Yin Xiaoya stares at the girl's face. Thank god she's alive. He wonders if he can rest easy now, but his system decides to chime in.
[Host, after using the power of the ring once, you have to wait until a day later to use it again.]
"Yeah, yeah, I know. A whole day, so long…"
Yin Xiaoya looks around, his voice dripping with annoyance. He scans the environment—towering trees casting long shadows, the gurgling river nearby, the unsettling quiet of the Soul Beast Forest. He can't leave her here, not in this state.
He glances back at the girl. Her eyelids flutter. Good, she's waking up. He needs to figure out what the hell happened here.
The girl groans softly, her eyes fluttering open. "What…" she murmurs, her voice weak. She blinks, trying to focus. Memories flicker across her face, and she tries to sit up, wincing in pain. "Teacher Su?"
"Easy, easy," Yin Xiaoya says, gently pressing her shoulder. "You lost a lot of blood. Just relax."
Her eyes widen as she looks at him, recognition dawning. "You… you're the big brother from before. What are you doing here? And… did you do this? Didn't you say you weren't a soul master?"
Questions spill from her lips, but Yin Xiaoya holds up a hand, cutting her off. "Later. What about Miss Su? What happened?"
"Teacher Su! I have to get back!" she exclaims, panic rising in her voice. She tries to scramble to her feet, but stumbles, clutching her head.
"Hey, hey! Calm down! What happened to you all?"
"We… we ran into a ten-thousand-year soul beast," she gasps, her breath coming in ragged bursts. "Teacher… she's still fighting it. I have to help."
Yin Xiaoya's eyes widen. A ten-thousand-year soul beast on the outskirts of the forest? That's insane! But now isn't the time to dwell on that. "And what exactly are you going to do against a ten-thousand-year soul beast? You're barely level 20 and lost enough blood to kill a horse, you'd just be monster food!"
He instantly regrets his bluntness as her face pales further. Before he can apologize, though, she reaches into her pouch and pulls out a small, red pill.
"I have to…" she mumbles, shoving the pill into her mouth.
[Qi and Blood God Pill: Refined from precious medicinal materials. Condenses Qi, nourishes blood, and provides immediate nutrition.]
The system's timely explanation fills Yin Xiaoya in. Modern medicine this is not.
As the girl swallows, a visible flush returns to her cheeks. Her breathing evens out, and some of the color returns to her face. She actually looks… invigorated.
"Medicines?" Yin Xiaoya mutters. "Of course. This is a cultivation world. Makes sense."
"Our medicines… they're all on me," she explains, standing up, steady this time. "Other students were hurt too. I have to get back, or they won't recover."
A yellow spirit ring, a hundred-year one, flares to life around her. Her appearance shifts. Scales, small as fingernails, erupt from her skin, spreading from her cheeks down her neck and arms. Her hands morph into scaled claws, and her eyes sharpen into scarlet, reptilian slits. A pair of bat-like, fleshy wings unfurl from her back.
[Wing Viper Dragon, Assault Beast Martial Soul, High-Quality Martial Soul]
Damn, talk about a glow-up, Yin Xiaoya thinks. He glances at the system info. Wing Viper Dragon… not bad.
"So you knew this whole time?!" He rages at the system, "What other secrets are you hiding?!"
[This month wasn't wasted, host. According to the settings of Douluo World, this system has already done a complete modification]
He pinches the bridge of his nose. "You know what, I don't even want to know anymore."
The transformed girl beats her wings, hovering a few feet off the ground. "Big brother, thank you," she calls down to him. "I don't know what kind of magic medicine you used, but… remember my name. Luo Pupu. If I don't come back… go to my family and tell them. They'll compensate you."
With that, she turns and rockets towards the upper reaches of the river, leaving Yin Xiaoya staring after her.
"Luo Pupu, huh? I don't even know where your home is. And if you're dead, am I really gonna ask for compensation? Seriously?" He sighs. "Kids are the same, no matter what world you're in. But I said I'd repay that kindness from yesterday, didn't I? Time to pony up."
He reaches into his system inventory, pulling out the Meteor Driver. Snapping the belt around his waist, he holds the Meteor Switch in his hand.
"System, transformation certification."
He flips the switch, slotting it into the driver.
[Meteor Ready?]
"Henshin!"
With a surge of energy, Yin Xiaoya activates the driver. The belt blares a triumphant tune as a holographic globe materializes, enveloping him in light.
Meanwhile, deeper in the Soul Beast Forest, Su Xuan and Jing Tieyang's group has split up. Two students found suitable soul beasts, and necessity forced them to divide. Luo Pupu is with Su Xuan's team. After some tracking and a fierce fight, they managed to secure a soul beast for one of the students, allowing him to begin absorbing its spirit ring.
But disaster struck during the absorption. A ten-thousand-year Bone Scythe Mantis erupted from the ground. Its appearance was so sudden, even Su Xuan, with her heightened senses, couldn't react in time. The mantis lashed out with its razor-sharp scythes.
Su Xuan, a level 48 Spirit Ancestor, managed to hold her ground, her experience and spirit power allowing her to parry the worst of the attacks. The students weren't so lucky. Several were injured instantly.
Luo Pupu took the brunt of the attack. A scythe blade tore through her shoulder, sending her flying into the nearby river, the current dragging her downstream.
The suddenness of the assault left Su Xuan reeling. She was filled with a mix of grief and rage, but she couldn't afford to dwell on it. She had to contain the Bone Scythe Mantis, protect the remaining students.
But this was her first time facing a ten-thousand-year soul beast alone. Even though it was likely on the weaker end for its age, it was still a formidable opponent. Her four spirit rings—two yellow, two purple—represented her highest power. Her strongest attacks barely scratched the mantis's chitinous armor.
She desperately hoped Jing Tieyang would arrive soon, not just for his strength, but also because Luo Pupu carried their healing supplies. The injured students were now completely reliant on Jing Tieyang's team for recovery.
But as the minutes stretched into an hour, Jing Tieyang remained absent. The Bone Scythe Mantis showed no sign of tiring, its aggression intensifying. Su Xuan, already exhausted, was forced into a slow retreat. After hours of relentless fighting, a misstep left her vulnerable. The mantis slammed her with the side of its scythe, sending her flying, a mouthful of blood spraying into the air.
The students behind her watched with mounting despair.
"Teacher Su!"
Just as the Bone Scythe Mantis drew closer, its scythes whistling through the air, Luo Pupu's voice echoed from above. Everyone looked up to see her, seemingly unharmed, descending towards them.
"Pupu?" Su Xuan exclaims, bewildered.
"Teacher Su, take this!" Luo Pupu shouted, throwing the medicine bag. The distraction, of course, drew the Bone Scythe Mantis's attention.
With a screech, the creature turned, its massive form blurring as it lunged at Luo Pupu.
Delivering the medicine to Su Xuan had taken every ounce of her courage. Now, seeing the monstrous soul beast charging her, her blood ran cold. But she'd prepared for this. Retracting her wings, she plummeted towards the ground, dodging the mantis's initial strike. Then, whirling around, she unleashed her only soul skill.
"Soul Skill: Gale Dragon Sharp Claw!"
Two wind-infused dragon claw apparitions shot from her hands, slashing at the Bone Scythe Mantis's back in a cross pattern. But the claws, empowered by a mere hundred-year spirit ring, barely left a mark. Two shallow scratches marred the mantis's carapace.
The mantis retaliated. Its hind leg slammed into Luo Pupu, sending her crashing into a nearby tree. Her vision swam, and she nearly lost consciousness. But before she could recover, the ground trembled. The Bone Scythe Mantis was upon her, its massive scythes poised to strike.
"Pupu!" Su Xuan screamed, struggling to her feet. The medicine Luo Pupu threw had yet to take effect, her injuries still severe. She was helpless to save her student, forced to watch as the scythes descended.
BOOM!
A deafening roar ripped through the air. Everyone, including the Bone Scythe Mantis, snapped their attention towards the sky. A sphere of light, dazzling and intense, hurtled towards them.
Like a meteorite, it was aimed directly at the Bone Scythe Mantis. The soul beast had no time to evade. It could only raise its scythe arms to block the impact. The collision unleashed a shower of sparks. A human voice echoed from within the sphere.
"Oh~~~ahhh!!!"
The force of the impact knocked the Bone Scythe Mantis's arms aside. The sphere of light slammed into its chest, driving it backwards. The sphere crashed into the ground, sending tremors through the forest floor. Luo Pupu, blinded by the light, saw a fleeting glimpse of a figure within.
As the light dissipated, a figure emerged. A figure wearing a helmet adorned with a meteor-like visor, sky-blue shoulder armor on its right side, and a suit resembling the starry night sky. Red compound eyes gleamed from behind the visor, fixed on the Bone Scythe Mantis.
The figure's armor was far too advanced for this world. And the lack of any discernible soul power made it impossible for Su Xuan and the others to determine if it was human or soul beast.
"Little girl, are you okay?"
The voice, filtered through the helmet, had a strange, electronic quality. But Luo Pupu recognized it instantly.
"You're… the big brother from before?!"
Yin Xiaoya nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Su Xuan, who was still in a daze. "It seems Miss Su is fine. That's great."
Su Xuan's eyes widened. "Yin Xiaoya? Is… is that your martial soul? But you didn't…"
Yin Xiaoya raised a hand, silencing her. The Bone Scythe Mantis was recovering, regaining its stance.
"We can talk later," he said. "After the fight."
Su Xuan stared at Yin Xiaoya, fear creeping into her voice. "It's no use! That's a ten-thousand-year soul beast! We can't beat it! Just buy us some time! Find Uncle Jing! Please! Otherwise, we're all going to die!"
"Fate? Oh, Kamen Riders don't believe in fate. You think fate can't be changed? Leave it to me.
Yin Xiaoya raised his right thumb, sweeping it across his nose.
"From now on, your fate… is decided by me!"
***
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Advance chapters are in my P@|r3on - Najicablitz