At the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Zhu Ziyang emerged with his soul spirits.
Qian Lingyi, who had already been awake for several days, immediately ran over, eyes filled with worry.
"Brother Yang, where have you been for so long? It's been seven days already!"
"Seven days have passed?" Zhu Ziyang was surprised. He hadn't expected the process of fusing the Ice Dragon King's torso bone to take that long.
"Yes!" Qian Lingyi had countless questions for him but refrained when she saw the confusion on his face.
"Master!" Komeko and Rogier approached, greeting him respectfully.
"You've worked hard. Go rest." Zhu Ziyang waved his hand, opening a portal. The two Light-aligned powerhouses didn't hesitate and stepped into it.
"Hey! Zhu Ziyang, where's Bingbing? What did you do to her?" From the Yang Spring, Infernal Delicate Apricot shouted with both anger and anxiety.
"Jiaojiao, I'm right here." Zhu Ziyang didn't respond directly. Instead, it was Lu'er—the new form of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass—who answered her.
"You… you're Bingbing?" Infernal Delicate Apricot stared at the flower fairy in the blue-white ceremonial dress, her tone full of shock and disbelief.
"She's the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass? How did she become like this?" Qian Lingyi was equally curious, observing Lu'er and the other girls—Xuedi, Bingdi, and Second Frost. Her eyes were full of speculation. "Are these the soul spirits Brother Yang told me about?"
"Yes." Lu'er nodded. "I've already signed a soul spirit contract with my master. My name is Lu'er now."
"Lu'er…" Infernal Delicate Apricot struggled to process it. She'd asked the Ice Grass to stop Zhu Ziyang from doing anything extreme, and it seemed he hadn't—but how did the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass end up becoming his soul spirit? Then again, Zhu Ziyang's second martial soul did suit Bingbing very well. She couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy and jealousy.
"Congratulations, Lu'er," she said sincerely. "You finally got to leave this prison."
"Mmhm!" Lu'er nodded happily. "Jiaojiao, I believe it won't be long before you can leave this prison too. You really like that girl named Yiyi, don't you?"
"Hehe, yes! Yiyi really surprised me!" Infernal Delicate Apricot brightened immediately.
"Oh? Yiyi, how did it go for you?" Now that he had adjusted to the abrupt passage of time, Zhu Ziyang turned to Qian Lingyi with interest. "Have you awakened your fire attribute?"
"Hehe, of course!" Qian Lingyi giggled and activated her martial soul. A pair of pure white angel wings spread from her back, followed by a second pair—nearly identical except their feather tips were tinged red, indicating their fire attribute.
"These are your second pair of angel wings?" Zhu Ziyang smiled.
"Yep!" Qian Lingyi said proudly. "Now my martial soul should be called the Sacred Flame Angel—one of the branches of the Four-Winged Holy Angels! Also, my soul power has reached Rank 65—an increase of three levels!"
"Not bad at all!" Zhu Ziyang praised her. "Since you've now grown a second pair of wings, do you think the third pair will emerge when you reach Soul Sage, or will it only appear once you reach Titled Douluo?"
"Uh…" The question stumped her. "I… I'm not sure."
"Well, it's fine," Zhu Ziyang chuckled. "You'll know once you reach that stage."
"Right! I'll get there soon!" she declared with determination.
"Zhu Ziyang, are you leaving?" Infernal Delicate Apricot asked once he finished speaking to Qian Lingyi.
"Yes," he nodded. "Don't worry—next time I come, maybe you'll be able to leave this Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well too."
"I believe in you… and in Yiyi!" Infernal Delicate Apricot said sincerely. "Lu'er, don't worry—I'll explain things to Youyou."
"Thanks, Jiaojiao." Lu'er smiled. "But how do you plan to explain it? You know how upset Youyou got last time because of Kuikui."
"It's fine. I plan to come clean with Youyou, together with Chacha and the others!" she said confidently. "If she wants to stay here serving that person, that's her choice. But we also have the right to leave—we won't interfere with each other."
"True enough!" Lu'er nodded approvingly. "Well, I'll head off now. Goodbye!"
"Goodbye." Infernal Delicate Apricot responded solemnly.
Lu'er returned to Zhu Ziyang, merging into his Sea of Spirit through his brow.
With things settled, Zhu Ziyang wrapped his arm around Qian Lingyi's slender waist. A ripple of space magic followed, and they appeared outside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Chacha, wake up!" As Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi departed, Infernal Delicate Apricot began preparing for the confrontation. Her first step—waking up the Laurel Fairy…
Outside the well, Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi didn't linger. They headed straight north, out of Sunset Forest, toward the Extreme North.
"Brother Yang, now can you finally tell me what a soul spirit actually is?" After traveling several more li, Qian Lingyi couldn't hold back any longer.
Her face was full of frustration and grievance. She thought he'd explain it earlier, but he'd stayed completely silent the entire time. She was furious.
"Hahaha! I thought you'd manage not to ask!" Zhu Ziyang laughed, reaching over to pinch her cheek as she pouted adorably. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you now."
"Hmph, you better!" she said, brightening up as she hugged his arm.
Zhu Ziyang explained the concept, origin, and uses of soul spirits in detail. "And that's basically it!"
"That's incredible!" Qian Lingyi was stunned. "Brother Yang, you're amazing! You actually developed something so miraculous! So when I reach the seventh ring, I can make that Infernal Delicate Apricot my soul spirit?"
"Exactly," Zhu Ziyang confirmed. "In theory, any Soul Emperor with a sixth ring above 20,000 years can choose a 100,000-year soul beast as a soul spirit when getting their seventh ring. You're lucky—you'll be the second or third person to enjoy this privilege."
"Second or third?" she latched onto that wording, smiling mischievously. "So who was the first? Jiang Nannan?"
"No." Zhu Ziyang shook his head. "The first is a senior from our inner courtyard. She's currently traveling the continent. You wouldn't know her. Nannan, like you, is a Soul Emperor. But I think she'll reach Soul Sage before you."
Hearing Jiang Nannan's name stirred a wave of longing and curiosity in Zhu Ziyang. 'How far along is she in her Moonlight Nine Trials? It's been almost a year… she should be through at least the first three by now.'
"What? You're saying I'm not as good as Jiang Nannan?" Qian Lingyi pouted, clearly jealous. "Just wait! I'll be the second one, you'll see!"
"Haha, then I'll be waiting!" Zhu Ziyang laughed as he looked at her adorable sulking expression.
(End of Chapter)
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