Near the Lake of Life, Er Ming, Mu Xi, and Little Cui were all present. Er Ming was channeling his life force through his body into Little Cui, helping her with the delivery. Mu Xi, meanwhile, was meditating with her eyes closed.
Only Er Ming noticed Li Chang'an's arrival, and he didn't say much—just gave a brief explanation of the current situation.
Mu Xi had already taken a few drops of the lake's water and was now absorbing its energy to elevate her life essence in preparation to bond with the Emerald Swan.
Seeing that he wasn't needed here, Li Chang'an could only shrug helplessly and leave. Still, he was sure that after this, Mu Xi's strength would improve significantly. She might even become a rising star of the auxiliary system in the Spirit Hall Academy...
Returning to where he had been staying, Li Chang'an was just about to get some rest when Xiao Wu suddenly burst in, leading a soul beast in tow.
The soul beast was at least six meters long, and it was a tiger—but unlike the brilliant Azure tiger Li Chang'an had seen before, this one lacked the vibrancy of life. Its body was a strange shade of violet-blue, exuding an eerie aura.
"Come, Little Lei! Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Li Chang'an. And this is my little brother, Little Lei," Xiao Wu leaned against the giant tiger and introduced them.
"ROAR!" Little Lei let out a loud growl at Li Chang'an, the ferocity of a tiger still alive in his presence.
"Hey, what are you doing, Little Lei? I already said he's allowed to absorb you! Are you doubting me now?" Xiao Wu gave Little Lei a displeased smack on the head.
After being scolded, Little Lei became much more obedient and stopped growling at Li Chang'an, instead nuzzling against Xiao Wu affectionately.
"Little Lei's full name is Thunderbolt Tiger, a lightning-attributed soul beast. It's considered both rare and powerful among soul beasts. If you absorb him, you might gain a lightning-type soul skill," Xiao Wu explained, then continued:
"Little Lei is a 9,999-year-old soul beast—just a step away from becoming a ten-thousand-year one. If you hadn't come, he might've only had one year left to live…" Her voice softened as she gently stroked the giant tiger's head. She'd seen many partings between life and death, but that didn't make them any easier.
After everything was explained, it was time to begin the absorption. Because the Thunderbolt Tiger willingly offered itself, its age—though slightly above Li Chang'an's current limit—wouldn't be an issue.
After offering Xiao Wu some comfort, Li Chang'an bowed respectfully to the Thunderbolt Tiger and summoned his martial soul. "Senior, this is my martial soul—the Pangu Axe. I believe it is worthy of your strength!"
"ROAR!" The Thunderbolt Tiger became visibly excited upon seeing the Pangu Axe, as if it had encountered a sovereign it was willing to serve unconditionally.
"Little Lei says he really likes your martial soul and is willing to become your soul ring," Xiao Wu translated with a smile, feeling more at ease.
——
After gently and peacefully seeing the Thunderbolt Tiger off, a soul ring with a deep purple hue intertwined with black slowly appeared before Li Chang'an. Its aura was oppressive and awe-inspiring.
He took a deep breath and slowly guided the soul ring toward himself, focusing all his attention on absorbing it.
This time, the process went smoothly—no disruptions from the Thunderbolt Tiger's consciousness. Within ten minutes, Li Chang'an opened his eyes, his aura clearly stronger and more condensed.
Level 24.
This nearly ten-thousand-year-old Thunderbolt Tiger didn't just push him past the crucial level 20 mark—it let him shoot up four more levels. It felt incredible!
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for advancing to Spirit Grandmaster. New items now available in the exchange shop]
[Mid-Tier Soul Power Fruit: Increases soul power by 1,000. Cost: 500 points.
Mid-Tier Soul Ring Fruit: Increases soul ring's age by 1,000 years. Cost: 5,000 points.
Mental Power Fruit (New): Increases mental strength by 10,000. Cost: 100,000 points.
Luck Fruit (New): Increases Luck stat by 1. Cost: 10,000 points]
After browsing through the new items, Li Chang'an was a bit dumbfounded. The prices for the mid-tier fruits were still somewhat reasonable, but that Mental Power Fruit was outrageously expensive—100,000 points?! Did the system think he was made of money?
But the most baffling one was the Luck Fruit. Just one point of luck for 10,000 points? What even was that? Did it think he was some kind of rich idiot it could scam?
He also noticed that his character panel had changed: soul power now required thousands instead of hundreds to level up. For example, he was now at Level 24 (1234/4000). This clearly meant future leveling would be a much steeper climb.
Two new stats had also been added to the panel:
Mental Power: 4000
Luck: 7
Looks like he'd have to keep putting on a flashy show just to maintain his energy supply. But he didn't want to keep showing off. Honestly, he'd much rather just enjoy the game...
"How is it, Big Brother Li?" Xiao Wu stood in front of him, eyes wide with anticipation.
"Perfect! Let me show you my treasure—wait, I mean my strength!" Li Chang'an said, pulling out the Pangu Axe. As he did, two soul rings rose beneath his feet—one purple, one deep purple-black.
"Wow! Awesome!" Xiao Wu clapped happily, though she quickly took several steps back. After all, he was about to unleash a soul skill from a near ten-thousand-year ring!
Just then, a man in green appeared beside Li Chang'an. He was tall—not as muscular as Er Ming, but somehow exuded an even more terrifying aura.
"Young man, how about a little spar?" the man said with a faint smile.
Li Chang'an glanced at Xiao Wu, confused. She, too, looked surprised. Da Ming? He usually trained in the lake—why was he here?
"Don't worry. Since you're a new friend of Sister Xiao Wu, I won't hurt you. I'm just curious. My name is Da Ming—Er Ming is my younger brother," the man said calmly, hands behind his back.
Realization dawned on Li Chang'an. "Please guide me, Senior!" he said respectfully.
Da Ming nodded with a smile, still keeping his hands behind his back, motioning for Li Chang'an to begin.
Li Chang'an didn't take offense—this was clearly someone on a whole other level. His second soul ring began to glow, casting a radiant purple-black light around him.
Second Soul Skill: Thunder Moon Slash!
The Pangu Axe, previously a dull black, was now cloaked in a shimmering layer of blue electricity—like a blade forged in lightning.
_____
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