While everyone was resting, Jiang Nannan got up and walked toward where the Mutant Skeleton had exploded. The ground still bore traces of the blast. Several large bone fragments were stuck crookedly in the dirt, while the edges of the explosion were scorched black, with lingering remnants of evil Fire.
"Nannan, what are you doing here?"
Xu Sanshi, the veteran personal bodyguard, naturally followed her over. This was a rare chance to be alone with her, and he could not let it slip away.
Seeing Xu Sanshi approach, Jiang Nannan frowned, but she did not chase him away.
So there really were some.
Jiang Nannan saw that the fluorescent green clumps had not completely vanished. She crouched down and extended her palm. The green motes slowly gathered as though drawn by some force, covering her palm before seeping into her skin through the gaps between her fingers. Where they entered, she felt an extremely faint warmth.
"I don't know what these things are either, and no one knows what they do. Some people have guessed that they're monster souls, but that doesn't seem quite right."
Seeing that Jiang Nannan was interested in them, Xu Sanshi crouched beside her and pointed at a mote drifting past him, telling her everything he knew.
People had begun studying these things ever since Twilight Forest appeared in the Extreme North, but no one had yet figured out what they were for.
Most soul masters had labeled these light clusters as monster souls, or perhaps monster power. Some had absorbed them, but there had been no reaction, nor had their bodies shown any abnormalities.
"Mm..."
Hearing that, Jiang Nannan merely hummed without saying anything else. She simply found them interesting and wanted to try absorbing them.
"Nannan, if you're interested in this, do you want to go to the Spirit Pagoda in the Extreme North? I can take you."
Xu Sanshi spoke up. This Twilight Forest at the academy would definitely disappear, and the Spirit Pagoda might not cooperate with Shrek again anytime soon. If Jiang Nannan wanted to study these things, she could only go to Twilight Forest in the Extreme North.
"Mm..."
At the mention of going to the Extreme North, Jiang Nannan's eyes lit up. The Extreme North was now a land of riches. A Four-Ring Soul Ancestor at Jiang Nannan's level could earn a hundred Gold Soul Coins a day there, as long as she was not afraid of dying.
But then Jiang Nannan thought of her mother. What would happen to her mother if she left? If she brought her along, the long journey might be more than she could endure.
"You two, get ready. We're leaving."
They had rested briefly, mainly to let Chen Zifeng recover. Fortunately, they had brought plenty of healing potions.
Chen Zifeng's wounds were no longer a problem. As for his Soul Power, he could recover it on the road.
"Thank you, Junior Huo."
Chen Zifeng walked over to Huo Yuhao and thanked him. If Huo Yuhao had not suppressed the evil Fire within him earlier, he did not know what might have happened.
The lingering burning pain from being stung by the Ice Empress Scorpion had completely faded, but he still remembered what it felt like when Fire kept scorching the depths of his soul. It was as if something inside him were slowly being roasted dry.
This experience had left a deep impression on Chen Zifeng.
"If we encounter undead creatures like this again, Junior Huo, remember to freeze their corpses."
Chen Zifeng said that if he encountered them himself, he would make sure to chop every undead creature into pieces to prevent any explosions.
"Interesting. You actually know how to review a fight."
Xia Liang found Chen Zifeng's words amusing. It was as though some future Chen Zifeng had possessed him.
The rest of the journey went much more smoothly. Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng cleared the way ahead, unleashing the full strength of their Soul Emperor cultivation. Other than a few mechanic monsters, they were practically unmatched within the Twilight Forest region.
After reaching Naga's territory, the entire team ended the battle in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
After all, Naga did not have any special mechanics. Its only troublesome feature was the high defense of every part of its body except its head. After Huo Yuhao pointed that out, Ma Xiaotao and the others focused all their attacks on its head and easily dealt with Naga.
"Tsk, tsk. What a pity about that Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring."
Xu Sanshi looked at the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. It was a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring—outside, countless people would dream of obtaining one.
Things were no different from ten thousand years ago. Not every soul master had the optimal Spirit Ring configuration. Many Soul Kings still had thousand-year Spirit Rings as their fifth rings. It was not that they could not absorb Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, but to obtain one, they had to find a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast of a suitable age and kill it.
Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were already extremely difficult to find, and suitable ones were even harder to locate.
Every hunt required months of advance scouting and preparation. Moreover, as the number of soul masters increased, information on soul beast whereabouts became increasingly expensive. It was simply not something an ordinary Four-Ring Soul Ancestor could afford to accumulate.
"Still, after Twilight Forest appeared, Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings probably won't be scarce anymore."
Wang Yan stood nearby, his gaze also falling on that Spirit Ring. The distribution patterns of the monsters in Twilight Forest had already been roughly figured out. The information and weaknesses of most monsters had been recorded, and there were suitable targets for any desired age of soul beast.
Soul masters no longer needed to risk their lives venturing deep into soul beast forests and relying on luck. They only needed to enter Twilight Forest and find the corresponding monster area. In the future, Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings would gradually become more plentiful, and the difficulty of obtaining them would decrease.
"Do you think Twilight Forest could produce red Spirit Rings?"
Xu Sanshi suddenly asked. There was an eagerness in his eyes that rarely appeared on his face. That was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, the highest-grade Spirit Ring on the entire Douluo Continent.
If Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings truly could appear, then the Xuanming Sect would surely spare no effort to secure a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring as Xu Sanshi's eighth or even ninth Spirit Ring.
"I'm afraid only insiders at the Spirit Pagoda would know the answer to that."
Wang Yan said. That was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. If one could truly appear in Twilight Forest, then just how powerful was the Spirit Pagoda?
"Teacher Wang Yan, how long will this Twilight Forest at our academy last?"
Among the reserve team, Jiang Nannan asked that question.
Of everyone there, she was the only one without any backing. She had no sect supporting her, and she had accumulated all her cultivation resources herself. She might not be able to obtain a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as her fifth Spirit Ring in the future. She did not have the money to hire people to hunt one for her, but if it was in Twilight Forest...
Maybe she could.
"Nannan, don't worry. You have me."
Xu Sanshi immediately cut in. He naturally knew what Jiang Nannan was worried about, but there was no need for it. If Twilight Forest truly had Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the future, he was willing to lead a team here and help Jiang Nannan hunt one.
Jiang Nannan pressed her lips together slightly. She took a step back, her voice noticeably colder than before.
"No need."
After saying that, Jiang Nannan turned and returned to the front of the group, walking a little faster than before. She did not want to accept any favors from Xu Sanshi. Between them, everything had already been settled.
"Wuwuwu~"
Seeing Jiang Nannan leave, Xu Sanshi squatted on the ground and began putting on a performance.
"Hey, tell me, Junior Nannan is pretty nice to outsiders. Why is she like this only with you?"
Bei Bei walked over to Xu Sanshi, finding it extremely strange.
Tang Ya and he had known Jiang Nannan for so long. She was only somewhat aloof, but she was a good person. Whenever she encountered small animals or people needing help, she would lend a hand. She was not harsh at all.
So why was she only like this with Xu Sanshi? It was truly strange.
"Did you do something to wrong Junior Nannan?"
Xu Sanshi's expression froze for a moment. His shoulders twitched slightly, as though the question had touched upon something he did not want to mention. He was silent for a moment before standing again and brushing the dirt from his knees.
"Ahem, maybe Nannan just hasn't seen my sincerity yet. Don't worry, I'll definitely let Nannan see how genuine I am!"
Watching his brother regain his energy, Bei Bei's mouth twitched. He did not understand, but he said nothing more. If Xu Sanshi wanted to talk about it, he would tell him himself.
Ma Xiaotao stood at the very front of the group, holding open the manual in her hand to the page on the Lich. She lowered her head, sweeping her gaze from the first line to the second-to-last, then raised her head with an expression of utter speechlessness that nearly overflowed from her face.
"Lich: In the first phase, it can teleport, launch long-range explosive attacks, and has six layers of defense. Each layer requires the full-force strike of a Soul King."
"Second phase: It can teleport, summon Ten-Thousand-Year-level puppets to attack, and launch long-range explosive attacks with its main body."
"Third phase: Close combat, complete berserk state, repeated teleportation."
After reading the Lich's description, Ma Xiaotao was completely speechless.
They were all mechanics. How were they supposed to fight this? It was all teleportation. Did this soul beast not need Soul Power to teleport?
Before you continue