Night Owl!
Su Xun's heart stirred slightly.
He had never expected a Soul Spirit only a little over four hundred years old to provoke a reaction from his "eye root."
Could there be something special about its bloodline?
He trusted his Martial Soul's own judgment, so he was already tempted.
He stepped closer to examine it carefully.
A night owl was also simply called an owl.
It rested by day and emerged at night, with night vision, exceptional hearing, and nearly silent flight-a hunter of the dark.
In appearance, it had a cat's head and a bird's body.
In plain language, that meant...
An owl.
In his previous life, people who stayed up late were often called "night cats," which was actually also a folk name for owls.
An iridescent, illusory light shimmered in Su Xun's eyes.
As he approached, the Night Owl that had been sleeping inside the Soul Spirit orb suddenly trembled slightly and opened its eyes.
For a moment, the two stared at one another, large eyes meeting small.
It was in that instant that Su Xun noticed what made this Night Owl special.
Double pupils!
It actually had double pupils!
They were just very difficult to spot.
He had only caught a faint glimpse because the iridescent, illusory light in his eyes had resonated with the Night Owl.
Or perhaps it was his Martial Soul that had prompted the Night Owl to reveal its double pupils.
Another reason was that the Night Owl's double pupils overlapped in concentric rings.
They were inherently difficult to detect.
Night Owl, Night Owl.
However impressive the name sounded, it was still an owl at heart.
But with double pupils...
That made it something extraordinary.
It meant that this Night Owl truly possessed an exceptional bloodline!
Its cultivation might only be a little over four hundred years.
But it was absolutely worth absorbing, and even nurturing as his bonded Soul Spirit.
For someone with the same Martial Soul twenty thousand years ago, the "four-eyed" in Four-Eyed Cat Owl had merely been a nickname.
But the Night Owl before him, with its double pupils, could truly be called a Four-Eyed Night Owl.
Noticing Su Xun's interest in the owl, Leng Yaozhu crouched down and leaned closer as well.
Her long hair spilled down, carrying a delicate fragrance.
Su Xun scratched his neck; the ends of her hair tickled him terribly.
Seemingly oblivious, Leng Yaozhu rested her gaze on the Night Owl.
In an instant, she too noticed something unusual about it.
Double pupils!
How had a Soul Spirit with such an obviously extraordinary bloodline ended up in a Branch Pagoda?
Her brows drew together slightly, and she pulled up all the Night Owl's records.
With her Spirit Domain Realm spiritual power, she quickly took in every detail: its origin, bloodline concentration, creator, and more.
A brief comparison immediately revealed a clear discrepancy.
As a rule...
Martial Souls could mutate, and so could Soul Beasts.
Thus, under the Spirit Pagoda's Soul Spirit classification regulations, even Soul Spirits made from the same species of Soul Beast could fall into different categories depending on their mutations.
The Night Owl before them was a classic example.
An ordinary one would simply be named an owl and classified as a flying-type Soul Spirit.
One that had mutated and possessed outstanding spiritual power would instead be classified as psychic-type and called a Night Owl.
She could clearly sense that this Night Owl's bloodline concentration differed drastically from what its records stated!
In other words, the Night Owl had mutated only after being made into a Soul Spirit and sealed away!
More specifically, the mutation had occurred only recently.
So it was because of...
Leng Yaozhu turned her gaze toward Su Xun, her astonishment deepening.
The Six Desires Immortal truly was extraordinary!
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Leng Yaozhu herself froze.
How many times had she marveled like this today already?
It didn't matter.
Su Xun was her disciple now!
The smile on Leng Yaozhu's face grew brighter.
She pressed her left hand against Su Xun's left shoulder and leaned her head beside his right cheek, her breath fragrant as orchids.
"Little Xun, did your Martial Soul react to this Night Owl?"
Su Xun drew a deep breath.
"Yes. My eyes guided me to look at it just now."
"Teacher, can I absorb it as my Soul Spirit?"
Just as I thought!
Understanding dawned on Leng Yaozhu, and she said with a smile:
"Of course."
Then, with a beckoning motion, she brought the Soul Spirit orb containing the sealed Night Owl before Su Xun.
"The Night Owl has exceptional eyesight and astonishing hearing."
"Both traits suit you."
"With its mutation as well, it really is a fine choice."
"Come to think of it, even I didn't expect to find a Soul Spirit suited to you in this little East Sea Spirit Pagoda."
"Originally, I only meant to bring you to this little place to get a casual introduction first."
"All right. Since you've decided, go ahead and absorb it."
"I'll personally stand guard for you."
Leng Yaozhu affectionately rubbed Su Xun's head, then took him back to the top floor to watch over him herself.
Su Xun sat cross-legged and took a deep breath. Following Leng Yaozhu's instructions, he opened the Soul Spirit orb.
The Night Owl, which had not taken its eyes off Su Xun since waking, immediately flapped its wings and rose into the air.
It flew before him, tilting its head as it stared into his eyes.
A wondrous feeling welled up within him.
Su Xun raised his hand, letting it perch on the back of it.
At once, strange patterns flowed across it.
The connection between their souls deepened.
The Soul Spirit Contract Formation was taking effect!
Perhaps because his spiritual power was relatively strong, Su Xun felt no discomfort throughout the contract process.
Soul Power surged within him, and a faint light shone over his entire body.
At the same time, the ethereal Six Desires Immortal Statue appeared behind him!
This time, however, as he formed the Soul Spirit Contract with the Night Owl, the Six Desires Immortal Statue's eyes lit up.
At that very moment...
Su Xun's vision suddenly went black, and he toppled forward stiffly.
Leng Yaozhu's face paled. She hurriedly caught Su Xun in her arms and sent her spiritual power flowing through him to examine his condition.
A moment later, she looked down at the unconscious Su Xun in her arms, her face filled with shock and bewilderment.
His body, Soul Power, and mind had suffered no damage whatsoever.
Yet Su Xun's consciousness had entered a strange state, as though he had fallen asleep, but could not be awakened.
"What is going on?"
Leng Yaozhu's thoughts tangled like a skein of hemp.
She had never encountered anything like this.
Could Heaven be jealous of the Leng family?
Had she only just gained such a prodigy, only for him to perish in her hands?
"No, I have to get back to headquarters at once and have the Illusory Brain Douluo see what's going on."
Leng Yaozhu dared not linger for even a moment.
Right now, Han Tianyi, who also possessed a Body Martial Soul and whose spiritual power ranked among the very best in the world, was the best solution she could think of.
At the same time, Ya Li's figure also surfaced in her mind.
But unless she had absolutely no other choice, she did not want to bow her head to Ya Li.
Besides, all three of Su Xun's "parameters" were unharmed, and his life was not in danger. Things had not yet reached the point where she needed to bow her head to Ya Li.
Bang!
The glass windows on the top floor of the East Sea Spirit Pagoda shattered.
Leng Yaozhu charged straight out, then her Four-Word Battle Armor fitted itself to her body.
Her aura climbed to its peak, phoenix wings spread wide, and a Sacred Heavenly Phoenix descended!
With a gentle sweep of its wings, the Heavenly Phoenix tore through the sky, becoming a streak of fire that vanished beyond the horizon in an instant.
The Black Phoenix Mecha was a non-humanoid mecha, and its flight speed ranked among the very best of all Black-Grade Mechas.
But compared with her full-speed travel in her Martial Soul Avatar state, equipped with Four-Word Battle Armor, it fell far short.
Thus, Leng Yaozhu chose the fastest-and most conspicuous-method outright.
That overwhelming aura alarmed all of Eastsea City.
No one knew that all this was merely because Su Xun had fused with his first Soul Spirit...
Before you continue