Bird of Paradise

"It's just a coincidence."

Liuying cut off halfway.

"Okay."

Meng Hongchen said helplessly.

Although she was a bit annoyed at being interrupted while chatting with the handsome young man, she reminded herself that there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

After all, they both lived in Mingdu, and there would be more chances to interact. She wasn't in a hurry and could afford to be patient.

Seeing Liuying acting so protectively, Liuxing was stunned.

It was the first time he had seen them so vigilant. What was going on?

Was Meng Hongchen really that dangerous?

Although she had already obtained her second spirit ring, there was no need to be so cautious, right?

With Luan Yu around and no immediate threat, Liuxing didn't think Meng Hongchen posed any danger.

Besides, she had the demeanor of a gentle older sister, even if she was a bit too familiar and liked to stare at his face. He actually found it somewhat flattering!

Despite his doubts, he trusted Liuying and let her handle the situation with the young lady who was two years older than him. His gaze then shifted to Xu Tianzhen.

Xu Tianzhen's face was contorted in pain, but she gritted her teeth and persevered. Absorbing the Divine Beast Blood Soul Beast Soul Ring, which had been cultivated for over four hundred years, was clearly challenging for her.

However, her physical fitness was excellent, thanks to the resources she had used to enhance her body.

Although the process was difficult, she managed to absorb it safely.

The same pained expression was visible on the white-haired young man's face.

Absorbing the Gold Devouring Beast's soul ring, which had been cultivated for over eight hundred years, was no easy feat, even for someone who was already a Soul Grand Master.

In fact, given their talent and physical fitness, absorbing soul rings from ordinary four-hundred-year or eight-hundred-year soul beasts should have been relatively easy.

However, absorbing soul rings from top-tier soul beasts was a different story.

The difficulty was at least two levels higher than that of ordinary soul beasts.

Time passed slowly. With two ninth-level soul Engineers guarding her, no soul beast dared to disturb them.

Xu Tianzhen successfully absorbed her first soul ring. Although the process was arduous, she managed to absorb the fiery black soul ring within an hour.

"Yes! (^-^) V, I did it!"

Xu Tianzhen jumped up, raising her right hand in a triumphant V-sign.

Luan Yu patted Xu Tianzhen's head and said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Don't get too cocky. What soul skill did you get? How much has your soul power increased?"

Xu Tianzhen, without any hesitation, replied cheerfully, "My soul power increased by two levels. I'm now at level twelve. As for the soul skill, it's called the Power of the Sun."

As she spoke, Xu Tianzhen raised her right hand, and a golden ball of light appeared, surrounded by a yellow aura.

The yellow soul ring glowed brightly, and a stream of golden light emanated from the ball.

Under the golden light, Xu Tianzhen's aura and soul power fluctuations increased noticeably.

Then, the surrounding light began to converge toward Xu Tianzhen's hand.

After a few seconds, a burst of golden light shot out, piercing a tree more than ten meters away.

The wound on the tree was scorched black, as if burned by intense heat.

Xu Tianzhen placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head slightly with a proud smile. "My first soul skill, the Power of the Sun, not only boosts my soul power and flame temperature but also gathers solar energy to emit the Sun's Light."

"Impressive!"

Luan Yu stroked his chin and added, "A soul beast with the Three-Legged Golden Crow's bloodline is indeed a perfect match for the Sun Martial Soul. This soul skill will remain useful even when Xiao Tianzhen becomes a Titled Douluo. However, the time it takes to emit the Sun's Light is a bit too slow."

Indeed, it had taken Xu Tianzhen several seconds to condense the Sun's Light, which was more than enough time for an opponent to prepare in a battle.

Xu Tianzhen pouted. "It's not that I can't speed it up, but it'll take a lot of practice."

The Power of the Sun was a soul skill that required significant time and effort to master, which wasn't exactly good news for the playful Xu Tianzhen.

"Then you'll have to work hard! A few seconds of preparation time can make all the difference," Ye Guyi remarked, raising an eyebrow.

She was already looking forward to sparring with Xu Tianzhen. If Xu Tianzhen's first soul skill had such a delay, Ye Guyi was confident she could dodge it.

Luan Yu's eyes narrowed slightly as she considered something.

When Xu Tianzhen had gathered the Sun's Light, Luan Yu had wondered if a soul tool designed to condense solar energy could make the Sun's Light instantaneous. Theoretically, it was possible.

However, if Xu Tianzhen could master the skill independently, there would be no need to rely on a soul tool.

For now, Luan Yu decided to let Xu Tianzhen struggle a bit.

Once she had practiced enough, Luan Yu would gift her a soul tool to condense the Sun's Light. A mischievous smile crept onto Luan Yu's face.

Xu Tianzhen shuddered, feeling an inexplicable wave of malice. She glanced around suspiciously, wondering if a soul beast was lurking nearby.

When Liuxing noticed Luan Yu's smile, he knew she was up to something. Who was the target this time?

After spending so much time together, Liuxing had become well-acquainted with Luan Yu's cunning nature.

Looking at Xu Tianzhen, who was still scanning her surroundings, Liuxing realized it was her.

Well, that was fine. As long as the target wasn't him or Liuying, he was content to watch the fun.

Compared to Xu Tianzhen, who had absorbed her first soul ring, the white-haired boy, Xiao Hongchen, took longer to absorb his second soul ring.

Although the Gold Devouring Beast's bloodline wasn't as potent as the Blazing Crow's, it was still a top-tier soul beast, and the soul ring was over eight hundred years old.

The difficulty of absorption was significantly higher, hence the extended time.

However, Jing Hongchen had allowed his grandson to absorb the Gold Devouring Beast's soul ring because he was confident in Xiao Hongchen's abilities. .

Sure enough, Xiao Hongchen successfully absorbed the Gold Devouring Beast's soul ring without any issues.

As the second yellow soul ring appeared on his Golden Three-Legged Toad, it was clear that Xiao Hongchen had succeeded.

"Grandpa, I did it," Xiao Hongchen said proudly, opening his eyes and looking at Jing Hongchen.

"Good, good, good! Absorbing the Gold Devouring Beast's soul ring will benefit your Three-Legged Golden Toad. While it won't enhance its bloodline, it will improve its quality by a few points," Jing Hongchen said, his face filled with pride and relief.

Jing Hongchen had high hopes for his grandson. The Three-Legged Golden Toad possessed the bloodline of a divine beast, and its metal attribute made it highly suitable for crafting and controlling soul tools.

Xiao Hongchen was a natural-born soul engineer. As long as nothing went wrong, Jing Hongchen believed his grandson would surpass him and perhaps even reach the legendary tenth-level soul engineer.

Compared to his equally talented granddaughter, Meng Hongchen, Jing Hongchen was still more optimistic about his grandson, Xiao Hongchen.

Although Meng Hongchen's Vermillion Clear Icetoad martial soul was powerful, it wasn't particularly helpful for crafting soul tools.

Moreover, the Vermillion Clear Icetoad had a critical flaw, its cold poison could backfire on its user.

If Meng Hongchen wasn't careful, she could die from the cold poison.

Meng Hongchen's path to growth was far more treacherous than Xiao Hongchen's.

As long as Xiao Hongchen followed the steps laid out for him, he had the potential to surpass him.

On the other hand, Meng Hongchen might not even survive to adulthood, as the cold poison could claim her life before she fully became an adult.

Of course, Jing Hongchen wouldn't stand by and let his granddaughter walk into a dead end. He had been preparing for this eventuality for some time.

Seeing that his sister, instead of focusing on absorbing her soul ring, had wandered off to chat with others, Xiao Hongchen's expression darkened.

He glared at the only male present besides himself and his grandfather, his face filled with displeasure.

Sensing Xiao Hongchen's hostile gaze, Liuxing was confused. What had he done to offend this guy with the sharp eyes and long nose?

However, Liuxing wasn't intimidated. He greeted Xiao Hongchen with a friendly smile, which only made the latter more frustrated.

Unable to vent his anger, Xiao Hongchen turned to Meng Hongchen and said sternly, "Meng, what are you doing?"

Meng Hongchen looked back at him, puzzled. "What does it look like I'm doing? Making friends! What else?"

Xiao Hongchen's lips twitched. He knew his sister well and wasn't buying her casual explanation.

Although Meng Hongchen didn't wear her pride on her sleeve like he did, she was no less arrogant.

She rarely took the initiative to befriend ordinary people, as she usually looked down on them.

Unless, of course, the person in question was exceptionally good-looking. That's rightz Meng Hongchen was an unapologetic "face enthusiast."

Glancing at Liuxing's white hair and blue eyes, Xiao Hongchen had to admit that the boy was slightly more handsome than himself.

No wonder Meng Hongchen was so eager to chat with him.

At just six years old, Liuxing already looked adorable. What would he look like when he grew up?

Xiao Hongchen couldn't help but feel a surge of hostility toward Liuxing.

Liuxing, noticing the tension, suddenly realized what was going on.

So, Xiao Hongchen was a protective older brother! Well, two could play that game.

"Sister Meng, are you heading back to Mingdu soon? It's a shame we haven't found a suitable soul beast yet. Otherwise, we could have gone back together," Liuxing said, feigning disappointment as he moved closer to Meng Hongchen.

Meng Hongchen, momentarily entranced by Liuxing's face, absentmindedly patted her chest and said, "It's fine! What kind of soul beast are you looking for? I could can ask Grandpa to help you find it."

"Ahem!"

Jing Hongchen's monocle nearly fell off as he coughed twice, trying to regain his composure. Xiao Hongchen, meanwhile, stumbled in disbelief, staring at his sister as if she'd grown a second head.

Luan Yu, barely holding back her laughter, gave Liuxing a thumbs-up.

Liuying, on the other hand, puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, glaring at Liuxing.

Why was he being so friendly with Meng Hongchen? And why were they standing so close?

Liuxing hadn't expected his plan to work so well. Was he some kind of charm monster?

Meng Hongchen's defenses were way too low. He'd barely started, and she was already offering to help!

"Ahem! Meng, come back. I still have matters to attend to in Illustrious Virtue Hall. Besides, with Ice Phoenix Douluo here, there's not much I can do to help," Jing Hongchen quickly called his granddaughter back.

He didn't want her getting too attached to Liuxing and his group. Who knew what might happen if she stayed any longer?

"Oh, alright. Liuxing, what kind of soul beast do you need? We've been on the outskirts of the Demon Forest for a while now. We might have come across the one you're looking for," Meng Hongchen said reluctantly as she walked back toward Jing Hongchen, glancing over her shoulder at Liuxing.

Liuxing's eyes lit up. While the Demon Forest had been fascinating at first, the novelty had worn off after a while. If Meng Hongchen's information could save them time, that would be perfect.

"Thank you, Sister Meng. We're looking for a Holy-attribute soul beast around four hundred years old and a fire-attribute soul beast around a thousand years old."

"Holy attribute? A thousand-year soul beast?"

Not only Meng Hongchen but also Jing Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen looked at Liuxing in surprise.

A four-hundred-year Holy-attribute soul beast was understandable, but a thousand-year soul beast?

Were they dealing with a Soul Elder among these kids?

Although Meng Hongchen didn't know why Liuxing needed a thousand-year soul beast, she figured that with Ice Phoenix Douluo around, they wouldn't do anything reckless.

She didn't press further and instead pondered for a moment before turning to Jing Hongchen. "Grandpa, I remember seeing a Bird of Paradise in a valley two days ago. It seemed to be a Holy and light-attribute soul beast, right? I'm just not sure how old it was."

Jing Hongchen gave Liuxing a thoughtful look.

He was curious about why they needed a thousand-year soul beast, but with Luan Yu present, he decided not to pry. "You're in luck. It happens to be a Bird of Paradise between three and five hundred years old. You'll need to confirm its exact age yourself," he said, handing Luan Yu a map marking the Bird of Paradise's location.

"Thank you, Hall Master Hongchen. Without your help, we might have been searching for who knows how long," Luan Yu said, her face lighting up as she examined the map.

Holy-attribute soul beasts were incredibly rare, especially in the Evil Demon Forest, where dark-attribute soul beasts were more common. Finding one was no small feat.

Luan Yu had initially prepared for the possibility that they might not find a Holy e-attribute soul beast.

If that happened, she planned to have Ye Guyi absorb a light-attribute soul ring instead. While not as ideal, it would still be a decent alternative.

With the Holy-attribute soul beast located, finding a fire-attribute one would be much easier. Fire-attribute soul beasts weren't rare, but finding a high-quality one would still require some effort.

"Well, Hall Master Hongchen, we'll take our leave now. There are still three children here who need their soul rings," Luan Yu said, bidding farewell to Jing Hongchen.

"Of course. We should head back as well. I look forward to the day these children enroll in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy," Jing Hongchen replied with a smile.

He had put aside his duties to help Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen find the most suitable soul beasts.

Now that the task was complete, it was time to return. Besides, meeting Liuxing and his group had been a pleasant surprise.

He couldn't wait to see the waves they would make once they joined the academy.

"Goodbye, Sister Meng," Liuxing waved at Meng Hongchen. She had been a great help, and without her, they might have spent much longer searching for a suitable soul beast for Ye Guyi.

"Goodbye, Brother Liuxing. When you return to Mingdu, I will come meet you."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xiao Hongchen and Liuying's expressions darkened simultaneously.

Their moods soured instantly, and they wished they would never have to see each other again.

Watching Liuxing and the others leave, Xiao Hongchen pondered, "Grandpa, why do you think they're looking for a thousand-year soul beast?"

Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice, "Although I haven't seen it myself, I've heard that some talented individuals or sects with secret methods can allow exceptional disciples to absorb soul rings that exceed their usual limits. However, absorbing a thousand-year soul ring as the first soul ring requires physical fitness that surpasses even that of a Soul Grand Master master."

Jing Hongchen was well-informed and knew that many geniuses from the original Douluo Three Empires had soul rings that exceeded the so-called optimal lifespan.

However, absorbing a thousand-year soul ring as the first soul ring was something he had never seen before.

Even with a twin martial soul, one might only be able to absorb a thousand-year soul ring as the second soul ring.

"How is that possible, Grandpa? That's ridiculous! How could anyone absorb a thousand-year soul ring as their first soul ring?"

Xiao Hongchen's face was filled with disbelief. He prided himself on his talent, but he didn't dare to attempt absorbing a thousand-year soul ring as his second soul ring.

Now, Jing Hongchen was telling him that someone could absorb a thousand-year soul ring as their first soul ring. How could he accept that?

Jing Hongchen smiled and said, "Many powerful sects have secret methods to increase the lifespan of soul rings, but they consume too many resources, and most won't use them. As long as one's physical fitness is strong enough, it's possible to absorb a soul ring beyond one's limits. For example, the Body Sect."

"Grandpa, are you saying that some people are just naturally physically stronger?"

Meng Hongchen wasn't as skeptical as Xiao Hongchen.

Although she was proud, she wasn't as exaggerated as her brother. Just because she couldn't do something didn't mean others couldn't.

"Exactly. That little guy named Liuxing and that girl named Liuying likely have physical fitness that surpasses yours."

As a ninth-level soul engineer, Jing Hongchen had the insight to make such an assessment.

"Liuying?"

Meng Hongchen's eyes narrowed. If it were just Liuxing, she would only feel joy, but Liuying's presence made her wary.

She saw Liuying as an obstacle, someone she needed to guard against.

She still didn't believe Liuying's claim that she and Liuxing weren't siblings.

After all, they looked alike and had similar names. If she knew that their martial souls were the same, she would have been even more convinced.

Just like her and Xiao Hongchen, anyone could tell they were siblings at a glance, even though their martial souls were different.

Liuxing and Liuying, with their similar appearances, names, and identical martial souls, gave off the impression of being siblings.

Meng Hongchen thought Liuying was lying to keep her away from Liuxing.

"Is it innate physical strength, or could it be a twin martial soul?"

Jing Hongchen took a deep look in the direction where Luan Yu and the others had left.

Since they were geniuses from the Sun and Moon Empire, there was no need to delve deeper.

If they were from the original Douluo Three Empires, he would have tried to eliminate them.

---

Following the map provided by Jing Hongchen, Luan Yu led Liuxing and the others southward.

Soon, they arrived at an open valley nestled within the Demon Forest. The valley was a stark contrast to the forest's usual dark and foreboding atmosphere.

Lush meadows, bare rocks, gurgling streams, and cascading waterfalls created a vibrant and serene landscape.

As they gazed at the valley, Liuxing and the others were filled with awe. It was no wonder the Bird of Paradise had chosen this place. The valley was like an oasis of tranquility within the Demon Forest.

At that moment, a clear chirp echoed through the air.

A large bird with radiant white feathers, as if woven from the purest crystals or silk, flew out of the valley. Its melodious chirp, like the whispers of angels, washed over the group, calming their restless hearts and bringing them an unprecedented sense of peace.

It was no wonder that the Bird of Paradise, despite having only a few hundred years of cultivation, could survive in the Demon Forest.

Its cry had the power to soothe even the most aggressive soul beasts.

Even a 10,000-year soul beast might hesitate to attack the Bird of Paradise.

The bird landed on a nearby mountain, its pure eyes curiously observing the group.

It tilted its head and chirped softly again, its beautiful song like a clear spring flowing through their hearts, filling them with warmth.

"What a beautiful bird!"

"It's stunning!"

Liuying and Xu Tianzhen gazed at the Bird of Paradise with admiration.

But then they remembered that they were supposed to hunt this beautiful creature, and a sense of reluctance washed over them.

Maybe we should just let it go," Ye Guyi said hesitantly. She felt a strange sense of closeness to the Bird of Paradise, as if it were a motherly presence.

The bird showed no hostility and didn't seem inclined to attack them. It simply watched them with curiosity.

Even Liuxing felt a pang of guilt. Did they really have to kill this gentle creature and let Ye Guyi absorb its soul ring?

Luan Yu sighed. If the Bird of Paradise had attacked them, she might have been able to justify killing it, even with its soothing presence and beauty.

But now, in front of the children, she couldn't bring herself to do it. How could she ask Ye Guyi, a six-year-old girl, to kill a creature that brought her such warmth and comfort?

"Guyi, it's your decision," Luan Yu said, turning to Ye Guyi. After all, it was her soul ring, and she should be the one to decide.

"I've made up my mind, Aunt Luan Yu. Let's find another light-attributed soul beast. Let this Bird of Paradise live peacefully here."

Ye Guyi shook her head. She couldn't bring herself to harm the Bird of Paradise.

It was a gentle creature, close to humans, and symbolized good fortune. Without a strong resolve, it was difficult to justify killing it.

Besides, Ye Guyi didn't necessarily need the Bird of Paradise's soul ring. It was only a hundred-year soul ring, and she could find another light-attribute soul beast for her needs.