As he passed out, a surge of energy continued churning behind his back.
"Lin Yan!"
"What happened, Lin Yan? Don't scare me!"
Wen Ruan rushed to Lin Yan's side and pulled him into her arms.
Zhao Wuji hurried over as well, placing a hand on Lin Yan's shoulder and trying to figure out what was going on.
About four or five seconds later, Zhao Wuji sensed that a surge of energy was about to burst out of Lin Yan's back. He immediately grabbed Wen Ruan and pulled her back.
"Get out of the way! His body's about to explode!"
The two of them flashed several meters away from Lin Yan in an instant.
Wen Ruan still wanted to go back and hold Lin Yan, but Zhao Wuji's grip kept her from breaking free.
Just then, the energy behind Lin Yan finally broke through its restraints!
Whoosh~
A gale sprang up. A pair of magnificent golden Dragon Wings suddenly unfurled, flipping the unconscious Lin Yan head over heels.
The figure in the middle of the clearing was hoisted up by the Dragon Wings like a rag doll.
Then the Evil Fire began to spread and envelop them. In just a few seconds, the golden Dragon Wings turned purple—or, more accurately, purplish gold!
"Th-this is an External Soul Bone?"
Zhao Wuji looked horrified. After one shock after another, he was already growing numb to them.
Wen Ruan broke free of his hand and rushed to Lin Yan's side.
But when she reached him, she realized that he was being held aloft by Dragon Wings nearly three meters long. She couldn't reach him...
In the end, the wings only retracted into Lin Yan's body once all his Soul Power had been exhausted.
Night soon fell.
The bright moon hung high overhead.
The dead of night in the Star Dou Forest was far from quiet. The roars of wild beasts echoed all around them.
Zhao Wuji made camp with the three of them right where they were. Wen Ruan held Lin Yan in her arms, silently praying to the gods over and over.
Zhao Wuji and Ma Hongjun sat nearby, both looking uneasy, their minds racing.
Of the three, Zhao Wuji was undoubtedly the most worried.
If Lin Yan had failed to absorb a thousand-year first ring, that would have been one thing. At worst, they'd have lost a student; it wasn't as if their academy had never lost one before.
But Lin Yan had successfully absorbed a thousand-year first ring, becoming the only exception in the entire Soul Master world. Once word got out, the whole continent would be swept up in a storm.
If a genius like him died while under Zhao Wuji's care, he would truly go down in history as a sinner.
The three who were still awake sat in a circle. They lit no campfire and didn't go into their tents. They simply listened to the wild beasts roaring around them and gazed up at the stars and moon.
Before long,
the unconscious Lin Yan finally began to regain his senses.
He slowly opened his eyes. His internal organs still ached faintly, but the sight before him was enough to make him forget the pain.
Lying in Wen Ruan's lap, the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a scene that seemed ready to topple at any moment.
Perhaps because it was late and everyone was feeling drowsy, the girl holding Lin Yan happened to nod off. Without meaning to, she pressed her chest right against his face.
"Mmph, mmph~"
Lin Yan could hardly breathe. He tried to open his mouth and gulp in air, but her clothes happened to brush against his lips.
Their accidental contact woke Wen Ruan at once.
The girl hurriedly straightened up, letting Lin Yan breathe fresh air again.
"Lin Yan! You're finally awake!"
Her startled cry rang out instinctively, immediately catching Zhao Wuji and Ma Hongjun's attention.
Lin Yan didn't get up right away. Before the other two could turn to look, he pulled Wen Ruan's coat up over her chest.
Only then did Wen Ruan notice that, while Lin Yan had been struggling just now, he had drooled all over her clothes...
"S-sorry~"
In the darkness, the girl's cheeks turned red as if they'd been scorched by fire. She hurriedly turned her face away.
Just then, Zhao Wuji hurried over to Lin Yan as well.
He didn't ask why Wen Ruan had hurried away the moment Lin Yan woke up. Instead, he grabbed Lin Yan by the shoulder.
"What happened? Why did obtaining an External Soul Bone injure you?"
Lin Yan's lips curved into a bitter smile. He sighed and said,
"When I unfurled the Dragon Wings for the first time, the External Soul Bone knocked my internal organs out of place."
Honestly, when he looked inside himself and figured out what had caused the changes to his body, even he had been at a loss for words.
The External Soul Bone's Dragon Wings were too large. As they formed inside him, they knocked his internal organs completely out of place. That was why he had spat out a mouthful of blood and suddenly passed out.
After hearing the explanation, Zhao Wuji let out a long breath. The weight on his heart finally lifted.
"You little brat! You scared me to death."
"Good thing you're not in any danger. Otherwise, I'd have ended up carrying the blame whether I deserved it or not."
Lin Yan laughed helplessly. He hadn't expected such a farcical outcome either. It seemed he shouldn't show off too much, or his joy could easily turn to sorrow.
"By the way, Junior Sister..."
He turned to look at Wen Ruan. Zhao Wuji seized the opportunity to cut in.
"This girl stayed up all night watching over you. You little brat, you're already learning how to woo girls at such a young age."
Wen Ruan, who was straightening her clothes, blushed at his words. Even in the dimly lit forest, Lin Yan could make out the shy look in her eyes.
He walked over to Wen Ruan.
Remembering the awkward scene from earlier, Lin Yan felt embarrassed too. But with the two of them face-to-face, he couldn't just say nothing.
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Yan finally spoke.
"What about you? You still haven't obtained your Second Soul Ring, right?"
"No~"
After she confirmed it, Lin Yan couldn't help smiling. Then he quickly turned his gaze to Zhao Wuji.
"Teacher Zhao, take me to the Ice-attribute Dragon Clan's habitat tomorrow. I'm going to help Junior Sister get her Second Soul Ring."
"Sure! I want to see what kind of fighting power your thousand-year first ring and that External Soul Bone can unleash."
This time, Zhao Wuji agreed without hesitation.
Lin Yan's worth had already surpassed that of an ordinary student. For his sake, Zhao Wuji might even personally hunt a Soul Beast for Wen Ruan.
It was no more than a little effort.
Wen Ruan, the central figure in all this, lowered her head until it nearly disappeared into her chest. She was embarrassed by how kind Lin Yan was to her, and there was another awkward matter right in front of her.
Just then, Lin Yan noticed that his saliva still stained the fabric over the girl's chest.
Thinking back to how his teeth had even brushed against it, he felt embarrassed too.
"Let me dry your clothes for you. With how damp it is tonight, you'd be uncomfortable for quite a while otherwise."
Wen Ruan didn't refuse.
Of course, if she'd known how Lin Yan planned to dry them, she definitely would have.
Lin Yan led her some distance away from Zhao Wuji and stopped beside a patch of grass. Then he said,
"It might get a little hot. If it feels uncomfortable, don't make a sound. The two of them might hear."
Wen Ruan didn't understand what he meant. As she was still pondering his words, a pair of small hands suddenly clasped her chest.
The next moment, a searing heat spread from his palms through her clothes and onto her skin. Her body tensed instinctively...
Wen Ruan stared at Lin Yan in disbelief. She hadn't expected him to be so bold as to try something like this right now.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"Drying your clothes, of course!"
Lin Yan looked perfectly matter-of-fact. Even Wen Ruan, the one involved, began to doubt herself, wondering if she was the one with the dirty mind.
In the end, she could only silently endure it...
Before long, the searing heat finally dried the moisture on her clothes. Of course, over the course of it, the girl gradually went limp as well.
In the dead of night, the roars of wild beasts echoed all around them, conveniently covering the girl's panting...