Night had fallen.
"Ge—mmph… mmph…" Hidden atop a tree, Jiang Nannan suddenly stood up in excitement, but before she could make a sound, her mouth was covered by Zhu Ziyang, who pulled her back down.
"Shh!" Zhu Ziyang signaled her to stay quiet, then slowly let go and whispered, "Just wait a bit."
Why was Jiang Nannan so suddenly excited?
Very simple. Not far from where they were hiding, at the mountain face filled with small holes, emerged a group of golden rodents. These creatures had golden scales covering their bodies, silver patterns on their foreheads, and milky-white claws. Although their bodies weren't particularly large—the biggest about two meters long and the smallest less than fifty centimeters—they were unmistakably the very soul beasts they had come for.
Silvermoon Armored Beasts.
These creatures were communal soul beasts. Typically, each group had forty to fifty members. The number currently emerging was only a dozen or so, far from a complete pack, which meant more would be coming.
As expected, just as Zhu Ziyang predicted, another wave of Silvermoon Armored Beasts emerged from the holes. This batch was clearly stronger than the last. The previous ones were only around 800 years in cultivation, while this new group were all over 1,000 years old. The strongest among them had even reached 3,500 years—the exact limit of what Jiang Nannan could absorb!
That beast was clearly the leader of the pack.
"Senior Song!" Seeing that leader appear, Jiang Nannan's face lit up as she turned to Song Lao with pleading eyes.
Zhu Ziyang also nodded toward her, signaling that this one would be a good choice.
However, Song Lao hesitated, confirming again, "That Silvermoon Armored Beast's cultivation exceeds 3,500 years. Are you certain you can handle it, Nannan? You must not risk your life for greed."
"Don't worry, Senior Song," Jiang Nannan answered with full confidence. "My second ring was already 900 years. Absorbing a 3,500-year ring won't be a problem. If you don't believe me, ask my brother Ziyang."
"She's right, Senior Song," Zhu Ziyang affirmed.
"Since that's the case, then I won't say more," Song Lao nodded and said, "You two wait here. I'll be right back."
In a flash, Song Lao disappeared from sight. Before either of them could even react, they heard the distant chaos of soul beasts—screeches, panic, and a flurry of movement. Moments later, Song Lao returned, dragging behind her the incapacitated leader of the Silvermoon Armored Beasts.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan exchanged a look of awe and admiration.
So this was the strength of the continent's top agility-type soul master? Incredibly fast!
She had covered hundreds of meters, captured a soul beast, and returned in under half a minute.
"Let's go find a quieter place so Nannan can finish this beast," Song Lao said nonchalantly, paying no mind to their astonishment.
"Yes!" they replied in unison.
The trio returned to their previous resting spot.
"Here you go, Nannan. The rest is up to you now," Song Lao said, tossing the beast's body to the ground.
"Mhm!" Jiang Nannan nodded, crouched beside the Silvermoon Armored Beast, and pulled out a dagger. In one swift motion, she drove the blade into its eye and straight into its brain.
Its entire body was protected by hard scales—only its eyes were exposed. Zhu Ziyang had explained this to her earlier, which was why she decisively struck there. The beast twitched a few times, then went completely limp. A single purple soul ring slowly floated above its corpse.
Jiang Nannan looked at it with joy and excitement. She glanced at Zhu Ziyang, who gave her an encouraging smile. Feeling more at ease, she sat down cross-legged and began absorbing the ring.
The purple soul ring drifted into her palm, and a wave of violent soul power surged into her body. The intensity made it difficult for her to absorb.
"Ugh!" she let out a muffled groan.
Behind her, the image of her spirit—a cocoon—began to form. Seeing this, Song Lao was clearly surprised.
As the spirit image appeared, Jiang Nannan's breathing stabilized. The absorption process became smoother. Under the watchful eyes of Zhu Ziyang and Song Lao, her body slowly became wrapped in a cocoon of silver-white light. If one looked closely, they could see a faint spiritual pathway connecting the moon in the sky to the cocoon on the ground.
"This…" Song Lao was stunned. Watching Jiang Nannan completely encased in light, she exclaimed, "She's undergoing spirit evolution! This girl is truly blessed with luck!"
Zhu Ziyang, having expected this, remained calm.
He was eager to see what Jiang Nannan would become once she finished evolving.
Time dragged on. According to the elemental changes in the air, Zhu Ziyang estimated that the transformation would take at least ten hours. During that time, he couldn't cultivate, as it might disrupt the delicate energy flow around her.
After confirming that the beast's corpse didn't yield a soul bone, Zhu Ziyang moved to a nearby spot, took out a book on the culture of the Sun-Moon Empire, and began to read—unaware that Song Lao had quietly approached, watching his book with a slight frown.
Eventually, as Zhu Ziyang shifted positions from fatigue, he noticed her beside him and awkwardly greeted, "Senior Song!"
"Mhm," Song Lao responded, her expression unreadable. "Zhu Ziyang, I want to ask you something. Answer me honestly."
"What is it, Senior Song?" he looked up curiously.
Song Lao seemed contemplative. Then she asked, "You've seen the lives of the commoners across the Star Luo Empire during our journey. You were born a commoner too. You should know the situation in the Heaven Soul and Dou Spirit Empires is similar. So tell me—what do you think of the current rulers of the three great empires?"
"What?!" Zhu Ziyang was stunned. He hadn't expected such a question and didn't know how to respond.
"No need to rush. Take your time and answer when you're ready," Song Lao said patiently. She was a bit disappointed by his hesitation, but she understood—he was still just a child.
Zhu Ziyang fell silent for a long time.
He wasn't sure what Song Lao's motives were. Was she testing him? What would happen if he spoke the truth? But remembering all she had done along the journey, and with the feedback from his Light's Mind Eye, he decided to gamble.
He would speak his heart.
"Senior Song, I've thought about it."
He took a deep breath. He couldn't deny he was nervous—after all, offending a 97th rank Super Douluo was no trivial matter.
"Oh? Let's hear it," she said, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"I think all those rulers are fools," Zhu Ziyang said with a hint of sarcasm. "One day, I'm going to tear down their corrupt order and create a world where everyone has an equal chance to awaken their martial soul!"
This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thought—it was the conclusion he had drawn from everything he had seen on this journey. He'd originally planned to share it with Jiang Nannan, but Song Lao ended up being the first to hear it.
Upon hearing his words, Song Lao's expression softened. Her tone grew joyful.
"Good lad. You've got ambition!"
Seeing her positive reaction, Zhu Ziyang finally relaxed. He'd won his bet.
"Don't forget what you said today," Song Lao said, her face growing solemn. "This continent… is in need of change."
(End of Chapter)
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