A cool sensation brushed across his face, as if something had gently passed over it. Lin Xiao opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by darkness, with only a few rays of moonlight filtering through the branches above, indicating it was already nighttime. A shadow darted past in front of him, barely discernible in the dark.
"You're awake?"
Zhang Lexuan's voice came from beside him. Lin Xiao turned his head slightly and saw her sitting in front of him, her breathing slightly rapid.
"Mm," Lin Xiao nodded, scanning his surroundings. He was half-sitting, half-lying against a tall tree, and the area was quiet except for the faint chirping of insects. It was clearly not the place where he had fought the badger beast.
"Where are we?"
"This is the outer zone," Zhang Lexuan replied, shifting slightly to give him some space, though her gaze remained fixed on him. "The mixed zone isn't safe at night. Once I saw your condition stabilize, I brought you here."
"Thank you."
Lin Xiao expressed his gratitude, and the surroundings fell quiet once more.
"You…" Zhang Lexuan hesitated for a moment. "Before we encountered the Gold-Devouring Beast last time, had we already met?"
When Lin Xiao had used his soul skills in front of Zhang Lexuan, he had already anticipated being recognized. During their last encounter, he had concealed much of his identity under the guise of being a soul engineer, but when the sea of flowers appeared, Zhang Lexuan was bound to recall their first meeting.
"Mm," Lin Xiao didn't deny it.
"So, that night at Rongguan Crossing, it was you?"
"You even remember that?" Lin Xiao was somewhat surprised. He had indeed witnessed Shrek Academy rescuing the Dragon Maiden from the Common Alliance, but he thought he had left quickly enough not to be noticed by Zhang Lexuan. "I thought I'd escaped fast enough, but it seems you still caught me."
"No…" Zhang Lexuan shook her head, wanting to clarify that not everyone had noticed, only she had recognized that somewhat familiar mask. But after a moment's thought, she changed the topic. "I didn't expect someone from the Sun Moon Empire would come to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for a soul ring."
"The Sun Moon Empire?" Lin Xiao paused at her words, then gently shifted his body to sit more comfortably, fully relaxing. He tilted his head slightly to look at the moonlight filtering through the branches. "To be honest, I don't even know where I'm truly from."
"When I was a child, I lived in a remote village. Later, evil soul masters passed through, and… I was lucky enough to be taken by my teacher to the Sun Moon Empire. When I tried to go back later, I couldn't find the village's exact location anymore. It's probably nothing but ruins now."
"So that's why you took action against those evil soul masters back then?"
Lin Xiao recalled the first time he met Zhang Lexuan, when he had dealt with a branch of the Holy Spirit Cult. "Maybe that's part of the reason."
Zhang Lexuan didn't respond, her expression complex, lost in some unspoken thought.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly rummaged through her storage soul tool. "By the way, this was found inside that soul beast's body."
As she spoke, a blood-red light flared between them. Lin Xiao squinted, slowly adjusting to the sudden glow, and realized it was a soul bone.
It looked like a piece of translucent crystal, with blood-red threads running through it like veins, resembling the red markings on the badger beast's back.
"This is a right leg bone. You should take it."
Lin Xiao hesitated. "I couldn't have handled that soul beast alone. It was only because of the fatal wound you inflicted earlier that we were able to kill it…"
Zhang Lexuan shook her head and placed the soul bone by Lin Xiao's side. "This matter had nothing to do with you in the first place. Not only did you kill that soul beast, but you also saved my life. And—"
As she spoke, she reached to rummage through her storage soul tool again, but Lin Xiao interrupted her. "I'll take the soul bone, but you keep the rest."
"Hm?" Zhang Lexuan looked up, catching the faint smile on Lin Xiao's face.
"Taking on that soul beast was my own decision. This is enough," Lin Xiao said, his mind flashing back to the resolute expression on Zhang Lexuan's face as she stood in front of the other Shrek students.
Pushing the thought aside, he lowered his gaze to the soul bone beside him. The most valuable parts of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast—the soul ring and the soul bone—had already fallen into his hands. He should leave something for Zhang Lexuan, like the materials from the soul beast.
"Without you, I wouldn't have been able to handle that soul beast either."
"Alright," Zhang Lexuan nodded after a moment's hesitation, accepting without further protest.
Moonlight bathed the ground, casting a silver veil over the Star Dou Forest. Occasional beams of light slipped through the branches, illuminating two silhouettes on the ground. The rustling of leaves mingled with their soft conversation, and though a night breeze passed through, neither felt the chill.
As the night gave way to dawn, Lin Xiao stood and stretched deeply, his joints cracking audibly.
Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at his body again. In just one day, his body had undergone another enhancement—not just in strength but in subtle, indescribable changes occurring quietly within him.
Was this the power of the Gold of Life? After years of cultivation, this was the first time Lin Xiao had experienced such a sensation.
"Are your injuries alright now?"
Zhang Lexuan's voice broke through, and Lin Xiao turned to see her standing as well. "Yes, I'm fine now."
"Then… I should head back," Zhang Lexuan said, glancing toward the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest. "I've been gone for so long, the academy's teachers are probably still looking for me."
"Wait."
Zhang Lexuan turned at his words.
Lin Xiao reached into his storage soul tool, then suddenly lifted his hand to remove a necklace from his neck. The pendant below it resembled a funnel.
"I don't think the materials from that soul beast compare to a hundred-thousand-year soul bone. Take this soul tool," Lin Xiao said with a smile. "I know people from Shrek Academy don't often use soul tools, so I chose this one specifically. It's similar to the storage soul tool you use, except it stores soul power."
"I'm not questioning Shrek Academy's teaching methods or trying to change your view on soul tools. But just like storage soul tools, even if you look down on soul tools, their existence has already changed many things."
"Take it. I made this myself. Though with your cultivation, it can't restore you to full strength, it can ensure you have enough soul power to fight when you're running low."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreo
[email protected]/facficmax10