Meng Chen tumbled out of the eighth trial's challenge space, utterly drained.
His face was paler than it had been after any previous trial, as though something had sucked every drop of blood from his body. Even his lips had lost their color.
Seeing this, Ning Rongrong immediately rushed over, gathered him into her arms, and asked anxiously, "Meng Chen! What happened to you?"
Meng Chen shook his head and said weakly, "I'm fine. I just exhausted all my soul power. A little rest and I'll be... cough!"
As he spoke, Meng Chen spat out a mouthful of black, clotted blood, his breathing turning rapid.
In truth, it wasn't just his soul power that had been depleted. His internal injuries were quite severe as well.
Ye Lingling hurried forward, her radiant Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul appearing before her. Its petals looked carved from crystal, its heart as lustrous and gentle as jade.
The light spilling from the nine-hearted begonia settled over Meng Chen like fireflies on a spring night, healing his body.
Under that blanket of healing energy, Meng Chen's breathing gradually steadied.
He slowly regained some strength, and a healthy flush gradually returned to his face, but his soul power could not recover immediately.
"Eighth Trial passed. Rewards granted: all Soul Ring ages increased by one hundred thousand years!" "Companionship rewards granted: companions' Soul Ring ages increased."
Meng Chen's Soul Rings appeared without his control. As divine power poured into them, the rings that had already been one hundred thousand years old remained red, but two orange-gold patterns appeared on each.
Meanwhile, the ages of Ning Rongrong's, Hu Liena's, Zhu Zhuqing's, Ye Lingling's, and Shui Bing'er's Soul Rings each rose to the maximum they could withstand, rather than increasing uniformly.
The Eighth Trial...
Ning Rongrong's expression