[Total Emotion Points: 45300]
Ye Qiong opened the system interface. As he looked at the long string of numbers displayed there, the corners of his mouth stretched into a grin that wouldn't go away.
Triple Emotion Point bonus!
"I'm rich, I'm rich!"
He rubbed his hands together and wasted no time furiously tapping the option to raise his Soul Power Level.
Emotion Points -3600 Emotion Points -3700 ... [Spent 18500 Emotion Points. Soul Power Level raised to level 40!]
As the Emotion Points were deducted, waves of pure energy surged into every part of his body.
His body was like parched earth blessed with rain, greedily absorbing this power.
"Mi..."
Mimi, perched on Ye Qiong's shoulder, was now surrounded by a faint glow that shimmered across her pink body.
Feeling the power continuously pouring into her, she excitedly flipped through the air.
"Mi, Mimi!"
A moment later, Ye Qiong slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the fullness within him, he was filled with delight.
So this was the power of level 40? He felt like he could kill a thousand-year Soul Beast with a single punch.
But this still wasn't enough.
Ye Qiong's gaze returned to the system shop, and he opened the exchange option he'd been coveting for a long time.
[Spent 1500 Emotion Points. First Soul Ring (1500 years) upgraded to 3000 years!]
At his command, the light of the first Soul Ring on Ye Qiong's body instantly deepened, changing from pale purple to a rich, deep purple as its age surged.
"Add another 2200 years to the second Soul Ring!"
[Spent 2200 Emotion Points. Second Soul Ring (3800 years) upgraded to 6000 years!]
The second purple Soul Ring likewise flared with light, its color growing richer until it almost looked black.
"Add another 3000 years to the third Soul Ring!"
[Spent 3000 Emotion Points. Third Soul Ring (7000 years) upgraded to 10000 years!]
Boom!
When the third Soul Ring broke through the ten-thousand-year threshold, its original purple was instantly replaced by a deep black. An aura far more powerful than before radiated from it.
A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!
After finishing all this, Ye Qiong opened the exchange shop again.
[Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, Price: 20000 Emotion Points.]
"Exchange!"
As twenty thousand Emotion Points were spent, a jet-black Soul Ring appeared out of thin air.
Ye Qiong took a deep breath and began absorbing the fourth Soul Ring.
He was going to break through again!
The violent energy poured into his body, trying to tear his meridians apart.
Yet not a trace of pain showed on his face.
His foundation from his previous life as a Stellar Core Essence was simply too good. His body was now like a bottomless black hole. No matter how fiercely the energy surged through him, it couldn't stir up the slightest ripple. In fact, it even felt kind of comfortable?
The Soul Rings provided by the system didn't cause a soul shock, which made the entire absorption process that much easier.
The next day, at Shrek Academy.
Before dawn had broken, Ning Rongrong had already climbed out of bed, her eyes burning with fierce determination.
Morning runs? She'd once looked down on them, but now, for Stellar Jade and to avoid becoming that tragic version of herself in the future, she'd accept it—even if it meant running two hundred laps instead of twenty!
"Rongrong, we'll go with you."
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing hadn't rested either. They'd already decided to stand by Ning Rongrong.
On the academy track, Flender watched the scene with bewilderment in his eyes.
He adjusted his glasses and suddenly remembered the letter Ning Fengzhi had sent a few days earlier.
The letter said his precious daughter was willful and spoiled, and that Flender absolutely had to teach her properly.
But was this girl before him, gritting her teeth as she ran, sweat pouring down her face and determination in her eyes, really the same person the letter described?
"How strange."
Flender considered stopping Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, but decided against it. He simply stood to the side, watching in silence.
Meanwhile, Oscar had started his daily morning run too. But as he ran, he realized something was wrong.
Why was the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, who looked so delicate, acting like she'd been pumped full of adrenaline today?
He was a level 29 Soul Grandmaster, and even when he gave it everything he had, he couldn't catch so much as a glimpse of her from behind.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Oscar panted heavily. He'd thought Ning Rongrong had just charged off too fast at the start, and that she'd inevitably slow down once her stamina gave out.
But he was wrong. Ning Rongrong didn't slow down at all. She only got faster, as if her stamina were endless.
In the end, as Oscar stared at her like he'd seen a ghost, Ning Rongrong broke through her limits and successfully completed twenty laps.
She was exhausted, but she was smiling.
She'd pushed herself this hard for the Stellar Jade in the mission rewards. Now she'd finally earned the right to compete in the Soul Fighting that night!
That night, at the Soto Great Soul Arena.
Flender brought the Shrek group here, bringing Oscar along as well.
Tang San and the three girls registered without a hitch.
"How should we form our teams?" Ning Rongrong asked, looking at the two-on-two Soul Fighting registration desk, a little torn.
She wanted to team up with Xiao Wu, but she also wanted to team up with Zhu Zhuqing.
[Pagoda Suppresses River Demon: @Everyone, help, help! Can we form multiple teams for Soul Fighting? I want to team up with Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, but I don't want to team up with those awful men.]
A message in the group broke the silence.
[Most Beautiful Pope: You can. The Soul Fighting Arena has no restrictions on the members of a team. You can form different teams with different people, as long as the two teams don't compete at the same time.]
Bibi Dong's authoritative reply as the Pope immediately pointed Ning Rongrong in the right direction.
"Wonderful!"
Ning Rongrong excitedly announced, "Zhuqing and I will form one team, the Glazed Cat Duo! Xiao Wu and I will form another, the Glazed Rabbit Duo!"
Ma Hongjun, standing nearby, looked utterly crestfallen. He'd been counting on teaming up with some beauty and enjoying the thrill of showing off while carrying a girl.
Now that dream was shattered.
The Soul Fighting matches soon began.
The three girls' fighting style left everyone watching wide-eyed.
Every time they finished a match, they gathered together to discuss it in the group chat before taking on the next one.
And their improvement was frighteningly fast.
In the group chat, Bibi Dong had now become a top-notch coach, tirelessly analyzing their opponents and advising them on tactics.
Every one of the girls' matches became a live teaching example for her.
[Most Beautiful Pope: Zhu Zhuqing, your opponent is a defensive-type Soul Master. Don't meet him head-on. Use your speed to attack his lower body and look for openings.] [Most Beautiful Pope: Xiao Wu, don't use your Charm skill lightly. Save it for the crucial moment, when you can interrupt your opponent's Soul Skill.]
With Bibi Dong's careful guidance, the three girls won match after match and quickly made a name for themselves.
Zhu Zhuqing easily won her first two one-on-one Soul Fighting matches. Her third opponent was Tang San.
[No Petting Cats: @Everyone, my next opponent is Tang San. Any advice? I don't want to lose.]
Zhu Zhuqing didn't want her winning streak to be broken and delay her progress on the mission.
``` [Most Beautiful Pope: @No Petting Cats, you can do this...] ``)
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