Shui Bing'er and Dugu Yan Compete to Protect Ning Xiaochun.

However, the moment she said this, Shui Bing'er's reaction was unexpectedly intense.

"He just needs to follow me."

Shui Bing'er whipped her head around, her ice-blue eyes locking onto Dugu Yan. The cold, aloof aura that had just faded due to her shyness returned, even more biting than usual. Her tone was one of unquestionable certainty: "I can protect him."

She didn't know why she had suddenly said that, or why she felt a flicker of... displeasure at Dugu Yan's desire to "adopt a little brother" and "protect Ning Xiaochun."

It was as if some exclusive territory or responsibility of hers had been coveted by another.

That was it—she was his fiancée. Protecting him was her responsibility, and also her... right. What gave this Dugu Yan the nerve to butt in? And to demand that Xiaochun call her "big sister"?

As this thought crossed her mind, Shui Bing'er was startled by herself, and her cheeks felt even hotter.

She hurriedly looked away, inwardly annoyed at herself for having such messy thoughts.

Dugu Yan was choked by Shui Bing'er's sudden display of dominance, her bewitching green eyes widening: "What do you mean by that? Just because you can protect him, doesn't mean I can't?"

"Not needed." Shui Bing'er was concise, her tone icy.

"You!" Dugu Yan was fuming.

Watching the two girls, who had just obtained their opportunities and greatly increased their strength, begin to subtly confront each other over the question of "who gets to protect Ning Xiaochun," the atmosphere became somewhat delicate and... comical.

Caught in the middle, Ning Xiaochun felt his scalp tingle.

On his left was the top-tier Ice Phoenix radiating a chilling aura, and on his right was the Jade Phosphorus Serpent Emperor exuding a sweet, toxic miasma. Although both auras were faint, they put immense pressure on him, a fragile support-type soul master.

This... this script was wrong! What happened to the happy life of "eating soft rice" and having "beautiful bodyguards"?

How did it suddenly turn into a rehearsal for a "dilemma" shuraba? He was only six years old! This damn, inescapable charm!

"Um... big sisters, let's not fight, let's not fight..." Ning Xiaochun tried to smooth things over, flashing a conciliatory smile. "We're going to hunt soul beasts; we need to be united. Unity is strength..."

"Hmph!" Both girls snorted simultaneously and turned their heads away, refusing to look at each other. Yet, strangely, neither showed any intention of letting go of their "claim" on Ning Xiaochun.

Dugu Yan was more direct; she grabbed Ning Xiaochun's left hand, a hint of spite in her tone: "Let's go, Xiaochun. Big sister will take you to hunt soul beasts, and I guarantee I'll find you the best one!"

Although Shui Bing'er didn't speak, her ice-blue eyes flickered toward the hand Dugu Yan was holding. Then, she reached out and, gently but firmly, took hold of Ning Xiaochun's right hand.

Ning Xiaochun: "!!!"

His left hand was held by a warm, slightly toxic, and cool-to-the-touch hand; his right hand was held by a cold, delicate one. On one side was purple hair and green eyes, bewitching yet spoiled; on the other was blue hair and icy eyes, aloof yet persistent.

Ning Xiaochun froze in place, feeling the vastly different yet equally irresistible "protective desires" from both sides. The expression on his small face was incredibly complex, a mixture of bewilderment, embarrassment, a tiny bit of secret joy, and even more of the "what should I do" helplessness.

He looked toward his father and grandfathers for help.

However, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and even Dugu Bo were all wearing mischievous expressions, clearly enjoying the show, with no intention of intervening.

Ning Fengzhi even coughed lightly to hide the smile at the corner of his mouth and waved his hand:

"Alright, don't delay. Set off. Remember, unless your lives are in danger, we will not appear. Everything depends on you."

With that, the four big shots flickered, vanishing like ghosts. Their auras were instantly retracted without a trace, clearly hiding in the shadows.

In the empty valley entrance, only Ning Xiaochun remained, "held hostage" by Shui Bing'er on his left and Dugu Yan on his right.

Ning Xiaochun looked left, then right, and finally looked up at the deep forest, letting out a long, mournful sigh.

"Sigh... let's go."

Wasn't the greatest challenge on the road to steady development actually the internal competition among teammates?

Ning Xiaochun felt that his "soft rice eating" skills might need further refinement and... risk management.

Outside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well valley, the tranquility of the Sunset Forest was thoroughly shattered by the "enthusiasm" of the two girls.

Although Shui Bing'er and Dugu Yan were somewhat unhappy over the issues of "who protects Ning Xiaochun" and "who is more qualified to be the big sister," their opinions were surprisingly consistent regarding the configuration of Ning Xiaochun's second soul ring—it had to be a thousand-year soul ring, and it had to be the best one!

They had witnessed the miracle of Ning Xiaochun's dual pagoda evolution and the surge in his soul power.

Ning Fengzhi had also clearly stated that with Ning Xiaochun's current physical fitness and soul power foundation, absorbing a thousand-year soul ring would be a breeze; his previous concerns were purely due to his own "excessive caution."

Therefore, once the three Title Douluos and Ning Fengzhi hid themselves and left the "stage" to the three children, Shui Bing'er and Dugu Yan immediately entered the zone, transforming their petty competitive feelings into the drive to find the "most suitable thousand-year soul beast" for Ning Xiaochun.

"According to his vision, Ning Xiaochun's second soul skill for the Seven Killings Glazed Pagoda should ideally weaken speed..."

Shui Bing'er scanned the surrounding jungle sharply with her ice-blue eyes, analyzing calmly.

"Then, for the soul beast, it's best to choose one that excels in speed or possesses some innate talent for slowing or stagnation. A lifespan between 1,200 and 1,500 years would be the safest."

"Tch, what's the use of just analyzing?" Dugu Yan curled her lips, though she had to admit Shui Bing'er made sense. Her bewitching green eyes shimmered with the luster of a venomous snake.

"You have to be able to find one. There aren't many thousand-year soul beasts in the Sunset Forest that meet these criteria, and most are cunning. I think it's better to look for a turtle-type soul beast with high defense. Their soul rings often grant powerful 'toughness' or 'stability' traits."

"Perhaps it could mutate into an effect similar to a 'slow-motion domain' or 'gravity suppression,' which would achieve the goal of weakening speed just as well, and they are more durable, making you harder to beat in the future."

The two girls went back and forth. Although they still didn't like each other, their goal was clear and their efficiency was high.

Relying on their evolved, powerful senses and martial soul traits, they moved like two arrows released from a bow, quickly searching the outer area of the Sunset Forest, temporarily "storing" Ning Xiaochun under a relatively safe tree and setting up a simple soul power alarm.

Ning Xiaochun leaned against the tree, watching the two girls "working so hard" for his soul ring. He felt both touched and amused, with a hint of helplessness at being so thoroughly "arranged."

He scratched his head and muttered, "Actually... eight or nine hundred years is fine too, really. Be steady, it won't be as painful to absorb... thousand-year soul beasts sound scary..."

Unfortunately, his opinion was automatically filtered out by the two "big sisters."

Before long, two clear cries and a surge of rolling toxic mist echoed through the forest.