The Grand Elder's Buff Kicked In, The Imperial Auspicious Beast, Three-Eyed Golden Ni

Xuan Zi stroked his chin, his eyes darting around as he muttered to himself:

"Leaving for a little while... it should be fine, right?"

He looked down at Mu Tianyi.

The youth sat cross-legged, his eyes tightly shut.

That black ten-thousand-year soul ring was slowly drawing closer to him, the phantom of the Bright Sacred Dragon undulating faintly behind his back, its soul power fluctuations stable and calm.

Just as Mu Tianyi had envisioned.

The soul shock of a ten-thousand-year soul beast was fragile and pathetic in the face of the Dragon Core.

At that moment, he had just extinguished the soul of the Golden Earth Dragon King and was at the critical juncture of absorbing the soul ring; at such a time, no disturbance in the outside world could wake him.

Xuan Zi scratched his head, feeling mostly reassured.

But then he thought, this was, after all, Mu En's great-grandson, the future treasure of the Sea God Pavilion; if something were to actually go wrong...

He rummaged through his sleeves and pulled an item from the Soul Tool he carried with him.

It was a palm-sized bronze mirror, its surface smooth as glass, the edges engraved with ancient runes that faintly emitted a pale golden light.

Xuan Zi tossed it casually, and the mirror hovered three feet above Mu Tianyi's head, rotating slowly.

A visible pale golden light barrier spread out like ripples in water, enveloping Mu Tianyi entirely.

This bronze mirror was an heirloom of the Sea God Pavilion, an ancient level-eight defensive Soul Tool.

Not only could it release a protective barrier capable of withstanding a full-force strike from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, but more importantly, it could simulate the aura of a Super Douluo.

Ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beasts would not dare to approach upon sensing this aura.

"As long as he doesn't run into a hundred-thousand-year-old monster, it should be fine," Xuan Zi muttered, glancing at Mu Tianyi once more. "Even if something does happen, I can rush back with a single thought."

With that, he clapped his hands, his figure flickered, leaving only an afterimage behind as he vanished into the depths of the dense forest.

It was unknown how much time had passed.

Mu Tianyi opened his eyes.

The black ten-thousand-year soul ring had completely merged into his body, and the information regarding his third soul skill emerged clearly in his mind.

But he couldn't bother to process that right now, because...

Xuan Zi was gone.

Mu Tianyi's gaze fell upon the slowly rotating bronze mirror above his head, and he froze for a moment.

He reached out to take the mirror down, turning it over to inspect it.

Based on Mu Tianyi's knowledge, this had to be a defensive Soul Tool.

It appeared to be of a high grade, and he could even sense the deterrent aura of a Super Douluo emanating from it.

Mu Tianyi gripped the mirror, remaining silent for three seconds.

Then he took a deep breath, his expression becoming extremely subtle.

Damn it, no need to guess.

That old man Xuan Zi had slipped away to find food while he was busy absorbing his soul ring.

Although, due to the nature of his Godly Taotie Bull martial soul.

Xuan Zi needed a constant intake of food to ensure his soul power remained abundant.

But this was the Star Dou Great Forest mixed zone, for crying out loud!

He, Mu Tianyi, was the descendant Mu En valued most; did Xuan Zi really just up and leave like that?

Mu Tianyi exhaled slowly, his face darkening for a moment.

He had been comforting himself internally just a moment ago.

Xuan Zi might be eccentric, but he wouldn't joke around with Mu En's great-grandson.

It seemed he had overestimated Xuan Zi's bottom line.

To leave a nine-year-old child alone in the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest while he was absorbing a soul ring, just to go find something to eat.

This move was the very definition of absurd.

Mu Tianyi silently gave Xuan Zi a perfect score for unreliability.

He swore that from now on, he would never participate in any outdoor activities where Xuan Zi was present.

However...

He scanned his surroundings and looked at the bronze mirror in his hand again.

At least he had left behind a trump card to save his life.

With this mirror here, no soul beasts within hundreds of meters dared to approach.

Even though the stench of blood from the Golden Earth Dragon King's corpse was thick, not a single soul beast dared to cross that pale golden light barrier.

Mu Tianyi stood up and stretched his stiff limbs, his stomach suddenly letting out a loud growl.

He looked down at his belly, then glanced at the massive carcass of the Golden Earth Dragon King nearby, a sudden thought crossing his mind.

I hear dragon meat tastes pretty good?

Over the past six months, he had occasionally lent a hand when Zhang Lexuan was cooking.

He had learned the basics of chopping vegetables, flipping pans, and seasoning well enough.

While he couldn't compare to Sister Lexuan's culinary skills, it was more than enough to satisfy his own cravings.

Mu Tianyi licked his lips, pulled a short dagger from his waist, and walked toward the corpse of the Golden Earth Dragon King.

Meanwhile.

In the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest, about three miles away from Mu Tianyi's location, deep within a dense thicket.

"It smells so good..."

A crisp, melodious girl's voice rang out in the woods, her tone laced with curiosity.

Looking toward the sound, however, no one could be seen.

Deep in the dense forest, a uniquely shaped soul beast stood on the branch of an ancient tree, head held high, sniffing in the direction the aroma was drifting from.

Its build resembled a lion but was not quite a lion, its entire body covered in golden fur that shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight.

A vertical eye grew on its forehead; it was currently half-closed, but the third eye was wide open, its pupil seemingly reflecting the stars.

Its four hooves trod upon flames, a tuft of golden fire sprouted from the tip of its tail, and a faint golden halo lingered around its body.

Three-Eyed Golden Ni.

The Imperial Auspicious Beast of the Star Dou Great Forest, the King of Ten Thousand Beasts.

It sniffed the air again, a flicker of human-like curiosity flashing through that vertical eye.

"Such a strange scent..." The Three-Eyed Golden Ni tilted its head and leaped lightly from the branch, its four hooves landing silently on the ground. "I've never smelled this before; it's coming from over there."

It hesitated for a moment, but ultimately unable to resist the temptation of the fragrance, it set off, walking in the direction of the scent.

Mu Tianyi was already nearly finished.

He rummaged through his storage Soul Tool and pulled out a set of portable cookware.

This thing had been stuffed in there by Zhang Lexuan.

At the time, he had thought it was redundant, but now he just wanted to go back and kowtow to Sister Lexuan.

He had sliced the meat of the Golden Earth Dragon King into evenly thick steaks, placing them on a makeshift stone grill where they sizzled with grease.

Golden fat dripped into the fire, sending up bursts of bright flames, and the aroma of the meat, mixed with a faint charred scent, permeated the forest.

There were no extra seasonings, just a pinch of salt.

But the quality of the dragon meat itself was simply too good.

The meat was firm and springy, with evenly distributed fat. The first bite offered a crispy exterior, followed by a mouthful of bursting juices, carrying the unique, gentle warmth of a Bright Sacred Dragon attribute soul beast. As it slid down his throat, his entire body felt warm and cozy.

Mu Tianyi took a bite, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Delicious.

He took another bite, chewing slowly and savoring the way the juices spread across his palate.

After swallowing, a wave of warm energy flowed through his esophagus into his limbs and bones.

This sensation was extremely faint, like a subtle, elusive warm breeze in spring; if one didn't pay close attention, it would be impossible to notice.

His body was slowly absorbing something.

Mu Tianyi looked down at the steak in his hand, lost in thought.

The Golden Earth Dragon King contained a thin trace of Bright Sacred Dragon bloodline.

As a possessor of the Bright Sacred Dragon martial soul himself, eating the meat of a soul beast with the same origin naturally triggered some positive feedback in his body.

It was just that the improvement was not significant—one could even say it was negligible.