The Cause of Her Heart's Fluttering Had Been Found

Gui Mei did not use a Titled Douluo's speed to travel.

Searching for soul beasts required examining traces.

Moving too quickly would only make it easier to miss clues.

After traveling for half an hour, Li Zha crouched beside a broken log.

The fractured end was covered in scorch marks.

Hu Liena stepped closer.

"Left by a Crimson Flame Heavy-Armored Beast?"

"No."

Li Zha ran his finger across the break.

"The flames weren't hot enough, and there are no tracks nearby from a heavy soul beast."

"It should have been left behind by fire-attributed soul beasts fighting."

Gui Mei glanced at the ground.

"Your judgment is correct."

"The traces were left by a Fire-Tailed Fox around two thousand years old."

Hu Liena froze for a moment.

"Grandpa Gui, you could tell even that?"

"You should be more familiar with a fox's scent than we are," Gui Mei replied calmly.

Hu Liena's face darkened.

"Grandpa Gui, I have a Demon Fox martial soul, not an actual fox!"

Li Zha had already continued forward.

Hu Liena hurried after him.

"Were you laughing at me just now?"

"No."

"I saw it."

Li Zha blinked. "Then why did you ask?"

Hu Liena's face reddened slightly, and she raised a hand to grab his ear.

Li Zha sidestepped in advance, avoiding her hand.

Gui Mei: ...

I was completely unnecessary here.

The three continued deeper into the forest.

Before long, the sound of trees snapping came from ahead.

A wild boar covered in gray stone armor suddenly charged out of the brush.

It stood nearly two meters tall at the shoulder, its two tusks stained with mud.

"Careful, Little Brother Li Zha!"

Hu Liena immediately stepped forward and circulated her Soul Power.

Two yellow soul rings rose beneath her feet.

She stood in front of Li Zha.

Meanwhile, Gui Mei behind them merely lifted a finger slightly.

Black Soul Power instantly descended upon the stone-armored boar.

The boar, which had just been charging, suddenly had its legs go limp!

It dropped to its knees!

"A Stone-Armored Savage Boar, around three thousand seven hundred years old."

Gui Mei looked at Li Zha.

"Its strength, defense, and weight all meet some of your requirements."

"Will you consider it?"

"No."

Li Zha shook his head.

It was practically an instant rejection!

"It doesn't have a fire attribute, and its methods of attack are far too limited. Besides..."

At this point, he turned to Gui Mei and spoke with great seriousness.

"There is only one slot for my first soul ring. I don't want to leave any regrets."

Gui Mei understood what he meant.

Three thousand seven hundred years.

That would be enough for other soul masters.

But Li Zha was not satisfied with that.

It had to be ten thousand years.

"Very well."

Gui Mei fell silent for a moment before choosing to withdraw his Soul Power.

Once the Stone-Armored Savage Boar could move again, it scrambled into the forest in a panic.

Watching it flee, Hu Liena could not help walking over to Li Zha.

"Three thousand seven hundred years is already very high!"

"Many Soul Elders' third soul rings aren't even that old!"

"You gave up far too decisively!"

Li Zha took out his map and made a mark on it.

"It wasn't suitable."

Gui Mei looked at Hu Liena and spoke.

"That's enough, Nana. Stop trying to persuade him. He won't even listen to a Titled Douluo like me."

Hu Liena pursed her lips.

Then she retreated to Gui Mei's side and asked in a worried whisper.

"Grandpa Gui, are you really that confident about Li Zha absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring...?"

Gui Mei rubbed Hu Liena's head.

"Silly child, it would make no difference even if I weren't. Anyone can see how stubborn he is.

"Besides, don't you find that obsession of his rather admirable?"

Hu Liena turned her head slightly to look at Li Zha.

She saw him seriously comparing his notes against the map.

Her eyes began to flicker unconsciously.

It did seem that way...

"I think this is precisely why His Holiness the Pope was willing to raise her eyes and look at him a few more times," Gui Mei said faintly, then led Hu Liena onward.

"Let's keep moving."

Over the next several hours, the three encountered four thousand-year soul beasts in succession.

One of them was a nine-thousand-year-old Lava Horn Lizard, already far beyond Yu Xiaogang's so-called theoretical limit for a fourth soul ring!

Even Gui Mei was somewhat tempted.

He released a trace of his aura.

The instant the Lava Horn Lizard sensed it, it began to tremble violently.

It lay flat on the ground, not daring to move carelessly.

After doing all this, Gui Mei turned to look at Li Zha.

He watched for any change in Li Zha's expression.

Hu Liena was thinking the same thing.

Wasn't ten thousand years practically the same as nine thousand?

"This one should be fine, right?"

"Nine thousand years, fire-attributed, and its strength isn't bad either. Overall, it looks even more suitable than the first one you selected."

After observing it for a moment, Li Zha still shook his head.

"Its horn is where all the power in its body is concentrated."

"The Flaming-tipped Spear relies on the spear shaft to transmit power. The soul ring produced by this kind of soul beast might not be compatible."

Hu Liena puffed out her cheeks and turned to Gui Mei.

"Grandpa Gui, just help him hunt it."

"As long as you leave the final blow to Li Zha, it'll be fine."

"If he absorbs it sooner, he won't keep fixating on ten-thousand-year soul beasts."

Gui Mei did not move.

"You want me to make the decision for him?"

"I'm helping him avoid danger."

"If you force him to absorb a soul ring he doesn't want, he'll only resent you for it."

Hu Liena lowered her voice, sounding aggrieved.

"That's still better than him dying while absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring."

Gui Mei shook his head as he looked at Hu Liena.

Why was this child so infatuated with Li Zha?

Just what was so outstanding about him...

Uh.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, he refuted it himself.

What was outstanding about him?

It seemed that everything about him was outstanding.

Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power, temperament, character, and unwavering conviction in the path he intended to walk.

He would not be swayed by outsiders, walking paths others might not even dare to attempt.

They had only spent a short time together.

Yet Gui Mei had already seen so many shining qualities in Li Zha.

He sighed softly inwardly.

Even I feel this way. At Hu Liena's age, it's only natural for her to fall for Li Zha.

He looked at Li Zha's back, his gaze somewhat complicated.

As for Li Zha, Gui Mei certainly did not dislike him.

He was not like Yan, full of petty schemes that made Gui Mei loathe him.

But... Hu Liena was being nurtured and protected as the future Holy Maiden.

Would His Holiness the Pope truly agree to her liking Li Zha?

"Forget it. It's too early to think about such things."

Gui Mei stopped dwelling on it.

At the same time, he raised his hand and released the Lava Horn Lizard.

The Lava Horn Lizard regained its freedom and immediately burrowed into the mountains and forest.

"If he doesn't land the final blow himself, then even if I forcibly kill it, the soul ring won't belong to him."

"If he isn't willing to deliver that final blow, then even if I cut off all the soul beast's limbs and place it before him, it would be meaningless."

"His goal is ten thousand years, and it can only be ten thousand years."

Hu Liena still wanted to persuade him.

Gui Mei raised a hand and pointed at Li Zha.

"Nana, look into his eyes. Has there been even the slightest trace of doubt in them?"

Hu Liena followed where he pointed.

Li Zha was examining the footprints left behind by the Lava Horn Lizard.

There was no impatience, nor any disappointment from repeatedly coming up empty-handed.

He merely confirmed the direction and marked the map again.

Gui Mei lowered his hand.

"Once someone like him makes a choice, it is very difficult to change."

"He wants ten thousand years, so I'll give him ten thousand years. As for whether he lives or dies in the end, I imagine he will never regret it."

Hu Liena stood stunned for a moment.

She pressed a hand to her chest.

That strange fluttering feeling had returned.

Ever since she had seen Li Zha absorb Whale Rubber yesterday, that feeling had surfaced from time to time.

She could not explain why.

But now, she seemed to understand the reason.

It had nothing to do with the Flaming-tipped Spear at all...

Li Zha himself was the one making her heart race.

"What's wrong?"

Li Zha noticed her standing where she was and turned to look at her.

Hu Liena's face instantly flushed crimson, and she immediately retreated several steps.

She hid behind Gui Mei, turned around, and covered her burning face with one hand.

"Nothing! It's nothing!"

"We've been traveling too long. I'm just a little tired..."

Seeing Hu Liena's reaction, Gui Mei's heart abruptly sank.

This is bad!