Preview: Meat Tomorrow
She and Dugu Yan were both students of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and their relationship was extremely close.
So, Yan Yan had also joined this mysterious Chat Group long ago?
Moreover, looking at the way she chatted with that man...
A complex and inexplicable emotion welled up in Ye Lingling's heart.
She looked at the chat records, seeing Dugu Yan's undisguised admiration and dependence.
So, Yan Yan and him... were in that kind of relationship?
Ye Lingling stared at the chat records, her mind in turmoil, completely failing to notice someone approaching.
Until a hand rested on her shoulder.
"Lingling, what are you dazing off for?"
Dugu Yan's crisp voice rang in her ear.
Ye Lingling's body stiffened, and she snapped back to her senses, looking up to see Dugu Yan's face wearing a brilliant smile.
"Yan Yan? You... how did you get here?"
"To find Yi Fei, of course," Dugu Yan said as a matter of course, then intimately leaned close to Li Yifei and naturally linked her arm with his.
"And to see if you, this bookworm, were hiding in the library gnawing on books alone again."
Watching Dugu Yan's natural movements and then seeing the man's lack of reaction, the last bit of hope in Ye Lingling's heart vanished.
As expected.
Her relationship with him had already reached this stage.
"It's just about noon; let's go eat together," Dugu Yan suggested.
Li Yifei had no objections and stood up.
Ye Lingling opened her mouth, wanting to say she wasn't hungry, but seeing Dugu Yan's expectant face, she couldn't bring herself to say the words of refusal.
She could only silently close her book and follow behind the two.
Throughout the meal, Ye Lingling felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
Dugu Yan chattered incessantly to Li Yifei about interesting things at the academy, occasionally placing food in his bowl, as intimate as a couple in a passionate relationship.
While Li Yifei didn't say much, his occasional responses carried a sense of indulgence.
Ye Lingling felt like a redundant third wheel, able only to bury her head in her food, using it to block her mouth and the inexplicable sourness in her heart.
After finishing lunch, the three walked out of the cafeteria.
"Yan Yan, your spirit power has reached level forty, hasn't it?" Li Yifei suddenly spoke.
"Mm-hmm, it reached it during the last Spirit evolution!" Dugu Yan nodded repeatedly. "Thanks to you helping me evolve my Spirit last time, my Cultivate speed is several times faster now!"
Her face was full of pride and joy.
"Let's go, I'll take you to obtain your fourth spirit ring," Li Yifei said, extending his arm and directly pulling Dugu Yan's slender waist into his embrace.
"Ah?" Dugu Yan hadn't reacted yet.
In the next second, a powerful force lifted her off the ground.
She subconsciously let out a cry of surprise and hugged Li Yifei tightly.
The two turned into a streak of light, soaring into the sky and disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Leaving only Ye Lingling standing there dazed, looking up at the empty sky.
He... just flew away holding Yan Yan like that?
...
Sunset Forest.
Li Yifei, holding Dugu Yan, landed steadily on a patch of open ground.
Dugu Yan let go, her cheeks still flushed with a hint of red, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
His mental force spread out like a tide, instantly covering an area of dozens of miles.
Everything in the forest—the types of Spirit Beasts, their ages, and their locations—was clearly presented in his mind.
"Your body has been tempered and far exceeds Spirit Masters of the same level; you should be able to try absorbing a Ten Thousand Year spirit ring," Li Yifei said.
"Ten Thousand Year?!" Dugu Yan gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
Absorbing a Ten Thousand Year spirit ring for the fourth ring was unheard of in the history of the Douluo Continent.
"Trust me."
Li Yifei didn't explain much, taking her hand and walking in a certain direction.
Before long, a massive Spirit Beast appeared before them.
It was a King of the Earth, a scorpion-type Spirit Beast, its entire body covered in a dark yellow shell, its huge tail hook shimmering with an eerie dark green light.
Judging from the Aura it emitted, this Spirit Beast's cultivation was at least around fifteen thousand years.
Sensing the intruders, the King of the Earth let out an irritable roar and charged fiercely at the two.
Dugu Yan subconsciously took a step back, summoning her Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Martial Soul, ready for battle.
However, Li Yifei simply stood calmly in place and raised his right hand.
No spirit ring flashed, and no Spirit Ability was activated.
He simply made a light clenching motion toward the charging King of the Earth.
"Bang!"
A dull thud sounded.
The massive, menacing body of the King of the Earth seemed to be struck by an invisible mountain, becoming on the verge of death in an instant.
Dugu Yan watched, dumbfounded.
A fifteen-thousand-year Spirit Beast... just... went down like that?
A one-shot kill.
It couldn't even be considered a Move.
Was this his strength?
"Go on, finish it," Li Yifei's voice woke her.
"Oh... okay!"
Dugu Yan suppressed the shock in her heart and focused her gaze on the collapsed King of the Earth.
She took a deep breath, recalling the method Li Yifei had taught her, and slowly guided her spirit power toward her eyes.
Buzz!
The Crimson Flame in her left eye lit up first, the scorching heat causing the surrounding air to distort slightly.
A condensed, thread-like crimson light ray shot out, not attacking the seemingly sturdy dark yellow shell, but precisely entering a tiny gap between the plates.
Sizzle—!
Where the light entered, there was no violent explosion, but the interior of the King of the Earth's tough body made a sound like a hot iron entering water.
The area hit instantly became glowing red, the flesh beneath the shell silently scorched through and vaporized under the extreme heat; the intense pain caused the originally dying Spirit Beast to let out a final, agonizing shriek, its massive body twisting wildly.
Immediately after, the Deep Blue Ice Crystals in Dugu Yan's right eye shone brightly.
A frigid, deep blue light ray followed closely, hitting exactly the spot that had been scorched red.
Crack!
Extreme heat and extreme cold alternated in an instant.
A piercing cracking sound rang out as the King of the Earth's shell burst with countless fine cracks under the terrifying temperature difference, rapidly spreading across its entire body.
The cold air penetrated deep into its body, instantly freezing the boiling blood and damaged internal organs.
The Spirit Beast's struggling came to an abrupt halt, its dark green pupils lost their luster, and its life Aura dissipated rapidly.
With just two gazes, this Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast had completely perished.
A deep black ring of light slowly emerged from the corpse of the King of the Earth, its light flowing and containing powerful energy.
Dugu Yan sat cross-legged and began to draw in that Ten Thousand Year spirit ring.
The moment the spirit ring entered her body, a violent surge of energy exploded within her.
Dugu Yan let out a muffled groan, her body trembling violently.
But she soon discovered that although this energy was violent, it did not exceed her body's limit of endurance.
Her body, which had been tempered by Li Yifei using the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, now displayed an astonishing resilience.
Li Yifei watched quietly from the side, and after confirming she was in no danger, he felt relieved.