Three figures raced toward the edge of the Star Dou Forest.
The man at the front wore a gorgeous Chrysanthemum Pattern Robe. He was tall and slender, with a strikingly handsome yet feminine face.
Following him was a young man and a young woman, both appearing to be around seventeen or eighteen.
The young woman was tall and graceful, with a shapely figure. Her Dark Red Tight Suit hugged her curves, accentuating her lovely form while giving her an air of both agility and allure.
Her skin was fair as jade, and her face was radiant and captivating. Her narrow, foxlike eyes sparkled as they glanced around, and every flicker of her gaze carried a bewitching charm. She had an irresistible, heart-stirring air about her.
The young man beside her was tall and imposing, with a cold, sharp face and eyes as keen as blades. His brows carried an air of pride and dominance.
His Dark Tight Suit emphasized his athletic build, and a keen Soul Power aura faintly radiated from him.
The three raced toward the forest's edge. Suddenly, the feminine-looking man at the front sensed two surges of Soul Power up ahead. He immediately halted and slowed sharply, raising a hand in a clenched fist to signal the young man and woman behind him to stop.
"Grandpa Chrysanthemum, what's wrong?" the young woman asked as soon as she steadied herself. She was Hu Liena, a central figure in the Spirit Hall Golden Generation.
The man in the Chrysanthemum Pattern Robe, with his feminine bearing, was Chrysanthemum Douluo of Spirit Hall.
The young man standing beside Hu Liena was her older brother, Xie Yue.
"Nothing!" Chrysanthemum Douluo said, gesturing for them not to worry. He had already sensed the Soul Power Levels of the two auras ahead.
"Looks like some unlucky fellow is being chased by a Soul Beast. He's only a little over Level 20, yet he dared provoke a Soul Beast that's lived for more than three thousand years. He's got some nerve!" Chrysanthemum Douluo continued.
"More than three thousand years?"
Hu Liena's eyes immediately lit up. She went over and took Chrysanthemum Douluo's arm. "Grandpa Chrysanthemum, we're already on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest. Surely you'll let me try out my new Soul Skill now!"
The three had entered the Star Dou Forest to hunt for Hu Liena's Fourth Spirit Ring.
Earlier, deep in the forest, Hu Liena had wanted to find a Soul Beast of suitable strength to test her Fourth Spirit Skill on. Chrysanthemum Douluo had worried she might disturb the powerful Soul Beasts deeper in the forest, so he hadn't let her make a move.
Chrysanthemum Douluo gazed at Hu Liena with affection and nodded with a smile. "All right. Grandpa Chrysanthemum will take you over."
As he spoke, Soul Power stirred around him. He enveloped the two of them and flew straight toward the place where he had sensed the auras.
Before long, the three saw a person and a Soul Beast racing through the dense forest, one in pursuit of the other. It was Xiao Chen and the Thunder Pattern Leopard.
When Chrysanthemum Douluo first spotted Xiao Chen, he had been about to step in and save him. But then he suddenly realized that Xiao Chen seemed to be moving at an absurd speed.
"Grandpa Chrysanthemum, that boy is so fast. Is his Soul Power really only a little over Level 20?" Hu Liena asked softly. She had clearly noticed it too.
Xie Yue was just as surprised.
With Chrysanthemum Douluo's Soul Power concealing them, neither Xiao Chen nor the Thunder Pattern Leopard could sense that they were being watched.
"He's definitely Level 23!" Chrysanthemum Douluo confirmed.
"His Martial Soul must be Speed System, and he's released a Speed System Spirit Skill. To maintain that kind of speed with a skill granted by a White Spirit Ring... That young fellow's Martial Soul quality must be quite high!" Chrysanthemum Douluo continued.
"Why is he alone in the Star Dou Forest?" Hu Liena asked.
"He must have gotten separated from his companions or elders," Chrysanthemum Douluo replied.
"Judging by his age, he can't be more than fifteen. Reaching Level 23 Soul Power makes him a little genius, but why would he give his Martial Soul a Ten-Year Spirit Ring?" Xie Yue asked, frowning in confusion.
"Exactly. If his Martial Soul quality is truly outstanding, the Spirit Hall Branch would surely have a record of him. Even if he belongs to some other sect or faction, with talent like his, there's no way he'd give his First Spirit Ring a Ten-Year Spirit Ring."
Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded, clearly agreeing with Xie Yue.
"Brother, Grandpa Chrysanthemum, stop discussing it. He's about to be caught! Once we save him, we can just ask him whatever we want to know," Hu Liena said.
"True," Chrysanthemum Douluo said with a nod, preparing to make a move.
But just as he was about to act, he saw Xiao Chen summon his Martial Soul, so he immediately stopped.
"A Tool Martial Soul?" Chrysanthemum Douluo stared at the Wooden Bow Martial Soul Xiao Chen had summoned, utterly perplexed.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue were also surprised. Anyone could see that the Wooden Bow had nothing to do with a Speed System Martial Soul.
But before the three could think it through, Xiao Chen summoned another Martial Soul. Their eyes widened at once.
"Twin Martial Souls!" all three exclaimed in unison.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was stunned. Then, a surge of delight spread across his face.
As an elder of Spirit Hall, he knew that the Pope, Bibi Dong, was one of the rare people in the world with Twin Martial Souls.
In all these years, the only Soul Master with Twin Martial Souls he had ever met was the Pope.
Now that he had suddenly discovered a second Soul Master with Twin Martial Souls, Chrysanthemum Douluo was naturally overjoyed.
As for Hu Liena and Xie Yue, this was their first time seeing Twin Martial Souls, and curiosity filled their eyes.
But they soon realized that Xiao Chen's second Martial Soul was also a Tool Martial Soul, just as unrelated to a Speed System Martial Soul as the first.
More importantly, the Wooden Bow and Wooden Arrow didn't look like high-quality Martial Souls at all.
As the three wondered about this, Xiao Chen had already begun his Mobile Rapid Fire.
The Thunder Pattern Leopard had injured one eye and couldn't see out of it, so Xiao Chen aimed every shot at its other eye.
Since he had to keep 'Shadow Step Dash' active, he couldn't use too many Soul Skills on the arrows he fired. His Soul Power couldn't sustain it.
He could only occasionally mix an arrow enhanced with 'Brute Force,' 'Spiritual Shock,' 'Speed Boost,' and 'Piercing Wound' into his rapid volley.
And so, at one particular moment, all four of Xiao Chen's Spirit Rings lit up.
When Chrysanthemum Douluo saw that all four Spirit Rings on Xiao Chen's Twin Martial Souls were white, his vision went dark, and he nearly fainted.
He had thought Xiao Chen had only one Ten-Year Spirit Ring. He never imagined the boy had four.
In that instant, the delight on Chrysanthemum Douluo's face froze. It was replaced by utter disappointment. The light that had just kindled in his eyes went out completely, leaving only heavy displeasure and regret.
The excitement Chrysanthemum Douluo had felt over the Twin Martial Souls sank away entirely.
"Damn it! If I find out which branch awakened this child's Martial Soul, I'll make sure they're punished severely!" Chrysanthemum Douluo said furiously.
He knew perfectly well that the boy before him couldn't belong to any faction. Otherwise, he would never have done something so foolish.
In the forest, Xiao Chen's arrows disrupted the Thunder Pattern Leopard and immediately slowed it down. Taking advantage of the opening, Xiao Chen widened the distance between them again.
But the Thunder Pattern Leopard had no intention of giving up. If anything, the arrows Xiao Chen kept firing only made it grow more and more agitated.
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