Zhang Yang couldn't stop his imagination from running wild.
He even considered how he might verify his guess.
If she really was the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and became Wang Qiu'er after transforming, that would be awesome.
Building up her favor in advance would help their relationship develop later, though "luring her away" would be difficult.
As he recalled, as the Auspicious Beast of the Star Dou Great Forest, she had a Ferocious Beast protecting her. At present, it was the Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff, the Scarlet King.
He definitely couldn't beat the Scarlet King, nor was there any need to.
Zhang Yang followed the path of charm. All he had to do was let his charm shine!
When the time was ripe, she would transform of her own accord and leave for human society.
I hope she's the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Even better if she becomes Wang Qiu'er. That would be more exciting.
With that thought, Zhang Yang wasted no time.
He killed the Illusory Charm Spider and absorbed its Soul Ring.
At almost the same moment, the system's voice sounded in his mind, catching him off guard.
[Host's breakthrough detected. Upper limit raised. Releasing Soul Power temporarily stored in Martial Soul]
As the voice fell silent, power erupted from Zhang Yang's body.
The commotion was considerable, startling Zhang Lexuan, who was standing guard over him.
Zhang Yang's long-accumulated reserves erupted in full at that moment.
He went straight from level 10 to level 20, and he could clearly feel that he hadn't finished absorbing it all.
He was stuck at another threshold, which meant he didn't have enough Soul Rings. He needed to obtain his Second Soul Ring before he could continue advancing.
"This Soul Power... is it the Law of Devouring?"
Zhang Yang looked inward and carefully recalled his past experiences.
At last, he remembered what the system's words just now meant.
Before he left Shrek Academy, Tang Ya had come looking for him in the dark on a certain night brimming with springtime passion.
The two had engaged in an exhilarating "battle": the Law of Devouring versus Blue Silver Grass's devouring power.
In the end, Zhang Yang had come out on top, squeezing all the Soul Power out of her body and feeding it back into his own.
The system had issued a notification at the time, stating that the power had been absorbed successfully but couldn't be used because of his cultivation realm, so it was temporarily stored in his Martial Soul.
Now that his realm and Soul Power limit had risen, the hidden power had been unlocked automatically, making him a level 20 Soul Master with virtually no transition.
"Zhang Yang, your foundation is truly solid."
"I thought we'd have to go back today."
"Looks like we can't do that yet. We might as well stay a few more days and keep looking for your Second Soul Ring."
"Oh, right, hurry and see what Soul Skill you got. It can't be another one that boosts your charm, can it?"
Zhang Lexuan was surprised at first, but it quickly turned into secret delight. Shooting straight to level 20 was great. The great thing was that it gave them more time alone together.
Such a perfectly legitimate reason suited her so well that she couldn't hide the excitement in her voice when she spoke.
"First Soul Skill, Words of Charm."
"When activated, it strengthens the mouth of my Body Martial Soul."
"You guessed right, eldest senior sister. It does boost charm."
"It's similar to Mental Interference, with an illusory effect that forcibly 'contaminates' thoughts."
Zhang Yang studied it carefully and soon reached a conclusion.
Simply put, it was like casting an illusion with his mouth.
While the Soul Skill was active, even if he said to a target, "You're a dumbass," the target would have the illusion, He called me a dumbass! I'm so happy.
The principle was simple, too. Because it was a control-type Soul Skill, the target didn't just hear the words; his mind would also be contaminated, controlling the direction of his thoughts.
"Your first Soul Skill is that perverted?"
After hearing him out, Zhang Lexuan couldn't help crying out in surprise.
Her words had a double meaning: she was saying that Words of Charm was powerful, but also that it really was "perverted."
"It doesn't sound very proper, but it suits you quite well. Let's study it properly when we get back to the academy..."
Zhang Lexuan stared at Zhang Yang oddly.
Skills were neither good nor bad; that depended on the user.
And this user? Combined with his unstoppable Charm God's Body, what he would use it for went without saying.
She had originally planned to have Zhang Yang use it on her to test its effect in actual combat.
But after hearing his explanation, Zhang Lexuan immediately changed her mind, worried that she wouldn't be able to withstand his talk-no-jutsu assault.
The two briefly discussed their plans and took a short rest.
Without wasting precious time, they set off again while it was still daylight.
The process was no different, except that they were now looking for his Second Soul Ring rather than his First Soul Ring.
A short distance away, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion watched intently, still concealed in her hiding place as she observed Zhang Yang's every move.
Seeing the human happily accept the "gift" she had sent this time, she instinctively felt something called excitement.
Strange, why does he smell better and better?
Is it because his realm rose? Or because of his new Soul Skill?
Are they planning to keep hunting? Why... why do I feel happy?
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion couldn't understand this emotion.
She only knew that being near Zhang Yang put her in a pleasant mood.
Sniffing the scent lingering in the forest, she was like a cat smelling catnip, eager to roll around on the spot.
Naturally, none of this escaped the Scarlet King's eyes. As her guardian in the shadows, he had witnessed the whole thing.
He could only stare dumbfounded.
What was the Emperor Auspicious Beast doing? Why was she helping humans?
She was even sneaking along behind them, bending down for a sniff now and then. It looked strange.
The Scarlet King couldn't understand it, but he didn't act on it either, continuing to protect her from the shadows.
According to the established convention, as long as Soul Masters didn't go too far, the Ferocious Beasts wouldn't interfere with their hunting.
On their journey, Zhang Yang and Zhang Lexuan had killed only a single Illusory Charm Spider, which was very much in keeping with the rules.
As long as they don't set their sights on the Auspicious Beast, everything else can be discussed!
With that thought, the Scarlet King followed without leaving a trace.
Little did he know that was exactly what Zhang Yang had in mind. Of course he had designs on Wang Qiu'er!
For now, aside from finding a second compatible Soul Beast, the most urgent task was to draw out his target.
Only by seeing the Three-Eyed Golden Lion with his own eyes could he activate the favorability indicator. Only then would he be able to build up her favor.
If things continued as they were, with each side going about its business without interfering with the other, he couldn't make any progress, even if he guessed she was there.
How can I get the little one to show herself?
Even if I can't lure her away, it'd be good to at least show my face!
Judging by what she's done the past two days, she seems to like coming out at night. She might even secretly listen to someone playing the flute.
But as things stand, I can't control what she does. The only thing I can do is make myself more attractive!
Zhang Yang kept these thoughts to himself.
He didn't tell Zhang Lexuan, lest the Scarlet King overhear.
After thinking it over, the simplest and most practical method was still to play to his strengths.
His mental power was fairly good, but he wasn't proficient at scouting. Charm was the attribute he'd mainly increased.
So rather than agonize over how to find the little one, he might as well get her to come out on her own. If he was attractive enough, it would work!
And there was a way to do that which required practically no thought.
She liked coming out at night and had even gone out of her way to bring him a gift.
So why not just keep his Martial Soul active while he slept tonight?
Zhang Yang had no doubts about the power of his Charm God's Body. Perhaps the Three-Eyed Golden Lion wouldn't be able to resist sneaking over to snuggle up to him...