While Huo Lingtong struggled to figure out how to explain things to Nan Zhuliu and the other two.
Nan Zhuliu suddenly spoke up beside her. "We've already obtained the Soul Ring."
"Huh? Huh-"
At those words, not only Bei Bei and Tang Ya but even Huo Lingtong herself failed to react for a moment.
Inside the Sea of Spirit, Skydream Iceworm, who was eavesdropping on their conversation, instantly went beady-eyed.
Hadn't she already used Spiritual Shock to rob Nan Zhuliu of his ability to think during that period? Why did he still know about this?
Bei Bei and Tang Ya were thoroughly puzzled. It hadn't taken them very long to catch up after Huo Lingtong left. How had she successfully hunted a Soul Beast and finished absorbing its Soul Ring in such a short time?
Naturally, they wouldn't simply take Nan Zhuliu's word for it. Their questioning gazes immediately turned toward Huo Lingtong.
Coming back to her senses, Huo Lingtong nodded and bit the bullet. "Zhuliu has already helped me obtain my Soul Ring."
Afraid they wouldn't believe her, she let a yellow ring of light representing a hundred-year Soul Ring slowly rise from beneath her feet.
At the sight, Bei Bei and Tang Ya still had some doubts, but there wasn't much they could say.
Tang Ya asked again, "Little Lingtong, since you've already obtained your Soul Ring, what are your plans next?"
"Well..."
For some reason, Huo Lingtong instinctively looked toward Nan Zhuliu.
Although she had known Nan Zhuliu for less time than Bei Bei and Tang Ya, she simply felt that he was more trustworthy and reliable.
Catching Huo Yuhao's little gesture, Bei Bei seized the opening. "If you haven't decided yet, why not come along with us for now? What do you think?"
"School starts soon. I need to head back and prepare, so I'm afraid I can't join you," Nan Zhuliu said mildly.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya looked at Huo Lingtong.
Huo Lingtong felt torn. She knew Bei Bei and Tang Ya meant well, but...
"If you don't want to go with them, you can just find an excuse."
Nan Zhuliu hadn't opened his mouth, yet his voice had unmistakably sounded beside Huo Lingtong's ear.
Huo Lingtong immediately said firmly, "Sorry, Sister Tang Ya, Brother Bei Bei. I need to head back and get ready for school too."
Tang Ya froze for a moment and couldn't help feeling disappointed. She had been thinking that if she recruited Huo Lingtong into the Tang Sect, she could not only take good care of this poor child but also eat delicious grilled fish whenever she wanted. "All right."
Bei Bei sighed softly. "We still need to enter Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a Soul Ring, so we won't keep you any longer."
Huo Lingtong nodded. "Sister Tang Ya, Brother Bei Bei, we'll meet again if fate allows."
Once Tang Ya and Bei Bei disappeared down the path into Star Dou Great Forest, Huo Lingtong finally couldn't resist asking the question that both she and Skydream Iceworm were curious about. "Zhuliu, how did you know I already had a Soul Ring?"
"Didn't she tell you that a strange gray current of Qi chose me?"
Skydream Iceworm immediately shrieked inside Huo Lingtong's mind. "So it was that strange thing! I knew it! When I handle things, not a single drop leaks through!"
Huo Lingtong mumbled, "Aren't you curious?"
Nan Zhuliu said calmly, "Everyone has their own secrets. Besides, knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing."
He asked in return, "Since you don't have any plans, why didn't you go with them?"
Faced with Nan Zhuliu's question, Huo Lingtong was a little bewildered. "I just didn't want to."
"Then what are you planning to do next?" he asked again.
Huo Lingtong answered honestly, "I haven't figured it out yet."
Nan Zhuliu felt helpless. "I do know a good place that would suit you."
Huo Lingtong instantly perked up.
"I wonder if you've heard of the Body Sect."
Huo Lingtong shook her head.
Ever since she was born, she had barely left the White Tiger Duke's estate, nor had she attended school. Even when she did leave, it was only to find some wild fruit or catch a few fish to improve her meals. Her knowledge of the outside world basically came from what she heard from her mother and the other people in the duke's estate.
And their conversations were about nothing beyond the White Tiger Duke, the Tang Sect, Shrek Academy, and Soul Rings. Aside from those things, Huo Lingtong knew almost nothing about the outside world.
Nan Zhuliu explained patiently, "The Body Sect is just as its name suggests. They only accept Soul Masters with Body Martial Souls into their sect to train them."
"They have a secret method with a very high chance of giving Soul Masters with Body Martial Souls a second awakening. Even if a Body Martial Soul is innately deficient, a second awakening can greatly improve its quality."
After hearing Nan Zhuliu's description, Huo Lingtong's eyes slowly widened, her large, jewel-like eyes filled with longing.
If she could join the Body Sect and complete her Body Martial Soul's second awakening, wouldn't her chances of taking revenge be even greater?
Nan Zhuliu mercilessly dumped a bucket of ice water over her hopes. "However, the Body Sect already has very few members, and their movements are elusive. No one knows their exact location either. If you want to join the Body Sect, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for them to come looking for you."
"I see." Huo Lingtong was immediately a little disappointed.
"You won't be able to join the Body Sect anytime soon. Why not find a Soul Master academy to attend first?"
Huo Lingtong lowered her eyes slightly. "But... what Soul Master academy would accept a Soul Master like me, who only reached rank ten at eleven years old?"
Nan Zhuliu fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "I can help you look, but I can't guarantee you'll get in."
Huo Lingtong had helped him, but he had his own selfish motives too.
Huo Yuhao had become Huo Lingtong, and Huo Lingtong was no longer following the original course of events by joining the Tang Sect. He also didn't know whether Wang Dong was still Wang Dong or had become "Wang Dong" as well. He had to make a few extra preparations.
Setting aside his strength and the fact that those opportunities would also be his, unless "Huo Yuhao" became a god, even another two hundred years wouldn't let "Huo Yuhao" catch up to him, no matter how hard he tried.
Moreover, given "Huo Yuhao's" character, even if brainwashed by Shrek's glory, he would remember this little bit of kindness and righteousness for the rest of his life. He really was such a good dog; otherwise, Tang San wouldn't have clung to him so desperately.
Seeing that Huo Lingtong used the simplest meditation method when cultivating, Nan Zhuliu casually gave her a few pointers.
As Soul Masters cultivated, they would all, to varying degrees, gradually refine the circulation routes used to cultivate Soul Power according to their own condition and rising Soul Power ranks.
Although they might not be able to pass them on exactly as they were to others, these insights still benefited low-ranking Soul Masters immensely. That was why so many Soul Masters yearned to find a good teacher.
And after receiving pointers from the Golden Dragon King, Nan Zhuliu's meditation circulation route could absolutely rank among the best on the entire Douluo Continent.
After trying the new circulation route Nan Zhuliu had taught her, Huo Lingtong discovered to her delight that her cultivation speed was now much faster than when she rigidly followed that simple meditation method. She was instantly filled with gratitude toward Nan Zhuliu.