The faint sense of being watched from the depths of the Lake of Life and the subtle tremors of the Holy Spirit Puni's martial soul made Ling Ye wary.
He almost instantly thought of a name!
Emperor Tian!
The true ruler of the Star Dou Great Forest, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King!
Perhaps only it can bring such subtle yet heavy pressure to the Holy Spirit Puni Martial Soul.
It seemed to awaken a sliver of consciousness from its slumber, observing this uninvited guest.
This place is not safe to stay!
Ling Ye immediately suppressed the urge to explore the bottom of the lake; his top priority was to improve his strength.
He found a secluded corner and began to absorb the 80,000-year-old Holy Dragon skull.
The process proceeded with outrageous ease.
The Holy Spirit Puni Martial Soul has an incredibly high compatibility with similar energy types. The spiritual power and light attribute contained in his skull are perfectly integrated, causing his spiritual power to surge dramatically. His perception becomes more acute, and even his control over the light element becomes more refined.
After absorbing the nutrients, he felt better than ever before.
The time to say goodbye has come.
Xiao Wu seemed a little reluctant to part with him, and skipped and hopped as she saw him off to the edge of the forest.
"Hey, Ling Ye, will you come to the Star Dou Great Forest again in the future?" Xiao Wu asked, blinking her big eyes.
Ling Ye smiled and said, "Probably. This place is my lucky spot."
He was telling the truth; it was here that he underwent a crucial transformation.
Xiao Wu's cheeks flushed slightly. Suddenly, she tiptoed and quickly kissed Ling Ye on the cheek, then jumped away like a startled rabbit, her voice barely audible: "This...this is your reward! Thank you for making me feel so comfortable! Let's go, let's go!"
After saying that, she turned around and ran away quickly, her braid swinging in the air.
Ling Ye paused for a moment, touched the spot on his face where he had been kissed, and shook his head with a smile.
This girl is really...naive yet bold.
However, it seems he didn't do anything to make her feel comfortable, did he?
He composed himself, used the Myriad Transformations Concealing Breath Technique again to disguise himself as a down-on-his-luck servant with only a level 9 soul power and a firefly-like martial soul, and walked out of the forest.
After his strength increased dramatically, he became even more adept at using this secret technique. At this moment, he appeared flawless, just like a Soul Master who had luckily survived from the forest.
Not long after leaving the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, they came to a forest path and suddenly heard footsteps and voices ahead.
Ling Ye's eyes narrowed slightly, but he continued walking with his head down without showing any emotion.
Soon, a five-person squad appeared ahead.
They were all dressed in the uniforms of the Spirit Hall's elite troops, and each of them exuded a powerful aura. The leader of them was a tall and curvaceous young woman.
The girl looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old, with fair skin and exquisite features like a fairy. Her eyes, in particular, exuded a captivating charm, yet her expression also carried a touch of the aloofness of a Spirit Hall elite.
The five spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—slowly retracted from beneath his feet, clearly indicating that he had been on guard.
Ling Ye's heart skipped a beat: Hu Liena! A member of the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, Bibi Dong's personal disciple! What could she be here?
Hu Liena also saw Ling Ye, and a scrutinizing look flashed in her beautiful eyes.
She raised her hand, and the squad immediately stopped, subtly blocking Ling Ye's path.
"Halt." Hu Liena's voice was crisp, carrying an undeniable tone of command. "Who are you? Did you come from the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Ling Ye immediately feigned a look of fear and unease, lowering his head and trembling in his voice: "Replying to your question, sir, I am... I am a hunter from a nearby village. I went into the forest to gather some herbs, but I got lost and only managed to... only just found my way out..." He deliberately made his breathing sound even more disordered and weak.
Hu Liena frowned slightly, her mental energy subtly sweeping over Ling Ye.
Sure enough, his soul power was pitifully weak, only around level 9, and his martial soul aura was even weaker, like a candle flickering in the wind. It seemed to be some kind of weak insect-like martial soul.
His clothes were tattered and covered in mud and blood, making him look like a down-on-his-luck, impoverished hunter.
She was ordered to lead a team to carry out a search mission in the outer area of the Star Dou Great Forest. Ostensibly, the mission was to search for traces of any unusual soul beasts that might appear, but in reality, it was to secretly investigate the area where the aura seemed to have fluctuated slightly after His Holiness the Pope's secret trip not long ago.
But no matter how you look at it, this guy doesn't seem like someone who can cause any trouble.
"Raise your head," Hu Liena commanded.
Ling Ye slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with fear and humility, but deep in his pupils was a calm.
He looked at Hu Liena up close and realized she was indeed a stunning beauty. Her innate charm, combined with the arrogance of the Spirit Hall elites, created a unique allure.
Hu Liena looked at Ling Ye's handsome face, which was covered in dirt but could not hide it, and especially his unusually clear and calm eyes, and her heart stirred slightly.
His eyes and the fear and humility he displayed seemed a little...incongruous?
Moreover, although this person was down on his luck, upon closer inspection, he had an upright posture and seemed to possess an inexplicable temperament.
However, that weak soul power and trash martial soul cannot be faked.
She is very confident in her own perception.
"Have you seen any strange people or powerful spirit beasts in the forest lately?" Hu Liena asked routinely.
"No...no, sir, I was only focused on escaping and didn't see anything..." Ling Ye hurriedly shook his head.
Hu Liena scrutinized him a few more times, but finding nothing more suspicious, she lost interest and waved her hand, saying, "Alright, let's go. Things aren't very peaceful around here lately, so don't wander around too much."
"Yes, yes, thank you, sir, thank you, sir!" Ling Ye felt as if he had been granted a pardon, bowing and scraping as he quickly slipped past the group and disappeared at the end of the road.
Hu Liena watched Ling Ye's departing figure, her delicate brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
"Senior sister, what's wrong?" a teammate asked.
"It's nothing," Hu Liena shook her head, shaking off the strange feeling. "Just an insignificant nobody. Continue the mission, focusing on searching the southeast area."
She turned and led her team in another direction.
But a faint doubt lingered in my mind.
That man's eyes were so clean and calm, unlike what a useless person with only level 9 soul power should have.
Ling Ye walked a long way until he could no longer sense Hu Liena and the others' presence, then he slowly slowed down, his eyes regaining their deep focus.
"Hu Liena of the Golden Generation… Bibi Dong has indeed not completely let her guard down and is still investigating in secret." He touched the token in his pocket, a smile curving his lips.
"However, it seems she didn't find anything substantial."
He glanced back at the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest, then thought about Hu Liena's alluring figure and the power of the Spirit Hall.
The most urgent task is to find a place to fully adapt to the surging power, and then... it's time to consider how to repay that high and mighty Pope.
(End of chapter)