Stepping out of the cave, Lin Yang searched the Golden Lion Tiger Beast's corpse thoroughly and even scanned it once with the Transparent World. Not to mention an external spirit bone—there wasn't even a shadow of a regular spirit bone.
Looks like my luck wasn't stacked high enough this time, Lin Yang silently grumbled in his heart. As for whether he himself was just unlucky? Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
He then used Blindfold to check Xiao Wu's location and found she had already returned to the inn where they had agreed to meet. Without further delay, he quickly left the Star Dou Great Forest.
Back at the inn, the little rabbit finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she saw Lin Yang return completely unscathed. She knew better than anyone how dangerous the Star Dou Great Forest was—even a Title Douluo could end up with nothing but bones if they were careless.
After relaxing, however, her curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to know what kind of spirit ring Lin Yang had obtained.
Lin Yang smiled faintly. Three spirit rings rose beneath his feet one after another. The moment the third ten-thousand-year spirit ring appeared, Xiao Wu's expression froze completely. She stammered,
"T-Ten-thousand-year spirit ring?"
Lin Yang chuckled in confirmation but said nothing more.
"But… how did you overcome the spiritual shock?" the little rabbit asked in disbelief, pressing for an answer.
"Maybe because my spiritual power is quite strong. It didn't feel that difficult," Lin Yang replied casually. "Your second spirit skill didn't work on me either, right?"
"You really are…"
Xiao Wu puffed up her cheeks, suddenly at a loss for words. Being this much of a show-off—did he know how easy it was to get beaten up?
After a moment, something else occurred to her and she asked again,
"What about your other martial soul? You must have added a spirit ring to it too, right?"
Lin Yang's mind stirred. Three more spirit rings appeared beneath his feet. This time, however, the first to emerge was a ten-thousand-year spirit ring, followed by a thousand-year purple spirit ring, and finally a hundred-year yellow spirit ring.
This bizarre spirit ring configuration once again left the little rabbit stunned.
"Your spirit rings… what's going on? Weren't they two thousand-year rings before?"
Lin Yang didn't hide anything and explained the special nature of his second martial soul.
As expected, Xiao Wu was shocked once again.
"A martial soul can condense its own spirit rings?"
"And the spirit ring's age limit can be freely increased by absorbing other rings?"
At that moment, Xiao Wu's understanding of the world from childhood until now was completely overturned. All that remained was a little girl standing there, somewhat at a loss.
She stared blankly at Lin Yang. They had spent so much time together, yet she felt like she understood him less and less.
Did such a peculiar martial soul really exist in this world? Condensing spirit rings on its own—wasn't that a special ability only possessed by hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts in human form?
"You… you… is there anything else I don't know?"
Xiao Wu asked softly, her tone carrying an inexplicable hint of grievance.
Lin Yang thought for a moment. "Does immortality count?"
"I… guess so," the little rabbit nodded with difficulty.
"And?"
"Should be nothing else," Lin Yang shrugged. "You probably already know the rest."
At this, Xiao Wu lifted her eyes and gave him a quiet, lingering look.
"If I hadn't asked, would you have never told me?"
"Not exactly," Lin Yang smiled. "It's just that even if I told you these things, you probably wouldn't believe them without seeing them with your own eyes."
Xiao Wu nodded silently.
The facts were right in front of her. She had no choice but to admit that Lin Yang's martial soul was truly beyond common sense. No wonder he was so obsessed with exceeding the limit on spirit rings.
At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. Why had she gone back? If she had stayed by Lin Yang's side, she might have witnessed that special martial soul with her own eyes. What a missed opportunity!
While the little rabbit was secretly feeling annoyed with herself, Lin Yang picked up a water cup, took a sip to moisten his throat, and asked casually,
"How did your trip back go?"
"It was fine," Xiao Wu replied offhandedly, then added, "If there's a chance in the future, I'll introduce Da Ming and Er Ming to you."
"Better not. I'm afraid they'll slap me to death," Lin Yang joked with a laugh. "After all, I'm human."
Unexpectedly, his casual joke seemed to trigger Xiao Wu's defensive instincts.
"They won't," the little rabbit hurriedly leaned in, staring seriously into Lin Yang's eyes. "I definitely won't let Da Ming or Er Ming hurt you."
Lin Yang leaned back slightly and quickly raised his hands. "Okay, okay, I believe you."
Xiao Wu wrinkled her nose and let out a light "hmph," stepping back two paces while muttering something under her breath.
The two rested at the inn for one night. The next day, they set off in a carriage and left the small town.
Sitting inside the carriage, Xiao Wu asked curiously,
"Where are we going next?"
Lin Yang was silent for a few seconds before answering, "Shrek Academy."
Xiao Wu grew interested. "I've never heard of this academy."
The corners of Lin Yang's mouth lifted slightly. "Because it's an irregular school—and it's exactly where you'll be staying from now on."
Xiao Wu immediately caught the key point in his words. Lin Yang had said "you" instead of "us."
Her small face stiffened, carrying both panic and anger.
"Lin Yang… what do you mean by that?"
Lin Yang didn't hide his intentions. "From now on, we'll be separated for a while."
He laid out his plans openly and made it clear that he had to go to Heaven Dou City. The earlier he obtained the immortal herbs, the stronger he would become. One step faster meant every step after would be faster—that was the principle!
Hearing the determination in Lin Yang's voice, Xiao Wu knew she couldn't stop him. She understood that he had never stopped pursuing greater power. Forcing him to stay would only drive them apart, and that wasn't what she wanted.
"Then I can also go…"
Xiao Wu muttered softly, but before she could finish, Lin Yang firmly interrupted her.
"No!"
After a pause, his tone softened.
"Until you master 'All-Seeing,' you will stay at Shrek Academy. It's the most suitable place for you right now."
Admittedly, Shrek Academy's teaching philosophy of "only the mediocre avoid causing trouble" was utter nonsense.
But Lin Yang wasn't counting on Xiao Wu learning much there. He simply wanted a temporary shelter for her.
On one hand, Shrek Academy was located in a remote area. Few powerful experts would notice this "wild chicken" academy set up in a village. At the same time, the academy's current students should only be Ma Hongjun and Oscar. Fewer students meant fewer social interactions and thus fewer troubles. After all, before Tang San arrived, how many people could even enter this irregular academy?
On the other hand, Flender was a Soul Saint, which served as a good protective talisman. His strength was high but not excessively so. It could ward off unnecessary external troubles while allowing Xiao Wu to cultivate in peace.
The only downsides were the academy's harsh conditions, strict curriculum, and high tuition fees. But for Xiao Wu, who had already started fighting in the Great Soul Arena, was that really a problem?
The third point was that it was close enough to the Star Dou Great Forest. If anything unexpected happened, she could run straight toward the forest.
A hundred-thousand-year spirit beast in human form needed prolonged contact with humans to absorb human aura and maintain their shape. Otherwise, their cultivation would stagnate or even regress. Otherwise, the safest choice would have been to keep Xiao Wu in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Listening to Lin Yang's detailed analysis, Xiao Wu looked at him with softened eyes. She was certain that Lin Yang was truly doing this for her own good and not because he saw her as a burden he wanted to dump somewhere.
Lin Yang said gently, "As soon as you master 'All-Seeing,' I will come to pick you up right away."
"Mm!"
Xiao Wu responded softly and directly rested her forehead against his shoulder.
Feeling the warm softness on his shoulder, Lin Yang revealed a faint smile.
Sunlight poured down as the carriage gradually drove into the distance, leaving only faint wheel tracks behind.