After finishing off the roasted rabbit, Gu Han and Bibi Dong retreated into the tent to rest.
Outside, the night watch was taken over by Ghost.
Of course, Yue Guan was present as well. As a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse, staying awake for a day or two wasn't an issue for him at all.
"Sigh… Old Ghost, before we knew it, we've really gotten old."
Yue Guan sat casually by the campfire. He pulled out two jugs of Hundred-Flowers Wine from his soul tool, handed one to Ghost, and stared pensively into the flames.
Ghost took a swig of the wine, remained silent for a while, then lifted his gaze to the crescent moon above, eyes deep and contemplative.
"Seeing Her Holiness's talent, and that boy Gu Han's ingenuity… feeling a little disheartened?"
"Heh, just a little."
Yue Guan chuckled self-deprecatingly. "No need to talk about Xiao Dongdong—innate full soul power, twin martial souls, and now her physical limitations have been resolved. As long as she cultivates steadily to the level of a Titled Douluo, she'll be able to absorb the second soul ring for her other martial soul. Her future is limitless."
"As for Gu Han, while his innate talent is lacking, he's clever and creative. Those self-created soul abilities of his… all show remarkable potential. And he's even found a way to compensate for his mediocre talent."
"If that place really has Immortal Herbs, Gu Han's accomplishments will be anything but ordinary."
"Looking at these kids really makes you feel the years fly by. The spirit and vigor of our youth feel like they happened just yesterday."
Taking a few more gulps of wine, Yue Guan's gaze grew distant as old memories stirred, making him uncharacteristically sentimental.
Ghost, as usual, said little, simply listening to Yue Guan's musings.
Inside the tent, Bibi Dong had long since fallen into a deep sleep, snoring softly. Gu Han, meanwhile, sat cross-legged beside her, immersed in cultivation.
His spiritual cultivation had already reached a certain level—his mental strength had condensed inward like a divine crystal, a state known as Divine Luminescence, Inward Glow. There was no room for further growth in the short term.
So Gu Han chose to devote half his time to cultivating soul power instead.
His innate talent wasn't high. Although he had the aid of the nameless technique manual, compared to true geniuses, his progress was still too slow. To make up for it, he could only train harder and longer.
Through years of persistence, Gu Han had managed to evolve his first soul ring from 400 to 600 years. Originally, it granted a 10% attack boost; now, it granted 15%.
He couldn't help but think of Chen Xin's first soul ability in the original canon—also an attack-enhancing technique, also a century-level ring—yet his boosted attack power by 30%. That kind of amplification was astonishing.
It was likely the difference in martial soul quality.
Though both were sword-type martial souls, the Seven Kill Sword far surpassed Gu Han's Frostblade Sword. In terms of quality alone, even the Clear Sky Hammer was inferior to the Seven Kill Sword.
That massive gap in martial soul potential also explained why Gu Han's enhancement effects were so limited in comparison.
Still, Gu Han didn't feel discouraged. After all, he had a cheat—and though he hated relying on it, now that it was his, he couldn't deny how effective it was.
As for his second soul ring, it had been acquired too recently, and with limited time and energy, its age hadn't improved much yet.
Deep in meditation, Gu Han clearly sensed that his cultivation speed had improved significantly since the day before. This wasn't something he had felt previously.
It was likely related to his spiritual breakthrough. With his spirit now condensed and refined, he could enter meditation faster, perceive the ambient energy more keenly, and control it more easily than before.
This sudden boost in cultivation efficiency naturally brought him great joy, rekindling a long-lost passion for training.
The next morning, Gu Han opened his eyes right on schedule. Glancing to the side, he saw Bibi Dong still curled up in her blanket, sleeping soundly. A carefree smile lingered on her cherubic face.
Shaking his head, Gu Han quietly got up and stepped outside.
Yue Guan and Ghost were already up, boiling mushroom soup over the fire. The mushrooms had been foraged by Yue Guan himself.
"You're quite the diligent one, huh? Meditating through the whole night. Come have a bowl of soup."
Naturally, both Yue Guan and Ghost had been keeping an eye on things. They'd noticed Gu Han had spent the entire night cultivating without rest, which left both of them inwardly impressed. No wonder the Pope had taken a liking to him—his judgment was as sharp as ever.
"Thank you for the compliment, Senior. And thank you both for keeping watch last night."
Gu Han sat down, accepting the bowl of mushroom soup and drinking it gratefully.
"You're still as polite as ever."
Yue Guan gave a light laugh, not at all annoyed. In fact, he was used to Gu Han's respectful manner by now.
A few minutes later, Bibi Dong emerged from the tent, rubbing her eyes, still groggy from sleep.
"Good morning, Senior Yue Guan, Elder Ghost, Junior Brother."
"You're up, Senior Sister. Come have some soup."
Gu Han waved her over with a smile.
Out here in the wilderness, all they could do was wash their faces with the fresh water they carried. Anything more would be a luxury.
After finishing breakfast, the group resumed their journey.
They soon reached a dense forest region, the air thick with purple mist. The mist was poisonous, so Yue Guan and Ghost extended their soul power to protect Gu Han and Bibi Dong.
"This is the Purple-Winged Demon Spider's territory. Be careful—it's extremely cunning."
Yue Guan warned the two of them while staying on high alert to prevent the target from escaping.
Crash!
Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the jungle—a black shadow darted away at breakneck speed.
The Purple-Winged Demon Spider had just awoken and immediately sensed human soul masters in its domain. After releasing its toxic mist and realizing these humans were stronger than it was, it didn't hesitate to turn tail and flee.
"Hmph, trying to escape? Golden Pistil Cloud!"
Yue Guan snorted coldly. His sixth soul ring lit up beneath his feet as the Thousand-Petaled Chrysanthemum rose high into the air. From its petals, golden rays shot out like a meteor shower, slamming into the path ahead of the fleeing demon spider.
He wasn't trying to kill it—just cut off its escape.
Ghost said nothing. His body turned into a shadow and swiftly pursued in the spider's direction.
ROAR!!
From its back, the Purple-Winged Demon Spider suddenly unfolded six pairs of thin, purple wings—so fine they looked like cicada wings. With a burst of speed, it zigzagged to avoid the golden light bombarding it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The golden light rained down, blasting craters into the forest floor and felling entire swaths of trees.
Though Yue Guan controlled the attack to avoid direct hits, it effectively slowed the spider's escape.
"Hmph. Old Ghost!"
"Third Soul Ability: Nether Ghost Claw!"
A giant claw, formed from shadow, erupted from the ground beneath the spider and snapped shut around it, locking it in place.
"Hah, just as cunning as I expected."
Ghost's figure emerged from the shadows on the forest floor. It had taken both of them—two Soul Douluo—to finally capture this beast. For a mere 9,000-year-old soul beast, that was no easy feat.
~~~
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