Chrysanthemum Douluo and the Trio's Shock

Outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.

Chrysanthemum Douluo, though still burning with indignation, had made up his mind to bring Xiao Chen back to Martial Soul Hall. When he saw Xiao Chen shake off the Thunder Pattern Leopard again, he stopped rushing to intervene. He wanted to see where Xiao Chen's limits lay. Since Xiao Chen was now fleeing toward the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, with a Titled Douluo like himself following, nothing would go wrong.

"Grandpa Ju, did he just activate four spirit skills in an instant?" Hu Liena asked.

"That's right!" Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded.

"But isn't it true that Twin Martial Souls can't attach spirit rings to the Second Martial Soul?" Hu Liena asked, puzzled. The Martial Soul Hall archives recorded that the first soul master to attach a spirit ring to a Second Martial Soul had died from his body exploding.

"How he managed it, I don't know either!" Chrysanthemum Douluo replied.

Chrysanthemum Douluo could see that Xiao Chen had not only activated both martial souls simultaneously but had also layered all four spirit skills onto a single arrow in an instant. He understood clearly that even with Twin Martial Souls, a soul master could only use one martial soul in battle; switching to the other meant the first could no longer be used. Moreover, soul masters typically released spirit skills one at a time. Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's split-control technique—the Seven Orifices Glazed Heart—though capable of unleashing seven auxiliary skills at once, fundamentally worked by amplifying each of the seven spirit skills onto others one by one. For Xiao Chen to simultaneously attach four spirit skills to an attack, with those skills coming from his own two martial souls, such exquisite control seemed to Chrysanthemum Douluo even more difficult than the Seven Orifices Glazed Heart's split-control.

"This feeling... it's so much like a Martial Soul Fusion Skill! And not just that—it's a perfect fusion of two martial souls and four spirit skills!" Chrysanthemum Douluo murmured inwardly, astonishment surging in his heart.

As Chrysanthemum Douluo pondered, Xie Yue asked, "Neither of his two martial souls is speed-type, so how can he burst out with such incredible speed?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo shook his head; he wanted to know why too.

"Too strong. Besides his speed, the arrows he shoots can actually wound the Thunder Pattern Leopard. Is that really a spirit skill granted by a Ten-Year Spirit Ring?" Xie Yue marveled, watching Xiao Chen.

Hu Liena stared at Xiao Chen and couldn't help falling into deep thought. She asked herself honestly: if she had encountered this Thunder Pattern Leopard at level twenty-three, she probably wouldn't have had even a shred of room to resist. As a representative figure of the Martial Soul Hall's Golden Generation, Hu Liena's competitive spirit was strong, but now, watching the youth desperately fleeing through the forest, she felt genuinely impressed. With that thought, she immediately urged, "Grandpa Ju, why don't you go save him already!"

"Don't rush!" Chrysanthemum Douluo signaled Hu Liena not to worry. "With me here, I certainly won't let him get hurt easily. Besides, I have a feeling this little fellow still has cards he hasn't played." Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke slowly. Hu Liena and Xie Yue exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes, then continued watching.

Xiao Chen was not having a good time. Continuously activating 'Shadow Step Dash' was draining his spirit power far too heavily. The Star Dou Forest was filled with obstacles, and since Xiao Chen wasn't familiar with 'Spirit Skill Sharing,' he had to carefully observe the route before daring to use it. He was also afraid of losing control and crashing into a tree or rock—that would be a disaster. Fortunately, Xiao Chen had excellent vision, and before long, he mapped out a path with relatively few obstacles. Once the route was planned, Xiao Chen drew his bow and shot again. This time, he only used the 'Arrow Speed Boost' effect, firing three arrows in succession, all aimed at the Thunder Pattern Leopard's intact right eye. These three arrows weren't very powerful, but the Thunder Pattern Leopard couldn't tell which of Xiao Chen's arrows carried a hidden killing move, so it had to stay fully alert and deal with each one. As the Thunder Pattern Leopard slowed, Xiao Chen immediately activated the Wooden Bow's second spirit skill: Fierce Thorn Rain. Using 'Fierce Thorn Rain' without any added effects didn't consume much of Xiao Chen's spirit power; this move was only meant to block the Thunder Pattern Leopard's vision. The moment 'Fierce Thorn Rain' exploded, Xiao Chen shared the spirit skill effect of 'Shadow Step Dash' with the Wooden Bow. In an instant, Xiao Chen felt his spirit power and mental energy nearly drained dry. The consumption was enormous, but the burst of speed it bought was equally astonishing. Xiao Chen's figure shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, turning into a blurry shadow as it flashed through the dense forest. At that moment, Xiao Chen moved like a ghost, weaving and dodging between the crisscrossing trees. In the span of a single breath, he vanished completely from Hu Liena and the other two's sight.

This scene truly startled Chrysanthemum Douluo and the others. Although Chrysanthemum Douluo had anticipated Xiao Chen still had cards to play, he hadn't expected Xiao Chen to burst out with such astonishing speed in an instant. Still, Xiao Chen's spirit power fluctuations remained within Chrysanthemum Douluo's perception range. Without delay, he immediately took Hu Liena and Xie Yue and gave chase.

On the other side, the moment Xiao Chen burst forward with all his strength, he felt the world spin and his consciousness nearly collapse. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to hold onto the last shred of clarity, and by instinct, crawled into a hidden cave. The moment he stepped inside, he could no longer hold on. His vision went black, and he collapsed straight down, completely unconscious. But Xiao Chen didn't hit the ground; Chrysanthemum Douluo, who had arrived right behind him, caught him with his spirit power. After checking, Chrysanthemum Douluo confirmed Xiao Chen was in no danger to his life and let out a sigh of relief. "It's fine. Just severe overdraft of spirit power and mental energy. He'll wake up after some rest," Chrysanthemum Douluo said. Hu Liena and Xie Yue both stared at Xiao Chen. After a long moment, Xie Yue finally asked, "Elder Ju, what exactly did he just do?"

"I'm not sure." Chrysanthemum Douluo shook his head. At this moment, like Hu Liena and Xie Yue, his curiosity toward Xiao Chen had already climbed to its peak.

"Liena, Xie Yue, you two stay here and watch this young man." Chrysanthemum Douluo continued. "I sense other Soul Master auras not far away. I'll go investigate and see if they're his companions."

"Alright!" Hu Liena and Xie Yue nodded together.

With that, Chrysanthemum Douluo left the cave.

The people he sensed were naturally Chu Ruolan and her group.

Su Qing had just finished absorbing her Spirit Ring, and a faint ripple of Soul Power still emanated from her body.

Chu Ruolan, who had seen the Thunder Pattern Leopard, didn't even ask what skill Su Qing had obtained. She immediately prepared to lead them away from this place.

However, the moment they moved, they found a figure blocking their path like a ghost, cutting off their way.

Chu Ruolan and the others halted, their Soul Power instinctively circulating as they warily stared at the suddenly appearing Chrysanthemum Douluo.

"Senior, may I ask what business you have with us?" Chu Ruolan bowed respectfully, her tone deferential.

Though she couldn't gauge the Soul Power Level of the person before her, she had a feeling—before this man, she was nothing more than an ant.

Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked back, "Do you have any other companions?"

Chu Ruolan instinctively wanted to say 'no,' but then she suddenly remembered Xiao Chen. So she answered truthfully, "There is one more. If that child has offended you, I can apologize on his behalf. I hope you won't stoop to his level, Senior."

"Is this him?" Chrysanthemum Douluo directly projected Xiao Chen's image with his mental power.

"Yes!" Chu Ruolan nodded. "May I ask where that child..."

Just as Chu Ruolan was about to ask where Xiao Chen was, she felt a surge of killing intent. She looked up and met Chrysanthemum Douluo's icy gaze.