Nine Heart Begonia: Bloom
Lin Chen slowly withdrew his shield and suppressive force field, sending one last wisp of Soul Power from his left hand to stabilize the medicinal power within Ye Lingling.
He withdrew his hand, his fingertips tingling slightly and his face a few shades paler than before. Maintaining all three had indeed placed a heavy burden on him, draining nearly half the Soul Power from his meridians.
"Brother Lin Chen, are you all right?" Xiao Wu hurried over and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, paying no attention to the wound on her own shoulder.
"I'm fine. I just used up a bit too much Soul Power." Lin Chen shook his head and looked at Shi Mo and Shi Mo on the ground. "They were only affected by the Soul-Bewitching Smoke. It's nothing serious..."
Before he had finished speaking, a soft, pale golden light spread out from behind him.
At some point, Ye Lingling had risen to her feet. Her deep-purple Third Soul Ring hovered steadily around her, its color warm and lustrous, yet brimming with depth.
The enormous, ethereal image of a begonia slowly rose into the air. Nine full, lustrous petals unfurled and blossomed one after another. The outer petals were as white as snow, shading inward layer by layer into a soft rosy pink. Nine delicate, heart-shaped stamens lit up in succession at the flower's center, flowing with a faint, warm golden glow.
She raised her hands slightly, and a pale golden halo spread out from her, gently enveloping everyone present.
"Nine Heart Begonia: Bloom."
Petals of light, as tiny as stardust, drifted down in a shower. Upon touching a person, the specks quietly dissolved and seeped into their flesh.
Lin Chen felt a warm, gentle power seep into his body through his pores. His depleted meridians slowly filled, his fatigue was swept away, and the tingling in his fingertips faded completely.
Nourished by this power, his Chaos Soul Power recovered several times faster. The wound on Xiao Wu's shoulder healed and scabbed over at a visible rate. The numbness and soreness vanished in an instant, and her whole body filled with strength again.
Qin Ming's sluggish sea of consciousness cleared in an instant. The unsteady feeling left by burning his Soul Power was swept away, and his presence became steady and concentrated once more.
The Shi Mo brothers on the ground both shuddered and snapped their eyes open. Strength returned to their numb limbs, and the fog in their heads vanished without a trace. They pushed themselves into sitting positions, still somewhat bewildered, yet feeling better than they had before.
"Th-this is enough to heal us?" Shi Mo felt his arm, his face full of disbelief.
The Nine Heart Begonia's petals trembled gently, its nine stamens alternating between light and dark. Wave after wave of life rippled outward from the begonia in widening circles, veiling even the earth in a faint, soft golden glow.
Qin Ming flexed his wrist, his eyes full of amazement. "The effect of this Holy Spirit Flower's Soul Ring is incredible. It's raised Nine Heart Begonia's healing ability by more than one level."
Ye Lingling withdrew her Soul Skill, her cheeks slightly flushed and her breathing a little uneven. Using a group healing skill at full strength just after absorbing a Soul Ring had placed a considerable burden on her too.
Xiao Wu came over, linked arms with Ye Lingling, and said with a smile, "Sister Ye, you're amazing now! With you around from now on, we won't have to worry about getting hurt in a fight."
Ye Lingling's cheeks reddened further at her words, and she gently clasped Xiao Wu's hand in return.
"All right, everyone's about rested up, aren't they?" Qin Ming's expression grew grave again as he looked west, toward the source of the thunderous noise. "Something's wrong over there, and the commotion keeps growing. I'm afraid the second team has run into trouble. Let's go take a look."
Everyone nodded. The Shi Mo brothers stretched their limbs; they had fully recovered.
The group immediately quickened their pace and headed west. The explosions in the forest grew clearer, and the roars of Soul Beasts shook leaves from the trees.
Lin Chen walked among the group, his gaze sweeping over the shifting light and shadows in the forest, the corners of his mouth curving almost imperceptibly.
Half an hour earlier.
Deep in the dense woods on the western outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, sunlight was cut to pieces by layers of branches and leaves. It fell on the damp leaf litter, casting mottled light and shadows.
Lin Wuyuan walked at the head of the group with his hands behind his back. He wore a dark green robe, and his square face bore a calm expression.
His Martial Soul was the Iron Wall Overlord Tree. A level sixty-two Control System Soul Emperor and a Heaven Dou Grade teacher at the academy, he carried the weighty presence unique to plant-type Soul Masters. The Hundred-Year Soul Beasts along the way sensed the pressure of a Soul Emperor and lay low, not daring to move.
The students of the second team followed behind him. Yu Tianheng walked at the front, the presence of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon faintly discernible as his sharp eyes scanned their surroundings. Dugu Yan walked beside him with a medicine pouch at her side, kicking aside pebbles from time to time, looking utterly bored.
Yu Feng and Osler kept watch on either side, while Instructor Wang Ze and three senior students brought up the rear. Among them, Feng Chi of the Agility Attack System looked somewhat eager-he had been stuck at the level thirty bottleneck for half a year, and had come on this expedition for his Third Soul Ring.
"Teacher Lin, the Soul Beasts around here are all too weak. They're only a few hundred years old, nowhere near enough for me," Feng Chi couldn't help saying, a note of impatience in his voice.
Lin Wuyuan glanced back calmly. "What's the rush? The Soul Beasts on the outskirts aren't very old to begin with. Another two li in, and we'll reach the area where Thousand-Year Soul Beasts roam."
The moment he finished speaking, the bushes ahead suddenly rustled.
A scarlet figure darted out. It was over two meters long, with a flame-like crest on its head and long, brilliant tail feathers. It was a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.
Its tongue flicked as its scarlet eyes swept over the group. Clearly startled by their presence, it turned and darted toward the depths of the forest.
"A Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent!" Feng Chi's eyes lit up at once. "Judging by its age, it's at least two thousand years old! Just right for me!"
A two-thousand-year Soul Beast with innate flight and acceleration, it possessed both speed and explosive power, making it practically perfect for an Agility Attack System Soul Master.
"After it!" Lin Wuyuan commanded in a low voice.
Everyone immediately sped up, chasing in the direction the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had fled.
The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent was incredibly fast, weaving through the trees like lightning. But Lin Wuyuan's Iron Wall Overlord Tree kept sending out thorny vines to block it, while Yu Tianheng harassed it from a distance with the occasional bolt of lightning, forcing it to flee southwest.
After pursuing it for about two li, they passed through a dense thicket and emerged into an open stretch of rocky ground.
But the moment they rushed in, they all stopped in their tracks.
In the middle of the rocky ground, the two-thousand-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent lay sprawled on the earth, the crest on its head drooping. Its body was covered in constriction marks left by Blue Silver Grass, and it was barely breathing. Clearly, someone had already subdued it.
A group of people stood beside the serpent.
At their head was a burly man, bare-chested and covered in bulging muscle, with a scar across his face. He was none other than Zhao Wuji, the Immovable Wisdom King. Beside him stood a gray-robed man with an ordinary face and deep-set eyes: Yu Xiaogang.
Seven boys and girls stood in a row behind them: white-haired Dai Mubai with his wicked eyes, Tang San in blue cloth clothing, charming Ning Rongrong, aloof Zhu Zhuqing, chubby Ma Hongjun, roguish Oscar, and dark-skinned Tuo Mushuo.
Every one of them had an extraordinary presence; even the weakest appeared to be around level twenty-five or twenty-six.