Time flew by, and three months passed in the blink of an eye.
During these three months, Yin Zhang completely refined the medicinal power of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot. His physical constitution improved drastically, and he successfully forged an Ice and Fire Golden Body, becoming immune to both ice and fire. His overall strength rose to a whole new level.
In the process, his spirit power increased by two levels, reaching level 49—only one step away from level 50 and the threshold to absorb a fifth spirit ring and advance to Spirit King.
The increase in spirit power wasn't particularly large, which was entirely within Yin Zhang's expectations. He had even been prepared for the possibility of only gaining a single level.
After all, during these three months, he had barely cultivated in the conventional sense. Most of his time was spent "soaking" in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, using its unique properties to temper his body. The interaction he had anticipated with the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings still hadn't occurred. Yin Zhang estimated that the two remnant souls were still in deep slumber, and he decided to postpone the matter of awakening them.
Meanwhile, Qiangu Yunying, who had stayed by his side throughout this period, had also made great progress. To be precise, she had reached level 70 a week ago and was taken by Dugu Bo to hunt a spirit beast for her seventh spirit ring.
The timing was unavoidable. A week earlier, Yin Zhang had been at a critical stage of forging his Ice and Fire Golden Body, and Qiangu Yunying couldn't bear to disturb him. After summoning Dugu Bo, the two of them went to hunt the spirit beast together.
The result was excellent. Qiangu Yunying successfully advanced to Spirit Saint, and because she had absorbed a spirit ring beyond the standard limit, her spirit power was already approaching level 72.
When Yin Zhang finally woke up and heard the news from Qiangu Yunying, he felt a trace of guilt—but far more happiness.
Before long, he too would become a Spirit King. By then, the two of them—one a Spirit King, the other a Spirit Saint—would hardly need to fear danger while traveling the continent. Many wandering Spirit Masters didn't even possess spirit power at their level.
Yin Zhang rose to his feet, ending his cross-legged cultivation.
Under Qiangu Yunying's intense gaze, he tapped the golden bead chain, retrieved a set of clothes, and dressed himself. He then used his fire-attribute spirit power to dry his hair. After tidying himself up, he turned his attention forward.
Qiangu Yunying had already cleared a patch of ground, lit a campfire, and was roasting several Soft Bones Rabbits. The meat sizzled over the flames, releasing a rich aroma.
She grabbed a skewer and, in her unrefined yet bold manner, took large bites.
With her mouth full, she called out,
"Xiao Zhang… come eat. After we eat and get some rest, we'll leave the Sunset Forest and start traveling around. I don't want to go straight back to Spirit City—it'd be way too boring."
Yin Zhang nodded, walked over, and sat beside her. He picked up a freshly roasted Soft Bones Rabbit and began eating with obvious enjoyment.
He couldn't help but comment,
"Sister Yunying, your barbecue skills have improved a lot."
Qiangu Yunying chuckled proudly.
"Of course. Over these three months, I found a small valley near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. It's packed with Soft Bones Rabbits—there are even thousand-year ones. I wanted to catch a thousand-year rabbit to eat, but I couldn't. They're way too fast. Even these hundred-year ones took a lot of effort to catch today."
She paused, then continued,
"But honestly, I feel like I could never eat them all. That valley is basically a Soft Bones Rabbit paradise. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet for nearby spirit beasts—I can't eat them faster than they reproduce."
Yin Zhang nodded in agreement.
"That's true. Soft Bones Rabbits are a classic example of pure rabbit-type spirit beasts, without mixed bloodlines. Their reproduction rate is top-tier on the Douluo Continent. They give birth multiple times a year, with several—or even over a dozen—offspring each time. They're practically impossible to drive to extinction."
He smiled faintly.
"Thousand-year Soft Bones Rabbits are already rare, though. As for a hundred-thousand-year one… I wonder what it would taste like. Just thinking about it makes it sound delicious."
Yin Zhang's thoughts drifted.
Tang San was seven years younger than him—only four years old right now. It wasn't even certain whether Xiao Wu had transformed yet.
In that case, in two years, he could intercept her outside Nuoding City.
By then, there would be no need for elaborate schemes. He could directly kill her, absorb her spirit ring and spirit bone, and claim the powerful abilities she once provided in the original timeline.
As for the body afterward?
Naturally—barbecue.
A hundred-thousand-year Soft Bones Rabbit.
Just imagining the flavor made his mouth water.
Qiangu Yunying looked at him in confusion.
"A hundred-thousand-year Soft Bones Rabbit? That doesn't exist. Soft Bones Rabbits can only grow to a thousand years at most. I've only read about ten-thousand-year ones in books, and even those are said to appear only in extremely special environments."
She added thoughtfully,
"Normally, a thousand-year Soft Bones Rabbit is already worth a fortune. If it were me, I'd definitely buy one just to eat it."
Yin Zhang laughed.
"Just because you haven't seen one doesn't mean it doesn't exist. In two years, I'll let you taste the meat of a hundred-thousand-year Soft Bones Rabbit. You can roast it or boil it—whatever you like. But I recommend roasting. It'll be much more fragrant."
Seeing his absolute confidence, Qiangu Yunying felt uncertain.
Could such a thing really exist?
If Yin Zhang knew what she was thinking, he would have answered without hesitation.
Yes. Not only did it exist—there was more than one.
And now, only one remained.
As the two chatted while eating, the sky gradually darkened. It was already six in the evening, and the sun was setting.
From Qiangu Yunying, Yin Zhang learned about many developments over the past three months—news she had heard from Dugu Bo.
After Qiangu Yuan and Tang Zhen returned to Heaven Dou, major changes had taken place.
Qiangu Yuan's spirit power had risen to level 85, while Tang Zhen's had reached level 93.
According to what she'd heard, their rapid advancement was due to a mysterious stone slab—otherwise, such progress would have been impossible.
Qiangu Yuan had even revealed to Dugu Bo that they had obtained some kind of extraordinary treasure.
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