Although Beibei felt somewhat jealous, he did not take it out on Xu Zihuang.
From beginning to end, Xu Zihuang had not shown any inappropriate behavior. On the contrary, they owed him a huge favor this time.
Perhaps, as Tang Ya said, he might seem hypocritical at times—appearing cultured and gentle on the surface while often speaking crudely. But he wasn't so low as to cross such lines.
And aside from feeling threatened by him, Beibei's overall impression of Xu Zihuang was quite good.
After Tang Ya began absorbing the spirit ring, the atmosphere among the three grew heavy.
Both Beibei and Huo Yuhao were very curious about Xu Zihuang's golden-patterned eyes. But since that likely involved his martial soul, such secrets were taboo for any spirit master. And as they had only just met, it was clearly inappropriate to ask.
With Xu Zihuang present as an outsider, Beibei and Huo Yuhao also couldn't discuss the Tang Sect's secret techniques.
As Tang Ya absorbed the power of the thousand-year Subterranean Demon Spider's ring, her figure seemed a bit more slender, her aura strengthened at a shocking pace, her skin gained luster, and her vitality grew more robust.
Absorbing a thousand-year ring took a considerable amount of time. Beibei sprinkled some beast-repelling medicine around the area. Luckily, during Tang Ya's cultivation, only a few ten- and hundred-year beasts appeared, and Beibei drove them away.
"Whew…" Letting out a long breath, Tang Ya slowly opened her eyes. Bright light shot from them, her spirit and energy greatly improved.
In a spirit master's cultivation, rank thirty was an important threshold. Crossing into the Spirit Elder realm marked one as a true powerhouse with limitless future potential. Many with poor talent would never break through this bottleneck in their lifetime.
"I succeeded." Tang Ya leapt up excitedly, two yellow and one purple rings rising from beneath her feet. The most striking was, of course, the thousand-year purple ring, radiating nobility. From this moment, Tang Ya's strength had entered a whole new level.
Beibei smiled. "Xiaoya, congratulations."
"Now I'll have no problem passing the fourth-year advancement exam." Tang Ya came to his side, her eyes filled with joy.
The Subterranean Demon Spider, as a top spider-type beast, was indeed highly compatible with her Blue Silver Grass martial soul. The skill she gained was even stronger than expected.
Tang Ya looked gratefully at Xu Zihuang, who stood not far from Beibei.
"Little brother Yu, thank you so much this time."
As she spoke, her straightforward nature seemed to recall something.
"By the way, earlier I saw your eyes turn golden. Was that an ability of your martial soul?"
On the continent, martial souls had countless strange powers, and many beast spirits changed the eyes upon possession. She didn't immediately connect it to a spirit body martial soul.
Xu Zihuang only smiled and nodded, without giving details.
Beibei coughed knowingly. "Alright, since Xiaoya has finished absorbing her third ring, let's leave this place quickly. Over the years, more and more accidents have occurred with spirit masters entering the Star Dou Forest. For even a thousand-year Subterranean Demon Spider to appear in the outer area—it's best we leave early."
"Alright."
Because Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya had spent so long absorbing rings, it was now completely dark. Camping inside the forest was obviously unwise.
The four maintained their formation as before, swiftly heading toward the outer edge.
Though they encountered several more beasts along the way, none surpassed a thousand years, and Tang Ya—now eager to test her new Spirit Elder strength—easily dealt with them.
An hour later, they finally exited the forest and continued another fifty kilometers outward. At this distance, they no longer had to worry about beasts wandering out from the Star Dou Forest.
The sound of flowing water came from nearby. In the starlight, a clear brook appeared, reflecting the heavens above. Its crisp trickling carried refreshing coolness.
Tang Ya cheered and ran to the stream, scooping water with her hands to splash on her face.
Beibei, hands behind his neck, watched her lively figure with a gentle smile.
Huo Yuhao also came over, washing away dirt and sweat. With his Spirit Eyes' vision, he clearly saw fish swimming below, then looked around at the familiar surroundings with surprise. "Teacher Xiaoya, this is where I caught the fish we roasted before."
"Really?!" Tang Ya's eyes lit up instantly.
"Hurry, Yuhao. This time Beibei and I will help you catch fish, and you just roast them. Tonight's dinner is on you."
Beibei, standing beneath the great tree's thick branches, nodded slightly to Xu Zihuang before walking over.
Meanwhile, Xu Zihuang leaned against the sturdy trunk, legs bent, silently watching the three prepare.
The bonfire swayed, dry branches crackling like beans popping.
A faint golden glow appeared in Huo Yuhao's deep blue eyes as he skewered cleaned fish with sticks and placed them by the fire, slowly turning them.
Soon, a special aroma spread, rich and enticing. The white flesh turned golden, the smell mouthwatering.
Huo Yuhao handed the first batch to Xu Zihuang, Tang Ya, and Beibei, then began preparing more.
"This is delicious!" Tang Ya exclaimed, oil running down her chin. After taking another bite of a fish she roasted herself, she frowned. "Why is mine so much worse than Yuhao's?"
"That's because you didn't control the heat precisely enough. You should've held it closer to the fire and added the seasoning a little later." Xu Zihuang smiled.
Compared to her, he ate with much more elegance.
"Really?" Tang Ya glanced curiously at Yuhao's hands as he worked.
Hearing this, Yuhao froze and looked at Xu Zihuang in surprise.
Because Xu Zihuang's words were exactly right.
"Teacher Xiaoya, that's true."
"Then why don't you try roasting one too, little brother Yu? Even Yuhao approves—you must be good at it." Tang Ya giggled, full of expectation. As a foodie, this was only natural for her.
But Xu Zihuang only smiled and shook his head.
"Senior Sister, I was just saying. I couldn't really do it myself."
Of course, that wasn't the real reason. Roasting fish only required simple seasonings, mainly controlling heat and timing. With his spiritual martial soul, what Yuhao could do, he could too.
But he would never do such a servile act.
Not only because of his royal upbringing in the Sun Moon Empire, but also because his pride would not allow it.
People are contradictory. For his plans, he could restrain his sharp edges, but on certain matters, he was stubbornly uncompromising.
Since Xu Zihuang said so, Tang Ya didn't press further.
Aside from Yuhao's fish, the others also took out some food from their storage soul tools. Together, the four shared a hearty dinner.
Tang Ya, in high spirits, ate too much. Full, she leaned against a tree by the fire and fell asleep.
Yuhao, though exhausted, forced himself to practice the Mysterious Heaven Skill Beibei had taught him yesterday.
In the end, only Beibei and Xu Zihuang stayed awake on watch.
Looking at Tang Ya asleep in Beibei's arms, Xu Zihuang asked thoughtfully, "Senior Brother Bei, what does it feel like to like someone?"
"Hm?" Beibei was startled, then met Xu Zihuang's deep gaze and suddenly smiled.
"That's something you'll only understand once you experience it yourself…"