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*****
On the carriage, Zhu Zhuqing trembled subtly, barely noticeable, feeling extremely uneasy about returning to the Star Luo Empire. It was a mix of apprehension towards the unknown and fear of death.
Having escaped from the Star Luo Empire, she was actually very afraid of her sister. But now, she had to go back... Truth be told, Zhu Zhuqing was beginning to regret it.
Noticing her trembling, Huo Wu asked with concern, "Feeling nervous?"
"Yes," Zhu Zhuqing nodded, feeling uneasy. "I don't even know if I'll be immediately imprisoned by my sister when I return, to eliminate the possibility of me competing with Dai Mubai and Dai Weisi."
"She wouldn't do that," Tang San shook his head, offering his perspective. "The internal struggles of the Star Luo Empire's royal family aim to raise a powerful Spirit Beast, not just an ordinary Tiger King relying on overwhelming victories."
"Do you have any evidence?" Zhu Zhuqing raised her head sharply, looking at Tang San, hoping for a definite answer.
"Before coming to the Tian Dou Empire, how did your sister treat you?" Tang San teased, his tone soothing, which instinctively eased Zhu Zhuqing's tension.
"Poorly, she almost wished for my death," Zhu Zhuqing recalled her time in the family. Zhu Zhuyun would come to taunt and ridicule her whenever she had the chance, as if it brought her joy. And their parents didn't intervene, seemingly happy with the situation.
At times, Zhu Zhuqing felt she had less freedom and happiness than commoners. At least commoners were content with three meals a day.
"Besides your sister wishing for your death, were there any actual means of oppression? Apart from getting rough during your sparring sessions, did she poison you, deprive you of food, or hinder your access to training resources?" Tang San inquired.
"...No."
Admittedly, besides getting rough during their fights, Zhu Zhuyun was mostly subjected to taunts and ridicule. But she never lacked resources. And the 'roughness' was never more than minor injuries that would heal in a day, although painful, they were not debilitating.
Perhaps Zhu Zhuyun remembered their sisterly bond, or maybe, as Tang San suggested, the Star Luo Empire needed to nurture a "Dark Spirit White Tiger" to strengthen the empire, rather than an ordinary tiger king.
But even so, Dai Mubai would still not survive. As Dai Mubai's fiancée... If Zhu Zhuyun cherished their old relationship, she might survive and become one of Dai weisi's future consorts—although couples with fused martial souls were deeply in love, as a prince (future emperor), Dai weisi would surely have multiple consorts to bear children for the next generation's competition.
If Zhu Zhuyun didn't care about their past sisterhood, then she would only be a sacrifice alongside Dai Mubai.
"Do you want to survive? Or do you hope to compete for the position of future empress?" Tang San continued.
"Do you think I'm the type of woman hungry for power?" Zhu Zhuqing asked coldly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean that. I just wanted to know your thoughts..." Tang San apologized for his earlier words, then continued, "If you only want to survive, it's simple, just annul your engagement with Dai Mubai."
"Annulment is indeed a good idea, but it's not up to me," Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. "There's a connection between our martial souls, and naturally, we possess a fusion technique."
"I've actually researched fusion techniques, albeit only in theory—" Tang San expressed his views. "Your Dark Spirit Cat martial soul, I've seen it before. It's indeed very fast, but I believe the essence of your martial soul isn't speed but darkness, as the name suggests."
"The White Tiger has some light attributes, as seen in its second soul skill: White Tiger Intense Light Wave, but the light attribute isn't very strong."
"In contrast, the Dark Spirit Cat martial soul, with 'Dark' in its name, clearly indicates its characteristics. Even in terms of attributes, the dark attribute of the Dark Spirit Cat is stronger than the light attribute of the White Tiger, or rather, its characteristics are more prominent. Otherwise, this martial soul would simply be named 'Spirit Cat' instead of 'Dark Spirit Cat'."
In Tang San's opinion, if Zhu Zhuqing could unleash the power of her dark attribute, causing an imbalance in the light-dark resonance between their martial souls, then the fusion technique would naturally disappear.
In this way, Dai Mubai would lose his competitive edge.
The competition of "only one tiger on the mountain" in the Star Luo Empire wasn't about having the stronger overpower the weak, but about having two tigers fight to determine the strongest.
And if Dai Mubai lost the ability to fuse with Zhu Zhuqing, he would lose the ability to compete.
After all, not every generation of the Star Luo Empire was lucky enough to produce two Spirit Beasts that could fuse like the White Tiger and the Dark Spirit Cat.
Without the ability to compete, as long as Dai Mubai didn't covet the throne, with Dai Weisi's character, he probably wouldn't go as far as to exterminate him. After all, the White Tiger Sect still existed within the empire, and all its members possessed White Tiger martial souls. Tang San didn't believe none of them had royal blood.
And after Zhu Zhuqing lost the chance to fuse with Dai Mubai, she also lost the chance to compete for the empress position. Zhu Zhuyun's attitude towards her would probably change significantly.
Furthermore, if Zhu Zhuqing could fully unleash her dark attribute, her Dark Spirit Cat martial soul might even be comparable to the White Tiger. At that time, she might be nurtured by the family elders as the next head of the Zhu Family.
If Zhu Zhuqing was indeed groomed as the next head of the Zhu Family, Zhu Zhuqing would undoubtedly rekindle her relationship with Zhu Zhuyun.
A future empress and a future head of the Zhu Family, both sisters, had no conflicts of interest and had blood ties.
As long as Zhu Zhuyun's mind was clear, there would be no exacerbation of conflicts between them.
As for Zhu Zhuqing's engagement with Dai Mubai... If they couldn't achieve soul fusion, there was no need to discuss the engagement. And over the years, many women of the Zhu family had become queens or imperial concubines of the Dai family. Although they were vassals of the Dai family, over the years, they must have had significant connections with many small and large families in the Star Luo Empire, giving them considerable influence.
As long as Zhu Zhuqing demonstrated her talent and annulled the engagement, it would be feasible.
After all, it was Dai Mubai who fled the Star Luo Empire first.
After listening to Tang San's analysis, Zhu Zhuqing was stunned. She had never thought about it this way.
If she lost her connection with Dai Mubai's martial soul, maybe she could really survive. With Dai Mubai losing his competitive edge, his chances of survival would increase.
It could be said that she saved Dai Mubai's life.
As long as he didn't do anything foolish in the future, trying to reclaim the throne.
"So, what kind of soul beast should I choose for my third soul ring?" Zhu Zhuqing wanted to experiment. Even if Tang San's speculation was wrong, if she could bring out her dark attribute, her chances of survival would increase.
At least, Dai Mubai was definitely not reliable anymore. Following him would only lead to a dead end. But if she could reveal another talent of the Dark Spirit Cat, there was a good chance her family wouldn't pressure her anymore.
"Any soul beast with a dark attribute will do," Tang San replied. "Of course, for beast martial souls, absorbing soul rings from beasts of the same species is best, especially since beast martial souls rely on bloodline power."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you, Tang San. I will consider your advice."
Tang San smiled. "No need to thank me. We're comrades, after all."
As the carriage rolled on toward the Star Luo Empire, Zhu Zhuqing pondered Tang San's words. She realized that she had more options than she initially thought. Perhaps there was a path to survival and even success that didn't involve Dai Mubai.
Meanwhile, Tang San quietly observed Zhu Zhuqing, hoping that his advice would lead her to a brighter future.
"Take a look at our Yu Tianheng here," Tang San said. "He's a member of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, and each of his soul rings carries the thunder attribute. But if given the chance, he would definitely choose a dragon-type soul beast with the lightning attribute. Dragon-type soul beasts are rare, and even the pseudo-dragons are uncommon."
Yu Tianheng chuckled, "That's right. In our family, the selection of soul rings requires them to have the thunder attribute. Secondly, they must be dragon-types... Originally, the dragon-type requirement should be paramount, but the problem is, it's not easy to find soul beasts on the continent with dragon lineage. Even pseudo-dragons are hard to come by."
"But even so, Tianheng is still very powerful," Tang San nodded to Yu Tianheng, then turned to Zhu Zhuqing. "If you don't consider the bloodline power of the Spirit Cat, then choosing soul beasts with the dark attribute for each soul ring in the future will definitely reveal the true form of your Dark Spirit Cat."
Zhu Zhuqing pondered, "Can you give me a few options?"
"The Shadow Crow," Tang San began, "this type of soul beast has extremely rich dark elements and can shuttle and sneak in the darkness. According to the 'Soul Beast Encyclopedia,' a thousand-year-old Shadow Crow can make even Spirit Saints who are not good at spiritual power unable to detect its presence."
"If you obtain its soul ring, besides awakening the dark attribute of your Dark Spirit Cat, it can also conceal your form. Combined with your first and second soul skills, it can greatly enhance your assassination abilities, making it difficult for others to perceive you, and your reconnaissance abilities will also greatly improve."
"At the same time, the Shadow Crow is extremely fast. Although it flies with its wings, this speed will also passively benefit your Dark Spirit Cat."
After considering, Zhu Zhuqing found it acceptable.
Dark awakening, concealment that even Spirit Saints couldn't detect, and speed enhancement.
Any of these abilities would make her stronger.
Especially the power of darkness and the strong concealment ability, which could make her an assassin in the dark.
"The second option is the Deathshade Lizard," Tang San continued, "this soul beast also originates from darkness but carries the wind attribute. Absorbing its soul ring can also give you a wind attribute bonus, making you even faster."
"Thirdly, there's the Dark Night Star Spirit, a soul beast similar to a firefly. Although it doesn't provide any attacking soul skills on the surface, according to my speculation, this soul beast has a very rich source of darkness and is easy to control. If you absorb the soul ring of the Dark Night Starl Spirit, not only will your dark abilities awaken, but you will also gain an auxiliary skill for absorbing dark energy, which can accelerate your control of dark elements. This might indirectly help your Dark Spirit Cat to evolve and also accelerate your soul power cultivation speed."
"Choosing the Dark Night Star means giving up an attacking skill in exchange for increased cultivation speed and the transformation of your martial soul."
"I estimate that if you choose this soul ring, you may become a Soul King before the age of twenty."
"Martial soul transformation and cultivation speed enhancement?" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flashed with determination.
And the possibility of becoming a Soul King before twenty?
Just becoming a Soul King, showing her cultivation talent, and not conflicting with her sister's interests would increase her chances of survival, wouldn't it?
"A Soul King at twenty?" Yu Feng exclaimed dramatically, "Isn't that terrifying?"
"What's so surprising about that? I can become a Soul King around twenty too," Huo Wu said confidently, hands on her hips.
"Yeah, I can become a Soul King before fifteen," Xiao Wu chimed in.
Yu Feng: "..."
Everyone around her was a monster. She felt like she couldn't catch up. Would she be kicked out of the Tian Dou Royal Team Of Tian dou Empire in the future?
"Thank you," Zhu Zhuqing thanked Tang San. She wasn't an indecisive person. Once she made up her mind, she would act on it. Since Dai Mubai couldn't be relied upon, making herself strong was the only choice.
Afterward, Guang Ling and Tang San discussed the construction of soul tools.
Now, the others couldn't understand them anymore.
What combination of wind attribute soul guide pathways and fire attribute soul guide pathways could produce a greater effect...
What design, mechanical structure...
They felt like their brains were too dull to understand anything.
Xiao Wu knew a little, but she wasn't interested in soul tool research. As long as her brother and Guang Ling created novel soul tools, she would be fine with using them in the future.
Huo Wu had some impression of it too. She knew that Tang San and Guang Ling were discussing the twelve basic soul guide pathways they obtained from the depths of the Infinite Abyss.
But she couldn't understand either.
However, she believed that with Tang San's wisdom, he might be able to reproduce the method of making non-life-related soul tools.
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed quietly.
The group had already entered the territory of the Star Luo Empire and stopped in a hunting soul forest called the "Shadow Forest."
Except for Zhu Zhuqing, within these seven days, Dugu Yan also reached level forty in cultivation and needed a soul ring. Tang San mentioned that the Pearl Snake Grass preferred shade, so there might be some in the Shadow Forest.
Therefore, Qin Ming decided to help Dugu Yan and Zhu Zhuqing obtain the soul rings they needed.
"Why is the town outside the Shadow Forest so far from the forest?" Yu Feng asked in confusion.
"I'm not sure about that," Qin Ming said. It was his first time leading a team here. The last time he led the previous batch, they took the main road, so he wasn't very familiar with the area.
"What do you think, Zhuqing?" Xiao Wu asked. In the past seven days, she, the most lively among them, had chatted with Zhu Zhuqing about many topics, which had brought them closer.
And Zhu Zhuqing had become more cheerful, proving that most girls were not suitable for staying in places where there were only boys. They needed the company of same-sex friends to make their personalities more cheerful.
"The Shadow Forest is a wild soul beast forest that has not been fully controlled by humans. Although its area is much smaller than the Star Dou Great Forest, there are still thousand-year-old soul beasts inside."
As a Star Luo native, Zhu Zhuqing remembered most of the relevant introductions to the soul beast forests within the Star Luo Empire's territory, even if she didn't fully understand them.
"Are there thousand-year soul beasts?" Qin Ming became somewhat vigilant. After all, some thousand-year soul beasts were difficult for even Titled Douluo to deal with, such as the ten-thousand-year-old Titan Giant Ape.
"As far as I know, there aren't many thousand-year soul beasts inside, only about five," Zhu Zhuqing said. "Once these five ten-thousand-year soul beasts are hunted down or die for other reasons, the Shadow Forest will gradually become like those hunting soul forests controlled jointly by the Empire and the Spirit Hall."
This was the origin of those hunting soul forests controlled by humans!
Wild soul beast forest → Explored by humans → Thousand-year soul beasts gradually killed or migrated due to human hunting → Trees are cut down to establish settlements → Forest size diminishes → Only thousand-year and hundred-year soul beasts remain → Eventually controlled by humans.
"Only five? Well, that's not too bad. As long as we stay away from the central area," Qin Ming relaxed a bit. Leading everyone, they first went to the town, bought maps and handbooks for entering the Shadow Forest, as well as some local insect repellent, just in case.
Upon entering the Shadow Forest, they found the ground covered with dry branches and leaves, giving it a damp appearance.
The canopy overhead was dense, allowing very little sunlight to penetrate, making the environment inside the forest extremely dark.
And so, the name Shadow Forest was aptly given.
According to the map markings, it took Qin Ming and the others half a day to find the Pearl Snake Grass.
The Pearl Snake Grass looked almost like a snake, with its entire body stiff and woody. Inside the "snake head," there was a pearl, which was quite peculiar.
Tang San judged the age of this Pearl Snake Grass, "The inner part of the Pearl Snake Grass's pearl has eight dark green lines, indicating that it has reached eight thousand years."
"Is this the Pearl Snake Grass? It's my first time seeing one. If you hadn't told me in advance, I would have thought it was a real snake," Dugu Yan said cautiously, approaching the base of the Pearl Snake Grass and carefully chopping it off with a dagger. "But an eight-thousand-year-old Pearl Snake Grass should be within my tolerance. My grandfather gave me three fist-sized pieces of thousand-year-old whale glue. My physique should have improved quite a bit."
Until it reaches a thousand years, plant-type soul beasts cannot move, and the Pearl Snake Grass is no exception.
The Pearl Snake Grass is a parasitic plant that grows on snake-type soul beasts. When it is cut, the entire plant breaks apart, revealing its densely packed roots.
A purple soul ring emerged from the pearl of the Pearl Snake Grass, floating in front of Dugu Yan.