The following night.
Mingdou Mountain Range.
"I never expected you to have the guts to turn down one-on-one instruction from Xuan Zi. Should I call you arrogant, or say you're full of confidence?"
"Yeah, little junior, tell us. I'd like to know, too. Xuan Zi is a Level 98 Super Douluo. Across the entire Douluo Continent, who knows how many people want him to personally guide them, but don't even have the chance?"
As Ling Luochеn spoke,
Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan chimed in as well.
Ma Xiaotao was building a fire nearby and hadn't said a word, but her attention had never once left Jiang Yang.
Clearly, there was no such thing as a wall without cracks.
Though the three women hadn't been there at the time, Jiang Yang had no doubt they even knew the tone he'd used when he flat-out rejected Xuan Zi.
"I was afraid something might happen."
"Pfft—"
As soon as Jiang Yang finished speaking,
Ma Xiaotao, who had just opened her canteen and was pouring water into her mouth, suddenly spat it out.
The other two, who had been staring at Jiang Yang in disbelief, immediately turned their gazes to Ma Xiaotao.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I just couldn't hold it in, and it came right out..."
Ma Xiaotao's cheeks turned red.
After all, she'd been pretending to ignore Jiang Yang the whole way here.
But that little slip had completely exposed her girlish feelings to everyone.
At the thought,
Ma Xiaotao's cheeks reddened even more.
"Jiang Yang, I didn't take you for a joker. No wonder you're getting close to Nannan while stringing Ma Xiaotao along."
Ling Luochеn gave a mocking laugh.
Her words were full of teasing.
But she didn't mean to sneer at him. She simply found it amusing.
Besides, Jiang Yang's strength and looks both happened to be exactly her type. More than anything, she was intensely interested in him.
If Jiang Nannan hadn't made it clear that she liked Jiang Yang, Ling Luochеn would have been ready to steal him away.
"Ling Luochеn!"
"If you don't have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut!"
Ma Xiaotao rose to her feet and shot back.
It was true that she was shy around Jiang Yang, but that didn't mean she was some delicate flower.
"What? Am I wrong?"
Ling Luochеn folded her arms across her chest, not yielding an inch.
If she'd been joking when she teased Jiang Yang, then now she was ready to pick a fight with Ma Xiaotao.
"Both of you, that's enough. We haven't even sorted out dinner yet. Instead of wasting your time arguing, why not go find something to eat?"
Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan promptly cut in.
At their senior sister's words, the two who'd been at each other's throats fell silent at once.
"Senior Sister, you know what I'm like. When have I ever been able to cook anything decent? I did bring some little cakes, though. Want some?"
Though Ling Luochеn and Ma Xiaotao were at odds, she still respected Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan greatly.
She was even willing to act like a little girl in front of Zhang Lexuan.
"Senior Sister, how about I go catch a couple of fish and roast them?"
Ma Xiaotao asked tentatively.
There wasn't much confidence in her voice.
She hadn't been born with a silver spoon in her mouth like Ling Luochеn, but she hadn't suffered much, either.
And after becoming a Soul Master, she'd spent most of her time cultivating, so of course she didn't know how to cook.
If she really had to roast fish, it would probably be hard to swallow.
Sure enough.
When Zhang Lexuan heard that Ma Xiaotao wanted to cook the fish herself, her expression changed. She quickly waved a hand. "Better not. We've been traveling for so long. You must be tired, too... Hmm?"
"Little junior, where are you going?"
Before Zhang Lexuan could finish,
she noticed Jiang Yang walking off without a word and hurriedly called out in surprise.
"Looking for food."
Jiang Yang answered at once.
But his footsteps never stopped.
Other people might come to the wilderness for an adventure, but when he came out here, it felt just like coming home.
Come to think of it,
the wilderness really was one of his homes.
"Senior Sister, do you think Jiang Yang really went to look for food?"
"He's pretty aloof. Maybe he's too embarrassed to ask me for a little cake?"
After Jiang Yang had walked off, Ling Luochеn went over to Zhang Lexuan and muttered.
"I've heard the academy's teachers say that Jiang Yang was an orphan and grew up in the wilderness. It's only natural that he's a little withdrawn."
"As for food, since he said he was going to find some, then he certainly won't lie to us."
"If even he can't find anything good to eat out here, we'll just have to chew on our rations."
Zhang Lexuan spoke with helplessness.
There was sympathy for Jiang Yang in her tone, along with some hope for him—and even a hint of something more.
But
that little feeling was hidden too well.
So well that even she hadn't noticed it herself.
"Ah? That's so sad..."
A hint of pity appeared in Ma Xiaotao's eyes.
Even Ling Luochеn's expression dimmed.
She'd lost her younger brother when she was little, so she could understand that lonely feeling even better.
At the thought,
she even began to feel guilty about how she'd treated Jiang Yang earlier.
Boom—
"What's going on?!"
"Hm?!"
"..."
Just then, a tremendous crash rang out, like a towering tree crashing to the ground.
The three women immediately released their Martial Souls and rushed toward the source of the sound.
"Huh?"
"Jiang Yang! You..."
"A five-thousand-year Red-Tailed Fire Boar?!"
All three women were standouts among the Inner Court students, and their knowledge of Soul Beasts was solid. At a glance, they recognized the species and age of the Soul Beast lying before Jiang Yang, a purple Soul Ring still hovering above it.
"Yeah."
"I got pretty lucky. This kind of pork tastes great. The meat can be roasted, and the bones are good for porridge or soup."
Jiang Yang nodded.
As he spoke, a hint of a smile appeared on his face.
Meat this delicious was hard to come by.
He'd thought he would have to search for a long time, or even make do with whatever he had for the night.
Who would've guessed that he'd run into this Red-Tailed Fire Boar before he'd gone very far?
"Am I seeing things, Jiang Yang?!"
"Are you really only a Level 37, three-ring Soul Elder?"
"This is a Red-Tailed Fire Boar, famed for its incredible explosive power—and it's five thousand years old! Even some of the weaker Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts wouldn't dare claim they could kill it!"
"You... You ended the fight so quickly. Was it a one-hit kill?"
Ling Luochеn swallowed.
There was one more thing she didn't say aloud: even she, a Five-Ring Soul King, wasn't confident she could kill this five-thousand-year Red-Tailed Fire Boar for certain.
It had incredible explosive power, and it was fighting in the forest where Red-Tailed Fire Boars were most at ease.
She could definitely beat it, but she might not be able to keep it from escaping.
But Jiang Yang, on the other hand,
had not only killed the Red-Tailed Fire Boar, but he also didn't seem to have exerted much effort.
How had he managed it?
"Yeah."
Before you continue