Because the Titan Giant Ape had appeared earlier, Xiao Lin and the others lingered in the mixed zone for a while, but fortunately nothing dangerous happened.
Still, the three didn't stay long and soon headed toward the outer area.
It seemed Tang San had been deeply affected by Xiao Lin's soul skill. Along the way, he didn't say a single word.
At the moment, in their trio, Tang San walked in front, silently following the trail of Blue Silver Grass he had left earlier, while forcefully holding in a breath, trying to circulate his Xuan Tian Skill and break through at this moment.
Seeing Tang San like this, Xiao Wu and Xiao Lin didn't disturb him either.
In fact, Xiao Wu looked at Tang San's state with anticipation, hoping he'd break through quickly—and that she could follow soon, reaching level 20.
Looking at the couple acting in sync, even their gestures the same, Xiao Lin was speechless.He could only stay alert and keep watch in case any soul beasts suddenly appeared.
Now that the Titan Giant Ape had left, some bold soul beasts might venture out again.
Also, Xiao Lin no longer pinned his hopes on obtaining the external spirit bone from the Man-Faced Demon Spider.
The Star Dou Forest was just too vast. He had entered from the direction of Nuoding City, not from Soto City like in the original timeline. Who knew how far that was?
And judging by Xiao Wu's carefree expression, it didn't look like she was thinking about the Man-Faced Demon Spider incident at all.
Forget it. In the future, he could try the blood-red honeyfruit and flawed external spirit bone from the blood-red agate with other soul beasts.
The mutant Demonic Eyed Tree in Holy Soul Village was a good choice—it couldn't even move.
…
And so, the three returned to the outer area. Over the next dozen days, they encountered almost no soul beasts. The journey was even safer than the Soul Hunting Forest.
Then, when they were just over a hundred kilometers from the forest's edge—Tang San broke through.
At this point, he didn't look particularly happy. He pretended to be surprised and informed Xiao Lin and Xiao Wu.
As if telling them he hadn't deliberately leveled up—it just happened naturally and effortlessly.
Seeing Tang San offer an apologetic smile, Xiao Lin could only shrug.
"Let's go find a soul beast for Xiao San."
"If we can find Pong Pong Cotton or a Soul Gathering Pumpkin, that'd be ideal. If not, any soul beast with strong vitality will do."
"I promise it'll be suitable."
With Xiao Lin around, Tang San wasn't insistent on getting only Pong Pong Cotton.He trusted Xiao Lin's judgment and didn't believe he'd choose a subpar backup.
Since Tang San urgently needed a spirit ring, the trio resumed a triangle formation:Agility-type Xiao Wu led the way, Tang San supported from the side, and Xiao Lin acted according to the situation—attacking surprise soul beasts and protecting the team.
Tang San and Xiao Wu were both puzzled. Wasn't the fastest and strongest supposed to lead in front?
But Xiao Lin had arranged it this way, so they didn't question it—assuming he wanted to train their survival skills.
Survival skills? If Xiao Lin had heard that, he'd definitely retort: "This is Xiao Wu leading the way for Tang San!"
Without Xiao Wu, Tang San might spend one or two months and still not find a suitable soul beast with strong life force.
Under the shadow of Xiao Lin's overpowering soul skill, Tang San and Xiao Wu couldn't treat things normally anymore.
Even if he couldn't get the most powerful skill, he needed the most suitable one—preferably multi-functional and strong.
At this point, Tang San wouldn't accept any random soul beast.
"Pong Pong Cotton, its attack power is weak—almost none—but it has powerful life force and terrifying regenerative ability. It moves by bouncing and floating due to its light weight."
"Plus, it's a plant-type soul beast. It only needs sunlight to survive and grow, so it doesn't compete with others for resources. It's extremely suitable for you, Xiao San."
"And it can inflate its cotton body to scare off stronger soul beasts."
On the way, Xiao Lin explained all of Pong Pong Cotton's abilities, hoping Tang San could get multiple traits from it.
Even if those traits didn't become soul skills or weren't obvious, abilities like photosynthesis or self-inflation were very useful.
Suddenly—
"Hey, you guys! Run! A Titan Giant Ape just appeared!"
A girl around 11 years old suddenly dashed out and shouted at them. She looked surprised to see them, then shouted a warning before running off.
She was well-dressed but looked battered, and the fact that she warned them made Xiao Lin's group feel some goodwill toward her.
After running for a while, she noticed Xiao Lin's group hadn't followed. Anxiety showed on her charming face, which had an air of allure despite not being top-tier beauty.
What's wrong with those three kids?
Forget it. Live or die, it's fate.
Hu Liena hesitated for a moment but then ran off alone.
Not even Chrysanthemum Douluo could resist the Forest King Titan Giant Ape—how could she worry about others?
Right now, her only goal was to keep running to prevent Chrysanthemum Douluo from getting distracted.
She needed to create a sliver of hope for his escape.
Thinking of his Chrysanthemum Transcending Heaven spirit and indestructible soul power, she figured he might be able to endure three punches from the Titan Giant Ape.
If Chrysanthemum Douluo knew what she thought, he'd definitely curse her out.
His martial spirit was good, yes—but without high-quality spirit rings, its power had diminished greatly.
Surviving even one punch was already miraculous, let alone three.
…
One minute earlier
When Xiao Lin's group heard the Titan Giant Ape was still nearby, their reactions varied:
Tang San: Damn it! What's wrong with this Titan Giant Ape? Chasing us all the way to the outer area?!
Xiao Lin: Perfect! Xiao Wu, how should I coordinate with you for the "act" later?
Xiao Wu: Huh? I was about to break through to level 20, but I didn't send Er Ming any signal…
She had planned to break through after Tang San got his second spirit ring.
But now the sudden change left her unsure what to do.
Running away like the others seemed like a normal kid's behavior—but what if Er Ming got hurt?
Could it be that crazy woman from before?
Xiao Wu wanted to find Er Ming, though she couldn't help much at the moment.
Noticing Xiao Wu's nervous and hesitant look, Xiao Lin realized something was wrong.
Why was she uneasy now?
Unable to figure it out, Xiao Lin grabbed Tang San with one hand and Xiao Wu with the other, and sprinted in the opposite direction at full speed.
He didn't know who the girl was, but seriously—who just runs into a Titan Giant Ape like that?
Could she also have some kind of background?
That's what Xiao Lin figured. Regardless, they couldn't flee in the same direction as her.
After activating his second soul skill twice—Phantom Lightning Flash—Xiao Lin's speed skyrocketed, and he quickly disappeared.
Only three motionless shadow clones remained where they had been.
At this moment, not even Xiao Lin realized:
His Phantom Lightning Flash could leave shadows of his teammates, too.
Whether those shadows could also use soul skills or attack like him was still unknown.
(End of Chapter)