing that, Xu Yuan immediately clasped his hands and bowed to those around him.

"Thank Nature for its gift!"

His solemn expression nearly made everyone present laugh.

"Come on, Nana!"

Ghost Douluo stepped aside, presenting the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox before Hu Liena.

Hu Liena did not hesitate. She directly activated Martial Soul Possession, then drove a claw into the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox's neck.

With a wet tear, blood streaked with golden threads slowly dripped down her wrist.

Several weak, mournful fox cries immediately rang out.

Before long, a purple Spirit Ring condensed above the corpse and slowly descended over Hu Liena's head.

Seeing this,

Nine Spirit Rings circled Ghost Douluo's body. His form became illusory as he stood half-visible behind Hu Liena, guarding her as she absorbed it.

As for the remaining eight Soul Emperors and two Soul Saints, they spread out several meters apart, remaining fully alert.

The torches crackled as they burned.

Watching the flickering flames, Xu Yuan was the only one left with nothing to do.

There was no helping it. His teammates were too strong; they did not need him at all.

The absorption of the Spirit Ring took the better part of the night.

Only when daylight broke outside, the forest gradually brightened, and morning mist as thick as smoke rose around them did Hu Liena finally let out a long breath and open her eyes.

A flash of light passed.

Xu Yuan did not know whether it was an illusion, but he felt that Hu Liena had become completely different after absorbing this Spirit Ring.

She was still the same person, yet both her temperament and her gaze had changed entirely.

Previously, Hu Liena had possessed a charm that was seductive without being vulgar, and her eyes had been slightly alluring. After all, her Martial Soul was the Demon Fox.

But now, a single glance at her gave one a sense of holiness.

More importantly, those two utterly different temperaments—holiness and seductiveness—appeared together on her without the slightest sense of discord.

It felt as though it should be that way, as though it were only natural.

That visual contrast was incredibly eye-catching.

"How was it?"

The moment she finished absorbing it, Ghost Douluo hurriedly ended his vigil and asked.

At his words, not only the Bishops and Archbishops on guard nearby, but Xu Yuan as well, all turned their attention toward her.

Hu Liena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a satisfied smile on her face.

"I felt great right now."

As she spoke, Martial Soul Possession activated automatically. Spirit Rings rose one by one from beneath her feet, and a white tail shot up from behind her.

The purple Thousand-Year Spirit Ring flashed sharply.

Along with a faint ripple of Soul Power, the white tail behind Hu Liena instantly divided into nine, becoming nine separate tails.

They swayed, then suddenly attacked in all directions.

The nine tails were like unsheathed swords, straightening in an instant as they struck like lightning.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Nine trees with trunks roughly a meter thick were pierced straight through. They tilted amid a rustle of leaves, then crashed to the ground with a boom.

Satisfied, Hu Liena released Martial Soul Possession and smiled brightly at the slightly astonished crowd.

"My Thousand-Year Third Spirit Ring skill, Nine Tails. Not bad, right?"

"Impressive, very impressive."

Xu Yuan stepped closer and clapped exaggeratedly.

The smile at Hu Liena's lips instantly froze. Veins bulged on her forehead as she hooked an arm around Xu Yuan's neck and pinched his cheek with her other hand.

"Is that any way to speak to your senior sister? Hm? Couldn't you talk properly?"

Feeling the two soft masses pressed tightly against his back, Xu Yuan broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly admitted his mistake.

"I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong."