Rock-Splitting Armored Suanni, first soul skill: Mystic Edge Sweeps the Mountains!

The sun was unusually dazzling that day, yet a faint chill lingered.

Bibi Dong radiated the aura of a Spider Emperor, leaving the surrounding soul beasts trembling in terror.

Standing outside the cave entrance, her elegant, slender figure was veiled in a faint glow beneath the sunlight. Her beauty was beyond words!

Yet the unfamiliar coldness emanating from her left Ning Chengyi unable to muster any enthusiasm.

Graceful and noble, aloof and proud.

Those four words could not have suited Bibi Dong better at that moment.

Ning Chengyi sighed inwardly. Of course he would never be that lucky. It really did make him feel unworthy!

He was at an age when his heart stirred easily, yet he felt so helpless.

As though noticing his gaze, Bibi Dong abruptly turned toward him. She had intended to smile, but something seemed to cross her mind. The rising corners of her lips instantly fell, restoring her indifferent, icy expression. Meeting his eyes, she said flatly,

"What soul beasts do you need? I'll go catch them now and leave them barely alive for you, so you can get your two soul rings."

"All right."

Ning Chengyi's reply was equally indifferent. Bibi Dong's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her expression grew colder. "Don't wander off. If you die, I don't want to have to collect your corpse."

Though her words were cold, the concern beneath them was audible. Ning Chengyi merely nodded.

He listed the soul beasts he needed, but when he said they had to be at least a thousand years old, Bibi Dong froze.

That notion reminded her of someone from years ago.

After a brief moment of distraction, Bibi Dong concealed her aura and left.

"She's a legendary powerhouse, the ruler of a hall..." After Bibi Dong departed, Ning Chengyi's self-mocking mutter echoed through the cave. As though sensing his mood, the Phantom Butterfly Spirit Tide in his palm began circling him without being prompted. Butterfly dust scattered around him, healing his "wounds."

Before the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, Bibi Dong returned, carrying just one soul beast.

Hearing her approach, Ning Chengyi hurried outside. When he saw that there was only one soul beast, a flicker of joy crossed his eyes, though he hid it exceedingly well.

"A Rock-Splitting Armored Suanni, fourteen hundred years old. It meets your requirements." Bibi Dong's tone remained icy. "Absorb it quickly, before that Spider Emperor notices."

Ning Chengyi summoned the Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear and drove its tip straight into the Rock-Splitting Armored Suanni's head. A brilliant purple soul ring slowly rose above the corpse, its shifting radiance dazzling.

Before Bibi Dong could speak, Ning Chengyi sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and focused, drawing the purple soul ring into his body.

The raging thousand-year soul power surged through every limb and bone like a wild horse breaking free of its reins. Excruciating pain swept through his entire body.

The Phantom Butterfly Spirit Tide activated passively. Threads of vitality circulated through him, repairing his body just as they had when Little Black bit him. They sustained him as he endured the terrifying backlash, far beyond what an ordinary soul master could withstand, while his face twisted in agony.

Bibi Dong could hardly bear the sight and lightly bit her lip. Absorbing a thousand-year soul ring as his first already defied common sense. It was simply beyond an ordinary person's capacity and would inevitably take a long time, while remaining outside was extremely dangerous.

Thus, Bibi Dong lifted him with her soul power and carefully carried him into the cave, concealing him.

She turned her head, her gaze settling on the boy's contorted face, and sighed softly. After inspecting Ning Chengyi's storage ring, she took out a dog tooth. A faint smile touched her face. "This will be my keepsake of knowing you." She then placed it in her own storage ring.

She stole a glance at Ning Chengyi, who was still doing everything he could to absorb the soul ring. Her face flushed as she slowly removed the clothes he had given her.

Beneath them, she wore a piece of inner armor she had kept against her skin ever since her days as the Holy Maiden. It was an item that protected her.

She carefully removed the inner armor and quickly dressed again, a blush quietly spreading to the tips of her ears.

She placed the inner armor on the rock where she had previously lain. "This has seen me through countless dangers. I'll give it to you as repayment for saving my life and caring for me in this cave."

Yet on second thought, it did not seem enough. She opened her storage ring again, took out two scrolls, and set them beside it.

One was an illustrated guide to soul beasts. The other was a secret manuscript recording numerous martial souls rarely known to the world, along with knowledge of high-grade spirit herbs and soul beasts.

"I hope these two texts might be of some help to your cultivation."

Having given everything she could, Bibi Dong stood quietly beside the boy. Unfathomably complex emotions filled her beautiful eyes as she gazed at his still-youthful face.

Past suffering intertwined with memories of their time together in the cave, and a trace of bitter helplessness appeared in her expression.

After all these years, apart from that man she loved but could never have, whose misunderstandings about her only deepened, she had actually begun to feel something so unusual for another young man.

"Let this be our farewell, Ning Chengyi. If fate allows, we will meet again."

With that, she bent slightly, her cheeks flushed with shy embarrassment, and planted a light kiss on his forehead as her farewell.

Seeing Ning Chengyi's complexion gradually return to normal, she gently spread the Six-Winged Purple Light Wings behind her. In a flash of light, her graceful figure soared into the air and vanished above the dense forest.

Only a faint fragrance remained. She was nowhere to be seen, leaving behind gifts that quietly awaited the boy's awakening.

After an unknown stretch of time, the tremors gradually subsided.

Ning Chengyi slowly opened his eyes, a cold gleam flickering within them.

His soul power level had also broken through to fourteen.

"First soul skill: Mystic Edge Sweeps the Mountains! The Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear gains fifteen hundred jin in weight. Its charge grants an unstoppable state immune to control, and a sweeping strike can shatter defenses and send enemies flying!"

His first soul ring should have been yellow, yet the ring circling him now shone a rich, magnificent purple.

And this skill was nothing short of a divine stroke!

Weighing fifteen hundred jin, it possessed such force that even a Soul Grandmaster would likely be unable to withstand his full-powered strike head-on!

Moreover, like Han Xin's ultimate in Honor of Kings, it granted an invincible, unstoppable state. Its strength rivaled that of the Overlord's Giant Cauldron. It was simply absurdly powerful.

"Qian..." He had just been about to share the joy of his breakthrough, but the moment his gaze fell on the boulder, his voice cut off.

There lay only a piece of inner armor and two scrolls. That graceful, lovely figure was already gone.

A sigh echoed through the cave, and a hint of desolation crossed the boy's face.

"Since ancient times, deep love has left only regret, a regret that stretches on without end. Perhaps that's simply the way of things."

I haven't even truly moved on from my last relationship, and now I've fallen into another ambiguous entanglement. Damn me.

"Getting stronger is what matters most!"

Ning Chengyi walked over and picked up the inner armor. He had seen it before; after all, the cave was only so big, and he had naturally caught an accidental glimpse. It still held a trace of warmth, rather than the coldness he had imagined. He gently pinched it, finding its texture exceptionally pleasant.

Bringing it closer, he caught its distinctive fragrance, which lingered in his nose for a long time.

"Who wouldn't want a rich woman to support them!"

"Ning Chengyi, keep it up! Get ahead of fate, and maybe you'll still have a chance to coast through life!"

He put on the inner armor, which still retained some warmth, briefly leafed through the two scrolls, and put them away. Once everything was done, Ning Chengyi smiled in satisfaction.

"Next... the Great Soul Arena. Only through a baptism of blood can I improve quickly!"