Spirit Roar!

Sometimes, what truly determines the outcome of a battle is not sheer, brute strength, but the most minute and subtle of details.

Since Hu Liena's charm could influence a person's senses, the boost it provided to their combat effectiveness was undoubtedly immense. Although the coverage of her skill was limited at this stage, the effects produced even in such a short span were significant.

Qian Yun had just fallen for it quite cleanly, and one must remember that he possessed a top-tier mental-type tool spirit.

It was certain that in time, this skill of Hu Liena's would become a nightmare for her enemies.

"Impressive," Qian Yun remarked with a slight sigh.

"I just got lucky."

Qian Yun shook his head; he hadn't expected Hu Liena's first spirit skill to be so heaven-defying. This could not be explained away by simple good fortune.

On the Douluo Continent, there were clear distinctions in the strength of spirit rings produced by different spirit beasts. The more powerful the spirit beast, and the more noble its bloodline, the more benefits it could bestow upon a spirit master.

However, such spirit beasts were usually reserved for the children of nobles; ordinary disciples might not have even heard of a spirit beast like the Demon Fox, let alone know how to hunt one.

After a brief rest, the group set off without delay toward another location in this great forest.

Unlike the Demon Fox, the Star-Chasing Deer inhabited a rather unique environment. According to the intelligence, the Star-Chasing Deer hid atop a cliff, a place surrounded by sheer precipices and jagged rocks.

One wrong step in such a place would result in being smashed to pieces.

By the time Qian Yun's group arrived, it was already nearing dusk. Qian Yun looked up at the nearly vertical cliff face before him and shook his head, secretly grateful that they were accompanied by a Titled Douluo on this trip. Otherwise, he would never have been able to climb up there with his bare hands, let alone obtain the Star-Chasing Deer's spirit ring—that would have been a pipe dream.

Just as he was wondering how Yue Guan would get him up there, he saw the latter wave his hand, ordering everyone to rest where they stood.

Seeming to notice Qian Yun's confusion, Yue Guan smiled and said, "Don't be impatient, little one. The world only knows that the Star-Chasing Deer loves to live on mountain peaks to absorb starlight, but they don't know that even at night, the Star-Chasing Deer rarely appears. Only when the moon is full and the stars fill the sky will it reveal itself."

"So that's how it is. Is the full moon night that Elder Yue Guan mentioned today?" Qian Yun was no fool; he quickly realized what kind of night it was.

Yue Guan nodded in satisfaction, looking up at the moon beginning to emerge in the evening sky. "Correct. I must say, your luck is truly excellent, kid. Tonight is cloudless and happens to be a full moon, so I am certain this Star-Chasing Deer will appear."

Hearing his assurance, Qian Yun felt relieved, yet he couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. Given Yue Guan's strength, wouldn't it be easy to just rush up and drag the Star-Chasing Deer out right now? Why wait until night, and specifically a full moon night?

"Why must we wait for the night of the full moon?" Qian Yun thought for a moment and asked directly.

Yue Guan just smiled mysteriously. "You'll know when the time comes. I can only say that the mysteries of the spirit beast world are far more magical than we imagine."

"Alright. I will have to trouble Elder Yue Guan then."

Yue Guan chuckled, his sharp voice ringing out. "Eh, it's no trouble at all. It's just part of the job."

Returning to his tent, Qian Yun found Hu Liena sitting cross-legged, her brows relaxed and her expression calm; she must have already entered a state of cultivation.

Sitting down lightly, Qian Yun opened a book and began to read by the candlelight.

Time quickly passed until midnight. When the moment arrived, Qian Yun stepped out of the tent and was stunned by the sight before him. The night was indeed a full moon as Yue Guan had said, and the forest, near and far, was plated in a hazy silver glow.

A silver disc hung high in the sky, while a brilliant river of stars stretched across the firmament like a flowing torrent. The shifting of the stars was mesmerizing. Looking at it, Qian Yun couldn't help but feel that the vast Star Dou Great Forest was nothing more than an insignificant speck of dust within it.

Outside the tents, Yue Guan was already waiting, and Qian Yun and Hu Liena walked up to him.

"The timing is perfect. I will take Qian Yun up to hunt for his spirit ring, and Xiao Na will stay at the camp and wait. We won't be long; if everything goes smoothly, we will be back soon." Yue Guan crossed his arms and instructed Hu Liena.

"Understood. Take care, Qian Yun and Elder Yue." Hu Liena had originally wanted to go with Qian Yun to see what this legendary Star-Chasing Deer looked like, but seeing Yue Guan's demeanor, she felt embarrassed to ask.

Yue Guan looked relaxed as he patted Qian Yun on the shoulder. Immediately, Qian Yun felt as if he had been encased in a shell, his entire body feeling weightless.

"Then Qian Yun and I are off!" No sooner had Yue Guan finished speaking than Hu Liena felt as if the two of them had vanished into thin air. She hurriedly looked up, and only by the bright moonlight could she barely make out that they were already halfway up the cliff in the blink of an eye.

"So fast!" Hu Liena was once again shocked by the power of a Titled Douluo. At this level, they could truly be called earthly immortals; there was no place in the world that could restrict them.

Inside the protective barrier, Qian Yun only felt the camp beneath his feet shrinking rapidly, becoming the size of a grain of rice in an instant. His whole body shot toward the clouds like a cannonball.

Before he could even react, the weightless sensation ended, and solid ground returned beneath his feet.

Qian Yun finally realized that in a split second, he had ascended to a height that an ordinary person would struggle to reach in months.

"What are you standing there dazed for, you silly kid?" Yue Guan looked at the stunned Qian Yun and couldn't help but find it amusing.

"Ah, oh." Coming to his senses, Qian Yun scratched his head in embarrassment and asked, "Elder Yue Guan, the Star-Chasing Deer shouldn't have discovered us yet, right?"

"Of course. I have already concealed our presence; it doesn't have the ability to detect us." As Yue Guan spoke, he beckoned to Qian Yun and pointed to the distance, where a pair of antlers shimmered with silver light. "That is the Star-Chasing Deer. This spirit beast is extremely rare; I have roamed the continent for many years and have only seen it a handful of times."

Qian Yun stepped forward. What came into view was a small, deer-shaped spirit beast. From afar, it didn't look particularly flashy, save for its glowing antlers and a body that shimmered with a silver-gray hue like moonlight.

"Wait here for a moment."

Yue Guan's voice sounded beside Qian Yun, and then Qian Yun witnessed the same method used during the hunt for the Demon Fox earlier. He saw Yue Guan suddenly appear beside the Star-Chasing Deer, press his palm down, and it was all over.

Qian Yun stepped out from his hiding spot and saw that the Star-Chasing Deer was indeed peculiar; even though it was pinned down and unable to move, those antlers were still glowing.

Once Qian Yun approached, Yue Guan explained, "This Star-Chasing Deer only emerges on the night of a full moon to absorb the power of the stars. On ordinary days, even if you were lucky enough to encounter one, it wouldn't have absorbed the starlight, and the spirit ring it produces wouldn't be worth such a grand effort. Only now is its spirit ring in its optimal state. Do it!"

Qian Yun understood. No wonder Yue Guan hadn't been in a hurry to act earlier; there had been this consideration. Facing the Star-Chasing Deer, Qian Yun didn't have Hu Liena's hesitation; he drove his dagger directly into its brain, ending its life.

A golden spirit ring floated out, signaling the complete death of the spirit beast. Curiously, even though the beast was dead, its antlers remained shining with silver light.

"This is?" Qian Yun pointed at the antlers and looked at Yue Guan.

Yue Guan nodded. "This is exactly why I waited until now. The Star-Chasing Deer cultivates by absorbing the power of the stars, and its antlers store this energy during the process. When a spirit master absorbs the ring, they also absorb this energy, and only you will be able to truly experience the benefits."

Understanding everything, Qian Yun no longer hesitated and sat down to begin absorbing the spirit ring. What he didn't know was that when his Starry Sky Crown appeared, the myriad stars in the sky seemed to point toward this location, and the starlight within the antlers leaped into the crown before the spirit ring did, disappearing inside.

"Oh?" Yue Guan furrowed his brows. In his perception, the Qian Yun before him seemed to have changed.

It seems this matter must be reported to the Pope. This kid might be even more peculiar than the Pope's assessment. Yue Guan thought to himself.

It did not take long; once the meager resentment of the Star-Chasing Deer had been extinguished, everything else followed as a matter of course.

"Whew." Qian Yun opened his eyes and instinctively gazed up at the starry sky. In the depths of his consciousness, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with the heavens, which were usually obscure and incomprehensible to ordinary people.

"How do you feel?" Yue Guan looked at him, but no matter how he probed, he could no longer detect the trace of starlight energy that had been absorbed earlier.

Feeling the abundant power surging within his body, Qian Yun involuntarily clenched his fist. "I feel great. Aside from boosting my mental power, the soul ring of the Star-Chasing Deer has granted me an offensive soul skill. I call it Spirit Roar."

"Oh? An offensive soul skill? That truly exceeds my expectations." Yue Guan said, sounding somewhat surprised. The Star-Chasing Deer was known for its starlight energy, so he had originally assumed it would be a support-type soul skill.

"Yes, Spirit Roar is not only fast in its attack speed, but it also carries a significant amount of elemental and mental power." As he spoke, Qian Yun walked to a spot some distance away from a massive boulder.

He summoned his martial soul, a crown appearing above his head as a yellow century-level soul ring shimmered beneath his feet.

Qian Yun locked his gaze onto the boulder not far away and shouted softly, "First Soul Skill: Spirit Roar!"

The very next instant, Yue Guan understood exactly what Qian Yun meant by "fast attack speed."

A transparent wave of light erupted from Qian Yun's chest. It moved with such incredible speed that it struck the boulder accurately before it had even fully taken shape.

"Clang—!"

Strangely, when the light wave hit the solid boulder, it produced a sound similar to a hammer striking an empty, hollow metal drum.

Looking at the boulder again, the smooth, moss-covered surface had been completely shattered, revealing the gray inner layer which was still emitting a foul-smelling white smoke. There were even faint traces of water.

Seeing this, Yue Guan could not help but nod. "Not bad, not bad. Your first soul skill really has some merit; not only is it fast, but the power is also quite impressive. If I'm not mistaken, besides the mental power mixed into your attack, it also carried a fair amount of water-attribute elemental power, correct?"

"Yes." Qian Yun nodded candidly, feeling quite satisfied with the first soul skill he had obtained.