I am a mortal who has achieved enlightenment through burning my secrets

Chapter 284 An unexpected surprise
Everything around him was plunged into darkness, and Xiao Wuji felt as if his body was floating on air, completely unsupported. The boundless darkness was somewhat frightening.

But soon, his eyes lit up, and he regained a sense of groundedness.

This is a massive arena, seemingly circular, yet stretching as far as the eye can see. The sky is devoid of clouds, sun, and stars; only boundless darkness reigns. The light, however, emanates from the arena itself.

Xiao Wuji first looked down at himself and found that he had hardly changed. Then he shifted his gaze to the half-dead little mushroom-headed boy in the distance, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

Originally, he didn't plan to use this soul skill because he wanted Tang Hao's soul bones. But he didn't expect Tang Hao to be so violent before he died, actually blowing up the nine soul rings that had already been blown up again. Wasn't he afraid...? Well, he really didn't need to be afraid, after all, he was about to die!
It has to be said that his soul skill is indeed the most effective way to counter the exploding soul ring. Six-year-old Tang Hao didn't even have a soul ring, and at most he only had a few levels of innate soul power.

Not only did he lose his soul power, but his injuries were also completely intact. Even if he did nothing now, Tang Hao would definitely not last a minute.

However, having lost so many soul bones, Xiao Wuji also planned to make up for it in other ways.

His second martial soul emerged, his second soul skill flashed, and Tang Hao's entire life was laid bare before his eyes.

This time, he did not make any changes to his memories. He simply learned the Haotian Sect's ultimate techniques and used Ah Yin in this forty-year illusion.

A moment later, the dark vortex reappeared, and Xiao Wuji's figure returned to Sunset Forest, accompanied by Tang Hao's belongings.

A tattered robe and a ring strung together with a rope; it looked like a soul tool.

Putting away the soul tool, Xiao Wuji took out a sharp dagger and plunged it into his own flesh, picking out pieces of broken bones and organs. He still had plenty of life force left, so there was no need to worry about it anymore!

Then he burned his own flesh and blood, along with Tang Hao's belongings, to ashes.

The operation to hunt down Tang Hao wasn't perfect; at the very least, he didn't obtain the soul bones that Tang Hao had absorbed. Perhaps his biggest gain was that his Dark Demon Evil God Tiger external soul bone was upgraded to 100,000 years old, greatly increasing the power of his soul skills.

Standing by the fire, Xiao Wuji took out one odds and ends from Tang Hao's soul tool and threw them into the fire, but he kept some interesting things.

For example, Ah Yin's clothes, a map, or a piece of head bone.

"What a pleasant surprise!"

Clearly, this soul bone was the result of Tang Hao's efforts over the past few days, but all of this benefited Xiao Wuji.

Bai Ye carefully put away the soul bone, then looked at the roughly marked map, planning to take a look at it again when he had time later.

"Hmm, A-Gin's original scent is the smell of fresh grass!"

"Go back and try to find someone!"

……

The qualifying rounds were held in a military camp, off-limits to unauthorized personnel, thus eliminating any possibility of ordinary people watching. However, Xiao Wuji was able to enter and exit freely using the Crown Prince's token given to him by Xue Qinghe.

The camp of Team Tiandou has five barracks: two for the teachers in charge, two for the boys, and one for the girls.

Therefore, as the only female member of the Tian Dou team, Xiao Wu was very honored to be assigned a single dormitory room.

Xiao Wuji didn't care about other people's opinions. He lifted the curtain and went in, then had Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling stand on either side of the door like door gods.

Xiao Wu, who was cultivating, was suddenly disturbed by someone coming through the window of the tent. She was about to get angry, but when she looked up, she saw that it was Xiao Wuji. She immediately knelt down on the cot and bowed to Xiao Wuji, saying, "Wu Nu greets Master!"

Xiao Wuji ignored Xiao Wu's greeting, took off his boots, stepped onto the cot, and reached under her skirt to accurately press two acupoints.

Xiao Wu's body was instantly paralyzed, her eyelashes trembling as if she were afraid of something.

"Not bad, it seems you've kept my instructions in mind!"

"I would never forget my master's orders, even if it meant my death!"

"This is so true!"

Xiao Wuji leaned down on her and whispered in her ear, "I have good news for you. Tang Hao, who coveted your spirit ring, has been killed by me. After the competition, you can be by my side again, just like before!"

"Thank you for saving me, Master!" "No need to thank me. Even you are mine. Isn't it only natural for me to protect my things from being taken by others?"

"Ok!"

"Xiao Wu, I want to see you fight on stage tomorrow!"

"Ok!"

……

The next day, Xiao Wuji watched as Xiao Wu awkwardly walked onto the stage and then used the Heavenly Net technique he had taught her to fight the enemy.

Soft techniques are out of the question; those are Xiao Wuji's exclusive methods.

Watching Xiao Wu defeat her enemy with tiny, quick steps, and then walk off the stage with her thighs tucked between her legs.

Watching her suffer countless taunts and insults, Xiao Wuji's heart remained calm and undisturbed.

It's a pity that Xue Qinghe seems to have gone into seclusion, otherwise I could have shown off my spoils to her.

During the competition, Xiao Wuji met Canghui Academy, who had luckily made it into the qualifying rounds, and then casually obtained a soul bone.

Halfway through the qualifying rounds, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Ye Lingling all broke through the level 40 bottleneck. Xiao Wuji then waved his hand and sent them off to hunt souls in Sunset Forest.

Of the three, Zhu Zhuqing, who broke through first, was the most anxious. However, the special nature of her spirit ring meant that she would be the last one to obtain a spirit ring.

Ye Lingling's soul rings were the youngest, so there was no need to delve too deeply into them. She also had the widest variety of soul beasts. Xiao Wuji entrusted her entirely to Liu Erlong's care. He could make his move once they located the soul beasts.

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing each absorbed a different type of head spirit bone: one was a gemstone-type spirit bone extracted from Shi Nian, and the other was a spirit-type spirit bone obtained from Tang Hao's spirit tool. Their spiritual power had both reached a level where they could resist the soul shock of a ten-thousand-year spirit ring.

"Ning Rongrong, your physical limit is about 10,000 years. My suggestion is to keep it within 12,000 years!"

"As for Zhu Zhuqing, her mental strength is sufficient, but her physical constitution is a bit weak. However, as long as her willpower is strong enough, she can try for spirit rings under 30,000 years old!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing immediately said, "Then let's go with 30,000 years!"

"You wish! Where am I supposed to find a soul beast that has just broken through to the 30,000-year mark for you?!"

He flatly refused Zhu Zhuqing's excessive request, then reached out and wrapped his arms around their waists, lifting them into the air.

With Tang Hao dead, there was no need for him to hide his soul bone anymore; he could use it openly.

Xiao Wuji went upstream along the river that had caused his injury. There were always more herbivores around the river, and it was easier to encounter spirit beasts such as rhinoceroses and turtles, which were good at defense.

"The Blackwater Serpent is a bit too old..."

"The plate-armored rhinoceros, it was almost ten thousand years old..."

"Green-haired turtle, that won't do, skip it... How come there's a soul beast with that name? Although it seems quite fitting..."

Along the way, Xiao Wuji kept searching for suitable soul beasts. With his extensive knowledge, he could tell at a glance whether most soul beasts were suitable. Only a very few soul beasts that were growing at the edge of their lifespan required him to carefully examine them. Searching for soul beasts was naturally much simpler for him.

"Huh? This golden tortoiseshell is just right, I'll take it!"

The golden-hatted creature is gentle, long-lived, and possesses strong defense; it excels at digging. One wrong move and it can escape underground. It's a favorite among defensive Soul Masters. It would be perfect as Ning Rongrong's fourth Soul Ring!

The little princess readily agreed to this choice.

……

(End of this chapter)