Teaching Her Personally-Even This?

"...I can't teach that."

"Wait a moment."

Lu Ning looked around at the utterly silent surroundings. With a gentle flick of his left hand, the white-jade-like Wine Gourd appeared in his hand again.

Three Soul Rings hovered around him: purple, purple, and black.

At that moment, his Second Soul Ring suddenly shone with an alluring purple glow.

"Second Soul Skill: This Place Was Always a Haven of Peace!"

The Wine Gourd instantly swelled to several times its size.

It transformed into a streak of white light.

It completely enveloped the entire campsite.

Lu Ning clenched his hand.

The white-jade radiance immediately dimmed, turning a dark shade that was inconspicuous at night.

"This is..."

"A thousand-year Soul Skill!?"

Zhu Zhuqing looked at their enveloped surroundings.

The entire campsite covered more than half a mu, yet Lu Ning's Soul Skill could envelop it completely. If people crowded together, couldn't this Soul Skill protect hundreds of people in an instant?

"Yes, it is indeed a thousand-year Soul Skill."

"But it can't withstand the impact of a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, and I can only use it three times a day at most."

"Fortunately, it can last more than two hours."

"From outside..."

"Those of us inside are transparent. They can't see us at all."

Lu Ning looked at the curtain of light and answered calmly.

If this Soul Skill reached ten thousand years...

Then it could easily withstand the impact of a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast. It was just... still some way off.

"Two hours... that's enough." Zhu Zhuqing murmured, her pretty face flushed scarlet. Two hours was enough to resolve the problem with her body.

"Yes, let's make the most of our time."

"I'll notice if any Soul Beasts approach."

Zhu Zhuqing blushed, but made no move to evade him.

She had long since grown accustomed to these movements of Lu Ning's.

The two walked into the tent.

Lu Ning began helping her regulate her Soul Power. Zhu Zhuqing's movements were no longer awkward; instead, she matched his movements rhythmically.

They treasured every moment.

The dark light outside brightened for an instant.

Their surroundings remained utterly silent.

Most Soul Beasts in the Inner Area had their own territories.

They would not readily enter unfamiliar territory, especially at night, when visibility was poor. Even the Soul Beasts that foraged at night did not approach this place or disturb the two.

Lu Ning maintained his Second Soul Skill until its duration ended.

Only when the first ray of sunlight on the horizon shone into the forest of interwoven tree shadows...

Did Lu Ning emerge from Zhu Zhuqing's tent.

Zhu Zhuqing felt that the Soul Power within her flowed much more smoothly.

But she knew one thing.

"It's morning."

"We should get ready to set off."

Lu Ning stretched, with hardly a trace of fatigue on his face.

The "Lust" option was nourishing his body. Although he had not broken through, Lu Ning could feel that his Soul Power had risen by another half level, while the ages of all his Soul Rings had increased by a hundred years.

It had not changed the colors of his existing Soul Rings.

It had merely added a deeper hint of black to those thousand-year Soul Rings.

"Yes, take it a little slower today."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up."

Zhu Zhuqing rolled her eyes at Lu Ning.

As an Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master, saying she could not keep up was utterly humiliating, but she had no choice. Right now, she truly might not be able to keep pace with Lu Ning and the others.

As for whether she could even keep up with Ning Rongrong...

That was another matter altogether.

Still, she found it somewhat strange. She did not know whether it was because of the Wine Gourd or because Lu Ning had tormented her over the past few days, but her Soul Power had actually reached Level 28.

The road to Level 30 was not long.

"Yes, I'll wait for you."

"Besides, this Soul Hunting trip is mainly for me. It doesn't matter if you move a little slower."

Just as Lu Ning finished speaking...

A new voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

It was a voice Lu Ning had not heard in a long time.

[Notification!]

[It is time for the Wealth Option to distribute a random reward!]

[You may randomly receive one item from options including a God-bestowed Soul Ring, continent-wide Gold Soul Coins, Soul Bones, weapons, divine objects, and more.]

[The reward being distributed this time is...]

[A God-bestowed Soul Ring!]

[For God-bestowed Soul Rings distributed by this system, you may choose the Soul Skill type, but may not specify a particular Soul Skill.]

A radiance appeared in Lu Ning's mind.

An additional item appeared in the system inventory.

God-bestowed Soul Ring ×1

There were also items he had never used before.

Continent-wide Million-Gold-Soul-Coin Card ×3

Thirty-thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Left Arm Bone ×1

Fifty-thousand-year Thunder Shadow Leopard Left Leg Bone ×1

Eighty-thousand-year Death Blood Tree Torso Bone ×1

These were items he had saved up previously, with even Soul Bones among them. The timing of each reward was completely random; even Lu Ning could not find the slightest pattern.

It was not that Lu Ning refused to use those Soul Bones.

Rather, his level was not currently stuck, nor was he facing any urgent crisis.

Lu Ning always wanted to wait for better Soul Bones before absorbing them.

He had no way to increase the age of a Soul Bone. Once he absorbed one, it would be fixed permanently, unless he someday participated in a divine trial and gained a chance to improve it.

These Soul Bones were good... but they were clearly still a long way from Lu Ning's goal.

"A God-bestowed Soul Ring is quite useful, though..."

"How can I find a chance to use it?"

Lu Ning muttered to himself. Previously, he had always come alone.

Bringing others along to hunt for Soul Rings this time had instead imposed some limitations.

Not far away, Flender also got up to wash. He glanced at the curtain of light Lu Ning had set up but asked no questions. He had only told Lu Ning to keep watch, without concerning himself with the details. As long as the job was done and nothing went wrong, that was enough.

"Let's go."

"We may have to venture a little deeper today."

"Attack-type Soul Beasts... aren't easy to find."

Lu Ning nodded lightly and followed close behind with Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong.

Along the way...

Ning Rongrong looked at Zhu Zhuqing curiously.

"Zhu Zhuqing."

"Why does your skin look even better?"

"Did you use some secret method to nourish it?"

"Why does it look so smooth and lustrous?"

Zhu Zhuqing instinctively raised a hand to touch her cheek. Compared to before, it was indeed much smoother. Even her complexion had become a cooler white, enhancing her beauty once again.

She glanced at Lu Ning out of the corner of her eye.

She spoke quietly in a cold voice.

"Maybe it's because of the whale rubber."