The forest was much darker than it had been when they arrived. The canopy blocked most of the sky, and only a few streaks of golden sunset slipped through the gaps, falling onto the piles of dead leaves like gold shattered across the ground.
As Tang San walked, he suddenly slowed down and waited for Huang Fei to catch up.
"What do you think of my Second Soul Ring?" he asked.
Huang Fei thought it over and gave him a fair assessment. "Not bad. Eight hundred and twenty years, a same-origin Soul Beast, a life-force attribute, and three vines. You're on the right track, and your foundation is solid. Keep it up."
Listening to him, Tang San felt that Huang Fei sounded a little like a teacher grading homework. But then again, by asking Huang Fei, he had shown that he trusted his judgment. And Huang Fei's willingness to give him an assessment showed that he genuinely cared about this.
"What about you?" Tang San suddenly asked. "Your First Soul Ring..."
He still felt a little awkward bringing it up. Tang San had already broken through level twenty and obtained his Second Soul Ring, while Huang Fei's Soul Power Level, as far as Tang San knew, was thirteen. Surely that couldn't feel good. Facing someone who was ahead of him, Huang Fei might feel a little bitter.
"There's no rush." Huang Fei shook his head, his tone as calm as if he were talking about someone else's affairs. "I know what I'm doing."
Tang San glanced at him, then nodded and said no more.
By the time they left the Soul Hunting Forest, night had completely fallen. Lights twinkled in the distant Nuoding City, like a glowing ribbon stretched across the horizon.
Yu Xiaogang was waiting for them at the forest entrance. Moonlight fell across him, drawing his shadow out long behind him.
"Let's go. Time to head back." His voice was as steady as ever, but his tone carried a hint of weariness that even he hadn't noticed.
Three people, six feet, walked along the moonlit path, one step at a time, toward Nuoding City.
By the time they returned to Dorm Seven, it was already the middle of the night.
Tang San fell straight into bed. Fusing with his Second Soul Ring had drained most of his energy; he collapsed onto the mattress without even taking off his shoes.
Huang Fei pulled the blanket over him, then sat on his own bed without going to sleep.
He was waiting.
About the time it took to drink a cup of tea later, that cold notification rang in his mind right on schedule.
"Ding—Target Tang San has obtained his Second Soul Ring: Life Ancient Vine, 820 years. Host has triggered the reward mechanism—generating corresponding reward..."
"Generation complete. Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Second Soul Ring: Life Ancient Vine, 1,640 years. Soul Ring level: Millennium (Purple). Soul Skill: Multiple Entangle (Enhanced)."
"Claim now?"
Huang Fei closed his eyes and silently thought, Claim.
Warm energy welled up from his dantian, just like last time, dense and heavy, surging through his body like a river.
But this time, the sensation was far more intense. The 1,640-year Soul Ring held twice the energy of an 820-year one, and the impact on his body was twice as strong.
His meridians expanded and filled with energy; every acupoint seemed to glow.
This was when the foundation of his level-thirty Soul Power showed its worth.
Without a level-thirty body, a six-year-old absorbing a Soul Ring of over 1,600 years—even one of the hundred-year grade—would have had his meridians burst.
But Huang Fei could withstand it.
Level-twenty Soul Power bore the strain of an 860-year Soul Ring; level-thirty Soul Power bore that of a 1,640-year Soul Ring.
The system's rewards were always calibrated right at the limit of what he could endure—not a fraction more, not a fraction less.
The fusion lasted about as long as it took to drink a cup of tea.
Huang Fei opened his eyes and raised his right hand.
Blue Silver Grass appeared in his palm.
Its dark green stalks looked exactly like Tang San's.
No, on closer inspection, the color was darker than Tang San's—not dark green, but a deep emerald green approaching black.
The stalks were twice as thick as Tang San's, and the leaves were broader and sturdier. Their surface had a metallic sheen rather than a jade-like one.
His Blue Silver Grass no longer looked like grass. It was more like a work of art woven from metal threads.
Six vines extended from his palm at once.
Three more than Tang San had.
But when he tested his control in his mind, he found that Tang San had to use his thoughts to control the direction and angle of attack of each of his three vines separately. To Huang Fei, the six vines were like six fingers—he could move them however he wanted, without having to consciously divide his attention.
That was the difference between 1,640 years and 820 years.
It was a difference in control.
Tang San's three vines were "three independent weapons." Huang Fei's six vines were "an extension of his body." They were entirely different concepts.
Huang Fei withdrew his Blue Silver Grass, lay back on the bed, folded his hands behind his head, and stared at the ceiling.
He wasn't as happy as he had been last time.
Not because the reward was bad.
A 1,640-year Second Soul Ring was an astonishing thing anywhere on the continent. Its age surpassed that of the Fourth Soul Rings of many Soul Ancestors.
Of course he was happy, but once the excitement passed, a practical problem stood before him.
He couldn't let anyone find out about this Soul Ring.
His 120-year First Soul Ring could be disguised. He could say, "I was just unlucky."
But a 1,640-year Second Soul Ring was purple.
Hundred-Year Soul Rings were yellow, while a 1,640-year Soul Ring was purple. Its age could be recognized at a glance by its color alone.
He had no way to explain it.
The teachers at Notting Academy weren't fools.
Neither were the people from Spirit Hall.
Yu Xiaogang was even less of a fool.
If he stayed at Notting Academy, sooner or later he would have to use his Soul Skill in front of people.
It might happen while sparring with Xiao Wu, during an academy assessment, or in some other unavoidable situation.
When that happened, people would notice the age of his Soul Ring.
It wouldn't be for the sake of showing off, but for the sake of survival.
A six-year-old child with a 1,640-year First Soul Ring?
No, his First Soul Ring was 860 years, and his Second Soul Ring was 1,640 years—but no one would care which Soul Ring it was. They would only see a Soul Grandmaster-level child with two Soul Rings far beyond the norm.
Once that news got out, Spirit Hall would come looking for him, the great sects would come looking for him, and even the hidden Titled Douluo would come looking for him.
He didn't want that kind of attention.
He had never wanted to stand beneath a spotlight while people gawked at him.
What he wanted was a carefree life and freedom: not having to cater to anyone, being able to sleep in as late as he liked, eat whatever he wanted, and go wherever he pleased.
Tang San could stand under the spotlight. That was his fate.
Tang San was born to stand center stage. He wasn't afraid of being watched or talked about; he even enjoyed being looked up to.
But Huang Fei was different.
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