Senior Bi Ji, I Want You...

"Gao Ren, have you decided on your third Soul Ring?"

The Auspicious Beast sidled over, looking every bit the little heiress. "Just tell us what Soul Beast you want! Whether it lives in the Star Dou Great Forest or not, we can get it for you!"

Gao Ren did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked toward Bi Ji, somewhat embarrassed.

Bi Ji was elegantly wiping the corners of her mouth. Noticing Gao Ren's gaze, she tilted her head slightly toward him.

"Senior Bi Ji, I want you..."

Bi Ji: ?!

"I want one of your kin, an Emerald Swan."

Bi Ji: Honestly, child, could you stop taking such long pauses when you speak? You gave me a fright!

Upon learning what Gao Ren wanted, Di Tian and the Silver Dragon King, who was secretly watching from her Miniature Plane, were overjoyed. This was practically a pillow arriving just as they grew sleepy.

Considering how much the Pure World Overlord's Leg helped the Silver Dragon King, they had already intended to have Gao Ren choose the strongest healing-type Soul Beast, an Emerald Swan, for his third Soul Ring.

Their aim was to speed up the Silver Dragon King's recovery... they figured it was worth a try.

As the matriarch of the Emerald Swans, Bi Ji naturally knew about Di Tian and the Silver Dragon King's plans. She had even selected a ten-thousand-year Emerald Swan as a volunteer well in advance.

However, Bi Ji could not appear too willing just now.

After all, Gao Ren wanted one of her kin. She had to look pained... after so many negotiations with humans, she had learned how to put on an act.

Bi Ji gently furrowed her brows, a trace of unease showing in her eyes.

"Gao Ren, our kind has long been on the verge of extinction. Our total numbers are even smaller than those of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears. Your request could very well hasten the extinction of my Emerald Swan clan."

"In that case, I'll just have to settle for my second choice."

Gao Ren's words left Di Tian, Bi Ji, and even the Silver Dragon King behind the scenes utterly dumbfounded!

Di Tian: →_→

Silver Dragon King: (◣_◢)

Bi Ji, look what you've done!

Bi Ji: I didn't know this would happen either! Wasn't he supposed to plead with me first, so I could reluctantly agree? This child isn't playing by the script!

"Bi Ji, how about letting one of your kin make a little sacrifice?"

The one who spoke was Xiong Jun. Although his cultivation was lower than Bi Ji's, in terms of actual age, he was considerably older than her.

Bi Ji had broken through five major bottlenecks before she was even a hundred thousand years old, all because the injured Soul Beasts she healed had nurtured her with the heavenly treasures they brought her.

Before Bi Ji, this prodigy among the Emerald Swans, appeared, Emerald Swans had always been nourishing delicacies in the mouths of other Soul Beasts.

As the king of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears, Xiong Jun could hardly have never eaten an Emerald Swan before. He even rather missed that delicious taste, brimming with nature's pure vitality.

Xiong Jun: I want an Emerald Swan-flavored Overlord Drumstick!

"Xiong Jun, why don't you let one of your kin make a sacrifice, then?" Bi Ji chose to keep singing the same tune and carry this little performance onward.

"I'd like to, but he might not want one." Xiong Jun looked toward Gao Ren. "Gao Ren, want a ten-thousand-year bear cub? Just say the word, and this old bear will deliver that ten-thousand-year cub to you."

Gao Ren shook his head.

I want an Emerald Swan to heal Mu En's injuries and disability. What would I want a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear for? To strengthen his Radiant Sacred Dragon's claws and turn them into Light Dragon King claws?

"Bi Ji, look. He doesn't want one of my little bear cubs. He only wants one of your little swans." Xiong Jun earnestly began reasoning with Bi Ji. "His drumsticks come from chickens. Chickens are birds, and aren't you Emerald Swans birds too?

"Having him absorb an Emerald Swan Soul Ring would suit him best.

"I say, for the sake of the Auspicious Beast being Gao Ren's friend... and this old bear being Gao Ren's friend too, why not reluctantly give him an Emerald Swan?"

Gao Ren: Come on, buddy, when did we become friends?

Xiong Jun: Kid, in the world of Soul Beasts, only friends are willing to share food with each other!

Hearing Xiong Jun's reasoning, Di Tian and the Silver Dragon King secretly watching from hiding could not help giving this big stupid bear a thumbs-up.

Di Tian coughed and added, "Actually, Gao Ren and I are friends too. Bi Ji, how about bearing the pain of parting with one, for the sake of the three of us?"

With Di Tian speaking up, Bi Ji finally had a way to step down gracefully. The emerald-green beauty sighed.

"Since even Di Tian has said so, I suppose I'll just have to endure a little pain."

He had said only one sentence, and the Soul Beasts had persuaded Bi Ji to relent all on their own. Gao Ren was now nine-tenths certain that this was actually a setup aimed at him, one involving the Silver Dragon King.

"Senior Bi Ji, thank you." Gao Ren smiled. "I'm only a small fry with little strength. My sole talent is making chicken. All I can offer in return is more Overlord Drumsticks once my soul power level rises."

With those words, hosts and guests alike were happy for a time on the shores of the Lake of Life.

Some time later, Bi Ji brought a ten-thousand-year Emerald Swan over from her territory.

With the precedent set by the Purewater Swan clan and Bi Ji's advance briefing, this ten-thousand-year Emerald Swan approached Gao Ren very docilely.

Like the ten-thousand-year Purifying Water Swan before her, she gently touched Gao Ren's forehead with her beak. Then she ignited in Crimson Bloodflame and transformed into a black Soul Ring, as though simply going through the motions.

After absorbing the Soul Ring, Gao Ren's soul power level began rising rapidly. The level-thirty bottleneck shattered in an instant, and his level climbed all the way to thirty-five before gradually stabilizing.

Standing nearby, Xuan Zi nodded in satisfaction at Gao Ren's yellow-black-black configuration.

"With these two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, even a Power Attack System Soul Elder using Martial Soul Possession would fall far short of your physical capabilities. This way, I won't have to worry about anyone bullying you when you enroll next year."

The date of Gao Ren's enrollment at Shrek Academy had recently been officially settled. He would enter at eight years old, the same age Mu En had been when he enrolled.

When was next year? It was when Huo Yuhao-the next God of Emotion, founder of the Spirit Pagoda, the first to possess three Soul Cores through Yin-Yang Complementarity, and the greatest contributor to the Tang Sect's revival... would enroll at Shrek Academy!

(Come on, buddy, where did your brother go?)

"Gao Ren! Gao Ren! Hurry and try your third Soul Skill!" the Auspicious Beast said excitedly. "I've never tasted Emerald Swan in my whole life! I caught one before to roast its legs, but I never got to roast them, and Auntie Bi Ji gave me a terrible scolding! It made me really curious about how Emerald Swan tastes!"

Seeing how excited the Auspicious Beast was, Gao Ren could not help smiling as he coaxed, "Don't rush, Auspicious Beast. The new drumstick flavor will be ready right away!"