Soon, they arrived at the Pope's Palace.
Bibi Dong sat in the seat of honor, her expression composed.
Hu Liena was not there this time. She was still cultivating.
Over the past six months, Hu Liena's Soul Power had also risen from rank thirty-three to rank thirty-six.
At this rate, she would probably break through to rank forty even earlier than in the original story.
When Bibi Dong saw them enter, her gaze settled on Gui Yuan.
"Rank twenty?"
Gui Yuan nodded. "Yes, Teacher."
A trace of satisfaction flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes. "Good. Yue Guan and Gui Mei will accompany you to Sunset Forest this time as well."
"As I said before, there is no need to rush. Find the most suitable one before making your move."
Gui Yuan replied, "Yes, Teacher."
Then Yue Guan and Gui Mei led Gui Yuan out.
Just then, Hu Liena came jogging over from the side and said to Gui Yuan, "Junior brother, be careful while you're out hunting Soul Beasts."
Although she knew that with Uncle Yue Guan and Uncle Gui Mei accompanying him, nothing could possibly happen to Gui Yuan.
She still wanted to come over and say it.
Gui Yuan waved and chuckled. "Got it, senior sister. Make sure you cultivate hard while I'm away from Spirit Hall."
"Otherwise, I might surpass you before long."
"Hmph." Hu Liena gave a proud huff. "You won't."
After that, the three disappeared from sight.
Hu Liena stood at the entrance to the Pope's Palace, gazing in the direction they had disappeared for a good while before turning and walking inside.
"Nana, is something the matter?" Bibi Dong looked at her.
Hu Liena took a deep breath. "Teacher, I've thought about a lot over the past six months."
"I was thinking, perhaps I shouldn't follow a purely mental path after all."
Bibi Dong frowned slightly. "Why?"
Her gaze was calm, and her tone was not particularly stern.
But the imposing presence that came from long occupying a position of power still made Hu Liena feel an invisible pressure.
Bracing herself against that pressure, Hu Liena said earnestly, "Because if I encounter someone like my junior brother in the future, someone unaffected by mental charm, control, or even mental attacks, then I'll be of no use unless I perform Martial Soul Fusion with my brother to become Demon Charm."
Bibi Dong fell silent for a while.
She considered it carefully. That possibility did indeed exist.
Although the likelihood was very small, they had to guard against it.
She had always believed that mental-type Soul Masters held a tremendous advantage against any Soul Master.
But Gui Yuan's ability to disregard the various applications of mental power, even if it was due to a divine artifact, had sounded an alarm in her mind.
The Martial Souls possessed by Soul Masters in this world came in all manner of strange forms. She could not possibly have encountered every situation.
It would be best for Hu Liena to have offensive or defensive Soul Skills in other directions.
Bibi Dong looked at her. "Then what do you have in mind?"
Hu Liena said, "My idea is to continue focusing on absorbing Mental Attribute Soul Rings, but develop a wider variety of mental Soul Skills."
"Not just illusions, but mental attacks as well."
"Besides, Teacher, you also know that apart from mental charm, the Demon Fox Martial Soul has another ability: Foxfire."
"So from now on, I'd like to develop more offensive Soul Skills based on Foxfire."
"That way, in terms of attributes, I'll have Foxfire to attack with, while mentally, I'll have more variations available and be more adaptable against enemies."
After hearing her out, Bibi Dong revealed a gratified smile.
"Good. I'll make some adjustments to your future cultivation plan, as well as your subsequent Soul Ring Configuration."
According to her original thinking, if Hu Liena followed the mental path, the types of Soul Rings she should absorb were actually quite easy to choose.
Fox-type Soul Beasts, such as the Three-Eyed Demon Fox, were exceptionally compatible with Hu Liena.
But going forward, perhaps some changes would be necessary.
"Go back to cultivating for now. I'll arrange the adjustments to your path," Bibi Dong said.
Hu Liena nodded. "Yes, Teacher."
She bowed, then turned and withdrew from the Pope's Palace.
The moment she stepped outside, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She had actually been quite nervous when she said all that just now.
Fortunately, her teacher had not objected.
Hu Liena quickened her steps toward the training grounds.
She had to make the most of her time too. Otherwise, if her little junior brother really surpassed her, it would be far too embarrassing.
Seven days later.
The outskirts of Sunset Forest.
Gui Yuan and the other two arrived at their destination.
Looking out, they saw that this forest was much smaller than Star Dou Great Forest, but its vegetation was denser.
Trees towered into the sky, vines intertwined, and the air was thick with the scent of vegetation.
Since they were looking for a three- to four-thousand-year-old Soul Beast for his Second Soul Ring, they headed straight for the core area.
Gui Yuan followed beside Yue Guan, holding the list.
There were only ten candidate Soul Beasts this time, all of them plant-type.
As they walked, Yue Guan said, "Most Plant-type Soul Beasts have fixed root systems and find it difficult to move, so once we've narrowed down the area, they're relatively easy to find."
"Unlike animal-type Soul Beasts. You have no idea where they might appear, so you can only comb through the entire area."
Gui Yuan nodded.
Of course, there were exceptions.
For example, Plant-type Soul Beasts like the Earth-Burrowing Vine gained the ability to move freely once they reached a thousand years of cultivation.
But such Plant-type Soul Beasts were ultimately in the minority.
Following Spirit Hall's relevant records, they arrived at the first recorded location where Rejuvenation Vines grew.
It was a valley near a stream, with damp ground covered in moss.
Yue Guan crouched down to examine the vines before him, then shook his head. "None of the Rejuvenation Vines here are over two thousand years old. Too young."
"Let's keep looking. There are a few more places."
Gui Yuan was in no hurry either and followed them onward.
Along the way, they also passed through the territories of other highly ranked Plant-type Soul Beasts.
"That's Blood Coagulation Grass, ranked fourth." Yue Guan pointed to a clump of dark red grass nearby. "Around thirty-five hundred years old. We can make a note of it for now."
"I found a Healing Spirit Tree ahead. Ranked second." Gui Mei emerged from the shadows of the trees. "Let's take a look."
The three then arrived at a sunny hillside.
A few short shrubs grew scattered across the slope.
Their leaves were emerald green and their branches thick, with pale golden sap faintly visible flowing through their veins.
Yue Guan examined them carefully and sighed. "These Healing Spirit Trees are all too young. Let's keep looking."
During their search, they also passed through the territories of Plant-type Soul Beasts with other rankings.
For example, the seventh-ranked Crimson Blood Vine, the ninth-ranked Maidenhair Fern, and the fifth-ranked Spirit Ginseng Grass.
Whenever they encountered one, Gui Yuan would make a brief note of its approximate age and location.
They continued searching and taking notes like this, and another three days passed.
They crossed a hill and arrived at the second recorded Rejuvenation Vine location.
It was a marsh hidden deep within the dense forest, shrouded in mist, with the scent of damp earth filling the air.
Yue Guan pushed aside the thick shrubs and glanced at the vines growing along the edge of the marsh.
He studied them for a good while, his brow furrowing slightly.
"The Rejuvenation Vines here are even younger. Only around a thousand years old."
Gui Mei stepped out of the shadows and said evenly, "Then let's keep looking. There are still two locations in the records."
Yue Guan nodded and looked at Gui Yuan. "Let's go to the next one."
Gui Yuan sighed inwardly. Finding a suitable Soul Beast really was time-consuming and laborious.
Unfortunately, throughout their search, he had not found the "poison barrier."
If possible, he certainly hoped to find the poison barrier first, absorb the Immortal Herbs within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and then absorb his Second Soul Ring.
But he certainly could not tell Yue Guan and Gui Mei that outright.
The three continued deeper into Sunset Forest.