"So, you're saying that the soul rings can't get wet, or the purple paint will wash off?" Shen An asked.
Tom nodded its little head. After all, the purple paint it used wasn't waterproof.
Shen An fell into deep thought. It kind of made sense—or not at all!
If it were ordinary paint, Shen An would naturally believe that water could ruin it. But the problem was that the soul rings, which were tangible yet intangible, had been painted. And now Tom was telling him to follow the principle that paint shouldn't get wet.
Shen An, unwilling to accept this, splashed water onto the soul ring. Immediately, the purple color began to wash off, and droplets of purple-paint-mixed water dripped onto the floor.
Tom's fur bristled in frustration as it glared at Shen An. I told you it wasn't waterproof, but you had to test it. Now I have to repaint it again.
Life was hard. Once again, Tom the painter got to work.
The soul rings—one yellow and two purple—reappeared. While still extraordinary, they were far less shocking than the original ten-thousand-year black soul ring.
Shen An thought about it. In the past, he hadn't bothered to hide his soul rings after obtaining them. Although Zhu Zhuqing had some suspicions, she had never said anything.
But now, Shen An was somewhat famous in Soto City as the rising star of the Spirit Arena. Everyone knew he was a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster. If he suddenly revealed his third soul ring, it would undoubtedly cause a lot of trouble. Shen An decided that in the next few days, he would take Tom out under the pretense of hunting soul beasts to "obtain" his third soul ring.
The incident with the Spirit Hall had served as a wake-up call for Shen An.
The Douluo Continent was cruel. If you were weak, they would suppress you. If you were too strong or outstanding, they would covet you, try to recruit you, or even eliminate you.
Only if you were on par with them would they slightly relax and attempt to accept you.
Therefore, Shen An decided it was best to play it safe and maintain a low profile.
---
The next day at noon.
"You've reached level 30 and are going to hunt soul beasts?" Zhu Zhuqing asked in surprise.
Shen An nodded casually, and Zhu Zhuqing suddenly felt dizzy, a sense of defeat washing over her. How had Shen An broken through to level 30 so quickly?
She remembered that when they first met, Shen An was only a level 9 Soul Master. Now, in less than two months, he had reached level 30. How was anyone supposed to keep up?
Zhu Zhuqing pursed her lips, remaining silent. Throughout the history of the continent, no one had ever improved their soul power as rapidly as Shen An. She comforted herself with this thought.
"How is your cultivation progressing so fast? Did you learn some method that overdraws your potential?" Zhu Zhuqing's expression suddenly changed.
She recalled records from her family about soul masters who had overdrawn their life and potential in exchange for rapid soul power growth.
Some even stole the lives and cultivation of other soul masters to fuel their own power, gaining inhuman levels of soul power and strength. These soul masters were known as evil soul masters.
Shen An's heart tightened. The question about his cultivation speed had finally come up. But he hadn't overdrawn his potential—everything he had achieved was through his own hard work.
Right, System?
Outwardly, Shen An remained calm and composed.
"Zhuqing, what are you thinking? How could I possibly use such methods? But before I met you, I accidentally ate a bright red fruit, and after that, my training speed inexplicably increased."
In the novels of his previous life, there were always rare treasures and elixirs that could boost cultivation. Surely, the Douluo Continent had similar things. Given Zhu Zhuqing's noble background, she must have heard of such items.
This explanation should hold up, Shen An thought.
In reality, Shen An was both right and wrong. Right, because the Douluo Continent did indeed have immortal herbs. Wrong, because Zhu Zhuqing had never heard of them.
Not just Zhu Zhuqing—even the titled Douluo known for his expertise in poisons, Dugu Bo, couldn't recognize immortal herbs. Instead, they were all plundered by Tang San. The Douluo Continent's knowledge of rare treasures was extremely limited.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Shen An suspiciously. A magical fruit? Did such a thing really exist?
But the Douluo Continent was vast and full of wonders. As long as Shen An wasn't overdrawing his life and potential for temporary gains, it was fine.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. She still trusted Shen An. No genius would want to overdraw their potential prematurely.
Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, didn't seem to grasp the seriousness of Shen An's rapid cultivation progress. The first time she saw Shen An's level, he was already a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster.
So, she assumed Shen An was just naturally talented and had worked hard in the past. Still, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
"But why can't you take me with you to hunt soul beasts? My Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda can boost your strength."
Shen An felt a warmth in his heart at Ning Rongrong's words and smiled.
"It's fine. I won't go to dangerous places. Besides, if I can't win, I can always run. Don't forget, I can fly with my sword now. Bringing you along would just complicate things."
Ning Rongrong pouted. "Who's worried about you? It's just that if you take Tom away, what will Zhuqing and I eat? I'll die without Tom's cooking."
Shen An's face stiffened. Damn it, I was touched for nothing. I thought she was worried about my safety, but she's just worried about missing Tom's cooking.
"Go, go, cook for yourself. Soto City is huge—you won't starve," Shen An said, his face darkening as he grumbled.
"Meh~"
Ning Rongrong stuck out her pink tongue.
"Fine, you and Tom go. But it's best to go to the Spirit Hunting Forest. The soul beasts there aren't high-level, but they're enough for your third soul ring. Most importantly, it's safe."
Ning Rongrong tossed Shen An a black token. On it were four patterns: a sword, a hammer, a dragon, and a chrysanthemum.
"Here, this will let you enter and exit freely. Take it."
Shen An didn't refuse. Although his destination wasn't the Soul Hunting Forest, accepting the token would reassure the two girls. He could return it later.
"Let's go, Tom. We're leaving now."
Shen An looked at Tom, who was already dressed for adventure. It wore a small brown hat, a red scarf around its neck, a green vest, and a large backpack slung over its shoulder.
Wow, Tom looks so professional. It makes me look like a slacker.
---
A few days earlier, in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
The noble Xue Qinghe read a letter in his hand.
"How interesting. The little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda has gone to the Suotuo City in the Balak Kingdom, and there's a young man whose second soul ring is already at the thousand-year level."
Is the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda secretly consolidating forces within the Heaven Dou Empire? Ning Fengzhi didn't mention this to me. It seems he still doesn't fully trust me.
Or perhaps there's another purpose. But that young man with a thousand-year second soul ring is quite intriguing. Even with my innate full soul power of level 20, my first two soul rings didn't exceed a thousand years.
That young man named Shen An has a thousand-year second soul ring. He must either be exceptionally talented or have some special method. Either way, if I can bring him under my control, it would be beneficial.
Well, it's time for me to advance to Soul Emperor anyway. I'll go to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a soul ring and by the way investigate Soto City.
Bibi Dong, just wait. I will take everything from you. The future leader of the Spirit Hall will be me.
Xue Qinghe's gaze was profound, exuding an aura as if he held the entire world in his hands.