The Three-Eyed Golden Lion watched from afar.
She couldn't understand what she was seeing, yet she was deeply shaken.
At that moment, the presence Zhang Yang's Charm God's Body exuded was bursting forth without restraint.
He "smelled" even better to her. She couldn't explain the instinctive attraction; she wanted nothing more than to rush over to him at once.
Even Zhang Yang hadn't expected this. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was interested? She should have said so sooner. Wouldn't that have made things simple?
Fortunately, it wasn't too late. As the night grew deeper, his spar with Zhang Lexuan was drawing to a close, and it wouldn't affect his plans afterward.
At first, eldest senior sister had been quite cocky.
She had been provoked by the special effect of Zhang Yang's first Soul Skill.
She had taken the initiative to provoke and attack him, catching him off guard with her aggressive momentum.
Fortunately, his second sign-in had succeeded, granting him a new law attribute. He had turned the battle around in an instant and shown her who the "small fry" really was.
After that, things had been much simpler. Zhang Lexuan had been utterly unable to fight back. Her defenses had collapsed on all fronts, and she had retreated again and again before falling asleep in Zhang Yang's arms.
This time, she wasn't pretending...
She was fast asleep, looking exhausted.
Even if he wanted to wake her, it would probably take some effort, which was just as well; she wouldn't interfere with his original plan.
Zhang Yang tidied up the battlefield and adjusted his Soul Power presence a little, but deliberately kept his Martial Soul active.
In that state, he closed his eyes and relaxed. Of course, he couldn't actually fall asleep; he still had to wait for the Auspicious Beast.
I hope my guess is right.
Zhang Yang pretended to sleep, muttering to himself deep down.
The campfire crackled and popped. Apart from that, there was no movement.
Gradually, midnight arrived. The Star Dou Great Forest was deathly silent, and there seemed to be nothing alive nearby.
He waited and waited until he was growing a little tired. At last, a faint sound reached him, and his spirits revived.
A dark shadow emerged from the distant bushes, creeping slowly like a fox, straight toward the campfire.
But Zhang Yang didn't open his eyes. He continued to feign deep sleep, keeping his breathing as steady as possible to avoid frightening her.
[Three-Eyed Golden Lion (untransformed): the Emperor Auspicious Beast of the Star Dou Great Forest. Current favorability: 70 (utterly enchanted) (sign-in available)]
Only now did the system's introduction appear in his mind.
The sign-in mechanism had been unlocked; raising favorability would earn him rewards.
None of this surprised Zhang Yang. Rather, it was that "initial" favorability that made his eyes light up.
Good grief, it was already 70 when they'd only just come into contact? It was even more intense than with human girls like Zhang Lexuan and Xiao Xiao!
It must be the result of the little one secretly watching me these past few days. Strictly speaking, it isn't the initial value; it's already risen several times.
Understanding quickly dawned on Zhang Yang.
Over the past few days, he had been hanging around the outskirts of the Core Zone.
When he had found nothing during the day, he had spent the nights flirting and being intimate with Zhang Lexuan, sweet-talking and drawing closer to her.
The Charm God's Body he had unleashed, the sound of law he had played, and even the first Soul Skill he had used not long ago.
Besides eldest senior sister Zhang Lexuan, whose favorability had been raised furiously, this Emperor Auspicious Beast had presumably been affected quite a bit as well.
That was why, as soon as the two of them had direct contact, the system had judged her "utterly enchanted," allowing him to sign in for the first time right away!
System, sign in with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Zhang Yang was neither reserved nor polite; he charged straight in.
The next moment, feedback came from the depths of his consciousness. The process was the same as ever.
[Sign-in complete. Reward obtained: cultivation speed greatly increased (multiplier equals the number of Soul Rings)] [The higher the realm, the faster the cultivation; the faster the cultivation, the higher the realm. The ancient Auspicious Beast's luck defies the heavens, stepping on its right foot with its left]
Even though Zhang Yang was already used to it,
he still nearly gave himself away when he saw the contents clearly.
As expected of an Emperor Auspicious Beast encountered only once in ten thousand years. Was the reward for just the first sign-in really this outrageous?
What the system had granted him wasn't a simple doubling of his cultivation speed, but an even stronger "growth multiplier," spiraling up to the heavens.
For example, Zhang Yang was currently level 20. If he obtained his second Soul Ring, his cultivation speed would reach twice the normal rate.
And when he broke through to level 30 and obtained his third Soul Ring, the effect would increase again, from twice to three times the normal rate, growing stronger and stronger!
In theory, could it reach a full nine times at most?
What did that even mean? Who could cultivate faster than him?
Zhang Yang forcibly calmed himself and held his original posture to avoid any mishaps.
Although he hadn't opened his eyes, his basic spiritual perception was still active, allowing him to get a rough sense of what was happening.
The adorable Three-Eyed Golden Lion, looking endearingly innocent, came bounding silently over from the distance and approached with great care.
She twitched her nose like a puppy, looking as though she were savoring the scent. Her eyes were fixed curiously on Zhang Yang, and her fluffy tail swayed from side to side.
I see. Humans value looks and bearing.
Soul Beasts are different. Are they more sensitive to scent?
My Martial Soul comes with maximum-level charm, and the presence it gives off naturally has an effect.
Especially on someone like the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who's never seen the world and has been sheltered and nurtured since childhood. She's even more innocent and easy to fool!
Zhang Yang understood and continued pretending to be unconscious.
He held Zhang Lexuan in his arms, and eldest senior sister was sleeping soundly too.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion stopped about five meters away and observed them carefully, looking a little nervous.
After a while, seeing that both humans were breathing steadily and making no strange movements, the innocent creature lowered her guard.
Unable to resist Zhang Yang's attraction, she tiptoed up to him and noticed the way his fingers were interlocked with Zhang Lexuan's.
She pursed her lips, opened her mouth to bare her teeth, and gently nudged Zhang Lexuan's hand away. Then she tilted her own head and rested it on his hand.
"Purr, purr..."
She made the pleased sound unconsciously.
Startled, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion raised her head and stared at Zhang Yang.
Only after finding that she hadn't woken him did she let out a huge sigh of relief, then curl up and settle down again.
She looked no different from an oversized pet, fond of her owner's scent and fond of cuddling up to her owner.
The difference was... the Three-Eyed Golden Lion wasn't a pet, and Zhang Yang wasn't her owner, so it looked a little strange.
Especially to the Scarlet King in the shadows.
He couldn't make any sense of what the Emperor Auspicious Beast meant.
As a Ferocious Beast-level powerhouse, he had naturally noticed the presence on Zhang Yang.
But just as some human males found him irritating and reacted negatively to his maximum-level charm,
the Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff had much the same reaction. Naturally wary of humans, he shut out that attraction.
Thus, he couldn't understand the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's infatuated behavior. Fortunately, he couldn't be bothered to interfere. The Auspicious Beast could do whatever she wanted; he would indulge her!
As for Zhang Yang and Zhang Lexuan, as long as they didn't attack the Auspicious Beast or do anything untoward, there was no need to pay them any attention.
Perhaps the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was merely a little curious because it was her first time seeing humans?
Humans and Soul Beasts were naturally two different species, so he didn't think of anything strange.
Little did he know that this was exactly the effect Zhang Yang wanted. After keeping a wary watch for a while, Zhang Yang confirmed that the guardian Scarlet King wasn't reacting.
Like the nervous Three-Eyed Golden Lion, he too breathed a quiet sigh of relief. As long as there was no movement now, he was safe, and conquering "Wang Qiu'er" was only a matter of time!