The next morning.
Su Yan woke early and yawned.
After the banquet ended yesterday, everyone had actually gone straight to sleep right where they were.
It was no wonder. During their days in captivity, they hadn't eaten or slept well.
It was a rare chance to finally relax.
Su Yan got up and went to the training ground, ready to begin his usual warm-up. Thanks to the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, all the blood and grime on him had come from nothing more than superficial injuries.
Unlike the quiet of previous days, a young voice could be heard in the training ground today.
Yu Tianxin had already started training.
The two greeted each other, then each went through his own morning routine.
"Su Yan, how did you stop that Soul Ancestor yesterday?"
"Thanks to the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Elder Ju gave me. I gave the defensive one to Zhu Qing and used the one meant for combat myself."
Yu Tianxin understood.
After a while, he suddenly said, "Thank you for yesterday."
"I should thank you too, for leading them in resisting."
The two exchanged smiles.
As the sun climbed higher, the children gradually woke up too.
The Overlord Dragon Snake couple stood at the entrance to Spirit Hall with Ye Tangtang, Meng Yiran, and Yu Tianxin.
"Mother-in-law, father-in-law, wait a little longer. The Holy Maiden will be back soon. We need to get Ranran's marriage contract signed before we leave."
Meng Yiran rolled her eyes and tugged the Overlord Dragon Snake couple along. "Grandpa, Grandma, Tianxin, let's go. We'll leave Mom here by herself."
"Hey, wait for me." Ye Tangtang still hadn't shaken off the fear from being kidnapped, and was afraid they'd leave her behind. She hurriedly dropped the marriage contract at the front desk and said, "Please give this to your Holy Maiden later. Thanks!"
With that, she ran to catch up with the other four.
The five found a carriage and left Notting City.
Nearly twenty children were still waiting inside Spirit Hall for their families to come for them.
Si Si held the registration book and stood at the front of the line. "Children, quiet down. Please be quiet."
"We've taken into account that all of you have reached level 10, so we've arranged a Soul Hunting Operation. Anyone who wants to obtain their First Soul Ring, come up and register."
"I do! I want to!"
"Me too! Me too!"
In an instant, all the children surged forward, surrounding Si Si until she was completely hemmed in.
None of them came from wealthy families. They were thrilled that Spirit Hall was willing to protect them and help them hunt Soul Rings.
"Zhu Qing, aren't you going?" Su Yan asked.
Zhu Zhuqing was the only one left in the group, standing where she was.
She shook her head. "I'm only level 9."
"I see. But there's something I'm curious about. Why are you here instead of in the Star Luo Empire?"
Zhu Zhuqing fell silent.
She seemed to be weighing whether to tell him.
"If it's not convenient to talk about, you don't have to."
Su Yan wasn't interested in the royal family of the Star Luo Empire killing each other.
But he was a little interested in Zhu Zhuqing.
She was one of the Shrek Seven Monsters, an Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master, and the future God of Speed. Her talent was undoubtedly exceptional.
She could also make up for a weakness in the team.
"Zhu Qing, I plan to take part in the Martial Soul Hall Junior Soul Master Competition six years from now. We'll need at least seven people, and right now, the only ones on the team are Tang Chi and me." Su Yan looked into her cool eyes and said, "I'd like to invite you to join us. What do you think?"
"I'm willing to join you." Zhu Zhuqing agreed without hesitation.
Su Yan was taken aback, then overjoyed. "Great. From now on, we'll take care of all your Soul Rings."
"Take care of what?"
A familiar female voice suddenly rang out. Su Yan looked up and excitedly threw his arms around the newcomer. "Mentor!"
Life was unpredictable. In just a few days, so much had happened.
Tang Chi also bowed. "Saintess Instructor!"
Bibi Dong gently stroked Su Yan's head and asked, "Take care of what?"
Su Yan grinned and trotted over to Zhu Zhuqing. "Mentor, this is Zhu Zhuqing. She's willing to join our team. She's level 9, and her Martial Soul is the Hell Spirit Cat. She's an Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened slightly. If she remembered correctly, she hadn't told Su Yan what her Martial Soul was.
Then she thought it over. Since Su Yan knew she came from the Star Luo Empire, he must also know about the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of the Star Luo Empire's princes and their consorts.
There was nothing surprising about him knowing about the Hell Spirit Cat.
"Zhu Zhuqing greets the Holy Maiden." The little cat was the first to bow.
Bibi Dong was just as pleased. "I'm Bibi Dong. Just call me Instructor. Welcome to the team."
After a few pleasantries, Bibi Dong took them back to the dormitory.
Zhu Zhuqing was assigned the second bedroom, where she could sleep in a bed.
Su Yan and Tang Chi were still stuck sharing the tiny sofa, determined to keep up their meditation.
That night, Bibi Dong called Su Yan to the training ground and asked, "Xiaoyan, have there been any new changes to your Martial Soul recently?"
"Yes." Su Yan told her what he'd discovered.
"Just making contact lets you obtain someone else's Martial Soul? That doesn't make much sense." Bibi Dong looked rather surprised. "Does that mean you can use my Martial Soul too?"
"Yes, and you have two." Su Yan smiled. "Mentor, you have Twin Martial Souls too."
He had to tilt his head slightly to see Bibi Dong's face. He watched her expression shift from shock to helplessness.
Bibi Dong smiled. It made sense that she had two Martial Souls.
She was the second person in the history of Douluo Continent to have Twin Martial Souls.
She pinched Su Yan's cheek and said, "Shh. This is a little secret between master and disciple."
Su Yan understood and continued talking about his Martial Soul. "Even though I can get gray orbs containing Martial Souls, they can't turn into gemstones, and I can't use them. Also, I don't succeed every time I make contact. If someone is wary of me, I probably can't get the gray orb."
Bibi Dong nodded, put on her glasses, took a thick notebook from her belt, and recorded the new information.
The notebook also contained information about Su Yan's Martial Soul.
"Xiaoyan, when I returned to the Main Martial Soul Hall this time, I looked through some ancient texts and made quite a discovery. I actually found a few clues."
"The records are very vague, but this kind of Martial Soul last appeared a thousand years ago."
"There isn't much information about the Martial Soul in the surviving fragments. Fortunately, they clearly state that it only needs one Soul Ring, and that it adapts to different Martial Souls to obtain different skills."
"My guess is that the best Soul Beast would be one without an attribute, with balanced abilities across the board. It would be better to develop in every area."
"Xiaoyan, what do you think?"
What could he say? They could only take things one step at a time.
Su Yan nodded. "Let's do as you say, Mentor."
Bibi Dong pursed her lips, gazing at the notebook full of notes as she fell into thought.
Perhaps that still wasn't the full extent of this Martial Soul's abilities.
Much of the content in the ancient texts had been destroyed and was no longer useful as a reference.
But according to Su Yan, a great deal of black mist surrounded the area. Four Red Five-Pointed Stars had cleared a small patch of land, where an altar stood.
What were the five-pointed stars? And what was the black mist? What kind of mysterious creature could emerge from the mysterious egg?
There was no way to know yet.
What was a mentor supposed to do when her beloved disciple had such an unusual Martial Soul?
Bibi Dong could only steel herself and take the plunge. "Xiaoyan, then tomorrow we'll go to the Soul Hunting Forest and hunt your First Soul Ring."
Su Yan fidgeted with his hands and said softly, "Mentor, there's something I need to tell you."
Bibi Dong lifted her fair chin slightly. Her beautiful eyes were bloodshot as she stared straight at him.
"I awakened the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul gemstone, and now I only have 4 levels of Soul Power left."
Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes widened. She closed the notebook, slowly took off her glasses and put them away, then poked Su Yan on the forehead. "Starting today, you're training harder. Meditate!"
Three days later, Zhu Zhuqing reached level 10. Bibi Dong personally took her to the Soul Hunting Forest, where she successfully obtained her First Soul Ring.
Ten more days passed.
Su Yan finally rose from level 4 to level 10.
Hall Master Ma Xiunuo once again became their carriage driver, taking the two of them out of Notting City and toward the Soul Hunting Forest.
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