Soul Ascension Pill

And in the next second, icy, razor-sharp cat claws were already pressed against his carotid artery.

"Please, don't!"

Lei Xiang cried out in panic.

The force behind the claws stopped just in time.

Lei Xiang's pupils contracted sharply. He stared at the claw tips inches from his face, the bone-chilling cold of death making his whole body tremble uncontrollably.

From counterattack to subduing his opponent, the whole thing had taken less than a breath.

The entire Martial Arts Arena instantly fell into deathly silence.

The crowd that had been chattering moments ago was now utterly dumbstruck, unable to utter a single word.

Zhu Zhuqing dispelled her Martial Soul, and the phantom of the Hell Spirit Cat behind her slowly faded away.

She looked at Lei Xiang sprawled on the ground, her tone flat and calm.

"You lost."

Lei Xiang's face was as pale as paper.

He was the prized disciple of a Red Cardinal of Spirit Hall, yet in full view of everyone, he had been pinned by the throat in a single move by a mere level-twenty-one Soul Grandmaster.

All his pride and self-respect shattered completely in that moment.

Clenching his back teeth, he struggled awkwardly to his feet, propping himself up on the ground. With his head lowered, he retreated behind Lang Taihui without a word.

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze then fell on Lang Taihui.

The Red Cardinal wasn't enraged by his prized disciple's defeat. Instead, a hint of amusement played across his face.

"Not bad. The younger generation is formidable."

He walked forward slowly, adopting the posture of an elder instructing a junior, and spoke at an unhurried pace.

"Your footwork is ruthless, and your timing is precise. You go straight for the kill with every move. You've got the sharp edge of an agility-type Soul Master."

Then his tone shifted, and he added mildly, taking control of the conversation.

"But you committed too fully to that strike, leaving yourself no backup plan. You poured all your Soul Power into the surprise attack."

"If your opponent had an agility-type Soul Skill of the same level to counter you, you'd have exposed every vital point on your body."

"You're a fine piece of jade, but you'll need to be carefully polished before you can truly become a finished work."

With that, he turned and started walking. "All right, come back with me. Even if you don't want to call me teacher yet, that's fine."

Lang Taihui led Lei Xiang and the other student away first. He didn't walk quickly, but he didn't make any special effort to wait for her either.

Zhu Zhuqing had just taken a step to follow when Gu Chensha's amused voice suddenly sounded in her mind.

"Slow down a little. Someone's about to give you something."

"Give me something?"

Zhu Zhuqing subtly slowed her pace.

Her expression remained as cool as ever, but confusion stirred in her heart. She quietly pressed him for an answer in her mind.

"Who would give me something?"

Gu Chensha only chuckled and said no more.

As soon as he finished speaking, a clear female voice came from beside her.

"Little sister, wait for me."

Zhu Zhuqing glanced to the side and saw Hu Liena hurrying after her.

She walked naturally to Zhu Zhuqing's side, matching her pace as they strolled together. Her voice was full of sincere admiration.

"That battle just now was truly astonishing, little sister."

"Lei Xiang is the most prized disciple under Cardinal Lang. He usually has his nose in the air, but you subdued him with a single move."

"What's most impressive is how perfectly you judged the timing."

"Even among agility-type Soul Masters of the same level, few could be so clean and decisive."

"Not to mention, you kept your composure and struck without the slightest hesitation, even against a Red Cardinal's prized disciple."

"Your composure puts even me to shame, big sister."

Zhu Zhuqing was cool by nature and wasn't good at responding to such warm familiarity. She only nodded slightly and said softly,

"Thank you for the praise, big sister."

She answered aloud, but she had already sensed something was off.

As they walked side by side, Hu Liena spoke slowly, and her pace was unhurried.

Without realizing it, the distance between them and Lang Taihui's group ahead grew wider and wider.

At last, the two of them turned off the main path through the Martial Arts Arena. Not another soul was around.

Only then did Hu Liena stop and turn to face Zhu Zhuqing.

She raised her right hand and gently brushed her fingertip over the sapphire-set ring.

A pale blue glimmer flashed, and a delicate, palm-sized wooden box appeared out of thin air in her palm.

That ring was clearly a Storage Soul Tool.

No one could tell what the delicate wooden box contained.

Before it was even opened, a faint, clean medicinal fragrance seeped through the cracks in the box. Just breathing it in lifted one's spirits.

Hu Liena held out the wooden box. "Here, little sister. This is for you."

"Congratulations on making such a beautiful showing right after joining Spirit Hall. You've taken your first step toward establishing yourself here."

Zhu Zhuqing instinctively raised a hand to refuse, then asked,

"What is it?"

"It's something good, little sister."

Hu Liena's smile deepened. "It's a Soul Ascension Pill. Just as the name suggests, it's a pill that can directly increase your Soul Power."

"It's mild in nature and easy to absorb. A single pill provides all the Soul Power a Soul Master needs to go from level thirty to level thirty-one."

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head at once.

"This gift is too valuable. I can't accept it."

"Don't overthink it, little sister. This isn't a personal gift from me. It's a reward from Spirit Hall."

Hu Liena had anticipated this and immediately put her worries to rest.

"Spirit Hall has always valued and cherished talent. As long as a Soul Master demonstrates talent and potential worthy of support, the Hall provides them with the corresponding resources."

"I'm only handing over what you were entitled to receive anyway, a little ahead of schedule."

She lowered her voice and added, "But don't let other people see it casually."

"The pill was supposed to be registered and distributed through the proper channels. I took it out and gave it to you early, so if anyone sees it, big sister could get into trouble."

Zhu Zhuqing fell silent for a moment.

Gu Chensha said nothing in her mind, clearly leaving the decision to her.

Looking at the sincerity in Hu Liena's eyes, she finally reached out and accepted the wooden box. She said softly,

"Thank you, big sister."

"And this too. Take it as well."

Seeing her accept the box, Hu Liena took the ring from her left hand and held it out.

"This is a Storage Soul Tool. It has two cubic meters of space and can hold your personal belongings."

"You've only just joined Spirit Hall, so I imagine you don't have a convenient storage device yet. This should make things easier for you."

Before Zhu Zhuqing could refuse again, she pressed the ring into her hand and waved with a smile.

"All right, little sister. Hurry and catch up with the Cardinal. Don't keep him waiting."

"Study hard and break through soon. Big sister has high hopes for you. If you ever need anything in Spirit Hall, you can come to me."

With that, Hu Liena turned and left, giving Zhu Zhuqing no chance to refuse again.

Zhu Zhuqing had no choice but to accept it for now.

She infused the ring with a trace of Soul Power to confirm the storage space, then put the rosewood box inside. But she didn't put the ring on right away; instead, she tucked it safely into her clothes.

She hurried after Lang Taihui, while immediately communicating with Gu Chensha in her mind.

"Teacher, is the pill really like she said? What exactly does it do?"

Clearly, she had remained wary of Hu Liena's explanation.

"Oh? You're getting more cautious. That's progress."