A Flash of Inspiration Changes the Soul's Path

After much deliberation, he decided to ask about it.

"Xiao Qing, do you know a sister named Zhang Lexuan?"

Hearing that familiar name, Su Qing immediately turned his gaze toward Bei Bei, curious about what Zhang Lexuan might have said regarding him.

"Of course I know her. Did she mention me to you?"

Faced with Su Qing's unreadable eyes, Bei Bei paused. The explanation he had just prepared stuck in his throat for a long moment before he finally spoke slowly:

"She didn't mention you to me directly; I just happened to overhear some things when she was reporting the situation. She said that a child named Su Qing saved her teammates and assisted her in killing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the Flame Demon Lizard. But when the teachers asked about your specific abilities, she said she wasn't sure."

Hearing this, Su Qing nodded. Although this would still draw Shrek's attention to him, it wouldn't cause him any real trouble. He couldn't help but feel a bit more favorably toward Zhang Lexuan; at least she hadn't lied to him.

"What? You knew Xiao Qing wasn't dead this whole time, and you didn't tell me?"

Hearing their conversation, Tang Ya exploded. If Bei Bei had told her sooner, she could have picked up Xiao Qing earlier, and he wouldn't have had to suffer so much!

"Xiao Ya, listen to me first. I was eavesdropping at the time, so I didn't hear everything clearly. Besides, you told me your younger brother was already dead, so I never made the connection."

Bei Bei felt helpless. Before Su Qing appeared, he had never imagined that the two of them were talking about the same person.

"Hmph, that's not the point. Who is Zhang Lexuan?!"

Tang Ya snorted coldly, then fixed a suspicious gaze on the two of them.

"She is my sister... well, actually, she is a child bride my great-great-grandfather found for me, but I have always treated her like a sister!"

Faced with Tang Ya's predatory glare, Bei Bei chose to tell the truth. But upon learning the reality, Tang Ya was stunned. So Bei Bei already had a child bride? Then what did that make her...

"Xiao Ya, you are the only one in my heart."

Bei Bei looked at Tang Ya with sincere eyes, the emotion within them impossible to fake. However, Tang Ya still felt a burden in her heart. Seeing this, Bei Bei leaned in and whispered into her ear:

"Why don't we introduce Xiao Qing to Sister Lexuan? That would be a win-win, wouldn't it? Let me tell you, my great-great-grandfather told me that ever since Sister Lexuan returned, she's always staring blankly at Sea God Lake. Maybe it's because..."

As he spoke, Bei Bei gave her a meaningful look.

"Oh~ so that's how it is. Come on, Xiao Qing, tell us more. How did you and that Zhang Lexuan meet?"

Tang Ya immediately caught on, though she was still worried that Bei Bei was just saying these things to comfort her. She wanted to hear Su Qing's side of the story to verify it—definitely not because she wanted to gossip.

"Uh, that's a long story..."

He began to recount his experiences with Zhang Lexuan, though, as promised, he omitted the part where she slept with her head on his shoulder.

"Ahem, Xiao Qing, so what do you think of Sister Lexuan..."

The group chatted away. During the conversation, Tang Ya kept giving Su Qing tips on how to pursue girls, leaving him completely bewildered. As for Huo Yuhao, he had roasted over a hundred fish that day and was so exhausted by evening that he fell asleep.

They talked until midnight before Tang Ya yawned and left to sleep by the campfire, leaving Bei Bei and Su Qing to take turns keeping watch.

The next day, Huo Yuhao, who woke up first, and Su Qing, who took over the watch, started roasting fish again. The aroma tickled Tang Ya's appetite, and she woke up as soon as the fish were ready. The three of them ate until they were stuffed, and they didn't set off until Bei Bei woke up at noon.

"Little Yuhao, what is your first soul skill? Can you show us?"

During the journey, a bored Tang Ya asked about Huo Yuhao's soul skill. Knowing he couldn't explain it clearly with his current language skills, Huo Yuhao directly shared his Spiritual Detection with the group. As a clear, three-hundred-sixty-degree view of their surroundings and the movement trajectories of everything nearby appeared in their minds, they were all shocked.

Initially, Bei Bei and Tang Ya had felt a bit of pity seeing the ten-year soul ring, but now it seemed this skill was more practical than many ordinary thousand-year or even ten-thousand-year soul skills.

Although he had long known what Huo Yuhao's soul skill was, experiencing it firsthand felt different. He couldn't help but marvel at its immense utility. Thankfully, his own third soul skill was Imprint, otherwise, he would have surely kicked himself for missing out on such a skill!

With his God-level spiritual power, the Spiritual Detection he unleashed could probe the subtle circulation of soul power far better than Huo Yuhao's, and he could detect opponents of a much higher level than Huo Yuhao could. He was very satisfied with this.

"Sister Xiao Ya, what kind of soul beast do you want to hunt?"

Huo Yuhao asked.

"For me, I want to hunt a poison-attribute soul beast, preferably a snake."

Tang Ya gave her answer after a moment of thought. Huo Yuhao nodded, but Bei Bei and Su Qing exchanged a meaningful look.

"Sister Xiao Ya, I think you could try hunting a plant-type soul beast with vigorous vitality. That would definitely increase the toughness of your Blue Silver Grass significantly."

Hearing Su Qing's words, Tang Ya wavered. She felt Su Qing made sense, but for ten thousand years, Tang Sect Blue Silver Grass soul masters had always used this setup...

"Besides, for ten thousand years, almost all Blue Silver Grass soul masters have chosen the path of poison. This has become a consensus. Therefore, in the process of fighting others, most people will prepare antidotes in advance. If you continue down the old path, wouldn't you be completely passive?"

Before Tang Ya could speak, Su Qing continued. Everyone understood martial souls differently; few would believe him if he just spouted nonsense, but by utilizing the other person's logic, he could find a reason that was much easier to believe.

"That makes sense!"

Hearing this, Tang Ya had a sudden realization. Bei Bei, standing to the side, also looked surprised. He sighed inwardly, wondering how Su Qing could have helped Zhang Lexuan in a battle against a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast at such a young age—it turned out the kid's understanding of combat was this thorough.

In truth, Su Qing wanting Tang Ya to hunt a life-attribute soul beast wasn't entirely about pointing her in a better direction; it was more about ensuring that when he later dispelled the dark power within her martial soul, there would be vigorous vitality to replenish her martial soul's essence and better restore its origin.

"So Brother Su's understanding of martial souls is this profound!"

Huo Yuhao's eyes were filled with admiration, though he didn't seek advice from Su Qing. After all, he had Brother Sky Dream; as a million-year soul beast, Brother Sky Dream's understanding of martial souls was surely more profound than Su Qing's.

"Bei Bei, I've decided. I want to obtain a soul ring from a life-attribute plant-type soul beast!"

Seeing Tang Ya looking at him with eyes full of hope, Bei Bei nodded heavily.

"Good, I'll accompany you to find a life-attribute soul beast!"