A beast shaped like a bear, mottled black and white, able to eat copper and iron

"Would one big feast be enough?"

Su Xun smiled at Na'er.

Na'er planted both hands on her hips.

"Su Xun! You're getting stingier and stingier!"

"One meal? How can you even bring yourself to say that?"

"At least ten tons!"

Ten tons?

Su Xun was deeply shaken, but accepted with a smile.

"That's more like it."

Na'er was instantly satisfied. She couldn't hide the smile on her face, and drool nearly spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Clearly, she was already thinking about how to reap a harvest from Su Xun's wallet.

Just then, light flashed, and the two vanished.

Hum!

The connection pods opened. Su Xun and Na'er opened their eyes together and sat up.

Leng Yaozhu looked at them with satisfaction.

"Not bad. Your teamwork is getting better and better."

"How do you feel after absorbing this External Soul Bone?"

That last question was directed at Su Xun.

She had seen it clearly in the final moments of the fusion.

The external eye born from an Evil Eye Tyrant had actually shown fear of Night Owl, which was why it had immediately submitted.

This made Leng Yaozhu even more certain that she was right to have Su Xun absorb only Soul Spirits that elicited a response from his Martial Soul.

But if things continued this way, a Six-Ring Soul Emperor with six Soul Spirits...

That alone was manageable. Under Elder Han's special training, his spiritual carrying capacity would improve greatly. He couldn't be judged by ordinary standards, so it probably wouldn't be much of a problem.

But finding them was so difficult...

Leng Yaozhu felt a headache coming on.

Her only comfort was that two Soul Spirits at headquarters had already elicited a response from the Six Desires Immortal.

Together with the one they currently had a lead on and Night Owl, which he had already absorbed.

After that, they would only need to find three more Soul Spirits...

Sigh...

Leng Yaozhu had little confidence and worried inwardly.

"Aunt Leng, what's wrong? Didn't we do well?"

Na'er bounced over to Leng Yaozhu.

She had wanted to ask for some credit.

But when she saw Leng Yaozhu's expression, she didn't dare bring it up.

Su Xun could more or less guess why Leng Yaozhu looked so troubled.

He, too, felt rather helpless.

All he could do was smile and change the subject.

"Teacher, how about we go test how much my Spiritual Power has improved first?"

Leng Yaozhu came back to herself, smiled, and said, "All right."

At that, Na'er immediately began muttering under her breath.

"Don't go over a thousand, don't go over a thousand. If you go over a thousand, where am I, the mighty queen, supposed to put my face?"

"No, no, go over a thousand, go over a thousand! If you don't, how can you do justice to all the bitter hardship I've endured, raising you through every poop and pee... ow!"

Su Xun raised a finger and rapped the little girl's head as the two halves of her brain battled each other.

He said irritably:

"What are you muttering about?!"

Guilty, Na'er didn't dare meet Su Xun's eyes. She hurried a couple of steps ahead, hooked her arm through Leng Yaozhu's, and swung it back and forth.

Leng Yaozhu smiled without joining in.

Soon, the three returned to the hundredth floor, and Su Xun sat down at the testing machine.

A moment later, the screen beside him displayed the reading:

1,024.

"It really went over a thousand!"

Na'er exclaimed.

A look of satisfaction appeared on Leng Yaozhu's face as well.

Su Xun rose and looked at the reading. Heh, a nice round number!

Buzz, buzz!

Leng Yaozhu reflexively activated her communicator, and then her smile blossomed fully.

Su Xun's gaze flickered, and he asked expectantly:

"Teacher, is there news about the Soul Spirit?"

Leng Yaozhu smiled and nodded.

"Beyond the East Sea, where cliffside purple bamboo grows, there is a beast shaped like a bear, mottled black and white, able to eat copper and iron."

"One of my subordinates happened to hear this curious tale from a sailor. After confirming that it resembled the strange beast you had vaguely sensed, they began an investigation that lasted over a year."

"Now, they have finally confirmed that it is real and pinpointed its coordinates."

"But certain conditions must be met for it to appear."

Su Xun's eyes lit up.

Those were indeed the characteristics he had told Leng Yaozhu about.

The stone statues of strange beasts within the Six Roots Tribulation Soil's "Origin Mindscape" did not appear when he projected his domain outward.

Nor had he directly revealed them.

Instead, he had used a vague, instinctive impression as an excuse, just as he had with the Six Desires Immortal's previous response to Night Owl.

He had described them as visions he faintly glimpsed when touching upon the other five roots.

Shaped like a bear, mottled black and white.

After eliminating them one by one, he had identified this as the one among the six stone statues in the "Origin Mindscape" connected to the Body Root.

Back when he had first awakened, his Spiritual Power had limited him.

Thus, he hadn't had time to examine them all carefully.

Later, after entering again and examining them closely, he had been stunned to see that slightly goofy-looking bear.

Since it was a stone statue, it actually had no color.

But its features were simply too familiar.

It looked exactly like a giant panda!

That was why, when telling Leng Yaozhu about what he had "vaguely sensed," he had added "mottled black and white" himself.

He hadn't really held out much hope.

Yet, to his surprise, Leng Yaozhu had actually found it.

And its ability to eat copper and iron made its traits a perfect match.

"Then what are we waiting for!"

"For Su Xun's breakthrough to Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster!"

"Let's set off!"

The moment Na'er heard "beyond the East Sea," she knew there was a chance this could turn into a vacation trip.

So she immediately began excitedly waving the flag and cheering, urging them to leave.

She had long since had enough of these lessons that didn't even give her room to breathe!

Although they were bound to make this trip, both Leng Yaozhu and Su Xun instantly understood what Na'er was thinking when they heard her words.

Master and disciple rolled their eyes in perfect unison.

This time, however, they didn't undermine Na'er, though neither took up her suggestion.

Leng Yaozhu said with a smile:

"A thousand Spiritual Power is already enough to support a Soul Spirit with around twenty thousand years of cultivation."

"If we successfully obtain your second Soul Spirit this time and awaken the Body Root."

"Then you won't have to keep holding yourself back."

Su Xun nodded firmly.

Although he had used plenty of good things over the past three years.

At his age, and without his Soul Power breaking through a major stage, the level his physical condition could reach was indeed quite limited.

Still, even though the Body Root had yet to be activated.

The innate talent hidden within it could not be underestimated.

That was why Night Owl's spiritual cultivation had already surpassed eight thousand years!

Half an hour later.

The Black Phoenix Mecha flew out of Shrek City.

On the hundred and seventh floor.

Qiangu Dongfeng stood before a floor-to-ceiling window, listening to his subordinate's report while keeping his eyes fixed on the departing Black Phoenix.

"Pagoda Master, the Evil Eye Tyrant's Eye came from a direct descendant of that being from ten thousand years ago. Are we really just letting Su Xun take it?"

Qiangu Dongfeng turned and gave him a cold look.

"Su Xun is the Heavenly Phoenix's disciple."

"The acquisition procedure complied with the rules."

"What do you expect me, the Pagoda Master, to do? Or are you trying to teach me how to do my job?"

A chill instantly swept through the man, and he prostrated himself, not daring to speak.

"Get out."

Qiangu Dongfeng snapped coldly.

The man immediately scrambled and crawled his way off the hundred and seventh floor.

Only then did Qiangu Dongfeng's expression ease slightly.

The Evil Eye Tyrant's Eye was very precious.

But he didn't really care.

"Zhuzhu, you should understand that this is actually a gift from me to you!"

"Su Xun has good talent, though I don't know why you won't let him break through to Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster."

"But in the future, he and Na'er are both destined to become Zhang Ting's right and left hands."

"By comparison, these little gifts are hardly worth mentioning. Giving them away is nothing."

"But you had better know what's good for you. Otherwise, you'll make things rather difficult for me!"