Shui Bing'er didn't refuse.
She took the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
Then found a quiet spot.
And began consuming the Immortal Herb.
Yu Xiaolong stood not far away, watching the river.
He kept watch over Shui Bing'er.
An hour later.
Boom!
Shui Bing'er, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, stirred.
Yu Xiaolong turned around. "You broke through."
He murmured.
Shui Bing'er opened her eyes.
She got up and walked over to him.
"Teacher, I broke through three levels!" Shui Bing'er exclaimed, her face alight with excitement.
Yu Xiaolong felt his Soul Power increase.
He had reached Level 54 in no time.
A Level 54 Battle Soul King!
"Also, I seem to be immune to ice attributes now..."
Shui Bing'er looked at her hands.
Yu Xiaolong said, "You're not only immune to ice; you've also gained the Ultimate Ice attribute."
"Ultimate Ice!?"
At that, Shui Bing'er's expression changed.
The Ice Phoenix was already a top-tier Beast Martial Soul.
Now, with the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass bolstering it,
her Soul Power had even gained the Ultimate Ice attribute!
With that, her combat strength would rise by several more levels.
Shui Bing'er had reached Level 46 in one go.
At the outer entrance of the Star Dou Great Forest.
It was located in the outskirts of the Heaven Dou Empire.
At this moment.
At the edge of the forest, a girl in fiery red clothes with a curvaceous figure
was pacing back and forth, growing increasingly impatient.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why hasn't that old geezer shown up yet?"
"Did he stand me up?"
The moment she thought of that,
she began beating her chest and stamping her feet,
cursing and swearing.
She was nothing like a beautiful young woman.
This was the girl Yu Xiaolong had forcibly taken as his disciple two days ago—
and had accidentally groped: Huo Wu.
She had snuck out behind her older brother's back this time
because two days earlier, Yu Xiaolong had told her to wait for him at the Star Dou Great Forest.
Early that morning,
she'd come to this little teahouse.
She'd waited for about two hours,
but there was no sign of him.
She'd propped her chin in her hand and nearly fallen asleep.
Then she got up and began pacing around restlessly.
She was just about to head back
when
a figure dressed in black
came walking along the path.
Huo Wu looked up and took a quick glance.
"That old lecher finally showed up!"
Huo Wu was delighted at first.
Then her expression changed.
She muttered curses under her breath,
folding her arms over her ample chest.
She deliberately refused to look at him.
Yu Xiaolong walked over and looked at Huo Wu, who was sitting at the table.
He asked, "How long have you been waiting here?"
Yu Xiaolong had thought she wouldn't come.
After all, this little girl had a pretty unruly personality.
"Hmph! Who are you?"
"Who said I was waiting for you?"
Huo Wu looked at him skeptically.
As she spoke, she held her head high.
She didn't even bother looking at Yu Xiaolong.
Yu Xiaolong looked at her.
Since she wasn't looking at him,
and had her arms folded as she thrust out her chest,
her ample breasts were on full display.
Yu Xiaolong was lucky enough to enjoy the view for a little longer.
He said, "You weren't waiting for me?"
"Then I really shouldn't have come."
Yu Xiaolong shook his head.
"Come or don't. I don't care."
Huo Wu shot him a glare,
looking as haughty as could be.
Yu Xiaolong couldn't help feeling rather helpless.
It seemed the little girl was wary of him.
Well, it was his own fault for accidentally touching her little sister when they first met.
Yu Xiaolong reached out. "Come on."
"Y-you, what are you trying to do?"
Yu Xiaolong's reaching hand
startled Huo Wu.
She sprang off the stool in one leap
and put a safe distance between herself and Yu Xiaolong.
"Uh..."
Yu Xiaolong's hand hung in the air.
He watched her stare at him as if he were a thief.
This little girl...
Yu Xiaolong drew his hand back
and led the way.
The path ahead led into the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Hmph!"
Seeing this,
Huo Wu gritted her teeth and followed him in.
The whole way, they kept a safe distance between them.
Whenever Yu Xiaolong glanced back to see whether she was still following,
she deliberately stopped and stood where she was.
She looked around as if she hadn't followed him at all.
Seeing that,
Yu Xiaolong's lips curled up.
Interesting...
"Hey! What are you doing?"
Suddenly,
Yu Xiaolong stopped short.
Huo Wu's head bumped into his back.
Yu Xiaolong felt two soft mounds collide with his back.
Yu Xiaolong looked at the plant in front of him. "This is a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo..."
"Solitary Bamboo?" Huo Wu's eyes widened.
She looked at him, full of suspicion.
Yu Xiaolong rested a hand beneath his chin.
Suddenly,
his ear twitched.
His brows shot up. "Something's wrong!"
"What's wrong? Soul Beasts are everywhere in the forest."
Huo Wu thought the old man was trying to scare her.
She pouted.
She paid no heed at all to what Yu Xiaolong had said.
But the next second,
a roar
rang through the mountains and forest.
Huo Wu's expression changed.
"There... really is something wrong!?"
Her legs could barely hold her up.
When the two of them looked up,
they saw that the sky above them had turned completely black.
It wasn't a storm cloud.
It was a gigantic Soul Beast.
Its enormous body blocked out the light before their eyes.
The Star Dou Great Forest was already packed with dense woods.
Now,
the whole area was suddenly filled with danger.
"What kind of monster is that!?"
The young girl was so terrified she froze.
She was still just a child, after all.
She had never seen a Soul Beast of this magnitude.
Her beautiful eyes widened as she stared into the sky.
"Titan Giant Ape!"
"The overlord of the Star Dou Great Forest—a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"
Yu Xiaolong remained calm.
He gave a cold laugh and spoke.
Huo Wu was stunned when she heard him. "A... Titan Giant Ape?!"
Her voice trembled.
Her fiery, willful temper from before was gone, too.
She stayed close to Yu Xiaolong.
"It's over, it's over. I'm dead for sure."
Yu Xiaolong heard Huo Wu muttering.
He assumed a battle-ready stance.
"Human, you must be Yu Xiaolong. I've finally been waiting for you."
Suddenly,
the Soul Beast spoke in human language.
Yu Xiaolong was rather surprised.
"A Soul Beast actually came looking for me on its own. I suppose it's not here to offer me its Soul Ring—that would be too good to be true."
Yu Xiaolong raised an eyebrow.
"Ha ha ha ha! Human, you've got some nerve. I'll tear you to pieces!"
The Titan Giant Ape had heard Yu Xiaolong muttering to himself.
It clenched its fist,
with the air of a cat toying with a mouse.
Its enormous fist,
bigger than a small hill,
came crashing down in a single blow.
"Back!"
Yu Xiaolong reacted in the blink of an eye.
He put an arm around Huo Wu's waist
and took a step back,
retreating ten meters.
He let go of Huo Wu,
still savoring the softness he'd just felt.
Huo Wu looked shaken,
her chest rising and falling.
She was clearly very tense.
"Looks like Big Brother was too cautious."
"What can one human possibly accomplish? You greedy, vile human Soul Masters—die!"
The Titan Giant Ape roared.
Red light shone from its pupils.
It was about to attack again.
Yu Xiaolong furrowed his brow.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast—
it was far too powerful.
It was beyond what a Soul King of his level, barely past fifty, could withstand.
There was only one plan left.
Run!
"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, huh?!"
Yu Xiaolong looked up, staring intently at the Titan Giant Ape.
He murmured.
Before you continue