Three months slipped quietly by.
Gui Yuan's Soul Power broke through from level thirty-nine to level forty.
Normally, whenever someone reached levels like nine, nineteen, twenty-nine, or thirty-nine, the bottleneck would be much greater than usual.
But he had not felt much resistance when he broke through.
He did not know whether it was because of his Indestructible Vajra Body constitution or the continuing effects of the immortal herb.
As soon as he reached level forty, Gui Yuan eagerly went to find Bibi Dong.
"Teacher, I've reached level forty."
Bibi Dong nodded. "Mm, I understand. Have you decided what type of fourth Soul Ring you want?"
Gui Yuan had long since prepared his answer. "Another all-attribute enhancement Soul Skill."
His primary reason for taking the Food System path with his first Martial Soul was to strengthen himself better; supporting others came second.
So Gui Yuan had no intention of wasting a Soul Ring slot on detoxification or flight Soul Skills.
A flight Soul Skill might indeed seem good at first glance, but his second Martial Soul was itself a spiritual body with the ability to float.
When the time came to add Soul Rings to his second Martial Soul, he could simply find a flight-type Soul Ring.
He might not even need to add such a Soul Ring.
At the waterfall near Holy Soul Village, Ah Yin had been planted inside a cave beside the waterfall, and her hundred-thousand-year right leg bone was buried nearby.
Absorbing that Soul Bone would not only give Gui Yuan a very good healing Soul Skill, but also the ability to fly.
After all, Soul Masters in the Douluo I era could not fly even after becoming Titled Douluo unless their Martial Souls possessed an inherent ability to fly.
And it was precisely for this reason that Oscar's third Soul Skill, "Flying Mushroom Sausage," remained very useful even in the later stages.
Even if it only allowed someone to fly for one minute at the speed of a thousand-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent...
At present, his three Soul Skills were Singular Velvet Heart-Guarding Petal, which enhanced defense; Singular Velvet Life-Giving Pistil, which restored stamina and Soul Power and healed injuries; and Singular Velvet Dark Gold Chrysanthemum, which enhanced all attributes by fifty percent.
For his subsequent Food System Soul Rings, he could also pursue effects such as instantly restoring Soul Power, instantly healing injuries, instantly restoring mental power, or strengthening the power of the next Soul Skill.
Some of these ideas used Oscar as a reference. After all, someone who could cultivate to the Titled Douluo level through the Food System would have increasingly heaven-defying Food System Soul Skills in the later stages, even without side effects.
Of course, for a Food System Soul Skill like "Mirror Image Sausage," which could copy other people's Martial Souls and Soul Skills, he would definitely have to hunt a Mirror Image Beast once his body could withstand a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.
Once he possessed a copying Soul Skill, his means of attack would no longer be limited to his second Martial Soul.
He could copy his first dad's and second dad's Martial Souls and use their Soul Skills, or even copy the Martial Souls of the great enshrineds of the Worship Hall, and even Bibi Dong's Martial Souls...
Moreover, with the support of a hundred-thousand-year Mirror Image Soul Bone, he would very likely be able to unleash one hundred percent of their power after copying them.
That would be terrifying.
Three days later.
At the entrance to the Pope's Palace.
Bibi Dong had changed into a simple, close-fitting purple-and-black outfit and stood on the steps with a calm expression. Gui Yuan stood beside him.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue had also come to see them off.
"Junior brother, by the time you come back, I might be level forty-five," Hu Liena said with a grin.
Gui Yuan turned to look at her. "Senior sister, by the time I come back, I might be stronger than you."
Hu Liena gave a proud huff. "Don't get cocky."
All she could do was put up a tough front. In her heart, she knew perfectly well how quickly this junior brother of hers improved.
She was currently level forty-four, while Gui Yuan had only just broken through to level forty.
But given how he jumped two or three levels every time he absorbed a Soul Ring, he really might catch up to her after this trip.
Beside them, Xie Yue looked at Gui Yuan and thought for a moment before saying, "Once you come back, let's have a friendly spar."
Ever since watching Gui Yuan fight Yan, he had wanted to give it a try.
Of course, unlike Yan's haughty attitude, he genuinely wanted to use Gui Yuan to test his own strength.
Even though his fourth Soul Ring provided a rare spatial Soul Skill, he did not think he could defeat Gui Yuan for certain.
"Sure." Gui Yuan flashed a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.
He had also wanted to spar with this big brother, Xie Yue, for a long time.
After all, his Darkin Bow was the natural bane of Hu Liena's abilities, so he could never spar with his senior sister to his heart's content.
Although Hu Liena's Foxfire and Mental Detonation could hurt him, he only needed to dodge them. There was none of that satisfying feeling of every punch striking flesh.
Bibi Dong did not give the two much time to chat. "We're leaving."
On the road.
Bibi Dong moved very quickly. Wrapped in her Soul Power, Gui Yuan traveled with her almost without stopping.
Wind whistled past his ears, and the scenery around them raced backward.
This time, they were targeting only five kinds of Soul Beasts. The greater the age, the fewer Soul Beasts they could choose from.
Unlike the dozens of candidates they had previously, this time, whichever one they encountered, they would hunt it immediately as long as they could fight it.
Food System Soul Masters did not care about the quality of a Soul Beast's bloodline. What mattered was whether it could produce the enhancement Soul Skill they needed.
The first was the Four-Spirit Black Tortoise.
An earth-attribute Soul Beast, it had natural markings in four colors on its shell, corresponding to the four attributes of strength, speed, defense, and spirit.
The circulation of Soul Power within its body was extremely balanced, and absorbing its Soul Ring had a very high chance of producing a balanced, all-attribute enhancement Soul Skill.
The second was the Starlight Elk.
Its entire body was silvery white, and its antlers were shrouded in flecks of starlight year-round. It was not particularly aggressive itself, but its Soul Ring was very well suited to producing buff-type Soul Skills.
Next came the Six-Winged Golden Cicada, the Primordial Python, and the Myriad Phenomena Ancient Vine.
A few days later.
They arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest.
Bibi Dong led Gui Yuan through the trees.
Soul Beasts around thirty thousand years old were already considered high-level existences in the Star Dou Great Forest. Such Soul Beasts were commonly found in the mixed zone, so they quickly passed through the outer zone.
"Teacher, which one should we look for first?" Gui Yuan asked as he followed behind her.
Bibi Dong said evenly, "That depends on our luck. The Starlight Elk and Primordial Python are the rarest. The former has no fixed whereabouts, while the latter has all but vanished."
"The Six-Winged Golden Cicada and Myriad Phenomena Ancient Vine are relatively easier to find, but each has its own range."
"We'll head northwest first. There are records of a Golden Cicada Forest over there."
Gui Yuan nodded and asked no more questions.
No more than a meter apart, the two passed one behind the other through layers of tree shadows, with thick fallen leaves and damp soil beneath their feet.
Occasionally, low-level Soul Beasts sensed their presence, but seemingly realizing that Bibi Dong was not someone to provoke, they kept far away.
On the evening of the fifth day.
Bibi Dong suddenly stopped on the branch of a massive tree and narrowed her eyes as she looked into the distance.
"Found it."
Gui Yuan followed her gaze.
Ahead lay a dense stand of low-growing trees, with faint golden points of light flickering between the treetops.
Those points of light brightened and dimmed, as though some creature were breathing.
"Six-Winged Golden Cicadas?" Gui Yuan asked.