The Second Soul Ring and the Experiment

Zhu Zhuqing felt a stir in her heart upon hearing these inner thoughts.

Twin Martial Souls?

As expected, Lin Yi possessed Twin Martial Souls.

This also explained the meaning behind that phrase, "drawing his gun."

Furthermore, she could sense Lin Yi's resistance, though this resistance was not directed at her personally; it felt more like an instinctive avoidance of trouble.

This only made her more curious.

A youth who clearly harbored secrets yet remained so obsessed with keeping a low profile—what exactly was hidden behind that?

Her gaze lingered on Lin Yi for a moment, an instinctive urge to probe rising within her, but years of habit had taught her to remain silent.

Seeing this, Xiao Wu shook her head to herself and said nothing more.

She knew exactly what Zhu Zhuqing was thinking right now, as it was the same as her own initial desire to uncover everything about Lin Yi.

But she also understood that such things could not be rushed; one had to take it slow to unravel the mysteries in one's heart.

Seeing that both of them had fallen silent, Lin Yi was glad for the peace.

He couldn't be bothered to find another topic, so he added some wood to the campfire on his own, then leaned back against the rock behind him and closed his eyes to rest.

[Finally, it's quiet.]

[Keeping watch is a perfect opportunity. Once they're both asleep in a little while, I'll head out for a stroll.]

[If they don't ask, fine, but if they do, I'll just say I reached level twenty last night and got lucky enough to run into a suitable soul beast while looking for wild fruit, successfully obtaining my second soul skill.]

[If I say that, the little rabbit should believe me, right? She's usually pretty easy to fool.]

[As for Zhu Zhuqing... she's a newcomer, she shouldn't be one to meddle in other people's business.]

Lin Yi rehearsed the script in his mind repeatedly, ensuring every detail was seamless before finally relaxing.

The two who heard his inner thoughts, however, wore different expressions.

Xiao Wu was speechless; this guy Lin Yi made it sound as if she were a complete fool.

Zhu Zhuqing, meanwhile, felt the corners of her mouth curl into an imperceptible smile. Was he always this interesting?

Time ticked away, second by second.

Lin Yi glanced at the two girls without a sound.

Xiao Wu was already asleep, curled up on the straw mat, her breathing steady and even, just like a real little rabbit.

Zhu Zhuqing was also lying on her side, back to the campfire, her long hair draped over her shoulders, looking as though she were in a deep slumber.

He cleared his throat and tried calling out twice, "Xiao Wu, Miss Zhu..."

Yet there was no response; they seemed truly asleep.

[Excellent, they're both out.]

Lin Yi lightened his movements and slowly stood up, adding a few thick logs to the fire to ensure it would burn until the latter half of the night.

Then, like a cat, he vanished silently into the shadows of the woods.

Almost the moment he left, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing opened their eyes simultaneously.

Fortunately, they were not facing each other, so they did not see that the other had also woken up.

Both wanted to follow him, but feared the other would realize they were awake.

In the end, neither spoke, and both suppressed the urge to follow.

Regardless, no matter what that guy Lin Yi was up to, he would surely return by daybreak.

Lin Yi was gone for two hours.

When he returned, covered in dew, the eastern horizon was already beginning to pale, and the campfire had burned down to embers, with only a few wisps of blue smoke rising.

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were already awake.

The two sat on their respective straw mats, one tidying her hair, the other wiping her dagger. Neither spoke, but both knew that the spot beside them had been empty for the entire night.

Lin Yi walked into the camp and greeted them, "Morning. I picked some wild fruit, eat up."

Xiao Wu looked up, glanced at him, then at the fruit in his hands, a playful smile on her face: "You slept so soundly last night, I didn't even know when you went out."

[You were sleeping like a pig, I couldn't have woken you even if I shouted, of course you didn't know.]

Lin Yi muttered to himself, but said aloud, "I saw you were both sleeping deeply, so I didn't want to wake you."

"Oh, I see." Xiao Wu nodded, her gaze landing on him as she asked deliberately, "Lin Yi, why do I feel like you've gotten stronger?"

[Great, she noticed after all.]

Lin Yi coughed lightly, then nodded naturally: "Yeah, I'm level twenty-one now."

"Really?" Xiao Wu turned on her acting skills, her eyes widening, round and bright. "When did that happen? How come I didn't know?"

"Just in the latter half of the night." Lin Yi feigned thought: "And... I got lucky. I ran into a Starlight Fox while picking fruit, and it was just right for my martial soul."

Xiao Wu covered her mouth in coordination: "You hunted a soul beast all by yourself? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"It's nothing." Lin Yi shook his head, "It was just a Starlight Fox around five or six hundred years old; it wasn't very aggressive. I used my martial soul to lure it close, and then..."

As he spoke, he made a gesture indicating a smooth resolution and summoned his second soul ring.

[Perfect, this excuse is flawless.]

[The Starlight Fox does exist, and it is indeed not very aggressive.]

[And with my level nineteen strength, while hunting a five or six-hundred-year soul beast is difficult, it's not entirely impossible.]

[They should believe it, right?]

Watching his supposedly perfect acting, Xiao Wu nearly failed to hold back her laughter.

She tried her best to maintain an expression of surprise: "Wow, you really have a second soul ring."

This exclamation was thirty percent genuine and seventy percent fake.

The genuine part was that Lin Yi had indeed absorbed a second soul ring; the fake part was that she had already known the entire process from his inner thoughts last night.

Lin Yi looked at Xiao Wu's reaction with satisfaction and nodded: "Mm, the second soul skill is called Starlight Charge."

As he spoke, he extended his right hand, and the Myriad Star Core appeared in his palm, emitting a soft, silvery-white glow.

"This soul skill can replenish soul power for teammates, though I'm not sure if it has any other effects."

[I wonder if this soul skill has the effect of helping people break through their levels?]

[I'll have to find an opportunity to test it on that little rabbit.]

Just as Lin Yi was pondering this, Xiao Wu had already leaned in.

"Lin Yi." She tilted her head, looking eager to try: "Your soul skill sounds quite interesting. Why don't you test out its effects?"

Lin Yi was stunned for a moment.

[So proactive?]

[Wait, this little rabbit isn't trying to take advantage of me and get a free boost of soul power, is she?]

[But that works out perfectly; it saves me from having to come up with an excuse.]

Lin Yi collected his thoughts and nodded: "Alright, then stand still and don't move."

"Okay." Xiao Wu nodded and immediately stood straight.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing silently put down her dagger, her gaze fixed on the silvery-white crystal in Lin Yi's palm.

Lin Yi took a deep breath and channeled his soul power.

The second soul ring lit up with a yellow glow, and the starlight on the surface of the Myriad Star Core suddenly flared. A gentle beam of light shot out from the crystal, landing precisely on Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu closed her eyes, carefully sensing this power.

It was a very strange sensation.

The moment the beam landed on her, she clearly felt a warm force seeping into her body.

It wasn't aggressive energy, nor was it a violent infusion of soul power, but rather a gentle, nourishing kind of energy.