A Contractual Zhao Xi, Second Trial Completed

Luo Chen sprinted madly through the forest. He had already used Time Acceleration once and could not activate it again in such a short time.

He had to rely on his soul power and mental energy to run for his life, while the tremors from Er Ming's pursuit behind him grew increasingly violent.

Suddenly, a vast expanse of water appeared ahead—a bottomless lake, its surface shimmering with silver ripples under the moonlight. Luo Chen had no time to think; he dove headlong into the water.

Icy lake water flooded his nose and mouth. He held his breath and swam toward the depths. Behind him, Er Ming reached the shore but suddenly came to a halt. The Titan Giant Ape was not a strong swimmer, but more importantly, he stopped because Da Ming resided within that lake.

Xiao Wu caught up, standing beside Er Ming as she gazed at the water.

"Forget it, Er Ming. He fell in. With Da Ming down there, he won't survive."

Er Ming remained silent for a moment before turning away from the lake.

Xiao Wu cast one last glance back, the corners of her mouth curling upward slightly, before she vanished into the dense forest alongside Er Ming.

Luo Chen dove deep underwater for a long time.

He didn't know how far he had swum, only that the tremors and roars behind him were fading until they vanished entirely.

He began to feel a tightness in his chest as his oxygen ran low. Just then, his foot brushed against something, and a powerful force yanked his body downward.

An undercurrent!

There was an undercurrent at the bottom of the lake, dragging him toward even greater depths. Luo Chen struggled for a moment, but realizing he couldn't break free, he stopped resisting and let the current sweep him away.

The water roared in his ears, and everything before his eyes turned pitch black.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a force finally pushed him out of the water, slamming him hard onto a rock. He coughed up a few mouthfuls of water, gasped for air, and opened his eyes.

He was in an underground cavern. Glowing ore embedded in the ceiling cast a faint, eerie blue light. In the center of the cave was a small, crystal-clear pool with a dark, gaping hole at the bottom—the source of the undercurrent that had brought him here.

Luo Chen struggled to his feet and looked around. Deep within the cave, two faint golden shadows were curled up beside a pile of glowing ore, fast asleep.

They were two very familiar soul beasts.

They were small, only about thirty centimeters long, shaped like little fish. One was a vibrant azure, while the other was a deeper shade of blue.

The pocket watch on his chest jolted violently, burning hot.

Luo Chen pulled out the watch, and the cover popped open automatically.

The second scale was now fully illuminated, and a prompt flashed in his mind.

<strong>[Target soul beast locked.]</strong>

Zhao and Xi!

Luo Chen leaned against the cave wall, watching the siblings, his lips slowly curving upward.

"Finally found you."

Zhao and Xi seemed to have been awakened by Luo Chen's arrival. They opened their eyes simultaneously and looked at him, their gazes filled with innocence.

Despite being five-thousand-five-hundred-year-old soul beasts, they looked as if they had just been born.

Yet, they showed no fear upon seeing Luo Chen; instead, they boldly tried to swim toward him, though they were trapped in a small bay within the cave wall and couldn't reach him on their own.

To be thousand-year soul beasts at birth—they clearly hadn't even mastered their own abilities yet.

Perhaps because they also possessed the power of time, the siblings felt a natural affinity for Luo Chen.

Luo Chen felt the same way. He stood up and walked toward the two little fish.

Looking at the harmless little creatures, he knew they possessed a skill called Absolute Time. When their energy dropped below one-third, it dealt 9,999 fixed damage—in other words, it was a one-hit kill.

He remembered a pet called Qianniao Wan in another game, Aoki Legend, which also had a chance to one-hit kill, though it wasn't fixed damage.

How devious!

But Luo Chen couldn't suppress the smile on his face. Did he know what a "concept god" was?

Luo Chen didn't rush to take out the Slow Ball. Instead, he decided to build some rapport with them first; perhaps they would voluntarily form a contract with him.

Luo Chen took out the Time Indicator and intentionally released a wisp of time energy. Zhao and Xi seemed to catch the scent of it and immediately became lively.

When Luo Chen reached their side, they vied to poke their heads out.

Smelling the time energy, the siblings were so excited they swam in circles, their tails slapping the water and splashing droplets everywhere. Zhao was the first to poke its head out of the water, opening its mouth and letting out a "ji" sound, as if begging for food.

Luo Chen condensed a wisp of time energy into a small ball of light and held it to its mouth. Zhao swallowed it in one gulp, squinting in satisfaction and rolling over in the water.

Xi squeezed up from behind, opening its mouth to demand some as well. Luo Chen condensed another ball of light and fed it to Xi.

After eating, Xi stopped circling and floated quietly in the water, its vertical pupils reflecting the silver-white light as if it were tipsy.

Luo Chen didn't stop, condensing another ball of light. Zhao snatched it, but Xi missed, getting so angry it thrashed in the water and splashed Luo Chen in the face. He wiped his face, deciding not to tease them anymore, and evenly divided the remaining time energy in his watch to feed the two little ones.

Once full, Zhao and Xi floated motionless on the surface, bellies up, eyes half-closed, looking completely "spent." Luo Chen couldn't help but reach out to stroke Zhao's belly; it was soft, with warm currents pulsing beneath the scales.

Xi flipped over and nudged his finger with its head, refusing to be touched—it was a little girl, after all!

"Quite the temper," Luo Chen chuckled.

He took the Slow Ball from his waist and held it in his palm. The grayish-white sphere was covered in fine, frost-like patterns, glowing coldly under the blue light of the cave.

Zhao and Xi looked at the ball simultaneously, their vertical pupils narrowing slightly. It wasn't fear, but an instinctive wariness, as if they were judging whether the object posed a threat.

The Slow Ball was a Gulu Ball specifically designed to capture time-type soul beasts. It not only significantly increased the success rate but also restricted the flow of time for the target—in simple terms, it forced them into a slowed state.

After realizing there was no danger, Zhao and Xi suddenly did something that surprised Luo Chen. Their two fish bodies leaped into the air, forming the shape of a yin-yang symbol, and the next moment, they flew straight toward the Slow Ball. A flash of light passed, and the capture was successful!

This caught Luo Chen off guard; he had not expected it to be so simple!

The next moment, four soul rings—red-purple-gold, purple, purple, and purple—emerged, causing Luo Chen's spirit to soar! He had finally broken through to the Soul Ancestor realm.

[Second trial completed. Exceeded expectations, soul beast initiated contract. Rewards: Second soul ring age increased by 1,000 years; fourth soul ring age increased to 10,000 years. Fourth soul skill added: Foresight. Upon hit, forces the opponent's positive buffs to invert and converts their follow-up damage into equivalent healing. Time Indicator skill awakened: Time Slow.]

The next moment, Luo Chen's fourth soul ring slowly transformed from deep purple to black, and the purple of his second soul ring grew even more profound. Luo Chen's soul power surged like a rocket: 41... 42... 43... 44... It did not stop until it reached level 45.

Very good, level 45! The second trial was complete, and he could finally be considered an expert now.

Yet, at this moment, the Evil Emperor suddenly had a different reaction...