Two Little Kittens

The next day, the morning sun rose.

The group gathered on the training grounds early in the morning. Led by Zhao Wuji, and accompanied by Lin Yan and the other seven students, they officially set off on the journey toward the Star Dou Forest.

On the road, Lin Yan took advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention to quietly move to Zhu Zhuqing's side.

"Zhuqing, I'll show you something good later."

Lin Yan's tone was mysterious, and his teasing expression made it clear to anyone watching that the "good thing" he spoke of was definitely not something wholesome.

Zhu Zhuqing vigilantly scanned the group around them.

"What thing?"

"With so many people around, don't you dare pull anything..."

Lin Yan curled his lips.

"Don't worry, I'll give it to you when there's no one else around."

"We'll likely stay at an inn tonight; come find me in my room then."

Upon hearing that she was expected to go find him that night, a flush of red suddenly appeared on Zhu Zhuqing's pretty face.

She didn't need to guess to know it must be about that sort of thing, but what exactly was it? Why was Lin Yan acting so secretive?

Driven by curiosity, she asked in a low voice.

"What exactly is it? Can't you just say it now?"

"If I told you now, it wouldn't be a surprise. You'll know when the time comes, and I'm sure you'll like it."

As he finished speaking, Lin Yan wore a meaningful smile that left Zhu Zhuqing feeling both curious and bashful. Paired with her exquisite face and the massive assets on her chest, the scene was anything but subtle...

She wanted to keep pressing him to get to the bottom of it, but just then, Ning Rongrong suddenly stepped between the two of them.

"Hey! What kind of secret whispers are you two sharing?"

Startled, Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly turned her head away, and Lin Yan also wiped the smile from his face.

"It's nothing..."

Leaving those words behind, he returned to the boys' group, leaving behind a Zhu Zhuqing who was walking with a slightly unnatural gait and a bewildered Ning Rongrong.

For some reason, Ning Rongrong felt that something bad was about to happen; she felt a sense of unease in her heart.

"Zhuqing, what did Lin Yan say to you? Why does it feel like you two are acting so strangely?"

It must be said that a woman's intuition is sometimes very accurate, especially for a woman like Ning Rongrong who had already developed feelings for Lin Yan.

Her intuition told her that these two definitely had a secret...

"You... don't talk nonsense, he was just asking me about cultivation matters."

"It's not what you think, we didn't..."

Stopping there, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly paused, realizing that her own reaction was also quite abnormal. Adhering to the principle that saying too much leads to mistakes, she chose to shut her mouth.

From this point on, the atmosphere in the team began to grow subtle...

Ning Rongrong kept eyeing Zhu Zhuqing with a vigilant gaze, while Zhu Zhuqing deliberately avoided Ning Rongrong, both of them seemingly tacitly avoiding the same issue.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, evening arrived.

Zhao Wuji led the group to find an inn near the entrance of the Star Dou Forest. During this time, as expected, they encountered Canghui Academy.

Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai provoked the other side, leading to a battle that ended with Zhao Wuji unilaterally crushing Ye Zhiqiu.

Lin Yan didn't pay much attention to it...

It didn't matter. In this world where strength reigned supreme, how they chose to stir up trouble had little to do with him. Trying to reshape someone's worldview was just too exhausting.

The evening breeze blew through the window into the inn room. Lin Yan was toying with the "Tiger Talisman" rewarded by the system when the door was gently knocked twice.

He raised the corners of his mouth, knowing it was Zhu Zhuqing.

He got off the bed to open the door, and in an instant, a dark shadow slipped inside. The scene was so stealthy that it even made Lin Yan chuckle.

"Hurry and close the door! What are you standing there like a fool for?"

Zhu Zhuqing shot Lin Yan a glare. Lin Yan closed the door, then wrapped his arms around Zhu Zhuqing's waist and pulled her onto the bed.

The two of them landed heavily on the soft mattress, Lin Yan on top and Zhu Zhuqing underneath, close enough that they could see the fine fuzz on each other's cheeks...

The young girl's face was slightly flushed as she resentfully spat out a few words.

"What exactly is it, being all mysterious?"

Lin Yan chuckled softly.

"It's definitely a good thing!"

"Close your eyes first."

"Stop messing around, I snuck out. If Rongrong and Xiao Wu find out I'm gone, they'll definitely come looking for me."

Lin Yan could clearly feel the rapid beating of her heart against his palm, even through the barrier of her chest.

This was enough to show just how nervous Zhu Zhuqing was, and how afraid she was of being discovered...

"Fine."

Lin Yan stopped teasing and instead opened his palm, handing the Tiger Talisman to Zhu Zhuqing.

"Hold it and carefully sense the power within."

The young girl took the talisman skeptically, looking at the white tiger pattern on it with a puzzled expression.

"What does this mean?"

Lin Yan nodded, signaling her to follow his instructions, so Zhu Zhuqing had no choice but to hold it in her hand.

In an instant, brilliant light bloomed from her palm, and her Hell Spirit Cat martial soul manifested of its own accord. Two yellow soul rings slowly pulsed, beginning to merge and then separate...

This strange phenomenon left even Lin Yan bewildered. Truth be told, he didn't know what the Tiger Talisman's ability was in this world either; the system hadn't provided any explanation, and everything would have to be discovered by Zhu Zhuqing herself.

After a long while, all energy fluctuations returned to peace.

Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes sparkled with excitement; she had clearly grasped the wonder of it.

Before Lin Yan could ask, she spoke first.

"I can feel that every one of my soul rings will evenly divide the sum of all their ages, and any subsequent soul rings will follow the same rule."

"Right now, both of my soul rings are roughly just under six hundred years old."

"The power of my first soul skill has increased, while the power of my second soul skill has decreased."

Hearing her explanation, Lin Yan frowned slightly, clearly digesting the implications.

Before long, he finally understood.

"I get it."

"So that's how 'balancing the energy within the body' is meant to be interpreted."

"In other words, if your subsequent soul rings are of high enough quality, the age of all your soul rings will reach the ten-thousand-year, or even hundred-thousand-year level."

Lin Yan had a sudden realization; it was clear that balancing the energy within the body referred to the age of the soul rings, and perhaps even the age of soul bones.

"This..."

"What exactly is this thing? Where did you get it?"

Zhu Zhuqing's expression turned a shade more solemn.

She had originally thought Lin Yan called her over to do that kind of thing, never expecting he would actually give her something so valuable, and with such a strange ability at that...

Adjusting the age of soul rings meant that the further she progressed in her cultivation, the greater her advantage would be over soul masters of the same rank.

While the first two, or even the first four skills of others might be quite useless, if hers were at the ten-thousand-year level starting from the very first soul ring, how could anyone possibly fight her?

The young girl's breathing gradually became rapid, already shocked by the future she had envisioned.

Seeing this, Lin Yan chuckled.

"It doesn't matter! From now on, it belongs to you."

"There is one more thing; try using your soul power to actively trigger its energy."