As the sun and moon revolved, night turned to day, and half a day passed quietly inside the Spirit Transmission Platform.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, a thousand-year Earth Bear toppled to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. It slowly transformed into earthy-yellow energy that floated in midair.
"Once I absorb this energy, the age of my first two Soul Rings will finally break through nine thousand years."
Na'er put away the Silver Dragon Spear, its blade glinting with a cold light, and beckoned with her small hand. When the energy had completely merged into her Soul Rings, delight appeared on her fair, pretty face.
After a night of hunting, she had successfully increased the age of her first two Soul Rings from six thousand years to nine thousand.
"Our efficiency's been great. In just one night, my Soul Ring age has already reached the limit my spiritual power can withstand."
Gu Yue gave a soft laugh. The hundred-year Yellow Soul Ring she'd had before had also transformed into a noble purple one, reaching an age of five thousand years.
That night, the three of them had focused on hunting thousand-year Soul Beasts. With their strength, dealing with the thousand-year Soul Beasts in the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform had been a piece of cake.
"Aw, there are still too few thousand-year Soul Beasts in this Primary Spirit Ascension Platform. I think next time we can go to the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform."
Na'er sighed regretfully. The Primary Spirit Ascension Platform in East Sea couldn't compare to the headquarters. They had almost finished hunting all the thousand-year Soul Beasts, and the Platform would need some time to nurture a new batch. So it would probably be difficult for her to break through ten thousand years with her first two Soul Rings this time.
"It's fine. Once we're back at the headquarters, I'll go with you to raise your Soul Rings."
Jiang Xiu looked at Na'er and replied with a faint smile. This time, they had all worked together to raise his Soul Rings. It was only fair that he help Na'er with hers once they returned, and it wouldn't take much effort.
Most importantly, with Leng Yaozhu around, they could enter the Spirit Transmission Platform to raise their Soul Rings for free.
The steep price of entering the Spirit Ascension Platform didn't apply to them at all.
"Then it's settled."
Na'er's eyes lit up slightly at his words, and she turned to give Gu Yue a proud look.
"Childish. Let's go."
Gu Yue's dark eyes remained calm. After saying that, she pressed the Red Button on her right arm first, and her figure vanished in an instant.
"Let's not keep Tower Master Leng waiting too long. We should go, too."
Jiang Xiu gave a slight nod, and the next moment, he disappeared from where he stood.
"Childish~~~"
Na'er mimicked Gu Yue's expression as she said it, then lifted her chin like a general who'd just won a battle.
Because she knew that the more someone acted like they didn't care about something, the more they cared about it.
After the three of them left, the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform fell quiet once more.
But the other people who had entered the Platform this time were all wailing in despair. They'd discovered that after just one night, the thousand-year Soul Beasts in the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform seemed to have vanished. There were hardly any left.
"Big Bro, are your markers really reliable? We've been searching for so long and have only run into one thousand-year Soul Beast."
Xu Xiaoyan looked at the empty Soul Beast nest before her and eyed her brother, Xu Xiaoyu, suspiciously.
"This... I clearly remember it being right. How come they're all gone?"
Xu Xiaoyu looked just as incredulous. He'd scouted the area ahead of time before this trip. Even if one or two had been killed by someone else, surely they couldn't all be gone.
But then Xu Xiaoyu seemed to think of something, and his expression turned grave.
"Little Sis, I think someone's set us up. There's an invisible hand manipulating everything from the shadows."
He'd studied the art of social maneuvering and the skill of reading people plenty.
"Big Dummy, these Soul Beasts were obviously just swept up by someone along the way. Quit dawdling. If we can't find any thousand-year ones, we'll hunt hundred-year ones instead."
Xu Xiaoyan pressed a hand to her forehead and shook her head at her brother, who was talking as if he knew what he was saying.
In truth, she'd sensed it through her Martial Soul: the traces left behind by the fighting here were nearly identical to those she'd sensed by the lake. And it was obvious who had hunted these Soul Beasts.
"Jiang Xiu... I'm sure we'll meet again."
Xu Xiaoyan's eyes shifted as she murmured to herself.
First there'd been the pack of Flame Demon Lions, then the killing of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, and then the reaction of her Martial Soul. There was no way she could forget Jiang Xiu, so now, like her brother, she was curious about which faction he belonged to.
She followed her brother as she pondered, but Xu Xiaoyu was still muttering to himself.
"When I get back, I'm telling Dad. No, I'll pay out of my own pocket to report this to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters. Someone definitely set us up!"
Creak!
The silver-white wall opened, and three Soul Guidance Pods shot out. Their hatches opened, and Jiang Xiu and the other two slowly opened their eyes and sat up.
"Congratulations, young friends, on raising your Soul Rings."
A kind voice rang out. It was Vice Pagoda Master Liu, who had been waiting outside.
"Thank you, Tower Master Liu, for the gift."
Jiang Xiu smiled and cupped his hands.
Although he knew the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's Soul Bone had ended up in his hands because of Leng Yaozhu, Vice Pagoda Master Liu had gone out of his way to show goodwill. There was no need for Jiang Xiu to respond coldly.
In this world, strength wasn't the only thing that mattered. Human relationships and social graces mattered even more.
Besides, before he'd come, his Grandmaster, Dong Zi'an, had hinted that in the future, he would pave the way for Jiang Xiu in the Sun Moon Federation. There was no harm in making more connections.
"Come now! It's all thanks to your own strength, young Jiang. A Soul Bone belongs with a genius; the two are a perfect match."
Vice Pagoda Master Liu gave Jiang Xiu an interested glance, then waved his hand and continued.
"Tower Master Leng asked me to test your spiritual power. The others haven't come out yet, so why don't we test yours first?"
As he spoke, Vice Pagoda Master Liu took out three brand-new Soul Guidance Helmets for testing spiritual power.
"No problem."
Jiang Xiu nodded slightly. The last time he'd tested his spiritual power had been six months ago, and he'd been busy ever since.
Now that his cultivation had reached level thirty, testing his spiritual power would also help him prepare for his third Soul Ring.
"I'll go first!"
Na'er said eagerly, taking the Soul Guidance Helmet and setting it firmly on her head.
The value displayed above quickly began to climb. It passed five hundred before gradually slowing down, and finally settled at 531.
"Miss Na'er has reached the Spirit Sea Realm at such a young age. What extraordinary talent."
Vice Pagoda Master Liu's pupils contracted in shock, and he praised her sincerely.
The Spirit Sea Realm meant that one's mind was like an ocean, vast and boundless, capable of accommodating three thousand-year Soul Spirits or one ten-thousand-year Soul Spirit.
Even among the Shrek Academy, which only accepted monsters, no one from the previous generation of Shrek Seven Devils had reached this level of spiritual power at her age, had they?
"Not bad, I guess. Big Bro, hurry up and test yours."
Na'er had expected this. After taking off the helmet, she urged Jiang Xiu to hurry.
Vice Pagoda Master Liu was also very curious. If even Na'er was this impressive, just how strong would Jiang Xiu be, with the age of his first two Soul Rings already past ten thousand years?
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