After finishing his remarks, Mo Yuan signaled for the team to continue deeper into the forest for training.
Lin Chen's ears twitched, and he instinctively turned his head to glance behind him.
In the clearing behind them, Zhu Zhuqing sat cross-legged, regulating her breathing. The purple glow of the Thousand-Year Soul Ring wrapped around her, swelling and shrinking as her Soul Power fluctuated wildly. She was forcing herself to harmonize with the Shadow Leopard's Soul Ring she had just acquired.
Honestly, there was no such thing as guaranteed success when harmonizing with a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. The risk was always there.
Zhu Zhuqing had a steady temperament and solid foundations, but even the toughest person could not withstand the tearing pain of domineering Soul Power forcibly scouring their meridians.
Lin Chen studied her profile, his brow quietly furrowing.
The girl's face was taut, her jaw clenched tight, and her shoulders trembled faintly. She was clearly gritting her teeth and holding on.
An inexplicable surge of worry shot through Lin Chen's heart.
Reason told him not to panic. The two instructors, Yun Yan and Bai Qingqing, stood right beside her, guarding her. Their protective perimeter was sealed tight without the slightest gap. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
But reason was one thing, and the feelings in his heart were another.
For Zhu Zhuqing at her current stage, the slightest mistake with a high-tier, five-thousand-year Soul Ring could leave her gravely injured.
Lin Chen watched for another two seconds, carefully checking the entire outer defensive perimeter. Only after confirming that everything was secure did he force down those stray worries and withdraw his gaze.
"Come on. Keep moving."
Lin Chen spoke quietly, his tone perfectly steady. Raising a hand to beckon his teammates, he turned with the remaining five and stepped deeper