Drop some powerstones plzzzz
.....
"Young lady, may I ask—what power are you affiliated with…?"
Instructor Wang was anything but calm now.
She had assumed this was just a simple encounter with a few travelers. Although she found their group oddly familiar, she was sure she had never seen them before.
But now? Forget everything else—this little girl, about to absorb her first soul ring, was already at Rank 23 without having absorbed a single one.
Wasn't that clear proof of an absurdly high innate soul power?
She'd never heard of the term "innate full soul power," but she could tell that the girl's soul power at the time of awakening must have exceeded the standard maximum of level ten!
That shattered all of her prior understanding. She had to know where they came from.
If they were from a major sect, a genius like this would never be sent out alone to hunt soul beasts without a protector.
No faction would let a prodigious seedling like her take even the slightest risk before she fully matured.
But looking at this group, there was no one who seemed like a protector at all. Her heart burned with the desire to recruit.
Tianshui Academy only accepted female students—and this little girl looked like she'd been gifted to them by the heavens!
"Affiliation? We're from… huh? Traveler, do we even have an affiliation?"
Paimon the diplomat was stumped. It didn't seem like they belonged to any particular faction.
If they had to say something… well, the Traveler was an honorary knight of the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt, right?
"We don't belong to any faction," Aether waved it off. The Traveler was like the wind—unbound and free.
"That's perfect! Hahaha~"
Instructor Wang clapped her hands in delight.
They had no faction! If this little girl wasn't a gift from the gods to Tianshui Academy, then what was she?
"…"
Aether's expression twitched as he watched her eyes light up.
What was this lady planning?
Did the news that they were unaffiliated really make her that happy?
"Ahem~"
Noticing the strange stares from everyone, Instructor Wang realized she was being a bit too enthusiastic. She coughed awkwardly to cover it up, then quickly shifted topics.
"Right. Since the young lady is going the agility attack route, her first soul ring should come from a beast that enhances agility."
"Agility, huh…"
Aether lowered his head in thought. That reminded him of someone who was always by Tang San's side—the hundred-thousand-year soul beast, Xiao Wu.
That rabbit's true form was a Soft-Boned Rabbit, said to be a rather ordinary martial soul… but if it was so ordinary, how did it cultivate past a hundred thousand years?
Maybe for Keke's first soul ring, they could find a similar rabbit-type soul beast.
If she could gain a skill even remotely close to that rabbit's, it'd be a great pick.
"How about a Soft-Boned Rabbit?"
Aether turned to Yu Keke, asking for her opinion.
"Okay!"
Keke nodded her little head firmly.
If her brother said it was good, then it must be! He would never steer her wrong!
"A Soft-Boned Rabbit? Those may be agile, but they're a bit too… basic."
Shui Bing'er, who had been listening quietly, finally chimed in.
Soft-Boned Rabbits were extremely common soul beasts. What kind of powerful skill could you expect to gain from such an ordinary creature?
And honestly, it wasn't unfair that they had such a low reputation among soul masters.
As she said, they were just too common.
In fact, back when Aether and Paimon first arrived on the Douluo Continent, hadn't he hunted a rabbit, too?
Not because he particularly wanted rabbit meat—but because they were absolutely everywhere…
Still, just because Soft-Boned Rabbits were abundant didn't mean they were weak. It was their reproductive power that had made them so common!
Ordinary rabbits could have litters of over ten kits. That's already a lot, right?
Well, Soft-Boned Rabbits could give birth seven to eight times a year, even more in ideal conditions!
So, yeah—they looked common because they had essentially flooded the ecosystem with their sheer numbers.
Now think about it: a hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit-type soul beast like Xiao Wu, during all that time… how many offspring did she produce?
Aether smirked. He figured Tang San probably didn't want to know that number.
The seemingly pure and innocent rabbit always clinging to him—had hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of descendants behind her…
The chaste and noble Tang San might not be ready to confront the abyss of time…
"I suggest the Swiftwind Leopard. It's agile, but also packs more physical strength than a rabbit."
While Aether's imagination was running wild, Instructor Wang chimed in again with her professional recommendation.
"What do you think, Keke?"
Aether snapped out of his thoughts and didn't argue. Instead, he turned back to the little girl.
After all, it was her soul ring. And even if they didn't find a perfect match, with her physical condition, she wouldn't be any worse off than the average soul master out here.
"I… I want to go with the Soft-Boned Rabbit…"
Keke muttered softly, stealing a shy glance at Aether after she spoke.
This girl…
Aether chuckled helplessly.
"Alright then, let's go find you a good little rabbit."
He reached out to ruffle her hair, making Keke blush with delight.
He had really just wanted to feel those soft, fuzzy ears… but that might be a bit inappropriate.
"Thanks for the suggestions! We're heading out to hunt the soul ring now. See you~"
Paimon waved to Instructor Wang and Water Binger, turning to leave with the others.
"Wait—you can't just go!"
Instructor Wang panicked when she saw them about to leave, quickly stepping forward to stop them.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
The three of them turned back. Paimon tilted her head.
"Uh… it's dangerous in the Star Dou Forest without a high-level soul master protecting you!"
She glanced at Shui Yue'er, still deep in the process of absorbing her soul ring, and sighed before continuing.
"Why don't you wait here a little longer? Once Yue'er finishes, I'll go with you. That way you'll have better protection, don't you think?"
Instructor Wang was genuinely concerned about their safety—especially the little girl's.
She wasn't the type to help every random person she met, but she did have a soft heart. She'd only stepped in during the beast tide because she couldn't bear to see them overwhelmed.
Now, however, it was different.
This wasn't just sympathy—it was hope. She saw tremendous potential in Keke, and she wasn't ready to let her slip away.
But with her student still in the middle of absorbing a ring, she couldn't leave just yet.
So all she could do was try to persuade them to wait until Shui Yue'er was done. Then, she'd escort them herself—and maybe, once they saw her strength, she could invite that little girl to join their academy.
And if it was really true that they had no backing… she was confident Keke would say yes.
_
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