(Beautiful picture of Ma Xiaotao)
Lin Ye's gaze involuntarily landed there before he quickly looked away.
He hurriedly changed the subject, clearing his throat twice. "Ahem, Dong'er, why are your first two soul rings both black?"
Wang Dong'er shot him a sideways glance, her pink-blue eyes carrying a hint of "What's it to you?" She raised her chin slightly. "So what if they are?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her answer had been a little too blunt. She quickly changed the subject, her tone growing more hurried:
"Never mind that. If you want this soul ring, hurry up."
She pointed at the Swift Light Red Falcon on the ground.
Ma Xiaotao stood to one side, her gaze fixed on Wang Dong'er. Her pale pink eyes were filled with shock, along with a complicated emotion she couldn't quite put into words.
Her first two soul rings were already ten thousand years old...
She had repeated that thought over a dozen times in her mind.
What kind of miraculous person was she?
In the ten thousand years since Shrek Academy's founding, countless geniuses had passed through its gates. But someone who could absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as their first soul ring? She had never even heard of one, let alone seen one.
Unless...
Ma Xiaotao's pupils contracted slightly.
Did she have a system too?
Was this her system's doing?
She thought of her own "fire suppression system" and its incredible missions and rewards, growing increasingly certain.
No, she wanted rewards like that too!
Why should Wang Dong'er get Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings when she, Ma Xiaotao, couldn't?
She would have to work harder on more children more blessings when she got back and see whether she could get similar rewards from her system.
While these thoughts raced through her mind, Lin Ye had already neatly delivered the finishing blow to the Swift Light Red Falcon.
He looked at the purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring, then at the two black soul rings still pulsing around Wang Dong'er, and couldn't help sighing.
"Dong'er, your soul rings make absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring seem a lot less impressive. Compared to you, I'm practically a country bumpkin visiting the city."
Wang Dong'er burst out laughing, then immediately put on a stern face and spoke in a tone that said, "Let your big sister teach you how things work":
"You can't copy what I did! Stop dreaming and just absorb your Thousand-Year Soul Ring."
Lin Ye shrugged and said nothing more, sitting cross-legged on the spot.
He took a deep breath, slowly mobilized the soul power within him, and drew the purple soul ring toward him.
"Xiaotao, Dong'er, sorry for the trouble, but please keep watch over me."
His tone was calm, but both women heard the solemnity behind it.
Absorbing a soul ring was one of the most dangerous stages of a soul master's cultivation. The slightest mistake could cause a backlash of soul power at best, or shatter every meridian at worst.
Absorbing a soul ring older than one's normal limit was especially perilous.
The two girls answered simultaneously, in perfect unison. "All right."
Wang Dong'er took up a position opposite Ma Xiaotao, her back to Lin Ye as she faced the forest's outer edge.
Ma Xiaotao faced the depths of the forest, their positions keeping Lin Ye protected between them.
Lin Ye closed his eyes and guided the purple soul ring into his body.
The soul ring slowly contracted, shrinking from over a meter in diameter until it became a ribbon of purple light that sank into the center of his forehead.
His body trembled slightly, then settled. His breathing grew steady and deep as he entered deep meditation.
About a quarter of an hour passed.
Ma Xiaotao suddenly rose to her feet.
Her movement was quiet, but Wang Dong'er noticed immediately and turned toward her with a questioning look.
"Something's wrong." Ma Xiaotao kept her voice low, but her tone was grave. "Dong'er, can you feel it?"
Wang Dong'er didn't speak. Instead, she closed her eyes and extended her mental power outward.
A moment later, her eyes snapped open, a trace of horror flashing through their pink-blue depths.
"Such powerful soul power fluctuations... Are they coming this way?"
The fluctuations came from deep within the forest. Though they were still far away, the pressure was already faintly perceptible, as if an ancient beast were waking from its slumber.
Ma Xiaotao's expression darkened.
She faced the depths of the forest, her pale pink eyes gleaming warily in the darkness.
"How is this possible..." she murmured, disbelief coloring her voice.
"That direction... That's deep inside the forest. Could a high-level soul beast be coming this way?"
Before she finished speaking, she had already stepped forward, placing herself between Lin Ye and the approaching threat.
The soul power within her began to surge, and six soul rings rose from beneath her feet.
Two yellow, two purple, and two black, slowly pulsing around her body.
That powerful pressure drew closer and closer.
The air began to grow hot as well, as though an enormous furnace were approaching.
Waves of scorching air rolled out from the forest's depths, making the campfire sway violently and sending sparks flying.
A furious roar rang out.
The sound was deep and powerful, carrying an ancient, overwhelming pressure. The entire forest seemed to tremble beneath that roar.
Every soul beast nearby, whether close at hand or farther away, instantly prostrated itself on the ground, not daring to breathe loudly. Some even buried their heads in the dirt, their tails tucked tightly between their legs.
A fine layer of cold sweat formed on Ma Xiaotao's forehead.
Her pale pink eyes remained fixed on the depths of the forest, her pupils slightly contracted and her body drawn taut like a fully pulled bow.
Wang Dong'er didn't dare hesitate either. The Light Goddess Butterfly wings on her back spread slightly, and soul power circulated rapidly within her as she prepared to strike at any moment.
"Xiaotao, what's going on?" Wang Dong'er kept her voice low, but she couldn't hide the urgency in her tone.
Ma Xiaotao's expression was more serious than ever. She spoke slowly. "I'm afraid... it's a hundred-thousand-year soul beast."
Wang Dong'er's pupils shrank sharply, disbelief flashing through her pink-blue eyes:
"A hundred-thousand-year soul beast?! Why would a hundred-thousand-year soul beast appear on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest?"
"That's exactly what I'm wondering." As Ma Xiaotao spoke, her gaze never left the depths of the forest. "And I'm afraid this creature is heading straight for us."
She could feel that presence approaching rapidly, at an astonishing speed. With every step it took, the ground trembled slightly.
Ma Xiaotao gritted her teeth, and the fiery wings on her back snapped open, sending scorching waves of air in every direction.
"Dong'er, I'll lure it away!" Her voice was decisive and firm. "Protect Lin Ye!"
Wang Dong'er cried anxiously, "Xiaotao!"
But Ma Xiaotao no longer had time to answer.
An even fiercer shriek rang out from deep within the forest, piercing and harsh, as though it would tear their eardrums apart.
Then a dark red figure burst violently out of the trees!
It was a soul beast.
Over five meters long, it had limbs as thick as pillars and a coat of dark red fur. Dark golden patterns seemed to flow between its hairs, like magma burning beneath its skin.
Its body was extraordinarily powerful, like a lion enlarged several times over, but its head was what drew the most attention.
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