Deep within Liu Yuan's Sea of Consciousness, as that Evil Soul Master Titled Douluo vanished into ashes, the System's ethereal and majestic notification sounded as expected.
Liu Yuan's originally calm heart rippled once more, a flash of heat crossing the depths of his gaze.
"The reward... is it finally being issued?" he murmured inwardly.
"What kind of skill will it be this time?"
[Ding! Detected that the Host has completed a high-difficulty mission. Adapting a god-bestowed spirit ring for Primal Kyogre...]
[Congratulations to the Host! Obtained Primal Kyogre's exclusive god-bestowed spirit ring—Age: Seventy thousand years!]
[The Host's spirit power Rank has been boosted by the god-bestowed spirit ring's feedback, rising to Rank 64!]
Buzz—!
A spirit ring, heavy as the ink of the deep sea yet rimmed with translucent blue light, slowly solidified within Liu Yuan's spiritual world.
In that instant, Liu Yuan felt the rivers of spirit power surging within his body expand significantly. That sense of clarity from breaking through a bottleneck made him let out a long sigh of relief.
Rank 64!
He had received another massive power-up. Currently, Liu Yuan was growing stronger at a rapid pace.
What Liu Yuan looked forward to even more was the subsequent skill notification:
[Primal Kyogre has obtained an exclusive Spirit Ability—Calm Mind!]
[Effect Introduction: Through focusing the mind and quieting the spirit, significantly increases one's own Special Attack and Special Defense. This buff can be stacked multiple times, and while using this Spirit Ability, interference from mental attributes is reduced!]
"An augmentation-type skill?" The light in Liu Yuan's eyes instantly brightened, and a satisfied curve hooked at the corner of his mouth.
"To think it's Calm Mind... this is exactly what I needed!"
He knew very well that Primal Kyogre's primary means of attack were all vents of special attribute energy.
With the augmentation of 'Calm Mind' combined with the 'Water Bubble' Ability, the lethality of Kyogre's casual strikes would increase geometrically.
More importantly, the increase in Special Defense would make the already thick-skinned Kyogre practically invincible on the defensive end.
"Not bad, Primal Kyogre has become even stronger now."
Liu Yuan did not indulge too much in the System panel.
Rewards were important, but there were more pressing matters to handle.
He slowly withdrew the powerful aura he had momentarily released, and his gaze shifted to Tang Ya, who was curled up in the shadows of the ruins nearby.
At this moment, Tang Ya was staring blankly at her own hands, which were entwined with black Qi. Although the red glow in her eyes had faded slightly, the thick sense of inferiority and the will to die remained lingering.
She felt like a piece of white cloth stained black by mud, unable to ever return to the sunlight.
Liu Yuan did not hesitate. He stepped forward and, under Tang Ya's startled gaze, bent down and proactively reached out his hand.
Those warm and powerful hands directly grasped Tang Ya's cold wrist, which was tinged with evil energy.
"Alright, stop wallowing in self-pity here. Let's go." Liu Yuan pulled her up from the ground with force, his tone as steady as if he were taking a friend on an outing.
Tang Ya was pulled into a stumble, her body stiff, her eyes full of confusion and bewilderment: "Go? Where... where to?"
Her mind was currently a complete blank.
The Sect's old site was destroyed. Although her enemies were dead, she had become an Evil Soul Master that everyone despised.
In this vast world, there seemed to be no place left for a 'monster' like her.
Liu Yuan patted the dust off her shoulder and spoke as if it were a matter of course: "To the Sun Moon Royal Academy, of course. Didn't I make an agreement with you back then to let you go there for further studies when you had time? What, is the great Tang Sect Master going to go back on her word?"
"But..." Tang Ya's eyes turned red. She suddenly shook off Liu Yuan's hand and retreated two steps somewhat hysterically, pointing at her strange, Dark Blue Silver Grass as she screamed.
"Look at me! Look at the ghostly state I'm in now! I'm an Evil Soul Master! I've fallen, I've lost my mind and killed so many people..."
"I am an enemy of the world! Shrek won't let me go, and Righteous Path Spirit Masters will all hunt me down. If I go there, I'll only bring you endless trouble!"
She didn't want to implicate Liu Yuan.
Even if it was just to preserve the last bright shadow in her heart that belonged to him.
However, looking at the collapsing Tang Ya, Liu Yuan did not get angry.
He stepped forward again, and this time, he directly pressed down on Tang Ya's shoulders, his voice steady and carrying an unquestionable sense of power.
"What are you blathering about?"
Liu Yuan paused, his gaze looking directly into Tang Ya's bloodshot eyes: "You were just blinded by hatred and given a push by that rat, causing you to go astray. The poison isn't deep yet; there's still time for everything."
"Really... can I really still be saved?" Tang Ya asked in a trembling voice.
"Oh, stop dawdling. Let's go, let's go."
Looking at Liu Yuan's confident gaze, which seemed to have everything under control, Tang Ya's dead heart miraculously began to beat again.
She was like a drowning person grasping the last piece of driftwood. After a long while, she slowly lowered her head and gave a response with a sob in her voice: "...Fine, I believe you."
...
Several days later.
Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
When Liu Yuan returned here with Tang Ya, who was concealed in a black robe and had an unstable aura, it didn't cause much of a stir.
Liu Yuan let Snow Empress go home first, while he took Tang Ya directly to the Dean's office behind the Sun Moon Royal Academy's teaching department.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Inside the room, Jing Hongchen, who was processing official documents, looked up.
When he saw that it was Liu Yuan entering the door, a brilliant smile immediately piled onto his originally serious old face.
"Oh, Xiao Yuan, you're finally back! You were gone for so long this time, I was truly a bit worried!" Jing Hongchen put down his pen, and just as he was about to exchange some pleasantries, his gaze moved past Liu Yuan and landed on the black-robed person behind him who was emitting a suppressed aura.
As a Rank 93 control system Titled Douluo, how sharp were Jing Hongchen's senses?
The smile at the corner of his mouth instantly vanished upon coming into contact with the trace of evil Qi Tang Ya was emitting.
"Liu Yuan, this is..." Jing Hongchen stood up, a flash of solemnity in his eyes.
It wasn't that he was afraid, but he felt somewhat puzzled that Liu Yuan would bring such an Evil Soul Master here.
Liu Yuan didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly to the point: "Dean, I have something I need your help with."
He stepped aside, revealing Tang Ya behind him.
"This is a friend of mine. Due to some incidents, she was victimized by the Holy Spirit Cult's scum, causing her Spirit to undergo a malignant mutation."
"I want to ask you to find a way to help her force out the evil spirit power in her body and then help cure her."
"We have a very good relationship, and I also want her to join our Sun Moon Royal Academy later, so please, you must help."
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"