Chrysanthemum Guan: I Can't Stop Him. I Really Can't

Xiao Ran walked over, stopped in front of her, and spread his arms. "Senior Sister, did you miss me?"

Hu Liena punched him in the chest. Her hands were trembling.

"Miss you? It's been a year! Everyone said you were dead, and you come back alive without even telling me first?"

"I wanted to tell you, but there was no signal in there."

Hu Liena let out a snort of laughter. She looked torn between laughing and scolding him. Wiping at the corner of her eye, she asked, "Have you gone to see His Holiness the Pope?"

"Not yet."

"Then hurry. She's been worried about you all year too."

Xiao Ran nodded and headed toward the Pope's Palace. Bibi Dong sat on the papal throne, staring into space with a troubled expression. She looked much more haggard than before.

"Xiao Ran...! It really is you!" Bibi Dong sprang up from the throne.

Xiao Ran bowed. "Greetings, Teacher Bibi Dong. Your disciple was fortunate enough to escape the Noa Ruins."

"It's been a year." Bibi Dong sighed. "I personally led the search and sent three groups after you, but none of us could even get through the stone gate."

"Wow, Teacher, I didn't know you cared so much about my safety. I thought you might've taken on a new disciple already," Xiao Ran said with a grin.

"Hmph. I wasn't worried about you. I only sent people because of Qian Daoliu." Bibi Dong's concern vanished, replaced by a haughty look.

"The time inside works differently," Xiao Ran said casually. "I was only there for half a day."

Bibi Dong stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smacked the back of his head.

"Ow!" Xiao Ran rubbed his head.

"Enough." Bibi Dong returned to the throne and sat down. "Tell me what happened in the ruins."

Xiao Ran gathered his thoughts. "Something inside tested me. After I defeated it, it acknowledged me and gave me some power."

"What was it?"

"I don't know. I couldn't see its face, and its whole body glowed. Maybe it was a Deity's trial."

Bibi Dong fell silent. When Qian Daoliu had entered back then, only three days had passed outside, and he had faced no trial at all.

She leaned back and studied Xiao Ran carefully.

Bibi Dong suddenly sat upright. "You'd only just reached level forty before you went in." As she stared at him, scrutiny gave way to disbelief.

"Level forty-five?!!"

Xiao Ran scratched his head. "I spent half a day in there, and my Soul Power went up on its own."

"You had only just reached level forty before you went in."

Xiao Ran spread his hands. "I couldn't help it, Teacher. That thing poured power into me. I couldn't stop it."

Bibi Dong took a deep breath and sat back down. Her tone turned serious. "Right. You entered as soon as you reached level forty, so I never got to see your fourth Soul Ring Configuration. Show me now."

"Please don't laugh at me, then."

Boom!

Two purple, one black, and one red Soul Ring lit up. In an instant, Bibi Dong looked at Xiao Ran as though she were seeing a god.

"A... a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! Xiao Ran, having a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was astonishing enough, but how do you have a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring too? W-where did you get it?" Bibi Dong could barely string her words together.

Even Bibi Dong's ninth Soul Ring was only a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, yet Xiao Ran already had one as his fourth.

Xiao Ran began his humble brag. "Come now, my dear Teacher Bibi Dong, don't be so surprised. This Soul Ring was originally a black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. But after I entered the ruins, a glowing man upgraded it, and it became what it is now."

"I see. That means sending you into the ruins was the right choice," Bibi Dong said evenly.

"You can go back now. Oh, and Yan has reached level forty-nine. He needs to hunt a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for his fifth Soul Ring. Tomorrow, I'll send Chrysanthemum Douluo with him. Go along and gain some combat experience," Bibi Dong said earnestly.

"All right."

Back in his room, the system could no longer wait.

Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating Noa's avatar. Random Ultra Card skill acquired: Ultraman Zero—Zero Wide Shot.

"Okay."

The next day, Xiao Ran accompanied Chrysanthemum Douluo and Yan to the Star Dou Great Forest.

Yan couldn't contain himself and rushed over. "Xiao Ran! You're finally back! I thought you were dead."

"As if. Time passes differently inside than it does outside. That's why it took me so long to come out."

Chrysanthemum Douluo was curious too. "Xiao Ran, I thought you were trapped in those ruins. What's in there?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just got a little reward. My fourth Soul Ring was upgraded to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring." Xiao Ran waved a hand dismissively.

"What! A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!" Yan and Chrysanthemum Douluo exclaimed almost at the same time.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Looks like those ruins hold quite a few secrets," Chrysanthemum Douluo murmured thoughtfully.

Before long, they reached the Star Dou Great Forest.

As they entered the forest's middle region, the presence of Soul Beasts grew much stronger. Chrysanthemum Douluo slowed his steps, sensing the fluctuations of Soul Power around them.

"There's movement ahead." Yue Guan glanced at Yan. "Fire attribute, ten thousand years of cultivation. Its aura is strong."

The three passed through a dense grove. A crimson Fire-Scaled Python lay coiled among the rocks. With fifty-seven thousand years of cultivation and a fire attribute, he was just right for Yan's fifth Soul Ring.

Sensing their approach, the Fire-Scaled Python suddenly raised his head. His slit pupils fixed on the three of them, and a scorching tongue of flame flickered from his mouth.

"This Fire-Scaled Python may only be on par with a human Soul Saint, but his fire and poison attributes make him tricky," Chrysanthemum Douluo said.

Yue Guan took a step back and smiled at Yan and Xiao Ran. "You two go first and show me what you can do. I'll cover you."

Yan grinned. "Just what I wanted." He glanced at Xiao Ran. "Junior Brother Xiao Ran, support me. I'll take the lead."

Xiao Ran nodded and transformed.

"Third Soul Skill: Hellfire!" Yan activated his Flame Lord Martial Soul and unleashed a broad surge of crimson flames.

The Fire-Scaled Python merely shook his head. He opened his jaws and spat a fireball at Yan with astonishing speed.

Yan dodged quickly, but the shock wave hurled him away. He rolled twice across the ground.

Xiao Ran used Galaxy Barrier to block the shock wave around him.

Just then, an eerie purple poison mist spread out from deep within the grove. As it engulfed the Fire-Scaled Python, the flames around him instantly weakened.

A man emerged from the trees. With gray-white hair and a dark green robe, he was none other than Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo's gaze swept over Yue Guan and Yan before locking onto Xiao Ran. His pupils contracted sharply.

"It really is you!!!"

"Well, fancy running into you here. Been well, Senior Dugu?" Xiao Ran looked thoroughly pleased with himself.

"Been well?" Dugu Bo advanced a few steps, poison corroding the soil beneath his feet until it turned charred black. "I've been looking for you for an entire year! Did you think my Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was a marketplace? Huh? You took what you wanted and ran?"

Yue Guan stepped forward with a smile. "Ha! So it's you, old poison. You think you can take us on by yourself?"

"Hmph. Chrysanthemum Guan, who said I came alone to settle the score?" Dugu Bo snorted.

As his words fell, another person stepped out from behind him, with dry, gray-white hair hanging loose over his shoulders and a chilling, bony bearing.