In the direction he pointed, a Silver Hero Beast stood in plain sight. He had only ever seen one in books, but judging by its size, he could tell it was undoubtedly ten thousand years old. But how was that possible? Weren't Silver Hero Beasts supposed to live deeper in? How could a ten-thousand-year-old Silver Hero Beast appear between the outer and mixed zones?
"I told you Sister Lexuan was my goddess of good fortune."
Ignoring Zhang Lexuan's astonishment, he strode forward. He had been focused on researching Soul Skills, and had never experienced real combat before. Now, he was itching to fight. Seeing Su Qing prepare to battle the Silver Hero Beast alone, Zhang Lexuan instinctively wanted to call out and stop him. But just as she opened her mouth, Su Qing glanced back at her with a smile.
"Sister Lexuan, I'd like to try on my own first. If things go wrong, I'll retreat behind you right away. After all, I'm most afraid of getting hurt."
As he spoke, the Silver Dragon Spear appeared in his hand. Under the effect of Light-Dark Intertwining, Zhang Lexuan saw only his First Soul Ring light up. A pair of transparent wings appeared behind him, and in an instant, he soared into the air and hovered there.
"Elemental Tide, Wind-Thunder Form, Instant Thunder, Autumn Sweeping Over Chu Sky."
As his words fell, two elements converged within him, crisscrossing like a spiderweb. At last, they transformed into a streak of light that shot into the sky. A muffled boom of thunder rang out, and a storm sprang up, trapping the Silver Hero Beast in place as lightning filled the sky and rained down on the immobilized beast.
But it wasn't the sort to sit around waiting to die. It immediately activated its Imprint Soul Skill, and streaks of lightning began to appear around its body as well. Following the path of the lightning Su Qing had summoned, it surged upward and scattered the thunderclouds overhead.
Zhang Lexuan's expression turned grave. The opponent had casually dispelled Su Qing's spectacular Soul Skill, yet she saw not a trace of tension on his face. As she wondered what he was up to, a faint blue glow appeared around him.
"Elemental Tide, Ice Form, Ten Thousand Li Ice Seal."
That previous move had actually been a bluff, meant to scare the beast. His real aim was to make the Silver Hero Beast imprint that Soul Skill, then seize the chance to ambush it with an attack skill. Before the storm completely subsided, it couldn't see Su Qing using his Soul Skill, so it wouldn't have a chance to imprint another one.
Just as the Silver Hero Beast smugly believed it had foiled its opponent's killing move and waited for the storm to dissipate, slanted ice spikes thrust up from the ground. Within a few breaths, they had spread from beneath Su Qing's feet to the ground below the beast. Before it could react, three ice spikes pierced it at once, lifting it clear off the ground.
The energy of Ultimate Ice surged from the spikes into the Silver Hero Beast's body. Before long, it had lost all signs of life.
After a pained howl, Su Qing ended the storm with a thought. Looking at the Silver Hero Beast's corpse, Zhang Lexuan drew in a sharp breath. This kid had incredible combat instincts. He had actually known to exploit the beast's nature and counter it.
But how had a two-ring Soul Master on the verge of becoming a Soul Elder acquired so many skills? After ruling out the possibility that his first two Soul Rings were both Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings, Zhang Lexuan gradually formed a guess: Self-Created Soul Skills. If that was true, this kid's future was truly immeasurable. Still, she didn't plan to tell Shrek about any of it.
First, she had promised Su Qing to keep it secret. Second, a genius like him would probably establish his own faction once he had grown up. He wouldn't be confined to Shrek.
"Sister Lexuan, I've got some good news and some bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
Su Qing's voice came from nearby, leaving Zhang Lexuan utterly confused. What was this kid up to now? Good news and bad news? Had he found something on the Silver Hero Beast's corpse?
"Let's hear the good news first."
Though puzzled, she decided not to be a spoilsport.
Seeing that she had responded, Su Qing continued, "The good news is that through my own hard work, I successfully hunted a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast!"
In truth, that wasn't the case. Aside from his regular cultivation, he hadn't worked hard at all. He'd pulled all this off by cheating, then tricked the Silver Hero Beast into using its Imprint ability to copy a move that was completely useless, before ambushing it from outside its field of vision.
"Tell me something I don't know."
Zhang Lexuan was a little speechless. Was this kid just making conversation for the sake of it?
"Something you don't know? Then that's the bad news. I... used up all my Soul Power just now, so you might have to go through a little trouble getting me out of here. Hehe."
Su Qing sidled up to Zhang Lexuan with a cheeky grin. He really hadn't been lying. To kill a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, he couldn't afford to hold anything back. Those two attacks had used almost all the Soul Power in his body. The storm in particular had consumed an enormous amount of Soul Power to keep the Silver Hero Beast trapped inside it.
"Get over there and absorb your Soul Ring!"
Zhang Lexuan punched him, sending him flying beside the Silver Hero Beast's corpse. Su Qing didn't mind. He rubbed his bottom a little, then sat cross-legged on the ground and began absorbing the Soul Ring. The process went extremely smoothly. The physical impact of a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring couldn't faze him in the slightest, let alone the mere Soul Shock. Faced with his vast spiritual power, the Silver Hero Beast's resentment couldn't even manage a puff of breath before he instantly suppressed it.
Zhang Lexuan, keeping watch nearby, let out a soft sigh. This kid was the most troublesome little boy she had ever encountered. No, not troublesome—he was clingy. One moment, his words could touch her heart; the next, he could infuriate her half to death. He made her want to punch him into the distance, yet somehow she couldn't quite bring herself to do it.
Absorbing this Soul Ring had taken only half an hour. She had already accepted that he was a freak, but this was still hard not to be astonished by. Even Shrek's most talented Soul Masters needed at least an hour to absorb a thousand-year Third Soul Ring. This kid's Third Soul Ring was ten thousand years old, yet he had needed only half an hour?
She also more or less understood why Su Qing hadn't hunted a Soul Beast that could provide a powerful attack skill. He didn't need one. If her guess was right, Su Qing's Martial Soul could control more than four elements. His ice and fire attributes in particular were probably already close to Ultimate Attributes.
"Ugh, Sister Lexuan, absorbing a Soul Ring is so exhausting. I can't walk. Could you carry me?"
As soon as he finished absorbing the Soul Ring, Su Qing staggered toward Zhang Lexuan and bumped his head against her. He blinked up at her pitifully.
"Don't try that on me. You think I've never absorbed a Soul Ring?"
Zhang Lexuan nearly laughed in exasperation. Couldn't this kid at least pretend? If he really had no strength, why had he moved so quickly when he stood up? And that approach hadn't been staggering at all. At most, he was top-heavy, his big head leading his little body along.
"Sister Lexuan, you're such a cold-hearted woman!"
"Get lost!"
Zhang Lexuan smacked the back of his head again. She was usually unflappable, but in the space of a single day, Su Qing had dragged her through an emotional roller coaster. Her normally gentle image had vanished, too. Besides him, who had ever seen Zhang Lexuan hit someone like this?
"Fine, let's get going."
Su Qing rubbed the back of his head, which still stung from the smack, and shook it helplessly. He spoke as if he were being obedient, but secretly took Zhang Lexuan's hand. She didn't pull away...