She shrank closer to Ye Xuan.
It was exactly the posture of a startled little beast seeking its sole refuge.
Hu Liena was completely stunned.
She hadn't expected the first Soul Beast Ye Xuan subdued to be such an adorable little girl.
"Her name is Xiao Wu."
Ye Xuan introduced her simply.
Feeling Xiao Wu trembling behind him,
he gently stroked the back of the hand clutching his clothes, soothing her with the gesture.
Before long,
Hu Liena learned the girl's true identity from Ye Xuan.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit who had taken human form.
Her mother had been killed by her teacher, Bibi Dong, a few years ago.
Her Soul Ring and Soul Bone had also been absorbed.
And today, in the Pope Palace, Bibi Dong had tried to kill her as well.
In the end, Xiao Wu had become a Soul Ring.
She could no longer be killed.
After learning everything,
Hu Liena felt deeply sorry for what Xiao Wu had endured.
She tried to offer a friendly smile.
Bending down slightly,
she softened her voice as much as possible.
"Xiao Wu? Hello, I'm Hu Liena, Ye Xuan's senior sister. It's safe here. You don't need to be afraid."
But Xiao Wu only seemed even more frightened.
She nearly buried her entire head behind Ye Xuan.
Only one eye peeked out, darting a quick glance at Hu Liena.
Then she shook her head hard and pressed herself even closer to Ye Xuan.
She showed no response at all to Hu Liena's kindness.
There was only her dependence on Ye Xuan and her rejection of the outside world.
Hu Liena straightened up and looked at Ye Xuan.
After learning about Xiao Wu's identity and what she had been through, she understood why the girl rejected everyone except Ye Xuan.
"Ye Xuan, let her return to your Martial Soul Pokeball. At least she won't have to live in fear there."
As a girl,
Hu Liena could sense Xiao Wu's confusion and helplessness.
But—
the relationship between Soul Beasts and Soul Masters
had always been one of life and death.
Her teacher hadn't been wrong to absorb Xiao Wu's mother's Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
And Xiao Wu wasn't wrong to hate her teacher, either.
Listening to Hu Liena, Ye Xuan turned his gaze to Xiao Wu.
"Xiao Wu, do you want to go back into the Pokeball, or stay outside?"
"I... I'd rather stay by your side."
Although Xiao Wu was afraid, she didn't want to return to that dark, sunless Pokeball just like that.
"Okay, then stay by my side."
Ye Xuan and Xiao Wu might have seemed like master and servant, but in truth, they were partners who faced everything together.
Just like the way people saw things in the Pokémon world.
Pokémon had never been servants or tools.
"Y-yes..."
Xiao Wu stood in front of Ye Xuan and rubbed her head against his chest.
As if only he could make her feel safe.
Hu Liena, standing off to the side, watched this scene.
She felt sorry for what Xiao Wu had been through.
But since it involved her teacher,
she couldn't say much about it.
"Junior brother, what does your first Soul Skill do?"
Hearing Hu Liena's question, Ye Xuan didn't hide anything.
After all,
they would be seeing each other every day from now on.
Besides, he could tell that his senior sister didn't seem as arrogant and cutting toward others as she had been in the original story.
"My first Soul Skill lets me temporarily gain all the abilities of a Hundred-Year Soft Bone Rabbit."
"I become more flexible, stronger, faster, and more agile. In short, I can use all the abilities of a Hundred-Year Soft Bone Rabbit."
At Ye Xuan's words,
Hu Liena's eyes filled with disbelief.
"Temporarily gaining all the abilities of a Hundred-Year Soft Bone Rabbit? Junior brother, that ability is practically heaven-defying!"
A Hundred-Year Soul Beast was far stronger than an ordinary Soul Master.
Hearing Hu Liena's praise, Ye Xuan rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.
"You flatter me, senior sister."
Time passed in a flash.
Before long, it was late at night.
Moonlight shone into Ye Xuan's bedroom.
Xiao Wu was curled up beside him, resting.
But—
as Ye Xuan cultivated, he suddenly felt the Soul Power in his body grow unusually domineering.
He abruptly opened his eyes.
And saw moon-white light shining from Xiao Wu.
"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, wake up!"
Ye Xuan patted Xiao Wu's back,
trying to wake her.
But—
right after that,
his Martial Soul Pokeball released a beam of light that connected to Xiao Wu.
Soon,
an extremely domineering surge of Soul Power burst from Xiao Wu's body.
"Clang—!"
The terrifying wave of Soul Power tore through everything in the room.
At that moment,
Ye Xuan sensed something.
He quickly guided his Martial Soul and carried Xiao Wu outside, into the courtyard awash with moonlight.
At the same time,
the surge of Soul Power emanating from Xiao Wu startled Bibi Dong, who lived on the other side of Lake Heart Island.
"This wave of Soul Power... Could something have happened to that little rabbit?"
At the thought,
Bibi Dong vanished from her place of meditation.
In Ye Xuan's courtyard,
the Pokeball Martial Soul was continuously absorbing the power of the moonlight.
It lifted Xiao Wu's body into the air.
A crystal-clear Soul Bone slowly appeared over Xiao Wu's lower abdomen.
But soon,
under the moonlight's tempering, aided by the Pokeball Martial Soul, the Soul Bone gradually transformed into a Glazed Crescent Moon.
Before long, a tall, graceful figure appeared beside Ye Xuan.
Seeing her arrive,
Ye Xuan quickly bowed in greeting.
"Teacher."
Seeing Ye Xuan's gesture, Bibi Dong merely waved a hand, signaling him to continue.
Under the Martial Soul's guidance,
a silver crescent mark slowly formed between Xiao Wu's brows.
As the crescent mark took shape,
Ye Xuan noticed that the Martial Soul storing Xiao Wu—the Red and White Poké Ball—
had changed from red and white to black and white.
The marks of the moon and stars had appeared on it.
When he saw the Glazed Crescent Moon,
Ye Xuan already understood.
The Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone inside Xiao Wu had always been there.
His Pokeball Martial Soul
was using the power of the moonlight
to transform the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone inside Xiao Wu into a Moon Stone.
As the Moon Stone fully merged with Xiao Wu's body,
Ye Xuan also felt the energy Xiao Wu returned to him.
The moon-white energy entered his body.
It washed through every inch of him.
And—
he could feel
that some wondrous changes were taking place within him.
Bibi Dong stood off to the side, watching the scene.
There was not a trace of emotion in her expression.
At last,
she seemed to grow impatient.
She vanished from the spot.
Half a quarter of an hour later,
Ye Xuan recovered from Xiao Wu's energy returning to him.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Xiao Wu looking at him expectantly,
her beautiful eyes wide and unblinking.
A faint, sacred aura now surrounded her.
The lines of her cheeks had become even more delicate than before.
She didn't say a word.
She simply threw herself into his arms as soon as she saw him awaken.
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