Night had fallen deep.
The three young men and women sat around the campfire, and the atmosphere once again sank into a subtle silence.
Lin Yi silently added firewood to the flames, but he was still agonizing over the matter.
[Two troubles. One big trouble, and one even bigger trouble.]
[Forget it, forget it. Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it.]
[Anyway, once I send Little Rabbit back to the depths of the Star Dou Forest, I'm planning to slip away. Then I'll find a chance to shake off Zhu Zhuqing too.]
Xiao Wu was no longer surprised that Lin Yi wanted to ditch them.
After all, along the way, Lin Yi had practically spent all his time figuring out how to get rid of her.
But Zhu Zhuqing was different. Her heart was churning like a stormy sea.
Lin Yi actually planned to ditch both of them?
If Lin Yi wanted to get rid of her, she would not have found that too surprising.
The key was that he even wanted to get rid of Xiao Wu?
Zhu Zhuqing secretly glanced at Xiao Wu, but no matter how she looked, she could not find anything wrong with her.
No, the only strange thing was that Lin Yi called Xiao Wu Little Rabbit?
But that was not particularly strange either. Xiao Wu's Martial Soul was a rabbit, after all. It was perfectly normal.
Then the only explanation was that Lin Yi simply wanted to get away from them because he found them troublesome?
Was this person not a little too strange?
He clearly seemed gentle and polite, yet inwardly he was so... contradictory?
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head to herself and decided not to look too deeply into it for now.
What she cared about more was the matter of fate, but would asking about it deliberately seem a little abrupt?
After pondering for a moment, she asked, "Lin Yi, Xiao Wu, what are your plans for the next step?"
[Plans?]
[Obviously, the plan is to ditch you two.]
The words reached Lin Yi's lips, but what came out was vague. "Well... we'll see."
Xiao Wu had long expected that answer. She immediately picked up the conversation. "Our plan is to first help me find a suitable Third Soul Ring, then go take a look at Heaven Dou City."
After saying that, she even winked at Lin Yi.
The corner of Lin Yi's mouth twitched slightly.
[Why is this little rabbit winking at me? Did she get sand in her eye?]
[Still, it really is time to sort out her Third Soul Ring. She's been stuck at level twenty-nine for quite a while.]
[Come to think of it, the second soul skill of my Myriad Star Core Martial Soul is Starlight Charge. It can charge others and rapidly replenish their Soul Power consumption...]
[If a teammate hasn't expended any Soul Power, could it help them break through instead?]
[I've never tested it in practice, but theoretically, it should work.]
The moment that thought appeared, the lashes of Zhu Zhuqing, who was seated opposite him, trembled lightly.
Starlight Charge?
Could a support-type Martial Soul really have such a function?
Waves rose in her heart, but she still maintained her cold expression on the surface. Only her gaze at Lin Yi gained a faint, nearly imperceptible trace of scrutiny.
Xiao Wu naturally heard Lin Yi's Heart Voice as well. A flash of delight passed through her eyes, but she quickly concealed it and casually poked at the campfire.
"Heaven Dou City?" Zhu Zhuqing asked softly. "I heard that it has the best Soul Master Academies on the entire continent."
"That's right!" Xiao Wu immediately became excited. "Heaven Dou Royal Academy is a place countless Soul Masters dream of attending. And beyond that, Heaven Dou City has plenty of other good academies too."
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Lin Yi. "Lin Yi, what do you think?"
She had learned all of that from Lin Yi's Heart Voice.
Including things like Skywater Academy being filled entirely with female Soul Masters.
Lin Yi was still calculating matters related to his second soul skill. Hearing her, he casually replied, "Yeah, Heaven Dou City is indeed pretty good."
[Provided I can shake off you two little troublemakers.]
[But then again, if I really use Starlight Charge to help Xiao Wu break through, won't that be too conspicuous?]
[After all, I'm only showing level nineteen Soul Power to the outside world. A level nineteen Auxiliary Soul Master should not even have a second soul skill yet. How could I possibly have a soul skill that helps a Soul Master break through?]
[If I don't use it, do I really have to stay in the Star Dou Forest with her and wait for her to break through naturally?]
[That would be even more troublesome...]
The more Lin Yi thought about it, the more his head hurt. He could not help rubbing his temples.
Zhu Zhuqing took in his small movements, and she became increasingly certain that this young man was hiding a great secret.
A level nineteen Auxiliary Soul Master was actually considering helping a level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster break through?
It was simply inconceivable.
Unless... he was not level nineteen at all.
That thought made Zhu Zhuqing's heartbeat accelerate slightly.
She came from the Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire and had seen quite a few methods of disguising one's Soul Power. Those were usually used by great clans to protect their talented younger members.
Could Lin Yi also be a descendant of some hidden family?
"Lin Yi." Zhu Zhuqing suddenly spoke, her voice still cool. "Your Martial Soul... is it purely support-type?"
Lin Yi froze for a moment, then smiled. "Yeah. Aside from lighting and some minor boosts, it's not very useful."
[Lighting? That's just the most low-key way I can put it.]
[If I really used it at full strength, the amplification effect could reach at least twenty percent.]
[And the second soul skill, Starlight Charge, is basically a portable power bank.]
[But I can't let any of that slip. If I do, it'll be even harder to shake them off.]
When Zhu Zhuqing heard the strange term "power bank," she did not quite understand its exact meaning, but she could still roughly guess that it referred to a power that increased or replenished Soul Power.
Her shock deepened.
It could amplify and replenish Soul Power?
How was that not very useful? Those were clearly abilities only top-tier support Martial Souls possessed.
Xiao Wu watched the subtle shift in Zhu Zhuqing's expression and secretly laughed.
It seemed that this second young miss from the Star Luo Empire had also been stunned by Lin Yi's Heart Voice.
Still, she was not worried that Zhu Zhuqing would expose the secret. Judging from Lin Yi's Heart Voice, Zhu Zhuqing already had more than enough troubles of her own. How could she have the energy to worry about others?
"A purely support-type Martial Soul is pretty good too." After a moment of silence, Zhu Zhuqing said, "Every team will always need Support Spirit Masters."
She said it with complete sincerity.
In the cruelly competitive environment of the Star Luo Empire, an outstanding Auxiliary Soul Master could often change the outcome of an entire battle.
Thinking of the Star Luo Empire made her think of the struggle between the brothers Davis and Dai Mubai.
Thinking of Dai Mubai made her recall what Lin Yi had "said" about having women on both arms and twins.
A string of scenes surfaced in her mind, causing Zhu Zhuqing's once-bright eyes to dim again.
Lin Yi did not notice Zhu Zhuqing's unusual state. Hearing her words, he began grumbling inwardly again.
[Needed or not, who wants to be that tool stuck in the back forever, healing everyone?]
[I want to charge into the front and slaughter enemies in every direction too, okay?]
[Unfortunately, I don't have any cheat abilities or backing, and I'm not strong enough. Revealing my Twin Martial Souls would be the same as courting death.]
[Especially with two troublemakers following me around right now... this group is a living target wherever it goes.]
Thinking of that, Lin Yi could not help sighing again.
[Forget it. There's no use thinking so much. I'll take things one step at a time.]
[Later, I'll see if I can find an opportunity to head out and settle the matter of my second soul skill first.]
[As for Zhu Zhuqing, I hope she leaves on her own, so this doesn't become more and more troublesome.]
Before you continue