Yu Feng spread his wings and flew over the sea, dragging the two-headed Thunder Dragon onto the shore.
Although the Thunder Dragon wasn't dead yet, it was inhaling more than exhaling, clearly badly injured.
"This is really strange. Why would a two-headed Thunder Dragon appear at sea? This is a land soul beast, isn't it?" Yu Tianheng was baffled. Could the family records be wrong, and this dragon is actually amphibious?
"Maybe it was injured on land, then escaped to the sea, and drifted to Sea God Island?" Oslo guessed.
"How is that possible? Every time we take theory exams, you're always last place. Do you even know how far Sea God Island is from the continent? A soul beast entering the sea from land couldn't possibly drift all the way here—if it didn't drown halfway, it'd be eaten by sea soul beasts. Besides, this Thunder Dragon is so badly injured." Dugu Yan dismissed Oslo's impractical guess.
Oslo protested, "Who says I'm always last? I was second-to-last in our graduation exams! I scored two points higher than Xiao Tian!"
"But Xiao Tian isn't here now, so you're first again," Shi Mo mercilessly jabbed.
Oslo was speechless. He suddenly realized how important Tianlin's presence was to him and sighed, "Xiao Tian, where are you? Hurry up and come back—I don't want to be at the bottom!"
Dugu Yan ignored Oslo's antics and asked Yu Tianheng, "Tianheng, regardless of how this Thunder Dragon got here, can you tell how old it is? Is it suitable for you?"
Yu Tianheng nodded, "Of course. My knowledge of soul beasts may not match Lingling's, but when it comes to thunder attributes and sub-dragon types, not even Lingling can beat me. After all, I'm the direct inheritor of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon sect."
Unlike Oslo, this was the first time Yu Tianheng wasn't missing Ye Lingling. As long as she wasn't around, he was the number one theorist.
Tianheng observed the two-headed Thunder Dragon's size, skin color, and neck length, then his eyes lit up. "Great, this Thunder Dragon is over seventy thousand years old. It's even more suitable for me than a god-given soul ring!"
With the eighth soul ring settled, everyone was happy for Yu Tianheng. This would greatly enhance his strength and increase his chances of passing the sixth trial.
In the shadows, Tianlin smiled to himself. This Thunder Dragon was, of course, something he'd specially prepared. After injuring it, he sealed it with dark gold and presented it as a gift to Yu Tianheng.
Tianlin knew Tianheng needed a soul beast the most. The others didn't really require a god-given soul ring—there were plenty of sea soul beasts for them to choose from.
But because of the unique requirements of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Tianheng needed a dragon-type soul beast, which was hard to find. That's why Tianlin had gone to Sunset Forest to specifically catch this two-headed Thunder Dragon.
Yu Tianheng killed the dragon and started absorbing the soul ring.
Watching Tianheng absorb the soul ring, Ning Rongrong frowned. This was too much of a coincidence. Rather than say the Thunder Dragon drifted here, it seemed more like someone had sent it on purpose.
Someone was helping them in secret. Who could it be?
"It looks like he's already here," Zhu Zhuqing suddenly came up to Ning Rongrong and smiled.
"Zhuqing, who are you talking about?" Ning Rongrong pretended not to know.
Zhu Zhuqing gave her a teasing glance. "Why pretend? I don't know why he hasn't shown himself, but I think you'll have no problem with your sixth trial. He'll protect you."
Ning Rongrong blushed and nodded. Tianlin's early arrival made her very happy.
That night, Yu Tianheng was still absorbing his soul ring. Dugu Yan stood guard, while Ning Rongrong quietly left the girls' camp and headed into the forest.
If Tianlin was planning to appear during her sixth trial, that would be three days from now—she couldn't wait that long!
"Sword Brother, I know you're here. Come out," Ning Rongrong called softly. She waited for a long time, but there was no response. She felt truly wronged, her lips pouting and tears sparkling in her eyes. "You're clearly here, but you won't see me. Is it because you don't like me anymore? If so, I won't even bother with the sixth trial. I'll just sail home and find you."
Hidden in the shadows, Tianlin was helpless. After all these years, this girl was already twenty, but sometimes still acted like the ten-year-old she used to be.
Especially with him, her stubbornness flared up at the slightest displeasure.
With no other choice, Tianlin had to reveal himself. Otherwise, he feared this little witch might really sail off alone just to force him out.
"Rongrong." Tianlin's voice snapped the sobbing Ning Rongrong back to her senses.
Seeing the husband she'd missed day and night, Ning Rongrong couldn't hold back any longer and threw herself into his arms. "Sword Brother, you're so mean! You came but wouldn't see me. You must have fallen for someone else, right? Is it Qian Renxue?"
Tianlin hugged her back and smiled. "Well, Rongrong, as for Qian Renxue, it's not really that I've fallen for her, because I've always liked both of you—eighty percent for you, twenty percent for her."
"You!" Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth. So much for deep marital love—three years apart and he's still so blunt! She'd known about this for a long time, but he was still just as shameless as ever.
Unable to vent her anger, Ning Rongrong opened her mouth, showing her little tiger teeth, and bit Tianlin's shoulder. But with her strength, she couldn't even leave a mark on his skin.
"Biting as soon as you see me—truly a little witch," Tianlin laughed, stroking her hair, completely unconcerned.
"Hmph, bullying me just because you're strong. Your skin is as thick as an armored beast's," Ning Rongrong grumbled, then her eyes suddenly brightened as she looked at his lips. "But here, it's thinner."
She leaned in, her breath brushing against his lips, and before Tianlin could react, she pressed a mischievous kiss to the corner of his mouth—though it was more playful than gentle, and her little bite left a faint mark.
...
A while later, Tianlin was covering the corner of his mouth in pain. This little girl was truly ruthless—no matter how strong he was, he hadn't trained this area, and she'd even made him bleed.
But this was just a bit of playful fun between husband and wife, so Tianlin didn't use his Blue Silver Emperor soul bone to heal quickly.
After venting, Ning Rongrong's anger was gone. She leaned into Tianlin's embrace, reluctant to leave.
"Sword Brother, why did you arrive early?"
"Because I calculated it'd soon be time for your sixth trial, so I came early. This trial is different from before—it's dangerous," Tianlin said seriously.
"Dangerous? Why? Senior Bo Saixi is in charge of this trial. She's very powerful, but she's always treated me kindly these past three years. She wouldn't try to kill me, would she?" Ning Rongrong was puzzled.