"How strange. The mental fluctuations they gave off unintentionally clearly didn't belong to the same person, yet they could occasionally blend together?"
"Does this count as a sign that the two have the potential for Martial Soul Fusion? But the signs of that potential between me and that old ghost weren't like this."
The man thought for a moment, then soon put the matter aside.
"Forget it. As long as I've confirmed they aren't the same person. My main job this time is babysitting, anyway."
The mention of work reminded him of his other partner.
"That old ghost who comes and goes without a trace is clearly the best person to babysit children. How did it land on my head? A Soul Douluo could have done this job. There's absolutely no need for a Titled Douluo."
Suddenly, he seemed to spot something very interesting. That haughty blond child with Twin Martial Souls actually stopped and looked toward the place where Hu Liena and the others had gathered earlier.
"Now this is interesting."
The man keenly caught the flicker of confusion across Jing Shanshan's face. His lips parted slightly, his voice soft and effeminate in a way that chilled the bones.
The instant Jing Shanshan turned back, he concealed his presence. As long as Jing Shanshan didn't look up at the roof, he had no need to worry about being discovered.
Watching Jing Shanshan turn back around and continue forward, the man glanced back at Spirit Hall's headquarters, his thoughts taking a turn.
"A green-haired nephew of the Great Enshrined has suddenly popped up. Looks like Spirit Hall won't have any peaceful days for a while!
"Oh well. Getting away from here for now and checking the situation when I return works too."
Only at that thought did he feel slightly better, and he quietly followed behind Hu Liena and the others.
Normally, the best place for a Soul Master to obtain their first Soul Ring was the Soul Hunting Forest. The danger was low, and most of the Soul Beasts there were ten-year and hundred-year ones.
According to the information they had looked up, an extremely rare Soul Beast called the Red Gold Flame Dragon was very suitable as a first Soul Skill for "Shi Lang's" flame-absorbing Martial Soul, Ember Devouring.
The Soul Hunting Forest had no such Soul Beast, so Hu Liena decided to search the Star Dou Great Forest and obtain the other four children's Soul Rings along the way.
After seven days of travel, Hu Liena's group of eight finally caught sight of a boundless dark-green edge off to the side.
After another brief rest, Yan, the Power Attack System Soul Master with a Beast Martial Soul and arguably the tankiest member of the team, went straight to the front to lead the way.
The Shadow Doll Puppet version of "Shi Lang" followed beside Hu Liena, occasionally looking up at Xie Yue, who was keeping a wary eye on their surroundings, before quickly lowering his head again.
Jing Shanshan walked at the very back of the group at an unhurried pace, his golden eyes surveying their surroundings as though everything lay within his grasp and he cared nothing for the unknown dangers that might lurk nearby.
In reality, he had no attention to spare for any of that. His vision was currently doubled.
One eye could be said to show the view from the Shadow Doll Puppet Qian Renxue, while the other showed the perspective of his own body.
Awkward. His body felt extremely awkward right now.
Closing his eyes, Jing Shanshan sighed inwardly. When he opened them again, his vision returned to normal, and he kept admonishing himself.
This is something I have to go through. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens and a Shadow Doll Puppet suffers some mishap because I failed to provide effective support, I won't feel good either.
The towering canopy blocked most of the sky. Thick fallen leaves and humus lay underfoot, the scent of damp earth filled the air, and occasionally, the cries of Soul Beasts drifted out from the depths.
As Hu Liena slowed her steps, the entire group gradually came to a stop.
Hu Liena turned and looked around at the children. They all wore the nervous expressions one would expect, except for Jing Shanshan, who looked down on everyone.
"Ten-year and Hundred-Year Soul Beasts generally live on the outskirts. Taking everything into account, Hundred-Year Soul Beasts are the best choice for your first Soul Rings. Does anyone think a hundred-year first Soul Ring is too old?"
Seeing the four children obediently shake their heads, Hu Liena nodded in satisfaction and continued laying out their next steps.
"As for the order in which you'll obtain your first Soul Rings, Zhou Ding, Chen Feng, and Liu Yaya, you'll be in the first batch. Shi Lang, considering how rare the Soul Beast best suited to you is, you'll be in the second batch."
At this point, Hu Liena looked toward the silent Jing Shanshan.
"You haven't told us anything. Can we take that to mean you have your own plans?"
"This king has his own plans."
Jing Shanshan's arrogant tone toward Hu Liena greatly displeased Yan beside her.
The best way to handle such a proud and arrogant child was to give him a beating and let him learn that beyond every mountain stood a higher mountain. His temper would soon be corrected.
But if he, an adult of nearly eighteen, bullied a brat who didn't even have a single Soul Ring and beat him to tears, would he have any face left if word got out? What would Hu Liena think of him?
Hu Liena still didn't know how to get along with a problem child like Jing Shanshan, so she could only continue observing him.
She reached out to ruffle "Shi Lang's" golden hair, her fingers pausing slightly when they touched the edge of the mask.
Her peripheral vision happened to sweep over Jing Shanshan, and she noticed that the corner of the child's mouth seemed to twitch for an instant.
"Shi Lang, will a Hundred-Year Soul Beast work?"
"Yes, I'll be fine! Big sister!"
Qian Jun Ants were colony-dwelling Soul Beasts that sat near the bottom of the Star Dou Great Forest's hierarchy, with tenacious vitality but weak attacks.
According to Spirit Hall's records, most Soul Masters who absorbed a Qian Jun Ant's Soul Ring gained a substantial improvement in either strength or defense.
For Zhou Ding, who possessed the Great Strength Vajra Bear, either was an ideal choice.
The group soon located a nest, with Qian Jun Ants busily moving about all over the ground.
These Qian Jun Ants had rough, blackish-brown shells and a pair of protruding saber teeth at their mouthparts. Nearly all were less than three inches long and were ten-year Qian Jun Ants, making it easy to deduce that hundred-year Qian Jun Ants were very likely to be inside the nest.
Hu Liena and the other two silently took a step back, leaving the children to think for themselves.
"Haha! My Soul Ring, here I come!"
Zhou Ding charged forward heedlessly. Chen Feng's pupils abruptly contracted, and he immediately stepped in front of Zhou Ding.
"What are you doing?"
Blocked, Zhou Ding voiced his displeasure.
"Rushing forward recklessly is dangerous. Even if all the Soul Beasts in front of us are only around ten years old, how many can you fend off when their numbers pile up?"
Chen Feng looked toward Liu Yaya and pointed at the Qian Jun Ants ahead.
"Can your Martial Soul drive these Qian Jun Ants away? Or drive out any hundred-year Qian Jun Ants that might be inside the nest?"
Liu Yaya thought seriously for a moment, then shook her head.
"No. There are too many. My Soul Power would probably bottom out before these Qian Jun Ants got very far."
Chen Feng studied the ants, then looked toward "Shi Lang," Qian Renxue.
"My Martial Soul, Ember Devouring, can only absorb flames. When released, it's an area attack, but after using it once, I have to absorb flames again before I can attack. I'm afraid it won't be much help."
The words of "Shi Lang," Qian Renxue, undoubtedly left Zhou Ding and the other two a little dejected.
Chen Feng's gaze landed on Jing Shanshan. His lips opened and closed for a long while, but he never managed to ask.
At present, against such a large number of Qian Jun Ants, a Martial Soul like Jing Shanshan's Kingship Crown, which combined area control and attacks, was the best way to deal with them!
The question was, how could they get the arrogant Jing Shanshan to act?
Following Chen Feng's gaze, Zhou Ding soon came to the same realization.
Seeing this, the corners of Jing Shanshan's mouth lifted slightly.
"Beg this king."