First Spirit Skill, Thunderbolt

"Pikachu, if you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes." Su Yan said, reversing his grip on the dagger. "I'm letting you down now!"

"Yan-ge, isn't this a bit too... casual?"

Before Zhu Zhuqing could finish, Su Yan's blade fell and the net pouch split open.

Su Yan scooped Pikachu out from inside, gently wiping the dust off its fur. "Don't worry, Pokémon are very gentle creatures. They can't speak, but they understand what we say—just like now."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded with a vague understanding. Watching Su Yan hold Pikachu up flat, like he was lifting a plush toy, she inexplicably grabbed its lightning-bolt-shaped tail.

The soft touch intoxicated them both.

Su Yan spoke again: "Pikachu, from today on, you're our new partner!"

"Pika..."

A golden ring edged with yellow suddenly lit up on Pikachu's body.

A soul ring—how could there be a soul ring?

The ring grew brighter.

What does this mean?

"Chu!"

Zzzzzt!

The crackle of electricity rang through the sky, and the forest turned as bright as day.

Golden lightning instantly engulfed the two of them. The current pierced their skin, and a numbing sensation spread through every inch of their bodies.

Vaguely, two skeletons could be seen falling to the ground, the scent of scorched flesh gradually spreading.

"Tang Chi-gege, should we go help?" Xue Ke's brow furrowed as her hands unconsciously twisted into the fabric of her clothes.

Tang Chi didn't hesitate. He lifted her up, set her in the wheelchair, and pushed it as he jogged over. "Let's go check it out. Hold on tight!"

On the grass, Su Yan—his hair electrocuted into a hedgehog's spikes—lay sprawled in a bizarre position, his whole body convulsing and unable to move. "Thun... Thunderbolt... liv... lives up to its name."

On the opposite side, Zhu Zhuqing was in better shape. Her martial soul had absorbed most of the shock. Though she couldn't move either, at least she maintained some dignity—except for her hair, which was scattered and standing straight up, pointing at the sky.

The sound of wooden wheels grew closer. Xue Ke exclaimed, "Wow, Zhuqing-jiejie, your hair can fly! Su Yan-gege, you..."

She couldn't find the words.

Su Yan was practically challenging the limits of human flexibility.

Tang Chi ran over and poked Su Yan's body with his finger.

"Don't... don't move. Numb." Su Yan's voice even sounded electrified.

After a long while, Zhu Zhuqing finally got up from the ground. Her hair still pointed skyward, but the tingling sensation had finally passed.

Another long stretch later, Su Yan could move again. With a low groan, he twisted his body back into place, sat down on the ground, and let out a sigh of relief.

Pikachu had long since vanished.

"Zhuqing, I'm sorry." Su Yan hung his head in embarrassment.

Zhu Zhuqing bit her lip. After a long pause, she sighed. "Yan-ge, it's not your fault. Pikachu is very wary of us. Even if you hadn't let it go, I would have."

"What are you two talking about? What Pikachu?" Tang Chi crouched down, looking left and right, then suddenly had a revelation. "Are you two sneaking off to eat something delicious?!"

"Get lost!" they said in unison.

Tang Chi pouted, shrank behind Xue Ke's wheelchair, planted the handle of his Thunderclap Hammer on the ground, and muttered, "I'll draw a soul ring to curse you..."

Xue Ke heard him and smiled silently.

The night deepened. The four returned to camp, and the night watch duty fell to Tang Chi.

Zhu Zhuqing still went to pick some wild fruits, packed them, and left them in the usual spot.

Su Yan searched the nearby woods for any trace Pikachu might have left behind.

Days passed.

Pikachu never appeared again. The wild fruits Zhu Zhuqing left never diminished either—one plate, two plates, three plates...

That night.

Zhu Zhuqing looked at the untouched wild fruits, a sense of loss settling in her heart.

Su Yan had circled the area again but found no sign of Pikachu.

"Zhuqing, we need to set out tomorrow." Su Yan said.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded, her mood somewhat downcast.

"Pikachu, live well. We're still waiting to become your partners!" Su Yan shouted loudly.

The only reply was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

After a while, the two returned to camp and entered cultivation.

A little later, the bushes rustled. A Golden Soul Beast crawled out from within. Seeing the plates full of wild fruits on the ground, its red cheeks flickered with golden electric light. Its little paw picked up a fruit and brought it to its mouth.

The next day, the four prepared to depart. After Su Yan judged the direction, Zhu Zhuqing took point scouting ahead, Tang Chi pushed Xue Ke, and Su Yan kept an eye on the route while staying ready to deal with any sudden soul beasts.

"Yan-ge, there's trouble up ahead." Zhu Zhuqing hurried back. "Several Giant-Toothed Hounds are blocking the path."

"Let's take a detour."

The four of them turned in another direction, but before long, they were cut off again by Giant-Toothed Hounds blocking the way.

"What the hell are these Giant-Toothed Hounds trying to do?" Su Yan marked an X on the Parchment Scroll at every location where the hounds had appeared.

They changed direction again, walked again, and were still blocked by Giant-Toothed Hounds.

After running into them five or six times, Su Yan had a bad feeling.

He made everyone stop, spread out the Parchment Scroll again, and connected the spots where the Giant-Toothed Hounds had appeared into a line. Alarm bells rang in his heart.

"Brothers, get ready to break out. Zhuqing, Princess Xue Ke is in your hands. Tang Chi, prepare Thunderquake Wave and be ready to release it at any moment."

"Su Yan, what's going on?" Tang Chi asked, hefting his Thunderclap Hammer, blue-white lightning gathering on its surface.

"We've lingered too long. The Giant-Toothed Hounds have already marked us." Su Yan said in a low voice. "They've taken our previous position as the center and stationed a few hounds at every intersection, surrounding us completely."

Tang Chi's heart raced. "Then what do we do?"

"Before they close the circle, we pick a spot and break out—that's our only hope." Su Yan said, heading in one direction.

Zhu Zhuqing simply hoisted Xue Ke onto her back and tucked the wheelchair into her belt.

The three moved quickly, and before long, they saw three Giant-Toothed Hounds blocking the road.

"Listen up, we stick to the plan. I'll draw their attention. Tang Chi, use Thunderquake Wave to paralyze the hounds. Zhuqing, take the chance to break out first, keep a safe distance with Princess Xue Ke. Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Move!" Su Yan said. "Fire Wolf, manifest!"

After obtaining his first soul ring, Su Yan's Fire Wolf had grown a full size larger. When fully manifested, it was about the same size as a Giant-Toothed Hound.

He leaped straight into the triangular encirclement of the three hounds, bent down, grabbed one, and used Sweeping Thousand Army.

The three Giant-Toothed Hounds hadn't even reacted before they were all slammed together.

"Tang Chi!"

"Your grandpa's here!" Tang Chi raised his Thunderclap Hammer high and came crashing down from above. Blue-white electric light spread like a massive net, falling from the sky. "First Soul Skill, Thunderquake Wave!"

The dazzling lightning sent the three Giant-Toothed Hounds whimpering, but it only held them for an instant.

Zhu Zhuqing took the chance, used Resonance Step, and landed outside. Tang Chi followed close behind.

As for the three barely functional Soul Beasts, Su Yan took them all on with his physical body alone.

"You go first!" Su Yan roared. His claws were coated in blazing flames. "First Soul Skill, Wolf Fang Wind Wind Fist, Triple Shot!"

All three Giant-Toothed Hounds were knocked back several steps. Seizing the gap, Su Yan retreated, his form growing slender.

"Blazing Spirit Cat, manifest!"

The moment his bare palm hit the ground, his spine arched, and he shot out like a cannonball.

"Breakout successful!" A smug smile tugged at Su Yan's lips.

The next instant, a fourth Giant-Toothed Hound dropped from the sky, kicking up a cloud of dust as it blocked their path.

Su Yan's heart sank.

Then a fifth and a sixth leaped out, joining the previous three to instantly form a complete encirclement, trapping the four of them in the middle.

"These sneaky old dogs."

Su Yan had never imagined that the Giant-Toothed Hounds would have three in plain sight and three more hidden in the shadows.

Now, he might have to beg Blue-Eyes White Dragon for help again. Hopefully, that big brother would actually respond this time.