(Seeking Follow-up Reads) Ah Yin Jumps with Fury, Zi Nü and Nong Yu Hunt Souls.

"Why?"

The surprise on Ah Yin's face gradually faded, replaced by a deep sense of bewilderment.

She furrowed her brows, her gaze shifting back and forth across Zhao Linchuan's face, attempting to read something from his expression.

"You treat me so well—what exactly are you after?"

Zhao Linchuan did not answer. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Zi Nü and Nong Yu, his tone casual.

"I am taking Zi Nü and Nong Yu out to hunt for soul rings now. You stay here by yourself and cultivate."

"Of course, it doesn't matter if you want to run away."

"When that time comes, I will head to the Blue Silver Ancestral Land and wreak havoc on all your kin."

"You—!"

Ah Yin's expression instantly turned into a snarl, her eyes widening as if they were about to spit fire.

She pointed a trembling finger at Zhao Linchuan and cried out:

"You are despicable! Shameless! Filthy! You bastard!!"

"I can be even more of a bastard than that."

Zhao Linchuan suddenly lunged forward, his speed so great that Ah Yin had no time to react.

He reached out to hook her chin, lowered his head slightly, and pressed his lips against hers.

"Mmph...!"

Ah Yin's mind went completely blank. Her eyes were wide open, her pupils reflecting Zhao Linchuan's face, which was now mere inches away.

She could feel the warmth of his lips, smell the faint masculine scent on him, and hear the sound of her own heart—thump, thump, thump—as if it were trying to leap out of her chest.

Time seemed to stand still.

It was unclear how much time had passed before Ah Yin regained her senses, but the figures of Zhao Linchuan and the other two had already vanished from before her.

Ah Yin stood where she was, as if she had been struck by a paralysis spell, unable to move a muscle.

Moonlight spilled in from the window, landing on her face and casting a pale, dazed look upon her features.

She slowly raised her hand, trembling as she extended her index finger to gently touch her own lips.

"Ah—!"

She let out a shriek, flying into a rage:

"Zhao Linchuan!! You are despicable! Shameless! Filthy!! You bastard—!!!"

Ah Yin's voice echoed through the empty attic. She stomped her feet and waved her fists, her expression a mix of fury, annoyance, shame, and indignation.

"Just you wait! Once I become a Titled Douluo, I will definitely make you regret this—!!!"

A long while later, in the outside world, the Sunset Forest.

The cry of a night bird echoed from deep within the forest, long and mournful, reverberating through the silent night sky.

A ten-thousand-year Red-Eyed Cobra, roughly seven meters in length, was coiled in a clearing.

Its body was as thick as an adult's waist, covered entirely in fine, dark green scales that shimmered with a cold, eerie luster under the moonlight.

Those blood-red eyes were like two lanterns, staring fixedly at the uninvited guests, its scarlet tongue flicking in and out with a hissing sound.

This was a highly venomous, incredibly aggressive species of snake-type soul beast, a hegemon-level existence in this region.

Its territorial instinct was intense; any intruder would be met with its ruthless assault.

At this moment, it was braced for battle, its body taut like a fully drawn bow, ready to launch a lethal strike at any second.

Zhao Linchuan stood not far away, the moonlight falling upon him and outlining his silhouette with striking clarity.

He glanced at the giant snake, then turned his head to look at Zi Nü beside him, his tone indifferent: "It is very suitable for you."

As the words fell, golden light erupted.

The Supreme Ease Golden Edge was already in his palm; the blade flowed with golden radiance, and the gemstone at the hilt refracted a cold, clear brilliance under the moonlight.

Zhao Linchuan raised his hand and slashed out. A golden sword aura streaked forth like lightning tearing through the night sky, illuminating the silent forest.

The sword wind blew, sending withered leaves scattering.

The ten-thousand-year Red-Eyed Cobra let out a shrill, miserable "squeak"—a sound so sharp and piercing that it echoed through the forest, startling countless soul beasts hiding in the shadows.

Its body was instantly severed into four pieces. The cross-sections were smooth and flat, and foul-smelling blood gushed from the wounds, staining the ground a dark red.

The massive carcass collapsed with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Zhao Linchuan retracted the Supreme Ease Golden Edge and said in a calm tone:

"Go ahead, kill it, and let it become your soul ring."

"Yes, Young Master."

Zi Nü responded, a flash of purple light appearing in her hand as she gripped the Purple Cloud Spirit Snake Sword.

It was a slender, flexible sword, its blade shimmering with a faint purple light, resembling a spirit snake under the moonlight.

She walked up to the giant snake, whose pupils were already beginning to dilate, stood still, and gripped the hilt with both hands in a reverse hold, pointing the tip downward before thrusting it in with force.

The blade sank into the giant snake's skull with a dull thud.

After a faint, lingering whimper, the ten-thousand-year Red-Eyed Cobra completely lost its life.

A black spirit ring slowly condensed from its corpse, rotating languidly in the moonlight and emitting a cold, eerie luster.

Zi Nü glanced back at Zhao Linchuan, and Zhao Linchuan nodded at her.

She turned back around, sat cross-legged, laid the Purple Cloud Spirit Snake Sword across her knees, closed her eyes, and began to mobilize her spirit power to draw the spirit ring in for absorption.

The black spirit ring descended slowly, beginning to rotate around her body as its radiance grew increasingly intense, shrouding her figure in a dark, glowing halo.

Nong Yu stood beside Zhao Linchuan, watching the scene with a flicker of astonishment in her eyes as a thought involuntarily surfaced in her heart.

This lord... he is truly so strong.

The thought was like a seed, landing in the soil of her heart and quietly taking root.

Following him in the future might not be such a bad place to call home...

Two days later, inside a tavern in Spirit City.

Zhao Linchuan sat on a sofa by the window, eyes closed to rest and enjoy a rare moment of leisure.

The two-day spirit hunting trip had concluded.

Zi Nü's spirit ring configuration was: black, black, black, black, black, red, red.

Five ten-thousand-year spirit rings and two hundred-thousand-year spirit rings—such a configuration, if revealed to the outside world, would be enough to drive any spirit master mad.

Nong Yu's spirit ring configuration was relatively more conservative: purple, purple, black, black, black.

There was no helping it; she was an auxiliary-type spirit master with a naturally weaker constitution, unable to withstand spirit rings of too high an age.

Furthermore, Zi Nü doted on her and was unwilling to let her take risks, so they had chosen a safer path.

It was worth mentioning that among the five spirit beasts Nong Yu had killed, a full four spirit bones had dropped.

Zhao Linchuan had been dumbfounded at the time; such luck was simply heaven-defying!

It was just a pity that the ages of those four spirit bones were all too low, with the highest being only forty thousand years.

After examining them, Zhao Linchuan had simply told Nong Yu to put them away rather than absorbing them.

"The tournament is about to begin."

Zhao Linchuan kept his eyes closed, enjoying Nong Yu's massage.

"You two can blend into the crowd, go to the arena to observe, and learn how the spirit masters of this world conduct their spirit battles."

"Understood, Young Master."

Nong Yu replied in a soft, gentle voice, her fingers moving from his shoulders to his neck to knead lightly.

"I will study hard with Sister Zi Nü and help you manage the Jinyiwei well."