Innate Qi

Star Dou Great Forest Core Area.

Zhang Qingxuan held his breath and focused, darting swiftly through the forest. He had already ventured into the true core of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts lived here. Almost no one had ever come this far.

Li Yuntian and Yang Wanqing had returned some time ago. The Li Family could not go long without a powerful expert guarding it. Now, in this perilous heart of the forest, he traveled alone.

"Strange. According to the system's prompt, the check-in location should be here. Why hasn't it triggered yet?" Zhang Qingxuan frowned slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the surroundings.

It was far too quiet—there was not even the faintest chirp of insects or birds, only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Such unnatural silence often meant that something nearby terrified every living creature.

He concealed his aura and continued deeper. The farther he went, the richer the life energy in the air became. He could even see rare medicinal herbs, long extinct in the outside world, glowing faintly beneath the tree roots.

After another half an hour, the view suddenly opened up.

A vast lake appeared before him, its water clear as jade.

The lake's surface was perfectly still, like an enormous mirror.

Most astonishing of all was the life energy radiating from the lake. It was so dense it had nearly condensed into substance. Every breath left his entire body feeling at ease, and the circulation of his Qi sped up by thirty percent.

Lake of Life!

Zhang Qingxuan's heart stirred. He knew he had found the right place.

Ding! A crisp system notification rang out in his mind.

[Check-in successful. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained two strands of Innate Qi!]

In an instant, two currents of gentle yet vast and majestic energy appeared out of nowhere within his meridians. Like two awakened flood dragons, they coursed through his limbs and bones.

Zhang Qingxuan's entire body trembled. He nearly moaned in comfort.

What shocked him even more was that the two Martial Souls that had remained dormant in the depths of his dantian for so long both trembled at the same moment!

Immediately afterward, a stream of information flooded into his mind, revealing why they had ignored him:

"These two Martial Souls are of an extremely high grade, surpassing even the divine level. They must be further awakened with Innate Qi as a catalyst before they can fully awaken."

"After awakening, there will be no need to hunt Soul Beasts for Soul Rings. They need only absorb the purest energy between heaven and earth to condense Soul Rings on their own, with power several times greater than ordinary Soul Rings."

Zhang Qingxuan froze for a moment, then laughed. "Well, damn. These two have quite the appetite. Energy of heaven and earth... where am I supposed to find an energy source that meets their requirements?"

Before his words could fade, the two Martial Souls in his dantian suddenly began to tremble violently!

The trembling was not chaotic. It faintly pointed toward a certain direction in the forest, from which a powerful pull emanated, as though something were calling to them.

"This reaction... could there really be energy of heaven and earth there?"

Zhang Qingxuan's eyes lit up. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately circulated his cultivation technique and restrained his aura until it was nearly nonexistent.

He gave the shimmering Lake of Life one last look, then flashed into the dense forest on the other side of the shore like Gui Mei.

About the time it took to drink a cup of tea after he left.

The Lake of Life, which had remained as calm as a mirror, suddenly rippled at its center.

The ripples spread, and the water bulged upward as an enormous shadow slowly emerged—a blue bull's head the size of a small mountain.

It silently watched the direction in which Zhang Qingxuan had departed, a trace of wariness flashing through its eyes.

"Aunt Rou, that human... headed toward the Life Green Willow."

The Sky Azure Bull Python's deep voice drifted across the lake, its sound waves stirring faint ripples.

"Mm."

A Soft Bone Rabbit, snow-white and jade-like from head to toe, lightly leaped out and landed atop a bluestone by the lake.

She was not particularly large, but her pink eyes possessed intelligence far beyond that of ordinary Soul Beasts.

"Aunt Rou, should we follow him and take a look?" The Sky Azure Bull Python's voice carried hesitation.

When that human had approached earlier, it had been sleeping at the bottom of the lake.

Under normal circumstances, if an outsider intruded into the Lake of Life's territory, it would have already appeared to drive them away.

But this time, the faint aura emanating from that human's body made its soul tremble.

It was a lofty pressure, as though it had been born to suppress all Soul Beasts.

When it underwent its Hundred-Thousand-Year Heavenly Tribulation several years ago, the aura contained within the heavenly lightning descending from the sky had been somewhat similar to this pressure!

The Soft Bone Rabbit shook her head and looked toward the depths of the forest, in the direction Zhang Qingxuan had gone and where the Life Green Willow stood.

"No need. The Life Green Willow's cultivation is already nearing the limit of one hundred thousand years. The Heavenly Tribulation will descend soon."

"If you and I approach the tribulation zone, the Heavenly Tribulation will regard it as a provocation. When that happens... my own Heavenly Tribulation may arrive early as well."

The Sky Azure Bull Python's enormous pupils turned toward her, and its voice lowered. "Aunt Rou, you are nearly at one hundred thousand years as well. With the bloodline and strength of your Soft Bone Rabbit clan, trying to survive the Heavenly Tribulation..."

He did not finish, but his meaning was clear.

The Soft Bone Rabbit clan was far too weak among Soul Beasts. Their bloodline was ordinary, and generation after generation, they had been prey to powerful Soul Beasts.

Trying to withstand a Hundred-Thousand-Year Heavenly Tribulation through their own strength was almost certainly a death sentence.

A trace of sadness passed through the Soft Bone Rabbit's eyes. Then she raised her head and revealed a gentle smile. "It's all right. I have already made my decision. Once my cultivation reaches one hundred thousand years, I will take human form."

"Aunt Rou!" The Sky Azure Bull Python's voice was filled with reluctance.

Taking human form meant abandoning one hundred thousand years of cultivation and starting over.

Not only would she have to struggle to survive in the perilous world of Soul Beasts, she would also need to constantly guard against powerful Soul Masters discovering her true identity and hunting her for her Soul Ring.

The Soft Bone Rabbit's tone was gentle yet resolute. "It's fine, Daming. This is my own choice. Besides—"

She paused, the shimmering ripples of the lake reflected in her eyes.

"Don't I still have you and Erming? You will protect me, won't you?"

The Sky Azure Bull Python took a deep breath, and the surrounding lake water gently swayed. He slowly sank into the water, leaving only those terrifying eyes exposed.

"Mm. Erming and I will definitely protect Aunt Rou."

The words were not loud, yet they fell into the heart of the lake like the weightiest oath, lingering for a long time.

The lake breeze blew past, lifting the Soft Bone Rabbit's snowy fur.

She gazed into the depths of the forest, toward the direction where that human had vanished, and a trace of fear flashed through her eyes.

Meanwhile, Zhang Qingxuan had followed the guidance of his Martial Souls to a region completely unlike the rest of the forest.

The trees here were no longer ancient giants that blotted out the sky, but willow trees that emitted a faint green glow.

At the very center stood an enormous willow tree over a hundred zhang tall, its entire body emerald-green like jade. Countless willow branches swayed without wind, every one flowing with life energy so dense it had reached the extreme.

"This is..." Zhang Qingxuan's pupils contracted. Before he could speak, he heard a sound.

Rumble—!

Zhang Qingxuan looked up and saw that the sky, which had been clear moments ago, had suddenly darkened, filled with tribulation clouds stretching across the heavens!

At that moment, the two Martial Souls in his dantian began trembling more fiercely than ever before, almost crying out in joy.