Okay, I'll Go With You

"Clever!" Leng Qingning praised. "The Emperor Auspicious Beast is a natural-born monarch, unique in all of heaven and earth. The fortune level of a Phantom Sea Spirit Kun simply cannot reach such heights."

She continued, "In truth, Di Tian was the first to realize that the fortune of the Soul Beasts was dissipating. He attempted to cultivate the Golden Hawksbill clan, hoping to stack their fortune through sheer numbers—triggering a qualitative change through quantitative accumulation—to stabilize the fate of the Soul Beast race."

"That requires time." An Lan did not deny the efficacy of Di Tian's strategy.

If the Golden Hawksbill were to have any impact on the fortune of the Soul Beasts, they would need to cultivate to at least the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast level.

Even with Di Tian's full-hearted cultivation, this was not something that could be achieved overnight.

Furthermore, from his perspective, Di Tian was merely reaping what he had sown.

The Golden Hawksbill that had sacrificed itself to Xu Sanshi back then had possessed a hundred thousand years of cultivation.

According to it, their clan was destined to become Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, yet no member had ever managed to break through the two-hundred-thousand-year bottleneck.

Whether the Golden Hawksbill could break through to two hundred thousand years aside, logically speaking, their clan should never have lacked hundred-thousand-year beast kings; Di Tian should not have needed to start from scratch.

Not to mention the transcendent status of the Golden Hawksbill and their lack of natural predators, they possessed the innate talent skill Invincible Barrier, which ordinary hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts could not overcome.

Given all this, the fact that the Star Dou Great Forest could not produce a sufficient number of Golden Hawksbills at critical moments could only mean one thing: those few Fierce Beasts had been feasting well.

The blood and energy of a hundred-thousand-year-level Auspicious Beast are vast, and their fortune is dense; for Fierce Beasts nearing their end, they are a potent tonic—one bite, and the victim is silenced forever.

In this light, the reason their clan could never break through the two-hundred-thousand-year bottleneck had the most logical explanation.

A dignified Auspicious Beast should not have such a shackle; the true reason was that their entire clan was being farmed as livestock by the Fierce Beasts, just with a longer harvest cycle.

One could tell from how Xiong Jun would devour hundred-thousand-year-level Soul Beasts at the drop of a hat that Di Tian and his circle of Fierce Beasts never regarded the lives of such creatures as anything of value.

Only by stepping into the two-hundred-thousand-year threshold and joining the ranks of the Fierce Beasts could one earn a seat at the table in the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Golden Hawksbill clan could not break through the two-hundred-thousand-year mark naturally because those few Fierce Beasts did not want them to have a seat at the table.

"Indeed," Leng Qingning said. "Di Tian truly did not have the time to cultivate enough Golden Hawksbills to carry the fortune of the Soul Beasts."

Her tone shifted as she continued, "And the Spirit Pagoda Master at the time, after grasping the mysteries of fortune, keenly turned his gaze toward the ocean."

"A unique vision," An Lan remarked with genuine admiration.

On land, aside from the Emperor Auspicious Beast, there existed Auspicious Beast clans like the Golden Hawksbill; since the ocean occupied seventy percent of Douluo Planet and was vast and boundless, there was no reason it could not give birth to its own Auspicious Beasts.

"In short, the Spirit Pagoda eventually obtained the one-of-a-kind Auspicious Beast Spirit, the Phantom Sea Spirit Kun. And it is worth mentioning that just one year later, the Four-Word Battle Armor technology was perfected, completely crushing the Soul Beast race."

As she spoke, a layer of chill covered Leng Qingning's face, cold as an ice blade.

Those not of my race must have a different heart!

The hatred between humans and Soul Beasts was endless, and she, Leng Qingning, was no benevolent soul.

Hearing this, An Lan's expression became intriguing. He had never imagined that the birth of the Four-Word Battle Armor held such secrets.

If it was not a coincidence, then this Phantom Sea Spirit Kun, as the Auspicious Beast maintaining the final fortune of the Soul Beast race, possessed a destiny that, while inferior to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, was certainly not something a mere Golden Hawksbill could compare to.

The major events between humans and Soul Beasts had long since been settled. The surviving Soul Beasts were nothing more than a few stray cats and dogs, lingering in the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, unable to stir up any waves.

Thinking of this, Leng Qingning's expression softened, and she said gently to An Lan, "As the unique Auspicious Beast Spirit of the Spirit Pagoda, the Phantom Sea Spirit Kun's most basic ability is to be immune to the bloodline pressure of any creature."

She possesses the three attributes of Ultimate Ice, Ultimate Water, and Space. She also has the spiritual attribute you desire, and a talent similar to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's [Eye of Destiny]—[Boundless], which allows her to instantly Shift into the void and be immune to all damage for one second.

Hearing this, An Lan's eyes lit up instantly.

Seeing her disciple's intrigued expression, Leng Qingning simply revealed everything she knew: "Besides that, as an Auspicious Beast born in the ocean, the Phantom Sea Spirit Kun has an ability similar to the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, capable of constructing a shield in water that ignores deep-sea pressure, allowing one to dive into the ten-thousand-zhang abyss."

"Teacher, this is the one." An Lan made his decision immediately, his gaze burning as he locked onto the still-unconscious Phantom Sea Spirit Kun in mid-air.

"Very well, I will first establish a spiritual connection for you." Leng Qingning said no more, waving her jade hand to awaken the Phantom Sea Spirit Kun.

In truth, she had not known beforehand that the Phantom Sea Spirit Kun was in a deep sleep, but this Auspicious Beast possessed high intelligence. If it had been awake while she was introducing it to An Lan, it might have been counterproductive, which was why she hadn't awakened it immediately.

The Phantom Sea Spirit Kun slowly opened its eyes—a pair of orbs larger than An Lan's head, clear as deep-sea sapphires, with noble gold deep within the pupils.

The moment the eyes opened, an ethereal, gentle spiritual fluctuation, devoid of any malice, rippled outward.

Feeling the powerful spiritual energy of the Phantom Sea Spirit Kun, An Lan was increasingly satisfied and immediately guided a wisp of his own spiritual energy toward it.

He was curious; he wondered what a spiritual connection felt like.

A slight lightness at the center of his brow, a moment of clarity in his mind, and the spiritual connection was successfully established.

A soothing, warm current flowed through the connection, permeating his limbs and bones, and An Lan's body relaxed involuntarily.

The spiritual essence of the Phantom Sea Spirit Kun was very pure, without a trace of violent energy, unlike other Soul Beasts.

"Hello, Phantom Sea Spirit Kun."

"Hello, human."

The Phantom Sea Spirit Kun's ethereal voice resonated in An Lan's heart, sounding full of spirit.

In an instant, An Lan understood the "ten-thousand-year spiritual charm" his teacher had mentioned.

"Are you willing to become my Soul Spirit?"

"I am not."

An Lan had gone straight to the point, and the Phantom Sea Spirit Kun had refused just as bluntly.

It tilted its head, watching the tiny speck on the ground with curiosity.

It knew this was a human cub, but this person was different from the ones before; he smelled wonderful, and it was drawn to him.

Even so, that was no reason to just go with him—at the very least, it had to put up some resistance.

As for the Unyielding Soul, An Lan had already braced himself, continuing, "Won't you reconsider?"

Who would have thought that the next second, the Phantom Sea Spirit Kun would quietly swallow its saliva, blink those clear eyes, and suddenly change its tune: "Fine, I'll go with you."

It wasn't that the auspicious beast lacked resolve; it was simply too fragrant!

The Phantom Sea Spirit Kun wailed internally, thinking that since it had already refused once, agreeing now wouldn't be too much of a loss of face.

"Hm?"

The persuasive words An Lan had prepared were instantly stuck in his throat, and for a moment, he was taken aback: "What did you say? Say it again."