Endless Life!

"Looks like he was in a hurry to find somewhere to absorb the Soul Ring."

Liu Erlong offered her assessment softly.

"But, Dean~ that's so strange!"

Jiang Zhu gripped her Healing Scepter, brushed a lock of pink hair behind her ear, and pointed at the remains of the Sunflower, her face full of puzzlement. "It looks like this Soul Beast was killed in a single blow, but what would a Soul Master capable of doing that want with its Soul Ring?"

"Hmm?"

Liu Erlong froze for a moment at her words.

She glanced again at their surroundings, where only a few patches were scorched, and her delicate brows drew together slightly.

This Soul Beast had indeed been killed in one blow.

To kill a Soul Beast with nearly four thousand years of cultivation in one blow, a Soul Master would have to be at least a Soul King.

But what would a Soul Master like that want with a four-thousand-year Soul Ring?

"It really is a little strange~"

Yin Shu said thoughtfully, pinching his chin.

Teacher Bai, meanwhile, frowned warily. But she had learned her lesson... without mentioning Liu Erlong or Yin Shu and the others at all, she looked straight at Jiang Zhu, reproach in her eyes.

"Jiang Zhu, there's no need to look into this sort of thing. Barging into someone else's Soul Hunting Operation is already a major taboo in the Soul Master World."

When she finished speaking,

Teacher Bai turned to Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, and the others and earnestly instructed them, "After you graduate, make absolutely sure you remember this too, or you'll bring trouble down on yourselves. By then... the dean and your teachers won't be around."

"Teacher Bai is right. Jiang Zhu, all of you should take this to heart. The world outside is cruel, so when you aren't strong enough, don't go poking your noses into things."

Liu Erlong nodded in agreement, though she sighed inwardly.

She couldn't make sense of it either.

If Xiaogang were by her side, he would surely be able to make a quick judgment.

Liu Erlong couldn't help thinking of an old acquaintance,

a touch of melancholy flashing through her beautiful eyes.

"We understand, Teacher Bai, and Dean!"

Jiang Zhu and the others answered in unison.

Liu Erlong put her thoughts aside, nodded, and gave her instructions. "Next, let's find somewhere to rest for a bit before we continue searching for prey."

"..."

In the Kamui Dimension,

Ye Qiu had no idea what had happened outside.

He had long since immersed himself in cultivation and begun absorbing the Soul Ring.

The purple Soul Ring floating in the air continuously released pure purple energy, which poured down like a waterfall... slowly being refined and absorbed.

The absorption process continued until nearly daybreak,

when a fish-belly white appeared on the eastern horizon.

Inside the Kamui Dimension, Ye Qiu sat cross-legged with his hands cupped before him, a tender sprig of Blue Silver Grass swaying gently in his palms.

The purple Soul Ring above his head grew increasingly illusory,

until it vanished.

The purple Soul Ring encircling the Blue Silver Grass in Ye Qiu's palms grew increasingly solid,

until it finally became substantial!

Pfft!

The moment Ye Qiu's Blue Silver Grass gained its First Soul Ring, several vines sprouted around his body.

The blue grass vines looked much thicker and more hydrated.

As the purple ring lit up,

a faint green glow suddenly appeared over Ye Qiu, covering his entire body along with every branch and vine of the Blue Silver Grass.

In an instant,

the Blue Silver Grass began to swell, growing thicker and longer.

Some acted like nimble snakes, performing Blue Silver Entanglement, while others turned into long whips that cracked through the air.

Their vitality and speed alone

already far surpassed Tang San's Blue Silver Grass!

"So this is Endless Life?"

Ye Qiu opened his eyes and smiled as he looked at the green glow brimming with vitality on his arms and the Blue Silver Grass.

This was the First Soul Skill of his Blue Silver Grass,

Endless Life!

It was an ability similar to photosynthesis.

Its effects, however, were more powerful and domineering than photosynthesis.

It allowed Ye Qiu to convert Natural Energy such as light into Soul Power and vitality, nourishing himself, the Blue Silver Grass, and his teammates.

In other words,

in battle, it could keep Ye Qiu's body brimming with vitality and greatly enhance the Blue Silver Grass's growth and attack speed.

In his spare time,

it could also be used as a means of healing injuries.

"Not bad. Quite practical."

Ye Qiu looked at the green light in his palms and smiled with satisfaction. He casually waved a hand, and the Blue Silver Grass moved as readily as his own arms...

During his six years at Nuoding Academy, he hadn't just buried himself in cultivating Soul Power.

He hadn't neglected his control over Blue Silver Grass either.

Blue Silver Entanglement and the like had long since become child's play. If necessary, Ye Qiu could even become Spider-Man or Tarzan of the Apes, swinging back and forth through the jungle.

"Whew-"

After playing around for only a moment, Ye Qiu exhaled a breath of foul air and put away his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. A bloody glint flashed through his pitch-black eyes.

"As long as I get my Second Soul Ring, my cultivation will definitely reach level thirty."

Ye Qiu's face shone with satisfaction,

and the purple Soul Ring belonging to his Sharingan Martial Soul lit up.

An invisible vortex sent him back to the Sunset Forest once more.

The Sunset Forest in the sunlight couldn't be called bright, but neither could it be described as gloomy. There was simply an abundance of shade, especially near the core region, where only dappled daylight filtered through the canopy.

Ye Qiu strolled through the core region of the Sunset Forest, searching for a suitable Soul Beast

to provide the Second Soul Ring for his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

When Soul Masters hunted Soul Beasts, luck was important too, aside from strength.

Today,

Ye Qiu's luck was evidently rather poor.

He had already wandered around the Sunset Forest for most of the morning, but had yet to see a Soul Beast that made him fall in love at first sight.

Either its age was unsuitable, or its attribute was wrong.

In short, nothing looked right or met his wishes.

"Hmm?"

Beneath a dimly lit giant tree, Ye Qiu suddenly stopped. As his eyelids lowered, his Mitsudomoe slowly rotated and transformed into the Kamui Mangekyō.

At the same time,

he opened his right hand, and tiny arcs of electricity flickered at his fingertips.

Whoosh!

A dark shadow pounced soundlessly from a fork in the tree, bringing a thick, foul stench with it as its sharp claws went straight for Ye Qiu's throat.

"Watch out!"

Just as a purple ring was about to appear beneath Ye Qiu's feet,

a woman's shout came from the distance and reached his ears in an instant.

Ye Qiu froze for a moment and instinctively turned his head slightly to look aside. A faint fragrance brushed his face on a violent, scorching gust.

The newcomer was extremely fast.

Ye Qiu didn't have time to see her face. He only caught a glimpse of a pair of enormous things swaying and bouncing, swinging in a wild arc as though they were about to leap out of her cloth robes and onto his face.

What astonishing evil!

The Kamui Mangekyō in Ye Qiu's eyes rotated as he marveled inwardly, secure in his advantage.

Boom!

An immense blast erupted beside Ye Qiu's ear, sweeping outward with a wave of heat.

With a single punch, the newcomer smashed the Soul Beast that had tried to ambush him into a deflated ball, sending it crashing heavily against a distant tree trunk.

It left a bloody mark on the trunk and slid to the ground like a puddle of bloody mud,

motionless and without a breath.

It was clearly dead beyond doubt.