Chapter 214: Fate Brings Us Together Again
"Congratulations, LingLing. Just one more soul ring, and you'll become a Soul King."
Ye LingLing had barely opened her eyes when she heard Dugu Yan's voice, and the others were all smiling at her.
"Not to mention, you now have the highest soul ring age among us."
Dugu Yan teased as she reached out and pulled her up from the ground.
"It's all thanks to Han Li."
Ye LingLing beamed, but the fire in her eyes burned even brighter.
"Sigh, you're hopeless."
Dugu Yan slapped her forehead and gave Han Li a helpless look.
Han Li could only respond with an awkward smile. This really wasn't his fault. At this point, he wasn't even bothering to disguise his abilities anymore. But after Ye LingLing's emotional scars had somewhat healed, her overly dramatic nature hadn't lessened at all if anything, it had intensified. She was filling in the blanks with her own imagination, and what was he supposed to do about it?
Her cold exterior and inner thoughts were complete opposites, and there was no way for him to control how she thought.
"How's the enhancement effect?"
Shui Bing'er glanced at Han Li with a smirk, deliberately changing the subject.
Ye LingLing's soul skills were strictly for healing, and as her number of soul rings increased, her healing power grew stronger.
But after working with her for some time, they realized that while all her enhancements focused on healing, the layering effect of her abilities was exceptionally powerful.
"Healing effect increased by 100%, and soul power consumption reduced by half."
Ye LingLing tested the soul ring's effects, her face lighting up in surprise. As expected of a near 100,000 year soul ring just one had directly multiplied both her healing ability and endurance.
"That's amazing."
A voice filled with excitement came from behind them, making them turn their heads only to fall silent when they saw Zhu Zhuqing clenching her fists.
Come to think of it, Ye LingLing was the only one among them who had actually benefited from healing.
The rest of them had already surpassed the stage where training alone could rapidly increase their strength. Even if they accepted healing, it was mostly to relax their bodies.
Only Zhu Zhuqing was still in that stage where rigorous training equaled direct power growth. And given how hard she pushed herself, Ye LingLing's improved healing abilities were undoubtedly a blessing for her.
"Don't push yourself too hard. You'll reach Soul King in just a few days anyway."
Even Han Li couldn't help but remind her.
Even though Zhu Zhuqing was now under his care and no longer in danger, she was still wound too tight, constantly on edge and rarely relaxing.
"Mm."
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head slightly, a bit embarrassed, but still gave a soft reply.
Well, she's probably not going to stop overtraining. Han Li sighed internally. The two newest members of their group were basically a pair of problem children.
"Here, LingLing. Take a short rest, then absorb this. We'll stay here for the night and leave tomorrow."
Satisfied after admiring the soul bone in his hands for a moment, Han Li placed it in Ye LingLing's hands.
"Alright."
Ye LingLing didn't refuse. Even though she knew how precious it was, she still obediently accepted it.
On the way here, Han Li and the other three girls had spent plenty of time preparing the newcomers mentally for things like this. If they hadn't, there would probably be a lot more resistance.
Leaving the food preparation to the others, Han Li walked over to where the Blue Silver King had been.
A seed, much larger than normal and as translucent as a blue crystal, lay quietly on the ground. The massive, vine like form of the Blue Silver King had disappeared.
"Tomorrow, we'll be leaving. I'll make sure your king recovers as quickly as possible."
Han Li spoke to the large blue vines nearby, which were much bigger than ordinary Blue Silver Grass. Without waiting for a response, he stored the Blue Silver King's seed in his bracelet and turned back toward the girls.
Behind him, a few pale blue vines swayed lightly, as if responding.
Other than the Blue Silver King, the only thing in this forest that was noteworthy to Han Li was a 50,000 year old Blue Silver Grass. The rest were no older than 20,000 years, and he didn't feel like bothering with them.
Technically, Ye LingLing could have obtained her fifth soul ring here too, but Han Li still wanted to maintain some level of human decency. He couldn't just keep draining one species dry.
If he also turned that 50,000 year old Blue Silver Grass into a soul ring for Ye LingLing, that would feel a little too exploitative.
The environment of the Blue Silver Forest was beautiful, and the group enjoyed it. They had a simple dinner of cooked food and fruit before continuing to admire the scenery.
Meanwhile, Ye LingLing and Han Li moved a bit away from the group one to absorb the soul bone, the other to keep watch.
Even though absorbing a soul bone especially one that came from the same source as her soul rings and wasn't some extreme elemental force wasn't dangerous, Han Li still decided to stay nearby just in case.
The process went smoothly without any unexpected issues, and once Ye LingLing finished, they were able to learn the abilities granted by the soul bone.
The soul bone came with two skills.
As Han Li had expected, one was indeed the Blue Silver Domain. However, aside from suppressing an opponent's attributes by 10%, the domain's transformation effects weren't as overwhelming as he had hoped.
At most, it could only absorb 80% of the surrounding Blue Silver Grass's life force to convert into its own life energy, soul power, or spiritual power. But for Ye LingLing, this was already incredibly powerful.
As for the other ability, the one Han Li hadn't had time to modify it was still flight, practically set in stone.
Han Li couldn't help but complain inwardly. Do you Blue Silver Grass all secretly dream of flying? Why are you all so obsessed with flight abilities?
That said, while this ability was practically useless for him, it was quite beneficial for Ye LingLing.
A highly mobile flying healer? In a world like Douluo Continent, where flight abilities weren't exactly common, she would be an absolute nightmare for any enemy she faced.
Unlike Ah Yin's original flying soul skill, Ye LingLing's flight ability manifested as a pair of enlarged, translucent blue grass like wings when activated. Her flight speed wasn't slow either she looked more like a forest spirit in motion.
After helping Ye LingLing test her new abilities, they lay down on the soft, glowing Blue Silver Grass and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, everyone woke up early. Thanks to the rich life energy in the air, they all felt incredibly refreshed.
After tidying up their belongings, Han Li and the others stepped out of the forest. The remaining Blue Silver Grass, led by the last 50,000 year old Blue Silver Grass, once again formed a luminous pathway for them.
"If we ever have some free time, we could come here for a vacation," Shui Bing'er said, watching the swaying Blue Silver Grass that seemed to be bidding them farewell.
The other girls nodded in agreement they all enjoyed the environment here.
"Then we can come back anytime," Han Li replied with a smile, though in his heart, he wasn't so sure the Blue Silver Grass would welcome them. They had only been here once, and they had already caused the disappearance of the Blue Silver King.
Still, if the Blue Silver King fully recovered and they wanted to visit again, it wouldn't be out of the question.
Before long, they exited the Blue Silver Forest and headed toward the Star Dou Forest.
Han Li had temporarily hidden the Blue Silver Forest from detection, and the energy density there would gradually reach the level he had promised over time. There was nothing more for him to worry about.
Upon re entering the Star Dou Forest, Han Li oriented himself and pointed northeast.
"Let's go. Zhuqing's soul ring and LingLing's next soul ring are both in that direction."
On their way here, Han Li had already located the most suitable soul beasts for the two of them, so there was no need to search.
As they moved forward, the surrounding vegetation and atmosphere began to change, growing darker and more solemn.
This was one of the Star Dou Forest's unique features. Due to its vast size, it contained almost every type of environment even some extreme ones.
"What kind of soul beast did you choose for Zhuqing?" Dugu Yan asked curiously, scanning the unfamiliar terrain.
"A Ghost Tiger and a Ghost Leopard," Han Li answered with a smile.
With Zhu Zhuqing's first three soul rings already defining her combat style, there was no need to alter her development path nor was there any reason to. Her growth trajectory was already well structured; all she needed was to continue strengthening it.
Her Nether Shadow Clone and Nether Shadow Connection were already incredibly powerful soul skills. As long as her soul ring age increased, her strength would naturally improve. Plus, both the Ghost Tiger and Ghost Leopard matched her Martial Soul's evolutionary needs.
Just as Dugu Yan was about to ask another question, Han Li suddenly sensed several strong soul power fluctuations at the edge of his spiritual link. The energy was moving quickly in their direction, cutting off the conversation.
Immediately, Han Li increased the output of his spiritual power, scanning the area. When he identified the source, surprise flashed across his face.
"Oh? It's them. Should we go say hello?"
The information was transmitted to the others through their shared spiritual link, and Dugu Yan asked the question aloud.
"Let's go. It's been over a year since we last saw them. It's rare to run into old acquaintances."
"You can meet anyone you can think of in the Star Dou Forest" that saying was proving to be true. Han Li sighed inwardly before leading the group toward the source of the soul power fluctuations.
"Who's there?"
As soon as they approached, a middle aged man in black robes sharply turned his head, his slightly hoarse voice ringing out.
"Elder Gui, Elder Ju, long time no see."
Han Li deliberately released his soul power aura as he stepped out from behind a massive tree. Aside from Ye LingLing and Zhu Zhuqing, the other three girls also removed their disguises and followed behind him.
"Han Li, oh, it's actually the Holy Son himself."
Chrysanthemum Douluo let out a sigh of relief upon seeing them and greeted them with his usual flamboyant flair.
Han Li's eyebrow twitched involuntarily. Yeah, even now, he still couldn't quite get used to this guy's style. Though, to be fair, he was a good person.
Then, Han Li's gaze shifted to the so called "Golden Generation," who were currently battling a Ghost Fox.
"Their fifth soul rings? They're only reaching Soul King level now?"
He made no effort to lower his voice, causing the fighters in the midst of battle to pause for a brief moment.
"We're just now obtaining our soul rings," Yue Guan quickly added, the smile on his face stiffening slightly.
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