Only the sobs of Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan remained on the Sea God's Light platform.
Li Xun stared blankly at the spot where Zhu Zhuqing had vanished, feeling as if a piece of his heart had been hollowed out.
Meow~!
Suddenly, a soft cat's cry reached Li Xun's ears. Focusing his gaze, he saw the rightmost tail of the Nine-Tailed Cat transform from solid form into golden energy, slowly dissipating into the air.
Immediately after, the space where Zhu Zhuqing had just been seemed to reverse time—the mist of blood that had filled the sky instantly recoiled, restoring everything to its previous state in the blink of an eye.
Zhu Zhuqing reappeared before everyone, completely unharmed.
Seeing this, Li Xun let out a heavy sigh of relief. Only then did he realize his back was drenched in sweat.
Witnessing this miracle, Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan's sobs abruptly ceased. They stared at Zhu Zhuqing in stunned silence, momentarily speechless.
"Such an ability! No wonder she received the Sea God's Eight Trials!" The most astonished was Poseidon, whose heart felt as though it were swept by towering waves.
Perhaps due to exploiting a loophole, the energy of the God-given Soul Ring did not dissipate after this reversal and still lingered around Zhu Zhuqing.
Sixty thousand years... Sixty-five thousand years...
Realizing she had returned to her original state, Zhu Zhuqing felt a surge of joy. Her idea had been correct.
Now she could clearly sense that her physique and Soul Power had strengthened. If her premonition was accurate, her current limit for absorbing a Spirit Ring was just over seventy thousand years.
But it still wasn't enough!
As the energy supplied by the God-given Soul Ring continued to rise, beads of blood once again seeped from Zhu Zhuqing's skin.
Noticing this, Li Xun pondered briefly but remained silent.
Poseidon glanced at Li Xun from the corner of her eye and understood. Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan were in a brief, dazed stupor.
Moments later, the same scene repeated itself, but this time no one panicked. Instead, they waited calmly for Zhu Zhuqing to reassemble once more.
No one understands their own abilities better than a Soul Master themselves. If there were truly any risk, the instinct for self-preservation would prevent them from foolishly pressing on.
Seventy-two thousand... Eighty-one thousand.
Just as Zhu Zhuqing was about to continue, Li Xun's steady voice rang out: "That's enough, Zhuqing. Your abilities will improve even more in the future. What you've achieved now is sufficient."
Fearing his words might not reach her, he infused a faint trace of spiritual energy into his voice, transmitting it directly into Zhu Zhuqing's mind.
Stirred from her immersion in the joy of enhancing her power, Zhu Zhuqing actively halted the absorption. The golden mist dispersed, and a pitch-black Spirit Ring slowly took form, aligning with her other five Spirit Rings.
There were no extraordinary phenomena, no earth-shattering aura—Zhu Zhuqing simply opened her eyes as calmly as usual.
However, the Nine-Tailed Cat seemed displeased. Instead of showing joy at its master's improvement, it occasionally glanced at its missing tail.
Zhu Zhuqing quickly gathered it into her arms and cautiously approached Li Xun, her eyes slightly evasive.
"I'm not blaming you," he said, "but your abilities truly grow stronger as your power increases. Using such extreme methods is best reserved for when you hit a bottleneck in future advancements."
Li Xun reached out and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind Zhu Zhuqing's ear.
"Understood," Zhu Zhuqing replied, her eyes brightening as a faint blush brushed her cheeks, her voice a soft murmur.
"But since you just made me worry for nothing, this matter isn't over. Just wait tonight." Rewards should be given where due, and punishment where deserved—Li Xun had always been fair and strict.
"..." Zhu Zhuqing buried her head in her chest, not daring to respond.
Poseidon had been observing Li Xun and Zhu Zhuqing since earlier. Hearing them calmly express their feelings, a strange glint flashed in her eyes.
She had never experienced such things herself. Even with Tang Chen, it was merely mutual affection, but that relationship had only just begun to bud when Tang Chen left with a promise. Yet sincere feelings do not fade because of separation; all these years, she had held fast to that initial vow.
"You're quite remarkable," Poseidon said to Zhu Zhuqing with a smile, then turned to Li Xun. "I sense your Soul Power is nearing a bottleneck. When the time comes, I will seek you out."
"Thank you, Senior Poseidon," Li Xun said, cupping his hands in respect.
Poseidon nodded, then transformed into a streak of light and vanished. She didn't dislike this young man, but the faster he and that girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School grew stronger, the shorter her own life would become. Thus, she could not offer them more guidance.
Watching Poseidon disappear into the horizon, Li Xun turned to Zhu Zhuqing and asked, "After paying such a high price this time, what benefits did you gain?"
Zhu Zhuqing thought carefully. "This enhancement focuses on amplification. I can now consume half of my Soul Power to create six clones. These clones are no longer illusions—they possess seventy percent of my abilities.
Unfortunately, the clones do not have Spirit Bone Abilities, and they continuously drain energy. They dissipate once their energy is depleted. My Soul Power has also reached level sixty-five."
"Not a bad skill," Li Xun mused, stroking his chin. After a moment, his eyes lit up, and he whispered something into Zhu Zhuqing's ear.
Instantly, her face flushed bright red. She avoided his gaze, hurriedly ducked her head, and rushed past him, heading toward the steps. "No way..."Neither of us is even eighteen yet—what are you thinking about?" Do I seem like someone who doesn't know my limits? I just wanted to test your skill," Li Xun said with a mischievous grin as he chased after her.
Slaughter City had been exceptionally lively for the better part of the past year.
Rumors had spread from the outside world that this was a true land of freedom—a place without laws, without empires, and without the damned Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School or Spirit Hall.
People could do whatever they wanted. But when Soul Masters actually arrived, they realized they had been deceived by false advertising.
What freedom? It only existed if you had strength. The rules of Slaughter City offered no room for the weak—only endless exploitation and a desperate struggle to survive. Moreover, once you entered this place, leaving was nearly impossible. The only way out was to achieve a hundred victories in the Hell Slaughter Arena and survive the Road to Hell.
The most frustrating part was that the Slaughter King's attendants were few in number. Faced with the massive influx of newcomers, they were utterly incapable of providing protection for everyone.
The Slaughter King's attendants were utterly indifferent to life—they wouldn't even blink if someone died at their feet, let alone bother to explain the rules to newcomers.
Many unfortunate souls, driven by curiosity upon arrival, ended up dead or severely injured.
At this moment, the outer city of Slaughter City was crowded with large numbers of emaciated, sallow-faced Fallen Ones. Although these people had found ways to survive, each wore an expression of numbness, as if they were mere walking corpses.
However, among them were also strong individuals and opportunists. Whenever someone in the outer city could no longer endure, they would follow them into the inner city to begin a new round of slaughter.
These constant streams of people pouring into Slaughter City indirectly provided convenience for Tang San.
He had arrived earlier, during a time when Slaughter City was desolate, and few dared to participate in the Hell Slaughter Arena.
Rumors suggested that many, many people had died just before his arrival, but when Tang San inquired about the specific reasons, these individuals became evasive, offering no substantial answers.
(End of Chapter)