Three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings!

Xiao Wu's body went rigid. It was as though she had sunk into the thickest swamp, unable to move even a finger!

All she could do was stare in terror at Cao Kun's face, so close to hers and wearing a playful smile.

A Titled Douluo!

That was definitely the power of a Titled Douluo!

Perhaps... even stronger!

Cao Kun straightened and looked at Xiao Wu. He had pinned her in place with a trace of the Chaos Bell Martial Soul's suppressive power, leaving her face full of despair. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Don't be nervous, little rabbit."

His voice returned to its earlier calm, even carrying a hint of reassurance. "If I truly meant you harm, you'd already be a corpse. Or... a Soul Ring."

With a thought, he withdrew the suppressive force.

Xiao Wu's legs gave way. She nearly collapsed, catching herself on a nearby chair just in time. Gasping for breath, she looked at Cao Kun with utter fear and wariness.

Cao Kun stepped back and sat down again, watching her at his leisure.

"If you stay with Tang San, you'll most likely meet the same end as his mother. Perhaps worse, because Tang Hao and his son may not be the only ones after you."

Cao Kun spoke slowly. "But if you stay with me..."

He smiled faintly, and light flickered beneath his feet.

Purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red, red, red!

Nine Soul Rings rose one after another from beneath Cao Kun's feet and revolved slowly, each a different color, each radiating a pulse of power that made the heart tremble!

The last three were especially terrifying. Crimson as blood, those Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings seemed to hold countless roaring Soul Beasts. Their oppressive might and surging Soul Power instantly filled the room!

Xiao Wu felt an irresistible pressure descend upon her, one that struck at her very life and the instincts of her soul!

She grunted. Unable to hold herself up any longer, her legs buckled and she slumped to the floor. Her face turned white as paper, and she shook like a leaf in the autumn wind!

Nine Soul Rings!

Three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings!

A Titled Douluo!

A peak Titled Douluo with three Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings, whose strength was terrifying beyond imagination!

He... he really was a Titled Douluo!

And he was so young!

So powerful!

"You... you..."

Xiao Wu's teeth chattered. She could not get out a complete sentence.

Faced with such an overwhelming difference in strength, every thought of resistance seemed laughable and futile.

With a thought, Cao Kun withdrew his Soul Rings. The suffocating pressure in the room vanished with them.

He walked over to Xiao Wu, crouched down, and met her terrified eyes.

"Do you see now?"

Cao Kun's voice was gentle, but his words allowed no argument. "I don't need your Soul Ring."

"My strength has long since passed the point where I need to hunt Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts to grow stronger."

"Stay with me, and you can live."

"And not just you. If those two friends of yours in the Star Dou Great Forest... Da Ming and Er Ming... ever find themselves in trouble, I may be able to help them too."

Da Ming? Er Ming? He even knew about them?!

Xiao Wu's last line of defense crumbled beneath Cao Kun's casual words, spoken as though he knew everything.

Da Ming and Er Ming were her closest and strongest companions deep in the Star Dou Great Forest, apart from her late mother.

Their true identities and strength were among her greatest secrets and sources of protection.

Yet Cao Kun had brought up that secret as casually as if it were everyday conversation.

He knew not only that she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, but also about Da Ming and Er Ming!

Who was he?!

How did he know so much?!

Boundless fear swallowed her like an icy tide.

Before this unfathomable young man of overwhelming strength, she felt like a trembling young rabbit caught in a hunter's sights. She had no secrets left, and her life or death depended on his whim.

"Wh-what do you want from me?" Xiao Wu's voice trembled with tears, full of despair and helplessness.

She gave up on running. It would be pointless.

She gave up on demanding answers or giving voice to her anger, too. With such absolute power arrayed against her and all her secrets exposed, those feelings seemed feeble and absurd.

Cao Kun stood and looked down at Xiao Wu, huddled pitifully on the floor. Satisfaction flickered in his eyes.

Fear was the first step toward control.

That was especially true for Xiao Wu. She might seem lively and carefree, but she was sensitive beneath it all and carried an enormous secret. Fear would make her face reality and choose the "right" path as quickly as possible.

"My request is simple."

Cao Kun's tone remained calm but left no room for refusal. "From today on, you, Xiao Wu, will be my maid."

"Like Yan'er and Zhu Zhuqing, you'll stay here at Buzhou Retreat and serve me."

A maid? Like Dugu Yan and Zhu Zhuqing?

Xiao Wu felt a chill settle in her heart.

It meant losing her freedom, losing contact with Shrek Academy and everything from her past, and becoming entirely dependent on this terrifying young man.

But... did she have any choice?

If she refused him and her identity was exposed, Soul Masters across the continent would swarm toward her like sharks scenting blood!

Then she would surely die, and she might even drag Da Ming and Er Ming down with her!

If she followed him... at least, for now, he truly seemed to have no interest in taking her Soul Ring. And he was strong enough to protect her.

"I... I agree." Xiao Wu lowered her head. Her voice was barely a whisper, heavy with humiliation and resignation. Tears spilled uncontrollably down her pale cheeks once more.

To survive and keep Da Ming and Er Ming out of danger, she had no other choice.

"Good."

Cao Kun nodded and smiled. But to Xiao Wu, that smile was like a devil's whisper, sending a shiver through her.

"Words alone aren't enough, though."

Cao Kun's tone shifted, and his gaze deepened. "I need a little... assurance."

He extended his right hand, palm up.

With a thought, the faint image of an ancient bell appeared above his palm. It was incredibly small, yet seemed to contain endless mysteries of chaos and Space-Time.

The bell was the color of chaos. Suns, moons, stars, mountains, rivers, and countless inscrutable runes were inscribed across its surface. It turned gently, radiating an ancient aura that seemed capable of suppressing the heavens and bringing countless worlds into being.

It was a projection of a trace of his Chaos Bell Martial Soul Origin!

"This is the Chaos Soul Mark."

Cao Kun looked at the tiny Chaos Bell in his palm and explained evenly, "Using my Martial Soul Origin as its foundation, I'll plant a mark deep within your soul."

"Ordinarily, it won't harm you. It can even gradually nourish your soul, sharpen your perception of Heaven and Earth Essence, and increase your strength."

"But..."