The short battle lasted less than thirty seconds. In the shocked eyes of Flender and Liu Erlong, Su Yuntao had actually killed the Mutant Wind Wolf King with a single shot—clean and precise.
Sisi, however, had been worried the whole time. She stood behind Flender and Liu Erlong, watching Su Yuntao fight alone. She desperately wanted to help, but she knew Su Yuntao would never let her. That was his battlefield. All she could do was silently pray for his safety.
Earlier, when Su Yuntao had leaped into the air and narrowly avoided the wolf's fatal strike, Sisi had nearly screamed out loud. But she held back, afraid of distracting him. Luckily, in the end, the Mutant Wind Wolf King fell.
As Su Yuntao staggered from exhaustion and looked like he might collapse, Sisi couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She rushed over, held him in her arms, and gently wiped the cold sweat from his face. After all, this was his first time fighting a soul beast alone.
Lying in Sisi's petite arms, Su Yuntao looked up at her teary red eyes, filled with worry for him. Reaching up, he gently wiped her tears and said with a grin:
"Sisi, look—I did it. Don't cry, okay? Otherwise, my goddess Sisi won't look as pretty. See? My efforts weren't in vain!"
Sisi let out a tearful laugh, partly angry, partly touched. Her tears dropped onto Su Yuntao's lips—slightly salty, but to him, they felt warm and comforting.
Looking at his silly smile, Sisi scolded him gently for being reckless. She tried her best to sound like a senior sister and said,
"Next time… don't be so stubborn! Now get out of my arms, recover your strength and soul power quickly, and prepare to absorb the soul ring!"
Flender watched the touching scene between the two young lovers with a trace of envy. He sneaked a glance at Liu Erlong, who was also watching the pair. But with a soul master's sharp perception, Liu Erlong instantly noticed Flender's gaze.
She glared at him and snapped,
"Flender, don't even think about it! I'm not doing anything like that! Stay alert. The scent of blood will attract more beasts. We need to let Su Yuntao absorb the soul ring and leave immediately. Go spread some powder around to cover the smell!"
Flender drooped his shoulders and muttered,
"Oh... Sister Erlong, I'll go now…"
Liu Erlong turned her back so Flender wouldn't see her blushing ears. Honestly, she didn't dare act like Sisi had just done, either.
Once she composed herself, Liu Erlong walked over and glanced at the weapon hanging on Su Yuntao's side. The power it displayed earlier still surprised her. She bent down and gently stroked Sisi's hair, offering comfort.
"Don't worry. Your little lover just overexerted his soul power. He'll recover soon. But that weapon... was it something your teacher gave you for protection? It was powerful enough to pierce the hardest skull of the wolf king!"
Sisi blushed at Liu Erlong's teasing but nodded.
"Sister Erlong, you're teasing me again!"
Then, seeing Liu Erlong's curious gaze, Sisi gave in and explained honestly:
"Our teacher called this weapon a 'gun.' It has tremendous power. Even strong ordinary people can use it. The version we carry is a simplified model. The original soul guide version is much more powerful—but also dangerous.
So the teacher removed the soul guide parts and reduced the power to give us a version purely for survival. It's still strong enough to seriously injure an ordinary soul master with one shot."
Liu Erlong widened her beautiful eyes as she stared at the small gun hanging on Su Yuntao's waist. At that moment, Flender returned and overheard Sisi's explanation. Seeing Liu Erlong's interest, he remembered that Yu Xiaogang had given him one too. He pulled it out and offered it to her:
"If you like it, Sister Erlong, you can have mine! I'll just ask Xiaogang to make me another. Who knew such a little thing could be so powerful?"
Liu Erlong snapped back to her senses and pushed Flender's hand away with a scoff.
"Flender, keep it for yourself. It might save your life one day! Anyway, Xiaogang said he'd give me one later."
She then glanced at the soul ring of the Mutant Gale Wolf King and frowned.
"But looking at the color of the ring, it seems too old! Flender, you're going to have to go hunting again. You messed up this time! If you screw up again, I'll show you what happens!"
At that moment, Su Yuntao had recovered enough to hear Liu Erlong's concern about the ring's age. But he looked determined.
"Master, no need to trouble Uncle. I'll use this one. I believe I can absorb it—I trust in my training!"
Sisi grew worried. She scolded him,
"Su Yuntao! Don't be reckless. I've read a lot of teacher's books and materials. Based on the appearance, this soul beast is between 790 and 860 years old. That slight purple tint in the ring… it's definitely around 850 years!
Do you understand the risk? Look into my eyes and think again!"
Flender joined in as well,
"She's right! It was my fault. I'll catch another suitable beast for you. You've already done great in this battle."
This time, Su Yuntao didn't avoid her gaze. He looked straight into Sisi's eyes—firm, clear, unwavering.
"To go further as a soul master… and to prove the teacher's martial soul evolution theory—I believe I can do it. I may never find a mutant soul beast like this again. I won't let it go."
Then he added, smiling softly,
"And… so that I can keep protecting you."
Sisi blushed instantly. She fumbled with her storage soul guide, pulled out a small bottle, and handed it to him. Then, on tiptoe, she kissed him on the cheek and whispered,
"Then don't break your promise, my guardian knight!"
Embarrassed, she ran over to Liu Erlong and buried her face in her bosom.
"This… this is the secret medicine Teacher left for you. It can quickly and continuously heal your meridians and body. As long as you can endure the soul ring's impact, you'll absorb it safely. See? The teacher really didn't misjudge you…"
She remembered how Yu Xiaogang had teased her when giving her the medicine, saying Su Yuntao would definitely risk his life for her. Turns out, the teacher had been right.
Su Yuntao looked at the bottle in his hand, then downed it in one gulp—giving himself no chance to hesitate.
He walked over to the Mutant Gale Wolf King's corpse, sat cross-legged, and formed the seal to draw the soul ring.
"Let me complete the teacher's martial soul evolution theory. I'll take in everything from you, Mutant Gale Wolf King! Let me grow stronger and walk a firmer path as a soul master!"
"Come—my first soul ring!"
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