"As per your cultivation system," Electrolux said thoughtfully, "you should be ready to select your next soul ring. Have you considered what kind of soul beast you're looking for?"
Qian Renxue didn't even blink, just said the name of soul beast she had decided on.
"Brain Devouring Orangutan."
Tianmeng Silkworm, who had been listenting to their talk quietly in her spirit sea, jolted upright.
"That sounds… terrifying," he muttered. "Are you sure it's not some kind of evil spirit beast?"
Even Electrolux raised a brow.
"The name certainly does not have a good ring to it."
Qian Renxue smiled slightly and tapped her temple.
"I remember it from a rare record in Spirit Hall's restricted archives. The book didn't go into much detail, but I've memorized almost everything I read over the last year."
It wasn't a boast it was simply the truth.
Since her rebirth, her memory had become razor-sharp. Her mind also received a fast boost now after becoming a Spectator. She could recall entire pages with frightening clarity, as though they were printed in her mind.
She continued, "The Brain Devouring Orangutan isn't born naturally. It's a mutation, triggered when one of the Brain Orangutans survives the mass death of its tribe—and then consumes the brains of at least ten of its own kind. The process changes it permanently, creating a rare variant with powerful spiritual and emotional abilities."
Tianmeng made a disgusted face. "That's disturbing even by spirit beast standards."
"But effective," Electrolux noted with interest. "You're choosing this for the emotional control abilities?"
Qian Renxue nodded.
"Exactly. The records said that after the mutation, this soul beast can influence the emotional state of others fear, despair, anger bending entire groups to its will. Even if another leader exists, the tribe ends up obeying the Brain Devouring Orangutan."
' It fits perfectly with the Spectator path.'
"Observation turning into manipulation," Electrolux murmured. "With your existing abilities like Spiritual Detection and Sharing, the synergy could be remarkable. You'd not only understand people, you'd control how they feel and act."
Tianmeng still looked uneasy. "Even if it's useful, where are you going to find a creature like that? It sounds like a freak accident."
"I haven't found one," Qian Renxue admitted calmly. "But I know what I'm looking for"
Her purple eyes gleamed with purpose.
"The people searching for it don't need to worry about age. Even a ten-year-old mutation of this soul beast is perfect for me."
Tianmeng perked up. "That young?"
Qian Renxue tilted her chin toward him with a smug smile. "With your help, the age of that soul ring can reach a million years."
At that, Tianmeng puffed out his chest or at least the mental projection of his silkworm body tried to. "Brother is awesome, okay? The only million-year soul beast with more energy than an ordinary million-year beast! Hmph!"
Qian Renxue chuckled, her smirk widening. "You do have your uses."
Their bond had shifted over the month. Once wary allies bound by necessity, they had grown into proper friends. Tianmeng's constant chatter no longer irritated her—it made the long, still hours of cultivation a little more human.
Electrolux, watching the exchange with ghostly calm, didn't press further.
"You've already chosen your path," he said. "Then go for it. Don't have any hesitation."
He paused, his voice softening as he glanced toward the core of her spirit sea.
"If you need help, you can call me. This time, I won't be sleeping as deeply."
Qian Renxue nodded, a rare flicker of warmth crossing her face.
"Thank you, Electrolux."
The ancient soul's silhouette, clad in swirling gray robes, gave a faint smile. Then, as silently as he had emerged, he drifted upward—his figure slowly dissolving into wisps of light, nestling into the quiet folds above her spirit sea like a guardian star.
Qian Renxue sat alone again.
She glanced at the glowing seal embedded in the depths of her spirit sea the Ice and Fire Yin Yang seal. Her purple eyes faintly turned golden before they reverted back.
Seeing Electrolux drift once more into his light slumber above her spirit sea, Tianmeng inched closer to Qian Renxue. His usually playful tone was now tinged with concern.
"Xiao Xue," he said seriously, "what are you going to do? Your Grandfather will never agree to this soul beast. Last time, he wouldn't shut up about hunting down a Light Unicorn."
Being bound to her spirit sea, Tianmeng could see the world through her senses. He had seen firsthand how Qian Daoliu had been gently, but persistently, pressuring her to obtain a second soul ring in line with Angelic inheritance.
Qian Renxue let out a faint chuckle, more amused than bitter. "Of course he did. The Light Unicorn is a sacred beast long used by the Qian family. Its soul ring grants Angelic Descent—a flashy projection of an angel that attacks the enemy."
She raised a hand and lightly tapped her temple. "The only advantage of that skill is that it can't be counterattacked. The moment someone tries, the attack just… passes through the projection."
Tianmeng blinked. "Sounds cool though."
Qian Renxue rolled her eyes. "It is cool. But that's it. Flashy, divine-looking… yet not suitable for someone like me. I don't need spiritual fireworks—I need tools that amplify what I already have."
Tianmeng grew quiet, but he couldn't hide the worry from his voice. "Then what will you do?"
Qian Renxue's lips curled into a knowing smile. "You already know."
She didn't elaborate, and Tianmeng knew better than to press.
Still, he frowned. "If you go through with it, your grandfather will definitely throw a fit. He'll assign you a dozen Titled Douluo just to stop you from sneaking out again."
Qian Renxue looked away, gazing into the swirling spirit sea, where Electrolux floated silently above the frozen seal.
"I know."
Her smile faded a little, replaced with something more thoughtful. "Grandfather's belief in the Angel God path is absolute. Even the last time I claimed I was following the divine will of the oracle, he hesitated. But it won't work forever… especially because I'm not even the official inheritor yet."
She tapped her fingers rhythmically on her knee.
'And if I told him about the Beyonder path… he wouldn't understand. Worse—he might try to investigate. Not that the investigation will yield any results .And what if that very act corrupts him? What if even I, or Tianmeng, or Electrolux… are already corrupted and we don't know it?'
There was a golden flicker in her eyes.
Qian Renxue didn't speak the last part aloud, but Tianmeng could feel her spiritual unease ripple faintly.
She will hunt the Brain Devouring Orangutan for the second soul ring one way or other.