Temporary Residence in Thunder Valley, Bi Ji's Heart is Stirred

Three days later, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, having taken on a human form, gazed at the energy membrane covering Yu Hengqing's body with immense satisfaction.

"As expected of someone taught by yours truly, he's actually mastered mimicry in just three days! Hahaha!"

"My teaching ability is far superior to Di Tian and that whole lot of soul beasts; who knows, I might even be able to teach someone into becoming a god!"

As Sky Dream Ice Silkworm spoke, he drifted into another one of his fantasies, though his final remark was not entirely wrong—he would indeed go on to mentor the God of Emotions, a being with the potential to become a God King.

Of course, in Yu Hengqing's eyes, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's teaching ability was quite average, barely better than some of the instructors at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

The reason he had mastered mimicry so quickly was largely due to Leiyi, his true teacher, who had constantly corrected and guided him.

Within Yu Hengqing's spiritual space, Leiyi could perceive the fluctuations in his soul power and spiritual energy with far greater clarity, allowing him to point out Yu Hengqing's mistakes in real-time.

However, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's joy did not last long, as Di Tian arrived upon hearing the commotion.

"Since he has already mastered mimicry, it is time for you to return, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Naturally, I will not forget what I promised you; we shall meet again in seven days."

With that, Di Tian raised his dragon-like arm, intending to seal Sky Dream Ice Silkworm away once more.

"Hold on, this kid is the first student I've ever taught, I certainly can't treat him poorly."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm raised a hand to interrupt Di Tian, pulling out a prepared silkworm slough and handing it to Yu Hengqing.

"This is my silkworm slough. Take it as a memento of our brief time as master and disciple!"

My silkworm slough can not only conceal your aura but also withstand a full-force attack from Di Tian. It is absolutely your ultimate life-saving artifact!

Hearing that the silkworm slough could actually defend against an attack from Di Tian, Yu Hengqing felt a surge of joy, though he kept his expression neutral.

"Then thank you for the gift, Teacher Tian Meng. I will remember your words and make good use of mimicry!"

Di Tian said nothing to this; in his eyes, the silkworm slough Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had given Yu Hengqing could, at best, block a full-force strike from Xiong Jun.

As soon as Yu Hengqing finished expressing his gratitude, Di Tian trapped Sky Dream Ice Silkworm back inside a black sphere, then gave it a light toss, causing it to merge into the space around them.

Di Tian, who preferred peace and quiet, had no desire to keep listening to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm prattling on in front of him.

"Where do you intend to go next? Will you return to the human world, or remain in Star Dou Forest?"

After securing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Di Tian turned his gaze back to Yu Hengqing.

"I will stay in Star Dou Forest. However, not at Life Lake; I must head to Thunder Valley to complete the Thunder God Trial."

Faced with Di Tian's inquiry, Yu Hengqing answered decisively without a moment's hesitation.

Di Tian was more than happy to see Yu Hengqing leave Life Lake; humans were never meant to set foot there in the first place.

"Very well. I will have Bi Ji escort you to Thunder Valley, where you can wait for your people to rendezvous with you."

Having made the simple arrangement, Di Tian turned and left. Yu Hengqing had only displayed his potential, not yet his value, and was not worth Di Tian's further concern.

Once Di Tian had departed, Yu Hengqing finally put away the silkworm slough, shrinking it down to the size of a soybean and tucking it into his chest pocket.

For now, Yu Hengqing lacked the ability to control the silkworm slough's aura-concealing properties, so he could only keep it on his person and activate it when danger arose.

Sigh, if only I knew the art of forging, I could turn this slough into a piece of protective inner armor suited for myself.

The thought that his sect lacked a powerful blacksmith filled Yu Hengqing with a sense of regret.

"Yu Hengqing, have you finished packing? If you are ready, I shall take you out now."

Bi Ji's exceptionally gentle voice drifted from not far away, and as Yu Hengqing looked up, he saw a silver portal of light slowly manifesting beside her.

"Yes, I am ready. We can go!"

Yu Hengqing said, quickly stepping toward Bi Ji to wait for her to open the portal.

"Very well, let us depart from here now."

Seeing Yu Hengqing reach her side, Bi Ji raised her hand to stabilize the portal and stepped into the silver light with him.

Stepping out of the silver portal and leaving Life Lake behind, Yu Hengqing finally caught sight of Daming and Erming.

Daming and Erming, who had been absorbing life energy, sensed Bi Ji's arrival and hurriedly ended their cultivation to approach.

"Lady Bi Ji, good morning!" X2

After greeting Bi Ji, Daming and Erming shifted their gazes toward Yu Hengqing.

Although both soul beasts were curious as to why a human like Yu Hengqing had emerged from Life Lake, they chose to remain silent, strictly adhering to the "education" they had received during this period.

Only after watching Bi Ji and Yu Hengqing depart from Life Lake did Daming and Erming heave a sigh of relief and return to their previous spots to resume cultivation.

However, seeing a soul master suddenly made Erming miss Xiao Wu, who had transformed into a human.

Sister Xiao Wu, Daming and I both miss you so much! I wonder if you are doing well in the human world?

At that moment, Xiao Wu, who was walking ahead of Tang San and selling goods with great enthusiasm, suddenly sneezed.

"Achoo!"

"Xiao Wu, why did you sneeze? Did you catch a cold from the wind?"

"Third Brother, it's nothing! My body is very strong!"

With Bi Ji's company, Yu Hengqing did not encounter any short-sighted soul beasts attacking them along the way.

However, because of Bi Ji's presence, Yu Hengqing saw many soul beasts seeking her help throughout the journey; most had been injured while fighting among themselves, with only a very small fraction having been wounded by soul masters.

This was not to say that the damage soul masters inflicted upon soul beasts was less than the damage soul beasts inflicted upon one another; on the contrary, it proved that the harm soul masters caused was immense.

Because the vast majority of soul masters aimed to kill soul beasts the moment they struck, only a few soul beasts with good luck or great strength could escape and survive.

Of course, this was not Yu Hengqing having a sudden attack of saintly compassion; he was simply considering Bi Ji's position.

If Yu Hengqing played his cards right, he might be able to pull Bi Ji into his camp, and his camp was sorely lacking in top-tier healers like her.

"Bi Ji, you say that soul masters must hunt soul beasts to obtain soul rings in order to cultivate. Is this just the way it has been since the beginning, or was it invented by someone?"

"If it has always been this way, then as soul beasts go extinct, soul masters will also be consigned to the dust of history. If it was invented by someone, could we perhaps invent something else to replace it?"

Hearing Yu Hengqing's remarks, Bi Ji, who had been walking forward, suddenly paused. Yu Hengqing's words had thoroughly sparked her contemplation.

A long time ago, Bi Ji had already been exploring how to handle the conflict between soul beasts and soul masters.

However, if soul masters wanted to continue cultivating, they needed soul rings to break through their bottlenecks, which required hunting soul beasts. This contradiction was irreconcilable.

After all, Bi Ji was not a god; she could not stop soul masters from cultivating soul power.

"Yu Hengqing, that is a good question, but I cannot answer it right now. Ever since I can remember, soul masters have been hunting soul beasts to obtain soul rings!"

"Therefore, I do not know the origin of soul masters, nor do I know who started the tradition of soul masters hunting soul beasts to obtain soul rings."

"If you truly wish to know the answer, you can ask the Silver Dragon King when you next meet her. The erudite Silver Dragon King might be able to answer this question for you."

Bi Ji spoke very slowly because she also wanted to know the answers to these questions. Her intuition told her that these answers were one of the keys to resolving the conflict between soul masters and soul beasts.

"Alright, we have arrived at Thunder Valley!"

Although Bi Ji spoke slowly, her pace was not slow at all. Furthermore, after she finished healing those soul beasts, they would take the initiative to escort them for a portion of the journey, and thus, Yu Hengqing and the others had arrived at Thunder Valley.