"Stop, stop, stop! You're talking way too fast! Not that a chatty cute girl isn't adorable, of course!"
Youlan Dai'er cut off Qian Ningshuang's rapid-fire questions, tossing in a playful jab for good measure.
"Can a supercomputer really not keep up?"
Qian Ningshuang asked, genuinely puzzled. In her eyes, Youlan Dai'er—with her supercomputing capabilities—was essentially a supercomputer.
"It's not about being a supercomputer. It's about the human-like parameters I've set for myself. At that speed, no normal person could've understood you. Next question."
Youlan Dai'er didn't bother correcting Qian Ningshuang's assumption. As a weapon with supercomputing power, the comparison wasn't wrong—except maybe for the fact that she could probably throw a punch or two.
"Alright, fine. Repeat this: why did you wake up? Was it because you ran out of energy before?"
"I shut down due to world rejection, not energy depletion. I woke up because I've partially parsed this world's rules."
"If this world is so weak it can shut you down, why wasn't I rejected?"
"Can you drop the fixed assumptions already? The world only seems weak because its people are weak. It's still a xuanhuan world—far from feeble. You weren't rejected because you're the primary transmigrator. Some unknown force altered you during your crossing, making you compatible. I was just baggage—untouched by that force."
"Then why did I transmigrate in the first place? And what's this 'unknown force'?"
"That, I don't know."
"Then why did Hei Yuan Bai Hua become my martial soul, but you didn't?"
"Same answer. That force's doing."
…
While Qian Ningshuang conversed with Youlan Dai'er within her consciousness, deep in the core region of Star Dou Great Forest…
Beneath the Lake of Life, a colossal black dragon opened its eyes.
"Master, your command?"
"I sensed it—a vast, pure surge of life energy at the forest's edge. Di Tian, find its source and bring it to me."
Hearing the urgency in that voice, the black dragon—Di Tian—hesitated, golden pupils narrowing slightly.
"Master… will the God Realm allow this?"
"Di Tian, have you grown fearful just because you were wounded once?"
The voice from the lakebed sharpened with irritation.
"My apologies, Master! It's only that… if this life energy proves insufficient for your recovery, it's safer to rely on the Lake of Life. We shouldn't provoke the God Realm's suspicion unnecessarily."
Though he couldn't see his master, Di Tian lowered his head respectfully.
"The purity and magnitude of this energy far surpass the Lake of Life! With it, my injuries could heal fully within a century! Do you still doubt its value?"
"Besides, there's no need to fear the God Realm. Since this energy appeared, their gaze upon Star Dou has vanished."
Perhaps out of rare leniency—or maybe because of the massive scar still marring Di Tian's body—the voice offered an explanation.
"I shall retrieve it at once!"
Relieved, Di Tian exhaled. If the God Realm's attention had truly lifted, there was nothing to worry about.
Still… just how potent could this life energy be, if it promised full recovery in a mere hundred years? Even the God of Life in the God Realm might not achieve such a feat.
With that thought, Di Tian soared from the Lake of Life.
"Take Xiong Jun and Chi Wang with you. Beside that life energy are two other formidable presences. Injured as you are, you might not prevail alone."
The voice echoed once more from the depths.
"Understood, Master."
Soon after, a giant bear and a three-headed crimson demon hound emerged from the lake.
"Huh…"
Under the watchful eyes of Qian Ren Xue and her companions, Qian Ningshuang opened her eyes.
"How is this even possible?"
Qian Ren Xue blurted out in astonishment. The others wore matching expressions of disbelief.
A Spirit Master's first魂 ring absorption always took hours—sometimes an entire day. Never had they seen someone finish in the span of a single cup of tea.
Could exceptional talent truly accelerate魂 ring absorption?
"Ahaha… honestly, I'm not sure why it was so fast!"
Qian Ningshuang giggled, hoping cuteness would deflect suspicion.
She knew exactly why, of course. Youlan Dai'er had explained it clearly in her mindscape.
Most of the time spent absorbing a魂 ring wasn't for breaking through—it happened the moment the魂 ring was claimed. The real time sink was imprinting the魂 skill, which required painstakingly etching the technique from the魂 ring into the Spirit Master's soul.
But Qian Ningshuang had a cheat: Youlan Dai'er, her圣 sword and supercomputer, handled the imprinting at maximum speed.
Of course, could she really reveal the existence of Youlan Dai'er?
"Never mind that. What魂 skill did you gain? Show us."
Qian Ren Xue fixed her with a knowing, half-amused stare—clearly seeing through the act. But since Qian Ningshuang chose not to explain, she wouldn't press further.
"It's called Radiance. It imbues Hei Yuan Bai Hua's attacks with fire attribute."
Feeling Qian Ren Xue's piercing gaze, Qian Ningshuang's scalp prickled. Before anyone could ask more, she activated the skill immediately.
She hurled Hei Yuan Bai Hua toward a nameless tree ten meters away. With a thunderous crash, the trunk split apart—and flames erupted from the fracture.
Everyone stared, then turned in unison to Qian Ningshuang, eyes wide with astonishment.
"Hehe, pretty strong, right?"
She planted the retrieved Hei Yuan Bai Hua into the ground and placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest proudly.
Qian Ren Xue remained expressionless. The three elders opened their mouths, then closed them—clearly burning with questions they dared not voice.
Only Tian Yue spoke, choosing his words with extreme care.
"It's certainly powerful. A first魂 skill causing this much destruction is rare. But… Xiao Shuang, can you explain where the fire attribute comes from? Your martial soul has no fire affinity, and the魂 beast you absorbed wasn't fire-type either."
Qian Ningshuang's triumphant grin froze.
She'd almost forgotten that detail. No matter how extraordinary a Spirit Master's魂 skill might be, it couldn't spontaneously generate an attribute absent from both martial soul and魂 beast.
Her魂 skills were different—they'd been pre-programmed by Youlan Dai'er. Up to level 40, she'd receive four skills: Radiance, Lunar Essence, Stellar Anchor, and Origin Point—mirroring Bianca's four armor sets from her past life. Every ten levels granted her one set, along with the muscle memory to wield it.
Of course, these were heavily downgraded versions. The originals would likely remain beyond her reach until she ascended to godhood.
As for魂 skills beyond level 40, Youlan Dai'er hadn't revealed them—though it was clear they'd already been prepared.
"Uh… I don't know."
Once again, Qian Ningshuang resorted to wide-eyed innocence.
"Stay alert—something's coming!"
Tian E's sudden shout cut off Tian Yue's follow-up question.