When Jiang Chen chased to the gate of the Pope's palace, he saw Hu Liena throwing herself into Xie Yue's arms and sobbing nonstop.
"Brother Xie Yue." Jiang Chen walked over.
"Mm, Little Chen, thanks to you. If it weren't for you, Nana, she..."
"Brother Xie Yue, you don't need to say these things to me. I'm her junior brother— isn't it only natural for a junior brother to protect his senior sister?"
"Haha, well said. Nana, you really have a good junior brother. As for Yan, just don't think about that person anymore. Forget he ever existed."
"Mm." Hu Liena nodded.
"You two should head back quickly. Nana, if you're not in a good mood today, don't cultivate. Otherwise, something might go wrong."
"Mm."
"Brother Xie Yue, goodbye."
"Goodbye."
...
"This kid's not bad. I just don't know if Nana has any ideas about him." Xie Yue thought to himself as he watched the two departing figures.
Jiang Chen did not return to his own room but followed Hu Liena into hers.
"Senior Sister, I think Brother Xie Yue is right. You shouldn't cultivate today to avoid qi deviation."
Meditation cultivation most fears an unsettled mind; one small mistake can cause the soul's power in the body to go berserk and injure oneself.
Hu Liena nodded. "Don't worry, I'll rest properly today."
"Then I'll head back first." Just as Jiang Chen was about to leave, Hu Liena's gaze flickered, and she suddenly called out to him.
"Wait a moment, Little Chen. That song you sang when you first came back the other day was really nice. Can you teach me how to sing it?"
"Of course." Jiang Chen replied. Teaching Hu Liena to sing "White Fox" actually suited her quite well.
"Great!" The two sat on the sofa, and Hu Liena eagerly leaned closer.
Jiang Chen cleared his throat lightly and said, "Before I teach you, let me first tell you the story this song describes."
There's a story behind it? Hu Liena's eyes lit up as she looked at Jiang Chen expectantly.
"Once upon a time, there was a spirit beast called the white fox. After cultivating for ten thousand years, it transformed into human form and fell in love with a scholar..."
By the time Jiang Chen finished telling the story, Hu Liena was already unable to hold back her tears.
"Wuwu... Little Chen, this white fox is too pitiful. She silently loved someone, yet in the end, they couldn't be together."
"Don't cry. I'll teach you to sing now. After I teach you, I'll go cultivate." Jiang Chen said helplessly.
"Mm."
Hu Liena learned very quickly, and Jiang Chen's singing skills were quite good. Soon, Jiang Chen discovered that Hu Liena actually sang it even better than he did.
When he sang it himself, although he could convey that sense of sorrow, it felt somewhat deliberate. But Hu Liena's slightly husky voice perfectly interpreted the song.
While he was still marveling at it, Hu Liena had already begun to dance gracefully, even releasing her martial soul.
At this moment, Hu Liena seemed to have truly transformed into a fox immortal, dancing the final dance for her beloved.
Jiang Chen stared dumbfounded at the scene. Hu Liena's graceful dance posture left him in awe, and the poignant atmosphere made him unable to pull himself away.
Even after Hu Liena stopped, Jiang Chen remained dazed.
"Little Chen, did it look good?" Hu Liena waved her fluffy big tail in front of Jiang Chen.
"Mm, it looked good." Jiang Chen came back to his senses and nodded repeatedly.
"Then, shall Senior Sister dance for you often in the future?" Hu Liena's gaze carried some anticipation.
"Better not, Senior Sister. Cultivation is more important. No more talking, I'm going to cultivate." With that, Jiang Chen jumped out through the balcony and began cultivating on the rooftop outside.
That little interlude had already taken an hour. Bibi Dong's demand for him to break through within a month carried some pressure.
Based on his previous cultivation speed, breaking through one level took a little over two months. It had been exactly one month since his last breakthrough, so achieving another one within a month was indeed quite a challenge.
Without the feeling of death pressing down on him like in the concentration camp, a slower cultivation speed was inevitable.
Watching that straight-backed figure sitting upright, Hu Liena clenched her five fingers tightly, her gaze flickering as she wondered what she was thinking.
...
The next morning, as soon as Jiang Chen pushed open the door, he saw the cold and stern middle-aged man standing downstairs.
"Huh, Old Ji, why are you here? Come up and have breakfast together." Jiang Chen quickly called out.
"Eat quickly. After eating, come down. This month, I'll serve as your sparring partner and squeeze out every bit of your potential."
...
For the next month, Jiang Chen once again began a hellish life.
In the mornings, he would be beaten by Old Ji until his whole body was practically falling apart. Old Ji was a freak; Jiang Chen's Corpse Poison Array did not affect him, and his tough physique couldn't even be scratched by Jiang Chen's nails.
However, after each battle ended, Old Ji would have Jiang Chen help draw out the toxins in his body. Although those toxins couldn't cause him much harm, they were extremely difficult to eliminate.
In the afternoons, Hu Liena returned to her former self, tirelessly charming and tempting Jiang Chen without end.
Seeing Hu Liena regain her cheerful demeanor, Jiang Chen felt too embarrassed to refuse her. For such things, he just gritted his teeth and endured.
...
One month later, several luxurious large carriages slowly departed from Spirit Hall City, heading toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
The Star Dou Great Forest, like Spirit Hall City, was located between the two great empires, and the distance from Spirit Hall City wasn't too far.
Spirit Hall also had many captive spirit beasts, but those were in small forests with limited types and numbers.
The Star Dou Great Forest was one of the three most famous spirit beast gathering places on the Douluo Continent, teeming with countless spirit beasts. Any soul master with good luck could find the most suitable soul ring inside.
This time, Bibi Dong was taking Jiang Chen and Hu Liena to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt spirit beasts and obtain soul rings.
Hu Liena had broken through a bit faster; she had advanced five days ago, while Jiang Chen had only broken through yesterday.
In the most luxurious carriage, there was a large bed and two small beds. Bibi Dong and her two disciples were all here.
"Little Chen, how many years' worth of soul ring do you plan to absorb this time?" Bibi Dong asked.
"Teacher, I want to try absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring." Jiang Chen said with a firm expression.
He had already considered this long ago. Two years earlier, he had broken through to the Great Soul Master realm. After two years of growth and cultivation, his physique had strengthened tremendously. Although absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring carried some risk, he still had considerable confidence.
As soon as Jiang Chen finished speaking, Hu Liena couldn't help but cry out, "Little Chen, are you crazy? Once a spirit beast reaches ten thousand years, it undergoes a qualitative leap. Even a nine-thousand-something-year spirit beast is far inferior to one that has just reached ten thousand years. Once you start absorbing a soul ring, you can't stop midway; this is too dangerous."
Bibi Dong raised her hand to stop Hu Liena and said to Jiang Chen, "How confident are you?"
Jiang Chen thought for a moment and didn't overstate it. "About seventy to eighty percent, I suppose."
"Very well. The teacher will find you a ten-thousand-year spirit beast. Don't disappoint me." Bibi Dong smiled.
"Teacher, I will do my best."
Seeing Hu Liena's anxious expression, Bibi Dong was somewhat surprised. She gave Hu Liena and Jiang Chen a meaningful look, a deep smile playing on her lips.
"Alright, Nana. Commander Ji trained with Little Chen for a whole month and said he has great confidence. You don't need to worry."
"You two go to the other carriage and rest well. Tomorrow we enter the Star Dou Great Forest."
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