Night fell.
"Brother~ mm~ mm…" Hiding in a tree, Jiang Nannan suddenly stood up excitedly. As she tried to shout, Zhu Ziyang quickly covered her mouth and pulled her down.
"Shh!" Zhu Ziyang made a silencing gesture before releasing her and whispering, "Wait."
Why was Jiang Nannan so excited?
It was simple. Not far from them, around the mountain filled with small holes, golden rodents began emerging. Their bodies were covered in golden scales, with silver patterns on their foreheads, and their short limbs were milky white. They weren't very large—the biggest only two meters long, the smallest less than fifty centimeters.
They were the target of Zhu Ziyang and his companions: Silvermoon Armored Beasts.
Silvermoon Armored Beasts were social soul beasts. Normally, a group consisted of 40 to 50 members. The dozen or so that had appeared were far too few, meaning more were yet to come.
Sure enough, just as Zhu Ziyang predicted, more Silvermoon Armored Beasts emerged. This batch was clearly stronger—the first group's strongest had only about 800 years of cultivation, while this group were all over 1,000 years old. The strongest one had 3,500 years—precisely Jiang Nannan's absorption limit!
This 3,500-year-old beast was clearly the leader of the group.
"Elder Song!" Upon seeing the leader emerge, Jiang Nannan's face lit up with joy, and she looked pleadingly at Elder Song.
Zhu Ziyang also nodded at Elder Song, signaling that this beast was a suitable choice.
However, Elder Song hesitated and confirmed once more: "This one is over 3,500 years old. Are you sure you can handle it, Nannan? Don't let greed endanger you."
"Don't worry, Elder Song," Jiang Nannan said confidently. "My second soul ring was already 900 years. Absorbing a 3,500-year soul ring won't be a problem. If you don't believe me, you can ask Brother Ziyang."
"She's right, Elder Song," Zhu Ziyang affirmed.
"In that case, I won't say more," Elder Song nodded. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
With a leap, Elder Song disappeared from sight. Before the two of them could react, the group of Silvermoon Armored Beasts was already in chaos. Screeches and howls rang out as they scattered in all directions.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan were puzzled—until Elder Song returned, dragging the now-immobilized leader of the Silvermoon Armored Beasts in her hand.
They exchanged a glance, clearly seeing the shock and admiration in each other's eyes.
This was the power of the continent's strongest agility-type soul master—so fast!
It had taken her less than 30 seconds to capture the beast, including the round trip of several hundred meters.
"Come, let's find a quiet place so Nannan can finish this beast," Elder Song said without much concern for their stunned expressions.
"Yes!" they both replied.
The three returned to a previously visited location.
"Go ahead, Nannan. It's up to you now," Elder Song said, tossing the beast onto the ground.
"Mm!" Jiang Nannan nodded. She approached the beast, took out a dagger, and squatted down. With a swift motion, she stabbed the blade into its eye, piercing the brain.
The entire body of a Silvermoon Armored Beast was covered in tough scales—only the eyes were exposed, its one true weakness. Jiang Nannan, having learned this from Zhu Ziyang, went straight for the target. The beast twitched a few times before going completely still—dead.
A purple soul ring emerged.
With joy and anticipation in her eyes, Jiang Nannan looked to Zhu Ziyang, who encouraged her silently. Feeling reassured, she sat down cross-legged and began absorbing her third soul ring.
The purple ring floated to her hand, releasing a dense yet slightly aggressive soul power that surged into her body. The sheer volume made the process strenuous.
"Ugh!" she groaned, straining. A cocoon-like martial spirit projection appeared behind her. Elder Song's eyes widened in surprise.
As her martial spirit manifested, Jiang Nannan visibly relaxed. Her breath stabilized, and the soul ring absorption became smoother. Under the watch of Zhu Ziyang and Elder Song, Jiang Nannan's body, surrounded by soul power and spiritual energy, also transformed into a glowing cocoon—like her spirit projection.
"This…" Elder Song was stunned. "She's undergoing a spirit evolution! This girl… such incredible luck!"
Zhu Ziyang, however, had been mentally prepared and remained calm.
He was filled with anticipation: What would Jiang Nannan become after this transformation?
Now began the long wait. Judging by the spiritual energy fluctuations, Zhu Ziyang estimated it would take at least ten hours for her transformation. He couldn't cultivate during this time, to avoid disrupting the process.
After confirming there was no soul bone in the Silvermoon Armored Beast's corpse, he stepped aside, took out a book on Sun and Moon Empire folklore, and began reading—unaware that Elder Song had quietly approached and was watching the book with a slight frown.
Time passed. Eventually, as Zhu Ziyang adjusted his position from fatigue, he noticed Elder Song beside him and felt a little embarrassed. "Elder Song!"
"Mm." Elder Song looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Zhu Ziyang, I want to ask you a question. Answer truthfully."
"What is it, Elder Song?" Zhu Ziyang asked, puzzled.
With a thoughtful expression, Elder Song said, "You've seen the conditions of commoners in the Star Luo Empire along the way. As someone from a humble background yourself, you should know the Heaven Dou and Dou Ling Empires aren't much different. So I ask: what do you think of the current rulers of the three great empires?"
"Ah?!" Zhu Ziyang was stunned—he hadn't expected such a question and was momentarily lost for words.
"No rush," Elder Song said, noticing his hesitation. "Take your time."
Zhu Ziyang fell into deep thought. He wasn't sure why she asked or from what stance. Should he be honest? Or stay silent?
Judging from Elder Song's actions, she was a woman who cared about the people. Trusting both his intuition and his Eye of Heartlight, he made a decision—
To be honest.
"Elder Song, I've made up my mind," he said, taking a deep breath. He was nervous. While Elder Song might not kill him over an answer, if he upset a 97th-rank Super Douluo, it wouldn't end well.
"Oh? Go on," she said with a smile and a trace of expectation.
"I think the current rulers are all idiotic fools," Zhu Ziyang said bluntly, with a hint of mockery. "One day, I'll overthrow their corrupt system and build a world where everyone has the right to awaken their martial spirit equally!"
This thought had been forming in him through their journey. Originally, he had wanted to confide in Jiang Nannan—yet the first person to hear it turned out to be Elder Song.
Her face lit up with a kind smile, and she said warmly, "Good boy. You have ambition!"
Relieved, Zhu Ziyang thought: Good. I gambled right.
"I hope you never forget what you've said today," Elder Song added seriously. "This Douluo Continent… is long overdue for change."