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About ten miles from Grandmaster's camp, in a quiet clearing, Xiao Wu watched as Ning Tian emerged slowly from a small grove.
"Little Six, where did you go just now?" she asked, her tone curious.
"Nowhere. Just checking for something." Ning Tian replied casually.
But this was a lie. In reality, he had slipped away to transfer the side effects of certain medicines. Earlier, under the pretense of fetching supplies, he had given Liu Erlong and Flender two different types of potent medicine, enough to send them running off in discomfort. Then, he consumed another drug, one with even more explosive effects, and shifted its side effects onto Yu Tianheng and his group. Since their paths had crossed, Ning Tian couldn't resist the urge to leave Yu Tianheng and his companions a "big gift" they wouldn't soon forget.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing had already lit a bonfire. The three of them; Ning Tian, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu settled around it, closing their eyes to cultivate as the flames crackled softly.
The night passed uneventfully. At dawn, after practicing the whole night, they took to the skies, heading toward the Sunset Forest.
…
While Ning Tian's group soared toward Sunset Forest, elsewhere the Golden Triangle trio was enduring a night they'd rather forget.…
After nearly a full day of flight, Ning Tian reached the Sunset Forest by evening. As a level 49 Spirit Ancestor, his speed was respectable but still far from matching a Title Douluo's. When he and Zhu Zhuqing returned with Xiao Wu in tow, they were greeted by Zhu Qing, Ye Lingling, and Jiansheng. The group quickly caught up, learning about Xiao Wu's recent troubles and the startling news of Zhu Zhuqing's martial soul evolution.
Zhu Qing didn't press for details on how Zhu Zhuqing's martial soul had transformed, but her curiosity was piqued by the Nether White Tiger. "Zhuqing, could you release your martial soul for us to see?" she asked, her eyes bright with interest. Ye Lingling and Jiansheng leaned in, equally intrigued.
With a fierce, resonant roar, Zhu Zhuqing summoned her Nether White Tiger. Unlike the possession forms of her previous Nether Spirit Cat or the White Tiger martial soul, this manifestation resembled Qian Renxue's majestic Six-Winged Angel. A towering light shadow of the Nether White Tiger, seven meters long and two to three meters high, materialized behind her. Even more astonishing was her soul ring configuration—yellow, purple, purple, black was now identical to Ning Tian's.
"How in the world did you pull this off?" Jiansheng blurted out, unable to contain his amazement.
Ning Tian didn't bother hiding the truth. "It's thanks to Zhu Zhuqing using the Black Widow external soul bone to devour Dai Mubai," he explained. "That's what triggered her martial soul's evolution."
No one spared a thought for Dai Mubai's fate, whether he lived or died was irrelevant to them. Instead, they marveled at Ning Tian's cunning strategy.
"Your soul rings have changed too, Zhuqing," Ning Tian said with a grin. "Why don't you test out your new soul skills?"
"Okay!" Zhu Zhuqing agreed eagerly.
As her first soul ring glowed, her movements became a blur. Xiao Wu, Ye Lingling, and Zhu Qing, could barely track her. A flash of white light streaked across their vision, and in an instant, Zhu Zhuqing vanished, reappearing over thirty meters away in the forest. Trees in her wake bore gaping, foot-wide holes where she'd passed through.
Turning back, she said, "This is my new first soul skill, Nether Continuous Thrust. It doubles my speed and strength instantly and lets me attack repeatedly without pause."
Ning Tian nodded, impressed. "Compared to the old Nether Thrust, it has gained a strength boost and multi-stage attack capability. That's a huge leap forward."
The others murmured their approval. Encouraged, Zhu Zhuqing activated her second soul ring. A barrage of conical light thorns, dozens, perhaps a hundred erupted forward, tearing through a wide swath of trees.
"Second soul skill, Nether Fierce Light Wave," she declared. "It's an upgraded version of the White Tiger's Fierce Light Wave. I can launch up to a hundred light thorns at once, each carrying the piercing power of Nether Hundred Claws."
Next, her third soul ring flared, and the Nether White Tiger's light shadow fused with her body. Her form split into five identical figures. "Third soul skill, Nether Clone," she explained. "Each clone has half my strength, but that's based on my doubled power, defense, and attack stats. Plus, I can summon twice as many clones now."
Finally, her fourth soul ring, the sole black one, ignited. With a swift wave of her hands, a dark golden cross-shaped claw mark, nearly six meters long, slashed through the air. It expanded as it flew, reducing the once-dense forest to a barren patch in seconds.
"I feel like Zhuqing is even stronger than Little Six now!" Xiao Wu exclaimed, her jaw dropping in awe.
Zhu Qing, Ye Lingling, and Jiansheng exchanged amused glances. If Xiao Wu knew Ning Tian had recently taken down three Spirit Saints, she might not be so quick to say that.
Zhu Zhuqing walked back, her face alight with excitement. "The fourth soul skill is still Nether Terror Claw," she said, "but it's power's tripled, and the attack range can grow as my cultivation improves."
Ning Tian beamed at her success. "The Nether White Tiger is leagues above the Nether Spirit Cat, and with Nether Terror Claw now a ten-thousand-year skill, a triple boost makes sense. Still, you'll need to practice these skills to wield them as smoothly as before. For your fifth soul ring, let's visit Ah Yin. She can help us find a suitable soul beast."
When it came to tracking soul beasts, Ah Yin's skill was unmatched. It was perfect for finding the right match for Zhu Zhuqing.
"Sounds good," Zhu Zhuqing replied, realizing it had been some time since she'd last seen Ah Yin.
"Ah Yin?" Xiao Wu tilted her head, glancing at Ye Lingling. "Another girl you've met, huh? Seems like there are more and more women around you, Little Six."
"You'll see when we get there," Ning Tian said with a mysterious smile. "I'm sure you'll get along."
...
Before long, the trio crossed a mountain pass and arrived at the Iocation. Ah Yin, sensing Ning Tian's approach, extended her soft, delicate branches to brush against his face in greeting.
"Ah Yin's a soul beast?" Xiao Wu gasped, wide-eyed.
"I found her in a cave," Ning Tian said, spinning a casual tale. "She had a special aura, so I brought her here and nurtured her with my blood. That's how she grew to this point."
As he spoke, he sliced his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto Ah Yin's leaves. She quivered with excitement, her form expanding slightly.
Ning Tian smiled faintly. Since he'd first discovered her, Ah Yin had come a long way. With the nourishing environment and his blood, she was on the cusp of becoming a ten-thousand-year soul beast.
His gaze swept the area, and a particular plant caught his eye, prompting a soft "huh" of surprise. A blood ginseng had taken root here. It was unexpected, but intriguing.
"What's up?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, noticing his reaction.
"Nothing, just impressed by how much this place has changed," Ning Tian replied. "Go ahead and release your martial soul. I'll have Ah Yin scout the forest for a soul beast that suits you."
Ah Yin unfurled her Blue Silver Domain, scanning the surroundings. After a moment, she indicated a direction, attuned to Zhu Zhuqing's current energy.
Jiansheng volunteered to accompany Zhu Zhuqing on the hunt, while Ning Tian stayed behind. He carefully unearthed the blood ginseng he'd spotted and turned to Ah Yin. "Think you can find more of these?"
Ah Yin didn't respond directly but tugged at him with her branches, as if warning him against using it.
Ning Tian chuckled. "Relax, it's not for me." His target was the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Lately, he'd been mulling over how to deal with the sect. Ning Rongrong was his woman now, and he couldn't just stand by and do nothing. But Ning Fengzhi, the sect master, was too ambitious for his own good. If he kept stirring trouble with the Spirit Hall, the sect would end up just like it did in the original story, crushed and broken. The solution, Ning Tian decided, was to force Ning Fengzhi into early retirement.
The problem was Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, who rarely left Ning Fengzhi's side, making any direct move against him nearly impossible. But when Ning Tian saw the blood ginseng, an idea clicked.
Blood ginseng was infamous for its drawbacks. Before reaching ten thousand years, it acted like a desperate stimulant; burning through talent, potential, and life force for a fleeting surge of strength. A few doses, and Ning Fengzhi could age into a frail old man within years. That would pave the way for Ning Rongrong to take over the sect ahead of schedule.
There was an added perk, too: it could help Ning Tian push past his own level 50 bottleneck. But the ginseng in his hand was only two to three thousand years old. It was too weak to drastically age Ning Fengzhi or give Ning Tian the boost he needed.
Hearing it wasn't for himself, Ah Yin relented and searched again. She uncovered three more blood ginsengs, each around a thousand years old, their leaves still underdeveloped.
By now, night had fallen completely. Ning Tian settled beside Ah Yin, sitting cross-legged to cultivate under the starlit sky.
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