Six years passed in the blink of an eye.
The outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
As far as the eye could see, towering ancient trees stood side by side, their branches entwined amid a haze of green mist. The air pulsed with the rhythm of life, so rich it almost seemed tangible.
Whoosh-
An emerald figure darted into view, moving so fast it was little more than an afterimage.
It was an emerald-feathered avian soul beast, the edges of its plumage shimmering silver-white. A tuft of dark green feathers crowned its head, and faint green wind patterns swirled within its amber slit pupils. A dusky blue-green glow edged its short, hooked black beak, while tiny wind blades coiled around the tips of its gray-green talons.
The bird hovered in midair, wind vortices forming and fading within the green soul power radiance surrounding it, as though it might dissolve into a streak of green light at any moment.
A Wind Spirit Bird, with roughly two thousand years of cultivation.
It was an exceptionally unusual soul beast, possessing almost no offensive power. Its sole advantage was speed-speed that defied belief.
Yet at that moment, this soul beast famed for its speed was utterly on edge. Its amber eyes brimmed with terror and unease, as though death might claim it in the next instant.
"You sure can run. You made me work to track you down."
A clear voice suddenly rang out, carrying a hint of lazy amusement.
"Watch my second soul skill-Dragon Soaring Through the Sun!"
The instant the words fell, a dragon of crimson flame surged skyward.
The spearhead thrust straight toward the Wind Spirit Bird, burning everything in its path. The spear's momentum was like a dragon piercing the heavens; the air warped in the searing heat, and firelight illuminated the entire forest clearing.
The Wind Spirit Bird desperately tried to rise into the air and dodge, beating its wings furiously as wind blades scattered in every direction.
But the spear was too fast.
The scarlet spearhead pierced its right wing with pinpoint accuracy. Scorching force flooded into it, and the Wind Spirit Bird let out a piercing, anguished cry as it was nailed firmly to the great tree behind it.
Then a fiery red figure descended from the sky.
It was Li Nezha, now twelve years old.
The little boy who had once worn his hair in two buns, his face still full of childish innocence, had grown into a tall, straight-backed youth.
The baby fat had long since faded from his face. With sword-like brows, star-bright eyes, red lips, white teeth, and a clean, sharply defined jaw, his handsome features carried an inborn air of defiance.
His black hair was tied into two buns, and beneath his feet rested a pair of scarlet, wheel-shaped soul tools, each roughly a foot in diameter. Cast from fire- and wind-attribute soul-conducting metals, their surfaces were densely engraved with soul-conducting patterns, through which scarlet and cyan-blue light flowed in an endless alternating cycle.
A ring of fine, flame-shaped protrusions encircled each rim. As the wheels turned, they stirred up two visible vortices, one blazing hot as fire, the other swift as wind. The two intertwined, holding him suspended above the ground.
They were the Level 4 Soul Tools-the Wind Fire Wheels.
Ning Zhiyuan had personally given him these two soul tools when he broke through to become a Soul Elder.
When Nezha had accepted the Wind Fire Wheels and stepped onto them, he had felt two forces lift him at once, one scorching hot, the other light and nimble. They mingled together, holding him steadily in midair. In that instant, he had known these things would become part of his body from then on. Even when he grew stronger in the future, he would merely replace them with higher-level ones.
Now he stood before the Wind Spirit Bird, three soul rings-yellow, purple, and purple-shining around him. The Fire-Tipped Spear remained embedded in the bird's right wing, its scarlet shaft wreathed in flowing purple flames. Its butt trembled gently, giving off a low hum.
He reached out, gripped the shaft, and casually pulled it free. The Wind Spirit Bird collapsed to the ground, its breath hanging by a thread.
Nezha lowered his gaze to it. His handsome young face was reflected in its amber slit pupils.
"A two-thousand-year-old Wind Spirit Bird," he murmured with a measure of satisfaction. "Just the right age, and fast enough, too. You'll be Little Tian's third soul ring."
Just then, two more figures sped toward him.
The girl in the lead had long scarlet hair tied into a high ponytail, an athletic figure, and striking beauty. Her eyes blazed red as flames. Two yellow soul rings slowly revolved beneath her feet, marking her as a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster. Fiery red, diamond-shaped dragon scales covered her arms, extending from the backs of her hands to her forearms and gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen in the sunlight. Her entire presence radiated ferocity and a keen, cutting edge.
The other girl landed beside her, surpassing the red-haired girl in both beauty and bearing. Her platinum-blond hair fell to her waist, shimmering softly in the dappled forest light. Her azure eyes were as clear and pure as lake water. A seven-colored glazed pagoda floated above her palm, its stacked tiers radiant with shifting hues, lending her flawless fair face a sacred, inviolable air.
"Nezha, how did it go?" Concern lay beneath the platinum-blond girl's voice. Her azure eyes swept over him, and only after confirming that he was unhurt did she release a small breath of relief.
"I'm fine. I could easily handle several more soul beasts like this."
Nezha spoke confidently, resting the Fire-Tipped Spear on his shoulder. The purple flames at its tip flickered in the sunlight.
He tilted his head and lifted his chin toward Ning Tian. "Little Tian, come absorb it. A two-thousand-year-old Wind Spirit Bird-just right."
"All right."
Ning Tian took a short knife from the silver ring on her hand, a Storage Soul Tool. With a few light steps, she glided toward the Wind Spirit Bird, which had only a breath of life remaining. She raised the knife and brought it down, ending the soul beast's life with clean precision.
A brilliant purple soul ring slowly rose, its flowing radiance exuding an air of nobility.
"Absorb the soul ring here. Wu Feng and I will guard you."
"Mm. Thank you, Nezha."
Ning Tian broke into a smile, breathtakingly radiant beneath the purple ring's glow.
She sat cross-legged on the ground, closed her eyes, and used her soul power to draw the Wind Spirit Bird's Thousand-Year Soul Ring slowly toward herself. As the purple ring touched her body, her brows knit slightly, then relaxed. She sank completely into the process of absorbing the soul ring.
That left Nezha and Wu Feng staring at each other in the forest.
After a while, once she saw that Ning Tian was fully immersed in absorbing the soul ring, Wu Feng gave a deliberate cough. She tossed her ponytail, cleared her throat, puffed out her chest, and folded her arms. Casting a sidelong look at Nezha with her scarlet slit pupils, she spoke in an utterly serious tone:
"Nezha, as battle soul masters, our priority should be protecting our support, not running off alone to chase down soul beasts like you did. Understand?"
At those words, Nezha studied her carefully with his fiery red eyes.
From her striking face to the scarlet dragon scales on her arms, then to her expression, which tried to look stern but betrayed a guilty conscience no matter how he looked at it, his gaze traveled slowly up and down, as though he were inspecting some rare curiosity.
His blatant scrutiny brought a blush to Wu Feng's face. She instinctively folded her arms more tightly, and her voice lost some of its earlier conviction. "Why are you looking at me like that? Was anything I said wrong?"
Only then did Nezha drawl a reply.
"How come I remember someone telling me back at the sect not long ago-" He stretched out the words, then enunciated each one. "A battle soul master just needs to defeat every enemy in front of them. Then their support will be safe, won't they?"
He paused and tilted his head at Wu Feng, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
"Wu Feng, do you know who said that?"
"You..."
Wu Feng trembled with anger, even her scarlet ponytail seeming to bristle. She opened her mouth to argue, but those words had indeed come from her own lips. She could not deny a single one.
She struggled for words for a long while, her face turning crimson. In the end, she could only turn her head sharply away and force two words through her clenched teeth:
"You bastard."
Nezha shrugged, planted the Fire-Tipped Spear on the ground, and leaned against a tree trunk with his arms folded. His gaze turned toward Ning Tian as she absorbed her soul ring, and he could not suppress the smile tugging at his lips.
Before you continue