By the time Zhao Ling finished helping Ah Yin absorb the medicinal power of the two celestial-grade herbs, it was already past 9 a.m. the next morning.
After fully absorbing both herbs, Ah Yin's soul power rose from level 47 to level 50.
Had she not hit the bottleneck of a major realm advancement, her soul power might have increased by even more levels.
Thus, after a night of hard work absorbing the power of celestial herbs, Ah Yin had to start busying herself with condensing her fifth soul ring.
Zhao Ling hadn't expected that Ah Yin would need the entire night just to absorb the medicinal power of those two herbs, leaving him frustrated and restless through the night.
Now, seeing Ah Yin's soul power rise to level 50 and her beginning to condense her fifth soul ring, he decided not to disturb her and quietly left the room.
In the courtyard, Zhao Ling spotted Bo Saixi sitting alone playing poker and called out to her.
"Saixi, why are you playing poker out here all by yourself? Has Erlong already left?"
"Mhm… She had breakfast and left earlier this morning. But she said she'll be back in the afternoon," Bo Saixi replied without even looking up, casually dealing five cards to Zhao Ling and five to herself.
She picked up her hand, glanced at it, then laid it face-up in front of Zhao Ling.
"Seven points…"
Zhao Ling picked up his hand from the table, took a peek, then laid it down in front of her.
"Hehe, bull bull (highest hand)! Looks like luck's on my side today—what a great start!"
"Mm, not bad," Bo Saixi nodded, but suddenly turned her head in the direction of Ah Yin's room.
"Last night, after you and Yin'er returned to your room, I sensed a fluctuation of soul beast aura from there. Is Yin'er perhaps…"
Zhao Ling knew that after removing the Soul-Sealing Mark from Ah Yin last night, the soul beast aura she naturally emitted could not have escaped the senses of Bo Saixi, who was staying just nearby.
After all, Bo Saixi was a level 99 Limit Douluo—it was no surprise that she could detect Ah Yin's soul beast presence.
Fortunately, Ah Yin's soul beast aura wasn't wild or ferocious like that of the Titan Giant Ape or the Azure Bull Python. Plus, this manor was far from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
As long as their luck wasn't awful, Ah Yin's soul beast identity shouldn't be easily exposed to those from the three great clans.
Looking into Bo Saixi's clear blue eyes, Zhao Ling nodded slightly and said, "Yes, that's right. Yin'er is indeed a 100,000-year soul beast in human form."
Seeing Zhao Ling admit it without hesitation, Bo Saixi frowned slightly and said in a serious tone:
"If you already knew Yin'er is a 100,000-year soul beast in human form, how could you bring her to Spirit City? Don't you know how many Title Douluo powerhouses are gathered there?
If her identity were discovered by the elders and worshippers of the Spirit Hall, even you wouldn't be able to protect her."
Hearing the gravity of Bo Saixi's words, Zhao Ling could tell she was like him—she had no intention of harming Ah Yin or taking her soul ring and soul bone.
So he replied with a relaxed smile:
"I have special methods that can conceal the soul beast aura on Yin'er. When I applied them, even you and that old guy Qian Daoliu couldn't detect anything, right?
I brought her around Spirit City, and now all the elders and worshippers of the Spirit Hall have met her. To them, she's just an ordinary woman without a trace of soul power—completely unremarkable.
Even if she were to reveal her aura in front of them later, they'd never suspect she's actually a soul beast."
Bo Saixi's lips parted slightly. She understood—Zhao Ling had taken a bold, calculated risk to turn the tide in their favor.
Right now, in the eyes of Spirit Hall's elders and worshippers, Ah Yin was indeed just a powerless, regular woman.
If Zhao Ling hadn't removed the seal on her last night, even Bo Saixi wouldn't have known she was a 100,000-year soul beast in disguise. She would've assumed Ah Yin was just a pretty vase.
Now, Bo Saixi was genuinely curious about what technique Zhao Ling had used.
To completely seal off both the soul beast aura and soul power without a single trace leaking out—it was nothing short of miraculous.
Driven by this intense curiosity, Bo Saixi asked Zhao Ling with a tone of polite inquiry:
"Could you use that technique on me? I'd like to experience it firsthand."
"Uh…" Zhao Ling was caught off guard by her request, finding it both amusing and awkward.
"Saixi, it's not that I don't want to… It's just that this ability only works on targets whose level is lower than mine. You're far stronger than me—if I tried to force it on you, it might cause serious backlash."
"Oh, I see… In that case, forget it then." Bo Saixi's expression showed clear disappointment.
Zhao Ling wasn't quite sure what exactly she was disappointed about. He opened his diary interface and began ranting:
[Ugh, Bo Saixi really is a strange one—she actually asked me to seal her soul power with the Soul-Sealing Mark.]
[This is just absurd. I've never heard anyone make such a weird request.]
[I clearly explained to her that once the seal is applied, no one can sense the sealed person's soul power or aura.]
[Oh… I just realized—I didn't tell her that being sealed also cuts off all control over martial spirit and soul power, turning the person into a powerless ordinary human.]
[And unless I actively remove the seal, the person would remain like that for life.]
[So she probably thinks that the Soul-Sealing Mark just hides her aura from others, but her power would still be intact.]
[Otherwise, with her usual pride and dominance, she'd never allow herself even a shred of vulnerability.]
[Heh… Honestly, I kind of want to seal her with it.]
[She's just too beautiful, too elegant, and her strength is nearly god-like. I don't even feel confident trying to pursue her.]
[But if I sealed her martial spirit and soul power, she'd lose all ability to resist.]
[Then I could do whatever I wanted. Even if I made her my wife, she'd be powerless to object. Just thinking about it is… thrilling.]
[But still, this is just a fantasy. If she found out I had such thoughts, she'd probably kill me. Better not mess with her…]
Once he finished venting, Zhao Ling uploaded the diary entry. This time, it was rated B-level and awarded him three mid-grade spirit stones.
The moment Zhao Ling saw the reward, his eyes lit up.
Aside from the five low-grade spirit stones the system gave him when he first acquired the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, this was the first time he'd ever received spirit stones as a reward—and three mid-grade ones at that.
Mid-grade spirit stones were far more valuable than the initial low-grade ones. At the same size, a mid-grade stone contained over ten times the natural energy of a low-grade one, so of course Zhao Ling was thrilled.