Little Yu!

He had completely failed to notice that, as his Soul Power surged fiercely, the tiny barbs on the Wooden Vines were silently absorbing it.

Every struggle was like "feeding" the Wooden Vines.

Moments later, Zhang Hao's struggles gradually weakened, and his flushed face turned pale.

The Soul Power within him drained away at a rate visible to the naked eye, and even the phantom Blazing Sun Bird behind him dimmed somewhat.

"Your... your Martial Soul..."

Zhang Hao panted heavily. Finally sensing something wrong, he stared at the Wooden Vines in disbelief.

Below the arena, Hu Sanpang's mouth fell open as he murmured:

"My heavens... Zhang Hao really got tied up..."

The surrounding students erupted into an uproar as well, their gazes toward Su Yu changing completely.

"Yay! I knew Brother Su Yu was the best!"

Hu Liena rushed straight onto the arena and hugged Su Yu, her little face brimming with excitement.

Holding Hu Liena with one hand, Su Yu looked down at Zhang Hao, who was still gritting his teeth and glaring:

"Want to try again?"

Feeling the nearly depleted Soul Power within him, Zhang Hao finally deflated. Turning his head aside, he said sullenly:

"I... I give up..."

Only upon hearing those words did Su Yu control the Wooden Vines to slowly loosen.

Freed from his bonds, Zhang Hao staggered, bracing himself against the edge of the arena to barely stand up.

His gaze toward Su Yu was incredibly complicated, holding resentment and humiliated anger, but none of his earlier contempt remained.

"I lost this time! Next time! Next time, I'll definitely win!"

Su Yu said nothing more. Taking Hu Liena by the hand, he turned and walked down from the arena.

A month passed quickly, and Hu Liena successfully broke through to level ten.

Although Su Yu was still at level ten, nourished by his Basic Sage Body and the top-tier Martial Soul resources, his physical strength far surpassed that of Soul Masters his age.

Inside Pope Hall-

Bibi Dong sat in her seat, her gaze settling on the two figures below the steps. With clear approval in her eyes, she slowly nodded:

"Good. Making such progress in a single month means you haven't wasted the resources poured into you. Today, I'll take you to obtain your Soul Rings!"

"Your Holiness!" Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stepped forward from the side and bowed.

"You have so many matters to attend to. Why not let Old Ghost and me escort Their Highnesses?"

Bibi Dong raised a hand, stopping him. "It's fine. We're not going to Star Dou Great Forest this time, only the Soul Beast Forest beside Martial Soul Holy City. It won't delay much."

Her tone was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority.

Hearing this, Yue Guan said no more and replied respectfully:

"Yes, Your Holiness."

Su Yu and Hu Liena exchanged a glance, each seeing excitement and anticipation in the other's eyes.

Hu Liena couldn't resist stepping forward, her little face full of delight. "Thank you, Teacher!"

Su Yu followed suit and bowed. "Thank you, Teacher."

Looking at their sparkling eyes, Bibi Dong's lips curved almost imperceptibly:

"If you're ready, let's set off. Although the Soul Beast Forest isn't as dangerous as Star Dou Great Forest, Soul Beasts have unpredictable habits. Remember, you must not leave my sight without permission."

"Yes!"

The two little ones answered in unison.

A short while later, dressed in a purple gown, Bibi Dong led Su Yu and Hu Liena out of Pope Hall.

Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei had already prepared the carriage. Seeing the three emerge, they hurriedly bowed in greeting.

"You two can stay here and handle affairs," Bibi Dong said evenly.

"As you command."

The carriage slowly departed from Spirit Hall, its wheels making rhythmic sounds as they rolled over the bluestone road.

Soft velvet cushions lined the carriage, and a faint fragrance of incense lingered in the air.

Hu Liena secretly lifted a corner of the window curtain and watched the street scenery race backward outside, her little face filled with wonder.

She lowered the curtain and obediently nestled beside Bibi Dong, tilting her little face up to ask:

"Teacher, what attribute should my Soul Ring have?"

Bibi Dong glanced down at her and gently stroked her hair, her voice warm yet methodical:

"Nana, your Demon Fox Martial Soul is very special. Broadly speaking, you have two paths to choose from."

"One is to absorb a fire-attribute Soul Ring. Then your attacks would revolve around Foxfire. Its flames would be nimble and carry burning power, with considerable explosive force."

"The other is to absorb a Spirit-type Soul Ring. In the future, you could use Spiritual Power to perform Control-type Soul Skills, disrupting your opponents' minds and even controlling their movements."

At this point, she looked at Hu Liena, her gaze guiding:

"These two paths each have their own focus. Fire-attribute Soul Rings lean toward offense, while Spirit-type ones lean toward control. Nana, which do you prefer?"

Hu Liena furrowed her little brows and began thinking seriously.

She shook her head, seemingly unable to decide, and said softly:

"Foxfire sounds really powerful, but mental control seems really powerful too... Teacher, which suits me better?"

Bibi Dong chuckled and tapped her forehead with a fingertip:

"There's no absolute best fit, only what you prefer. Just follow your heart. Whichever you choose, I'll find the most suitable Soul Beast for you."

Hu Liena's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously. "Then I'll think about it some more! Once we reach the Soul Beast Forest and I see the Soul Beasts, maybe I'll have my answer!"

Bibi Dong pinched her nose. "You really are a clever little imp!"

Bibi Dong's gaze fell on Su Yu, seated opposite her. This child was deliberately keeping his distance from her.

There was a gap of at least two seats between them.

If the carriage hadn't been so spacious, she would even have suspected that Su Yu would sit outside the carriage outright.

Although she felt an aversion to men, after spending this month together, she had developed no such aversion toward Su Yu.

The main reason was that Bibi Dong was also a mother. Although she spoke of despising Qian Renxue, she still held some maternal love in her heart.

But Qian Renxue's circumstances were also very special. Whenever she saw Qian Renxue, she thought of the scum who had violated her. Bibi Dong couldn't get past that hurdle in her heart.

As it happened, Su Yu and Hu Liena were around Qian Renxue's age, and she poured all her love for Qian Renxue into Su Yu and Hu Liena.

She sighed softly inwardly, then raised a hand and patted the empty seat beside her:

"Little Yu, come sit here."

Su Yu froze for a moment and looked up, a little bewilderment in his eyes:

"Huh? Teacher?"

"Come sit beside me." Bibi Dong softened her tone a little. "I have a few things I'd like to say to you."

Su Yu hesitated for a moment, then stood and carefully moved over to sit beside Bibi Dong.

He still kept half a fist's distance between them, his back ramrod straight, as though facing some solemn examination.

Seeing his restrained manner, a barely perceptible trace of amusement flickered in Bibi Dong's eyes, and she said:

"I've heard about what you've done at the academy this past month. Defeating Zhang Hao was very good."

"You haven't become arrogant because of your Innate Full Soul Power, nor have you grown complacent because of your Martial Soul's special characteristics. That's very good."