Lin Shuo lowered his head and looked at Di Tian, who was kneeling on one knee. "Rise, Di Tian." His voice carried a hint of ease that only ever surfaced in this forest.
Di Tian stood. A faint smile, rare on his stern face, appeared for an instant. His gaze swept over Lin Shuo, sensing that the boy's Soul Power had grown denser and deeper than it had been five months ago. A flash of satisfaction passed through his eyes.
"My lord, have you reached a bottleneck?"
"Mm. I should reach level forty in the next couple of days." Lin Shuo nodded and started toward the Lake of Life, with Di Tian following half a step behind. "Where's the Auspicious Beast?"
Di Tian's footsteps faltered almost imperceptibly.
"My lord," Di Tian replied, choosing his words carefully. A hint of helplessness crept into his voice. "The Auspicious Beast has probably run off to the Mixed Zone again. The Scarlet King is with her. Ever since you left, she's been clamoring to take human form and find you in the human world."
"I'll think about going to the human world once I'm a little stronger." Lin Shuo fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"Di Tian, go bring the Auspicious Beast back. I'm going to see Nana."
Di Tian gave a slight nod and drew a line through the air.
Di Tian vanished amid ripples in space, while Lin Shuo continued alone toward the Lake of Life's isolated space.
Inside, Gu Yuena stood with her back to him. Her silver hair fell to her waist like silk woven from moonlight, and her plain white dress shimmered faintly in the glow of the space.
Hearing movement behind her, Gu Yuena turned around.
Her cool, otherworldly features softened, and her purple eyes brightened slightly at the sight of Lin Shuo. Her gaze swept over him from head to toe as if checking something. Then the corners of her lips curved into the faintest, yet genuine, smile.
"You're back?"
"Mm, Nana." Lin Shuo walked over and sat down opposite her as naturally as could be.
Gu Yuena reached out and gently brushed the stray hair from his forehead with her cool fingertips. She had been doing this for twelve years, ever since Lin Shuo was a swaddled infant, and the gesture had never changed.
"The bottleneck's loosened."
"In the next couple of days." Lin Shuo nodded. "If a God-Bestowed Soul Ring appears when I break through, people will ask all sorts of questions. I can't be bothered, so I came back to break through here. Also..."
"What is it? Something you want to tell me?"
It wasn't a question. After twelve years together, not a single subtle shift in Lin Shuo's expression escaped her.
"Mm." Lin Shuo didn't deny it, his expression growing more serious. "Nana, after I break through to the fourth ring, I want Di Tian to accompany me to the Far North."
Gu Yuena's brows lifted almost imperceptibly.
"The Far North?" She looked at Lin Shuo. "What are you going there for?"
"There's a Myriad-Year Profound Ice Cave at the Earth Dragon Sect in Dragon City, Heaven Dou Empire, but those humans can't make use of it. It's useless to other Soul Beasts, but for the Soul Beasts of the Far North, it's a rare treasure. Since I know where it is, we should make good use of it."
Lin Shuo had learned of the place from the original story. Snow Empress and Ice Empress were nearing their tribulations, and the Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow there would be enough to help them break through to seven hundred thousand and four hundred thousand years.
Gu Yuena listened quietly. There was no doubt or surprise in her purple eyes. She merely fell silent for a few breaths before answering, her tone as calm as ever.
"If you want to go, then have Di Tian accompany you. The Far North and the Star Dou Great Forest don't have much contact, but they're still Soul Beasts."
Lin Shuo listened attentively without interrupting. When Gu Yuena finished, she lowered her eyes, the exquisite, almost unearthly features of her face betraying the faintest flicker of emotion.
"Your safety comes first. Keep the Reverse Scale I gave you with you. If anything happens, I can teleport there at once. Whether or not they break through, your safety matters more."
Lin Shuo met her gaze and nodded solemnly.
"All right. Tell me what happened during those eight months."
Gu Yuena's tone softened. In the long river of her life, eight months were no more than the blink of an eye. But each day Lin Shuo was away had seemed to stretch longer and longer, until its end vanished from sight.
Lin Shuo began telling her about what he had seen in the human world. Gu Yuena's expression remained cool, betraying no change in her emotions. Only when she heard about Huo Yu'er and Wang Dong'er did her brows knit.
Had the little cabbage she'd raised for twelve years been snatched up by some outsider pig?
"Mm." Gu Yuena replied coolly. "As long as you're happy."
Her tone was as calm as ever, as if she hadn't given it a second thought. But Lin Shuo still caught the faintest hint that something was off. He studied Gu Yuena's expression.
"Nana, are you all right?"
Gu Yuena raised an eyebrow, avoiding the question.
"You're almost at level forty. Go break through first. Di Tian is already waiting outside."
As she spoke, she raised a hand and gave a light wave. The power of space surged silently, enveloping Lin Shuo. Before he could say anything else, his vision blurred—and the next instant, he was standing outside the isolated space, the breeze from the Lake of Life blowing against him.
Lin Shuo stood there, blinking at the entrance to the space as it closed before his eyes. He was silent for a moment.
"...She kicked me out." Lin Shuo gave a helpless laugh. After twelve years together, he knew exactly what was going on.
Lin Shuo shook his head and set those thoughts aside for now. The important thing came first.
He turned around. Di Tian was waiting beneath the ancient tree. Beside him crouched a golden figure, its amber vertical pupils lighting up the moment it saw Lin Shuo—the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had returned from the Mixed Zone and now sprang toward him.
"Lin Shuo, you're finally back. No one could play with me after you left. I want to go to the human world with you, too." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion spoke in the human tongue, sounding aggrieved.
Lin Shuo stroked her head. "Wait a little longer. In a while, I'll let you take human form and come out with me."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion raised her head from Lin Shuo's arms and gazed up at him, her amber vertical pupils shining brightly. Her tail swished happily behind her. She opened her mouth as if she still wanted to say something, but in the end she obediently nodded, hopped down from Lin Shuo, and lay down at his feet.
"My lord." Di Tian bowed slightly. "The Auspicious Beast has returned. Do you have any further instructions?"
"Di Tian, after I break through to level forty, accompany me to the Far North to meet Snow Empress and Ice Empress. I've discovered a Myriad-Year Profound Ice Cave."
"Yes, my lord." Di Tian asked no questions. He only needed to obey.
Lin Shuo told the Auspicious Beast to behave, then sat cross-legged on the ground and began cultivating. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lay quietly beside him, keeping watch, her tail tapping the grass softly, once, then again.
Early the next morning, a nine-colored pillar of light plunged down from the heavens, pierced through layer upon layer of treetops, and entered Lin Shuo's crown. A fourth Soul Ring, black as ink, slowly took shape beneath his feet. The terrifying pressure of the dragon clan swept out in every direction, as tangible as the wind.