"..."
The silence wasn't just from Aether. Even Yue Guan and the others were dumbfounded by Paimon's comment.
The Spirit Marrow, a rare treasure that enhanced both the attributes and controllability of one's martial soul—how had it, in her hands, become something to eat until she was full?
"You… you really didn't experience any changes?"
Yan couldn't hold back anymore. His finger trembled as he pointed at Paimon, lips quivering with disbelief.
Spirit Marrow! That was Spirit Marrow!
How could she consume so much of it and not show any noticeable improvement?
If it weren't for the fact that two others had visibly upgraded their soul power after using it, he might have started doubting Yue Guan's claims altogether.
"Nope~ Oh! Wait—I forgot, I don't have a martial soul~"
Paimon tapped her chin thoughtfully, as if suddenly realizing something.
"WHAT???"
Yan nearly passed out from sheer rage.
He stumbled back a few steps. Hu Liena, though still wearing a disdainful look, reached out to support him out of courtesy.
"Heaven is unjust… the heavens are blind!"
He stared up blankly at the sky, muttering in grief.
If—if—just a little of that Spirit Marrow had been given to him, maybe two drops… no! One drop!
He didn't need it himself, but if he gave just one drop to Nana, her soul power would definitely rise another level!
But that person had fed the Spirit Marrow to someone with no soul power?
No—wait. Also to that pet!
What kind of standard is this?! Feeding rare treasures to a pet?!
"Hu Liena, what's wrong with him?"
Yue Guan looked askance at Yan muttering like a madman and frowned in displeasure.
No matter what, Yan was one of the Hall's Golden Generation. To lose composure like this in public brought shame to the entire Spirit Hall.
"Er… I guess he's just… emotionally affected by how that lord used the Spirit Marrow~"
Hu Liena said with a calm smile.
"Elder Chrysanthemum… Elder Chrysanthemum! Look at them! Where's the justice?! Where's the law?!"
"…Get lost, get lost. Look at yourself—someone might think she used your Spirit Marrow~"
Yue Guan pulled the hem of his robe away from Yan's grasp and brushed it off with a look of disgust.
"It should have been mine…"
Yan collapsed to his knees, eyes brimming with regretful tears.
"Hm?"
Yue Guan picked up on the underlying tone in Yan's words. His bewitching eyes turned toward Hu Liena.
"By the way—how exactly did you all meet that lord?"
Hu Liena then recounted the whole incident—how they'd gathered here, and the situation involving the Spirit Marrow.
"I don't even know what to say to you anymore."
Yue Guan looked at Yan with a complicated expression, shaking his head.
"Luckily, that lord didn't take your insult to heart. Otherwise, forget about the Marrow—you'd be lucky to keep your life. You'd have your ancestors to thank for that."
"Elder Chrysanthemum, I object!"
Yan suddenly let out a shriek, startling Yue Guan into grabbing him by the collar and dragging him up while glancing fearfully at Aether's group.
Seeing that they were simply chatting among themselves, Yue Guan breathed a sigh of relief and hissed coldly:
"Do you have a death wish?!"
"Elder Chrysanthemum, let me go—I refuse to accept this!"
Yan struggled wildly, drawing everyone's attention.
When Aether's group turned to look over, Yue Guan instantly dropped him.
"My lord, please don't mind him. He's just a fool—but not a bad person…"
He bowed slightly with an apologetic tone. First impressions with a powerhouse like this were crucial, and things were already spiraling out of control.
Still, Yan was half his disciple. No matter what, he had to at least try to plead for his survival.
Aether simply waved a hand. He barely remembered Yan—just a vague impression of being simp.
And true to form, reality hadn't let him down. Judging from how Yan treated Hu Liena, that "pure love" was still going strong.
As for his character or other traits, Aether wasn't interested in investigating.
Still, if he kept shouting about being "unconvinced," was he seriously trying to challenge him?
Has this guy been living under a rock?
"What exactly don't you accept?"
Aether decided to mess with him a bit.
"I…"
Despite his bold cries, the moment Yan met Aether's eyes, a bone-deep fear crept up his spine, spreading like maggots on a corpse.
"Spirit Marrow is an unparalleled treasure, and yet you fed it to that little beast—wasting it so outrageously, I can't accept it!"
Classic pure love warrior—if he believed something, he'd charge ahead even if it meant smashing his head against a wall.
"..."
"Just stop talking already!"
Hu Liena tugged at his sleeve, face burning with shame.
"Nana, I know I'm not the most talented, but surely I'm better than a pet?
To give something so valuable to a dog rather than me—I can't accept that!"
"…You don't seriously think your current soul power qualifies you to be compared with it, do you?"
Hu Liena glanced between Yan and Fire Meow Meow, then gave up entirely, letting go of his sleeve.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Her words left him stunned. What did she mean, not comparable?
"Lord… everyone… why are you looking at me?"
As Yan puzzled over her comment, Fire Meow Meow tucked all four paws under itself and asked in a soft, childish voice.
"It's nothing. You did well today. But next time, remember to give us a heads-up. You're in the human world now."
Aether gave it a gentle reminder.
"Okay!"
Fire Meow Meow nodded obediently. Today's incident had just been instinct. Back in the forest, it would simply rush over and grab any treasure it sensed.
Soul beasts?
If it could win, it fought. If not—it ran.
But now, it realized that most treasures in the human world had owners, and you couldn't just take them. You had to… negotiate.
Looks like it still had a lot to learn.
Fire Meow Meow made a mental note of it.
"E-Elder Chrysanthemum! A soul beast! A hundred-thousand-year soul beast!"
After hearing Fire Meow Meow speak, Yan's worldview shattered.
He finally understood why Nana had questioned whether he could compare to "that little beast."
This wasn't some pet—it was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, capable of human speech!
Given what soul beasts meant in the eyes of most people, Yan now clung desperately to Yue Guan's robes. He reached toward Hu Liena, only for her to dodge.
Facing a soul beast of that caliber, the only semblance of safety he could feel was from Elder Chrysanthemum, a titled Douluo.
"Hu Liena, take him away. Don't let him keep embarrassing himself here."
Yue Guan sighed deeply and gave the order.
"Yes."
Hu Liena responded gracefully, bowed slightly to Aether, and gestured for nearby guards to lift the dejected Yan and escort him into the crowd.
_
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