"You're still not satisfied?"
"I only have one Spirit Ability, yet you have three, and you're still standing there complaining! I'm so envious I almost want to hit you, yet you're acting unsatisfied!"
Xiao Wu's mouth hung open in surprise. Hearing Yu Yan's dissatisfied muttering, she couldn't help but question him.
She was no longer the novice who had just entered human society; through books, she had gained a deep understanding of humans and Spirit Masters.
A single spirit ring had provided Yu Yan with two Spirit Abilities and a Martial Soul Fusion Skill that allowed him to fight above his level.
Under such Heaven-Defying circumstances, Yu Yan was actually still dissatisfied. Where did he get the nerve to be unhappy?
Envy, jealousy, and hate—these were Xiao Wu's most sincere emotions at this moment.
"I'm just telling the truth. It's only 32 seconds; the duration is indeed a bit short."
Immersed in the mindset of researching his own Spirit, Yu Yan truly felt that 32 seconds was a bit short.
As a man, he couldn't accept being'short' on time, whether it was the duration of a Spirit Ability or in other aspects.
"Damnable Yu Yan, I really can't take it anymore!!!"
Hearing those words again, Xiao Wu gnashed her teeth and walked over to Yu Yan. She locked his neck with one arm and poked his head vigorously with her other hand to vent her frustration.
"Stop, stop, stop..."
Yu Yan's calls to stop didn't make Xiao Wu cease her actions; instead, she slightly increased her strength.
With his spirit power exhausted, Yu Yan had no ability to resist in front of Xiao Wu.
Two or three minutes later, a satisfied Xiao Wu released Yu Yan's neck and took her hand off his head.
"That felt good."
Sitting cross-legged beside Yu Yan and looking at his messy hair, Xiao Wu laughed happily.
"Damnable Xiao Wu, even if you're jealous of me, you didn't have to go that far."
"Damnable Yu Yan, do you know how irritating your words were just now?"
"It was alright, wasn't it? Didn't you already know I could use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"
"Knowing and seeing it with my own eyes are two completely different things. You're the one who told me that."
After a meaningless yet meaningful argument, Yu Yan was the first to drift off to sleep. His spirit power was exhausted, and he was exhausted, needing a good rest.
Xiao Wu, whose mental state was still good, took on the responsibility of keeping watch. When the time for the shift change came, she didn't wake up the soundly sleeping Yu Yan... "Xiao Wu, why didn't you wake me up? We agreed to each watch half the night."
Waking up to his biological clock, Yu Yan looked at Xiao Wu, who was sitting by the fire reading a book, and asked why she hadn't woken him.
"You looked very tired, so I didn't wake you," Xiao Wu explained, then continued, "Don't talk about useless things. Hurry up and Cultivate by absorbing the purple qi. I still want to piggyback off your spirit power to Cultivate."
Xiao Wu had quickly learned Yu Yan's clumsy method of changing the subject.
"Fine, let's go Cultivate."
Yu Yan didn't fuss over the matter and took Xiao Wu to a nearby hilltop to begin their daily purple qi Cultivation session.
By the end of the Cultivation, Yu Yan's spirit power progress had reached 90% of Level 12. He only needed to wait for tonight's full moon to successfully Breakthrough to Level 13.
Xiao Wu's Cultivation speed was nearly the same as Yu Yan's. While Yu Yan had purple qi and Moonlight as aids, she possessed the world-rare Innate Full Spirit Power, so her speed was not slow either.
After a simple meal of dry rations, the two set out once again on their journey to Vast Sea City... They pressed forward into the core area of the West Ridge Mountains. At a certain spot not far from the iron fence of the Soul Hunting Forest, Xiao Wu suddenly grabbed Yu Yan and made a shushing gesture.
Understanding Xiao Wu's meaning and choosing to trust her, Yu Yan immediately shut his mouth, suppressed his aura, and followed her to hide in the bushes behind a large rock.
While hiding, Xiao Wu activated her Comprehensive Amplification to enhance her hearing. After carefully listening to the movements in the distance, and before the people could arrive, she whispered an explanation into Yu Yan's ear:
"I hear four or five people. They are rushing toward us from the Soul Hunting Forest. They're very fast and will be here soon. I thought we should hide to avoid them."
After hearing Xiao Wu's explanation, Yu Yan didn't speak but gave her a thumbs-up.
Before long, four figures appeared in their field of vision: an elder past fifty, a stout middle-aged man, a robust youth, and a masked leader. They were all wearing uniform grey-green clothing.
As they approached the fence of the Soul Hunting Forest, Yu Yan noticed that the robust youth was holding a small, unconscious cat that was pitch black with four snow-white paws.
The four of them approached the fence, fumbled around on the ground for a bit, and then crawled out through a pre-dug tunnel.
"Poachers?"
Seeing this scene, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu instantly realized the identities of these people; the two of them had just discussed poachers yesterday.
Spirit Masters were a wealthy group, and the Soul Hunting Forest could bring immense profits. Entering the forest required a token, which came at a cost.
Those who were unwilling to pay the price but still wanted to enter the Soul Hunting Forest to gain benefits—and acted on that thought—were the so-called poachers.
Driven by profit, poachers were impossible to eliminate and appeared constantly.
Yu Yan and Xiao Wu both recognized the kitten in the robust youth's arms. It was a famous and clever breed of ornamental cat Spirit Beast, extremely popular among the nobility.
This kind of Spirit Beast was originally called a Spirit Cat, but depending on its pattern, it had different names.
This pitch-black Spirit Cat with four white paws was also known as 'treading snow to find plum blossoms' or 'Dark Clouds Covering Snow'.
It was called 'treading snow to find plum blossoms' because the four white paws of the black cat looked like prints left in the snow, the white paw pads standing out strikingly against the black fur.
'Dark Clouds Covering Snow' referred to how the belly and limbs showed white patches amidst the black fur, like white snow dotting dark clouds.
A black Spirit Cat was regarded as a guardian deity, and four white paws symbolized purity and luck. Thus, it was often seen as an auspicious omen that could bring good fortune to its owner.
In short, Spirit Cats of this color were extremely rare. If sold to a noble, they could fetch an incredibly large sum of gold coins.
Yu Yan and Xiao Wu glanced at each other, having no intention of intervening. The strength of these people was unknown, and they were all desperate poachers; it was better not to provoke them.
"Third Brother."
After leaving the Soul Hunting Forest area, the gaunt leader looked around. Confirming no one was nearby, he called out to the person behind him.
The stout middle-aged man stepped forward. A fat, grey-furred dog appeared and merged with him, and a white spirit ring emerged.
A faint light shimmered on the stout man's nose as he inhaled deeply, sensing the surroundings.
Not good!
Seeing the stout man's actions, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu looked at each other, the same emotion appearing in their eyes.
They were hidden very well and had suppressed their auras, but they hadn't masked their scents. With the other party using a Spirit Ability to enhance their sense of smell, they were highly likely to be exposed.