Sensing and Mutation

Faced with Long Xiaoyao's blunt question, Bi Ji remained calm. She explained, "The Auspicious Beast said she sensed a power of destiny similar to her own from this child. That was also why Scarlet King wanted to abduct him earlier."

"No wonder." Long Xiaoyao nodded almost imperceptibly. Although the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had indeed mentioned it earlier, Mu Feng had inadvertently led him astray, making him genuinely believe it was merely an excuse the Auspicious Beast had casually made up to scam food and drink.

Bi Ji stroked the Auspicious Beast's head. "However, since this child is Your Excellency's student and the conflict has now been resolved, what do you think of my proposal?"

Once Bi Ji learned what types of soul beasts they needed, she quickly deduced Mu Feng's martial soul's attribute. She was somewhat curious about this child of destiny who possessed a light martial soul, which was why she had used this as an excuse to stay and observe.

Among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, Bi Ji harbored far less hostility toward humans than the other powerful soul beasts and could be considered a moderate. Moreover, Long Xiaoyao had not sensed any hostility from her. Having such a powerful healing-type soul beast nearby could indeed ensure Mu Feng's safety while absorbing his soul rings to the greatest extent possible.

Long Xiaoyao looked to Mu Feng for his opinion. Mu Feng naturally knew something of Bi Ji's temperament. She was an exceptionally rare ferocious beast who was relatively close to humans, and her sincerity was fully displayed in the three pure-blooded soul beasts before them.

Mu Feng nodded to Long Xiaoyao, then looked at Bi Ji and respectfully said, "Then thank you, Senior."

Bi Ji nodded, gaining a bit of fondness for this polite little fellow. However, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion beside her was unimpressed by Mu Feng's respectful demeanor. Deliberately raising her voice, she said, "Aunt Bi Ji, you should be careful. Some people are especially good at putting on an act. They behave one way in front of others and another way behind their backs."

Bi Ji was briefly stunned before understanding. Seeing the Auspicious Beast's sulky expression, she could not help but smile. It seems something interesting happened between these two little ones while I was away.

Bi Ji smiled faintly and ignored the Auspicious Beast's little tantrum. She led her slowly toward Long Xiaoyao's group, though they still maintained some distance, leaving both sides a measure of safety.

Mu Feng's body stiffened when he heard the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's words. Seeing Bi Ji approach, he gave an awkward smile, pretended not to hear anything, and walked over to the first soul beast.

At that moment, Bi Ji's gentle voice sounded again. "This is a two-thousand-year Radiant Feather Spirit Sparrow. Because of the sacred bloodline within its body, its wings are wreathed in tiny golden flames."

Mu Feng carefully observed the gravely wounded, dying falcon-like bird. Setting aside its current bloody appearance, under the sunlight, its warm golden wings would surely have made it the most dazzling bird in the entire forest.

Its streamlined body and powerful wings destined it to be invincible once it took to the skies. Unfortunately, it had encountered two great ferocious beasts from the core region.

Mu Feng released his martial soul. The Judgment Longsword pierced through its body, ending its suffering. A purple soul ring then appeared, and Mu Feng hurriedly sat down to absorb it.

"A Six-Winged Angel?" Bi Ji murmured. In truth, she had been puzzled from the beginning as to why they needed three soul beasts. Logically speaking, a soul master could only absorb one soul ring at a time.

Only after seeing Mu Feng's martial soul did Bi Ji's doubts finally clear. She said, "Unlike ordinary martial souls, the Six-Winged Angel martial soul can possess innate soul power at level twenty."

As she spoke, she observed Long Xiaoyao's expression. Only after seeing no change in it did she confirm her guess.

Long Xiaoyao was not surprised that Bi Ji knew the secret of this god-tier martial soul. These soul beasts had each lived for hundreds of thousands of years. Every one of them was like a walking library, so it was hardly strange for them to know some secrets.

However, Bi Ji was still puzzled. She asked, "But why are three soul beasts needed?"

Long Xiaoyao said, "Because this child did not obtain soul rings immediately. Instead, he cultivated to level thirty through a secret method. During that time, he could also strengthen his bones and body, raising the upper limit of the soul ring age his body could withstand."

"I see." Bi Ji nodded, greatly approving of Mu Feng's cultivation method. "This way, he can do his utmost to uncover the limits of this god-tier martial soul."

While the two spoke, Mu Feng had already successfully absorbed his first soul ring. A soul ring of around two thousand years was indeed, just as he had sensed, very close to the upper limit his first soul ring could bear.

He walked over to the second soul beast. It was a pure white steed without a trace of stray fur. Aside from the gorgeous flowing golden mane on its body, its most distinctive feature was the spiraling white horn atop its head.

Mu Feng repeated the process. With the first soul ring as a foundation, he quickly completed the absorption of his second soul ring.

With two purple soul rings beneath his feet, Mu Feng could clearly feel that after absorbing them, the upper limit that had once sealed off his soul power had suddenly vanished.

His soul power, which had not advanced even a fraction over the past few days, rose considerably after he absorbed the two soul rings. Somewhat nervous, Mu Feng approached the final soul beast, the elegant Star-Patterned White Crane.

If he were merely absorbing soul rings, he would not have been so tense. Yet just as he had previously guessed when the halo suddenly appeared beneath Kayle's feet, after absorbing two soul rings, he could vaguely sense that something unexpected would definitely happen once he absorbed this third soul ring.

Mu Feng took a deep breath, completely losing his earlier relaxed ease. The moon hung high in the night sky, and its clear light passed through layers of branches and leaves, falling across Mu Feng's face and accentuating his grave expression.

The Starwind Heavenly Feather Crane got its name from the star patterns at the roots of its wings, which shone brilliantly whenever it spread them. A diamond-shaped crystal grew at the highest point of its forehead, absorbing power from light. It could nourish itself during ordinary cultivation and serve as a stored energy source in battle, enhancing its combat performance.

Even within the Star Dou Great Forest, the Starwind Heavenly Feather Crane could be considered an exceptionally formidable soul beast species.

Although Mu Feng faced no great danger in absorbing a soul ring around seven thousand years old, the powerful bloodline of the Starwind Heavenly Feather Crane itself placed considerable pressure on him, causing the aura of the seated Mu Feng to become unstable several times.

Yet this was where the benefits of continually strengthening the resilience of his meridians became apparent. The absorption limit Mu Feng had estimated was based solely on his current soul power and physical ability.

He had overlooked an invisible yet crucial factor: the resilience of his meridians.

Even when the first two soul beasts reached his estimated limit, he had not found absorbing them particularly strenuous. The reason was that whenever the impact of soul power struck his meridians, it was like striking rubber. With each stretch and recoil, part of the force was dissipated.

However, the Starwind Heavenly Feather Crane was among the finest of light-type soul beasts. Seven thousand years was the limit Mu Feng had calculated for absorbing an ordinary soul beast, but high-tier soul beasts of the same age were one or two levels more difficult to absorb than ordinary ones.

Even relying on his resilient meridians to withstand the soul ring's soul power impacts again and again, Mu Feng felt as though he had gone through an evenly matched battle. Even his breathing grew heavier.

Fortunately, he still absorbed the third soul ring without mishap. Bi Ji was slightly astonished. Although Mu Feng was already visibly exhausted, this still exceeded her expectations.

After all, these three soul beasts had been carefully selected by her. If a soul master absorbed them at the limit of what they could endure, each soul ring would consume immense mental and physical strength. Yet this little fellow before her had absorbed three in succession in one go.

"His potential is truly limitless," Bi Ji praised involuntarily. Just as she released her power to heal Mu Feng, a sudden change occurred.

Mu Feng, who had been sitting upright, suddenly looked as though he had suffered immense pain, his features twisting together.

At that moment, the angel martial soul behind him abruptly folded its wings without warning, enveloping Mu Feng completely. A halo streaked with golden light patterns appeared around the outside, thoroughly blocking Bi Ji's senses.

She looked at Long Xiaoyao in confusion, but he was equally perplexed. Only the vertical pupil of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion beside them flashed with a trace of eerie crimson.

Though they heard Mu Feng's pained scream, neither of them dared act rashly. If Mu Feng had truly screamed because of absorbing the soul ring, then his martial soul could not possibly still be manifested.

Looking at the halo shimmering with golden radiance before him, Long Xiaoyao now truly believed what the Auspicious Beast had said earlier.