It turned its head to glance at the nine Soul Rings on Yue Guan, visibly shuddered, then ran deep into the forest without looking back.
"Good, good, it didn't finish eating this one." Yue Guan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Gui Yuan. "Xiao Yuan, go give this Rejuvenation Vine the finishing blow."
Rejuvenation Vine: So I'm better off dead either way, huh?
Gui Yuan stepped forward, a dagger in his hand. The Rejuvenation Vine was already on its last breath, gnawed into a mangled ruin.
Gui Yuan located its roots and brought the dagger down. Emerald light spilled from the cut, condensing into a purple Soul Ring.
The purple Soul Ring floated in the air, giving off a soft halo.
Gui Yuan sat cross-legged beside the Rejuvenation Vine and began drawing the Soul Ring toward him.
The instant the five-thousand-year Soul Ring's power entered his body, its impact was far stronger than that of the six-hundred-year Soul Ring last time.
That power surged and roared, rampaging through his meridians.
But after the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and Ice and Fire Body Tempering, Gui Yuan's physique was already far beyond what it had been half a year ago.
Golden light emerged beneath his skin, firmly suppressing the impact.
He guided the Soul Ring's power along the route of his meditation method, cycle after cycle.
He gradually absorbed the Soul Ring's power, merging it into every limb and bone.
A day and a night passed.
Gui Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
Feeling the abundant power within him, he said with some excitement, "First Dad, Second Dad, I've reached rank thirty."
Yue Guan froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Well done, boy! Rank thirty!"
"How old are you now? A Soul Elder before you're even seven! Who would believe it?"
Gui Mei's face was also filled with gratification. "A five-thousand-year Soul Ring combined with an Immortal Herb-this rate of improvement really is astonishing."
Yue Guan composed himself and hurriedly asked, "How's your second Soul Skill? Is it the kind you wanted?"
Gui Yuan nodded and raised his right hand.
His Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Martial Soul appeared in his palm, and the second, purple Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath him.
"Sky-reaching golden chrysanthemum, gather your pistils and bring forth life."
As he recited the soul incantation, a tiny pistil appeared in his palm.
The pistil was pale gold, radiating a warm, gentle luster, as though it had been moistened with dew.
"This Soul Skill is called Singular Velvet Life-Giving Pistil. After taking it, a Soul Master can continuously recover Soul Power and stamina, and heal injuries."
"It can also be stored for a month."
Yue Guan nodded in satisfaction. "A recovery-type Soul Skill. Exactly what we wanted."
"And your second Soul Ring is a thousand-year one, so its recovery effects must be much stronger than those of ordinary Food System Soul Masters."
Gui Mei also showed a rare trace of a smile. "Not bad. We gained even more on this trip than we expected."
The three enjoyed their happiness for a while before something suddenly occurred to Gui Mei.
"What about Xiao Yuan's third Soul Ring?"
"Hunting one won't be a problem, but how will we explain it to His Holiness the Pope when we return?"
At his question, Yue Guan also sank into thought.
Gui Yuan had jumped straight from rank twenty before absorbing his second Soul Ring to rank thirty afterward.
Given the power of a five-thousand-year Soul Ring, a Quasi-Soul Grandmaster absorbing it could gain at most five ranks of Soul Power, and that still had to account for the dissipation of the Soul Ring's power.
After all, with Gui Yuan's current strength, absorbing a five-thousand-year Soul Ring "above his level" would probably cause even more of its power to dissipate than if a Quasi-Soul Ancestor absorbed it.
There were ten whole ranks between rank twenty and rank thirty.
Those extra five ranks naturally came from the medicinal potency of the immortal-grade Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
But they could not tell Bibi Dong that outright, or they would no longer be able to conceal the Immortal Herbs.
Yue Guan frowned. "Without a decent explanation, I'm afraid we won't be able to bluff our way through."
Gui Yuan thought for a moment, then said, "First Dad, Second Dad, how about we just tell Teacher when we return that we happened to discover a Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum in Sunset Forest?"
"After I took it, my Soul Power rose dramatically, breaking straight through to rank thirty."
Gui Mei shook his head. "If we say that, the Pope might grow suspicious."
"She'll probably ask whether we found any other Immortal Herbs. In the worst case, she might even search us."
"After all, we were worried before about whether the Pope would give any immortal-grade herbs capable of improving Soul Power and talent to Yu Xiaogang if they really appeared." Gui Mei said calmly, "There's never any harm in being careful."
Gui Yuan had already thought of that.
He looked at the two of them. "First Dad, Second Dad, do you have a spare storage Soul Tool? Something to hold all the Immortal Herbs and spirit herbs."
Yue Guan did not know what he intended, but still took out a Soul Tool Ring.
"This Soul Tool Ring has two cubic meters of space. That'll be enough."
Gui Yuan took the ring and put all the Immortal Herbs and spirit herbs inside, including the Immortal Herbs intended for Yue Guan and Gui Mei to absorb.
Then, with a thought, the Darkin Bow appeared in his hand, its shadowy body giving off a faint sheen.
Gui Yuan fitted the Soul Tool Ring into a groove in the bow's body and pressed it firmly into place.
Then, with another thought, the Darkin Bow vanished along with the Soul Tool Ring attached to it.
Both Yue Guan and Gui Mei froze.
Gui Yuan looked up and smiled. "First Dad, Second Dad, search me now and see if you can find anything."
Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance.
Yue Guan could not help laughing. "I never imagined your divine artifact could be used like this."
"There's no need to search. An ordinary body search couldn't possibly reach your Sea of Consciousness."
"And even if it did, your divine artifact automatically protects its master. There's nothing to worry about."
Gui Mei also revealed a rare smile. "This divine artifact... really is useful."
Gui Yuan felt reassured as well.
With this precaution in place, he would have something to rely on when facing Bibi Dong after their return.
"Then it's settled," Gui Yuan said. "When we return, we'll say we happened to discover a Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and make no mention of any other Immortal Herbs."
Yue Guan nodded. "Yes, that's what we'll do."
Gui Mei said, "A ship sailed with care lasts ten thousand years. Although I don't think the Pope will necessarily search us, it pays to be prepared."
Now that this potential problem was resolved, it was naturally time to consider his third Soul Ring.
Yue Guan said to Gui Yuan, "What are your thoughts on your third Soul Ring?"
Gui Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Let's go with what we discussed before: obtaining a Soul Skill that can enhance all attributes."
Then Gui Yuan paused slightly, as though something had occurred to him. "First Dad, Second Dad, perhaps... for my third Soul Ring, I could try absorbing one from a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
"What?!" Yue Guan and Gui Mei were shocked. Yue Guan said, "No! After a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast dies, a Soul Master absorbing its Soul Ring will suffer Soul Shock. Your theory teacher should have told you that, right?"
Gui Yuan smiled. "Of course I know. But First Dad, Second Dad, although my spiritual power might not be up to the standard yet, I have the protection of a divine artifact."
"Although my spiritual power can't inflict substantial damage on a Soul Beast's vengeful spirit after its death, with the Darkin attribute granted to me by the divine artifact, and with the artifact itself, I should be able to 'kill' that 'vengeful spirit.'"
Right!
Their concern had thrown them into confusion. Xiao Yuan had a divine artifact protecting him, granting immunity to all spiritual attacks below the divine level!